Bibliotheca Arnamagnæana - 01.06.1959, Page 68

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only possible explanation seems to be that a leaf had been lost in the
MS from which A and a are derived. But it must be admitted that this
solution is not entirely satisfactory, and a full examination of the whole
question of the relationship between branch II and the French poem is
desirable57.
Branch IV is based on a combination of the Pseudo-Turpin and the
Chanson d’Aspremont. That the source is really Pseudo-Turpin and not
Vincent’s version of the chronicle is proved by the faet that the Aa version
contains the introductory letter from Turpin to “Leofrandus” which is
omitted in the Speculum Historiale5S. The translation is based on the
Codex Calixtinus text of the Pseudo-T ur pin59, and follows the Latin text
closely up to the end of the war against the king of Seville and king Auto-
maior. The translation of the Pseudo-Turpin ends abruptly (Kms p.
28229) with the surrender of Automaior {Pseudo-Turpin, p. 1694), i.e.
when the war has come to an end according to the Chronicle: from then
on the saga follows the Chanson d’Aspremont60, beginning {Kms p. 2837)
the translation with v. 3372 of the poem. The combination of these two
sources is quite mechanical, and since in the Chronicle the fighting takes
place in Spain, but in the chanson de geste in Southern Italy, the author
of the branch has made a few changes, omitting all mention of Italy, and
also omitting the description in Turpin of the death of Agolandus (ed.
p. 14310-11, cp. Kms p. 27611). The Kms has added a few lines between
the end of the Turpin text and the beginning of the direct translation
from the poem, to introduce “Jamundr” the son of Agolandus, summar-
izing vv. 2963—3371 of the poem in a few words {Kms 28233—2836). The
beginning of the Chanson d’Aspremont is omitted, and the saga breaks off
with the death of Agolant (v. 10486), omitting about a thousand verses
of the French text. In the Turpin text, there are only a few unimportant
omissions, e.g. the names of Spanish cities, mentioned above (p. 39) and
some pious reflections. In the translation of the Aspremont there are
several omissions, and a comparison with the French text is further com-
61 Another possible solution will be discussed below, in connection with the addi-
tional “branches” of D.
08 Vide C. Meredith-Jones: Historia Karoli Magni et Rotholandi, p. 87.
59 Vide the introduction to the ed. of Meredith-Jones, pp. 42-50.
00 Ed. by Louis Brandin, in 2 vols., Paris 1923-24. For extracts published else-
where, vide R. van Waard: Etudes sur l’origine et la formation de la Chanson
d’Aspremont, Groningen 1937, Bibliographie, pp. 265-68.