he common people, and so strong was it that
the nobles looked as if they hated to hear it.

'Let Arthur draw the sword!' was the call from a thousand throats.

The venerable archbishop came and took Arthur by the hand, and led him
towards the sword. Again the young man held the rich pommel with his
single hand, and that which none of the forty-nine great men could do,
he did as easily as if he but plucked a flower.

A fierce cry leaped from among the thousands of the common people.

'Arthur shall be our King!' they cried. 'Arthur is our King! We will no
longer deny him!'

Many of the princes and barons cried out with the commons that this was
their will also; but eleven of the most powerful and ambitious showed
by their arrogant and angry gestures that they refused to own Arthur as
their lord.

For a long time the uproar raged, the cries of the common folk becoming
fiercer and more menacing against the counter cries of the eleven kings
and their adherents.

At length from among the people there came the governor of London, who,
in his rich robes of office, leaped upon the stone where but lately the
sword had been.

'My lords, I speak the will of the commons,' he cried, and at his voice
all were silent. 'We have taken counsel together, and we will have
Arthur for our King. We will put him no more in delay, for we all see
that it is God's will that he shall be our King, and who that holdeth
against him, we will slay.'

With that he got down from the stone, kneeled before Arthur, put the
keys of the city in his hands, and rendered homage unto him. The great
multitude kneeled likewise, bowing their bare heads, and cried him
mercy because they had denied him so long.

Because they feared the great multitude, the eleven kings kneeled with
them, but in their hearts was rage and rebellion.

Then Arthur took the sword between his hands and, going into the
church, he laid it on the high altar, and the archbishop blessed him.
Then, since Arthur was as yet unknighted, King Kador of Cornwall, who
was brother of King Uther, made him a knight.

Standing up in the sight of all the people, lords and commons, Arthur
laid his left hand upon the holy relics; then, lifting up his right
hand, he swore that he would be a true king, to stand forth as their
ruler in justice and mercy, to keep them from oppression, to redress
their wrongs, and to establish right throughout the length and breadth
of his dominions.

Men went forth