1 That they pushed back our battalions very far

ABBREVIATIONS: DR: Duke Roland and Sir Otuel of Spain; MED: Middle English Dictionary; OED: Oxford English Dictionary; OK: Otuel a Knight; OR: Otuel and Roland; Otinel: Anglo-Norman Otinel; RV: Roland and Vernagu; Whiting: Whiting, Proverbs, Sentences, and Proverbial Phrases.

Incipit The Romance . . . . Of Cherlles of Fraunce. The incipit, which can be attributed to the scribe Robert Thornton, takes care to specify the genre: DR is a romance of Charlemagne, that is, it belongs to the Matter of France.

13 le Roy Pepyn. Son of Charles Martel and father of Charlemagne, Pepin le Bref (Pepin the Short; c. 714–68), was the first of the Carolingian kings, ruling from 751 to 768. Like Charlemagne, he spent much of his life in military campaigns to consolidate, expand, and defend his realm.

16 dusperes. “Twelve peers.” According to legend, Charlemagne recognized twelve knights — his dussepers — as his greatest, noblest warriors.

39 Pariche. The poet identifies Paris as the location of Charlemagne’s court. The other Otuel romances also set this scene in or near Paris. In Otinel, Charlemagne holds court in Paris, having come from Clermont-Ferrand (line 18). In OK, Charlemagne appears to arrive from Saint-Denis to hold court in Paris (lines 57–58). In OR, Charlemagne appears to dwell in Paris and hold court in Saint-Denis (lines 50–51). These settings are historically inaccurate. The Roman town of Lutetia Parisiorum did not develop into the administrative center of France until the eleventh and twelfth centuries. Hugh Capet, count of Paris and duke of the Franks, was elected king of the Franks in 987, and subsequent Capetian kings expanded the city’s size and influence. During the Carolingian age, Aix-la-Chapelle, also called Aachen, was where Charlemagne lived and ruled.

49–54 Bot now . . . . helpe ne wore. Compare Otinel, lines 24–26.

71–90 Sayd . . . . ay full bowun. Compare Otinel, lines 33–44.

80 white berde large and lange. The reference here is to Charlemagne’s iconic white beardedness. In Otinel, lines 36–37, Charlemagne has a “fluri gernun” (white moustache) and “grant barbe” (great beard). See also RV, line 664 (“hore bard”); and OR, line 71 (“hore berde”).

82 floreschede thonwange. “profusely bearded cheeks.” See MED florishen (v.), sense 2, and thun-wonge (n.), sense b. The primary meaning of thun-wonge is “temple” (sense a, where this line is cited), but the secondary meaning, “cheeks,” is more likely because the reference here is to Charlemagne’s beard.

94–168 He saide . . . . he schere. Compare the Otinel, lines 59–99.

130 Corsu. Corsouse is Otuel’s named sword. In Otinel, it is called Curçuse; in OR, it is Cursins; and in OK, it is Corsouse. See the explanatory note to OR, line 106.

134 the playnes of Lubardy. Lombardy, as region in north Italy, figures prominently in many of the Otuel-cycle romances. Medieval Lombardy bordered on France. In The Siege of Milan, the central conflict between Saracens and Christians is over the city of Milan and the surrounding Lombard region. In Otinel, OK, OR, and DR, the Saracen Emperor Garcy has conquered many key Christian cities and made Lombardy his command center.

149 neffes. “fists.” This word, of Old Norse origin, is a mark of DR’s Northern dialect. See MED neve (n.2), “the clenched hand, fist.” Robert Thornton, the scribe of DR, was from Yorkshire. On Northern words, see also the notes to lines 967, 1032, and 1418 below.

166 breme as bare. “as fierce as a boar.” Proverbial. See MED breme (adj.), sense 3b(a), which notes the ambiguity of “bare”: does it designate a boar or a bear? To judge by Thornton’s Northern dialect and his later spellings of the word (“bore”), the named animal is a boar. See also lines 802, 1237, and 1396.

172–74 rollede his eghne . . . . browes one hye. In Middle English romances, eyerolling and dramatic facial expressions are behaviors that distinguish Saracens from Christians. On this detail, Phillipa Hardman comments, “The comparison with a wild lion is of course a commonplace figure for fierce martial prowess, but the details of Otuell’s facial gestures are interesting. He seems to be contorting his face into an image of terrifying hostility, and by exaggeratedly raising his brows, gives even greater prominence to the strange motion of his eyes, rolling up and down in his head . . . . Roland does nothing comparable, nor do any of the other French knights, nor does Otuell himself once he is converted . . . . This detail, then, may express something of Otuell’s bloodthirsty fierceness as champion of Mahoun, overlaid with the disturbing appearance of real madness. Rolling eyes are clearly cause for alarm and may signal specifically alien hostility” (“Dear Enemies,” pp. 69–70). Emily Lavin Leverett adds that Otuel’s emotive response is used to distinguish between the Saracen and the French Christians of Charlemagne’s court: “the bestial nature displayed by Otuel is a mark of his excess; in this case, his inability to control his emotions. Though he professes to know and understand chivalry, his excess emotion spills out after he is forced to defend himself and contained violence rapidly shifts to uncontained savagery” (“Holy Bloodshed,” p. 154). To “ferd als a . . . lyoung” is proverbial. See Whiting L344. On Otuel’s eye-rolling, see also line 424.

184 als mot I thee. Proverbial. See MED thriven (v.), sense 1c. See also lines 641, 793, and the second-person variant at 1321 (“als mote thou thee”).

210 Boty. An unidentifiable place in Emperor Garcy’s Saracen empire. Perhaps the name is intended to evoke Buthrotum (modern day Butrint, Albania), a Mediterranean site known to readers of Virgil’s Aeneid, 3.375–79 (trans. Mandelbaum).

213–16 Fermorye . . . . Fermorye. There is no identifiable location to which this place-name refers, but the other cities listed in this passage suggest that it is likely an actual city-name that the audience might recognize. For the second reference (line 216), the manuscript reads “Fermonye” (here emended).

222 noghte worthe ane aye. Proverbial. See Whiting A25.

232–46 House and londe . . . . life to lede. Compare Otinel, lines 130–36.

240 landes of Scamonye. There is no known place named “Scamonye.”

259 smothirly. “menacingly.” This unusual word is not attested elsewhere; see MED smotherli (adv.).

274–75 Bitwix two watirs . . . . cité hight Attaylé. Garcy’s city in Lombardy is called Atelie in Otinel, and Utaly in OR. As discussed in the notes to lines 659 and 742–43 below, the city being referenced is most likely Pavia. Compare Otinel, lines 165–67.

283–88 Lete Duke Naymes . . . . als he were. In his taunt, Otuel asserts that Naimes should be left behind to protect Paris, implying that dussepere is too old and feeble to engage in combat. In regards to the idea that no scavenger birds of war will come to Paris, compare Otinel’s taunt in Otinel, lines 173–76.

313–18 Sir Vernague . . . . myghte and mayne. Compare Otinel, lines 204–09.

329 Saynte-Thomers. Saint-Omer is a place in northern France named for Saint Audomarus (Omer), a seventh-century bishop and founder of the monastery alluded to here. This detail is borrowed from the French source. See Otinel, line 226, and compare OR, line 239.

334 Droundale. Durendal is the name of Roland’s famous sword. In Rocamadour, France, one may see a chapel with a sword embedded in its outside wall. By local legend, this sword is Durendal. De Veyrières notes the claim (found in l’abbé Cheval’s 1862 guidebook, Guide du Pèlerin à Roc-Amadour) that the real Durendal was stolen in 1183 when Henry II pillaged the chapel, and he includes a drawing of the current sword (“L’Épée de Roland,” pp. 139–41). On other named swords, see the notes to lines 130, 847, 914, and 1196.

361 spende. “girded.” See MED spennen, sense b, where this line is cited.

374 rekreyande thou hym brynge. “cause him to admit defeat or surrender.” See MED recreaunt (adj.), senses a and b.

397–98 And scho calles . . . . Roselet of Barelle. Compare Otinel, lines 327–28.

424 rollede his eghne up and dowun. See the note to lines 172–74 above.

447 In the name of Marie of heven. According to Hardman, the characters of DR exhibit a heightened reliance on Mary, a feature also seen in the other Thornton Otuel-cycle romance Siege of Milan (“The Sege of Melayne,” p. 85).

456 sex and seven. Proverbial. See Whiting S359, and MED six (num.), sense 2d: “bix six or seven” meaning “in large quantities in great numbers.”

470 fers als any lyoun. Proverbial. See Whiting L311.

474 loughe. “humbled, brought low, made to bow.” The phrase is appositional to “made hym bowen” in line 472. See MED louen (v.1), senses 3a and 4a. Otuel is eagerly (and prematurely) feeling victorious because he has cowed Roland.

476 strade. The MED defines this word as either “? a skirmish” or “? a pathway in a battlefield”; see MED, strade (n.), where this instance is cited as the only appearance of the word.

518–40 Sarazene . . . . als thou were. Compare Otinel, lines 454–69.

578–79 A dofe . . . . lightes. A white dove is a traditional sign for the presence of the Holy Spirit (one of the Three Persons of the Trinity), which is associated with God’s grace (see Luke 3:22). Compare Otinel, lines 516–18; OK, lines 585–88; and OR, lines 568–73.

607 Bischope Turpyn. Archbishop Turpin is an important military and ecclesiastical character in the Song of Roland and the Middle English Charlemagne romances. In Otinel, RV, and the three Otuel romances, Turpin’s role is limited to episcopal duties: performing Mass and baptizing converts. In the fifth Otuel-cycle romance, The Siege of Milan, Turpin plays a central role.

620 rede als rose. Proverbial. See Whiting R199.

659 the cité of Attaly. Ataly is most likely Pavia, the capital of Lombardy in the seventh and eighth centuries, which is located on the Ticino River three miles upstream from its confluence with the Po River. The Ticino, which the DR poet names the Soltane (lines 746 and 756), rises in the Swiss Alps, descends into Italy through Lake Maggiore, and is the largest left-bank tributary of the Po. It is over the Soltane/Ticino that Charlemagne builds the bridge over which the French will pass to attack the city (see the note to lines 754–56 below).

702 Mount Marteres. Montmartre is a hill in what is now the northern part of Paris, and the location where Saint Denis was purportedly beheaded by Romans. According to legend, after he was decapitated, he picked up his head and carried it some distance away before he died on the site thereafter known as Saint-Denis. For more, see “St. Denis” in the Catholic Encyclopedia.

703–17 The Almaynes . . . . a stalworthe stede. Compare Otinel, lines 636–42.

704 for the nanes. The term for the nonce means approximately “for the moment” or “for the occasion,” though it is primarily used as a meaningless metrical filler. See MED nones (n.1) and none (n.).

724 Saynt Denys. See the note to line 702 above.

733–38 Olyvere his stede . . . . thousande bolde barouns. The detail of Oliver accompanying Belesent is unique to DR. It is possible that “Olyvere” at lines 727 and 733, are errors for “Otuel.” The poet borrows the idea of Belesent riding on a mule from Otinel. See Otinel, lines 655–60, and compare OR, lines 679–81.

739 Bretayne. “Brittany.” In the source Otinel, line 661, the French army passes through Burgundy (“Burgonie”); OR, line 685, follows Otinel: “Burgoyne.” The DR substitution of Brittany for Burgundy indicates an English poet’s (or scribe’s) confused geography. Another reference to Brittany appears at line 1431.

740 Mandely. An unidentified region corresponding to the place-names Mungiu and Morie in Otinel, lines 662–63.

742–56 Thay schipped . . . . Soltane dighte. These lines describe the final stages of Charlemagne’s journey to his encampment outside Ataly. “Vertely” refers to Vercelli, a city on the Po River around forty-five miles west-northwest of Pavia, in Piedmont on the border with Lombardy. An ancient site, settled around 600 BCE, Vercelli became an independent commune in 1120, and in the years that followed was a member of the first and second Lombard leagues. The city housed the University of Pavia from 1228 to 1372. In DR, the name given to the river near Ataly is the Soltane (in OR, it is the Coyne; in Otinel, it is the Ton). This river is most likely the Ticino, on the left bank of which lies Pavia (Ataly). The historical Charlemagne laid siege to Pavia, then the Lombard capital, in the winter and spring of 773–74, after which he had himself crowned king of Pavia and its surrounding territories. The “mountayne” (line 745) is likely borrowed from Otinel, lines 664–68 (see explanatory note). Pavia itself is situated on a small hill, but the plains surrounding Pavia are quite flat, with no significant heights between the Monferrat Hills and Pavia. The “medowe” (line 747) where the French army encamps is across the Soltane/Ticino from Pavia. See the note to line 659 above.

754–56 Therefore . . . . Soltane dighte. The bridge that Charlemagne has built over the Soltane/Ticino helps to locate Pavia as the site of Ataly. When Roland, Oliver, and Ogier cross the bridge to seek Saracens, they meet Clarel and his companions “a mile” from Ataly. See the note to line 659 above, and compare OK, lines 697–706; OR, lines 695–701; and Otinel, lines 674–80.

784–92 Kynge Balsame . . . . Kyng Claryell. Compare Otinel, lines 696–703.

802 breme als bare. See the note to line 166 above.

815 ne vaylede noghte a pere. Proverbial. See Whiting P79.

846 lofesome under lyne. Proverbial. See MED lofsom (adj.), sense 1a.

847 Melle. Melle is the name of Clarel’s sword; elsewhere it is called “Modlee” (line 1207). Compare OR, line 1240, where it is named “Melyn”; and Otinel, line 807, where it is named “Mellee.”

851 A noble cheke here wonn. “a noble victory here won.” See MED chek (interj. and n.), sense 3, “feat, enterprise,” where this line is cited.

866–70 Sayd . . . . we noghte slo. Compare Otinel, lines 848–50.

881 Mountjoy! The war cry of the French. See MED mon-joie (n.), and compare Otinel, line 860.

914 Haunkclere. This is the name of Oliver’s sword. Like Roland’s Durendal and Otuel’s Corsouse, the mightiest warriors’ swords of chansons de geste often acquire names that associate them with their owners. Oliver’s sword is also named at OR, line 904 (“Haunchecler”), and in Otinel, line 873 (“Halteclere”). On other named swords, see the notes to lines 130, 847, and 1196.

920 Kyng Alphamanye. King Alphamanye, who dies in this scene, is a different person from the King Alphané who leads “twenty thowsande of Barbarye / That wele couthe wapyns bere” (lines 1448–49).

967 white als fame. Proverbial. See Whiting F361. The phrase is a compliment of beauty, like “white as snow.” See MED whit (adj.), sense 6a(b), and fom (n.), sense 4. The spelling of “foam” with an a is Northern, and the phrase “a dogheter, white als fame” appears in another Thornton romance: Sir Eglamour, line 26 (ed. Cook and Schleich, p. 14).

996 lyghte als lefe one tree. Proverbial. See Whiting L140.

1009–35 Otuell . . . . hir awenn fyndynge. Compare Otinel, lines 1000–17.

1032 thethey. “Headstrong, irritable.” The OED specifies that this word is chiefly Scottish and Northern. The only instances of it cited in the MED are this line and one in a Townley play (c. 1500); see MED tethi (adj.). On Northern words and spellings in DR, see also the notes to lines 149, 967, and 1418.

1043–54 And sayde . . . . by full dere. Compare Otinel, lines 1043–47.

1052 grete gramaungere. “foolish enterprise.” This line contains the only attestation of the French-derived word (from grant mangier). See MED gramaunger (n.), “a great meal; fig. an overambitious enterprise.” Otuel is calling Roland and Oliver foolish for fighting a Saracen army by themselves. The poet’s word “gramaungere” may reflect the joke about eating the pagans found in the source-text Otinel, line 1044, which reads: “Quidez vus sul les paiens tuz mangier?” (“Do you think that you alone can eat all the pagans?”).

1135–64 Then comes . . . . holde his daye. Compare Otinel, lines 1195–1233.

1157 noghte worthe a pye. Proverbial. See Whiting P177.

1174 groped hym wele. “examined him well,” i.e., probed and tended his wounds, like a physician. See MED gropen (v.), sense 5c. The scene of Belesent touching Otuel has an amorous suggestion as well (gropen, sense 1d). See the discussion in the OR Introduction, p. 118.

1196 Galyene. Though this master swordsmith cannot be identified, some medieval armorers were renowned. Dirk H. Breiding of the Department of Arms and Armor, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, writes: “The earliest references to both armorers and famous regions of manufacture occur in myths and legend, such as the famed Hephaistos, armorer to the Greek gods, or Wieland, the smith from Germanic mythology. During the eighth century, Ingelri and Ulfberht, two blade smiths (or their workshops) from the Rhine region, apparently produced such high-quality sword blades that their names are found inscribed on swords produced over the following two centuries. Indeed, makers of arms and armor appear to have been among the first craftsmen to ‘sign’ their works, and some of the later court armorers were as highly esteemed as any of the celebrated court painters” (“Famous Makers of Arms and Armor”).

1207 Modlee. See the note to line 847 above.

1214 mawmettis. “idols.” Muslims, as Saracens, are inaccurately depicted as worshiping idols. On Western Christian beliefs about Muslim idolatry, see Strickland, Saracens, Demons, and Jews, pp. 166–69; and the discussion in the General Introduction, p. 16.

1231–69 Than comes . . . . deme and dighte. Compare Otinel, lines 1311–52.

1237 breme als bore. See the note to line 166 above.

1254 mellyde hare. “gray hair.” See MED medlen (v.), sense 1b(c), which cites this line.

1318–26 Cursu thurghe . . . . nott hir wyte. Compare Otinel, lines 1445–56.

1341 gayne. “quickly.” See MED gein (adv.), sense a.

1396 breme als any bore. See the note to line 166 above.

1418 slakkes. “valleys.” For this word of Scandinavian origin, see MED slak (n.2.). Here the word is conjoined with an Anglo-Saxon-derived word — MED slade (n.), “slope” — to form a Northern-flavored alliterative phrase (“on valley and on hill”). On Northern words or spellings, see also the notes to lines 149, 967, and 1032 above.

1445 Alphané. King Alphané of Barbarye, father of Duke Balamé, is a different person from the King Alphamanye who knocks Oliver from his horse before Roland kills him (lines 919–27).

1510 are that he blane. Taken literally, this phrase means “before one might stop.” See MED blinnen (v.), sense 1f, “without stopping or delay, right away,” where this line is cited.

1543–60 Oggere Daunays . . . . of dede. Ogier the Dane is one of Charlemagne’s dussepers in the chanson de geste tradition; see the discussion in the General Introduction, p. 5n13. In the penultimate scene of the romance, just before the capture of King Garcy, Ogier the Dane breaks out of prison and rejoins his comrades. In this version, Ogier slays his guards with a piece of firewood, puts on his armor, finds his horse and a spear, and gallops off. For alternate scenarios, see Otinel, lines 1836–69; OK, lines 1629–78; and OR, lines 1616–36.

1565–75 The emperour . . . . hathe hym sent. Compare Otinel, lines 1873–1901.

1580–96 Home thay wente . . . . par charité. On the different endings among the French and Middle English accounts of Otuel/Otinel, see the explanatory note to Otinel, lines 1899–1904.

Explicit Here endes . . . . Sir Otuell. The first two lines of the explicit are inclusively bracketed on the left, with the word “Charlles” written outside the bracket. In both the explicit and the incipit, therefore, Thornton signals that DR is a Charlemagne romance. It is notable that Thornton elsewhere copies more legends of the Nine Worthies: the prose Life of Alexander, the alliterative Morte Arthure, and the Parlement of the Thre Ages. See Fein, “The Contents of Robert Thornton’s Manuscripts,” pp. 16–19. A reproduction of fol. 94r, showing the explicit, may be viewed in Thompson, Robert Thornton and the London Thornton Manuscript, plate 16.

ABBREVIATIONS: H: The Romance of Duke Rowlande and of Sir Ottuell of Spayne, ed. Herrtage, in The English Charlemagne Romances. Part II, pp. 55–104; MS: London, British Library Additional MS 31042 (London Thornton), fols. 82r–94r.

88 gentill. So MS. H: gentille.

94 flawmande. So MS. H: flawmandre.

121 spekes. So MS. H: spekis.

165 bakwarde. So MS. H: backwarde.

175 hir. So MS. H: his.

201 al. So MS. H: all.

211 fre. MS: nere was initially written and then canceled.

216 Fermorye. MS, H: Fermonye.

234 Normaundy. So MS. H: Normandy.

244 kyng. So MS. H: kynges.

263 chevalrye. So MS. H: cheualry.

281 kon. So H. MS: couthe was initially written and then canceled.

307 so. So MS. H: oo.

314 myn eme I. So H. MS: myn I.

349 Elleven. So MS. H: Eleuen.

361 sporres. So MS. H: sperres.

372 Hys. So H. MS: Scribe initially copied hes, then canceled the e and wrote a y on top of the canceled character.

383 thies. So MS. H: these.

463 Rawlande. So MS. H: Rowlande.

502 dynttys. So MS. H: dynttis.

523 thou. So MS. H: thow.

559 Ane. So MS. H: And.

597 yit. So MS. H: ȝitt.

618 was. So MS. H: nas.

632 bayllye. So MS. H: Bayllyee; Herrtage mistook the curl of the bracket for an additional e.

633 contreth. So MS. H: contrey.

641 scho. So MS. H: sche.

644 Now that I hafe chosen. MS: now inserted in the left margin. H: that I hafe now chosen.

657 one. So MS. H: on.

661 The king said. So H. MS: The said.

662 Now hafe. So MS. H: Now ȝe hafe.

730 yode. So MS. H: ȝede.

731 one. So MS. H: on.

736 maid. MS: word is obscured. H: mayd.

737 were arrayed. MS: end of word were and following word are obscured. H: were arrayd.

756 Soltane. MS, H: Roltane.

796 me by. MS: Scribe initially copied by me and canceled it, then copied me by.

798 dynttes. So MS. H: dynttis.

800 sporres. So MS. H: spores.

803 fare. MS: word obscured. H: faire.

813 egerly. So MS. H: werly.

832 smyttys. So MS. H: Smyttis.

862 semys. So MS. H: semes.

866 getyn. So MS. H: gettyn.

899 What schall saye. So MS. H: what we schall.

903 wode. So MS. H: wede.

925 than. So MS. H: þan.

948 yoo. So MS. H: þoo.

954 He₁. So MS. H: his.

967 saide. So MS. H: sayde.

982 said. So MS. H: sayd.

1008 now. So MS. H: nowe.

1043 ye. So H. MS: Scribe initially copies, then cancels, he, then replaces canceled word with ȝe.

1091 one. So MS. H: on.

1113 be. So MS. H: bene.

1114 blode. So H. MS: bolde.

1126 Gauntere. So MS. H: Grauntere.

1163 hafe. So MS. H: hase.

1168 to his. So H. MS: to his to his.

1179 ware. So MS. H: were.

1218 Alle. So MS. H: All.

1220 everichonee. So MS. H: euerichone.

1230 faire. So MS. H: fayre.

1231 Kynge. So MS. H: kyng.

1237 yitt. So MS. H: ȝit.

1239 on. MS, H: men.

1256 those. So MS. H: þofe.

1268 one. So MS. H: on.

1287 yowe. So MS. H: ȝow.

1297 Than bothe thies kene knyghttis there. So H. MS: line is copied twice — once at the bottom of fol. 91v and once at the top of 92r, with spelling knyghttes on 91v and knyghtis on 92r.

1305 handis. So MS. H: handes.

1326 may. So MS. H: maye.

1385 one. So MS. H: on.

1413 werun. So MS. H: werynn.

1428 nowe. So MS. H: Newe.

1429 Elys. So H. MS: Elys Elye.

1453 stalworthe were. So MS. H: staleworthe ware.

1481 And lovede God. So H. MS: god inserted in left margin.

1483 hoved by. So H. MS: three characters obscured: the ed in hoved and the b in by.

1491 sqwyeres. So MS. H: Sqwyere.

1502 saulles. So MS. H: Saules.

1507 to the banere. So H. MS: þe inserted in margin to left of line.

1522 Mahomis. So MS. H: Mahonns.

1539 thay. So MS. H: þey.

1549 thwnge. So MS. H: thynge.

Explicit Charlles. MS: Charles is written in the margin to the left of the first two lines of the explicit and linked to them with a bracket.