The Story of King Arthur and his Knights
[Sidenote: _King Ryence threatened King Leodegrance._]
Now about noon of that day there came an herald from King Ryence of
North Wales, and he appeared boldly before King Leodegrance where the
King sat in his hall with a number of his people about him. And the
herald said: “My lord King: my master, King Ryence of North Wales, is
greatly displeased with thee. For thou didst set certain knights upon
Duke Mordaunt of North Umber, and those knights have slain that
excellent nobleman, who was close kin unto King Ryence. Moreover, thou
hast made no reply to those demands that my master, King Ryence, hath
made touching the delivery unto him of certain lands and castles
bordering upon North Wales. Wherefore my master is affronted with thee
beyond measure. So my master, King Ryence, bids me to set forth to thee
two conditions, and the conditions are these: Firstly, that thou dost
immediately deliver into his hands that White Knight who slew the Duke
of North Umber; secondly, that thou makest immediate promise that those
lands in question shall be presently delivered unto King Ryence.”
Then King Leodegrance arose from where he sat and spake to that herald
with great dignity of demeanor. “Sir Herald,” quoth he, “the demands
that King Ryence maketh upon me pass all bounds for insolence. That
death which the Duke of North Umber suffered, he suffered because of his
own pride and folly. Nor would I deliver that White Knight into thy
master’s hands, even an I were able to do so. As for those lands that
thy master demandeth of me, thou mayst tell King Ryence that I will not
deliver unto him of those lands so much as a single blade of grass, or a
single grain of corn that groweth thereon.”
And the herald said: “If, so be, that is thine answer, King Leodegrance,
then am I bidden for to tell thee that my master, King Ryence of North
Wales, will presently come hither with an array of a great force of
arms, and will take from thee by force those things which thou wilt not
deliver unto him peacefully.” Whereupon, so saying, he departed thence
and went his way.
[Sidenote: _King Leodegrance converses with the Lady Guinevere._]
Now after the herald had departed, King Leodegrance went into his
closet, and when he had come there he sent, privily, for the Lady
Guinevere. So the Lady Guinevere came to him where he was. And King
Leodegrance said to her: “My daughter, it hath happened that a knight
clad all in white, and bearing no crest or device of any sort, hath
twice come to our rescue and hath overthrown our enemies. Now it is said
by everybody that that knight is thine own particular champion, and I
hear say that he wore thy necklace as a favor when he first went out
against the Duke of North Umber. Now I prithee, daughter, tell me who
that White Champion is, and where he may be found.”
Then the Lady Guinevere was overwhelmed with a confusion, wherefore she
looked away from her father’s countenance; and she said: “Verily, my
Lord, I know not who that knight may be.”
Then King Leodegrance spake very seriously to the Lady Guinevere, and he
took her by the hand and said: “My daughter, thou art now of an age when
thou must consider being mated unto a man who may duly cherish thee and
protect thee from thine enemies. For, lo! I grow apace in years, and may
not hope to defend thee always from those perils that encompass one of
our estate. Moreover, since King Arthur (who is a very great King
indeed) hath brought peace unto this realm, all that noble court of
chivalry which one time gathered about me has been scattered elsewhither
where greater adventures may be found than in my peaceful realm.
Wherefore (as all the world hath seen this week past) I have now not one
single knight whom I may depend upon to defend us in such times of peril
as these which now overshadow us. Now, my daughter, it doth appear to me
that thou couldst not hope to find anyone who could so well safeguard
thee as this White Knight; for he doth indeed appear to be a champion of
extraordinary prowess and strength. Wherefore it would be well if thou
didst feel thyself to incline unto him as he appeareth to incline unto
thee.”
Then the Lady Guinevere became all rosy red as with a fire even unto her
throat. And she laughed, albeit the tears overflowed her eyes and ran
down upon her cheeks. So she wept, yet laughed in weeping. And she said
unto King Leodegrance: “My Lord and father, an I give my liking unto any
one in the manner thou speaketh of, I will give it only unto the poor
gardener’s boy who digs in my garden.”
Then, at these words, the countenance of King Leodegrance became
contracted with violent anger, and he cried out: “Ha, Lady! Wouldst thou
make a mock and a jest of my words?”
Then the Lady Guinevere said: “Indeed, my Lord! I jest not and I mock
not. Moreover, I tell thee for verity that that same gardener’s boy
knoweth more concerning the White Champion than anybody else in all of
the world.” Then King Leodegrance said: “What is this that thou tellest
me?” And the Lady Guinevere said: “Send for that gardener’s boy and thou
shalt know.” And King Leodegrance said: “Verily, there is more in this
than I may at present understand.”
So he called to him the chief of his pages, hight Dorisand, and he said
to him: “Go, Dorisand, and bring hither the gardener’s boy from the Lady
Guinevere’s garden.”
So Dorisand, the page, went as King Leodegrance commanded, and in a
little while he returned, bringing with him that gardener’s boy. And
with them came Sir Gawaine, and Sir Ewaine, and Sir Pellias and Sir
Geraint. And those four lords stood over against the door, where they
entered; but the gardener’s boy came and stood beside the table where
King Leodegrance sat. And the King lifted up his eyes and looked upon
the gardener’s boy, and he said: “Ha! Wouldst thou wear thy cap in our
presence?”
Then the gardener’s boy said: “I cannot take off my cap.”
But the Lady Guinevere, who stood beside the chair of King Leodegrance,
spake and said: “I do beseech thee, Messire, for to take off thy cap
unto my father.”
Whereupon the gardener’s boy said: “At thy bidding I will take it off.”
[Sidenote: _King Arthur discovereth himself to King Leodegrance._]
So he took the cap from off his head, and King Leodegrance beheld his
face and knew him. And when he saw who it was who stood before him, he
made a great outcry from pure amazement. And he said: “My Lord and my
King! What is this!” Thereupon he arose from where he sat, and he went
and kneeled down upon the ground before King Arthur. And he set the
palms of his hands together and he put his hands within the hands of
King Arthur, and King Arthur took the hands of King Leodegrance within
his own. And King Leodegrance said: “My Lord! My Lord! Is it then thou
who hast done all these wonderful things?”
Then King Arthur said: “Yea; such as those things were, I have done
them.” And he stooped and kissed King Leodegrance upon the cheek and
lifted him up unto his feet and gave him words of good cheer.
Now the Lady Guinevere, when she beheld those things that passed, was
astonished beyond measure. And lo! she understood of a sudden all these
things with amazing clearness. Wherefore a great fear fell upon her so
that she trembled exceedingly, and said unto herself: “What things have
I said unto this great King, and how have I made a mock of him and a
jest of him before all those who were about me!” And at the thought
thereof, she set her hand upon her side for to still the extreme
disturbance of her heart. So, whilst King Arthur and King Leodegrance
gave to one another words of royal greeting and of compliment, she
withdrew herself and went and stood over against the window nigh to the
corner of the wall.
Then, by and by, King Arthur lifted up his eyes and beheld her where she
stood afar off. So he went straightway unto her and he took her by the
hand, and he said: “Lady, what cheer?”
And she said: “Lord, I am afeard of thy greatness.” And he said: “Nay,
Lady. Rather it is I who am afeard of thee. For thy kind regard is
dearer unto me than anything else in all the world, else had I not
served for these twelve days as gardener’s boy in thy garden all for the
sake of thy good will.” And she said: “Thou hast my good will, Lord.”
And he said: “Have I thy good will in great measure?” And she said:
“Yea, thou hast it in great measure.”
[Sidenote: _King Arthur is betrothed to the Lady Guinevere._]
Then he stooped his head and kissed her before all those who were there,
and thus their troth was plighted.
Then King Leodegrance was filled with such an exceeding joy that he wist
not how to contain himself therefore.
Now, after these things, there followed a war with King Ryence of North
Wales. For Sir Kay and Sir Ulfius had gathered together a great army as
King Arthur had bidden them to do, so that when King Ryence came against
Cameliard he was altogether routed, and his army dispersed, and he
himself chased, an outcast, into his mountains.
Then there was great rejoicing in Cameliard. For, after his victory,
King Arthur remained there for awhile with an exceedingly splendid Court
of noble lords and of beautiful ladies. And there was feasting and
jousting and many famous bouts at arms, the like of which those parts
had never before beheld. And King Arthur and the Lady Guinevere were
altogether happy together.
Now, one day, whiles King Arthur sat at feast with King
Leodegrance--they two being exceedingly expanded with cheerfulness--King
Leodegrance said unto King Arthur: “My Lord, what shall I offer thee for
a dowery with my daughter when thou takest her away from me for to be
thy Queen?”
Then King Arthur turned to Merlin, who stood nigh to him, and he said:
“Ha, Merlin! What shall I demand of my friend by way of that dowery?”
Unto him Merlin said: “My lord King, thy friend King Leodegrance hath
one thing, the which, should he bestow it upon thee, will singularly
increase the glory and renown of thy reign, so that the fame thereof
shall never be forgotten.”
And King Arthur said: “I bid thee, Merlin, tell me what is that thing.”
So Merlin said: “My lord King, I will tell thee a story:
[Sidenote: _Merlin telleth of the Round Table._]
“In the days of thy father, Uther-Pendragon, I caused to be made for him
a certain table in the shape of a ring, wherefore men called it the
ROUND TABLE. Now, at this table were seats for fifty men, and these
seats were designed for the fifty knights who were the most worthy
knights in all the world. These seats were of such a sort, that whenever
a worthy knight appeared, then his name appeared in letters of gold upon
that seat that appertained unto him; and when that knight died, then
would his name suddenly vanish from that seat which he had aforetime
occupied.
“Now, forty-and-nine of these seats, except one seat, were altogether
alike (saving only one that was set aside for the King himself, which
same was elevated above the other seats, and was cunningly carved and
inlaid with ivory and with gold), and the one seat was different from
all the others, and it was called the SEAT PERILOUS. For this seat was
unlike the others both in its structure and its significance; for it was
all cunningly inset with gold and silver of curious device, and it was
covered with a canopy of satin embroidered with gold and silver; and it
was altogether of a wonderful magnificence of appearance. And no name
ever appeared upon this seat, for only one knight in all of the world
could hope to sit therein with safety unto himself. For, if any other
dared to sit therein, either he would die a sudden and violent death
within three days’ time, or else a great misfortune would befall him.
Hence that seat was called the SEAT PERILOUS.