Near Penrith is still seen a large circle, surrounded by a mound of earth, which retains the name of Arthur's Round Table.
[For a full statement of the claims of the "North" to be considered as the home of King Arthur, see J. S. Stuart Glennie's Essay on _Arthurian Localities_, in the edition of the Prose Romance of _Merlin_, published by the Early English Text Society.]
THE ANCIENT FRAGMENT OF THE MARRIAGE OF SIR GAWAINE.[456]
The second poem in this volume, intitled _The Marriage of Sir Gawaine_, having been offered to the reader with large conjectural supplements and corrections, the old fragment itself is here literally and exactly printed from the editor's folio MS. with all its defects, inaccuracies, and errata; that such austere antiquaries, as complain that the ancient copies have not been always rigidly adhered to, may see how unfit for publication many of the pieces would have been, if all the blunders, corruptions, and nonsense of illiterate reciters and transcribers had been superstitiously retained, without some attempt to correct and emend them.
This ballad had most unfortunately suffered by having half of every leaf in this part of the MS. torn away; and, as about nine stanzas generally occur in the half page now remaining, it is concluded, that the other half contained nearly the same number of stanzas.
[The following poem is printed in Hales' and Furnivall's edition of the MS., vol. i. p. 105.]
Kinge Arthur liues in merry Carleile, & seemely is to see, & there he hath w^{ th} him Queene Genev^r, y^t bride soe bright of blee.
And there he hath w^{ th} him Queene Genever, y^t bride soe bright in bower, & all his barons about him stoode y^t were both stiffe & stowre.
The K. kept a royall Christmasse of mirth & great honor, & when....
And bring me word what thing it is y^t a woman most desire. this shalbe thy ransome, Arthur, he sayes for Ile haue noe other hier.
K. Arthur then held vp his hand according thene as was the law; he tooke his leaue of the baron there, & homward can he draw.
And when he came to Merry Carlile, to his chamber he is gone, & ther came to him his Cozen S^r Gawaine as he did make his mone.
And there came to him his Cozen S^r Gawaine y^t was a curteous knight, why sigh you soe sore vnckle Arthur, he said or who hath done thee vnright.