Sandwich

Sandwich serves as the seaport linking Arthur’s British kingdom to the Roman campaign: it is where the ambassadors leave after delivering Arthur’s defiant answer, where his fleet gathers before departure, and where he returns after his conquest. Its repeated appearances frame the expedition as both a departure from royal rule at home and a return to the realm Arthur had entrusted to others.

The Ambassadors’ Departure

After Arthur refuses the Roman emperor’s demand for tribute and asserts his own claim to imperial sovereignty, he orders that the ambassadors receive gifts and have their expenses paid. Sir Cador is assigned to escort them out of the country. They take ship at Sandwich, then travel by way of Flanders, Almaine, the mountains, and Italy to report Arthur’s answer to Lucius. The courteous treatment of the envoys contrasts with the uncompromising message they carry: Arthur will not acknowledge Rome’s authority and intends to claim the empire himself.

Fleet Assembly and Departure

At a parliament held at York, Arthur orders the kingdom’s navy to be arrested and ready at Sandwich within fifteen days. There he tells his army that he means to conquer the empire he considers his by right. Before embarking, he appoints Sir Bawdwin of Britain and Constantine, son of Sir Cador of Cornwall, as governors, and entrusts them with the kingdom and Guenever during his absence. Arthur also declares that Constantine is to inherit the crown if he dies on the expedition. He then sails from Sandwich with a great army aboard ships, galleys, cogs, and dromonds.

Return from the Campaign

After the conquest is complete, Arthur orders his company home, forbidding his men, on pain of death, to seize provisions or other goods without paying. He crosses the sea and lands at Sandwich, where Guenever comes to meet him. His reception by the queen is followed by a wider welcome: people in the cities and boroughs receive him, and gifts are presented at his homecoming. Sandwich thus marks the close of the expedition as well as its beginning, reconnecting the returning king with the kingdom whose government he had placed in other hands.