other stone curiouslie wrought, but within a great trée made hollowe
for the nonce like a trunke, the which being found and digged vp, was
opened, and therein were found the kings bones, of such maruellous
bignesse, that the shinbone of his leg being set on the ground,
reached vp to the middle thigh of a verie tall man: as a moonke of
that abbeie hath written, which did liue in those daies, and saw it.
¶ But Gyraldus Cambrensis (who also liued in those daies, and spake
with the abbat of the place, by whom the bones of this Arthur were
then found) affirmeth, that by report of the same abbat, he learned,
that the shinbone of the said Arthur being set vp by the leg of a
verie tall man (the which the abbat shewed to the same Gyraldus) came
aboue the knée of the same man the length of three fingers breadth,
which is a great deale more likelie than the other. Furthermore the
skull of his head was of a woonderfull largenesse, so that the space
of his forehead betwixt his two eies was a span broad. There appéered
in his head the signes and prints of ten wounds or more: all the which
were growne into one wem, except onelie that whereof it should séeme
he died, which being greater than the residue, appéered verie plaine.
Also in opening the toome of his wife quéene Gueneuer, that was buried
with him, they found the tresses of hir haire whole and perfect, and
finelie platted, of colour like to the buruished gold, which being
touched, immediatlie fell to dust. The abbat, which then was
[Sidenote: _Henricus Blecensis_ seu _Soliacensis_. _Io. Leland_.]
gouernour of the house, was named Stephan, or Henrie de Blois,
otherwise de Sullie, nephue to king Henrie the second (by whose
commandement he had serched for the graue of Arthur) translated the
bones as well of him as of quéene Gueneuer, being so found, into the
great church, and there buried them in a faire double toome of marble,
laieng the bodie of the king at the head of the toome, and the bodie
[Sidenote: _Dauid Pow._ _pag._ 238, 239.]