Le Morte d'Arthur: Volume 1 by Sir Thomas Malory (10 best books of all time .txt) 📗

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LE MORTE D’ARTHUR, VOLUME I *** Produced by Mike Lough, and David Widger Le Morte D’Arthur King Arthur and of his Noble Knights of the Round Table by Thomas Malory IN TWO VOLS.—VOL. I Contents BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE PREFACE OF WILLIAM CAXTON

BOOK I. CHAPTER I. First, How Uther Pendragon sent for the duke of Cornwall and Igraine his wife, and of their departing suddenly again. CHAPTER II. How Uther Pendragon made war on the duke of Cornwall, and how by the mean of Merlin he lay by the duchess and gat Arthur. CHAPTER III. Of the birth of King Arthur and of his nurture. CHAPTER IV. Of the death of King Uther Pendragon. CHAPTER V. How Arthur was chosen king, and of wonders and marvels of a sword taken out of a stone by the said Arthur. CHAPTER VI. How King Arthur pulled out the sword divers times. CHAPTER VII. How King Arthur was crowned, and how he made officers. CHAPTER VIII. How King Arthur held in Wales, at a Pentecost, a great feast, and what kings and lords came to his feast. CHAPTER IX. Of the first war that King Arthur had, and how he won the field. CHAPTER X. How Merlin counselled King Arthur to send for King Ban and King Bors, and of their counsel taken for the war. CHAPTER XI. Of a great tourney made by King Arthur and the two kings Ban and Bors, and how they went over the sea. CHAPTER XII. How eleven kings gathered a great host against King Arthur. CHAPTER XIII. Of a dream of the King with the Hundred Knights. CHAPTER XIV. How the eleven kings with their host fought against Arthur and his host, and many great feats of the war. CHAPTER XV. Yet of the same battle. CHAPTER XVI. Yet more of the same battle. CHAPTER XVII. Yet more of the same battle, and how it was ended by Merlin. CHAPTER XVIII. How King Arthur, King Ban, and King Bors rescued King Leodegrance, and other incidents. CHAPTER XIX. How King Arthur rode to Carlion, and of his dream, and how he saw the questing beast. CHAPTER XX. How King Pellinore took Arthur's horse and followed the Questing Beast, and how Merlin met with Arthur. CHAPTER XXI. How Ulfius impeached Queen Igraine, Arthur's mother, of treason; and how a knight came and desired to have the death of his master revenged. CHAPTER XXII. How Griflet was made knight, and jousted with a knight CHAPTER XXIII. How twelve knights came from Rome and asked truage for this land of Arthur, and how Arthur fought with a knight. CHAPTER XXIV. How Merlin saved Arthur's life, and threw an enchantment on King Pellinore and made him to sleep. CHAPTER XXV. How Arthur by the mean of Merlin gat Excalibur his sword of the Lady of the Lake. CHAPTER XXVI. How tidings came to Arthur that King Rience had overcome eleven kings, and how he desired Arthur's beard to trim his mantle. CHAPTER XXVII. How all the children were sent for that were born on May-day, and how Mordred was saved.

BOOK II. CHAPTER I. Of a damosel which came girt with a sword for to find a man of such virtue to draw it out of the scabbard. CHAPTER II. How Balin, arrayed like a poor knight, pulled out the sword, which afterward was the cause of his death. CHAPTER III. How the Lady of the Lake demanded the knight's head that had won the sword, or the maiden's head. CHAPTER IV. How Merlin told the adventure of this damosel. CHAPTER V. How Balin was pursued by Sir Lanceor, knight of Ireland, and how he jousted and slew him. CHAPTER VI. How a damosel, which was love to Lanceor, slew herself for love, and how Balin met with his brother Balan. CHAPTER VII. How a dwarf reproved Balin for the death of Lanceor, and how King Mark of Cornwall found them, and made a tomb over them. CHAPTER VIII. How Merlin prophesied that two the best knights of the world should fight there, which were Sir Lancelot and Sir Tristram. CHAPTER IX. How Balin and his brother, by the counsel of Merlin, took King Rience and brought him to King Arthur. CHAPTER X. How King Arthur had a battle against Nero and King Lot of Orkney, and how King Lot was deceived by Merlin, and how twelve kings were slain. CHAPTER XI. Of the interment of twelve kings, and of the prophecy of Merlin, and how Balin should give the dolorous stroke. CHAPTER XII. How a sorrowful knight came before Arthur, and how Balin fetched him, and how that knight was slain by a knight invisible. CHAPTER XIII. How Balin and the damosel met with a knight which was in likewise slain, and how the damosel bled for the custom of a castle. CHAPTER XIV. How Balin met with that knight named Garlon at a feast, and there he slew him, to have his blood to heal therewith the son of his host. CHAPTER XV. How Balin fought with King Pellam, and how his sword brake, and how he gat a spear wherewith he smote the dolorous stroke. CHAPTER XVI. How Balin was delivered by Merlin, and saved a knight that would have slain himself for love. CHAPTER XVII. How that knight slew his love and a knight lying by her, and after, how he slew himself with his own sword, and how Balin rode toward a castle where he lost his life. CHAPTER XVIII. How Balin met with his brother Balan, and how each of them slew other unknown, till they were wounded to death. CHAPTER XIX. How Merlin buried them both in one tomb, and of Balin's sword.

BOOK III. CHAPTER I. How King Arthur took a wife, and wedded Guenever, daughter to Leodegrance, King of the Land of Cameliard, with whom he had the Round Table. CHAPTER II. How the Knights of the Round Table were ordained and their sieges blessed by the Bishop of Canterbury. CHAPTER III. How a poor man riding upon a lean mare desired King Arthur to make his son knight. CHAPTER IV. How Sir Tor was known for son of King Pellinore, and how Gawaine was made knight. CHAPTER V. How at feast of the wedding of King Arthur to Guenever, a white hart came into the hall, and thirty couple hounds, and how a brachet pinched the hart which was taken away. CHAPTER VI. How Sir Gawaine rode for to fetch again the hart, and how two brethren fought each against other for the hart. CHAPTER VII How the hart was chased into a castle and there slain, and how Sir Gawaine slew a lady. CHAPTER VIII. How four knights fought against Gawaine and Gaheris, and how they were overcome, and their lives saved at request of four ladies. CHAPTER IX. How Sir Tor rode after the knight with the brachet, and of his adventure by the way. CHAPTER X. How Sir Tor found the brachet with a lady, and how a knight assailed him for the said brachet. CHAPTER XI. How Sir Tor overcame the knight, and how he lost his head at the request of a lady. CHAPTER XII. How King Pellinore rode after the lady and the knight that led her away, and how a lady desired help of him, and how he fought with two knights for that lady, of whom he slew the one at the first stroke. CHAPTER XIII. How King Pellinore gat the lady and brought her to Camelot to the court of King Arthur. CHAPTER XIV. How on the way he heard two knights, as he lay by night in a valley, and of their adventures. CHAPTER XV. How when he was come to Camelot he was sworn upon a book to tell the truth of his quest.

BOOK IV. CHAPTER I. How Merlin was assotted and doted on one of the ladies of the lake, and how he was shut in a rock under a stone and there died. CHAPTER II. How five kings came into this land to war against King Arthur, and what counsel Arthur had against them. CHAPTER III. How King Arthur had ado with them and overthrew them, and slew the five kings and made the remnant to flee. CHAPTER IV. How the battle was finished or he came, and how King Arthur founded an abbey where the battle was. CHAPTER V. How Sir Tor was made knight of the Round Table, and how Bagdemagus was displeased. CHAPTER VI. How King Arthur, King Uriens, and Sir Accolon of Gaul, chased an hart, and of their marvellous adventures. CHAPTER VII. How Arthur took upon him to fight to be delivered out of prison, and also for to deliver twenty knights that were in prison. CHAPTER VIII. How Accolon found himself by a well, and he took upon him to do battle against Arthur. CHAPTER IX. Of the battle between King Arthur and Accolon. CHAPTER X. How King Arthur's sword that he fought with brake, and how he recovered of Accolon his own sword Excalibur, and overcame his enemy. CHAPTER XI. How Accolon confessed the treason of Morgan le Fay, King Arthur's sister, and how she would have done slay him. CHAPTER XII. How Arthur accorded the two brethren, and delivered the twenty knights, and how Sir Accolon died. CHAPTER XIII. How Morgan would have slain Sir Uriens her husband, and how Sir Uwaine her son saved him. CHAPTER XIV. How Queen Morgan le Fay made great sorrow for the death of Accolon, and how she stole away the scabbard from Arthur. CHAPTER XV. How Morgan le Fay saved a knight that should have been drowned, and how King Arthur returned home again. CHAPTER XVI. How the Damosel of the Lake saved King Arthur from mantle that should have burnt him. CHAPTER XVII. How Sir Gawaine and Sir Uwaine met with twelve fair damosels, and how they complained on Sir Marhaus. CHAPTER XVIII. How Sir Marhaus jousted with Sir Gawaine and Sir Uwaine, and overthrew them both. CHAPTER XIX. How Sir Marhaus, Sir Gawaine, and Sir Uwaine met three damosels, and each of them took one. CHAPTER XX. How a knight and a dwarf strove for a lady. CHAPTER XXI. How King Pelleas suffered himself to be taken prisoner because he would have a sight of his lady, and how Sir Gawaine promised him to get to him the love of his lady. CHAPTER XXII. How Sir Gawaine came to the Lady Ettard, and how Sir Pelleas found them sleeping. CHAPTER XXIII. How Sir Pelleas loved no more Ettard by means of the Damosel of the Lake, whom he loved ever after. CHAPTER XXIV. How Sir Marhaus rode with the damosel, and how he came to the Duke of the South Marches. CHAPTER XXV. How Sir Marhaus fought with the duke and his four sons and made them to yield them. CHAPTER XXVI. How Sir Uwaine rode with the damosel of sixty year of age, and how he gat the prize at tourneying. CHAPTER XXVII. How Sir Uwaine fought with two knights and overcame them. CHAPTER XXVIII. How at the year's end all three knights with their three damosels met at the fountain.

BOOK V. CHAPTER I. How twelve aged ambassadors of Rome came to King Arthur to demand truage for Britain. CHAPTER II. How the kings and lords promised to King Arthur aid and help against the Romans. CHAPTER III. How King Arthur held a parliament at York, and how he ordained the realm should be governed in his absence. CHAPTER IV. How King Arthur being shipped and lying in his cabin had a marvellous dream and of the exposition thereof. CHAPTER V. How a man of the country told to him of a marvellous giant, and how he fought and conquered him. CHAPTER VI. How King Arthur sent Sir Gawaine and other to Lucius, and how they were assailed