An Edition of the Middle English Romance "A Lytel Treatyse of Ye Byrth and Prophecye of Marlyn".

The Middle English metrical romance usually titled Arthour and Merlin is extant in two versions; the first and longer was written in the thirteenth century and the second and shorter by the early fifteenth century. The longer version of the romance has survived in the Auchinleck MS.; the shorter version has survived in five manuscripts and in a unique copy printed by Wynkyn de Worde in 1510 and entitled A lytel treatyse of ye bryrth and pphecye of Marlyn. Although the principal manuscripts have been edited, there is no modern edition of the printed version of the story. The edition contains: (1) An Introduction in which there are seven sections. Section One considers the text in relation to the other manuscripts. Section Two outlines the narrative of the printed text. Section Three traces the narrative and principal related works from the sixth to the sixteenth centuries. Section Four addresses the relationship of the texts of the later versions of the story. Section Five examines the language of the printed text. Section Six considers the evidence of rhyme for indication of dialect. Section Seven records editorial policy. (2) The Text. Emendation is minimal with original reading cited in footnotes. (3) Notes and Commentary which cite significant differences among the texts and offer noteworthy explanations. (4) A Glossary of words requiring definition. (5) A Bibliography of works cited.PhDBritish and Irish literatureUniversity of Michiganhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/158559/1/8204572.pd