_How king Arthur, king Ban, and king Bors rescued king Leodegrance, and
other incidents._
And then king Arthur and king Ban and king Bors departed with their
fellowship, a twenty thousand, and came within six days into the
country of Cameliard, and there rescued king Leodegrance and slew there
much people of king Rience unto the number of ten thousand men, and put
him to flight. And then had these three kings great cheer of king
Leodegrance that thanked them of their great goodness, that they would
revenge him of his enemies. And there had Arthur the first sight of
Guenever, the king’s daughter of Cameliard, and ever after he loved
her. After they were wedded, as it telleth in the book. So, briefly to
make an end, they took their leave to go into their own countries, for
king Claudas did great destruction on their lands. Then said Arthur, I
will go with you. Nay, said the kings, ye shall not at this time, for
ye have much to do yet in these lands, therefore we will depart, and
with the great goods that we have gotten in these lands by your gifts,
we shall wage good knights, and withstand the king Claudas’s malice,
for, by the grace of God, and we have need we will send to you for your
succour; and if ye have need, send for us, and we will not tarry, by
the faith of our bodies. It shall not, said Merlin, need that these two
kings come again in the way of war: but I know well king Arthur may not
be long from you, for within a year or two ye shall have great need,
and then shall he revenge you on your enemies, as ye have done on his.
For these eleven kings shall die all in a day, by the great might and
prowess of arms of two valiant knights (as it telleth after) their
names being Balin le Savage, and Balan his brother, which be marvellous
good knights as be any living.
Now turn we to the eleven kings, that returned unto a city that hight
Sorhaute, the which city was within king Uriens, and there they
refreshed them as well as they might, and made leeches search their
wounds, and sorrowed greatly for the death of their people. With that
there came a messager and told how there was come into their lands
people that were lawless as well as Saracens a forty thousand, and have
burnt and slain all the people that they may come by without mercy and
have laid siege on the castle of Wandesborow. Alas! said the eleven
kings, here is sorrow on sorrow, and if we had not warred against
Arthur as we had done, he would soon revenge us: as for king
Leodegrance, he loveth king Arthur better than us, and as for king
Rience he hath enough to do with king Leodegrance, for he hath laid
siege unto him. So they consented together to keep all the marches of
Cornwall, of Wales, and of the North. So first they put king Idres in
the city of Nauntes in Britain with four thousand men of arms, to watch
both the water and the land. Also they put in the city of Windesan king
Nentres of Garlot with four thousand knights, to watch both on water
and on land. Also they had of other men of war more than eight
thousand, for to fortify all the fortresses in the marches of Cornwall.
Also they put more knights in all the marches of Wales and Scotland
with many good men of arms. And so they kept them together the space of
three years, and ever allied them with mighty kings, and dukes, and
lords. And to them fell king Rience of North Wales, the which was a
mighty man of men, and Nero that was a mighty man of men. And all this
while they furnished them and garnished them of good men of arms and
victual, and of all manner of habiliment that pretendeth to the war, to
avenge them for the battle of Bedegraine, as it telleth in the book of
adventures following.