Le Morte Darthur / by Syr Thomas Malory ; the original edition of William Caxton now reprinted and edited with an introduction and glossary by H. Oskar Sommer ; with an essay on Malory's prose style by Andrew Lang

Ca / x

SO after the feste and iourneye kynge Arthur drewe hym vnto london / and soo by the counceil of Merlyn the kyng lete calle his barons to coūceil / for Merlyn had told the kynge that the sixe kynges that made warre vpon hym wold in al haste be awroke on hym & on his landys wherfor the kyng asked counceil at hem al / they coude no counceil gyue but said they were bygge ynough / ye saye wel said Arthur / I thanke you for your good courage / but wil ye al that loveth me speke with Merlyn ye knowe wel that he hath done moche for me / and he knoweth many thynges / & whan he is afore you / I wold that ye prayd hym hertely of his best auyse / Alle the barons sayd they wold pray hym and desyre hym / Soo Merlyn was sente for & fair desyred of al the barons to gyue them best counceil / I shall say you said Merlyn I warne yow al / your enemyes are passyng strong for yow / and they are good men of armes as ben on lyue / & by thys tyme they haue goten to them four kynges mo / and a myghty duke / and onlesse that our kyng haue more chyualry with hym than he may make within þ^e boundys of his own reame and he fyghte with hem in batail / he shal be ouercome & slayn what were best to doo in this cause said al the barons / I shal telle you said Merlyn myne aduys / there ar two bretheren beyond the see / & they be kynges bothe and merueillous good men of her handes / And that one hyghte Kynge Ban of Benwic And that other hyght Kyng Bors of gaule that is Fraunce And on these two Kynges warrith a myghty man of men the Kynge Claudas / and stryueth with hem for a castel / and grete werre is betwixt them / But this Claudas is so myghty of goodes wherof he geteth good Knyȝtes that he putteth these two kynges moost parte do the werse / wherfor this is my counceil that our kyng and souerayne lord sende vnto the kynges Ban and Bors by two trusty knyghtes with letters wel deuysed / that and they wil come and see kynge Arthur and his courte / & so helpe hym in his warrys that he wil be sworne

[leaf 24v] vnto them to helpe them in their warrys ageynst kynge Claudas / Now what saye ye vnto this counceill said Merlyn / thys is wel counceilled said the kynge & alle the Barons / right so in alle haste ther were ordeyned to goo two knyghtes on the message vnto the two kynges / Soo were there made letters in the plesaunt wyse accordyng vnto kyng Arthurs desyre / Vlfyus and Brastias were made the messagers / & so rode forth wel horsed and wel armed / and as they gyse was that tyme & so passed the see & rode toward the cyte of Benwyck / and there bysydes were viij knyghtes that aspyed them / And at a strayt passage they mette with Vlfyus & Brastias / & wold haue taken hem prysoners / so they prayd hem that they myght passe / for they were messagers vnto kyng Ban & Bors sent from kynge Arthur / therfor said the viij knyghtes ye shalle dye or be prysoners / for we ben knyghtes of kyng Claudas And therwith two of them dressid theire sperys / and Vlfyus and Brastias dressid theire speres and ranne to gyder with grete raundon / And Claudas knyghtes brack their speres / and ther to hylde and bare the two knyghtes out of her sadels to the erthe / and so lefte hem lyeng and rode her wayes / And the other sixe knyghtes rode afore to a passage to mete wyth hem ageyne / and so Vlfyus & Brastias smote other two doun And so past on her wayes / And at the fourth passage there mette two for two / and bothe were leid vnto the erthe / so ther was none of the viij knyghtes but he was sore hurte or brysed And whan they come to Benwick it fortuned ther were both kynges Ban and Bors / And whan it was told the kynges that there were come messagers / there were sente vnto them ij knyghtes of worship / the one hyghte Lyonses lord of the country of payarne and Sir phariaunce a worshipful knyght Anone they asked from whens they came / and they said from kynge Arthur kyng of Englond / so they took them in theyre armes and made grete ioye eche of other / But anon as the ij kynges wist they were messagers of Arthurs / ther was made no taryenge / but forthwith they spak with the knyghtes / & welcomed hem in the feythfullest wyse / & said / they were most welcome vnto them before alle the kynges lyuynge / and ther with they kyst the letters & delyuerd hem / And whan Ban

[leaf 25r] and Bors vnderstood the letters / thenne were they more wel come than they were before / And after the hast of the letters / they gaf hem this ansuer that they wold fulfille the desyre of kynge Arthurs wrytyng & Vlfyus & Brastias tary there as longe as they wold / they shold haue suche chere as myghte be made them in tho marchys / Thenne Vlfyus & Brastias told the kyng of the aduēture at their passages of the eyghte knyȝtes / Ha A said Ban and Bors they were my good frendes I wold I had wyst of hem they shold not haue escaped so So Vlfius & Brastias had good chere and grete yeftes as moche as they myghte bere awey / and hadde their ansuere by mouthe and by wrytynge that tho two Kynges wold come vnto Arthur in all the hast that they myȝte / So the two Knytes rode on a fore / and passed the see / and come to their lord and told hym how they had spedde / wherof Kynge Arthur was passyng gladde / At what tyme suppose ye / the ij Kynges wol be here / Syr said they afore all halowmasse / Thenne the kynge lete puruey for a grete feeste / and lete crye a grete Iustes / And by all halowmasse the two kynges were come ouer the see with thre honderd knyȝtes wel arayed both for the pees and for the werre / And kyng Arthur mette with hem x myle oute of london / and ther was grete ioye as coude be thouȝt or made / And on al halowmasse / at the grete feeste sate in the halle the thre kynges / and syre kay sencial serued in the halle And Syr lucas the bottelere that was duke Corneus sone / & sir gryflet that was the sone of Cardol / these iij knyȝtes had the rule of alle the seruyse that serued the kynges / And anon as they had wasshen & rysen / al knyȝtes that wold Iuste made hem redy / by than they were redy on horsbak there were vij C knyghtes / And Arthur Ban and Bors with the Archebisshop of Caunterbury / and syre Ector kays fader they were in a place couerd with clothe of gold lyke an halle with ladyes and gentilwymmen for to behold who dyd best and theron to giue Iugement