ES - Re: ST - list of knightly articles

[willow taylor]

Dear  Master Edwin  and Lady Elspeth de Forbeys
Yes, it is very  close to the information found in the Lanclot story. I
found some more information in a translation of  the prose Lancelot
written in the 13th century. This translation was by Corin Corley,
published  by The World's Classics. In it the fairy of the lake tells
Lancelot that Knighthood is a burden. and the tells him the following;

     "And understand this, that knighthood was not created and set up
lightheartedly,  nor because some men were originally  more  noble or of
higher lineage than the others, for all people are descended from one
father and one mother, But when envy and greed began to grow in the world
and force began to overcome justice,  at that time all men were still
equal in lineage and nobility. And when the weak could  no longer
withstand  or  hold out against the strong, they established  protectors
and defenders over themselves, to protect  the weak  and the peaceful 
and  to maintain their rights, and to  deter  the  strong  from their 
wrongdoing  and  outrageous  behavior.
      To  provide  this protection,  they established  those  who  were 
most  worthy  in the  opinion  of  the common people. These  were the 
big  and  the  strong  and  the  handsome  and  the nimble  and  the 
loyal  and  the  valorous  and the courageous, those  who  we ere  full
of  the  qualities  of  the  heart and  of  the  body. However ,
knighthood  was  not given to  them  frivolously, or  for  nothing, but 
with  it  a  great  burden was  placed  on  their  shoulders. And do you
know  what that  was? Originally,  when the order  of  knighthood  began 
a  man  who  wished to  be  a  knight  ,  and  who  was  accorded  that
privilege  by  right  of  election, was  told he  should be  courteous
without baseness,  gracious  without  cruelty,  compassionate  towards
the  needy, generous  and prepared to help those in  need,  and ready and
prepared  to  confound robbers and killers:  he  should  be  a  fair 
judge, without  love  or  hate. without love  to  help  wrong against
right, without hate  to hinder right  in order  to further wrong, A 
knight  should  not, for fear of death, do anything  wrong. A  knight
should  not, for fear of death, do anything  which  can be  seen as 
shameful: rather, he  should  be  more  afraid of  shame  than of
suffering  death."

The  Romance  goes on  to mention the duty of the knight to protect the
church nine  times and  mentions  protecting  the  people  five time.
This piece  of  literture does not  mention the  knights' duty  to women.
The French  and German  versions  of  Perceval  mention that  in  the 
advice  the  old  man  gives  to the young  Perceval. This version of 
"Lancelot of the Lake " was translated  in the 1980's from the  french. I
don't  think  it  was  influenced by  the Victorians. I know  it sounds
Victorian. I wondered  if the Victorians  didn't  get into  the 
literature of  12th -  14th century because  they  were  of  a similar 
mind set?  Both groups  wrote  about  how things ought  to  be  not  what
 they  were.
Willow  de  Wisp

.

n Wed, 28 Feb 2001 14:25:13 -0800 (PST) Elspeth de Forbeys
<ladyforbeys at yahoo.com> writes:
> > If memory serves me correctly this is pretty close
> to a verbatim list from the mid-Victorian era work
> called something like 'Le Romaunce du Lancelot'. It
> sounds more Victorian certainly than Medieval.
> 
> sorry, -E
> yours in service,
> Lady Elspeth de Forbeys
> motto:
> Aurum peccamenes multifariam texi
> 
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