Le Morte d'Arthur BOOK V CHAPTER IV

CHAPTER IV

How King Arthur being shipped and lying in his cabin had
a marvellous dream and of the exposition thereof.

AND as the king lay in his cabin in the ship, he fell in a
slumbering and dreamed a marvellous dream: him seemed that a
dreadful dragon did drown much of his people, and he came flying
out of the west, and his head was enamelled with azure, and his
shoulders shone as gold, his belly like mails of a marvellous
hue, his tail full of tatters, his feet full of fine sable, and
his claws like fine gold; and an hideous flame of fire flew out
of his mouth, like as the <155>land and water had flamed all of
fire.  After, him seemed there came out of the orient, a grimly
boar all black in a cloud, and his paws as big as a post; he was
rugged looking roughly, he was the foulest beast that ever man
saw, he roared and romed so hideously that it were marvel to
hear.  Then the dreadful dragon advanced him and came in the wind
like a falcon giving great strokes on the boar, and the boar hit
him again with his grizzly tusks that his breast was all bloody,
and that the hot blood made all the sea red of his blood.  Then
the dragon flew away all on an height, and came down with such a
swough, and smote the boar on the ridge, which was ten foot large
from the head to the tail, and smote the boar all to powder both
flesh and bones, that it flittered all abroad on the sea.

And therewith the king awoke anon, and was sore abashed of this
dream, and sent anon for a wise philosopher, commanding to tell
him the signification of his dream.  Sir, said the philosopher,
the dragon that thou dreamedst of betokeneth thine own person
that sailest here, and the colours of his wings be thy realms
that thou hast won, and his tail which is all to-tattered
signifieth the noble knights of the Round Table; and the boar
that the dragon slew coming from the clouds betokeneth some
tyrant that tormenteth the people, or else thou art like to fight
with some giant thyself, being horrible and abominable, whose
peer ye saw never in your days, wherefore of this dreadful dream
doubt thee nothing, but as a conqueror come forth thyself.

Then after this soon they had sight of land, and sailed till they
arrived at Barflete in Flanders, and when they were there he
found many of his great lords ready, as they had been commanded
to wait upon him.

<156>