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I feel an ancient songe
rise up within
The longe sadde tale
of Arthur and his Queene
of Guenevere and Launcelot
and mystic Merlin
A waile of Love such as the Worlde
has never seene
Nor ever see againe
though tales be spun
This then is the story of the birth et
La morte d'Arthur
Who a most noble and worthy Kinge of Englande
Was
And of his noble Knights
Of the Table Rounde
Who for the riches of his sword
Excalibur
And fairest Wife
Was twice betrayed
By false wife and
Falser friend
That in this Worlde and so the Story goes
May be put no trust in Friend or Foe alike
For Kinges or Common Man
Weepe with me now and rede
Dear Friende
Of great Kinge Arthur in Ancient Days
Gone bye
Who with noble Actes &Feates of Armes & Love
Did breathe
And pure wicked Queene Guenevere
(who Merlin did warn against,)
Broke great Arthurs heart
For though by treacherous
Human sword
Twas Loves cruel arrow
That pierced him
Just the same
Ende Frontispiece
There Now in the Days
of Noble Utherpen
He who Ancient Kinge of Englande
Was
There reigned a Might&Noble Duke
In the Lande of Cornwayle-By-The-Sea
Who He did a Longe Tyme Warre
Against
With Bloode and Enmite
Tyntagyle was
He
Who had the Fairest Wife
Fairere than
the Sunne
And passing wise
Was She
Igraine was
She
And loved He faire Igraine
More than Lady knew
And she withal
With Grace
&Sweete Beyond her Years
Loved this Duke of Tintangyle
Bestride the bonds
of Falsity & Fears
And Utherpen
the Kinge
Pendragon,so called
Warred upon this Duke
Terrible and Swifte
For Lande & Property
,with Sword
&Lance and
Might
Called Upon him Then
For Them to make a
Fight
And Fight they Did
Longe and Harde,
And Blow for Blow
And Thrust for Thrust
Both Equal in the sight
Of Banners Flying
Axe and Picke
The Bloode
The Bloode
Flew Thicke
For such was their Anmiete
For all the Worlde to see
So that this Ancient Kinge and Duke,
Neither left their stern command
But like the Ocean or the Sea
Froths to shores that will not move
Fist to fist with matching force
Neither was the first to Break
Would not leave the firm embrace
of Force of Armes and Awful works
But loved warre Equally
For Tintagel and Utherpen
Fate decreed there was an ende
So that the Day
Did Come that the Kinge Utherpen
Tired of the Fray
Called upon Tintagel
For them to make a stay
"Enough of Warre!" cried out the King
"Enough of Battle and of Axe!"
"This Lande is Ours,Both Yours and Mine!"
"For Englishmen are we,and England is our home!"
"Let us then such friends Be!"
And Tintagel in kind replied,
"Let us then live in amiete."
And so they did make Peace.
And in the lande of Englande
The Bells did ringe
And in the Melting Springe at last
from London to the Sea
Came a message from the Kinge
That they both Duke and Kinge
Now joined in Harmony
Should then such Friends Be
And a Feast to be held
For Tintagel
To Seal the Common W
That Marks the Ende of Warre
And so the Noble Tintagel
(With Fairest Wife Bestride)
With Lords &Knights & Council men
(That travelled by his side)
And banners to the sky
To the lande of Pendragen
To the castle of the Kinge
Did they all
Come in
"Welcome Good Tintagel!"
The Kinge was heard to say
"Welcome All and Sundry,Let Us
Our Strife Allay! Enough of
Fighting and of Warre
Tis time to drink a cup of cheer
To friendly Love
And all who are here!"
And holding up a golden cup
The Kinge drank up
And Tintagel the Duke
(No stranger to the task,)
All in kind Reply
"By the Bloode of Jesu Christ
& the Four Evangelist
By this Cup I hold in Hande
(And the scabbard by my Side)
By the Sceptre
And the Rod
Crowne of Kinges
And Princely Lands
I repent our recent Strife
I have come from the Sea
That we should brothers Be!"
That night a feast was laid
And many flagons drunk
Sweetmeats served & minstrels played
Wine and laughter & Everyone
Til the chiming of the clock
Did they All take stock
And one by one from P
Retired happily in
But at midnight past the Hour
There with Lust within his Power
His Heart with Wine Besought
Into the Sleeping Chambers
Of the Faire Igraine
The Drinking Kinge
Crept steathinly in
Igraine! Igraine! the drunken Kinge
Did Singe in a Voice as soft as Raine
Awake from listless sleep and see
For Tis I that come for thee
"Husband? Is that you?" the fair Igraine did moan
"I am asleep,the night is thick and can not see
With proper sight the measure of thy Face"
Repied the King,(Without a sting,)
"I
Am He"
"Fore Faire Beloved Igraine that have come
From the Sea
"From the Lande of Faire Cornwayle
Where the Sleeping Giants are
Where the Mystic Mountain Breathes
Vapourous Fires Of the Lande
I am bewitched by you your Faire Forme
And can not longer Dorme"
"Sire your Wordes Affrighten Me
For your Bloode is full of Luste
And by the Sanctity of the Rose
That blooms in May in Winter Snow
I ask that you from my Dorm Go"
"Cold you are "repiled the Kinge
"Colder that a Sword,Colder that the Froste
That cries Fore the Sunnes Bright Enterprise
"Tis the Kinge
That wants In!"
And with a sudden start the Drunken Kinge
As if in Mystic Spell moved towards
The Lady Faire
Of the Duke of Tintagyle.
And in That Move did Fa
(Through Merlins Crafty Art,)
The Ende of Tintagyle
And Arthurs Unborn Start
"Sire," cried out the Lady Faire
"To your needs must I consent,
(Fore you are Kinge,)
But first Grant me leave to see
That my Husband not be Free"
And with that Ruse did Faire Igraine
(The Courtly, the Wise,)
Leave her Chambers,key in Hande
And locked that Kinge
Right In
For She would not Consent
To Such a Measure
And running to her Husbands room
Woke him from a Passing Dream
"Awake from Sleep,Deeper Still Ope
Your Eyes And Open More,Fore the Kinge
Comes to the Door.Fore We that Have Come
In Honesty Must Now leave in Perfidy,
Why Am I come here to Be Dishonoured?"
And the Duke replied, "I had a dream..
That a Tree flew through the Air
And a Wolpen from its Lair
Sprouted Wings that Were Not there
Fish Did Fly and Crawly Things
From the Bosom of the Earth
Did Spring."Husband" Said She
That Was No Dream
For from this castle full of Foe
Must We Go
And while the Ancient Castle slept
And the Drunken King Did Wait
Did the Noble Couple Leave
Back to Cornwayle-By-The-Sea
(And rode they all the night,so that
Neither King nor Council knew
Of their passing free.)
And in the Morning full of Sin
Did the King Awaken
Saying "Where is She that I do Love?
And that will not Love me?
And wonderous wroth wa
When he heard of their
Passing Free.
"What is this that I should have?
I am Kinge of all the Lande
And she is mine
My Property
Return Her then
To me
And calling forth his privy Council
Saying If She is not Returned
War Upon Him
For Eternity
And in Englande Was
The Flame
Of War,like a Spark
Within a Storm
(That the Heart is prone to Be)
When the Winds Blow Furiously
And to rekindle Ancient Hate
Reborn
The excuse was then
The Bait
To bring Pendragon
To Fate
For With a Terrible and Swifte Hoste
Uther Pendra
Anger and with Lust,Twin Companions
To the Cause Attacked the Lande
They Did Come from'Cornwayle,
And to the Castle of Tarquin
That had the Faire Igraine
Within Did Ride,To Storm Within
And pitched He
The Lustful Kinge
Pavillons
Far as the Eye
Could See
Colourful and Warrior-like With
Knights Fancy Free
From All the Landes
From Irelande and From France
The Dominions of his Reign
For the Sake of a Womans Kiss
Risked It All
Yet Still did Tintagyle
Resist Againe
That made the Kinge
Utherpen
Sorely Sick from His Rage
from the Summer
To the Fall
The Seige
Did Stall,that Made this Kinge
Half madde like a Stallion
or a Beare Full of Loathing
And of Feare
Who felt that he Could
No longer Live or Sweare
But he Could not have her here
But the Castle Walls did Hold
And Tintagyle as Well
Calm and Satisfied Slept
And for the Sake of Utherpen
Was
By the noble Ufious Knights
To holpen Pendragons Love-Worke
To quench the Warre Within his Heart
"Well" Said Merlin to the Kinge
"What Thee Seekest Can not be Found."
"It is neither Square No Rounde,
If to fulfill the Desire of your Heart
Ye fullfill One on My Part"
And the Bargaine that was Struck
Tween King and Sorcerer of the Blackest Art
Was That the Issue of Igraines Loins
Would be Merlins Only Sonne
And upon the Four Evangeliste
Peter,Paul, Luke and Mark
Pendragon Swore
So that Merlin with Winde and Word
Confreres Both of the Devils Art
With Ancient Spell and Fearful Sound
Transformed Utherpen
Rounde and Rounde
Into the Likeness of Tyntagyle
So that Naither Kinge Nor Duke
Knew the Difference from the Reale
That Hailed within the Castle Walls
And Human Eye to Tell
Which was Utherpen
Which Tyntagyle.
Thus by Merlins withered Hand
Sprung a bough that Saved the Lande
Arthur Kinge thrice conceived
Pendragon,Merline & Igraine
For that night by Magic Spell
Utherpen Lust was fully
And lay with Igraine in her Bedde
And slew her husband by her side
As he prayed,
Finished off his rank desire
Till a child grew all Within
The Womb of the Lady Igraine
Thus by Necromancy was Arthur Spawned
Innocent of His Task
In Cloth Of Gold and Pearl was He Cast
Then
To the Churl,Merlin,who put a Spell
Upon a Kinge Delivered Quick
And No Suspicions Founde
Of that Darkest Night
And for the Sin of his Great Desire
A Wasting malady fell upon Utherpen
Two years After His Sons Birth,
A Cloude of Death
Wrapped Him Rounde
For many Enemies
Had he Founde
Throughtout the Kingdom
And in a Litter Like a Babe
Was He Carried
To fight a Battle against a Host
And there,Untouched by Human Hands
Utherpen Unhappy Kinge
Strangely
Yielded up the Ghost.
ENDE,THE FIRST PARTE
HERE BEGINETH THE SECOND PART,
There is in England,near the Place of Dreams
Where Gur-An-Dur is said to lye
Bye the Isle of Apples,& the Mystic Sea
Where from Ancient Times,God did Call
From a Gaints
Sacred Writings to be Found at Chalice Well
& Pilgrims Come Throughout the Worlde
Portal to the Fairie Land & Merlins Home
& The Flowering Thorn of Christmas Tide
And in this Place Was the Boy Arthur Weaned
For Many Years By Breastless Merlin
Raised,to Father Forth a Kinge.
With Patient Teaching and with Mysic Wand
Winde and Worde and Sacred Flame
Did The Crafty Merline Teach his Sonne
That had no Name.
Till from Babe to Boy was Arthur Grown
And Merlins Task to Father forth from Clay
As rough as English Stone,a Polished Creature
Made from Imperfect Man,And Woman Hued
A Once and Future Kinge Bright Latern
To the Day Outshone,Created Outright
And this the Necromancer Did Daily
With Due Diligence and Beneath Gods Control
For All Must Change The Olde Man knew
All Must Be Changed Fore Life itself To Be
No Sorcerer Could Not Supplant To the Envy
Of the Worlde Entire,Its Destiny,Fore In
The Capture of that Furthest Ringe Outside
The Embroidered Line of Fate,(That With
Chance our Lives Inters
All Others Must Be Called Forth
And this Maerlin Knew and Imparted
To his Ward, the Mystery Implanted
Like a Tree Implants Its Seed & Makes
It Free to Sprout,Such He Did
And make Him Comme To Us
And Did He so,in The Wink of an Eye
Called Together All the Lords of the Lande
To Come To London, To St. Pauls
To Fast and Pray on this Ruse
The Clever Merlin,To God
And the Salvation of Mankind
For In those Days The kingdom
Was in Jeopardy
And After Matins and First Masse
In the Churchyard was There Seene
As though a Ghostly Apparition
A Great Stone of Marble Clean
And in Its Navel,Roundly Cut
A great Sword;This Naked to the Point
Inscribed in Letters Gold the Hilt
Uopn which Was Writ
"Whomsoever resurecteth me From This
Is Rightwise Born of All England Kinge"
And challenged Merlin Thus
To Who Could Pull it Out
And One by One Lord and Duke
Earl and Viscount &Noble Tried
But none Could Try it No Matter
How Harde They Tried
And Stronge and Weake refrained
Giants All to the Task of Budging
Puled
and the Shout of the Common Folk
This Impossible Demand,Till Merlin
With a Wave of his Blackened Hand
Screamed For Silence,And in that Pall
Asked For anyone To try his Luck
Fore All Who Could Succeed,With Jeopardy
On the Lande, Were Invited to Attempt
And all Lost,For so It Seemed That Sword
And Stone were Intertwined And What
Was What a Dream That Could not Be
Awakened From Till Strong Men Cursed
And in Their midst Was Arthur Standing
Bye, then a Lad of Sixteen in Common
Coarsely Garb Who walked Towards
The Stone in Silence.
What was recounted to the Rest
Was that Stone and Sword Did Singe
When he Placed his Hande upon the Scabbard
And Freed the Metal From the Rock
In a Move as Smmoth as Silke
As though Easier That a Simple
Breath Excalibur Was then Freed
Lept into his Hands and Burned
The Air With Light that Shone
Throughout the Night and Gave
Sight To All who were There
That many fell to Their Knees
Confesing That Had Seene That Day
A Miracle of Sortes.
To be cont.
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