s end is near.
Turning to his faithful follower, he thanks, him for his aid, bidding
him hasten into the cave and bring forth the treasure he has won for
his people, so he can feast his eyes upon it before he dies.

"Fare thou with haste now
To behold the hoard 'neath the hoar-grayish stone,
Well-loved Wiglaf, now the worm is a-lying,
Sore-wounded sleepeth, disseized of his treasure
Go thou in haste that treasures of old I
Gold-wealth may gaze on, together see lying
The ether-bright jewels, be easier able,
Having the heap of hoard-gems, to yield my
Life and the land-folk whom long I have governed."

Sure that the monster can no longer molest them, the rest of the
warriors press forward in their turn, and receive the farewells of
their dying chief, who, after rehearsing the great deeds he has done,
declares he is about to close honorably an eventful career. When he
has breathed his last, his followers push the corpse of the dragon off
a cliff into the sea, and erect on the headland a funeral barrow for
Beowulf's ashes, placing within it part of the treasure he won, and
erecting above it a memorial, or bauta stone, on which they carve the
name and deeds of the great hero who saved them from Grendel and from
the fiery dragon.

So lamented mourning the men of the Geats,
Fond-loving vassals the fall of their lord,
Said he was kindest of kings under heaven,
Gentlest of men, most winning of manner,
Friendliest to folk-troops and fondest of honor.

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 21: See also the author's "Legends of the Middle Ages."]

[Footnote 22: All the quotations in this chapter are taken from Hall's
translation of "Beowulf."]

THE ARTHURIAN CYCLE

The Arthurian cycle consists in a number of epics or romances about
King Arthur, the knights of his Round Table, or the ladies of his
court. The Anglo-Norman trouveres arranged these tales in graduated
circles around their nucleus, the legend of the Holy Grail. Next in
importance to this sacred theme, and forming the first circle, were
the stories of Galahad and Percival who achieved the Holy Grail, of
Launcelot and Elaine who were favored with partial glimpses of it, and
of Bors who accompanied Galahad and Percival in their journey to
Sarras. The second circle included the stories of Arthur and
Guinevere, of Geraint and Enid, of Tristan and Isolde, of Pelleas and
Ettarre, of Gareth and Lynette, of Gawain, and of Bedevere