Sir Thomas Malory's Morte Darthur. Sir Thomas Malory
to the number of sixty thousand.
“Therefore, lordings, fight as you think best, or avoid the conflict for shame; make your choice.”
“Nay, by my faith,” said Sir Lancelot, “this is no time to turn, for gathered here are all the knights of great worship who have never been shamed. As for me and the cousins of my blood, we have only recently been made knights, but we would be loath to lose the worship that our elders have earned.”
“You say well,” said Sir Cador, and the other knights agreed. “Your knightly words comfort us all. I suppose that there is no one here who will be glad to turn back; and as for me,” said Sir Cador, “I would rather die this day than even once to turn my back.”
“You say well,” said Sir Bors. “Let us set on them fiercely, and the worship shall be ours and cause our king to honor us forever, giving us lordships and lands for our noble deeds. He who is reluctant to fight—let the devil have his bones! And he who spares any knight out of greed for goods, waiting until the fight is over to see who will have the better—he does not knightly, so help me Jesus!”
Then Sir Lancelot and Sir Cador, the two mighty dukes, dubbed new knights to win worship. Joneke was the first, a full noble jouster; then Sir Hectimer and Sir Alyduke, both of England born; and Sir Hamerel and Sir Hardolf, full hardy men of arms; also Sir Harry and Sir Harygall, who were both good men.
“Now fellows,” said Sir Lancelot and Sir Cador the Keen, “come hither Sir Bedevere and Sir Berell. Take with you Sir Raynold and Sir Edward, who are Roland’s children, and see that you take care of these noble prisoners. Whatever may betide us, save them and yourselves. We give you this commandment speaking for our sovereign lord, and no matter the plight that you see us in, stay in your position and move no farther. And if it happens that you see our charge is overcome, get yourselves to a strong castle, and then ride fast to our king and ask him for succor, as he is our kind lord.”
Then they hurried forth all at once, the most excellent knights who ever broke bread, with more than five hundred in the front, and they fixed their spears in their rests all at once. Save for the trumpets, there was no other noise.
Then the Roman host moved back a little, and the lord who was the king of Libya, who was leading in the foremost part of the host, fixed his spear in its rest and brought himself alongside Sir Berell. He struck him in the neck, and Sir Berell and his horse fell to the ground; thus he was brought out of this life.
“Alas,” said Sir Cador, “how full of care is my heart now that my cousin that I loved best is dead!” He alit from his horse and took Sir Berell in his arms, commanding his knights to stay the course.
Then the king spoke haughty words aloud, and said, “One of yon proud knights is laid full low!”
“Yonder king,” said Sir Cador, “speaks great words. But if I live beyond this day, I will counter with yonder king, so help me Christ!”
“Sir,” said Sir Lancelot, “do not be so moved; take your spear in your hand, and we shall not fail you.” Then Sir Cador, Sir Lancelot, and Sir Bors, those good men of arms, positioned their spears and thrust into the middle of the conflict, running throughout the great host two or three times. When their spears were broken, then they swung out their swords and slew more than a hundred noble men of arms, after which they rode back to their companions.
Then the king of Libya cried to Sir Cador, “Well have you avenged the death of your knight, for I have lost for that one knight well over a hundred!” At that, the battle began in earnest, and there was great slaughter done by a party of Saracens; but through the noble prowess of King Arthur’s knights, ten were taken and led from the battle as prisoners. The fighting of the Saracens sorely grieved Sir Lancelot, Sir Cador, and Sir Bors the Bold. Beholding their deeds, the King of Libya started out on his stern horse and surrounded our knights, driving many a good man down to the ground. There Sir Alyduke was slain, Sir Ascamore was seriously wounded, and Sir Herald and Sir Heryngale were hewn to pieces. Sir Lovell was captured, and Sir Lionel also; Sir Cliges was nearly taken, and would have been if Sir Cleremond had not been there to save him with the help of Sir Lancelot. Those who were new-made knights were slain, to the last man.
Then Sir Cador rode to the King of Libya with his well-made sword of steel and smote him high on his head, so that the brain was exposed. “Now take that remedy!” said Sir Cador. “And the devil have your bones!”
Then the Sultan of Syria was furious, for the death of that king grieved him greatly in his heart. He comforted his people, and then set fiercely upon our knights. Then Sir Lancelot and Sir Bors quickly clashed with him, and within a while, as it tells in the story, they had slain more than five thousand Saracens. Sir Kay the Keen had captured a captain, and Sir Edward had taken two earls. The Sultan of Syria yielded to Sir Lancelot, and the Senator of Sartre yielded to Sir Cador. When the Romans and Saracens saw how things were going, they fled as fast as they could to hide their heads. Our knights followed eagerly behind, and slew the Saracens.
Sir Lancelot did such great deeds of arms that day that Sir Cador and all the Romans had great marvel at his might, for there was neither king, nor kaiser, nor knight who might that day withstand any of his buffets. For this reason he was honored all the days of his life, for never before that day had he proven himself so well; it was only recently that he and Sir Bors and Sir Lionel had been made knights at the high feast.
The Romans and Saracens were cut down cleanly, save for a few who made it into a small castle nearby. The noble men of the Round Table who were in the field took up the bodies of those good, noble knights who had fallen and sent them to King Arthur for burial.
They all rode to Paris and left the prisoners there in the care of the chief magistrate, who took them into his safekeeping. Then every knight took a spear, drank some cold wine, and then quickly and proudly returned to Arthur. When the king saw his knights he rejoiced greatly, embracing them one by one. He said, “In you is to be found all the worship in the world. By my faith, there was never a king—except me—who had the service of such knights!”
“Sir,” said Sir Cador, “none of us failed the others, but of the knighthood of Sir Lancelot in particular—well, it is a great marvel to tell. His bold cousins have proved themselves to be full noble knights, but of cleverness and great strength Lancelot has no fellow or peer.”
When the king heard Sir Cador say such words, he said, “He seems a likely man to do such deeds.”
Then Sir Cador told Arthur which of his good knights were slain. “The King of Libya slew the first knight on our side, Sir Berell. Sir Alyduke was another, a noble man of arms; also the brethren Sir Maurel and Sir Mores, along with Sir Manaduke and Sir Mandyff, good knights both.”
Then the king wiped his eyes with his kerchief and said, “Your courage and your hardiness almost destroyed you; if you had turned back you would have lost no worship, for I call it folly to stay and fight when knights are overmatched.”
“Not so,” said Sir Lancelot. “That shame would have been ours forever.”
“That is the truth,” said Sir Cliges and Sir Bors, “for once a knight is shamed, he may never recover.”
Now we leave Arthur and his noble knights to speak of a senator who escaped from the battle. When he came to Lucius, the Emperor of Rome, he said, “Sir, withdraw yourself! What are you doing in these lands, overrunning poor people? You shall win nothing more, and if you deal with King Arthur and his doughty knights you will win nothing else but great strokes out of measure. For on this day, one of Arthur’s knights in battle is worth a hundred of ours.”
C V.8
“Fie on you!” said Lucius. “You speak like a coward! If my harms upset me, your words upset me more.” Then he called a council of men of noble blood. By their advice, he sent forth a knight who was named Sir Lyomye. He arranged his men and ordered them to take many valiant hundreds of the best men of arms, “and go before; we will follow after.”
But the king was secretly warned of their coming, and then he arranged his people in Soissons, and blocked the Romans from