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NOTES.
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cost upon hym. For I dare undertake he is a vylayne borne, and neuer will make man, for and he had come of gentylmen he wold haue axed of you hors and armour, but such as he is so he asketh. And sythen he hath no name, I shall yeue hym a name that shall be Beaumayns that is fayre handes, and in to the kechen I shalle brynge hym, and there he shalle haue fatte browejns euery day yt he shall be as fatte by the twelue monethes ende as a porke hog." So Sir Kai " soomed hym and mocked hym."

At the end of the twelvemonth, Beaumayns desired to be knighted, in order to achieve a certain perilous adventure;[1] and Sir Kai called him a "kechyn knave" And when the young man left the Court, to set out on his expedition, Kai armed himself and followed him, thinking to vanquish him without difficulty, and bring him to disgrace. But Beaumayns unhorsed Sir Kai, and took possession of his arms, with which he performed several gallant exploits to the great surprise of all, inasmuch as he was taken by his shield to be Sir Kai, whose prowess was by no means in high repute. Afterwards Beaumayns proved to be Sir Gareth of Orkney, the son of King Lot, and brother of Sir Gawain.

Gwenhwyvar.Page 3.

According to the Welsh Legends, Arthur had three queens, one of whom was daughter of Gwythyr ap Greidiol, another of Gwryd Gwent, and a third of Gogyrvan Gawr; and each of them bore the name of Gwenhwyvar. Concerning the latter lady,[2] the following couplet is still current in the Principality:—

" Gwenhwyvar, the daughter of Gogyrvan the Giant,
Bad when little, worse when greats"

This confusion of names and persons is only what might be expected from the mass of traditionary matter that has accumulated among the Welsh. As the exploits of Arthur began to assume a fabulous character, it is evident that many of the more ancient legends of Britain became blended with those of the Hound Table, and perhaps
  1. It is somewhat singular that this adventure was undertaken on behalf of Luned, who, under the title of the damoysel saneage, rode to Arthur's Court, to bessech the championship of some of the Knights of the Table rounde, for her sister dame Lyones, of the Castel peryllooa. The story is again referred to in a subsequent Note.
  2. According to the Romances, Arthur's Queen was daughter of King Leodegrance.