Owain water to wash. Then she placed before him a silver table, inlaid
with gold; upon which was a cloth of yellow linen, and she brought him
food. Of a truth, Owain never saw any kind of meat that was not there
in abundance, but it was better cooked there than he had ever found it
in any other place. There was not one vessel from which he was served
that was not of gold or of silver. Owain eat and drank until late in
the afternoon, when lo! they heard a mighty clamor in the castle, and
he asked the maiden what it was. "They are administering extreme
unction," said she, "to the nobleman who owns the castle." And she
prepared a couch for Owain which was meet for Arthur himself, and
Owain went to sleep.
A little after daybreak he heard an exceeding loud clamor and wailing,
and he asked the maiden what was the cause of it. "They are bearing to
the church the body of the nobleman who owned the castle."
And Owain rose up, and clothed himself, and opened a window of the
chamber, and looked towards the castle. He could see neither the
bounds nor the extent of the hosts that filled the streets, and they
were fully armed; and a vast number of women were with them, both on
horseback and on foot, and all the ecclesiastics in the city singing.
In the midst of the throng he beheld the bier, over which was a veil
of white linen; and wax tapers were burning beside and around it; and
none that supported the bier was lower in rank than a powerful baron.
Never did Owain see an assemblage so gorgeous with silk and
satin. And, following the train, he beheld a lady with yellow hair
falling over her shoulders, and stained with blood; and about her a
dress of yellow satin, which was torn. Upon her feet were shoes of
variegated leather. It was a marvel that the ends of her fingers were
not bruised from the violence with which she smote her hands together.
Truly she would have been the fairest lady Owain ever saw, had she
been in her usual guise. And her cry was louder than the shout of the
men or the clamor of the trumpets. No sooner had he beheld the lady
than he became inflamed with her love, so that it took entire
possession of him.
Then he inquired of the maiden who the lady was. "Heaven knows,"
replied the maiden, "she is the fairest, the purest, the most liberal,
and the most noble of women. She is my mistress, and she is called the
Countess of the Fountain, the wife of him whom thou didst slay
yesterday." "Verily," said Owain, "she is the woman that I love best."
"Verily," said the maiden, "she shall also love thee not a little."
The maiden prepared a repast for Owain, and truly he thought he had
never before so good a meal, nor was he ever so well served. Then she
left him, and went towards the castle. When she came there, she found
nothing but mourning and sorrow; and the countess in her chamber could
not bear the sight of any one through grief. Luned, for that was the
name of the maiden, saluted her, but the Countess of the Fountain
answered her not. And the maiden bent down towards her, and said,
"What aileth thee, that thou answerest no one to-day?" "Luned," said
the countess, "what change hath befallen thee, that thou hast not come
to visit me in my grief. It was wrong in thee, and I so sorely
afflicted." "Truly," said Luned, "I thought thy good sense was greater
than I find it to be. Is it well for thee to mourn after that good
man, or for anything else that thou canst not have?" "I declare to
Heaven," said the countess, "that in the whole world there is not a
man equal to him." "Not so," said Luned, "for an ugly man would be as
good as or better than he." "I declare to Heaven," said the countess,
"that were it not repugnant to me to put to death one whom I have
brought up, I would have thee executed, for making such a comparison
to me. As it is, I will banish thee." "I am glad," said Luned, "that
thou hast no other cause to do so than that I would have been of
service to thee, where thou didst not know what was to thine
advantage. Henceforth, evil betide whichever of us shall make the
first advance towards reconciliation to the other, whether I should
seek an invitation from thee, or thou of thine own accord should send
to invite."
With that Luned went forth; and the countess arose and followed her to
the door of the chamber, and began coughing loudly. When Luned looked
back, the countess beckoned to her, and she returned to the countess.
"In truth," said the countess, "evil is thy disposition; but if thou
knowest what is to my advantage, declare it to me." "I will do so,"
said she.
"Thou knowest that, except by warfare and arms, it is impossible for
thee to preserve thy possessions; delay not, therefore, to seek some
one who can defend them." "How can I do that?" said the countess. "I
will tell thee," said Luned; "unless thou canst defend the fountain,
thou canst not maintain thy dominions; and no one can defend the
fountain except it be a knight of Arthur's household. I will go to
Arthur's court, and I'll betide me if I return not thence with a
warrior who can guard the fountain as well as, or even better than he
who defended it formerly." "That will be hard to perform," said the
countess. "Go, however, and make proof of that which thou hast
promised."
Luned set out under the pretence of going to Arthur's court; but she
went back to the mansion where she had left Owain, and she tarried
there as long as it might have taken her to travel to the court of
King Arthur and back. At the end of that time she apparelled herself,
and went to visit the countess. The countess was much rejoiced when
she saw her, and inquired what news she brought from the court. "I
bring thee the best of news," said Luned, "for I have compassed the
object of my mission. When wilt thou that I should present to thee the
chieftain who has come with me hither?" "Bring him here to visit me
tomorrow," said the countess, "and I will cause the town to be
assembled by that time." And Luned returned home.
The next day, at noon, Owain arrayed himself in a coat and a surcoat,
and a mantle of yellow satin, upon which was a broad band of gold
lace; and on his feet were high shoes of variegated leather, which
were fastened by golden clasps, in the form of lions. And they
proceeded to the chamber of the countess.
Right glad was the countess of their coming. She gazed steadfastly
upon Owain, and said, "Luned, this knight has not the look of a
traveller." "What harm is there in that, lady?" said Luned. "I am
certain," said the countess, "that no other man than this chased the
soul from the body of my lord." "So much the better for thee, lady,"
said Luned, "for had he not been stronger than thy lord, he could not
have deprived him of life. There is no remedy for that which is past,
be it as it may." "Go back to thine abode," said the countess, "and I
will take counsel."
The next day the countess caused all her subjects to assemble, and
showed them that her earldom was left defenceless, and that it could
not be protected but with horse and arms, and military skill.
"Therefore," said she, "this is what I offer for your choice: either
let one of you take me, or give your consent for me to take a husband
from elsewhere, to defend my dominions."
So they came to the determination that it was better that she should
have permission to marry some one from elsewhere; and thereupon she
sent for the bishops and archbishops, to celebrate her nuptials with
Owain. And the men of the earldom did Owain homage.
Owain defended the fountain with lance and sword. And this is the
manner in which he defended it. Whensoever a knight came there, he
overthrew him, and sold him for his full worth. What he thus gained he
divided among his barons and his knights, and no man in the whole
world could be more beloved than he was by his subjects. And it was
thus for the space of three years.
GAWAIN'S ADVENTURE IN SEARCH OF OWAIN
By Lady Charlotte Guest
It befell that, as Gawain went forth one day with King Arthur, he
perceived him to be very sad and sorrowful. And Gawain was much
grieved to see Arthur in this state, and he questioned him, saying, "O
my lord, what has befallen thee?" "In sooth, Gawain," said Arthur, "I
am grieved concerning Owain, whom I have lost these three years; and I
shall certainly die if the fourth year pass without my seeing him. Now
I am sure that it is through the tale which Kynon, the son of Clydno,
related, that I have lost Owain." "There is no need for thee," said
Gawain, "to summon to arms thy whole dominions on this account, for
thou thyself, and the men of thy household, will be able to avenge
Owain if he be slain, or to set him free if he be in prison and, if
alive, to bring him back with thee." And it was settled according to
what Gawain had said.
Then Arthur and the men of his household prepared to go and seek
Owain, and Kynon, the son of Clydno, acted as their guide. And Arthur
came to the castle where Kynon had been before, and when he came
there, the youths were shooting in the same place, and the yellow man
was standing hard by. When the yellow man saw Arthur, he greeted him,
and invited him to the castle. Arthur accepted his invitation, and
they entered the castle together. Great as was the number of his
retinue, their presence was scarcely observed in the castle, so vast
was its extent. And the maidens rose up to wait on them. The service
of the maidens appeared to them all to excel any attendance they had
ever met with; and even the pages, who had charge of the horses, were
no worse served that night than Arthur himself would have been in his
own palace.
The next morning Arthur set out thence, with Kynon for his guide, and
came to the place where the black man was. And the stature of the
black man was more surprising to Arthur than it had been represented
to him. They came to the top of the wooded steep, and traversed the
valley, till they reached the green tree, where they saw the fountain
and the bowl and the slab. And upon that Kay came to Arthur, and spoke
to him. "My lord," said he, "I know the meaning of all this, and my
request is that thou wilt permit me to throw the water on the slab,
and to receive the first adventure that may befall." And Arthur gave
him leave.
Then Kay threw a bowlful of water upon the slab, and immediately there
came the thunder, and after the thunder the shower. And such a
thunderstorm they had never known before. After the shower had ceased,
the sky became clear, and on looking at the tree, they beheld it
completely leafless. Then the birds descended upon the tree. And the
song of the birds was far sweeter than any strain they had ever heard
before. Then they beheld a knight, on a coal-black horse, clothed in
sating coming rapidly towards them. Kay met him and encountered him,
and it was not long before Kay was overthrown. The knight withdrew,
and Arthur and his host encamped for the night.
When they arose in the morning, they perceived the signal of combat
upon the lance of the knight. Then, one by one, all the household of
Arthur went forth to combat the knight, until there was not one that
was not overthrown by him, except Arthur and Gawain. And Arthur armed
himself to encounter the knight. "O my lord," said Gawain, "permit me
to fight with him first." And Arthur permitted him. He went forth to
meet the knight, having over himself and his horse a satin robe of
honor, which had been sent him by the daughter of the Earl of Rhangyr,
and in this dress he was not known by any of the host. And they
charged each other, and fought all that day until the evening. And
neither of them was able to unhorse the other. And so it was the next
day; they broke their lances in the shock, but neither of them could
obtain the mastery.
The third day they fought with exceeding strong lances. They were
incensed with rage, and fought furiously, even until noon. They gave
each other such a shock that the girths of their horses were broken,
so that they fell over their horses' cruppers to the ground. And they
rose up speedily and drew their swords, and resumed the combat. All
they that witnessed their encounter felt assured that they had never
before seen two men so valiant or so powerful. Had it been midnight,
it would have been light, from the fire that flashed from their
weapons. And the knight gave Gawain a blow that turned his helmet from
off his face, so that the knight saw that it was Gawain. Then Owain
said, "My lord Gawain, I did not know thee for my cousin, owing to the
robe of honor that enveloped thee; take my sword and my arms." Said
Gawain, "Thou, Owain, art the victor; take thou my sword." And with
that Arthur saw that they were conversing, and advanced toward them.
"My lord Arthur," said Gawain, "here is Owain, who has vanquished me,
and will not take my arms." "My lord," said Owain, "it is he that has
vanquished me, and he will not take my sword." "Give me your swords,"
said Arthur, "and then neither of you has vanquished the other." Then
Owain put his arms round Arthur's neck, and they embraced. All the
host hurried forward to see Owain, and to embrace him. And there was
nigh being a loss of life, so great was the press.
The next day Arthur prepared to depart. "My lord," said Owain, "this
is not well of thee. For I have been absent from thee these three
years, and during all that time, up to this very day, I have been
preparing a banquet for thee, knowing that thou wouldst come to seek
me. Tarry with me, therefore, until thou and thy attendants have
recovered the fatigues of the journey, and have been anointed."
[Illustration: AN AGED MAN ENTERED THE HALL FOLLOWED BY A YOUNG MAN.
From the painting by Walter Crane.]
And they all proceeded to the castle of the Countess of the Fountain,
and the banquet which had been three years preparing was consumed in
three months. Never had they a more delicious or agreeable banquet.
And Arthur prepared to depart. Then he sent an embassy to the countess
to beseech her to permit Owain to go with him, for the space of three
months, that he might show him to the nobles and the fair dames of the
island of Britain. And the countess gave her consent, although it was
very painful to her. So Owain came with Arthur to the island of
Britain. And when he was once more amongst his kindred and friends, he
remained three years, instead of three months, with them.
THE ADVENTURE OF THE LION
By Lady Charlotte Guest
As Owain one day sat at meat, in the city of Caerleon upon Usk, a
damsel entered the hall upon a bay horse, with a curling mane, and
covered with foam; and the bridle, and as much as was seen of the
saddle, were of gold. The damsel was arrayed in a dress of yellow
satin. And she came up to Owain, and took the ring from off his
hand. "Thus," said she, "shall be treated the deceiver, the traitor,
the faithless, the disgraced, and the beardless." And she turned her
horse's head and departed.
Then his adventure came to Owain's remembrance, and he was sorrowful.
Having finished eating, he went to his own abode, and made
preparations that night. The next day he arose, but did not go to the
court, nor did he return to the Countess of the Fountain, but wandered
to the distant parts of the earth and to uncultivated mountains. And
he remained there until all his apparel was worn out, and his body was
wasted away, and his hair was grown long. And he went about with the
wild beasts, and fed with them, until they became familiar with him.
But at length he became so weak that he could no longer bear them
company. Then he descended from the mountains to the valley, and came
to a park, that was the fairest in the world, and belonged to a
charitable lady.
One day the lady and her attendants went forth to walk by a lake that
was in the middle of the park. They saw the form of a man, lying as if
dead, and were terrified. Nevertheless they went near him, and touched
him, and saw that there was life in him. And the lady returned to the
castle, and took a flask full of precious ointment and gave it to one
of her maidens. "Go with this," said she, "and take with thee yonder
horse, and clothing, and place them near the man we saw just now; and
anoint him with this balsam near his heart; and if there is life in
him, he will revive, through the efficiency of this balsam. Then watch
what he will do."
The maiden departed from her, and went and poured of the balsam upon
Owain, and left the horse and garments hard by, and went a little way
off and hid herself to watch him. In a short time she saw him begin to
move. He rose up, looked at his person, and became ashamed of the
unseemliness of his appearance. Then he perceived the horse and the
garments that were near him. He clothed himself, and with difficulty
mounted the horse.
Then the damsel discovered herself to him, and saluted him. And he and
the maiden proceeded to the castle, and the maiden conducted him to a
pleasant chamber, and kindled a fire, and left him.
He stayed at the castle three months, till he was restored to his
former guise, and became even more comely than he had ever been
before. And Owain rendered signal service to the lady, in a
controversy with a powerful neighbor, so that he made ample requital
to her for her hospitality; and he took his departure.
As he journeyed he heard a loud yelling in a wood. It was repeated a
second and a third time. And Owain went towards the spot, and beheld
a huge craggy mound, in the middle of the wood, on the side of which
was a gray rock. There was a cleft in the rock, and a serpent was
within the cleft.
Near the rock stood a black lion, and every time the lion sought to go
thence the serpent darted towards him to attack him. And Owain
unsheathed his sword, and drew near to the rock; and as the serpent
sprung out he struck him with his sword and cut him in two; and he
dried his sword, and went on his way as before. Behold the lion
followed him, and played about him, as though it had been a greyhound
that he had reared.
They proceeded thus throughout the day, until the evening. When it was
time for Owain to take his rest he dismounted, and turned his horse
loose in a flat and wooded meadow. He struck fire, and when the fire
was kindled, the lion brought him fuel enough to last for three
nights. And the lion disappeared. Presently the lion returned, bearing
a fine large roebuck, and threw it down before Owain, who went towards
the fire with it.
Owain took the roebuck, skinned it, and placed slices of its flesh
upon skewers round the fire. The rest of the buck he gave to the lion
to devour. While he was so employed, he heard a deep groan near him,
and a second, and a third. The place whence the groans proceeded was a
cave in the rock; and Owain went near, and called out to know who it
was that groaned so piteously. And a voice answered, "I am Luned, the
hand-maiden of the Countess of the Fountain." "And what dost thou
here?" said he. "I am imprisoned," said she, "on account of the knight
who came from Arthur's court, and married the countess. And he staid a
short time with her, but he afterwards departed for the court of
Arthur, and has not returned since. And two of the countess's pages
traduced him, and called him a deceiver. And because I said I would
vouch for it he would come before long and maintain his cause against
both of them, they imprisoned me in this cave, and said that I should
be put to death, unless he came to deliver me, by a certain day; and
that is no further off than to-morrow, and I have no one to send to
seek him for me. His name is Owain, the son of Urien." "And art thou
certain that if that knight knew all this, he would come to thy
rescue?" "I am most certain of it," said she.
When the slices of meat were cooked, Owain divided them into two
parts, between himself and the maiden, and then Owain laid himself
down to sleep; and never did sentinel keep stricter watch over his
lord than the lion that night over Owain.
The next day there came two pages with a great troop of attendants to
take Luned from her cell, and put her to death. Owain asked them what
charge they had against her. They told him of the compact that was
between them; as the maiden had done the night before. "And," said
they, "Owain has failed her, therefore we are taking her to be burnt."
"Truly," said Owain, "he is a good knight, and if he knew that the
maiden was in such peril, I marvel that he came not to her rescue. But
if you will accept me in his stead, I will do battle with you." "We
will," said the youths.
And they attacked Owain, and he was hard beset by them. And with that,
the lion came to Owain's assistance, and they two got the better of
the young men. And they said to him, "Chieftain, it was not agreed
that we should fight save with thyself alone, and it is harder for us
to contend with yonder animal than with thee." And Owain put the lion
in the place where Luned had been imprisoned, and blocked up the door
with stones. And he went to fight with the young men as before.
But Owain had not his usual strength, and the two youths pressed hard
upon him. And the lion roared incessantly at seeing Owain in trouble.
And he burst through the wall, until he found a way out, and rushed
upon the young men and instantly slew them. So Luned was saved from
being burnt.
Then Owain returned with Luned to the castle of the Lady of the
Fountain. And when he went thence, he took the countess with him to
Arthur's court, and she was his wife as long as she lived.
HOW PWYLL OUTWITTED GAWL
By Lady Charlotte Guest
Once upon a time Pwyll was at Narberth, his chief palace, where a
feast had been prepared for him, and with him was a great host of men.
And after the first meal Pwyll arose to walk; and he went to the top
of a mound that was above the palace, and was called Gorsedd Arberth.
"Lord," said one of the court, "it is peculiar to the mound that
whosoever sits upon it cannot go thence without either receiving
wounds or blows, or else seeing a wonder." "I fear not to receive
wounds or blows," said Pwyll; "but as to the wonder, gladly would I
see it. I will therefore go and sit upon the mound."
And upon the mound he sat. While he sat there they saw a lady, on a
pure white horse of large size, with a garment of shining gold around
her, coming along the highway that led from the mound. "My men," said
Pwyll, "is there any among you who knows yonder lady?" "There is not,
lord," said they. "Go one of you and meet her, that we may know who
she is." And one of them arose, and as he came upon the road to meet
her, she passed by; and he followed as fast as he could, being on
foot, and the greater was his speed, the further was she from him.
When he saw that it profited him nothing to follow her, he returned to
Pwyll, and said, "Lord, it is idle for any one in the world to follow
her on foot." "Verily," said Pwyll, "go unto the palace, and take the
fleetest horse that thou seest, and go after her."
So he took a horse and went forward. He came to an open, level plain,
and put spurs to his horse; and the more he urged his horse, the
further was she from him. And he returned to the place where Pwyll
was, and said, "Lord, it will avail nothing for any one to follow
yonder lady. I know of no horse in these realms swifter than this, and
it availed me not to pursue her." "Of a truth," said Pwyll, "there
must be some illusion here; let us go toward the palace." So to the
palace they went, and spent the day.