Part 29 (1/2)

THE PassING OF ARTHUR

And so both hosts dressed the Arthur took his horse, and said, Alas this unhappy day, and so rode to his party: and Sir Mordred in like wise And never was there seen a more dolefuller battle in any Christian land For there was but rushi+ng and riding, foining and striking, and rim as there spoken either to other, and hout the battle of Sir Mordredshould; and at all tireat peril And thus they fought all the long day, and never stinted, till the noble knights were laid to the cold ground, and ever they fought still, till it was near night, and by that time was there an hundred thousand laid dead upon the down

Then was Arthur wroth out of measure, when he saw his people so slain fro looked about hiood knights, were left no hts, that was Sir Lucan de Butlere, and his brother Sir Bedivere: and they full were sore wounded Jesu hts becomen Alas that ever I should see this doleful day For now, said Arthur, I am come to mine end But would to God that I here were that traitor Sir Mordred, that hath caused all thisArthur here Sir Mordred leaned upon his sword aive me my spear, said Arthur unto Sir Lucan, for yonder I have espied the traitor that all this woe hath wrought

Then the king gat his spear in both his hands, and ran toward Sir Mordred, crying, Traitor, now is thy death day come And when Sir Mordred heard Sir Arthur, he ran until hi Arthur smote Sir Mordred under the shi+eld, with a foin of his spear throughout the body more than a fathom And when Sir Mordred felt that he had his death's wound, he thrust hi Arthur's spear And right so he smote Arthur with his sword holden in both his hands, on the side of the head, that the sword pierced the helmet and the brain-pan, and therewithal Sir Mordred fell stark dead to the earth And the noble Arthur fell in a swoon to the earth, and there he swooned oft-times And Sir Lucan de Butlere and Sir Bedivere oft-times heaved him up, and so weakly they led him betwixt them both to a little chapel not far fro the one part, and Sir Bedivere the other part, and in the lifting, the king swooned, and Sir Lucan fell in a sith the lift and therewith the noble knight's heart burst And when king Arthur ca at the ht to see this noble duke so die for my sake, for he would have holpen me that had more need of help than I Alas, he would not complain him, his heart was so set to help me Now Jesu have mercy upon his soul

Then Sir Bedivere wept for the death of his brother Leave this , for all this will not avail ht live rieve

Therefore, said Arthur, take thou Excalibur, o with it to yonder water side, and when thou coe thee throw ain, and tell me what thou there seest My lord, said Bedivere, your coain So Sir Bedivere departed, and by the way he beheld that noble sword, that the pommel and haft were all of precious stones, and then he said to himself, If I throw this rich sword in the water, thereof shall never coood, but harm and loss And then Sir Bedivere hid Excalibur under a tree And as soon as he , and said he had been at the water, and had thrown the sword into the water What sawest thou there? said the king

Sir, he said, I saw nothing but waves and winds That is untruly said of thee, said the king; therefore go thou lightly again, and do my command as thou art to me lief and dear, spare not, but throw it in

Then Sir Bedivere returned again, and took the sword in his hand; and then hiht sin and shame to throay that noble sword; and so eft he hid the sword, and returned again, and told to the king that he had been at the water, and done his co Sir, he said, I saw nothing but the waters wap and the waves wan Ah traitor, untrue, said king Arthur, now hast thou betrayed me twice Who would have wend that thou that hast been to ht, and would betray htly, for thy long tarrying putteth reat jeopardy of my life, for I have taken cold And unless if thou do now as I bid thee, if ever I may see thee, I shall slay thee with mine own hands, for thou wouldest for my rich sword see me dead

Then Sir Bedivere departed, and went to the sword, and lightly took it up, and went to the water side, and there he bound the girdle about the hilts, and then he threw the sword as far into the water as he ht, and there caht it, and so shook it thrice and brandished, and then vanished away the hand with the sword in the water So Sir Bedivere ca, and told hi, help

Then Sir Bedivere took the king upon his back, and so ith him to that water side And when they were at the water side, even fast by the bank hoved a little barge, withthem all was a queen, and all they had black hoods, and all they wept and shrieked when they saw king Arthur Now put : and so he did softly And there received hi, and so they set hi Arthur laid his head, and then that queen said, Ah, dear brother, why have ye tarried so long froht over much cold And so then they rowed froo from him

Then Sir Bedivere cried, Ah, o fro , and do as well as thou mayest, for in me is no trust for to trust in For I will into the vale of Avilion, to heal rievous wound And if thou hear never more of me, pray for my soul But ever the queens and the ladies wept and shrieked, that it was pity to hear And as soon as Sir Bedivere had lost the sight of the barge, he wept and wailed, and so took the forest

Sir Thomas Malory Read: Tennyson's Morte D'Arthur

THE ARMADA

Attend, all ye who list to hear our noble England's praise; I tell of the thrice fareat fleet invincible against her bore in vain The richest spoils of Mexico, the stoutest hearts of Spain

It was about the lovely close of a warallant merchant-shi+p full sail to Plymouth Bay; Her crew hath seen Castile's black fleet, beyond Aurigny's isle,[2]

At earliest twilight, on the waves lie heaving many a mile

At sunrise she escaped their van, by God's especial grace; And the tall Pinta, till the noon, had held her close in chase

Forthwith a guard at every gun was placed along the wall; The beacon blazed upon the roof of Edgecu-bark put out to pry along the coast, And with loose rein and bloody spur rode inland many a post

With his white hair unbonneted, the stout old sheriff comes; Behind him march the halberdiers; before him sound the drums; His yeomen, round the market-cross, make clear an ample space; For there behoves hihtily the truaily dance the bells, As slow upon the labouring wind the royal blazon swells

Look how the lion of the sea lifts up his ancient crown, And underneath his deadly paw treads the gay lilies down

So stalked he when he turned to flight on that famed Picard field,[3]

Bohele shi+eld: So glared he when at Agincourt in wrath he turned to bay, And crushed and torn beneath his claws the princely hunters lay

Ho! strike the flag-staff deep, Sir Knight: ho!

scatter flowers, fair allants, draw your blades: Thou sun, shi+ne on her joyously; ye breezes waft her wide; Our glorious SEMPER EADEM, the banner of our pride

The freshening breeze of eve unfurled that banner's leaht sank upon the dusky beach and on the purple sea, Such night in England ne'er had been, nor e'er again shall be