1. Godfrey of Bouillon: a leader in the first crusade, who became ruler of Jerusalem.
2. Polichronicon: a Latin historical work of Ranulf Higden (d. 1364), a Benedictine monk. An English version by John Trevisa was published by Caxton in 1482.
3. Galfridus in his British book: Geoffrey of Monmouth’s History of the Kings of Britain, written c. 1135.
ch. 4 1. At this point nobody except Uther and Merlin know who Arthur is.
ch. 7 1. Malory refers to Arthur’s knights as ‘of the Round Table’, although Arthur has not yet been presented with the Round Table (cf. Book III, ch. 1). Probably he did this out of habit.
ch. 9 1. According to Malory’s later account (Book I. ch. 25) Excalibur is also the name of the sword which Arthur receives from the Lady of the Lake.
ch. 10 1. C: do.
ch. 11 1. he refers to Arthur.
ch. 15 1. Moris de la Roche nevertheless reappears later in the fighting (cf. ch. 17). For an explanation of how the reading here could have arisen from textual corruption, see Vinaver, p. 1292, n. 8–9.
2. C: ‘one of the best knights’.
3. Bleoberis. This character is apparently distinct from Bleoberis de Ganis. He does not reappear.
ch. 20 1. The sense is obviously defective here. A better reading is found in W: ‘but and I might prove it, I would wit whether thou were better …’
2. How Ulfius and Brasias got to know about Arthur’s origins is not explained.
ch. 23 1. C: ‘the mights’.
ch. 4 1. C: ‘said Balin’.
ch. 6 1. C: ‘came ride’.
ch. 141. C: ouer; W: one.
ch. 151. Malory later implies (ch. 8) that Balin carries two swords, but this is not assumed here. Malory has probably taken ‘Knight with the Two Swords’ literally where it is meant to be a title. See Vinaver. pp. 1315. n. 84. 29–30, and 1321, n. 89. 10–11.
2. W. has the less startling and obviously better reading: ‘and for the most party of that castle was dead through the dolorous stroke. Right so lay King Pellam and Balin three days.’ See Vinaver, p. 1317, n. 85. 13–15.
ch. 161. And King Pellam …dole, tray and tene. This passage does not appear in any of Malory’s known sources. It is imperfectly harmonized with the later account of the Grail story. Galahad, son of Launcelot, is here confused with Galahaut the Haut Prince; cf. Book XIII, ch. 4, and Book XVII, ch. 1.
ch. 191. cf. ch. 16. n. 1.
ch. 2 1. twenty and eight knights. This should be forty-eight, leaving the two vacant seats which Arthur remarks on (Book III, ch. 4).
ch. 10 1. C: ‘and’.
ch. 12 1. Hontzlake of Wentland is distinct from Ontzlake, who plays a prominent part in the episode of Arthur and Accolon in Book IV.
ch. 13 1. Brian of the Isles as described here does not seem consistent with the warlike character Brian de les Isles who appears as the enemy of Arthur in Book IX, ch. 6. Probably the two are meant to be distinct.
ch. 15 1. The passage which follows is an original passage of Malory’s, notable for its outline of knightly behaviour. In place of always to do ladies, damosels and gentlewomen succour, upon pain of death, W. has: strengthe hem in hir ryghtes, and never to enforce them.
ch. 5 1. a branch of an holy herb. Vinaver (p. 1342, n. 132. 14–17) has shown how this rather puzzling reference could be due to Malory’s mistaking of the word branke, used in his source in the literary sense of a subdivision of a cycle of stories.
ch. 15 1. armyvestal. This word does not occur elsewhere, and the sense can only be conjectured from the context. It may be intended to mean ‘warlike’, and could be an attempt to make sense of W.’s equally obscure amyvestyall.
ch. 17 1. certain cause not in C.
ch. 20 1. C: make.
ch. 24 1. knight of the Table Round. However, Marhaus has not yet been made a knight of the Round Table. Cf. Book IV, ch. 28.
ch. 28 1. This mistaken assertion may be the result of confusion of Pelleas and King Pelles.
The source for this part of the story is the English alliterative poem Morte Arthure. Caxton has considerably reduced the alliterative cadence.
ch. 2 1. Cateland: Catalonia. Not all place-names in the account of Arthur’s campaign which follow are capable of identification, and the forms of some have obviously arisen through misunderstanding.
ch. 3 1. Baudwin and Constantine are two characters created by Malory to replace Mordred, who in other versions of the story is here appointed as Arthur’s deputy. But Malory keeps the story of Mordred’s treachery until the final book.
ch. 12 1. Pleasance: Placenza; Petersaint: possibly Pietrasanta; Port of Tremble: Pontremoli.
ch. 4 1. white monks: Cistercians.
ch. 10 1. adventurous or lecherous. The two adjectives are clearly incongruous. The reading in W. showss that there must have been confusion with the word advoutrers (‘adulterers’). See Vinaver, p. 1421, n. 270. 34–36.
ch. 13 1. C: ‘he’.
ch. 16 1. rownsepyk. No satisfactory explanation of this form has been suggested. It is best explained as a corruption of W.’s rowgh spyke (‘rough spike’).
ch. 2 1. The story of ‘La Cote Male Taile’ is told in Book IX.
ch. 7 1. C: merueylled.
ch. 9 1. Wade. The legend of Wade, a famous hero of antiquity, is mentioned by many medieval writers, including Chaucer (Merchant’s Tale, 1424.). In Scandinavian writings he appears as a giant, the father of Wayland.
Tristram is here referred to as a grown man. An account of his birth and early life appears later, at the beginning of Book VIII.
ch. 15 1. C: encreased.
ch. 20 1. C: ‘of Sir Gawain’.
ch. 22 1. C: Syr.
ch. 26 1. W: ‘And if so be that he be a wedded man that wins the degree he shall have a coronal of gold.’ C.’s variant is probably due to a misreading, since the ‘degree’ at a tournament would only be awarded to a knight. See Vinaver, p. 1438, n. 341. 22–4.
ch. 27 1. himself refers to ‘beauty’.
ch. 28 1. encountered not in C.
2. C: ‘Launcelot’.
3. C: ‘Green’.
ch. 32 1. The Brown Knight Without Pity, who meets his death here, is clearly identical with Breunis Saunce Pité, who appears in later books. Cf. notes to Book VII, chs. 2 and 9 above.
ch. 34 1. W: ‘Sir Gareth met with her’.
ch. 1 1. wife not in C.
ch. 12 1. C: ‘he that’.
ch. 16 1. keep not in C.
ch. 17 1. C.’s ‘where ye beat’ is not consistent with the previous account of the tournament in Book VIII, chs. 9 and 10. W: he.
ch. 24 1. In making Isoud’s mother give the potion to Isoud herself, C. has creaed a strange inconsistency, since thte episode which followes clearly depends on Isoud’s being unaware of the magic power of the potion. The mistake has probably arisen from a misunderstanding. In W. the sense is clear: ‘then the queen Isode’s mother gave Dame Grangwaine unto her to be her gentlewoman, and also she and Gouvernaile had a drink of he queen and she charged them …’ See Vinaver, p. 1462, n. 411. 35–412. 2.
ch. 25 1. C: ‘mine’.
ch. 28 1. C: a gyaunt that fought: an obviously corrupt reading. See Vinaver, p. 1463, n. 418. 13. W. has whyche instead of that, and Vinaver suggests as the original reading whyght (‘mighty’).
ch. 22 1. them pass not in C.
ch. 25 1. W: ‘said Sir Gawain’.
ch. 35 1. C: Tristram.