Scarcely was Uther laid in his grave before disputes arose. Few of the
nobles had seen Arthur or even heard of him, and not one of them would
have been willing to be ruled by a child; rather, each thought himself
fitted to be king, and, strengthening his own castle, made war on his
neighbors until confusion alone was supreme, and the poor groaned
because there was none to help them.

Now when Merlin carried away Arthur--for Merlin was the old man who
had stood at the postern-gate--he had known all that would happen, and
had taken the child to keep him safe from the fierce barons until he
should be of age to rule wisely and well, and perform all the wonders
prophesied of him. He gave the child to the care of the good knight
Sir Ector to bring up with his son Kay, but revealed not to him that
it was the son of Uther Pendragon that was given into his charge.

At last, when years had passed and Arthur was grown a tall youth well
skilled in knightly exercises, Merlin went to the Archbishop of
Canterbury and advised him that he should call together at
Christmas-time all the chief men of the realm to the great cathedral
in London; "for," said Merlin, "there shall be seen a great marvel by
which it shall be made clear to all men who is the lawful king of this
land." The archbishop did as Merlin counselled. Under pain of a
fearful curse, he bade the barons and knights come to London to keep
the feast, and to pray heaven to send peace to the realm.

The people hastened to obey the archbishop's commands, and, from all
sides, barons and knights came riding in to keep the birth-feast of
Our Lord. And when they had prayed, and were coming forth from the
cathedral they saw a strange sight. There, in the open space before
the church, stood, on a great stone, an anvil thrust through with a