第 九十一 章 · How the kings and lords promised to King Arthur aid and

. How the kings and lords promised to King Arthur aid and

help against the Romans.

Then answered King Anguish of Scotland, Sir, ye ought of right to be

above all other kings, for unto you is none like nor pareil in

Christendom, of knighthood nor of dignity, and I counsel you never to

obey the Romans, for when they reigned on us they distressed our

elders, and put this land to great extortions and tallies, wherefore I

make here mine avow to avenge me on them; and for to strengthen your

quarrel I shall furnish twenty thousand good men of war, and wage them

on my costs, which shall await on you with myself when it shall please

you. And the king of Little Britain granted him to the same thirty

thousand; wherefore King Arthur thanked them. And then every man agreed

to make war, and to aid after their power; that is to wit, the lord of

West Wales promised to bring thirty thousand men, and Sir Uwaine, Sir

Ider his son, with their cousins, promised to bring thirty thousand.

Then Sir Launcelot with all other promised in likewise every man a

great multitude.

And when King Arthur understood their courages and good wills he

thanked them heartily, and after let call the ambassadors to hear their

answer. And in presence of all his lords and knights he said to them in

this wise: I will that ye return unto your lord and Procuror of the

Common Weal for the Romans, and say ye to him, Of his demand and

commandment I set nothing, and that I know of no truage nor tribute

that I owe to him, nor to none earthly prince, Christian nor heathen;

but I pretend to have and occupy the sovereignty of the empire, wherein

I am entitled by the right of my predecessors, sometime kings of this

land; and say to him that I am delibered and fully concluded, to go

with mine army with strength and power unto Rome, by the grace of God,

to take possession in the empire and subdue them that be rebel.

Wherefore I command him and all them of Rome, that incontinent they

make to me their homage, and to acknowledge me for their Emperor and

Governor, upon pain that shall ensue. And then he commanded his

treasurer to give to them great and large gifts, and to pay all their

dispenses, and assigned Sir Cador to convey them out of the land. And

so they took their leave and departed, and took their shipping at

Sandwich, and passed forth by Flanders, Almaine, the mountains, and all

Italy, until they came unto Lucius. And after the reverence made, they

made relation of their answer, like as ye to-fore have heard.

When the Emperor Lucius had well understood their credence, he was sore

moved as he had been all araged, and said, I had supposed that Arthur

would have obeyed to my commandment, and have served you himself, as

him well beseemed or any other king to do. O Sir, said one of the

senators, let be such vain words, for we let you wit that I and my

fellows were full sore afeard to behold his countenance; I fear me ye

have made a rod for yourself, for he intendeth to be lord of this

empire, which sore is to be doubted if he come, for he is all another

man than ye ween, and holdeth the most noble court of the world, all

other kings nor princes may not compare unto his noble maintenance. On

New Year’s Day we saw him in his estate, which was the royalest that

ever we saw, for he was served at his table with nine kings, and the

noblest fellowship of other princes, lords, and knights that be in the

world, and every knight approved and like a lord, and holdeth Table

Round: and in his person the most manly man that liveth, and is like to

conquer all the world, for unto his courage it is too little: wherefore

I advise you to keep well your marches and straits in the mountains;

for certainly he is a lord to be doubted. Well, said Lucius, before

Easter I suppose to pass the mountains, and so forth into France, and

there bereave him his lands with Genoese and other mighty warriors of

Tuscany and Lombardy. And I shall send for them all that be subjects

and allied to the empire of Rome to come to mine aid. And forthwith

sent old wise knights unto these countries following: first to Ambage

and Arrage, to Alexandria, to India, to Armenia, whereas the river of

Euphrates runneth into Asia, to Africa, and Europe the Large, to

Ertayne and Elamye, to Araby, Egypt, and to Damascus, to Damietta and

Cayer, to Cappadocia, to Tarsus, Turkey, Pontus and Pamphylia, to Syria

and Galatia. And all these were subject to Rome and many more, as

Greece, Cyprus, Macedonia, Calabria, Cateland, Portugal, with many

thousands of Spaniards. Thus all these kings, dukes, and admirals,

assembled about Rome, with sixteen kings at once, with great multitude

of people. When the emperor understood their coming he made ready his

Romans and all the people between him and Flanders.

Also he had gotten with him fifty giants which had been engendered of

fiends; and they were ordained to guard his person, and to break the

front of the battle of King Arthur. And thus departed from Rome, and

came down the mountains for to destroy the lands that Arthur had

conquered, and came unto Cologne, and besieged a castle thereby, and

won it soon, and stuffed it with two hundred Saracens or Infidels, and

after destroyed many fair countries which Arthur had won of King

Claudas. And thus Lucius came with all his host, which were disperplyd

sixty mile in breadth, and commanded them to meet with him in Burgoyne,

for he purposed to destroy the realm of Little Britain.