第59章 BOOK V(6)

And when it was known that the emperor was slain,anon all the Romans with all their host put them to flight,and King Arthur with all his knights followed the chase,and slew down right all them that they might attain.And thus was the victory given to King Arthur,and the triumph;and there were slain on the part of Lucius more than an hundred thousand.And after King Arthur did do ransack the dead bodies,and did do bury them that were slain of his retinue,every man according to the estate and degree that he was of.And them that were hurt he let the surgeons do search their hurts and wounds,and commanded to spare no salves nor medicines till they were whole.

Then the king rode straight to the place where the Emperor Lucius lay dead,and with him he found slain the Soudan of Syria,the King of Egypt and of Ethiopia,which were two noble kings,with seventeen other kings of divers regions,and also sixty senators of Rome,all noble men,whom the king did do balm and gum with many good gums aromatic,and after did do cere them in sixty fold of cered cloth of sendal,and laid them in chests of lead,because they should not chafe nor savour,and upon all these bodies their shields with their arms and banners were set,to the end they should be known of what country they were.And after he found three senators which were alive,to whom he said,For to save your lives I will that ye take these dead bodies,and carry them with you unto great Rome,and present them to the Potestate on my behalf,shewing him my letters,and tell them that I in my person shall hastily be at Rome.And I suppose the Romans shall beware how they shall demand any tribute of me.And I command you to say when ye shall come to Rome,to the Potestate and all the Council and Senate,that I send to them these dead bodies for the tribute that they have demanded.And if they be not content with these,I shall pay more at my coming,for other tribute owe I none,nor none other will I pay.And methinketh this sufficeth for Britain,Ireland and all Almaine with Germany.And furthermore,I charge you to say to them,that I command them upon pain of their heads never to demand tribute nor tax of me nor of my lands.Then with this charge and commandment,the three senators aforesaid departed with all the said dead bodies,laying the body of Lucius in a car covered with the arms of the Empire all alone;and after alway two bodies of kings in a chariot,and then the bodies of the senators after them,and so went toward Rome,and showed their legation and message to the Potestate and Senate,recounting the battle done in France,and how the field was lost and much people and innumerable slain.

Wherefore they advised them in no wise to move no more war against that noble conqueror Arthur,for his might and prowess is most to be doubted,seen the noble kings and great multitude of knights of the Round Table,to whom none earthly prince may compare.

CHAPTER IX

How Arthur,after he had achieved the battle against the Romans,entered into Almaine,and so into Italy.

NOW turn we unto King Arthur and his noble knights,which,after the great battle achieved against the Romans,entered into Lorraine,Brabant and Flanders,and sithen returned into Haut Almaine,and so over the mountains into Lombardy,and after,into Tuscany wherein was a city which in no wise would yield themself nor obey,wherefore King Arthur besieged it,and lay long about it,and gave many assaults to the city;and they within defended them valiantly.Then,on a time,the king called Sir Florence,a knight,and said to him they lacked victual,And not far from hence be great forests and woods,wherein be many of mine enemies with much bestial:I will that thou make thee ready and go thither in foraying,and take with thee Sir Gawaine my nephew,Sir Wisshard,Sir Clegis,Sir Cleremond,and the Captain of Cardiff with other,and bring with you all the beasts that ye there can get.

And anon these knights made them ready,and rode over holts and hills,through forests and woods,till they came into a fair meadow full of fair flowers and grass;and there they rested them and their horses all that night.And in the springing of the day in the next morn,Sir Gawaine took his horse and stole away from his fellowship,to seek some adventures.And anon he was ware of a man armed,walking his horse easily by a wood's side,and his shield laced to his shoulder,sitting on a strong courser,without any man saving a page bearing a mighty spear.The knight bare in his shield three griffins of gold,in sable carbuncle,the chief of silver.When Sir Gawaine espied this gay knight,he feutred his spear,and rode straight to him,and demanded of him from whence that he was.That other answered and said he was of Tuscany,and demanded of Sir Gawaine,What,profferest thou,proud knight,thee so boldly?here gettest thou no prey,thou mayest prove what thou wilt,for thou shalt be my prisoner or thou depart.Then said Gawaine,thou avauntest thee greatly and speakest proud words,I counsel thee for all thy boast that thou make thee ready,and take thy gear to thee,to-fore greater grame fall to thee.

CHAPTER X

Of a battle done by Sir Gawaine against a Saracen,which after was yielden and became Christian.

THEN they took their spears and ran each at other with all the might they had,and smote each other through their shields into their shoulders,wherefore anon they pulled out their swords,and smote great strokes that the fire sprang out of their helms.