8. A whetstone; if the sword of a brave man were sharpened thereon, and
any one were wounded therewith, he would be sure to die; but if it were
that of a coward that was sharpened on it, he would be none the worse.

9. A garment; if a man of gentle birth put it on, it suited him well; but
if a churl, it would not fit him.

10, 11. A pan and a platter; whatever food was required was found therein.

12. A chessboard; when the men were placed upon it, they would play of
themselves. The chessboard was of gold, and the men of silver.

13. The mantle of Arthur; whosoever was beneath it could see everything,
while no one could see him.

It is towards this tower, some legends say, that Merlin was last seen by
some Irish monks, sailing away westward, with a maiden, in a boat of
crystal, beneath a sunset sky.



VIII

SIR LANCELOT OF THE LAKE


Sir Lancelot, the famous knight, was the son of a king and queen against
whom their subjects rebelled; the king was killed, the queen taken
captive, when a fairy rose in a cloud of mist and carried away the infant
Lancelot from where he had been left beneath a tree. The queen, after