Le Morte D'Arthur

by MALORY, THOMAS SIRBRYAN, ELIZABETH

• ISBN13: 9780375753220
• ISBN10: 0375753222
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 1999-02-22
• Publisher: Modern Library

Summary

The text is unabridged, with original spelling and extensive, easy-to-use marginal glosses and footnotes.

Author Biography

Elizabeth J. Bryan is associate professor of English at Brown University. She is the author of <b>Collaborative Meaning in Medieval Scribal Culture: The Otho LaZamon</b>.

Table of Contents

BOOK I	1	(48)
I. How Uther Pendragon sent for the duke of Cornwall and Igraine his wife, and of their departing suddenly again	1	(2)
II. How Uther Pendragon made war on the duke of Cornwall, and how by the mean of Merlin he lay by the duchess and gat Arthur	3	(1)
III. Of the birth of King Arthur and of his nurture	4	(2)
IV. Of the death of King Uther Pendragon	6	(1)
V. How Arthur was chosen king, and of wonders and marvels of a sword taken out of a stone by the said Arthur	7	(2)
VI. How King Arthur pulled out the sword divers times	9	(2)
VII. How King Arthur was crowned, and how he made officers	11	(1)
VIII. How King Arthur held in Wales, at a Pentecost, a great feast, and what kings and lords came to his feast	12	(1)
IX. Of the first war that King Arthur had, and how he won the field	13	(2)
X. How Merlin counselled King Arthur to send for King Ban and King Bors, and of their counsel taken for the war	15	(3)
XI. Of a great tourney made by King Arthur and the two kings Ban and Bors, and how they went over the sea	18	(2)
XII. How eleven kings gathered a great host against King Arthur	20	(1)
XIII. Of a dream of the King with the Hundred Knights	21	(1)
XIV. How the eleven kings with their host fought against Arthur and his host, and many great feats of the war	22	(3)
XV. Yet of the same battle	25	(2)
XVI. Yet more of the same battle	27	(3)
XVII. Yet more of the same battle, and how it was ended by Merlin	30	(3)
XVIII. How King Arthur, King Ban, and King Bors rescued King Leodegrance, and other incidents	33	(2)
XIX. How King Arthur rode to Carlion, and of his dream, and how he saw the questing beast	35	(1)
XX. How King Pellinore took Arthur's horse and followed the questing beast, and how Merlin met with Arthur	36	(2)
XXI. How Ulfius impeached Queen Igraine, Arthur's mother, of treason; and how a knight came and desired to have the death of his master revenged	38	(2)
XXII. How Griflet was made knight, and jousted with a knight	40	(1)
XXIII. How twelve knights came from Rome and asked truage for this land of Arthur, and how Arthur fought with a knight	41	(2)
XXIV. How Merlin saved Arthur's life, and threw an enchantment on King Pellinore and made him to sleep	43	(1)
XXV. How Arthur by the mean of Merlin gat Excalibur his sword of the Lady of the Lake	44	(2)
XXVI. How tidings came to Arthur that King Rience had overcome eleven kings, and how he desired Arthur's beard to trim his mantle	46	(1)
XXVII. How all the children were sent for that were born on May-day, and how Mordred was saved	47	(2)
BOOK II	49	(30)
I. Of a damosel which came girt with a sword for to find a man of such virtue to draw it out of the scabbard	49	(2)
II. How Balin, arrayed like a poor knight, pulled out the sword, which afterward was the cause of his death	51	(2)
III. How the Lady of the Lake demanded the knight's head that had won the sword, or the maiden's head	53	(1)
IV. How Merlin told the adventure of this damosel	54	(1)
V. How Balin was pursued by Sir Lanceor, knight of Ireland, and how he jousted and slew him	55	(2)
VI. How a damosel, which was love to Lanceor, slew herself for love, and how Balin met with his brother Balan	57	(1)
VII. How a dwarf reproved Balin for the death of Lanceor, and how King Mark of Cornwall found them, and made a tomb over them	58	(1)
VIII. How Merlin prophesied that two the best knights of the world should fight there, which were Sir Lancelot and Sir Tristram	59	(2)
IX. How Balin and his brother, by the counsel of Merlin, took King Rience and brought him to King Arthur	61	(1)
X. How King Arthur had a battle against Nero and King Lot of Orkney, and how King Lot was deceived by Merlin, and how twelve kings were slain	62	(2)
XI. Of the interment of twelve kings, and of the prophecy of Merlin, and how Balin should give the dolorous stroke	64	(1)
XII. How a sorrowful knight came before Arthur, and how Balin fetched him, and how that knight was slain by a knight invisible	65	(2)
XIII. How Balin and the damosel met with a knight which was in likewise slain, and how the damosel bled for the custom of a castle	67	(1)
XIV. How Balin met with that knight named Garlon at a feast, and there he slew him to have his blood to heal therewith the son of his host	68	(2)
XV. How Balin fought with King Pellam, and how his sword brake, and how he gat a spear wherewith he smote the dolorous stroke	70	(1)
XVI. How Balin was delivered by Merlin, and saved a knight that would have slain himself for love	71	(2)
XVII. How that knight slew his love and a knight lying by her, and after, how he slew himself with his own sword, and how Balin rode toward a castle where he lost his life	73	(1)
XVIII. How Balin met with his brother Balan, and how each of them slew other unknown, till they were wounded to death	74	(3)
XIX. How Merlin buried them both in one tomb, and of Balin's sword	77	(2)
BOOK III	79	(23)
I. How King Arthur took a wife, and wedded Guenever, daughter to Leodegrance, King of the Land of Cameliard, with whom he had the Round Table	79	(1)
II. How the Knights of the Round Table were ordained and their sieges blessed by the Bishop of Canterbury	80	(1)
III. How a poor man riding upon a lean mare desired King Arthur to make his son knight	81	(2)
IV. How Sir Tor was known for son of King Pellinore, and how Gawaine was made knight	83	(1)
V. How at feast of the wedding of King Arthur to Guenever, a white hart came into the hall, and thirty couple hounds, and how a brachet pinched the hart which was taken away	84	(1)
VI. How Sir Gawaine rode for to fetch again the hart, and how two brethren fought each against other for the hart	85	(2)
VII. How the hart was chased into a castle and there slain, and how Sir Gawaine slew a lady	87	(1)
VIII. How four knights fought against Gawaine and Gaheris, and how they were overcome, and their lives saved at request of four ladies	88	(2)
IX. How Sir Tor rode after the knight with the brachet, and of his adventure by the way	90	(2)
X. How Sir Tor found the brachet with a lady, and how a knight assailed him for the said brachet	92	(1)
XI. How Sir Tor overcame the knight, and how he lost his head at the request of a lady	93	(2)
XII. How King Pellinore rode after the lady and the knight that led her away, and how a lady desired help of him, and how he fought with two knights for that lady, of whom he slew the one at the first stroke	95	(2)
XIII. How King Pellinore gat the lady and brought her to Camelot to the court of King Arthur	97	(1)
XIV. How on the way he heard two knights, as he lay by night in a valley, and of their adventures	98	(1)
XV. How when he was come to Camelot he was sworn upon a book to tell the truth of his quest	99	(3)
BOOK IV	102	(47)
I. How Merlin was assotted and doted on one of the ladies of the lake, and how he was shut in a rock under a stone and there died	102	(2)
II. How five kings came into this land to war against King Arthur, and what counsel Arthur had against them	104	(1)
III. How King Arthur had ado with them and overthrew them, and slew the five kings and made the remnant to flee	105	(2)
IV. How the battle was finished or he came, and how King Arthur founded an abbey where the battle was	107	(1)
V. How Sir Tor was made knight of the Round Table, and how Bagdemagus was displeased	108	(2)
VI. How King Arthur, King Uriens, and Sir Accolon of Gaul, chased an hart, and of their marvelous adventures	110	(1)
VII. How Arthur took upon him to fight to be delivered out of prison, and also for to deliver twenty knights that were in prison	111	(2)
VIII. How Accolon found himself by a well, and he took upon him to do battle against Arthur	113	(2)
IX. Of the battle between King Arthur and Accolon	115	(1)
X. How King Arthur's sword that he fought with brake, and how he recovered of Accolon his own sword Excalibur, and overcame his enemy	116	(2)
XI. How Accolon confessed the treason of Morgan le Fay, King Arthur's sister, and how she would have done slay him	118	(2)
XII. How Arthur accorded the two brethren, and delivered the twenty knights, and how Sir Accolon died	120	(1)
XIII. How Morgan would have slain Sir Uriens her husband, and how Sir Uwaine her son saved him	121	(1)
XIV. How Queen Morgan le Fay made great sorrow for the death of Accolon, and how she stole away the scabbard from Arthur	122	(2)
XV. How Morgan le Fay saved a knight that should have been drowned, and how King Arthur returned home again	124	(2)
XVI. How the Damosel of the Lake saved King Arthur from a mantle that should have burnt him	126	(1)
XVII. How Sir Gawaine and Sir Uwaine met with twelve fair damosels, and how they complained on Sir Marhaus	127	(1)
XVIII. How Sir Marhaus jousted with Sir Gawaine and Sir Uwaine, and overthrew them both	128	(3)
XIX. How Sir Marhaus, Sir Gawaine, and Sir Uwaine met three damosels, and each of them took one	131	(1)
XX. How a knight and a dwarf strove for a lady	132	(3)
XXI. How King Pelleas suffered himself to be taken prisoner because he would have a sight of his lady, and how Sir Gawaine promised him to get to him the love of his lady	135	(2)
XXII. How Sir Gawaine came to the Lady Ettard, and how Sir Pelleas found them sleeping	137	(3)
XXIII. How Sir Pelleas loved no more Ettard by means of the Damosel of the Lake, whom he loved ever after	140	(1)
XXIV. How Sir Marhaus rode with the damosel, and how he came to the Duke of the South Marches	141	(1)
XXV. How Sir Marhaus fought with the duke and his four sons and made them to yield them	142	(2)
XXVI. How Sir Uwaine rode with the damosel of sixty year of age, and how he gat the prize at tourneying	144	(2)
XXVII. How Sir Uwaine fought with two knights and overcame them	146	(1)
XXVIII. How at the year's end all three knights with their three damosels met at the fountain	147	(2)
BOOK V	149	(26)
I. How twelve aged ambassadors of Rome came to King Arthur to demand truage for Britain	149	(2)
II. How the Kings and lords promised to King Arthur aid and help against the Romans	151	(2)
III. How King Arthur held a parliament at York, and how he ordained the realm should be governed in his absence	153	(1)
IV. How King Arthur being shipped and lying in his cabin had a marvellous dream and of the exposition thereof	154	(2)
V. How a man of the country told to him of a marvellous giant, and how he fought and conquered him	156	(3)
VI. How King Arthur sent Sir Gawaine and other to Lucius, and how they were assailed and escaped with worship	159	(2)
VII. How Lucius sent certain spies in a bushment for to have taken his knights being prisoners, and how they were letted	161	(1)
VIII. How a senator told to Lucius of their discomfiture, and also of the great battle between Arthur and Lucius	162	(4)
IX. How Arthur, after he had achieved the battle against the Romans, entered into Almaine, and so into Italy	166	(1)
X. Of a battle done by Sir Gawaine against a Saracen, which after was yielden and became Christian	167	(3)
XI. How the Saracens came out of a wood for to rescue their beasts, and of a great battle	170	(1)
XII. How Sir Gawaine returned to King Arthur with his prisoners, and how the King won a city, and how he was crowned Emperor	171	(4)
BOOK VI	175	(34)
I. How Sir Launcelot and Sir Lionel departed from the court, and how Sir Lionel left him sleeping and was taken	175	(2)
II. How Sir Ector followed for to seek Sir Launcelot, and how he was taken by Sir Turquine	177	(1)
III. How four queens found Launcelot sleeping, and how by enchantment he was taken and led into a castle	178	(2)
IV. How Sir Launcelot was delivered by the mean of a damosel	180	(1)
V. How a knight found Sir Launcelot lying in his leman's bed, and how Sir Launcelot fought with the knight	181	(2)
VI. How Sir Launcelot was received of King Bagdemagus' daughter, and how he made his complaint to her father	183	(1)
VII. How Sir Launcelot behaved him in a tournament, and how he met with Sir Turquine leading Sir Gaheris	184	(3)
VIII. How Sir Launcelot and Sir Turquine fought together	187	(1)
IX. How Sir Turquine was slain, and how Sir Launcelot bade Sir Gaheris deliver all the prisoners	188	(2)
X. How Sir Launcelot rode with a damosel and slew a knight that distressed all ladies and also a villain that kept a bridge	190	(2)
XI. How Sir Launcelot slew two giants, and made a castle free	192	(4)
XII. How Sir Launcelot rode disguised in Sir Kay's harness, and how he smote down a knight	196	(2)
XIII. How Sir Launcelot jousted against four knights of the Round Table and overthrew them	198	(1)
XIV. How Sir Launcelot followed a brachet into a castle, where he found a dead knight, and how he after was required of a damosel to heal her brother	199	(2)
XV. How Sir Launcelot came into the Chapel Perilous and gat there of a dead corpse a piece of the cloth and a sword	201	(2)
XVI. How Sir Launcelot at the request of a lady recovered a falcon, by which he was deceived	203	(2)
XVII. How Sir Launcelot overtook a knight which chased his wife to have slain her, and how he said to him	205	(2)
XVIII. How Sir Launcelot came to King Arthur's Court, and how there were recounted all his noble feats and acts	207	(2)
BOOK VII	209	(69)
I. How Beaumains came to King Arthur's Court and demanded three petitions of King Arthur	209	(2)
II. How Sir Launcelot and Sir Gawaine were wroth because Sir Kay mocked Beaumains, and of a damosel which desired a knight to fight for a lady	211	(2)
III. How Beaumains desired the battle, and how it was granted to him, and how he desired to be made knight of Sir Launcelot	213	(1)
IV. How Beaumains departed, and how he gat of Sir Kay a spear and a shield, and how he jousted with Sir Launcelot	214	(1)
V. How Beaumains told to Sir Launcelot his name, and how he was dubbed knight of Sir Launcelot, and after overtook the damosel	215	(2)
VI. How Beaumains fought and slew two knights at a passage	217	(2)
VII. How Beaumains fought with the Knight of the Black Launds, and fought with him till he fell down and died	219	(2)
VIII. How the brother of the knight that was slain met with Beaumains, and fought with Beaumains till he was yielden	221	(2)
IX. How the damosel again rebuked Beaumains, and would not suffer him to sit at her table, but called him kitchen boy	223	(1)
X. How the third brother, called the Red Knight, jousted and fought against Beaumains, and how Beaumains overcame him	224	(2)
XI. How Sir Beaumains suffered great rebukes of the damosel, and he suffered it patiently	226	(3)
XII. How Beaumains fought with Sir Persant of Inde, and made him to be yielden	229	(2)
XIII. Of the goodly communication between Sir Persant and Beaumains, and how he told him that his name was Sir Gareth	231	(1)
XIV. How the lady that was besieged had word from her sister how she had brought a knight to fight for her, and what battles he had achieved	232	(3)
XV. How the damosel and Beaumains came to the siege, and came to a sycamore tree, and there Beaumains blew a horn, and then the Knight of the Red Launds came to fight with him	235	(2)
XVI. How the two knights met together, and of their talking, and how they began their battle	237	(1)
XVII. How after long fighting Beaumains overcame the knight and would have slain him, but at the request of the lords he saved his life, and made him to yield him to the lady	238	(2)
XVIII. How the knight yielded him, and how Beaumains made him to go unto King Arthur's court, and to cry Sir Launcelot mercy	240	(2)
XIX. How Beaumains came to the lady, and when he came to the castle the gates were closed against him, and of the words that the lady said to him	242	(2)
XX. How Sir Beaumains rode after to rescue his dwarf, and came into the castle where he was	244	(3)
XXI. How Sir Gareth, otherwise called Beaumains, came to the presence of his lady, and how they took acquaintance, and of their love	247	(1)
XXII. How at night came an armed knight, and fought with Sir Gareth, and he, sore hurt in the thigh, smote off the knight's head	248	(3)
XXIII. How the said knight came again the next night and was beheaded again, and how at the feast of Pentecost all the knights that Sir Gareth had overcome came and yielded them to King Arthur	251	(2)
XXIV. How King Arthur pardoned them, and demanded of them where Sir Gareth was	253	(1)
XXV. How the Queen of Orkney came to this feast of Pentecost, and Sir Gawaine and his brethren came to ask her blessing	254	(2)
XXVI. How King Arthur sent for the Lady Lionesse, and how she let cry a tourney at her castle, whereas came many knights	256	(3)
XXVII. How King Arthur went to the tournament with his knights, and how the lady received him worshipfully, and how the knights encountered	259	(2)
XXVIII. How the knights bare them in the battle	261	(3)
XXIX. Yet of the said tournament	264	(1)
XXX. How Sir Gareth was espied by the heralds, and how he escaped out of the field	265	(2)
XXXI. How Sir Gareth came to a castle where he was well lodged, and he jousted with a knight and slew him	267	(2)
XXXII. How Sir Gareth fought with a knight that held within his castle thirty ladies, and how he slew him	269	(2)
XXXIII. How Sir Gareth and Sir Gawaine fought each against other, and how they knew each other by the damosel Linet	271	(2)
XXXIV. How Sir Gareth acknowledged that they loved each other to King Arthur, and of the appointment of their wedding	273	(2)
XXXV. Of the Great Royalty, and what officers were made at the feast of the wedding, and of the jousts at the feast	275	(3)
BOOK VIII	278	(73)
I. How Sir Tristram de Liones was born, and how his mother died at his birth, wherefore she named him Tristram	278	(2)
II. How the stepmother of Sir Tristram had ordained poison for to have poisoned Sir Tristram	280	(2)
III. How Sir Tristram was sent into France, and had one to govern him named Gouvernail, and how he learned to harp, hawk, and hunt	282	(1)
IV. How Sir Marhaus came out of Ireland for to ask truage of Cornwall, or else he would fight therefore	283	(2)
V. How Tristram enterprized the battle to fight for the truage of Cornwall, and how he was made knight	285	(2)
VI. How Sir Tristram arrived into the Island for to furnish the battle with Sir Marhaus	287	(1)
VII. How Sir Tristram fought against Sir Marhaus and achieved his battle, and how Sir Marhaus fled to his ship	288	(2)
VIII. How Sir Marhaus after that he was arrived in Ireland died of the stroke that Sir Tristram had given him, and how Tristram was hurt	290	(2)
IX. How Sir Tristram was put to the keeping of La Beale Isoud first for to be healed of his wound	292	(2)
X. How Sir Tristram won the degree at a tournament in Ireland, and there made Palamides to bear no more harness in a year	294	(2)
XI. How the queen espied that Sir Tristram had slain her brother Sir Marhaus by his sword, and in what jeopardy he was	296	(1)
XII. How Sir Tristram departed from the king and La Beale Isoud out of Ireland for to come into Cornwall	297	(2)
XIII. How Sir Tristram and King Mark hurted each other for the love of a knight's wife	299	(2)
XIV. How Sir Tristram lay with the lady, and how her husband fought with Sir Tristram	301	(2)
XV. How Sir Bleoberis demanded the fairest lady in King Mark's court, whom he took away, and how he was fought with	303	(2)
XVI. How Sir Tristram fought with two knights of the Round Table	305	(1)
XVII. How Sir Tristram fought with Sir Bleoberis for a lady, and how the lady was put to choice to whom she would go	306	(2)
XVIII. How the lady forsook Sir Tristram and abode with Sir Bleoberis, and how she desired to go to her husband	308	(2)
XIX. How King Mark sent Sir Tristram for La Beale Isoud toward Ireland, and how by fortune he arrived into England	310	(1)
XX. How King Anguish of Ireland was summoned to come to King Arthur's court for treason	311	(1)
XXI. How Sir Tristram rescued a child from a knight, and how Gouvernail told him of King Anguish	312	(2)
XXII. How Sir Tristram fought for Sir Anguish and overcame his adversary, and how his adversary would never yield him	314	(2)
XXIII. How Sir Blamore desired Tristram to slay him, and how Sir Tristram spared him, and how they took appointment	316	(2)
XXIV. How Sir Tristram demanded La Beale Isoud for King Mark, and how Sir Tristram and Isoud drank the love drink	318	(1)
XXV. How Sir Tristram and Isoud were in prison, and how he fought for her beauty, and smote off another lady's head	319	(3)
XXVI. How Sir Tristram fought with Sir Breunor, and at the last smote off his head	322	(1)
XXVII. How Sir Galahad fought with Sir Tristram, and how Sir Tristram yielded him and promised to fellowship with Launcelot	323	(2)
XXVIII. How Sir Launcelot met with Sir Carados bearing away Sir Gawaine, and of the rescue of Sir Gawaine	325	(1)
XXIX. Of the wedding of King Mark to La Beale Isoud, and of Bragwaine her maid, and of Palamides	326	(1)
XXX. How Palamides demanded Queen Isoud, and how Lambegus rode after to rescue her, and of the escape of Isoud	327	(2)
XXXI. How Sir Tristram rode after Palamides, and how he found him and fought with him and by the means of Isoud the battle ceased