{"collection":"Northern European Mythology","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/neu/mart/mart052.htm","path":"neu/mart/mart052.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/neu/mart/mart052.htm","text":"CHAPTER VII\nHow the hart was chased into a castle and there slain, and\nhow Sir Gawaine slew a lady.\nTHEN Gawaine and Gaheris rode more than a pace after the white\nhart, and let slip at the hart three couple of greyhounds, and so\nthey chased the hart into a castle, and in the chief place of the\ncastle they slew the hart; Sir Gawaine and Gaheris followed\nafter. Right so there came a knight out of a chamber with a\nsword drawn in his hand and slew two of the greyhounds, even in\nthe sight of Sir Gawaine, and the remnant he chased them with his\nsword out of the castle. And when he came again, he said, O my\nwhite hart, me repenteth that thou art dead, for my sovereign\nlady gave thee to me, and evil have I kept thee, and thy death\nshall be dear bought an I live. And anon he went into his\nchamber and armed him, and came out fiercely, and there met he\nwith Sir Gawaine. Why have ye slain my hounds? said Sir Gawaine,\nfor they did but their kind, and liefer I had ye had wroken your\nanger upon me than upon a dumb beast. Thou sayest truth, said\nthe knight, I have avenged me on thy hounds, and so I will on\nthee or thou go. Then Sir Gawaine alighted afoot and dressed his\nshield, and struck together mightily, and clave their shields,\nand stoned their helms, and brake their hauberks that the blood\nran down to their feet.\nAt the last Sir Gawaine smote the knight so hard that <88>he fell\nto the earth, and then he cried mercy, and yielded him, and\nbesought him as he was a knight and gentleman, to save his life.\nThou shalt die, said Sir Gawaine, for slaying of my hounds. I\nwill make amends, said the knight, unto my power. Sir Gawaine\nwould no mercy have, but unlaced his helm to have stricken off\nhis head. Right so came his lady out of a chamber and fell over\nhim, and so he smote off her head by misadventure. Alas, said\nGaheris, that is foully and shamefully done, that shame shall\nnever from you; also ye should give mercy unto them that ask\nmercy, for a knight without mercy is without worship. Sir\nGawaine was so stonied of the death of this fair lady that he\nwist not what he did, and said unto the knight, Arise, I will\ngive thee mercy. Nay, nay, said the knight, I take no force of\nmercy now, for thou hast slain my love and my lady that I loved\nbest of all earthly things. Me sore repenteth it, said Sir\nGawaine, for I thought to strike unto thee; but now thou shalt go\nunto King Arthur and tell him of thine adventures, and how thou\nart overcome by the knight that went in the quest of the white\nhart. I take no force, said the knight, whether I live or I die;\nbut so for dread of death he swore to go unto King Arthur, and he\nmade him to bear one greyhound before him on his horse, and\nanother behind him. What is your name? said Sir Gawaine, or we\ndepart. My name is, said the knight, Ablamar of the Marsh. So\nhe departed toward Camelot.","title":"Le Morte d'Arthur BOOK III CHAPTER VII","type":"page"}