must needs bring King Arthur thither, and thereby make terms for the
king, their lord. When the tidings ran through the land that the King of
Ireland was captive, and that King Arthur was brought thither to treat
with him, then was there so great a gathering of Britons that they
surrounded Arthur, and took him from the men of Ireland, and brought him
with armed hand into the castle despite them all. Thus did it fall out
well for King Arthur, since he thus escaped, and held captive the king
who had erstwhile made him a prisoner.
Now shall ye hear of the King of Ireland, who lay thus in the prison of
the knights. When he heard and beheld with his eyes that King Arthur was
in very deed free, then did he betake himself to him straight-way, and
offered him goods and gold that he might be set at liberty, and he sware
that he would be the king's man, and hold all his lands henceforward
from him, and would depart from the kingdom with all his folk. Thus must
the king, being captive, stand at King Arthur's pleasure to pay him such
ransom as he might think good. Of him will I speak no more.
Now was King Arthur so blithe thereof that he bid hold a great court,
that he might give largesse to all who desired. Thither came many, but
none were there of such renown, or who had wrought such valiant deeds,
as Sir Perceval and Morien. The reward that Arthur gave them was
exceeding great. Sir Gawain told the king all the matter of Morien and
of his father, and the chance that had parted them. All this did he tell
afore the folk, wherefore was Morien much gazed upon. Now will I leave
this tale and tell ye how Morien rode again to his father, whom he had
left sick with his uncle, as I gave ye to wit afore.
The adventure maketh known that when the strife was ended, and Arthur's
land once more at peace, Morien bethought him that he would make his
father be wedded to the lady, his mother; and he prayed his uncle
to journey with him if he would, and Sir Perceval was right willing
thereto. Further, said Sir Gawain and Sir Lancelot, that they twain
would ride with them for honour and for good fellowship. For this did
Morien thank them much. Thus they departed and went their way towards
the hermitage. They rode blithely in company, telling of many things
that had chanced here and elsewhere, until they came to the seashore,
where they took ship and crossed over; and when they had passed the
water they came straightway to Perceval's uncle, who received them with
right goodwill.
By this was Sir Agloval whole, who had been wounded, and Morien asked
him straightway if he were rightly healed, and would now keep the oath
which he had aforetime sworn unto his mother. Sir Agloval answered that
he was whole and sound, and ready thereto. "The troth that I swear to
your mother will I keep what time as it shall please ye. As God is my
witness I be altogether ready to do this."
Quoth Sir Perceval, "Then wherefore delay? Your son is so good a knight,
and stout a warrior, that ye may well thank heaven that ye begat him.
Make you ready straightway, and we will fare with ye. Sir Gawain and Sir
Lancelot be come hither in faith and good fellowship, and with us will
they journey to the Moorish land."
Then was there no longer delaying, but they made them ready for the
journey, and went their way with Sir Morien, who knew the road better
than any man of them all. They rode so long that they came thither; and
when they of the land heard tell how that Morien had brought his father
with him they assembled themselves together, and some were for refusing
them entry into the kingdom, since they would fain keep the heritage for
themselves. But when Morien heard this he waxed so wrathful that he drew
his sword and rode among them where there was the greatest press,
and slew there fifteen of the nobles who were fain to deny him his
inheritance.
When the others knew of this they came to him and besought his grace,
and yielded to him all his heritage, and gave it into the hand of his
mother, and became her men, to hold their lands henceforward from her.
When this was done, and they had proclaimed her queen over all the
kingdom of the Moors, then did they hold the bridal feast of Sir Agloval
and the queen, and thus were they wedded to each other. There was bliss
and great rejoicing fourteen days, even till nightfall did they hold
high feast with open doors; never a portal was shut. There was feasting
and great merriment; there were all well served with everything on earth
that they might desire. Many rich gifts were given, good steeds, raiment
of fair colours, many shillings, many pounds, great plenty of all things
by which men may the more blithely live. The minstrels and the heralds
received great largesse, for there was gold enow; each had that which he
desired.
There would Sir Gawain and Sir Lancelot abide till that the feast was
ended; be ye sure that Sir Perceval and Sir Agloval the bridegroom
prayed them thus to honour the bridal, and this they did, in right
courteous wise. No man of them all, were he poor or rich, but had enough
and to spare.
What more shall I say hereof? When the feast was ended, and all the
nobles departed, and all had taken leave, then was it in the mind of Sir
Gawain, Sir Lancelot, and Sir Perceval to betake them straightway to
King Arthur's court, for 'twas nigh to Pentecost, and the king (thus
do I read the tale) would hold high court (greater was never held) on
behalf of Galahad, Sir Lancelot's son, for that this hero should then
come to court, and receive the honour of knighthood. And thereof did the
tale wax great; how that he should achieve the quest of the Grail, and
all the adventures, small and great, which appertained to the Round
Table, for 'twas said that he should sit in the Perilous Seat, wherein
durst never man sit. To behold these marvels would many a man come to
court, for the king had bidden all the great folk of the land thither,
and many a knight of praise had obeyed his command.
And for this cause would not Sir Lancelot and Sir Gawain and Sir
Perceval remain afar, but took their leave of Sir Agloval and of Morien
and of his mother, and rode on their way till they came to King Arthur
at Camelot, where he abode, as it pleased him well to do when he would
fain be at peace. And when the king heard of the coming of these three
knights, then was he right joyful at that time; and when he learnt
concerning Sir Agloval, how his wedding feast had been held, and of the
valiant deeds that Morien had done in his own land, then were king and
queen alike glad at heart.
Here will I leave this tale and speak further concerning the Grail,
and the winning thereof. That shall ye find set forth in the book that
followeth hereafter; the other part, that which concerneth Lancelot,
here cometh to an end. Now do I pray God in words straitly, that He have
mercy upon me when my life shall come to an end, and bring my soul to
His heavenly kingdom. May He grant this my prayer!
AMEN. NOTES
1. INTRODUCTION.--In the preface I have dwelt with some fulness on the
interesting questions connected with these opening lines; here it
will be sufficient to point out that in the earlier versions of the
_Perceval_ story the hero is either the only, or the sole surviving, son
of his parents. The introduction of a brother, as a definite character,
belongs to the later stages of Arthurian tradition. The brothers vary in
number and name, but the most noted are Sir Agloval and Sir Lamorak, who
appear to belong to distinct lines of development, Sir Agloval belonging
mainly to the _Lancelot_, Sir Lamorak to the _Tristan_ tradition. So far
I have not met with the latter in any version of the prose _Lancelot_,
though Dr. Sommer in his _Studies on the Sources of Malory_, refers to
him as mentioned in that romance; in the _Tristan_, on the contrary,
he is a leading figure. The _Morien_ story, as I have remarked in the
preface, has obviously been modified by the influence of the later
_Lancelot_ legend, hence, probably, the _rôle_ assigned to Agloval.
2. PAGE 20.--_Gawain as physician_. The representation of Gawain as
an expert in medical skill is an interesting feature which appears to
belong to early tradition. The references in the poem before us are the
most copious and explicit, but we also find the same accomplishment
referred to in the romance of _Lancelot et le cerf au pied blanc_ (D. L.
vol. ii. 1. 22825) where Gawain instructs the physician as to the proper
treatment of Lancelot's wounds; and the _Parzival_ of Wolfram von
Eschenbach (Book X. 1. 104) also refers to this tradition. It is
noticeable that Chrétien de Troyes in the parallel passage of his poem
has no such allusion, nor can I recall any passage in the works of that
poet which indicates any knowledge, on his part, of this characteristic
of Gawain. This is one of the points of variance between Chrétien and
Wolfram which, slight in itself, offers when examined valuable evidence
as to a difference of sources.
3. PAGE 24.--_The boast of Sir Kay._ Arthur's reproof to Kay is a
reference to the well-known adventure related both by Chrétien and
Wolfram and found moreover in the _Peredur_. The hero, thrown into a
love-trance by the sight of blood-drops on the snow, gives no answer to
the challenge addressed to him successively by Segramore and Kay,
and being rudely attacked by these knights overthrows them both. The
allusion to this incident, which is not related in the prose _Lancelot_,
shows clearly that while, on the whole, he is harmonising his romance
with the indications of the later traditions, the writer is yet quite
conversant with the earlier forms.
4. PAGE 26.--_The Father of Adventure._ "Der Aventuren Fader." The
Middle English poem of _Sir Gawain and the Green Knight_ (No. 1 of this
Series) speaks of the knight in somewhat similar terms as "the fine
father of courtesy." Gawain was from the first the adventurous hero,
_par excellence_ of the cycle, but I know no other instance in which
this characteristic is so quaintly and forcibly expressed.
5. PAGE 28.--_In secret case_. The original words are "in hemeliker
stede." To which particular adventure of Lancelot this refers it is not
easy to decide; on more than one occasion he disappears from court, and
the knights headed by Gawain, ride in quest of him. Perhaps this refers
to his imprisonment by Morgain le Fay (_cf_. summary of _D.L._ in
_Legend of Sir Lancelot du Lac_. Grimm's Library XII. pp. 236-7).
6. PAGE 35.--_Sir Agloval, he is my father._ This should be compared
with the account of Gamuret's wooing and desertion of the Moorish queen,
Belakane, in Book I. of the _Parzival_; also with the meeting of the
unknown brothers in Book XV. of the same poem. It is perhaps worth
noticing as indicative of the source of the tradition that Wolfram
distinctly states that his Moor speaks in _French_.
7. PAGE 67,--_The slain and the slayer_. The belief that the blood of
a corpse would flow afresh, did the murderer approach it, was very
prevalent in the middle ages. In Chretien de Troyes' _Chevalier au lion_
(ll. 1177 et seq.) we find a similar situation, complicated by the fact
that Yvain (the slayer) protected by a magic ring is invisible to the
bystanders. The best known instance, however, is probably that of the
_Nibelungenlied_ where Kriemhild's suspicions that Hagen is Siegfred's
murderer are in this manner verified.
8. PAGE 91.--_I have no call to flee, nor to fear death_. This is
evidently the hermit whom Lancelot in the _Queste_ finds dead under
circumstances agreeing with those here hinted at. The story will be
found in Malory Book XV.
9. PAGE 102.--_That cometh altogether from his sin against his mother_.
The reason here alleged for Perceval's failure to find the Grail is that
given by Chrétien and Wolfram, and is another indication of the writer's
familiarity with the early _Perceval_ story.
10. PAGE 116.--_Sir Agloval's explanation, (a) The Lancelot quest_. The
special quest here referred to is that undertaken in search of Lancelot
when he fled from court in a frenzy, induced by Guinevere's jealousy of
King Pelles' daughter. During this quest Agloval visits his mother, sees
Perceval, and brings him to court (_cf. Legend of Sir Lancelot_ pp.
161-2).
_(b) The lost heritage_. The fact that Perceval regains possession
of the heritage of which he has, before his birth, been deprived is
recorded in certain of the _Perceval_ romances; the _Parzival_ of
Wolfram von Eschenbach, the prose _Perceval li Gallois_, and the English
_Sir Percyvelle of Galles_, but it is not found in Chrétien. It is
clear, to a close observer, that the compiler of the Dutch _Lancelot_
knew the early _Perceval_ tradition in a form closer to the version of
the German, than that of the French poet. Later on, in the _Queste_
section, he introduces a reference to this inheritance, where none
exists in the French versions I have examined (_cf. Legend of Sir
Lancelot_ p. 174).
11. PAGE 127.--_Lancelot's adventure with the beast._ This is a
condensed account of the well known story of _The Fahe Claimant_. Two
versions of this story have already been given in this series, the
dragon adventure in _Tristan_ (No. II) and that of the stag in _Tyolet_
(No. III.); this is inferior to either, but appears to combine
characteristics of both. I have discussed it fully in Chapter III. of
the _Lancelot_ studies, before referred to, and have there compared it
with the similar adventure also attributed to that knight in the Dutch
compilation.
12. PAGE 128.--_Had it not been for a ring which Lancelot wore._ This is
evidently the ring given him by the Lady of the Lake, and referred to
in _The Charrette_ (ll. 2348 et seq). It had the power of detecting
enchantments.
13. PAGE 142.--_King Arthur--held captive the king, who had erst made
him a prisoner._ There seems to be a confusion here; from Gariet's
account it was the King of the Saxons who captured Arthur; here he
has disappeared and everything is attributed to the King of Ireland.
Probably they were allies; but it is also possible that confusion may
have arisen from the fact that the King of Dublin was at one time, as in
the Tristan legend, a Viking, and the poet has not distinguished clearly
between the nationalities of these sea-robbers. If so, it would seem to
indicate an early date for this particular story.
End of Project Gutenberg's The Romance of Morien, by Jessie L. Weston