The Death of King Arthur Read Online Free Page B

one of them said. ‘How can he govern us?’ So the decision was deferred until the day of Candlemas, at the beginning of February, and the archbishop ordered that the sword be watched and defended by the same ten knights as before.
    At Candlemas the lords gathered together again, yet not one of them could gain the sword. Arthur stepped forward, and raised the weapon in his hand. But the lords wished to delay their decision once more, and put off the day until Easter; then they moved it again to Pentecost. Meanwhile the archbishop guarded Arthur from all harm, and placed around him such gallant knights as Sir Baudwin and Sir Ulfius. At Pentecost the magnates met again and all essayed the sword, but none of them could remove it. Only Arthur could perform the feat.
    So the people of London set up a great cry. ‘We will have Arthur to be sovereign over us. There must be no more delay! The day has come. God’s will be done!’
    All the people, rich and poor, then kneeled before him, denouncing their own delay in doing homage to him. Arthur declared that he had forgiven them and, taking the sword in both hands, he placed it upon the altar. Then he was dubbed the first knight of the kingdom.
    The coronation followed soon after. He was anointed to the sound of drums and trumpets, and the crown was raised three times above his head. The nobles cried out their allegiance to him, brandishing their swords and their spears. Arthur rose from the throne with his sceptre in his hand; he swore to be a true king, and to do justice to them all the days of his life. Then many came forward with complaints of the wrongs done to them since the death of Uther Pendragon, and Arthur promised to correct these wrongs. The king made Sir Kay steward of all England, as he had promised, and distributed the offices of state to his household knights. He made Sir Brastias warden of the North, for example, where the enemies of the realm wandered in the wild lands beyond the River Trent.

Here we will tell of the first use of the sword
    After the coronation Arthur removed from London to Wales, and summoned a host to meet him at Caerleon-upon-Usk on the first anniversary of his coronation. Here was held a great feast to which he invited many kings with their warriors. King Lot of Orkney came with five hundred knights, while King Uriens of Gore arrived with four hundred; the King of Scotland, although still a young man, rode to Wales with six hundred horsemen.
    Arthur was pleased by their arrival, since he believed that they had come to greet and to honour him. So he sent them many rich gifts. But they rejected them, and rebuked the messengers who had brought them. ‘We do not hold him in worship,’ they said. ‘We will not accept gifts from a beardless boy of low blood. We have come with our swords, and will give him fierce strokes in return. We have come to drive him out. It is past all sadness that such an illustrious realm should be ruled by a boy.’
    So the messengers returned, and repeated these words to Arthur. On the advice of his barons the king then called for five hundred knights, and withdrew to a high tower that was well defended. The other kings then laid siege to it. The tower became known as Arthur’s Tower, and can still be visited. There are some who say that, on moonlit nights, they can see the ghosts of warriors defending it.
    Within fifteen days the magician, Merlin, came to Caerleon-upon-Usk. He was well known to the kings who besieged Arthur, and they gathered around him. ‘Tell us this, Merlin,’ King Lot asked him. ‘For what reason has that boy, Arthur, been made your king?’
    â€˜I shall tell you the reason, sir. He is the son of Uther Pendragon, begotten on Igraine.’
    â€˜Then he is a bastard,’ Uriens replied.
    â€˜Not so, sir. He was begotten three hours after the death of Igraine’s first husband, and within thirteen days she was married to Uther Pendragon. So