Stories of the Days of King Arthur Read online

  CHAPTER I. MERLIN THE WIZARD.

  SOME hundred years after the authority of the Roman emperors had finallyceased in Britain, a king reigned there whose name was Constans. Wisein peace, and skilful and brave in war, this monarch had obliged all thelesser chiefs and kings of the island to acknowledge his supremacy,and had occupied the throne for many years to his own glory and to thebenefit of his subjects, when he was attacked by an illness so severethat he himself at once perceived death to be at hand. He had threesons. Constantius, the eldest, had from childhood shown a liking forthe cloister, and had for some years been the inmate of a monastery. As,however, the king's other sons, whose names were Aurelius Ambrosius andUther Pendragon, were yet only children, Constans named Constantius themonk his successor; and in his dying hour he entreated the sorrowingnobles who gathered round his bed to render to his son the same loyaland faithful service as they had given to himself. With this request thebarons, of whom the king's steward Vortigern was the foremost bothin rank and in ability, promised to comply; and thus Constans, after aprosperous reign, died peacefully and happily.

  After the funeral of the deceased monarch, Constantius was brought fromhis monastery and duly crowned King of the Britons. But his disposition,his abilities, and his previous method of life, all unfitted him for theperformance of duties which could only be properly discharged by a greatstatesman and warrior. Of this fact the steward Vortigern was verywell aware. He was an ambitious and unscrupulous man, elated by thedistinction he had won in King Constants wars with the Danes and theSaxons, and he considered himself, in virtue of his experience as ageneral and in matters of government, the only competent successor tohis late master. It was not long before an opportunity arose for thefurtherance of his evil designs. A Danish sea-king named Hengist, whohad frequently harassed the country during the late reign, but hadalways been driven off by the redoubtable Constans, no sooner heardof the death of his old antagonist, and the accession of the pacificConstantius, than he assembled an army of a hundred thousand men, andinvaded Britain. Constantius, quite unfit to make headway against suchan enemy, entreated Vortigern to conduct the campaign on his behalf. Butthe treacherous minister, pretending that he was incapacitated by ageand illness, retired to his castle, and left the unfortunate king to hisown devices. Constantius assembled his forces, and led them against theinvaders; but he was no match for a veteran warrior like Hengist, and inthe first battle he was completely defeated.

  The subordinate British princes, and most of the nobles of the land,had responded to Constantius's summons, and fought under his banner; butthey were greatly enraged at his defeat, which, with some justice,they attributed to his incapacity as a general. The forces of the paganHengist now spread like locusts over the country, burning and destroyingin every direction; and the Britons, as Vortigern had calculated, sawno hope of getting rid of them except under the leadership of KingConstants old lieutenant. They therefore sent a deputation to Vortigern,urging him to take the command of the army, in order to save the countryfrom ruin. The steward, however, refused to engage in such an enterprisemerely for the sake of winning honour and authority for the monkishking. "If Constantius were out of the way," he said, "I would gladly domy best for you and the country; but I will not face all the perils ofwar to benefit a king who cannot defend his own throne."

  In this dilemma the princes and nobles of Britain forgot the promisesthey had made to the dying Constans. When they received the answerof Vortigern, a number of them proceeded at once in search of theunfortunate king, and murdered him in his own hall. The two princes,Aurelius and Uther Pendragon, were too young to reign; and even thosebarons who still remained faithful to the family of Constans saw noalternative, in view of the havoc that was being wrought by the Saxoninvaders, except the election of Vortigern to the vacant throne. Hewas accordingly proclaimed king; and his pretended illness at once gaveplace to the activity he had been wont to show in earlier days. Hisfirst endeavour, after his coronation, was to get possession of thepersons of the two princes; but in this design he was foiled by thesagacity of some of their friends, who had hastened, as soon as themurder of Constantius was made public, to convey them over sea tothe country which was then called Little Britain, and is now known asBrittany.

  If he had not had his hands full at home, Vortigern would have pursuedthe princes even to their place of refuge; for he was well aware thathis tenure of the throne must always be uncertain while they were alive.But he was also conscious that while the victorious Hengist and hisSaxons remained in the country, the dignity to which he had been raisedwas but an empty one. He proceeded without delay to reorganize the armywhich had been shattered by the defeat of the ill-fated Constantius. Hethen led it against the invaders, and, displaying all the militaryskill which he had learned in his campaigns under King Constans, gainedvictory after victory, and soon reduced Hengist to such straits thathe was glad to retire from the kingdom, giving a solemn pledge that hewould never again invade it.

  Vortigern had thus given substantial proof of the prudence of the choicewhich had placed him on the throne, and had established a claim tothe gratitude of his subjects. But the Britons were soon to learn thatsomething more than military skill is needed to make a good king, andthat a man who will only save his country to gratify his own selfishambition will not hesitate to bring it to ruin from the same motive.At a great festival held by Vortigern to celebrate the victories he hadwon, the barons who had assassinated Constantius presented themselves,and demanded some reward for the deed which had given the crown toVortigern. The latter, however, was of opinion that to comply with theirrequest would be to set a premium upon treason; whereas, now that he hadattained the object of his desire, it would be wise in him to discourageit. So he repudiated all participation in the murder of Constantius; andto show his abhorrence of the deed, he caused the nobles who had avowedthemselves the perpetrators to be put to death with great cruelty. Ithappened, however, that the criminals--who, if they deserved their fate,certainly ought not to have suffered at the hands of the man who hadinstigated and profited by their crime--were men of rank and greatfamily influence. Their many relatives and friends at once rose inrevolt to avenge their death; and the insurrection very soon became sowidespread that Vortigern was on the point of losing the crown for whichhe had so dexterously intrigued and fought. In his extremity he resortedto the expedient of appealing for help to his old antagonist Hengist,who gladly acceded to the request, and once more came over to Britain atthe head of a formidable army. With this assistance Vortigern succeededin vanquishing the rebels. But he could no longer count on the loyaltyof the Britons; so, to make himself secure, he married the daughter ofHengist, and maintained his authority by means of a Saxon army.

  The cruelty of his rule, and the favour he showed to his pagan friendsand supporters, earned for Vortigern such general and intense hatredamong the Britons, that he determined to erect an impregnable fortresswhich might furnish him with a safe refuge against conspirators andfoes. Accordingly, having chosen what seemed to him to be a suitablesite on Salisbury Plain, he gathered together many thousands of workmenand ordered them forthwith to begin the erection of his castle. As thetyrant was in the habit of punishing disobedience or dilatoriness withremorseless severity, while he was also lavish in the rewards he gavefor zealous service, the masons set to work with a will, and at theclose of the first day had made such progress that the ground had beenexcavated, the foundation laid, and a wall of immense thickness hadrisen to the height of some feet. But what was the astonishment andawe of the workmen, when on the following morning they assembled at thescene of their labours, to find that the wall had been levelled withthe ground, and all that remained of it was nothing more than shapelesspiles of stone and mortar! Quite unable to comprehend this extraordinaryphenomenon, the builders made the best of the business by once moresetting to work with such energy that at nightfall the wall had againrisen breast-high. But all their efforts had been expended to nopurpose, for the next day it was found that th
e wall had once more beenoverthrown. In vain did they examine the site to discover the cause ofthe mystery. Nothing that could account for it was to be found; so themasons proceeded to inform the king of the inexplicable difficulty thathad arisen in the carrying out of his design.

  Vortigern hurried to the spot, and investigated the circumstances forhimself, but departed no wiser than he had come. The mystery, however,gave him great anxiety, for he could not help connecting it with thetreachery by which he had obtained the throne, and the many crimeshe had since perpetrated. He therefore summoned his astrologers,and informed them that they must either discover the reason why hiscastle-wall fell down as soon as it was built up, or be put to death.Incited by this unpleasant alternative, the wise men closely studied theaspect of the heavens, and then told the king that some few years beforea boy had been bom in England without an earthly father. If this boycould be found, put to death, and the foundations of the castlesmeared with his blood, there would be no further difficulty about itssubsequent progress.

  Vortigern at once sent emissaries to all parts of the country to findthe wonderful boy; but to make sure that the astrologers should notescape his vengeance if the messengers were unsuccessful in theirsearch, he threw them all into prison.

  Astrology must, however, have been better understood in those days thanit is now, for the wise men had interpreted the planetary revelationswith perfect accuracy. The boy for whom the servants of Vortigern weresearching did in fact exist, and was none other than the afterwardsfamous wizard and prophet Merlin, whose mother was a British maiden,while his father was the Arch-fiend, who had hoped through his agency tocarry out his evil purposes against mankind. This design had, however,been thwarted by a pious hermit named Blaize, who had taken the boy'smother under his protection, and had baptized the infant at the momentof his birth, so that the supernatural gifts which he inherited fromhis demon-father were enlisted on the side of good, instead of beingemployed in the service of the evil one. Endowed from his birth withthe power of foretelling the future, and with the knowledge of allmysteries, Merlin had been thus far content to lead the life of otherchildren, well knowing that the time was at hand when he must play amore important part. He now made himself known to one of Vortigern'smessengers, whom he astonished by informing him of the object of hissearch. He added that though the astrologers had rightly interpreted theportent of the heavens, his death was not necessary for the erection ofVortigern's castle; for on this point the wise men had been misled bythe devices of Satan, who, since Merlin was now out of his power,was anxious for his destruction. The boy gave the king's emissary tounderstand that when brought into Vortigern's presence he would explainthe whole mystery. The royal officer was naturally well pleased to haveachieved the object of his mission; and any doubts he might still haveentertained about the reality of Merlin's pretensions to supernaturalpowers were dispelled by the extraordinary proofs which the childfurnished during their journey to Winchester, where Vortigern then heldhis court. The party were making their way through the busy streets ofa town, when Merlin broke into loud laughter. When asked the reason,he pointed out a young man who was bargaining for a pair of shoes, andexplained that what had aroused his mirth was the extreme eagerness tosecure substantial foot-gear shown by one who would not live to wear theshoes he had bought. As the young man was to all appearance in robusthealth, Merlin's companions received this statement with incredulity;but before they had gone many paces further, they heard an uproar inthe street behind them, and on inquiry they found that it was due tothe fact that the man Merlin had shown to them had suddenly-dropped downdead. This, and other evidences of the prescience of the young seer,convinced Vortigern's messenger, who hastened to conduct the wonderfulboy into the presence of the king.

  Vortigern received Merlin with a pomp which in no wise disturbed thephilosophical serenity of the child, and in due course conducted himto the place selected as the site of the castle, where he described theextraordinary failure of the attempts that had thus far been made tobuild it, and inquired the reason.

  "Sir King," answered Merlin, "the reason is this. Below the place whereyour workmen have sought to lay the foundations of the wall there aretwo large and deep pools of water. At the bottom of these lie two hugestones, which cover the lairs of two gigantic serpents, the like ofwhich none of your subjects have ever before set eyes on. One of theseserpents is milk-white in hue, the other red as blood. They sleep allthrough the day; but every night they engage in a furious combat, whichis without result, because they have not sufficient space wherein tomove. The walls built by your masons were overthrown because the veryearth was shaken by the struggles of the serpents. But if you cause thewater to be drained away, and the stones to be raised, the serpents willbe able to settle their dispute, and there will then be no hindrance tothe building of the castle."

  Overjoyed at this information, Vortigern at once gave the necessaryorders. His army of workmen was speedily engaged in digging, andpresently the two pools of water described by Merlin were disclosed.The water having been removed, the stones were laid bare; and when, withinfinite difficulty, they had been uplifted, there lay the two serpents,side by side. Both were of enormous size, and covered with shiningscales, while fire flashed from their mouths. They were not onlydistinguished by the difference of colour of which the young wizard hadspoken, but the white serpent had two heads. As soon as the light of dayfell upon them, they awoke from the torpor in which they had been sunk,uncoiled their monstrous folds, and, to the terror of the vast multitudeassembled--amongst whom Merlin was the only unconcerned spectator--theybegan a furious conflict, which lasted till night. The fire which theyvomited forth against each other flashed through the air like lightning,and their huge jaws dripped with their black blood. At first the redserpent seemed to gain the advantage; but as the day wore on the whiteone waxed in strength, and at last he beat his antagonist to the ground,and then descended upon him with such fury as to crush him into dust.The white serpent then himself disappeared, and was never again seen bymortal man.

  The literal fulfilment of Merlin's prediction naturally inspiredVortigern with the utmost confidence in the wisdom of the prophet, moreespecially as the erection of the castle thenceforth proceeded withoutlet or hindrance. He was at once installed as the chief counsellor ofthe king; but this high promotion, which he himself accepted with thetaciturn indifference which was his ordinary demeanour, raised him manyenemies, and one of these represented to Vortigern that, as Merlin kneweverything, he would certainly be able to explain the significance ofthe terrific, fight between the two serpents, which must doubtless havesome deep hidden meaning. The king, whose conscience was always stinginghim, eagerly grasped at the idea, and Merlin was forthwith sent for andquestioned on the subject. He remained persistently silent, however,until Vortigern threatened him with instant death if he did not answer.

  "Know, O King," said the seer, "that what you threaten is as far beyondyour power as it was to discover the reason of the overthrow of yourcastle wall. Save by my own will, no man of woman bom can injure me.Since, however, you are resolved to know the meaning of the combatbetween the two serpents, I will reveal it. The red dragon which you sawoverthrown and destroyed represented yourself; the white one symbolizedthe two princes Aurelius and Uther Pendragon, the sons of King Constans,who are the rightful rulers of this realm. They are coming from LittleBritain with a mighty armament; they will utterly defeat you in battle;and when, with your family and the Saxon Hengist, you take refuge in thestrong castle you have built, you will perish there by fire, even as thered serpent perished."

  At this appalling forecast of his fate, Vortigern was overcome bydespair. But bethinking him of Merlin's great craft and wisdom, heturned fiercely upon him and demanded counsel as to how he should evadethe approaching ruin.

  "That which is to be must be," answered the wizard. "I have no counselto give you."

  Full of wrath, Vortigern drew his sword; but when he would have smittenMerlin with it, the latter had disap
peared, and all the king's effortsto find him were unavailing. He had indeed, by the exercise of his magicart, transported himself to the distant hermitage of his first friend,the holy Blaize, to whom he committed the task of writing his famousBook of Prophecies, foretelling the future history of Britain; a workof which, unhappily, only a few sentences remain, and these expressedin such obscure and figurative language that no man can decipher theirmeaning.

  The ruin which Merlin had foretold speedily overtook the wickedVortigern. He received news of the landing of Aurelius and Uther at thehead of a large army. He mustered his forces, summoned Hengist to hisassistance, and hastened to meet his enemies. But the Britons would notfight against the sons of their old king. Deserted by all but hisSaxon allies, Vortigern sustained a ruinous defeat. He took refuge withHengist in his stronghold on Salisbury Plain. The princes forthwithbesieged it; but finding that they could make no impression on itsmighty walls, they caused wildfire to be cast over the battlements, andin the conflagration that followed, the usurper and all his kin, withhis heathen ally, were utterly consumed. The remnant of the Saxoninvaders were permitted to leave the country, on giving pledges thatthey would never return; and Aurelius and Uther, who agreed to sharethe honours and cares of rule, were recognized by all the smallerpotentates, the barons, and the commons, as the kings of Britain.

  They were not, however, permitted to remain long in peaceablepossession. Their reign had scarcely begun when Merlin, who, like aloyal Briton, had come forward to give the benefit of his wisdom andhis counsel to the new kings, warned them that a numerous army of pagansfrom Denmark had landed at Bristol. He added the painful news thatthough the Britons would be successful in their encounter with theinvaders, one of the royal brothers was destined to perish. All fellout as he had predicted: the heathen were so utterly overthrown thatscarcely one of them escaped alive from the field; but Aurelius diednobly in the moment of victory, and Uther Pendragon remained the soleand unopposed monarch of Britain.

  Under the guidance of Merlin, whose counsels he always prudentlyfollowed, Uther Pendragon reigned gloriously for many years. Hecompletely re-established the supremacy which his father had gained overthe other kings of Britain, and even carried his conquests into otherlands, worsting Claudas, King of Gaul, and receiving the allegiance ofthe brothers Ban and Bors, two of the most famous knights in Europe, andlords respectively of Benwick and Gannes. He also became liege lord ofHoel, King of Harman, a country which is no longer to be found on themaps. The wife of Hoel was the beautiful Igraine; and being still inthe prime of life at the death of her husband, she wedded the Duke ofTintagel, a powerful baron who held wide lands in Cornwall By her firstlord she had been the mother of three daughters, of whom the eldest waswedded to King Nanters of Gerlot. The second became the wife of King Lotof Orkney, and bore to him four sons--Gawaine, Gaheris, Agravaine, andGareth. The third was the famous Morgan le Fay. She received instructionin magic from Merlin, and became scarcely less skilled in the black artthan the great wizard himself.

  She also became the wife of a king--Urience, lord of the land of Gore.

  At the instigation of Merlin, King Uther set up the Round Table, whereathe sought to assemble the best knights of the world. To this table nonewere admitted save such as were of royal or at least noble blood,were distinguished for great personal strength, skill in arms, andunfaltering valour. All who were so received were obliged to swear asolemn oath to give aid to one another, even to the peril of life; tobe ever ready to undertake dangerous adventures; to be faithful to theirliege lord; and to be willing on all occasions to defend the weaker sexfrom wrong. King Uther was able to bring together many noble knights asmembers of the company of his Round Table, for his own valour and thewisdom of Merlin had made him one of the most puissant monarchs of histime.

  It chanced that while King Uther was once holding his court at Camelot,there came to do homage to him, among other barons, the Duke ofTintagel, who brought with him his lady, the fair Igraine; and herbeauty made such an impression upon the king, who was still unmarried,that he was immediately seized with a great desire to have her for hisqueen. There was, however, a serious obstacle in the way, in the shapeof the duke her husband, who, as soon as he had learned that the kingwas unduly attentive to his wife, retired with her from court, andrefused to obey a command by the king that he should return. Thehaughty Uther treated this refusal as an act of rebellion, and forthwithproceeded to wage war against the duke, who placed his wife in hisstrong castle of Tintagel, retired himself to another fortress namedTerabil, and prepared to offer a resolute resistance to the royalforces. King Uther laid siege to Terabil; but his love for Igraine hadbecome a stronger passion than even his desire to assert his authority,and he implored the aid of Merlin, who undertook to win him the ladyas his queen if it were agreed that their son should be placed athis disposal, to be brought up as he saw fit. The king accepted theconditions prescribed; and Merlin, by means of a device which the oldchroniclers relate at length, fulfilled his part of the bargain. Theunfortunate duke was killed while making a sally from his fortress,just at the time when Uther gained entrance into Tintagel and obtainedpossession of Igraine, with whom, after a brief interval, his nuptialswere celebrated with great splendour. In due time, Igraine gave birth toa son, who, according to the compact made by the king, was given over toMerlin, who caused him to be baptized by the name of Arthur, and placedhim in the keeping of a worthy knight named Sir Ector.

  For many years after this, Uther Pendragon reigned prosperously as Kingof Britain, and ever kept the Saxons stoutly at bay. At last, however,he was attacked by a dangerous illness which kept him languishing on hiscouch, and then the heathen began to make head against him, and harassedhis people sorely. Under Merlin's direction, therefore, he was carriedin a horse-litter at the head of his army, who were so encouraged byhis presence that they inflicted an utter defeat on the enemy, and drovethem out of the country. Then King Uther was brought back to London;but the rejoicings on account of his victory were scarcely over whenhis disease increased so much that his death was manifestly at hand.His subjects were filled with consternation: for the birth of Arthurhad--for what reason it is impossible to say--been kept strictly secret,and it was supposed that King Uther would leave no heir behind him.When he had been speechless for three days and nights, however, Merlinsummoned the great barons of the realm and the Archbishop of Canterburyinto the chamber of the dying king, and in their presence asked him ifit were his will that his son Arthur should be his successor. ThereuponUther answered: "I give him God's blessing and mine, and bid him prayfor my soul, and also that righteously and worshipfully he claim thecrown, on forfeiture of my blessing." Immediately after speaking thus,Uther Pendragon died.

  But none of the barons understood, or cared to understand, the meaningof his dying declaration. They knew nothing of any son of Uther's namedArthur; and Queen Igraine, having been kept in ignorance of the fateof her son, knew not whether he were alive or dead. So great contentionarose in the realm, and everywhere there were misery and bloodshed; forall the vassal kings asserted their independence, and every baron whocould muster a few thousand followers was ready to put forward his claimto the crown. Many of the knights of the Round Table quitted the countryto seek "worship" in other and happier lands. The Round Table itself,with the remnant of its noble company, was placed in charge ofLeodegrance, King of Cameliard, to whose keeping it had been bequeathedby Uther Pendragon; and in the realm of Britain it was, for many years,no more heard of or remembered.

  The ruin of the country seemed to be at hand, when Merlin took measuresto put an end to the prevailing anarchy by bringing about the accessionof the rightful king. He induced the Archbishop of Canterbury to summona meeting of all the great barons and nobles at London, on Christmaseve, in the hope that at that solemn festival some miracle might bewrought that should make manifest to all to whom the throne rightlybelonged. The assembly was held accordingly, and amongst those whoattended it was Sir Ector, who had brought up Arthur in ign
orance of hisbirth, but had been careful to train him in all the knightly exercisesand accomplishments which in those days were held to be fitting in a manof rank. Along with Sir Ector came his son Kay, who had been knightedat the preceding All-hallowmas; and Arthur accompanied Sir Kay in thecapacity of his squire. A solemn religious service was held in thegreatest church of London, when the archbishop offered up prayer for theenlightenment of the people as to who ought to be their king. When theservice was over, it was found that in the churchyard there had risenup a huge block of marble, and on the top of it was an anvil ofsolid steel, in which was imbedded, pointwise, a sword of marvellousbrightness, bearing on its jewelled hilt this inscription: "Whosopulleth me out of this stone and anvil is rightwise king born ofEngland."

  It may easily be imagined that the appearance of this mysterioussword excited much emotion in the assembly of the barons, many ofwhom entertained ambitious hopes of winning the crown of Britain forthemselves. At the command of the archbishop another mass was said,and thereafter all the assembly marched into the churchyard, where, oneafter another, in the order of their rank, they essayed to draw forththe sword. First came King Nanters, King Lot, and King Urience, who,as the husbands of Queen Igraines daughters, might claim some familyconnection with the late king. Each of the three was a noted warrior;but not one of them could move the sword a hair's-breadth. Then cameforward the other tributary kings of the realm--King Brandegoris ofLatangor, King Clarence of Northumberland, King Idres of Cornwall, theKing of the Hundred Knights, King Anguisance of Ireland, and many more;but they fared no better than they who had preceded them. When all inthe assembly who desired to do so had made the attempt, the mystic swordstill remained firmly fixed in the anvil.

  "He is not yet here," said the archbishop, "who shall achieve the sword;but do not doubt that he will yet appear. It seems to me that we shouldappoint ten knights to keep guard round about it, and make proclamationthat every man who will may essay it."

  All was done as the archbishop had said; but day after day passed, andmost of the nobles and proved knights of the realm had endeavoured invain to draw out the sword from the anvil. Merlin and the archbishopwere desirous to keep the lords together, and so on New-Year's Day atournament was held. Among the knights that rode to take part thereinwas Sir Kay, and with him went Arthur as his squire. Now as they wenttoward the field, Sir Kay found that he had left his sword behind him atthe lodging where he abode with his father Sir Ector and his mother, andArthur, who passed for his brother. He prayed Arthur to ride back forhis sword; and Arthur obeyed, as was fitting in a squire. When, however,he came to the lodging he found it closed, for all who dwelt there hadgone to see the jousting. Now on his way Arthur had passed by where thesword was standing in the anvil in the churchyard; and so he straightwayrode thither, for, said he, "certainly my brother Sir Kay shall not bewithout a sword this day." The knights that should have guarded it beingat the tournament, no one but himself was present. He came to the sword,and took it by the hilt, and easily drew it forth without reading thewords engraven on the hilt, and carried it to Sir Kay.

  Now Sir Kay was a good knight of his hands, but he was exceedingly proudand masterful. As soon as he beheld the sword, he knew well whence ithad come; and so he rode boldly to his father, Sir Ector.

  "Sir," said he, "here have I the sword of the stone; therefore I must bechosen king of this land."

  Sir Ector, who knew better than his son to whom the throne rightfullybelonged, would not believe that Sir Kay had drawn forth the sword. Heled him to the churchyard, Arthur also following, and bade him replacethe sword and then again remove it. Sir Kay, thinking that the charm wasbroken, promptly obeyed; he put the sword back into the anvil readilyenough, but when he essayed to pull it out again, his utmost strengthdid not avail to move it.

  "Now, son," said Sir Ector, "I call upon you, in the name of the MostHigh, to tell me truly from whom you had the sword."

  "Sir," answered Sir Kay abashed, "it was brought to me by my brotherArthur."

  Then Sir Ector bade Arthur draw forth the sword, and that he did aseasily as from a scabbard. Straightway Sir Ector and his son knelt downand greeted Arthur as king.

  "Ah, my dear father and brother," said Arthur, "why do you call me king,and kneel to me?"

  "You are not my son," replied Sir Ector, "but of better blood than evermine was." And he told Arthur how Merlin had placed him in his charge;and entreated, in reward for the care with which he had been nourished,that when he became king he would make Sir Kay his seneschal, a requestwhich Arthur readily granted. Then they went to the archbishop, andtold him how the sword had been achieved, and by whom. On Twelfth Day,another solemn service was held, and afterwards, in the presence of allthe kings and barons, Arthur again drew out the sword from the anvil,though no one else could move it.

  But the great lords were not at all inclined to recognize as their kinga mere youth, who had hitherto passed as the second son of a knightof no great estate. So they put off the decision of the matter tillCandlemas; but a pavilion was set up over the sword and stone, andfive knights watched over it by day and five by night. At Candlemas thebarons assembled again, and again Arthur only could draw out the sword.Still there were many of the chief men of the realm that were loath totake him as their king, and another delay was agreed upon till Easter.At Easter all went as it had gone before; and now the lords agreed todelay the matter till Pentecost. But Merlin and the archbishop sawthat Arthur's right would not be admitted without bloodshed, and theygathered as many as they could of the best knights of the realm, andsuch as had been faithful followers of King Uther, and kept them alwaysabout Arthur.

  The rest of the wonders that Merlin wrought to give the kingdom toArthur, and to make his reign glorious, may be more properly told in thehistory of the king himself. But for a long time Merlin the Wizard wasArthur's chief adviser; and while the king was guided by his counselsand aided by his magic art, all went well with him. When Arthur had beensome years on the throne, however, the great enchanter disappeared forever from mortal ken, through a calamity which he himself had long agoforeseen. He had become deeply enamoured of the lovely Yiviane, whodwelt in the forest of Breceliande in Brittany, and is usually, in theancient chronicles, called the Lady of the Lake. Yiviane did not returnhis love, but she feared his supernatural powers, and therefore soughtfor means of ridding herself of him without exciting his wrath. Shepretended to be as much devoted to him as he was to her, and inducedhim by her wiles and caresses to reveal to her an enchantment by whicha man, of whatsoever might or magic skill, could be enclosed andimprisoned without a tower, without walls, without chains, so securelythat of his own skill he could never be released. It was only with greatreluctance that Merlin intrusted the secret to her, for well he knewthat it would be used against himself. But, as the old proverb has it,"love levels all," and it made the wisdom of the great seer power-lessagainst the arts and the beauty of Viviane. It fell out that some littletime afterwards Merlin and the lady were wandering in the forest ofBreceliande, and they came to a white-thorn bush, laden with bloom.Underneath this bush they sat down together, and in a while Merlin laidhis head in Viviane's lap and fell asleep. Then she rose deftly, withoutwaking him, and made a ring round Merlin and the bush, and began theenchantment which he himself had taught her; and when she had ended,there was, as it were, a cloud about the place, so that Merlin washidden from sight. But to him, when he awoke, it seemed that he was shutup in the strongest tower in the world, and laid upon a fair bed. Thenhe knew that the enchantment had been wrought upon him, and that therewas no escape, for only Viviane could undo the spell. She visited himofttimes, but would never release him, and after many years she died.But Merlin still remains a prisoner in the depths of the forest. To himthe long years and ages have been but as days. He lies in a magic sleep.But the day will come when the strong enchantment that bound him willbe broken, and he will come forth to behold the changes that have beenwrought by more potent arts than his, and all the wonders of this latert
ime.