Le Morte Darthur
gracious lord. Where shall I meet with you? said the squire. In king
Arthur’s court, said Balin. So his squire and he departed at that time.
Then king Arthur and all the court made great dole, and had shame of
the death of the Lady of the lake. Then the king buried her richly.
CHAP. IV.
_How Merlin told the adventure of this damsel._
At that time there was a knight the which was the king’s son of
Ireland, and his name was Lanceor, the which was an orgulous knight,
and counted himself one of the best of the court, and he had great
despite at Balin for the achieving of the sword, that any should be
accounted more hardy, or of more prowess; and he asked king Arthur if
he would give him leave to ride after Balin, and to revenge the despite
that he had done. Do your best, said Arthur, I am right wroth with
Balin, I would he were quit of the despite that he hath done to me and
to my court. Then this Lanceor went to his hostry to make him ready. In
the meanwhile came Merlin unto the court of king Arthur, and there was
told him the adventure of the sword, and the death of the Lady of the
lake. Now shall I say you, said Merlin, this same damsel that here
standeth, that brought the sword unto your court, I shall tell you the
cause of her coming,—she was the falsest damsel that liveth. Say not
so, said they. She hath a brother, a passing good knight of prowess and
a full true man, and this damsel loved another knight that held her to
paramour, and this good knight her brother met with the knight that
held her to paramour, and slew him by force of his hands. When this
false damsel understood this she went to the lady Lile of Avelion, and
besought her of help, to be avenged on her own brother. And so this
lady Lile of Avelion took her this sword, that she brought with her,
and told there should no man pull it out of the sheath but if he be one
of the best knights of this realm, and he should be hardy and full of
prowess, and with that sword he should slay her brother. This was the
cause that the damsel came into this court. I know it as well as ye.
Would she had not come into this court, but she came never in
fellowship of worship to do good, but alway great harm. And that knight
that hath achieved the sword shall be destroyed by that sword, for the
which will be great damage, for there liveth not a knight of more
prowess than he is, and he shall do unto you, my lord Arthur, great
honour and kindness, and it is great pity he shall not endure but a
while, for of his strength and hardiness I know not his match living.
CHAP. V.
_How Balin was pursued by Sir Lanceor, knight of Ireland, and how he
justed and slew him._
So the knight of Ireland armed him at all points, and dressed his
shield on his shoulder, and mounted upon horseback, and took his spear
in his hand, and rode after a great pace as much as his horse might go,
and within a little space on a mountain he had a sight of Balin, and
with a loud voice he cried, Abide knight, for ye shall abide whether ye
will or nill, and the shield that is tofore you shall not help. When
Balin heard the noise he turned his horse fiercely, and said, Fair
knight what will ye with me, will ye just with me? Yea, said the Irish
knight, therefore come I after you. Peradventure, said Balin, it had
been better to have holden you at home, for many a man weneth to put
his enemy to a rebuke, and oft it falleth to himself. Of what court be
ye sent from? said Balin. I am come from the court of king Arthur, said
the knight of Ireland, that come hither for to revenge the despite ye
did this day to king Arthur and to his court. Well, said Balin, I see
well I must have ado with you, that me forthinketh for to grieve king
Arthur, or any of his court; and your quarrel is full simple, said
Balin, unto me, for the lady that is dead did me great damage, and else
would I have been loth as any knight that liveth for to slay a lady.
Make you ready, said the knight Lanceor, and dress you unto me, for
that one shall abide in the field. Then they took their spears, and
came together as much as their horses might drive, and the Irish knight
smote Balin on the shield, that all went shivers of his spear, and
Balin hit him through the shield, and the hauberk perished, and so
pierced through his body and the horse croup, and anon turned his horse
fiercely and drew out his sword, and wist not that he had slain him,
and then he saw him lie as a dead corpse.
CHAP. VI.
_How a damsel, which was love to Lanceor, slew herself for love; and
how Balin met with his brother Balan._
Then he looked by him, and was ware of a damsel that came riding full
fast as the horse might ride, on a fair palfrey. And when she espied
that Lanceor was slain she made sorrow out of measure, and said, O
Balin, two bodies thou hast slain and one heart, and two hearts in one
body, and two souls thou hast lost. And therewith she took the sword
from her love that lay dead, and fell to the ground in a swoon. And
when she arose she made great dole out of measure, the which sorrow
grieved Balin passingly sore, and he went unto her for to have taken
the sword out of her hand, but she held it so fast he might not take it
out of her hand unless he should have hurt her, and suddenly she set
the pommel to the ground, and rove herself through the body. When Balin
espied her deeds, he was passing heavy in his heart, and ashamed that
so fair a damsel had destroyed herself for the love of his death. Alas,
said Balin, me repenteth sore the death of this knight for the love of
this damsel, for there was much true love betwixt them both. And for
sorrow he might no longer hold him, but turned his horse and looked
towards a great forest, and there he was ware, by the arms, of his
brother Balan. And when they were met they put off their helms and
kissed together, and wept for joy and pity. Then Balan said, I little
wend to have met with you at this sudden adventure; I am right glad of
your deliverance out of your dolorous prisonment, for a man told me in
the castle of Four Stones that ye were delivered, and that man had seen
you in the court of king Arthur, and therefore I came hither into this
country, for here I supposed to find you. Anon the knight Balin told
his brother of his adventure of the sword, and of the death of the Lady
of the lake, and how king Arthur was displeased with him: Wherefore he
sent this knight after me that lieth here dead; and the death of this
damsel grieveth me sore. So doth it me, said Balan, but ye must take
the adventure that God will ordain you. Truly, said Balin, I am right
heavy that my lord Arthur is displeased with me, for he is the most
worshipful knight that reigneth now on earth, and his love I will get
or else I will put my life in adventure; for the king Ryons lieth at a
siege at the castle Terrabil, and thither will we draw in all haste, to
prove our worship and prowess upon him. I will well, said Balan, that
we do, and we will help each other as brethren ought to do.
CHAP. VII.
_How a dwarf reproved Balin for the death of Lanceor, and how king Mark
of Cornwall found them, and made a tomb over them._
Now go we hence, said Balin, and well be we met. The meanwhile as they
talked there came a dwarf from the city of Camelot on horseback, as
much as he might, and found the dead bodies, wherefore he made great
dole, and pulled out his hair for sorrow, and said, Which of you
knights have done this deed? Whereby askest thou it, said Balan. For I
would wit it, said the dwarf. It was I, said Balin, that slew this
knight in my defence, for hither came he to chase me, and either I must
slay him or he me; and this damsel slew herself for his love, which
repenteth me, and for her sake I shall owe all women the better love.
Alas, said the dwarf, thou hast done great damage unto thyself, for
this knight that is here dead was one of the most valiantest men that
lived, and trust well, Balin, the kin of this knight will chase you
through the world till they have slain you. As for that, said Balin, I
fear not greatly, but I am right heavy that I have displeased my lord
king Arthur for the death of this knight. So as they talked together
there came a king of Cornwall riding, the which hight king Mark. And
when he saw these two bodies dead, and understood how they were dead by
the two knights above said, then made the king great sorrow for the
true love that was betwixt them, and said, I will not depart till I
have on this earth made a tomb. And there he pight his pavilions, and
sought through all the country to find a tomb, and in a church they
found one was fair and rich, and then the king let put them both in the
earth, and put the tomb upon them, and wrote the names of them both on
the tomb:—How here lieth Lanceor the king’s son of Ireland that at his
own request was slain by the hands of Balin, and how his lady Colombe
slew herself with her love’s sword for dole and sorrow.
CHAP. VIII.
_How Merlin prophesied that two the best knights of the world should
fight there, which were Sir Lancelot and Sir Tristram._
The meanwhile as this was adoing, in came Merlin to king Mark, and
seeing all his doing said, Here shall be in this same place the
greatest battle betwixt two knights that was or ever shall be, and the
truest lovers, and yet none of them shall slay other. And there Merlin
wrote their names upon the tomb with letters of gold that should fight
in that place, whose names were Launcelot de Lake, and Tristram. Thou
art a marvellous man, said king Mark unto Merlin, that speakest of such
marvels, thou art a rude man and an unlikely to tell of such deeds;
what is thy name? said king Mark. At this time, said Merlin, I will not
tell, but at that time when Sir Tristram is taken with his sovereign
lady, then ye shall hear and know my name, and at that time ye shall
hear tidings that shall not please you. Then said Merlin to Balin, Thou
hast done thyself great hurt, because thou savedst not this lady that
slew herself, that might have saved her and thou wouldest. By the faith
of my body, said Balin, I might not save her, for she slew herself
suddenly. Me repenteth, said Merlin, because of the death of that lady
thou shalt strike a stroke the most dolorous that ever man struck,
except the stroke of our Lord, for thou shalt hurt the truest knight
and the man of most worship that now liveth, and through that stroke
three kingdoms shall be in great poverty, misery, and wretchedness,
twelve year, and the knight shall not be whole of that wound many
years. Then Merlin took his leave of Balin. And Balin said, If I wist
it were sooth that ye say, I should do such a perilous deed as that I
would slay myself to make thee a liar. Therewith Merlin vanished away
suddenly. And then Balin and his brother took their leave of king Mark.
First, said the king, tell me your name. Sir, said Balan, ye may see he
beareth two swords, thereby ye may call him the knight with the two
swords. And so departed king Mark unto Camelot to king Arthur, and
Balin took the way to king Ryons: and as they rode together they met
with Merlin disguised, but they knew him not. Whither ride you? said
Merlin. We have little to do, said the two knights, to tell thee: But
what is thy name? said Balin. At this time, said Merlin, I will not
tell it thee. It is evil seen, said the two knights, that thou art a
true man that thou wilt not tell thy name. As for that, said Merlin, be
it as it be may, I can tell you wherefore ye ride this way, for to meet
king Ryons, but it will not avail you without ye have my counsel. Ah,
said Balin, ye are Merlin: we will be ruled by your counsel. Come on,