Unit 5: Vocabulary from Readings 2

“It is all very well for you to keep on mentioning that, my dear Grummore,” exclaimed King Pellinore petulantly, “but who is this King, what, that is to live so long, what, accordin’ to you?”

“It’s in an anvil,” explained the King.
“The Church?”
“No, the sword.”
“But I thought you said the sword was in the stone?”

Perhaps, if you happen not to have lived in the Old England of the twelfth century, or whenever it was, and in a remote castle on the borders of the Marches at that, you will find it difficult to imagine the wonders of their journey.

Those were lawless days and it was not safe to leave your house—or even to go to sleep in it—unless you were certain that it was impregnable.

He looked ruefully at the blind little inn, and began to laugh.

And as Arthur sped before, so did he at Easter, yet there were some of the great lords had indignation that Arthur should be king, and put it off in a delay till the feast of Pentecost.

Then the Archbishop of Canterbury by Merlin’s providence let purvey then of the best knights that they might get, and such knights as Uther Pendragon loved best and most trusted in his days.

But within few years after, Arthur won all the north, Scotland, and all that were under their obeisance.

Once upon a time there was a widow who had two daughters; one of them was beautiful and industrious, the other ugly and lazy.

The old woman spoke so kindly, that the girl summoned up courage and agreed to enter into her service.

She wrenched the cross from her
breast
and the rings from her finger

Don’t weep, my daughter
fruit of my youth, don’t lament!

She stepped one day, she stepped two
till on the third day
she came upon sea
faced a reedy shore:
there the night overtakes her
the dark detains her.