The Story of King Arthur and his Knights
[Sidenote: _Uther-Pendragon taketh to wife the Lady Igraine._]
After Uther-Pendragon had ruled his kingdom for a number of years he
took to wife a certain beautiful and gentle lady, hight Igraine. This
noble dame was the widow of Gerlois, the Duke of Tintegal; by which
prince she had two daughters--one of whom was named Margaise and the
other Morgana le Fay. And Morgana le Fay was a famous sorceress. These
daughters the Queen brought with her to the Court of Uther-Pendragon
after she had married that puissant King, and there Margaise was wedded
to King Urien of Gore, and Morgana le Fay was wedded to King Lot of
Orkney.
[Sidenote: _Concerning the birth and perils of the young child._]
Now after awhile Uther-Pendragon and Queen Igraine had a son born
unto them, and he was very beautiful and of great size and strength of
bone. And whilst the child still lay wrapped in his swaddling clothes
and lying in a cradle of gold and ultramarine, Merlin came to
Uther-Pendragon with a spirit of prophecy strong upon him (for such was
often the case with him), and, speaking in that spirit of prophecy, he
said, “Lord, it is given unto me to foresee that thou shalt shortly fall
sick of a fever and that thou shalt maybe die of a violent sweat that
will follow thereon. Now, should such a dolorous thing befall us all,
this young child (who is, certes, the hope of all this realm) will be in
very great danger of his life; for many enemies will assuredly rise up
with design to seize upon him for the sake of his inheritance, and
either he will be slain or else he will be held in captivity from which
he shall hardly hope to escape. Wherefore, I do beseech thee, Lord, that
thou wilt permit Sir Ulfius and myself to presently convey the child
away unto some place of safe refuge, where he may be hidden in secret
until he groweth to manhood and is able to guard himself from such
dangers as may threaten him.”
When Merlin had made an end of speaking thus, Uther-Pendragon made reply
with a very steadfast countenance in this wise: “Merlin, so far as my
death is concerned--when my time cometh to die I believe God will give
me grace to meet my end with entire cheerfulness; for, certes, my lot is
in that wise no different from that of any other man who hath been born
of woman. But touching the matter of this young child, if thy prophecy
be true, then his danger is very great, and it would be well that he
should be conveyed hence to some place of safe harborage as thou dost
advise. Wherefore, I pray thee to perform thy will in this affair,
bearing in thy heart the consideration that the child is the most
precious inheritance which I shall leave unto this land.”
[Sidenote: _King Uther dieth according to the prophecy of Merlin._]
All this, as was said, Uther-Pendragon spake with great calmness and
equanimity of spirit. And Merlin did as he had advised, and he and Sir
Ulfius conveyed the child away by night, and no one but they wist
whither the babe had been taken. And shortly afterward Uther-Pendragon
was seized with the sickness as Merlin had foretold, and he died exactly
as Merlin had feared that he would die; wherefore it was very well that
the child had been taken to a place of safety.
And after Uther-Pendragon had departed from this life, it was likewise
as Merlin had feared, for all the realm fell into great disorder. For
each lesser king contended against his fellow for overlordship, and
wicked knights and barons harried the highways as they listed and there
levied toll with great cruelty upon helpless wayfarers. For some such
travellers they took prisoners and held for ransom, whiles others they
slew because they had no ransom to pay. So it was a very common sight to
see a dead man lying by the roadside, if you should venture to make a
journey upon some business or other. Thus it befell that, after awhile,
all that dolorous land groaned with the trouble that lay upon it.
[Sidenote: The Archbishop of Canterbury advises with Merlin.]
Thus there passed nearly eighteen years in such great affliction, and
then one day the Archbishop of Canterbury summoned Merlin to him and
bespake him in this wise: “Merlin, men say that thou art the wisest man
in all the world. Canst thou not find some means to heal the
distractions of this woeful realm? Bend thou thy wisdom to this matter
and choose thou a king who shall be a fit overlord for us, so that we
may enjoy happiness of life once more as we did in the days of
Uther-Pendragon.”
Then Merlin lifted up his countenance upon the Archbishop, and spake in
this wise: “My lord, the spirit of prophecy that lieth upon me sometimes
moveth me now to say that I do perceive that this country is soon to
have a king who shall be wiser and greater and more worthy of praise
than was even Uther-Pendragon. And he shall bring order and peace where
is now disorder and war. Moreover, I may tell you that this King shall
be of Uther-Pendragon’s own full blood-royal.”
To this the Archbishop said: “What thou tellest me, Merlin, is a
wonderfully strange thing. But in this spirit of prophecy canst thou not
foretell when this King is to come? And canst thou tell how we shall
know him when he appeareth amongst us? For many lesser kings there are
who would fain be overlord of this land, and many such there are who
deem themselves fit to rule over all the others. How then shall we know
the real King from those who may proclaim themselves to be the rightful
king?”
“My lord Archbishop,” quoth Merlin, “if I have thy leave for to exert my
magic I shall set an adventure which, if any man achieve it, all the
world shall straightway know that he is the rightful King and overlord
of this realm.” And to this the Archbishop said, “Merlin, I bid thee do
whatsoever may seem to thee to be right in this affair.” And Merlin
said, “I will do so.”
[Sidenote: Merlin prepares a test of Kinghood.]
So Merlin caused by magic that a huge marble stone, four square, should
suddenly appear in an open place before the cathedral door. And upon
this block of marble he caused it to be that there should stand an anvil
and into the anvil he caused it that there should be thrust a great
naked sword midway deep of the blade. And this sword was the most
wonderful that any man had ever seen, for the blade was of blue steel
and extraordinarily bright and glistering. And the hilt was of gold,
chased and carved with marvellous cunning, and inlaid with a great
number of precious stones, so that it shone with wonderful brightness in
the sunlight. And about the sword were written these words in letters of
gold:--
=Whoso Pulleth Out this Sword from the Anvil
That same is Rightwise King-Born of England.=
So a great many people came and gazed upon that sword and marvelled at
it exceedingly, for its like had never before been beheld upon the
earth.
Then, when Merlin had accomplished this miracle, he bade the Archbishop
to call together all the chief people of that land upon Christmastide;
and he bade the Archbishop to command that every man should make assay
to draw out the sword, for that he who should succeed in drawing it
forth out of the anvil should be rightwise King of Britain.
So the Archbishop did according as Merlin said; and this was the marvel
of the marble stone and the anvil, of which same anyone may easily read
for himself in that book written a very long while ago by Robert de
Boron, which is called Le Roman de Merlin.
* * * * *
Now when the mandate of the Lord Archbishop went forth, summoning all
the chief people of the land to the assay of that miracle (for, indeed,
it was a miracle to draw forth a sword-blade out of an anvil of solid
iron), all the realm became immediately cast into a great ferment, so
that each man asked his fellow, “Who shall draw forth that sword, and
who shall be our King?” Some thought it would be King Lot and others
thought it would be King Urien of Gore (these being the sons-in-law unto
Uther-Pendragon); some thought that it would be King Leodegrance of
Camiliard, and others that it would be King Ryence of North Wales; some
thought it would be this king and others that it would be that king; for
all the world was divided into different parties who thought according
to their liking.
Then, as Christmastide drew nigh, it presently appeared as though the
entire world was wending its way to London Town, for the highways and
the by-ways became filled with wayfarers--kings and lords and knights
and ladies and esquires and pages and men-at-arms--all betaking their
way whither the assay was to be made of that adventure of the sword and
the anvil. Every inn and castle was filled so full of travellers that it
was a marvel how so many folk could be contained within their compass,
and everywhere were tents and pavilions pitched along the wayside for
the accommodation of those who could not find shelter within doors.
But when the Archbishop beheld the multitudes that were assembling, he
said to Merlin, “Indeed, Merlin, it would be a very singular thing if
among all these great kings and noble, honorable lords we should not
find some one worthy of being the King of this realm.”
Unto which the Merlin smiled and said, “Marvel not, my lord, if among
all those who appear to be so extraordinarily worthy there shall not be
found one who is worthy; and marvel not if, among all those who are
unknown, there shall arise one who shall approve himself to be entirely
worthy.”
And the Archbishop pondered Merlin’s words, and so beginneth this story.
PART I
The Winning of Kinghood
_Here beginneth the story of the sword, the anvil, and the marble stone,
and of how that sword was first achieved by an unknown youth, until then
of no renown, whether in arms or of estate._
_So hearken unto that which I have hereinafter written._
[Illustration] Chapter First.
_How Sir Kay did Combat in a Great Tournament at London Town and of How
He Brake His Sword. Likewise, How Arthur Found a New Sword For Him._
[Sidenote: _Of Sir Ector, the trustworthy Knight._]
It happened that among those worthies who were summoned unto London Town
by the mandate of the Archbishop as above recounted, there was a certain
knight, very honorable and of high estate, by name Sir Ector of
Bonmaison--surnamed the Trustworthy Knight, because of the fidelity with
which he kept the counsel of those who confided in him, and because he
always performed unto all men, whether of high or low degree, that which
he promised to undertake, without defalcation as to the same. So this
noble and excellent knight was held in great regard by all those who
knew him; for not only was he thus honorable in conduct but he was,
besides, of very high estate, being possessed of seven castles in Wales
and in the adjoining country north thereof, and likewise of certain
fruitful tracts of land with villages appertaining thereunto, and also
of sundry forests of great extent, both in the north country and the
west. This very noble knight had two sons; the elder of these was Sir
Kay, a young knight of great valor and promise, and already well
renowned in the Courts of Chivalry because of several very honorable
deeds of worthy achievement in arms which he had performed; the other
was a young lad of eighteen years of age, by name Arthur, who at that
time was serving with good repute as Sir Kay’s esquire-at-arms.
Now when Sir Ector of Bonmaison received by messenger the mandate of the
Archbishop, he immediately summoned these two sons unto him and bade
them to prepare straightway for to go with him to London Town, and they
did so. And in the same manner he bade a great number of retainers and