The Story of King Arthur and his Knights
pavilion was a table of silver spread with a fair white cloth and
covered with very excellent food for a man to break his fast withal.
Now immediately Sir Accalon came into the pavilion, the curtains upon
the further side thereof were parted and there entered from a further
chamber a very beautiful lady and gave Sir Accalon welcome to that
place. And Sir Accalon said to her, “Lady, methinks thou art very civil
to invite me thus into thy pavilion.” “Nay, sir,” said the lady, “it
took no great effort to be civil unto a knight so worthy as thou.” Then
she said to Sir Accalon, “Sir, wilt thou sit here at the table with me
and break thy fast?”
At this Sir Accalon was very glad, for he was anhungered, and the beauty
of the lady pleased him a very great deal, wherefore it afforded him
great joy for to be in her company.
So they two sat at the table with a very cheerful and pleasant spirit
and the dwarf waited upon them.
Now after Sir Accalon and the Lady of the Pavilion had broken their
fasts she spake to him in this wise, “Sir knight, thou appearest to be a
very strong and worthy lord and one very well used to feats of arms and
to prowess in battle.”
To this Sir Accalon made reply, “Lady, it does not beseem me to bespeak
of my own worth, but this much I may freely say; I have engaged in
several affrays at arms in such measure as a knight with belt and spurs
may do, and I believe that both my friends and mine enemies have had
reason to say that I have at all times done my devoirs to the best of my
powers.”
Then the damoiselle said, “I believe you are a very brave and worthy
knight, and being such you might be of service to a good worthy knight
who is in sad need of such service as one knight may render unto
another.”
To this Sir Accalon said, “What is that service?” And the damoiselle
replied, “I will tell thee: There is, dwelling not far from this place,
a certain knight hight Sir Ontzlake, who hath an elder brother hight
Sir Domas. This Sir Domas hath served Sir Ontzlake very ill in many
ways, and hath deprived him of well nigh all of his patrimony, so that
only a little is left to Sir Ontzlake of all the great possessions that
were one time his father’s. But even such a small holding as that Sir
Domas begrudges Sir Ontzlake, so that Sir Ontzlake must needs hold what
he hath by such force of arms as he may himself maintain. Now Sir Domas
hath found himself a champion who is a man of a great deal of strength
and prowess, and through this champion Sir Domas challenges Sir
Ontzlake’s right to hold even that small part of those lands which were
one time his father’s; wherefore if Sir Ontzlake would retain what is
his he must presently do battle therefore.
“Now this is a very sad case for Sir Ontzlake, for a short time since he
was wounded by a spear at a tournament and was pierced through both of
his thighs, wherefore he is not now able to sit upon his horse and to
defend his rights against assault. Wherefore meseems that a knight could
have no better cause to show his prowess than in the defence of so sad a
case as this.”
So spake that lady, and to all she said Sir Accalon listened with great
attention, and when she had ended he said, “Lady, I would be indeed
right willing to defend Sir Ontzlake’s right, but, lo! I have no armor
nor have I any arms to do battle withal.”
Then that damoiselle smiled very kindly upon Sir Accalon and she said to
him, “Sir, Sir Ontzlake may easily fit thee with armor that shall be
altogether to thy liking. And as for arms, I have in this pavilion a
sword that hath but one other fellow in all the world.”
Upon this she arose and went back into that curtained recess from which
she had come, and thence she presently returned, bringing a certain
thing wrapped in a scarlet cloth. And she opened the cloth before Sir
Accalon’s eyes, and lo! that which she had there was King Arthur’s sword
Excalibur in his sheath. Then the damoiselle said, “This sword shall be
thine if thou wilt assume this quarrel upon behalf of Sir Ontzlake.”
[Sidenote: _The Lady Gomyne showeth Excalibur to Sir Accalon._]
[Sidenote: _Sir Accalon consents to do battle for Sir Ontzlake._]
Now when Sir Accalon beheld that sword he wist not what to think, and he
said to himself, “Certes, either this is Excalibur or else it is his
twin brother.” Therewith he drew the blade from out of its shield and it
shined with extraordinary splendor. Then Sir Accalon said, “I know not
what to think for pure wonder, for this sword is indeed the very image
of another sword I wot of.” When he so spake that damoiselle smiled upon
him again, and she said, “I have heard tell that there is in the world
another sword like to this.”
Then Sir Accalon said, “Lady, to win this sword for myself I would be
willing to fight in any battle whatsoever.” And the damoiselle replied,
“Then if thou wilt fight this battle for Sir Ontzlake thou art free to
keep that sword for thine own,” at the which Sir Accalon was rejoiced
beyond all measure of gladness.
So it came about that, by the wiles of Queen Morgana le Fay, King Arthur
was brought to fight a battle unknowingly with a knight very much
beloved by him, and that that knight had Excalibur to use against his
master. For all these things had come to pass through the cunning of
Morgana le Fay.
* * * * *
Now a fair field was prepared for that battle in such a place as was
convenient both to Sir Domas and to Sir Ontzlake, and thither they came
upon the day assigned, each with his knight-champion and his attendants,
Sir Ontzlake being brought thither in a litter because of the sore wound
in his thighs. Also a great many other folk came to behold the combat,
for the news thereof had gone forth to a great distance around about
that place. So, all being in readiness, the two knights that were to do
battle in that field were brought within the barriers of combat, each
fully armed and each mounted upon a very good horse.
Now King Arthur was clad all in armor of Sir Domas, and Sir Accalon was
clad in armor that belonged to Sir Ontzlake, and the head of each was
covered by his helmet so that neither of those two knew the other.
Then the herald came forth and announced that the battle was toward, and
each knight immediately put himself in readiness for the assault.
Thereupon, the word for assault being given, the two rushed forth, each
from his station, with such speed and fury that it was wonderful to
behold. And so they met in the midst of the course with a roar as of
thunder, and the spear of each knight was burst all into small pieces
unto the truncheon which he held in his hand. Upon this each knight
voided his horse with great skill and address, and allowed it to run at
will in that field. And each threw aside the truncheon of his spear and
drew his sword, and thereupon came, the one against the other, with the
utmost fury of battle.
[Sidenote: _Vivien cometh to the field of battle._]
It was at this time that Vivien came to that place upon the behest of
Merlin, and she brought with her such a Court and state of beauty that a
great many people took notice of her with great pleasure. So Vivien and
her Court took stand at the barriers whence they might behold all that
was toward. And Vivien regarded those two knights and she could not tell
which was King Arthur and which was his enemy, wherefore she said,
“Well, I will do as Merlin desired me to do, but I must wait and see
this battle for a while ere I shall be able to tell which is King
Arthur, for it would be a pity to cast my spells upon the wrong knight.”
[Sidenote: _King Arthur is sorely wounded by Excalibur._]
So these two knights came together in battle afoot, and first they
foined and then they both struck at the same time and, lo! the sword of
King Arthur did not bite into the armor of Sir Accalon, but the sword of
Sir Accalon bit very deeply into the armor of King Arthur and wounded
him so sorely that the blood ran down in great quantities into his
armor. And after that they struck very often and very powerfully, and as
it was at first so it was afterward, for the sword of Sir Accalon ever
bit into the armor of King Arthur, and the sword of King Arthur bit not
at all into his enemy’s armor. So in a little while it came that King
Arthur’s armor was stained all over red with the blood that flowed out
from a great many wounds, and Sir Accalon bled not at all because of the
sheath of Excalibur which he wore at his side. And the blood of King
Arthur flowed down upon the ground so that all the grass around about
was ensanguined with it. So when King Arthur beheld how all the ground
was wet with his own blood, and how his enemy bled not at all, he began
to fear that he would die in that battle: wherefore he said to himself,
“How is this? Hath the virtue departed out of Excalibur and his sheath?
Were it not otherwise I would think that that sword which cutteth me so
sorely is Excalibur and that this sword is not Excalibur.”
Upon this a great despair of death came upon him, and he ran at Sir
Accalon and smote him so sore a blow upon the helm that Sir Accalon nigh
fell down upon the ground.
But at that blow the sword of King Arthur broke short off at the cross
of the handle and fell into the grass among the blood, and the pommel
thereof and the cross thereof was all that King Arthur held in his hand.
Now at that blow Sir Accalon waxed very mad, so he ran at King Arthur
with intent to strike him some dolorous blow. But when he saw that King
Arthur was without weapon, he paused in his assault and he said, “Sir
Knight, I see that thou art without weapon and that thou hast lost a
great deal of blood. Wherefore I demand thee to yield thyself unto me as
recreant.”
Then King Arthur was again very much a-dread that his death was near to
him; yet, because of his royalty, it was not possible for him to yield
to any knight. So he said, “Nay, Sir Knight, I may not yield myself unto
thee for I would liever die with honor than yield myself without honor.
For though I lack a weapon, there are peculiar reasons why I may not
lack worship. Wherefore thou mayst slay me as I am without weapon and
that will be thy shame and not my shame.”
“Well,” said Sir Accalon, “as for the shame I will not spare thee unless
thou dost yield to me.” And King Arthur said, “I will not yield me.”
Thereupon Sir Accalon said, “Then stand thou away from me so that I may
strike thee.” And, when King Arthur had done as Sir Accalon bade him,
Sir Accalon smote him such a woful blow that the King fell down upon his
knees. Then Sir Accalon raised Excalibur with intent to strike King
Arthur again, and with that all the people who were there cried out upon
him to spare so worshipful a knight. But Sir Accalon would not spare
him.
[Sidenote: _Vivien gets a spell upon Sir Accalon._]
Then Vivien said unto herself, “Certes, that must be King Arthur who is
so near to his death, and I do make my vow that it would be a great pity
for him to die after he hath fought so fiercely.” So when Sir Accalon
raised his sword that second time with intent to strike his enemy,
Vivien smote her hands with great force, and emitted at the same time a
spell of such potency that it appeared to Sir Accalon upon the instant
as though he had received some very powerful blow upon his arm. For with
that spell his arm was benumbed all from the finger-tips unto the hollow
of his armpit, and thereupon Excalibur fell out of Sir Accalon’s hands
and into the grass.
Then King Arthur beheld the sword and he perceived that it was Excalibur
and therewith he knew that he had been betrayed. Wherefore he cried out
thrice, in a very loud voice, “Treason! Treason! Treason!” and with that
he set his knee upon the blade and before Sir Accalon could stay him he