King Arthur and His Knights E-Book

anonymous

• Herausgeber: Geddes and Grosset
• Kategorie: Für Kinder und Jugendliche
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2015

Seitenzahl: 323

Beschreibung

Stories of King Arthur, and Guinevere, bravery, valour, knights and the court of Camelot are among the best-loved stories in the English language.

Das E-Book King Arthur and His Knights wird angeboten von Geddes and Grosset und wurde mit folgenden Begriffen kategorisiert:
knights, King Arthur, Camelot, Round Table

Leseprobe

Contents

Cover

Title page

KING ARTHUR

The Marvel of the Sword

How Arthur was Crowned King

The Siege of the Strong Tower

The Battle of the Kings

The Knight of the Fountain

The Sword Excalibur

The Round Table

The Marvellous Adventure of the Magic Ship

The False Craft of Morgan le Fay

How King Arthur got his own Sword Again

The Mantle of Precious Stones

SIR LANCELOT OF THE LAKE

The Strong Knight of the Forest

The Four Queens

The Manor by the Ford

How Sir Lancelot Slew Two Giants

Chapel Perilous and the Wicked Sorceress

THE KITCHEN KNIGHT

The Three Gifts

The Scornful Damsel

The Black Knight of the Black Lawns

The Scornful Damsel grows Kind

The Red Knight of the Red Lawns

The Lady of Castle Perilous

THE FOREST KNIGHT

The Boyhood of Tristram

A Knight Royal

La Belle Iseult

The Broken Sword

How Sir Tristram came to Camelot

“Rather Death than Dishonour”

The Magic Draught

The Quarrel of King and Knight

Iseult of Brittany

The Forest of Strange Adventures

The Wild Man of the Woods

“For Love of Sir Lancelot!”

The False Treason of Morgan le Fay

At the Castle of Maidens

The Third Day of the Tournament

The Quest of the Ten Knights

The Strange Shield of Morgan le Fay

The Tombstone by the River of Camelot

THE QUEST OF THE HOLY GRAIL

The Siege Perilous

How Galahad was made Knight

Marvels, and Greater Marvels

The Last Tournament

Sir Galahad’s White Shield

The Adventure of the Crown of Gold

The Vision at the Chapel in the Forest

The Repentance of Sir Lancelot

The Chamber with the Shut Door

How Sir Galahad saw the Holy Grail

THE DEATH OF ARTHUR

The Departing of Sir Lancelot

The Vengeance of Sir Gawaine

The Battle in the West

“The Noblest Knight of the World”

Copyright

Other titles

KING ARTHUR

The Marvel of the Sword

When Uther Pendragon, King of England, died, the country for a long while stood in great danger, for every lord who was mighty gathered his forces, and many wished to be king. For King Uther’s own son, Prince Arthur, who should have succeeded him, was a child, and Merlin, the mighty magician, had hidden him away.

Now a strange thing had happened at Arthur’s birth, and this was how it was.

Some time before, Merlin had done Uther a great service, on condition that the king should grant him whatever he wished for. This the king swore a solemn oath to do. Then Merlin made him promise that when his child was born, it should be delivered to Merlin to bring up as he chose, for this would be to the child’s own great advantage. The king had given his promise, so he was obliged to agree. Then Merlin said he knew a true and faithful man, one of King Uther’s lords, by name Sir Ector, who had large possessions in many parts of England and Wales, and that the child should be given to him to bring up.

On the night the baby was born, while it was still unchristened, King Uther commanded two knights and two ladies to take it, wrapped in a cloth of gold, and deliver it to a poor man whom they would find waiting at a gate of the castle. The poor man was Merlin in disguise, and he carried the baby to Sir Ector, and had a holy man christen him, and named him Arthur; and Sir Ector’s wife looked after him as her own child.

Within two years King Uther fell gravely sick, and for three days and three nights he was speechless. All the barons were in much sorrow, and asked Merlin what could be done.

“There is no cure,” said Merlin. “God will have His will. But come before King Uther tomorrow, and God will make him speak.”

So the next day Merlin and all the barons came before the king, and Merlin said to King Uther: “Sire, is it your will that your son Arthur be king after you?”

Then Uther Pendragon said: “I give my son, Arthur, God’s blessing and mine, and bid him pray for my soul, and righteously and honourably claim the crown, otherwise he shall forfeit my blessing.” And with that, King Uther died.

But Arthur was still only a baby, and Merlin knew it would be no use yet to proclaim him king. For there were many powerful nobles in England in those days, who would try to get the kingdom for themselves, and perhaps they would kill the little prince.

There was much strife in the land for a long time, but after several years Merlin went to the Archbishop of Canterbury and counselled him to send for all the lords of the kingdom, and all the gentlemen of arms, that they should come to London at Christmas, and pray to God for a sign to show who should rightly be king. So all the lords and gentlemen came to London, and long before dawn on Christmas Day they were all gathered in the great church of St Paul’s.

When the service was over, the congregation saw a strange sight in the churchyard. There was a large square stone, and in the middle of it was an anvil of steel, a foot high, and in it, stuck by the point, was a beautiful sword, and about it was written in gold these words: “He who pulls this sword out of this stone and anvil is the rightly born King of England.”

When all the lords beheld the stone and the sword, they tried one after the other to pull the sword out of the stone. But not one could make it move.

“He is not here who can draw out the sword,” said the archbishop, “but doubt not God will make him known. Let us provide ten knights, men of good fame, to keep guard over the sword.”

So it was agreed, and proclamation was made that everyone who wished might try to win the sword. Meanwhile, the barons arranged to have a great tournament upon New Year’s Day, in which all knights could take a part. They did this to keep together the lords and commons until it was made known who would win the sword.

How Arthur was Crowned King

On New Year’s Day, after church, the barons rode to the field, and among them was Sir Ector, and with him rode Sir Kay, his son, with young Arthur, his foster brother.

As they rode, Sir Kay found he had lost his sword, for he had left it at his father’s lodging, so he begged young Arthur to go and fetch it for him, and Arthur went gladly.

But when he came to the house, he found no one there to give him the sword, for everyone had gone to see the tournament. Then Arthur was angry and said to himself: “I will ride to the churchyard, and take the sword from the stone, for my brother shall not be without a sword today.”

When he came to the churchyard, he alighted and went to seek the knights guarding the sword, but they too were all away at the tournament. So, seizing the sword by the handle, he lightly pulled it out of the stone, then took his horse and rode to join Sir Kay his brother, to whom he gave the sword.

As soon as Sir Kay saw it, he recognized the sword from the stone, so he rode to his father, Sir Ector, and said: “Sir, here is the sword of the stone. Therefore I must be king of this land.”

When Sir Ector saw the sword, he took Sir Kay and Arthur back to the church, and there he made his son swear truly how he got the sword.

“My brother Arthur,” said Sir Kay, “brought it to me.”

“How did you get this sword ?” said Sir Ector to Arthur.

And the boy told him.

“Now,” said Sir Ector, “I understand you must be king.”

“Why should I be king?” said Arthur.

“Sire,” said Ector, “because God will have it so, for only the man who can draw out this sword shall rightly be king. Now let me see whether you can put the sword there as it was, and pull it out again.”

“That is no difficulty,” said Arthur, and he put it back into the stone.

Then Sir Ector tried to pull out the sword, and failed; and Sir Kay also pulled with all his might, but it would not move.

“Now you shall try,” said Sir Ector to Arthur.

“I will,” said Arthur, and pulled the sword out easily.

At this Sir Ector and Sir Kay knelt down before him.

“Alas,” said Arthur, “my own dear father and brother, why do you kneel to me?”

“My lord Arthur, it is not so. I was never your father, nor of your blood, but I know well you are of higher blood than I thought you were.”

Then Sir Ector told him all, how he had taken him to bring up, and by whose command; and how he had received him from Merlin. And when he understood that Ector was not his father, Arthur was deeply sad.

“Will you be my good, gracious lord, when you are king?” asked Sir Ector.

“If not, I shall be to blame,” said Arthur, “for you are the man to whom I am the most beholden, and your good wife, who has fostered and kept me as well as her own children. And if ever it be God’s will that I be king, ask of me what I shall do, and I shall not fail you. God forbid I should fail you.”

“Sire,” said Sir Ector, “I will ask no more of you but that you will make my son, your foster brother Sir Kay, steward of all your lands.”

“That shall be done,” said Arthur, “and by my faith, never man but he shall have that office while he and I live.”

Then they went to the archbishop and told him how the sword was achieved, and by whom.

On Twelfth Day all the barons came to the stone in the churchyard so that any who wished might try to pull out the sword. But none could take it out except Arthur. Many of them were very angry and said it was a great shame to them and to the country to be governed by a boy not of high blood, for as yet none of them knew that he was the son of Uther Pendragon. So they agreed to delay the decision till Candlemas, which is the second day of February.

But when Candlemas came, and Arthur once more was the only one who could pull out the sword, they put it off till Easter; and when Easter came, and Arthur again prevailed in the presence of them all, they put it off till the Feast of Pentecost.

When Pentecost came, all manner of men once more made the attempt, and once more not one of them could prevail but Arthur. Before all the lords and commons there assembled, he pulled out the sword, whereupon all the commons cried out: “We will have Arthur for our king! We see that it is God’s will that he shall be our king, and he who holds against it, we will slay him.”

And they knelt down, both rich and poor, and sought pardon of Arthur because they had delayed him so long.

And Arthur forgave them, and took the sword in both his hands and offered it on the altar before the archbishop, and so he was made knight by the best man there.

After that, he was crowned at once, and there he swore to his lords and commons to be a true king and to govern with true justice from thenceforth all the days of his life.

The Siege of the Strong Tower

After Arthur was crowned king, many complaints were made to him of great wrongs that had been done since the death of King Uther, many lords, knights, ladies and gentlemen having been deprived of their lands. Thereupon King Arthur caused the lands to be given again to those who owned them. When this was done, and all the districts round London were settled, he made Sir Kay steward, Sir Baldwin constable, and Sir Ulfius, chamberlain, while Sir Brastias was appointed warden of the country north of the Trent. Most of this land was then held by the king’s enemies, but within a few years Arthur had won all the north.

Some parts of Wales still stood out against him, but in due time he overcame them all, as he did the rest, by the noble prowess of himself and the Knights of the Round Table.

Then King Arthur went into Wales and proclaimed a great feast, to be held at Pentecost, after his crowning in the city of Carleon. To this feast came many rich and powerful kings with great retinues of knights. Arthur was glad of their coming, for he thought that the kings and the knights had come in love and to do him honour at his feast, wherefore he rejoiced greatly and sent them rich presents.

The kings, however, would receive none of them but rebuked the messengers shamefully, saying it gave them no pleasure to receive gifts from a beardless boy of low blood They sent him word that they would have none of his gifts, but they would come and give him gifts with hard swords between the neck and the shoulders. It was for that they came hither, so they told the messengers plainly.

When the messengers brought this answer to King Arthur, by the advice of his barons he took himself with five hundred good men to a strong tower. And all the kings laid siege to him, but King Arthur had plenty of food.

Within fifteen days Merlin, the great magician, came to the city of Carleon. All the kings were very glad to see him, and asked him: “Why is that boy Arthur made your king?”

“Sirs,” said Merlin, “I will tell you—it is because he is King Uther Pendragon’s son. And whoever says ‘Nay’, Arthur shall be king and overcome all his enemies, and before he dies he shall long have been king of all England, and have under his sway Wales, Ireland, and Scotland, and more realms than I will now relate.”

Some of the kings marvelled at Merlin’s words and deemed it well that it should be as he said, and some of them, such as King Lot of Orkney, laughed at him, and others called him a wizard. But they all consented that King Arthur should come out and speak with them, and gave their assurance that he should come safely and should return safely.

So Merlin went to King Arthur, and told him what he had done, and bade him fear not, but come out boldly and speak with them.

“Spare them not,” he said, “but answer them as their king, for you shall overcome them all, whether they will or not.”

Then King Arthur came out of his tower, and there went with him the Archbishop of Canterbury, and Sir Baldwin, Sir Kay, and Sir Brastias. When he met the kings, there was no meekness but stout words on both sides, King Arthur ready with an answer to all they said and declaring that if he lived he would make them bow. They departed, therefore, very angry, and King Arthur returned to the tower and armed himself and all his knights.

“What will you do?” said Merlin to the kings. “You had better refrain, for you will not prevail here, were you ten times as many.”

“Should we be afraid of a dream-reader?” sneered King Lot.

With that, Merlin vanished away and came to King Arthur, and bade him set on them fiercely. And he counselled Arthur not to fight at first with the sword he had got by miracle, but if he found himself getting the worst of the fight, then to draw it and do his best.

Meanwhile, three hundred of the best men who were with the kings, went straight over to Arthur, and this comforted him greatly. All his knights fought gallantly, and the battle raged with fury. King Arthur himself was ever in the forefront of the press, till his horse was slain underneath him. And therewith King Lot smote down King Arthur.

Four of his knights rescued him and set him on horseback. Then he drew his sword, and it was so bright in his enemies’ eyes that it gave light like thirty torches; and thus he drove back his foes and slew many of them.

Then the citizens of Carleon arose with clubs and stones and slew many knights. But all the kings banded together with those of their knights who were still alive, and so fled. And Merlin came to Arthur, and counselled him to follow them no farther.

The Battle of the Kings

Then Arthur called all his barons to a council. For Merlin had told him that the six kings who had made war upon him, and whom he had defeated, would hasten to be revenged. The barons could give no counsel, but said they were big enough to fight.

“You say well,” said Arthur. “I thank you for your courage, but will all of you who love me speak with Merlin? You know well that he has done much for me, and knows many things, and when he is with you I wish that you would ask him to give you his best advice.”

All the barons said they would gladly hear what Merlin counselled, so the magician was sent for.

“I warn you well,” said Merlin, “that your enemies are very strong, and they are as good men of arms as any alive. By this time, too, they have got to themselves four kings more, and a mighty duke, and unless our king can get more horsemen than are to be found within the bounds of his own realm, if he fights with them in battle he shall be overcome and slain.”

“What is best to be done?” asked the barons.

“I will tell you my advice,” said Merlin. “There are two brothers beyond the sea, and they are both kings and marvellously powerful men. One is called King Ban, of Benwick, and the other King Bors, of Gaul—that is, France. And against these two brothers wars a mighty man, the King Claudas, and strives with them for a castle; and there is great war between them. But because Claudas is very rich he gets many good knights to fight for him, and for the most part puts these two kings to the worse. Now this is my counsel—that our king and sovereign lord send to Kings Ban and Bors two trusty knights, with letters stating that if they will come and see Arthur and his court, and help him in his wars, then he will swear to help them in their wars against King Claudas. Now, what do say to this counsel?”

“This is well counselled?” said the king and the barons,

So in all haste it was settled.

Ulfius and Brastias were chosen as the messengers, and they rode forth well-horsed and well-armed, and so crossed the sea and rode towards the city of Benwick. In a narrow place they were attacked by eight knights of King Claudas, who tried to kill them or take them prisoners. But Ulfius and Brastias, fighting with them two by two, in turn overcame them all, and left them lying sorely hurt and bruised on the field.

When they came to Benwick it fortunately happened that both the kings, Ban and Bors, were there. As soon as the kings knew they were messengers of Arthur’s and read the letters, the knights were made very welcome.

So Ulfius and Brastias had good cheer and rich gifts, as many as they could carry away, and they took back this answer with them—that the two kings would come to Arthur in all the haste they could.

King Arthur was very glad to get this message, and, when the time came for the kings to arrive, he proclaimed a great feast and went ten miles out of London to meet them. After the feast there was a splendid tournament in which seven hundred knights took part. Arthur, Ban, and Bors, with the Archbishop of Canterbury and Sir Ector, sat in a place covered with cloth of gold, like a hall, with ladies and gentlewomen, to behold who did best and to give judgment thereon. The knights who won the prizes were three of King Arthur’s household, Sir Kay, Sir Lucas, and Sir Griflet.

With the help of King Ban and King Bors, Arthur utterly defeated the eleven kings who were warring against him. When his enemies were scattered, King Ban and King Bors, laden with rich gifts, returned to their own countries. And they made a compact with Arthur that if they had need of him to help them against King Claudas, they would send to him for help; and, on the other hand, if Arthur had need of them, he was to send, and they would not tarry.

The Knight of the Fountain

King Arthur learnt from Merlin that his mother Igraine was still alive, so he sent for her in all haste, and the queen came and brought with her Morgan le Fay, her daughter, who was as fair a lady as any might be. Igraine did not know what had become of the little babe she had entrusted to Merlin, for she had not seen the child afterwards and did not even know what name was given to him. Then Merlin took the king by the hand, saying, “This is your mother.” Therewith Arthur took Queen Igraine into his arms and kissed her, and each wept over the other. Then the king commanded a feast to be held that lasted eight days.

One day there came to the court a squire on horseback, leading a knight before him, wounded to death. He told how there was a knight in the forest who had erected a pavilion by a well, and how he had slain his master, a good knight, and he sought that his master might be buried and that some knight might revenge his death.

There was much stir in the court because of this knight’s death, everyone giving his advice, and a young squire called Griflet, who was about the same age as Arthur, came to the king and sought him to make him a knight.

“You are very young,” said Arthur, “to take so high an order.”

“Sir,” said Griflet, “I beseech you to make me knight.

“Sir, it would be a great pity to lose Griflet,” said Merlin, for he will be a good man when he is of age, abiding with you the term of his life.”

So the king made him knight.

“Now,” he said, “since I have made you knight, you must give me a gift.”

“What you will,” said Griflet.

Then the king made him promise that when he had fought with the knight at the fountain he would return straight to the court without further delay.

So Griflet took his horse in great haste, and got ready his shield and took a spear in his hand, and rode at a gallop till he came to the fountain. There he saw a rich pavilion, and near by under a cloth stood a fair horse, well saddled and bridled, and on a tree a shield of many colours and a great spear. Griflet struck the shield with the butt of his spear, so that the shield fell to the ground.

With that the knight came out of the pavilion and said: “Fair knight, why strike down my shield?”

“Because I would joust with you,” said Griflet.

“It is better you do not,” said the knight, “for you are young and lately made knight, and your might is nothing to mine.”

“As for that,” said Griflet, “I will joust with you.”

“I am loath to do it,” said the knight, “but since I needs must, I will make ready. From where come you?”

“Sir, I am of Arthur’s court.”

The two knights ran together, so that Griflet’s spear was shivered to pieces, and thereupon the other knight, whose name was Pellinore, struck Griflet through the shield and left side, and broke his own spear, while horse and knight fell down.

When Pellinore saw Griflet lie so on the ground, he alighted and was very sad, for he thought he had slain him. He unlaced his helmet and gave him air, and set him again on his horse, saying he had a mighty heart, and if he lived he would prove a good knight. So Sir Griflet rode back to court, where there was great grief for him. But through good doctors he was healed and saved.

King Arthur was very angry because of the hurt to Sir Griflet, and he commanded one of his men to have his horse and armour ready waiting for him outside the city before daylight on the following morning. On the morrow, before dawn, he mounted and took spear and shield, telling the man to wait there till he returned.

He rode softly till day, and then he was aware of Merlin being chased by three churls, who would have slain him. The king rode towards them and bade them flee. They were frightened when they saw a knight, and fled.

“Oh, Merlin,” said Arthur, “you would have been slain, for all your crafts, had I not been here!”

“Nay, not so,” said Merlin, “for I could save myself if I would. And you are nearer your death than I am, for you are going towards your death, if God be not your friend.”

As they went thus talking, they came to the fountain and the rich pavilion beside it. Then King Arthur was aware that there sat a knight, armed, in a chair.

“Sir Knight,” said Arthur, “why stay you here so that no knight may ride this way unless he joust with you? I counsel you to leave that custom.”

“This custom,” said Pellinore, “I have used, and will use, despite who says nay; and whoever is grieved with my custom, let him mend it who will.”

“I will mend it,” said Arthur.

“I shall prevent you,” said Pellinore.

He quickly mounted his horse, adjusted his shield, and took his spear. They met so hard against each other’s shields that their spears shivered. Thereupon Arthur at once pulled out his sword.

“Nay, not so,” said the knight, “it is fairer that we run once more together with sharp spears.”

“I will, readily,” said Arthur, “if I had any more spears.”

“I have enough,” said Pellinore.

A squire came and brought two good spears, and again the knight and the king spurred together with all their might, so that both the spears were broken off short. Then Arthur set hand on his sword.

“Nay,” said the knight, “you shall do better. You are as good a jouster as ever I met, and for the love of the high order of knighthood let us joust once again.”

“I assent,” said Arthur.

Then two more great spears were brought, and each knight took one, and they ran together so that Arthur’s spear was all shivered. But Pellinore hit him so hard in the middle of the shield that horse and man fell to the earth. Then Arthur eagerly pulled out his sword, saying, “I will fight you, Sir Knight, on foot, for I have lost the honour on horseback,” and he ran towards him with his sword drawn.

When Pellinore saw that, he too alighted, for he thought it no honour for himself to be on horseback and the other on foot. Then began a strong battle with many great strokes till the field was wet with blood. They fought long, and rested, and then went to battle again. At last they both struck together, so that their swords met evenly, but Pellinore’s sword struck Arthur’s in two pieces, whereupon the king was much grieved.

Then said the knight to Arthur: “You are in danger whether I choose to save you or to slay you; and unless you yield as overcome, you shall die.”

“As for death,” said King Arthur, “I welcome it when it comes, but to yield to you—I had rather die than be so shamed.” And with that he leapt on Pellinore, and threw him down and tore off his helmet.

The knight was very frightened, though he was a big and mighty man, but he quickly got Arthur underneath, and raised off his helmet, and would have struck off his head.

But up came Merlin and said: “Knight, hold your hand, for if you slay that knight you put this realm in the greatest damage that ever realm was in. For this knight is a man of more honour than you are aware of.”

“Why, who is he?” said Pellinore.

“It is King Arthur.”

Then Pellinore would have slain himself, for dread of his anger, and lifted up his sword. But Merlin cast an enchantment on the knight, so that he fell to the earth in a great sleep.

The Sword Excalibur

After throwing Pellinore into an enchanted sleep, Merlin took up King Arthur and rode forth on Pellinore’s horse.

“Alas!” said Arthur, “what have you done, Merlin? Have you slain this good knight by your crafts? There lived not so worshipful a knight as he was. I would rather than a year’s income that he were alive.”

“Do not be troubled,” said Merlin, “for he is less hurt than you. He is only asleep and will awake within three hours. There lives not a greater knight than he is, and he shall hereafter do you right good service. His name is Pellinore, and he shall have two sons, who shall be passing good men—Percival and Lamerock of Wales.”

Leaving Sir Pellinore, King Arthur and Merlin went to a hermit, who was a good man and skilled in the art of healing. He attended so carefully to the king’s wounds that in three days they were quite well, and Arthur was able to go on his way with Merlin. Then as they rode, Arthur said, “I have no sword.”

“No matter,” said Merlin, “near by is a sword that shall be yours if I can get it.”

So they rode till they came to a lake, which was a fair water and broad, and in the middle of the lake, Arthur saw an arm, clothed in white silk, that held in its hand a beautiful sword. “Lo,” said Merlin, “yonder is the sword I spoke of.”

With that they saw a damsel rowing across the lake.

“What damsel is that?” said Arthur.

“That is the Lady of the Lake,” said Merlin, “and within that lake is a rock, and therein is as fair a place as any on earth, and richly adorned. This damsel will soon come to you. Then speak fair to her, so that she will give you that sword.”

Presently the damsel came to Arthur, and saluted him, and he her.

“Damsel,” said Arthur, “what sword is that which yonder the arm holds above the water? I would it were mine, for I have no sword.”

“Sir Arthur, King,” said the damsel, “that sword is mine. The name of it is Excalibur, that is Cut-Steel. If you will give me a gift when I ask you, you shall have it.”

“By my faith,” said Arthur, “I will give you what gift you ask.”

“Well,” said the damsel, “go into yonder barge and row yourself to the sword, and take it and the scabbard with you, and I will ask my gift when I see my time.”

So King Arthur and Merlin alighted and tied their horses to two trees, and went into the barge, and when they came to the sword that the hand held, Arthur lifted it by the handle and took it with him. And the arm and hand went under the water; and so they came to the land, and rode away.

Then King Arthur looked on the sword and liked it well.

“Which like you better, the sword or the scabbard?” asked Merlin.

“I like the sword better,” replied Arthur.

“You are the more unwise,” said Merlin, “for the scabbard is worth ten of the sword. While you have the scabbard upon you, you shall never lose any blood, be you never so sorely wounded. Therefore keep well the scabbard always with you.”

So they returned to Carleon, where King Arthur’s knights were glad to see him. When they heard of his adventures they marvelled that he would so jeopardize himself alone. But all men of honour said it was merry to be under such a chieftain who would put his person in adventures as other poor knights did.

Some time after this, Merlin again warned King Arthur to keep the scabbard of the sword Excalibur very securely, for as long as he had it upon him he would never lose any blood, however sorely he might be wounded. For greater safety, Arthur entrusted the sword and scabbard to his sister, Morgan le Fay. But Morgan le Fay was a false and treacherous woman.

She loved another knight better than her husband, King Uriens, or her brother, King Arthur, and she made up a wicked plot, by which they would both be slain. Then she meant to marry the other knight, Sir Accolon, and place him on King Arthur’s throne, when she herself would become queen of the whole realm. Therefore she made by enchantment another scabbard exactly like Excalibur’s, which she gave to Arthur when he was going to fight, but Excalibur and its scabbard she kept for Sir Accolon.

The Round Table

When Arthur had been king for some years, and had fought and overcome many of his enemies, his barons were anxious that he should take a wife, so according to his usual custom he went and consulted Merlin.

“It is well,” said Merlin, “for a man of your wealth and nobleness should not be without a wife. Now is there any that you love more than another?”

“Yes,” said King Arthur, “I love Guinevere, the daughter of King Leodegrance, of the land of Cameliard. Leodegrance holds in his house the Table Round, which he had from my father, Uther, and this damsel is the most noble and beautiful that I know living, or yet that ever I could find.”

Then Merlin warned the king that it would not be wise for him to marry Guinevere. Merlin had the gift of prophecy, and knew that if this marriage took place much unhappiness would come of it. But nothing would persuade the king from his purpose. So Merlin carried a message to Leodegrance, who rejoiced greatly.

“Those are the best tidings I ever heard,” he said, “that a king of prowess and nobleness will wed my daughter. And as for my lands, I would give him them if I thought it would please him, but he has lands enough, he needs none, but I shall send him a gift which shall please him much more. For I shall give him the Round Table which Uther Pendragon gave me, and when it is full complete there are a hundred knights and fifty. As for a hundred good knights, I have them myself, but I lack fifty, for so many have been slain.”

So King Leodegrance delivered his daughter to Merlin, and the Round Table, with the hundred knights; and they rode briskly, with great royalty, by water and by land, till they came near to London.

When King Arthur heard of the coming of Guinevere and the hundred knights with the Round Table, he made great joy because of their coming and that rich present.

“This fair lady is welcome to me,” he said, “for I have loved her long, and therefore there is nothing so dear to me. And these knights with the Round Table please me more than great riches.”

Then the king commanded that preparations for the marriage be made in the most honourable way that could be devised, and he bade Merlin go forth and seek fifty knights of the greatest prowess and honour, to fill the vacant places at the Round Table.

Within a short time Merlin had found such knights as would fill twenty-eight places, but no more could he find.

Then the Archbishop of Canterbury was fetched, and he blessed the seats, and there sat the eight-and-twenty knights in their seats.

When this was done, Merlin said: “Fair sirs, you must all arise and come to King Arthur to do him homage.” So they arose and did their homage.

And when they were gone, Merlin found in every seat letters of gold, that told the knight’s names that had sat there, but two places were empty.

Soon after this came young Gawaine, son of King Lot of Orkney, and asked a gift of the king.

“Ask,” said the king, “and I shall grant it you.”

“Sir, I ask that you will make me knight the same day you shall wed Guinevere.”

“I will do it with a good will,” said King Arthur, “because you are my nephew, my sister’s son.”

So the king made Gawaine knight, and at the same time, at the wedding feast, he also knighted a son of King Pellinore, a noble and gallant youth whose name was Tor.

Then King Arthur asked Merlin why there were two places empty among the seats at the Round Table.

“Sir,” said Merlin, “no men shall sit in those places, unless they be of the greatest honour. But in the Siege Perilous there shall no man sit but one, and if there be any so foolhardy to do it, he shall be destroyed; and he who shall sit there shall have no equal.”

Then Merlin took King Pellinore by the hand, and leading him next the two seats and the Siege Perilous, he said: “This is your place, and best worthy are you to sit therein of those who are here.”

At this, Sir Gawaine had great envy, and he said to Gaheris, his brother: “Yonder knight is given great honour, which grieves me sorely, for he slew our father, King Lot; therefore I will slay him with a sword that was sent me, which is very sharp.”

You shall not do so at this time,” said Gaheris, “for at present I am only a squire. When I am made knight I will be avenged on him, and therefore, brother, it is best you endure till another time, that we may have him out of the court, for if we killed him here we should trouble this high feast.”

“I will do as you wish,” said Gawaine.

Then was the high feast made ready, and the king was wedded to Guinevere at Camelot, in the church of St Stephen’s, with great solemnity.