الفصل الفصل 48 · How King Arthur took a wife, and wedded Guenever, daughter

. How King Arthur took a wife, and wedded Guenever, daughter

to Leodegrance, King of the Land of Cameliard, with whom he had the

Round Table.

In the beginning of Arthur, after he was chosen king by adventure and

by grace; for the most part of the barons knew not that he was Uther

Pendragon’s son, but as Merlin made it openly known. But yet many kings

and lords held great war against him for that cause, but well Arthur

overcame them all, for the most part the days of his life he was ruled

much by the counsel of Merlin. So it fell on a time King Arthur said

unto Merlin, My barons will let me have no rest, but needs I must take

a wife, and I will none take but by thy counsel and by thine advice. It

is well done, said Merlin, that ye take a wife, for a man of your

bounty and noblesse should not be without a wife. Now is there any that

ye love more than another? Yea, said King Arthur, I love Guenever the

king’s daughter, Leodegrance of the land of Cameliard, the which

holdeth in his house the Table Round that ye told he had of my father

Uther. And this damosel is the most valiant and fairest lady that I

know living, or yet that ever I could find. Sir, said Merlin, as of her

beauty and fairness she is one of the fairest alive, but, an ye loved

her not so well as ye do, I should find you a damosel of beauty and of

goodness that should like you and please you, an your heart were not

set; but there as a man’s heart is set, he will be loath to return.

That is truth, said King Arthur. But Merlin warned the king covertly

that Guenever was not wholesome for him to take to wife, for he warned

him that Launcelot should love her, and she him again; and so he turned

his tale to the adventures of Sangreal.

Then Merlin desired of the king for to have men with him that should

enquire of Guenever, and so the king granted him, and Merlin went forth

unto King Leodegrance of Cameliard, and told him of the desires of the

king that he would have unto his wife Guenever his daughter. That is to

me, said King Leodegrance, the best tidings that ever I heard, that so

worthy a king of prowess and noblesse will wed my daughter. And as for

my lands, I will give him, wist I it might please him, but he hath

lands enow, him needeth none; but I shall send him a gift shall please

him much more, for I shall give him the Table Round, the which Uther

Pendragon gave me, and when it is full complete, there is an hundred

knights and fifty. And as for an hundred good knights I have myself,

but I faute fifty, for so many have been slain in my days. And so

Leodegrance delivered his daughter Guenever unto Merlin, and the Table

Round with the hundred knights, and so they rode freshly, with great

royalty, what by water and what by land, till that they came nigh unto

London.