The Death of King Arthur Page 11

  So Marhalt and his companions sailed back to Ireland in disgrace. When he came to the court of King Angwish the doctors examined his wounds. They found a piece of Tristram’s sword lodged in Marhalt’s skull, but by no means could they extract it. He died in agony. But his sister kept the fragment with her, with the aim of being revenged whenever she could.

  Read of the meeting of Tristram with Isolde

  We turn again to Sir Tristram, who was so badly wounded and bloodied that he could now hardly stand. He fell into a fever, shivering, and laid himself down upon a little hill, where he lost more blood. Yet King Mark soon came across the water to the island, and with his lords walked in procession to honour his knight. He carried Tristram back in his ship to Tintagel, where the young knight was laid in a soft bed. When the king inspected his wounds, he wept. ‘So God help me,’ he said, ‘I would give up my lands to save my nephew.’

  Tristram lay for more than a month. He had been wounded by Marhalt’s first stroke, but he did not know that the sword had been poisoned. The king and court were in dismay, because they believed that he would die. All manner of doctors and surgeons were called, but none could cure him.

  One day a wise woman came to court, and learned of his plight. She said plainly to the king, and to Tristram himself, that he would be cured of his wound only if he went to the country where the poison had been refined. He would be helped there, and nowhere else. So King Mark ordered a vessel to be prepared, and Tristram set off for Ireland; that country had been the source of his sorrow. He took his harp with him.

  By fortune, good or ill, he landed close to the place where King Angwish and his queen had a castle. On his arrival he played such a marvellous lay upon his harp that no one in Ireland had ever heard anything like it. The report of a sick knight, able to play wonderfully upon the harp, reached the king. He asked for the man to be sent to him. ‘Make sure that his wounds are examined,’ he said to his courtiers.

  On Tristram’s arrival the king asked for his name. So Tristram was careful. ‘I am called,’ he said, ‘Sir Tramtrist. I am from the land of Liones. I received these wounds in combat for a lady’s hand.’

  ‘I promise you, sir,’ the king replied, ‘that you will have all the help that I can give you. I know how you feel. I have just endured pain of my own. I have lost the best knight in the world. His name was Marhalt. Have you heard of him? I will tell you what happened.’

  Sir Tristram dissembled. He listened to the story, and said that he was sorry for the dead knight; he knew the truth better than the king. But Angwish looked favourably on the young man, and gave him into the care of his daughter. Her name was La Belle Isolde, and she was at this time the fairest lady in the world. She was a skilful doctor, too, and she discovered where the poison lay within his wound. As the wise woman had predicted, Isolde healed him. Tristram fell in love with her, and taught her the secrets of the harp. She in turn loved him.

  There was another knight, Sir Palomides the Saracen, who had always loved Isolde and gave her many gifts. Tristram saw this, and was envious. When Isolde told him that Palomides was to be baptized a Christian for her sake, Tristram grew more jealous still.

  It so happened that King Angwish declared a tournament for all worthy combatants; his messengers went into Wales, Scotland, England, France and Brittany proclaiming the news. When Isolde heard of it, she went to Tristram and urged him to take part in the combat. ‘Fair lady,’ he told her. ‘I am still weak. If it had not been for your help, I would now be dead. What can I do? You know well enough that I should not joust.’

  ‘Oh, Sir Tramtrist,’ she replied, ‘what are you saying? I have been assured that Sir Palomides will ride there. I ask you to reconsider. Otherwise he will win the prize.’

  ‘That may be so, lady. But I am a young knight. In the very first battle I fought, I was almost killed. Yet I bow to your will. I will go to the joust on one condition. You must reveal to no one that I am taking part. I shall pledge my poor person for your sake. Perhaps Sir Palomides will feel the force of my spear.’

  ‘Do the best you can,’ she said. ‘I will procure horse and armour for you.’

  ‘As you will. I am yours to command.’

  So on the day of the joust Sir Palomides, armed with a black shield, overthrew many knights. Yet Sir Tristram held back. When King Angwish asked him the reason, he gave the same reply as before. ‘I was recently wounded. As yet, I dare not ride against him.’

  A warrior from the court of King Melodias, the father of Tristram, had come to the tournament. His name was Hebes le Renownys. As soon as he saw Tristram, he bowed deeply to him. Isolde saw this, but said nothing. She was convinced that Tristram was a man of some renown, and she loved him all the more because of it.

  Tristram took the young man to one side and asked him not to reveal his name. ‘I will not disclose it, sir,’ Hebes said, ‘unless you wish it.’

  ‘Now tell me this. Why have you come to Ireland?’

  ‘I have come with Sir Gawain to be dubbed a knight. I would like to receive that honour from your hands, if I may.’

  ‘Come to me secretly tomorrow morning. I will make you a knight in the field of tournament.’

  On the following morning Sir Palomides rode on to the field, as he had done on the first day, and defeated the King of Scots as well as the King of the Hundred Knights. But then Sir Tristram came forth, wearing white armour and riding on a white horse. He looked like a bright angel sent down upon the earth. Sir Palomides saw him, and aimed straight for him. But Tristram lowered his spear, and caught him squarely in the middle. When Palomides fell to the earth, a great shout went up from the spectators. ‘Look,’ some said, ‘the knight with the black shield has fallen!’ Others shouted, ‘It is Sir Palomides!’ Isolde was delighted that her unsought suitor had been beaten. Sir Gawain and his nine companions wondered who this white knight might be, but none of them dared to fight with him.

  In the glow of this victory Sir Tristram made Hebes a true knight, and the young man followed him ever after.

  After Palomides had risen to his feet, he was bitterly ashamed of his defeat and tried to leave the field unseen. But Tristram spotted him, and rode after the retreating warrior. ‘Turn around,’ he told him. ‘I challenge you once more.’ So both men drew their swords and cut at one another. Tristram disarmed his opponent with a great blow, so that Palomides was bowed down upon the earth. ‘Surrender,’ Tristram said. ‘Obey me now or I will kill you.’

  ‘I yield to you.’

  ‘This is my charge to you. First, upon pain of your life you must leave off your pursuit of Isolde. You will never more come near her. Second, I command you to bear no arms for a year and a day. Promise me these things, or I will slay you.’

  ‘This is the greatest shame I have ever endured.’

  ‘Nevertheless, swear.’

  So Palomides was forced to swear an oath. In anger and distress he cut off his armour and flung it as far as he could.

  Sir Tristram rode back to the castle where Isolde was waiting for him. On his way, however, he met a fair lady who greeted him. ‘Who are you?’ she inquired of him.

  ‘I am he who has just defeated Sir Palomides in combat.’

  ‘What is your name? Are you by any chance Sir Lancelot du Lake? I am sure no one else could have performed such a feat.’

  ‘No, lady. I cannot claim to be so great a knight. I must trust to God to give me strength of that kind.’

  ‘Fair knight, put up your visor.’

  When he lifted his visor she almost fainted. She had never seen such a fair-looking knight. Then she took her leave of him. He went on to the castle, where he was welcomed by Isolde.

  When the king and queen knew that Sir Tramtrist had defeated Palomides, they rejoiced; he was entertained even more royally than before.

  Read of the discovery of Tristram’s identity

  There came a day when the queen and her daughter prepared a bath for Tristram. While Gouvernail and Sir Hebes were attendin
g to him, the queen and Isolde were sitting in the chamber where Tristram was lodged. The queen saw his sword lying upon the bed, and on an impulse drew it from its scabbard. She saw that a large piece was missing from its point, and she recalled the piece of metal found in the skull of her brother, Marhalt; they seemed to match exactly.

  ‘Alas!’ she cried out to Isolde. ‘This is the sword of the traitor who killed your uncle. I will prove it.’ So she rushed into her own chamber and opened the wooden coffer she kept there; she took out the piece of metal and came back to Tristram’s room. She put it against the sword, and it fitted exactly. ‘Do you see this?’ she asked Isolde.

  Isolde was now distraught. She loved Tristram still, and she knew how cruel her mother could be. The queen now took up the sword and ran to the bath where Tristram lay; she was about to pierce him to the heart but Sir Hebes held her arm and pulled the sword from her. Thwarted in her plan, she hurried to the king.

  She fell to her knees. ‘Oh, my lord,’ she said, ‘you have under your roof the traitor that killed my brother. You have welcomed here the knight who dispatched your dutiful servant!’

  ‘What do you mean? Who are you talking about?’

  ‘I am talking about Tramtrist. The man my daughter healed of his wounds.’

  ‘This is a dark day for me,’ the king replied. ‘I have seen Tramtrist in the field, and he is a worthy knight.’ He raised the queen from her knees. ‘I charge you, lady,’ he said, ‘not to meddle with this man. Leave him to me.’

  So he went to Tristram’s chamber. He found him fully armed, and ready to depart; he knew that his identity had been discovered. His horse was waiting for him in the courtyard. ‘It will do you no good, sir,’ the king told him, ‘to thwart my anger by trying to escape. Out of love and respect for you, I promise you this. I will allow you to leave this court in safety if you tell me who you really are. And if you tell me the truth about the killing of Marhalt.’

  ‘I will not lie to you, sir,’ Tristram replied. ‘The name of my father is Melodias, King of Liones, and my mother is Queen Elizabeth, who is the sister of King Mark of Cornwall. My mother died at the time of my birth, which is why I am named Tristram, or “sorrowful coming”. I called myself Tramtrist here because I did not wish to be known. Yet I must tell you, sir, that I fought your knight on behalf of King Mark of Cornwall. I wished to be called a true knight who fought for those he loved.’

  ‘As God is my judge,’ King Angwish told him, ‘I hold no grudge against you. You were behaving according to the proper forms of knighthood. But I cannot let you stay here. My barons, and my family, would be very displeased.’

  ‘I thank you, sir, for your kindness to me. You have been a good lord to me. And I thank your daughter, too, for all the benefits she has given me. She healed me when my life was in danger. I believe that I will be able to help you more in life than in death, because I will always be at your service. Whenever you come to England, I will be happy to ride at your side. And I also promise you this. I will be devoted to your daughter, Isolde, and I will never fail her. Will you allow me now to say farewell to her?’

  ‘With all my heart.’

  Read of Tristram’s farewell to Isolde

  So Tristram went to Isolde’s chamber. She began weeping when he told her of his departure. ‘Ah, gentle knight,’ she said, ‘I am so filled with sorrow that I scarcely know what to say.’

  ‘Madam,’ he replied, ‘my real name is Sir Tristram de Liones. I am of royal blood. Rest assured that I will be your knight for the remainder of my life.’

  ‘Is that your promise? Thank you. I will make a pledge to you in turn. For the next seven years I will not marry except with your assent. You may pick my husband for me.’

  Then they exchanged rings.

  Tristram now came into the court of King Angwish and addressed the lords assembled there. ‘Good lords,’ he said, ‘the time has come for me to leave you all. If I have offended any man here, let him tell me now. I will make amends, if I can. And if there is any man who bears ill will to me, let him declare it now. I will prove myself by force of arms.’

  Yet they all stood still. Not one of them said a word. There were some of Sir Marhalt’s kin among them, but even they would not meddle with him. So Tristram departed and, taking to sea, was brought by a fair wind to Tintagel on the coast of Cornwall. When King Mark learned that he had returned, completely healed, he rejoiced. Tristram then rode to the domain of his father, where the king and queen were so pleased by his return that they granted him many lands. After that, with their permission, he went back to the court of King Mark.

  Read of the enmity between Tristram and King Mark

  Tristram lived at the Cornish court for a long time until, in an evil season, strife rose up between him and the king. They both loved the same lady, the wife of Earl Segwarides, but the lady loved only Tristram. King Mark grew jealous. It so happened that one day the lady sent a dwarf to Tristram, entreating him to visit her on the following night. ‘Also,’ the dwarf told him, ‘she urges you to come well armed. Her husband is a tough fighter.’

  ‘Send my respects to the lady, fellow, and tell her that I will not fail her. I will be with her tomorrow night.’

  The king received news that the lady’s dwarf had visited Tristram, and so he sent for the dwarf. Under threat of torture, the dwarf revealed the message he had brought. ‘Very well then,’ the king said to him, ‘now go on your way. But tell nobody that you have spoken to me. Do you understand?’ The dwarf nodded, and left hurriedly.

  Secretly King Mark arranged a plan to ambush Tristram on his way to the lady. He chose two of his best knights, and rode ahead along the path he knew Tristram would take. As soon as Tristram came into sight, the king rushed for him with his spear aloft; his two companions followed, swords drawn, and cut at him. Tristram was badly wounded in the breast, but not before he had beaten down the two knights. Then he launched his spear against King Mark, and brought him down to the ground, where he lay unconscious.

  Tristram then made his way to his lady, who took him in her arms and led him to her bed. They made love so madly that he paid no heed to his wound; but his blood was all over the sheets and pillows. Then there came word that her husband, Sir Segwarides, was on his way. She urged Sir Tristram to leave her bed, arm himself, and ride off as fast as he could. When Segwarides entered the chamber, he saw that the bed had been disturbed. He came closer and, by the light of a lantern, saw that the sheets were covered in blood. ‘You have been false to me,’ he told her. ‘Why have you betrayed me?’ He took out his sword. ‘I will slay you on the spot if you do not tell me who has been here with you.’

  ‘Mercy, my lord!’ she cried out. ‘I will tell you his name!’

  ‘Who is it?’

  ‘Tristram. He was wounded while on his way to me.’

  ‘Traitors, both of you! Where is he now?’

  ‘He left on his horse a few minutes ago. He cannot have gone far.’

  ‘Then I will find him.’ Segwarides leaped on his horse, and rode straight for Tintagel. He overtook Tristram, and turned on him with his spear and sword. ‘Defend yourself,’ he called out. ‘False traitor knight!’

  ‘I advise you to desist,’ Tristram told him. ‘I know that I have done wrong to you, and I do not want to fight you.’

  ‘That may not be,’ he replied. ‘Either you or I must die.’

  He charged him, but Tristram parried his blows with his sword before knocking him from his horse; he fell to the earth in a swoon.

  So Tristram left him, and rode on to Tintagel. He took secret lodgings because he did not want the world to know that he had been wounded. Segwarides’s men found him and carried him home on his shield. It was a long time before he recovered, but in the end he was well again.

  Here is the knot. King Mark did not want to reveal that he had waited in ambush for Tristram, and in turn Tristram did not know that the king was involved in the attack. So Mark, when he discovered that his knight lay wounde
d in bed, came to visit him under cover of goodwill and compassion. He muttered fair words, but there was no love in his heart.

  Many weeks passed. All was forgiven and forgotten. Segwarides did not want to challenge Tristram any further. Who would wish to add public shame to private hurt?

  Read of a contest for love

  There came a time when a knight of the Round Table, Sir Bleoberis by name, arrived at the court of King Mark. He asked the king for a favour. ‘I believe,’ he said, ‘that I have the right.’

  The king wondered at his words but, since this knight was of great renown, he consented to his request.

  ‘I wish to take as my lover the fairest lady to be found in your court.’

  ‘I cannot refuse you,’ King Mark told him. ‘You may choose as you wish.’

  So Bleoberis took the wife of Segwarides, and rode off with her on his horse. He made her sit behind his squire. When Segwarides heard of this, he set off in pursuit. The whole court was angered at the affair. Certain ladies knew of the love between Tristram and Segwarides’s wife. One of them rebuked Tristram, in the most insulting terms, for failing to come to that lady’s defence. ‘You are a coward,’ she said. ‘Shame on you for allowing a strange knight to carry her off.’