Ralph Adams Cram - Excalibur - Act I, Scene III lyrics

SCENE III. Cameliard. Before the castle of King Leodegrance. Enter: King Rience, mounted, and with him Knights, Men-at-arms, and Bowmen. Before dawn. King Rience. Now breaks the day of triumph to our arms! Too long, my men of Wales, Leodegrance, Chased like a fox to cover, flouts our might And holds his haughty castle that uprears A menace to our kingship. Once again Assail the dragon's nest, and hale him forth To die disworshipfully. Sound the horns, And hurl against the rocky fastness, doomed, Ere yet the laggard sun lifts on the world, To fall in ragged splinters round the king That thinks to halt Rience with stony walls. This day is mine. Good herald, sound the horns! (Trumpets. Enter above: King Leodegrance and Knights.) King Leodegrance. Hold back thy men, Rience, and give thy tongue To gentle parley, ere the dreadful shock Of grimly war distains the breaking day. Declare thy quarrel, that with savage arms Thou wagest battle 'gainst my kingdom. King Rience. So! The orgulous monarch turns to mellow speech When warfare helps him not. Leodegrance, I fight thee for that I do loathe thy name All blazonèd with epithets of praise, For that thou dost revile me for a knave, For that thou art a va**al to the fool Uther Pendragon. King Leodegrance. Uther lieth dead: Pendragon dieth never. I am sworn In loyal friendship to that royal House, Wherefore I die if God so wills my d**h, But never shall forget my knightly oath. King Rience. Why then, thou diest, king. Cameliard I hold in fee before the lifting sun Hangs in mid-heaven. Archers, bend your bows! King Leodegrance. Once more, King Rience, answer my appeal; What then befalls me if I swing the gates And yield my castle? King Rience. Four flame-branded steeds To rend thy carcase! This for thee, Sir king, And for thy squeaking women, each a man, A stalwart wolf of Wales, to dry their tears And give them joy before their d**h to-night. For me thy scornful daughter, Guenever; So now, swing wide thy gates! King Leodegrance. Thou damnèd cur, Hell howls to grip thee in its grinning jaws! An' we must die, we die not by thy hand. The castle thou dost covet is a tomb Heaped high with corpses, if ye breach the walls In black despite of God. King Rience. A brave reply, Thou wintry-pated miscreant. Think well Before thou holdest longer. Strike a blow Once more to-day against my majesty And I will crucify thee on the walls And shame thy daughter in thy dying eyes! King Leodegrance. Bring forth thy legions out of yawning hell And ring my castle with consuming flame Until it melts, and pours in blazing streams Along the screaming meadows. I endure, And flaunt Pendragon's banner in thy teeth! King Rience. See, wolves of Wales, the dragon, drunk with dole, Crawls fearsomely upon his battlements Intent to stay my hand. Give me a bow! By God, I'll nail the dotard to his shield With this my mighty arm. Give me a bow! (Trumpets. The ramparts above fill with bowmen. Rience's force bring scaling ladders and mount and fight on the walls.) King Leodegrance. God fights with us against unrighteous Wales. Hurl on them, knights, the day is lost not yet. King Rience. Heave up the catapult and breach the walls! Bring in the ram and split the guarding gates! One little hour, my wolves, and ye shall lie With glutted maws, beneath the drowsy shade Of blooming orchards. (Enter: King Nentres of Garlot, mounted.) King Nentres. Hail, great King Rience! Nentres of Garlot am I, and I come To fight with thee if thou wilt league with me Against the wittol that has filched the crown Of England, backed by scurvy sorcery. King Rience. Marshal your shields along the leaping ram For cover of the men. So, now essay! Garlot, I need thee not, but for the hate I bear Pendragon I will stand with thee. Back, men, and to't again! How came ye here, Nentres of Garlot? King Nentres. From a grim debate With traitor knights that back the ba*tard king. King Rience. That did thee hurt? Gramercy for thine aid! Ha, well sped! Sirrah, to the catapult, And bid the captain load with blazing brands; Once more against the gates! King Nentres. Nay, King Rience, The rebels fled along the hiding night Distraught with dole. King Rience. Crave thou no booty, king; This castle is for me and for my men; Ye gain no part thereof. King Nentres. Nor ask the same. For guerdon give me aid to overthrow Pendragon. King Rience. Not for guerdon, but for hate. Thou winnest worship not of me to-day That standest prating while we toil amain. Get thee within the fight! (Enter: A Welch Knight.) How now, thou fool? What sears thy face with fear? A Knight. My lord, my lord! The forest turns to grim and armèd knights Fierce, dragon-crested, raging on our flank With savage fury! King Rience. Damn thee, traitor king! Is this thy work? King Nentres. I swear I knew it not! God's wounds, it is King Arthur! We are done: The heavenly host 'gainst him may not prevail. Save thou thyself, King Rience! (Exit.) King Rience. Turn, my knights! Give o'er the siege until we stay the fool That hinders us when our enhungered fangs Are at the quarry's throat. Come on, my wolves, And make a mock of England! (Exeunt, King Rience and the Welsh Knights. Enter, above: King Leodegrance.) King Leodegrance. Jesu Christ, Thy hand is stretched to save! A miracle! My men, a miracle! Who does God will? Mine eyes are lightless and I scarce can see. Tell me, Sir knight, who by the grace of Christ Has turned the tide of battle? A Knight. All is hid Within a rolling cloud. A myriad men As they were like a plague of summer gnats Fall on Rience. King Leodegrance. Canst thou not mark their crest? A Knight. By all the saints, 'tis England aids us, king! The dragon flashes through the seething storm, Pendragon comes! Omnes. God save Pendragon's name, All hail, great England, hail! Pendragon comes! (Enter: English and Welsh Knights fighting. They pa** across the stage.) King Leodegrance. Down to the port and swing the labouring gates! On, for the worship of Cameliard, And smite the wolves of Wales in open field! God wins the day, Cameliard is free. (Exit: from above, King Leodegrance and the Knights. The gates open. Enter: From the castle, many men, who exit shouting, -) Omnes. Leodegrance, Pendragon, and set on! (Enter, mounted: King Arthur and King Rience, fighting.) King Arthur. This day wipes out the shame on Uther's name, Rience, thou diest! King Rience. Damn thee, villain! (Enter, above: Guenever, Ysed, and other women.) Guenever. See! Rience is mastered by a doughty knight. God save thee, sir, strike down the mocking knave! King Arthur. My worship to ye, gentle ladies. King, Yield thee a recreant! King Rience. Not if thou wert God! Guard thyself! Guenever. Sweet Ysed, it is the king That reigns in Uther's stead, for see, the crown Clings 'round the Dragon. Ysed. Oh, the king is slain! He falls along his steed! (Enter: Sir Launcelot. He rushes against Rience. Arthur reels in the saddle.) Guenever. God sends him succour. What favour flutters round the bruisèd helm Of him that presses hotly on Rience? My favour! Launcelot, 'tis Launcelot! (Rience falls.) Ysed. He falls, King Rience falls! King Arthur. Nay, Launcelot, Thou dost unkindly by me. I was fain To win this worship. Sir Launcelot. Art thou wounded, king? King Arthur. Whole, hardy, and unscathed. 'Twas but a blow That blotted reason for a little space. The day is won! Guenever. God save thee, gentle king, Thou hast delivered us! Sir Launcelot, Look hitherward, dost know me, Launcelot? Sir Launcelot. Aye, lady, as I know the favour twined Around my helm, and I do love thee well. Guenever. Hold thou thy station! Follow me, Ysed, While with the king my father we do come To lay our woship before England's feet. (Exeunt.) King Arthur. Why now I win a fight and thou a maid! Give me thy guerdon and I yield thee mine. How say'st thou, Launcelot? Sir Launcelot. My noble king, Were all the world within thy proffered hand I'd cast it from me, resting well content With that I have. (Enter: from the castle King Leodegrance, Guenever, Ysed, and many Knights and Ladies. Enter from the field: Sir Kay, Sir Ector, Sir Tor, Duke Brastias, and many Knights. King Arthur dismounts.) Omnes. God save great England's king! King Leodegrance. Where is the servant of the living God Come down from Heaven to save Cameliard? Let me behold him. King Arthur. King Leodegrance, Arthur Pendragon is Pendragon still, And holds by them King Uther loved withal; Give me thy hand. King Leodegrance. Upon my palsied knees I thank thee, King of England. King Arthur. God forfend That thou shouldst kneel, that art so reverend And white with years. King Leodegrance. My daughter Guenever, Do homage unto England! King Arthur. Lady fair, My homage unto thee in place thereof, For, by mine oath of knighthood, fair thou art And matched by none in all the crowded world; Wherefore take thou my worship. Launcelot, I pray thee, come! Sir knight, the crown is thine Upon condition. Sir Launcelot. Sir, I crave it not, But only this. (He kneels, kissing Guenever's hand.) King Arthur. Why now the sun is gone, And victory is but a hollow name. My brother of Cameliard, we two Will sit forlorn about the patient board And talk full sadly of the emptiness Of martial triumph. Who would win a fight And find the guerdon gained the fame thereof, While others reap the booty? Come, my lords, We will within, and while we ease us well, Drink deep the health of King Leodegrance And of the flower of women, Guenever. Curtain.