King Arthur and His Knights | Page 9

win the day. The tide will turn against you."
Arthur hesitated and Merlin said:
"The eleven kings have a great trouble coming of which they are

ignorant. The Saracens have landed in their countries to the number of
over forty thousand. So your enemies will have so much fighting to do
that they will not attack you again for three years."
Then Arthur was glad, for it had grieved him deeply to fight so long
and to lose his good soldiers.
"We will fight no more," he said.
"That is well," replied Merlin. "Now give presents to your soldiers, for
to-day they have proved themselves equal to the best fighters in the
world."
"True, indeed!" exclaimed King Bors and King Ban.
So Arthur gave gifts to his own men; and a great deal of gold to the
brother kings, both for themselves and for their soldiers. And the two
kings went home rejoicing.
[Illustration: The Two Horses]

[Illustration] ARTHUR'S COURT & THE ORDER OF THE ROUND
TABLE
After Arthur had proved his prowess in his contest with the eleven
kings, he decided to establish his Court and the Order of the Round
Table. The place he chose was the city of Camelot in Wales, which had
a good situation, being built upon a hill. He called the wise Merlin and
ordered him to make a great palace on the summit of the hill. Through
his powers of enchantment, Merlin was able to do this very quickly,
and within a week the king and his personal attendants were settled in
the palace.
The main part consisted of a great Assembly Hall built of white marble,
the roof of which seemed to be upheld by pillars of green and red
porphyry, and was surmounted by magnificent towers. The outside
walls of the hall were covered with beautiful rows of sculpture. The

lowest row represented wild beasts slaying men. The second row
represented men slaying wild beasts. The third represented warriors
who were peaceful, good men. The fourth showed men with growing
wings. Over all was a winged statue with the face of Arthur. Merlin
meant to show by means of the first row that formerly evil in men was
greater than good; by the second that men began to conquer the evil in
themselves, which in time caused them to become really good, noble,
and peace-loving men, as in the third row. And finally, through the
refining influence of Good King Arthur and his wise helpers, men
would grow to be almost as perfect as the angels.
The main doorway was in the shape of an arch, upheld by pillars of
dark yellow marble. The hall was lighted by fourteen great windows,
through which the light streamed in soft colors upon the marble floors.
Between these windows, and along the cornices, were beautiful
decorations. There were carvings in white marble of birds and beasts
and twining vines. There was mosaic work of black and yellow and
pink marble and of lapis lazuli, as blue as a lake when the clear sun
shines full upon its surface. Under the windows were many stone
shields, beneath each of which was the name of a knight. Some shields
were blazoned with gold, some were carved, and some were blank. The
walls were hung with beautiful tapestries which had been woven by the
ladies of the land for Arthur's new palace. On each had been pictured
some episode from the life of King Arthur; the drawing of the magic
sword from the anvil, the finding of the good sword Excalibur, his
deeds of justice and acts of kindness, and his many battles and wars.
The two wings of the palace contained the dining hall and kitchen and
the living apartments of all the members of the court who made their
home with the king. The dining hall was only a little less beautiful than
Arthur's great Assembly Hall. The walls were hung with cloths of
scarlet and gold. The deep fireplace was supported by four bronze
pillars. In the middle of the room were long tables made of oak boards
set on ivory trestles. At a banquet the walls were hung with garlands of
flowers or festoons of branches.
The great kitchen had stone walls and stone flagging. The fireplace was

so large that there was room for a whole ox to be roasted, and above
hung cranes from which half a dozen kettles could be suspended, and
pots of such a size that pigs could be boiled whole in them. All about
the walls were cupboards. Some were full of plates of wood, iron, steel,
silver, and gold, and flagons, cups, bowls, and saltcellars of gold and
silver. Others were used for the storing of cold meats and fruits. There
were several tables on which the cooked