Then came there Sir Placidas,a good knight,and met with Sir Kay,and smote him down horse and man,where fore Sir Griflet was wroth,and met with Sir Placidas so hard,that horse and man fell to the earth.But when the five knights wist that Sir Kay had a fall,they were wroth out of wit,and therewith each of them five bare down a knight.
When King Arthur and the two kings saw them begin to wax wroth on both parties,they leapt on small hackneys,and let cry that all men should depart unto their lodging.And so they went home and unarmed them,and so to evensong and supper.And after,the three kings went into a garden,and gave the prize unto Sir Kay,and to Lucas the butler,and unto Sir Griflet.And then they went unto council,and with them Gwenbaus,the brother unto Sir Ban and Bors,a wise clerk,and thither went Ulfius and Brastias,and Merlin.And after they had been in council,they went unto bed.And on the morn they heard mass,and to dinner,and so to their council,and made many arguments what were best to do.At the last they were concluded,that Merlin should go with a token of King Ban,and that was a ring,unto his men and King Bors';and Gracian and Placidas should go again and keep their castles and their countries,as for [dread of King Claudas]King Ban of Benwick,and King Bors of Gaul had ordained them,and so passed the sea and came to Benwick.And when the people saw King Ban's ring,and Gracian and Placidas,they were glad,and asked how the kings fared,and made great joy of their welfare and cording,and according unto the sovereign lords desire,the men of war made them ready in all haste possible,so that they were fifteen thousand on horse and foot,and they had great plenty of victual with them,by Merlin's provision.But Gracian and Placidas were left to furnish and garnish the castles,for dread of King Claudas.Right so Merlin passed the sea,well victualled both by water and by land.And when he came to the sea he sent home the footmen again,and took no more with him but ten thousand men on horseback,the most part men of arms,and so shipped and passed the sea into England,and landed at Dover;and through the wit of Merlin,he had the host northward,the priviest way that could be thought,unto the forest of Bedegraine,and there in a valley he lodged them secretly.
Then rode Merlin unto Arthur and the two kings,and told them how he had sped;whereof they had great marvel,that man on earth might speed so soon,and go and come.So Merlin told them ten thousand were in the forest of Bedegraine,well armed at all points.Then was there no more to say,but to horseback went all the host as Arthur had afore purveyed.So with twenty thousand he passed by night and day,but there was made such an ordinance afore by Merlin,that there should no man of war ride nor go in no country on this side Trent water,but if he had a token from King Arthur,where through the king's enemies durst not ride as they did to-fore to espy.
CHAPTER XII
How eleven kings gathered a great host against King Arthur.
AND SO within a little space the three kings came unto the castle of Bedegraine,and found there a passing fair fellowship,and well beseen,whereof they had great joy,and victual they wanted none.This was the cause of the northern host:that they were reared for the despite and rebuke the six kings had at Carlion.
And those six kings by their means,gat unto them five other kings;and thus they began to gather their people.
And now they sware that for weal nor woe,they should not leave other,till they had destroyed Arthur.And then they made an oath.The first that began the oath was the Duke of Cambenet,that he would bring with him five thousand men of arms,the which were ready on horseback.Then sware King Brandegoris of Stranggore that he would bring five thousand men of arms on horseback.Then sware King Clariance of Northumberland he would bring three thousand men of arms.Then sware the King of the Hundred Knights,that was a passing good man and a young,that he would bring four thousand men of arms on horseback.Then there swore King Lot,a passing good knight,and Sir Gawain's father,that he would bring five thousand men of arms on horseback.Also there swore King Urience,that was Sir Uwain's father,of the land of Gore,and he would bring six thousand men of arms on horseback.Also there swore King Idres of Cornwall,that he would bring five thousand men of arms on horseback.Also there swore King Cradelmas to bring five thousand men on horseback.Also there swore King Agwisance of Ireland to bring five thousand men of arms on horseback.Also there swore King Nentres to bring five thousand men of arms on horseback.Also there swore King Carados to bring five thousand men of arms on horseback.So their whole host was of clean men of arms on horseback fifty thousand,and a-foot ten thousand of good men's bodies.Then were they soon ready,and mounted upon horse and sent forth their fore-riders,for these eleven kings in their ways laid a siege unto the castle of Bedegraine;and so they departed and drew toward Arthur,and left few to abide at the siege,for the castle of Bedegraine was holden of King Arthur,and the men that were therein were Arthur's.
CHAPTER XIII
Of a dream of the King with the Hundred Knights.
So by Merlin's advice there were sent fore-riders to skim the country,and they met with the fore-riders of the north,and made them to tell which way the host came,and then they told it to Arthur,and by King Ban and Bors'council they let burn and destroy all the country afore them,there they should ride.
The King with the Hundred Knights met a wonder dream two nights afore the battle,that there blew a great wind,and blew down their castles and their towns,and after that came a water and bare it all away.All that heard of the sweven said it was a token of great battle.Then by counsel of Merlin,when they wist which way the eleven kings would ride and lodge that night,at midnight they set upon them,as they were in their pavilions.