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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 found in any age; and
foremost among them all was Sir Launcelot du Lac. Such was his
strength that none against whom he had lain lance in rest could keep
the saddle, and no shield was proof against his sword dint; but for
his courtesy even more than for his courage and strength, Sir
Launcelot was famed far and near. Gentle he was and ever the first to
rejoice in the renown of another; and, in the jousts, he would avoid
encounter with the young and untried knight, letting him pass to gain
glory if he might.
It would take a great book to record all the famous deeds of Sir
Launcelot, and all his adventures. He was of Gaul, for his father;
King Ban, ruled over Benwick; and some say that his first name was
Galahad, and that he was named Launcelot du Lac by the Lady of the
Lake, who reared him when his mother died. Early he won renown by
delivering his father's people from the grim King Claudas, who, for
more than twenty years, had lain waste the fair land of Benwick; then,
when there was peace in his own land, he passed into Britain, to
Arthur's Court, where the king received him gladly, and made him
Knight of the Round Table and took him for his trustiest friend. And
so it was that, when Guenevere was to be brought to Canterbury, to be
married to the king, Launcelot was chief of the knights sent to wait
upon her.
Now on a day, as he rode through the forest, Sir Launcelot met a
damsel weeping bitterly, and seeing him, she cried, "Stay, sir knight!
By your knighthood I require you to aid me in my distress."
Immediately Sir Launcelot checked his horse and asked in what she
needed his service. "Sir," said the maiden, "my brother lies at the
point of death, for this day he fought with the stout knight, Sir
Gilbert, and sorely they wounded each other; and a wise woman, a
sorceress, has said that nothing may stanch my brother's wounds unless
they be searched with the sword and bound up with a piece of the cloth
from the body of the wounded knight who lies in the ruined chapel hard
by. And well I know you, my lord Sir Launcelot, and that, if ye will
not help me, none may." "Tell me your brother's name," said Sir
Launcelot. "Sir Meliot de Logris," replied the damsel. "A Knight of
our Round Table," said Sir Launcelot; "the more am I bound to your
service. Only tell me, gentle damsel, where I may find this Chapel
Perilous." So she directed him, and, riding through forest byways, Sir
Launcelot came presently upon a little ruined chapel, standing in the
midst of a churchyard, where the tombs showed broken and neglected
under the dark yews. In front of the porch, Sir Launcelot paused and
looked, for thereon hung, upside down, dishonored, the shield of many
a good knight whom Sir Launcelot had known.
As he stood wondering, suddenly there pressed upon him from all sides
thirty stout knights, all giants and fully armed, their drawn swords
in their hands and their shields advanced. With threatening looks,
they spoke to him, saying, "Sir Launcelot, it were well ye turned back
before evil befell you." But Sir Launcelot, though he feared to have
to do with thirty such warriors, answered boldly, "I turn not back for
high words. Make them good by your deeds." Then he rode upon them
fiercely, whereupon instantly they scattered and disappeared, and,
sword in hand, Sir Launcelot entered the little chapel. All was dark
within, save that a little lamp hung from the roof, and by its dim
light he could just espy how on a bier before the altar there lay,
stark and cold, a knight sheathed in armor. And drawing nearer Sir
Launcelot saw that the dead man lay on a blood-stained mantle, his
naked sword by his side, but that his left hand had been lopped off at
the wrist by a mighty sword-cut. Then Sir Launcelot boldly seized the
sword and with it cut off a piece of the bloody mantle. Immediately
the earth shook and the walls of the chapel rocked, and in fear Sir
Launcelot turned to go. But, as he would have left the chapel, there
stood before him in the doorway a lady, fair to look upon and
beautifully arrayed, who gazed earnestly upon him, and said: "Sir
knight, put away from you that sword lest it be your death." But Sir
Launcelot answered her: "Lady, what I have said, I do; and what I have
won, I keep." "It is well," said the lady. "Had ye cast away the sword
your life days were done. And now I make but one request. Kiss me
once." "That may I not do," said Sir Launcelot. Then said the lady,
"Go your way, Launcelot; ye have won, and I have lost. Know that, had
ye kissed me, your dead body had lain even now on the altar bier. For
much have I desired to win you; and to entrap you, I ordained this
chapel. Many a knight have I taken, and once Sir Gawain himself
hardly escaped, but he fought with Sir Gilbert and lopped off his
hand, and so got away. Fare ye well; it is plain to see that none but
our lady, Queen Guenevere, may have your services." With that, she
vanished from his sight. So Sir Launcelot mounted his horse and rode
away from that evil place till he met Sir Meliot's sister, who led him
to her brother where he lay, pale as the earth, and bleeding fast. And
when he saw Sir Launcelot, he would have risen to greet him; but his
strength failed him, and he fell back on his couch. Sir Launcelot
searched his wounds with the sword, and bound them up with the
blood-stained cloth, and immediately Sir Meliot was sound and well,
and greatly he rejoiced. Then Sir Meliot and his sister begged Sir
Launcelot to stay and rest, but he departed on his adventures, bidding
them farewell until he should meet them again at Arthur's court. As
for the sorceress of the Chapel Perilous, it is said she died of grief
that all her charms had failed to win for her the good knight Sir
Launcelot.
SIR LAUNCELOT AND THE FALCON
Retold by Beatrice Clay
Sir Launcelot rode on his way, by marsh and valley and hill, till he
chanced upon a fair castle, and saw fly from it, over his head, a
beautiful falcon, with the lines still hanging from her feet. And as
he looked, the falcon flew into a tree where she was held fast by the
lines becoming entangled about the boughs. Immediately, from the
castle there came running a fair lady, who cried: "O Launcelot,
Launcelot! As ye are the noblest of all knights, I pray you help me to
recover my falcon. For if my husband discover its loss, he will slay
me in his anger." "Who is your husband, fair lady?" asked Sir
Launcelot. "Sir Phelot, a knight of Northgalis, and he is of a hasty
temper; wherefore, I beseech you, help me." "Well, lady," said Sir
Launcelot, "I will serve you if I may; but the tree is hard to climb,
for the boughs are few, and, in truth, I am no climber. But I will do
my best." So the lady helped Sir Launcelot to unarm, and he led his
horse to the foot of the tree, and springing from its back, he caught
at the nearest bough, and drew himself up into the branches. Then he
climbed till he reached the falcon and, tying her lines to a rotten
bough, broke it off, and threw down the bird and bough to the lady
below. Forthwith Sir Phelot came from among the trees and said: "Ah!
Sir Launcelot! Now at length I have you as I would; for I have long
sought your life." And Sir Launcelot made answer: "Surely ye would not
slay me, an unarmed man; for that were dishonor to you. Keep my armor
if ye will; but hang my sword on a bough where I may reach it, and
then do with me as ye can." But Sir Phelot laughed mockingly and said:
"Not so, Sir Launcelot. I know you too well to throw away my
advantage; wherefore, shift as ye may." "Alas!" said Sir Launcelot,
"that ever knight should be so unknightly. And you, madam, how could
ye so betray me?" "She did but as I commanded her," said Sir Phelot.
Then Launcelot looked about him to see how he might help himself in
these straits, and espying above his head a great bare branch, he tore
it down. Then, ever watching his advantage, he sprang to the ground
on the far side of his horse, so that the horse was between him and
Sir Phelot. Sir Phelot rushed upon him with his sword, but Launcelot
parried it with the bough, with which he dealt his enemy such a blow
on the head that Sir Phelot sank to the ground in a swoon. Then Sir
Launcelot seized his sword where it lay beside his armor, and stooping
over the fallen knight, unloosed his helm. When the lady saw him do
that, she shrieked and cried: "Spare his life! spare his life, noble
knight, I beseech you!" But Sir Launcelot answered sternly: "A felon's
death for him who does felon's deeds. He has lived too long already,"
and with one blow he smote off his head. Then he armed himself, and
mounting upon his steed, rode away, leaving the lady to weep beside
her lord.
THE ADVENTURES OF SIR GARETH
Retold by Beatrice Clay
Gareth was the youngest of the sons of Lot and Bellicent, and had
grown up long after Gawain and Mordred left their home for King
Arthur's court; so that when he came before the king, all humbly
attired, he was not known even by his own brothers.
King Arthur was keeping Pentecost at Kink Kenadon on the Welsh border,
and, as his custom was, waited to begin the feast until some adventure
should befall. Presently there was seen approaching a youth who, to
the wonderment of all that saw, leaned upon the shoulders of two men,
his companions; and yet as he passed up the hall, he seemed a goodly
youth, tall and broad-shouldered. When he stood before the king,
suddenly he drew himself up and after due greeting, said: "Sir king, I
would ask of you three boons; one to be granted now and two hereafter
when I shall require them." And Arthur, looking upon him, was pleased,
for his countenance was open and honest. So he made answer: "Fair son,
ask of me aught that is honorable and I will grant it." Then the youth
said: "For this present, I ask only that ye will give me meat and
drink for a year and a day." "Ye might have asked and had a better
gift," replied the king; "tell me now your name." "At this time, I may
not tell it," said the youth. Now King Arthur trusted every man until
he proved himself unworthy, and in this youth he thought he saw one
who should do nobly and win renown; so laughing, he bade him keep his
own counsel since so he would, and gave him in charge to Sir Kay, the
seneschal.
Now Sir Kay was but harsh to those whom he liked not, and from the
first he scorned the young man. "For none," said he, "but a low-born
lout would crave meat and drink when he might have asked for a horse
and arms." But Sir Launcelot and Sir Gawain took the youth's part.
Neither knew him for Gareth of the Orkneys, but both believed him to
be a youth of good promise who, for his own reasons, would pass in
disguise for a season.
So Gareth lived the year among the kitchen boys, all the time mocked
and scorned by Sir Kay, who called him Fairhands because his hands
were white and shapely. But Launcelot and Gawain showed him all
courtesy, and failed not to observe how, in all trials of strength, he
excelled his comrades, and that he was ever present to witness the
feats of the knights in the tournaments.
So the year passed, and again King Arthur was keeping the feast of
Pentecost with his knights, when a damsel entered the hall and asked
his aid: "For," said she, "my sister is closely besieged in her castle
by a strong knight who lays waste all her lands. And since I know that
the knights of your court be the most renowned in the world, I have
come to crave help of your mightiest." "What is your sister's name,
and who is he that oppresses her?" asked the king. "The Red Knight, he
is called," replied the damsel. "As for my sister, I will not say her
name, only that she is a high-born lady and owns broad lands." Then
the king frowned and said: "Ye would have aid but will say no name. I
may not ask knight of mine to go on such an errand."
Then forth stepped Gareth from among the serving-men at the hall end
and said: "Sir king, I have eaten of your meat in your kitchen this
twelvemonth since, and now I crave my other two boons." "Ask and
have," replied the king. "Grant me then the adventure of this damsel,
and bid Sir Launcelot ride after me to knight me at my desire, for of
him alone would I be made knight." "It shall be so," answered the
king. "What!" cried the damsel, "I ask for a knight and ye give me a
kitchen-boy. Shame on you, sir king." And in great wrath she fled from
the hall, mounted her palfrey and rode away. Gareth but waited to
array himself in the armor which he had kept ever in readiness for the
time when he should need it, and mounting his horse, rode after the
damsel.