Aug. 4. 1855.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



89 



he wished it, and that he would come to him for 

 that purpose. The poet tells us that upon re- 

 ceiving this news the king sallied out on foot, or, 

 as I have read the words, "jumped with joy." 



But let us take the story as it is told in the 

 language of the poet himself: 



" Morice ne se targa mie 

 Al rei manda de Osserie 

 Que h lui vendreifc, san mentir, 

 Si lui plust, pur lui servir; 

 Kar par mal esteit parti 

 Del rei Dermod qu'il out servi." 



Morice did not tarry, but apprised the King of 

 Ossory that he would come to him, in truth, if it 

 should please him, in order to serve him, for that 

 in consequence of injury done to him he was 

 separated (or had departed) from King Dermod, 

 whom he had served : 



" Quant Mac Donecbid entendi 

 Que Morice vendreit k lui, 

 De la nouele esteit heistez 

 E de joie saili a p^s ; " 



When Mac Donechid (the King of Ossory) 

 heard that Morice would come to him, he was 

 rejoiced at the news, " et de joie saillit k pied : " 



" Al barun manda erraument 

 Que h, lui venist assurement, 

 Liveresun 11 freit doner 

 Asez richez e plener." 



He (the King of Ossory) sent word to the baron 

 (Morice de Prendergast) without delay that he 

 (the king) would assuredly come (or go) to him, 

 and that he would cause very rich and ample 

 livery to be given to him : 



" Atant s'an ala le barun 

 Lui e tut si compainun 

 Vers la vile de Chatmelin 

 Tindrent le dreit chemin." 



So the baron and all his companions went to the 

 town of Chatmelin, keeping the direct road. 



The poet then informs us that one Donald Kave- 

 nagh " asaili le barun " upon his way to Thamelin, 

 where he arrived and sojourned for three days : 



" Le rei de Osserie sovent 

 Message tramist h cele gent 

 Que il vendreit le tiers jor 

 San nul autre contreditur. 

 Le reis i vint veraiment 

 Le ters jor sanz delaement." 



The King of Ossory often sent a message to 

 these people that he would come the third day 

 without any farther excuse, and the king went 

 truly upon the third day without delay. 



The poet then describes the meeting between 

 the king and Prendergast, and the oaths that 

 were sworn " sur Tauter e sur I'escrin." 



From what has been above stated it appears 

 that Prendergast, by his messenger, informed the 

 King of Ossory that he would go to him if he 

 wished it ; and that when the king heard this 



No. 301.] 



news, he " de joie saili a pes," i. e., as I construe 

 it, manifested his delight by one or more jumps. 

 He is not, as I read the passage, described by the 

 rhymer as going forth from his tent in haste to 

 meet Prendergast, who was then far distant from 

 him, nor to meet the messenger, for the king had 

 already received his message ; and as a farther 

 proof that the king did not then expect the 

 baron's arrival, the poet tells us that he sent a 

 messenger without any delay to Prendergast, to 

 inform him that he (the king) would assuredly 

 go to him, a promise which he afterwards ful- 

 filled. 



Now, with respect to the word " saillir," I find 

 the following explanations given of it in Cotgrave's, 

 and also in a Law-French dictionary : 



" Saillir. To go out, issue forth ; appear above, 

 stand out beyond others ; also to leap, jump, bound, skip, 

 hop." — Cotgrave's Dictionary. 



" Sailler. To leap, to dance, also to issue forth." — 

 Law-French Dictionary, printed in the Savoy, 1718. 



Assuming it to be the fact that the word sailler 

 bears the meaning which I have ascribed to it, 

 the disputed passage, " E de joie saili a pes," 

 might with propriety be translated " and he 

 jumped with joy," if the words " k pes " formed 

 no part of it ; and I feel inclined to think that 

 the rhymer has availed himself of a poet's license, 

 by adding the words " a pes " merely to complete 

 the sentence and preserve the rhythm. 



It is by no means improbable that the con- 

 struction which I have put upon the passage in 

 question is incorrect ; but at the same time I am 

 at present disposed to say that the translation 

 which has been substituted in its place is involved 

 in some obscurity. James F. Ferguson. 



" THE CHAPTER OF KINGS. 



(Vol. xii., p. 19.) 



I copy the following from a MS. about a cen- 

 tury old, and know not if they have been printed : 

 " Memorial Verses from ye Conquest. 

 " One thousand 66 the Conq'ror came ; 

 One — 87 Will Rufus did the same. 

 ' Leven hundred, Henry stil'd the First, 

 ' Leven .35 we were with Stephen curst. 

 The year 1154 



The Saxon Hal the second did restore. 

 His rebel sons, Richard the first and John, 

 ' Leven 89 and 99 came on. 

 Twelve hundred 16 Hal the third began; 

 Twelve 72, brave Ned the first, his son. 

 In thirteen hundred seven, the second Ned ; 

 The third in 26 became our head. 

 In thirteen 77 the second Dick, 

 Deposed at length by a Lancastrian trick ; 

 For Hal the fourth with rebels did combine, 

 And seized the crown in thirteen ninety-nine. 

 Henry the fifth esteemed the crown his due 

 In fourteen 12 ; the Sixth in twenty-two. 



