_How Uther Pendragon made war on the duke of Cornwall, and how by the
means of Merlin he made the duchess his queen._
Then Ulfius was glad, and rode on more than a pace till that he came to
Uther Pendragon, and told him he had met with Merlin. Where is he? said
the king. Sir, said Ulfius, he will not dwell long. Therewithal Ulfius
was ware where Merlin stood at the porch of the pavilion’s door. And
then Merlin was bound to come to the king. When king Uther saw him he
said he was welcome. Sir, said Merlin, I know all your heart every
deal; so ye will be sworn unto me, as ye be a true king anointed, to
fulfil my desire, ye shall have your desire. Then the king was sworn
upon the four Evangelists. Sir, said Merlin, this is my desire: after
ye shall win Igraine ye shall have a child by her, and when that is
born that it shall be delivered to me for to nourish there as I will
have it; for it shall be your worship and the child’s avail, as mickle
as the child is worth. I will well, said the king, as thou wilt have
it. Now make you ready, said Merlin: this night shall you see Igraine
in the castle of Tintagil, and ye shall be like the duke her husband,
Ulfius shall be like Sir Brastias, a knight of the duke’s, and I will
be like a knight that hight Sir Jordanus, a knight of the duke’s. But
wait ye make not many questions with her nor with her men, but say you
are diseased, and so hie you to bed, and rise not on the morn till I
come to you, for the castle of Tintagil is but ten mile hence. So this
was done as they had devised. But the duke of Tintagil espied how the
king rode from the siege of Terrabil, and therefore that night he
issued out of the castle at a postern, for to have distressed the
king’s host. And so, through his own issue, the duke himself was slain
or ever the king came at the castle of Tintagil. So after the death of
the duke king Uther came to the castle, more than three hours after his
death; and there he found Igraine. And or day came Merlin came to the
king and bade him make him ready, and so he kissed the lady Igraine and
departed in all haste. But when the lady heard tell of the duke her
husband, and by all record he was dead or ever king Uther came to her,
then she marvelled who that might be that came to her in likeness of
her lord; so she mourned privily and held her peace. Then all the
barons by one assent prayed the king of accord between the lady Igraine
and him. The king gave them leave, for fain would he have been accorded
with her. So the king put all the trust in Ulfius to entreat between
them; so, by the entreat, at the last the king and she met together.
Now will we do well, said Ulfius: our king is a lusty knight and
wifeless, and my lady Igraine is a passing fair lady; it were great joy
unto us all and it might please the king to make her his queen. Unto
that they were all well accorded, and moved it to the king: and anon,
like a lusty knight, he assented thereto with good will, and so in all
haste they were married in a morning with great mirth and joy.
And king Lot of Lothian and of Orkney then wedded Margawse that was
Gawaine’s mother: and king Nentres of the land of Garlot wedded Elaine.
All this was done at the request of king Uther. And the third sister,
Morgan le Fay, was put to school in a nunnery: and there she learned so
much that she was a great clerk of nigromancy. And after she was wedded
to king Uriens of the land of Gore, that was Sir Ewaine’s le
Blanchemains father.