ABSTRACT
Just as the vogue for Arthurian romance was reaching its height in the High Middle Ages, a voice was raised about where else such material was to be found:1
Whither has not flying fame spread and familiarised the name of Arthur the Briton, even as far as the empire of Christendom extends? Who, I say, does not speak of Arthur the Briton, since he is almost better known to the peoples of Asia than to the Britanni (i.e. the Welsh and the Cornish), as our palmers returning from the East inform us? The Eastern peoples speak of him, as do the Western, though separated by the width of the whole earth. . . . Rome, queen of cities, sings his deeds, nor are Arthur’s wars unknown to her former rival Carthage. Antioch, Armenia, Palestine celebrate his acts.
