GUY OF WARWICK, wOr'lk. The hero of a popular English legend. Guy is represented as the son of Siward of Wallingford. Becoming page to Rohand, Earl of Warwick, he falls in love with the Earl's daughter, named Felice, who de clines to marry him until he has proved his knighthood. To this end he makes two expedi tions to the Continent, going as far east as Con stantinople. He returns to England, slays a dragon, marries Felice, and departs for the Holy Land. Returning to England just at the time when Athelstan is besieged by the Danes at Win chester, he slays in single combat Colbrand, a terrible giant in the Danish Army. He retires to a hermit's cell, where he dies. Scholars have attempted to find at the basis of the legend some historical incident. The fight between Guy and the giant has been doubtfully identified with the battle of Brunanburh (937) between Athelstan and Anlaf the Dane. While this is hardly snore than conjecture, it is generally agreed that the legend rests upon English traditions of the tenth and eleventh centuries. It was given literary
form by an Anglo-Norman poet of the twelfth century, and from French it passed into English (fourteenth century). From that time on, the story, implicitly believed in all its details, was extremely popular, as is indicated by several Middle English versions. It was printed by Wil liam Copland (middle of the sixteenth century) ; versified incidents from it were recited by min strels; it was dramatized by Day and Dekker in collaboration; and, reduced to a chap-book, it cir culated widely throughout the eighteenth cen tury. Consult: Zupitza, Zur Litteraturgeschichte des Guy ron Warwick (Vienna, 1873) ; MSS. of the Middle English versions edited by him for the Early English Text Society (London. 1875 70; 1883-92) ; and Speculum Guy de Warewyke, edited by Morrill for the same society (London, 1898).