out the neck the spear drove
full soon. And thus the earl gan to call keenly to his companions:
"The Britons will us destroy, if we hence go, unless we the better
begin ere we hence depart!" Even with the speech that the earl said,
they turned them soon, wondrously prompt; and each drew his sword
quickly, and each slew his Roman; and afterwards their horses they
turned, and held their way. And the Romanish men rode ever after them;
oft they smote on them, oft they them reproached; oft they said to
them: "Ye shall pay for the deed!" but they might not through anything
any of them down bring, nor any harm there do to them in the
conflicts. But ever awhile the earls back turned, and ere they
separated, the worse was to the Rome-folk.

Thus they proceeded fifteen miles, until they came to a place under a
fair wood, hard by the castle where Arthur lay fast. Three miles
therefrom to the wood thronged nine thousand bold Britons, whom Arthur
thither sent, who best knew the land; they would learn the sooth, of
Walwain the keen, and of his companions, how they had fared; whether
they were alive, or they lay by the way. These knights proceeded
through the wood wondrously still, upon a hill, and eagerly beheld.
They caused all the horsemen to alight in the wood, and get ready
their weapons, and all their weeds (garments), except an hundred men,
that there should look out, if they might descry through thing of any
kind. Then saw they afar, in a great plain, three knights ride with
all their main. After the three knights there came thirty; after the
thirty they saw three thousand; thereafter came thronging thirty
thousand anon, of Romanish folk, clad in armour. And ever the earls
before them quickly rode, ever the right way that toward the wood lay,
where their comrades were well hid. The earls rode to the wood; the
Romanish men rode after; the Britons attacked them on their rested
steeds, and smote in front, and felled an hundred anon. Then weened
the Rome-folk that Arthur came riding, and were very greatly afraid;
and the Britons pursued after them, and slew of the folk fifteen
hundred. Then came them to help sixteen thousand of their own folk,
whom Arthur had thither sent, bold Britons, with burnies clad.

Then came there riding one that was a rich earl, named Petreius, a
noble man of Rome, with six thousand warriors, to help the Romanish
forces; and with great strength they leapt to the Britons, and few
there they captured, but