CHAPTER II. HOW ARTHUR GOT HIS CROWN, HIS QUEEN, AND THE ROUND TABLE.
THE Feast of Pentecost came, and there was again a great gathering ofkings, nobles, and knights at London to decide who should be King ofBritain. Once more a great many competitors came forward and strove todraw out the magic sword; but pull and twist as they might, it remainedimmovable in the grasp of all save Arthur, who drew it forth again andagain in the sight of lords and commons. Most people were by this timeweary of the long interregnum, and of the terrible evils it had broughtupon the land. When, therefore, Arthur once more came forth the onlysuccessful competitor from the miraculous test, the assembly brokeout into loud cries that he and none other should be king. Thereupon,without further ado, he was first knighted by the most distinguishedknight present, and then solemnly crowned by the Archbishop ofCanterbury. Forthwith he proceeded to appoint his great officers of thehousehold, making Sir Kay his seneschal, according to his promise,Sir Lucas his butler, Sir Baldwin his constable, Sir Ulfius--a wisecounsellor, as well as a brave warrior--his chamberlain, and SirBrastias warden of the northern frontier. For some time King Arthur wasbusied in redressing wrongs that had been committed and in restoringorder in the country round about London; but after a while he setout for Wales, and appointed a great feast to be held at the city ofCaerleon, whereat the vassal kings and barons who had not yet given intheir allegiance might acknowledge him as their overlord. At the timeagreed upon, King Lot, King Urience, King Nanters, and several othersof those who had been among the most powerful competitors for thecrown, arrived in the neighbourhood of Caerleon, each bringing a strongfollowing of knights and men-at-arms, and they all encamped outside thecity. Arthur was glad to hear of their coming, supposing that they meantto tender their fealty. He therefore sent out heralds to greet them,with costly presents. But the kings had come with no amicable purpose.They disdainfully informed the messengers that they would receiveno gifts from a beardless boy of base parentage, that they would notacknowledge such a boy as their king, and that they had come to bestowgifts on him in the shape of hard blows betwixt the neck and shoulders.
On receiving this answer to his friendly advance, Arthur forthwith tookmeasures of defence, gathered his knights about him, laid in a stock ofprovisions and munitions, and caused the city gates to be closed. Theconfederate kings thereupon advanced and laid siege to the city. A fewdays after this civil war had begun, Merlin made his appearance in thecamp of the kings, and some of them, being old acquaintance of his,greeted him heartily, and asked him how it was that an unknown youthlike Arthur had been placed on the throne of Britain. Merlin told themplainly that it was because Arthur was the son of King Uther Pendragon,and related all the circumstances connected with his birth. His storymade little impression; but though the confederates, being themselvesfamed knights, and having a much larger army than Arthur, were confidentof victory, they proposed an interview with him, and sent him by Merlina safe-conduct to and from their camp. Acting on Merlin's advice, theking came out to meet them; but as a very lofty tone was taken on bothsides, the meeting was productive of nothing but threats and defiances,except, indeed, that three hundred of the best knights in the rebel campwere so impressed by Arthur's bearing and language that they came overto him in a body. Immediate preparations for battle were made on bothsides, and early the next morning Arthur and his followers suddenlyattacked the confederates in their camp. The surprise, as well as thegreat valour of the king and his knights, gave them a considerableadvantage; but the numerical superiority of the enemy was so great thatat last they were decidedly gaining ground, when Arthur drew the magicsword he had taken from the anvil. It flashed with a radiance equal, asthe chronicle says, to that of thirty torches, and the slaughterwhich the king accomplished with it was so great that the enemy beat aprecipitate retreat, leaving numbers of dead upon the field.
But this brilliant success, however satisfactory in itself, was onlythe beginning of the war. The confederate kings returned to their owncountries, induced several neighbouring princes to join their alliance,and forthwith took measures to raise a great army. Arthur and hisknights, on their part, held anxious council as to what it would be mostexpedient to do, and they were assisted by the wisdom and magic craftof Merlin. The prophet warned them that unless they obtained help theycould not contend against the rebels, who counted among them some of thebest knights then alive; and he suggested that two trusty knights shouldbe sent over sea to King Ban of Benwick and King Bors of Gannes, who hadbeen feudatories of King Uther Pendragon, and were among the most famouswarriors of the time. They were, said Merlin, engaged in a desperate warwith King Claudas of Gaul; but he proposed that they should be invitedto give their help to King Arthur, on the understanding that when firmlyestablished on the British throne he should in return espouse theirquarrel against Claudas.
The advice being Merlin's, was of course excellent, and it wasimmediately followed. Sir Ulfius and Sir Brastias were selected for themission. They crossed the sea in safety, but while making their way toBenwick were assailed by eight of King Claudas's knights. To Ulfiusand Brastias the odds of four to one were not at all alarming: they puttheir spears in rest and successively overthrew all the eight, leavingthem so badly bruised as to be unable to mount their horses. Theemissaries then proceeded to Benwick, found there both the kings,delivered their letters, and received a favourable answer. Ban and Borspromised to come over at All-hallowmas with three hundred knights. KingArthur therefore appointed a great tournament for that festival. Thekings arrived according to their promise, and were received with muchpomp and show. In company with Arthur, they were spectators of thetournament, at which Sir Kay, Sir Lucas, and another distinguishedknight of the court, Sir Griflet, did great feats of arms, and gainedthe prizes. On the following day, a council was held, at which Merlinundertook, on being furnished with tokens of authority from the twokings, to bring over their army to Britain with secrecy and expedition.This he accomplished--transported ten thousand men across theChannel, and conducted them to a concealed camp in the great forest ofBede-graine, which at that time covered most of the country betweenthe rivers Trent and Humber. The enchanter then informed Arthur andhis guests of what he had done, and the three kings at once marchednorthward with twenty thousand men, which was the total strength of theforce that Arthur was able to muster. Having effected a junction withthe troops of Benwick and Gannes, they waited for the advance of theenemy.
Their patience was not long tried. The confederate princes had gottogether a formidable host of fifty thousand men, with which theymarched towards Bedegraine as soon as they had got definite informationof Arthur's whereabouts. The battle which ensued was one of the mostsevere and obstinately contested in which the king was ever engaged. Theconfederate kings had a great advantage in numbers, and some of them,especially King Lot, were generals of proved skill and experience; butall these advantages were more than counterbalanced by the knightlyprowess of Arthur and his friends, and by the fact that the craft ofMerlin was on Arthur's side. The fighting lasted for two days. All theleaders on both sides were again and again unhorsed and put in greatperil, only to be rescued by the valour of their fellows. The slaughterwas appalling; but at last the confederates were fairly beaten off thefield. Though their army was reduced to but fifteen thousand, however,they took up a new position, and held it with indomitable courage.Merlin now intervened. He told Arthur that it was time for him towithdraw. He had won the field, and gained great spoils, which he mustdivide between his own knights and his allies; but if he were to persistin carrying on the struggle, fortune would begin to incline to the sideof his opponents. The wizard added that he could undertake that therebel kings would not molest Arthur for at least three years to come,inasmuch as full employment had been found for them elsewhere, a greatarmy of Saxons having invaded their territories.
The time had not yet come, however, for Arthur to take peaceablepossession of his dominions. King Leodegrance of Cameliard, who hasalready been mentioned as one of the chief and mo
st loyal feudatoriesof King Uther Pendragon, was at this time sorely pressed by Rience,the Saxon King of North Wales, who was besieging him in his capital,Carohaise. Merlin informed Arthur of his plight, and advised the king,with Ban and Bors and the knights of the household, to go to his relief,while the soldiery of Benwick and Gannes might be sent home to defendtheir master's territory against the troublesome Claudas. This advicewas followed. Arthur and his companions arrived at Carohaise, and havingentered the city without being observed by the besiegers, offered theirservices to Leodegrance, on condition that no inquiry should be madeas to their name or quality. The offer was thankfully accepted, and anopportunity was soon afforded them of proving their efficiency. Riencesuddenly attacked the city at the head of a large body of his troops.Arthur and his companions armed themselves and hastened to sally out,headed by Merlin, who carried a wonderful standard--a huge dragon, withbarbed tail and gaping jaws, whence there flashed actual sparks of fire.When the little troop of knights, who in all numbered only forty-two,arrived at the gate, they found it locked, and the porter refused togive them egress without an order from King Leodegrance. There was notime for parleying, so Merlin simply stepped forward and lifted theponderous gate out of its place, with all its locks, bolts, and bars,calmly replacing it when the knights had passed through. He then resumedhis position at their head, and they swept down on a detachment ofthe besiegers who were conducting a convoy to their camp, cut them topieces, and captured the convoy. Meanwhile Leodegrance, with the bulk ofhis army, was fighting gallantly in another part of the field; but histroops had not the prowess of Arthur and his companions, nor were theysupported by the necromancy of Merlin, so, being wofully outnumbered, itis not surprising that they were defeated. Leodegrance himself was takenprisoner, and was being led off to Rience's camp by an escort offive hundred knights, when Arthur and his little squadron made theirappearance, dispersed the escort, and rescued the king. The battle stillcontinued for some hours, during which Arthur distinguished himself bycleaving in twain, by a single stroke of his sword, a giant fifteenfeet high who had ventured to encounter him in single combat.Eventually Rience was utterly routed, and very few of his troops escapedextermination. The immense spoils of his camp were given up, by order ofKing Leodegrance, to Arthur, who forthwith divided them among the peopleof Carohaise, and thereby much increased his already great popularity.On his return to the city, Arthur was unarmed by the fair hands ofGuenever, the king's daughter, whose beauty had already made adeep impression on his heart; while the like honour was done to hiscompanions by the ladies of the court.
While Arthur was thus warring on behalf of King Leode-grance, theconfederate kings who had given him so much trouble were carrying on adesperate struggle with the heathen invaders who had descended in swarmsupon their territories, and who also carried their ravages into thedominions of Arthur himself. Gawaine, Agravaine, and Gaheris, the sonsof King Lot, with Galachin, the son of King Nanters, having learned fromtheir mothers that Arthur was in truth their uncle, and the son of KingUther Pendragon, resolved to throw in their fortunes with his, and joinhis company of knights. With this design they collected a smallforce and set out. They were but unproved warriors; but incessantlyencountering on their journey great bodies of the persevering enemy whowas seeking to overrun Britain, they performed prodigies of valour, andslaughtered thousands of the Saxons. Gawaine especially distinguishedhimself. His strength, always greater than that of ordinary men, becamedoubled between the hours of nine o'clock in the morning and noon, andthe same phenomenon again took place between three in the afternoon andeven-song. He generally contrived to engage in battle at those times ofthe day when his prowess was greatest, and of course wrought terriblehavoc among the heathen, devoting his attention especially to thegiants, who were numerous in their ranks, and cutting them to pieces ina fashion which rivalled the exploits of his uncle at Carohaise.
Having at length completely dispersed and overcome all the enemies theycould find, the young warriors made their way to London, and thence toCamelot. In the meantime Arthur was engaged in a final struggle withKing Rience, who now had the aid of his brother, King Nero, King Lot ofOrkney, and others of the confederates. King Rience himself was takenprisoner by some of 'Arthur's knights while on a nocturnal expedition;and on the next day another great battle was fought, in which Nero wastotally defeated, and King Lot fell by the hand of one of Arthur's mostformidable knights, King Pellinore--an event which laid the foundationof a blood-feud that continued for many years.
In the realm of Britain there was now no longer any one who disputedArthurs title or supremacy. So he came to Camelot, and set up his courtthere in great splendour, and many famous knights gathered about him.But Sir Ulfius and others of his older counsellors often urged him totake a wife, so that the realm might have a queen as well as a king.Arthur was not displeased with this counsel, for the love he had feltfor Guenever when he first saw her at the court of her father KingLeodegrance had rather grown greater than less. So he sought the adviceof Merlin, who said he ought to marry, and asked him if there were anylady that he loved. He answered frankly that his heart was set uponGuenever.
"Sir," answered Merlin, "the lady is one of the fairest that lives; butif you did not love her so well, I would find you a queen of no lessbeauty and goodness. Since, however, your heart is set upon her, it isbootless to think of any other."
Merlin said this because he was well aware that the king's choice wouldnot be for his happiness; and he would have given him some warning, butArthur's passion for Guenever was too strong to let him listen. Merlintherefore offered no farther opposition, but went to Cameliard and askedLeodegrance to give Arthur his daughter to wife, letting him know at thesame time that the great monarch who now sued for Guenever's hand wasthe same unknown champion who had rescued him from the sword of KingRience. Gratitude alone would have made Leodegrance favour the suit ofone who had given such decisive proof that he possessed the qualitiesmost esteemed in those troublous times; and he was naturally overjoyedon learning that the knight who had already won his daughter's heart,and now sought her hand, was none other than his liege lord. Gueneverwas not less pleased; and when Merlin escorted her to Loudon, where herbridegroom was awaiting her, he took with him also the Round Table, andas many of its knights as still remained, by way of a marriage gift fromKing Leodegrance. Arthur gave the princess a right royal welcome, andavowed that the Round Table and its gallant company were more welcome tohim than any other dower that Leodegrance could have bestowed with hisdaughter.
The number of "sieges" or seats at the Round Table was a hundred andfifty, but the knights sent by the King of Cameliard only numbered ahundred. Arthur was anxious to have all the seats filled before hismarriage, and urged Merlin to collect all the knights worthy of thehonour whom he could find. The necromancer obeyed; but though he usedhis utmost diligence, there were still several vacant seats at thetable. Each seat was then solemnly consecrated by the Archbishop ofCanterbury, and the knights all swore the oath of which the terms wereset forth in the first chapter of this chronicle. Then Arthur's nephew,Gawaine, came forward and asked a boon of his uncle.
"Ask," said the king, "and I will grant it."
"Sir," answered Gawaine, "I beg that you will make me knight on the sameday that you wed Queen Guenever."
"That will I do with a good will," Arthur replied; "both because you aremy sister's son, and because you have already proved yourself a man ofvalour and worship in the field."
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But before the day appointed for the marriage, King Arthur held a greatfeast at Camelot, that lasted for eight days; and one time, while theking and all his counsellors and knights were gathered in the hall ofthe palace, there came before him a squire leading a horse, on whichthere sat a knight wounded to the death. The squire said that there wasa knight in the forest who had set up a pavilion by the wayside, andforced every knight that passed to joust with him, and that he had nowmortally stricken the knight before them. At this there was a greato
utcry in the court, and many were eager to undertake the adventure;but Sir Griflet besought Arthur, for the sake of all the services he hadrendered, to give it to him. The king consented,' though unwillingly,for Griflet was but a young knight, and Merlin said that the knight ofthe pavilion was one of the best in the world. Sir Griflet, however,entreated the king, who let him go, on a promise that he would returnand relate whatever befell him.
Sir Griflet armed himself accordingly, and rode forth in all haste;and presently he came to a fountain by the wayside, where he saw a richpavilion, and a strong horse standing under a tree, on which hung ashield with a device of many colours, and a great spear. Then Grifletlifted his own spear and smote the shield, so that it fell to theground. With that, a knight came out of the pavilion, and said, "Fairknight, why smote you down my shield?"
"Because I will joust with you," answered Sir Griflet.
"It were better you did not," said the knight, full courteously, "foryou are but young, and newly made knight, and your might is nothing tomine."
"Let that be as it may," said Griflet, "I will joust with you."
"It is not at my desire," returned the other; "but since no better maybe, you shall have your wish." Then he took his spear and shield, andgot on his horse, and they rode together. Griflet's spear was shiveredon the strange knight's shield; but the latter smote Griflet throughhis armour and his left side, so that horse and man fell down. When theknight saw that, he was sorry; but hee unlaced Griflet's helm, and,when he was a little recovered, helped him on his horse, and bade himfarewell, saying that he had a mighty heart, and that if he lived hewould prove a passing good knight. With that Griflet rode to the court,and told his tale as well as he could; but he was for long in greatdanger, and only through the skill of the leeches was his life saved.
Now King Arthur was exceedingly wroth that Griflet was hurt, and earlythe next morning he armed himself secretly and went forth to seek thestranger-knight. As he rode, he saw Merlin running, chased by threechurls, so he galloped toward them, and when they saw him coming theyfled.
"Now, Merlin," exclaimed the king, "here wouldst thou have been slain,in spite of all thy craft, had I not come."
"Not so," answered Merlin; "I could have saved myself if I would. Butyou, sir, are nearer your death than I, for you are now going to yourdeath if God do not befriend you."
But the king would not quit the adventure; so he and Merlin rode along,till they came to the pavilion by the side of the fountain; and theknight was sitting within the pavilion all armed.
"Sir Knight," said Arthur, "for what cause abideth thou here, that noknight may ride this way but that he joust with thee? I advise thee toleave that custom."
"That custom," answered the knight, "I have used, and will use, whoevermay forbid it; and whoever is grieved by it may amend it if he can."
"I will amend it," said the king.
"And I shall defend it," said the knight. He took his shield and spear,and mounted his horse, and he and the king ran together with such forcethat both their spears were broken, but neither lost his seat. Then KingArthur drew his sword.
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"Nay," said the knight, "let us try another course with spears."
"Right willingly," answered the king, "if I had another spear."
"I have spears enough," said the knight; and forthwith a squire broughttwo new spears from the pavilion. Again the two knights came together somightily that the spears were broken.
"You are," quoth the stranger, "as good a jouster as ever I met withal.For the love of the high order of knighthood let us joust it onceagain."
"I assent," replied the king; so new spears were brought, and theytilted for the third time. But now it was only Arthur's spear that brokescathless. The strange knight smote the centre of the king's shield sohard that horse and man went to the ground. Then was King Arthur soreangered, and he drew his sword and said,--
"I will assay thee, Sir Knight, on foot, for I have lost the honour onhorseback."
"I will be on horseback," answered the stranger. But as the king drewnear he sprang from his horse lest it should be slain. Then he alsodrew his sword, and they fought furiously together, and struck strongstrokes, giving each other many wounds; and they both grew at last sowearied that they could scarce stand. It chanced that as their swordsclashed together, Arthur's sword broke in two pieces. Then said theknight,--
"Thou art at my mercy, whether I list to spare thee or slay thee, and ifthou do not yield as recreant, thou shalt die."
"As for death," answered the king, "welcome be it when it cometh; butrather than be so shamed as to yield recreant, I had liever die." Thensuddenly he leaped upon the other, and took him by the middle, and threwhim to the ground But the strange knight was of exceeding strength,and he got the king under him, and raised his sword to slay him. ThenMerlin, who had stood by, came up, and said,--
"Sir Knight, hold thy hand, for if thou slayest this knight thou wilt dothis kingdom great damage. He is a man of greater rank than thou knowestof."
"Why, who is he?" said the knight.
"It is King Arthur," was the answer.
Then the stranger raised his sword again to kill the king, for hedreaded his wrath; but Merlin cast such an enchantment upon him thathe fell asleep. After that, Merlin set the king on his horse again, andhimself took the knight's horse, and they rode away together.
"Alas!" cried the king, "what have you done, Merlin? Have you slain thatgood knight by your crafts? He is the best man of his hands that ever Imet, and I would rather lose a year's rents than that he should die."
"Fear nothing, sir," answered Merlin. "He is more whole than you are. Heis but asleep, and will wake within these three hours." And he told theking that the knight was Sir Pellinore--the same that had slain KingLot.
Then they rode to a hermitage where dwelt a holy man that was anexcellent leech, and he searched the king's wounds, and healed them inthree days. Then they departed; and as they went Arthur said to Merlin,"I have no sword."
"No matter," answered Merlin, "near by there is a sword that shall beyours if all go well."
Presently they came to a lake, and in the middle of it the king saw anarm thrust out of the water, clothed in white samite, that held a fairsword in the hand.
"Yonder," said Merlin, "is the sword I spoke of." Just then they saw adamsel walking by the lake.
"What damsel is that?" asked the king.
Merlin said she was the lady of the lake, and that the sword belonged toher; but if he spoke her fair, she would doubtless give it him. Then theking saluted the damsel, and asked what sword that was, held up abovethe water, and said he would it were his, for he had none.
"Sir King," answered the lady, "that sword is mine, and if you will giveme a gift when I ask you, you shall have it."
This the king gladly promised; and then she bade him take a boat thatwas there, and row out to the sword and take it, and she would ask forher gift when she saw fit. The king obeyed her direction, and took thesword; and when he held it in his hand, he liked it exceedingly. Merlintold him that its name was Excalibur, which signifies "cut-steel;" butthat the scabbard was still more precious than the sword, for while hewore it he could lose no blood, no matter how sorely he was wounded.
Then the king and Merlin returned to Camelot, where all the courtgreeted them joyfully; and when King Arthur's adventures were told, allthe knights were happy to be under chief who was as ready to put hisperson in peril as any one of them.