The story-teller, whose living depended on the welcome his stories met with, instead of telling them according to tradition, altered them to suit the tastes of his hearers. Thus, the old heroes of tradition were placed upon prancing horses, clothed in coats of mail, and armed with lances as if they had been vassals of King Henry or King Richard. And in this way the story-teller called up before the minds of the listeners pictures of deeds of chivalry, such as husbands and brothers were performing for the Christian faith in far-off Palestine. The writers of the time, both English and French, set them down as they heard and knew them, and so in their altered and historically inaccurate form they have reached us at the present day.
One of the most famous of the books compiled by old English writers was the “Historia Britonum,” which was written (in Latin) by Geoffrey, Bishop of Asaph. It contained an account of a war which King Arthur waged in Western Europe, but made no mention of the Holy Grail.
From this and other books of romances compiled in England, and very largely, too, from books of French romances, Sir Thomas Malory obtained the material for his “Morte d’Arthur,” which was written in 1470. This is the most famous of the early books of Arthurian legend, and it is from the “Morte d’Arthur” that most of the stories in this book are taken. Some, however, are taken from the “High History of the Holy Graal,” translated from the French by Dr. Sebastian Evans. The language throughout has been modified with a view to making the legends more easy of study.
PART I. PAGE Introduction v, vi The Drawing of the Sword 1 The Sword Excalibur 6 How the Round Table began 7 The Story of Sir Balin 11 What Beaumains asked of the King 18 How Morgan Le Fay tried to kill King Arthur 42 The Passing of Merlin 45
PART II. The Quest of the Holy Graal (Parts I. to XI.) 48
PART III. The Fight for the Queen 78 The Fair Maid of Astolat 88
PART IV. Lancelot and Guenevere 107 The End of it All 136
FULL-PAGE PLATES. PAGE How Arthur drew the Sword 4 The Death of Balin and Balan 17 Gareth and Linet 24 Linet and the Black Knight 27 The Lady of Lyonesse sees Sir Gareth 34 Morgan Le Fay casts away the Scabbard 44 Merlin and Vivien 47 Sir Galahad opens the Tomb 56 Sir Percivale slays the Serpent 63 Arthur and Guenevere kiss before all the People 86 Elaine ties her Sleeve round Sir Lancelot’s Helmet 92 The Black Barget 104 The Archers threaten Lancelot 113 Sir Mordred 141 Excalibur returns to the Mere 144