CHAPTER VIII
 
 How a senator told to Lucius of their discomfiture, and also
 of the great battle between Arthur and Lucius.
 
 NOW leave we King Arthur and his noble knights which had won the
 field, and had brought their prisoners to Paris, and speak we of
 a senator which escaped from the battle, and came to Lucius the
 emperor, and said to him, Sir emperor, I advise thee for to
 withdraw thee; what dost thou here? thou shalt win nothing in
 these marches but great strokes out of all measure, for this day
 one of <163>Arthur's knights was worth in the battle an hundred
 of ours.  Fie on thee, said Lucius, thou speakest cowardly; for
 thy words grieve me more than all the loss that I had this day. 
 And anon he sent forth a king, which hight Sir Leomie, with a
 great army, and bade him hie him fast to-fore, and he would
 follow hastily after.  King Arthur was warned privily, and sent
 his people to Sessoine, and took up the towns and castles from
 the Romans.  Then the king commanded Sir Cador to take the
 rearward, and to take with him certain knights of the Round
 Table, and Sir Launcelot, Sir Bors, Sir Kay, Sir Marrok, with Sir
 Marhaus, shall await on our person.  Thus the King Arthur
 disperpled his host in divers parties, to the end that his
 enemies should not escape.
 
 When the emperor was entered into the vale of Sessoine, he might
 see where King Arthur was embattled and his banner displayed; and
 he was beset round about with his enemies, that needs he must
 fight or yield him, for he might not flee, but said openly unto
 the Romans, Sirs, I admonish you that this day ye fight and
 acquit you as men, and remember how Rome domineth and is chief
 and head over all the earth and universal world, and suffer not
 these Britons this day to abide against us; and therewith he did
 command his trumpets to blow the bloody sounds, in such wise that
 the ground trembled and dindled.
 
 Then the battles approached and shoved and shouted on both sides,
 and great strokes were smitten on both sides, many men
 overthrown, hurt, and slain; and great valiances, prowesses and
 appertices of war were that day showed, which were over long to
 recount the noble feats of every man, for they should contain an
 whole volume.  But in especial, King Arthur rode in the battle
 exhorting his knights to do well, and himself did as nobly with
 his hands as was possible a man to do; he drew out Excalibur his
 sword, and awaited ever whereas the Romans were thickest and most
 grieved his people, and anon he addressed him on that part, and
 hew and slew down right, and rescued his people; and he slew a
 great giant named Galapas, which was a man of an huge quantity
 and height, <164>he shorted him and smote off both his legs by
 the knees, saying, Now art thou better of a size to deal with
 than thou were, and after smote off his head.  There Sir Gawaine
 fought nobly and slew three admirals in that battle.  And so did
 all the knights of the Round Table.  Thus the battle between King
 Arthur and Lucius the Emperor endured long.  Lucius had on his
 side many Saracens which were slain.  And thus the battle was
 great, and oftsides that one party was at a fordeal and anon at
 an afterdeal, which endured so long till at the last King Arthur
 espied where Lucius the Emperor fought, and did wonder with his
 own hands.  And anon he rode to him.  And either smote other
 fiercely, and at last Lucius smote Arthur thwart the visage, and
 gave him a large wound.  And when King Arthur felt himself hurt,
 anon he smote him again with Excalibur that it cleft his head,
 from the summit of his head, and stinted not till it came to his
 breast.  And then the emperor fell down dead and there ended his
 life.
 
 And when it was known that the emperor was slain, anon all the
 Romans with all their host put them to flight, and King Arthur
 with all his knights followed the chase, and slew down right all
 them that they might attain.  And thus was the victory given to
 King Arthur, and the triumph; and there were slain on the part of
 Lucius more than an hundred thousand.  And after King Arthur did
 do ransack the dead bodies, and did do bury them that were slain
 of his retinue, every man according to the estate and degree that
 he was of.  And them that were hurt he let the surgeons do search
 their hurts and wounds, and commanded to spare no salves nor
 medicines till they were whole.
 
 Then the king rode straight to the place where the Emperor Lucius
 lay dead, and with him he found slain the Soudan of Syria, the
 King of Egypt and of Ethiopia, which were two noble kings, with
 seventeen other kings of divers regions, and also sixty senators
 of Rome, all noble men, whom the king did do balm and gum with
 many good gums aromatic, and after did do cere them in <165>sixty
 fold of cered cloth of sendal, and laid them in chests of lead,
 because they should not chafe nor savour, and upon all these
 bodies their shields with their arms and banners were set, to the
 end they should be known of what country they were.  And after he
 found three senators which were alive, to whom he said, For to
 save your lives I will that ye take these dead bodies, and carry
 them with you unto great Rome, and present them to the Potestate
 on my behalf, shewing him my letters, and tell them that I in my
 person shall hastily be at Rome.  And I suppose the Romans shall
 beware how they shall demand any tribute of me.  And I command
 you to say when ye shall come to Rome, to the Potestate and all
 the Council and Senate, that I send to them these dead bodies for
 the tribute that they have demanded.  And if they be not content
 with these, I shall pay more at my coming, for other tribute owe
 I none, nor none other will I pay.  And methinketh this sufficeth
 for Britain, Ireland and all Almaine with Germany.  And
 furthermore, I charge you to say to them, that I command them
 upon pain of their heads never to demand tribute nor tax of me
 nor of my lands.  Then with this charge and commandment, the
 three senators aforesaid departed with all the said dead bodies,
 laying the body of Lucius in a car covered with the arms of the
 Empire all alone; and after alway two bodies of kings in a
 chariot, and then the bodies of the senators after them, and so
 went toward Rome, and showed their legation and message to the
 Potestate and Senate, recounting the battle done in France, and
 how the field was lost and much people and innumerable slain. 
 Wherefore they advised them in no wise to move no more war
 against that noble conqueror Arthur, for his might and prowess is
 most to be doubted, seen the noble kings and great multitude of
 knights of the Round Table, to whom none earthly prince may
 compare.
 
 
 
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