Page:The Garden of Romance - 1897.djvu/77

Rh Excalibur; for, as I told you, ye shall lose no blood as long as ye have the scabbard upon you, though ye have as many wounds upon your body as ye may have." So afterwards, for great trust, King Arthur betook the scabbard to Morgan le Fay, his sister; and she loved another knight better than her husband, King Urience, or King Arthur. And she would have had King Arthur slain: and, therefore, she let make another scabbard like it by enchantment, and gave the scabbard of Excalibur to her love, a knight named Sir Accolon, which after had nigh slain King Arthur. After this, Merlin told unto King Arthur of the prophecy that there should be a great battle beside Salisbury, and that Mordred, his own son, should be against him: also he told him, that Basdemegus was his cousin, and german unto King Urience.

Within a day or two King Arthur was somewhat sick, and he let pitch his pavilion in a meadow, and there he laid him down on a pallet to sleep, but he might have no rest. Right so he heard a great noise of a horse; and therewith the king looked out at the porch of the pavilion's door, and saw a knight coming by him making great sorrow. "Abide, fair sir," said King Arthur, "and tell me wherefore thou makest this sorrow." "Ye may little amend it," said the knight, and so passed forth unto the castle of Meliot. Anon after there came Balin; and, when he saw King Arthur, anon he alighted off his horse, and came to the king on foot, and saluted him. "By my head," said King Arthur, "ye be welcome, sir. Right now came riding this way a knight making great sorrow, and I cannot tell for what cause; wherefore, I would desire you, of your courtesy and gentleness, that ye will fetch that knight again, either by force, or else by his