Most rich and fair of colour, Like gold it glittering shone : And much the knights in Arthur's court 140 The Rev. Evan Evans, editor of the Specimens of Welsh poetry, 4to, affirmed that the story of the Boy and the Mantle is taken from what is related in some of the old Welsh MSS. of Tegan Earfron, one of King Arthur's mistresses. She is said to have possessed a mantle that would not fit any immodest or incontinent woman; this (which, the old writers say, was reckoned among the curiosities of Britain) is frequently alluded to by the old Welsh bards. Carleile, so often mentioned in the ballads of King Arthur, the Editor once thought might probably be a corruption of Caer-leon, an ancient British city on the river Uske, in Monmouthshire, which was one of the places of King Arthur's chief residence: but he is now convinced that it is no other than Carlisle, in Cumberland; the old English Minstrels, being most of them northern men, naturally represented the hero of romance as residing in the north: and many of the places mentioned in the old ballads are still to be found there; as TearneWadling, &c. Near Penrith is still seen a large circle, surrounded by a mound of earth, which retains the name of Arthur's Round Table. XIX. THE ANCIENT FRAGMENT OF The Marriage of Sir Gawaine.1 The second poem in book vii., entitled, The Marriage of Sir Gawaine, having been offered to the reader with large conjectural supplements and corrections, the old fragment itself is here literally and exactly printed from the Editor's folio MS. with all its defects, inaccuracies, and errata: that such austere antiquaries as complain that the ancient copies have not been always rigidly adhered to, may see how unfit for publication many of the pieces would have been if all the blunders, corruptions, and nonsense of illiterate reciters and transcribers had been superstitiously retained, without some attempt to correct and amend them. This ballad has most unfortunately suffered by having half of every leaf in this part of the MS. torn away; and, as about nine stanzas generally occur in the half-page now remaining, it is concluded that the other half contained nearly the same number of stanzas. 1 The text of this poem has been carefully revised by comparison with Percy's Folio Manuscript, as edited by Messrs. Hales and Furnivall.Editor. And there he hath wth him Queene Genever, that bride soe bright in bower, & all his barons about him stoode that were both stiffe and stowre. The K. kept a royall Christmasse [About nine Stanzas wanting.] And bring me word what thing it is that a woman most desire. this shalbe thy ransome, Arthur, he sayes, for Ile haue noe other hier. K. Arthur then held vp his hand according thene as was the law; he tooke his leaue of the baron there, & homward can he draw. And when he came to Merry Carlile, to his chamber he is gone, & ther came to him his Cozen St Gawaine as he did make his mone. And there came to him his cozen S Gawaine, that was a curteous knight, why sigh you soe sore, vnckle Arthur, he said, or who hath done thee vnright? O peace, O peace, thou gentle Gawaine, that faire may thee be ffall, for if thou knew my sighing soe deepe, thou wold not meruaile att all; ffor when I came to tearne wadiing, a bold barron there I fand, wth a great club vpon his backe. standing stiffe and strong; And he asked me wether I wold fight, or from him I shold be gone, o2 else I must him a ransome pay & soe depart him from. 2 Sic. |