ES - Re: ST - list of knightly articles
willow taylor
willowjonbardc at juno.com
Fri Mar 2 10:26:14 PST 2001
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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