Merlin : or, the early history of King Arthur : a prose romance / edited ... by Henry B. Wheatley

CHAPTER XIX.
MERLIN'S MEETING WITH LEONCE. HIS ADVENTURES WITH NIMIAME.

Now seith the storye, that whan Gawein and his felowes were medled with the meyne of Taurus, and this knyght saugh that Gawein hadde his moder rescowed he departed a-wey so sodeynly that no man wiste where that he be com, and wente in to Northumbirlonde to Blaase his maister and tolde hym alle these aventures that hadde be don in the reame of logres; and Blase of hym was ioyfull and gladde, and wrote these thinges that he hym tolde, and by hys booke haue we yet the knowynge of the seide a-uentures. And whan he hadde be ther as longe as hym liked, he seide he wolde go in to the reame of Benoyk, ffor soone elles myght the kynge Ban and the kynge Boors haue grete damage while thei ben with Arthur in Tamelide, and that were dedly synne, for thei ben full noble men and trewe, ffor the kynge Claudas de la desert hath don homage to the kynge of Gaule, and he hath promysed hym to helpe and to maynteyne, and on that other side this Claudas hath so purchased that he hath be at Rome, and he and the kynge of Gaule haue take theire londes to the Emperoure be soche covenaunt that the Emperour Iulius shall sende hym socour and wolde sese the two remes of Benoyk and Gannes; and thei assemble and somowne on alle partees, and now be meved the romaynes with an huge peple, and theire lorde and gouernoure is Pounce, Antony, tweyne of the counseillours of Rome, that be two grete lordes and mighty, and also on that other part cometh for love of hem, ffrolle a Duke of Almayne that is right a grete lorde of londe and of richesse and of ffrendes, and is cosin germain to Antony and to Pounce, and ech of these bringeth xx^Ml at his baner, and thise of the reame of Benoyk ne knowen it nought and so sholde thei alle be distroide er thei token hede or were ther-of war.

[folio 107a] Whan Blase this vndirstode he be-gan to wepe, and seide to Merlin, "Ffor the love of god haue pitee of cristin peple that thei be not distroied;" and he seide while that he myght lyve he wolde hem helpe with all his counseile. "And yet," quod Merlin, "it is the londe that I ought moste for to hate, ffor in that londe is the wolf that the lupart shall bynde with cercles that shall nother be of Iren ne steile ne tree ne golde ne siluer ne lede ne nothinge of the erthe ne of the water ne herbe, and shall be so streite bounde that he shall not meve." "A god mercy," quod Blase, "Merlin, what is that ye sey? is not the leopart more of strength than is the wolf, and more he is to doute?" "Yesse, truly," quod Merlin. "How may the wolf than haue power ouer the leopart?" quod Blase. "Ye shull no more knowe," quod Merlin; "but þus moche I will telle yow, that this prophesie shall falle vpon me, and I wote well I may me not kepe ther-fro." And Blase hym sayned for the merveile, and than he be-gan to aske, and seide, "Merlin, now telle me this, yef ye go now in to Benoyk, what shall falle of this londe that the saisnes thus go distroyinge?" "Of this ne care yow nought," quod Merlin, "ffor Arthur shall neuer Iustise his barouns till that thei be well scowred, and knowe it well thei shall be driven oute in short tyme, and on that othir side ne were for the merveillouse leopart that shall come oute of the reame of Benoyk that shall be so grete and so fiers that alle other beestes shall surmounte bothe of this contrey and of the bloy bretaigne, and of hym shall come the grete lyon to whom alle beestes shull enclyne and for whos look the heuene shall open. I wolde not go ne come ther as longe as I myght me holde thens, but I shull synne dedly yef I sholde do a-gein the ordenaunce of god wherefore he hath me yove soche witte and discrescion as I haue, ffor to helpe a-complissh the a-uentures of the seynt Graall, that shall be a-complisshed and made an ende in the tyme of kynge Arthur, but enquere now no ferther for thow shalt it in tyme comynge what this may be, and youre-self shull it se at youre yie er ye be deed."

Whan Blase herde Merlin thus couertly speke he thought longe on these wordes; but euer he putte hem in writinge as he hadde hem seide; and than departed Merlin and wente in to the reame of Benoyk, and come to leonces the lorde of Paerne and drowgh hym a-parte and a-queynted hym with hym, so that he hym knewe, for other tymes he hadde hym seyn in the companye of the thre kynges; and leonces made of hym grete ioye, and he was a full worthi man and cosin to the kynge Ban and to the kynge Boors his brother, and Merlin spake to hym in the same semblaunce that he hadde seyn hym be-fore in the companye of the thre kynges, but that was do so previly that noon wiste ther-of no worde, and leonces yaf credence to all that he seide; and after that thei well a-queynted, leonces hym a-resonde as a wise man and well vndirstondinge, and seide, "Merlin, I merveile moche of oon thinge that I wolde of yow asken, but I wolde not ther-with yow displese." "I wote well," quod Merlin, "what ye thenke, and it nothinge doth me displese, but sey on hardely what yow liketh." "Sey youre selfe," seide leonces, "seth that ye it knowen." "With good cheer," seide Merlin, "for the love of yow; ye wolde aske me," quod Merlin, "whi I haue left [folio 107b] the thre kynges and I am come hider." "Trewly," quod leonces, "ye sey trouthe, and that wolde I gladly wite, yef it were youre plesier." "A," seide Merlin, "ye shall knowe all in tyme, for I may not here longe a-byde."

"LEonces," quod Merlin, "it is the trouthe, and the prophesie it seith that the serpent shall chace the leopart out of the forest, sauage and auncyent, that be-fore that hath be so grete and so fierce and so merveillouse, that beestes a-boute hym to hym enclyned and bowed theire heedes to the erthe; and it is trouthe that ye haue a felon neyghbour that is cleped Claudas de la desert, and this Claudas hath don homage to the kynge of Gaule, to holde of hym his londe by this condicion: that he helpe hym to mayntene his werre, and ben bothe to-geder and holde bothe theire londes of the Emperoure of Rome; and Claudas his owne

body hath ben there, and so moche hath he sought and don, that Pounces and Antonyes, tweyne counseillers of Rome, come with grete power to distroie this contrey; and hider also cometh ffrolles, a Duke of Almayne, that is a riche lorde and right puyssant, and a goode knyght at armes, and is cosin germain bothe to Pounce and to Antonye, and he will peyne hym sore this contrey to waste and distroye and it to take; but it shall not be as thei wene, and ther-fore I am come in to this contre, for I will that ye sende to youre kyn and frendes fer and nygh, and assemble alle that ye may of peple, and garnyssh youre Citees and Castelles, and geder alle vitaile and corne and beestes and put it in soche place ther thei haue no power for to come, and ordeyne that ye be so araide that whan thei renne thourgh the londe thei fynde nought to take, ffor they shull renne vpon yow right sore, and assaile Castelles and townes, and ther-fore deffende yow myghtyly, but be-war, as dere as ye haue youre owne corse and youre honoure and also the honour of two kynges, that ye go not oute to bataile agein hem, ffor ye sholde haue to grete losse; and trust it trewly, ye shull haue socour, and that shall be stronge and goode and feire, on the wednysday be-fore the feeste of seint John, that the bataile shall be by-fore Trebes be-twene leire and arsune by-fore day, where-as the Romayns and thei of Gaule and of Almayne shull be loged; and ye shull drawe oute youre parties as strongly as ye may, and than hide yow in the nexte foreste alle armed, and that this be so secretly don that noon of youre companye it a-parceyve, be he neuer so well youre frende and with yow prevy, saf only to Pharien and to Grassien, to thise tweyne sey it in counseile, ffor thei be full worthi men and right trewe, and do the weyes and the passages to be kepte so well that when ye ride yef eny asspie come that he be taken, that he ne repeyre not to hem to discure nought of youre coveyne, ffor soone so myght ye haue damage." And he seide that he wolde do this so well that Merlin sholde hym preyse at departinge. "I wote not," quod Merlin, "what [folio 108a] I sholde sey to yow more, for I go my wey, for moche I haue to do in other places." "And to what contrei shall ye go?" quod leonces. "Whan I departe from hens," quod

Merlyn, "I go to Toraise in Tamelide where as ben the thre kynges, and hem shall I teche how the Geauntes and the sarazins shull be enchased oute of the londe; and the bateile shall be the thursday after pentecoste so grete and so merveillouse that neuer was noon so grete in the reame of Tamelide." "Sir," quod leoces, "greete well myn oncles and my cosin the kynge Arthur." "So shall I do," quod Merlin. "Now haue in mynde to do well, and to god I yow comaunde." Than eche departed from other, and as soone as Merlin was departed fro leonces he wente to se a maiden of grete bewte, and was right yonge, and was in a maner that was right feire and delitable and right riche, in a valee vnder a mounteyne rounde side be side to the forest of Briok, that was full delitable and feire, for to hunte at hertes and at hyndes, and bukke and doo and wilde swyn. This mayden of whom I speke was the doughter of a vauasor of right high lynage, and his name was cleped Dionas, and many tymes diane com to speke with hym, that was the goddesse, and was with hym many dayes, for he was hir godsone; and whan she departed she yaf hym a yefte that plesed hym wele. "Dionas," quod diane, "I graunte the, and so doth the god of the see and of the sterres shull ordeyne, that the firste childe that thow shalt haue female shall be so moche coveyted of the wisest man that euer was erthly or shall be after my deth, whiche in the tyme of kynge Vortiger of the bloy mountayne shall be-gynne for to regne, that he shall hir teche the moste parte of his witte and connynge by force of nygremauncye in soche manere, that he shall be so desirouse after the tyme that he hath hir seyn that he shall haue no power to do no-thinge a-gein hir volunte, and alle thinges that she enquereth he shall hir teche." Thus yaf diane to Dionas hir yefte, and whan Dionas was grete he was right a feire knyght and a goode, of high prowesse of body, and he was moche and longe, and longe tyme serued a Duke of Burgoyne, that to hym yaf his nyece to ben his wif, that was right a feire maiden and a wise.

This Dionas loved moche the deduyt of the wode and the river while that he was yonge, and the Duke of Burgoyne hadde a parte in the foreste of brioke, so that was his the haluendell

all quyte, and that other half was the kynge Ban. Whan the Duke hadde maried his nyece he yaf to Dionas his part of this foreste and londe that he hadde a-boute grete plente, and whan Dionas wente it for to se it plesed hym wele, and he lete make a maner to repeire to, that was right feire and riche by the vyuier, and whan it was made he com thider to be ther for the deduyt of the wode and the river that was nygh, and ther a-boode Dionas longe tyme, and repeired ofte to the court of kynge Ban, hym serued with ix knyghtes, and in his seruise he yede at many a grete nede a-gein the kynge Claudas, to whom he dide many a grete damage, till that the kynge Ban and the kynge Boors [folio 108b] hadden hym in grete love, ffor thei knewe hym so noble a knyght and so trewe, and the kynge Ban to hym graunted his parte of this foreste in heritage to hym and to his heyres, and londe and rentys grete foyson; and the kynge Boors yaf hym also a town and men and londe, for the grete trouthe that he saugh in hym, and he was so graciouse, that alle tho that a-boute hym repeyred loved hym a-bove all thinge. Thus dwelled Dionas in that londe longe tyme, till that he gat vpon his wif a doughter of excellent bewte, and hir name was cleped Nimiane, and it is a name of ebrewe, that seith in frensch, ment neu ferai, that is to sey in english, I shall not lye, and this turned vpon Merlin, as ye shall here her-after. This mayden wax till she was xij yere of age whan Merlin com to speke with leonces of Paerne, and Merlin spedde hym so that he com to the foreste of Brioke, and than he toke a semblaunce of a feire yonge squyre, and drowgh hym down to a welle, where-of the springes were feire and the water clere, and the grauell so feire that it semed of fyn siluer. To this fountayn ofte tyme com nimiane for to disporte, and the same day that Merlin com thider was she come; and whan Merlin hir saugh he be-hilde hir moche, and a-vised hir well er he spake eny worde, and thought that a moche fole were he, yef he slepte so in his synne to lese his witte and his connynge for to haue the deduyt of a mayden, and hym-self shamed, and god to lese and

displese. And whan he hadde longe thought, he hir salued, and she ansuerde wisely and seide, "That lorde that alle thoughtes knoweth sende hym soche volunte and soche corage that hym be to profite, and hym not greve ne noon other, and the same welthe and the same honour hym sende as he wolde to other." And when Merlin herde the maide thus speke, he sett hym down vpon the brinke of the welle and asked hir what she was; and she seide she was of this contrey, the daughter of a vauasour, a grete Gentilman, that was at a manoir ther-ynne, "and what be ye, feire swete frende?" quod she. "Dameselle," quod Merlin, "I am a squyer traueillinge that go for to seche my maister, that was wonte me for to teche, and moche he is for to preise." "And what maister is that?" seide the maiden. "Certes," quod he, "he taught me so moche, that I cowde here reyse a Castell, and I cowde make with-oute peple grete plente that it sholde assaile, and with-ynne also peple that it sholde defende, and yet I sholde do mo maistries, ffor I cowde go vpon this water and not wete my feet, and also I cowde make a river where as neuer hadde be water."

"Certes," seide the maiden, "these be queynte craftes, and fayn wolde I that I cowde do soche disportes." "Certes," seide the squyer, "yet can I mo delitable pleyes, for to reioise euery high astate more than these ben, ffor noon can devise nothinge but that I shall it do, and make it to endure as longe as I will." "Certes," seide the maiden, "yef it were to yow no gref, I wolde se somme pleyes by couenaunt that I sholde euer be youre love." "Certes," seide Merlin, "ye seme to me so plesaunt and deboneir, that for youre love I shall shewe yow a party of my pleyes, by couenaunt that youre love shall be myn, for other thinge will I not aske." And she hym graunted that noon euell ne thought, and Merlin turned hym a-part and made a cerne with a yerde in myddell of the [folio 109a] launde, and than returned to the maiden, and satte a-gein down by the fountayn, and a-noon the mayden be-heilde and saugh come oute of the foreste of briogne ladyes and knyghtes and maydons and squyres, eche holdinge other by the hondes, and com singinge and made the grettest ioye

that euer was seyn in eny londe, and be-fore the maiden com Iogelours and tymbres and tabours, and com be-fore the cerne that Merlin hadde made, and whan thei were with-ynne, thei be-gonne the caroles and the daunces so grete and so merveilouse, that oon myght not sey the fourthe parte of the ioye that ther was made, and for that the launde was so grete, Merlin lete rere a vergier, where-ynne was all maner of fruyt and alle maner of flowres, that yaf so grete swetnesse of flavour, that merveile it were for to telle; and the maiden that all this hadde seyn was a-baisshed of the merveile that she saugh, and was so at ese that sche ne a-tended to no-thinge but to be-holde and entende what songe thei seiden, saf that thei seiden in refreite of hir songe, "Vraiement comencent amours en ioye, et fynissent en dolours." In this maner dured the ioye and feste from mydday to euenesonge, that oon myght here the noyse from fer, ffor it was right high and clere, and plesaunt to heren, and it semed to be of moche peple, and oute of the Castell com Dionas and man and wif grete plente, and be-heilde and saugh the feire orcharde and the daunces and the caroles so feire and so grete, that neuer hadde thei seyn soche in theire lives; and thei merveilled gretly of the orcharde that thei saugh ther so feire ther noon was be-fore, and on that other side thei merveiled whens alle these ladyes and the knyghtes were come so wele a-pareiled of robes and Iuewelles. And whan the caroles hadde longe dured, the ladyes and the maydenys satte down vpon the grene herbes and fressh floures, and the squyres set vp a quyntayne in myddes of the medowes, and wente to bourde a partye of the yonge knyghtes, and on that other parte bourded the yonge squyres with sheldes oon a-gein a-nother that neuer ne lefte till euesonge tyme. And than com Merlin to the mayden and toke hir be the hande and seide, "Damesell, how seme ye?" "Ffeire swete frende," seide the mayden, "ye haue don so moche that I am all yours." "Damesell," quod he, "now holde my couenaunt." "Certes," seide the mayden, "so shall I with goode chere." "Also," quod Merlin, "be ye eny clerk, and

I shall teche yow so many merveilles that neuer woman cowde so many."

Quod the maiden, "How knowe ye that I am a clerke?" "Damesell," qoud Merlin, "I knowe it well, ffor my maister hath me so well taught that I knowe alle thinges that oon doth." "Certes," seide the mayden, "that is the moste connynge that euer I herde, and moste myster were ther-of in many places, and that I wolde faynest lerne; and of thinges that be to come knowe ye ought?" "Certes," quod he, "swete love, yee, a grete part." "God mercy!" quod the mayden, "what go ye than sechynge." "Truly," qoud Merlin, "of that ye moste yet a-bide yef it be youre plesier." And while the Mayden and Merlin helde this Parlement, assembled a-gein the maidenes and the ladyes, and wente daunsinge and bourdinge toward the foreste fro whens thei were come firste; and whan thei were nygh thei entred in so sodaynly, that oon ne wiste where thei were be-come; but the orcharde a-bode [folio 109b] stille ther longe tyme, ffor the maiden that swetly ther-of hym praide, and was cleped ther by name the repeire of ioye and of feeste. And whan Merlin and the maiden hadde be longe to-geder, Merlin seyde at the laste, "Ffeire maiden, I go, for I haue moche to do in other place than here."

"How," qoud the maiden, "feire frende, shull ye not teche me firste some of youre pleyes?" "Damesell," quod Merlin, "ne haste yow not sore, ffor ye shull know I-nowe all in tyme, ffor I moste haue ther-to grete leyser and grete soiour, and on that other side I haue yet no suerte of youre love." "Sir," qoud she, "what suerte wolde ye aske? devise ye, and I shall it make." "I will," quod Merlin, "that ye me ensure that youre love shall be myn, and ye also for to do my plesier of what I will." And the maiden her be-thought a litill, and than she seide, "Sir," quod she, "with goode will by soche forwarde, that after that ye haue me taught all the thinges that I shall yow aske, and that I can hem werke." And Merlin seide that so it plesed hym well. Than he a-sured the maiden to holde couenaunt like as she

hadde devised, and he toke hire surete. Than he taught hir ther a pley that she wrought after many tymes, ffor he taught hir to do come a grete river ouer all ther as her liked, and to a-bide as longe as she wolde; and of other games I-nowe, where-of she wrote the wordes in perchemyn soche as he hir devised, and she it cowde full well bringe it to ende. And whan he hadde a-biden ther till euesonge tyme, he comaunded hir to god and she hym, but er he departed the maiden hym asked whan he sholde come a-gein; and he seide on seint Iohnes even; and thus departed that oon fro that other. And Merlin went to Tamelide, where the kynges made hym grete ioye whan that thei hym saugh. But now a-while we moste cesse here, and speke of the message that the kynge de Cent chiualiers sent to speke with the Princes by the counseile of the kynge cleped Tradilyuaunt, of North wales.