t with Sir Mordred; and many a full noble
knight drew unto Sir Mordred and to the king: but they that loved Sir
Launcelot drew unto Sir Mordred.

So upon Trinity Sunday at night, King Arthur dreamed a wonderful dream,
and that was this: that him seemed he sat upon a chaflet in a chair,
and the chair was fast to a wheel, and thereupon sat King Arthur in the
richest cloth of gold that might be made; and the king thought there was
under him, far from him, an hideous deep black water, and therein were
all manner of serpents, and worms, and wild beasts, foul and horrible;
and suddenly the king thought the wheel turned up-so-down, and he fell
among the serpents, and every beast took him by a limb; and then the
king cried as he lay in his bed and slept: Help. And then knights,
squires, and yeomen, awaked the king; and then he was so amazed that he
wist not where he was; and then he fell a-slumbering again, not sleeping
nor thoroughly waking. So the king seemed verily that there came Sir
Gawaine unto him with a number of fair ladies with him. And when King
Arthur saw him, then he said: Welcome, my sister's son; I weened thou
hadst been dead, and now I see thee alive, much am I beholding unto
Almighty Jesu. O fair nephew and my sister's son, what be these ladies
that hither be come with you? Sir, said Sir Gawaine, all these be ladies
for whom I have foughten when I was man living, and all these are those
that I did battle for in righteous quarrel; and God hath given them that
grace at their great prayer, because I did battle for them, that they
should bring me hither unto you: thus much hath God given me leave, for
to warn you of your death; for an ye fight as to-morn with Sir Mordred,
as ye both have assigned, doubt ye not ye must be slain, and the
most part of your people on both parties. And for the great grace and
goodness that almighty Jesu hath unto you, and for pity of you, and many
more other good men there shall be slain, God hath sent me to you of
his special grace, to give you warning that in no wise ye do battle
as to-morn, but that ye take a treaty for a month day; and proffer you
largely, so as to-morn to be put in a delay. For within a month
shall come Sir Launcelot with all his noble knights, and rescue you
worshipfully, and slay Sir Mordred, and all that ever will hold with
him. Then Sir Gawaine and all the ladies vanished.

And anon the king called upon his knights, squires, and yeomen, and
charged them wightl