The feats performed by Arthur at the battle of Badon Mount are thus celebrated in Drayton’s verse: 

    “They sung how he himself at Badon bore, that day,
    When at the glorious goal his British sceptre lay;
    Two daies together how the battel stronglie stood;
    Pendragon’s worthie son, who waded there in blood,
    Three hundred Saxons slew with his owne valiant hand.”

    —­Song iv.

GUENEVER

Merlin had planned for Arthur a marriage with the daughter of King Laodegan of Carmalide.  By his advice Arthur paid a visit to the court of that sovereign, attended only by Merlin and by thirty-nine knights whom the magician had selected for that service.  On their arrival they found Laodegan and his peers sitting in council, endeavoring, but with small prospect of success, to devise means of resisting the impending attack of Ryence, king of Ireland, who, with fifteen tributary kings and an almost innumerable army, had nearly surrounded the city.  Merlin, who acted as leader of the band of British knights, announced them as strangers, who came to offer the king their services in his wars; but under the express condition that they should be at liberty to conceal their names and quality until they should think proper to divulge them.  These terms were thought very strange, but were thankfully accepted, and the strangers, after taking the usual oath to the king, retired to the lodging which Merlin had prepared for them.

A few days after this, the enemy, regardless of a truce into which they had entered with King Laodegan, suddenly issued from their camp and made an attempt to surprise the city.  Cleodalis, the king’s general, assembled the royal forces with all possible despatch.  Arthur and his companions also flew to arms, and Merlin appeared at their head, bearing a standard on which was emblazoned a terrific dragon.  Merlin advanced to the gate, and commanded the porter to open it, which the porter refused to do, without the king’s order.  Merlin thereupon took up the gate, with all its appurtenances of locks, bars, bolts, etc., and directed his troops to pass through, after which he replaced it in perfect order.  He then set spurs to his horse and dashed, at the head of his little troop, into a body of two thousand pagans.  The disparity of numbers being so enormous, Merlin cast a spell upon the enemy, so as to prevent their seeing the small number of their assailants; notwithstanding which the British knights were hard pressed.  But the people of the city, who saw from the walls this unequal contest, were ashamed of leaving the small body of strangers to their fate, so they opened the gate and sallied forth.  The numbers were now more nearly equal, and Merlin revoked his spell, so that the two armies encountered on fair terms.  Where Arthur, Ban, Bohort, and the rest fought the king’s army had the advantage; but in another part of the field the king himself was surrounded and carried off by the enemy.  The sad sight was seen by Guenever, the fair daughter of the king, who stood on the city wall and looked at the battle.  She was in dreadful distress, tore her hair, and swooned away.