FOOTNOTES:
[58] Sir Gawaine had been killed at Arthur's landing on his return from abroad. See the next ballad, ver. 73.
[59] [Ver. 41, 42, the folio MS. reads father ... sonne.]
[60] [serpent.]
[61] [pay for or expiate.]
[62] More commonly called, Caliburn. In the folio MS. Escallberd. [Percy notes in the MS. that "Caliburn was presented A.D. 1191 to Tancred, King of Sicily, by our King Richard I. See Rapin, vol. i.">[
[63] [Cologne steel.]
[64] Ver. 178, see MS.
[65] Not unlike that passage in Virgil.
"Summoque ulularunt vertice nymphæ."
Ladies was the word our old English writers used for Nymphs: As in the following lines of an old song in the Editor's folio MS.
"When scorching Phœbus 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."
V.
THE LEGEND OF KING ARTHUR.
We have here a short summary of K. 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. [28]), 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 ver. 49, which in the MS. followed ver. 36.)
Printed from the Editor's ancient folio Manuscript.
[This ballad as previously stated is the first part of the poem in the MS. and precedes the one here printed before it. Percy made comparatively few alterations in this part and all of them are now noted at the foot of the page.]
Of Brutus' blood, in Brittaine borne,[66]
King Arthur I am to name;
Through Christendome, and Heathynesse,[67]
Well knowne is my worthy fame.
In Jesus Christ I doe beleeve; 5
I am a christyan bore:[68][69]
The Father, Sone, and Holy Gost
One God, I doe adore.
In the four hundred ninetieth yeere,[70]
Over Brittaine I did rayne, 10
After my savior Christ his byrth:
What time I did maintaine
The fellowshipp of the table round,
Soe famous in those dayes;
Whereatt a hundred noble knights, 15
And thirty sat alwayes:[71]
Who for their deeds and martiall feates,
As bookes done yett record,
Amongst all other nations[72]
Wer feared throwgh the world. 20
And in the castle off Tyntagill[73]
King Uther mee begate
Of Agyana a bewtyous ladye,[74]
And come of "hie" estate.[75]
And when I was fifteen yeere old, 25
Then was I crowned kinge:
All Brittaine that was att an upròre,
I did to quiett bringe.
And drove the Saxons from the realme,
Who had opprest this land; 30
All Scotland then throughe manly feats[76]
I conquered with my hand.[76]
Ireland, Denmarke, Norway,
These countryes wan I all;
Iseland, Gotheland, and Swethland; 35
And made their kings my thrall.
I conquered all Gallya,
That now is called France;
And slew the hardye Froll in feild[77]
My honor to advance. 40
And the ugly gyant Dynabus[78]
Soe terrible to vewe,
That in Saint Barnards mount did lye,
By force of armes I slew:
And Lucyus the emperour of Rome 45
I brought to deadly wracke;
And a thousand more of noble knightes
For feare did turne their backe:
Five kinges of "paynims"[79] I did kill[80][81]
Amidst that bloody strife;[81] 50
Besides the Grecian emperour[81]
Who alsoe lost his liffe.[81]
Whose carcasse I did send to Rome
Cladd poorlye on a beere;
And afterward I past Mount-Joye 55
The next approaching yeere.
Then I came to Rome, where I was mett
Right as a conquerour,
And by all the cardinalls solempnelye
I was crowned an emperour. 60
One winter there I made abode:
Then word to mee was brought
How Mordred had oppressd the crowne:
What treason he had wrought
Att home in Brittaine with my queene; 65
Therfore I came with speede
To Brittaine backe, with all my power,
To quitt that traiterous deede:
And soone at Sandwiche I arrivde,[82]
Where Mordred me withstoode: 70
But yett at last I landed there,
With effusion of much blood.
For there my nephew sir Gawaine dyed,
Being wounded in that sore,[83]
The whiche sir Lancelot in fight[84] 75
Had given him before.
Thence chased I Mordered away,
Who fledd to London right,
From London to Winchester, and
To Cornewalle tooke his flyght.[85] 80
And still I him pursued with speed
Till at the last we mett:
Whereby an appointed day of fight[86]
Was there agreed and sett.[87]
Where we did fight, of mortal life[88] 85
Eche other to deprive,[88]
Till of a hundred thousand men
Scarce one was left a live.
There all the noble chivalrye
Of Brittaine tooke their end. 90
O see how fickle is their state
That doe on feates depend![89][90]
There all the traiterous men were slaine
Not one escapte away;
And there dyed all my vallyant knightes. 95
Alas! that woefull day![91]
Two and twenty yeere I ware the crowne
In honor and great fame;
And thus by death was suddenlye
Deprived of the same. 100