Le Morte d'Arthur BOOK V CHAPTER VIII

CHAPTER VIII

How a senator told to Lucius of their discomfiture, and also
of the great battle between Arthur and Lucius.

NOW leave we King Arthur and his noble knights which had won the
field, and had brought their prisoners to Paris, and speak we of
a senator which escaped from the battle, and came to Lucius the
emperor, and said to him, Sir emperor, I advise thee for to
withdraw thee; what dost thou here? thou shalt win nothing in
these marches but great strokes out of all measure, for this day
one of <163>Arthur's knights was worth in the battle an hundred
of ours.  Fie on thee, said Lucius, thou speakest cowardly; for
thy words grieve me more than all the loss that I had this day. 
And anon he sent forth a king, which hight Sir Leomie, with a
great army, and bade him hie him fast to-fore, and he would
follow hastily after.  King Arthur was warned privily, and sent
his people to Sessoine, and took up the towns and castles from
the Romans.  Then the king commanded Sir Cador to take the
rearward, and to take with him certain knights of the Round
Table, and Sir Launcelot, Sir Bors, Sir Kay, Sir Marrok, with Sir
Marhaus, shall await on our person.  Thus the King Arthur
disperpled his host in divers parties, to the end that his
enemies should not escape.

When the emperor was entered into the vale of Sessoine, he might
see where King Arthur was embattled and his banner displayed; and
he was beset round about with his enemies, that needs he must
fight or yield him, for he might not flee, but said openly unto
the Romans, Sirs, I admonish you that this day ye fight and
acquit you as men, and remember how Rome domineth and is chief
and head over all the earth and universal world, and suffer not
these Britons this day to abide against us; and therewith he did
command his trumpets to blow the bloody sounds, in such wise that
the ground trembled and dindled.

Then the battles approached and shoved and shouted on both sides,
and great strokes were smitten on both sides, many men
overthrown, hurt, and slain; and great valiances, prowesses and
appertices of war were that day showed, which were over long to
recount the noble feats of every man, for they should contain an
whole volume.  But in especial, King Arthur rode in the battle
exhorting his knights to do well, and himself did as nobly with
his hands as was possible a man to do; he drew out Excalibur his
sword, and awaited ever whereas the Romans were thickest and most
grieved his people, and anon he addressed him on that part, and
hew and slew down right, and rescued his people; and he slew a
great giant named Galapas, which was a man of an huge quantity
and height, <164>he shorted him and smote off both his legs by
the knees, saying, Now art thou better of a size to deal with
than thou were, and after smote off his head.  There Sir Gawaine
fought nobly and slew three admirals in that battle.  And so did
all the knights of the Round Table.  Thus the battle between King
Arthur and Lucius the Emperor endured long.  Lucius had on his
side many Saracens which were slain.  And thus the battle was
great, and oftsides that one party was at a fordeal and anon at
an afterdeal, which endured so long till at the last King Arthur
espied where Lucius the Emperor fought, and did wonder with his
own hands.  And anon he rode to him.  And either smote other
fiercely, and at last Lucius smote Arthur thwart the visage, and
gave him a large wound.  And when King Arthur felt himself hurt,
anon he smote him again with Excalibur that it cleft his head,
from the summit of his head, and stinted not till it came to his
breast.  And then the emperor fell down dead and there ended his
life.

And when it was known that the emperor was slain, anon all the
Romans with all their host put them to flight, and King Arthur
with all his knights followed the chase, and slew down right all
them that they might attain.  And thus was the victory given to
King Arthur, and the triumph; and there were slain on the part of
Lucius more than an hundred thousand.  And after King Arthur did
do ransack the dead bodies, and did do bury them that were slain
of his retinue, every man according to the estate and degree that
he was of.  And them that were hurt he let the surgeons do search
their hurts and wounds, and commanded to spare no salves nor
medicines till they were whole.

Then the king rode straight to the place where the Emperor Lucius
lay dead, and with him he found slain the Soudan of Syria, the
King of Egypt and of Ethiopia, which were two noble kings, with
seventeen other kings of divers regions, and also sixty senators
of Rome, all noble men, whom the king did do balm and gum with
many good gums aromatic, and after did do cere them in <165>sixty
fold of cered cloth of sendal, and laid them in chests of lead,
because they should not chafe nor savour, and upon all these
bodies their shields with their arms and banners were set, to the
end they should be known of what country they were.  And after he
found three senators which were alive, to whom he said, For to
save your lives I will that ye take these dead bodies, and carry
them with you unto great Rome, and present them to the Potestate
on my behalf, shewing him my letters, and tell them that I in my
person shall hastily be at Rome.  And I suppose the Romans shall
beware how they shall demand any tribute of me.  And I command
you to say when ye shall come to Rome, to the Potestate and all
the Council and Senate, that I send to them these dead bodies for
the tribute that they have demanded.  And if they be not content
with these, I shall pay more at my coming, for other tribute owe
I none, nor none other will I pay.  And methinketh this sufficeth
for Britain, Ireland and all Almaine with Germany.  And
furthermore, I charge you to say to them, that I command them
upon pain of their heads never to demand tribute nor tax of me
nor of my lands.  Then with this charge and commandment, the
three senators aforesaid departed with all the said dead bodies,
laying the body of Lucius in a car covered with the arms of the
Empire all alone; and after alway two bodies of kings in a
chariot, and then the bodies of the senators after them, and so
went toward Rome, and showed their legation and message to the
Potestate and Senate, recounting the battle done in France, and
how the field was lost and much people and innumerable slain. 
Wherefore they advised them in no wise to move no more war
against that noble conqueror Arthur, for his might and prowess is
most to be doubted, seen the noble kings and great multitude of
knights of the Round Table, to whom none earthly prince may
compare.

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