CHAPTER V. THE EVIL DEVICES OF MORGAN LE FAY.
KING ARTHUR was now firmly established in his kingdom. He ruled wiselyand lived nobly, so that there was a great concourse about him of men ofgood condition, and in the island of Britain at that time were gatheredthe strongest and bravest knights of Christendom. To such of the Knightsof the Round Table and others of his court as were of poor estate theking gave lands, that they might the better perform all that to whichthey were pledged by the oaths they took when they were made knights.Castles and fair towns arose in the land ; and knights were ever ridingabout, seeking adventures, of which there was no lack, for evil men whohad gotten rich and strong in the stormy times of Vortigern and UtherPendragon were still many, and ever they held themselves against KingArthur and his rule. There were also enchanters, and some of them usedtheir supernatural powers for evil, who were fearful of his power andjealous of his greatness, entered into an alliance against him, and theyled a great host into his lands, and burned, and slew, and plundered onevery side. When King Arthur heard this news he was wrathful. Heappointed King Pellinore to bring the main body of his army as soon asmight be; and he himself, with Queen Guenever and such knights andmen-at-arms as were at that time in the court, set out to meet the fivekings, who were lying with their host in a wide forest near the riverHumber. But it chanced that as King Arthur, with the queen, Sir Kay, SirGawaine, and Sir Griflet, was riding out by the river side, they met thefive kings, that were also riding out without any following; and thosefour fell upon the five kings with such might that they killed them all.When the followers of the kings found them dead, they lost heart andcourage, and would have fled; but Arthur and his little army came uponthem, and slew so many that scarcely any escaped back to their ownlands. So the war was ended before King Pellinore and the main hostcould come near the place. To show his thankfulness to God for thisgreat victory, Arthur founded a rich abbey on the spot where the battlehad been. Then he returned with his knights to Camelot, and again abodethere in peace.
For some years the realm was at peace; but then it befell that Merlincame under the spell of Viviane, as it has been told in the firstchapter of this book. When it was noised abroad that King Arthur hadlost his best counsellor, five kings of the north and in the island ofBritain at that time were gathered the strongest and bravest knights ofChristendom. To such of the Knights of the Round Table and others of hiscourt as were of poor estate the king gave lands, that they might thebetter perform all that to which they were pledged by the oaths theytook when they were made knights. Castles and fair towns arose in theland; and knights were ever riding about, seeking adventures, of whichthere was no lack, for evil men who had gotten rich and strong in thestormy times of Vortigern and Uther Pen-dragon were still many, and everthey held themselves against King Arthur and his rule. There were alsoenchanters, and some of them used their supernatural powers for evil.
Of the king's sisters by the mother's side, the daughters of QueenIgraine, Arthur chiefly loved Morgan le Fay, who was the wife ofUrience, King of Gore. She had learned necromancy from Merlin, and wasscarcely less skilled in magic arts than he. But she hated King Arthur,and was ever watching to find an opportunity to destroy him. WhileMerlin was with him, she could do him no ill; but afterwards, becauseArthur loved her and trusted her, he placed his sword Excalibur and thescabbard in her keeping, and then Morgan thought the time had come whenshe might accomplish his ruin. She loved not her husband, King Urience,who was a good knight and loyal to King Arthur, but she chiefly esteemeda knight named Sir Accolon of Gaul.
It befell that King Arthur, with many of his knights, one day rode outfrom Camelot to hunt in the forest. They followed a great hart; and KingArthur, King Urience, and Sir Accolon, being the best mounted, rode awayfrom the others, and chased the hart so mightily that their horses felldead under them. Then they did not know what to do, for they were agreat way from Camelot, in the midst of the thick wood.
"Let us go on foot," said King Urience, "till we come to some lodging."
Before them lay a great water, and suddenly they saw upon it a littleship, all gilt, with sails of silk, and it was coming straight towardthem, and ran on to the sands. King Arthur went near it, and looked in;but there was no living thing on board.
"Sirs," said Arthur, "let us go into this ship, and see what there is init."
So they went on board, and found it full richly garnished, with a faircabin all hung with doth of silk; and while they were gazing upon it,the ship suddenly left the land again, and went into the middle of thewater. By this time it was dusk, and all at once there were a hundredtorches about the sides of the ship that gave forth a great light. Thensuddenly twelve beautiful damsels appeared, and they saluted King Arthuron their knees, calling him by his name, and bade him welcome, tellinghim he should have the best cheer they could give. They led the king andhis two companions into the cabin, where was a table richly appointedwith all kinds of meats and wines. King Arthur and King Urience and SirAccolon fared sumptuously, for they were very hungry after the chase.When the supper was over, all three were sleepy, and the damselsconducted each to a sleeping chamber that was nobly arrayed, where theylay on soft pallets, and soon were buried in deep slumber.
When King Urience awoke, he found himself, to his great marvel, inthe chamber of his wife Morgan le Fay at Camelot. How this could be heunderstood not, for when he had fallen asleep he had been full two days'journey from Camelot. But Arthur did not fare so well, for when he awokehe discovered that he was in a dark prison, and heard all about him thegroans and complaints of woful knights. Then he said,--
"Who are ye that thus complain?"
"We are," answered one of them, "twenty good knights that are hereprisoners. Some of us have lain here seven years, and even more, andsome for less time."
"For what cause?" asked King Arthur.
Then the knights told him that the lord of the castle was a rich baronnamed Sir Damas, who was one of the falsest knights alive, full oftreason, and an arrant coward. He had a younger brother named SirOntzlake, who was a good and honourable knight, and a man of greatprowess. But Sir Damas, by means of his riches and the men-at-arms hekept, had deprived Sir Ontzlake of much of his heritage, so that therewas always a great warfare between them. Damas would never meet hisbrother in the field; and Ontzlake had offered to fight him, or anyknight he could find in his stead, to settle their dispute in thatfashion. But Damas would not fight himself, and he was everywhere sohated that he could get no knight to undertake his quarrel. So he layever in wait with his servants, and laid hold by treachery of everyerrant knight that came into his lands to seek adventures. Then he keptthem in prison, till one of them should agree to fight Sir Ontzlake onhis behalf; but thus far, not one had ever consented to do it.
When King Arthur heard this he was ill at ease; but he thought that hewould rather undertake the battle, albeit it were in an unjust cause,than lie hungering in prison. As he sat there, a damsel came to him andasked him, "What cheer?"
"I cannot tell," said King Arthur.
"Well," she said, "if you will fight for my lord, you shall be deliveredout of prison; but if not, you shall not escape hence all your lifelong."
"It is a hard case," answered Arthur. "But I would rather undertake theadventure than die in prison; so I will fight for thy lord, on conditionthat he will release all these knights as well as myself."
This the damsel promised, and she said that he should also have horseand armour. When the king looked at her, it seemed to him that he hadseen her before, and he asked her if she had not been in King Arthur'scourt. She answered that she had never been there; but she spoke false,for she was one of the damsels that served Morgan le Fay. She knewArthur well enough, and had come to that place at her mistress'sbidding, to contrive that he should undertake the battle on behalf ofSir Damas. Now she went to Sir Damas, and told him how she had found aknight for him. He sent for King Arthur, and saw that he was a strongman, well-made, and knightly in his carriage, and so was well co
ntentto have him for his champion. Then Arthur swore to Sir Damas to do hisbattle to the uttermost; and Damas straightway released all the knightsthat had been his prisoners. They, however, waited to see the battle.
Now we must tell of Sir Accolon of Gaul, the knight who had been in theship with King Arthur and King Urience. When he awoke from his sleep, hefound himself lying by the side of a beautiful fountain. Even while heyet wondered how he had been brought thither, there came to him a dwarf,who said, "Sir, I am sent hither by Queen Morgan le Fay, who greets youwell, and bids you be strong of heart, for you are to fight to-morrowmorning early with a knight. Therefore, I have brought you King Arthur'ssword Excalibur, and its scabbard; and Queen Morgan desires you, as youlove her, to do the battle to the uttermost, as you promised her whenshe and you talked privately together."
"I understand well what she means," answered Accolon; "and now that Ihave the sword, I will make good what I promised." So he sent lovingmessages to Queen Morgan; and he now knew that the enchantment of theship, and the means whereby he had been transported to the side of thefountain, were of her contrivance. And now also by her means was SirAccolon conducted to the manor of Sir Ontzlake, Damas's brother, wherehe was well entertained. But Sir Ontzlake was lying on a couch; for,a little while before, he had been wounded through both thighs with aspear. Soon after Sir Accolon came to him, Sir Damas sent him word thathe had found a knight to undertake his battle, and that' Sir Ontzlakemust be ready by the next morning. Sir Ontzlake wist not what to do, forhe was so badly hurt that he could not stand on his feet; but his guest,Sir Accolon, when he knew what the matter was, offered to fight in hisstead, as Morgan le Fay had sent him word to do; and Sir Ontzlake wasvery thankful, and sent word to Sir Damas that he would have a knightready.
On the morrow King Arthur heard mass; and after that, he armed himselfand mounted his horse, and went to the place appointed for the battle,where there was a great gathering of the gentle folk and commons ofthe country. While Arthur was waiting, there came to him a damsel fromMorgan le Fay, and brought a sword and scabbard, like Excalibur and itsscabbard, saying, "Morgan le Fay sends you here your sword for greatlove." For this he was thankful; but both the sword and the scabbardwere only counterfeit, brittle, and false.
Then Sir Accolon came into the field, and as both their vizors weredown, neither of the knights knew the other. So they rode together withsuch force that both were unhorsed; and then they drew their swords, andfought on foot, giving each other many heavy strokes. But Sir Accolonwounded the king with almost every blow, and shed much of his blood;while he himself lost no blood at all, because he had the scabbard ofExcalibur at his side. When King Arthur felt himself so wounded, and sawhis own blood on the ground, he was dismayed, for he began to understandthat the sword which he had could not be Excali-bur, and it seemed tohim that the other knight's sword was very like Excalibur. For all thathe held himself full knightly, and defended himself so well that all thepeople there said they had never seen a knight fight better. However,with loss of blood he grew so feeble that he withdrew a little to rest.But Sir Accolon was bold because he knew that he had Excalibur, and hecalled out, "It is no time for me to suffer thee to rest." Then he camefiercely on, and King Arthur met him and smote him so mightily on thehelm that he nearly fell to the earth. But with that stroke Arthur'ssword broke at the cross, and left only the pommel and the handle in hishand.
When Accolon saw that, he said, "Knight, thou art weaponless, and mayno longer endure. I am loath to slay thee, therefore yield thee asrecreant."
"Nay," answered Arthur, "I may not yield, for I have sworn to do thisbattle to the uttermost. Moreover, I would rather die with honour thanlive with shame; and if you slay me, being weaponless, the shame will bewith you."
"For that I care not," answered Accolon; and then he came fiercely on,and struck Arthur a blow that well-nigh sent him to the earth. But theking pressed against Accolon with his shield, and smote him with thepommel in his hand so that he went three strides back. Sir Accoloncame on again all eagerly; but at the next stroke he gave, the swordExcalibur slipped from his hand and fell to the earth, and Arthur leapedto it and got it in his hand. Forthwith he perceived clearly that it wasin truth his good sword Excalibur. "Ah!" he cried, "thou hast beentoo long from me, and much damage thou hast done me." Then he suddenlysprang to Sir Accolon and snatched the scabbard from where it hung byhis side, and threw it far away from him.
"Now, Knight," said King Arthur, "you have done me much hurt with thissword, but ere we part I shall reward you with it as well as you haverewarded me." So he rushed upon Accolon with all his might, and pulledhim to the earth, took off his helmet, and smote him such a buffet onthe head that the blood gushed out of his ears, nose, and mouth.
"Now will I slay thee," said King Arthur.
"Slay me you may," answered Accolon, "if it please you; for you are thebest knight that ever I met, and I see well that God is with you. But Ipromised to fight this battle to the uttermost, and so I cannot yield toyou."
Then it seemed to King Arthur that he knew the knight, so he asked himhis name.
"Sir," answered Accolon, "I am of the court of King Arthur, and my nameis Accolon of Gaul."
At this Arthur was sore troubled, for he remembered that Accolon wasfavoured by his sister Morgan le Fay.
"Sir Knight," said he, "I pray you tell me who gave you this sword."
"Accursed be the sword," answered Accolon, "for it has given me mydeath." Then he confessed that the sword had been sent him by Morgan leFay, with the intent that he should kill King Arthur with it; and thatwhen that was accomplished she would compass the death of her husbandKing Urience, so that Accolon and she might be king and queen. When hehad made this confession, Accolon asked Arthur who he was.
"O Sir Accolon," answered the king, "now know thou that I am KingArthur, to whom thou hast done great damage."
When Accolon heard this, he cried out, "My gracious lord, have mercy onme, for I knew you not!"
"Mercy shalt thou have," answered Arthur, "for I believe thou didst notknow me; but none the less hast thou plotted my death, and art thereforea traitor. Still I blame not thee so much as my sister Morgan le Fay;for she, by her false arts, has made thee agree and consent to herevil purposes. But I will be so avenged on her, if I live, that allChristendom shall hear of it."
Then the keepers of the field and all who had watched the battle drewnigh, and Sir Accolon told them that the knight with whom he had donebattle was none other than King Arthur. All the people knelt and madetheir submission to the king. He, on his part, ordered Sir Damas to giveSir Ontzlake his rightful inheritance, and charged him, on penalty ofdeath, to atone to the knights he had kept in prison for the hurt he haddone them, and never more to meddle with knights-errant that might comeinto his country. Sir Ontzlake he charged to come to his court, becausehe was a good knight, and promised him honour and advancement. Then theking and Sir Accolon were removed to a rich abbey of nuns a few milesaway, where their wounds were dressed, and within four days King Arthurwas healed; but Sir Accolon had lost so much blood that he might notbe recovered. When he was dead, Arthur bade six of his knights bear hisbody to Morgan le Fay, and charged them to say that the king sent him toher for a present, and that he had got back his sword Excalibur and thescabbard.
When the tidings came to Morgan le Fay by one of her damsels thatAccolon was dead, and that King Arthur had got back his sword andscabbard, she was full of sorrow and anger; so she got leave fromQueen Guenever to return to her own country. As she and her attendantsjourneyed, they passed by the very abbey where King Arthur was stilllying. Knowing that he was there, Morgan went into the abbey and askedwhere the king was. She was answered that he was asleep in his chamber;so she said she would go in and wake him herself. As she was his sister,and a queen, none dare say her nay; so she went into the chamber,intending to steal from him Excalibur. But the king, though he wasasleep, had the sword fast in his right hand, so she could not get it.However, she took the scabbar
d, and then went on her way. When the kingwoke and missed the scabbard, he was passing wroth, and still more sowhen he knew who had taken it. So he and Sir Ontzlake armed themselveshastily, and rode after Queen Morgan, and after a while they came insight of her. When she saw that King Arthur was pursuing, she rode asfast as she could; but ever he drew nearer and nearer. Then she wentto the shore of a lake that was there, and threw the scabbard intoit, saying, "Whatever may become of me, my brother shall not have thescabbard." After that she rode with her knights into a valley, and thereby her enchantments turned herself and them into marble statues.
When King Arthur and Ontzlake came up, they saw the statues, and thoughtthe change had been wrought by a judgment of God. They could not findthe scabbard, and so rode back to the abbey. As soon as they were gone,Morgan and her knights returned to flesh and blood, and went on theirway to the country of Gore. There Morgan made her castles strong, andgarrisoned them, for she greatly dreaded her brother's wrath. But shesent him word that, while she could change herself and her men into thelikeness of stones, she had no cause to fear him.
However, though Accolon was dead, Morgan abated no whit of her hatred tothe king, nor of her evil designs against him. But she pretended to besorrowful because of her deeds, and offered him amends. And she sent adamsel to the court with a mantle, the richest that ever was seen inthe world, for it was so covered with precious stones that there was notspace to put on another. The damsel said to the king, "Your sister sendsyou this mantle, and desires that you will take this gift of her; and inwhat she has offended you, she will amend it at your own pleasure."
The king was greatly pleased with the mantle, but he did not put muchtrust in his sister. While he was considering what he should say, therecame to him the Lady Viviane, who had ever loved him, and she counselledhim on no account to put on the mantle, or let it be worn by any in hiscourt, until it had been put on by the damsel who had brought it. KingArthur said he would follow her counsel, and so he called the damsel tohim, and bade her put on the mantle.
"Sir," said she, "it will not beseem me to wear a knight's garment."
"By my head," answered the king, "you shall wear it before it come on myback or that of any other that is here."
When she saw that no better might be, the damsel put on the mantle fullsorrowfully; and lo! straightway she fell down dead, and was burnedto ashes. Then King Arthur saw how great was the treason of his sisterMorgan le Fay.