บทที่ บทที่ 19 · How King Arthur, King Ban, and King Bors rescued King

. How King Arthur, King Ban, and King Bors rescued King

Leodegrance, and other incidents.

And then King Arthur, and King Ban, and King Bors departed with their

fellowship, a twenty thousand, and came within six days into the

country of Cameliard, and there rescued King Leodegrance, and slew

there much people of King Rience, unto the number of ten thousand men,

and put him to flight. And then had these three kings great cheer of

King Leodegrance, that thanked them of their great goodness, that they

would revenge him of his enemies; and there had Arthur the first sight

of Guenever, the king’s daughter of Cameliard, and ever after he loved

her. After they were wedded, as it telleth in the book. So, briefly to

make an end, they took their leave to go into their own countries, for

King Claudas did great destruction on their lands. Then said Arthur, I

will go with you. Nay, said the kings, ye shall not at this time, for

ye have much to do yet in these lands, therefore we will depart, and

with the great goods that we have gotten in these lands by your gifts,

we shall wage good knights and withstand the King Claudas’ malice, for

by the grace of God, an we have need we will send to you for your

succour; and if ye have need, send for us, and we will not tarry, by

the faith of our bodies. It shall not, said Merlin, need that these two

kings come again in the way of war, but I know well King Arthur may not

be long from you, for within a year or two ye shall have great need,

and then shall he revenge you on your enemies, as ye have done on his.

For these eleven kings shall die all in a day, by the great might and

prowess of arms of two valiant knights (as it telleth after); their

names be Balin le Savage, and Balan, his brother, that be marvellous

good knights as be any living.

Now turn we to the eleven kings that returned unto a city that hight

Sorhaute, the which city was within King Uriens’, and there they

refreshed them as well as they might, and made leeches search their

wounds, and sorrowed greatly for the death of their people. With that

there came a messenger and told how there was come into their lands

people that were lawless as well as Saracens, a forty thousand, and

have burnt and slain all the people that they may come by, without

mercy, and have laid siege on the castle of Wandesborow. Alas, said the

eleven kings, here is sorrow upon sorrow, and if we had not warred

against Arthur as we have done, he would soon revenge us. As for King

Leodegrance, he loveth Arthur better than us, and as for King Rience,

he hath enough to do with Leodegrance, for he hath laid siege unto him.

So they consented together to keep all the marches of Cornwall, of

Wales, and of the North. So first, they put King Idres in the City of

Nauntes in Britain, with four thousand men of arms, to watch both the

water and the land. Also they put in the city of Windesan, King Nentres

of Garlot, with four thousand knights to watch both on water and on

land. Also they had of other men of war more than eight thousand, for

to fortify all the fortresses in the marches of Cornwall. Also they put

more knights in all the marches of Wales and Scotland, with many good

men of arms, and so they kept them together the space of three year,

and ever allied them with mighty kings and dukes and lords. And to them

fell King Rience of North Wales, the which and Nero that was a mighty

man of men. And all this while they furnished them and garnished them

of good men of arms, and victual, and of all manner of habiliment that

pretendeth to the war, to avenge them for the battle of Bedegraine, as

it telleth in the book of adventures following.