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<div style="background:#fff;border:#bbb dashed 1px;padding:5px"><a href="http://en.citatepedia.ro/comments.php?id=346037" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none"><div style="margin:10px 0"><strong>King Arthur's Death. A Fragment.</strong></div><div style="margin:10px 0">On Trinitye Mondaye in the morne,<br>This sore battayle was doom'd to bee,<br>Where manye a knighte cry'd, Well-awaye!<br>Alacke, it was the more pittie.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">Ere the first crowinge of the cocke,<br>When as the kinge in his bed laye,<br>He thoughte Sir Gawaine to him came,<br>And there to him these wordes did saye:</div><div style="margin:10px 0">'Nowe, as you are mine unkle deare,<br>And as you prize your life, this daye<br>O meet not with your foe in fighte;<br>Putt off the battayle, if yee maye.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">'For Sir Launcelot is nowe in Fraunce,<br>And with him many an hardye knighte:<br>Who will within this moneth be backe, <br>And will assiste ye in the fighte.'</div><div style="margin:10px 0">The kinge then call'd his nobles all,<br>Before the breakinge of the daye;<br>And told them howe Sir Gawaine came,<br>And there to him these wordes did saye.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">His nobles all this counsayle gave,<br>That earlye in the morning, hee<br>Shold send awaye an herauld-at-armes,<br>To aske a parley faire and free.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">Then twelve good knightes King Arthur chose,<br>The best of all that with him were,<br>To parley with the foe in field,<br>And make with him agreement faire.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">The king he charged all his hoste,<br>In readinesse there for to bee;<br>But noe man shold noe weapon sturre,<br>Unlesse a sword drawne they shold see.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">And Mordred, on the other parte,<br>Twelve of his knights did likewise bringe,<br>The best of all his companye,<br>To hold the parley with the kinge.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">Sir Mordred alsoe charged his hoste,<br>In readinesse there for to bee;<br>But noe man sholde noe weapon sturre,<br>But if a sworde drawne they shold see.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">For he durste not his unkle truste,<br>Nor he his nephewe, sothe to tell;<br>Alacke! it was a woefulle case,<br>As ere in Christentye befelle.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">But when they were together mette,<br>And both to faire accordance broughte,<br>And a month's league betweene them sette,<br>Before the battayle sholde be foughte,</div><div style="margin:10px 0">An addere crept forth of a bushe,<br>Stunge one o' th' king's knightes on the knee;<br>Alacke! it was a woefulle chance,<br>As ever was in Christentie.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">When the knighte found him wounded sore,<br>And sawe the wild-worm hanginge there,<br>His sworde he from his scabbarde drewe;<br>A piteous case, as ye shall heare.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">For when the two hosts sawe the sworde,<br>They joyned battayle instantlye;<br>Till of soe manye noble knights,<br>On one side there were left but three.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">For all were slain that durst abide,<br>And but some fewe that fled awaye:<br>Ay mee! it was a bloodye fielde,<br>As ere was foughte on a summer's daye.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">Upon King Arthur's own partye,<br>Onlye himselfe escaped there,<br>And Lukyn Duke of Gloster free,<br>And the king's butler Bedevere.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">And when the king beheld his knights <br>All dead and scattered on the molde,<br>The teares fast trickled downe his face;<br>That manlye face in fight so bolde.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">'Nowe reste yee all, brave knights,' he said,<br>'Soe true and faithful to your trust:<br>And must yee then, ye valiant hearts,<br>Be lefte to moulder into dust!</div><div style="margin:10px 0">'Most loyal have yee been to mee,<br>Most true and faithful unto deathe:<br>And, oh! to rayse yee up againe,<br>How freelye could I yield my breathe!</div><div style="margin:10px 0">'But see, the traitor's yet alive!<br>Lo where hee stalkes among the deade!<br>Nowe bitterlye he shall abye:<br>And vengeance fall upon his head.'</div><div style="margin:10px 0">'O staye, my liege,' then sayd the duke;<br>'O staye for love and charitie;<br>Remember what the vision spake,<br>Nor meete your foe, if it may bee.'</div><div style="margin:10px 0">'O staye mee not, thou worthye wight,<br>This debt my loyal knights I owe:<br>Betide me life, betide me death,<br>I will avenge them of their foe.'</div><div style="margin:10px 0">Then straite he grasp'd his trustye speare,<br>And on his horse then mounted hee:<br>As his butler holpe him to his horse,<br>His bowels gushed to his knee.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">'Alas!' then sayd the noble king,<br>'That I should live this sight to see!<br>To see this good knight here be slaine,<br>All for his love in helping mee!'</div><div style="margin:10px 0">He put his speare into his reste,<br>And to Sir Mordred loud gan crye;<br>'Nowe sette thyself upon thy guarde<br>For, traitor, nowe thy death is nye.'</div><div style="margin:10px 0">Sir Mordred lifted up his sworde,<br>And fierce to meet the king ran hee:<br>The king his speare he through him thrust,<br>A fathom thorow his bodie.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">When Mordred felt the stroke of death,<br>And found that he was sounded soe,<br>He thrust himselfe upon the speare,<br>And strucke the king a deadlye blowe.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">Then grimmlye dyed Sir Mordered, <br>Presentlye upon that tree:<br>And bloody streames ranne from the kinge,<br>Ere to the duke returned hee.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">Sir Lukyn then he thus bespake:<br>'Sir Knighte, thou hast been faithfulle tryde;<br>Nowe take my sword Excalibar,<br>That hangs so freelye by my syde;</div><div style="margin:10px 0">'O take my sword Excalibar, <br>And there into the river throwe:<br>For here, henceforth, benethe this tree,<br>All use of weapons I foregoe.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">'And fare thee well, thou trustye sword,<br>A better neer had valiant knighte;<br>With thee full ofte, and many a daye,<br>Have I withstood my foe in fighte.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">'With this good fauchion in my hande,<br>Oft have I reapd the bloody feelde:<br>But nowe the fatalle houre is come,<br>That never more I may thee weelde.'</div><div style="margin:10px 0">The duke to the river side he went,<br>And there his owne sword in threwe he;<br>But he kept back Excalibar,<br>He kept it back in privitie.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">For all of coleyne was the blade,<br>And all the hilte of precious stone:<br>'And ever alacke!' then sayd the knighte,<br>'Must such a sword awaye be throwne?'</div><div style="margin:10px 0">Then backe he came unto the kinge,<br>Who sayd, 'Sir Lukyn, what did yee see?'<br>'Nothing, my liefe, save that winde<br>Blind oer the waters faire and free.'</div><div style="margin:10px 0">'O goe againe,' then said the kinge,<br>'O good Sir Lukyn, goe againe:<br>Into the rivers throwe my sword,<br>Nor keepe me lingering here in paine.'</div><div style="margin:10px 0">The duke then to the river went,<br>And the kings scabberd in threwe hee;<br>But hee kept backe Excalibar,<br>And hid it undernethe a tree.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">Then backe he came to tell the kinge,<br>Who sayde, 'Sir Lukyn, sawe ye oughte?'<br>'Nothinge, my liege, save that the winde<br>Nowe with the angrye waters fought.'</div><div style="margin:10px 0">'O Lukyn, Lukyn,' said the kinge,<br>'Twice haste thou dealt deceytfullye:<br>Alacke, whom may wee ever truste,<br>When suche a knighte soe false can bee!</div><div style="margin:10px 0">'Saye, wouldst thou have thy master dead,<br>All for a sword that wins thine eye?<br>Now goe againe, and throwe it in, <br>Or here the one of us shall dye.'</div><div style="margin:10px 0">The duke, all shent with this rebuke,<br>No aunswere made unto the kinge;<br>But to the rivere tooke the sworde,<br>And threwe it far as he coulde flinge.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">A hande and an arme did meete the sworde,<br>And flourishd three times in the air;<br>Then sunke benethe the renninge streme,<br>And of the duke was seene noe mair.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">All sore astonied stood the duke,<br>He stood as still, as still mote bee;<br>Then hastend backe to telle the kinge,<br>But he was gone from under the tree.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">But to what place he cold not tell,<br>For never after hee did him spye;<br>But hee sawe a barge goe from the land,<br>And hee heard ladyes howle and crye.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">And whether the kinge were there or not,<br>Hee never knewe, nor ever colde;<br>For from that sad and direfulle daye,<br>Hee never more was seene on molde.</div><div style="margin:10px 0"><br /></a><br />poem by <a href="http://en.citatepedia.ro/by.php?a=Anonymous+Olde+English">Anonymous Olde English</a><div class=q>
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<script type="text/javascript" src="//s7.addthis.com/js/300/addthis_widget.js#pubid=citatepedia" async="async"></script><div style="display:inline-block" class="addthis_sharing_toolbox" data-url="http://en.citatepedia.ro/comments.php?id=346037" data-title="King Arthur's Death. A Fragment. de Anonymous Olde English" data-description="On Trinitye Mondaye in the morne,
This sore battayle was doom'd to bee,
Where manye a knighte cry'd, Well-awaye!
Alacke, it was the more pittie.

Ere the first crowinge of the cocke,
When as the kinge in his bed laye,
He thoughte Sir Gawaine to hi..."></div>
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