Sir Thomas Malory's Morte Darthur. Sir Thomas Malory

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      CIII.14

      Right in front of them, two knights met; one was coming from Camelot and the other was coming from the North. Each greeted the other.

      “What tidings at Camelot?” said one knight.

      “By my head, I have been there and spied upon the court of King Arthur. There is such a fellowship that it shall never be broken. Almost all the world sides with King Arthur, for with him is the flower of chivalry. For this reason I am riding into the North to tell our chieftains of the fellowship that holds with King Arthur.”

      “As for that,” said the other knight, “I have brought a remedy with me that is the greatest poison that has ever been heard of. I will go with it to Camelot, for we have a friend who is close to the king, one whom he cherishes, and he shall poison Arthur. He has promised our chieftains to do this, and has received great gifts for doing it.”

      “Beware,” said the other knight, “of Merlin, for he knows all things through the devil’s craft.”

      “I will not let that hinder me,” said the knight. So they parted and went in opposite directions.

      Immediately after that, King Pellinore prepared himself, and the lady too, and they rode toward Camelot. As they came by the well where the lady had sat with the wounded knight, they saw that the knight and the lady had been eaten by lions, or other wild beasts, all except their heads. Because of this he made great sorrow, and wept much, saying, “Alas! I might have saved her life, but I was so consumed by my quest that I would not stop.”

      “Why are you so sad?” said the lady.

      “I don’t know,” said King Pellinore, “but my heart deeply laments the death of she who lies yonder, for she was a beautiful lady, and young.”

      “Now, will you take my advice? Take this knight and have him buried at an hermitage, and then take this lady’s head and bear it with you to King Arthur.”

      So King Pellinore put the dead knight on his shield and brought him to an hermitage. He gave the corpse to the hermit there so that services could be said for his soul. “And take his armor for your trouble.”

      “It shall be done,” said the hermit, “as I answer to God.”

      Then they departed and returned to where the lady with the fair yellow hair was lying. That grieved King Pellinore greatly when he looked at that scene, for greatly his heart inclined toward her visage. By noon they came to Camelot, and the king and queen were glad of his coming to court. He was made to swear upon the Four Gospels to tell the truth of his quest from beginning to end.

      CIII.15

      “Ah, King Pellinore!” said Queen Guenevere. “You are greatly to blame for not saving this lady’s life.”

      “Madame,” said King Pellinore, “you would be greatly to blame if you did not save your own life and you were able. But, saving your displeasure, I was so eager in my quest that I would not stop. I repent that, and shall do so all the days of my life.”

      “Truly, you ought to sorely repent it,” said Merlin, “for that lady was your own daughter, begotten on the Lady of Rule; that knight who was dead was her love who was going to marry her. For a young man, he was a very good knight, and he would have proved to be a good man. He was coming to this court, and his name was Miles of the Lands. A knight came up behind him and slew him with a spear; his name was Loraine le Savage, a false and cowardly knight. For great sorrow and dole she killed herself with his sword; her name was Aline.

      “Because you would not stop and help her, you shall see your best friend fail you when you are in the greatest distress that you ever were or will be in. God has ordained this penance for your deed: that he whom you trust more than any man alive shall abandon you, and you will be slain.

      “I am sorry,” said King Pellinore, “that this should befall me, but God shall decide my destiny.”

      Thus, when the quest of the white hart was completed by Sir Gawain, and the quest of the brachet was completed by Sir Tor, King Pellinore’s son, and the quest of the lady who was taken away by the knight was completed by King Pellinore, then the king established all his knights, and bestowed on them riches and lands. He charged them never to commit outrage or murder, always to flee treason, and to give mercy to those who asked for mercy, upon pain of the forfeiture of their honor and status as a knight of King Arthur’s forever more. He charged them always to help ladies, damsels, gentlewomen, and widows, and never to commit rape, upon pain of death. Also, he commanded that no man should take up a battle in a wrongful quarrel—not for love, nor for any worldly goods.

      So all the knights of the Round Table, both young and old, swore to uphold this oath, and every year at the high feast of Pentecost they renewed their oath.

      Here ends the story of the wedding of King Arthur.

      10 The War with the Five Kings

      So after the quests of Sir Gawain, Sir Tor, and King Pellinore, it happened that Merlin fell in love with the damsel that King Pellinore had brought to court. She was one of the damsels of the Lady of the Lake, and her name was Nyneve.

      C IV.1; V I.4

      Merlin would not leave her alone; he was always following her about. She acted as if she enjoyed Merlin’s company until she had learned from him all the things that she desired to know. He was so madly in love with her that he could not stand to be away from her.

      On one occasion he told King Arthur that he would not live long; he would be put into the earth still alive, despite all his craft and magic. He told the king many things that would come to pass, but always he warned the king to take good care of his sword and scabbard, for they would be stolen from him by the woman he trusted most.

      He also told King Arthur that he would miss his advice and counsel, “and there will come a time when you would rather have me back again than have all your lands.”

      “Ah,” said the king, “since you know of the evil adventure that is coming, defend against it. Prevent it from happening through your craft.”

      “Nay,” said Merlin, “that cannot be.” He left the king, and within a short time the damsel of the Lake departed from the court, and Merlin went with her wherever she went. Often Merlin would have whisked her magically away by his magical skill. She made him swear that he would never cast an enchantment on her—or else he should never have his desire—and so he swore.

      Then she and Merlin went over the sea to the land of Benwick where Ban was king—he who had long made war against King Claudas. There Merlin spoke with King Ban’s wife, whose name was Elaine. There he saw young Lancelot, and the queen made great sorrow for the war that King Claudas was waging on her lord and her son.

      “Do not worry,” said Merlin, “for this same child, young Lancelot, will avenge you on King Claudas in twenty years time in such a way that all Christendom shall speak of it. This same child shall be the greatest man of worship in the world. His baptismal name is Galahad, that I well know,” said Merlin, “and his name at confirmation was Lancelot.”

      “That is true,” said the queen. “His first name was Galahad. Ah, Merlin,” said the queen, “will I live to see my son become a man of such prowess?”

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