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18 The Battle Against Rome Begins

In the morning, the king went from Barfleur with his retinue proudly arrayed. They crossed over streams into a fair land, and then down into a valley, where they pitched their tents.

Then two messengers arrived; one was the marshal of France, and he told how the emperor had come into France, and “he has destroyed much of our borderlands, and he has come into Burgundy, and destroyed many districts there, slaughtering many of your noble people. Wherever he goes, there is destruction. Now he has come into France, where he burns everything clean away. Now all the twelve peers—dukes and others—and the peers of the city of Paris, have fled down into the Low Country toward the Rhône. Unless you help them quickly, they will all have to yield, both people and towns. They are not able to help each other, but must yield soon.”

Then the king bid Sir Bors, “Now prepare yourselves happily; Sir Lionel and Sir Bedevere, see that you go with Sir Gawain, my nephew, taking also many good knights, and ride straight to Sir Lucius and say that I bid him to remove himself from my lands in haste. If he will not, bid him prepare himself for battle; we will reclaim our rights with our hands, and that will be more worship for us than to overcome masterless men.”

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Then in all haste they mounted on horseback, these noble knights. When they came to a green wood they saw before them in a meadow beside a river many proud pavilions of silk in diverse colors, and the emperor’s pavilion was in the middle with an eagle displayed on high. Our knights rode through the wood until they came to the emperor’s tent; they left behind them provisions and men at arms in a concealed place. Sir Lionel and Sir Bedevere remained behind, while Sir Gawain and Sir Bors went with the message.

They rode nobly to the emperor’s tent and both spoke at once with haughty words. “Now may you and all the soldiers about you have sorrow, Sir Emperor. Why do you wrongfully occupy the throne of the Roman Empire? That is King Arthur’s heritage through his descent from his noble elders: all but Uther, his father, held this throne. Therefore the king commands you to ride out of his lands, or else to fight for them and win them in knightly combat.”

“You speak well,” said the emperor, “as your lord has commanded you. Say to your lord that I send him greetings although I take no joy in your men thus rebuking me and my lords. Tell your lord that I will ride down to the Seine and win all the lands in that area; and after I will ride to the Rhône and cleanly win all the lands there.”

“It is not seemly,” said Sir Gawain, “that a creature such as you should brag with such words. I would rather fight against you than have all of France.”

“As would I,” said Sir Bors. “I would rather fight against you than rule over all Britain and noble Burgundy.”

Then a knight named Sir Gaius who was the emperor’s cousin said these words: “These English Britons are braggarts by nature; you can see how they boast and brag as if they dared take on all the world.” Gawain was angered by these words, and with his mighty sword that gleamed brightly, he struck off the head of Sir Gaius.

So they turned their horses and rode over water and through wood until they came to the hiding place where Sir Lionel and Sir Bedevere were still concealed. The Romans followed quickly, on horseback and on foot, over the fair fields into the fair woods. With an eager will, Sir Bors turned and saw a proud knight, all arrayed in gold, who struck down many of Arthur’s knights. When Sir Bors saw him, he took aim and cast a spear at him, piercing him throughout his body so that his guts fell out of his body and the knight fell to the ground groaning terribly.

Then a bold baron dressed in purple pressed forth. He thrust into the press of Arthur’s knights and struck down many good knights. He was called Caliborn, the strongest man from the land of Pavia. Sir Bors turned to him and struck him through the broadshield and the center of his breast, and he fell to the earth, dead as a stone.

Then Sir Feldenak the Mighty, a renowned man of arms, dressed himself to Sir Gawain to avenge Sir Gaius and his other fellows; Sir Gawain realized this, and drew Galantine, his sword, and hit him such a blow that he cleaved him down to his breast. Then he took his horse and went to his companions.

Then a rich man of Rome, one of the senators, called to his fellows, bidding them to turn back, “for yonder messengers are proved to be bold boasters. If we follow them any farther, the harm will be ours.” So the Romans returned quickly to their tents and told the emperor how things had gone—how the Marshall of Rome was slain and there were more than five thousand dead in the field.

But before they could depart, our knights in hiding broke out on both sides of the Romans, and there the bold Sir Bedevere and Sir Lionel brought down Romans on every side. There our noble knights of merry England struck them through the helmets and bright shields and slew them. The whole company returned to the emperor and told him that his men were destroyed—ten thousand!—in a battle against armed knights, and “they are the bravest men we ever saw in the field.”

But always Sir Bors and Sir Gawain followed close behind the Romans, even up to the emperor’s tents. Then the Romans—too many to count—ran out on every side, both on horse and on foot. Sir Bors and Sir Berell were in the front of the attack and fought as fiercely as any knight ever had. Sir Gawain was on the right side and did what he could, but there were so many against him that he was unable to help his companions; he was reluctant to turn from the battle, even though he might lose his life.

Sir Bors and Sir Berell, the good barons, fought as wildly as two boars to the uttermost of their strength. But in the end, although they were loath to do it, they yielded and were taken, thereby saving their lives. The main body of men were a little farther away with Sir Gawain, and they made sorrow out of measure for these two lords.

Then a new knight joined the battle, cleanly arrayed—Sir Ider, Sir Uwain’s son, who was a noble man of arms. He brought five hundred good men attired in hauberks. When he learned that the fighting of Sir Bors and Sir Berell had ceased, he said, “Alas! This is too much shame and great loss. For when King Arthur learns that these two knights have been lost, he will never be merry until this is avenged.”

“Ah, fair knight!” said Sir Gawain. “You must be a good man, for so is your father; I know your mother well. You were born in England. Alas, these Romans have chased us like wild hares, and they have taken our noble leaders in the field. There was never a better knight who rode a horse! See where they led our lords over yonder broad land. I swear,” said Sir Gawain, “that I will never see my lord Arthur unless I rescue those who have been taken from us.”

“That is knightly spoken,” said Sir Ider. Then they took up their bridles and headed over the fields. There was a rushing of spears and the cutting of swords; Sir Gawain, with his sword Galantine, did many wondrous feats. He thrust through the press up to the man who was leading Sir Bors, and ran him through, burying his sword up to the hilt, and then led Sir Bors away to his companions. Then the young Sir Ider, Sir Uwain’s son, struck at the knight who had Sir Berell such that his sword was covered with brains and blood.

A proud senator pursued Sir Gawain and gave him a great buffet; Sir Ider saw that and rode after him, and would have slain the senator if he had not quickly yielded. He was loath to yield himself but he had no other choice, and with that Sir Ider led him out of the fight to Sir Lionel and Sir Lovell, and commanded them to guard him on pain of losing their heads.

Then hard fighting began, for the Romans ever increased in strength. When Sir Gawain saw that, he sent forth a knight to King Arthur. “And tell him what sorrow we endure, and how we have captured the chief chancellor of Rome. Peter is a prisoner, a full noble senator, and other proud princes whose names we know not. Pray him, as he is our lord, to rescue us soon, for our prisoners will earn for us riches beyond measure. And tell him that I am greatly wounded.”

When the messengers came to the king and told him these words, the king thanked Christ, clapping his hands. “Although I may live many winters, no knight has ever been better rewarded than I am by your true words. But I swear to God, if Gawain is in any peril of death, there is not enough gold under heaven to save their lives. I would rather have the emperor and his chief lords sunk into hell than have any lord of the Round Table bitterly wounded.” Then the prisoners were brought forth before Arthur, and he commanded they be placed in the keeping of the constable and to be treated as noble prisoners.

Within a while the advance party arrived—that is to say, Sir Bors, Sir Bedevere, Sir Lionel and Sir Gawain, who was sorely wounded—with all their noble fellowship; they had lost no man of worship. Then the king had Gawain’s wounds treated as he watched, and he said, “Fair cousin, I rue your hurts! If I thought it might gladden your heart or help you heal better, I would present you with the heads of those who have caused you to suffer so.”

“That would be to little avail,” said Sir Gawain, “if they should lose their heads, even if I wished it, for it is shame to slay knights once they have yielded.” Then there was joy and play amongst the knights of the Round Table, and they spoke of the great prowess the messengers did that day in deeds of arms.

In the morning, when it was day, the king called to him Sir Cador of Cornwall, Sir Clarras of Claremont (a clean man of arms) and Sir Cloudres and Sir Cliges (two old noble knights) and Sir Bors and Sir Berell (noble good men of arms), and also Sir Brian des Isles, and Sir Bedevere the Bold. He also called to him Sir Lancelot, and in hearing of all the people said, “I pray you, sir, as you love me, go along with these other knights and boldly lead these prisoners into the town of Paris; keep them there securely, if you would have my love. If any rescue attempt is made, I have faith in you, so help me Jesus.” Then Sir Lancelot and Sir Cador along with these other knights called out from their fellowship ten thousand bold men, the best arrayed of their company; they then unfolded and displayed their banners.