well thine arm hath wrought for me to-day.' ir and my liege,' he cried, 'the fire of God scends upon thee in the battle-field. now thee for my King!' Whereat the two, reach had warded either in the fight, 130 are on the field of death a deathless love. 1 Arthur said, 'Man's word is God in man; Before the master, and so far that Bleys Laid magic by, and sat him down, and wrote All things and whatsoever Merlin did In one great annal-book, where afteryears Will learn the secret of our Arthur's birth.' To whom the King Leodogran re plied: chance what will, I trust thee to O friend, had I been holpen half as the death.' well 16c Then Bedivere, the first of all his knights Knighted by Arthur at his crowning, spake For bold in heart and act and word was he, Whenever slander breathed against the King 'Sir, there be many rumors on this head; And there be those who deem him Deliver'd at a secret postern-gate To Merlin, to be holden far apart Until his hour should come, because the lords Of that fierce day were as the lords of this, Wild beasts, and surely would have torn the child Piecemeal among them, had they known; for each But sought to rule for his own self and hand, And many hated Uther for the sake Of Gorloïs. Wherefore Merlin took the child, 220 And gave him to Sir Anton, an old knight And ancient friend of Uther; and his wife Nursed the young prince, and rear'd him with her own; And no man knew. And ever since the lords Have foughten like wild beasts among themselves, So that the realm has gone to wrack; but now, This year, when Merlin for his hour had come Brought Arthur forth, and set him in the hall, Proclaiming, "Here is Uther's heir, your king," A hundred voices cried: "Away with That vext his mother, all before his Or Uther's son and born before his time 210 time, 24 Was Arthur born, and all as soon as Or whether there were truth in any born thing |