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The Legends of KING ARTHUR and his KNIGHTS
Sir James Knowles
Illustrated by Lancelot Speed
TO
ALFRED TENNYSON, D.C.L.
POET LAUREATE
THIS ATTEMPT AT A POPULAR VERSION OF
THE ARTHUR LEGENDS
IS BY HIS PERMISSION DEDICATED
AS A TRIBUTE
OF THE SINCEREST AND WARMEST RESPECT
1862
PREFACE TO THE EIGHTH EDITION
The Publishers have asked me to authorise a new edition, in my own name,
of this little book--now long out of print--which was written by me thirty-five
years ago under the initials J.T.K.
In acceding to their request I wish to say that the book as now published is
merely a word-for-word reprint of my early effort to help to popularise the
Arthur legends.
It is little else than an abridgment of Sir Thomas Malory's version of them as
printed by Caxton--with a few additions from Geoffrey of Monmouth and other
sources--and an endeavour to arrange the many tales into a more or less
consecutive story.
The chief pleasure which came to me from it was, and is, that it began for me
a long and intimate acquaintance with Lord Tennyson, to whom, by his
permission, I Dedicated it before I was personally known to him.
JAMES KNOWLES.
Addendum by Lady Knowles
In response to a widely expressed wish for a fresh edition of this little book--
now for some years out of print--a new and ninth edition has been prepared.
In his preface my husband says that the intimacy with Lord Tennyson to
which it led was the chief pleasure the book brought him. I have been asked to
furnish a few more particulars on this point that may be generally interesting,
and feel that I cannot do better than give some extracts from a letter written by
himself to a friend in July 1896.
"DEAR ----,
"I am so very glad you approve of my little effort to popularise the Arthur
Legends. Tennyson had written his first four 'Idylls of the King' before my book
appeared, which was in 1861. Indeed, it was in consequence of the first four
Idylls that I sought and obtained, while yet a stranger to him, leave to dedicate
my venture to him. He was extremely kind about it--declared 'it ought to go
through forty editions'--and when I came to know him personally talked very
frequently about it and Arthur with me, and made constant use of it when he at
length yielded to my perpetual urgency and took up again his forsaken project of
treating the whole subject of King Arthur.
"He discussed and rediscussed at any amount of length the way in which this
could now be done--and the Symbolism, which had from his earliest time
haunted him as the inner meaning to be given to it, brought him back to the
Poem in its changed shape of separate pictures.
"He used often to say that it was entirely my doing that he revived his old
plan, and added, 'I know more about Arthur than any other man in England, and
I think you know next most.' It would amuse you to see in what intimate detail
he used to consult with me--and often with my little book in front of us--over the
various tales, and when I wrote an article (in the shape of a long letter) in the
Spectator of January 1870 he asked to reprint it, and published it with the
collected Idylls.
"For years, while his boys were at school and college, I acted as his
confidential friend in business and many other matters, and I suppose he told me
more about himself and his life than any other man now living knows."
ISABEL KNOWLES.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I
The Finding of Merlin--The Fight of the Dragons--The Giants' Dance--The
Prophecies of Merlin and the Birth of Arthur--Uther attacks the Saxons--The
Death of Uther
CHAPTER II
Merlin's Advice to the Archbishop--The Miracle of the Sword and Stone--
The Coronation of King Arthur--The Opposition of the Six Kings--The Sword
Excalibur--The Defeat of the Six Kings--The War with the Eleven Kings
CHAPTER III
The Adventure of the Questing Beast--The Siege of York--The Battles of
Celidon Forest and Badon Hill--King Arthur drives the Saxons from the Realm--
The Embassy from Rome--The King rescues Merlin--The Knight of the Fountain
CHAPTER IV
King Arthur conquers Ireland and Norway--Slays the Giant of St. Michael's
Mount and conquers Gaul--King Ryence's Insolent Message--The Damsel and
the Sword--The Lady of the Lake--The Adventures of Sir Balin
CHAPTER V
Sir Balin kills Sir Lancear--The Sullen Knight--The Knight Invisible is
killed--Sir Balin smites the Dolorous Stroke, and fights with his brother Sir
Balan
CHAPTER VI
The Marriage of King Arthur and Guinevere--The Coronation of the Queen--
The Founding of the Round Table--The Quest of the White Hart--The
Adventures of Sir Gawain--The Quest of the White Hound--Sir Tor kills
Abellius--The Adventures of Sir Pellinore--The Death of Sir Hantzlake--Merlin
saves King Arthur
CHAPTER VII
King Arthur and Sir Accolon of Gaul are entrapped by Sir Damas--They
fight each other through Enchantment of Queen Morgan le Fay--Sir Damas is
compelled to surrender all his Lands to Sir Outzlake his Brother their Rightful
Owner--Queen Morgan essays to kill King Arthur with a Magic Garment--Her
Damsel is compelled to wear it and is thereby burned to Cinders
