answer, and that was this: that neither the duke nor his wife would come to him. Then the king was wondrously angry, and sent the duke a brusque message back. He bid him be ready and provision himself, for within forty days he would fetch him out of the biggest castle he had.
When the duke received this warning, he immediately went and supplied two of his strong castles. One of these was called Tintagel and the other was called Terrabyl. He put his wife Dame Igraine in the castle of Tintagel and positioned himself in the castle of Terrabyl, which had many exits and posterns.
Uther came in all haste with a great military host and laid siege to the castle Terrabyl, and there set up many tents and pavilions. Both sides fought fiercely, and many people were slain.
Then, due to his great anger at the duke and his great love for the fair Igraine, King Uther became sick. Sir Ulphius, a noble knight, came to King Uther and asked him why he was sick.
“I shall tell you,” said the king. “I am so sick for great anger and for the love of fair Igraine that I am unable to be well.”
“Well, my lord,” said Sir Ulphius, “I will seek out Merlin; he shall provide you with a remedy that will please your heart.” So Ulphius departed and by chance he met Merlin disguised in beggars’ clothes. Merlin asked Ulphius whom he sought, and Ulphius replied he had little cause to tell him.
“Well,” said Merlin, “I know whom you seek, for you seek Merlin. Therefore seek no further, for I am he. And if King Uther will well reward me and promise to grant my desire, then it shall be more for his honor and profit than for mine, for I shall cause him to have everything he desires.”
“I shall try to arrange it so,” said Ulphius, “so that as long as your request is reasonable, you shall have your desire.”
“Well,” said Merlin, “he shall have his intent and his desire. Therefore, ride on your way and I will not be far behind.”
Then Ulphius was glad and rode on a while until he came to King Uther Pendragon and told him how he met Merlin.
CI.2
“Where is he?” said the king.
“Sir,” said Sir Ulphius, “he will not be long.” Then Ulphius was aware that Merlin was standing in the porch at the door of the pavilion, intending to come to the king. When King Uther saw him, he said he was welcome.
“Sir,” said Merlin, “I know every part of your heart. If you will be sworn unto me, as you are a true king anointed, to fulfill my desire, you shall have your desire.” Then the king was sworn upon the four Evangelists.
“Sir,” said Merlin, “this is my desire: the first night that you lie with Igraine you will conceive a child on her, and when it is born, you shall deliver it to me to raise wherever I please. It shall be greater worship for you and better for the child, because of the great importance of this child.”
“I will agree,” said the king, “to allow things to be done as you wish.”
“Now make you ready,” said Merlin. “This night you will lie with Igraine in the castle of Tintagel. You shall look like the duke her husband. Ulphius will look like Sir Brastias, one of the duke’s knights. I will look like a knight called Sir Jordanes, another of the duke’s knights. But be careful that you do not ask questions or speak with her or her men. Rather, say that you are sick, and so hurry you to bed and do not arise in the morning until I come to you, for the castle of Tintagel is just ten miles from here.”
This was done as Merlin had devised. But the duke of Tintagel saw how the king rode away from the siege of Terrabyl, and therefore that night he came out of the castle at a postern to attack the king’s army, and through his actions the duke was slain before the king arrived at the castle Tintagel. So King Uther lay with Igraine more than three hours after the death of the duke, and conceived Arthur on her that night.
Before daybreak, Merlin came to the king and ordered him to get ready. So Uther kissed the Lady Igraine and departed hastily. When the lady heard the news concerning her husband the duke—that by all accounts he was dead before King Uther came to her—she marveled at who it might have been who had lain with her in the likeness of her lord. But she mourned secretly and kept her peace.
Then all the barons got together and urged the king to make an accord between himself and the Lady Igraine. The king agreed to this, for he certainly wished to be accorded with her, and designated Ulphius to act as mediator between them. So by negotiation she and the king at last met together.
“Now it will be well for us,” said Ulphius. “Our king is a lusty knight and wifeless, and my lady Igraine is a passing fair lady. It would be great joy to us if it should please the king to make her his queen.” They all were in accord, and urged the king to agree. Then, like a lusty knight, the king assented with good will. So they were quickly married on a morning with great mirth and joy. And King Lot of Lothian and of Orkney then wedded Morgause, who would become Sir Gawain’s mother, and King Nentres of the land of Garlot wedded Elaine. All of this was done at the request of King Uther.
But the third sister, Morgan le Fay, was put to school in a nunnery, and there she learned so much that she became a great practicer of witchcraft. Afterward, she was wedded to King Uriens of the land of Gorre who was the father of Sir Uwain.
Then Queen Igraine daily grew larger and larger, and it happened that within half a year, as King Uther lay by his queen, that he asked her by the faith she owed him whose was the child within her body. She was too embarrassed to give him an answer.
CI.3
“Do not be dismayed,” said the king, “but tell me the truth and I shall love you all the better, by the faith of my body.”
“Sire,” she said, “I shall tell you the truth. The same night that my lord died, at the very hour of his death as his knights claim, there came into the castle of Tintagel a man like my lord in speech and appearance, and with him were two knights who looked like his two knights Brastias and Jordanes. So I went to bed with him, as I ought to do with my lord. And the same night, as I shall swear before God, this child was begotten upon me.”
“That is the truth,” said the king, “just as you say. For it was I myself that came in the likeness of your husband. So dismay you not, for I am the father of the child.” Then he told her how Merlin had arranged it by his counsel, and the queen made great joy when she knew who was the father of her child.
Soon after this, Merlin came to the king and said, “Sir, you must make arrangements for the upbringing of your child.”
“As you wish,” said the king, “let it be done.”
“Well,” said Merlin, “I know a lord of yours in this land who is a passing true and faithful man, and he shall have the raising of your child. His name is Sir Ector, and he is a lord with profitable lands in many parts of England and Wales. Send for this lord Sir Ector to come and speak with you, and ask him yourself, as he loves you, that he should put his own child to nourishing with another woman, and have his wife nourish yours. And when the child is born, let it be delivered to me—unchristened—at yonder secret postern.”
So it was done just as Merlin devised. When Sir Ector came he agreed to nourish the child just as the king desired and the king granted him great rewards.
When the lady was delivered the king commanded two knights and two ladies to take the child, wrapped in a cloth of gold, and ordered that they “deliver him to the poor man who will meet you at the postern gate of the castle.”
So the child was delivered to Merlin. He carried it to Sir Ector and had a holy man christen him, and named him Arthur. And Sir Ector’s wife nourished him at her own breast.
Then within two years King Uther fell sick with a great malady. And while he was sick, his enemies usurped his power and waged a great battle upon his men and slew many of his people.
CI.4
“Sir,” said Merlin, “you may not lie here as you do; you must go to the field, even if you are carried there in