Chapter Erragon to Errors of Authors of E by Brewer's Readers Handbook

he dear Critias; his dearest bel-amie.” It was not Socratês but Theramenês, one of the thirty tyrants, who, in quaffing the poison-cup, said smiling, “This I drink to the health of fair Critias.”—Cicero: Tusculan Questions.

Critias or Crito? In the Faërie Queene, iv. (introduction) Spenser says that Socratês often discoursed of love to his friend Critias; but it was Crito, or rather Criton, that the poet means.

Cyprus and Paphos. Spenser makes sir Scudamore speak of a temple of Venus, far more beautiful than “that in Paphos or that in Cyprus;” but Paphos was merely a town in the island of Cyprus, and the “two” are but one and the same temple.—Faërie Queene, iv. 10.

Hippomanês. Spenser calls him “the Eubæan young man” (ii. 7), but he was a Bœotian. In cant. II. ix. 29, he says, “More whott [hot] than Ætn’ or flaming Mongiball,” but the latter is the Arabic name of Ætna; thus making Etna and Mongibello two distinct mountains; whereas the former is called by the Arabs Jabel or Aj-jabal, that is, “Mount Jabal,” or Mon-giball.

(50) Tennyson, in the Last Tournament, says (v er. 1), Dagonet was knighted in mockery by sir Gawain; but in the History of Prince Arthur we are distinctly told that king Arthur knighted him “with his own hands” (pt. ii. 91).

In Gareth and Lynette the same poet says that Gareth was the son of Lot and Bellicent; but we are told a score times and more in the History of Prince Arthur that he was the son of Margawse (Arthur’s sister and Lot’s wife, pt. i. 36).

King Lot … wedded Margawse; Nentres … wedded Elain.—Sir. T. Malory: History of Prince Arthur, i. 2, 35, 36.

§ In the same Idyll Tennyson has changed Lionês to Lyonors; but, according to the collection of romances edited by sir T. Malory, these were quite different persons. Lionês, daughter of sir Persaunt, and sister of Linet of Castle Perilous, married sir Gareth (pt. i. 153); but Lyonors was the daughter of earl Sanam, and was the unwed mother of sir Borre by king Arthur (pt. i. 15).

§ Again, Tennyson makes Gareth marry Lynette, and leaves the true heroine, Lyonors, in the cold; but the History makes Gareth marry Lionês (Lyonors), and Gaheris his brother marries Linet.

Thus ended the history of sir Gareth, that wedded Dame Lionês of the Castle Perilous; and also of sir Gaheris, who wedded her sister Dame Linet.—Sir T. Malory: History of Prince Arthur (end of pt. i.).

§ Again, in Gareth and Lynette, by erroneously beginning day with sunrise instead of the previous eve, Tennyson reverses the order of the knights, and makes the fresh green morn represent the decline of day, or, as he calls it, “Hesperus” the “Evening Star;” and the blue star of evening he makes “Phosphorus” the “Morning Star.”

§ Once more, in Gareth and Lynette the late poet-laureate makes the combat between Gareth and Death finished at a single blow, but in the History Gareth fights from dawn to dewy eve. In fact, the allegory is ruined, unless mans battle of life is made to last till he dies.

Thus they fought [from sunrise] till it was par noon, and would not stint, till at last both lacked wind, and then stood they wagging, staggering, panting, blowing, and bleeding … and when they had rested them awhile, they went to battle again, trasing, rasing, and foyning, as two boars. Thus they endured till evening- song time.—Sir T. Malory: History of Prince Arthur, i. 136.

In the Last Tournament Tennyson m akes sir Tristram stabbed to death by sir Mark in Tintagil Castle, Cornwall, while toying with his aunt, Isolt the Fair; but in the History he is in bed in Brittany, severely wounded, and dies of a shock, because his wife tells him the ship in which he expected his aunt to come was sailing into port with a black sail instead of a white one.