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This nursery rhyme
was first published
in 1872. The legend
of King Arthur,
Guinevere, Lancelot,
the Knights of the
Round Table and the
Kingdom of Camelot
is well known by
all. The existence
of King Arthur has
not been proved but
his story has been
passed from
generation to
generation. The
Romans left Britain
in 410AD and the
period following
this is referred to
as the Dark Ages (a
phrase coined during
the Victorian era
when statesmen were
keen to express the
belief that the fall
of a Great Empire
would result in a
Dark Age). Britain,
no longer subject to
Roman rule, was
divided into small
kingdoms ruled by
various chiefs or
kings. It is
possibly that the
story of Camelot was
introduced at the
time the Britons
were subjected to
raids by both the
Saxons and Vikings
and the people would
have longed for a
strong leader to
unite their country.
Geoffrey of
Monmouth, famous for
his chronicles,
wrote of King Arthur
as did Sir Thomas
Malory in Le Morte
d'Arthur. The
Nursery Rhyme has no
connection to the
legends of King
Arthur!
The Knight's Code
of Chivalry - Sir
Thomas Mallory
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To never do
outrage nor
murder
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Always to flee
treason
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To by no means
be cruel but to
give mercy unto
him who asks for
mercy
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To always do
ladies,
gentlewomen and
widows succour
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To never force
ladies,
gentlewomen or
widows
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Not to take up
battles in
wrongful
quarrels for
love or worldly
goods
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