{"collection":"Northern European Mythology","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/neu/mart/mart092.htm","path":"neu/mart/mart092.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/neu/mart/mart092.htm","text":"Le Morte d'Arthur BOOK V CHAPTER IV\n \n Sacred Texts\u00a0\n Legends and Sagas\u00a0\n Index\u00a0\n BOOK V\u00a0\n Previous\u00a0\n Next\u00a0\n \n \n CHAPTER IV\n \n How King Arthur being shipped and lying in his cabin had\n a marvellous dream and of the exposition thereof.\n \n AND as the king lay in his cabin in the ship, he fell in a\n slumbering and dreamed a marvellous dream: him seemed that a\n dreadful dragon did drown much of his people, and he came flying\n out of the west, and his head was enamelled with azure, and his\n shoulders shone as gold, his belly like mails of a marvellous\n hue, his tail full of tatters, his feet full of fine sable, and\n his claws like fine gold; and an hideous flame of fire flew out\n of his mouth, like as the <155>land and water had flamed all of\n fire. After, him seemed there came out of the orient, a grimly\n boar all black in a cloud, and his paws as big as a post; he was\n rugged looking roughly, he was the foulest beast that ever man\n saw, he roared and romed so hideously that it were marvel to\n hear. Then the dreadful dragon advanced him and came in the wind\n like a falcon giving great strokes on the boar, and the boar hit\n him again with his grizzly tusks that his breast was all bloody,\n and that the hot blood made all the sea red of his blood. Then\n the dragon flew away all on an height, and came down with such a\n swough, and smote the boar on the ridge, which was ten foot large\n from the head to the tail, and smote the boar all to powder both\n flesh and bones, that it flittered all abroad on the sea.\n \n And therewith the king awoke anon, and was sore abashed of this\n dream, and sent anon for a wise philosopher, commanding to tell\n him the signification of his dream. Sir, said the philosopher,\n the dragon that thou dreamedst of betokeneth thine own person\n that sailest here, and the colours of his wings be thy realms\n that thou hast won, and his tail which is all to-tattered\n signifieth the noble knights of the Round Table; and the boar\n that the dragon slew coming from the clouds betokeneth some\n tyrant that tormenteth the people, or else thou art like to fight\n with some giant thyself, being horrible and abominable, whose\n peer ye saw never in your days, wherefore of this dreadful dream\n doubt thee nothing, but as a conqueror come forth thyself.\n \n Then after this soon they had sight of land, and sailed till they\n arrived at Barflete in Flanders, and when they were there he\n found many of his great lords ready, as they had been commanded\n to wait upon him.\n \n \n \n <156>","title":"Le Morte d'Arthur BOOK V CHAPTER IV","type":"page"}