"T. H. White - The Once and Future King" - читать интересную книгу автора (White T.H)

and, God Almighty, I will have the vengeance!"
"Lancelot will slip through our fingers. He is an oily man to hold."
"He shallna slip. We hold him this time. The Cornwalls have forgiven over much."
Mordred shifted on the steps.
"Have you ever thought what the Table has done to Cornwall and Orkney? Arthur's father killed our
grandfather. Arthur seduced our mother. And Lancelot has killed three of our brothers, besides Florence
and Lovel. Yet here we are, selling our honour, to reconcile the two Englishmen. It seems cowardly?"
"Nay, it isna cowardly. The Pope may force the King to take his Queen, but there is nae word in his bulls
about Sir Lancelot. We gave him sanctuary to bring the woman, and we will also let him go. But, after
that..."
"Why should we let him escape us, even now?"
"By cause he has safe-conduct. Guid sakes, man Mordred, we are knighted men!"
"We must not stoop to dirty weapons, even if our enemies do."
"Aye, just. We will let the boar have law to run, and then pursue him to the death. Arthur is failing: he
will do our will"
"It is sad," said Sir Mordred, "how the poor King seems to lose his grip, since all this business started."
"Aye, it is sad. But he kens the difference yet of right and wrong."


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"It is a change for him."
"Ye mean, to fail his powers."
"You guess so quickly."
His sarcasms were as easy as teasing a blind man.
"He canna have it every way. He never should have sided with that traitor at the start."
"Nor married Gwen."
"Aye, the fault lies with them. It isna we who sought the quarrel."
"Indeed, it is not."
"The King must stand for justice. Even if His Holiness should make him take the woman to his bed, we
have our right towards Sir Lancelot. Man, he has done strong treason when he took the Queen, as well as
when he slew our brothers."'
"We have every right."
The burly fellow took the other's hand again, the pale one in the horny sexton's. He said with difficulty:
"It would be woeful sore to be alone."
"We had the same mother, Gawaine."
"Aye!"
"And she was Gareth's mother too..."
"Here comes the King."
The pageant of reconciliation had reached its final stages. With trumpets blowing in the courtyard, the
dignitaries of Church and State began to filter up the stairs. The courtiers, bishops, heralds, pages,
judges, and spectators were talking as they came. The cube of tapestry, an empty vase before, began to
flower with them. It flowered with bald-faced ladies in head-dresses which looked like crescents or
cones or the astonishing coiffure worn by the Duchess in Alice in Wonderland. In bright bodices with
their waists under their armpits, in long skirts and flowing sleeves, in camelin de Tripoli or taffeta or
rosete, the delicate creatures swam into their places with an aroma of myrrh and honey тАФwith which
they had washed their teeth. Their gallantsтАФ young squires in the height of fashion, many of them
wearing Mordred's badge as ThrashersтАФcame mincing in with their long-toed shoes, in which it was