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STUDIES ON THE LEGEND OF THE HOLY GRAIL.
CHAPTER I.
Description of the leading forms of the Romance: Conte del Graal—Joseph d'Arimathie—Didot Perceval—Queste del Saint Graal—Grand Saint Graal—Parzival—Perceval le Gallois—Mabinogi of Peredur—Sir Perceval—Diu Crône— Information respecting date and authorship of these works in the MSS.
The following are the forms in which the Legend of the Holy Grail has come down to us:—
A.—Le Conte del Graal, a poem of over 60,000 verses, the major part of which (45,379 verses) was printed for the first time by Potvin: Le Conte del Graal, six volumes, 8vo. (vols. ii.-vi. containing our poem), Mons, 1866-71, from a MS. preserved in the Mons Library.[1] The portion of the poem which is not printed in full is summarised by Potvin in the sixth volume of his edition. The poem, so far as at present known, is the work of four men:
| A I. | Chrestien de Troyes, who carried the work down to verse 10,601. |
| A II. | Gautier de Doulens, who continued it to verse 34,934. |
| A III. | Manessier, who finished it in 45,379 verses. |
| A IV. | Gerbert, to whom are due over 15,000 verses, mostly found interpolated between Gautier de Doulens and Manessier. |
- ↑ Fully described by Potvin, VI, lxix, etc.
