{"collection":"Northern European Mythology","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/neu/mart/mart157.htm","path":"neu/mart/mart157.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/neu/mart/mart157.htm","text":"CHAPTER IV\nHow Sir Marhaus came out of Ireland for to ask truage of\nCornwall, or else he would fight therefore.\nTHEN it befell that King Anguish of Ireland sent unto King Mark\nof Cornwall for his truage, that Cornwall had paid many winters.\nAnd all that time King Mark was behind of the truage for seven\nyears. And King Mark and his barons gave unto the messenger of\nIreland these words and answer, that they would none pay; and\nbade the messenger go unto his King Anguish, and tell him we will\npay him no truage, but tell your lord, an he will always have\ntruage of us of Cornwall, bid him send a trusty knight of his\nland, that will fight for his right, and we shall find another\nfor to defend our right. With this answer the messengers\ndeparted into Ireland. And when King Anguish understood the\nanswer of the messengers he was wonderly wroth. And then he\ncalled unto him Sir Marhaus, the good knight, that was nobly\nproved, and a Knight of the Table Round. And this Marhaus was\nbrother unto the queen of Ireland. Then the king said thus:\nFair brother, Sir Marhaus, I pray you go into Cornwall for my\nsake, and do battle for our truage that of right we ought to\nhave; and whatsomever ye spend ye shall have sufficiently, more\nthan ye shall need. Sir, said Marhaus, wit ye well that I shall\nnot be loath to do battle in the right of you and your land with\nthe best knight of the Table Round; for I know them, <284>for the\nmost part, what be their deeds; and for to advance my deeds and\nto increase my worship I will right gladly go unto this journey\nfor our right.\nSo in all haste there was made purveyance for Sir Marhaus, and he\nhad all things that to him needed; and so he departed out of\nIreland, and arrived up in Cornwall even fast by the Castle of\nTintagil. And when King Mark understood that he was there\narrived to fight for Ireland, then made King Mark great sorrow\nwhen he understood that the good and noble knight Sir Marhaus was\ncome. For they knew no knight that durst have ado with him. For\nat that time Sir Marhaus was called one of the famousest and\nrenowned knights of the world. And thus Sir Marhaus abode in the\nsea, and every day he sent unto King Mark for to pay the truage\nthat was behind of seven year, other else to find a knight to\nfight with him for the truage. This manner of message Sir\nMarhaus sent daily unto King Mark.\nThen they of Cornwall let make cries in every place, that what\nknight would fight for to save the truage of Cornwall, he should\nbe rewarded so that he should fare the better, term of his life.\nThen some of the barons said to King Mark, and counselled him to\nsend to the court of King Arthur for to seek Sir Launcelot du\nLake, that was that time named for the marvelloust knight of all\nthe world. Then there were some other barons that counselled the\nking not to do so, and said that it was labour in vain, because\nSir Marhaus was a knight of the Round Table, therefore any of\nthem will be loath to have ado with other, but if it were any\nknight at his own request would fight disguised and unknown. So\nthe king and all his barons assented that it was no bote to seek\nany knight of the Round Table. This mean while came the language\nand the noise unto King Meliodas, how that Sir Marhaus abode\nbattle fast by Tintagil, and how King Mark could find no manner\nknight to fight for him. When young Tristram heard of this he\nwas wroth, and sore ashamed that there durst no knight in\nCornwall have ado with Sir Marhaus of Ireland.\n<285>","title":"Le Morte d'Arthur BOOK VIII CHAPTER IV","type":"page"}