Arthur's reign began with savage wars with his neighbors and with
sedition and rebellion in his kingdom. In every conflict he was
successful, and every victory made him friends, for he was a noble man
and administered his affairs with justice to all. Moreover, he cut roads
through the forests and made it possible for his husbandmen to cultivate
the lands without danger from wild beasts or fear of marauders. He
established justice everywhere so that even the poor felt sure of his
protection. If treachery or oppression appeared among his nobles he
punished them severely, but he forgave personal injuries freely.
Many of the rulers of petty kingdoms near Arthur had occasion to bless
him for brave assistance, and among them was Leodegrance, king of
Cameliard, whom Arthur, in a fierce battle in which ten thousand men
were slain, freed from the tyranny of King Rience. After the battle,
Leodegrance entertained Arthur and his friends at a great feast, at
which Guinevere, the beautiful young daughter of the host, served the
table. At the sight of the fair maid Arthur's heart was won, and ever
after he loved her faithfully.
Merlin, the great magician, had always been the friend and counselor of
Arthur, and to his sound advice and wonderful enchantments the king was
indebted for much of his power and renown. Before Arthur proposed to
marry Guinevere, he took counsel of Merlin, who looked sorrowful and
dismayed at the young king's words.
"If indeed your heart is set on the fair Guinevere, you may not change
it. Yet it had been better for you to have loved another."
Delighted at even this guarded advice Arthur went at once to Leodegrance
and asked for the hand of his young daughter. Leodegrance consented with
joy, for he loved Arthur greatly, and welcomed him as a son-in-law.
In the great cathedral of Canterbury the two were married by the
Archbishop, while without, the people reflected in wild celebrations the
joys of the king and his fair bride.
Among the gifts which King Arthur received was one from King Leodegrance
which pleased him most. "This gift," said Leodegrance, "is the Table
Round which King Uther Pendragon gave to me and around which can sit a
hundred and fifty knights. This table the great Merlin made, as he made
also the hundred and fifty sieges which surround it."
The day of his marriage Arthur chose one hundred and twenty-eight
knights to found his famous Order of the Round Table, and to each he
gave one of the sieges or carved chairs, upon the back of which, as each
knight took his seat, appeared his name in magical letters of gold. Soon
all the seats were filled excepting one, the Siege Perilous, in which no
man might sit under peril of his life, unless he were blameless and free
from all sin. When by death or otherwise any of the other sieges became
vacant, a new knight was chosen to occupy it, and the magic letters
changed to spell his name.
[Illustration: THE WEDDING OF ARTHUR AND GUINEVERE]
Camelot, the lordly castle of Arthur, with its vast halls and beautiful
grounds, was all raised by Merlin's magic power without the aid of human
hands. Here at Christmas, at Easter and at Pentecost great festivals
were held, and Arthur's knights would gather to feast, to joust in
tournament and to tell the stories of the wonderful adventures which had
befallen them since the last meeting; and great was their knightly
pleasure in these gatherings.