Stories of King Arthur and His Knights | Page 5

the duke was named the Duke of Tintagil.
Ten miles away from his castle, called Terrabil, there was, in the castle
Tintagil, Igraine of Cornwall, that King Uther liked and loved well, for
she was a good and fair lady, and passing wise. He made her great
cheer out of measure, and desired to have her love in return; but she
would not assent unto him, and for pure anger and for great love of fair
Igraine King Uther fell sick.
At that time there lived a powerful magician named Merlin, who could
appear in any place he chose, could change his looks as he liked, and at
will could do wonderful things to help or to harm knights and ladies. So
to King Uther came Sir Ulfius, a noble knight, and said, "I will seek
Merlin, and he shall do you remedy so that your heart shall be pleased."
So Ulfius departed, and by adventure met Merlin in beggar's array, and
made him promise to be not long behind in riding to Uther's pavilion.

Soon Merlin stood by the king's side and said: "I know all your heart,
and promise ye shall have your desire, if ye will be sworn to fulfil my
wish." This the king solemnly agreed to do, and then Merlin said:
"After ye shall win Igraine as wife, a child shall be born to you that is
to be given unto me to be brought up as I will; this shall be for your
honour and the child's avail."
That night King Uther met in battle the Duke of Tintagil, who had
protected Igraine in her castle, and overcame him. Then Igraine
welcomed Uther as her true lover, for Merlin had given him the
appearance of one dear to her, and, the barons being all well accorded,
the two were married on a morning with great mirth and joy.
When the time came that Igraine should bear a son, Merlin came again
unto the King to claim his promise, and he said: "I know a lord of yours
in this land, a passing true man and a faithful, named Sir Ector, and he
shall have the nourishing of your child. Let the young Prince be
delivered to me at yonder privy postern, when I come for him."
So the babe, Arthur Pendragon, bound in a cloth of gold, was taken by
two knights and two ladies to the postern gate of the castle and
delivered unto Merlin, disguised as a poor man, and by him was carried
forth to Sir Ector, whose wife nourished him as her own child.
Then within two years King Uther fell sick of a great malady.
Wherefore all the barons made great sorrow, and asked Merlin what
counsel were best, for few of them had ever seen or heard of the young
child, Arthur. On the morn all by Merlin's counsel came before the
King, and Merlin said: "Sir, shall your son Arthur be king, after your
days, of this realm with all the appurtenance?"
Then Uther Pendragon turned him and said in hearing of them all, "I
give him God's blessing and mine, and bid him righteously and
honourably to claim the crown upon forfeiture of my blessing."
Therewith he died, and he was buried as befitted a king, and the Queen,
fair Igraine, and all the barons made great sorrow.

CHAPTER II
UTHER'S SON, RIGHTWISE KING OF ALL ENGLAND
Then stood the kingdom in great jeopardy a long while, for every lord
strengthened himself, and many a one thought to be king rather than be
ruled by a child that they had never known. All this confusion Merlin
had foreseen, and he had taken the young prince away, to keep him safe
from the jealous barons until he should be old enough to rule wisely for
himself. Even Sir Ector did not know that the boy growing up with his
own son Kay was the King's child, and heir to the realm.
When now young Arthur had grown into a tall youth, well trained in all
the exercises of honourable knighthood, Merlin went to the Archbishop
of Canterbury and counselled him to send to all the lords of the realm
and all the gentlemen of arms, that they should come to London at
Christmas time, since God of His great mercy would at that time show
by miracle who should be rightwise king of the realm. The Archbishop
did as Merlin advised, and all the great knights made them clean of
their life so that their prayer might be the more acceptable unto God,
and when Christmas came they went unto London, each one thinking
that perchance his wish to be made king should be granted. So in the
greatest church of the city (whether it was St Paul's or