Читать книгу Sir Thomas Malory's Morte Darthur - Sir Thomas Malory - Страница 14

3 How Mordred was Born and King Arthur Learned of his Parentage

Then after King Ban and King Bors departed, Arthur rode to the city of Caerleon. And thither came the wife of King Lot of Orkney as a messenger from her husband; but she was really sent there to spy on the court of King Arthur. She came richly arrayed with her four sons accompanying her—Gawain, Gaheris, Aggravain, and Gareth—along with many other knights and ladies.

CI.19

She was a beautiful woman and the king developed a great love for her and desired to lie by her. They were agreed on this, and he conceived on her Sir Mordred. She was Arthur’s half-sister through their mother Igraine. She stayed there a month, and then departed.

Then the king dreamed a marvelous dream that made him very afraid. (At this time he did not know that King Lot’s wife was his sister.) This was Arthur’s dream: it seemed to him as if griffins and serpents came into his land and burned and killed all his people. He fought with them, and they did him great harm and wounded him seriously, but in the end he destroyed them. When the king awoke, he was disturbed by his dream, but tried to put it out of his mind as he prepared to go hunting with many knights.

As soon as he was in the forest, he saw a great hart before him. “I will chase this hart,” said King Arthur. So he spurred his horse and rode after the hart for a long time, and through his superior skill he often came close to striking the hart. But the king chased the hart so long that his horse was exhausted and fell down dead; then a yeoman went to fetch the king another horse.

When the king saw that the hart had escaped into a thicket and his own horse was dead, he sat down by a fountain, and there fell into deep thought. And as he was sitting there, he thought he heard a noise similar to that made by thirty hounds; then he saw coming toward him the strangest beast that he had ever seen or heard of. This creature went to the well and drank and there was a great noise in the beast’s belly. Then the creature departed, making great noise, which caused the king to marvel. He was deep in thought, and soon thereafter fell asleep.

Then a knight on foot came up to Arthur and said, “Thoughtful and sleepy knight, tell me if you saw any strange beast pass this way.”

“I saw such a strange beast,” said King Arthur, “that is probably two miles away by now. What do you want with that creature?”

“Sir, I have followed that beast for so long that it has killed my horse; I wish to God that I might have another so that I could continue my quest. “ At that moment a servant arrived with a horse for the king. When the knight saw this, he asked the king to give him his horse. “For I have followed this quest for a year, and I am determined to achieve it or else die trying.” The knight who followed the Questing Beast at this time was named King Pellinore; after his death, Sir Palomides took up the quest.

CI.20

“Sir knight,” said the king, “leave that quest and allow me to take it up, and I will follow it for another year.”

“Fool!” said the king to King Arthur, “your desire is in vain, for this quest may never be achieved except by me or one of my kin.” And then he grabbed the king’s horse and mounted it and said, “Many thanks, for now this horse is mine.”

“Well,” said the king, “you might take my horse by force, but if I were able to fight you, then we would know whether you were more worthy to have him than I.”

When King Pellinore heard him say this, he said: “Look for me here when you wish, and here near this well you will find me.” Then King Arthur bade his men to fetch another horse as quickly as they were able.

Then Merlin came by in the semblance of a fourteen-year-old boy; he saluted the king and asked him why he was so pensive.

“I may well be pensive,” said the king, “for I have seen the most marvelous sight that I have ever seen.”

“I am well aware of that,” said Merlin, “and I know your thoughts as well as you yourself do. But you are a fool to worry about things that will not do you any good. Also, I know who you are—who your father was, and of whom you were begotten. For King Uther was your father and conceived you on Igraine.”

“That is false!” said King Arthur. “How could you know that? You are not old enough to have known my father.”

“Yes,” said Merlin, “I know this better than you or any man living.”

“I will not believe you,” said Arthur, and was angry at the child. So Merlin departed and then returned again in the likeness of an old man of eighty years of age; this made the king glad, for he seemed to be a wise man.

Then the old man said, “Why are you sad?”

“It is understandable that I would be sad,” said Arthur, “for many reasons. Just now there was a child here who told me many things that it seemed to me he could not know, for he was not old enough to know my father.”

“Yes,” said the old man, “that child told you the truth, and he would have told you more if you had allowed him. But you have done a thing lately which has displeased God: you have lain by your sister and on her you have conceived a child that shall destroy you and all the knights of your realm.”

“Who are you,” said Arthur, “who can tell me these things?”

“Sir, I am Merlin, and I was he in the likeness of a child.”

“Ah!” said the king. “You are a marvelous man! But I marvel at your statement that I must die in battle.”

“Marvel not,” said Merlin, “for it is God’s will that your body should be punished for your foul deeds. But I am the one who should really be heavy-hearted,” said Merlin, “for I shall die a shameful death: I shall be put in the earth still alive. But you shall die a worshipful death.”

As they talked thus, someone came with the king’s horse. So the king mounted his horse, and Merlin mounted another, and they rode to Caerleon. When they got there, the king immediately asked Ector and Ulphius how he was begotten, and they told him how King Uther was his father and Queen Igraine was his mother.

“So Merlin told me. I would like my mother to be sent for so that I may speak with her. And if she says this herself, then I will believe it.”

So in all haste the queen was sent for, and she brought with her Morgan le Fay, her daughter, who was as fair as any lady in the land. The king welcomed Igraine politely. Then Ulphius came in and said in the hearing of the king and all who were there feasting that day, “You are the falsest lady in the world, and the most traitorous to the king’s person.”

CI.21

“Beware,” said King Arthur, “of what you say. You use strong words.”

“Sir, I am well aware,” said Ulphius, “of what I am saying. Here is my glove to prove the truth of what I say on any man who says otherwise. Queen Igraine is the cause of your great hardship and the great war; if she had, during the lifetime of Uther, explained your birth, and how you were conceived, then you would never have had to fight the mortal wars that you have. Most of the barons of your realm never knew whose son you were, nor of whom you were begotten. She that bore you in her body should have made this known openly to all the realm to enhance her worship and yours. Therefore, I claim her to be false to God and to you and to all your realm. And whoever says this is not so—I will prove this truth on his body.”

Then Igraine spoke and said, “I am a woman and may not fight in my own defense; rather than be dishonored, I would like some good man to take up my quarrel. But,” she said, “Merlin well knows—and you, too, Sir Ulphius—how King Uther came to me in Tintagel Castle in the likeness of my lord who had died three hours earlier, and he conceived a child upon me that night, and thirteen days later, he married me. By his commandment, when the child was born, it was given to Merlin and fostered by him. And I never saw the child again, nor do I know his name, and I have never known him.”

Then Ulphius said to Merlin, “You are more to blame than the queen.”

“Sir, I well know that I bore a child by my lord King Uther, but I do not know what has become of him.”

Then the king took Merlin by the hand, saying, “Is this my mother?”

“Truly, sir, yes.”

Then Sir Ector came in and bore witness as to how he had fostered Arthur by King Uther’s commandment. Then King Arthur took his mother, Queen Igraine, in his arms and kissed her, and both of them wept. Then the king proclaimed a feast that lasted eight days.

One day there came into court a squire on horseback leading a knight who was mortally wounded. He said that there was a knight in the forest who had set up a pavilion by a well and that this knight “has slain my master, a good knight. His name was Miles. Thus, I beseech you that my master might be buried and some knight will avenge my master’s death.” The news of this knight’s death then spread quickly through the court, and every man gave his opinion.

Then the young squire Grifflet sought out King Arthur and requested that the king raise him to the Order of Knighthood for all the service he had done for him. “You are young and tender of age,” said King Arthur, “to take on such an office.”

CI.22

“Sir,” said Grifflet, “I beseech you to make me a knight.”

“Sir,” said Merlin, “it would be a pity to lose Grifflet, for he will be a passing good man when he is older, and he shall stay by your side all his life. If he risks his life with yonder knight at the fountain, he will be in great peril of never returning, for that knight is one of the best knights of the world and a strong man of arms.”

“Well,” said King Arthur, “you shall be made knight as you desire. Now,” said Arthur unto Grifflet, “since I have made you a knight, you must give me a gift.”

“Whatever you would like,” said Grifflet.

“You shall promise me by the faith of your body that when you have jousted with that knight at the fountain—whether on horseback or on foot—that you will immediately return to me without pursuing the matter further.”

“I will promise you,” said Grifflet, “to do exactly as you desire.” Then Grifflet took his horse hastily and positioned his shield and took a spear in his hand, and rode a great distance until he came to the fountain. Nearby he saw a rich pavilion, and under a cloth canopy stood a horse well saddled and bridled, and on a tree hung a shield of many colors, with a great spear next to it.

Then Grifflet struck the shield with the butt of his spear so that the shield fell down. With that, the knight came out of the pavilion and said, “Fair knight, why have you struck down my shield?”

“Sir, because I would joust with you,” said Grifflet.

“Sir, it is better if you do not,” said the knight, “for you are young and just recently made a knight, and your skill is not equal to mine.”

“No matter,” said Grifflet, “I wish to joust with you.”

“I would rather not,” said the knight, “but since I must, I will prepare myself. From whence do you come?” said the knight.

“Sir, I am from King Arthur’s court.”

Then the two knights ran together so that Grifflet’s shield shattered. Then the knight smote Grifflet through the shield and his left side and broke his spear so that the end of it stuck in Grifflet’s body. Horse and man fell to the earth.

When the knight saw him lying on the ground, he dismounted and was sorry, for he thought that he had slain him. Then he unlaced his helmet to give him some air. With the truncheon still in him he set him on his horse and commended him to God and said, “He had a mighty heart! If he might live, he will prove to be a passing good knight.”

CI.23

Thus Sir Grifflet rode forth to the court, where passing great sorrow was made for him. But through good medicine he was healed and saved.

Then twelve aged knights came to the court from the emperor of Rome. And they asked Arthur to do tribute to the emperor for possession of his realm, or else the emperor would destroy him and all his land.

“Well,” said King Arthur, “you are messengers, therefore, you may say whatever you will; if you were not merely messengers, you would die for what you have said. This is my answer: I owe the emperor no tribute, and I will give him none, unless it will be on a fair field of battle with sharp spear or sharp sword. And it will not be a long time in coming, by the soul of my father Uther!”

Then the messengers departed exceedingly angry, and King Arthur was just as angry, for they came in an evil time, when the king was exceedingly angry about the wound of Sir Grifflet.

So he commanded a man of his chamber to have his best horse and armor ready before daybreak, “and all that it is fitting that I should have on my person be outside the city before tomorrow daybreak waiting for me.”

Just as he commanded, he met with his man and his horse, and so mounted, positioned his shield and took his spear, and bade his chamberlain wait there until he returned. So Arthur rode along a short distance until it was day.

Then he was suddenly aware of three churls chasing Merlin who would have slain him. Then the king rode up to them and commanded them: “Flee churls!” Then they were afraid when they saw a knight coming to them, and they fled.

“Ah, Merlin!” said Arthur, “here you would have been slain despite all your crafts, if I had not been here!”

“No,” said Merlin, “that is not true, for I could have saved myself if I had wanted to. But you are nearer to death than I, for you ride toward death and God is not on your side.” So they went on talking thus until they came to the fountain with the pavilion beside it. Then King Arthur saw an armed knight sitting in a chair.

“Sir knight,” said Arthur, “why are you waiting here, not allowing any knight to ride past unless he joust with you? I suggest that you cease that custom.”

“This custom,” said the knight, “I have followed and will follow despite anyone telling me ‘no.’ Whoever is upset with my custom, let him try and make me amend it.”

“I will amend it,” said Arthur.

“And I shall defend against you,” said the knight. Then he took his horse and positioned his shield and took a spear in his hand; they came together so hard that each struck the other in the middle of the shield and shattered their spears. Then immediately Arthur pulled out his sword.

“Nay, nay, not so fast,” said the knight. “It would be better that the two of us run at one another with sharp spears again.”

“I would be happy to,” said Arthur, “if I had any more spears here.”

“I have enough,” said the knight. Then a squire came forward bringing two spears, and Arthur chose one and the knight chose another. Then they spurred their horses and came together with all their might so that each broke the spear of the other down to their hands. Then Arthur put his hand on his sword.

“Nay,” said the knight, “you shall do better. You are as good a jouster as I have ever met, and in honor of the high order of knighthood, let us joust again.”

“I assent,” said Arthur. And immediately two great spears were brought forth and each knight took a spear. Then they ran together and Arthur’s spear shattered; this other knight struck him so hard in the middle of the shield that both horse and man fell to the earth. Arthur then eagerly pulled out his sword and said, “I challenge you, sir knight, on foot, for I have lost the honor on horseback,” said the king.

“Sir, I would like to remain on horseback to challenge you.” Then Arthur was angry and pulled his shield to him with his sword drawn. When the knight saw this, he dismounted, for he thought it would be no worship to him if he were to stay on horseback to fight an adversary who was on foot; so he alit and squared his shield toward Arthur.

There began a hard battle with many great sword strokes; they hewed with their swords so that the pieces flew to the ground, and they both shed so much blood that the place where they fought was soon overflowing with blood. They fought a long time and then rested. Then they went to the battle again and hurtled together like two rams so that each fell to the earth. In the end, they struck so that both their swords clashed together, and King Arthur’s sword broke into two pieces, for which he was sorry.

Then the knight said to Arthur, “You are at my mercy, as to whether I would prefer to slay you or save you. Unless you yield to me as overcome and faint-hearted, you shall die.”

“As for that,” said King Arthur, “death is welcome to me whenever it should come. But I will not yield to you!” And then the king leapt at King Pellinore and grabbed him around the middle and threw him down and took off his helmet. When the knight felt that, he was afraid, for he was a big strong man. Then he wrestled Arthur underneath him and drew off his helmet and would have struck off his head.

Then Merlin came forward and said, “Knight, hold thy hand, for if you slay that knight you will put this realm in the greatest danger any realm has ever been in. This man is of greater worship than you realize.”

CI.24

“Why, who is he?” said the knight.

“It is King Arthur,” said Merlin. Then the knight would have slain him in dread of what he might do in his wrath, so he lifted up his sword. Then Merlin cast an enchantment on the knight so that he fell to the earth in a great sleep, and Merlin helped King Arthur up and rode away on the knight’s horse.

“Alas!” said Arthur. “What have you done, Merlin? Have you slain this good knight through your crafts? For there is not living now a man as worshipful as he was. I would rather have lost my land for a year if it might mean that he was alive.”

“Don’t worry,” said Merlin, “for he is healthier than you; he is but asleep and will wake within the hour. I told you,” said Merlin, “what kind of knight he was. Now you would have been slain if I had not been here. There is not a knight alive who is bigger than this one, and later he shall do you good service. His name is King Pellinore and he will have two sons who will be as good as any men living; they will have no equals in prowess and good living in this world except for one; their names will be Perceval and Sir Lamorak of Wales. And he shall tell you the name of your own son conceived on your sister, who shall cause the destruction of this realm.”

Then he and the king departed and he took him to an hermitage where there was a good man who was a great healer. So the hermit treated the king’s wounds and gave him good salves. The king was there three days, by which time his wounds were well enough mended that he might ride on horseback. So they departed.

CI.25

As they rode, Arthur said, “I have no sword.”

“Don’t worry,” said Merlin. “Nearby is a sword that shall be yours if I have my way.” So they rode until they came to a beautiful lake that was very large. Arthur saw that in the middle there was an arm clothed in white samite that held a fair sword in its hand. “Lo,” said Merlin, “yonder is the sword that I spoke of.” At that moment they saw a damsel going across the lake.

Said Merlin: “Out there is a great rock and therein is a palace as beautiful as any on earth, richly decorated. This damsel will come to you soon; speak fair words to her, so that she may give you that sword.”

So the damsel came to Arthur and greeted him, and he greeted her in return. “Damsel,” said Arthur, “what sword is that yonder which the arm is holding above the water? I would like to possess it, for I have no sword.”

“Sir Arthur,” said the damsel, “that sword is mine, and if you will give me a gift when I ask it, you shall have the sword.”

“By my faith,” said Arthur, “I will give you whatever gift you ask.”

“Well,” said the damsel, “go into that barge yonder and row yourself out to the sword and take it and the scabbard with you. I will ask a gift in return when the time is right.”

So King Arthur and Merlin dismounted and tied their horses to two trees, and went to the barge. When they came to the sword that was held by the hand, King Arthur grasped it by the handles and took it away with him; the arm and the hand went under the water. They reached the land and rode forth, and King Arthur saw a rich pavilion.

“What is the meaning of yonder pavilion?”

“Sir, that is the pavilion of the knight you fought with recently, King Pellinore, but he is away. He is not at home because he fought with a knight of yours called Egglame. They fought together, but in the end Egglame fled, or else he would have died, and Pellinore has chased him all the way to Caerleon. We will meet with him soon on the highway.”

“That will be well,” said Arthur. “Now that I have a sword I will wage battle with him and be revenged on him.”

“Sir,” said Merlin, “don’t do that. The knight is weary of fighting and chasing, so you will earn no worship if you fight him now. Also, he is not easily matched by any living man. Therefore, this is my counsel: let him be, for he shall do you good service in the near future, and his sons also after his death. Also, you will see in a very short time that you will be happy to give him your sister’s hand in marriage in reward for his good service. Therefore, do not challenge him when you see him.”

“I will do as you advise me.” Then King Arthur looked at the sword, and liked it very well.

Then Merlin said, “Which do you like better, the sword or the scabbard?”

“I like the sword better,” said Arthur.

“Then you are unwise, for the scabbard is worth ten of the sword. As long as you have the scabbard on you, you shall lose no blood, no matter how badly you are wounded. Therefore be careful to always keep the scabbard with you.”

So they rode into Caerleon, and along the way they met with King Pellinore. But Merlin had cast a spell so that King Pellinore did not see King Arthur, and passed by without saying anything.

“I marvel,” said Arthur, “that that knight would not speak.”

“Sir, he did not see you; for if he had seen you, you would not have parted on good terms.”

So they came into Caerleon, and his knights were very glad of his coming. When they heard of his adventures, they marveled that he would risk his person so all alone. But all men of worship said it was good indeed to be subject to such a leader who would risk his person in adventures as other poor knights did.

In the meantime a messenger came from King Rience of North Wales, Ireland, and many isles. This was his message: he greeted King Arthur after his fashion, and said that King Rience had defeated and overthrown eleven kings, and every one of them now did homage to him. That is to say, they gave him their beards, flayed clean off their faces. Thus, the messenger had come for King Arthur’s beard, for King Rience had trimmed a mantle with kings’ beards, and there was one blank space on his mantle. So he sent for his beard, or else he would enter in his lands and burn and slay and never stop until he had both head and beard.

CI.26

“Well,” said Arthur, “you have delivered your message, which is the most arrogant and ill-mannered message that a man has ever sent to a king. You can see that my beard is still too young to make much of a decoration. But tell your king this: I do not owe him, nor did any of my ancestors, and it will not be long before he shall do homage to me on both his knees, or else he will lose his head, by the faith of my body. This is the most shameful message that I have ever heard spoken; I sense that your king has not yet encountered with an honorable man. Tell him I will have his head unless he does homage to me.” Then the messenger departed.

“Now, is there anyone here who knows King Rience?” asked Arthur.

Then a knight named Naram answered, “Sir, I know the king well. There are few men who are of strong body as he is, and he is a very proud man. Sir, doubt not that he will make a great show of force against you.”

“Well,” said Arthur, “I will deal with him soon.”

Then King Arthur had all the children who were born on May-day sent for—those who were begotten of lords and born of ladies—for Merlin told King Arthur that he who would destroy him and all the land would be born on May-day. So he sent for them all on pain of death, and the sons of many kings and the sons of many knights were rounded up and sent to the king. And King Lot’s wife sent Mordred.

CI.27

They were all put in a ship and sent out to sea. And some were four weeks old, and some less. So by fortune the ship was wrecked near a castle, and the greatest part of it was destroyed. But Mordred was cast up onto the beach, and a good man found him, and fostered him until he was fourteen years of age, and then brought him to court, as it relates near the end of the Morte Darthur.

Many lords and barons of the realm were displeased that their children were lost. Many blamed Merlin more than Arthur, but out of fear and love, they held their peace.

When the messenger came to King Rience, he was out of his mind with rage, and gathered together a great host as it is told in the Book of Balin le Savage which follows next and tells the story of Balin’s adventure and how he got the sword.