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OBJECT OF PRESENT WORK.
7
dated works Chrestien's is the oldest, 1188-90, and it postulates the existence of previous versions.
The object of the present investigation being to determine, as far as possible, the age and relationship to one another of the different versions which have come down to us, to exhibit the oldest form of the story as we have it, and to connect it with Celtic traditional belief and literature, it will be well, before proceeding to further discuss the various points left doubtful by the evidence gathered from the MSS., to give clear and detailed summaries of the most important versions.
