When all the troops were set as Arthur thought good, then called to
him the King of Britain all his councillors, that were skilfullest in
judgment; and thus said Arthur anon to his noble men: "Hearken now
towards me, my dear friends; ye have twice attacked the Romanish men,
and twice they are overcome, and slain, and captured, because they all
with wrong covet our land. And my heart saith to me, through our high
Lord, that yet they shall be overcome, both slain and captured. Ye
have overcome Norwegians; ye have overcome Danes, Scotland and Ireland
ye have all won to your hand; Normandy and France ye have conquered
with fight. Three and thirty kingdoms I hold in mine own hand, that ye
have won for me under the sun! And these are the worst men of all men
alive; heathen people! To God they are loathsome; our Lord they
desert, and to Mahoun they draw. And Luces, the emperor, of God's self
hath no care, who hath for companions heathen hounds, God's enemies;
we shall them destroy, and lay them to ground, and ourselves be safe,
with the Lord's will, that ruleth all deeds!" Then answered the earls
there: "All we are ready, to live and to lie with our dear king!"
When this army was all prepared, then was it daylight; and Luces at
Langres moved, and all his Rome-folk; he commanded his men to blow his
golden trumpets, get ready his host, for forth he would march from
Lengres to Aust, as his way right lay.
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