And therefore withdraw you unto your lodging, and rest you as
soon as ye may, and reward your good knights with gold and with
silver, for they have well deserved it; there may no riches be
too dear for them, for of so few men as ye have, there were never
men did more of prowess than they have done today, for ye have
matched this day with the best fighters of the world. That is
truth, said King Ban and Bors. Also said Merlin, withdraw you
where ye list, for this three year I dare undertake they shall
not dere you; and by then ye shall hear new tidings. And then
Merlin said unto Arthur, These eleven kings have more on hand
than they are ware of, for the Saracens are landed in their
countries, more than forty thousand, that burn and slay, and have
laid siege at the castle Wandesborow, and make great destruction;
therefore dread you not this three year. Also, sir, all the
goods that be gotten at this battle, let it be searched, and when
ye have it in your hands, let it be given freely unto these two
kings, Ban and Bors, that they may reward their knights withal;
and that shall cause strangers to be of better will to do you
service at need. Also you be able to reward your own knights of
your own goods whensomever it liketh you. It is well said, quoth
Arthur, and as thou hast devised, so shall it be done. When it
was delivered to Ban and Bors, they gave the <32>goods as freely
to their knights as freely as it was given to them. Then Merlin
took his leave of Arthur and of the two kings, for to go and see
his master Bleise, that dwelt in Northumberland; and so he
departed and came to his master, that was passing glad of his
coming; and there he told how Arthur and the two kings had sped
at the great battle, and how it was ended, and told the names of
every king and knight of worship that was there. And so Bleise
wrote the battle word by word, as Merlin told him, how it began,