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in my power, whether to save thee or slay thee, and unless thou yield thee as overcome and recreant, thou shalt die." "As for death," said King Arthur, "welcome be it when it cometh; but to yield me unto thee as recreant, I will not." Then he leapt upon the knight and threw him down; but the knight was a passing strong man, and anon he brought Arthur under him, and would have razed off his helm to slay him. Then said Merlin, "Knight, hold thy hand, for this knight is a man of more worship than thou art aware of." Why, who is he?" said the knight. "It is King Arthur." Then would he have slain him

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for dread of his wrath, and lifted up his sword to slay him; and therewith Merlin cast an enchantment on the knight, so that he fell to the earth in a great sleep. Then Merlin took up King Arthur and set him on his horse. "Alas!" said Arthur, "what hast thou done, Merlin? hast thou slain this good knight by thy crafts ?" "Care ye not," said Merlin; "he is wholer than ye be. He is only asleep, and will wake in three hours."

Then the king and he departed, and went till they came to a hermit, that was a good man and a great leech. So the hermit searched all his wounds and applied good salves; and the king was there three days, and then were his wounds well amended, that he might ride and go. So they departed, and as they rode Arthur said, "I have no sword." "No matter," said Merlin; "hereby is a sword that shall be yours." came to a lake, which was a fair water and midst of the lake Arthur was aware of an samite, that held a fair sword in the hand. "yonder is that sword that I spake of. It belongeth to the Lady of the Lake, and, if she will, thou mayest take it; but if she will not, it will not be in thy power to take it."

So they rode till they broad. And in the arm clothed in white "Lo!" said Merlin,

So Sir Arthur and Merlin alighted from their horses and went into a boat. And when they came to the sword that the hand held, Sir Arthur took it by the handle and took it to him, and the arm and the hand went under the water:

"And Arthur row'd across and took it,-rich
With jewels, elfin Urim, on the hilt,
Bewildering heart and eye,—the blade so bright
That men are blinded by it,-on one side,
Graven in the oldest tongue of all this world,

'Take me,' but turn the blade and you shall see,
And written in the speech ye speak yourself,
'Cast me away!' and sad was Arthur's face
Taking it, but old Merlin counsell'd him,
'Take thou and strike! the time to cast away

Is yet far off." "-COMING OF ARTHUR.

Then they returned into the land and rode forth. And Sir Arthur looked on the sword and liked it right well.

So they rode unto Caerleon, whereof his knights were passing glad. And when they heard of his adventures, they marvelled that he would jeopard his person so alone. But all men of worship said it was a fine thing to be under such a chieftain as would put his person in adventure as other poor knights did.

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Ga'wain-Tor-Pel'le-nore and their Strange

Adventures.

Ga'wain's Adventure.

AT the marriage of King Arthur the seats about the table were blessed by the Archbishop of Canterbury with great ceremony. When this had been done Merlin said, "Fair sirs, ye must all arise and come unto King Arthur and do him honor, after which ye will have the better wills to enjoy the feast." And so they arose to do him homage.

After they had gone Merlin found stamped upon every seat in letters of gold the name of its knightly occupant, all but two, these were vacant. Young Gawain hearing of this went to the king and asked that he might be made a knight. "I will do it with a good will," said the king, "and render you all the honor I may, for you are my sister's son." Tor had already been created a knight, so he and Gawain completed the number at Sir Arthur's table. In the midst of the feast Merlin astonished all the knights by assuring them that they were about to see "a strange and marvellous adventure." Just then a white hart came running into the hall pursued by a small white brachet.' These were followed by sixty black hounds. The hart, bitten by the brachet, leaped over the table and bounded through the door. A knight seized the brachet and rode away. Presently a lady came to the castle mounted upon a palfrey and claimed the brachet as hers.

Soon a strange knight appeared, and seizing the claimant,

1 A small hound.

carried her away by force. Sir Arthur at once organized a company to go in pursuit. Sir Gawain was to bring back the hart, Sir Tor the brachet, while King Pellenore was to rescue the lady and return her captor dead or alive. Sir Gawain followed the hart, lead on by the baying of the hounds, until he came to a great river. On the opposite side stood a knight who dared him to pursue the hart further. "Sir knight, come not over after the hart unless thou dost fight with me." Sir Gawain made his horse swim the river, and encountered the knight. "What is thy name?" said Gawain. "I am Allardin of the Isles," he replied. Sir Gawain smote him through the helmet and left him dead. He followed the hart unto a castle, where it was slain. A knight then came rushing out of the castle chamber, and killing Sir Gawain's hounds, set up a great lamentation. "O, my white hart, it repenteth me that thou art dead, for my sovereign lately gave thee to me, and evil have I kept thee." He then retired to his chamber and came forth armed

to fight Sir Gawain. "What!" exclaimed Sir Gawain, "hast thou slain my hounds? I had rather ye had worked your anger upon me than these poor dumb beasts." "Thou sayest truth," replied the knight, "and so will I do to thee." Sir Gawain smote his foe to the earth, and when about to strke him dead, a lady from the castle threw herself upon his body and received the blow. Sir Gawain was filled with remorse. He spared the knight's life, and demanded that he repair to Camelot that King Arthur might know the truth. On his way he was set upon by four knights who wounded him sore, and only spared his life at the request of four ladies who came to his rescue. He was compelled to return to Camelot mounted on his horse and carrying the dead form of the lady whom he had slain. The king and the queen were much displeased, and made command that ever after he must espouse all ladies' quarrels, ever be courteous, and never refuse mercy to him that asked it.

Sir Tor's Adventure.

As Sir Tor rode from the castle he suddenly came upon a dwarf who smote his horse with his staff. "For what intent dost thou smite my horse?" said Sir Tor. "That thou should not pass this way until thou hast fought with the knights that

abide in yonder pavilions that thou seest," said the dwarf. Sir Tor looked and saw two great pavilions before which were great spears and shields, but he declared that he was on a pursuit and could not tarry. Thereupon the dwarf blew his horn and a knight immediately appeared upon horseback ready to give Sir Tor battle. Sir Tor smote him hard until he cried for mercy. "But, sir," he said, "I have another knight in yonder pavilion that will have adoe with you anon." "He shall be welcome," said Sir Tor. Sir Tor at once engaged him in battle until he, too, cried for mercy. The dwarf then came to Sir Tor and offered to show him where the knight with the white brachet lived. And so they rode through the forest until they came to two pavilions by a priory, before which were two shields, one of which was white and the other red. Sir Tor alighted, and entering one of the pavilions saw three ladies lying asleep. He then entered the other pavilion, where he saw a lady asleep with the brachet at her feet. The knight seized the brachet to bear it away. "What," said the lady, "will ye take my brachet from me?" "Yea," replied Sir Tor, "this brachet I have sought from Sir Arthur's court." The lady told him that he would yet regret

what he had done. Sir Tor and the dwarf then set out for Camelot. The next day they were overtaken by a knight, who demanded that he return the brachet which he had taken from his lady. Sir Tor prepared to give him battle. He proved a valiant knight, and refused to yield, although at the mercy of Sir Tor. With that came a lady riding upon a palfrey and crying unto Sir Tor. "What will ye with me?" said the knight. "I beseech ye for King Arthur's love give me a gift." Sir Tor promised, and the lady asked the head of the knight at his feet. Sir Tor was sorry for his promise, but the lady insisted that he was a murderer and must die. Sir Tor hesitated until the knight attempted to escape, when he cleft his head in twain. He then returned to Camelot, and was welcomed with much joy at the castle.

King Pel'le-nore's Adventure.

As King Pellenore went out in obedience to Sir Arthur's command, he entered a forest, where he saw a damsel sitting by a well with a wounded knight by her side. "Help me, Sir Knight," she cried. The king told her that he was on a mission

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