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16 The Challenge from Rome

After King Arthur had married Queen Guenevere and the Round Table was complete, Arthur and his marvelous knights had vanquished most of his enemies. Soon after this, Sir Lancelot du Lake and Sir Tristram came to court.

C V.1; V II

Then the Roman Emperor Lucius sent messengers to Arthur commanding him to pay the duty that his ancestors paid to Rome before him. When King Arthur understood what they were saying, he looked at the messengers furiously with his gray eyes.

Then the messengers were afraid, and stayed kneeling, daring not to arise, so afraid of his grim countenance were they. Then one of the messengers spoke aloud, saying, “Crowned king, do not punish the messengers, for we have come at the commandment of our lord, as servants should.”

Then the conqueror spoke. “You faint-hearted and cowardly knights, why do you fear my countenance? There are men in this hall who, if they were angry, you would not dare look in their eyes, even for a dukedom of lands.”

“Sir,” said one of the senators, “so help me Christ, I was so afraid when I looked at your face that my heart would not allow me to speak my message. But since I intend to complete my errand: the Emperor Lucius of Rome greets you well, and commands you upon certain pain that you send to him the tribute of this realm which your father Uther Pendragon paid, or else he will bereave you of all the realms that you possess.”

“You speak well,” said Arthur, “but for all your brave words, I will not reply over-hastily. Therefore, you and your fellows shall stay here seven days while I shall call to council my most trusty knights and dukes and kings and earls and barons, and my wisest advisors. When we have conferred you shall have your answer plainly, and it will be one by which I will abide.”

Then the noble king commanded Sir Cliges to see that these men were lodged and served well, so that no luxury was spared for them, and that down to their serving boys and their horses, they lacked for nothing, “for they are full royal people. And though they have insulted me and my court, we must keep our honor in mind.” So they were led into their chambers and served with the finest food and drink that could be procured. And the Romans had great marvel at this.

Then the king called his nobles and knights to a council and within a tower most of the knights of the Round Table assembled. The king asked them to give him their best advice.

“Sir,” said Sir Cador of Cornwall, “as for me, I am not upset at this message, for we have been at rest for many days now. I like well the letter of Lucius the Emperor, for now we shall have war and worship.”

“By Christ, I well believe,” said the king, “that you like this message, Sir Cador. But they may not be answered thus, for their contemptuous speech grieves my heart. I will never pay that tribute to Rome. Therefore, advise me, my knights, for the love of Christ in heaven. I have found this in the chronicles: Sir Belyn and Sir Bryne, and other elders of my blood, born in Britain, ruled as emperors for 160 years after Constantine, our kinsman and son of Dame Helena of England, conquered Rome and became emperor. He recovered the cross on which Christ died. The empire was ruled by my ancestors, and thus we have enough evidence that I should rule over the whole of the Roman Empire.”

Then King Anguishaunce answered Arthur. “Sir, you ought to be held above all other Christian kings because of the knighthood and noble counsel that is always present in you; Scotland has had no trouble since you were crowned king. When the Romans attacked us they ransomed our elders and took our lives. Therefore, I swear to mild Mary and to Jesus Christ that I shall be avenged upon the Romans. To further the fight I will bring to you twenty thousand fierce men of arms. I shall pay them wages to go and fight the Romans, to destroy them. Within a short time they will be ready to go wherever you like.”

C V.2

Then the King of Brittany said to King Arthur, “Sir, answer these messengers, and I will summon all my people so that you shall have thirty thousand men, and I will cover the cost and their wages.”

“You say well,” said King Arthur.

Then a mighty duke who was lord of West Wales spoke. “Sir, I swear before God to be avenged upon the Romans. I will take the vanguard and there vanquish with victory the viscount of Rome. For once as I passed on pilgrimage by Pontremoli, the viscount was in Tuscany and captured my knights, ransoming them for an unreasonable sum. I complained to the Pope himself, but I had nothing but pleasant words in return. I could get no other justice in Rome, so I went on my way very upset. Therefore, to be avenged I will raise an army of my strongest Welshmen, covering their wages myself, and I will bring you thirty thousand men.”

Then Sir Uwain and his son Ider who were close cousins to the conqueror, holding Ireland and Argyle and all the Outer Isles, spoke. “Sir,” they said to King Arthur, “here we swear to Christ that we will manfully ride into Lombardy to the walls of Milan and over Pontremoli into the Vale of Viterbo; there we will provision our knights. To be revenged, we will bring thirty thousand strong men.”

Then young Sir Lancelot du Lake leapt in with a light heart and said to King Arthur, “Although my lands border on those of your enemies, I shall yet swear that I will bring good men of my blood with me: twenty thousand attired in helmets and hauberks who shall never fail you as long as our lives last.”

Then Sir Baldwin of Britain laughed and said to the king, “I swear on the noble vernicle to bring with me ten thousand able-bodied men who shall never fail as long as their lives last.”

“Now I thank you,” said the king, “with all my true heart. I suppose that when all is said and done, the Romans would have been better off not to send such a proud message.”

When a week had passed, the senators asked the king for an answer. “Very well,” said the king. “Tell your emperor that I shall, in all haste, make myself ready with my eager knights, and convene my Round Table by the river of Rome. I will bring with me the best people from fifteen realms, and with them I will ride through the mountains on the mainland and tear down the walls of Milan, and from there ride into Rome with my most noble knights.

“Now that you have your answer, hurry from here; I will give you seven days to get from here to the port at Sandwich. Hurry, I advise you, and do not spare your horses. Go by Watling Street and not by any other route. Wherever night falls upon you, stop, whether it is in open country or in a town. I do not care. It is not prudent to ride at night. And if you are even a spear length short of reaching your destination on the water at the end of seven days, there is no gold under God that can pay for your ransom.”

“Sir,” said the senators, “these are harsh conditions. We beseech you for safe conduct.”

“Do not worry about that,” said the king. “Your conduct is assured.”

Thus they went from Carlyle toward Sandwich, those men who had only seven days to leave the land, and Sir Cador escorted them on their way. The senators did not spare their horses, but bought new hackneys in each town. As the sun was setting on the seventh day they came into Sandwich, and had never been so happy.

On that same night they took to the water and crossed the Channel to Flanders, and after that over the great mountain called Goddard, and then through Lombardy and Tuscany, and soon after came to the Emperor Lucius.

There they showed him the letters from King Arthur, and said he was the most frightening man on whom they had ever looked. When the Emperor Lucius had read the letters and understood their meaning, he acted as a man who has lost his mind.

“I believed that Arthur would have obeyed you and humbled himself before you, as would be fitting for any Christian king to do before a senator sent from my person.”

“Sir,” said the senators, “leave off such talk. We thank God that we have escaped alive! We would not return to give him a message for all of your lands. Therefore, sir, trust our message: you shall find him your bitter enemy. You may seek him if you wish, but he is coming into this land and will be here within half a year, for he thinks that he himself should be emperor.

“He says you have ruled this empire wrongly, for all his ancestors—except for his father, Uther Pendragon—were emperors of Rome. Of all the sovereigns we have ever seen, he is the most royal king alive on the earth. On New Year’s Day we saw nine kings at his Round Table, and the fairest fellowship of knights alive today is with him; as far as wisdom and fair speech and royalty and riches go—they fail in none of these things. Therefore sir, by our counsel raise an army of your loyal people, send kings and dukes to look after your borders, and see that the mountains of Germany are mightily protected.”

“By Easter,” said the emperor, “I intend to pass Germany and move into France, and there bereave him of his lands. I shall bring with me many giants of Genoa—one of them is worth a hundred knights. The perilous passage will surely be kept by my good knights.”

Then the emperor sent forth wise old knights as messengers to a country called Ambracia, and one called Arrage; he sent to Alexandria, to India, and to Armenia, by which the river Euphrates runs; also to Asia, Africa, and greater Europe; to Ertayne and Elamye, and to the Outer Isles; and to Arabia, to Egypt, to Damascus, to Damietta, and to noble dukes and earls. He sent messengers also to the kings of Cappodoccia, Tarsus, Turkey, Pontus, Pamphylia, and into the lands of Prester John, as well as to the sultan of Syria.

From Nero to Nazareth, Garise to Galilee, came Saracens who had become Roman subjects. They came sailing in galleons. The king of Cyprus also came, along with well-armed Greeks, as did the king of Macedon. From Calabria and Catalonia came both kings and dukes, and the King of Portugal came with many thousand Spaniards. Then all these kings, dukes, and admirals assembled; there were sixteen kings all together, and they thus came into Rome with a great multitude of people.

When the emperor learned of their coming he made ready all of his noble Romans and men of war between himself and Flanders. He had with him fifty giants, born of fiends, and he ordered these to stay close to him, and break the front of Arthur’s wave of knights. They were so huge that there was no horse that could bear them. Thus, the emperor and all his horrible allies headed through Germany in order to destroy the lands that Arthur had won through the fighting of his noble knights.

So Lucius came to Cologne and besieged a castle there; he conquered it within a short time, and manned it with Saracens. Within a short time, Lucius desired the many fair countries that Arthur had won in his war with the mighty King Claudas. So Lucius spread his army out so that they covered sixty miles, and commanded them to set out and meet him in Normandy, in the country of Constantine, “and wait for me at Barfleur, for I shall thoroughly destroy the domain of Brittany.”