t riches.' Then he ordered that Sir Lancelot should ride
to fetch the Queen, and that preparations for the marriage and her
coronation should be made, which was done. 'Now, Merlin,' said the
King, 'go and look about my kingdom and bring fifty of the bravest and
most famous Knights that can be found throughout the land.' But no
more than eight and twenty Knights could Merlin find. With these
Arthur had to be content, and the Bishop of Canterbury was fetched,
and he blessed the seats that were placed by the Round Table, and the
Knights sat in them. 'Fair Sirs,' said Merlin, when the Bishop had
ended his blessing, 'arise all of you, and pay your homage to the
King.' So the Knights arose to do his bidding, and in every seat was
the name of the Knight who had sat on it, written in letters of gold,
but two seats were empty. After that young Gawaine came to the King,
and prayed him to make him a Knight on the day that he should wed
Guenevere. 'That I will gladly,' replied the King, 'for you are my
sister's son.'

As the King was speaking, a poor man entered the Court, bringing with
him a youth about eighteen years old, riding on a lean mare, though it
was not the custom for gentlemen to ride on mares. 'Where is King
Arthur?' asked the man. 'Yonder,' answered the Knights. 'Have you
business with him?' 'Yes,' said the man, and he went and bowed low
before the King: 'I have heard, O King Arthur, flower of Knights and
Kings, that at the time of your marriage you would give any man the
gift he should ask for.'

'That is truth,' answered the King, 'as long as I do no wrong to other
men or to my kingdom.'

'I thank you for your gracious words,' said the poor man; 'the boon I
would ask is that you would make my son a Knight.' 'It is a great boon
to ask,' answered the King. 'What is your name?'

'Sir, my name is Aries the cowherd.'

'Is it you or your son that has thought of this honour?'

'It is my son who desires it, and not I,' replied the man. 'I have
thirteen sons who tend cattle, and work in the fields if I bid them;
but this boy will do nothing but shoot and cast darts, or go to watch
battles and look on Knights, and all day long he beseeches me to bring
him to you, that he may be knighted also.'

'What is your name?' said Arthur, turning to the young man.

'Sir, my name is Tor.'

'Where is your sword that I may knight you?' said the King.

'It is here, my lord.'

'Take it out of its sheath,' said the King, 'and re