And when king Arthur understood their courage and good will, he thanked them heartily, and after he let cal the embassadours that they should heare their answer. And in presence of all his noble lords and knights he said to them in this wise: " I will that yee returne unto your lord and procurour for the common weale for the Romaines, and say to him, of his demand and commandement I set nothing, and that I know of no truage ne tribute that I owe to him ne to none earthly creature nor prince christian nor heathen, but I pretend' to have and occupie the soveraintie of the empire, wherein I am entituled by the right of my predecessours, sometime kings of this land. And say to him that I am delivered and fully concluded to goe with mine army with strength and power to Rome, by the grace of God to take possession in the empire and subdue them that bee rebells; wherefore I command him and al them of Rome that incontinent they make to me their homage, and to knowledge me for their emperour and governour upon paine that shal ensue." And then he commanded his treasurer to give them great and large gifts, and to pay all their expences, and assigned sir Cador to convey them out of the land. And so they tooke their leave and departed for to goe toward their lord, and tooke their shipping at Sandwich, and passed foorth by Flaunders, Almaine,3 the mountaines, and all Italy, untill they came to Lucius. And after the reverence made, they made relation of their answere, like as tofore ye have heard. When the emperour Lucius had well heard and understood their credence, hee was sore 1 Pretend.-Claim. 2 Delivered.-Resolved, deliberated. have made a rod for your countenance; I feare me that yee selfe, for hee intendeth to bee lord of this empire, which sore is to be doubted if he come, for he is an other maner of man then yee wist, and holdeth the most noble court of the world, all other kings nor princes may not compare unto his noble maintenance. On newyeares day we saw him in his great estate, which was the royallest that ever wee saw in our dayes, for he was served at the table with nine kings and the noblest fellowship of other princes, lords, and knights that bee in all the world, and every knight approved and like a lord, and holdeth table round; and in his person the most manly man that liveth, and he is like to conquere al the world, for unto his courage it is all too little. Wherefore I advise you to keepe well your marches and wayes in the mountaines, for certainely he is a lord to be redoubted." "6 Wel," said Lucius, " before Easter I suppose to passe the mountaines, and so into France, and there bereave him of his lands with Genewayes1 and other mighty warriours of Tuskaine and Lumberdy. And I shall send for all them that bee subject and alied to the empire of Rome to come unto mine ayde." And foorthwith sent old wise knights to these countries following: first to Ambage and Arrage, to Alexandrie, to Inde, to Hermony, where as the river of Euphrates runneth into Asie, to Affrike, and Europe, to Ertaine, and to Elamy, to Araby, to Egypt, and to Damaske, to Damiet, and to Cayer, to Capadoce, and to Tarce, to Turky, Pounce, and Pampoille, to Surry and Galacy. All these were subjects to Rome, and many moe, as Greece, Cypres, and Macydone, Calabre, Cateland, Portingale, with many a thousand of Spaniards. Then all these kings, dukes, and admiralls assembled about Rome, with sixteene kings at once, with a wondrous great multitude of people. When the emperour understood their comming, hee made ready his Romaines and al the people betwen him and Flanders; and also he had gotten with him fiftie gy1 Genewayes.-Genoese. ants, which had beene engendred of fiends, and they were ordained to keepe and garde his person, and to break the front of the battail of king Arthur. And thus he departed from Rome, and came downe the mountaines of Savoy for to destroy the lands that king Arthur had conquered, and came to Colaine1 and besieged a castle thereby, and won it soone, and stuffed it well with two hundred Sarasins and infidels; and after destroyed many faire countries, which king Arthur had won of king Claudas. And thus Lucius came with all his hoast, which were disperpled three score miles in bredth, and commanded them to meete with him in Burgoine, for hee supposed to destroy the realme of little Brittaine. CHAP. XC.-How king Arthur held a parliament at Yorke, and how hee ordeined in what maner the realme should bee governed in his absence. OW leave wee off Lucius the emperour and speake we of king Arthur, which commanded all them of his retinue to be ready at the utas3 of Saint Hilary for to hold a parliament at Yorke. And at that parliament was concluded that all the navie of the land should bee arested, and to bee ready within fifteene dayes at Sandwich, and there shewed hee unto all his army how he purposed to conquer the empire, which he ought to have of right. And there he ordeined two governours of the realme, that is to say, sir Bawdewaine of Brittaine for to counsaile to the best, and sir Constantine sonne to sir Cador of Cornewaile, which after the death of king Arthur was king of this realme.5 And in the presence of all his lords hee resigned 1 Colaine.-Cologne. 2 Disperpled.-Spread out; distributed. 3 Utas.-The octaves. Arested.-Alluding to the custom of the Middle Ages, when, in time of war, the shipping of the various seaports were seized temporarily for shipping the king's troops, or for other purposes of war. 5 King of this realme.-According to Geoffrey of Monmouth, this Constantine was, as here stated, Arthur's immediate successor. the rule of the realme and Guenever his queene unto them; wherfore sir Launcelot was wroth, for he left sir Tristram with king Marke for the love of La beale Isoude. Then queene Guenever made great sorrow and lamentation for the departing of her lord and other, and swoned in such wise that the ladies bare her in her chamber. Thus the king with his great army departed, leaving the queene and the realme in the governance of sir Bawdewaine and sir Constantine. And when he was on his horse he said, with an hie voice, “If I die in that journey, I will that sir Constantine be mine heire and king crowned of this realme as next of my blood." And after departed and entred into the sea at Sandwich with all his army, with a great multitude of ships, gallies, cogges, and dromons,1 sailing on the sea. CHAP. XCI.-How king Arthur being shipped and lying in his cabin, had a marvailous dreame, and of the exposition thereof. ND as the king lay in his cabin in the ship, he fell into a slumbering sleepe, and dreamed a mervailous dreame; him seemed that a dreadful dragon devoured much of his people, and he came flying out of the west, and his head was enameled with azure, and his shoulders shined as gold, his belly like mailes of a mervailous hew, and his taile was full of tatters, his feete were full of fine sables, and his clawes like fine gold, and a hidious flame of fire flew out of his mouth, like as the land and water had flamed all on fire. After, him seemed that there came out of the orient a grimly bore all black in a cloud, and his pawes as big as a post; he was ruged looking roughly, he was the foulest beast that ever man saw; hee roared and romed so hidiously that it was marveile to heare. Then the dreadful dragon advanced him and came 1 Cogges and dromons.-The cog was a small vessel; the dromon, or dromond, was, on the contrary, a large ship of war. 2 Romed.-Growled. in the winde like a faulcon, giving great strookes to the bore, and the bore hit him again with his grisly tuskes that his brest was all bloody, and that the hot blood made al the sea red of his blood. Then the dragon flew away all on an height, and came downe with such a might and smoote the boore on the ridge1 which was ten foote large from the head to the taile, and smote the boore all to powder, both flesh and bones, that it flittered all abroad on the sea. And therewith the king awoke, and was sore abashed of this dreame, and sent anon for a wise phylosopher, commanding him to tell him the signification of his dreame. "Sir," said the phylosopher, "the dragon that ye dreamed of betokeneth your owne person which saileth here, and the coulours of his wings be your realmes which yee have won, and his taile which is al to-tattered signifieth the noble knights of the round table; and the bore that the dragon slew comming from the clouds betokeneth some tyrant that tormenteth the people, or else ye are like to fight with some gyant your selfe, being right horrible and abominable, whose peere ye saw never in your dayes; wherefore of this dreadfull dreame doubt nothing, but as a conquerer comfort your selfe." Then soone after this they had sight of land, and sayled till they arrived at Bireflet2 in Flaunders; and when they were there, he found many of his great lords ready as they had beene commanded to waite upon him. CHAP. XCII.-How a man of the countrey told him of a mervailous gyant, and how he fought and conquered him. HEN came to him an husbandman of the countrey, and told him how there was in the country of Constantine beside Brittaine, a great gyant which had slaine, murthered, and devoured Ridge.-Back. 2 Bireflet.-Barflete, Caxton. 3 A mervailous gyant.-The fate of Helen of Britany, and Arthur's combat with the giant, are taken from Geoffrey of Monmouth, lib. x, |