CHAP. I.--_Lucius Tiberius calls together the eastern kings against the
Britons._
Lucius Tiberius, on receiving this answer, by order of the senate
published a decree, for the eastern kings to come with their forces, and
assist in the conquest of Britain. In obedience to which there came in
a very short time, Epistrophius, king of the Grecians; Mustensar, king
of the Africans; Alifantinam, king of Spain; Hirtacius, king of the
Parthians; Boccus, of the Medes; Sertorius, of Libya; Teucer, king of
Phrygia; Serses, king of the Itureans; Pandrasus, king of Egypt;
Micipsa, king of Babylon; Polytetes, duke of Bithynia; Teucer, duke of
Phrygia; Evander, of Syria; AEthion, of Boeotia; Hippolytus, of Crete,
with the generals and nobility under them. Of the senatorian order also
came, Lucius Catellus, Marius Lepidus, Caius Metellus Cotta, Quintus
Milvius Catulus, Quintus Carutius, and as many others as made up the
number of forty thousand one hundred and sixty.[218]
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 218: It is almost unnecessary to inform the reader that not
one of these kings ever existed; and yet this caution may be of use, so
prone are men to indulge the bias of the imagination at the expense of
historic truth.]
CHAP. II.--_Arthur commits to his nephew Modred the government of
Britain. His dream at Hamo's Port._
After the necessary dispositions were made, upon the kalends of August,
they began their march towards Britain, which when Arthur had
intelligence of, he committed the government of the kingdom to his
nephew Modred, and queen Guanhumara, and marched with his army to Hamo's
Port, where the wind stood fair for him. But while he, surrounded with
all his numerous fleet, was sailing joyfully with a brisk gale, it
happened that about midnight he fell into a very sound sleep, and in a
dream saw a bear flying in the air, at the noise of which all the shores
trembled; also a terrible dragon flying from the west, which enlightened
the country with the brightness of its eyes. When these two met, they
began a dreadful fight; but the dragon with its fiery breath burned the
bear which often assaulted him, and threw him down scorched to the
ground. Arthur upon this awaking, related his dream to those that stood
about him, who took upon them to interpret it, and told him that the
dragon signified himself, but the bear, some giant that should encounter
with him; and that the fight portended the duel that would be between
them, and the dragon's victory the same that would happen to himself.
But Arthur conjectured it portended something else, and that the vision
was applicable to himself and the emperor. As soon as the morning after
this night's sail appeared, they found themselves arrived at the mouth
of the river Barba. And there they pitched their tents, to wait the
arrival of the kings of the islands and the generals of the other
provinces.
CHAP. III.--_Arthur kills a Spanish giant who had stolen away Helena,
the niece of Hoel._
In the meantime Arthur had news brought him, that a giant of monstrous
size was come from the shores of Spain, and had forcibly taken away
Helena, the niece of duke Hoel, from her guard, and fled with her to the
top of that which is now called Michael's Mount;[219] and that the
soldiers of the country who pursued him were able to do nothing against
him. For whether they attacked him by sea or land, he either overturned
their ships with vast rocks, or killed them with several sorts of darts,
besides many of them that he took and devoured half alive. The next
night, therefore, at the second hour, Arthur, taking along with him
Caius the sewer, and Bedver the butler, went out privately from the
camp, and hastened towards the mountain. For being a man of undaunted
courage, he did not care to lead his army against such monsters; both
because he could in this manner animate his men by his own example, and
also because he was alone sufficient to deal with them. As soon as they
came near the mountain, they saw a fire burning upon the top of it, and
another on a lesser mountain, that was not far from it. And being in
doubt upon which of them the giant dwelt, they sent away Bedver to know
the certainty of the matter. So he, finding a boat, sailed over in it
first to the lesser mountain, to which he could in no other way have
access, because it was situated in the sea. When he had begun to climb
up to the top of it, he was at first frightened with a dismal howling
cry of a woman from above, and imagined the monster to be there: but
quickly rousing up his courage, he drew his sword, and having reached
the top, found nothing but the fire which he had before seen at a
distance. He discovered also a grave newly made, and an old woman
weeping and howling by it, who at the sight of him instantly cried out
in words interrupted with sighs, "O, unhappy man, what misfortune brings
you to this place? O the inexpressible tortures of death that you must
suffer! I pity you, I pity you, because the detestable monster will this
night destroy the flower of your youth. For that most wicked and odious
giant, who brought the duke's niece, whom I have just now buried here,
and me, her nurse, along with her into this mountain, will come and
immediately murder you in a most cruel manner. O deplorable fate! This
most illustrious princess, sinking under the fear her tender heart
conceived, while the foul monster would have embraced her, fainted away
and expired. And when he could not satiate his brutish lust upon her,
who was the very soul, joy, and happiness of my life, being enraged at
the disappointment of his bestial desire, he forcibly committed a rape
upon me, who (let God and my old age witness) abhorred his embraces.
Fly, dear sir, fly, for fear he may come, as he usually does, to lie
with me, and finding you here most barbarously butcher you." Bedver,
moved at what she said, as much as it is possible for human nature to
be, endeavoured with kind words to assuage her grief, and to comfort her
with the promise of speedy help: and then returned back to Arthur, and
gave him an account of what he had met with. Arthur very much lamented
the damsel's sad fate, and ordered his companions to leave him to deal
with him alone; unless there was an absolute necessity, and then they
were to come in boldly to his assistance. From hence they went directly
to the next mountain, leaving their horses with their armour-bearers,
and ascended to the top, Arthur leading the way. The deformed savage was
then by the fire, with his face besmeared with the clotted blood of
swine, part of which he already devoured, and was roasting the remainder
upon spits by the fire. But at the sight of them, whose appearance was a
surprise to him, he hastened to his club, which two strong men could
hardly lift from the ground. Upon this the king drew his sword, and
guarding himself with his shield, ran with all his speed to prevent his
getting it. But the other, who was not ignorant of his design, had by
this time snatched it up, and gave the king such a terrible blow upon
his shield, that he made the shores ring with the noise, and perfectly
stunned the king's ears with it. Arthur, fired with rage at this, lifted
up his sword, and gave him a wound in the forehead, which was not indeed
mortal, but yet such as made the blood gush out over his face and eyes,
and so blinded him; for he had partly warded off the stroke from his
forehead with his club, and prevented its being fatal. However, his loss
of sight, by reason of the blood flowing over his eyes, made him exert
himself with greater fury, and like an enraged boar against a
hunting-spear, so did he rush in against Arthur's sword, and grasping
him about the waist, forced him down upon his knees. But Arthur, nothing
daunted, slipped out of his hands, and so exerted himself with his
sword, that he gave the giant no respite till he had struck it up to the
very back through his skull. At this the hideous monster raised a
dreadful roar, and like an oak torn up from the roots by the winds, so
did he make the ground resound with his fall. Arthur, bursting out into
a fit of laughter at the sight, commanded Bedver to cut off his head,
and give it to one of the armour-bearers, who was to carry it to the
camp, and there expose it to public view, but with orders for the
spectators of this combat to keep silence. He told them he had found
none of so great strength, since he killed the giant Ritho, who had
challenged him to fight, upon the mountain Aravius. This giant had made
himself furs of the beards of kings he had killed, and had sent word to
Arthur carefully to cut off his beard and send it to him; and then, out
of respect to his pre-eminence over other kings, his beard should have
the honour of the principal place. But if he refused to do it, he
challenged him to a duel, with this offer, that the conqueror should
have the furs, and also the beard of the vanquished for a trophy of his
victory. In his conflict, therefore, Arthur proved victorious, and took
the beard and spoils of the giant: and, as he said before, had met with
none that could be compared to him for strength, till his last
engagement. After this victory, they returned at the second watch of the
night to the camp with the head; to see which there was a great
concourse of people, all extolling this wonderful exploit of Arthur, by
which he had freed the country from a most destructive and voracious
monster. But Hoel, in great grief for the loss of his niece, commanded a
mausoleum to be built over her body in the mountain where she was
buried, which, taking the damsel's name, is called Helena's Tomb to this
day.
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 219: This most romantic and interesting rock is crowned by a
singularly quaint structure, half monastic and half castellated. It must
have been a place of great strength before the invention of powder, and
contains some curious rooms, a dungeon and other remains of feudality.]
CHAP. IV. _Arthur's ambassadors to Lucius Tiberius deliver Pelreius
Cotta, whom they took prisoner to Arthur._
As soon as all the forces were arrived which Arthur expected, he marched
from thence to Augustodunum, where he supposed the general was. But when
he came to the river Alba, he had intelligence brought him of his having
encamped not far off, and that he was come with so vast an army, that he
would not be able to withstand it. However, this did not deter him from
pursuing his enterprise; but he pitched his camp upon the bank of the
river, to facilitate the bringing up of his forces, and to secure his
retreat, if there should be occasion; and sent Boso the consul of
Oxford, and Guerinus Carnotensis, with his nephew Walgan, to Lucius
Tiberius, requiring him either to retire from the coasts of Gaul, or
come the next day, that they might try their right to that country with
their swords. The retinue of young courtiers that attended Walgan,
highly rejoicing at this opportunity, were urgent with him to find some
occasion for a quarrel in the commander's camp, that so they might
engage the Romans. Accordingly they went to Lucius, and commanded him to
retire out of Gaul, or hazard a battle the next day. But while he was
answering them, that he was not come to retire, but to govern the
country, there was present Caius Quintilianus, his nephew, who said,
"That the Britons were better at boasting and threatening, than they
were at fighting." Walgan immediately took fire at this, and ran upon
him with his drawn sword, wherewith he cut off his head, and then
retreated speedily with his companions to their horses. The Romans, both
horse and foot, pursued to revenge the loss of their countryman upon the
ambassadors, who fled with great precipitation. But Guerinus
Carnotensis, just as one of them was come up to him, rallied on a
sudden, and with his lance struck at once through his armour and the
very middle of his body, and laid him prostrate on the ground. The sight
of this noble exploit raised the emulation of Boso of Oxford, who,
wheeling about his horse, struck his lance into the throat of the first
man he met with, and dismounted him mortally wounded. In the meantime,
Marcellus Mutius, with great eagerness to revenge Quintilian's death,
was just upon the back of Walgan, and laid hold of him; which the other
quickly obliged him to quit, by cleaving both his helmet and head to the
breast with his sword. He also bade him, when he arrived at the infernal
regions, tell the man he had killed in the camp, "That in this manner
the Britons showed their boasting and threatening." Then having
re-assembled his men, he encouraged them to despatch every one his
pursuer in the same manner as he had done; which accordingly they did
not fail to accomplish. Notwithstanding, the Romans continued their
pursuit with lances and swords, wherewith they annoyed the others,
though without slaughter or taking any prisoners. But as they came near
a certain wood, a party of six thousand Britons, who seeing the flight
of the consuls, had hid themselves, to be in readiness for their
assistance, sallied forth, and putting spurs to their horses, rent the
air with their loud shouts, and being well fenced with their shields,
assaulted the Romans suddenly, and forced them to fly. And now it was
the Britons' turn to pursue, which they did with better success, for
they dismounted, killed, or took several of the enemy. Petreius, the
senator, upon this news, hastened to the assistance of his countrymen
with ten thousand men, and compelled the Britons to retreat to the wood
from whence they had sallied forth; though not without loss of his own
men. For the Britons, being well acquainted with the ground, in their
flight killed a great number of their pursuers. The Britons thus giving
ground, Hider, with another reinforcement of five thousand men, advanced
with speed to sustain them; so that they again faced those, upon whom
they had turned their backs, and renewed the assault with great vigour.
The Romans also stood their ground, and continued the fight with various
success. The great fault of the Britons was, that though they had been
very eager to begin the fight, yet when begun they were less careful of
the hazard they ran. Whereas the Romans were under better discipline,
and had the advantage of a prudent commander, Petreius Cotta, to tell
them where to advance, and where to give ground, and by these means did
great injury to the enemy. When Boso observed this, he drew off from
the rest a large party of those whom he knew to be the stoutest men, and
spoke to them after this manner: "Since we have begun this fight without
Arthur's knowledge, we must take care that we be not defeated in the
enterprise. For, if we should, we shall both very much endanger our men,
and incur the king's high displeasure. Rouse up your courage, and follow
me through the Roman squadrons, that with the favour of good fortune we
may either kill or take Petreius prisoner." With this they put spurs to
their horses, and piercing through the enemies' thickest ranks, reached
the place where Petreius was giving his commands. Boso hastily ran in
upon him, and grasping him about the neck, fell with him to the ground,
as he had intended. The Romans hereupon ran to his delivery, as did the
Britons to Boso's assistance; which occasioned on both sides great
slaughter, noise, and confusion, while one party strove to rescue their
leader, and the other to keep him prisoner. So that this proved the
sharpest part of the whole fight, and wherein their spears, swords, and
arrows had the fullest employment. At length, the Britons, joining in a
close body, and sustaining patiently the assaults of the Romans, retired
to the main body of their army with Petreius: which they had no sooner
done, than they again attacked them, being now deprived of their leader,
very much weakened, dispirited, and just beginning to flee. They,
therefore, eagerly pursued, beat down, and killed several of them, and
as soon as they had plundered them, pursued the rest: but they took the
greatest number of them prisoners, being desirous to present them to the
king. When they had at last sufficiently harassed them, they returned
with their plunder and prisoners to the camp; where they gave an account
of what had happened, and presented Petreius Cotta with the other
prisoners before Arthur, with great joy for the victory. Arthur
congratulated them upon it, and promised them advancement to greater
honours, for behaving themselves so gallantly when he was absent from
them. Then he gave his command to some of his men, to conduct the
prisoners the next day to Paris, and deliver them to be kept in custody
there till further orders. The party that were to undertake this charge,
he ordered to be conducted by Cador, Bedver, and the two consuls,
Borellus and Richerius, with their servants, till they should be out of
all fear of disturbance from the Romans.
CHAP. V.--_The Romans attack the Britons with a very great force, but
are put to flight by them._
But the Romans, happening to get intelligence of their design, at the
command of their general chose out fifteen thousand men, who that night
were to get before the others in their march, and rescue their fellow
soldiers out of their hands. They were to be commanded by Vulteius
Catellus and Quintus Carutius, senators, as also Evander, king of Syria,
and Sertorius, king of Libya. Accordingly they began their march that
very night, and possessed themselves of a place convenient for lying in
ambuscade, through which they supposed the others would pass. In the
morning the Britons set forward along the same road with their
prisoners, and were now approaching the place in perfect ignorance of
the cunning stratagem of the enemy. No sooner had they entered it, than
the Romans, to their great surprise, sprang forth and fell furiously
upon them. Notwithstanding, the Britons, at length recovering from their
consternation, assembled together, and prepared for a bold opposition,
by appointing a party to guard the prisoners, and drawing out the rest
in order of battle against the enemy. Richerius and Bedver had the
command of the party that were set over the prisoners; but Cador, duke
of Cornwall, and Borellus headed the others. But all the Romans had made
their sally without being placed in any order, and cared not to form
themselves, that they might lose no time in the slaughter of the
Britons, whom they saw busied in marshalling their troops, and preparing
only for their defence. By this conduct the Britons were extremely
weakened, and would have shamefully lost their prisoners, had not good
fortune rendered them assistance. For Guitard, commander of the
Pictavians, happened to get information of the designed stratagem, and
was come up with three thousand men, by the help of which they at last
got the advantage, and paid back the slaughter upon their insolent
assailants. Nevertheless, the loss which they sustained at the beginning
of this action was very considerable. For they lost Borellus, the
famous consul of the Cenomanni, in an encounter with Evander, king of
Syria, who stuck his lance into his throat; besides four noblemen, viz.
Hirelgas Deperirus, Mauricius Cadorcanensis, Aliduc of Tintagel, and
Hider his son, than whom braver men were hardly to be found. But yet
neither did this loss dispirit the Britons, but rather made them more
resolute to keep the prisoners, and kill the enemy. The Romans, now
finding themselves unable to maintain the fight any longer, suddenly
quitted the field, and made towards their camp; but were pursued with
slaughter by the Britons, who also took many of them, and allowed them
no respite till they had killed Vulteius Catellus and Evander, king of
Syria, and wholly dispersed the rest. After which they sent away their
former prisoners to Paris, whither they were to conduct them, and
returned back with those newly taken to the king; to whom they gave
great hopes of a complete conquest of their enemies, since very few of
the great number that came against them had met with any success.
CHAP. VI.--_Lucius Tiberius goes to Lengriae. Arthur, designing to
vanquish him, by a stratagem possesses himself of the valley of Suesia._
These repeated disasters wrought no small disturbance in the mind of
Lucius Tiberius, and made him hesitate whether to bring it to a general
battle with Arthur, or to retire into Augustodunum, and stay till the
emperor Leo with his forces could come to his assistance. At length,
giving way to his fears, he entered Lengriae with his army, intending to
reach the other city the night following. Arthur, finding this, and
being desirous to get before him in his march, left the city on the left
hand, and the same night entered a certain valley called Suesia, through
which Lucius was to pass. There he divided his men into several bodies,
commanding one legion, over which Morvid, consul of Gloucester, was
appointed general, to wait close by, that he might retreat to them if
there should be occasion, and from thence rally his broken forces for a
second battle. The rest he divided into seven parts, in each of which he
placed five thousand five hundred and fifty-five men, all completely
armed. He also appointed different stations to his horse and foot, and
gave command that just as the foot should advance to the attack, the
horse, keeping close together in their ranks, should at the same moment
march up obliquely, and endeavour to put the enemy into disorder. The
companies of foot were, after the British manner, drawn out into a
square, with a right and left wing, under the command of Augusel, king
of Albania, and Cador, duke of Cornwall; the one presiding over the
right wing, the other over the left. Over another party were placed the
two famous consuls, Guerinus of Chartres and Boso of Richiden, called in
the Saxon tongue Oxineford; over a third were Aschillius, king of the
Dacians, and Lot, king of the Norwegians; the fourth being commanded by
Hoel, duke of the Armoricans, and Walgan, the king's nephew. After these
were four other parties placed in the rear; the first commanded by Caius
the sewer, and Bedver the butler; the second by Holdin, duke of the
Ruteni, and Guitard of the Pictavians; the third by Vigenis of
Legecester, Jonathal of Dorchester, and Cursalem of Caicester; the
fourth by Urbgennius of Bath. Behind all these, Arthur, for himself and
the legion that was to attend near him, made choice of a place, where he
set up a golden dragon for a standard, whither the wounded or fatigued
might in case of necessity retreat, as into their camp. The legion that
was with him consisted of six thousand six hundred and sixty-six men.
CHAP. VII.--_Arthur's exhortation to his soldiers._
After he had thus placed them all in their stations, he made the
following speech to his soldiers:--"My brave countrymen, who have made
Britain the mistress of thirty kingdoms, I congratulate you upon your
late noble exploit, which to me is a proof that your valour is so far
from being impaired, that it is rather increased. Though you have been
five years without exercise, wherein the softening pleasures of an easy
life had a greater share of your time than the use of arms; yet all this
has not made you degenerate from your natural bravery, which you have
shown in forcing the Romans to flee. The pride of their leaders has
animated them to attempt the invasion of your liberties. They have tried
you in battle, with numbers superior to yours, and have not been able
to stand before you; but have basely withdrawn themselves into that
city, from which they are now ready to march out, and to pass through
this valley in their way to Augustodunum; so that you may have an
opportunity of falling upon them unawares like a flock of sheep.
Certainly they expected to find in you the cowardice of the Eastern
nations, when they thought to make your country tributary, and you their
slaves. What, have they never heard of your wars, with the Dacians,
Norwegians, and princes of the Gauls, whom you reduced under my power,
and freed from their shameful yoke? We, then, that have had success in a
greater war, need not doubt of it in a less, if we do but endeavour with
the same spirit to vanquish these poltroons. You shall want no rewards
of honour, if as faithful soldiers you do but strictly obey my commands.
For as soon as we have routed them, we will march straight to Rome, and
take it; and then all the gold, silver, palaces, towers, towns, cities,
and other riches of the vanquished shall be yours." He had hardly done
speaking before they all with one voice declared, that they were ready
to suffer death, rather than quit the field while he had life.
CHAP. VIII.--_Lucius Tiberius, discovering Arthur's design, in a speech
animates his followers to fight._
But Lucius Tiberius, discovering the designs that were formed against
him, would not flee, as he had at first intended, but taking new
courage, resolved to march to the same valley against them; and calling
together his principal commanders, spoke to them in these
words:--"Venerable fathers, to whose empire both the Eastern and Western
kingdoms owe obedience, remember the virtues of your ancestors, who were
not afraid to shed their blood, when the vanquishing of the enemies of
the commonwealth required it; but to leave an example of their courage
and military virtues to their posterity, behaved themselves in all
battles with that contempt of death, as if God had given them some
security against it. By this conduct they often triumphed, and by
triumphing escaped death. Such was the reward of their virtue from
Divine Providence, which overrules all events. The increase of the
commonwealth, and of their own valour was owing to this; and all those
virtues that usually adorn the great, as integrity, honour, and
munificence, flourishing a long time in them, raised them and their
posterity to the empire of the whole world. Let their noble examples
animate you: rouse up the spirit of the ancient Romans, and be not
afraid to march out against our enemies that are lying in ambush before
us in the valley, but boldly with your swords demand of them your just
rights. Do not think that I retired into this city for fear of engaging
with them; but I thought that, as their pursuit of us was rash and
foolish, so we might hence on a sudden intercept them in it, and by
dividing their main body make a great slaughter of them. But now, since
they have altered the measures which we supposed they had taken, let us
also alter ours. Let us go in quest of them and bravely fall upon them;
or if they shall happen to have the advantage in the beginning of the
battle, let us only stand our ground during the fury of their first
assault, and the victory will undoubtedly be ours; for in many battles
this manner of conduct has been attended with victory." As soon as he
had made an end of speaking these and other things, they all declared
their assent, promised with an oath to stand by him, and hastened to arm
themselves. Which when they had done, they marched out of Lengriae to the
valley where Arthur had drawn out his forces in order of battle. Then
they also began to marshal their army, which they divided into twelve
companies, and according to the Roman manner of battle, drew out each
company into the form of a wedge, consisting of six thousand six hundred
and sixty-six men. Each company also had its respective leaders, who
were to give direction when to advance, or when to be upon the
defensive. One of them was headed by Lucius Catellus the senator, and
Alifantinam, king of Spain; another by Hirtacius, king of the Parthians,
and Marius Lepidus, a senator; a third by Boccus, king of the Medes, and
Caius Metellus, a senator; a fourth by Sertorius, king of Libya, and
Quintus Milvius, a senator. These four companies were placed in the
front of the army. In the rear of these were four others, whereof one
was commanded by Serses, king of the Itureans; another by Pandrasus,
king of Egypt; a third by Polytetes, duke of Bithynia; a fourth by
Teucer, duke of Phrygia. And again behind all these four others,
whereof the commanders were Quintus Carucius, a senator, Laelius
Ostiensis, Sulpitius Subuculus, and Mauricius Sylvanus. As for the
general himself, he was sometimes in one place, sometimes another, to
encourage and direct as there should be occasion. For a standard he
ordered a golden eagle to be firmly set up in the centre, for his men to
repair to whenever they should happen to be separated from their
company.
CHAP. IX.--_A battle between Arthur and Lucius Tiberius._
And now the Britons and Romans stood presenting their arms at one
another; when forthwith at the sound of the trumpets, the company that
was headed by the king of Spain and Lucius Catellus, boldly rushed
forward against that which the king of Scotland and duke of Cornwall
led, but were not able to make the least breach in their firm ranks. So
that while these stood their ground, up came Guerinus and Boso with a
body of horse upon their full speed, broke through the party that began
the assault, and met with another which the king of the Parthians was
leading up against Aschillius, king of Dacia. After this first onset,
there followed a general engagement of both armies with great violence,
and several breaches were made on each side. The shouts, the slaughter,
the quantity of blood spilled, and the agonies of the dying, made a
dreadful scene of horror. At first, the Britons sustained a great loss,
by having Bedver the butler killed, and Caius the sewer mortally
wounded. For, as Bedver met Boccus, king of the Medes, he fell dead by a
stab of his lance amidst the enemies' troops. And Caius, in endeavouring
to revenge his death, was surrounded by the Median troops, and there
received a mortal wound, yet as a brave soldier he opened himself a way
with the wing which he led, killed and dispersed the Medes, and would
have made a safe retreat with all his men, had he not met the king of
Libya with the forces under him, who put his whole company into
disorder; yet not so great, but that he was still able to get off with a
few, and flee with Bedver's corps to the golden dragon. The Neustrians
grievously lamented at the sight of their leader's mangled body; and so
did the Andegavians, when they beheld their consul wounded. But there
was now no room for complaints, for the furious and bloody shocks of
both armies made it necessary to provide for their own defence.
Therefore Hirelgas, the nephew of Bedver, being extremely enraged at his
death, called up to him three hundred men, and like a wild boar amongst
a pack of dogs, broke through the enemies' ranks with his horse, making
towards the place where he had seen the standard of the king of the
Medes; little regarding what might befall him, if he could but revenge
the loss of his uncle. At length he reached the place, killed the king,
brought off his body to his companions, and laid it by that of his
uncle, where he mangled it in the same manner. Then calling with a loud
voice to his countrymen, he animated their troops, and vehemently
pressed them to exert themselves to the utmost, now that their spirits
were raised, and the enemy disheartened; and especially as they had the
advantage of them in being placed in better order, and so might the more
grievously annoy them. Encouraged with this exhortation, they began a
general assault upon the enemy, which was attended with a terrible
slaughter on both sides. For on the part of the Romans, besides many
others, fell Alifantinam, king of Spain, Micipsa of Babylon, as also
Quintus Milvius and Marius Lepidus, senators. On the part of the
Britons, Holdin, king of the Ruteni, Leodegarius of Bolonia, and three
consuls of Britain, Cursalem of Caicester, Galluc of Salisbury, and
Urbgennius of Bath. So that the troops which they commanded, being
extremely weakened, retreated till they came to the army of the
Armorican Britons, commanded by Hoel and Walgan. But these, being
inflamed at the retreat of their friends, encouraged them to stand their
ground, and caused them with the help of their own forces to put their
pursuers to flight. While they continued this pursuit, they beat down
and killed several of them, and gave them no respite, till they came to
the general's troop; who, seeing the distress of his companions,
hastened to their assistance.
CHAP. X.--_Hoel and Walgan signalize their valour in the fight._
And now in this latter encounter the Britons were worsted, with the loss
of Kimarcoc, consul of Trigeria, and two thousand with him; besides
three famous noblemen, Richomarcus, Bloccovius, and Jagivius of Bodloan,
who, had they but enjoyed the dignity of princes, would have been
celebrated for their valour through all succeeding ages. For, during
this assault which they made in conjunction with Hoel and Walgan, there
was not an enemy within their reach that could escape the fury of their
sword or lance. But upon their falling in among Lucius's party, they
were surrounded by them, and suffered the same fate with the consul and
the other men. The loss of these men made those matchless heroes, Hoel
and Walgan, much more eager to assault the general's ranks, and to try
on all sides where to make the greatest impression. But Walgan, whose
valour was never to be foiled, endeavoured to gain access to Lucius
himself, that he might encounter him, and with this view beat down and
killed all that stood in his way. And Hoel, not inferior to him, did no
less service in another part, by spiriting up his men, and giving and
receiving blows among the enemy with the same undaunted courage. It was
hard to determine, which of them was the stoutest soldier.
CHAP. XI.--_Lucius Tiberius being killed, the Britons obtain the
victory._
But Walgan, by forcing his way through the enemy's troops, as we said
before, found at last (what he had wished for) access to the general,
and immediately encountered him. Lucius, being then in the flower of his
youth, and a person of great courage and vigour, desired nothing more
than to engage with such a one as might put his strength to its full
trial. Putting himself, therefore, into a posture of defence, he
received Walgan with joy, and was not a little proud to try his courage
with one of whom he had heard such great things. The fight continued
between them a long time, with great force of blows, and no less
dexterity in warding them off, each being resolved upon the other's
destruction. During this sharp conflict between them, the Romans, on a
sudden, recovering their courage, made an assault upon the Armoricans,
and having relieved their general, repulsed Hoel and Walgan, with their
troops, till they found themselves unawares met by Arthur and the forces
under him. For he, hearing of the slaughter that was a little before
made of his men, had speedily advanced with his legion, and drawing out
his Caliburn, spoke to them, with a loud voice, after this manner: "What
are you doing, soldiers? Will you suffer these effeminate wretches to
escape? Let not one of them get off alive. Remember the force of your
arms, that have reduced thirty kingdoms under my subjection. Remember
your ancestors, whom the Romans, when at the height of their power, made
tributary. Remember your liberties, which these pitiful fellows, that
are much your inferiors, attempt to deprive you of. Let none of them
escape alive. What are you doing?" With these expostulations, he rushed
upon the enemy, made terrible havoc among them, and not a man did he
meet but at one blow he laid either him or his horse dead upon the
ground. They, therefore, in astonishment fled from him, as a flock of
sheep from a fierce lion, whom raging hunger provokes to devour whatever
happens to come near him. Their arms were no manner of protection to
them against the force with which this valiant prince wielded his
Caliburn. Two kings, Sertorius of Libya, and Polytetes of Bithynia,
unfortunately felt its fury, and had their heads cut off by it. The
Britons, when they saw the king performing such wonders, took courage
again. With one consent they assaulted the Romans, kept close together
in their ranks, and while they assailed the foot in one part,
endeavoured to beat down and pierce through the horse in another.
Notwithstanding, the Romans made a brave defence, and at the instigation
of Lucius laboured to pay back their slaughter upon the Britons. The
eagerness and force that were now shown on both sides were as great as
if it was the beginning of the battle. Arthur continued to do great
execution with his own hand, and encouraged the Britons to maintain the
fight; as Lucius Tiberius did the Romans, and made them perform many
memorable exploits. He himself, in the meantime, was very active in
going from place to place, and suffered none to escape with life that
happened to come within the reach of his sword or lance. The slaughter
that was now made on both sides was very dreadful, and the turns of
fortune various, sometimes the Britons prevailing, sometimes the Romans.
At last, while this sharp dispute continued Morvid, consul of Gloucester
with his legion, which, as we said before, was placed between the
hills, came up with speed upon the rear of the enemy, and to their great
surprise assaulted, broke through, and dispersed them with great
slaughter. This last and decisive blow proved fatal to many thousands of
Romans, and even to the general Lucius himself, who was killed among the
crowds with a lance by an unknown hand. But the Britons, by long
maintaining the fight, at last with great difficulty gained the victory.
CHAP. XII.--_Part of the Romans flee; the rest, of their own accord,
surrender themselves for slaves._
The Romans, being now, therefore, dispersed, betook themselves through
fear, some to the by-ways and woods, some to the cities and towns, and
all other places, where they could be most safe; but were either killed
or taken and plundered by the Britons who pursued: so that great part of
them voluntarily and shamefully held forth their hands, to receive their
chains, in order to prolong for a while a wretched life. In all which
the justice of Divine Providence was very visible; considering how
unjustly the ancestors of the Britons were formerly invaded and harassed
by those of the Romans; and that these stood only in defence of that
liberty, which the others would have deprived them of; and refused the
tribute, which the others had no right to demand.
CHAP. XIII.--_The bodies of the slain are decently buried, each in their
respective countries._
Arthur, after he had completed his victory, gave orders for separating
the bodies of his nobility from those of the enemy, and preparing a
pompous funeral for them; and that, when ready, they should be carried
to the abbeys of their respective countries, there to be honourably
buried. But Bedver the butler was, with great lamentation of the
Neustrians, carried to his own city Bajocae, which Bedver the first, his
great grandfather, had built. There he was, with great solemnity, laid
close by the wall, in a burying-place on the south side of the city. But
Cheudo was carried, grievously wounded to Camus, a town which he had
himself built, where in a short time he died of his wounds, and was
buried, as became a duke of Andegavia, in a convent of hermits, which
was in a wood not far from the town. Also Holdin, duke of Ruteni, was
carried to Flanders, and buried in his own city Terivana. The other
consuls and noblemen were conveyed to the neighbouring abbeys, according
to Arthur's orders. Out of his great clemency, also, he ordered the
country people to take care of the burial of the enemy, and to carry the
body of Lucius to the senate, and tell them, that was the only tribute
which Britain ought to pay them. After this he stayed in those parts
till the next winter was over, and employed his time in reducing the
cities of the Allobroges. But at the beginning of the following summer,
as he was on his march towards Rome, and was beginning to pass the Alps,
he had news brought him that his nephew Modred, to whose care he had
entrusted Britain, had by tyrannical and treasonable practices set the
crown upon his own head; and that queen Guanhumara, in violation of her
first marriage, had wickedly married him.