Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Jennifer Goslee and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team. _The_ KINGS TREASURIES OF LITERATURE GENERAL EDITOR SIR A.T. QUILLER COUCH [Illustration: THE LADY OF THE LAKE TELLETH ARTHUR OF THE SWORD EXCALIBUR] NEW YORK--E.P. DUTTON & COMPANY [Illustration: FIRST AND CHIEF OF ALL THE THREE BEST MOST CHRISTIAN AND WORTHY, KING ARTHUR] STORIES FROM LE MORTE D'ARTHUR AND THE MABINOGION RETOLD BY BEATRICE CLAY LONDON & TORONTO--J.M. DENT & SONS Ltd. SOLE AGENT FOR SCOTLAND THE GRANT EDUCATIONAL CO. LTD. GLASGOW FIRST EDITION, 1920 REPRINTED, 1922, 1924 PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN CONTENTS INTRODUCTION BOOK I.--THE COMING OF ARTHUR I. OF ARTHUR'S BIRTH; AND HOW HE BECAME KING II. THE ROUND TABLE III. OF THE FINDING OF EXCALIBUR IV. OF THE TREACHERY OF QUEEN MORGAN LE FAY V. HOW THE SCABBARD OF EXCALIBUR WAS LOST VI. MERLIN VII. BALIN AND BALAN BOOK II.--SIR LAUNCELOT VIII. SIR LAUNCELOT DU LAC IX. THE ADVENTURE OF THE CHAPEL PERILOUS X. SIR LAUNCELOT AND THE FALCON BOOK III.--SIR TRISTRAM XI. OF THE BIRTH OF ST. TRISTRAM XII. HOW TRISTRAM FOUGHT WITH SIR MARHAUS OF IRELAND XIII. THE FAIR ISOLT XIV. HOW KING MARK SENT SIR TRISTRAM TO FETCH HIM A WIFE XV. HOW SIR TRISTRAM AND THE FAIR ISOLT DRANK OF THE MAGIC POTION XVI. OF THE END OF SIR TRISTRAM BOOK IV.--KING ARTHUR'S NEPHEWS XVII. SIR GAWAIN AND THE LADY XVIII. THE ADVENTURES OF SIR GARETH BOOK V.--SIR GERAINT XIX. THE ADVENTURES OF GERAINT XX. GERAINT AND ENID BOOK VI.--THE LADY OF THE FOUNTAIN XXI. THE LADY OF THE FOUNTAIN BOOK VII.--SIR PEREDUR XXII. THE ADVENTURES OF SIR PEREDUR BOOK VIII.--THE HOLY GRAIL XXIII. THE COMING OF SIR GALAHAD XXIV. HOW SIR GALAHAD WON THE RED-CROSS SHIELD XXV. THE ADVENTURES OF SIR PERCIVALE XXVI. THE ADVENTURES OF SIR BORS XXVII. THE ADVENTURES OF SIR LAUNCELOT XXVIII. HOW SIR LAUNCELOT SAW THE HOLY GRAIL XXIX. THE END OF THE QUEST BOOK IX.--THE FAIR MAID OF ASTOLAT XXX. THE FAIR MAID OF ASTOLAT BOOK X.--QUEEN GUENEVERE XXXI. HOW MORDRED PLOTTED AGAINST SIR LAUNCELOT XXXII. THE TRIAL OF THE QUEEN XXXIII. HOW SIR GAWAIN DEFIED SIR LAUNCELOT XXXIV. HOW KING ARTHUR AND SIR GAWAIN WENT TO FRANCE BOOK XI.--THE MORTE D'ARTHUR XXXV. MORDRED THE TRAITOR XXXVI. THE BATTLE IN THE WEST XXXVII. THE PASSING OF ARTHUR XXXVIII. THE DEATH OF SIR LAUNCELOT AND OF THE QUEEN INTRODUCTION Among the stories of world-wide renown, not the least stirring are those that have gathered about the names of national heroes. The _AEneid_, the _Nibelungenlied_, the _Chanson de Roland_, the _Morte D'Arthur_,--they are not history, but they have been as National Anthems to the races, and their magic is not yet dead.