Le Morte Darthur
told the hermit all as ye have heard tofore. So there bode Sir Bedivere
with the hermit, that was tofore bishop of Canterbury, and there Sir
Bedivere put upon him poor clothes, and served the hermit full lowly in
fasting and in prayers.
Thus of Arthur I find never more written in books that be authorized,
nor more of the certainty of his death heard I never tell, but thus was
he led away in a ship wherein were three queens; that one was king
Arthur’s sister queen Morgan le Fay; the other was the queen of
Northgalis; the third was the queen of the Waste Lands. Also there was
Nimue, the chief Lady of the lake, that had wedded Pelleas the good
knight; and this lady had done much for king Arthur; for she would
never suffer Sir Pelleas to be in no place where he should be in danger
of his life, and so he lived to the uttermost of his days with her in
great rest. More of the death of king Arthur could I never find, but
that ladies brought him to his burials; and such one was buried there,
that the hermit bare witness that some time was bishop of Canterbury,
but yet the hermit knew not in certain that he was verily the body of
king Arthur;—for this tale Sir Bedivere, knight of the Round Table,
made it to be written.
CHAP. VII.
_Of the opinion of some men of the death of king Arthur; and how queen
Guenever made her a nun in Almesbury._
Yet some men yet say in many parts of England that king Arthur is not
dead, but had by the will of our Lord Jesu in another place. And men
say that he shall come again, and he shall win the holy cross. I will
not say it shall be so, but rather I will say, here in this world he
changed his life. But many men say that there is written upon his tomb
this verse,
=Hic iacet Arthurus Rex quondam Rex que futurus.=
Thus leave I here Sir Bedivere with the hermit, that dwelled that time
in a chapel beside Glastonbury, and there was his hermitage. And so
they lived in their prayers and fastings and great abstinence. And when
queen Guenever understood that king Arthur was slain, and all the noble
knights, Sir Mordred and all the remnant, then the queen stole away,
and five ladies with her, and so she went to Almesbury, and there she
let make herself a nun, and wore white clothes and black, and great
penance she took, as ever did sinful lady in this land, and never
creature could make her merry, but lived in fasting, prayers, and
alms-deeds, that all manner of people marvelled how virtuously she was
changed. Now leave we queen Guenever in Almesbury a nun in white
clothes and black, and there she was abbess and ruler, as reason would;
and turn we from her, and speak we of Sir Launcelot du Lake.
CHAP. VIII.
_How when Sir Launcelot heard of the death of king Arthur, and of Sir
Gawaine, and other matters, he came into England._
And when he heard in his country that Sir Mordred was crowned king in
England, and made war against king Arthur his own father, and would let
him to land in his own land; also it was told Sir Launcelot how that
Sir Mordred had laid siege about the tower of London, because the queen
would not wed him; then was Sir Launcelot wroth out of measure, and
said to his kinsmen, Alas, that double traitor Sir Mordred, now me
repenteth that ever he escaped my hands, for much shame hath he done
unto my lord Arthur. For all I feel by the doleful letter that my lord
Gawaine sent me, on whose soul Jesu have mercy, that my lord Arthur is
right hard bested. Alas, said Sir Launcelot, that ever I should live to
hear that most noble king, that made me knight, thus to be overset with
his subject in his own realm. And this doleful letter that my lord Sir
Gawaine hath sent me afore his death, praying me to see his tomb, wit
you well his doleful words shall never go from mine heart. For he was a
full noble knight as ever was born, and in an unhappy hour was I born,
that ever I should have that unhap to slay first Sir Gawaine, Sir
Gaheris the good knight, and mine own friend Sir Gareth, that full
noble knight. Alas, I may say I am unhappy, said Sir Launcelot, that
ever I should do thus unhappily; and, alas, yet might I never have hap
to slay that traitor Sir Mordred. Leave your complaints, said Sir Bors,
and first revenge you of the death of Sir Gawaine, and it will be well
done that ye see Sir Gawaine’s tomb, and secondly that ye revenge my
lord Arthur and my lady queen Guenever. I thank you, said Sir
Launcelot, for ever ye will my worship. Then they made them ready in
all the haste that might be, with ships and galleys with Sir Launcelot
and his host, to pass into England. And so he passed over the sea till
he came to Dover: and there he landed with seven kings, and the number
was hideous to behold. Then Sir Launcelot enquired of men of Dover
where was king Arthur become? Then the people told him how that he was
slain, and Sir Mordred and an hundred thousand died on a day, and how
Sir Mordred gave king Arthur there the first battle at his landing, and
there was good Sir Gawaine slain, and on the morn Sir Mordred fought
with the king upon Barham Down, and there the king put Sir Mordred to
the worse. Alas, said Sir Launcelot, this is the heaviest tidings that
ever came to me. Now, fair sirs, said Sir Launcelot, shew me the tomb
of Sir Gawaine. And then certain people of the town brought him into
the castle of Dover, and showed him the tomb. Then Sir Launcelot
kneeled down and wept and prayed heartily for his soul. And that night
he made a dole, and all they that would come had as much flesh, fish,
wine, and ale, and every man and woman had twelve pence, come who
would. Thus with his own hand dealt he his money in a mourning gown;
and ever he wept, and prayed them to pray for the soul of Sir Gawaine.
And on the morn all the priests and clerks that might be gotten in the
country were there, and sung mass of Requiem. And there offered first
Sir Launcelot and he offered an hundred pound, and then the seven kings
offered forty pound a piece, and also there was a thousand knights, and
each of them offered a pound, and the offering dured from morn till
night. And Sir Launcelot lay two nights on his tomb in prayers and in
weeping. Then on the third day Sir Launcelot called the kings, dukes,
earls, barons and knights, and said thus: My fair lords, I thank you
all of your coming into this country with me; but we come too late, and
that shall repent me while I live, but against death may no man rebel.
But sithen it is so, said Sir Launcelot, I will myself ride and seek my
lady queen Guenever, for as I hear say, she hath great pain and much
disease, and I heard say that she is fled into the west country,
therefore ye all that abide me here, and but if I come again within
fifteen days, then take your ships, and your fellowship, and depart
into your country. For I will do as I say to you.
CHAP. IX.
_How Sir Launcelot departed to seek the queen Guenever, and how he
found her at Almesbury._
Then came Sir Bors de Ganis, and said, My lord Sir Launcelot, what
think ye for to do, now to ride in this realm? wit thou well ye shall
find few friends. Be as be may, said Sir Launcelot, keep you still
here, for I will forth on my journey, and no man nor child shall go
with me. So it was no boot to strive, but he departed and rode
westerly, and there he sought a seven or eight days, and at the last he
came to a nunnery, and then was queen Guenever ware of Sir Launcelot as
he walked in the cloister, and when she saw him there she swooned
thrice, that all the ladies and gentlewomen had work enough to hold the
queen up. So when she might speak, she called ladies and gentlewomen to
her, and said, Ye marvel, fair ladies, why I make this fare. Truly, she
said, it is for the sight of yonder knight that yonder standeth:
wherefore, I pray you all, call him to me. When Sir Launcelot was
brought to her, then she said to all the ladies, Through this man and
me hath all this war been wrought, and the death of the most noblest
knights of the world; for through our love that we have loved together
is my most noble lord slain. Therefore, Sir Launcelot, wit thou well I
am set in such a plight to get my soul’s health; and yet I trust,
through God’s grace, that after my death to have a sight of the blessed
face of Christ, and at doomsday to sit on his right side, for as sinful
as ever I was are saints in heaven. Therefore, Sir Launcelot, I require
thee and beseech thee heartily, for all the love that ever was betwixt
us, that thou never see me more in the visage; and I command thee on
God’s behalf, that thou forsake my company, and to thy kingdom thou
turn again and keep well thy realm from war and wrack. For as well as I
have loved thee, mine heart will not serve me to see thee; for through
thee and me is the flower of kings and knights destroyed. Therefore,
Sir Launcelot, go to thy realm, and there take thee a wife, and live
with her with joy and bliss, and I pray thee heartily pray for me to
our Lord, that I may amend my mis-living. Now, sweet madam, said Sir
Launcelot, would ye that I should return again unto my country, and
there to wed a lady? Nay, madam, wit you well that shall I never do:
for I shall never be so false to you of that I have promised, but the
same destiny that ye have taken you to, I will take me unto, for to
please Jesu, and ever for you I cast me specially to pray. If thou wilt
do so, said the queen, hold thy promise; but I may never believe but
that thou wilt turn to the world again. Well, madam, said he, ye say as
pleaseth you, yet wist you me never false of my promise, and God defend
but I should forsake the world as ye have done. For in the quest of the
Sancgreal I had forsaken the vanities of the world, had not your lord
been. And if I had done so at that time with my heart, will, and
thought, I had passed all the knights that were in the Sancgreal,
except Sir Galahad my son. And therefore, lady, sithen ye have taken
you to perfection, I must needs take me to perfection of right. For I
take record of God, in you I have had mine earthly joy. And if I had
found you now so disposed, I had cast me to have had you into mine own
realm.
CHAP. X.
_How Sir Launcelot came to the hermitage where the archbishop of
Canterbury was, and how he took the habit on him._
But sithen I find you thus disposed, I insure you faithfully I will
ever take me to penance, and pray while my life lasteth, if that I may
find any hermit either grey or white that will receive me. Wherefore,
madam, I pray you kiss me, and never no more. Nay, said the queen, that
shall I never do, but abstain you from such works. And they departed.
But there was never so hard an hearted man, but he would have wept to
see the dolour that they made. For there was lamentation as they had
been stung with spears, and many times they swooned. And the ladies
bare the queen to her chamber, and Sir Launcelot awoke, and went and
took his horse, and rode all that day and all that night in a forest,
weeping. And at the last he was ware of an hermitage and a chapel stood
betwixt two cliffs, and then he heard a little bell ring to mass, and
thither he rode and alight, and tied his horse to the gate, and heard
mass. And he that sang mass was the bishop of Canterbury. Both the
bishop and Sir Bedivere knew Sir Launcelot, and they spake together
after mass. But when Sir Bedivere had told his tale all whole, Sir
Launcelot’s heart almost brast for sorrow, and Sir Launcelot threw his
arms abroad, and said, Alas, who may trust this world! And then he
kneeled down on his knees, and prayed the Bishop to shrive him and
assoil him. And then he besought the bishop that he might be his