Le Morte d'Arthur BOOK V CHAPTER IV

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 CHAPTER IV
 
 How King Arthur being shipped and lying in his cabin had
 a marvellous dream and of the exposition thereof.
 
 AND as the king lay in his cabin in the ship, he fell in a
 slumbering and dreamed a marvellous dream: him seemed that a
 dreadful dragon did drown much of his people, and he came flying
 out of the west, and his head was enamelled with azure, and his
 shoulders shone as gold, his belly like mails of a marvellous
 hue, his tail full of tatters, his feet full of fine sable, and
 his claws like fine gold; and an hideous flame of fire flew out
 of his mouth, like as the <155>land and water had flamed all of
 fire.  After, him seemed there came out of the orient, a grimly
 boar all black in a cloud, and his paws as big as a post; he was
 rugged looking roughly, he was the foulest beast that ever man
 saw, he roared and romed so hideously that it were marvel to
 hear.  Then the dreadful dragon advanced him and came in the wind
 like a falcon giving great strokes on the boar, and the boar hit
 him again with his grizzly tusks that his breast was all bloody,
 and that the hot blood made all the sea red of his blood.  Then
 the dragon flew away all on an height, and came down with such a
 swough, and smote the boar on the ridge, which was ten foot large
 from the head to the tail, and smote the boar all to powder both
 flesh and bones, that it flittered all abroad on the sea.
 
 And therewith the king awoke anon, and was sore abashed of this
 dream, and sent anon for a wise philosopher, commanding to tell
 him the signification of his dream.  Sir, said the philosopher,
 the dragon that thou dreamedst of betokeneth thine own person
 that sailest here, and the colours of his wings be thy realms
 that thou hast won, and his tail which is all to-tattered
 signifieth the noble knights of the Round Table; and the boar
 that the dragon slew coming from the clouds betokeneth some
 tyrant that tormenteth the people, or else thou art like to fight
 with some giant thyself, being horrible and abominable, whose
 peer ye saw never in your days, wherefore of this dreadful dream
 doubt thee nothing, but as a conqueror come forth thyself.
 
 Then after this soon they had sight of land, and sailed till they
 arrived at Barflete in Flanders, and when they were there he
 found many of his great lords ready, as they had been commanded
 to wait upon him.
 
 
 
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