So the king saw the hart enbushed,and his horse dead,he set him down by a fountain,and there he fell in great thoughts.And as he sat so,him thought he heard a noise of hounds,to the sum of thirty.And with that the king saw coming toward him the strangest beast that ever he saw or heard of;so the beast went to the well and drank,and the noise was in the beast's belly like unto the questing of thirty couple hounds;but all the while the beast drank there was no noise in the beast's belly:and there.with the beast departed with a great noise,whereof the king had great marvel.And so he was in a great thought,and therewith he fell asleep.Right so there came a knight afoot unto Arthur and said,Knight full of thought and sleepy,tell me if thou sawest a strange beast pass this way.Such one saw I,said King Arthur,that is past two mile;what would ye with the beast?said Arthur.Sir,I have followed that beast long time,and killed mine horse,so would God I had another to follow my quest.Right so came one with the king's horse,and when the knight saw the horse,he prayed the king to give him the horse:
for I have followed this quest this twelvemonth,and either Ishall achieve him,or bleed of the best blood of my body.
Pellinore,that time king,followed the Questing Beast,and after his death Sir Palamides followed it.
CHAPTER XX
How King Pellinore took Arthur's horse and followed the Questing Beast,and how Merlin met with Arthur.
SIR knight,said the king,leave that quest,and suffer me to have it,and I will follow it another twelvemonth.Ah,fool,said the knight unto Arthur,it is in vain thy desire,for it shall never be achieved but by me,or my next kin.
Therewith he started unto the king's horse and mounted into the saddle,and said,Gramercy,this horse is my own.Well,said the king,thou mayst take my horse by force,but an I might prove thee whether thou were better on horseback or I.--Well,said the knight,seek me here when thou wilt,and here nigh this well thou shalt find me,and so passed on his way.Then the king sat in a study,and bade his men fetch his horse as fast as ever they might.Right so came by him Merlin like a child of fourteen year of age,and saluted the king,and asked him why he was so pensive.I may well be pensive,said the king,for I have seen the marvellest sight that ever I saw.That know I well,said Merlin,as well as thyself,and of all thy thoughts,but thou art but a fool to take thought,for it will not amend thee.Also Iknow what thou art,and who was thy father,and of whom thou wert begotten;King Uther Pendragon was thy father,and begat thee on Igraine.That is false,said King Arthur,how shouldest thou know it,for thou art not so old of years to know my father?
Yes,said Merlin,I know it better than ye or any man living.Iwill not believe thee,said Arthur,and was wroth with the child.
So departed Merlin,and came again in the likeness of an old man of fourscore year of age,whereof the king was right glad,for he seemed to be right wise.
Then said the old man,Why are ye so sad?I may well be heavy,said Arthur,for many things.Also here was a child,and told me many things that meseemeth he should not know,for he was not of age to know my father.Yes,said the old man,the child told you truth,and more would he have told you an ye would have suffered him.But ye have done a thing late that God is displeased with you,for ye have lain by your sister,and on her ye have gotten a child that shall destroy you and all the knights of your realm.
What are ye,said Arthur,that tell me these tidings?I am Merlin,and I was he in the child's likeness.Ah,said King Arthur,ye are a marvellous man,but I marvel much of thy words that I must die in battle.Marvel not,said Merlin,for it is God's will your body to be punished for your foul deeds;but I may well be sorry,said Merlin,for I shall die a shameful death,to be put in the earth quick,and ye shall die a worshipful death.And as they talked this,came one with the king's horse,and so the king mounted on his horse,and Merlin on another,and so rode unto Carlion.And anon the king asked Ector and Ulfius how he was begotten,and they told him Uther Pendragon was his father and Queen Igraine his mother.Then he said to Merlin,I will that my mother be sent for that I may speak with her;and if she say so herself then will I believe it.In all haste,the queen was sent for,and she came and brought with her Morgan le Fay,her daughter,that was as fair a lady as any might be,and the king welcomed Igraine in the best manner.
CHAPTER XXI
How Ulfius impeached Queen Igraine,Arthur's mother,of treason;and how a knight came and desired to have the death of his master revenged.
RIGHT SO came Ulfius,and said openly,that the king and all might hear that were feasted that day,Ye are the falsest lady of the world,and the most traitress unto the king's person.
Beware,said Arthur,what thou sayest;thou speakest a great word.I am well ware,said Ulfius,what I speak,and here is my glove to prove it upon any man that will say the contrary,that this Queen Igraine is causer of your great damage,and of your great war.For,an she would have uttered it in the life of King Uther Pendragon,of the birth of you,and how ye were begotten ye had never had the mortal wars that ye have had;for the most part of your barons of your realm knew never whose son ye were,nor of whom ye were begotten;and she that bare you of her body should have made it known openly in excusing of her worship and yours,and in like wise to all the realm,wherefore I prove her false to God and to you and to all your realm,and who will say the contrary I will prove it on his body.