Le Morte Darthur
said Merlin, ye shall have great worship, and look that ye do knightly,
for ye shall have great need. As for that, said Balin, dread you not,
we will do what we may.
CHAP. IX.
_How Balin and his brother by the counsel of Merlin took king Ryons,
and brought him to king Arthur._
Then Merlin lodged them in a wood among leaves beside the highway, and
took off the bridles of their horses and put them to grass, and laid
them down to rest them till it was nigh midnight. Then Merlin bad them
rise and make them ready, for the king was nigh them, that was stolen
away from his host with a threescore horses of his best knights, and
twenty of them rode tofore, to warn the lady De Vance that the king was
coming. Which is the king? said Balin. Abide, said Merlin, here in a
straight way ye shall meet with him; and therewith he shewed Balin and
his brother where he rode. Anon Balin and his brother met with the
king, and smote him down, and wounded him fiercely, and laid him to the
ground, and there they slew on the right hand and the left hand, and
slew more than forty of his men; and the remnant fled. Then went they
again to king Ryons, and would have slain him had he not yielded him
unto their grace. Then said he thus: Knights full of prowess, slay me
not, for by my life ye may win, and by my death ye shall win nothing.
Then said these two knights, Ye say sooth and truth; and so laid him on
an horse-litter. With that Merlin was vanished, and came to king
Arthur, aforehand, and told him how his most enemy was taken and
discomfited. By whom? said king Arthur. By two knights, said Merlin,
that would please your lordship, and to-morrow ye shall know what
knights they are. Anon after came the knight with the two swords, and
Balan his brother, and brought with them king Ryons of North Wales, and
there delivered him to the porters, and charged them with him; and so
they two returned again in the dawning of the day. King Arthur came
then to king Ryons and said, Sir king ye are welcome: by what adventure
come ye hither? Sir, said king Ryons, I came hither by an hard
adventure. Who won you? said king Arthur. Sir, said the king, the
knight with the two swords and his brother, which are two marvellous
knights of prowess. I know them not, said Arthur, but much I am
beholden to them. Ah, said Merlin, I shall tell you, it is Balin that
achieved the sword, and his brother Balan, a good knight, there liveth
not a better of prowess, and of worthiness; and it shall be the
greatest dole of him that ever I knew of knight, for he shall not long
endure. Alas, said king Arthur, that is great pity, for I am much
beholden unto him, and I have ill deserved it unto him for his
kindness. Nay, said Merlin, he shall do much more for you, and that
shall ye know in haste. But, Sir, are ye purveyed? said Merlin; for
to-morn the host of Nero, king Ryons’s brother, will set on you or noon
with a great host, and therefore make you ready, for I will depart from
you.
CHAP. X.
_How king Arthur had a battle against Nero and king Lot of Orkney, and
how king Lot was deceived by Merlin, and how twelve kings were slain._
Then king Arthur made ready his host in ten battles, and Nero was ready
in the field afore the castle Terrabil with a great host, for he had
ten battles, with many more people than Arthur had. Then Nero had the
vaward with the most party of his people: and Merlin came to king Lot
of the Isle of Orkney, and held him with a tale of prophecy till Nero
and his people were destroyed. And there Sir Kay the seneschal did
passingly well, that the days of his life the worship went never from
him. And Sir Hervis de Revel did marvellous deeds with king Arthur, and
king Arthur slew that day twenty knights and maimed forty. At that time
came in the knight with the two swords, and his brother Balan, but they
two did so marvellously that the king and all the knights marvelled of
them, and all they that beheld them said they were sent from heaven as
angels, or devils from hell: and king Arthur said himself they were the
best knights that ever he saw, for they gave such strokes that all men
had wonder of them. In the meanwhile came one to king Lot, and told him
while he tarried there Nero was destroyed and slain with all his
people. Alas, said king Lot, I am ashamed, for by my default there is
many a worshipful man slain, for and we had been together there had
been none host under the heaven that had been able for to have matched
with us: this deceiver with his prophecy hath mocked me. All that did
Merlin, for he knew well that if king Lot had been with his body there
at the first battle, king Arthur had been slain and all his people
destroyed. And well Merlin knew that one of the kings should be dead
that day; and loth was Merlin that any of them both should be slain,
but of the twain he had lever king Lot had been slain than king Arthur.
Now what is best to do? said king Lot of Orkney, whether is me better
to treat with king Arthur or to fight, for the greater part of our
people are slain and destroyed. Sir, said a knight, set on Arthur, for
they are weary and for-foughten, and we be fresh. As for me, said king
Lot, I would that every knight would do his part as I would do mine.
And then they advanced banners and smote together, and all to-shivered
their spears; and Arthur’s knights, with the help of the knight with
the two swords and his brother Balan, put king Lot and his host to the
worse. But alway king Lot held him in the foremost front, and did
marvellous deeds of arms, for all his host was borne up by his hands,
for he abode all knights. Alas, he might not endure, the which was
great pity, that so worthy a knight as he was should be overmatched,
that of late time afore had been a knight of king Arthur’s, and wedded
the sister of king Arthur, and for the wrong king Arthur did him
therefore king Lot held against Arthur. So there was a knight that was
called the knight with the strange beast, and at that time his right
name was called Pellinore, the which was a good man of prowess, and he
smote a mighty stroke at king Lot as he fought with all his enemies,
and he failed of his stroke, and he smote the horse’s neck, that he
fell to the ground with king Lot; and therewith anon Sir Pellinore
smote him a great stroke through the helm and head unto the brows. And
then all the host of Orkney fled for the death of king Lot; and there
were slain many mothers’ sons. But king Pellinore bare the blame of the
death of king Lot, wherefore Sir Gawaine revenged the death of his
father the tenth year after he was made knight, and slew king Pellinore
with his own hands. Also there were slain at that battle twelve kings
on the side of king Lot with Nero, and all were buried in the church of
Saint Stephen’s, in Camelot; and the remnant of knights and of other
were buried in a great rock.
CHAP. XI.
_Of the interment of twelve kings, and of the prophecy of Merlin, and
how Balin should give the dolorous stroke._
So at the interment came king Lot’s wife Morgause, with her four sons,
Gawaine, Agravaine, Gaheris, and Gareth. Also there came thither king
Uriens, Sir Ewaine’s father, and Morgan le Fay his wife, that was king
Arthur’s sister. All these came to the interment. But of all these
twelve kings king Arthur let make the tomb of king Lot passing richly,
and made his tomb by his own; and then king Arthur let make twelve
images of laton and copper, and over-gilt it with gold, in the sign of
twelve kings, and each one of them held a taper of wax that burnt day
and night: and king Arthur was made in sign of a figure standing above
them with a sword drawn in his hand: and all the twelve figures had
countenance like unto men that were overcome. All this made Merlin by
his subtil craft; and there he told the king, When I am dead these
tapers shall burn no longer; and soon after the adventures of the
Sangreal shall come among you and be achieved. Also he told Arthur how
Balin the worshipful knight shall give the dolorous stroke, whereof
shall fall great vengeance. O where is Balin, and Balan, and Pellinore?
said king Arthur. As for Pellinore, said Merlin, he will meet with you
soon: and as for Balin, he will not be long from you: but the other
brother will depart; ye shall see him no more. By my faith, said
Arthur, they are two marvellous knights, and namely Balin passeth of
prowess of any knight that ever I found, for much beholden am I unto
him; would that he would abide with me. Sir, said Merlin, look ye keep
well the scabbard of Excalibur, for ye shall lose no blood while ye
have the scabbard upon you, though ye have as many wounds upon you as
ye may have. So after, for great trust Arthur betook the scabbard to
Morgan le Fay his sister, and she loved another knight better than her
husband king Uriens or king Arthur, and she would have had Arthur her
brother slain, and therefore she let make another scabbard like it by
enchantment, and gave the scabbard of Excalibur to her love. And the
knight’s name was called Accolon, that after had near slain king
Arthur. After this Merlin told unto king Arthur of the prophecy that
there should be a great battle beside Salisbury, and that Mordred his
sister’s son should be against him. Also he told him that Basdemegus
was his cousin, and germain unto king Uriens.
CHAP. XII.
_How a sorrowful knight came tofore king Arthur, and how Balin fetched
him, and how that knight was slain by a knight invisible._
Within a day or two king Arthur was somewhat sick, and he let pitch his
pavilion in a meadow, and there he laid him down on a pallet to sleep,
but he might have no rest. Right so he heard a great noise of an horse,
and therewith the king looked out at the porch of the pavilion, and saw
a knight coming even by him making great dole. Abide, fair sir, said
Arthur, and tell me wherefore thou makest this sorrow? Ye may little
amend me, said the knight, and so passed forth to the castle of Meliot.
Anon after there came Balin, and when he saw king Arthur he alight off
his horse, and came to the king on foot, and saluted him. By my head,
said Arthur, ye be welcome. Sir, right now came riding this way a
knight making great mourn, for what cause I cannot tell, wherefore I
would desire of you of your courtesy and of your gentleness to fetch
again that knight either by force or else by his good-will. I will do
more for your lordship than that, said Balin: and so he rode more than
a pace, and found the knight with a damsel in a forest, and said, Sir
knight, ye must come with me unto king Arthur, for to tell him of your
sorrow. That will I not, said the knight, for it will scathe me
greatly, and do you none avail. Sir, said Balin, I pray you make you
ready, for ye must go with me, or else I must fight with you and bring
you by force, and that were me loth to do. Will ye be my warrant, said
the knight, and I go with you? Yea, said Balin, or else I will die
therefore. And so he made him ready to go with Balin, and left the
damsel still. And as they were even afore king Arthur’s pavilion there
came one invisible, and smote this knight that went with Balin
throughout the body with a spear. Alas, said the knight, I am slain
under your conduct, with a knight called Garlon: therefore take my
horse, that is better than your’s, and ride to the damsel, and follow
the quest that I was in as she will lead you, and revenge my death when
ye may. That shall I do, said Balin, and that I make a vow unto
knighthood. And so he departed from this knight with great sorrow. So
king Arthur let bury this knight richly, and made a mention on his tomb