{"collection":"Northern European Mythology","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/neu/mart/mart013.htm","path":"neu/mart/mart013.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/neu/mart/mart013.htm","text":"CHAPTER XIV\nHow the eleven kings with their host fought against Arthur\nand his host, and many great feats of the war.\nTHEN King Arthur and King Ban and King Bors, with their good and\ntrusty knights, set on them so fiercely that they made them\noverthrow their pavilions on their heads, but the eleven kings,\nby manly prowess of arms, took a fair champaign, but there was\nslain that morrowtide ten thousand good men's bodies. And so\nthey had afore them a strong passage, yet were they fifty\nthousand of hardy men. Then it drew toward day. Now shall ye do\nby mine advice, said Merlin unto the three kings: I would that\nKing Ban and King Bors, with their fellowship of ten thousand\nmen, were put in a wood here beside, in an ambushment, and keep\nthem privy, and that they be laid or the light of the day come,\nand that they stir not till ye and your knights have fought with\nthem long. And when it is daylight, dress your battle even afore\nthem and the passage, that they may see all your host, for then\nwill they be the more hardy, when they see you but about twenty\nthousand men, and cause them to be the gladder to suffer you and\nyour host to come over the passage. All the three kings and the\nwhole barons said that Merlin said passingly well, and it was\ndone anon as Merlin had devised. So on the morn, when either\nhost saw other, the host of the north was well comforted. Then\nto Ulfius <23 CH. XIV ELEVEN KINGS WAR WITH ARTHUR>and Brastias\nwere delivered three thousand men of arms, and they set on them\nfiercely in the passage, and slew on the right hand and on the\nleft hand that it was wonder to tell.\nWhen that the eleven kings saw that there was so few a fellowship\ndid such deeds of arms, they were ashamed and set on them again\nfiercely; and there was Sir Ulfius's horse slain under him, but\nhe did marvellously well on foot. But the Duke Eustace of\nCambenet and King Clariance of Northumberland, were alway\ngrievous on Ulfius. Then Brastias saw his fellow fared so withal\nhe smote the duke with a spear, that horse and man fell down.\nThat saw King Clariance and returned unto Brastias, and either\nsmote other so that horse and man went to the earth, and so they\nlay long astonied, and their horses' knees brast to the hard\nbone. Then came Sir Kay the seneschal with six fellows with him,\nand did passing well. With that came the eleven kings, and there\nwas Griflet put to the earth, horse and man, and Lucas the\nbutler, horse and man, by King Brandegoris, and King Idres, and\nKing Agwisance. Then waxed the medley passing hard on both\nparties. When Sir Kay saw Griflet on foot, he rode on King\nNentres and smote him down, and led his horse unto Sir Griflet,\nand horsed him again. Also Sir Kay with the same spear smote\ndown King Lot, and hurt him passing sore. That saw the King with\nthe Hundred Knights, and ran unto Sir Kay and smote him down, and\ntook his horse, and gave him King Lot, whereof he said gramercy.\nWhen Sir Griflet saw Sir Kay and Lucas the butler on foot, he\ntook a sharp spear, great and square, and rode to Pinel, a good\nman of arms, and smote horse and man down, and then he took his\nhorse, and gave him unto Sir Kay. Then King Lot saw King Nentres\non foot, he ran unto Melot de la Roche, and smote him down, horse\nand man, and gave King Nentres the horse, and horsed him again.\nAlso the King of the Hundred Knights saw King Idres on foot; then\nhe ran unto Gwiniart de Bloi, and smote him down, horse and man,\nand gave King Idres the horse, and <24>horsed him again; and King\nLot smote down Clariance de la Forest Savage, and gave the horse\nunto Duke Eustace. And so when they had horsed the kings again\nthey drew them, all eleven kings, together, and said they would\nbe revenged of the damage that they had taken that day. The\nmeanwhile came in Sir Ector with an eager countenance, and found\nUlfius and Brastias on foot, in great peril of death, that were\nfoul defoiled under horse-feet.\nThen Arthur as a lion, ran unto King Cradelment of North Wales,\nand smote him through the left side, that the horse and the king\nfell down; and then he took the horse by the rein, and led him\nunto Ulfius, and said, Have this horse, mine old friend, for\ngreat need hast thou of horse. Gramercy, said Ulfius. Then Sir\nArthur did so marvellously in arms, that all men had wonder.\nWhen the King with the Hundred Knights saw King Cradelment on\nfoot, he ran unto Sir Ector, that was well horsed, Sir Kay's\nfather, and smote horse and man down, and gave the horse unto the\nking, and horsed him again. And when King Arthur saw the king\nride on Sir Ector's horse, he was wroth and with his sword he\nsmote the king on the helm, that a quarter of the helm and shield\nfell down, and so the sword carved down unto the horse's neck,\nand so the king and the horse fell down to the ground. Then Sir\nKay came unto Sir Morganore, seneschal with the King of the\nHundred Knights, and smote him down, horse and man, and led the\nhorse unto his father, Sir Ector; then Sir Ector ran unto a\nknight, hight Lardans, and smote horse and man down, and led the\nhorse unto Sir Brastias, that great need had of an horse, and was\ngreatly defoiled. When Brastias beheld Lucas the butler, that\nlay like a dead man under the horses' feet, and ever Sir Griflet\ndid marvellously for to rescue him, and there were always\nfourteen knights on Sir Lucas; then Brastias smote one of them on\nthe helm, that it went to the teeth, and he rode to another and\nsmote him, that the arm flew into the field. Then he went to the\nthird and smote him on the shoulder, that shoulder and arm flew\nin the field. <25 CHAP. XV YET OF THE SAME BATTLE>And when\nGriflet saw rescues, he smote a knight on the temples, that head\nand helm went to the earth, and Griflet took the horse of that\nknight, and led him unto Sir Lucas, and bade him mount upon the\nhorse and revenge his hurts. For Brastias had slain a knight to-\nfore and horsed Griflet.","title":"Le Morte d'Arthur BOOK I CHAPTER XIV","type":"page"}