{"collection":"Northern European Mythology","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/neu/mart/mart144.htm","path":"neu/mart/mart144.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/neu/mart/mart144.htm","text":"CHAPTER XXVI\nHow King Arthur sent for the Lady Lionesse, and how she\nlet cry a tourney at her castle, whereas came many knights.\nTHEN said Sir Gawaine and his brethren unto Arthur, Sir, an ye\nwill give us leave, we will go and seek our brother. Nay, said\nSir Launcelot, that shall ye not need; and so said Sir Baudwin of\nBritain: for as by our advice the king shall send unto Dame\nLionesse a messenger, and pray her that she will come to the\ncourt in all the haste that she may, and doubt ye not she will\ncome; and then she may give you best counsel where ye shall find\nhim. This is well said of you, said the king. So then goodly\nletters were made, and the messenger sent forth, that night and\nday he went till he came unto the Castle Perilous. And then the\nlady Dame Lionesse was sent for, thereas she was with Sir\nGringamore her brother and Sir Gareth. And when she understood\nthis message, she bade him ride on his way unto King Arthur, and\nshe would come after in all goodly haste. Then when she came to\nSir Gringamore and to Sir Gareth, she told them all how King\nArthur had sent for her. That is because of me, said Sir Gareth.\nNow advise me, said Dame Lionesse, <257>what shall I say, and in\nwhat manner I shall rule me. My lady and my love, said Sir\nGareth, I pray you in no wise be ye aknowen where I am; but well\nI wot my mother is there and all my brethren, and they will take\nupon them to seek me, I wot well that they do. But this, madam,\nI would ye said and advised the king when he questioned with you\nof me. Then may ye say, this is your advice that, an it like his\ngood grace, ye will do make a cry against the feast of the\nAssumption of our Lady, that what knight there proveth him best\nhe shall wield you and all your land. And if so be that he be a\nwedded man, that his wife shall have the degree, and a coronal of\ngold beset with stones of virtue to the value of a thousand\npound, and a white gerfalcon.\nSo Dame Lionesse departed and came to King Arthur, where she was\nnobly received, and there she was sore questioned of the king and\nof the Queen of Orkney. And she answered, where Sir Gareth was\nshe could not tell. But thus much she said unto Arthur: Sir, I\nwill let cry a tournament that shall be done before my castle at\nthe Assumption of our Lady, and the cry shall be this: that you,\nmy lord Arthur, shall be there, and your knights, and I will\npurvey that my knights shall be against yours; and then I am sure\nye shall hear of Sir Gareth. This is well advised, said King\nArthur; and so she departed. And the king and she made great\nprovision to that tournament.\nWhen Dame Lionesse was come to the Isle of Avilion, that was the\nsame isle thereas her brother Sir Gringamore dwelt, then she told\nthem all how she had done, and what promise she had made to King\nArthur. Alas, said Sir Gareth, I have been so wounded with\nunhappiness sithen I came into this castle that I shall not be\nable to do at that tournament like a knight; for I was never\nthoroughly whole since I was hurt. Be ye of good cheer, said the\ndamosel Linet, for I undertake within these fifteen days to make\nye whole, and as lusty as ever ye were. And then she laid an\nointment and a salve to him as it pleased to her, that he was\nnever so fresh nor so lusty. Then said <258>the damosel Linet:\nSend you unto Sir Persant of Inde, and assummon him and his\nknights to be here with you as they have promised. Also, that ye\nsend unto Sir Ironside, that is the Red Knight of the Red Launds,\nand charge him that he be ready with you with his whole sum of\nknights, and then shall ye be able to match with King Arthur and\nhis knights. So this was done, and all knights were sent for\nunto the Castle Perilous; and then the Red Knight answered and\nsaid unto Dame Lionesse, and to Sir Gareth, Madam, and my lord\nSir Gareth, ye shall understand that I have been at the court of\nKing Arthur, and Sir Persant of Inde and his brethren, and there\nwe have done our homage as ye commanded us. Also Sir Ironside\nsaid, I have taken upon me with Sir Persant of Inde and his\nbrethren to hold part against my lord Sir Launcelot and the\nknights of that court. And this have I done for the love of my\nlady Dame Lionesse, and you my lord Sir Gareth. Ye have well\ndone, said Sir Gareth; but wit you well ye shall be full sore\nmatched with the most noble knights of the world; therefore we\nmust purvey us of good knights, where we may get them. That is\nwell said, said Sir Persant, and worshipfully.\nAnd so the cry was made in England, Wales, and Scotland, Ireland,\nCornwall, and in all the Out Isles, and in Brittany and in many\ncountries; that at the feast of our Lady the Assumption next\ncoming, men should come to the Castle Perilous beside the Isle of\nAvilion; and there all the knights that there came should have\nthe choice whether them list to be on the one party with the\nknights of the castle, or on the other party with King Arthur.\nAnd two months was to the day that the tournament should be. And\nso there came many good knights that were at their large, and\nheld them for the most part against King Arthur and his knights\nof the Round Table and came in the side of them of the castle.\nFor Sir Epinogrus was the first, and he was the king's son of\nNorthumberland, and Sir Palamides the Saracen was another, and\nSir Safere his brother, and Sir Segwarides his brother, but they\nwere christened, and Sir Malegrine <259>another, and Sir Brian de\nles Isles, a noble knight, and Sir Grummore Grummursum, a good\nknight of Scotland, and Sir Carados of the dolorous tower, a\nnoble knight, and Sir Turquine his brother, and Sir Arnold and\nSir Gauter, two brethren, good knights of Cornwall. There came\nSir Tristram de Liones, and with him Sir Dinas, the Seneschal,\nand Sir Sadok; but this Sir Tristram was not at that time knight\nof the Table Round, but he was one of the best knights of the\nworld. And so all these noble knights accompanied them with the\nlady of the castle, and with the Red Knight of the Red Launds;\nbut as for Sir Gareth, he would not take upon him more but as\nother mean knights.","title":"Le Morte d'Arthur BOOK VII CHAPTER XXVI","type":"page"}