LE MORTE D’ARTHUR GUIDED READING 11: BOOK 1, CHAPTER 10

Merlin advises Arthur to send for the help of two kings that will be very consequential in Arthur’s future as our reading of Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur continues.

So after the feast and journey, King Arthur drew him unto London, and so by the counsel of Merlin, the king let call his barons to counsel, for Merlin had told the king that the six kings that made war on him would in all haste be revenged on him and his lands. Therefore the king asked counsel of them all. They could no counsel give but said they were big enough.

“You say well,” said Arthur. “I thank you for your good courage, but will all that loveth me speak with Merlin? You know well that he has done much for me, and he knows many things, and when he is before you, I would that you prayed him heartily of his best advice.” All the barons said they would pray him and desire him. So Merlin was sent for and fair desired of all the barons to give them best counsel.

“I shall say you,” said Merlin, “I warn you all, your enemies are passing strong for you, and they are good men of arms as be alive, and by this time they have gotten to them four kings more and a mighty duke, and unless that our king have more chivalry with him than he may make within the bounds of his own realm and he fight with them in battle, he shall be overcome and slain.”

So King Arthur goes from Caerleon to London. Here’s a sort of strange and tricky section. Merlin tells Arthur that the six kings that made war on him are still angry and will be avenged on him and his lands. Arthur sends for his barons, that is, his own advisors, and they say, “Nah, you’re fine, your army is big enough.” And then Arthur says, “Will you speak with Merlin? He’s given me a lot of good advice.” So he sort of has to convince his advisors to listen to Merlin. And they do send for Merlin… although as far as we knew, he never went away.

So Merlin comes and says Arthur’s enemies are very strong, and the six kings against him have been joined by five more, for a total of eleven. And he says that unless Arthur can find some allies fast, he will be defeated. Notice this pattern that emerges, that Arthur’s own advisors placate him and say everything is fine, while Merlin is the only one who is honest and delivers the negative news.

“What were best to do in this case?” said all the barons.

“I shall tell you,” said Merlin, “my advice. There are two brothers beyond the sea, and they be kings both and marvellous good men of their hands. And one is called King Ban of Benwick and the other called King Bors of Gaul, that is, France. And on these two kings warreth a mighty man of men, the King Claudas, and striveth with them for a castle, and great war is between them. But this Claudas is so mighty of goods whereof he gets good knights that puts these two kings most part to the worse, wherefore this is my counsel; that our king and sovereign lord sent unto the kings Ban and Bors by two trusty knights with letters well devised that they will come and see King Arthur and his court, and so help him in his wars that he will be sworn unto them to help them in their wars against King Claudas. Now what say you unto this counsel?” said Merlin.

“This is well counseled,” said the king and all the barons. Right so in all haste were ordained two knights to go and take the message to the two kings. So were made letters in the pleasant wise according to King Arthur’s desire.

Okay now, crucial development! Merlin advises that Arthur send for two brother kings, King Ban and King Bors. Now, these two have a fairly small role in Le Morte d’Arthur but a huge, huge role in the overall saga, that is, the parts that Malory left out, and we’re going to be discussing those, because even though they were left out, they still have a massive influence over what is here.

Remember back when we discussed the stuff that happened before Le Morte d’Arthur, we talked about how the story begins right after the crucifixion of Christ and talks about all these generations and how the Holy Grail got to Britain. King Ban and King Bors are descendants of the family that were originally best buds with Jesus himself, and they are in Gaul, which is France. I’ll give you a little sneak preview: Sir Lancelot, the famous one who has an affair with Arthur’s wife Guinevere, is a descendant of King Ban, so he is in the family that is in line with the disciples of Christ. Arthur is in the family of Constantine, a Celtic family. So Arthur originates in Britain, while Lancelot is closely tied to Christ, and this is going to become crucially important later when the whole kingdom splits down these family lines. 

And I’ll give you a little insight into why this happens. You see, the Arthur stories were early Celtic myths and such, and they have a lot of killing and bloodshed and not a lot of admirable morality. That was from the years 500 to 1100, but starting in the 1200s the story was taken over and written down by Christian monks, and they added the whole Christian element, making what was a serving dish into the Holy Grail, shifting the hero of the story from earthy, grungy Arthur to pious and divine Lancelot and, more importantly, Lancelot’s morally peerless son Galahad, and adding the quest for the Holy Grail, in which Arthur and his knights get the definitive thumbs-down from God. Okay, whew! Now let’s rejoin the Arthurian legend, already in progress.

Now, you also remember our discussion of King Claudas, who was trying to take over Gaul back during King Uther’s time, and Uther went over and beat him back. Well, now that Uther is gone, Claudas is trying to take over Gaul again, specifically the kingdoms of King Ban and King Bors. Keep all this in mind, because we’re going to come back to it. 

Ulfius and Brastias were made the messengers and so rode forth well horsed and well armed as the guise was in that time, and so passed the sea and rode toward the city of Benwick. And there besides were eight knights that espied them, and at a straight passage they met with Ulfius and Brastias and would have taken them prisoners. So they prayed them that they might pass, for they were messengers unto King Ban and Bors sent from King Arthur.

“Therefore,” said the eight knights, “you shall die or be prisoners, for we are knights of King Claudas,” and therewith two of them dressed their spears, and Ulfius and Brastias dressed their spears and ran together with great force. And Claudas’ knights broke their spears and two knights were borne out of their saddles to the earth and so left them lying and rode their ways. And the other six knights rode afore to a passage to meet with them again, and so Ulfius and Brastias smote the other two down and so passed on their ways. And at the fourth passage there met two for two and both were laid unto the earth, for there was none of the eight knights, but he was sore hurt or bruised. 

And when they came to Benwick, it was fortuned there were both kings, Ban and Bors. And when it was told the kings that there were come messengers, there was sent unto them two knights of worship, the one called Lionses, lord of the country of Payarne, and Sir Phariance, a worshipful knight. Anon they asked from whence they came and they said from King Arthur, king of England, so they took them in their arms and made great joy of each other. But anon as the two kings knew they were messengers of Arthur’s, there was no tarrying but forthwith they spoke with the knights and welcomed them in the faithfullest wise and said they were most welcome unto them before all the kings living. And therewith they kissed the letters and delivered them, and when Ban and Bors understood the letters, then they were more welcome than they were before.

And after the haste of the letters they gave them this answer; that they would fulfill the desire of King Arthur’s writing, and Ulfius and Brastias might tarry there as long as they would, having such cheer as might be made them in those marches. Then Ulfius and Brastias told the king of the adventure at their passages of the eight knights.

“Ha! Ah!” said Ban and Bors. “They were my good friends. I would I had known of them, they should not have escaped.” So Ulfius and Brastias had good cheer and great gifts, as much as they might bear away, and had their answer by mouth and by writing that the two kings would come unto Arthur in all the haste that they might.

Okay, here is a little mini adventure that Malory imported from the Vulgate because it’s such a fun little story. The thing is, if you ask me, Malory’s telling leaves out all of the details that make the story fun. Also, I’ll tell you up front, Malory is known to like battles and feats of swordplay, so he plays them up quite a bit.

So Ulfius and Brastias are on their way to request the help of Ban and Bors when they encounter eight knights of King Claudas’. The knights of Claudas say they are guarding the roads and will take the horses of Ulfius and Brastias as the price of passing through. Ulfius and Brastias show them who are the better knights, but in this telling it’s a little bland. What makes it fun in the longer version is Ulfius calling one of the knights a “loud-boasting blockhead,” and Brastias impaling a knight on his lance, pulling it out, and then shouting, “Now we give you leave to guard the roads!”

In Le Morte d’Arthur, when Ban and Bors say the knights they encountered were good friends of theirs, they are being sarcastic. So Ulfius and Brastias go back and tell King Arthur that the kings are coming to help.

So the two knights rode on afore and passed the sea and came to their lord and told him how they had sped, whereof King Arthur was passing glad.

“At what time suppose you that the kings will be here?”

“Sir,” they said, “afore All Hallowmass.”

Then the king let purvey for a great feast and let cry a great joust. And by All Hallowmass the two kings were come over the sea with three hundred knights well arrayed both for the peace and for the war. And King Arthur met with them ten miles out of London, and there was great joy as could be thought or made. 

And on All Hallowmass at the great feast sat in the hall the three kings and Sir Kay, Seneschal, served in the hall, and Sir Lucan the Butler that was Duke Coreus’ son, and Sir Griflet that was the son of Cardol. These three knights had the rule of all the service that served the kings. And anon as they had washed and risen, all knights that would joust made them ready. By then they were ready on horseback there were seven hundred knights. And Arthur, Ban and Bors with the Archbishop of Canterbury and Sir Ector, Kay’s father, they were in a place covered with cloth of gold like a hall, with ladies and gentlewomen for to behold who did best and thereon to give judgment.

So the kings are coming for Hallowmass, which is at the beginning of November, and Arthur decides he is going to have a big tournament to thank them and celebrate their coming. And the last paragraph here just talks about who served in the banquet and gets into who was on horseback going into the tournament.

Okay, we’ll pick up in Chapter Eleven, where we start to have a big battle.

< < < Back to Book 1, Chapter 9

On to Book 1, Chapter 11 > > >