ere they hoist, ropes there
they right; weather they had softest of all, and the sea slept. For
the softness (calm) Arthur gan to sleep; as the king slept a dream he
dreamt; marvellous was the dream, the king it alarmed!

When the king him awoke, greatly he was frightened, and began to groan
with loud voice. Was there none so bold knight under Christ, who durst
ask the king of his welfare, ere the king himself spake, and
discoursed with his barons there, and thus Arthur him said, when he
awoke from his sleep: "Lord governor Christ, ruler of dooms, protector
of middle-earth, comforter of men through thy merciful will, ruler of
angels; let thou my dream turn to good!" Then spake Angel the king,
Scotland's darling: "Lord, say us thy dream, for prosperity is given
to us" "Blithely," quoth the king, "to bliss may it turn! Where I lay
in slumber, and I gan for to sleep, methought that in the welkin came
a marvellous beast, eastward in the sky, and loathsome to the sight;
with lightning and with storm sternly he advanced; there is in no land
any bear so loathly. Then came there westward, winding with the
clouds, a burning dragon; burghs he swallowed, with his fire he
lighted all this land's realm; methought in my sight that the sea gan
to burn of light and of fire, that the dragon carried. This dragon and
the bear, both together, quickly soon together they came; they smote
them together with fierce assaults, flames flew from their eyes as
firebrands! Oft was the dragon above, and eftsoons beneath;
nevertheless at the end high he gan rise, and he flew down right with
fierce assault, and the bear he smote, so that he fell to the earth;
and he there the bear slew, and limbmeal him tore. When the fight was
done, the dragon back went. This dream I dreamt, where I lay and
slept."

The bishops heard this, and book-learned men; this heard earls, this
heard barons; each by his wit said wisdom, and this dream they
interpreted, as to them best seemed. There durst no knight to evil
expound no whit, lest he should lose his limbs that were dear to him.
Forth they gan to voyage exceeding quickly; the wind stood to them at
will, weather best of all; they had all that to them was need; to land
they came at Barbefleot. To Barbefleot, at Constantin, therein came a
mickle multitude, from all the lands that Arthur had in hand. So soon
as they might, out of ship they moved, the king ordered his folk to
seek lodging, and the king would rest, until