And there is room lefte yet in a kantle,

For thine to ftande, to make the twelfth out:
This must be done, be thou never so stout;
This must be done, I tell thee no fable,
Maugre the teethe of all thy round table.

When this mortal meffage from his mouthe past,
Great was the noyse bothe in hall and in bower:
The king fum'd; the queene fcreecht; ladies were aghaft;
Princes puffd; barons bluftred; lords began lower;
Knights formed; fquires ftartled, like fteeds in a flower;
Pages and yeomen yell'd out in the hall,

Then in came fir Kay, the king's' fenefchal.

Silence, my foveraignes, quoth this courteous knight,
And in that found the ftowre began still:
'Then' the dwarfe's dinner full deerely was dight,
Of wine and waffel he had his wille;

And, when he had eaten and drunken his fill,

An hundred pieces of fine coyned gold

Were given this dwarf for his message bold.

But fay to fir Ryence, thou dwarf, quoth the king,
That for his bold meffage I do him defye;

And shortlye with basins and pans will him ring
Out of North-gales; where he and I

With fwords, and not razors, quickly shall trye, Whether he, or king Arthur will prove the best barbor: And therewith he fhook his good fword Excalàbor.

IV.

KING ARTHUR'S DEATH.

A FRAGMENT.

The fubject of this ballad is evidently taken from the old romance Morte Arthur, but with some variations, especially in the concluding ftanzas; in which the author feems rather to follow the traditions of the old Welsh Bards, who "believed that King Arthur was not dead, but conveied "awaie by the Fairies into fome pleasant place, where he fhould remaine for a time, and then returne againe and "reign in as great authority as ever." Holingfbed. B. 5. c. 14. or as it is expreffed in an old Chronicle printed at Antwerp 1493 by Ger. de Leew, "The Bre"tons fuppofen, that he [K. Arthur]-shall come yet and conquere all Bretaigne, for certes this is the prophicye of Merlyn: He fayd, that his deth fhall be doubteous; and "fayd fotb, for men thereof yet have doubte, and fhullen for 66 ever more, for men wyt not whether that he lyveth or is dede." See more ancient teftimonies in Selden's Notes on Polyolbion, Song III.

66

This fragment being very incorrect and imperfect in the original MS. hath received fome conjectural emendations, and even a fupplement of 3 or 4 ftanzas compofed from the romance of MORTE ARTHUR.

N Trinitye Mondaye in the morne,

ON

This fore battayle was dcom'd to bee;
Where manye a knighte cry'd, Well-awaye!
Alacke, it was the more pittìe.

Ere

Ere the first crowinge of the cocke,

When as the kinge in his bed laye,
He thoughte fir Gawaine to him came,
And there to him these wordes did faye.

Nowe as you are mine unkle deare,

And as you prize your life, this daye O meet not with your foe in fighte; Putt off the battayle, if yee maye.

For fir Launcelot is nowe in Fraunce,

And with him many an hardye knighte: Who will within this moneth be backe, And will affifte yee in the fighte.

The kinge then call'd his nobles all,
Before the breakinge of the daye;

And tolde them howe fir Gawaine came,
And there to him these wordes did faye.

His nobles all this counfayle gave,

That earlye in the morning, hee

Shold fend awaye an herauld at armes,
To aske a parley faire and free.

5

10

15

20

Then twelve good knightes king Arthure chofe, 25 The best of all that with him were:

To parley with the foe in field,

And make with him agreement faire.

The

The king he charged all his hofte,

In readineffe there for to bee:

But noe man fholde noe weapon fturre,

Unleffe a fword drawne they fhold fee.

And Mordred on the other parte,

Twelve of his knights did likewise bringe ; The befte of all his companye,

To hold the parley with the kinge.

Sir Mordred alfoe charged his hofte,
In readineffe there for to bee;
But noe man fholde noe weapon fturre,
But if a fworde drawne they shold see.

For he durfte not his unkle truste,

Nor he his nephewe, fothe to tell : Alacke! it was a woefulle cafe,

As ere in Christentye, befelle.

But when they were together mette,

And both to faire accordance broughte;

And a month's league betweene them fette,
Before the battayle fholde be foughte.

An addere crept forth of a bushe,

30

35

40

45

Stunge one o' th' king's knightes on the knee: 50 Alacke! it was a woefulle chance,

As ever was in Christentie.

When

When the knighte found him wounded fore,
And fawe the wild-worme hanginge there;
His fworde he from his fcabberde drewe :
A piteous cafe as ye shall heare.

For when the two hoftes fawe the sworde,
They joyned battayle instantlye;

Till of foe manye noble knightes,

On one fide there were left but three.

For all were flain that durft abide,

55

60

And when the king beheld his knightes,
All dead and scattered on the molde;
The teares faft trickled downe his face;
That manlye face in fight fo bolde.

Nowe refte yee all, brave knights, he said,
Soe true and faithful to your truft:
And muft yee then, ye valiant hearts,

Be lefte to moulder into duft!

79

75

Moft