BOOKS.

LE MORTE DARTHUR.* NOT only all scholars, but every English-speaking matt who loves that record of chivalry and romance which Caxton "im- printed in the Abbey of Westminster, the last day of July," 1485, will be grateful to Dr. Sommer for his splendid critical edition of the Morte Darthur. The " Globe " edition of Malory's work supplied the public with a carefully edited version of the text, but it aimed more at satisfying the wants of the general reader than at collecting and sifting the material from which the 3forte Darthur was compiled. Dr. Sommer has now furnished the world with a complete critical apparatus for the full appreciation of a book which is among the most precious possessions of English litera- ture. Before, we had to be content with enjoying ; now we may both enjoy and understand, wandering not only in the realms of high romance, but realising how the work of Malory took shape and form. By his action in producing the long-wanted editio princeps of Marie Darthur, Dr. Sommer has secured himself honour and gratitude wherever the English language is spoken. Englishmen and Americans may blush to think that it was not a man of English kin who accom-

• L. Norte Darthur. By Sir Thomas Malory. The Original Edition of William Caxton. Now reprinted and edited by H. Oskar Sommer, Ph.D. 3 vols. 4 London : published by David Nutt, in the Strand. 1831. plished the work ; but the fact that Dr. Sommer is a German will not for a moment be allowed to interfere with the sense of gratitude with which his book will be received. And while honouring Dr. Sommer for his labour of love, we must not

forget the public spirit of his publisher, Mr. David Nutt. The publication of the three volumes which form the subject of this notice cannot be regarded as in any sense a commercial under-

taking. The volumes must have been exceedingly costly to pro- duce, for the printing and paper are alike excellent, and the price is far below that usually set on editions deluxe. It is to be

hoped, however, that, as sometimes happens, Mr. Nutt may find that his enterprise and liberality have not been misplaced

even from the point of view of pecuniary benefit, and that the support of the public will give the new edition of Morte Darthur a wide circulation.

The first volume of Dr. Sommer's work contains the text; the second, matter explanatory of the text ; the third, a series of studies on the sources from which Malory drew his

romance. Dr. Sommer has, after an immense deal of labour and research, been able to find chapter and verse for the greater portion of the Marie Darthur. Sometimes Malory translated literally from his "French books ;" sometimes he merely made precis and abstracts; sometimes, again, he altered or enlarged. Sir Edward Strachey, in his preface

to the " Globe " edition, has pointed out how judicious was often Malory's handling of his material, and how he tended to suppress what was nnpoetical and ignoble in the sources from which he worked, and to give prominence to what was sane, worthy, and of good report. For example, Malory omits "the long and repulsive narrative" of Merlin's birth. Again, "without disguising what he probably believed to be at least a half-historical record of Arthur's birth, he gives a grace and dignity to the story by the charms of his mother's character, the finer touches of which are wanting in the original." Occasionally, however, either from choice or from the desire for concentration, Malory omitted details of the legends which his readers would have gladly seen pre- served. For example, his account of the death of Merlin is not nearly so romantic and imaginative as that to be found

in the Suite de Merlin. Malory curtly tells us how "it happened that Merlin showed to her [Vivien] in a rock whereas

was a great wonder, and wrought by enchantment, that went under a great stone. So by her subtle working, she made Merlin go under that stone to let her wot of the marvels there, but she wrought so there for him that he came never out for all the craft that he could do. And so she departed

and left Merlin." The following is Dr. Sommer's abstract of that portion of the Suite de Merlin which deals with the death of Merlin :— " One day, whilst crossing the forest perilleuse,' night over- takes them [i.e., Merlin and Vivien], and they have to stay where they are under the open sky. They make a big fire, and eat of the provisions which they have brought from the castle. After supper Merlin tells Niviene chi pres entre ces roches vous pourroie jois moustrer la plus biele petite chambre quo je sache, et fu tonte faite a chisel, et en sont li huis de fier, si fors quo qui seroit dedens, je cuic qua jamais n'en isteroit.' Niviene thinks the chamber in the rocks is only occupied by dyables et bastes sauvages,' but Merlin says : At present you are right, the chamber is not inhabited, but some hundred years ago there lived in this country a king named Assen, who had a son, Anasten. Both were good men and valiant knights. The son loved the daughter of a poor knight "de si grant amour que morteus hom ne pooit plus feme amer." The father, hearing this, tried to persuade his son to give up his love, and, when his entreaties proved fruitless, threatened to slay his son's sweetheart before his eyes. To pre- vent this, Anasten, with his friend's help, had this dwelling cut out of the rock. Thither he retired with his love, and lived long and happily. They died the same day, and were buried together in the place where they spent their life of love.' Merlin's tale pleases Niviene much. Now, thinks she, the time has come to carry out her plan, and rid herself of Merlin. She is loud in admiration of the two lovers who forsook all for love's sake. Merlin declares he has done the same for her (Niviene) ; to be with her he has left Artus et thus lea hau.s houmes don roiame de Logres ' of whom he was sires.' She feigns to love him much, and, giving him in ambiguous words to understand that she will at last yield to his entreaties, asks him to lead her to the chamber, where they may pass the night. Merlin, delighted, orders two valets to take torches and lead Niviene to the place. They find a chamber tonte palate a or musique ' (sic), and so beautiful that Niviene declares she has never seen its like. Merlin tells her this is only the place where they had their meals; he will now show her their bedroom. This, too, is much admired. Pointing to a tomb, Merlin declares that below it the two lovers rest in peace. He lifts a covering'd'un vermeil samit ouvret a or et as bestes moult cointement,' and shows her a stone of red marble. He advises her not to see the bodies, as they do not look well, mais

lait et orible.' But Niviene insists upon seeing them, and asks Merlin to lift up the stone. He cannot refuse her, removes the stone, which is so heavy that ten men would have had difficulty in removing it, pour coi on doit croire quo plus li valut illnec sea seas quo se forche.' Now they see the two bodies wrapped in white velvet, but they cannot distinguish faces or limbs. Niviene

declares, if she had for sure 'de jour' God's power, she would put the souls of these two lovers ensemble en la joie qui tousjours mais lour dnrast.' She means to pass the night there, and Merlin expresses the wish to stay with her. So they order their people to make their beds, et elle se concha erraument et aussi fist Merlins, mais eke fu en un entre lit.' When Merlin is asleep, Niviene rises and bespells him so that he can stir no limb; then she calls her people, and asks them if she has enchanted the enchanter well. They move him, and find him like a dead body. Now tell me,' says Niviene to them, what I shall do to him who has followed me "non mie pour m'onnour, mais pour moi despire et pour moi despuceler." ' One of her men would have her let him kill Merlin, but this proposal she rejects. She then bids her men throw Merlin's body into the grave. They do so, and put the stone over it, and Niviene cora- menche a faire sea conjuremens si joint si et seele la lame an Blinn et par conjuremens et par force de paroles,' so that no one but herself may open it and see Merlin, dead or alive. She does so at the request of Tristram, as la droite ystoire de Tristram is devise, et la brank meesmes del brait en parole, mais che n'est mie gramment.' Baudemagus came on the fourth day to the place, when Merlin, still alive, could be heard lamenting, and, desirous to know who it was who thus lamented, tried in vain to remove the stone, but Merlin told him that only she who by her enchantments replaced the stone on the tomb could remove it. This adventure is told in contes del bruit."

But though Malory missed a good deal here, he missed, as Dr. Sommer points out, a great deal more in not adopting the beautiful version of the death of Merlin to be found in the Vulgate Merlin. It runs as follows :— "Then he began to devise the craft unto her, and she it wrote all that he said; and when had all devised, the damsel had great joy in heart and he her loved more and more, and she showed him fairer cheer than beforn ; so they sojourned together longtime, till it fell on a day that they went through the forest hand in hand, devising and disporting, and this was in the forest of Brocheland, and found a bush that was fair and high of white horthorne full of flowers, and there they sat in the shadow, and Merlin laid his head in the damsel's lap, and she began to taste softly till he fell on sleep; and when she felt that he was on sleep she arose softly, and made a cern with her whimple all about the bush and all about Merlin, and began her enchantments so as Merlin had her taught, and made the cern nine times, and nine times her enchantments ; and after that she went and sat down by him and laid his head on her lap, and held him there till he did awake, and then he looked about him and him seemed he was in the fairest tower of the world, and the most strong, and found him laid in the fairest place that ever he lay beforn ; and then he said to the damsel, Lady thou hest me deceived, but if ye will abide with me for none but ye may undo thy enchantments ; ' and she said, Fair sweet friend, I shall oftentimes go out, and ye shall have me in your arms and I you; and from henceforth shall ye do all your pleasure ; ' and she him held well couenaunt for few hours there were of the night one of the day but she was with him. Ne never after come Merlin out of that fortress that she had him inset; but she went in and out when she would."

Before leaving Dr. Sommer's book, we must say something of Mr. Lang's admirable causerie which forms an introduc- tion to the third volume. Mr. Lang is always charming when dealing with the themes of heroic romance, but he has never done anything more perfect than this little essay. His com- parison of courage as depicted by Homer and in the Morte Dart hur is especially noteworthy. Again, his defence of the morality of Malory's book is well founded and convincing In spite of occasional lapses, the general effect of the book, as Caxton pointed out long ago, is, in Mr. Lang's words, "to instruct in all courage, chastity, endurance, and true love." And in this context the eulogiam on the romances pro- nounced by Milton, as it were in spite of himself, may well be called to mind. Milton's theories inclined him to dislike the romances ; but he admits, nevertheless, that his mind was purified, not injured, by his wanderings with the knights. errant, with "Lancelot and Peleas and Pelenore." His words may form a fitting ending to our notice of the new edition of the Morte Darthur :- "Next (for hear me, now, readers) that I may tell ye whither my younger feet wandered ; I betook me among those lofty fables and Romances which recount in solemn cantos the deeds of knight- hood founded by our victorious kings, and from hence had in renown over all Christendom. There I read it in the oath of every knight, that he should defend to the expense of his best blood or of his life, if it so befel him, the honour and chastity of virgin or matron ; from whence even then I learnt what a noble virtue chastity sure must be to the defence of which so many worthies by such a dear adventure of themselves had sworn ; and if I found in the story afterward any of them by word or deed breaking that oath, I judged it the same fault of the poet as that which is attributed to Homer to have written indecent things of the gods ; only this my mind gave me, that every free and gentle spirit without that oath ought to be born a knight, nor need to expect the gilt spur or the laying of a sword upon his shoulder to stir him up both by his counsel and his arms to secure and pro- tect the weakness of any attempted chastity. So then even these books which to many others have been the fuel of wantonness and loose living, I cannot think how unless by divine indulgence proved to me so many incitements as you heard to the love and steadfast observation of that virtue which abhors the society of bordelloes."