Le Morte d'Arthur BOOK I CHAPTER XVIII

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 CHAPTER XVIII
 
 How King Arthur, King Ban, and King Bors rescued
 King Leodegrance, and other incidents.
 
 AND then King Arthur, and King Ban, and King Bors departed with
 their fellowship, a twenty thousand, and came within six days
 into the country of Cameliard, and there rescued King
 Leodegrance, and slew there much people of King Rience, unto the
 number of ten thousand men, and put him to flight.  And then had
 these three kings great cheer of King Leodegrance, that thanked
 them of their great goodness, that they would revenge him of his
 enemies; and there had Arthur the first sight of Guenever, the
 king's daughter of Cameliard, and ever after he loved her.  After
 they were wedded, as it telleth in the book.  So, briefly to make
 an end, they took their leave to go into their own countries, for
 King Claudas did great destruction on their lands.  Then said
 Arthur, I will go with you.  Nay, said the kings, ye shall not at
 this time, for ye have much to do yet in these lands, therefore
 we will depart, and with the great goods that we have gotten in
 these lands by your gifts, we shall wage good knights and
 withstand the King Claudas' malice, for by the grace of God, an
 we have need we will send to you for your <34>succour; and if ye
 have need, send for us, and we will not tarry, by the faith of
 our bodies.  It shall not, said Merlin, need that these two kings
 come again in the way of war, but I know well King Arthur may not
 be long from you, for within a year or two ye shall have great
 need, and then shall he revenge you on your enemies, as ye have
 done on his.  For these eleven kings shall die all in a day, by
 the great might and prowess of arms of two valiant knights (as it
 telleth after); their names be Balin le Savage, and Balan, his
 brother, that be marvellous good knights as be any living.
 
 Now turn we to the eleven kings that returned unto a city that
 hight Sorhaute, the which city was within King Uriens', and there
 they refreshed them as well as they might, and made leeches
 search their wounds, and sorrowed greatly for the death of their
 people.  With that there came a messenger and told how there was
 come into their lands people that were lawless as well as
 Saracens, a forty thousand, and have burnt and slain all the
 people that they may come by, without mercy, and have laid siege
 on the castle of Wandesborow.  Alas, said the eleven kings, here
 is sorrow upon sorrow, and if we had not warred against Arthur as
 we have done, he would soon revenge us.  As for King Leodegrance,
 he loveth Arthur better than us, and as for King Rience, he hath
 enough to do with Leodegrance, for he hath laid siege unto him. 
 So they consented together to keep all the marches of Cornwall,
 of Wales, and of the North.  So first, they put King Idres in the
 City of Nauntes in Britain, with four thousand men of arms, to
 watch both the water and the land.  Also they put in the city of
 Windesan, King Nentres of Garlot, with four thousand knights to
 watch both on water and on land.  Also they had of other men of
 war more than eight thousand, for to fortify all the fortresses
 in the marches of Cornwall.  Also they put more knights in all
 the marches of Wales and Scotland, with many good men of arms,
 and so they kept them together the space of three year, and ever
 allied them with mighty kings and dukes and lords.  And to them
 fell King Rience of North Wales, the which <35>and Nero that was
 a mighty man of men.  And all this while they furnished them and
 garnished them of good men of arms, and victual, and of all
 manner of habiliment that pretendeth to the war, to avenge them
 for the battle of Bedegraine, as it telleth in the book of
 adventures following.