1065

1070

As sone as she saw him with her eye,
She fell in sownyng by and by.
The squyer her hente in armes two,
And kyssed her an hundreth tymes and mo.
There was myrth and melody
With harpe, getron, and sautry,
With rote, ribible, and clokarde,
With pypes, organs, and bumbarde,
With other mynstrelles them amonge,
With sytolphe and with sautry songe,
With fydle, recorde, and dowcemere,
With trompette and with claryon clere,
With dulcet pipes of many cordes.
In chambre revelyng all the lordes,
Unto morne that it was daye,

1075

The kyng to his doughter began to

saye,

'Have here thy love and thy lyking,
To lyve and ende in Gods blessinge;
And he that wyll departe1 you two,
God geve him sorow and wo!
A trewer lover than ye are one
Was never yet of flesh ne bone;
And but he be as true to thee,
God let him never thryve ne thee.'
The kyng in herte he was full blithe,
He kissed his doughter many a sithe,2
With melody and muche chere;
Anone he called his messengere,
And commaunded him soone to go
Through his cities to and fro,
For to warne his chevalry

1080

1085

1090

1095

That they should come to Hungry,
That worthy wedding for to se,
And come unto that mangere.3
That messenger full sone he wente,
And did the kinges commaundemente. 1100
Anone he commaunded bothe olde and yinge
For to be at that weddyng,

As Sir Mordred was ruler of all England, he did do make letters as though that they came from beyond the sea, and the letters specified that King Arthur was 5 slain in battle with Sir Launcelot. Wherefore Sir Mordred made a parliament, and called the lords together, and there he made them to choose him king; and so was he crowned at Canterbury, and held 10 a feast there fifteen days; and afterward he drew him unto Winchester, and there he took the Queen Guenever, and said plainly that he would wed her which was his uncle's wife and his father's wife. And 15 so he made ready for the feast, and a day prefixed that they should be wedded; wherefore Queen Guenever was passing heavy. But she durst not discover her heart, but spake fair, and agreed to Sir 20 Mordred's will. Then she desired of Sir Mordred for to go to London, to buy all manner of things that longed unto the wedding. And because of her fair speech Sir Mordred trusted her well enough, and gave 25 her leave to go. And so when she came to London she took the Tower of London, and suddenly in all haste possible she stuffed it with all manner of victual, and well garnished it with men, and so kept it. Then 30 when Sir Mordred wist and understood 1120. how he was beguiled, he was passing

1105

Both dukes and erles of muche myght,
And ladyes that were fayre and bryght.
As soone as ever they herde the crye,
The lordes were full soone redy;
With myrth and game and muche playe
They wedded them on a solempne1 daye.
A royall feest there was holde,

1115

With dukes and erles and barons bolde, 1110
And knyghtes and squyers of that countre,
And sith with all the comunalte:
And certaynly, as the story sayes,
The revell lasted forty dayes;
Tyll on a day the kyng him selfe
To hym he toke his lordes twelfe,
And so he dyd the squver
That wedded his doughter dere,
And even in the myddes of the hall
He made him kyng among them al;

1 separate

2 time

* feast

4 festive

afterward

* Everyman's Library. By permission of E. P. Dutton & Company, Publishers.

wroth out of measure. And a short tale for to make, he went and laid a mighty siege about the Tower of London, and made many great assaults thereat, and threw many great engines unto them, and shot great guns. But all might not prevail Sir Mordred, for Queen Guenever would never for fair speech nor for foul, would never trust to come in his hands again. . . .

Chapter II

I feel well I must die; and had Sir Launcelot been with you as he was, this unhappy war had never begun; and of all this am I causer, for Sir Launcelot and his blood, through their 5 prowess, held all your cankered3 enemies in subjection and daunger. And now,' said Sir Gawaine, 'ye shall miss Sir Launcelot. But alas, I would not accord with him, and therefore,' said Sir Gawaine, 'I pray 10 you, fair uncle, that I may have paper, pen, and ink, that I may write to Sir Launcelot a cedles with mine own hands.' then when paper and ink was brought, then Gawaine was set up weakly by King Arthur, for he was shriven a little to-fore; and then he wrote thus, as the French book maketh mention: 'Unto Sir Launcelot, flower of all noble knights that ever I heard of or saw by my days, I, Sir Gawaine, King Lot's

And

And so as Sir Mordred was at Dover with his host, there came King Arthur with a great navy of ships, and galleys, and carracks. And there was Sir Mordred 15 ready awaiting upon his landing, to let his own father to land upon the land that he was king over. Then there was launching of great boats and small, and full of noble men of arms; and there was 20 son of Orkney, sister's son unto the noble

King Arthur, send thee greeting, and let thee have knowledge that the tenth day of May I was smitten upon the old wound that thou gavest me afore the city of Benwick, and through the same wound that thou gavest me I am come to my death-day. And I will that all the world wit, that I, Sir Gawaine, knight of the Table Round, sought my death, and not through thy deserving, but it was

much slaughter of gentle knights, and many a full bold baron was laid full low, on both parties. But King Arthur was so courageous that there might no manner of knights let him to land, and his knights 25 fiercely followed him; and so they landed maugre Sir Mordred and all his power, and put Sir Mordred aback, that he fled and all his people. So when this battle was done, King Arthur let bury his people that 30 mine own seeking; wherefore I beseech thee, were dead.

And then was noble Sir Ga

Sir Launcelot, to return again unto this realm, and see my tomb, and pray some prayer more or less for my soul. And this same day that I wrote this cedle, I

waine found in a great boat, lying more than half dead. When Sir Arthur wist that Sir Gawaine was laid so low, he went unto him; and there the king made sorrow out of meas- 35 was hurt to the death in the same wound, ure, and took Sir Gawaine in his arms, and thrice he there swooned. And then when he awaked, he said: 'Alas, Sir Gawaine, my sister's son, here now thou liest, the man in the world that I loved 40 most; and now is my joy gone, for now, my nephew Sir Gawaine, I will discover me unto your person: in Sir Launcelot and you I most had my joy, and mine affiance, and now have I lost my joy of 45 you both; wherefore all mine earthly joy is gone from me.' 'Mine uncle, King Arthur,' said Sir Gawaine, 'wit you well my death-day is come, and all is through mine own hastiness and wilfulness; for 50 I am smitten upon the old wound the which Sir Launcelot gave me, on the which 1 large vessels

2 trust

the which I had of thy hand, Sir Launcelot; for of a more nobler man might I not be slain. Also, Sir Launcelot, for all the love that ever was betwixt us, make no tarrying, but come over the sea in all haste, that thou mayest with thy noble knights rescue that noble king that made thee knight, that is my lord Arthur; for he is full straitly bestead with a false traitor, that is my half-brother, Sir Mordred; and he hath let crown him king, and would have wedded my lady Queen Guenever, and so had he done had she not put herself in the Tower of London. And so the tenth day of May last past, my lord Arthur and we all landed upon them at Dover; and there we put that false traitor, Sir Mordred, to

3 inveterate

4 control

5 note

flight, and there it misfortuned me to be
stricken upon thy stroke. And at the
date of this letter was written, but two
hours and a half afore my death, written
with mine own hand, and so subscribed 5
with part of my heart's blood. And I require
thee, most famous knight of the world, that
thou wilt see my tomb.' And then Sir Ga-
waine wept, and King Arthur wept: and
then they swooned both. And when they 10
awaked both, the king made Sir Gawaine
to receive his Saviour. And then Sir Ga-
waine prayed the king for to send for Sir
Launcelot, and to cherish him above all
other knights. And so at the hour of noon 15
Sir Gawaine yielded up the spirit; and then
the king let inter him in a chapel within
Dover Castle; and there yet all men may
see the skull of him, and the same wound
is seen that Sir Launcelot gave him in battle. 20
Then was it told the king that Sir Mordred
had pight' a new field upon Barham Down.
And upon the morn the king rode thither to
him, and there was a great battle betwixt
them, and much people was slain on both 25
parties; but at the last Sir Arthur's party
stood best, and Sir Mordred and his party
fled unto Canterbury.

Chapter III

Arthur's days: after, all England, after the days of King Arthur.

Chapter IV

Then were they condescended that King Arthur and Sir Mordred should meet betwixt both their hosts, and everych of them should bring fourteen persons; and they came with this word unto Arthur. Then said he: 'I am glad that this is done': and so he went into the field. And when Arthur should depart, he warned all his host that an they see any sword drawn: 'Look ye come on fiercely, and slay that traitor, Sir Mordred, for I in no wise trust him.' In likewise Sir Mordred warned his host that: 'An ye see any sword drawn, look that ye come on fiercely, and so slay all that ever before you standeth; for in no wise I will not trust for this treaty, for I know well my father will be avenged on me.' And so they met as their appointment was, and so they were agreed and accorded thoroughly; and wine was fetched, and they drank. Right soon came an adder out of a little heath bush, and it stung a knight on the foot. And when the knight felt him stung, he looked down and saw the adder, and then he drew his sword to slay the adder, and 30 thought of none other harm. And when the host on both parties saw that sword drawn, then they blew beams, trumpets, and horns, and shouted grimly. And so both hosts dressed them together. And King

unhappy day!' and so rode to his party. And Sir Mordred in likewise. And never was there seen a more dolefuller battle in no Christian land; for there was but rushing

And then the king let search all the towns for his knights that were slain, and interred them; and salved them with soft salves that so sore were wounded. Then much people drew unto King Arthur. And 35 Arthur took his horse, and said: 'Alas, this then they said that Sir Mordred warred upon King Arthur with wrong. And then King Arthur drew him with his host down by the seaside, westward toward Salisbury; and there was a day assigned betwixt King 40 and riding, foining and striking, and many Arthur and Sir Mordred, that they should meet upon a down beside Salisbury, and not far from the seaside; and this day was assigned on a Monday after Trinity Sunday, whereof King Arthur was passing glad, that 45 he might be avenged upon Sir Mordred. . . . So then [Arthur and his army] departed, and came to Sir Mordred, where he had a grim host of an hundred thousand men. And there they entreated Sir Mordred long 50 time; and at the last Sir Mordred was agreed for to have Cornwall and Kent, by 1 pitched, prepared

a grim word was there spoken either to other, and many a deadly stroke. But ever King Arthur rode throughout the battle of Sir Mordred many times, and did full nobly as a noble king should, and at all times he fainted never; and Sir Mordred that day put him in devoir, and in great peril. And thus they fought all the long day, and never stinted till the noble knights were laid to the cold earth; and ever they fought still till it was near night, and by that time was there an hundred thousand laid dead upon

2 horns

⚫ thrusting