Mistranslation or Adaptation in Medieval Manuscripts: Can One Tell the Difference\ulcorner

Editors of medieval texts that are translated from other languages face difficulties when the translation differs significantly from the original. Are the differences unintended, the result of misunderstanding and mistranslation\ulcorner Or do they proceed from a conscious decision on the translator's part to change the meaning of the original\ulcorner Is it possible to be sure one knows the difference\ulcorner This paper discusses three test cases encountered in preparing for the Early English Text Society a critical edition of Sidrak and Bokkus, the fifteenth-century English verse translation of the Old French prose book of knowledge, Le livre de Sidrac.