On New Year’s Day Sir Ector came to London bringing Arthur with him. He heard about the stone and the sword and saw all the lords and knights in their games, and heard that none of them could move the sword. Sir Ector’s son was with him also, but had no sword to join in the games with the knights.
“I will get my brother a sword,” said Arthur, and straightway drew the sword out of the stone with great ease. They were all astonished. Arthur put the sword back into the stone, and still none could pull it out but he. Time and time again he did this until they all cried out: “Arthur shall be king of England!”
Then all the people knelt down and declared they would serve and obey Arthur as king. Sir Ector told them that Arthur was the son of the king who had died, and was king by right of birth anyway, and that the miracle of the sword coming so easily out of the stone into Arthur’s hand was the judgment of Heaven in his favor.
At this all the people shouted again, “Long live King Arthur.” Then Arthur took the sword and placed it on the altar of the church, meaning that he dedicated himself and the sword to the service of God.
After he became king he set about righting all the wrongs that had been done since the death of his father. He gave back land and money that had been taken from orphans and widows, and changed all the bad laws into good ones. Thus at the very beginning he was known as “Good King Arthur.”
HOW ARTHUR CAME BY HIS SWORD
Wherein King Arthur miraculously procures a sword.
Soon after Arthur was crowned king he went on a journey with Merlin, the wise magician. They met a knight in the wood, who challenged Arthur to combat. The king fought the knight as they did in those days, and though he overcame the knight, yet the king lost so much blood that he was very weak.