{"collection":"Northern European Mythology","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/neu/mart/mart093.htm","path":"neu/mart/mart093.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/neu/mart/mart093.htm","text":"CHAPTER V\nHow a man of the country told to him of a marvellous\ngiant, and how he fought and conquered him.\nTHEN came to him an husbandman of the country, and told him how\nthere was in the country of Constantine beside Brittany, a great\ngiant which had slain, murdered and devoured much people of the\ncountry, and had been sustained seven year with the children of\nthe commons of that land, insomuch that all the children be all\nslain and destroyed; and now late he hath taken the Duchess of\nBrittany as she rode with her meiny, and hath led her to his\nlodging which is in a mountain, for to ravish and lie by her to\nher life's end, and many people followed her, more than five\nhundred, but all they might not rescue her, but they left her\nshrieking and crying lamentably, wherefore I suppose that he hath\nslain her in fulfilling his foul lust of lechery. She was wife\nunto thy cousin Sir Howell, whom we call full nigh of thy blood.\nNow, as thou art a rightful king, have pity on this lady, and\nrevenge us all as thou art a noble conqueror. Alas, said King\nArthur, this is a great mischief, I had liefer than the best\nrealm that I have that I had been a furlong way to-fore him for\nto have rescued that lady. Now, fellow, said King Arthur, canst\nthou bring me thereas this giant haunteth? Yea, Sir, said the\ngood man, look yonder whereas thou seest those two great fires,\nthere shalt thou find him, and more treasure than I suppose is in\nall France. When the king had understood this piteous case, he\nreturned into his tent.\nThen he called to him Sir Kay and Sir Bedivere, and commanded\nthem secretly to make ready horse and harness for himself and\nthem twain; for after evensong he would ride on pilgrimage with\nthem two only unto Saint Michael's mount. And then anon he made\nhim ready, and armed him at all points, and took his horse and\nhis shield. And <157>so they three departed thence and rode\nforth as fast as ever they might till that they came to the\nforeland of that mount. And there they alighted, and the king\ncommanded them to tarry there, for he would himself go up into\nthat mount. And so he ascended up into that hill till he came to\na great fire, and there he found a careful widow wringing her\nhands and making great sorrow, sitting by a grave new made. And\nthen King Arthur saluted her, and demanded of her wherefore she\nmade such lamentation, to whom she answered and said, Sir knight,\nspeak soft, for yonder is a devil, if he hear thee speak he will\ncome and destroy thee; I hold thee unhappy; what dost thou here\nin this mountain? for if ye were such fifty as ye be, ye were not\nable to make resistance against this devil: here lieth a duchess\ndead, the which was the fairest of all the world, wife to Sir\nHowell, Duke of Brittany, he hath murdered her in forcing her,\nand hath slit her unto the navel.\nDame, said the king, I come from the noble conqueror King Arthur,\nfor to treat with that tyrant for his liege people. Fie on such\ntreaties, said she, he setteth not by the king nor by no man\nelse; but an if thou have brought Arthur's wife, dame Guenever,\nhe shall be gladder than thou hadst given to him half France.\nBeware, approach him not too nigh, for he hath vanquished fifteen\nkings, and hath made him a coat full of precious stones\nembroidered with their beards, which they sent him to have his\nlove for salvation of their people at this last Christmas. And\nif thou wilt, speak with him at yonder great fire at supper.\nWell, said Arthur, I will accomplish my message for all your\nfearful words; and went forth by the crest of that hill, and saw\nwhere he sat at supper gnawing on a limb of a man, baking his\nbroad limbs by the fire, and breechless, and three fair damosels\nturning three broaches whereon were broached twelve young\nchildren late born, like young birds.\nWhen King Arthur beheld that piteous sight he had great\ncompassion on them, so that his heart bled for sorrow, and hailed\nhim, saying in this wise: He that all <158>the world wieldeth\ngive thee short life and shameful death; and the devil have thy\nsoul; why hast thou murdered these young innocent children, and\nmurdered this duchess? Therefore, arise and dress thee, thou\nglutton, for this day shalt thou die of my hand. Then the\nglutton anon started up, and took a great club in his hand, and\nsmote at the king that his coronal fell to the earth. And the\nking hit him again that he carved his belly and cut off his\ngenitours, that his guts and his entrails fell down to the\nground. Then the giant threw away his club, and caught the king\nin his arms that he crushed his ribs. Then the three maidens\nkneeled down and called to Christ for help and comfort of Arthur.\nAnd then Arthur weltered and wrung, that he was other while under\nand another time above. And so weltering and wallowing they\nrolled down the hill till they came to the sea mark, and ever as\nthey so weltered Arthur smote him with his dagger.\nAnd it fortuned they came to the place whereas the two knights\nwere and kept Arthur's horse; then when they saw the king fast in\nthe giant's arms they came and loosed him. And then the king\ncommanded Sir Kay to smite off the giant's head, and to set it\nupon a truncheon of a spear, and bear it to Sir Howell, and tell\nhim that his enemy was slain; and after let this head be bound to\na barbican that all the people may see and behold it; and go ye\ntwo up to the mountain, and fetch me my shield, my sword, and the\nclub of iron; and as for the treasure, take ye it, for ye shall\nfind there goods out of number; so I have the kirtle and the club\nI desire no more. This was the fiercest giant that ever I met\nwith, save one in the mount of Araby, which I overcame, but this\nwas greater and fiercer. Then the knights fetched the club and\nthe kirtle, and some of the treasure they took to themselves, and\nreturned again to the host. And anon this was known through all\nthe country, wherefore the people came and thanked the king. And\nhe said again, Give the thanks to God, and depart the goods among\nyou.\nAnd after that King Arthur said and commanded his <159>cousin\nHowell, that he should ordain for a church to be builded on the\nsame hill in the worship of Saint Michael. And on the morn the\nking removed with his great battle, and came into Champayne and\nin a valley, and there they pight their tents; and the king being\nset at his dinner, there came in two messengers, of whom that one\nwas Marshal of France, and said to the king that the emperor was\nentered into France, and had destroyed a great part, and was in\nBurgoyne, and had destroyed and made great slaughter of people,\nand burnt towns and boroughs; wherefore, if thou come not\nhastily, they must yield up their bodies and goods.","title":"Le Morte d'Arthur BOOK V CHAPTER V","type":"page"}