Arthur
Content
CHAPTER III. Of the birth of King Arthur and of his nurture THEN Queen Igraine waxed daily greater and greater, so it befell after within half a year, as King Uther lay by his queen, he asked her, by the faith she owed to him, whose was the hild within her body! then she sore abashed to gi"e answer# $ismay you not, said the king, but tell me the truth, and I shall lo"e you the better, by the faith of my body# %ir, said she, I shall tell you the truth# The same night that my lord was dead, the hour of his death, as his knights re ord, there ame into my astle of Tintagil a man like my lord in s&ee h and in ountenan e, and two knights with him in likeness of his two knights 'rastias and (ordanus, and so I went unto bed with him as I ought to do with my lord, and the same night, as I shall answer unto )od, this hild was begotten u&on me# That is truth, said the king, as ye say! for it was I myself that ame in the likeness, and therefore dismay you not, for I am father of the hild! and there he told her all the ause, how it was by *erlin+s ounsel# Then the queen made great ,oy when she knew who was the father of her hild# %oon ame *erlin unto the king, and said, %ir, ye must &ur"ey you for the nourishing of your hild# -s thou wilt, said the king, be it# .ell, said *erlin, I know a lord of yours in this land, that is a &assing true man and a faithful, and he shall ha"e the nourishing of your hild, and his name is %ir E tor, and he is a lord of fair li"elihood in many &arts in England and .ales! and this lord, %ir E tor, let him be sent for, for to ome and s&eak with you, and desire him yourself, as he lo"eth you, that he will &ut his own hild to nourishing to another woman, and that his wife nourish yours# -nd when the hild is born let it be deli"ered to me at yonder &ri"y &ostern un hristened# %o like as *erlin de"ised it was done# -nd when %ir E tor was ome he made fiaun e to the king for to nourish the hild like as the king desired! and there the king granted %ir E tor great rewards# Then when the lady was deli"ered, the king ommanded two knights and two ladies to take the hild, bound in a loth of gold, and that ye deli"er him to what &oor man ye meet at the &ostern gate of the astle# %o the hild was deli"ered unto *erlin, and so he bare it forth unto %ir E tor, and made an holy man to hristen him, and named him -rthur! and so %ir E tor+s wife nourished him with her own &a&#
CHAPTER XXIV. How Merlin saved Arthur's life, and threw an enchant ent on !in" Pellinore and ade hi to slee# THE/E.ITH-0 ame *erlin and said, Knight, hold thy hand, for an thou slay that knight thou &uttest this realm in the greatest damage that e"er was realm1 for this knight is a man of more worshi& than thou wotest of# .hy, who is he2 said the knight# It is King -rthur# Then would he ha"e slain him for dread of his wrath, and hea"ed u& his sword, and therewith *erlin ast an en hantment to the knight, that he fell to the earth in a great slee&# Then *erlin took u& King -rthur, and rode forth on the knight+s horse# -las3 said -rthur, what hast thou done, *erlin2 hast thou slain this good knight by thy rafts2 There li"eth not so worshi&ful a knight as he was! I had liefer than the stint of my land a year that he were ali"e# 4are ye not, said *erlin, for he is wholer than ye! for he is but aslee&, and will awake within three hours# I told you, said *erlin, what a knight he was! here had ye been slain had I not been# -lso there li"eth not a bigger knight than he is one, and he shall hereafter do you right good ser"i e! and his name is 5ellinore, and he shall ha"e two sons that shall be &assing good men! sa"e one they shall ha"e no fellow of &rowess and of good li"ing, and their names shall be 5er i"ale of .ales and 0amerake of .ales, and he shall tell you the name of your own son, begotten of your sister, that shall be the destru tion of all this realm#
CHAPTER XXV. How Arthur $% the 'a(e.
ean of Merlin "at E&cali$ur his sword of the 'ad% of the
/I)HT %6 the king and he de&arted, and went unto an hermit that was a good man and a great lee h# %o the hermit sear hed all his wounds and ga"e him good sal"es! so the king was there three days, and then were his wounds well amended that he might ride and go, and so de&arted# -nd as they rode, -rthur said, I ha"e no sword# No for e, said *erlin, hereby is a sword that shall be yours, an I may# %o they rode till they ame to a lake, the whi h was a fair water and broad, and in the midst of the lake -rthur was ware of an arm lothed in white samite, that held a fair sword in that hand# 0o3 said *erlin, yonder is that sword that I s&ake of# .ith that they saw a damosel going u&on the lake# .hat damosel is that2 said -rthur# That is the 0ady of the 0ake, said *erlin! and within that lake is a ro k, and therein is as fair a &la e as any on earth, and ri hly beseen!and this damosel will ome to you anon, and then s&eak ye fair to her that she will gi"e you that sword# -non withal ame the damosel unto -rthur, and saluted him, and he her again# $amosel, said -rthur, what sword is that, that yonder the arm holdeth abo"e the water2 I would it were mine, for I ha"e no sword# %ir -rthur, king, said the damosel, that sword is mine, and if ye will gi"e me a gift when I ask it you, ye shall ha"e it# 'y my faith, said -rthur, I will gi"e you what gift ye will ask# .ell3 said the damosel, go ye into yonder barge, and row yourself to the sword, and take it and the s abbard with you, and I will ask my gift when I see my time# %o %ir -rthur and *erlin alighted and tied their horses to two trees, and so they went into the shi&, and when they ame to the sword that the hand held, %ir -rthur took it u& by the handles, and took it with him, and the arm and the hand went under the water# -nd so 7they8 ame unto the land and rode forth, and then %ir -rthur saw a ri h &a"ilion# .hat signifieth yonder &a"ilion2 It is the knight+s &a"ilion, said *erlin, that ye fought with last, %ir 5ellinore! but he is out, he is not there# He hath ado with a knight of yours that hight Egglame, and they ha"e foughten together, but at the last Egglame fled, and else he had been dead, and he hath hased him e"en to 4arlion, and we shall meet with him anon in the highway# That is well said, said -rthur, now ha"e I a sword, now will I wage battle with him, and be a"enged on him# %ir, you shall not so, said *erlin, for the knight is weary of fighting and hasing, so that ye shall ha"e no worshi& to ha"e ado with him! also he will not be lightly mat hed of one knight li"ing, and therefore it is my ounsel, let him &ass, for he shall do you good ser"i e in short time, and his sons after his days# -lso ye shall see that day in short s&a e, you shall be right glad to gi"e him your sister to wed# .hen I see him, I will do as ye ad"ise, said -rthur# Then %ir -rthur looked on the sword, and liked it &assing well# .hether liketh you better, said *erlin, the sword or the s abbard2 *e liketh better the sword, said -rthur# 9e are more unwise, said *erlin, for the s abbard is worth ten of the swords, for whiles ye ha"e the s abbard u&on you, ye shall ne"er lose no blood, be ye ne"er so sore wounded! therefore kee& well the s abbard always with you# %o they rode unto 4arlion, and by the way they met with %ir 5ellinore! but *erlin had done su h a raft, that 5ellinore saw not -rthur, and he &assed by without any words# I mar"el, said -rthur, that the knight would not s&eak# %ir, said *erlin, he saw you not, for an he had seen you, ye had not lightly de&arted# %o they ame unto 4arlion, whereof his knights were &assing glad# -nd when they heard of his ad"entures, they mar"elled that he would ,eo&ard his &erson so, alone# 'ut all men of worshi& said it was merry to be under su h a hieftain, that would &ut his &erson in ad"enture as other &oor knights did#
CHAPTER XXIV. How Merlin saved Arthur's life, and threw an enchant ent on !in" Pellinore and ade hi to slee# THE/E.ITH-0 ame *erlin and said, Knight, hold thy hand, for an thou slay that knight thou &uttest this realm in the greatest damage that e"er was realm1 for this knight is a man of more worshi& than thou wotest of# .hy, who is he2 said the knight# It is King -rthur# Then would he ha"e slain him for dread of his wrath, and hea"ed u& his sword, and therewith *erlin ast an en hantment to the knight, that he fell to the earth in a great slee&# Then *erlin took u& King -rthur, and rode forth on the knight+s horse# -las3 said -rthur, what hast thou done, *erlin2 hast thou slain this good knight by thy rafts2 There li"eth not so worshi&ful a knight as he was! I had liefer than the stint of my land a year that he were ali"e# 4are ye not, said *erlin, for he is wholer than ye! for he is but aslee&, and will awake within three hours# I told you, said *erlin, what a knight he was! here had ye been slain had I not been# -lso there li"eth not a bigger knight than he is one, and he shall hereafter do you right good ser"i e! and his name is 5ellinore, and he shall ha"e two sons that shall be &assing good men! sa"e one they shall ha"e no fellow of &rowess and of good li"ing, and their names shall be 5er i"ale of .ales and 0amerake of .ales, and he shall tell you the name of your own son, begotten of your sister, that shall be the destru tion of all this realm#
CHAPTER XXV. How Arthur $% the 'a(e.
ean of Merlin "at E&cali$ur his sword of the 'ad% of the
/I)HT %6 the king and he de&arted, and went unto an hermit that was a good man and a great lee h# %o the hermit sear hed all his wounds and ga"e him good sal"es! so the king was there three days, and then were his wounds well amended that he might ride and go, and so de&arted# -nd as they rode, -rthur said, I ha"e no sword# No for e, said *erlin, hereby is a sword that shall be yours, an I may# %o they rode till they ame to a lake, the whi h was a fair water and broad, and in the midst of the lake -rthur was ware of an arm lothed in white samite, that held a fair sword in that hand# 0o3 said *erlin, yonder is that sword that I s&ake of# .ith that they saw a damosel going u&on the lake# .hat damosel is that2 said -rthur# That is the 0ady of the 0ake, said *erlin! and within that lake is a ro k, and therein is as fair a &la e as any on earth, and ri hly beseen!and this damosel will ome to you anon, and then s&eak ye fair to her that she will gi"e you that sword# -non withal ame the damosel unto -rthur, and saluted him, and he her again# $amosel, said -rthur, what sword is that, that yonder the arm holdeth abo"e the water2 I would it were mine, for I ha"e no sword# %ir -rthur, king, said the damosel, that sword is mine, and if ye will gi"e me a gift when I ask it you, ye shall ha"e it# 'y my faith, said -rthur, I will gi"e you what gift ye will ask# .ell3 said the damosel, go ye into yonder barge, and row yourself to the sword, and take it and the s abbard with you, and I will ask my gift when I see my time# %o %ir -rthur and *erlin alighted and tied their horses to two trees, and so they went into the shi&, and when they ame to the sword that the hand held, %ir -rthur took it u& by the handles, and took it with him, and the arm and the hand went under the water# -nd so 7they8 ame unto the land and rode forth, and then %ir -rthur saw a ri h &a"ilion# .hat signifieth yonder &a"ilion2 It is the knight+s &a"ilion, said *erlin, that ye fought with last, %ir 5ellinore! but he is out, he is not there# He hath ado with a knight of yours that hight Egglame, and they ha"e foughten together, but at the last Egglame fled, and else he had been dead, and he hath hased him e"en to 4arlion, and we shall meet with him anon in the highway# That is well said, said -rthur, now ha"e I a sword, now will I wage battle with him, and be a"enged on him# %ir, you shall not so, said *erlin, for the knight is weary of fighting and hasing, so that ye shall ha"e no worshi& to ha"e ado with him! also he will not be lightly mat hed of one knight li"ing, and therefore it is my ounsel, let him &ass, for he shall do you good ser"i e in short time, and his sons after his days# -lso ye shall see that day in short s&a e, you shall be right glad to gi"e him your sister to wed# .hen I see him, I will do as ye ad"ise, said -rthur# Then %ir -rthur looked on the sword, and liked it &assing well# .hether liketh you better, said *erlin, the sword or the s abbard2 *e liketh better the sword, said -rthur# 9e are more unwise, said *erlin, for the s abbard is worth ten of the swords, for whiles ye ha"e the s abbard u&on you, ye shall ne"er lose no blood, be ye ne"er so sore wounded! therefore kee& well the s abbard always with you# %o they rode unto 4arlion, and by the way they met with %ir 5ellinore! but *erlin had done su h a raft, that 5ellinore saw not -rthur, and he &assed by without any words# I mar"el, said -rthur, that the knight would not s&eak# %ir, said *erlin, he saw you not, for an he had seen you, ye had not lightly de&arted# %o they ame unto 4arlion, whereof his knights were &assing glad# -nd when they heard of his ad"entures, they mar"elled that he would ,eo&ard his &erson so, alone# 'ut all men of worshi& said it was merry to be under su h a hieftain, that would &ut his &erson in ad"enture as other &oor knights did#
