Bibliotheca Arnamagnæana - 01.06.1981, Blaðsíða 70
The italicized words are lacking in both paper manuscripts, AM 181b and
AM 179.
The vellum fragment AM 598 4to 1(3 contains indisputable evidence of
textual attrition in the seventeenth-century manuscripts, and since these
are copies of Stockholm 6 we are faced with considerable attrition by
around 1400. For their part, the paper manuscripts furnish proof of attri-
tion in the vellum, however. Early in the transmission process, that is,
before 1300, corruption had begun, and presumably already in Norwe-
gian manuscripts. At least we know from Guiamars Ijod/Gvimars saga
that even a Norwegian manuscript dated at the latest at around 1270
contains a corrupt text. In the French Le mantel mautaillié we read that
when King Arthur issues his invitation to all young men to assemble for
the celebration of Pentecost, he also enjoins que, qui avroit sa bele amiej
qu’el venist en sa compaignie (vv. 17-18 ‘that whoever had a beautiful lady
love should have her accompany him’). The vellum fragment transmits at
hverr så madr sem hann åtti unnustu på skyldi hon fylgja honum (‘that
whoever had a lady love should have her accompany him’). The paper
manuscripts diverge with frida unnustu (‘beautiful lady love’) and thus
suggest that the translator had adhered to the French bele amie.
A case similar to the preceding is the transmission of vv. 52-54:
et grant plenté d’armes noveles,
et molt riches chevaus d’Espaigne,
de Lombardie et d’Alemaingne
(and a great profusion of new arms, and very
splendid horses from Spain, Lombardy, and Germany)
The seventeenth-century paper manuscripts prove that the translation
had contained the three-name sequence:
ok beztu våpn ok hesta, er honum våru sendir vestan
af Spania, Lumbardia ok Almannia (p. 4)
(and very fine arms and horses, that had been sent to him from the
West, from Spain, Lombardy, and Germany).
By c. 1300 the manuscript branch represented by the vellum AM 598 had
incurred loss of one of the names, however: ok god våpn ok hesta af
Spania ok Lumbardia.
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