Certainly there are historical references to a leader called Arthur, who lived around the end of the fifth century. He had already become something of a folk hero by the ninth century as a warrior king. But none of the information that has come down to us is very reliable.What is certain is that the ideas of honour and chivalry that we associate with King Arthur were not much in evidence in that period of British history, rightly known as the Dark Ages.

And yet Arthur’s Round Table exists - in Winchester. It is inside the magnificent Great Hall, the only part of the former Winchester Castle that remains intact. Although the table once had twelve legs, has a diameter of 18 feet (5.4 metres) and weighs nearly one and a half tons, it has hung on the wall for centuries. It has this inscription:

"This is the round table of Arthur with 24 of his named knights."

Unfortunately scientific tests have shown that is unlikely. The table was made at some time between 1250 and 1280 - about thirty years after the Hall itself was built. The table was painted (or, just possibly, re-painted) in 1520, on the instructions of King Henry VIII. Indeed, there are those who say that the face of the king painted on the table could easily be a likeness of the young Henry - a piece of flattery by a court painter, rather than a portrait of an Arthur who may, after all, never have existed.

Exercise - Vocabulary

Look at the definitions below. Each one is for a word in bold in the text. Choose the word or expression from the list on the right which matches the definition.