Le Morte d’Arthur Guided Reading 13: Book 1, Chapters 14, 15 & 16

King Arthur’s biggest battle! It’s also the longest, most text-heavy of this series, but if you make it through this one, the story will change from here. You can do it! 

MAY 13, 2026

Chapter Fourteen

Then King Arthur and King Ban and King Bors with their good and trusty knights set upon them so fiercely that he made them overthrow their pavilions on their heads, but the eleven kings by manly prowess of arms took a fair campaign, but there was slain that morrow ten thousand good men’s bodies. And so they had afore them a strong passage, yet were they fifty thousand hardy men. Then it drew toward day.

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“Now shall you do by mine advice,” said Merlin unto the three kings. “I would that King Ban and King Bors with their fellowship of ten thousand men were put in a wood here beside, in an ambushment, and keep them privy that they be laid till the light of the day come, and that they stir not until you and your knights have fought with them long. And when it is daylight, dress your battle even afore them and the passage that they may see all your host, for then will they be the more hardy when they see you but about ten thousand, and cause them to be gladder to suffer you and your host to come over the passage.”

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All three kings and the whole barons said that Merlin said passingly well, and it was done anon as Merlin had devised.

Arthur and his men execute a surprise attack in the middle of the night while their enemies were sleeping in their tents. This means that not only are they in their tents, so they have to “overthrow their pavilions on their heads,” which means dig out from within their collapsed tents, but they also have to put their armor on, which usually takes the help of someone else to do, and get to their horses. So for a while here, Arthur and his men are able to just strike them down with virtually no effort.

Then in the second paragraph, Merlin gives them the strategy. Now, in some versions of the legend, Merlin is very much like a military general, but in this telling, he uses his knowledge of the future and knowledge of everything in general to give Arthur the advantage. So he tells them again to put a bunch of troops in the forest, even though we already knew that, but what he tells them that’s really clever is to wait until it gets light (because they are fighting in darkness right now), then take a certain amount of men and put them very conspicuously in front of the enemy, so that the enemy will think that’s all the knights they have and think it’s not very much, leading them to grow confident and also not reserve any energy for a long fight. Then, when the time is right, Arthur’s whole other army will show up out if the blue. Pretty brilliant!

Can I tell you something else brilliant that happened in the story before Arthur came on the scene? Unrelated, but it demonstrates Merlin’s military strategy. This was in a battle with the Saxons that happened during the rule of Pendragon, who was Uther’s older brother… so this was long before Arthur was born and not covered in Le Morte d’Arthur. The Saxons were trying to sneak back into the country to launch a surprise attack. Merlin advised King Pendragon to let the Saxons land and march inward, then have troops get behind them, so they couldn’t get back to their ships. He said to make sure they see you, so they know that they’ve lost the element of surprise. Then he told him to have other troops keep them from getting to the river, so they can’t get any water. And then he said hold them there for three days without access to water and then attack one day after that. So he did some psychological operations to let them know that their surprise was lost and that they couldn’t retreat if they wanted to, and then he just weakened them by denying them water for three days before a battle! Pretty brilliant, no? That story is retold in Book Two of my series.

So on the morn when either host saw each other, the host of the north was well comforted. Then to Ulfius and Brastias were delivered three thousand men of arms and they set on them fiercely in the passage and slew on the right hand and on the left hand that it was wonder to tell.

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When that the eleven kings saw that so few a fellowship did such deeds of arms, they were ashamed and set on them again fiercely, and there was Sir Ulfius’ horse slain under him, but he did marvellously well on foot. But the Duke Eustace of Cambenet and King Clarivaunce of Northumberland were always grievous on Ulfius. Then Brastias saw his fellow fared so withal he smote the duke with a spear that horse and man fell down. That saw King Clarivaunce and returned unto Brastias, and either smote each other so that horse and man went to the earth, and so they lay long astonied and their horse’s knees burst to the hard bone.

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Then came Sir Kay the Seneschal with six fellows with him and did passing well. With that came the eleven kings and there was Griflet put to the earth horse and man, and Lucan the Butler horse and man by King Brandegoris and King Idres and King Aguisance, then waxed the middle passage hard on both parties.

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When Sir Kay saw Griflet on foot, he rode on King Nentres and smote him down and laid his horse unto Sir Griflet and horsed him again. Also Sir Kay with the same spear smote down King Lot and hurt him passing sore. That saw the King of the Hundred Knights and ran unto Sir Kay and smote him down and took his horse and gave him to King Lot, whereof he said “Gramercy.” When Sir Griflet saw Sir Kay and Lucan the Butler on foot he took a sharp spear great and square and rose to Pinel, a good man of arms, and smote horse and man down, and then he took his horse and gave him to Sir Kay.

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Then King Lot saw King Nentres on foot and he ran unto Melot de la Roche and smote him down horse and man and gave King Nentres the horse and horsed him again. Also the King with the Hundred Knights saw King Idres on foot, then he ran unto Gwimart de Bloy and smote him down horse and man and gave King Idres the horse and horsed him again. And King Lot smote down Clarinaus de la Forest Savage and gave the horse to Duke Eustace. And so when they had horsed the kings again they drew then all eleven together and said they would be revenged of the damage that they had taken that day. Then meanwhile came in Sir Ector with an eager countenance and found Ulfius and Brastias on foot in great peril of death that were foul defiled under horse feet. Then Arthur as a lion ran unto King Cradlement of North Wales and smote him through the left side that the horse and the king fell down and then he took the horse by the reins and led him unto Ulfius and said, “Have this horse by old friend, for great need have you of horse.”

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“Gramercy,” said Ulfius.

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Then Sir Arthur did so marvelously in arms that all men had wonder. When the King with the Hundred Knights saw King Cradlement on foot, he ran unto Sir Ector that was well horsed, Sir Kay’s father, and smote horse and man down and gave the horse unto the king and horsed him again. When King Arthur saw the king ride on Sir Ector’s horse he was wroth, and with his sword he smote the king on the helmet that a quarter of the helmet and shield fell down, and so the sword carved down into the horse’s neck, and so the king and the horse fell down to the ground.

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Then Sir Kay came unto Sir Morganor, Senschal to the King with the Hundred Knights and smote him down horse and man and led the horse unto his father Sir Ector. Then Sir Ector ran unto a knight called Lardans and smote horse and man down and led the horse unto Sir Brastias that great need had of a horse and was greatly defiled. When Brastias beheld Lucan the Butler lay like a dead man under the horse feet and ever Sir Griflet did marvelously for to rescue him, and there were always fourteen knights on Sir Lucan and then Brastias smote one of them on the helm that it went to the teeth, and he rode to another and smote him that the arm flew into the field. Then he went to the third and smote him on the shoulder that shoulder and arm flew in the field. And when Griflet saw rescues, he smote a knight on the temples that head and helm went to the earth, and Griflet took the horse of that knight and led him unto Sir Lucan and bade him mount upon the horse and revenge his hurts. For Brastias had slain a knight tofore and horsed Griflet.

Note the numerous instances of chivalry in which the knights help each other by bringing a fallen comrade a horse when he needs it. In this way, the knights are brothers that help each other out and care for each other. You will find in Le Morte d’Arthur that some of the larger changes in the world of the story happen in the background without comment, and one thing to keep an eye on is how, over the course of the entire saga (i.e. not in this book), the knights help each other less, the sense of community and fraternity is broken, and people start acting in more self-centered ways.

Battle lovers, don’t miss the detail in the last paragraph that a shoulder and arm were hacked off and flew into the field, and a few lines later a head still in a helmet (“helm”) went down to the earth. Gruesome!

Anyway, the next few paragraphs are all battle battle, battle battle. So let’s dive into that and we’ll pick up at the end of Chapter Fifteen, with a great dramatic moment.

Chapter Fifteen

Then Lucan saw King Aguisance that late had slain Moris de la Roche, and Lucan ran to him with a short spear that was great, and he gave him such a fall that the horse fell down to the earth. Also Lucan found there on foot Bloyas de la Flaunders and Sir Gwynas, two hardy knights, and in that wood that Lucan was in, he slew two bachelors and horsed them again. Then waxed the battle passing hard on both parties and Arthur was glad that his knights were horsed again, and then they fought together that the noise and sound rang by the water and the wood, wherefore King Ban and King Bors made then ready and dressed their shields and harness, and they were so courageous that many knights shook and bevered for eagerness.

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All this while, Lucan and Gwynas and Briant and Bellias of Flanders held strong mettle against six kings, that was King Lot, King Nentres, King Brandegoris, King Idres, King Uriens and King Aguisance. So with the help of Sir Kay and Sir Griflet, they held these six kings hard that they had any power to defend them. But when Sir Arthur saw the battle would not be ended by no manner, he fared wood as a lion and steered his horse here and there on the right hand and on the left hard that he stint not until he had slain twenty knights. Also he wounded King Lot sore on the shoulder and made him to leave that ground. And Sir Kay and Sir Griflet did with King Arthur there great deeds of arms.

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Then Ulfius and Brastias and Sir Ector encountered against the Duke Eustace and King Cradlement and King Clarivaunce of Northumberland and King Carados against the King with the Hundred Knights. So these knights encountered with these kings that they made them to avoid the ground.

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Then King Lot made great dole for his damages and his fellows and said unto the ten kings; “But if you do as I devise we shall be slain and destroyed. Let me have the King with the Hundred Knights and King Aguisance and King Idres and the Duke of Cambenet, and we five kings will have fifteen thousand men of arms with us and we will go on part, while you six kings hold mettle with twelve thousand, and when we see that you have fought with them long, then will we come on fiercely and else shall we never match them,” said King Lot, “but by this means.” So they departed as they here devised, and six kings made their party strong against Arthur and made great war long.

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In the meanwhile broke the ambushment of King Ban and King Bors, and Lionses and Phariance had the avant garde and they two knights met with King Idres and his fellowship, and there began a great medley of breaking of spears and smiting of swords with slaying of men and horses, and King Idres was near at discomfiture. That saw Aguisance the king and put Lionses and Phariance in point of death, for the Duke of Cambenet came on withal with a great fellowship, so these two knights were in great danger of their lives that they were fain to return, but always they rescued themselves and their fellowship marvellously. When King Bors saw those knights put aback, it grieved him sore. Then he came on so fast that his fellowship seemed as black as inde.

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When King Lot had espied King Bors he knew him well. Then he said, “O Jesu, defend us from death and horrible maims, for I see well we are in great peril of death. I see yonder a king, one of the most worshipful men and the best knights in the world be inclined to his fellowship.”

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“What is he?” said the King with the Hundred Knights.

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“It is,” said King Lot, “King Bors of Gaul. I marvel how they came into this country without witting of us all.”

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“It was by Merlin’s advice,” said the knight.

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“As for him,” said King Carados, “I will encounter with King Bors and you will rescue me when mister is.”

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“Go on,” said they all, “we will do all that we may.”

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Then King Carados and his host rode on a soft pace till that they came as nigh King Bors as a bow-draught. Then either let their horse run as fast as thy might. And Bleobaris that was godson unto King Bors, he bore his chief standard, that was a passing good knight.

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“Now shall we see,” said King Bors, “how these northern Britons can bear their arms.” And King Bors encountered with a knight and smote him throughout with a spear that he fell dead unto the earth, and after drew his sword and did marvelous deeds of arms that all parties had great wonder thereof. And his knights failed not but did their part, and King Carados was smitten to the earth. With that came the King with the Hundred Knights and rescued King Carados mightily by force of arms, for he was a passing good knight of a king and but a young man.

So basically this is awesome because King Lot has this moment where he is completely stunned and dumbfounded both because he knows King Ban and King Bors are some of the best warriors, with the best knights, but also he is amazed that they were able to get them into the country without any of them knowing. And when he asks Jesus to “defend him from death and horrible maims,” and that “we are in great peril of death,” well, it’s hard to beat the drama of that moment.

Also, you will often see variations of the word “wit,” as above with, “they came into this country without witting of us all.” You will also often see the phrase, “wit you well.” It basically means knowing or understanding, as in “he kept his wits about him.” So in the first phrase they’re saying they can’t believe the knights got into the country without them knowing, and “wit you well” basically means “you better understand,” as in, “wit you well, I will kick your ass in this battle” or something like that.

Chapter Sixteen

By then came into the field King Ban as fierce as a lion with bands of green and thereupon gold.

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“Ha! Ah!” said King Lot. “We must be discomfit, for yonder I see the most valiant knight of the world, and the man of the most renown, for such two brethren as is King Ban and King Bors are not living, wherefore we must needs void or die, and but if we avoid manly and wisely, there is but death.”

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When King Ban came into the battle, he came in so fiercely that the strokes resounded again from the wood and the water, wherefore King Lot wept for pity and dole that he saw so many good knights take their end. But through the great force of King Ban they made both the Northern battles that were departed hurtle together for great dread, and the three kings and their knights slew on ever that it was pity to behold the multitude of the people that fled. But King Lot and the King of the Hundred Knights and King Morganore gathered the people together passing knightly and did great prowess of arms and held the battle all that day like hard.

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When the King of the Hundred Knights beheld the great damage that King Ban did, he thrust unto him with his horse and smote him high upon the helmet a great stroke that astonied him sore. Then King Ban was wroth with him and followed on his fiercely. The other saw that and cast up his shield and spurred his horse forward, but the stroke of King Ban fell down and carved a cantel off the shield, and the sword slid down by the hauberk behind his back and cut through the trapper of steel and the horse even in two pieces that the sword fell to the earth. Then the King of the Hundred Knights voided the horse lightly, and with his sword he broached the horse of King Ban through and through. With that, King Ban voided lightly from the dead horse, and then King Ban smote at the other so eagerly and smote him on the helm that he fell to the earth. Also in that ire he felled King Morganore, and there was great slaughter of good knights and much people.

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By then came into the press King Arthur and found King Ban standing among dead men and dead horses, fighting on foot as a wood lion that there came none nigh him as far as he might reach with his sword, but he caught a grievous buffet, whereof King Arthur had great pity. And Arthur was so bloody that by his shield might no man know him, for all was blood and brains on his sword. And as Arthur looked by him he saw a knight that was passingly well horsed, and therewith Sir Arthur ran to him and smote him on the helm that his sword went unto his teeth and the knight sank down to the earth dead, and anon Arthur took the horse by the reins and led him unto King Ban and said, “Fair brother, have this horse, for you have great mister thereof and me repenteth sore of your great damage.”

The word “wood” in medieval times meant “insane” (as well as just wood, like from a tree), so when King Bors is standing among dead men and horses like “a wood lion,” it means he is insane with the amped-up rage of battle.

I also want to draw attention to a passage in the last paragraph above, where it says that Arthur is so covered by blood and brains that no one could know him by his shield. In the Arthurian world, we have to remember that a knight in armor has his face completely covered, so the only way a person can be identified in battle is by his shield. Every knight has his own distinctive design on his shield, and this is how you know who a knight is. There are whole stories in the legend that turn on this inability to tell who a knight is when he is in armor—including the plot of Book Two, coming up next—so you just have to know that once their helmets are on, you cannot tell knights apart, except by their shields. But this here, this image of King Arthur completely covered by blood and brains… vivid image, huh? I don’t think he was only giving his enemies a time out.

Another thing about Arthur that will be commented upon later is that he wins the respect of his knights because he is right there fighting alongside them and puts himself in danger, just as they do. He’s not off, protected in some tent somewhere or surrounded by guards, and this passage is an important part of contributing to that image.

Anyway there’s a bunch more battle, so let’s go on.

“It shall soon be revenged,” said King Ban, “for I trust in God that some of them may sore repent this.”

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“I will well,” said Arthur, “for I see your deeds full actual. Nevertheless, I might not come at you at that time.”

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But when King Ban was mounted on horseback, then there began new battle, the which was sore and hard and passing great slaughter. And so through great force, King Arthur, King Ban and King Bors made their knights a little to withdraw them. But always the eleven kings with their chivalry never turned back and so withdrew them to a little wood and so over a little river, and there they rested them, for on the night they might have no rest on the field. And then the eleven kings and knights put them all on a heap together as men adread and out of all comfort. There was no man might pass them, they held them so hard together both behind and before, that King Arthur had marvel of their deeds of arms and was passing wroth.

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“Ah, Sir Arthur,” said King Ban and King Bors, “blame them not, for they do as good men ought to do.”

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“For, by my faith,” said King Ban, “they are the best fighting men and knights of most prowess that ever I saw or heard speak of. Those eleven kings are men of great worship, and if they were belonging to you, there were no knight under the heavens had such eleven knights and of such worship.”

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“I may not love them,” said Arthur. “They would destroy me.”

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“That wot ye well,” said King Ban and King Bors, “for they are your mortal enemies and that hath been proved aforehand. On this day they have done their part, and that is great pity on their willfulness.”

So here’s an interesting little section. Arthur, Ban and Bors talk about the skill and prowess of the eleven kings that come against them. Prowess, that is, fighting skill and ability, is a big thing in the Arthurian culture, and we’re going to go into that more in the future, but here’s an example to sock away for later. Arthur, Ban and Bors admire the skill of the enemy even as they go up against them, and they say, “Don’t blame them for attacking you, they do as good men ought to do,” and that if these eleven kings were on your side, no king would have a better army. So this is a form of chivalry; they can admire the skill of their enemy even as that enemy tries to kill them.

Then all the eleven kings drew them together, and then said King Lot, “Lords, you must other ways than you do, or else the great loss is behind. You may see what people we have lost and what good men we lose because we wait always on these footmen. And ever in saving of one of the footmen, we lose ten horsemen for him. Therefore this is my advice; let us put our footmen from us, for it is near night, for the noble Arthur will not tarry on the footmen, for they may save themselves, since the wood is near at hand. And when we horsemen are together, look each of you kings let make such ordinance that none break upon pain of death. And who that sees any man dress him to flee, lightly that he be slain, for it is better that we slay a coward than through a coward all we to be slain. How say you?” said King Lot. “Answer me all you kings.”

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“It is well said,” quoth King Nentres, so said the King of the Hundred Knights. The same said King Carados and King Uriens, so did King Idres and King Brandegoris, and so did King Cradlement and the Duke of Cambenet. The same said King Clarivaunce and King Aguisance and swore they would never fail other, neither for life nor for death. And whoso that fled but did as they did should be slain. Then they amended their harness and righted their shields and took new spears and set them on their thighs and stood still as it had been a plumb of wood.

In the second to last paragraph we get some interesting military strategy, as King Lot gets all the kings together and says men on horseback, aka “horsemen,” are worth more than men on foot, that is, “footmen,” and thus we should stop trying to save men on foot because we lose ten horsemen trying to save one footman.

Secondly, he says that all our horsemen need to stay together, so they can all make a wall of men on horses that can charge the army. But they are having trouble with men on horseback that flee from the fight, and this ruins the whole wall effect they’re going for. So, he says, if you see a man on horseback making to flee, kill him—even though he is supposedly on their side—because, and this is a beautifully poetic phrase, “Better we slay a coward, than through a coward we be slain.”

And then they fight some more and that’s it. We’ll come back for Chapter Seventeen when the battle finally ends.

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