SEARCH
0-9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Prev | Current Page 266 | Next

?©tien, de Troyes, 12th cent.

"Four Arthurian Romances"

knights, up! Rise quickly, take
your arms and arm yourselves! The traitors are upon us."
Through all the camp they run to arms, and hastily strive to
equip themselves in the urgent need; but not a single one of them
left his place until they were all comfortably armed and mounted
upon their steeds. While they are arming themselves, the
attacking forces are eager for battle and press forward, hoping
to catch them off their guard and find them disarmed. They bring
up from different directions the five companies into which they
had divided their troops: some hug the woods, others follow the
river, the third company deploys upon the plain, while the fourth
enters a valley, and the fifth proceeds beside a rocky cliff.
For they planned to fall upon the tents suddenly with great fury.
But they did not find the path clear. For the King's men resist
them, defying them courageously and reproaching them for their
treason. Their iron lance-tips are splintered and shattered as
they meet; they come together with swords drawn, striking each
other and casting each other down upon the face. They rush upon
each other with the fury of lions, which devour whatever they
capture. In this first rush there was heavy slaughter on both
sides. When they can no longer maintain themselves, help comes
to the traitors, who are defending themselves bravely and selling
their lives dearly.


Pages:
254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278