The Story of King Arthur and his KnightsPyle, Howard
General
The Story of King Arthur and his Knights
Pyle, Howard
Arthur, King -- Legends; Arthurian romances -- Adaptations; Folklore -- England; Knights and knighthood -- Folklore
And when the herald had sounded his trumpet there immediately appeared
the first of those kings to make trial of the sword, and he who came was
King Lot of Orkney and the Isles. With King Lot there came eleven
knights and five esquires, so that he appeared in very noble estate before
the eyes of all. And when King Lot had arrived at that place, he mounted the
platform. And first he saluted the Archbishop, and then he laid his
hands to the pommel of the sword in the sight of all. And he bent his
body and drew upon the sword with great strength, but he could not move
the blade in the anvil even so much as the breadth of a hair, for it
stood as fast as the iron in which it was planted. And after that first
assay he tried three times more, but still he was altogether unable to
move the blade in the iron. Then, after that he had thus four times made
assay, he ceased his endeavor and came down from that place. And he was
filled with great anger and indignation that he had not succeeded in his
endeavor.
[Sidenote: Sundry others make assay and fail.]
And after King Lot there came his brother-in-law, King Urien of Gore,
and he also made assay in the same wise as King Lot had done. But
neither did he succeed any better than that other king. And after King
Urien there came King Fion of Scotland, and after King Fion there came
King Mark of Cornwall, and after King Mark there came King Ryence of
North Wales, and after King Ryence there came King Leodegrance of
Cameliard, and after him came all those other kings and dukes before
numerated, and not one of all these was able to move the blade. And some
of these high and mighty lords were filled with anger and indignation
that they had not succeeded, and others were ashamed that they had
failed in that undertaking before the eyes of all those who looked upon
them. But whether they were angry or whether they were ashamed it in no
wise helped their case.
Now when all the kings and dukes had thus failed in that adventure, the
people who were there were very much astonished, and they said to one
another, “How is this? If all those kings and dukes of very exalted
estate have failed to achieve that adventure, who then may hope to
succeed? For here have been all those who were most worthy of that high
honor, and all have tried to draw that sword and all have failed. Who
then is there now to come after these who may hope to succeed?”
[Sidenote: The kings and dukes are discontented.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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