ich. C: ihc. L: ich: H: ychulle. There are irregularities in the use of the first-person pronoun. Elsewhere in C it appears as ich, but more often as ihc. This may indicate a northern influence, perhaps imposed by the scribe. Because there are so many variations among the three MSS, we have been selective. Using C as our base text we have drawn from L and H where emendations seemed appropriate. Our emendations occur where there are omissions in the base text and where textual cruces have been noted by previous editors.

So longe so hit laste. Allen: Ther whiles that hit yleste. Hall notes this as a “favorite formula of Layamon,” though it is also found in other romances.

He was fayr and eke bold, / And of fiftene winter hold. Lines supplied by L.

Fikenild. C: ffikenheld; L: fokenhild; H: ffykenyld. We have emended double f, which appears only occasionally in C.

With him riden bote two — / Al to fewe ware tho. C omits these lines. They are supplied here by L.

hi soght. L: isoghte. We have followed F&H; n.b., similar locutions in lines 603–04.

L fills in four descriptive lines that H & C omit. They are as follows:

Horn yede in to þe shipes bord Sone at þe firste word And alle hise feren Þat ware him lef and dere

Jesu Cristes. C: Jhesucristes; L: Ihesu cristes; H: ihesu cristes.

The dent of myne honde. This line is followed by a couplet in L and three lines in H both describing the weeping of the children as the ship embarks.

Bi dales and bi hulle. This line is followed by a line describing a journey through each town in L.

And tech him to harpe. C: And tech him to harpe. L: Tech him of þe harpe. H: Ant toggen oþe harp. Allen: To tuchen upon. Playing the harp with one’s fingernails (line 236) is rare in Middle English literature, though not as rare in modern harp playing. Sir Orfeo, for instance, plays with his “wits.”

And his feiren. C: In his feiren. L: His feren. H: Ant his feren. Allen: And his ifeire. McKnight: In his feiren.

wexe wild. C: wexe wild. L: wex al wild. H: line is omitted. Allen: wexe wode. The interchangeability of wild and wode, the Middle English term for “madness,” suggests an uncontrollable emotional dimension to love, which the poet emphasizes again in line 300.

fairer. A scribal error according to Hall, though it anticipates the next line quite well.

On a squieres wise. / Whane the kyng arise. In C these two lines are reversed.

recche. C: recchecche. Hall and McKnight retain the C reading while F&H and Allen emend to recche.

Hall detects a lacuna in C. The lines preceding Rymenhild’s “are much too abrupt.” Both H and L support this with more rhetorical foreplay.

To Aylbrus the stuard. C: To Aylbrus & stuard. L reads styward. O: And beryt houre styward.

And after wurth. C: And afterward. L: And be ny nowne. H: Ant be myn oþer. Allen: And after wurþe. The emendation establishes value rather than time.

Forthi me stondeth the more rape. C: For þe me stondeþ the more rape. H: Oþer wyþ wymmon forewart make. L: Þerfore me have ich þe forsake. Allen: me stont forth rake. Rape is not to be understood in modern terms, but rather as a ME verb meaning “haste,” “rush,” “speed.” It is on the basis of the relation of rape to rake that Allen makes her emendation.

At evreche dunte. C: At evreche dunte, followed by F&H. L: At the furste dunte, followed by Allen. Allen’s emendation perhaps emphasizes Horn’s prowess as he smites off the heads of his opponents at the first attempt. But perhaps he is even more powerful if he succeeds at every attempt.

Mid watere al byflowe. C: þo hit gan to flowe. L: Mid watere al by flowe. H: In þe found by flowen. Allen: Binne sund bi flowe.

Hall notes the divergence of the MSS and surmises a lost passage in C that would describe Firkenhild’s joining the hunting party. Both H and L indicate Firkenhild’s presence at the hunt.

Horn ferde. C: Heo ferde. L: Horn wente. H: Ant to boure wes y gone. Allen: Horn wente. The emendation clarifies this as Horn’s action.

To sen aventure. F&H see sen as a blunder for seie, meaning recount (p. 44). Allen, on the other hand, emends sen to sechen, making possible another interpretation.

He saw. C: Heo saw. L and O: He fond.

The whyght him gan stonde, / And drof til Hirelonde. These two lines are supplied by L.

Ne schal hit. C: Ne schat hit. L: Ne schal hym. H: Ne shal þe. Allen: Ne schal þe.

cum to felde. C: cum to fel. Both H and L: felde. Allen: felde. On the basis of this consensus, the emendation is made.

Bote of the King Murry, / That wes swithe sturdy. These two lines are supplied by H.

There are ten lines missing from C. L supplies the following account:

And seyde, “kyng, so þou have reste, Clep now forþ ofi þi beste, And sle we þyse hounden, Here we henne founden.” Þe houndes hye of laucte, An strokes hye þere kaute. Faste aȝen hye stode, Aȝen duntes gode. Help nauht here wonder; Cubert hem broute al honder.

Ne scathede wer. C: Ne scapede þer. L: Þer nas bute few slawe. Allen: Ne schaþed bute fawe.

And burden hem ful yare. L provides a couplet after this line that does not appear in C. Into holy kyrke / So man schulde werke. To leave unburied corpses on the battlefield is a sign of contempt for the enemy.

The see him con ded throwe / Under hire chambre wowe. C: Þe se bigan to þroghe / Under hire woȝe. Two lines from H are added here. L omits the detail.

by este. C: bieste. L: by weste. H: by wester. F&H: bi este. Allen: bieste. If Horn has traveled back to Westernesse from Ireland, east makes more sense geographically than west.

Drynke null I of dyssh. C: Drink to me of disse. L: Drynk to me of thy disse. H: Drynke null y of dyssh. Our emendation allows Horn to reject the dish offered to him.

He seyde, “Quen, nou seche / Qwat is in thy drenche.” These two lines derive from L.

That Horn isterve were. C: Þat Horn isteve. L: Þat Horn child ded were. H: Þat Horn dede were. Allen: Þat Horn isterven were.

Ther was bridale swete. C: brid and ale. L: bridal swete. H: brudale suete. Allen: bridale suete.

Op the schelde was drawe / A crowch of Jhesu Cristes lawe. These two lines have been supplied by L.

Ich serve aghenes my wille. C: ihc have ayenes my wille. L: hy serve ylle. H: Ich servy ille. Allen: Ihc serve ille.

biweste. C: bieste. This is probably scribal error since both L and H indicate west. L: He woneþ alby weste. H: Þat woneþ her by weste. Allen concurs with L and H as do we.

he fulde. C: ifulde. L: leyde þere. H: fel þer. Allen: he felde.

Hi gunne for to arive. C: Hi gunne for arive. H: eode to ryve. Omitted in L. Allen: yede to rive.

Ther he wo fonde. C: Þer he wo ifulde. L: he hadde woned. H: couth er fonde. Allen: he wonung fonde.