rthrology

[Gr. arthron, and logos, discourse.] ( Med.) A treatise on, or a description of, the joints. Arthur, a prince of the Silures, and king of Britain in the time of the Saxon invasions in the 5th and 6th centuries. A. was the son of Uther Pendragon, by Ignera, wife of Gorlois, duke of Cornwall, and was elected king of Britain at the age of 15. He immediately declared war against the Saxons in the north of England, and defeated them so completely, that in one battle alone, it is said, he slew 500 Saxons with his own sword, the famous Caliber . He subdued the Picts and the Scots, and also Ireland and Iceland. After a long peace, during which he married the fair Guinevere, A. conquered Gaul and Norway, and even fought against the Muscovite hordes. On the Romans demanding tribute, he cro ed into Gaul, and defeated them in a mighty battle. Recalled to England by the revolt of his nephew Modred, allied to the Scots and Picts, A. fought against him in Cornwall his last battle, in which Modred was slain, and A. himself mortally wounded. He was buried at Glastonbury. It was long believed by his countrymen, that he was not dead, but carried to faëry-land, there to repose on flowers until his deep wounds were healed, and that he would yet reappear, and, with his mighty sword, again lead them to victory over their enemies. The existence and exploits of A. and of his paladins, the Knights of the Round Table , whether they have any real foundation, or are but a mere historical fable, have been for ages the theme of minstrels and poets, even down to the present day; for examples of which we may quote the famous romaunt of the Mort d'Arthur : and the Idylls of the King, the work of the great poet Tennyson.