King Arthur and the Knights of the Round TableMalory, Thomas, Sir
General
King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table
Malory, Thomas, Sir
Arthurian romances
But when King Arthur saw the fury of the enemy, he raged like a mad
lion, and stirred and drove his horse now here, now there, to the right
hand and to the left and stayed not in his wrath till he had slain full
twenty knights. He wounded also King Lot so sorely in the shoulder that
he left the field, and in great pain and dolor cried out to the other
kings, "Do ye as I devise, or we shall be destroyed. I, with the King of
the Hundred Knights, King Anguisant, King Yder, and the Duke of
Cambinet, will take fifteen thousand men and make a circuit, meanwhile
that ye do hold the battle with twelve thousand. Then coming suddenly we
will fall fiercely on them from behind and put them to the rout, but
else shall we never stand against them."
So Lot and four kings departed with their party to one side, and the six
other kings dressed their ranks against King Arthur and fought long and
stoutly.
But now Kings Ban and Bors, with all their army fresh and eager, broke
from their ambush and met face to face the five kings and their host as
they came round behind, and then began a frantic struggle with breaking
of spears and clashing of swords and slaying of men and horses. Anon
King Lot, espying in the midst King Bors, cried out in great dismay,
"Our Lady now defend us from our death and fearful wounds; our peril
groweth great, for yonder cometh one of the worshipfullest kings and
best knights in all the world."
"Who is he?" said the King of the Hundred Knights.
"It is King Bors of Gaul," replied King Lot, "and much I marvel how he
may have come with all his host into this land without our knowledge."
"Aha!" cried King Carados, "I will encounter with this king if ye will
rescue me when there is need."
"Ride on," said they.
So King Carados and all his host rode softly till they came within a
bow-shot of King Bors, and then both hosts, spurring their horses to
their greatest swiftness, rushed at each other. And King Bors
encountered in the onset with a knight, and struck him through with a
spear, so that he fell dead upon the earth; then drawing his sword, he
did such mighty feats of arms that all who saw him gazed with wonder.
Anon King Ban came also forth upon the field with all his knights, and
added yet more fury, sound, and slaughter, till at length both hosts of
the eleven kings began to quake, and drawing all together into one body,
they prepared to meet the worst, while a great multitude already fled.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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