Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

in a year, or at least once, he would do cry Justes of Pees, to the end that every knight should have horse and harness, and also the use and craft of a knight, and also to tourney one against one, or two against two, and the best to have a price, a diamond or jewel, such as should please the prince. This should cause gentlemen to resort to the ancient customs of chivalry, to great fame and renown; and also to be alway ready to serve their prince, when he shall call them or have need. Then let every man that is come of noble blood, and intendeth to come to the noble order of chivalry, read this little book, and do thereafter, in keeping the lore and commandments therein comprised; and then, I doubt not, he shall attain to the order of chivalry, et cetera.

This book Caxton presents to his dread sovereign lord king Richard, king of England and France, that he may command the same to be read to the lords, knights, and gentlemen within this realm, that (as he says) the said noble order of chivalry may be hereafter better practised and honoured than it had been of late times,

MORTE ARTHUR.

THE title of this book at full length is—“ The Birth, Life, and Acts of King Arthur; of his noble Knights of the Round Table; their marvellous Enquests and Adventures; the achieving of the Sangreal; and in the end, La Mort d'Arthur; with the dolorous death and departing out of this world of them all: which book was reduced to the English by sir Thomas Malory, knight; and by me, William Caxton, divided into twenty-one books; chaptered and emprinted and finished in the abbey of Westminster, the last day of July, the year of our Lord 1485," being about a month before the battle of Bosworth, in which Richard III. was slain.

If we are to credit Leland, and others after him, sir Thomas Malory was a Welchman; and from the legendary cast of some of the stories, he was probably a priest. The history of king Arthur, who died in 542, occupies the

seventh book of Geoffrey of Monmouth; which undoubtedly furnished the ground work of the romance in question. The superstructure was completed by materials derived from MSS. written in the French and Welch, concerning the said king Arthur and his knights; perhaps with some additions by the compiler.

The Prologue.

After that I had accomplished and finished divers histories, as well of contemplation, as of other historial and worldly acts of great conquerors and princes, and also certain books of ensamples and doctrine, many noble and divers gentlemen of this realm of England, came and demanded me many and oft times, wherefore that I have not do made and emprint the noble history of Sangreal, and of the most renowned Christian king, (first and chief of the three best Christian and worthy) king Arthur, which ought most to be remembered among us Englishmen, tofore all other Christian kings; for it is notoirly' knowen through the universal world, that there been nine worthy, and the best that ever were; that is to wyle, three Paynims, three Jews, and three Christian men, As for the Paynims, they were tofore the in

1 notoriously.

1

carnation of Christ, which were named, the first, Hector of Troy, of whom the history is comen, both in ballad and in prose; the second, Alexander the Great; and the third, Julius Cæsar, emperor of Rome, of whom the histories been well knowen and had. And as for the three Jews, which also were tofore the incarnation of our Lord, of whom the first was duke Joshua, which brought the children of Israel into the land of behest; the second, David, king of Jerusalem; and the third, Judas Macabeus. Of these three the Bible rehearseth all their noble historiesand acts. And syth the said incarnation have been, three noble Christian men stalled and amytted through the universal world, in to the number nine, best and worthy of whom was Tyra, the noble Arthur, whose noble acts I purpose to write in this present book here following; the second was Charlemagne, or Charles the Great, of whom the history is had in many places, both in French and English; and the third and last, Godfrey of Bologne, of whose acts and life I made a book unto the excellent prince Edward the Fourth. The said noble gentlemen instantly required me to enprint the story of the said noble king and conqueror, king Arthur, and of his knights, with the history of the Sangreal, and of the death and ending of the said king Arthur; affirming that I ought rather to enprint his acts and noble feats, than of Godfrey of Bologne, or any of the other

eight, considering that he was a man born within this realm, and king and emperor of the same, and that there been in French divers and many noble volumes of his acts, and also of his knights; to whom I have answered, that divers men hold opinion that there was no such Arthur, and that all such books as been made of him, be but feigned and fables, by cause that some Chronicles make of him no mention, ne remember him nothing, ne of his knights. Whereto they answered, and one in special said, that in him that should say or think that there was never such a king called Arthur, might be aryttyd great folly and blindness: for he said, that there were many evidence of the contrary. First, ye may see his sepulture in the monastery of Glastonbury. And also in Polycronicon, in the fifth book, and the sixth chapter; and in the seventh book, the thirteenth chapter, where his body was buried, and after found and translated into the said monastery. Ye shall see also in the history of Bochas, in his book De Casu Principum, part of his noble acts, and also of his fall.

Also Galfridus, in his British book, recounteth his life; and in divers places of England, many remembrances been yet of him, and shall remain perpetually of him, and also of his knights. First in the abbey of Westminster, at Saint Edward's shrine remaineth the print of his seal in red wax, closed in beryl, in which is written Patricius, Arthurus, Britan

« ZurückWeiter »