MALORY

[Beyond what is stated by Caxton in his Preface to the Morte d'Arthur, and in his Colophon, and what Malory himself says at the end of his compilation, we know nothing of the authorship or of the author of this the most popular English work of the closing Middle Ages. In his Preface Caxton tells us how for certain reasons he at first shrunk from printing a book about King Arthur; but, being at length persuaded by " many noble and divers gentlemen of this realm of England," he, "after the simple conning that God hath sent him, enprised to imprint a book of the noble histories of the said, King Arthur and of certain of his knights after a copy unto me delivered, which copy Sir Thomas Malory did take out of certain book of French, and reduced it into English." In his Colophon he again mentions Sir Thomas as the reducer of the work into English, and adds that it was by himself 'divided into xxi books chapitred, and enprinted, and finished in the Abbey Westminster, the last day of July the year of our Lord mcccclxxxv."

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"I pray you," runs Malory's own concluding sentence,—the last part of it, in a kind of metre- -the words "knight, might," and "night" rhyming together-"all gentlemen and gentlewomen that read this book of Arthur and his knights from the beginning to the ending, pray for me while I am on live that God send me good deliverance, and when I am dead I pray you all pray for my soul; for this book was ended the ninth year of the reign of King Edward the Fourth by Sir Thomas Maleore, knight, as Jesu help him for his great might, as he is the servant of Jesus both day and night." Edward IV.'s regnal years are computed from 4th March 1461; so Malory's translation was finished sometime between 4th March 1469 and 4th March 1470, some fifteen years before Caxton printed it. There is a village called Kirkby Mallory in Leicestershire, about five miles north of Hinckly; and we know, on Leland's authority, that a family of the name held property at Hutton Conyers and also at High Studley, both places near Ripon in the West Riding of Yorkshire. In the north transept of Ripon Cathedral is a monument to the Mallorys of Studley Royal. But with neither of these occurrences of the name can he be certainly connected. His description of himself as the servant of Jesu both day and night might very well mean, and has been taken to mean, that he was in "Holy Orders"; but more probably it simply expresses what all his work illustrates, viz., that he was of a sincerely religious spirit.]

Sir Thomas Malory's Morte d'Arthur is of high distinction in many ways. It is the largest and completest collection of the

Arthurian romances; it is arranged with remarkable skill and judgment; it is written in a style of wonderful simplicity and of wonderful effectiveness; it has been ever since the favourite handbook of all students, poetic and other, who have felt any interest in the Arthurian story and in chivalrous romance.

It is, in fact, a complete Arthuriad. What so many great writers designed, Malory has in his own way accomplished. He tells the tale of the old king from the beginning to the end. There are many episodes, but these are subordinate to the main theme. No doubt he takes his material from the French; but he takes it from various sources, not from any single work which had already done what it was his special purpose to do. So to translate and abridge and to correlate numerous French works that treated of the Table Round in prose and in poetry was an achievement demanding a real artistic sense and power. And, in fact, to this day the only Arthurian epic our literature has to show is this work of Malory's. For Spenser never reached the properly Arthurian part of the Faerie Queen; Milton never actually took in hand the Arthurian legends, though they so long and so late attracted him; Dryden's opera of King Arthur just serves to remind us that he never wrote the heroic poem on Arthur which, wisely or unwisely, he for many years meditated ; Tennyson himself warns us against looking to him for an epic, when he entitles his Arthurian pieces "Idylls." Thus our one Arthurian epic is in prose. Some critic has regretted that Malory did not attempt verse; but we may be sure that Malory's judgment was sound in this respect. He understood well his own limits and the limits of his time, as also his own genius and the genius of his time. A different age would have filled him with a different inspiration. But the latter part of the fifteenth century in England was probably incapable of any high poetic form. And an attempt on Malory's part to assume a poetic form would probably have been scarcely less disastrous than had Bunyan produced his famous allegory in such couplets as compose its Preface, instead of in the admirable prose which, with his other gifts, has given him a place amongst English classics. The prose of Malory too is admirable. It is spoilt by no tricks or affectations; it is not always thinking of itself, so to speak, or wishing to be thought about. It aims merely at doing its duty as a rendering of its master's thought. What particularly distinguishes it is its thoroughly idiomatic character. Malory displays a fine

instinct in his use of his mother-tongue. It is wonderful to see how this subtle sense led him to the choice of phrases that were to remain always part of the vernacular, his choice, no doubt, improving their chance of remaining so; for there was no more popular book in the sixteenth century than the Morte d'Arthur. Above all, Malory's language and style exactly suit his subject. In no work is there a perfecter harmony- -a more sympathetic marriage-of this kind. This chronicler of knighthood is himself a knight. His heart is devoted to the chivalry he portrays, and his tongue is the faithful spokesmen of his heart.

JOHN W. HALES.

HOW ARTHUR BY THE MEAN OF MERLIN GAT EXCALIBUR HIS SWORD OF THE LADY OF THE LAKE

RIGHT so the king and he departed, and went until an hermit that was a good man and a great leach. So the hermit searched all his wounds and gave him good salves; so the king was there three days, and then were his wounds well amended that he might ride and go, and so departed. And as they rode, Arthur said, I have no sword. No force, said Merlin, hereby is a sword that shall be yours and I may. So they rode till they came to a lake, the which was a fair water and broad, and in the midst of the lake Arthur was ware of an arm clothed in white samite, that held a fair sword in that hand. Lo, said Merlin, yonder is that sword that I spake of. With that they saw a damsel going upon the lake: What damsel is that? said Arthur. That is the Lady of the lake, said Merlin; and within that lake is a rock, and therein is as fair a place as any on earth, and richly beseen, and this damsel will come to you anon, and then speak ye fair to her that she will give you that sword. Anon withal came the damsel unto Arthur and saluted him, and he her again. Damsel, said Arthur, what sword is that, that yonder the arm holdeth above the water? I would it were mine, for I have no sword. Sir Arthur king, said the damsel, that sword is mine, and if ye will give me a gift when I ask it you, ye shall have it. said Arthur, I will give you what gift ye will ask. damsel, go ye into yonder barge and row yourself to the sword, and take it and the scabbard with you, and I will ask my gift when I see my time. So Sir Arthur and Merlin alight, and tied their horses to two trees, and so they went into the ship, and when they came to the sword that the hand held, Sir Arthur took it up by the handles, and took it with him. And the arm and the hand went under the water; and so they came unto the land and rode forth, And then Sir Arthur saw a rich pavilion: What

By my faith, Well, said the

signifieth yonder pavilion? It is the knight's pavilion, said Merlin, that ye fought with last, Sir Pellinore, but he is out, he is not there; he hath ado with a knight of yours, that hight Egglame, and they have fought together, but at the last Egglame fled, and else he had been dead, and he hath chased him even to Carlion, and we shall meet with him anon in the high way. That is well said, said Arthur, now have I a sword, now will I wage battle with him and be avenged on him. Sir, ye shall not so, said Merlin, for the knight is weary of fighting and chasing, so that ye shall have no worship to have ado with him; also he will not lightly be matched of one knight living; and therefore it is my counsel, let him pass, for he shall do you good service in short time, and his sons after his days. Also ye shall see that day in short space, ye shall be right glad to give him your sister to wed. When I see him, I will do as ye advise me, said Arthur. Then Sir Arthur looked on the sword, and liked it passing well. Whether liketh you better, said Merlin, the sword or the scabbard? Me liketh better the sword, said Arthur. Ye are more unwise, said Merlin, for the scabbard is worth ten of the sword, for while ye have the scabbard upon you ye shall never loose no blood, be ye never so sore wounded, therefore keep well the scabbard always with you. So they rode unto Carlion, and by the way they met with Sir Pellinore; but Merlin had done such a craft that Pellinore saw not Arthur, and he passed by without any words. I marvel, said Arthur, that the knight would not speak. Sir, said Merlin, he saw you not, for and he had seen you ye had not lightly departed. So they came unto Carlion, whereof his knights were passing glad. And when they heard of his adventures they marvelled that he would jeopard his person so alone. But all men of worship said it was merry to be under such a chieftain that would put his person in adventure as other poor knights did.

HOW TIDINGS CAME TO ARTHUR THAT KING RYONS HAD OVERCOME ELEVEN KINGS, AND HOW HE DESIRED ARTHUR'S BEARD TO TRIM HIS MANTLE.

THIS meanwhile came a messager from king Ryons of North Wales, and king he was of all Ireland, and of many Isles. And this was his message, greeting well king Arthur in this manner