{"collection":"Northern European Mythology","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/neu/mart/mart490.htm","path":"neu/mart/mart490.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/neu/mart/mart490.htm","text":"CHAPTER I\nHow Sir Mordred presumed and took on him to be King of\nEngland, and would have married the queen, his father's\nwife\nAS Sir Mordred was ruler of all England, he did do make\nletters as though that they came from beyond the sea, and\nthe letters specified that King Arthur was slain in battle\nwith Sir Launcelot. Wherefore Sir Mordred made a\nparliament, and called the lords together, and there he\nmade them to choose him king; and so was he crowned\nat Canterbury, and held a feast there fifteen days; and\nafterward he drew him unto Winchester, and there he\ntook the Queen Guenever, and said plainly that he would\nwed her which was his uncle's wife and his father's wife.\nAnd so he made ready for the feast, and a day prefixed\nthat they should be wedded; wherefore Queen Guenever\nwas passing heavy. But she durst not discover her heart,\nbut spake fair, and agreed to Sir Mordred's will. Then\nshe desired of Sir Mordred for to go to London, to buy\nall manner of things that longed unto the wedding. And\nbecause of her fair speech Sir Mordred trusted her well\nenough, and gave her leave to go. And so when she\ncame to London she took the Tower of London, and\nsuddenly in all haste possible she stuffed it with all\nmanner of victual, and well garnished it with men, and so\nkept it.\nThen when Sir Mordred wist and understood how he\nwas beguiled, he was passing wroth out of measure. And\na short tale for to make, he went and laid a mighty siege\nabout the Tower of London, and made many great\nassaults thereat, and threw many great engines unto them,\nand shot great guns. But all might not prevail Sir\nMordred, for Queen Guenever would never for fair speech nor\nfor foul, would never trust to come in his hands again.\nThen came the Bishop of Canterbury, the which was\na noble clerk and an holy man, and thus he said to Sir\nMordred: Sir, what will ye do? will ye first displease\nGod and sithen shame yourself, and all knighthood? Is\nnot King Arthur your uncle, no farther but your mother's\nbrother, and on her himself King Arthur begat you upon his\nown sister, therefore how may you wed your father's wife?\nSir, said the noble clerk, leave this opinion or I shall curse\nyou with book and bell and candle. Do thou thy worst,\nsaid Sir Mordred, wit thou well I shall defy thee. Sir,\nsaid the Bishop, and wit you well I shall not fear me to\ndo that me ought to do. Also where ye noise where my\nlord Arthur is slain, and that is not so, and therefore ye\nwill make a foul work in this land. Peace, thou false\npriest, said Sir Mordred, for an thou chafe me any more\nI shall make strike off thy head. So the Bishop departed\nand did the cursing in the most orgulist wise that might\nbe done. And then Sir Mordred sought the Bishop of\nCanterbury, for to have slain him. Then the Bishop fled,\nand took part of his goods with him, and went nigh unto\nGlastonbury; and there he was as priest hermit in a\nchapel, and lived in poverty and in holy prayers, for well\nhe understood that mischievous war was at hand.\nThen Sir Mordred sought on Queen Guenever by\nletters and sonds, and by fair means and foul means, for\nto have her to come out of the Tower of London; but\nall this availed not, for she answered him shortly, openly\nand privily, that she had liefer slay herself than to be\nmarried with him. Then came word to Sir Mordred that\nKing Arthur had araised the siege for Sir Launcelot, and\nhe was coming homeward with a great host, to be avenged\nupon Sir Mordred; wherefore Sir Mordred made write\nwrits to all the barony of this land, and much people\ndrew to him. For then was the common voice among\nthem that with Arthur was none other life but war and\nstrife, and with Sir Mordred was great joy and bliss.\nThus was Sir Arthur depraved, and evil said of. And\nmany there were that King Arthur had made up of\nnought, and given them lands, might not then say him a\ngood word. Lo ye all Englishmen, see ye not what a\nmischief here was! for he that was the most king and\nknight of the world, and most loved the fellowship of\nnoble knights, and by him they were all upholden, now\nmight not these Englishmen hold them content with him.\nLo thus was the old custom and usage of this land; and\nalso men say that we of this land have not yet lost nor\nforgotten that custom and usage. Alas, this is a great\ndefault of us Englishmen, for there may no thing please\nus no term. And so fared the people at that time, they\nwere better pleased with Sir Mordred than they were with\nKing Arthur; and much people drew unto Sir Mordred,\nand said they would abide with him for better and for\nworse. And so Sir Mordred drew with a great host to\nDover, for there he heard say that Sir Arthur would\narrive, and so he thought to beat his own father from his\nlands; and the most part of all England held with Sir\nMordred, the people were so new-fangle.","title":"Le Morte d'Arthur BOOK XXI CHAPTER I","type":"page"}