churl's son that the wizard Merlin would foist
upon us!' cried the barons. 'We will have none of him!'

'A shame and dishonour it is, so to try to overrule us, kings and lords
of high lineage, with an unknown youth,' cried others.

'We will have the sword put back and set a watch over it,' cried King
Uriens, 'and we will meet here again at Candlemas, and essay the sword.
And at that time, my lord archbishop, thou shalt do the proper rites to
exorcise all evil powers, and then we will try the sword once more.'

So was it agreed by all, and ten knights watched day and night about
the stone and the sword.

But it befell at Candlemas as it had befallen at Twelfth Day, that for
all their strength and might, none of the kings or barons could draw
forth the sword; but into the hand of the unknown Arthur the weapon
seemed to fall.

Whereat they were all sore aggrieved and rageful, and resolved that
they would have yet another trial at Easter. It befell at the feast of
Easter as it had befallen before, and this time the kings and lords for
angry spite would have fallen upon Arthur and slain him, but the
archbishop threatened them with the most dreadful ban of Holy Church.
They forbore, therefore, and went aside, and declared that it was their
will to essay the sword again at the high feast of Pentecost.

By Merlin's advice the young Arthur went never about, unless the five
friends of Uther were with him, that is to say, Sir Ector and his son
Sir Kay, Sir Bedevere, Sir Baudwin and Sir Ulfius. And though at divers
times men were found skulking or hiding in the horse-stall, the dark
wood by the hall, or the bend in the lane, in places where Arthur might
pass, no harm came to him by reason of the loving watch of those noble
knights.

Again at the feast of Pentecost men gathered in the churchyard of St.
Paul's, and the press of people was such that no man had ever seen the
like. Once more the kings and princes and great barons, to the number
of forty-nine, came forward, and each in turn pulled and drew at the
sword in the stone until the sweat stood on their brows. Nevertheless,
though the sword point was but the width of a palm in the stone, not
the mightiest of them could move it by the breadth of a hair.

King Mark of Tintagel was the last of them who had to stand back at
length, baffled and raging inwardly. Many were the evil looks that
would have slain Arthur as he stood among his friends.

Then a cry came from among t