Tales of King Arthur and the Round Table 7

Tales of King Arthur and the Round Table 7

They had not gone far before they met a cowherd, and they stopped to ask

if he had seen any lady riding that way. "Yes," said the cowherd, "a

lady passed by here, with forty horses behind her, and went into the

forest yonder." Then they galloped hard till Arthur caught sight of

Morgan le Fay, who looked back, and, seeing that it was Arthur who gave

chase, pushed on faster than before. And when she saw she could not

escape him, she rode into a lake that lay in the plain on the edge of

the forest, and, crying out, "Whatever may befall me, my brother shall

not have the scabbard," she threw the scabbard far into the water, and

it sank, for it was heavy with gold and jewels. After that she fled into

a valley full of great stones, and turned herself and her men and her

horses into blocks of marble. Scarcely had she done this when the King

rode up, but seeing her nowhere thought some evil must have befallen her

in vengeance of her misdeeds. He then sought high and low for the

scabbard, but being unable to find it, he returned to the Abbey. When

Arthur was gone, Morgan le Fay turned herself and her horses and her men

back into their former shapes and said, "Now, Sirs, we may go where we

will." And she departed into the country of Gore, and made her towns and

castles stronger than before, for she feared King Arthur greatly.

Meanwhile King Arthur had rested himself at the Abbey, and afterwards he

rode to Camelot, and was welcomed by his Queen and all his Knights. And

when he told his adventures and how Morgan le Fay sought his death they

longed to burn her for her treason.

 

[Illustration: MORGAN LE FAY CASTS AWAY THE SCABBARD]

 

The next morning there arrived a damsel at the Court with a message from

Morgan le Fay, saying that she had sent the King her brother a rich

mantle for a gift, covered with precious stones, and begged him to

receive it and to forgive her in whatever she might have offended him.

The King answered little, but the mantle pleased him, and he was about

to throw it over his shoulders when the Lady of the Lake stepped

forward, and begged that she might speak to him in private. "What is

it?" asked the King. "Say on here, and fear nothing." "Sir," said the

lady, "do not put on this mantle, or suffer your Knights to put it on,

till the bringer of it has worn it in your presence." "Your words are

wise," answered the King, "I will do as you counsel me. Damsel, I desire

you to put on this mantle that you have brought me, so that I may see

it." "Sir," said she, "it does not become me to wear a King's garment."

"By my head," cried Arthur, "you shall wear it before I put it on my

back, or on the back of any of my Knights," and he signed to them to put

it on her, and she fell down dead, burnt to ashes by the enchanted

mantle. Then the King was filled with anger, more bitter than before,

that his sister should have dealt so wickedly by him.

 

 

 

 

THE PASSING OF MERLIN.

 

 

Many of King Arthur's Knights set out on journeys in search of

adventure, and one of them, Sir Pellinore, brought a damsel of the lake

to Arthur's Court, and when Merlin saw her he fell in love with her, so

that he desired to be always in her company. The damsel laughed in

secret at Merlin, but made use of him to tell her all she would know,

and the wizard had no strength to say her nay, though he knew what would

come of it. For he told King Arthur that before long he should be put

into the earth alive, for all his cunning. He likewise told the King

many things that should befall him, and warned him always to keep the

scabbard as well as the sword Excalibur, and foretold that both sword

and scabbard should be stolen from him by a woman whom he most trusted.

"You will miss my counsel sorely," added Merlin, "and would give all

your lands to have me back again." "But since you know what will

happen," said the King, "you may surely guard against it." "No,"

answered Merlin, "that will not be." So he departed from the King, and

the maiden followed him whom some call Nimue and others Vivien, and

wherever she went Merlin went also.

 

They journeyed together to many places, both at home and across the

seas, and the damsel was wearied of him, and sought by every means to be

rid of him, but he would not be shaken off. At last these two wandered

back to Cornwall, and one day Merlin showed Vivien a rock under which he

said great marvels were hidden. Then Vivien put forth all her powers,

and told Merlin how she longed to see the wonders beneath the stone,

and, in spite of all his wisdom, Merlin listened to her and crept under

the rock to bring forth the strange things that lay there. And when he

was under the stone she used the magic he had taught her, and the rock

rolled over him, and buried him alive, as he had told King Arthur. But

the damsel departed with joy, and thought no more of him, now that she

knew all the magic he could teach her.

 

[Illustration: MERLIN and VIVIEN]

 

 

 

 

PART II.

THE QUEST OF THE HOLY GRAAL.

 

 

I.

How the King went on Pilgrimage and his Squire was slain in a Dream.

 

Now the King was minded to go on a pilgrimage, and he agreed with the

Queen that he would set forth to seek the holy chapel at St. Augustine,

which is in the White Forest, and may only be found by adventure. Much

he wished to undertake the quest alone, but this the Queen would not

suffer, and to do her pleasure he consented that a youth, tall and

strong of limb, should ride with him as his squire. Chaus was the

youth's name, and he was son to Gwain li Aoutres. "Lie within to-night,"

commanded the King, "and take heed that my horse be saddled at break of

day, and my arms ready." "At your pleasure, Sir," answered the youth,

whose heart rejoiced because he was going alone with the King.

 

As night came on, all the Knights quitted the hall, but Chaus the squire

stayed where he was, and would not take off his clothes or his shoes,

lest sleep should fall on him and he might not be ready when the King

called him. So he sat himself down by the great fire, but in spite of

his will sleep fell heavily on him, and he dreamed a strange dream.

 

In his dream it seemed that the King had ridden away to the quest, and

had left his squire behind him, which filled the young man with fear.

And in his dream he set the saddle and bridle on his horse, and fastened

his spurs, and girt on his sword, and galloped out of the castle after

the King. He rode on a long space, till he entered a thick forest, and

there before him lay traces of the King's horse, and he followed till

the marks of the hoofs ceased suddenly at some open ground and he

thought that the King had alighted there. On the right stood a chapel,

and about it was a graveyard, and in the graveyard many coffins, and in

his dream it seemed as if the King had entered the chapel, so the young

man entered also. But no man did he behold save a Knight that lay dead

upon a bier in the midst of the chapel, covered with a pall of rich

silk, and four tapers in golden candlesticks were burning round him. The

squire marvelled to see the body lying there so lonely, with no one near

it, and likewise that the King was nowhere to be seen. Then he took out

one of the tall tapers, and hid the candlestick under his cloak, and

rode away until he should find the King.

 

On his journey through the forest he was stopped by a man black and

ill-favoured, holding a large knife in his hand.

 

"Ho! you that stand there, have you seen King Arthur?" asked the squire.

 

"No, but I have met you, and I am glad thereof, for you have under your

cloak one of the candlesticks of gold that was placed in honour of the

Knight who lies dead in the chapel. Give it to me, and I will carry it

back; and if you do not this of your own will, I will make you."

 

"By my faith!" cried the squire, "I will never yield it to you! Rather,

will I carry it off and make a present of it to King Arthur."

 

"You will pay for it dearly," answered the man, "if you yield it not up

forthwith."

 

To this the squire did not make answer, but dashed forward, thinking to

pass him by; but the man thrust at him with his knife, and it entered

his body up to the hilt. And when the squire dreamed this, he cried,

"Help! help! for I am a dead man!"

 

As soon as the King and the Queen heard that cry they awoke from their

sleep, and the Chamberlain said, "Sir, you must be moving, for it is

day;" and the King rose and dressed himself, and put on his shoes. Then

the cry came again: "Fetch me a priest, for I die!" and the King ran at

great speed into the hall, while the Queen and the Chamberlain followed

him with torches and candles. "What aileth you?" asked the King of his

squire, and the squire told him of all that he had dreamed. "Ha," said

the king, "is it, then, a dream?" "Yes, Sir," answered the squire, "but

it is a right foul dream for me, for right foully it hath come true,"

and he lifted his left arm, and said, "Sir, look you here! Lo, here is

the knife that was struck in my side up to the haft." After that, he

drew forth the candlestick, and showed it to the King. "Sir, for this

candlestick that I present to you was I wounded to the death!" The King

took the candlestick in his hands and looked at it, and none so rich had

he seen before, and he bade the Queen look also. "Sir," said the squire

again, "draw not forth the knife out of my body till I be shriven of the

priest." So the King commanded that a priest should be sent for, and

when the squire had confessed his sins, the King drew the knife out of

the body and the soul departed forthwith. Then the King grieved that the

young man had come to his death in such strange wise, and ordered him a

fair burial, and desired that the golden candlestick should be sent to

the Church of Saint Paul in London, which at that time was newly built.

 

After this King Arthur would have none to go with him on his quest, and

many strange adventures he achieved before he reached the chapel of St.

Augustine, which was in the midst of the White Forest. There he alighted

from his horse, and sought to enter, but though there was neither door

nor bar he might not pass the threshold. But from without be heard

wondrous voices singing, and saw a light shining brighter than any that

he had seen before, and visions such as he scarcely dared to look upon.

And he resolved greatly to amend his sins, and to bring peace and order

into his kingdom. So he set forth, strengthened and comforted, and after

divers more adventures returned to his Court.

 

 

II.

The Coming of the Holy Graal.

 

It was on the eve of Pentecost that all the Knights of the Table Round