Chương Chương 496 · Of the opinion of some men of the death of King Arthur;

. Of the opinion of some men of the death of King Arthur;

and how Queen Guenever made her a nun in Almesbury.

Yet some men say in many parts of England that King Arthur is not dead,

but had by the will of our Lord Jesu into another place; and men say

that he shall come again, and he shall win the holy cross. I will not

say it shall be so, but rather I will say: here in this world he

changed his life. But many men say that there is written upon his tomb

this verse: _Hic jacet Arthurus, Rex quondam, Rexque futurus._ Thus

leave I here Sir Bedivere with the hermit, that dwelled that time in a

chapel beside Glastonbury, and there was his hermitage. And so they

lived in their prayers, and fastings, and great abstinence. And when

Queen Guenever understood that King Arthur was slain, and all the noble

knights, Sir Mordred and all the remnant, then the queen stole away,

and five ladies with her, and so she went to Almesbury; and there she

let make herself a nun, and ware white clothes and black, and great

penance she took, as ever did sinful lady in this land, and never

creature could make her merry; but lived in fasting, prayers, and

alms-deeds, that all manner of people marvelled how virtuously she was

changed. Now leave we Queen Guenever in Almesbury, a nun in white

clothes and black, and there she was Abbess and ruler as reason would;

and turn we from her, and speak we of Sir Launcelot du Lake.