The Age of Chivalry Part 6

"A kirtle and a mantle This boy had him upon, With brooches, rings, and ouches, Full daintily bedone.

"He had a sash of silk About his middle meet; And thus with seemly curtesie He did King Arthur greet:

"'G.o.d speed thee, brave King Arthur.

Thus feasting in thy bower, And Guenever, thy goodly queen, That fair and peerless flower.

"'Ye gallant lords and lordlings, I wish you all take heed, Lest what ye deem a blooming rose Should prove a cankered weed.'

"Then straightway from his bosom A little wand he drew; And with it eke a mantle, Of wondrous shape and hue.

"'Now have thou here, King Arthur, Have this here of me, And give unto thy comely queen, All shapen as you see.

"'No wife it shall become, That once hath been to blame.'

Then every knight in Arthur's court Sly glanced at his dame.

"And first came Lady Guenever, The mantle she must try.

This dame she was new-fangled, [1]

And of a roving eye.

"When she had taken the mantle, And all with it was clad, From top to toe it s.h.i.+vered down, As though with shears beshred.

"One while it was too long, Another while too short, And wrinkled on her shoulders, In most unseemly sort.

"Now green, now red it seemed, Then all of sable hue; 'Beshrew me,' quoth King Arthur, 'I think thou be'st not true!'

"Down she threw the mantle, No longer would she stay; But, storming like a fury, To her chamber flung away.

"She cursed the rascal weaver, That had the mantle wrought; And doubly cursed the froward imp Who thither had it brought.

I had rather live in deserts, Beneath the greenwood tree, Than here, base king, among thy grooms The sport of them and thee.'

"Sir Kay called forth his lady, And bade her to come near: 'Yet dame, if thou be guilty, I pray thee now forbear.'

"This lady, pertly giggling, With forward step came on, And boldly to the little boy With fearless face is gone.

"When she had taken the mantle, With purpose for to wear, It shrunk up to her shoulder, And left her back all bare.

"Then every merry knight, That was in Arthur's court, Gibed and laughed and flouted, To see that pleasant sport.

"Down she threw the mantle, No longer bold or gay, But, with a face all pale and wan To her chamber slunk away.

"Then forth came an old knight A pattering o'er his creed, And proffered to the little boy Five n.o.bles to his meed:

"'And all the time of Christmas Plum-porridge shall be thine, If thou wilt let my lady fair Within the mantle s.h.i.+ne.'

"A saint his lady seemed, With step demure and slow, And gravely to the mantle With mincing face doth go.

"When she the same had taken That was so fine and thin, It shrivelled all about her, And showed her dainty skin.

"Ah! little did her mincing, Or his long prayers bestead; She had no more hung on her Than a ta.s.sel and a thread.

"Down she threw the mantle, With terror and dismay, And with a face of scarlet To her chamber hied away.

"Sir Cradock called his lady, And bade her to come near: 'Come win this mantle, lady, And do me credit here:

"'Come win this mantle, lady, For now it shall be thine, If thou hast never done amiss, Since first I made thee mine.'

"The lady, gently blus.h.i.+ng, With modest grace came on; And now to try the wondrous charm Courageously is gone.

"When she had ta'en the mantle, And put it on her back, About the hem it seemed To wrinkle and to crack.

"'Lie still,' she cried, 'O mantle!

And shame me not for naught; I'll freely own whate'er amiss Or blameful I have wrought.

"'Once I kissed Sir Cradock Beneath the greenwood tree; Once I kissed Sir Cradock's mouth, Before he married me.'

"When she had thus her shriven, And her worst fault had told, The mantle soon became her, Right comely as it should.

"Most rich and fair of color, Like gold it glittering shone, And much the knights in Arthur's court Admired her every one."

[Footnote 1: New-fangled--fond of novelty.]

The ballad goes on to tell of two more trials of a similar kind, made by means of a boar's head and a drinking horn, in both of which the result was equally favorable with the first to Sir Cradock and his lady. It then concludes as follows:

"Thus boar's head, horn, and mantle Were this fair couple's meed; And all such constant lovers, G.o.d send them well to speed"

--Percy's Reliques.

CHAPTER VIII

LAUNCELOT OF THE LAKE

King Ban, of Brittany, the faithful ally of Arthur was attacked by his enemy Claudas, and after a long war saw himself reduced to the possession of a single fortress, where he was besieged by his enemy. In this extremity he determined to solicit the a.s.sistance of Arthur, and escaped in a dark night, with his wife Helen and his infant son Launcelot, leaving his castle in the hands of his seneschal, who immediately surrendered the place to Claudas. The flames of his burning citadel reached the eyes of the unfortunate monarch during his flight and he expired with grief. The wretched Helen, leaving her child on the brink of a lake, flew to receive the last sighs of her husband, and on returning perceived the little Launcelot in the arms of a nymph, who, on the approach of the queen, threw herself into the lake with the child. This nymph was Viviane, mistress of the enchanter Merlin, better known by the name of the Lady of the Lake. Launcelot received his appellation from having been educated at the court of this enchantress, whose palace was situated in the midst, not of a real, but, like the appearance which deceives the African traveller, of an imaginary lake, whose deluding resemblance served as a barrier to her residence. Here she dwelt not alone, but in the midst of a numerous retinue, and a splendid court of knights and damsels.

The queen, after her double loss, retired to a convent, where she was joined by the widow of Bohort, for this good king had died of grief on hearing of the death of his brother Ban. His two sons, Lionel and Bohort, were rescued by a faithful knight, and arrived in the shape of greyhounds at the palace of the lake, where, having resumed their natural form, they were educated along with their cousin Launcelot.

The fairy, when her pupil had attained the age of eighteen, conveyed him to the court of Arthur for the purpose of demanding his admission to the honor of knighthood; and at the first appearance of the youthful candidate the graces of his person, which were not inferior to his courage and skill in arms, made an instantaneous and indelible impression on the heart of Guenever, while her charms inspired him with an equally ardent and constant pa.s.sion. The mutual attachment of these lovers exerted, from that time forth, an influence over the whole history of Arthur. For the sake of Guenever, Launcelot achieved the conquest of Northumberland, defeated Gallehaut, King of the Marches, who afterwards became his most faithful friend and ally, exposed himself in numberless encounters, and brought hosts of prisoners to the feet of his sovereign.

SIR LAUNCELOT

After King Arthur was come from Rome into England all the knights of the Table Round resorted unto him and made him many justs and tournaments. And in especial Sir Launcelot of the Lake in all tournaments and justs and deeds of arms, both for life and death, pa.s.sed all other knights, and was never overcome, except it were by treason or enchantment; and he increased marvellously in wors.h.i.+p, wherefore Queen Guenever had him in great favor, above all other knights. And for certain he loved the queen again above all other ladies; and for her he did many deeds of arms, and saved her from peril, through his n.o.ble chivalry. Thus Sir Launcelot rested him long with play and game, and then he thought to prove himself in strange adventures; so he bade his nephew, Sir Lionel, to make him ready,-- "for we two will seek adventures." So they mounted on their horses, armed at all sights, and rode into a forest, and so into a deep plain. And the weather was hot about noon, and Sir Launcelot had great desire to sleep. Then Sir Lionel espied a great apple-tree that stood by a hedge, and he said: "Brother, yonder is a fair shadow--there may we rest us and our horses." "It is well said," replied Sir Launcelot. So they there alighted, and Sir Launcelot laid him down, and his helm under his head, and soon was asleep pa.s.sing fast. And Sir Lionel waked while he slept. And presently there came three knights riding as fast as ever they might ride, and there followed them but one knight. And Sir Lionel thought he never saw so great a knight before. So within a while this great knight overtook one of those knights, and smote him so that he fell to the earth. Then he rode to the second knight and smote him, and so he did to the third knight.

Then he alighted down and bound all the three knights fast with their own bridles. When Sir Lionel saw him do thus, he thought to a.s.say him, and made him ready silently, not to awake Sir Launcelot, and rode after the strong knight, and bade him turn.

And the other smote Sir Lionel so hard that horse and man fell to the earth; and then he alighted down and bound Sir Lionel, and threw him across his own horse; and so he served them all four, and rode with them away to his own castle. And when he came there he put them in a deep prison, in which were many more knights in great distress.