The Junior Classics — Volume 4: Heroes and heroines of chivalry

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Title: The Junior Classics, V4

Author: Willam Patten (Editor)

Release Date: August, 2004 [EBook #6323] [Yes, we are more than one year ahead of schedule] [This file was first posted on November 26, 2002]

Edition: 10

Language: English

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THE JUNIOR CLASSICS: A LIBRARY FOR BOYS AND GIRLS

[Illustration: HE SEIZED THE HILT

AND INSTANTLY DREW FORTH THE SWORD (Page 16)

From the painting by Walter Crane]

THE JUNIOR CLASSICS

SELECTED AND ARRANGED BY WILLIAM PATTEN

Managing Editor of the Harvard Classics

INTRODUCTION BY CHARLES W. ELIOT, LL.D.

President Emeritus of Harvard University

WITH A READING GUIDE BY WILLIAM ALLAN NEILSON, Ph.D.

Professor of English, Harvard University

President, Smith College, Northampton, Mass., since 1917

VOLUME FOUR: HEROES AND HEROINES OF CHIVALRY

CONTENTS

PREFACE

THE STORY OF KING ARTHUR

Of Arthur's Birth and How He Became King (Beatrice Clay)

The Round Table (Beatrice Clay)

Merlin the Magician (Beatrice Clay)

The Sword Excalibur (Sir Thomas Malory)

Sir Launcelot and the Adventure of the Castle Perilous (Beatrice

Clay)

Sir Launcelot and the Falcon (Beatrice Clay)

The Adventures of Sir Gareth (Beatrice Clay)

The Coming of Sir Galahad (Beatrice Clay)

How Sir Galahad Won the Red Cross Shield (Beatrice Clay)

The Adventures of Sir Percivale (Beatrice Clay)

The Adventures of Sir Bors (Beatrice Clay)

The Adventures of Sir Launcelot (Beatrice Clay)

How Sir Launcelot Saw the Holy Grail (Beatrice Clay)

The End of the Quest (Beatrice Clay)

The Fair Maid of Astolat (Beatrice Clay)

THE MABINOGION

Kynon's Adventure at the Fountain (Lady Charlotte Guest)

Owain's Adventure at the Fountain (Lady Charlotte Guest)

Gawain's Adventure in Search of Owain (Lady Charlotte Guest)

The Adventure of the Lion (Lady Charlotte Guest)

How Pwyll Outwitted Gawl (Lady Charlotte Guest)

How Manawyddan Caught a Thief (Lady Charlotte Guest)

The Story of Lludd and Llevelys (Lady Charlotte Guest)

TALES FROM EARLY ENGLISH CHRONICLES

The Adventures of King Horn (F. J. H. Darton)

Horn is Dubbed Knight (F. J. H. Darton)

Horn the Knight Errant (F. J. H. Darton)

Horn in Exile (F. J. H. Darton)

Horn's Return (F. J. H. Darton)

The King of Suddenne (F. J. H. Darton)

Havelok Hid from the Traitor (F. J. H. Darton)

Havelok Married Against His Will (F. J. H. Darton)

Havelok Wins Back His Kingdom (F. J. H. Darton)

The Fair Unknown (F. J. H. Darton)

The Fight With the Two Giants (F. J. H. Darton)

In the Castle of the Sorcerers (F. J. H. Darton)

TALES TOLD BY CHAUCER'S CANTERBURY PILGRIMS

The Old Woman and the Knight (F. J. H. Darton)

Death and the Three Revellers (F. J. H. Darton)

Patient Griselda (F. J. H. Darton)

TALES FROM FRENCH AND ITALIAN CHRONICLES

Ogier the Dane (Thomas Bulfinch)

A Roland for an Oliver (Thomas Bulfinch)

The Treason of Ganelon (Sir George W. Cox)

The Great Battle of Roncesvalles (Sir George W. Cox)

Charlemagne Revenges Roland (Sir George W. Cox)

How Thierry Vanquished Ganelon (Sir George W. Cox)

Rinaldo and Bayard (Thomas Bulfinch)

How the Child of the Sea Was Made Knight (Robert Southey)

THE SPANISH CHRONICLE OF THE CID

Why Don Sancho Attacked His Neighbors (Robert Southey)

Don Garcia Defies Don Sancho (Robert Southey)

Don Garcia Takes Don Sancho Prisoner (Robert Southey)

The Siege of Zamora (Robert Southey)

How Don Diego Fought the Three Brothers (Robert Southey)

TALES OF ROBIN HOOD

Robin Hood and the Knight (Mary Macleod)

Little John and the Sheriff of Nottingham (Mary Macleod)

How Robin Hood Was Paid His Loan (Mary Macleod)

The Golden Arrow (Mary Macleod)

How the Sheriff Took Sir Richard Prisoner (Mary Macleod)

How the King Came to Sherwood Forest (Mary Macleod)

How Robin Hood Went Back to the Greenwood (Mary Macleod)

Robin Hood and the Butcher (Mary Macleod)

The Jolly Tanner (Mary Macleod)

How Robin Hood Drew His Bow for the Last Time (Mary Macleod)

DON QUIXOTE DE LA MANCHA (Miguel de Cervantes)

An Introduction to that Spanish Gentleman (Judge Parry)

He Sets Forth on His Adventures (Judge Parry)

The Knighting of Don Quixote (Judge Parry)

The Dreadful Adventure of the Windmills (Judge Parry)

Don Quixote and the Goatherds (Judge Parry)

How Don Quixote Arrived at an Inn Which He Imagined to be a Castle

(Judge Parry)

How Sancho Paid the Reckoning at the Inn (Judge Parry)

The Adventure of the Two Armies (Judge Parry)

Don Quixote Does Penance as Did the Knights of Old (Judge Parry)

Sancho's Journey to the Lady Dulcinea (Judge Parry)

The Story of Cardenio (Judge Parry)

The Story of Dorothea (Judge Parry)

The End of the Penance (Judge Parry)

The Journey to the Inn (Judge Parry)

Sancho Panza's Story of His Visit to the Lady Dulcinea (Judge

Parry)

Don Quixote Wages a Battle Against a Giant (Judge Parry)

Adventures at the Inn (Judge Parry)

The Princess Micomicona (Judge Parry)

The Last of the Notable Adventures of our Good Knight (Judge

Parry)

ILLUSTRATIONS

HE SEIZED THE HILT, AND INSTANTLY DREW FORTH THE SWORD

Of Arthur's Birth and How He Became King

Frontispiece illustration in color from the painting by Walter

Crane

THERE CAME AN ARM AND A HAND ABOVE THE WATER

The Sword Excalibur

From the painting by Walter Crane

AN AGED MAN ENTERED THE HALL, FOLLOWED BY A YOUNG MAN

The Coming of Sir Galahad

From the painting by Walter Crane

THIS IS MY BRIDE, HE CRIED TO ALL THE PEOPLE

Patient Griselda

From the drawing by Hugh Thomson

PREFACE

The word chivalry is taken from the French cheval, a horse. A knight was a young man, the son of a good family, who was allowed to wear arms. In the story How the Child of the Sea was made Knight, we are told how a boy of twelve became a page to the queen, and in the opening pages of the story The Adventures of Sir Gareth, we get a glimpse of a young man growing up at the court of King Arthur. It was not an easy life, that of a boy who wished to become a knight, but it made a man of him. He was taken at an early age, sometimes when only seven years old, to the castle of the king or knight he was to serve. He first became a page or valet, and, under the instruction of a governor, was taught to carve and wait on the table, to hunt and fish, and was drilled in wrestling and riding on horseback. Most pages were taught to dance, and if a boy had talent he was taught to play the harp so he could accompany his voice when singing to the ladies.

By the time a boy was fourteen he was ready to become an esquire. He was then taught to get on and off a horse with his heavy armor on, to wield the battle axe, and practise tilting with a spear. His service to the ladies had now reached the point where he picked out a lady to serve loyally. His endeavor was to please her in all things, in order that he might be known as her knight, and wear her glove or scarf as a badge or favor when he entered the lists of a joust or tournament.

To become a knight was almost as solemn an affair as it was to become a priest. Before the day of the ceremony he fasted, spent the night in prayer, confessed his sins, and received the Holy Sacrament. When morning came he went, clothed in white, to the church or hall, with a knight's sword suspended from his neck. This the priest blessed and returned to him. Upon receiving back the sword he went and knelt before the presiding knight and took the oath of knighthood. The friends who accompanied him now came forward and handed him the spurs, the coat of mail, the armlet and gauntlet, and having put these on he girded on his sword. The presiding knight now bade him kneel, and, touching him three times on the shoulder with the flat of his sword, he pronounced the words that received him into the company of worthy knights: In the name of God, of St. Michael, and St. George, I make thee a knight; be valiant, courteous, and loyal! After this he received his helmet, his shield, and his spear, and the ceremony was completed.

The knight's real work, and greatest joy, was fighting for some one who needed his help. Tournaments and jousts gave them chances to show off their skill in public. We must remember that there were no big open-air theatres in those days, such as the Greeks had, no public races or trials of strength such as the Greeks held in the stadiums, nor were there chariot races or fighting gladiators such as the Romans had at an earlier day. Tournaments or jousts were the big public entertainments, and you will find a famous description of one by Sir Walter Scott in Ivanhoe, in the volume Stories that Never Grow Old, the tournament of Ashby-de-la-Zouche. In it you will find a clear description of how the field of contest was laid out, of the magnificent pavilions decorated with flags, and the galleries spread with carpets and tapestries for the ladies.

The same qualities that made a manful fighter then, make one now: to speak the truth, to perform a promise to the utmost, to reverence all women, to be constant in love, to despise luxury, to be simple and modest and gentle in heart, to help the weak and take no unfair advantage of an inferior. This was the ideal of the age, and chivalry is the word that expresses that ideal. In all our reading we shall perhaps find no more glowing example of it as something real, than in the speech of Sir Jean de Vienne, governor of the besieged town of Calais who, when called upon by King Edward III of England to surrender unconditionally, replied:—

We are but a small number of knights and squires, who have loyally served our lord and master as you would have done, and have suffered much ill and disquiet, but we will endure far more than any man has done in such a post, before we consent that the smallest boy in the town shall fare worse than ourselves.

And this story you can find in the volume "Tales of Courage and

Heroism, entitled The Noble Burghers of Calais."

WILLIAM PATTEN.

THE STORY OF KING ARTHUR

This great treasure-house of stories is to the English race what the stories of Ulysses and Aeneas were to the Greeks and Latins, a national inheritance of which they should be, and are, proud.

The high nobility, dauntless courage and gentle humility of Arthur and his knights have had a great effect in moulding the character of English peoples, since none of us can help trying to imitate what he admires and loves most.

As a series of pictures of life in the Middle Ages the stories are of the greatest value. The geography is confused, as it is in the Iliad and the Odyssey, and facts are sometimes mixed up with magic, but modern critics believe there was a real Arthur, who lived about the year 500 A.D.

OF ARTHUR'S BIRTH AND HOW HE BECAME KING

Retold by Beatrice Clay

Long years ago, there ruled over Britain a king called Uther Pendragon. A mighty prince was he, and feared by all men; yet when he sought the love of the fair Igraine of Cornwall, she would have naught to do with him, so that, from grief and disappointment, Uther fell sick, and at last seemed like to die.

Now in those days, there lived a famous magician named Merlin, so powerful that he could change his form at will, or even make himself invisible; nor was there any place so remote that he could not reach it at once, merely by wishing himself there. One day, suddenly he stood at Uther's bedside, and said: Sir king, I know thy grief, and am ready to help thee. Only promise to give me, at his birth, the son that shall be born to thee, and thou shalt have thy heart's desire. To this the king agreed joyfully, and Merlin kept his word: for he gave Uther the form of one whom Igraine had loved dearly, and so she took him willingly for her husband.

When the time had come that a child should be born to the king and queen, Merlin appeared before Uther to remind him of his promise; and Uther swore it should be as he had said. Three days later, a prince was born, and, with pomp and ceremony, was christened by the name of Arthur; but immediately thereafter, the king commanded that the child should be carried to the postern-gate, there to be given to the old man who would be found waiting without.

Not long after, Uther fell sick, and he knew that his end was come; so, by Merlin's advice, he called together his knights and barons, and said to them: My death draws near. I charge you, therefore, that ye obey my son even as ye have obeyed me; and my curse upon him if he claim not the crown when he is a man grown. Then the king turned his face to the wall and died.

Scarcely was Uther laid in his grave before disputes arose. Few of the nobles had seen Arthur or even heard of him, and not one of them would have been willing to be ruled by a child; rather, each thought himself fitted to be king, and, strengthening his own castle, made war on his neighbors until confusion alone was supreme, and the poor groaned because there was none to help them.

Now when Merlin carried away Arthur—for Merlin was the old man who had stood at the postern-gate—he had known all that would happen, and had taken the child to keep him safe from the fierce barons until he should be of age to rule wisely and well, and perform all the wonders prophesied of him. He gave the child to the care of the good knight Sir Ector to bring up with his son Kay, but revealed not to him that it was the son of Uther Pendragon that was given into his charge.

At last, when years had passed and Arthur was grown a tall youth well skilled in knightly exercises, Merlin went to the Archbishop of Canterbury and advised him that he should call together at Christmas-time all the chief men of the realm to the great cathedral in London; for, said Merlin, there shall be seen a great marvel by which it shall be made clear to all men who is the lawful king of this land. The archbishop did as Merlin counselled. Under pain of a fearful curse, he bade the barons and knights come to London to keep the feast, and to pray heaven to send peace to the realm.

The people hastened to obey the archbishop's commands, and, from all sides, barons and knights came riding in to keep the birth-feast of Our Lord. And when they had prayed, and were coming forth from the cathedral they saw a strange sight. There, in the open space before the church, stood, on a great stone, an anvil thrust through with a sword; and on the stone were written these words: Whoso can draw forth this sword is rightful King of Britain born.

At once there were fierce quarrels, each man clamoring to be the first to try his fortune, none doubting his success. Then the archbishop decreed that each should make the venture in turn, from the greatest baron to the least knight; and each in turn, having put forth his utmost strength, failed to move the sword one inch, and drew back ashamed. So the archbishop dismissed the company, and having appointed guards to watch over the stone, sent messengers through all the land to give word of great jousts to be held in London at Easter, when each knight could give proof of his skill and courage, and try whether the adventure of the sword was for him.

Among those who rode to London at Easter was the good Sir Ector, and with him his son, Sir Kay, newly made a knight, and the young Arthur. When the morning came that the jousts should begin, Sir Kay and Arthur mounted their horses and set out for the lists; but before they reached the field, Kay looked and saw that he had left his sword behind. Immediately Arthur turned back to fetch it for him, only to find the house fast shut, for all were gone to view the tournament. Sore vexed was Arthur, fearing lest his brother Kay should lose his chance of gaining glory, till, of a sudden, he bethought him of the sword in the great anvil before the cathedral. Thither he rode with all speed, and the guards having deserted their post to view the tournament, there was none to forbid him the adventure. He leaped from his horse, seized the hilt, and instantly drew forth the sword as easily as from a scabbard; then, mounting his horse and thinking no marvel of what he had done, he rode after his brother and handed him the weapon.

When Kay looked at it, he saw at once that it was the wondrous sword from the stone. In great joy he sought his father, and showing it to him, said: Then must I be King of Britain. But Sir Ector bade him say how he came by the sword, and when Sir Kay told how Arthur had brought it to him, Sir Ector bent his knee to the boy, and said: Sir, I perceive that ye are my king, and here I tender you my homage; and Kay did as his father. Then the three sought the archbishop, to whom they related all that had happened; and he, much marvelling, called the people together to the great stone, and bade Arthur thrust back the sword and draw it forth again in the presence of all, which he did with ease. But an angry murmur arose from the barons, who cried that what a boy could do, a man could do; so, at the archbishop's word, the sword was put back, and each man, whether baron or knight, tried in his turn to draw it forth, and failed. Then, for the third time, Arthur drew forth the sword. Immediately there arose from the people a great shout: Arthur is King! Arthur is King! We will have no King but Arthur; and, though the great barons scowled and threatened, they fell on their knees before him while the archbishop placed the crown upon his head, and swore to obey him faithfully as their lord and sovereign.

Thus Arthur was made King; and to all he did justice, righting wrongs and giving to all their dues. Nor was he forgetful of those that had been his friends; for Kay, whom he loved as a brother, he made seneschal and chief of his household, and to Sir Ector, his foster father, he gave broad lands.

THE ROUND TABLE

Retold by Beatrice Clay

Thus Arthur was made King, but he had to fight for his own; for eleven great kings drew together and refused to acknowledge him as their lord, and chief among the rebels was King Lot of Orkney, who had married Arthur's sister, Bellicent.

By Merlin's advice, Arthur sent for help overseas, to Ban and Bors, the two great kings who ruled in Gaul.

With their aid, he overthrew his foes in a great battle near the river Trent; and then he passed with them into their own lands and helped them drive out their enemies. So there was ever great friendship between Arthur and the Kings Ban and Bors, and all their kindred, and afterward some of the most famous Knights of the Round Table were of that kin.

Then King Arthur set himself to restore order throughout his kingdom. To all who would submit and amend their evil ways, he showed kindness; but those who persisted in oppression and wrong he removed, putting in their places others who would deal justly with the people. And because the land had become overrun with forest during the days of misrule, he cut roads through the thickets, that no longer wild beasts and men, fiercer than the beasts, should lurk in their gloom, to the harm of the weak and defenceless. Thus it came to pass that soon the peasant plowed his fields in safety, and where had been wastes, men dwelt again in peace and prosperity.

Among the lesser kings whom Arthur helped to rebuild their towns and restore order, was King Leodegrance of Cameliard. Now Leodegrance had one fair child, his daughter Guenevere; and from the first he saw her, Arthur gave her all his love. So he sought counsel of Merlin, his chief adviser. Merlin heard the king sorrowfully, and he said: Sir king, when a man's heart is set, he may not change. Yet had it been well if ye had loved another.

So the king sent his knights to Leodegrance, to ask of him his daughter; and Leodegrance consented, rejoicing to wed her to so good and knightly a king. With great pomp, the princess was conducted to Canterbury, and there the king met her, and they two were wed by the archbishop in the great cathedral, amid the rejoicings of the people.

On that same day did Arthur found his Order of the Round Table, the fame of which was to spread throughout Christendom and endure through all time. Now the Round Table had been made for King Uther Pendragon by Merlin, who had meant thereby to set forth plainly to all men the roundness of the earth. After Uther died, King Leodegrance had possessed it; but when Arthur was wed, he sent it to him as a gift, and great was the king's joy at receiving it. One hundred and fifty knights might take their places about it, and for them Merlin made sieges or seats. One hundred and twenty-eight did Arthur knight at that great feast; thereafter, if any sieges were empty, at the high festival of Pentecost new knights were ordained to fill them, and by magic was the name of each knight found inscribed, in letters of gold, in his proper siege. One seat only long remained unoccupied, and that was the Siege Perilous. No knight might occupy it until the coming of Sir Galahad; for, without danger to his life, none might sit there who was not free from all stain of sin.

With pomp and ceremony did each knight take upon him the vows of true knighthood: to obey the king; to show mercy to all who asked it; to defend the weak; and for no worldly gain to fight in a wrongful cause: and all the knights rejoiced together, doing honor to Arthur and to his queen. Then they rode forth to right the wrong and help the oppressed, and by their aid, the king held his realm in peace, doing justice to all.

MERLIN THE MAGICIAN

Retold by Beatrice Clay

Of Merlin and how he served King Arthur, something has been already shown. Loyal he was ever to Uther Pendragon and to his son, King Arthur, and for the latter especially he wrought great marvels. He brought the king to his rights; he made him his ships; and some say that Camelot, with its splendid halls, where Arthur would gather his knights around him at the great festivals of the year, at Christmas, at Easter, and at Pentecost, was raised by his magic, without human toil. Bleise, the aged magician who dwelt in Northumberland and recorded the great deeds of Arthur and his knights, had been Merlin's master in magic; but it came to pass in time that Merlin far excelled him in skill, so that his enemies declared no mortal was his father, and called him devil's son.

Then, on a certain time, Merlin said to Arthur: The time draws near when ye shall miss me, for I shall go down alive into the earth; and it shall be that gladly would ye give your lands to have me again. Then Arthur was grieved, and said: Since ye know your danger, use your craft to avoid it. But Merlin answered: That may not be.

Now there had come to Arthur's court, a damsel of the Lady of the Lake—her whose skill in magic, some say, was greater than Merlin's own; and the damsel's name was Vivien. She set herself to learn the secrets of Merlin's art, and was ever with him, tending upon the old man, and with gentleness and tender service, winning her way to his heart; but all was a pretence, for she was weary of him and sought only his ruin, thinking it should be fame for her, by any means whatsoever, to enslave the greatest wizard of his age. And so she persuaded him to pass with her over seas into King Ban's land of Benwick, and there, one day, he showed her a wondrous rock formed by magic art. Then she begged him to enter into it, the better to declare to her its wonders; but when once he was within, by a charm that she had learned from Merlin's self, she caused the rock to shut down that never again might he come forth. Thus was Merlin's prophecy fulfilled, that he should go down into the earth alive. Much they marvelled in Arthur's court what had become of the great magician, till on a time, there rode past the stone a certain Knight of the Round Table and heard Merlin lamenting his sad fate. The knight would have striven to raise the mighty stone, but Merlin bade him not waste his labor, since none might release him save her who had imprisoned him there. Thus Merlin passed from the world through the treachery of a damsel, and thus Arthur was without aid in the days when his doom came upon him.

THE SWORD EXCALIBUR

By Sir Thomas Malory

Merlin took up King Arthur, and rode forth with him upon the knight's horse. As they rode King Arthur said, I have no sword. No matter, said Merlin, hereby is a sword that shall be yours, Sir King. So they rode till they came to a lake, which was a fair water and a broad; and in the midst of the lake King Arthur was aware of an arm clothed in white samite, that held a fair sword in the hand. Lo, said Merlin unto the king, yonder is the sword that I spake of. With that they saw a damsel going upon the lake. What damsel is that? said the king. That is the Lady of the Lake, said Merlin, and within that lake is a reach, and therein is as fair a place as any is on earth, and richly beseen; and this damsel will come to you anon, and then speak fair to her that she will give you that sword. Therewith came the damsel to King Arthur and saluted him, and he her again. Damsel, said the king, what sword is that which the arm holdeth yonder above the water? I would it were mine, for I have no sword. Sir king, said the damsel of the lake, that sword is mine, and if ye will give me a gift when I ask it you, ye shall have it.—By my faith, said King Arthur, I will give you any gift that you will ask or desire. Well, said the damsel, go ye into yonder barge, and row yourself unto the sword, and take it and the scabbard with you; and I will ask my gift when I see my time. So King Arthur and Merlin alighted, tied their horses to two trees, and so they went into the barge. And when they came to the sword that the hand held, King Arthur took it up by the handles, and took it with him: and the arm and the hand went under the water, and so King Arthur came to the land, and rode forth. * * * Then the king looked upon the sword, and liked it passing well. Whether liketh you better, said Merlin, the sword or the scabbard? Me liketh better the sword, said King Arthur.—Ye are more unwise, said Merlin; for the scabbard is worth ten of the sword; for while ye have the scabbard upon you ye shall lose no blood, be ye never so sore wounded; therefore keep well the scabbard alway with you.

* * * Then Arthur proclaimed that all the lords, knights, and gentlemen of arms, should draw unto a castle, that was called in those days Camelot, and the king would have a council-general and a great joust. So when the king was come thither, with all his baronage, and lodged as them seemed best, there came a damsel, sent on message from the great Lady Lily, of Avilion; and, when she came before King Arthur, she told him from whom she came, and how she was sent on message unto him for these causes. And she let her mantle fall, that was richly furred, and then she was girded with a noble sword, whereof the king had great marvel, and said, Damsel, for what cause are ye gird with that sword? It beseemeth you not. Now shall I tell you, said the damsel. This sword, that I am gird withal, doth me great sorrow and remembrance; for I may not be delivered of this sword but by a good knight; and he must be a passing good man of his hands and of his deeds, and without villany or treachery. If I may find such a knight that hath all these virtues, he may draw out this sword of the scabbard. For I have been at King Rience; for it was told that there were passing good knights, and he and all his knights have assayed it, and none can speed.

This is a great marvel, said King Arthur, and if besooth, I will myself assay to draw out the sword; not presuming upon myself that I am the best knight, but that I will begin to draw at your sword, in giving example to all the barons, that they shall assay every one after other, when I have assayed. Then King Arthur took the sword by the scabbard and girdle and pulled at it eagerly, but the sword would not out. Sir, said the damsel, ye need not pull half so hard; for he that shall pull it out shall do it with little might. Ye say well, said King Arthur: now assay ye, all my barons; but beware ye be not defiled with shame, treachery, nor guile.—Then it will not avail, said the damsel; for he must be a clean knight, without villany, and of gentle stream of father's side and mother's side. Most of all the barons of the Round Table, that were there at that time, assayed all in turn, but none might speed. Wherefore the damsel made great sorrow out of measure, and said, Alas! I weened in this court had been the best knights, without treachery or treason. By my faith, said King Arthur, here are as good knights as I deem any be in the world; but their grace is not to help you, wherefore I am greatly displeased.

It happened so, at that time, that there was a poor knight with King Arthur, that had been prisoner with him half a year and more, for slaying of a knight, which was cousin to King Arthur. The knight was named Balin le Savage: and by good means of the barons he was delivered out of prison; for he was a good man named of his body, and he was born in Northumberland. And so he went privily into the court, and saw this adventure, whereof his heart rose, and would assay it as other knights did; but for because he was poor, and poorly arrayed, he put him not far in press. But in his heart he was fully assured (if his grace happened him) as any knight that was there. And, as that damsel took her leave of King Arthur and the barons, this knight, Balin, called unto her, and said, Damsel, I pray you of your courtesy, to suffer me as well to assay as these lords; though I be poorly clothed, in mine heart meseemeth I am fully assured as some of these other lords, and meseemeth in my heart to speed right well. The damsel beheld the poor knight, and saw he was a likely man; but, because of his poor array, she thought he should be of no worship without villany or treachery. And then she said to the knight Balin, Sir, it is no need to put me to any more pain or labour; for beseemeth not you to speed there as others have failed. Ah, fair damsel, said Balin, worthiness and good graces and good deeds are not all only in raiment, but manhood and worship is hid within man's person; and many a worshipful knight is not known unto all people; and therefore worship and hardiness is not in raiment and clothing.—By God! said the damsel, ye say truth; therefore ye shall assay to do what ye may. Then Balin took the sword by the girdle and scabbard, and drew it out easily; and when he looked upon the sword, it pleased him well. * * * Anon after Balin sent for his horse and his armour, and so would depart from the court, and took his leave of King Arthur.

The meanwhile that this knight was making him ready to depart, there came into the court a lady, which hight the Lady of the Lake, and she came on horseback, richly beseen, and saluted King Arthur, and there asked him a gift that he had promised her when she gave him the sword.

That is sooth, said King Arthur, a gift I promised you; but I have forgotten the name of the sword which ye gave me. The name of it, said the lady, "is Excalibur; that is as much to say cut-steel.— Ye say well, said King Arthur. Ask what ye will, and ye shall have it, if it lie in my power to give it. Well, said the Lady of the Lake, I ask the head of the knight that hath won the sword, or else the damsel's head that brought it. And though I have both their heads I care not; for he slew my brother, a full good knight and true, and the gentlewoman was causer of my father's death.—Truly, said King Arthur, I may not grant you either of their heads with my worship; therefore ask what ye will else, and I shall fulfil your desire. I will ask none other thing of you, said the lady. When Balin was ready to depart, he saw the Lady of the Lake there, by whose means was slain his own mother, and he had sought her three years. And when it was told him that she demanded his head of King Arthur, he went straight to her, and said, Evil be ye found. Ye would have my head, and therefore ye shall lose yours! And with his sword lightly he smote off her head, in the presence of King Arthur. Alas! for shame, said the king. Why have you done so? You have shamed me and all my court. For this was a lady that I was much beholden unto; and hither she came under my safe conduct. I shall never forgive you that trespass. My lord, said Balin, me forethinketh much of your displeasure; for this lady was the untruest lady living; and by her enchantment and witchcraft she hath been the destroyer of many good knights, and she was the causer that my mother was burnt, through her falsehood and treachery." Then King Arthur and all his court made great dole, and had great shame of the death of the Lady of the Lake. Then the king full richly buried her.

* * * My time hieth fast, said King Arthur unto Sir Bedivere; therefore take thou Excalibur, my good sword, and go with it unto yonder water-side; and when thou comest there, I charge thee, throw my sword into that water, and come again and tell me what thou shalt see there. My lord, said Sir Bedivere, your command shall be done, and lightly bring you word again. And so Sir Bedivere departed, and by the way he beheld that noble sword, where the pommel and the haft were all of precious stones. And then he said to himself, If I throw this rich sword into the water, thereof shall never come good, but harm and loss. And then Sir Bedivere hid Excalibur under a tree; and as soon as he might, he came again unto King Arthur, and said he had been at the water. What sawest thou there? said the king. Sir, said he, I saw nothing but waves and wind.—That is untruly said of thee, said King Arthur. Therefore go thou lightly, and do my command; as thou art to me life and dear, spare not, but throw it in. Then Sir Bedivere returned again, and took the sword in his hand; and then he thought it sin and shame to throw away that noble sword: and so after he hid the sword and returned again, and told the king that he had been at the water and done his command. What saw ye there? said the king. Sir, said he, I saw nothing but the water lap and waves wan.—Ah! traitor untrue, said King Arthur, now hast thou betrayed me two times, who would have weened that thou that hast been unto me so self and dear, and thou art named a noble knight, and wouldest betray me for the rich sword. But now go again lightly, for thy long tarrying putteth me in great jeopardy of my life, for I have taken cold; and but if thou do as I command thee, and if ever I may see thee, I shall slay thee with mine own hands, for thou wouldest for my rich sword see me dead. Then Sir Bedivere departed and went to the sword and lightly took it up and went to the water's side, and there he bound the girdle about the belts. And then he threw the sword into the water as far as he might, and there came an arm and a hand above the water, and met it and caught it, and so shook it thrice and brandished. And then the hand vanished away with the sword in the water.

So Sir Bedivere came again to the king, and told him what he had seen. Alas! said the king, help me from hence; for I dread me I have tarried over long. Then Sir Bedivere took King Arthur upon his back, and so went with him to the water's side; and, when they were at the water's side, even fast by the bank hovered a little barge, with many fair ladies in it: and among them all was a queen, and they all had black hoods; and they wept and shrieked when they saw King Arthur.

Now put me into the barge, said the king. And so he did softly, and there received him three queens with great mourning; and so these three queens sat them down, and in one of their laps King Arthur laid his head. And then that queen said: Ah! dear brother, why have ye tarried so long from me? Alas! this wound on your head hath taken overmuch cold. And so then they rowed from the land; and Sir Bedivere cried, Ah! my lord Arthur, what shall become of me now ye go from me, and leave me here alone among mine enemies? Comfort thyself, said King Arthur, and do as well as thou mayest; for in me is no trust for to trust in: for I will into the vale of Avilion, for to heal me of my grievous wound; and, if thou never hear more of me, pray for my soul.

SIR LAUNCELOT AND THE ADVENTURE OF THE CASTLE PERILOUS

Retold by Beatrice Clay

Now, as time passed, King Arthur gathered into his Order of the Round Table knights whose peers shall never be