Bab Bab 50 · How a poor man riding upon a lean mare desired King Arthur

. How a poor man riding upon a lean mare desired King Arthur

to make his son knight.

Forthwithal there came a poor man into the court, and brought with him

a fair young man of eighteen years of age riding upon a lean mare; and

the poor man asked all men that he met, Where shall I find King Arthur?

Yonder he is, said the knights, wilt thou anything with him? Yea, said

the poor man, therefore I came hither. Anon as he came before the king,

he saluted him and said: O King Arthur, the flower of all knights and

kings, I beseech Jesu save thee. Sir, it was told me that at this time

of your marriage ye would give any man the gift that he would ask, out

except that were unreasonable. That is truth, said the king, such cries

I let make, and that will I hold, so it apair not my realm nor mine

estate. Ye say well and graciously, said the poor man; Sir, I ask

nothing else but that ye will make my son here a knight. It is a great

thing thou askest of me, said the king. What is thy name? said the king

to the poor man. Sir, my name is Aries the cowherd. Whether cometh this

of thee or of thy son? said the king. Nay, sir, said Aries, this desire

cometh of my son and not of me, for I shall tell you I have thirteen

sons, and all they will fall to what labour I put them, and will be

right glad to do labour, but this child will not labour for me, for

anything that my wife or I may do, but always he will be shooting or

casting darts, and glad for to see battles and to behold knights, and

always day and night he desireth of me to be made a knight. What is thy

name? said the king unto the young man. Sir, my name is Tor. The king

beheld him fast, and saw he was passingly well-visaged and passingly

well made of his years. Well, said King Arthur unto Aries the cowherd,

fetch all thy sons afore me that I may see them. And so the poor man

did, and all were shaped much like the poor man. But Tor was not like

none of them all in shape nor in countenance, for he was much more than

any of them. Now, said King Arthur unto the cow herd, where is the

sword he shall be made knight withal? It is here, said Tor. Take it out

of the sheath, said the king, and require me to make you a knight.

Then Tor alighted off his mare and pulled out his sword, kneeling, and

requiring the king that he would make him knight, and that he might be

a knight of the Table Round. As for a knight I will make you, and

therewith smote him in the neck with the sword, saying, Be ye a good

knight, and so I pray to God so ye may be, and if ye be of prowess and

of worthiness ye shall be a knight of the Table Round. Now Merlin, said

Arthur, say whether this Tor shall be a good knight or no. Yea, sir, he

ought to be a good knight, for he is come of as good a man as any is

alive, and of kings’ blood. How so, sir? said the king. I shall tell

you, said Merlin: This poor man, Aries the cowherd, is not his father;

he is nothing sib to him, for King Pellinore is his father. I suppose

nay, said the cowherd. Fetch thy wife afore me, said Merlin, and she

shall not say nay. Anon the wife was fetched, which was a fair

housewife, and there she answered Merlin full womanly, and there she

told the king and Merlin that when she was a maid, and went to milk

kine, there met with her a stern knight, and half by force he had my

maidenhead, and at that time he begat my son Tor, and he took away from

me my greyhound that I had that time with me, and said that he would

keep the greyhound for my love. Ah, said the cowherd, I weened not

this, but I may believe it well, for he had never no tatches of me.

Sir, said Tor unto Merlin, dishonour not my mother. Sir, said Merlin,

it is more for your worship than hurt, for your father is a good man

and a king, and he may right well advance you and your mother, for ye

were begotten or ever she was wedded. That is truth, said the wife. It

is the less grief unto me, said the cowherd.