Lucius

Lucius was the Dictator or Procuror of the Public Weal of Rome.

Many kings had offered truage to him. (5,ii) He sent 12 ambassadors to king Arthur of Britain with a message; greeting and commanding Arthur to acknowledge Lucius as his lord, according to the statutes and decrees of Julius Caesar and how his father and predecessors did; otherwise he is a rebel and Lucius will make war against him, his realms and lands and punish him and his subjects to make a perpetual example for any lord who will deny truage to the noble empire that dominates the world. (5,i)

Lucius thought that Arthur would have obeyed to his commandment, as all other kings, but when the ambassadors came, he was enraged to hear that Arthur not only refused to pay homage but also claim the rights of his empire and would come to Rome with army. One of the senators who came mentioned about the nobility and courage of Arthur, and the royalness of his estate, and ensured that his words were true, and advised to keep the marches and straits in the mountains.

Lucius sent old wise knights for all the subjects and allies of Rome to come to his aid. 16 kings came at once with dukes and admirals assembled about Rome. He made ready his Romans and all people up to Flanders. As a personal guard he had 50 giants engendered of fiends. He departed before Easter, passed the mountains, besieging and conquering a castle by Cologne. He reached France, and took and destroyed Arthur's lands. Then commanded his host to meet in Burgoyne to destroy Little Britain. (5,ii)

In Burgoyne he stayed in a pavilion with an eagle on the top. (5,vi) While there, the Marshal of France reported to Arthur that he started slaying people and burning vilages and borroughs. (5,v) Then Gawaine and Bors de Ganis came to Lucius commanding him in Arthur's name to leave the land and its people, and Lucius replied that he will subdue him and his land, angering the messengers. Then Gainus insulted the Britons further, and Gawaine smote his head off and rode away, with Romans going after him. In the ensuing battle the Britons managed to capture many Roman knights and lords, who would be taken to Paris. (5,vi)

Once he learned it, he sent to lie an ambush 60,000 knights and princes to attack the Britons and rescue the prisoners. (5,vii) The attempt was disastrous for the Romans, and a senator who escaped the battle, came and advised him to withdrow as there is nothing to win except damage, because one of Arthur's knight fights like 100 Romans. Lucius responded angrily to these words, grieving him more than his losses.

### Battle of Sessoine

He sent King Leomie with a great army to Sessoine and Lucius himself followed with his army soon after. When he entered the vale of Sessoine, he saw where Arthur was embattled withhis banner, and that the Briton host had surrounded him so that it was impossible to flee. He made a speech to his Romans telling them to fight as men, remembering the dominance of Rome over all earth; and commanded his trumpets to blow, making the ground to tremble. (5,viii)

Lucius did wonders with his own hands, until Arthur saw where he was fighting, and rode to him. They smote fiercely each other, and he managed to wound Arthur across the visage.

## Death

In turn Arthur cleft his head with Excalibur, from the summit to his breast, and he fell down dead. When this was known, all the Roman host put them to flight.

After the battle, Arthur rode where Lucius lay, with other kings and senators, whom he cared with balms and aromatic gums and cered them in sixtyfold of sendal cloth, put them in lead chests to not chafe or savour, with their shields, arm and banners. With the command of Arthur, 3 senators departed with all the chests, laying the body of Lucius in a car covered with the arms of the Empire all alonem and took them to Rome to deliver to the Potestate. (5,viii)