EEDS OF SIR GERAINT 131

VII. HOW SIR PERCEVAL WAS TAUGHT CHIVALRY, AND ENDED THE
EVIL WROUGHT BY SIR BALIN'S DOLOROUS STROKE 164

VIII. HOW SIR OWEN WON THE EARLDOM OF THE FOUNTAIN 194

IX. OF SIR LANCELOT AND THE FAIR MAID OF ASTOLAT 229

X. HOW THE THREE GOOD KNIGHTS ACHIEVED THE HOLY GRAAL 250

XI. OF THE PLOTS OF SIR MORDRED; AND HOW SIR LANCELOT
SAVED THE QUEEN 278

XII. OF SIR GAWAINE'S HATRED, AND THE WAR WITH SIR LANCELOT 307

XIII. OF THE REBELLION OF MORDRED AND THE DEATH OF KING ARTHUR 333

KING ARTHUR'S KNIGHTS

I

HOW ARTHUR WAS MADE KING AND WON HIS KINGDOM

In the hall of his Roman palace at London, King Uther, Pendragon of the
Island of Britain, lay dying. He had been long sick with a wasting
disease, and forced to lie in his bed, gnawing his beard with wrath at
his weakness, while the pagan Saxons ravened up and down the fair broad
lands, leaving in their tracks the smoking ruin of broken towns and
desolated villages, where mothers lay dead beside their children on the
hearths, fair churches stood pillaged and desecrated, and priests and
nuns wandered in the wilds.

At length, when the pagans, bold and insolent, had ventured near
London, the king had been able to bear his shame and anguish no longer.
He had put himself, in a litter, at the head of his army, and meeting
the fierce, brave pagans at Verulam (now called St. Albans) he had, in
a battle day-long and stubborn, forced them at length to fly with heavy
slaughter.

That was three days ago, and since then he had lain in his bed as still
as if he were dead; and beside him sat the wise wizard Merlin, white
with great age, and in his eyes the calmness of deep learning.

It was the third night when the king suddenly awoke from his stupor and
clutched the hand of Merlin.

'I have dreamed!' he said in a low shaken voice. 'I have seen two
dragons fighting--one white, the other red. First the white dragon got
the mastery, and clawed with iron talons the red one's crest, and drove
him hither and thither into holes and crannies of the rocks. And then
the red one took heart, and with a fury that was marvellous to see, he
drove and tore the white dragon full terribly, and anon the white one
crawled away sore wounded. And the red dragon walked up and down in the
place o