Sir Thomas Malory's Morte Darthur. Sir Thomas Malory

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СКАЧАТЬ king awoke and found his scabbard missing, he was angry, and asked who had been there. They said his sister, Queen Morgan le Fay, had been there, put the scabbard under her mantle, and had left. “Alas!” said Arthur, “falsely have you watched me!”

      “Sir,” they all said, “we dared not disobey your sister’s commandment.”

      “Ah,” said the king, “fetch me the best horse that can be found, and bid Sir Outlake arm himself quickly, take another good horse, and ride with me.”

      So the king and Sir Outlake were well armed and rode after this lady. They came to a crossroads with a cowherd nearby, and they asked the poor man if any lady had recently come riding along that way.

      “Sir,” said the poor man, “just recently a lady came riding this way with forty horses.” So they followed quickly after her, and within a while, Arthur caught a glimpse of Morgan le Fay. Then he chased after her as quickly as he was able.

      When she realized that he was following her, she rode a great distance through the forest until she came to a plain. When she saw that she could not escape, she rode to a lake that was close by and said, “Whatever may become of me, my brother shall not have this scabbard!” Then she threw the scabbard out into the deepest part of the lake. It sank, for it was heavy with gold and precious stones.

      Then she rode into a valley where there were a great many stones. When she saw that she would soon be overtaken, she changed herself, her men, and their horses by enchantment into great marble stones.

      When Arthur and Outlake came there, the king could not tell his sister nor any of her men from the stones in the valley. “Ah,” said the king, “here you would have seen the vengeance of God! Now I am sorry that this misadventure has happened.” Then he looked for the scabbard, but could not find it. So he returned to the abbey he had left. When Arthur was gone, Morgan and her men were changed back into their human likenesses as before, and she said, “Sirs, now we may go wherever we wish.”

      Then Morgan le Fay said, “Did you see Arthur, my brother?”

      CIV.15

      “Yes,” said her men, “and he would have found you if we had stirred from our places. For by his angry countenance he would have caused us to flee.”

      “I believe you,” said the queen.

      So then as she was riding she encountered a knight leading another knight on horseback behind him; he was bound hand and foot, blindfolded, and was destined to be drowned in a fountain.

      When she saw this bound knight she asked, “What are you going to do with that knight?”

      “Lady,” he said, “I am going to drown him.”

      “Why?” she asked.

      “Because I found him with my wife, and she will suffer the same death soon.”

      “That is a pity,” said Morgan le Fay. “Now, what do you say knight? Does he speak the truth of you?”

      “Nay, truly, madame, he does not speak the truth.”

      “From whence do you come?” said Morgan le Fay. “Of what country are you?”

      “I am of the court of King Arthur, and my name is Manessen, cousin to Accolon of Gaul.”

      “You say well! For the love of Accolon, you shall be delivered, and you shall have your adversary put in the same situation in which you were just held.”

      So this Manessen was set free, and the other knight was bound. Then Manessen unarmed him, and put the other knight’s arms on himself; he then mounted on horseback with the knight before him, and then threw him into the fountain, and so drowned him.

      Then he rode back to Morgan and asked if she wished to convey any message to Arthur. “Tell him,” she said, “that I rescued you not for his love, but for the love of Accolon; and tell him I fear him not while I may change me and mine into the likeness of stones. And let him know that I will do much more when I see my chance.”

      So she departed and went into the land of Gorre, and there she was richly received. She made her castles and towns strong, for always she had great dread of King Arthur.

      When the king had rested himself well at the abbey, he rode home to Camelot and found his queen and his barons very glad of his coming. When they heard of his strange adventures, as it was told before, they all had marvel at the falsehood of Morgan le Fay. Many knights wished to burn her. Then Manessen came to court and told the king of his adventure.

      V I.6

      “Well!” said the king. “She is a kind sister! I shall be avenged on her before I die so that all Christendom will speak of it!”

      The next day, a damsel came with a message from Morgan le Fay to the king, and she brought with her the richest mantle that had ever been seen in the court, for it was covered all over with precious stones, and they were the richest stones the king had ever seen.

      Then the damsel said, “Your sister sends you this mantle and desires that you should accept this gift from her, and in whatever way she has offended you, she will make it up to you as you see fit.”

      When the king beheld this mantle, it pleased him much, although he didn’t say anything. The Damsel of the Lake came up to the king and said, “Sir, I must speak with you in private.”

      C IV.16

      “Say on,” said the king, “whatever you would like to say.”

      “Sir,” said the damsel, “do not put on this mantle until you have seen more; on no account let it come near you nor near any of your knights until you command the bringer to put it upon herself.”

      “Well,” said the king, “it shall be done as you advise.” Then he said to the damsel that had come from his sister, “Damsel, this mantle that you have brought me—I would like to see it on you.”

      “Sir,” she said, “it is not seemly for me to wear a king’s garment.”

      “By my head,” said Arthur, “you shall wear it before I put it on my back or on the back of any man who is here.” So the king had the mantle put on her, and she immediately fell down dead without speaking a word, her body burned to ashes.

      Then the king was even angrier than he had been before, and said to King Uriens, “My sister, your wife, is always trying to betray me, and sometimes I wonder if you or my nephew, your son, is in collusion with her to destroy me. As for you,” said King Arthur to King Uriens, “I do not believe that you are involved in her plans, for Accolon confessed to me with his own mouth that she would have destroyed you as well as me; therefore, I do not believe you are involved. As far as your son Uwain, however, I am a little suspicious. Therefore, I order you to send him from my court.” And with that, Sir Uwain was sent away.

      12 Gawain, Uwain, and Marhalt

      When Sir Gawain learned that Sir Uwain had been sent from court, he prepared to go with him, “for whosoever banishes my close cousin also banishes me!” So they departed together and rode into a great forest, where they came to an abbey of monks where they were well lodged.

      When СКАЧАТЬ