Читать книгу Sir Thomas Malory's Morte Darthur - Sir Thomas Malory - Страница 22
Оглавление11 The Betrayal of Morgan le Fay
Then it happened that Arthur and many of his knights went out hunting in a great forest; King Arthur, King Uriens, and Sir Accolon of Gaul followed a great hart. The three of them were well-horsed, and they chased after the hart so fast that within a short time they were more than ten miles away from their party.
CIV.6; VI.5
Finally, they drove their horses so hard that they killed them right out from under them—the horses were so tired they fell down dead. Then all three were on foot, and they saw the hart before them, weary from being hunted down.
“What shall we do?” said King Arthur. “We are in a difficult situation.”
“Let us continue on foot,” said King Uriens, “until we come upon some lodging.”
Then they saw that the hart was lying on the bank of a river, and there was a brachet biting his throat; and many other hounds came after. Then King Arthur called an end and finished off the hart.
Then the king looked at the landscape around him and saw on the great water before him a little ship all decorated with silk, all the way down to the waterline. The ship came right up to them and beached itself on the sand. Arthur went down to the water’s edge, looked inside, and saw no earthly creature inside.
“Sirs,” said the king, “come here and let us see what is in this ship.” So all three of them went into the ship, and found it was richly furnished with silk hangings.
By that time it was night, and dark, and suddenly a hundred torches appeared about them all over the ship, giving off great light. Then twelve fair damsels appeared and greeted King Arthur on their knees. They called him by his name, and told him he was very welcome, and that they would show him the best hospitality. Then king thanked them graciously.
Then they led the king and his companions into a beautiful chamber, and there a sumptuous feast was laid out on a cloth-covered table. They were served all manner of food and drink—any kind that they could think of—and the king had great marvel, for he had never had such a splendid dinner in all his life.
So when they had eaten at their leisure, King Arthur was led into a chamber—a more richly furnished chamber he had never seen! King Uriens was led into another chamber, and Sir Accolon was led into another chamber that was richly furnished. They were laid in comfortable beds, and immediately fell asleep, and slept deeply through the night.
In the morning, King Uriens awoke to find himself abed in the arms of his wife, Morgan le Fay. When he woke, he had great marvel at how he had come to be there, for the evening before he had been two days’ journey from Camelot.
When King Arthur awoke, he found himself in a dark prison, and about him he could hear the laments of many woeful knights.
“Who are you who lament so?” said King Arthur.
CIV.7
“We are twenty knight-prisoners. Some of us have been here for eight years, and some a longer time, and some less time.”
“For what reason?” said Arthur.
“We shall tell you,” said the knights. “The lord of this castle is named Sir Damas, and he is the falsest knight alive—full of treason, and the greatest coward living. He has a younger brother, a good knight of prowess, and his name is Sir Outlake. This traitor Damas, the elder brother, will give him no part of the lands to which Sir Outlake is entitled, except those which he can defend through the prowess of his hands. So Sir Outlake keeps a fair, rich manor, where he dwells worshipfully and is beloved by his people. This Sir Damas, our master, is strongly disliked, for he is without mercy, and he is a coward, and there is great war between the brothers. Outlake is the better knight, and he always challenges Damas to fight for his inheritance, body for body, but he will not do it unless he can find a knight to fight for him. So Sir Damas has said he would find a knight, but he is so ill-liked that there is no knight who will fight for him.
“Since Damas has seen that there were no knights who would fight for him, he has lain in wait many a day—with many knights with him—and has captured all the knights in this country to learn of their deeds and adventures. He has taken them by force and brought them to this prison. So he captured us one at a time, as we rode on our adventures, and many good knights have died of hunger in this prison—eighteen in total. If any of us here had fought with his brother Outlake, he would have freed us. But because this Damas is so false and so full of treason, we would never undertake to risk our lives in a battle for him, and we are so weak from hunger that we can barely stand on our feet.”
“God deliver you in His great mercy!”
Then a damsel came to Arthur and asked him “What cheer?”
“I cannot say that I have any,” said Arthur.
“Sir,” she said, “if you will fight for my lord you will be delivered out of this prison; and if you do not you shall never get out alive.”
“Now,” said Arthur, “that is a difficult choice. But I would rather fight with a knight than die in prison, and if I do this,” said Arthur, “I may be delivered, and all these prisoners as well. I will fight the battle.”
“Yes?” said the damsel.
“I would be ready,” said Arthur, “if I had horse and armor.”
“You shall lack for nothing,” said the damsel.
“It seems to me, damsel, that I have seen you in the court of Arthur.”
“Nay,” said the damsel, “I have never been there. I am the daughter of the lord of this castle.” But this was a lie, as she was one of the damsels of Morgan le Fay.
Then she went to Sir Damas and told him how he agreed to do battle for him. So he sent for Arthur. When he came, he saw that he was in good health with strong limbs; all who saw him said it was a pity that such a knight should die in prison.
So he and Sir Damas were agreed that he should fight for him on the sworn condition that all the other knights would be delivered out of prison. Sir Damas swore to that, provided that Arthur would fight to the best of his ability. So with that the twenty knights were brought out of the dark prison into the great hall and given freedom. They then waited for the beginning of the battle.
Now we turn to Accolon of Gaul. When he awoke he found himself beside a deep well—just a half foot away from the edge—and thus in great peril of death. Out of that fountain came a pipe of silver, and out of that pipe water ran onto a tall marble stone. When Sir Accolon saw this, he blessed himself and said: “Jesus, save my lord King Arthur and King Uriens, for the damsels on the ship have betrayed us; they were fiends, not women. If I may escape this misadventure, I will destroy them, and all other false damsels I may find who work enchantments such as this.”
CIV.8
At that moment a dwarf appeared. He had a large mouth and a flat nose, and he greeted Accolon and told him that he had been sent by Morgan le Fay. “And she greets you well and admonishes you to be of strong heart, for you shall fight tomorrow with a knight at the hour of prime. For this reason she has sent you Excalibur, Arthur’s sword, and the scabbard. She bids you that, as you love her, you will do battle to the uttermost without any mercy, just as you promised her when you last spoke together in private. Whatever damsel brings her the head of the king that you shall fight, she will make that damsel a queen.”
“I understand,” said Accolon, “I shall do as I promised her, now that I have the sword. Sir, when did you see my lady Morgan le Fay?”
“Just recently,” said the dwarf.
Then Accolon embraced the dwarf and said, “Commend me to my lady the queen and tell her that all shall be done as I promised her, or else I will die trying. Now I suppose,” said Accolon, “she has worked all these crafts and enchantments for this battle.”
“Sir, you may well believe it,” said the dwarf.
At that moment there came a knight and a lady with six squires; they greeted Accolon and asked him to arise and come and rest at his manor. So Accolon mounted a riderless horse and went to the fair manor, which was near a priory, and there he had passing good cheer.
Then Sir Damas sent word to his brother Outlake and bade him be ready in the field the next day at nine o’clock to fight with a good knight, for he had found a knight who was ready to do battle for him.
When this message came to Outlake he was somewhat upset, because he had been wounded just recently through both of his thighs with a glaive, and for this he made great sorrow. If he had not been wounded he would have eagerly taken on the battle.
So it happened that at that time, through the means of Morgan le Fay, Accolon was staying with Sir Outlake. When he heard of that battle and how Outlake was wounded, he said that he would fight for him, because Morgan le Fay had sent him Excalibur and its scabbard to use in a fight against a knight on the following morning. So Accolon took the battle upon himself, and Sir Outlake was very glad and thanked Accolon with all his heart for doing so much for him. Then Sir Outlake sent word to his brother Sir Damas that he had a knight who was ready to fight with him in the field at nine o’clock.
So in the morning King Arthur was armed and given a good horse. He asked Sir Damas, “Sir, when shall we go to the field?”
“Sir,” said Sir Damas, “you shall hear mass first.”
So Arthur heard mass, and when it was over a squire came and asked Sir Damas if his knight was ready, “for our knight is already in the field.” Then King Arthur mounted upon horseback. And all the knights and commons of the country were there, and by their advice twelve good men of the country were chosen to assist the two knights.
Just as Arthur had gotten on horseback, a damsel came from Morgan le Fay and brought to Arthur a sword very similar to Excalibur along with a scabbard. She said to Arthur, “She sends here your sword out of her great love.” He thanked her and believed that it was just as she said; but she was false, for the sword and scabbard were counterfeit and weak.
Then they positioned themselves on opposite sides of the field and let their horses run toward each other so fast that each smote the other in the middle of the shield; but their spears held, so both horse and man fell to the earth. Then they both jumped up and drew their swords.
CIV.9
While they were fighting, the Damsel of the Lake who had put Merlin under the stone arrived at the battle. She came thither out of love for King Arthur, for she knew that Morgan le Fay had arranged it so that Arthur would be slain that day. Therefore, she came to save his life.
So the men went eagerly to battle and gave each other many blows. But always Arthur’s sword did not bite as hard as Accolon’s sword, and for the most part, every stroke that Accolon gave to Arthur wounded him so severely that it was a wonder he was still standing, so quickly was his blood rushing to the ground.
When Arthur saw the ground so covered in blood he was dismayed; and then he thought that treason had been committed and his sword had been switched, for it did not bite steel as it usually did. For this reason he feared that he might die, because it seemed to him that the sword in Accolon’s hand was Excalibur, as every blow Accolon struck drew much blood from Arthur.
“Now knight,” said Accolon to Arthur, “defend yourself against me!” Arthur did not respond, but gave him such a buffet on the helmet that he was knocked down, almost falling to the earth. Then Sir Accolon withdrew a little, and then came at him with Excalibur held high, smiting Arthur with such a buffet that he almost fell to the earth.
They were both angry out of measure, and gave each other many serious blows. Arthur lost so much blood that it was a marvel he was still standing, but he was so full of knighthood that he endured the pain. Sir Accolon lost very little blood; thus, he was still full of energy while Arthur was growing feeble and seemed likely to be killed. Still, he put up a good front, acting as if he could fight long and holding off Accolon as long as he was able. Accolon was made bold by his possession of Excalibur, and was strong and confident.
All the men who watched them said that they had never seen a knight fight as well as Arthur did, considering the blood he had lost; and all the people watching were sorry that these two fellows could not come to some accord.
So they continued to fight together as fierce knights, and finally King Arthur withdrew a little to rest himself. Sir Accolon called to him to return to the battle and said, “There is no time for me to allow you to rest,” and came at King Arthur fiercely.
Arthur was furious at the amount of blood he had lost, and struck Accolon high up on the helmet so that he almost fell to the earth; then Arthur’s sword broke at the hilt and fell on the bloody grass, and he was left holding the pommel and handles in his hand. When King Arthur saw that, he was in great fear for his life, but he continued to use his shield and gave up no ground.
Then Sir Accolon began to speak with words of treason, saying, “Knight, you are overcome! You may not endure, and you are weaponless; you have also lost a great deal of blood. I do not wish to slay you, so yield to me as overcome.”
CIV.10
“Nay,” said Sir Arthur, “I may not do so, for I promised by the faith of my body to do this battle to the uttermost as long as my life lasts. Therefore, I would rather die with honor than to live with shame; if it were possible for me to die a hundred times, I would rather die that often than yield to you. For though I lack a weapon, I shall never lack honor; if you slay me while I am weaponless, that will great shame to you.”
“Well,” said Accolon, “I will not refrain from incurring that shame. Defend yourself, for you are as good as dead!” Then Accolon gave him such a blow that he fell almost to the earth, and he wished to make Arthur cry for mercy from him. But King Arthur pressed against Accolon with his shield and gave him such a buffet with the pommel in his hand that he reeled back three full strides.
When the Damsel of the Lake beheld Arthur, and saw how full of prowess his body was, and the false treason that had been put in motion in order to cause him to be slain, she had great pity that so good a knight and such a man of worship would be destroyed. At the next blow that Accolon struck, the damsel caused Excalibur to fall out of Accolon’s hand by enchantment. Then Arthur quickly leapt to it and took it in his hand; he immediately knew it was his sword Excalibur.
“Ah,” said Arthur, “you have been away from me too long, and much damage have you caused me.” Then he saw the false scabbard at his side. He grabbed it and threw it as far away as he could. “Ah, sir knight,” said King Arthur, “this day you caused me great damage with this sword. Now you have come to the time of your death, for I warrant that you shall be well rewarded by this sword before we part as you have rewarded me, for you have made me endure much pain and lose much blood.”
Then Sir Arthur raced toward him with all his might and pulled him to the earth; then he took off his helmet and gave him such a buffet on the head that blood came out of his ears, nose and mouth. “Now I will slay you!” said King Arthur.
“You may very well slay me,” said Sir Accolon, “if it pleases you, for you are the best knight that I have ever encountered, and I can see well that God is with you. But I promised,” said Accolon, “to do this battle to the utter end, and never to give in as long as I lived; therefore, I will never yield with my mouth, but God may do with my body whatever he wishes.”
Then King Arthur thought that he recognized this knight. “Now tell me,” said Arthur, “or I will kill you, from what country you come and to what court you belong.”
“Sir knight,” said Sir Accolon, “I am of the royal court of King Arthur, and my name is Accolon of Gaul.” Then Arthur was even more dismayed than he had been earlier, for he thought of his sister Morgan le Fay and the enchantment of the ship.
“Ah, sir knight, I pray you, who gave you this sword, by whom did you have it?”
Then Sir Accolon thought for a moment and said, “This is a sword of woe! For by it, I will have my death.”
CIV.11
“That may very well be,” said the king.
“Now, sir,” said Accolon, “I will tell you. This sword has been in my possession for most of this year. Morgan le Fay, King Uriens’ wife, sent it to me yesterday by a dwarf with the intent that I should slay King Arthur, her brother. You must understand that King Arthur is the man whom she hates most in all the world because he is of greater honor and prowess than any other of her blood. Also, she loves me out of measure as her paramour, and I her as well. If she might bring it about to slay Arthur through her magic, she would then quickly slay her husband King Uriens. So she has planned to make me king in this land, and reign beside me as my queen. But that is now over,” said Accolon, “as I am sure to die.”
“Well,” said King Arthur, “I can tell that you wished to be king of this land, but it would have been a great wrong to have destroyed your lord.”
“That is the truth,” said Accolon, “but now that I have told you the truth, I pray you, tell me from whence you come and to what court you belong.”
“Ah, Accolon!” said King Arthur, “now you must know that I am King Arthur, to whom you have done great damage.”
When Accolon heard that he cried out, “Fair sweet lord, have mercy on me, for I knew you not!”
“Ah, Sir Accolon,” said King Arthur, “you shall have mercy because I feel by what you have said just now that you did not know me; but I feel also from what you have just said that you have agreed to the death of my person, therefore, you are a traitor! But I blame you less than my sister, Morgan le Fay, who by her false crafts has made you agree to her base desires. But I shall be sorely avenged upon her, so that all Christendom shall speak of it! God knows that I have honored her and worshipped her more than any of my kin, and I have trusted her more than even my wife and all my kin combined!”
Then King Arthur called the keepers of the field of battle and said, “Sirs, come here, for here we two knights have fought so that we are both seriously wounded; it is likely that one of us would have slain the other. But if each of us had known the other, there would have been no battle, nor no blows struck.”
Then Accolon cried aloud to all the knights and men who were there, saying: “Ah, lords! This knight whom I have fought is the greatest man of prowess and worship in all the world, for it is King Arthur himself, our liege lord. Through mishap and misadventure I have fought this battle with the lord and king to whom I am beholden.” Then all the people fell down on their knees and asked King Arthur for mercy.
CIV.12
“You shall have mercy,” said Arthur. “Here you may see what unfortunate adventures may befall knights-errant: I have fought with my own knight, to his great damage and mine! But sirs, because I am seriously hurt and he is too, I feel that there is great need of a little rest. And here I will give my opinion on the matter between you two brethren:
“You, Sir Damas, for whom I have served as champion and won this battle, will be judged by me. Because you, Sir Damas, are known as a proud knight full of villainy, and not worthy of the prowess of your deeds, I order that you give your brother the whole manor and its income under these conditions: Sir Outlake will hold the manor in your name, and each year he will give you a palfrey to ride upon, as that will suit you better than a courser. Also, I charge you, Sir Damas, upon pain of death, that you never distress any knights-errant that are riding by on adventure, and also that you make restitution to these twenty knights that you have long kept as prisoners for all the harms that you have done to them until they are satisfied. And if any come to my court and complain of you, then by my head, you shall die!
“Also, Sir Outlake, as for you, because you are known to be a good knight, full of prowess and true and gentle in your deeds, this is the order I shall give you: as quickly as possible, come to my court, where you shall become one of my knights. And if you conduct yourself there as you have before, I promise you by the grace of God that in a short time you shall easily live as worshipfully as your brother Damas has lived.”
“God be thanked for your great goodness and your great bounty! I shall henceforth, at all times, be yours to command,” said Sir Outlake. “For as God would have it, I was recently hurt through both thighs; otherwise, I would have done battle with you.”
“If God had only willed,” said King Arthur, “that it had been so! For then I would not be as hurt as I am. I shall tell you why: I would not be this wounded if my own sword had not been stolen from me by treason. This battle was arranged ahead of time to bring about my death, and it was brought about by false treason and enchantment.”
“Alas,” said Sir Outlake, “that is a great pity, that ever a man as noble as you are of deeds and prowess might have any man or woman find it in their hearts to work any treason against you!”
“I shall repay them,” said Arthur. “Now tell me,” said King Arthur, “how far am I from Camelot?”
“Sir, you are two days’ journey away.”
“I would like to go to some place of worship,” said Sir Arthur, “so that I might rest myself.”
“Sir,” said Sir Outlake, “nearby is a rich abbey of nuns which your elders founded, just three miles from here.”
So the king took his leave of all the people and mounted on horseback, and Sir Accolon with him. When they came to the abbey he had healers summoned who treated his and Sir Accolon’s wounds both. Sir Accolon died within four days, for he had bled so much that he could not live, but King Arthur recovered well.
So when Accolon was dead, Arthur had him sent in a horse-bier, accompanied by six knights, to Camelot, and he bade them, “bear him to my sister, Morgan le Fay, and say that I have sent her a present. Tell her also that I have my sword Excalibur and the scabbard.” So they departed with the body.
In the meantime, Morgan le Fay believed that King Arthur was dead, so on a day when she saw that King Uriens was asleep in his bed, she called one of her maidens to her and said, “Go and fetch me my lord’s sword, for I never saw a better time to slay him than now.”
CIV.13
“Ah, madame!” said the damsel, “if you slay my lord you will never escape!”
“Don’t you worry about it,” said Morgan, “for I see now that the time is best for me to do it; therefore hurry and fetch me the sword.”
Then the damsel departed and found Sir Uwain sleeping in a bed in another chamber. So she went to Sir Uwain and awakened him and bade him “arise and go to my lady, your mother, for she wishes to slay your father the king while he sleeps in his bed; I have been sent to fetch his sword!”
“Well,” said Sir Uwain, “go on your way and I will deal with this.”
Then the damsel brought the queen the sword with quaking hands. Quickly she took the sword and drew it out, and went boldly to the side of the bed, judging how and where she might strike him to slay him the most easily.
As she raised the sword to strike, Sir Uwain leapt to his mother and caught her by the hand, saying “Fiend, what would you do? If you were not my mother, I would smite off your head with this sword! Ah,” said Sir Uwain, “men said that Merlin was begotten of a fiend, but I may say that an earthly fiend bore me!”
“Ah, fair son, have mercy on me! I was tempted by a fiend, and therefore I ask you for mercy. I will never do anything like this again. Preserve my honor and tell no one of this!”
“On this condition,” said Sir Uwain, “I will forgive you: you must promise to never do such deeds again.”
“Never, son, I promise you.”
Then word came to Morgan le Fay that Accolon was dead and his body had been brought to the church, and that King Arthur had his sword again. When Queen Morgan knew that Accolon was dead, she was so consumed with sorrow that she thought her heart would burst; but because she did not want anyone to know her feelings, she maintained her composure and displayed no sorrow.
CIV.14
But she well knew that if she waited until her brother Arthur returned, there would not be enough gold to save her life. So she went to Queen Guenevere and asked for her permission to leave the country.
“You should wait,” said the queen, “until your brother the king returns home.”
“I may not, madame,” said Morgan le Fay, “for I have received urgent news.”
“Well,” said the queen, “then you may depart whenever you would like.”
So early in the morning, before it was daylight, she took her horse and rode all that day and for most of the night. By noon of the next day she came to the abbey of nuns where King Arthur was, and she well knew he was there. She immediately asked where he was, and they answered and told her that he lay down on his bed to sleep, for he had had but little rest the last three nights.
“Well,” she said, “I order that none of you waken him until I do.” Then she dismounted and thought that she might steal away Excalibur, his sword. She went straight to his chamber, and no man dared disobey her commandment. She found Arthur asleep on his bed, with Excalibur in his right hand, unsheathed. When she saw that, she was dismayed, as she realized she could not take the sword without waking him, and she knew if she did that she would be dead. So she took the scabbard and went her way on horseback.
When the 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.
