Sir Thomas Malory's Morte Darthur. Sir Thomas Malory
Ulphius and Brastias on foot, in great peril of dying as they were being trampled under the feet of the horses. Then Arthur ran like a lion at King Cradilmans of North Wales and smote him through the left side, so that both horse and man fell down. Then he took the horse by the reins and led him to Sir Ulphius and said: “Have this horse, my old friend, for you have great need now of a horse.”
“Many thanks,” said Ulphius.
Then King Arthur did so marvelously in arms that all men had wonder. When the King with the Hundred Knights saw King Cradilmans on foot, he ran at Sir Ector, (Sir Kay’s father), who was well horsed, and smote him down, both horse and man; he gave the horse to the king and thus horsed him again.
When King Arthur saw that king riding on Sir Ector’s horse he was angry, and with his sword he smote the king on the helmet, cleaving away a quarter of the helmet and his shield. The sword carved down into the horse’s neck so that both man and horse fell to the ground.
Then Sir Kay came to King Morganoure, seneschal to the King with the Hundred Knights, and smote him down, both horse and man, and led that horse to his father, Sir Ector. Then Sir Ector attacked a knight who was called Lardans and smote down both horse and man, and led that horse to Sir Brastias, who had great need of a horse and had been much afflicted.
Then Brastias beheld Lucan the Butler lying like a dead man under the horses’ feet, and saw that ever Sir Grifflet tried mercifully to rescue him, but there were always fourteen knights attacking Sir Lucan. Then Sir Brastias smote one of them on the helmet so that it was driven into his teeth; then he rode up to another and smote him so that his arm flew onto the battlefield. Then he went up to a third knight and smote him on the shoulder so that both shoulder and arm flew onto the battlefield.
When Sir Grifflet saw this rescue coming he smote a knight on the temple so that both head and helmet fell to the earth. Grifflet took that horse and led him to Sir Lucan, and bade him mount upon that horse and avenge his wounds (for Sir Brastias had already slain a knight earlier) and thus he horsed Sir Lucan.
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Then Sir Lucan saw King Anguishaunce, who had nearly slain Maris de la Roche, and Lucan ran at him with a large, sharp spear and gave him such a blow that his horse fell down to the earth. Also Lucan found there on foot Bloise de la Flanders and Sir Gwynas, two hardy knights, and in the mad rage that Lucan was in, he slew two young knights and horsed those knights again.
Then the battle waxed passing hard for both armies, but King Arthur was glad that his knights were horsed again. Then they fought so together that the noise and sound rang out over the water and through the woods, at which point King Ban and King Bors made themselves ready, dressing their shields and harness for battle; they were so courageous that their enemies shook and trembled in anticipation of their attack.
All this while Lucan, Gwynas, Bryaunte, and Bellias of Flanders were in a fierce melée against six kings: King Lot, King Nentres, King Brandegoris, King Idres, King Uriens, and King Anguishaunce. With the help of Sir Kay and Sir Grifflet, Arthur’s knights held these kings off hardily, but underneath they were so exhausted they had little power to defend themselves.
When King Arthur saw that this battle could not be ended by any stratagem, he became mad as a lion and drove his horse here and there, to the right and to the left, and he did not stop until he had slain twenty knights. He also sorely wounded King Lot on the shoulder, forcing him to retreat. Sir Kay and Sir Grifflet did great deeds of arms that day with King Arthur.
Then Sir Ulphius, Brastias, and Sir Ector engaged Duke Estans and King Cradilmans and King Clarivaunce of Northumberland and King Carados and the King with the Hundred Knights. So these kings engaged in battle with these knights so that they forced them to retreat. Then King Lot made great sorrow for the damages he and his fellows had suffered, and said to the kings:
“If we do as I had planned, we shall all be slain and destroyed. Let me take the King with the Hundred Knights, King Anguishaunce, King Idres, and the Duke of Canbenet. We five kings will take ten thousand men of arms with us, and we will go to one side while the six remaining kings continue fighting with twelve thousand men. And when we see that you have fought with them a long time, then we will relieve you with fresh forces. If we do not do this, we shall never overcome them by any means,” said King Lot. “This is the only option.”
So they departed according to this plan, and the six kings who remained in the field held strongly with their party against King Arthur, and made great war for a long time.
Then King Ban and King Bors broke out of their hiding place. Lionses and Phariaunce were in the foreguard, and these two knights met with King Idres and his fellowship and he was nearly vanquished. King Anguishaunce saw that and attacked Lionses and Phariaunce almost to the point of death, for the Duke of Canbenet came into the field with such a great fellowship that these two knights were in constant danger of losing their lives. They did not want to retreat, and continuously and marvelously rescued themselves and the men in their fellowship. When King Bors saw these knights driven back so it grieved him sorely, and he came on so fast with his fellowship that they seemed as black as ink.
When King Lot saw King Bors, he recognized him at once and said: “Jesus, protect us from death and horrible injuries, for I see that we are in great peril of dying. I see yonder a king, one of the most worshipful and with whom the best knights of the world desire fellowship.”
“Who is he?” said the King with the Hundred Knights.
“It is,” he said, “King Bors of Gaul. I marvel how they came into these lands without our knowing it.”
“It was by Merlin’s advice,” said a knight.
“As for me,” said King Carados, “I will encounter with King Bors if you will rescue me when I have need.”
“Go on,” they said, “and we will do everything we can.”
Then King Carados and his host rode on a short distance until they were an arrow-shot away from King Bors, and then they let their horses run as fast as they might. Bleoberis, who was King Bors’ godson and a passing good knight, bore the king’s standard.
“Now we shall see,” said King Bors, “how these northern Britons bear arms!”
So King Bors met with a knight and smote him through the body with a spear so that he fell dead to the earth. After this he drew his sword and did so many marvelous deeds of arms that both sides were in awe. His knights did not fail him; they did their part.
Then King Carados was smitten down to the earth, but the King with the Hundred Knights came and valiantly rescued King Carados through great strength of arms, for he was a passing good knight and still a young man. At that, King Ban entered the battlefield as fiercely as a lion, wearing stripes of green and gold.
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“Aha!” said King Lot. “We will certainly be vanquished, for yonder I see the most valiant knight of the world and one who is the most renowned; there are not two such brothers as King Ban and King Bors alive today. Thus, we must either retreat or die; unless we retreat bravely and wisely there will be nothing for us but death.”
When these two kings, Ban and Bors, joined the battle, they attacked so fiercely that their sword strokes resounded throughout the woods and over the water, and King Lot wept for pity and sorrow as he saw so many good knights meet their death.
Through the great force of King Ban, the northern armies that were retreating collided with one another in great dread; and the three kings and their knights continued to fight, such that it was a great pity to behold the multitude of people who fled the battlefield.
But King Lot and the King with the Hundred Knights and King Morganoure valiantly gathered their people together and did great feats of arms, and continued to fight vigorously all day long. When the King with the Hundred Knights saw the great damage that King Ban was doing to him, he ran at him on his horse and smote him on the helmet with a great stroke that seriously stunned him.
Then King Ban was insanely angry at this and attacked him fiercely. The King with the Hundred Knights saw this and