The Story of King Arthur and his Knights
esquires and pages for to make them ready, and they likewise did so.
Thus, with a very considerable array at arms and with great show of
circumstance, Sir Ector of Bonmaison betook his way unto London Town in
obedience to the commands of the Archbishop.
So, when he had come thither he took up his inn in a certain field where
many other noble knights and puissant lords had already established
themselves, and there he set up a very fair pavilion of green silk, and
erected his banner emblazoned with the device of his house; to wit, a
gryphon, black, upon a field of green.
And upon this field were a great multitude of other pavilions of many
different colors, and over above each pavilion was the pennant and the
banner of that puissant lord to whom the pavilion belonged. Wherefore,
because of the multitude of these pennants and banners the sky was at
places well-nigh hidden with the gaudy colors of the fluttering flags.
Among the great lords who had come thither in pursuance to the
Archbishop’s summons were many very famous kings and queens and noblemen
of high degree. For there was King Lot of Orkney, who had taken to wife
a step-daughter of Uther-Pendragon, and there was King Uriens of Gore,
who had taken to wife another step-daughter of that great king, and
there was King Ban, and King Bors, and King Ryance, and King Leodegrance
and many others of like degree, for there were no less than twelve kings
and seven dukes, so that, what with their court of lords and ladies and
esquires and pages in attendance, the town of London had hardly ever
seen the like before that day.
[Sidenote: _The Archbishop declares a tournament._]
Now the Archbishop of Canterbury, having in mind the extraordinary state
of the occasion that had brought so many kings and dukes and high lords
unto that adventure of the sword and the anvil, had commanded that there
should be a very stately and noble tournament proclaimed. Like wise he
commanded that this contest at arms should be held in a certain field
nigh to the great cathedral, three days before that assay should be made
of the sword and the anvil (which same was to be undertaken, as
aforesaid, upon Christmas day). To this tournament were bidden all
knights who were of sufficient birth, condition, and quality for to fit
them to take part therein. Accordingly, very many exalted knights made
application for admission, and that in such numbers that three heralds
were kept very busy looking into their pretensions unto the right of
battle. For these heralds examined the escutcheons and the rolls of
lineage of all applicants with great care and circumspection.
[Sidenote: _Sir Kay asks permission to attend the tournament._]
Now when Sir Kay received news of this tournament he went to where his
father was, and when he stood before his face he spake in this wise:
“Sire, being thy son and of such very high condition both as to birth
and estate as I have inherited from thee, I find that I have an
extraordinary desire to imperil my body in this tourney. Accordingly, if
so be I may approve my quality as to knighthood before this college of
heralds, it will maybe be to thy great honor and credit, and to the
honor and credit of our house if I should undertake this adventure.
Wherefore I do crave thy leave to do as I have a mind.”
Unto these Sir Ector made reply: “My son, thou hast my leave for to
enter this honorable contest, and I do hope that God will give thee a
great deal of strength, and likewise such grace of spirit that thou
mayst achieve honor to thyself and credit to us who are of thy blood.”
So Sir Kay departed with very great joy and immediately went to that
congress of heralds and submitted his pretensions unto them. And, after
they had duly examined into his claims to knighthood, they entered his
name as a knight-contestant according to his desire; and at this Sir Kay
was filled with great content and joy of heart.
So, when his name had been enrolled upon the list of combatants, Sir Kay
chose his young brother Arthur for to be his esquire-at-arms and to
carry his spear and pennant before him into the field of battle, and
Arthur was also made exceedingly glad because of the honor that had
befallen him and his brother.
Now, the day having arrived when this tourney was to be held, a very
huge concourse of people gathered together to witness that noble and
courtly assault at arms. For at that time London was, as aforesaid,
extraordinarily full of nobility and knighthood, wherefore it was
reckoned that not less than twenty thousand lords and ladies (besides
those twelve kings and their courts and seven dukes and their courts)
were assembled in the lists circumadjacent to the field of battle for to
witness the performance of those chosen knights. And those noble people
sat so close together, and so filled the seats and benches assigned to
them, that it appeared as though an entirely solid wall of human souls
surrounded that meadow where the battle was to be fought. And, indeed,
any knight might well be moved to do his uttermost upon such a great
occasion with the eyes of so many beautiful dames and noble lords gazing
upon his performances. Wherefore the hearts of all the knights attendant
were greatly expanded with emulation to overturn their enemies into the
dust.
In the centre of this wonderful court of lords and ladies there was
erected the stall and the throne of the lord Archbishop himself. Above
the throne was a canopy of purple cloth emblazoned with silver lilies,
and the throne itself was hung all about with purple cloth of velvet,
embroidered, alternately, with the figure of St. George in gold, and
with silver crosses of St. George surrounded by golden halos. Here the
lord Archbishop himself sat in great estate and pomp, being surrounded
by a very exalted court of clerks of high degree and also of knights of
honorable estate, so that all that centre of the field glistered with
the splendor of gold and silver embroidery, and was made beautiful by
various colors of rich apparel and bright with fine armor of excellent
workmanship. And, indeed, such was the stateliness of all these
circumstances that very few who were there had ever seen so noble a
preparation for battle as that which they then beheld.
Now, when all that great assembly were in their places and everything
had been prepared in due wise, an herald came and stood forth before the
enstalled throne of the Archbishop and blew a very strong, loud blast
upon a trumpet. At that signal the turnpikes of the lists were
immediately opened and two parties of knights-contestant entered
therein--the one party at the northern extremity of the meadow of battle
and the other party at the southern extremity thereof. Then immediately
all that lone field was a-glitter with the bright-shining splendor of
the sunlight upon polished armor and accoutrements. So these two parties
took up their station, each at such a place as had been assigned unto
them--the one to the north and the other to the south.
[Sidenote: _Sir Kay takes hand in the lists._]
Now the party with which Sir Kay had cast his lot was at the north of
the field, and that company was fourscore and thirteen in number; and
the other party stood at the south end of the field, and that company
was fourscore and sixteen in number. But though the party with whom Sir
Kay had attached himself numbered less by three than the other party,
yet was it the stronger by some degree because that there were a number
of knights of great strength and renown in that company. Indeed it may
be here mentioned that two of those knights afterward became companions
in very good credit of the round table--to wit: Sir Mador de la Porte,
and Sir Bedevere--which latter was the last who saw King Arthur alive
upon this earth.
So, when all was prepared according to the ordination of the tournament,
and when those knights-contestant had made themselves ready in all ways
that were necessary, and when they had dressed their spears and their
shields in such a manner as befitted knights about to enter serious
battle, the herald set his trumpet to his lips a second time and blew
upon it with might and main. Then, having sounded this blast, he waited
for a while and then he blew upon the trumpet again.
And, upon that blast, each of those parties of knights quitted its
station and rushed forth in great tumult against the other party, and
that with such noise and fury that the whole earth groaned beneath the
feet of the war-horses, and trembled and shook as with an earthquake.
So those two companies met, the one against the other, in the midst of
the field, and the roar of breaking lances was so terrible that those
who heard it were astonished and appalled at the sound. For several fair
dames swooned away with terror of the noise, and others shrieked aloud;
for not only was there that great uproar, but the air was altogether
filled with the splinters of ash wood that flew about.
In that famous assault threescore and ten very noble and honorable
knights were overthrown, many of them being trampled beneath the hoofs
of the horses; wherefore, when the two companies withdrew in retreat
each to his station the ground was beheld to be covered all over with
broken fragments of lances and with cantels of armor, and many knights
were seen to be wofully lying in the midst of all that wreck. And some
of these champions strove to arise and could not, while others lay
altogether quiet as though in death. To these ran divers esquires and
pages in great numbers, and lifted up the fallen men and bare them away
to places of safe harborage. And likewise attendants ran and gathered up
the cantels of armor and the broken spears, and bare them away to the
barriers, so that, by and by, the field was altogether cleared once
more.
Then all those who gazed down upon that meadow gave loud acclaim with
great joyousness of heart, for such a noble and glorious contest at arms
in friendly assay had hardly ever been beheld in all that realm before.
[Sidenote: _Sir Kay bears himself well in the encounter._]
Now turn we unto Sir Kay; for in this assault he had conducted himself
with such credit that no knight who was there had done better than he,
and maybe no one had done so well as he. For, though two opponents at
once had directed their spears against him, yet he had successfully
resisted their assault. And one of those two he smote so violently in
the midst of his defences that he had lifted that assailant entirely
over the crupper of the horse which he rode, and had flung him down to
the distance of half a spear’s length behind his steed, so that the
fallen knight had rolled thrice over in the dust ere he ceased to fall.
And when those of Sir Kay’s party who were nigh to him beheld what he
did, they gave him loud and vehement acclaim, and that in such measure
that Sir Kay was wonderfully well satisfied and pleased at heart.
And, indeed, it is to be said that at that time there was hardly any
knight in all the world who was so excellent in deeds of arms as Sir
Kay. And though there afterward came knights of much greater renown and
of more glorious achievement (as shall be hereinafter recorded in good
season), yet at that time Sir Kay was reckoned by many to be one of the
most wonderfully puissant knights (whether errant or in battle) in all
of that realm.
So was that course of the combat run to the great pleasure and
satisfaction of all who beheld it, and more especially of Sir Kay and
his friends. And after it had been completed the two parties in array
returned each to its assigned station once more.
And when they had come there, each knight delivered up his spear unto
his esquire. For the assault which was next to be made was to be