by Howard Pyle
After the Archbishop had gone and when Sir Mordred found that he had gone, Sir Mordred collected such of his army together as were there at hand; and he also descended to Dover, taking that army with him; his intent being to prevent the King from landing if he could do so.
So came King Arthur to Dover, and as one stood upon the cliffs one beheld that his ships and galleys covered the entire sea as far as the eye could behold. And as the King approached the shore, he beheld that there was a considerable army drawn up in array upon the beach where he was to land, and he knew not whether that array were to welcome him or to do battle with him. But at length he perceived Sir Mordred in the forefront of that array, and he wist that that army was there to do battle with him. Then he groaned aloud and he said, “Is there yet more blood to be shed? Well, then, it must be shed, for never will I give up my throne unless I give it up with my life. For eight and twenty years have I held that throne, and shall I now surrender it to this man, my nephew Mordred? No; never!”
Of the battle of Dover.
So as the boats drew near to the shore, those who were in them leaped into the water and waded to the shore. And the army of Sir Mordred came down to the water and did battle with those who sought to land. And so a great battle was fought there at the edge of the water, so that the water was all discolored red with the blood of those who were wounded or slain and who fell into the flood. Wherefore it was that with each recurring wave this red water ran upward upon the white sands, and then receded, leaving the sands all stained red where it had flowed upon it.
But yet Sir Mordred did not prevent that army from landing, for ever more knights and yeomen and still more leaped from the boats and into that shallow water, and so at last the army of Sir Mordred was forced back from the water and King Arthur’s army landed upon the shore.
Then Sir Mordred withdrew his army from that place and King Arthur took possession of that part of Britain.
After that the Archbishop of Canterbury came to where King Arthur was, and he gave him greeting, saying, “Greeting, King Arthur, and give thee joy of landing upon this soil. For here am I who am the head of the Church and I give thee welcome to thy realm. For wit you that Sir Mordred would fain have had me crown him king, but I would not crown him, having heard that thou wert still alive.”
Then King Arthur embraced the Bishop and kissed him upon either cheek, and said to him, “Sir, I thank you for your welcome. And I thank you that you have guarded and protected my rights.”
Now, after having been thus driven away from Dover, Sir Mordred withdrew to Baremdown, and at that place he gathered about him all those of his followers who had hitherto been tardy in coming to him. And he assembled with him all those who had been friends to Sir Launcelot (for these were now at enmity with King Arthur). So at that place Sir Mordred had a very considerable army to confront King Arthur withal.
Then Sir Mordred stationed that army upon a rise of land where were three steep hills. For so he could charge down those hills against his enemies, whilst they must charge up those hills against him.
So came King Arthur, and when he perceived the dispersion of Sir Mordred’s army, he also arranged his army into three divisions. The centre division he took himself; the right division he entrusted to the King of North Wales, and the left division he placed under the leadership of Sir Ewaine, who had not quitted Britain for all this time.
Of the battle of Baremdown.
Then King Arthur charged his army up those hills against his enemy, but he could not climb those hills because of the steepness thereof, and because of the defence of the enemy at the top of the steeps. And afterward he charged again and again, but still he could not gain the crest of those hills.
Then Sir Ewaine’s division overlapped the army of Sir Mordred, and he charged up that hill both before and behind. And he doubled Sir Mordred’s party up upon itself and threw it into great confusion.
But that wing of Sir Mordred’s army could not retreat to the rear by reason that Sir Ewaine’s knights were there; wherefore, it fled back upon the centre of the army and threw that centre also into confusion. Then King Arthur charged for the fourth time, and this time he took the centre hill of the three, and with that the army of Sir Mordred broke and fled. And the army of Sir Mordred fled toward Salisbury, and a great many knights were slain in that flight. And the army of Sir Mordred took up its station not far from Salisbury, and not far distant from the sea.
So King Arthur won the battle of Baremdown, but with sad and bitter loss. For many knights fell in that assault and amongst them was Sir Ewaine, who was mortally hurt.
Sir Ewaine is wounded.
Now when King Arthur heard that Sir Ewaine was hurt, he went to where the wounded knight lay in his pavilion. And Sir Ewaine’s face was very wan and hollow and pale, and the dew of death stood upon his forehead. Then King Arthur went to the couch of Sir Ewaine and he kneeled beside the couch and embraced Sir Ewaine about the body with his arms. And the tears ran down King Arthur’s face and wet the face of Sir Ewaine that was beneath him. And Sir Ewaine said, “Art thou there, my king? For I cannot see thee, and yet meseems I feel thee weeping upon me.” And King Arthur said, “Ewaine, it is I.”
Sir Ewaine biddeth King Arthur to send for Sir Launcelot.
Then Sir Ewaine said, “Sir, send for Sir Launcelot to aid thee in this war. For Sir Launcelot is the best of all thy knights and he has with him several knights that are very good and strong. These will come to thine aid if thou wilt ask it of them, and so thou wilt easily overthrow Sir Mordred. For many of the knights also are friends with Sir Launcelot who are now in the army of Sir Mordred, thinking that thou art at enmity with Sir Launcelot. But if Sir Launcelot cometh to thee, then will those knights quit Sir Mordred and will cleave to thee. But if thou dost not send for Sir Launcelot then it may be that Sir Mordred will overthrow thee. Wherefore I beseech thee to send for Sir Launcelot and for his knights to aid thee.”
Quoth King Arthur, “How shall I send for him? And by what right shall I ask him to come to mine aid? Sir Launcelot is my foe, for he took from me my wife and held her from me for several months. And he hath slain my nephews and he slew Sir Gawaine, who was my best beloved of all. How, then, shall I now ask him to come to mine aid?”
Sir Ewaine writeth a letter to Sir Launcelot.
Quoth Sir Ewaine, “Give me parchment and ink.” So they brought ink and parchment to Sir Ewaine and they propped him up upon his bed. And with that his wounds burst out bleeding afresh, so that he wist that he had but a short time to live.
Then Sir Ewaine wrote to Sir Launcelot and he said to him, “Sir, this day hath been fought a great battle upon Baremdown, and King Arthur, mine uncle, won that battle. But many knights have died in that battle, and I in it have received my death-wound. Sir, I pray you let all bygones pass and be done betwixt you and King Arthur. And I pray you to forget and forgive any injury you may have received or given; for in this war King Arthur is put to such a pass that maybe he shall win and maybe he shall not win; wherefore I pray you to come to him without any delay, and so make his winning this war a certainty.
“Sir, I myself have been sorely wounded and am dying, and in an hour I shall have passed and gone from this earth. So, with my dying strength I write you to come to the aid of your king who made you a knight some while ago.”
Such as this was Sir Ewaine’s letter, and after he had written it he signed his name to it.
This letter King Arthur sent by a messenger to Sir Launcelot of the Lake in France. There Sir Launcelot received it and paid heed to it. For he summoned his knights about him and he read that letter to them, and he said to them, “Messires, such as this is the need of King Arthur. Now who will go with me to Britain and do battle in this for the King of Britain?” And those knights said, “I will go!”— “And I!”— “And I!”— “And I!” — until they all of them agreed to go to Britain and fight for King Arthur.
Sir Ewaine dieth.
Now return we to King Art
hur again. For there was he left kneeling beside the couch of Sir Ewaine. And so he continued to kneel and presently Sir Ewaine said, “Good, my Lord, are you there?” For Sir Ewaine’s eyes were now darkening in death and he could not see anything. And King Arthur said, “Yea, I am here.” And he took Sir Ewaine’s hand in his, and Sir Ewaine’s hand was cold and very heavy, like to lead. And Sir Ewaine said, “Hold my hand and do not let it go.” So King Arthur held the hand of Sir Ewaine. So Sir Ewaine lay for a little while, breathing deep draughts of death; and by and by he sighed very deeply and then he lay still; for his spirit had passed from him with that deep sigh.
Then King Arthur arose and he said, “Alas, that this good worthy knight is gone. For he was my nephew and he was very faithful to me.” And he said, “To-day we will bury him, and to-morrow we shall follow Sir Mordred, and either he shall die or I shall die. For so through him and his deeds hath this kind and noble gentleman died; wherefore he must pay the price of that death — he must slay me as well, or else I will slay him.”
So King Arthur arose and went forth from that place. And when the day was come, Sir Ewaine was buried at the minster at that place, and it was said in the history of these things that his skull was to be seen there even to the very day of the ancient writing of this history.
King Arthur advances against Sir Mordred.
Then after all honors had been paid to the body of Sir Ewaine, King Arthur gathered his army together and he arose and pursued Sir Mordred in the direction of Salisbury. And the next day he came to that place where Sir Mordred was, and there he halted his army.
That night King Arthur lay in his pavilion and he slept very deeply and profoundly, as sleeps the man who is weary of toil and marching. And anon while he slept he had a dream and the dream was this:
The King hath a dream.
He dreamed that he sat upon his throne, and that his throne was established upon a monstrous wheel. And the wheel rose high with him sitting upon his throne. And anon the wheel rose above the rim of the earth, and he beheld the sun shining in all his glory. And the sun glittered upon him and he felt all the joy and all the delight of that sunlight. And it seemed to King Arthur that he was a great while in that sunlight, but he was not, for the wheel was turning very slowly with him. So the wheel reached its highest apex, and then it began to descend. And the wheel descended more and more swiftly, and anon it descended below the rim of the world, and so the sunlight had left the King. And the wheel descended more and more swiftly, so that King Arthur began to fear he would be cast out of his throne by the turning of the wheel. And King Arthur dreamed that he looked down beneath him, and he beheld that the wheel was descending very rapidly to a great pool, as it were a lake. And this pool was filled with blackness and with blood, and behold there was no bottom to that pool. And by then the throne of King Arthur was inclining very greatly toward that pool, and the King felt that he was slipping from his throne, and at that his soul was filled with terror. Then he tried to awaken, but he could not. So, in his terror, he screamed very loudly and shrilly, “Save me! Save me, or I fall!” And so shrill was his calling that several knights and attendants ran into the pavilion where he was, and these beheld the King struggling in his sleep. And they cried out, “Lord, Lord! What aileth thee? Awaken!” And with that King Arthur awoke.
And King Arthur sat up upon his couch and gazed about him, as one sunk in great amazement, and he said, “I slept and I dreamed a dream; and it was a dreadful dream.” And he said to those in attendance upon him, “Do not go from me yet, for that dream hath affrighted me.”
So they all sat near to him and by and by they beheld that he breathed very deeply and softly, wherefore they wist that he slept again. Then all they withdrew from the pavilion, saving only two of his attendants who still sat beside him.
But King Arthur did not sleep, though it was a manner of sleep, for he beheld all the things about him as though he were partly awake, yet he could not move.
The King dreameth again.
Then, while he was in this sleep, King Arthur beheld a vision. For he saw the flap at the doorway of the pavilion that it moved, and anon it was raised and Sir Gawaine entered the tent. And Sir Gawaine held the flap of the doorway aside, and King Arthur beheld that fourteen ladies entered the tent behind Sir Gawaine.
And when these ladies had all entered the tent, Sir Gawaine let fall the flap of the doorway, and so he came forward to where King Arthur lay. And the face of Sir Gawaine was very calm and smiling and cheerful, and King Arthur felt great peace and happiness when he beheld him standing there.
Then King Arthur dreamed that he spoke to Sir Gawaine, and he said, “Sir, how is this? Methought that you were dead, and here I behold you alive. Was it not then you whom we buried in France some while ago?”
Sir Gawaine said, “Nay, Lord, that was not I, that was but my shell — my poor, crumbling, perishable carcass that you buried. This is I myself, and I have come to you from Paradise.”
Quoth King Arthur, “Who are these ladies whom you have with you?” To this Sir Gawaine made answer, “These are those ladies for whom I one time did battle. For some of those ladies I saved from grief, some of them from misfortune, some of them I saved from danger, and of some of them I saved their lives. So they have accompanied me hither from Paradise that I might speak to you.”
Said King Arthur, “Sir Gawaine, my nephew, what is it you would say to me?” To the which Sir Gawaine made reply, “Sir, I come to you to charge you that you shall not do battle to-morrow-day. For great danger lieth before you, and if you do battle you will assuredly perish. Wherefore I come to you to beseech you that you will not enter into war with your enemies. Wit you that Sir Launcelot will in a little while come to your assistance, for already the letter from Sir Ewaine hath well-nigh reached him, and when it reacheth him then will he come to you with all speed. Wherefore I pray you make such terms with Sir Mordred as you may, but do not join battle with him.”
King Arthur said, “How shall I know that this that thou tellest me is a vision of prophecy and not a dream? For if it is a dream, then perhaps it is mistaken, as many dreams are mistaken; but if it be a vision of prophecy, then I shall believe that it is sooth.”
“Sir,” said Sir Gawaine, “you may believe it from this sign that will remain unto you. And from it you may know that what you now behold is indeed a vision of prophecy, and not a dream.”
Sir Gawaine leaveth a sign.
So with that Sir Gawaine reached forth his finger and touched with it the back of King Arthur’s hand. And when the finger of Sir Gawaine touched his hand, lo! upon the hand of King Arthur there was left a spot as white as wax.
Then the figure of Sir Gawaine melted slowly from his sight, and the figures of the ladies also melted away and King Arthur awoke from his sleep. And King Arthur sat up upon his couch and he beheld that the day-light was streaming into his pavilion, for the sun had already arisen.
And King Arthur looked at the back of his hand, and he beheld that there was the spot as white as wax where Sir Gawaine had touched him. Then King Arthur was very much perturbed in spirit, for he wist that what he had just beheld was no dream, but that it was a vision of prophecy.
The King advises with his counsellors.
So King Arthur called at him his knights and gentlemen and yeomen, and he told them to bring to him those bishops who were with him, and also the wisest of his counsellors. When these were come he told to them the vision of his sleep, and he showed them the white spot upon his hand, where the finger of Sir Gawaine had touched him. And he said to those counsellors, “Sirs, is it better to treat with these our enemies to-day than to do battle with them? For if it be true that Sir Launcelot cometh to us, then all those knights who for his sake are now in the army of Sir Mordred, will leave that army and will join them with us for the sake of Sir Launcelot. Thus will many lives be spared and much blood remain unshed, for there will be no battle with Sir Mordred.”
Then all those counsellors agreed
with him and they said, “That which thou sayst is true. Do not fight with Sir Mordred to-day, but treat with him. For thy dream and thy vision foretell thy death if thou fightest with him.”
So King Arthur chose him two of those bishops, and he chose him Sir Lucian the Bottelier and Sir Bedivere, his brother, from all the Knights of the Round Table, and these two knights and those two worthies he sent as his ambassadors to Sir Mordred. And he said to them, “Spare not your promises of land and of estate, but make this treaty for a month and a day; for by that time we will know how Sir Launcelot standeth toward us.”
The envoys treat with Sir Mordred.
So those two envoys went to Sir Mordred, and they entered into treaty with him and his advisers. And they argued for all that day, and against eventide they had not decided. So the next day they went to Sir Mordred, and that day it was determined that Sir Mordred should hold Cornwall and Kent for his own during the life of King Arthur, and that upon the death of King Arthur all Britain should be his to rule as king.
This treaty they brought to King Arthur, and when he read it he frowned until his eyes were hidden. “Well,” said he, “this traitor claimeth much. Let him be thankful that instead of all this land he demandeth, he hath given to him instead only six feet of earth in which to lie.”
So it was arranged that Sir Mordred and King Arthur should meet upon the next day at high noontide, at a certain place betwixt the two armies. And it was there arranged that each of them should sign this covenant, and that there should then be peace in all the land.
And the place where this meeting was to be held was a certain smooth and gentle valley, that sloped upward upon either hand. And upon one extremity of the valley one could behold the distant ocean, and upon the other side of the valley one could behold the plains of Salisbury. At this place those two armies were gathered upon the hills looking down upon the middle of that valley.