When the knighte found him wounded sore,
And sawe the wild-worm hanginge there,
His sworde he from his scabberde drewe;
A piteous case, as ye shall heare.

For when the two hostes sawe the sworde,
They joyned battayle instantlye;

Till of soe manye noble knightes,

55

On one side there were left but three.

60

And when the king beheld his knightes
All dead and scattered on the molde,

70

The teares fast trickled downe his face;

That manlye face in fight so bolde.

"Nowe reste yee all, brave knights," he said,

"Soe true and faithful to your trust:

"O staye, my liege," then sayd the duke; "O staye for love and charitìe;

Remember what the vision spake,

Nor meete your foe, if it may bee."

85

"O staye mee not, thou worthye wight, This debt my loyal knights I owe : Betide me life, betide me death,

I will avenge them of their foe."

Then straite he grasp'd his trustye speare,
And on his horse then mounted hee:
As his butler holpe him to his horse,
His bowels gushed to his knee.

"Alas!" then sayd the noble king,

"That I should live this sight to see!

To see this good knight here be slaine,
All for his love in helping mee!"
He put his speare into his reste,

And to Sir Mordred loud gan crye; "Nowe sette thyself upon thy guarde, For, traitor, nowe thy death is nye."

90

95

100

Sir Mordred lifted up his sworde,

105

And fierce to meet the king ran hee:

The king his speare he through him thrust,
A fathom thorow his bodìe.

"Sir Knighte, thou hast been faithfulle tryde;

Nowe take my sword Excalibar,2

That hangs so freelye by my syde;

120

"O take my sword Excalibar,

And there into the river throwe:

For here, henceforth, benethe this tree,

All use of weapons I foregoe.

More commonly called Caliburn. In the folio MS. Escalberd.

"And fare thee well, thou trustye sword,
A better neer had valiant knighte;
With thee full ofte, and many a daye,
Have I withstood my foe in fighte.

With this good fauchion in my hande,
Oft have I reapd the bloody feelde:

125

130

But nowe the fatalle houre is come,

And all the hilte of precious stone :

"And ever alacke!" then sayd the knighte,

"Must such a sword awaye be throwne?"

140

Then backe he came unto the kinge,

Who sayd, "Sir Lukyn, what did yee see?"

"Nothing, my liege, save that the winde

Blewe oer the waters faire and free."

Who sayde," Sir Lukyn, sawe ye oughte?"

"Nothinge, my liege, save that the winde

155

Nowe with the angrye waters fought."

“O Lukyn, Lukyn," said the kinge,
"Twice haste thou dealt deceytfullye:

Alacke, whom may wee ever truste,

When suche a knighte soe false can bee!

160

"Saye, wouldst thou have thy master dead,

All for a sword that wins thine eye?
Now goe againe, and throwe it in,

Or here the one of us shall dye."

The duke, all shent with this rebuke,
No auns were made unto the kinge;

165

But to the rivere tooke the sworde,

And threwe it far as he coulde flinge.

A hande and an arme did meete the sworde,
And flourishd three times in the air;

170

Then sunke benethe the renninge streme,
And of the duke was seene noe mair.

All sore astonied stood the duke,

He stood as still, as still mote bee;
Then hastend backe to telle the kinge,

But he was gone from under the tree.

But to what place he cold not tell,

For never after hee did him spye;
But hee sawe a barge goe from the land,
And hee heard ladyes howle and crye.3

175

180

And whether the kinge were there or not,
Hee never knewe, nor ever colde;

For from that sad and direfulle daye,
Hee never more was seene on molde.

V. 178, see MS.

3 Not unlike that passage in Virgil:

"Summoque ulularunt vertice nymphæ."

Ladies was the word our English writers used for nymphs: as in the following lines of an old song in the Editor's folio MS.

"When scorching Phoebus he did mount,

Then Lady Venus went to hunt:

To whom Diana did resort,

With all the Ladyes of hills, and valleys,
Of springs, and floodes," &c.

VOL. II.

K

V.

The Legend of King Arthur.

We have here a short summary of King Arthur's history as given by
Jeff. of Monmouth and the old Chronicles, with the addition of a few
circumstances from the romance Morte Arthur. The ancient chronicle
of Ger. de Leew (quoted above in p. 124), seems to have been chiefly
followed: : upon the authority of which we have restored some of the
names which were corrupted in the MS. and have transposed one stanza,
which appeared to be misplaced [viz. that beginning at v. 49, which in
the MS. followed v. 36].
Printed from the Editor's ancient folio MS.

OF Brutus' blood, in Brittaine borne,
King Arthur I am to name;

Through Christendome and Heathynesse
Well knowne is my worthy fame.

In Jesus Christ I doe beleeve;

I am a Christyan bore;

One God, I doe adore.

5

The Father, Sone, and Holy Gost,

Who for their deeds and martiall feates,

As bookes done yett record,

Amongst all other nations

Wer feared through the world

20

And in the castle off Tyntagill
King Uther mee begate,
Of Agyana, a bewtyous ladye,
And come of 'hie' estate.

Ver. 1, Bruite his. MS.

V. 9, He began his reign A.D. 515, according to the Chronicles. V. 23. She is named Igerna in the old Chronicles. V. 24, his. MS.