第16章 BOOK I(12)

AND then King Arthur,and King Ban,and King Bors departed with their fellowship,a twenty thousand,and came within six days into the country of Cameliard,and there rescued King Leodegrance,and slew there much people of King Rience,unto the number of ten thousand men,and put him to flight.And then had these three kings great cheer of King Leodegrance,that thanked them of their great goodness,that they would revenge him of his enemies;and there had Arthur the first sight of Guenever,the king's daughter of Cameliard,and ever after he loved her.After they were wedded,as it telleth in the book.So,briefly to make an end,they took their leave to go into their own countries,for King Claudas did great destruction on their lands.Then said Arthur,I will go with you.Nay,said the kings,ye shall not at this time,for ye have much to do yet in these lands,therefore we will depart,and with the great goods that we have gotten in these lands by your gifts,we shall wage good knights and withstand the King Claudas'malice,for by the grace of God,an we have need we will send to you for your succour;and if ye have need,send for us,and we will not tarry,by the faith of our bodies.It shall not,said Merlin,need that these two kings come again in the way of war,but I know well King Arthur may not be long from you,for within a year or two ye shall have great need,and then shall he revenge you on your enemies,as ye have done on his.For these eleven kings shall die all in a day,by the great might and prowess of arms of two valiant knights (as it telleth after);their names be Balin le Savage,and Balan,his brother,that be marvellous good knights as be any living.

Now turn we to the eleven kings that returned unto a city that hight Sorhaute,the which city was within King Uriens',and there they refreshed them as well as they might,and made leeches search their wounds,and sorrowed greatly for the death of their people.With that there came a messenger and told how there was come into their lands people that were lawless as well as Saracens,a forty thousand,and have burnt and slain all the people that they may come by,without mercy,and have laid siege on the castle of Wandesborow.Alas,said the eleven kings,here is sorrow upon sorrow,and if we had not warred against Arthur as we have done,he would soon revenge us.As for King Leodegrance,he loveth Arthur better than us,and as for King Rience,he hath enough to do with Leodegrance,for he hath laid siege unto him.

So they consented together to keep all the marches of Cornwall,of Wales,and of the North.So first,they put King Idres in the City of Nauntes in Britain,with four thousand men of arms,to watch both the water and the land.Also they put in the city of Windesan,King Nentres of Garlot,with four thousand knights to watch both on water and on land.Also they had of other men of war more than eight thousand,for to fortify all the fortresses in the marches of Cornwall.Also they put more knights in all the marches of Wales and Scotland,with many good men of arms,and so they kept them together the space of three year,and ever allied them with mighty kings and dukes and lords.And to them fell King Rience of North Wales,the which and Nero that was a mighty man of men.And all this while they furnished them and garnished them of good men of arms,and victual,and of all manner of habiliment that pretendeth to the war,to avenge them for the battle of Bedegraine,as it telleth in the book of adventures following.

CHAPTER XIX

How King Arthur rode to Carlion,and of his dream,and how he saw the questing beast.

THEN after the departing of King Ban and of King Bors,King Arthur rode into Carlion.And thither came to him,King Lot's wife,of Orkney,in manner of a message,but she was sent thither to espy the court of King Arthur;and she came richly beseen,with her four sons,Gawaine,Gaheris,Agravine,and Gareth,with many other knights and ladies.For she was a passing fair lady,therefore the king cast great love unto her,and desired to lie by her;so they were agreed,and he begat upon her Mordred,and she was his sister,on his mother's side,Igraine.So there she rested her a month,and at the last departed.Then the king dreamed a marvellous dream whereof he was sore adread.But all this time King Arthur knew not that King Lot's wife was his sister.Thus was the dream of Arthur:Him thought there was come into this land griffins and serpents,and him thought they burnt and slew all the people in the land,and then him thought he fought with them,and they did him passing great harm,and wounded him full sore,but at the last he slew them.When the king awaked,he was passing heavy of his dream,and so to put it out of thoughts,he made him ready with many knights to ride a-hunting.As soon as he was in the forest the king saw a great hart afore him.This hart will I chase,said King Arthur,and so he spurred the horse,and rode after long,and so by fine force oft he was like to have smitten the hart;whereas the king had chased the hart so long,that his horse lost his breath,and fell down dead.Then a yeoman fetched the king another horse.