Tales of King Arthur and the Round Table 1

Tales of King Arthur and the Round Table 1

Tales of King Arthur and the Round Table Adapted from the Book of Romance

 

Author: Andrew Lang

 

INTRODUCTION

The tales of King Arthur and his Knights are of Celtic origin. The Celts

were the people who occupied Britain at the time when the history of the

country opens, and a few words are necessary to explain why the

characters in the stories act and speak as though they belonged to a

later age.

 

It is believed that King Arthur lived in the sixth century, just after

the Romans withdrew from Britain, and when the Britons, left to defend

themselves against the attacks of the marauding Saxons, rose and

defeated them at Mount Badon, securing to themselves peace for many

years. It was probably about this time that King Arthur and his company

of Knights performed the deeds which were to become the themes of

stories and lays for generations afterwards.

 

In olden times, it was the custom of minstrels and story-tellers to

travel through the land from court to court, telling of tales of

chivalry and heroism, and for many centuries the tales of King Arthur

formed the stock from which the story-teller drew.

 

In this way the stories came to be handed down from father to son, in

Brittany (whose people are of the same family as the Welsh) as well as

in Wales and England, and by this means alone were they prevented from

being lost. But in the reigns of Henry II. and Richard I., they were set

down on paper, and so became literature. Before this, however, a British

writer had written out some of the tales, and from him as well as from

the lips of the bards and story-tellers of their own generation, the

writers in the time of Henry II. were able to collect their information.

 

Now, it will be remembered that the second and third crusades were being

carried on during the reigns of Henry II. and Richard I., and many

English and French Knights were therefore fighting in the fields of

Palestine.

 

The story-teller, whose living depended on the welcome his stories met

with, instead of telling them according to tradition, altered them to

suit the tastes of his hearers. Thus, the old heroes of tradition were

placed upon prancing horses, clothed in coats of mail, and armed with

lances as if they had been vassals of King Henry or King Richard. And in

this way the story-teller called up before the minds of the listeners

pictures of deeds of chivalry, such as husbands and brothers were

performing for the Christian faith in far-off Palestine. The writers of

the time, both English and French, set them down as they heard and knew

them, and so in their altered and historically inaccurate form they have

reached us at the present day.

 

One of the most famous of the books compiled by old English writers was

the "Historia Britonum," which was written (in Latin) by Geoffrey,

Bishop of Asaph. It contained an account of a war which King Arthur

waged in Western Europe, but made no mention of the Holy Grail.

 

From this and other books of romances compiled in England, and very

largely, too, from books of French romances, Sir Thomas Malory obtained

the material for his "Morte d'Arthur," which was written in 1470. This

is the most famous of the early books of Arthurian legend, and it is

from the "Morte d'Arthur" that most of the stories in this book are

taken. Some, however, are taken from the "High History of the Holy

Graal," translated from the French by Dr. Sebastian Evans. The language

throughout has been modified with a view to making the legends more easy

of study.

 

 

 

 

CONTENTS

 

 

PART I.

PAGE

Introduction v, vi

The Drawing of the Sword 1

The Sword Excalibur 6

How the Round Table began 7

The Story of Sir Balin 11

What Beaumains asked of the King 18

How Morgan Le Fay tried to kill King Arthur 42

The Passing of Merlin 45

 

 

PART II.

The Quest of the Holy Graal (Parts I. to XI.) 48

 

 

PART III.

The Fight for the Queen 78

The Fair Maid of Astolat 88

 

 

PART IV.

Lancelot and Guenevere 107

The End of it All 136

 

 

 

 

ILLUSTRATIONS

 

 

FULL-PAGE PLATES.

PAGE

How Arthur drew the Sword 4

The Death of Balin and Balan 17

Gareth and Linet 24

Linet and the Black Knight 27

The Lady of Lyonesse sees Sir Gareth 34

Morgan Le Fay casts away the Scabbard 44

Merlin and Vivien 47

Sir Galahad opens the Tomb 56

Sir Percivale slays the Serpent 63

Arthur and Guenevere kiss before all the People 86

Elaine ties her Sleeve round Sir Lancelot's Helmet 92

The Black Barget 104

The Archers threaten Lancelot 113

Sir Mordred 141

Excalibur returns to the Mere 144

 

 

IN TEXT.

The Damsel warns Sir Balin 14

How Sir Bors was saved from killing his Brother 68

Sir Mador accuses Guenevere 81

Guenevere sends her Page to Lancelot for help 111

Lancelot comes out of Guenevere's Room 123

 

 

 

 

TALES OF KING ARTHUR

AND

THE ROUND TABLE

 

 

 

 

PART I.

 

 

 

 

THE DRAWING OF THE SWORD.

 

 

Long, long ago, after Uther Pendragon died, no king reigned in Britain,

and every Knight hoped to seize the crown for himself. The country was

like to fare ill when laws were broken on every side, and the corn which

was to give bread to the poor was trodden underfoot, and there was none

to bring the evildoer to justice. Then, when things were at their worst,

came forth Merlin the magician, and fast he rode to the place where the

Archbishop of Canterbury had his dwelling. They took counsel together,

and agreed that all the lords and gentlemen of Britain should ride to

London and meet on Christmas Day, now at hand, in the Great Church. So

this was done. And on Christmas morning, as they left the church, they

saw in the churchyard a large stone, and on it a bar of steel, and in

the steel a naked sword was held, and about it was written in letters of

gold, "Whoso pulleth out this sword is by right of birth King of

England." They marvelled at these words, and called for the Archbishop,

and brought him into the place where the stone stood. Then those Knights

who fain would be King took firm hold of the hilt, and they tugged at

the sword with all their might; but it never stirred. The Archbishop

watched them in silence, but when they were faint from pulling he spoke:

"The man is not here who shall lift out that sword, nor do I know where

to find him. But this is my counsel--that two Knights be chosen, good

and true men, to keep guard over the sword."

 

Thus it was done. But the lords and gentlemen-at-arms cried out that

every man had a right to try to win the sword, and they decided that on

New Year's Day a tournament should be held, and any Knight who would,

might enter the lists.

 

So on New Year's Day, the Knights, according to custom, went to hear

service in the Great Church, and after it was over they met in the field

to make ready for the tourney. Among them was a brave Knight called Sir

Ector, who brought with him Sir Kay, his son, and Arthur, Kay's

foster-brother. Now Kay had unbuckled his sword the evening before, and

in his haste to be at the tourney had forgotten to put it on again, and

he begged Arthur to ride back and fetch it for him. But when Arthur

reached the house the door was locked, for the women had gone out to see

the tourney, and, though Arthur tried his best to get in, he could not.

Then he rode away in great anger, and said to himself, "Kay shall not be

without a sword this day. I will take that sword in the churchyard, and

give it to him;" and he galloped fast till he reached the gate of the

churchyard. He jumped down, tied his horse tightly to a tree, and,

running up to the sword, seized the handle, and lightly and fiercely