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twice, but for thy high nobility and great courtesy. I, Gawaine, beseech of
thee forgiveness for my madness, and crave that thou wilt remember the dear
friendly days we have had together in times long past, and for all the love
that was between us. Come thou over the sea, and with thy knights do thou
press to the help of Arthur, our noble lord, who is beset by a traitorous
villain, my brother Mordred, who hath dared to rebel against his rightful
lord, and hath crowned himself king. Do thou hasten, good Sir Lancelot, when
thou shalt receive this letter, and follow the king. But ere thou goest from
this seashore do thou come to my tomb, and pray some prayer more or less for
my sinful soul, that in its madness did evilly entreat thee."
Then was Sir Gawaine shriven, and in a little while he swooned, while all
stood uncovered round about him.
When the rays of the afternoon sun cast long shadows of the knights and
fighting men who were hurrying up and down the shore making ready to depart,
Sir Gawaine awoke from his swoon and looked up.
For a moment he did not recognize King Arthur; then he smiled at him very
sweetly and said in a low voice:
"Kiss meand forgive me!"
The king knelt down and kissed the pallid face of Sir Gawaine, and for very
sorrow he felt that the heart in his breast was nigh to bursting.
So in a little while, with the beat of the surf and the cry of the seagulls
upon his ears, the light of the sun in his eyes, and the free air of heaven
all about him, Sir Gawaine died. And his death was as he had ever craved it to
be, under the open sky, after battle, where he had given good strokes and
received them.
Now the letter which Sir Gawaine had written was given unto a young squire of
Sir Gawaine's, by name
Tewder, and he was commanded to depart forthwith back to Brittany, and deliver
it into the hands of Sir
Lancelot. But among the knights that had stood about the dying Sir Gawaine was
a traitor, who was in the service of Sir Mordred the rebel, and he knew that
if Sir Lancelot should receive that letter, and come to
Britain with all his brave kin and their host, Sir Mordred would have much ado
to conquer King Arthur.
Therefore the traitor knight, whose name was Sir Fergus, did accost Tewder the
squire, and with fair seeming told him that he also was bidden to go back to
Brittany, to bring back certain jewels which the kin in his hasty departure
had left in his lodging at the town of Dol.
Tewder unsuspecting of all evil, went aboard a boat with Sir Fergus, and
together they bargained with the master to take them across when the tide
should rise again at dark. Together they crossed the sea that night and took
the road towards Sir Lancelot's town ; and in a dark wood Sir Fergus set upon
the squire, who fought bravely but was slain at last, and the letter of Sir
Gawaine was taken by the traitor.
Then, returning to the seashore, the wretch went aboard another boat, and
chaffered with the merchant to take him across the sea to the town of
Llongporth, whence he thought to get quickly to Mordred, to receive from him
the reward of his treachery and murder. But at night, as they sailed over the
dark sea, a fiftyoared longship, filled with Saxon pirates, crept upon them;
the pagans poured over the sides, slew men almost in their sleep, and flung
their bodies overboard.
And though Fergus fought well, his head was almost struck from his body by a
great sheering axeblow.
KING ARTHUR'S KNIGHTS. THE TALES RETOLD FOR BOYS AND GIRLS
XII. OF THE REBELLION OF MORDRED AND THE DEATH OF KING ARTHUR
162
Page 149
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
When the pirates had taken all the goods they desired from the merchant
vessel, they stove a hole in its side, and it sank to the bottom of the sea.
So that no man ever again saw the letter which was meant for Sir
Lancelot.
For some weeks Sir Lancelot lay quiet knowing naught of the death of Sir
Gawaine; nor of the letter desiring him to go to the help of King Arthur. Many
rumours came to him, through the shipfolk, of the wicked rebellion of Sir
Mordred; and though Sir Lancelot longed to go across to Britain and fight for
King Arthur, his kinsmen would not consent, but said it would be unseemly,
unless the king craved his aid, and sued for pardon for making war against Sir
Lancelot in his own country.
Thus the precious weeks went by, and much ill fortune happened in Britain,
that haa ended otherwise if Sir
Lancelot had been by the king.
Three days after the battle upon the shore, the king's host came up with the
host of Sir Mordred on Barham
Down. Many folks had joined the rebels' side, because they hated the king for
making war upon Sir Lancelot, and the king was sorely hurt in his mind to see
a banner bome by one part of the usurper's army, on which was the device of
Sir Lancelot's.
This the crafty Sir Mordred had commanded to be done, knowing that it would
damp the spirits of King
Arthur and his men.
"Verily," said King Arthur, "my evil deeds have sprung up as armed men against
me. I fought unjustly with
Sir Lancelot, and here are some that loved him arrayed against me for that
wicked war."
"If ye would send for Sir Lancelot," said Sir Owen of the Fountain, who stood
by him, "ye would learn, I
verily believe, that Sir Lancelot loves and worships you as of old, and hath
no mind to fight on the side of this sly fox Mordred. Send for Sir Lancelot,
lord."
"Nay, I will notI may not," said the king. "If he cometh by the words which
Sir Gawaine wrote to him, I
shall know that he loves me and forgives me; but if he cometh not, I shall
know he hates me, and I shall merit his illfavour. He owes naught to me since
I used him so evilly, and therefore I may not ask his aid."
All day the battle raged upon the great green down, and many were the fierce
fights which took place upon the top thereof, where behind great earthworks [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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twice, but for thy high nobility and great courtesy. I, Gawaine, beseech of
thee forgiveness for my madness, and crave that thou wilt remember the dear
friendly days we have had together in times long past, and for all the love
that was between us. Come thou over the sea, and with thy knights do thou
press to the help of Arthur, our noble lord, who is beset by a traitorous
villain, my brother Mordred, who hath dared to rebel against his rightful
lord, and hath crowned himself king. Do thou hasten, good Sir Lancelot, when
thou shalt receive this letter, and follow the king. But ere thou goest from
this seashore do thou come to my tomb, and pray some prayer more or less for
my sinful soul, that in its madness did evilly entreat thee."
Then was Sir Gawaine shriven, and in a little while he swooned, while all
stood uncovered round about him.
When the rays of the afternoon sun cast long shadows of the knights and
fighting men who were hurrying up and down the shore making ready to depart,
Sir Gawaine awoke from his swoon and looked up.
For a moment he did not recognize King Arthur; then he smiled at him very
sweetly and said in a low voice:
"Kiss meand forgive me!"
The king knelt down and kissed the pallid face of Sir Gawaine, and for very
sorrow he felt that the heart in his breast was nigh to bursting.
So in a little while, with the beat of the surf and the cry of the seagulls
upon his ears, the light of the sun in his eyes, and the free air of heaven
all about him, Sir Gawaine died. And his death was as he had ever craved it to
be, under the open sky, after battle, where he had given good strokes and
received them.
Now the letter which Sir Gawaine had written was given unto a young squire of
Sir Gawaine's, by name
Tewder, and he was commanded to depart forthwith back to Brittany, and deliver
it into the hands of Sir
Lancelot. But among the knights that had stood about the dying Sir Gawaine was
a traitor, who was in the service of Sir Mordred the rebel, and he knew that
if Sir Lancelot should receive that letter, and come to
Britain with all his brave kin and their host, Sir Mordred would have much ado
to conquer King Arthur.
Therefore the traitor knight, whose name was Sir Fergus, did accost Tewder the
squire, and with fair seeming told him that he also was bidden to go back to
Brittany, to bring back certain jewels which the kin in his hasty departure
had left in his lodging at the town of Dol.
Tewder unsuspecting of all evil, went aboard a boat with Sir Fergus, and
together they bargained with the master to take them across when the tide
should rise again at dark. Together they crossed the sea that night and took
the road towards Sir Lancelot's town ; and in a dark wood Sir Fergus set upon
the squire, who fought bravely but was slain at last, and the letter of Sir
Gawaine was taken by the traitor.
Then, returning to the seashore, the wretch went aboard another boat, and
chaffered with the merchant to take him across the sea to the town of
Llongporth, whence he thought to get quickly to Mordred, to receive from him
the reward of his treachery and murder. But at night, as they sailed over the
dark sea, a fiftyoared longship, filled with Saxon pirates, crept upon them;
the pagans poured over the sides, slew men almost in their sleep, and flung
their bodies overboard.
And though Fergus fought well, his head was almost struck from his body by a
great sheering axeblow.
KING ARTHUR'S KNIGHTS. THE TALES RETOLD FOR BOYS AND GIRLS
XII. OF THE REBELLION OF MORDRED AND THE DEATH OF KING ARTHUR
162
Page 149
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
When the pirates had taken all the goods they desired from the merchant
vessel, they stove a hole in its side, and it sank to the bottom of the sea.
So that no man ever again saw the letter which was meant for Sir
Lancelot.
For some weeks Sir Lancelot lay quiet knowing naught of the death of Sir
Gawaine; nor of the letter desiring him to go to the help of King Arthur. Many
rumours came to him, through the shipfolk, of the wicked rebellion of Sir
Mordred; and though Sir Lancelot longed to go across to Britain and fight for
King Arthur, his kinsmen would not consent, but said it would be unseemly,
unless the king craved his aid, and sued for pardon for making war against Sir
Lancelot in his own country.
Thus the precious weeks went by, and much ill fortune happened in Britain,
that haa ended otherwise if Sir
Lancelot had been by the king.
Three days after the battle upon the shore, the king's host came up with the
host of Sir Mordred on Barham
Down. Many folks had joined the rebels' side, because they hated the king for
making war upon Sir Lancelot, and the king was sorely hurt in his mind to see
a banner bome by one part of the usurper's army, on which was the device of
Sir Lancelot's.
This the crafty Sir Mordred had commanded to be done, knowing that it would
damp the spirits of King
Arthur and his men.
"Verily," said King Arthur, "my evil deeds have sprung up as armed men against
me. I fought unjustly with
Sir Lancelot, and here are some that loved him arrayed against me for that
wicked war."
"If ye would send for Sir Lancelot," said Sir Owen of the Fountain, who stood
by him, "ye would learn, I
verily believe, that Sir Lancelot loves and worships you as of old, and hath
no mind to fight on the side of this sly fox Mordred. Send for Sir Lancelot,
lord."
"Nay, I will notI may not," said the king. "If he cometh by the words which
Sir Gawaine wrote to him, I
shall know that he loves me and forgives me; but if he cometh not, I shall
know he hates me, and I shall merit his illfavour. He owes naught to me since
I used him so evilly, and therefore I may not ask his aid."
All day the battle raged upon the great green down, and many were the fierce
fights which took place upon the top thereof, where behind great earthworks [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]