THE ROUND TABLE

Retold by Beatrice Clay


Thus Arthur was made King, but he had to fight for his own; for eleven
great kings drew together and refused to acknowledge him as their
lord, and chief among the rebels was King Lot of Orkney, who had
married Arthur's sister, Bellicent.

By Merlin's advice, Arthur sent for help overseas, to Ban and Bors,
the two great kings who ruled in Gaul.

With their aid, he overthrew his foes in a great battle near the river
Trent; and then he passed with them into their own lands and helped
them drive out their enemies. So there was ever great friendship
between Arthur and the Kings Ban and Bors, and all their kindred, and
afterward some of the most famous Knights of the Round Table were of
that kin.

Then King Arthur set himself to restore order throughout his kingdom.
To all who would submit and amend their evil ways, he showed kindness;
but those who persisted in oppression and wrong he removed, putting in
their places others who would deal justly with the people. And because
the land had become overrun with forest during the days of misrule, he
cut roads through the thickets, that no longer wild beasts and men,
fiercer than the beasts, should lurk in their gloom, to the harm of
the weak and defenceless. Thus it came to pass that soon the peasant
plowed his fields in safety, and where had been wastes, men dwelt