The Death of King Arthur Read Online Free

battle raised high.
    But the sickness of the king returned, worse than before, and he lay for three days and three nights without speaking. The barons of the realm were greatly alarmed, and asked Merlin for his advice. ‘There is no remedy,’ the magician said, ‘God’s will be done. But I tell you this. Assemble before the king tomorrow. I will make sure that he speaks to you.’
    So the barons came together on the following morning, in the presence of their king, and Merlin spoke aloud to Uther Pendragon. ‘Sir,’ he said to him, ‘is it your will that your son, Arthur, be anointed as king after your death?’
    The king turned to him and, in hearing of them all, responded, ‘I give him the blessing of Almighty God, and I grant him mine. May he be crowned king in my place, and I entreat him to pray for my soul when I have been laid to rest.’ And, with those words, he died. He was buried soon after, with all the ceremony of state, within the great circle of stone. One thousand men and one thousand women grieved aloud, sending many shrieks and laments into the sky; beacons were lit throughout the land, to mark his passing.
    There then followed a period of disturbance and danger. There were many lords in this land who longed to be king, and who were prepared to do battle for the crown of England. So Merlin visited the Archbishop of Canterbury. ‘Call together all the nobles and knights of the realm to London, reverend sir,’ he said to him. ‘Tell them to assemble in the city by Christmas Day, on pain of excommunication. They will witness a miracle, I assure you of that. The king of the universe will on that day declare who is to be king of the realm.’ So the archbishop sent his summons, and the magnates set out for the city in the hope that they might see their new sovereign. They prayed and confessed themselves on their journey, so that they might be all the more pure.
    In the great church of London – whether it was the Abbey or Saint Paul’s, I do not know – all the estates of the realm were gathered on Christmas Day. They assembled here before dawn, and heard matins as well as the first mass. When they walked out into the churchyard, however, they witnessed a wonder. There was a sound as of thunder and a great slab of stone, some four feet square, hovered above their heads before landing against the wall of the church; it was made of marble and, in the middle of it, was a steel anvil which held a sword. There were letters written upon the side of the sword, stating that WHOEVER PULLS OUT THIS SWORD FROM THE STONE AND ANVIL WILL RIGHTLY BE KING OF ALL ENGLAND. There was much astonishment, and the excited noise of the crowd could be heard inside the church.
    The archbishop came outside to find the cause of the commotion. When he saw the sword and the stone, he bowed his head and whispered some words. ‘I command you all,’ he said, ‘to return to the church and pray. No man may touch this sword until the end of the high mass.’
    When the service was over, the great ones of the land hurried into the churchyard. They saw the stone, and the writing inscribed upon it. Those who wished to be king tried to lift the sword from the anvil, but they could by no means move it.
    â€˜The man is not here who can lift the sword,’ the archbishop said. ‘Yet it is my belief that God will make him known to us. In the meantime let ten knights guard the stone. Then send out a proclamation that all who seek to rule this realm should travel to this place and try their fortune.’

Here we will tell of Arthur and the stone
    On New Year’s Day a great joust was held on the smooth plain of Smithfield, just outside of the walls of the city. It so happened that Sir Hector and his son, Sir Kay, came forth to take part in the tournament; with them, too, was Arthur, who had become Hector’s adopted child. As they rode towards Smithfield, Kay