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6 Arthur and Guenevere

CIII.1; VI.3

In the beginning of Arthur’s career, after he had been chosen king by both adventure and grace, most of his barons did not know that he was Uther Pendragon’s son. Merlin then made it openly known, but still many kings and lords continued to make war against him for that reason. But Arthur overcame them all decisively.

For most of the days of his life, Arthur followed the advice of Merlin, and it happened one time that King Arthur said to Merlin, “My barons will give me no rest until I take a wife, but I do not wish to take one except by your counsel and advice.”

“That would be well done,” said Merlin, “for you to take a wife, for a man of your wealth and nobility should not be without a wife. Now, is there anyone,” said Merlin, “that you love more than any other?”

“Yes,” said King Arthur, “I love Guenevere, the daughter of King Leodegranz of Camelard, the man who has in his house the Round Table that you told me my father Uther had given him. This damsel is the most excellent and the fairest that I know of living that I have yet ever found.”

“Certainly,” said Merlin, “as far as beauty and fairness, she is one of the prettiest women alive. But if you did not love her as you do, I would find you another damsel of beauty and goodness whom you would like and find pleasing, if your heart were not already set. For wherever a man’s heart is set, he will be loath to turn away.”

“That is the truth,” said King Arthur.

Merlin warned the king secretly that Guenevere was not a good choice to take as a wife, for he warned Arthur that Lancelot would love her, and she him. Then he turned his talk to the adventures of the Holy Grail.

Then Merlin asked the king for some men to accompany him when he went to inquire about Guenevere. The king granted this, and so Merlin went to King Leodegranz of Camelard and told him that the king desired to have his daughter, Guenevere, as his wife.

“That is to me,” said King Leodegranz, “the best news I have ever heard, that a king of such prowess and nobility wishes to wed my daughter. As far as my lands, I would give them all to him if I thought it would please him; but he has enough lands, he needs no more. I will send him a gift that will please him much more; I will give him the Round Table which Uther, his father, gave me. When it is fully complete, there are a hundred and fifty knights. I have a hundred good knights myself, but I lack fifty, as so many good knights have been slain in my time.”

So King Leodegranz delivered his daughter Guenevere to Merlin, along with the Round Table and a hundred knights. So they rode cheerfully with great pomp over water and land until they came near to London.

When King Arthur heard of Guenevere’s arrival and the hundred knights and the Round Table that accompanied her, he made great joy at her arrival and the rich gift she brought with her. He said publicly, “This fair lady is greatly welcome to me, for I have loved her a long time; therefore there is nothing more dear to me. And these knights with the Round Table please me more than a gift of great riches.” Then quickly the king ordered that the marriage and Guenevere’s coronation should be arranged in the most honorable way that could be devised.

CIII.2

“Now Merlin,” said King Arthur, “go and search the land and find me fifty knights who are of the greatest prowess and worship.” So within a short time, Merlin had found eight-and-twenty such knights, but he could find no more.

Then the Archbishop of Canterbury was fetched and he blessed the seats of the Round Table with great ceremony and devotion, and there he set the eight-and-twenty knights in their seats.

When this was done, Merlin said, “Fair sirs, you all must arise and come to King Arthur and do homage to him; he will then be in a frame of mind to maintain you.” So they arose and did their homage. While they were gone, Merlin found on every seat letters of gold that spelled out the name of the knight who was to sit there; but two seats were blank.

Then young Gawain came in and asked the king for a gift. “Ask,” said the king, “and I shall grant it to you.”

“Sir, I ask that you make me a knight on the same day you wed Dame Guenevere.”

“I will do that gladly,” said King Arthur. “And I will do unto you all the honor that I may, because you are my nephew, my sister’s son.”

Then a poor man came into the court, bringing with him a fair young man of eighteen years of age, riding upon a lean mare. The poor man asked all the men that he met, “Where shall I find King Arthur?”

CIII.3

“He is yonder,” said the knights. “Do you have business with him?”

“Yes,” said the poor man, “it is why I have come here.”

As soon as he came before the king, the poor man greeted him and said, “King Arthur, the flower of all kings, I pray that Jesus save you! Sir, I was told that at the time of your marriage you would grant any man the gift that he asked as long as it was not unreasonable.”

“That is true,” said the king, “I have had such announcements made, and I will keep my promise, as long as it does not harm my realm or my position.”

“You speak well and graciously,” said the poor man. “Sir, I ask nothing else except that you make my son a knight.”

“That is a great thing that you ask of me,” said the king. “What is your name?”

“Sir, my name is Ayres the cowherd.”

“Does this request come from you or from your son?” said the king.

“Sir,” said Ayres, “this desire comes from my son and not from me. I shall tell you: I have thirteen sons, and they all take up whatever labor I assign them, and they are perfectly content to do work. But this child will not labor for anything my wife and I may do. He is always shooting, or casting darts, and excited to see battles and to behold knights. Always, day and night, he tells me that he wishes to be made a knight.”

“What is your name?” said the king to the young man.

“Sir, my name is Tor.”

Then the king looked at him and saw that he was very fine looking, and well shaped for his years.

“Well,” said the king to Ayres the cowherd, “go fetch all your sons and bring them to me so that I may see them.” So the poor man did this. All the sons resembled the poor man, but Tor was like them neither in shape nor in countenance; he surpassed all of them.

“Now,” said King Arthur to the cowherd, “where is the sword with which he shall be made a knight?”

“It is here,” said Tor.

“Take it out of the sheath,” said the king, “and ask me to make you a knight.” So Tor dismounted from his mare and pulled out his sword. Then he kneeled and asked the king to make him a knight, and a knight of the Round Table.

“I shall make you a knight,” said the king, and then struck him in the neck with the sword. “Be a good knight—and I pray to God that you may be—and if you demonstrate prowess and worthiness, you shall become part of the Round Table.

“Now Merlin,” said Arthur, “will this Tor be a good man?”

“Yes, truly sir, he ought to be a good man for he is come of kindred as noble as any alive, and he is of king’s blood.”

“How so, sir?” said the king.

“I shall tell you,” said Merlin. “This poor man, Ayres the cowherd, is not his father; he is no relation to him. King Pellinore is his father.”

“I suppose not,” said the cowherd.

“Well, fetch your wife here,” said Merlin, “and she shall not say ‘nay’ to me.”

So the woman—a fair housewife—was brought forth and she answered Merlin honestly. She told the king and Merlin that when she was still maid and went to milk her cows one day, “I met with a stern knight, and half by force he had my maidenhead. At that time he conceived on me my son Tor. Then he took away a greyhound that I had with me at that time, and said he would keep it as a token of my love.”

“Ah,” said the cowherd, “I did not think it was so, but I may well believe it, for he never bore any resemblance to me.”

Sir Tor said to Merlin, “Do not dishonor my mother.”

“Sir,” said Merlin, “this is more worship than hurt for you, for your father is a good knight and a king. He may very well advance you and your mother both, because you were conceived before your mother was married.”

“That is true,” said the wife.

“It is the less grief to me,” said the cowherd.

So in the morning King Pellinore came to King Arthur’s court. Arthur welcomed him joyfully and told him about Sir Tor—how he was his son, and how he had made him a knight at the request of the cowherd. When King Pellinore beheld Sir Tor, he was very much pleased with him. So although the king made Gawain a knight, Sir Tor was the first that the king dubbed at that feast.

CIII.4

“What is the reason,” said King Arthur, “that there are two empty places among the seats?”

“Sir,” said Merlin, “no men may sit in those places unless they be of great worship. And in the Seat Perilous, no man shall sit but one; and if there are any so hardy as to try it, they shall be destroyed, for he who sits there will have no equal.

Then Merlin took King Pellinore by the hand and led him to one of the open seats next to the Seat Perilous and said in the hearing of all, “This is your place, for you are the most worthy to sit here of any that are gathered here.”

At this, Gawain was envious and told his brother Gaheris, “Yonder knight is shown great honor, which grieves me sorely, for he killed our father, King Lot. Therefore I will slay him,” said Gawain, “with a deadly sword that was sent to me.”

“You shall not do so,” said Gaheris, “at this time. For now, I am only your squire; when I am made a knight, I will be revenged upon him. Therefore, brother, it is best if you wait until another time when we may confront him outside of court; for if we did as you suggest we would ruin this high feast.”

“I will do as you say gladly,” said Gawain. Then the feast was made ready, and the king was wedded to Guenevere at Camelot in the church of Saint Stephen’s with great solemnity.

CIII.5

When every man was seated according to his status, Merlin went to all the knights of the Round Table and bade them sit still, “and none of you leave, for you shall see a strange and marvelous adventure.” So as they sat there a white hart came running into the hall, followed by a white brachet; they were pursued by a pack of sixty black hounds, who came running after them making great noise.

The hart ran around the Round Table, and as he passed by the sideboard the brachet bit him on the buttock and ripped out a chunk of flesh, which caused the hart to make a great leap that knocked over a knight who was sitting at the sideboard. Then the knight got up and took the brachet, went out of the hall, got on his horse, and rode away with the brachet.

At that moment a lady came in on a white palfrey and cried aloud to King Arthur, saying “Sir, do not allow me to suffer this humiliation, for that brachet is mine which the knight has led away.”

“There is nothing I can do,” said the king.

Then at this a knight—riding fully armed—came in on a great horse, and took the lady away with him by force. And ever she cried out and made great dole. When she was gone the king was glad, because she had made so much noise.

“Nay,” said Merlin, “you may not leave this adventure so lightly. These adventures must be brought to an end, or else it will be a disgrace to you and to your feast.”

“I will,” said the king, “follow your advice concerning this.”

Then Merlin had him call Sir Gawain, and said that he must bring back the white hart. “Also, sir, you must call Sir Tor, for he must bring back the brachet and the knight that took it, or else slay him. Also have King Pellinore summoned, for he must bring back the lady and the knight who took her, or else slay that knight. These three knights will have marvelous adventures before they return again.”

So these three were called as Merlin had asked and each of them was charged with their task, and they armed themselves. But Gawain had the first assignment, so we will begin with him, and then move on to the others.