{"collection":"Northern European Mythology","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/neu/mart/mart017.htm","path":"neu/mart/mart017.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/neu/mart/mart017.htm","text":"CHAPTER XVIII\nHow King Arthur, King Ban, and King Bors rescued\nKing Leodegrance, and other incidents.\nAND then King Arthur, and King Ban, and King Bors departed with\ntheir fellowship, a twenty thousand, and came within six days\ninto the country of Cameliard, and there rescued King\nLeodegrance, and slew there much people of King Rience, unto the\nnumber of ten thousand men, and put him to flight. And then had\nthese three kings great cheer of King Leodegrance, that thanked\nthem of their great goodness, that they would revenge him of his\nenemies; and there had Arthur the first sight of Guenever, the\nking's daughter of Cameliard, and ever after he loved her. After\nthey were wedded, as it telleth in the book. So, briefly to make\nan end, they took their leave to go into their own countries, for\nKing Claudas did great destruction on their lands. Then said\nArthur, I will go with you. Nay, said the kings, ye shall not at\nthis time, for ye have much to do yet in these lands, therefore\nwe will depart, and with the great goods that we have gotten in\nthese lands by your gifts, we shall wage good knights and\nwithstand the King Claudas' malice, for by the grace of God, an\nwe have need we will send to you for your <34>succour; and if ye\nhave need, send for us, and we will not tarry, by the faith of\nour bodies. It shall not, said Merlin, need that these two kings\ncome again in the way of war, but I know well King Arthur may not\nbe long from you, for within a year or two ye shall have great\nneed, and then shall he revenge you on your enemies, as ye have\ndone on his. For these eleven kings shall die all in a day, by\nthe great might and prowess of arms of two valiant knights (as it\ntelleth after); their names be Balin le Savage, and Balan, his\nbrother, that be marvellous good knights as be any living.\nNow turn we to the eleven kings that returned unto a city that\nhight Sorhaute, the which city was within King Uriens', and there\nthey refreshed them as well as they might, and made leeches\nsearch their wounds, and sorrowed greatly for the death of their\npeople. With that there came a messenger and told how there was\ncome into their lands people that were lawless as well as\nSaracens, a forty thousand, and have burnt and slain all the\npeople that they may come by, without mercy, and have laid siege\non the castle of Wandesborow. Alas, said the eleven kings, here\nis sorrow upon sorrow, and if we had not warred against Arthur as\nwe have done, he would soon revenge us. As for King Leodegrance,\nhe loveth Arthur better than us, and as for King Rience, he hath\nenough to do with Leodegrance, for he hath laid siege unto him.\nSo they consented together to keep all the marches of Cornwall,\nof Wales, and of the North. So first, they put King Idres in the\nCity of Nauntes in Britain, with four thousand men of arms, to\nwatch both the water and the land. Also they put in the city of\nWindesan, King Nentres of Garlot, with four thousand knights to\nwatch both on water and on land. Also they had of other men of\nwar more than eight thousand, for to fortify all the fortresses\nin the marches of Cornwall. Also they put more knights in all\nthe marches of Wales and Scotland, with many good men of arms,\nand so they kept them together the space of three year, and ever\nallied them with mighty kings and dukes and lords. And to them\nfell King Rience of North Wales, the which <35>and Nero that was\na mighty man of men. And all this while they furnished them and\ngarnished them of good men of arms, and victual, and of all\nmanner of habiliment that pretendeth to the war, to avenge them\nfor the battle of Bedegraine, as it telleth in the book of\nadventures following.","title":"Le Morte d'Arthur BOOK I CHAPTER XVIII","type":"page"}