{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_44426/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_44426","id":"gutenberg_44426","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/44426","summary":null,"tags":["Arthur, King -- Juvenile fiction","Arthurian romances -- Juvenile literature","Category: Adventure","Category: Children & Young Adult Reading","Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Children's literature","Children's stories","Chivalry -- Juvenile fiction","Kings and rulers -- Juvenile fiction","Knights and knighthood -- Juvenile fiction"],"text":"STORIES OF THE DAYS OF KING ARTHUR\n\nBy Charles Henry Hanson\n\nWith Illustrations By Gustave Dore\n\n\n\n\nPREFACE.\n\nNo other merit or importance is claimed for this book than that of a\ncompilation; but it is, so far as the writer is aware, the most complete\nepitome of the Arthurian Legends that has yet been prepared for the use\nof young readers. More than one modernized version of the work of Sir\nThomas Mallory has been published; but every student of the legends will\nbe aware that there were many of which Mallory, in the compilation of\nhis narrative, took no account; and the substance of several of these\nhas been embodied in the present work. For the story of Merlin, recourse\nhas been had to the version of the old romance given by Ellis in his\n\u201cEarly English Metrical Romances.\u201d The quaint story of Sir Gawaine and\nthe Green Knight is adapted from the edition of that legend which is\nincluded among the publications of the Early English Text Society; while\nto Lady Charlotte Guest\u2019s \u201cMabinogion\u201d the writer is indebted for the\nstory of Geraint and Enid, and also for the romance of Ewaine and the\nLady of the Fountain.\n\nIt is obvious that in a single volume of the bulk of the present there\ncould not be included more than a selection from the great mass of\nlegends which during several centuries accumulated round the mighty\nthough shadowy figure of Arthur. The aim of the writer has been to make\nchoice of such of these stories and traditions as were most likely to\ncaptivate the imagination or excite the attention of the boy-readers of\nthis generation; to cast them, so far as possible, into the shape of a\nconnected narrative and regular sequence of events; and to preserve\nso much of the quaint style of Mallory as is consistent with perfect\nclearness. Whether these objects have been attained, it must be left for\ncritics and readers to pronounce; but the compiler ventures to believe\nthat the book will be found a serviceable introduction to the study of\nthe romances themselves, and of Mallory\u2019s famous prose version of\nthem; while it will also assist young readers in the comprehension and\nappreciation of the Poet Laureate\u2019s noble series of poems on Arthurian\nLegends. In the romances, both in their prose and metrical form, there\nare occasional allusions and episodes which make them unfit to be placed\nin the hands of juvenile readers. It is scarcely necessary to say that\nin the present work nothing of this kind has been retained.\n\nThe attempt to blend in the same book fragments of the original Cymric\ntraditions with others which in the course of ages had received from\nforeign adapters so many changes and modifications that they seem at\nfirst sight to belong to a totally different stock, is perhaps a bold\none. The reader will not fail to note that in the stories epitomized\nfrom the \u201cMabinogion,\u201d and in \u201cSir Gawaine and the Green Knight,\u201d\n personages and incidents alike are ruder, simpler, more poetical than\nin the other chapters. There is much more liberal employment of\nsupernatural agencies; there are fewer traces of those ideas and\ninstitutions of chivalry which to the romancers of the Middle Ages were\nthe very refinement of civilization, the highest development of the\nsocial system. But though this contrast be perceptible, it is not\nso much so, perhaps, as to mar the continuity of the book; and it is\ninstructive, because it enables the reader to view side by side some\nlegends in a form approximating to that in which they were current among\nthe people who claimed Arthur as their hero, and others in the shape\nthey assumed under the hands of Norman, Breton, and French _trouv\u00e8res_\nand romancers.\n\nNo schoolboy now-a-days needs to be told that the Arthur of the legends\nis to all intents and purposes a fictitious personage. That there was\na great chieftain among the Britons of the name of Arthur, who rose\nto preeminence by his military prowess during the sanguinary struggles\nwhich resulted in the English Conquest, may be regarded as certain; but\nas to the extent of his dominions, the duration of his reign, and even\nthe chief scenes of his exploits, all is doubtful. It is partly from\nan unwillingness to commit too great a trespass on historical fact, and\npartly from a desire to omit tedious and monotonous records of fighting,\nthat the compiler has dismissed with a brief reference the episode of\nArthur\u2019s Continental invasion and conquest of the Roman Empire, which\noccupies considerable space in Mallory\u2019s work, and is the subject of\nmore than one of the metrical romances. The Quest of the Holy Grail has\nbeen briefly treated because of the mystical nature of the subject.\n\n\n\n\nSTORIES OF THE DAYS OF KING ARTHUR.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER I. MERLIN THE WIZARD.\n\nSOME hundred years after the authority of the Roman emperors had finally\nceased in Britain, a king reigned there whose name was Constans. Wise\nin peace, and skilful and brave in war, this monarch had obliged all the\nlesser chiefs and kings of the island to acknowledge his supremacy,\nand had occupied the throne for many years to his own glory and to the\nbenefit of his subjects, when he was attacked by an illness so severe\nthat he himself at once perceived death to be at hand. He had three\nsons. Constantius, the eldest, had from childhood shown a liking for\nthe cloister, and had for some years been the inmate of a monastery. As,\nhowever, the king\u2019s other sons, whose names were Aurelius Ambrosius and\nUther Pendragon, were yet only children, Constans named Constantius the\nmonk his successor; and in his dying hour he entreated the sorrowing\nnobles who gathered round his bed to render to his son the same loyal\nand faithful service as they had given to himself. With this request the\nbarons, of whom the king\u2019s steward Vortigern was the foremost both\nin rank and in ability, promised to comply; and thus Constans, after a\nprosperous reign, died peacefully and happily.\n\nAfter the funeral of the deceased monarch, Constantius was brought from\nhis monastery and duly crowned King of the Britons. But his disposition,\nhis abilities, and his previous method of life, all unfitted him for the\nperformance of duties which could only be properly discharged by a great\nstatesman and warrior. Of this fact the steward Vortigern was very\nwell aware. He was an ambitious and unscrupulous man, elated by the\ndistinction he had won in King Constants wars with the Danes and the\nSaxons, and he considered himself, in virtue of his experience as a\ngeneral and in matters of government, the only competent successor to\nhis late master. It was not long before an opportunity arose for the\nfurtherance of his evil designs. A Danish sea-king named Hengist, who\nhad frequently harassed the country during the late reign, but had\nalways been driven off by the redoubtable Constans, no sooner heard\nof the death of his old antagonist, and the accession of the pacific\nConstantius, than he assembled an army of a hundred thousand men, and\ninvaded Britain. Constantius, quite unfit to make headway against such\nan enemy, entreated Vortigern to conduct the campaign on his behalf. But\nthe treacherous minister, pretending that he was incapacitated by age\nand illness, retired to his castle, and left the unfortunate king to his\nown devices. Constantius assembled his forces, and led them against the\ninvaders; but he was no match for a veteran warrior like Hengist, and in\nthe first battle he was completely defeated.\n\nThe subordinate British princes, and most of the nobles of the land,\nhad responded to Constantius\u2019s summons, and fought under his banner; but\nthey were greatly enraged at his defeat, which, with some justice,\nthey attributed to his incapacity as a general. The forces of the pagan\nHengist now spread like locusts over the country, burning and destroying\nin every direction; and the Britons, as Vortigern had calculated, saw\nno hope of getting rid of them except under the leadership of King\nConstants old lieutenant. They therefore sent a deputation to Vortigern,\nurging him to take the command of the army, in order to save the country\nfrom ruin. The steward, however, refused to engage in such an enterprise\nmerely for the sake of winning honour and authority for the monkish\nking. \u201cIf Constantius were out of the way,\u201d he said, \u201cI would gladly do\nmy best for you and the country; but I will not face all the perils of\nwar to benefit a king who cannot defend his own throne.\u201d\n\nIn this dilemma the princes and nobles of Britain forgot the promises\nthey had made to the dying Constans. When they received the answer\nof Vortigern, a number of them proceeded at once in search of the\nunfortunate king, and murdered him in his own hall. The two princes,\nAurelius and Uther Pendragon, were too young to reign; and even those\nbarons who still remained faithful to the family of Constans saw no\nalternative, in view of the havoc that was being wrought by the Saxon\ninvaders, except the election of Vortigern to the vacant throne. He\nwas accordingly proclaimed king; and his pretended illness at once gave\nplace to the activity he had been wont to show in earlier days. His\nfirst endeavour, after his coronation, was to get possession of the\npersons of the two princes; but in this design he was foiled by the\nsagacity of some of their friends, who had hastened, as soon as the\nmurder of Constantius was made public, to convey them over sea to\nthe country which was then called Little Britain, and is now known as\nBrittany.\n\nIf he had not had his hands full at home, Vortigern would have pursued\nthe princes even to their place of refuge; for he was well aware that\nhis tenure of the throne must always be uncertain while they were alive.\nBut he was also conscious that while the victorious Hengist and his\nSaxons remained in the country, the dignity to which he had been raised\nwas but an empty one. He proceeded without delay to reorganize the army\nwhich had been shattered by the defeat of the ill-fated Constantius. He\nthen led it against the invaders, and, displaying all the military\nskill which he had learned in his campaigns under King Constans, gained\nvictory after victory, and soon reduced Hengist to such straits that\nhe was glad to retire from the kingdom, giving a solemn pledge that he\nwould never again invade it.\n\nVortigern had thus given substantial proof of the prudence of the choice\nwhich had placed him on the throne, and had established a claim to\nthe gratitude of his subjects. But the Britons were soon to learn that\nsomething more than military skill is needed to make a good king, and\nthat a man who will only save his country to gratify his own selfish\nambition will not hesitate to bring it to ruin from the same motive.\nAt a great festival held by Vortigern to celebrate the victories he had\nwon, the barons who had assassinated Constantius presented themselves,\nand demanded some reward for the deed which had given the crown to\nVortigern. The latter, however, was of opinion that to comply with their\nrequest would be to set a premium upon treason; whereas, now that he had\nattained the object of his desire, it would be wise in him to discourage\nit. So he repudiated all participation in the murder of Constantius; and\nto show his abhorrence of the deed, he caused the nobles who had avowed\nthemselves the perpetrators to be put to death with great cruelty. It\nhappened, however, that the criminals--who, if they deserved their fate,\ncertainly ought not to have suffered at the hands of the man who had\ninstigated and profited by their crime--were men of rank and great\nfamily influence. Their many relatives and friends at once rose in\nrevolt to avenge their death; and the insurrection very soon became so\nwidespread that Vortigern was on the point of losing the crown for which\nhe had so dexterously intrigued and fought. In his extremity he resorted\nto the expedient of appealing for help to his old antagonist Hengist,\nwho gladly acceded to the request, and once more came over to Britain at\nthe head of a formidable army. With this assistance Vortigern succeeded\nin vanquishing the rebels. But he could no longer count on the loyalty\nof the Britons; so, to make himself secure, he married the daughter of\nHengist, and maintained his authority by means of a Saxon army.\n\nThe cruelty of his rule, and the favour he showed to his pagan friends\nand supporters, earned for Vortigern such general and intense hatred\namong the Britons, that he determined to erect an impregnable fortress\nwhich might furnish him with a safe refuge against conspirators and\nfoes. Accordingly, having chosen what seemed to him to be a suitable\nsite on Salisbury Plain, he gathered together many thousands of workmen\nand ordered them forthwith to begin the erection of his castle. As the\ntyrant was in the habit of punishing disobedience or dilatoriness with\nremorseless severity, while he was also lavish in the rewards he gave\nfor zealous service, the masons set to work with a will, and at the\nclose of the first day had made such progress that the ground had been\nexcavated, the foundation laid, and a wall of immense thickness had\nrisen to the height of some feet. But what was the astonishment and\nawe of the workmen, when on the following morning they assembled at the\nscene of their labours, to find that the wall had been levelled with\nthe ground, and all that remained of it was nothing more than shapeless\npiles of stone and mortar! Quite unable to comprehend this extraordinary\nphenomenon, the builders made the best of the business by once more\nsetting to work with such energy that at nightfall the wall had again\nrisen breast-high. But all their efforts had been expended to no\npurpose, for the next day it was found that the wall had once more been\noverthrown. In vain did they examine the site to discover the cause of\nthe mystery. Nothing that could account for it was to be found; so the\nmasons proceeded to inform the king of the inexplicable difficulty that\nhad arisen in the carrying out of his design.\n\nVortigern hurried to the spot, and investigated the circumstances for\nhimself, but departed no wiser than he had come. The mystery, however,\ngave him great anxiety, for he could not help connecting it with the\ntreachery by which he had obtained the throne, and the many crimes\nhe had since perpetrated. He therefore summoned his astrologers,\nand informed them that they must either discover the reason why his\ncastle-wall fell down as soon as it was built up, or be put to death.\nIncited by this unpleasant alternative, the wise men closely studied the\naspect of the heavens, and then told the king that some few years before\na boy had been bom in England without an earthly father. If this boy\ncould be found, put to death, and the foundations of the castle\nsmeared with his blood, there would be no further difficulty about its\nsubsequent progress.\n\nVortigern at once sent emissaries to all parts of the country to find\nthe wonderful boy; but to make sure that the astrologers should not\nescape his vengeance if the messengers were unsuccessful in their\nsearch, he threw them all into prison.\n\nAstrology must, however, have been better understood in those days than\nit is now, for the wise men had interpreted the planetary revelations\nwith perfect accuracy. The boy for whom the servants of Vortigern were\nsearching did in fact exist, and was none other than the afterwards\nfamous wizard and prophet Merlin, whose mother was a British maiden,\nwhile his father was the Arch-fiend, who had hoped through his agency to\ncarry out his evil purposes against mankind. This design had, however,\nbeen thwarted by a pious hermit named Blaize, who had taken the boy\u2019s\nmother under his protection, and had baptized the infant at the moment\nof his birth, so that the supernatural gifts which he inherited from\nhis demon-father were enlisted on the side of good, instead of being\nemployed in the service of the evil one. Endowed from his birth with\nthe power of foretelling the future, and with the knowledge of all\nmysteries, Merlin had been thus far content to lead the life of other\nchildren, well knowing that the time was at hand when he must play a\nmore important part. He now made himself known to one of Vortigern\u2019s\nmessengers, whom he astonished by informing him of the object of his\nsearch. He added that though the astrologers had rightly interpreted the\nportent of the heavens, his death was not necessary for the erection of\nVortigern\u2019s castle; for on this point the wise men had been misled by\nthe devices of Satan, who, since Merlin was now out of his power,\nwas anxious for his destruction. The boy gave the king\u2019s emissary to\nunderstand that when brought into Vortigern\u2019s presence he would explain\nthe whole mystery. The royal officer was naturally well pleased to have\nachieved the object of his mission; and any doubts he might still have\nentertained about the reality of Merlin\u2019s pretensions to supernatural\npowers were dispelled by the extraordinary proofs which the child\nfurnished during their journey to Winchester, where Vortigern then held\nhis court. The party were making their way through the busy streets of\na town, when Merlin broke into loud laughter. When asked the reason,\nhe pointed out a young man who was bargaining for a pair of shoes, and\nexplained that what had aroused his mirth was the extreme eagerness to\nsecure substantial foot-gear shown by one who would not live to wear the\nshoes he had bought. As the young man was to all appearance in robust\nhealth, Merlin\u2019s companions received this statement with incredulity;\nbut before they had gone many paces further, they heard an uproar in\nthe street behind them, and on inquiry they found that it was due to\nthe fact that the man Merlin had shown to them had suddenly-dropped down\ndead. This, and other evidences of the prescience of the young seer,\nconvinced Vortigern\u2019s messenger, who hastened to conduct the wonderful\nboy into the presence of the king.\n\nVortigern received Merlin with a pomp which in no wise disturbed the\nphilosophical serenity of the child, and in due course conducted him\nto the place selected as the site of the castle, where he described the\nextraordinary failure of the attempts that had thus far been made to\nbuild it, and inquired the reason.\n\n\u201cSir King,\u201d answered Merlin, \u201cthe reason is this. Below the place where\nyour workmen have sought to lay the foundations of the wall there are\ntwo large and deep pools of water. At the bottom of these lie two huge\nstones, which cover the lairs of two gigantic serpents, the like of\nwhich none of your subjects have ever before set eyes on. One of these\nserpents is milk-white in hue, the other red as blood. They sleep all\nthrough the day; but every night they engage in a furious combat, which\nis without result, because they have not sufficient space wherein to\nmove. The walls built by your masons were overthrown because the very\nearth was shaken by the struggles of the serpents. But if you cause the\nwater to be drained away, and the stones to be raised, the serpents will\nbe able to settle their dispute, and there will then be no hindrance to\nthe building of the castle.\u201d\n\nOverjoyed at this information, Vortigern at once gave the necessary\norders. His army of workmen was speedily engaged in digging, and\npresently the two pools of water described by Merlin were disclosed.\nThe water having been removed, the stones were laid bare; and when, with\ninfinite difficulty, they had been uplifted, there lay the two serpents,\nside by side. Both were of enormous size, and covered with shining\nscales, while fire flashed from their mouths. They were not only\ndistinguished by the difference of colour of which the young wizard had\nspoken, but the white serpent had two heads. As soon as the light of day\nfell upon them, they awoke from the torpor in which they had been sunk,\nuncoiled their monstrous folds, and, to the terror of the vast multitude\nassembled--amongst whom Merlin was the only unconcerned spectator--they\nbegan a furious conflict, which lasted till night. The fire which they\nvomited forth against each other flashed through the air like lightning,\nand their huge jaws dripped with their black blood. At first the red\nserpent seemed to gain the advantage; but as the day wore on the white\none waxed in strength, and at last he beat his antagonist to the ground,\nand then descended upon him with such fury as to crush him into dust.\nThe white serpent then himself disappeared, and was never again seen by\nmortal man.\n\nThe literal fulfilment of Merlin\u2019s prediction naturally inspired\nVortigern with the utmost confidence in the wisdom of the prophet, more\nespecially as the erection of the castle thenceforth proceeded without\nlet or hindrance. He was at once installed as the chief counsellor of\nthe king; but this high promotion, which he himself accepted with the\ntaciturn indifference which was his ordinary demeanour, raised him many\nenemies, and one of these represented to Vortigern that, as Merlin knew\neverything, he would certainly be able to explain the significance of\nthe terrific, fight between the two serpents, which must doubtless have\nsome deep hidden meaning. The king, whose conscience was always stinging\nhim, eagerly grasped at the idea, and Merlin was forthwith sent for and\nquestioned on the subject. He remained persistently silent, however,\nuntil Vortigern threatened him with instant death if he did not answer.\n\n\u201cKnow, O King,\u201d said the seer, \u201cthat what you threaten is as far beyond\nyour power as it was to discover the reason of the overthrow of your\ncastle wall. Save by my own will, no man of woman bom can injure me.\nSince, however, you are resolved to know the meaning of the combat\nbetween the two serpents, I will reveal it. The red dragon which you saw\noverthrown and destroyed represented yourself; the white one symbolized\nthe two princes Aurelius and Uther Pendragon, the sons of King Constans,\nwho are the rightful rulers of this realm. They are coming from Little\nBritain with a mighty armament; they will utterly defeat you in battle;\nand when, with your family and the Saxon Hengist, you take refuge in the\nstrong castle you have built, you will perish there by fire, even as the\nred serpent perished.\u201d\n\nAt this appalling forecast of his fate, Vortigern was overcome by\ndespair. But bethinking him of Merlin\u2019s great craft and wisdom, he\nturned fiercely upon him and demanded counsel as to how he should evade\nthe approaching ruin.\n\n\u201cThat which is to be must be,\u201d answered the wizard. \u201cI have no counsel\nto give you.\u201d\n\nFull of wrath, Vortigern drew his sword; but when he would have smitten\nMerlin with it, the latter had disappeared, and all the king\u2019s efforts\nto find him were unavailing. He had indeed, by the exercise of his magic\nart, transported himself to the distant hermitage of his first friend,\nthe holy Blaize, to whom he committed the task of writing his famous\nBook of Prophecies, foretelling the future history of Britain; a work\nof which, unhappily, only a few sentences remain, and these expressed\nin such obscure and figurative language that no man can decipher their\nmeaning.\n\nThe ruin which Merlin had foretold speedily overtook the wicked\nVortigern. He received news of the landing of Aurelius and Uther at the\nhead of a large army. He mustered his forces, summoned Hengist to his\nassistance, and hastened to meet his enemies. But the Britons would not\nfight against the sons of their old king. Deserted by all but his\nSaxon allies, Vortigern sustained a ruinous defeat. He took refuge with\nHengist in his stronghold on Salisbury Plain. The princes forthwith\nbesieged it; but finding that they could make no impression on its\nmighty walls, they caused wildfire to be cast over the battlements, and\nin the conflagration that followed, the usurper and all his kin, with\nhis heathen ally, were utterly consumed. The remnant of the Saxon\ninvaders were permitted to leave the country, on giving pledges that\nthey would never return; and Aurelius and Uther, who agreed to share\nthe honours and cares of rule, were recognized by all the smaller\npotentates, the barons, and the commons, as the kings of Britain.\n\nThey were not, however, permitted to remain long in peaceable\npossession. Their reign had scarcely begun when Merlin, who, like a\nloyal Briton, had come forward to give the benefit of his wisdom and\nhis counsel to the new kings, warned them that a numerous army of pagans\nfrom Denmark had landed at Bristol. He added the painful news that\nthough the Britons would be successful in their encounter with the\ninvaders, one of the royal brothers was destined to perish. All fell\nout as he had predicted: the heathen were so utterly overthrown that\nscarcely one of them escaped alive from the field; but Aurelius died\nnobly in the moment of victory, and Uther Pendragon remained the sole\nand unopposed monarch of Britain.\n\nUnder the guidance of Merlin, whose counsels he always prudently\nfollowed, Uther Pendragon reigned gloriously for many years. He\ncompletely re-established the supremacy which his father had gained over\nthe other kings of Britain, and even carried his conquests into other\nlands, worsting Claudas, King of Gaul, and receiving the allegiance of\nthe brothers Ban and Bors, two of the most famous knights in Europe, and\nlords respectively of Benwick and Gannes. He also became liege lord of\nHoel, King of Harman, a country which is no longer to be found on the\nmaps. The wife of Hoel was the beautiful Igraine; and being still in\nthe prime of life at the death of her husband, she wedded the Duke of\nTintagel, a powerful baron who held wide lands in Cornwall By her first\nlord she had been the mother of three daughters, of whom the eldest was\nwedded to King Nanters of Gerlot. The second became the wife of King Lot\nof Orkney, and bore to him four sons--Gawaine, Gaheris, Agravaine, and\nGareth. The third was the famous Morgan le Fay. She received instruction\nin magic from Merlin, and became scarcely less skilled in the black art\nthan the great wizard himself.\n\nShe also became the wife of a king--Urience, lord of the land of Gore.\n\nAt the instigation of Merlin, King Uther set up the Round Table, whereat\nhe sought to assemble the best knights of the world. To this table none\nwere admitted save such as were of royal or at least noble blood,\nwere distinguished for great personal strength, skill in arms, and\nunfaltering valour. All who were so received were obliged to swear a\nsolemn oath to give aid to one another, even to the peril of life; to\nbe ever ready to undertake dangerous adventures; to be faithful to their\nliege lord; and to be willing on all occasions to defend the weaker sex\nfrom wrong. King Uther was able to bring together many noble knights as\nmembers of the company of his Round Table, for his own valour and the\nwisdom of Merlin had made him one of the most puissant monarchs of his\ntime.\n\nIt chanced that while King Uther was once holding his court at Camelot,\nthere came to do homage to him, among other barons, the Duke of\nTintagel, who brought with him his lady, the fair Igraine; and her\nbeauty made such an impression upon the king, who was still unmarried,\nthat he was immediately seized with a great desire to have her for his\nqueen. There was, however, a serious obstacle in the way, in the shape\nof the duke her husband, who, as soon as he had learned that the king\nwas unduly attentive to his wife, retired with her from court, and\nrefused to obey a command by the king that he should return. The\nhaughty Uther treated this refusal as an act of rebellion, and forthwith\nproceeded to wage war against the duke, who placed his wife in his\nstrong castle of Tintagel, retired himself to another fortress named\nTerabil, and prepared to offer a resolute resistance to the royal\nforces. King Uther laid siege to Terabil; but his love for Igraine had\nbecome a stronger passion than even his desire to assert his authority,\nand he implored the aid of Merlin, who undertook to win him the lady\nas his queen if it were agreed that their son should be placed at\nhis disposal, to be brought up as he saw fit. The king accepted the\nconditions prescribed; and Merlin, by means of a device which the old\nchroniclers relate at length, fulfilled his part of the bargain. The\nunfortunate duke was killed while making a sally from his fortress,\njust at the time when Uther gained entrance into Tintagel and obtained\npossession of Igraine, with whom, after a brief interval, his nuptials\nwere celebrated with great splendour. In due time, Igraine gave birth to\na son, who, according to the compact made by the king, was given over to\nMerlin, who caused him to be baptized by the name of Arthur, and placed\nhim in the keeping of a worthy knight named Sir Ector.\n\nFor many years after this, Uther Pendragon reigned prosperously as King\nof Britain, and ever kept the Saxons stoutly at bay. At last, however,\nhe was attacked by a dangerous illness which kept him languishing on his\ncouch, and then the heathen began to make head against him, and harassed\nhis people sorely. Under Merlin\u2019s direction, therefore, he was carried\nin a horse-litter at the head of his army, who were so encouraged by\nhis presence that they inflicted an utter defeat on the enemy, and drove\nthem out of the country. Then King Uther was brought back to London;\nbut the rejoicings on account of his victory were scarcely over when\nhis disease increased so much that his death was manifestly at hand.\nHis subjects were filled with consternation: for the birth of Arthur\nhad--for what reason it is impossible to say--been kept strictly secret,\nand it was supposed that King Uther would leave no heir behind him.\nWhen he had been speechless for three days and nights, however, Merlin\nsummoned the great barons of the realm and the Archbishop of Canterbury\ninto the chamber of the dying king, and in their presence asked him if\nit were his will that his son Arthur should be his successor. Thereupon\nUther answered: \u201cI give him God\u2019s blessing and mine, and bid him pray\nfor my soul, and also that righteously and worshipfully he claim the\ncrown, on forfeiture of my blessing.\u201d Immediately after speaking thus,\nUther Pendragon died.\n\nBut none of the barons understood, or cared to understand, the meaning\nof his dying declaration. They knew nothing of any son of Uther\u2019s named\nArthur; and Queen Igraine, having been kept in ignorance of the fate\nof her son, knew not whether he were alive or dead. So great contention\narose in the realm, and everywhere there were misery and bloodshed; for\nall the vassal kings asserted their independence, and every baron who\ncould muster a few thousand followers was ready to put forward his claim\nto the crown. Many of the knights of the Round Table quitted the country\nto seek \u201cworship\u201d in other and happier lands. The Round Table itself,\nwith the remnant of its noble company, was placed in charge of\nLeodegrance, King of Cameliard, to whose keeping it had been bequeathed\nby Uther Pendragon; and in the realm of Britain it was, for many years,\nno more heard of or remembered.\n\nThe ruin of the country seemed to be at hand, when Merlin took measures\nto put an end to the prevailing anarchy by bringing about the accession\nof the rightful king. He induced the Archbishop of Canterbury to summon\na meeting of all the great barons and nobles at London, on Christmas\neve, in the hope that at that solemn festival some miracle might be\nwrought that should make manifest to all to whom the throne rightly\nbelonged. The assembly was held accordingly, and amongst those who\nattended it was Sir Ector, who had brought up Arthur in ignorance of his\nbirth, but had been careful to train him in all the knightly exercises\nand accomplishments which in those days were held to be fitting in a man\nof rank. Along with Sir Ector came his son Kay, who had been knighted\nat the preceding All-hallowmas; and Arthur accompanied Sir Kay in the\ncapacity of his squire. A solemn religious service was held in the\ngreatest church of London, when the archbishop offered up prayer for the\nenlightenment of the people as to who ought to be their king. When the\nservice was over, it was found that in the churchyard there had risen\nup a huge block of marble, and on the top of it was an anvil of\nsolid steel, in which was imbedded, pointwise, a sword of marvellous\nbrightness, bearing on its jewelled hilt this inscription: \u201cWhoso\npulleth me out of this stone and anvil is rightwise king born of\nEngland.\u201d\n\nIt may easily be imagined that the appearance of this mysterious\nsword excited much emotion in the assembly of the barons, many of\nwhom entertained ambitious hopes of winning the crown of Britain for\nthemselves. At the command of the archbishop another mass was said,\nand thereafter all the assembly marched into the churchyard, where, one\nafter another, in the order of their rank, they essayed to draw forth\nthe sword. First came King Nanters, King Lot, and King Urience, who,\nas the husbands of Queen Igraines daughters, might claim some family\nconnection with the late king. Each of the three was a noted warrior;\nbut not one of them could move the sword a hair\u2019s-breadth. Then came\nforward the other tributary kings of the realm--King Brandegoris of\nLatangor, King Clarence of Northumberland, King Idres of Cornwall, the\nKing of the Hundred Knights, King Anguisance of Ireland, and many more;\nbut they fared no better than they who had preceded them. When all in\nthe assembly who desired to do so had made the attempt, the mystic sword\nstill remained firmly fixed in the anvil.\n\n\u201cHe is not yet here,\u201d said the archbishop, \u201cwho shall achieve the sword;\nbut do not doubt that he will yet appear. It seems to me that we should\nappoint ten knights to keep guard round about it, and make proclamation\nthat every man who will may essay it.\u201d\n\nAll was done as the archbishop had said; but day after day passed, and\nmost of the nobles and proved knights of the realm had endeavoured in\nvain to draw out the sword from the anvil. Merlin and the archbishop\nwere desirous to keep the lords together, and so on New-Year\u2019s Day a\ntournament was held. Among the knights that rode to take part therein\nwas Sir Kay, and with him went Arthur as his squire. Now as they went\ntoward the field, Sir Kay found that he had left his sword behind him at\nthe lodging where he abode with his father Sir Ector and his mother, and\nArthur, who passed for his brother. He prayed Arthur to ride back for\nhis sword; and Arthur obeyed, as was fitting in a squire. When, however,\nhe came to the lodging he found it closed, for all who dwelt there had\ngone to see the jousting. Now on his way Arthur had passed by where the\nsword was standing in the anvil in the churchyard; and so he straightway\nrode thither, for, said he, \u201ccertainly my brother Sir Kay shall not be\nwithout a sword this day.\u201d The knights that should have guarded it being\nat the tournament, no one but himself was present. He came to the sword,\nand took it by the hilt, and easily drew it forth without reading the\nwords engraven on the hilt, and carried it to Sir Kay.\n\nNow Sir Kay was a good knight of his hands, but he was exceedingly proud\nand masterful. As soon as he beheld the sword, he knew well whence it\nhad come; and so he rode boldly to his father, Sir Ector.\n\n\u201cSir,\u201d said he, \u201chere have I the sword of the stone; therefore I must be\nchosen king of this land.\u201d\n\nSir Ector, who knew better than his son to whom the throne rightfully\nbelonged, would not believe that Sir Kay had drawn forth the sword. He\nled him to the churchyard, Arthur also following, and bade him replace\nthe sword and then again remove it. Sir Kay, thinking that the charm was\nbroken, promptly obeyed; he put the sword back into the anvil readily\nenough, but when he essayed to pull it out again, his utmost strength\ndid not avail to move it.\n\n\u201cNow, son,\u201d said Sir Ector, \u201cI call upon you, in the name of the Most\nHigh, to tell me truly from whom you had the sword.\u201d\n\n\u201cSir,\u201d answered Sir Kay abashed, \u201cit was brought to me by my brother\nArthur.\u201d\n\nThen Sir Ector bade Arthur draw forth the sword, and that he did as\neasily as from a scabbard. Straightway Sir Ector and his son knelt down\nand greeted Arthur as king.\n\n\u201cAh, my dear father and brother,\u201d said Arthur, \u201cwhy do you call me king,\nand kneel to me?\u201d\n\n\u201cYou are not my son,\u201d replied Sir Ector, \u201cbut of better blood than ever\nmine was.\u201d And he told Arthur how Merlin had placed him in his charge;\nand entreated, in reward for the care with which he had been nourished,\nthat when he became king he would make Sir Kay his seneschal, a request\nwhich Arthur readily granted. Then they went to the archbishop, and\ntold him how the sword had been achieved, and by whom. On Twelfth Day,\nanother solemn service was held, and afterwards, in the presence of all\nthe kings and barons, Arthur again drew out the sword from the anvil,\nthough no one else could move it.\n\nBut the great lords were not at all inclined to recognize as their king\na mere youth, who had hitherto passed as the second son of a knight\nof no great estate. So they put off the decision of the matter till\nCandlemas; but a pavilion was set up over the sword and stone, and\nfive knights watched over it by day and five by night. At Candlemas the\nbarons assembled again, and again Arthur only could draw out the sword.\nStill there were many of the chief men of the realm that were loath to\ntake him as their king, and another delay was agreed upon till Easter.\nAt Easter all went as it had gone before; and now the lords agreed to\ndelay the matter till Pentecost. But Merlin and the archbishop saw\nthat Arthur\u2019s right would not be admitted without bloodshed, and they\ngathered as many as they could of the best knights of the realm, and\nsuch as had been faithful followers of King Uther, and kept them always\nabout Arthur.\n\nThe rest of the wonders that Merlin wrought to give the kingdom to\nArthur, and to make his reign glorious, may be more properly told in the\nhistory of the king himself. But for a long time Merlin the Wizard was\nArthur\u2019s chief adviser; and while the king was guided by his counsels\nand aided by his magic art, all went well with him. When Arthur had been\nsome years on the throne, however, the great enchanter disappeared for\never from mortal ken, through a calamity which he himself had long ago\nforeseen. He had become deeply enamoured of the lovely Yiviane, who\ndwelt in the forest of Breceliande in Brittany, and is usually, in the\nancient chronicles, called the Lady of the Lake. Yiviane did not return\nhis love, but she feared his supernatural powers, and therefore sought\nfor means of ridding herself of him without exciting his wrath. She\npretended to be as much devoted to him as he was to her, and induced\nhim by her wiles and caresses to reveal to her an enchantment by which\na man, of whatsoever might or magic skill, could be enclosed and\nimprisoned without a tower, without walls, without chains, so securely\nthat of his own skill he could never be released. It was only with great\nreluctance that Merlin intrusted the secret to her, for well he knew\nthat it would be used against himself. But, as the old proverb has it,\n\u201clove levels all,\u201d and it made the wisdom of the great seer power-less\nagainst the arts and the beauty of Viviane. It fell out that some little\ntime afterwards Merlin and the lady were wandering in the forest of\nBreceliande, and they came to a white-thorn bush, laden with bloom.\nUnderneath this bush they sat down together, and in a while Merlin laid\nhis head in Viviane\u2019s lap and fell asleep. Then she rose deftly, without\nwaking him, and made a ring round Merlin and the bush, and began the\nenchantment which he himself had taught her; and when she had ended,\nthere was, as it were, a cloud about the place, so that Merlin was\nhidden from sight. But to him, when he awoke, it seemed that he was shut\nup in the strongest tower in the world, and laid upon a fair bed. Then\nhe knew that the enchantment had been wrought upon him, and that there\nwas no escape, for only Viviane could undo the spell. She visited him\nofttimes, but would never release him, and after many years she died.\nBut Merlin still remains a prisoner in the depths of the forest. To him\nthe long years and ages have been but as days. He lies in a magic sleep.\nBut the day will come when the strong enchantment that bound him will\nbe broken, and he will come forth to behold the changes that have been\nwrought by more potent arts than his, and all the wonders of this later\ntime.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER II. HOW ARTHUR GOT HIS CROWN, HIS QUEEN, AND THE ROUND TABLE.\n\nTHE Feast of Pentecost came, and there was again a great gathering of\nkings, nobles, and knights at London to decide who should be King of\nBritain. Once more a great many competitors came forward and strove to\ndraw out the magic sword; but pull and twist as they might, it remained\nimmovable in the grasp of all save Arthur, who drew it forth again and\nagain in the sight of lords and commons. Most people were by this time\nweary of the long interregnum, and of the terrible evils it had brought\nupon the land. When, therefore, Arthur once more came forth the only\nsuccessful competitor from the miraculous test, the assembly broke\nout into loud cries that he and none other should be king. Thereupon,\nwithout further ado, he was first knighted by the most distinguished\nknight present, and then solemnly crowned by the Archbishop of\nCanterbury. Forthwith he proceeded to appoint his great officers of the\nhousehold, making Sir Kay his seneschal, according to his promise,\nSir Lucas his butler, Sir Baldwin his constable, Sir Ulfius--a wise\ncounsellor, as well as a brave warrior--his chamberlain, and Sir\nBrastias warden of the northern frontier. For some time King Arthur was\nbusied in redressing wrongs that had been committed and in restoring\norder in the country round about London; but after a while he set\nout for Wales, and appointed a great feast to be held at the city of\nCaerleon, whereat the vassal kings and barons who had not yet given in\ntheir allegiance might acknowledge him as their overlord. At the time\nagreed upon, King Lot, King Urience, King Nanters, and several others\nof those who had been among the most powerful competitors for the\ncrown, arrived in the neighbourhood of Caerleon, each bringing a strong\nfollowing of knights and men-at-arms, and they all encamped outside the\ncity. Arthur was glad to hear of their coming, supposing that they meant\nto tender their fealty. He therefore sent out heralds to greet them,\nwith costly presents. But the kings had come with no amicable purpose.\nThey disdainfully informed the messengers that they would receive\nno gifts from a beardless boy of base parentage, that they would not\nacknowledge such a boy as their king, and that they had come to bestow\ngifts on him in the shape of hard blows betwixt the neck and shoulders.\n\nOn receiving this answer to his friendly advance, Arthur forthwith took\nmeasures of defence, gathered his knights about him, laid in a stock of\nprovisions and munitions, and caused the city gates to be closed. The\nconfederate kings thereupon advanced and laid siege to the city. A few\ndays after this civil war had begun, Merlin made his appearance in the\ncamp of the kings, and some of them, being old acquaintance of his,\ngreeted him heartily, and asked him how it was that an unknown youth\nlike Arthur had been placed on the throne of Britain. Merlin told them\nplainly that it was because Arthur was the son of King Uther Pendragon,\nand related all the circumstances connected with his birth. His story\nmade little impression; but though the confederates, being themselves\nfamed knights, and having a much larger army than Arthur, were confident\nof victory, they proposed an interview with him, and sent him by Merlin\na safe-conduct to and from their camp. Acting on Merlin\u2019s advice, the\nking came out to meet them; but as a very lofty tone was taken on both\nsides, the meeting was productive of nothing but threats and defiances,\nexcept, indeed, that three hundred of the best knights in the rebel camp\nwere so impressed by Arthur\u2019s bearing and language that they came over\nto him in a body. Immediate preparations for battle were made on both\nsides, and early the next morning Arthur and his followers suddenly\nattacked the confederates in their camp. The surprise, as well as the\ngreat valour of the king and his knights, gave them a considerable\nadvantage; but the numerical superiority of the enemy was so great that\nat last they were decidedly gaining ground, when Arthur drew the magic\nsword he had taken from the anvil. It flashed with a radiance equal, as\nthe chronicle says, to that of thirty torches, and the slaughter\nwhich the king accomplished with it was so great that the enemy beat a\nprecipitate retreat, leaving numbers of dead upon the field.\n\nBut this brilliant success, however satisfactory in itself, was only\nthe beginning of the war. The confederate kings returned to their own\ncountries, induced several neighbouring princes to join their alliance,\nand forthwith took measures to raise a great army. Arthur and his\nknights, on their part, held anxious council as to what it would be most\nexpedient to do, and they were assisted by the wisdom and magic craft\nof Merlin. The prophet warned them that unless they obtained help they\ncould not contend against the rebels, who counted among them some of the\nbest knights then alive; and he suggested that two trusty knights should\nbe sent over sea to King Ban of Benwick and King Bors of Gannes, who had\nbeen feudatories of King Uther Pendragon, and were among the most famous\nwarriors of the time. They were, said Merlin, engaged in a desperate war\nwith King Claudas of Gaul; but he proposed that they should be invited\nto give their help to King Arthur, on the understanding that when firmly\nestablished on the British throne he should in return espouse their\nquarrel against Claudas.\n\nThe advice being Merlin\u2019s, was of course excellent, and it was\nimmediately followed. Sir Ulfius and Sir Brastias were selected for the\nmission. They crossed the sea in safety, but while making their way to\nBenwick were assailed by eight of King Claudas\u2019s knights. To Ulfius\nand Brastias the odds of four to one were not at all alarming: they put\ntheir spears in rest and successively overthrew all the eight, leaving\nthem so badly bruised as to be unable to mount their horses. The\nemissaries then proceeded to Benwick, found there both the kings,\ndelivered their letters, and received a favourable answer. Ban and Bors\npromised to come over at All-hallowmas with three hundred knights. King\nArthur therefore appointed a great tournament for that festival. The\nkings arrived according to their promise, and were received with much\npomp and show. In company with Arthur, they were spectators of the\ntournament, at which Sir Kay, Sir Lucas, and another distinguished\nknight of the court, Sir Griflet, did great feats of arms, and gained\nthe prizes. On the following day, a council was held, at which Merlin\nundertook, on being furnished with tokens of authority from the two\nkings, to bring over their army to Britain with secrecy and expedition.\nThis he accomplished--transported ten thousand men across the\nChannel, and conducted them to a concealed camp in the great forest of\nBede-graine, which at that time covered most of the country between\nthe rivers Trent and Humber. The enchanter then informed Arthur and\nhis guests of what he had done, and the three kings at once marched\nnorthward with twenty thousand men, which was the total strength of the\nforce that Arthur was able to muster. Having effected a junction with\nthe troops of Benwick and Gannes, they waited for the advance of the\nenemy.\n\nTheir patience was not long tried. The confederate princes had got\ntogether a formidable host of fifty thousand men, with which they\nmarched towards Bedegraine as soon as they had got definite information\nof Arthur\u2019s whereabouts. The battle which ensued was one of the most\nsevere and obstinately contested in which the king was ever engaged. The\nconfederate kings had a great advantage in numbers, and some of them,\nespecially King Lot, were generals of proved skill and experience; but\nall these advantages were more than counterbalanced by the knightly\nprowess of Arthur and his friends, and by the fact that the craft of\nMerlin was on Arthur\u2019s side. The fighting lasted for two days. All the\nleaders on both sides were again and again unhorsed and put in great\nperil, only to be rescued by the valour of their fellows. The slaughter\nwas appalling; but at last the confederates were fairly beaten off the\nfield. Though their army was reduced to but fifteen thousand, however,\nthey took up a new position, and held it with indomitable courage.\nMerlin now intervened. He told Arthur that it was time for him to\nwithdraw. He had won the field, and gained great spoils, which he must\ndivide between his own knights and his allies; but if he were to persist\nin carrying on the struggle, fortune would begin to incline to the side\nof his opponents. The wizard added that he could undertake that the\nrebel kings would not molest Arthur for at least three years to come,\ninasmuch as full employment had been found for them elsewhere, a great\narmy of Saxons having invaded their territories.\n\nThe time had not yet come, however, for Arthur to take peaceable\npossession of his dominions. King Leodegrance of Cameliard, who has\nalready been mentioned as one of the chief and most loyal feudatories\nof King Uther Pendragon, was at this time sorely pressed by Rience,\nthe Saxon King of North Wales, who was besieging him in his capital,\nCarohaise. Merlin informed Arthur of his plight, and advised the king,\nwith Ban and Bors and the knights of the household, to go to his relief,\nwhile the soldiery of Benwick and Gannes might be sent home to defend\ntheir master\u2019s territory against the troublesome Claudas. This advice\nwas followed. Arthur and his companions arrived at Carohaise, and having\nentered the city without being observed by the besiegers, offered their\nservices to Leodegrance, on condition that no inquiry should be made\nas to their name or quality. The offer was thankfully accepted, and an\nopportunity was soon afforded them of proving their efficiency. Rience\nsuddenly attacked the city at the head of a large body of his troops.\nArthur and his companions armed themselves and hastened to sally out,\nheaded by Merlin, who carried a wonderful standard--a huge dragon, with\nbarbed tail and gaping jaws, whence there flashed actual sparks of fire.\nWhen the little troop of knights, who in all numbered only forty-two,\narrived at the gate, they found it locked, and the porter refused to\ngive them egress without an order from King Leodegrance. There was no\ntime for parleying, so Merlin simply stepped forward and lifted the\nponderous gate out of its place, with all its locks, bolts, and bars,\ncalmly replacing it when the knights had passed through. He then resumed\nhis position at their head, and they swept down on a detachment of\nthe besiegers who were conducting a convoy to their camp, cut them to\npieces, and captured the convoy. Meanwhile Leodegrance, with the bulk of\nhis army, was fighting gallantly in another part of the field; but his\ntroops had not the prowess of Arthur and his companions, nor were they\nsupported by the necromancy of Merlin, so, being wofully outnumbered, it\nis not surprising that they were defeated. Leodegrance himself was taken\nprisoner, and was being led off to Rience\u2019s camp by an escort of\nfive hundred knights, when Arthur and his little squadron made their\nappearance, dispersed the escort, and rescued the king. The battle still\ncontinued for some hours, during which Arthur distinguished himself by\ncleaving in twain, by a single stroke of his sword, a giant fifteen\nfeet high who had ventured to encounter him in single combat.\nEventually Rience was utterly routed, and very few of his troops escaped\nextermination. The immense spoils of his camp were given up, by order of\nKing Leodegrance, to Arthur, who forthwith divided them among the people\nof Carohaise, and thereby much increased his already great popularity.\nOn his return to the city, Arthur was unarmed by the fair hands of\nGuenever, the king\u2019s daughter, whose beauty had already made a\ndeep impression on his heart; while the like honour was done to his\ncompanions by the ladies of the court.\n\nWhile Arthur was thus warring on behalf of King Leode-grance, the\nconfederate kings who had given him so much trouble were carrying on a\ndesperate struggle with the heathen invaders who had descended in swarms\nupon their territories, and who also carried their ravages into the\ndominions of Arthur himself. Gawaine, Agravaine, and Gaheris, the sons\nof King Lot, with Galachin, the son of King Nanters, having learned from\ntheir mothers that Arthur was in truth their uncle, and the son of King\nUther Pendragon, resolved to throw in their fortunes with his, and join\nhis company of knights. With this design they collected a small\nforce and set out. They were but unproved warriors; but incessantly\nencountering on their journey great bodies of the persevering enemy who\nwas seeking to overrun Britain, they performed prodigies of valour, and\nslaughtered thousands of the Saxons. Gawaine especially distinguished\nhimself. His strength, always greater than that of ordinary men, became\ndoubled between the hours of nine o\u2019clock in the morning and noon, and\nthe same phenomenon again took place between three in the afternoon and\neven-song. He generally contrived to engage in battle at those times of\nthe day when his prowess was greatest, and of course wrought terrible\nhavoc among the heathen, devoting his attention especially to the\ngiants, who were numerous in their ranks, and cutting them to pieces in\na fashion which rivalled the exploits of his uncle at Carohaise.\n\nHaving at length completely dispersed and overcome all the enemies they\ncould find, the young warriors made their way to London, and thence to\nCamelot. In the meantime Arthur was engaged in a final struggle with\nKing Rience, who now had the aid of his brother, King Nero, King Lot of\nOrkney, and others of the confederates. King Rience himself was taken\nprisoner by some of \u2018Arthur\u2019s knights while on a nocturnal expedition;\nand on the next day another great battle was fought, in which Nero was\ntotally defeated, and King Lot fell by the hand of one of Arthur\u2019s most\nformidable knights, King Pellinore--an event which laid the foundation\nof a blood-feud that continued for many years.\n\nIn the realm of Britain there was now no longer any one who disputed\nArthurs title or supremacy. So he came to Camelot, and set up his court\nthere in great splendour, and many famous knights gathered about him.\nBut Sir Ulfius and others of his older counsellors often urged him to\ntake a wife, so that the realm might have a queen as well as a king.\nArthur was not displeased with this counsel, for the love he had felt\nfor Guenever when he first saw her at the court of her father King\nLeodegrance had rather grown greater than less. So he sought the advice\nof Merlin, who said he ought to marry, and asked him if there were any\nlady that he loved. He answered frankly that his heart was set upon\nGuenever.\n\n\u201cSir,\u201d answered Merlin, \u201cthe lady is one of the fairest that lives; but\nif you did not love her so well, I would find you a queen of no less\nbeauty and goodness. Since, however, your heart is set upon her, it is\nbootless to think of any other.\u201d\n\nMerlin said this because he was well aware that the king\u2019s choice would\nnot be for his happiness; and he would have given him some warning, but\nArthur\u2019s passion for Guenever was too strong to let him listen. Merlin\ntherefore offered no farther opposition, but went to Cameliard and asked\nLeodegrance to give Arthur his daughter to wife, letting him know at the\nsame time that the great monarch who now sued for Guenever\u2019s hand was\nthe same unknown champion who had rescued him from the sword of King\nRience. Gratitude alone would have made Leodegrance favour the suit of\none who had given such decisive proof that he possessed the qualities\nmost esteemed in those troublous times; and he was naturally overjoyed\non learning that the knight who had already won his daughter\u2019s heart,\nand now sought her hand, was none other than his liege lord. Guenever\nwas not less pleased; and when Merlin escorted her to Loudon, where her\nbridegroom was awaiting her, he took with him also the Round Table, and\nas many of its knights as still remained, by way of a marriage gift from\nKing Leodegrance. Arthur gave the princess a right royal welcome, and\navowed that the Round Table and its gallant company were more welcome to\nhim than any other dower that Leodegrance could have bestowed with his\ndaughter.\n\nThe number of \u201csieges\u201d or seats at the Round Table was a hundred and\nfifty, but the knights sent by the King of Cameliard only numbered a\nhundred. Arthur was anxious to have all the seats filled before his\nmarriage, and urged Merlin to collect all the knights worthy of the\nhonour whom he could find. The necromancer obeyed; but though he used\nhis utmost diligence, there were still several vacant seats at the\ntable. Each seat was then solemnly consecrated by the Archbishop of\nCanterbury, and the knights all swore the oath of which the terms were\nset forth in the first chapter of this chronicle. Then Arthur\u2019s nephew,\nGawaine, came forward and asked a boon of his uncle.\n\n\u201cAsk,\u201d said the king, \u201cand I will grant it.\u201d\n\n\u201cSir,\u201d answered Gawaine, \u201cI beg that you will make me knight on the same\nday that you wed Queen Guenever.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat will I do with a good will,\u201d Arthur replied; \u201cboth because you are\nmy sister\u2019s son, and because you have already proved yourself a man of\nvalour and worship in the field.\u201d\n\n[Illustration: 050]\n\nBut before the day appointed for the marriage, King Arthur held a great\nfeast at Camelot, that lasted for eight days; and one time, while the\nking and all his counsellors and knights were gathered in the hall of\nthe palace, there came before him a squire leading a horse, on which\nthere sat a knight wounded to the death. The squire said that there was\na knight in the forest who had set up a pavilion by the wayside, and\nforced every knight that passed to joust with him, and that he had now\nmortally stricken the knight before them. At this there was a great\noutcry in the court, and many were eager to undertake the adventure;\nbut Sir Griflet besought Arthur, for the sake of all the services he had\nrendered, to give it to him. The king consented,\u2019 though unwillingly,\nfor Griflet was but a young knight, and Merlin said that the knight of\nthe pavilion was one of the best in the world. Sir Griflet, however,\nentreated the king, who let him go, on a promise that he would return\nand relate whatever befell him.\n\nSir Griflet armed himself accordingly, and rode forth in all haste;\nand presently he came to a fountain by the wayside, where he saw a rich\npavilion, and a strong horse standing under a tree, on which hung a\nshield with a device of many colours, and a great spear. Then Griflet\nlifted his own spear and smote the shield, so that it fell to the\nground. With that, a knight came out of the pavilion, and said, \u201cFair\nknight, why smote you down my shield?\u201d\n\n\u201cBecause I will joust with you,\u201d answered Sir Griflet.\n\n\u201cIt were better you did not,\u201d said the knight, full courteously, \u201cfor\nyou are but young, and newly made knight, and your might is nothing to\nmine.\u201d\n\n\u201cLet that be as it may,\u201d said Griflet, \u201cI will joust with you.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt is not at my desire,\u201d returned the other; \u201cbut since no better may\nbe, you shall have your wish.\u201d Then he took his spear and shield, and\ngot on his horse, and they rode together. Griflet\u2019s spear was shivered\non the strange knight\u2019s shield; but the latter smote Griflet through\nhis armour and his left side, so that horse and man fell down. When the\nknight saw that, he was sorry; but hee unlaced Griflet\u2019s helm, and,\nwhen he was a little recovered, helped him on his horse, and bade him\nfarewell, saying that he had a mighty heart, and that if he lived he\nwould prove a passing good knight. With that Griflet rode to the court,\nand told his tale as well as he could; but he was for long in great\ndanger, and only through the skill of the leeches was his life saved.\n\nNow King Arthur was exceedingly wroth that Griflet was hurt, and early\nthe next morning he armed himself secretly and went forth to seek the\nstranger-knight. As he rode, he saw Merlin running, chased by three\nchurls, so he galloped toward them, and when they saw him coming they\nfled.\n\n\u201cNow, Merlin,\u201d exclaimed the king, \u201chere wouldst thou have been slain,\nin spite of all thy craft, had I not come.\u201d\n\n\u201cNot so,\u201d answered Merlin; \u201cI could have saved myself if I would. But\nyou, sir, are nearer your death than I, for you are now going to your\ndeath if God do not befriend you.\u201d\n\nBut the king would not quit the adventure; so he and Merlin rode along,\ntill they came to the pavilion by the side of the fountain; and the\nknight was sitting within the pavilion all armed.\n\n\u201cSir Knight,\u201d said Arthur, \u201cfor what cause abideth thou here, that no\nknight may ride this way but that he joust with thee? I advise thee to\nleave that custom.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat custom,\u201d answered the knight, \u201cI have used, and will use, whoever\nmay forbid it; and whoever is grieved by it may amend it if he can.\u201d\n\n\u201cI will amend it,\u201d said the king.\n\n\u201cAnd I shall defend it,\u201d said the knight. He took his shield and spear,\nand mounted his horse, and he and the king ran together with such force\nthat both their spears were broken, but neither lost his seat. Then King\nArthur drew his sword.\n\n[Illustration: 056]\n\n\u201cNay,\u201d said the knight, \u201clet us try another course with spears.\u201d\n\n\u201cRight willingly,\u201d answered the king, \u201cif I had another spear.\u201d\n\n\u201cI have spears enough,\u201d said the knight; and forthwith a squire brought\ntwo new spears from the pavilion. Again the two knights came together so\nmightily that the spears were broken.\n\n\u201cYou are,\u201d quoth the stranger, \u201cas good a jouster as ever I met withal.\nFor the love of the high order of knighthood let us joust it once\nagain.\u201d\n\n\u201cI assent,\u201d replied the king; so new spears were brought, and they\ntilted for the third time. But now it was only Arthur\u2019s spear that broke\nscathless. The strange knight smote the centre of the king\u2019s shield so\nhard that horse and man went to the ground. Then was King Arthur sore\nangered, and he drew his sword and said,--\n\n\u201cI will assay thee, Sir Knight, on foot, for I have lost the honour on\nhorseback.\u201d\n\n\u201cI will be on horseback,\u201d answered the stranger. But as the king drew\nnear he sprang from his horse lest it should be slain. Then he also\ndrew his sword, and they fought furiously together, and struck strong\nstrokes, giving each other many wounds; and they both grew at last so\nwearied that they could scarce stand. It chanced that as their swords\nclashed together, Arthur\u2019s sword broke in two pieces. Then said the\nknight,--\n\n\u201cThou art at my mercy, whether I list to spare thee or slay thee, and if\nthou do not yield as recreant, thou shalt die.\u201d\n\n\u201cAs for death,\u201d answered the king, \u201cwelcome be it when it cometh; but\nrather than be so shamed as to yield recreant, I had liever die.\u201d Then\nsuddenly he leaped upon the other, and took him by the middle, and threw\nhim to the ground But the strange knight was of exceeding strength,\nand he got the king under him, and raised his sword to slay him. Then\nMerlin, who had stood by, came up, and said,--\n\n\u201cSir Knight, hold thy hand, for if thou slayest this knight thou wilt do\nthis kingdom great damage. He is a man of greater rank than thou knowest\nof.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy, who is he?\u201d said the knight.\n\n\u201cIt is King Arthur,\u201d was the answer.\n\nThen the stranger raised his sword again to kill the king, for he\ndreaded his wrath; but Merlin cast such an enchantment upon him that\nhe fell asleep. After that, Merlin set the king on his horse again, and\nhimself took the knight\u2019s horse, and they rode away together.\n\n\u201cAlas!\u201d cried the king, \u201cwhat have you done, Merlin? Have you slain that\ngood knight by your crafts? He is the best man of his hands that ever I\nmet, and I would rather lose a year\u2019s rents than that he should die.\u201d\n\n\u201cFear nothing, sir,\u201d answered Merlin. \u201cHe is more whole than you are. He\nis but asleep, and will wake within these three hours.\u201d And he told the\nking that the knight was Sir Pellinore--the same that had slain King\nLot.\n\nThen they rode to a hermitage where dwelt a holy man that was an\nexcellent leech, and he searched the king\u2019s wounds, and healed them in\nthree days. Then they departed; and as they went Arthur said to Merlin,\n\u201cI have no sword.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo matter,\u201d answered Merlin, \u201cnear by there is a sword that shall be\nyours if all go well.\u201d\n\nPresently they came to a lake, and in the middle of it the king saw an\narm thrust out of the water, clothed in white samite, that held a fair\nsword in the hand.\n\n\u201cYonder,\u201d said Merlin, \u201cis the sword I spoke of.\u201d Just then they saw a\ndamsel walking by the lake.\n\n\u201cWhat damsel is that?\u201d asked the king.\n\nMerlin said she was the lady of the lake, and that the sword belonged to\nher; but if he spoke her fair, she would doubtless give it him. Then the\nking saluted the damsel, and asked what sword that was, held up above\nthe water, and said he would it were his, for he had none.\n\n\u201cSir King,\u201d answered the lady, \u201cthat sword is mine, and if you will give\nme a gift when I ask you, you shall have it.\u201d\n\nThis the king gladly promised; and then she bade him take a boat that\nwas there, and row out to the sword and take it, and she would ask for\nher gift when she saw fit. The king obeyed her direction, and took the\nsword; and when he held it in his hand, he liked it exceedingly. Merlin\ntold him that its name was Excalibur, which signifies \u201ccut-steel;\u201d but\nthat the scabbard was still more precious than the sword, for while he\nwore it he could lose no blood, no matter how sorely he was wounded.\n\nThen the king and Merlin returned to Camelot, where all the court\ngreeted them joyfully; and when King Arthur\u2019s adventures were told, all\nthe knights were happy to be under chief who was as ready to put his\nperson in peril as any one of them.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER III. THE DEEDS AND DEATH OF BALIN\n\nWHILE the king was yet holding high festival in Camelot, before he was\nmarried to Guenever, there happened another adventure. As Arthur was\nsitting one day in the great hall of the palace, holding council with\nhis barons, there came a damsel bearing to him a message from the great\nLady Lyle of Avallon. She wore a mantle richly furred; and when she\nlet it drop from her shoulders, it was seen that at her side she wore a\nnoble sword. At this the king marvelled, and said,--\n\n\u201cDamsel, for what cause art thou girt with that sword? Such gear befits\nnot a lady.\u201d\n\n\u201cSir,\u201d answered the damsel, \u201cthis sword I carry not with any good\nwill of mine own. It is to me a cause of great sorrow; but I cannot be\ndelivered of it save by a good knight, who must be not only strong of\nhis hands, but clean of any shame with man or woman. If I can find such\na knight, then may he draw the sword from the scabbard, and so shall I\nbe rid of the enchantment that belongs to it. But never yet have I found\nany knight that could draw the sword. One time I was at the court of\nKing Rience, because I had heard that there were many noble knights;\nbut though he and all his court essayed it, there was not one that could\nprevail.\u201d\n\nWhen King Arthur heard this he marvelled still more.\n\n\u201cDamsel,\u201d he said, \u201cI will myself essay to draw out the sword, not\npresuming upon myself that I am the best knight, but to give example to\nmy barons, that they also may essay it.\u201d\n\nSo the king took the sword by the hilt, and pulled eagerly at it, but it\ncame not forth.\n\n\u201cSir,\u201d said the damsel, \u201cyou need not pull at it half so hard, for he\nthat shall draw it forth will be able to do so with little might.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen,\u201d answered Arthur smiling--though in truth he did not well like\nhis misadventure--\u201cthis achievement is not for me. So now, my barons,\nlet all of you essay it; but beware that ye are not defiled with shame,\ntreachery, or guile.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat will not be enough,\u201d said the damsel; \u201cfor he that draweth the\nsword must be mighty of his hands as well as a clean knight, and of\nnoble descent, both on the father\u2019s and mother\u2019s side.\u201d\n\nThen all the knights and barons that were at that time about King Arthur\nessayed the sword; but when all of them had striven, it still remained\nfast in the scabbard. Then the damsel made great moan, saying that\nshe had thought in this court to find a good knight that was without\ndefilement.\n\n\u201cWell,\u201d said the king, \u201cby my faith I have here as good knights as any\nthat are in the world at this time, but it seems there is not any of\nthem that has grace to help you.\u201d\n\nNow it happened that there was in the hall at that time a poor knight\nof Northumberland, named Balin le Savage, who did not belong to Arthur\u2019s\ncourt, but had been kept prisoner by the king for some time for having\nslain a knight of his kin. But though he had no estate, yet was he of\ngood blood and of great prowess; and some of the barons had obtained his\npardon, because it was in fair fight that he had killed the knight for\nwhose death he was imprisoned. And he stood and watched the king and all\nhis barons essay the sword; and when none of them could achieve it,\nhe greatly desired to attempt it in his turn, but was ashamed to stand\nforward because, having but just come out of prison, he was in mean\nattire. But at last, when the damsel had made her obeisance to King\nArthur and the lords, and was about to leave the hall, Balin took heart,\nand said to her,--\n\n\u201cDamsel, I pray you of your courtesy to suffer me to essay that sword;\nfor though I be poorly clothed, yet am I a knight, and it may happen\nthat the adventure shall fall to me.\u201d\n\nThen the damsel looked at him, and saw that he was a likely man of his\nbody; but because of his mean array she could not believe him to be a\nman of high lineage without shame. So she said,--\n\n\u201cSir, there is no need to put me to further trouble in this matter, for\nthere is scant likelihood that you will speed well where so many great\nlords and brave knights have failed.\u201d\n\nBut Balin answered her that worthiness and manhood were not in raiment,\nbut in him that wore it; and again he besought her to essay the sword.\nSo without more words she assented, and, lo! when he took the hilt in\nhis hand he drew forth the sword easily. The king and all his barons\nmarvelled much that Balin should have been able to do that which they\ncould not, and some of the knights were passing wroth.\n\n\u201cTruly,\u201d said the damsel, \u201cthou art the best knight that ever I found,\nand the most of worship, without any shame or treachery, and many\nmarvellous deeds wilt thou accomplish gentle and courteous knight,\u201d she\nsaid, \u201cgive me the sword again.\u201d\n\nBut Balin found the sword exceedingly fair to look upon, and he would\nnot give it up. The damsel entreated him, and warned him that it would\nbring about his destruction; but of that he took no heed, so she left\nthe court, sorrowing much that he would not give her the sword again.\nThen Balin got his armour and his horse, and made ready to ride forth.\nThe king begged him to stay in his court, promising to make amends for\nall the harm he had done him, and to give him advancement. Balin thanked\nhim for his graciousness, but said that at that time he must depart.\n\nBut while Balin was making ready, there came into the hall that lady of\nthe lake who had given to King Arthur his sword Excalibur. She entered\non horseback, richly clad, and saluted the king, and said she had come\nto claim the boon he had promised her.\n\n\u201cAsk what you will,\u201d answered the king, \u201cand you shall have it, if it be\nin my power to give it.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell,\u201d said the lady, \u201cI ask the head of that knight who hath won the\nsword, or else the head of the damsel that brought it; and though I have\nboth their heads I shall sorrow, for he slew my brother, who was a good\nknight and true, and that damsel was the cause of my father\u2019s death.\u201d\n\n\u201cTruly,\u201d replied King Arthur, \u201cI cannot grant you the head of either of\nthem with honour; therefore ask what else you will, and I shall fulfil\nyour desire.\u201d\n\nBut the lady would not ask nor have anything else. And now it chanced\nthat Balin saw her, and she was his worst enemy, for she had brought\nabout the death of his mother. When it was told him that she had asked\nhis head of the king, he was exceedingly wrathful. He went straight up\nto her, and said,--\n\n\u201cEvil be thou found! Thou wouldst have my head, and therefore shalt thou\nlose thine own.\u201d And suddenly he raised the sword and struck off her\nhead in presence of the king and all the court.\n\nThen the king was full of anger against Balin, and reproached him\nsharply. Balin excused himself as well as he could, saying that the lady\nhad, by witchcraft, been the destroyer of many good knights, and that\nshe had been the means of the death of his mother. But Arthur answered\nhim full sternly, \u201cWhatsoever cause of complaint you had against her,\nyou should have forborne her in my presence. Such a despite was never\nbefore done me in my court, and therefore you will do well to begone\nwith what speed you may.\u201d\n\nSo the dead lady was buried with great pomp, and Balin set forth\nsorrowfully because of the king\u2019s anger. Now there was at the court\na knight named Sir Lanceor, the son of a king in Ireland. He was very\nproud, and counted himself one of the best knights, and he had a spite\nat Balin because of the achievement of the sword Therefore he asked\nleave of the king to ride after Balin and avenge the despite that that\nknight had done. The king granted his request, and bade him do his best,\nfor he wished that Balin might be punished for the deed he had wrought.\n\nSir Lanceor armed himself, and took spear and shield, and rode hotly\nafter Balin. After a while he came in sight of him, and called upon him\nto stop. When Balin heard him he turned his horse, and asked him if he\ndesired to joust.\n\n\u201cYes,\u201d answered the knight. \u201cFor that cause am I come.\u201d\n\n\u201cPeradventure,\u201d said Balin, \u201cyou had done better to stay at home, for\nmany a man who seeks to put his enemy to rebuke is himself put to shame.\nBut whence come you?\u201d\n\n\u201cI come from the court of King Arthur,\u201d said the knight of Ireland, \u201cto\navenge the insult you have given there this day.\u201d\n\n\u201cI should be loath to have ado with you,\u201d answered Balin, \u201cfor I would\nnot give more offence to the king than there is already. Moreover, there\nis not need for you to take up the quarrel of that lady that I slew, for\nshe was an enemy to all good knights.\u201d\n\n\u201cMake you ready,\u201d said Sir Lanceor, \u201cand meet me, for one of us shall\nabide in the field.\u201d\n\n[Illustration: 070]\n\nIt befell as he had said; for when the two knights encountered, Sir\nLanceor broke his spear on Balin\u2019s shield. But Balin gave so fierce a\nthrust that he ran his spear through the other\u2019s armour and the\nmiddle of his body, and he fell back dead from his horse. Immediately\nthereafter Sir Lanceor\u2019s damsel came up, and when she saw him dead she\ngrieved out of measure, and before Balin could prevent it she had killed\nherself with her lover\u2019s sword; at which piteous sight Balin was right\nsorrowful. While he stood there, there came up to him another knight,\nand when he approached, Balin knew from the arms he bore that it was\nhis brother Balan, who was well-nigh of as much prowess as himself. They\nwere heartily rejoiced to meet; and while they were telling each\nother their adventures, there passed by a knight called King Marke of\nCornwall. When he saw Lanceor and his damsel lying dead, he made inquiry\nas to the cause, and Balin told him. King Marke was filled with pity\nthat such true lovers should have ended thus sadly, and he pitched his\ntent at that place, and caused his squires to put the dead knight and\nlady in a rich tomb, on the which he had this inscription written: \u201cHere\nlieth Lanceor, a king\u2019s son of Ireland, that at his own request was\nslain by the hands of Balin; and his lady Colombe, who slew herself with\nher lover\u2019s sword out of dole and sorrow.\u201d While King Marke was erecting\nthe tomb, Merlin came, and foretold that at that place there should\nhereafter be a great battle betwixt the two best knights of the world.\nAlso he warned Balin that, because of the death of the lady Colombe, he\nshould strike the most dolorous stroke that ever man struck since the\ndeath of our Lord, for it would cause three kingdoms to be in great\npoverty, misery, and wretchedness for twelve years. Therewith Merlin\nsuddenly vanished; and so Balin and Balan rode on their way, and had\nmany adventures together. But after a while they separated, and each\nsought adventures for himself.\n\nWithin a day or two Balin came where King Arthur, feeling weary of his\nlife in court, had set up a pavilion in a meadow, and was lying therein\non a pallet. Just before Balin came, a knight had passed making great\nsorrow; and when the king had asked him the cause, he had refused to\ntell it. So after Balin had courteously saluted the king, Arthur asked\nhim to go after that knight, and make him return either of his own\ngood will or by force. This Balin readily undertook, and rode after the\nknight, whom he found with a damsel in a forest. When Balin bade him\nreturn, at first he would not; but when Balin made ready to fight, he\nconsented, and rode back, leaving the damsel behind him. But just as\nthey reached the king\u2019s pavilion, suddenly there came one invisible and\nsmote the stranger-knight through the body with a spear.\n\n\u201cAlas!\u201d said the knight, \u201cnow am I done to death while under your\nconduct and guard. He that has slain me is a traitorous knight named\nGarlon, that goes always invisible. I pray you ride with the damsel, and\nfollow the quest that I was in, where she will lead you, and avenge my\ndeath when you may.\u201d\n\nThis Balin swore to do, and then departed; and King Arthur caused the\nmurdered knight, whose name was Sir Herleus le Berbeus, to be honourably\nburied.\n\nBalin rode on with the damsel, and as they journeyed through the forest,\na worthy knight named Sir Perin de Mountbeliard, who had been hunting,\nmet and saluted them, and asked Balin why he seemed so sorrowful. When\nhe had heard the story, he proffered to go with them; but as they were\nall three of them riding past a hermitage, the false knight Garlon\nagain came invisible and struck down Sir Perin, even as he had slain Sir\nBerleus. Then the hermit and Balin buried him, and placed a tomb over\nhim; and after that Balin and the damsel continued their journey. At\nnightfall they came to a castle, and as the gates were open, they went\nup with intent to enter and spend the night there. Balin went first, and\nas soon as he had ridden within the gate, the portcullis was suddenly\ndropped behind him, and at the same time many men rushed out of an\nambush and seized the damsel. When Balin saw that he could not ride back\nto her help he dismounted, got upon the wall, and leaped down into the\nditch. Then he drew his sword and rushed upon the men that were about\nthe damsel. But they were no more than squires and churls, and they\nwould not fight him, but said that they were only observing the custom\nof the castle. Their lady was sick of a disease which had held her many\nyears, and she might not be made whole save by a silver dish full of\nblood taken from a clean maid and king\u2019s daughter; and thus no maid was\nallowed to pass the castle without being bled.\n\n\u201cWell,\u201d said Balin, \u201cshe may give you as much of her blood as she will,\nbut she shall not give more while I have life to defend her.\u201d\n\nBut the damsel of her own free will gave them a silver dish full of\nher blood, and though it did not help the lady, she and Balin were\nentertained in the castle all night, and had right good cheer. The next\nday they continued their journey, and at night rested with a knight that\nhad a great castle and kept a rich table. While they sat at supper Balin\nheard some one crying as if in pain, and he asked what was the matter.\n\n\u201cI will tell you,\u201d said his host. \u201cI was lately at a tournament, and\njousted twice with a knight who is brother to King Pellam, and twice I\nsmote him down. Then he promised to have vengeance on my best friend,\nand he has sore wounded my son, who cannot be healed till I have some\nof that knight\u2019s blood. He often rides invisible, but I do not know his\nname.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut I know it,\u201d answered Balin. \u201cHis name is Garlon, and by his\ntreachery he has slain two knights that were with me. I had rather meet\nwith him than have all the gold in this realm.\u201d The other then told\nhim that King Pellam had appointed to hold a great feast at his city\nof Listenise, and that if they went thither they should see his brother\nGarlon. At hearing this Balin was blithe, and the next day they set out.\nAfter a long journey they reached Listenise, and were well received at\nthe king\u2019s castle. Balin was led to a chamber where they unarmed him,\ngave him rich robes, and would have taken his sword from him, but he\nwould not consent, for he said it was the custom in his country for a\nknight always to keep his sword at his side. So he was allowed to keep\nhis sword; and then he went down into the great hall with his damsel,\nand was set at the high table. Soon Balin asked a knight if there was\nnot a lord in that court named Garlon. The other said yes, and pointed\nout Garlon where he sat. Balin gazed earnestly at him, pondering what he\nshould do; for to set on him before all those knights would, he thought,\nbe perilous. But Garlon, when he saw how Balin looked at him, went up to\nhim and smote him on the face with the back of his hand, saying,--\n\n\u201cKnight, why dost thou behold me in such fashion? For shame eat thy\nmeat, and do that for which thou earnest hither.\u201d\n\n\u201cThou sayest well,\u201d answered Balin. \u201cThis is not the first despite thou\nhast done me, and therefore I will do that for which I came.\u201d\n\nThen he rose up and smote Garlon with his sword so fiercely as to cleave\nhis head to the shoulders. Then he called the knight who had brought him\nto Listenise, and said he might now get blood enough to heal his son.\n\nBut all the knights rose up from the table to smite Balin, and King\nPellam cried, \u201cKnight, why hast thou slain my brother? For this deed\nshalt thou die.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell,\u201d said Balin, \u201cdo thou thyself slay me.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes,\u201d the king cried fiercely, \u201cnone other but myself shall have to do\nwith thee, for my brother\u2019s sake.\u201d\n\nSo all the other knights stood back, and King Pellam came right fiercely\nat Balin with an iron mace. Balin warded the blow with his sword, but\nthe heavy mace shivered the sword to pieces in his hand. Then he turned\nabout, and ran about the chamber seeking a weapon, but could find none.\nSo he fled into another chamber, still looking for a weapon, and King\nPellam followed after; and at last Balin came to a great chamber that\nwas splendidly garnished, and in it stood a bed arrayed with cloth of\ngold of the richest sort. By the bed was a table of pure gold standing\non four silver pillars, and on the table stood a marvellous spear,\nstrangely wrought. Balin seized it without regarding aught but the peril\nhe was in. Then he turned on King Pellam, who was following hard after\nhim, and smote him with the spear. Immediately the king sank down in a\nswoon as though he had been dead, and the castle walls were riven\nand fell in ruins. Few of all the great company that were within them\nescaped; for the spear with which Balin had wounded King Pellam was the\nsame with which our Lord was wounded on the cross, and now Balin had\nstruck the dolorous stroke of which Merlin had forewarned him. For three\ndays Balin lay insensible within the ruins; and then Merlin came to him\nand restored him, and got him a good horse, and bade him ride out of\nthat country. Balin would have taken his damsel with him, but she had\nperished in the falling of the castle. For twelve years King Pellam\nsuffered grievously from the wound Balin had given him, and could never\nbe healed till the good prince Galahad healed him in the quest of the\nHoly Grail; and through this same stroke all King Pellams countries were\nsuddenly reduced to great misery.\n\nAs for Balin, he rode on his way with a heavy heart, and had some other\nadventures, the which need not be recounted here; for as it had been\naforetime, ever since he took the sword from the damsel in King Arthur\u2019s\ncourt, he brought nothing but woe to all that had to do with him, albeit\nhe was ever pure in his life and did all knightly. At last he came to\na castle where there were many knights and ladies, and they greeted him\nright nobly. But after he had been thus entertained, the chief lady of\nthe castle told him that he must joust with a knight who kept an island\nclose by, for it was a custom of the castle that no man might pass\nexcept he jousted.\n\n\u201cIt is an unhappy custom,\u201d said Balin, \u201cthat I must joust whether I be\nwilling or not. However, since so it is, I am ready. Though my horse be\nweary with travel, my heart is not weary; but I should grieve little if\nI were going to my death,\u201d For he saw that the curse of the sword he had\ntaken abode ever with him.\n\n\u201cSir,\u201d said one of the knights of the castle, \u201cmethinks your shield is\nnot good. I will lend you a better.\u201d And he gave Balin a shield with a\nstrange device, and Balin left behind him his own shield, which bore\nhis arms. Then he rode to meet the knight with whom he was to joust, who\ncame forth armed all in red. This was none other than his brother Balan,\nbut he knew not Balin because of the strange device on his shield. So\nthe two knights ran together with such might that both were overthrown.\nAfter that they drew their swords and fought for a long time with such\nmight and hardihood as had never before been seen, and each gave the\nother mortal wounds. At last Balan withdrew a little and lay down on the\nground, that was all wet with the blood of both.\n\n\u201cWhat knight art thou?\u201d said Balin. \u201cNever before now found I any knight\nthat matched me as thou hast done.\u201d\n\nThe other answered him, \u201cI am Balan, brother to the good knight Balin le\nSavage.\u201d\n\n\u201cAlas!\u201d said Balin, \u201cthat ever I should see this day.\u201d And he fell back\nin a swoon.\n\nThen Balan crept to him and unloosed his helmet, and found that it was\nhis brother. When Balin came to himself again, both lamented sorely, and\nBalin told how a knight of the castle had changed shields with him, so\nthat Balan should not know him. Within a little while both of them died,\nand the chief lady of the castle caused both to be buried in one tomb.\nOn the morrow Merlin came, and wrote on the tomb an inscription in\nletters of gold, telling how Balin le Savage, that had achieved the\nsword and struck the dolorous stroke, lay there with his brother, the\ntwo having met in mortal combat without knowing each other. Merlin also\nwrought many marvellous enchantments at the tomb, and predicted that\nBalin\u2019s sword should come into the hands of the best knight of the\nworld.\n\nThus piteously died Balin le Savage, who was as good a knight as any\nthat lived in his days, and a man of great nobleness, but who ever\nbrought sorrow to others and to himself after he had kept the sword\nwhich he achieved before King Arthur.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IV. THE ADVENTURE OF THE THE HART, THE HOUND, AND THE LADY\n\nTHE lady Guenever having come to Camelot, the king was wedded to her\nwith great solemnity at the Church of St. Stephen there. He had caused\nit to be proclaimed through all the land that on the day of his marriage\nhe would give to any man any gift that he might ask that was within his\nmeans and not unreasonable. When the high feast was spread before the\nking and queen, and all the Knights of the Round Table were in their\nplaces, there entered the hall a poor man in mean attire, and with him\na young man, whose clothing also was mean, but he was tall and straight,\nwith a comely and noble countenance. The old man went up to the king,\nand craved a boon at his hands; and King Arthur said he would grant him\nanything that did not impair his realm or his honour.\n\n\u201cSir,\u201d said the old man, \u201cI ask nothing but that you should make my son\nhere a knight.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat is a great thing which thou askest of me,\u201d said the king. \u201cWhat is\nthy name?\u201d\n\n\u201cMy name is Aries the cowherd,\u201d answered the man. And when the king\nquestioned him further, he said that his son\u2019s name was Tor, and that\nthe lad would never labour in the field as his younger brethren would,\nbut was always throwing darts, or watching jousts, and that it was\nbecause Tor had entreated him that he had now come to ask this boon\nof the king. So, after some further question, King Arthur made Tor a\nknight, and then asked Merlin if he would prove a good knight.\n\n\u201cHe ought to be,\u201d answered Merlin, \u201cfor he is come of as good a knight\nas any that now lives. He is the son of King Pellinore.\u201d\n\nAt first the cowherd would not believe this; but when inquiry was made,\nit was found that Merlin had spoken the truth. Even then King Pellinore\ncame into the hall, and when he learned that the new knight was his own\nson, he was passing glad. Then Merlin led King Pellinore to one of the\nhighest seats at the Round Table, and said that he was more worthy\nto sit therein than any other that was there. At this Gawaine and his\nbrothers were exceedingly angry, for they hated Pellinore, because he\nhad slain their father, King Lot, and they plotted together how they\nmight take vengeance upon him, but agreed that they could not accomplish\nit at that time. Then, in fulfilment of the promise he had given, King\nArthur made his nephew Gawaine a knight.\n\nAfterwards the king and queen and all the knights went to dinner; and as\nthey sat, a white hart came running into the hall, and close after him\na white hound, and behind, thirty couples of black hounds that made a\ngreat cry. The hart ran round the tables, and as he came near the door\nagain the white hound leaped up at him and bit him sorely. Then the hart\ngave a great bound, and overthrew a knight that sat near the door, and\nso escaped out of the hall. Immediately the knight arose, took the white\nhound in his arms, mounted his horse, and rode away with it. Then a lady\nmounted on a white palfrey came into the hall, and cried aloud to the\nking--\n\n\u201cSir, suffer me not to have this despite, for the white hound that was\ntaken by that knight is mine.\u201d\n\n\u201cI will not meddle in the matter,\u201d said King Arthur. Then suddenly a\nknight well armed rode into the hall, and seized the lady, and carried\nher away, albeit she made a great outcry. When she was gone, Merlin\nsaid that unless these adventures were taken up, it would be a great\ndishonour; and at his advice Sir Gawaine was appointed to follow the\nhart, and bring it to the court; Sir Tor, the knight with the hound; and\nKing Pellinore, the knight with the lady. Each of the three knights,\nat the king\u2019s command, undertook the quest that was given him; and they\narmed themselves, and set forth without delay.\n\nSir Gawaine followed at a hard pace after the hart, and his brother\nGaheris, who was not yet made knight, went with him as his squire.\nWhen they had gone some little way, they came to where two knights were\nfighting very stoutly on horseback. Sir Gawaine rode between them, and\nasked what their quarrel was.\n\n\u201cIt is in truth a simple matter,\u201d answered one of the knights, \u201cthe more\nas we are brothers bom; but it happened that as we were riding forth\nthis morning we saw a white hart pass, with a white hound in full\ncry after him. Both of us desired to go after them, to take up the\nadventure. I claimed it because I am the elder; but my brother said it\nshould belong to him, because he was the better knight; and thereupon we\nfought, to determine whether he or I was the better.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat is not a quarrel on which two brothers ought to fight,\u201d said\nGawaine. \u201cBut you must understand that the quest of the hart has been\ngiven to me by King Arthur; and if you will not yield to me, and do\naccording to my ordinance, you shall have to do with me.\u201d\n\nThen the brothers yielded to him, for they were wearied with fighting,\nand had lost much blood. And Gawaine bade them go and yield themselves\nto King Arthur, and tell him that they had been sent by the knight who\nfollowed the quest of the white hart. Their names were Sir Surluse and\nSir Brian of the Forest.\n\nSir Gawaine and Gaheris went on their way, and presently they came\nwithin sight of the white hart, that ran but slowly, because the hound\nhad wounded him; and the black hounds were still following him in full\ncry. In front there was a great river, and the hart sprang into it, and\nswam across. Gawaine was preparing to follow; but on the other side of\nthe river there stood an armed knight, who called out to Sir Gawaine\nthat if he came over the river after the hart, he must needs joust with\nhim.\n\n\u201cAs for that,\u201d answered Gawaine, \u201cI will not fail to undertake whatever\nmay befall in the quest I am in.\u201d\n\nSo he and Gaheris swam their horses over the river, and on the farther\nside the knight and Gawaine met in full course, and Gawaine smote the\nother off his horse. Then he bade him yield; but the knight drew his\nsword, and dared him to fight on foot. Gawaine got off his horse, and\nboth fought together furiously; but Gawaine struck the stranger so hard\non the helm that the sword edge pierced even to his brain, and he fell\ndown dead.\n\n\u201cAh!\u201d said Gaheris, \u201cthat was a mighty stroke for a young knight.\u201d\n\nSo Gawaine and his brother left the knight, whose name was Allardin of\nthe Isles, lying there dead on the sward, and followed after the white\nhart; and presently they saw it take refuge in the court of a castle, of\nwhich the gate stood wide open. They rode in after the hart, and Gaheris\nlet slip at it three couples of greyhounds that they had brought with\nthem, and these dogs pulled down the hart, and slew it. Straightway\nthere came a knight out of a chamber, with a sword in his hand, and he\nkilled two of the hounds in sight of Sir Gawaine, and chased the others\nout of the castle. Then he took up the hart, and lamented over it, for\nhis lady had given it to him, and he swore that he would avenge its\ndeath. So he went in and armed himself, and came forth fiercely to\nGawaine.\n\n\u201cWhy have you slain my hounds?\u201d said Gawaine. \u201cThey only did after their\nkind. I had rather you had wreaked your wrath on me than on the dumb\nbeasts.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell,\u201d answered the knight, \u201cI have avenged me on your hounds, and so I\nwill on you ere long.\u201d\n\nDown sprang Sir Gawaine from his horse, nothing loath, and they fought\ntogether with their swords a great while, and both had many wounds.\nBut at last Gawaine struck down the other knight, whose name was Sir\nAblemore of the Morass, and then he yielded, and cried for mercy, and\nbegged Sir Gawaine, as he was a knight and a gentleman, to save his\nlife. But Gawaine answered him, \u201cThou shalt die for slaying my hounds.\u201d\n\nThe knight again entreated him, offering to make ample amends. Sir\nGawaine would not listen, and unlaced Ablemore\u2019s helmet, with intent\nto strike off his head. Suddenly Sir Ablemore\u2019s lady came out of her\nchamber, and threw herself over her lord to shield him, and Gawaine,\nwho had not seen her, struck off her head by misadventure instead of the\nknight\u2019s.\n\n\u201cAlas!\u201d said Gaheris, \u201cthat was foully and shamefully done. The shame\nof that blow will not soon quit you. Moreover, you should give mercy to\nthose who ask it; for a knight without mercy is without worship.\u201d\n\nSir Gawaine was so bewildered at his unhappy deed that he could not for\nthe moment either speak or move; but then he said to Ablemore, \u201cArise; I\nwill give thee mercy.\u201d\n\n\u201cI care not for mercy now,\u201d answered the conquered knight, \u201cfor thou\nhast slain her whom I loved more than all else on earth.\u201d\n\n\u201cI repent it,\u201d said Gawaine; \u201cbut I struck not at her but at thee.\u201d\n\nThen he charged the knight to go to King Arthur, and confess how it was\nthat he was sent. Sir Ablemore said that he cared not whether he lived\nor died; nevertheless, for dread of death he swore to do according to\nSir Gawaines will, and to bear one of the dead greyhounds before him on\nhis horse, and the other behind him.\n\nGawaine and Gaheris went into the castle and prepared to rest there, but\nall at once four well-armed knights came in and assailed them fiercely,\ngiving Gawaine many bitter reproaches for having slain the lady. Gawaine\nand Gaheris withstood them as well as they could; but the knights were\ndangerous fighters on foot, and one of them with a bow gave Gawaine a\nwound through the arm, so that at last the two were in great peril of\ntheir lives. Then four ladies came, and begged the four knights to spare\nGawaine and Gaheris; and to this the knights assented, only the brothers\nwere obliged to yield themselves prisoners. Afterwards, when the knights\nknew that Gawaine was nephew to King Arthur, they permitted him to go\nfree, out of love for the king, and gave him the head of the white hart,\nbecause that was in his quest. But they made him swear also to bear the\ndead lady with him, her head hanging at his neck, and her body before\nhim on his horse. In this guise Gawaine returned to Camelot, and Gaheris\nwith him. When he arrived he was sworn to tell all his adventures\ntruthfully, and this he did. King Arthur and Queen Guenever were greatly\ndispleased that he had refused mercy to the knight Sir Ablemore, and\nthrough that had killed the lady; and the queen gave sentence that ever\nwhile he lived Gawaine should be an especial champion of ladies, and\nundertake their quarrels, and also that he should never refuse mercy to\nhim that asked it. This Gawaine swore to perform, on the books of the\nFour Evangelists.\n\nThe second of the three knights to whom a quest had been assigned was\nSir Tor, who was appointed to follow the knight with the hound After he\nhad ridden fast till he was a long way from Camelot, he came to a place\nwhere there were two pavilions set up by the road-side, and two great\nspears leaning against the pavilions. Sir Tor was riding on, intent only\nto follow his quest, when suddenly a dwarf started up from underneath a\ntree, and smote his horse on the head with a staff, so that it reared up\nand went backward a full spear\u2019s length.\n\n\u201cWhy dost thou smite my horse?\u201d asked Tor.\n\n\u201cBecause thou must not pass this way before jousting with the two\nknights that are in these pavilions.\u201d\n\n\u201cI have no time for jousting,\u201d said Sir Tor. \u201cI am in a quest which I\nmust follow.\u201d\n\n\u201cThou shalt not pass otherwise,\u201d answered the dwarf, and then he blew\nloudly on a horn. Forthwith an armed knight came, and got on his horse\nthat was standing near, took a spear, and rode at Sir Tor, who met\nhim with such force that he smote him from his horse. Then the knight\nyielded, but said,--\n\n\u201cSir, I have a companion in yon pavilion who will assuredly have to do\nwith you.\u201d\n\n\u201cHe shall be welcome,\u201d answered Tor. And when this knight came, he\noverthrew him also, as he had done the other. And he made both of them\nswear to go to King Arthur at Camelot, and say they were sent by\nthe knight that went after the hound. Their names were Sir Felot of\nLanguedoc and Sir Petipace of Winchelsea. But the dwarf said he would\nserve no more recreant knights, and begged Sir Tor to let him go with\nhim.\n\n\u201cI know,\u201d he said, \u201cthat you are seeking the knight that took the white\nhound, and I can bring you where he is.\u201d\n\nSir Tor was glad to hear this, and bade the dwarf take a horse and\nfollow him. The dwarf led him to an open glade in the forest, close by\na priory; and in the glade were standing two pavilions, at one of which\nhung a white and at the other a red shield. In one of the pavilions\nthree damsels were lying asleep; in the other was a fair lady, also\nsleeping, with the white hound at her feet. When the hound saw Sir Tor\nit bayed so lustily that the lady awoke; but the knight took it in his\narms, and gave it in charge of the dwarf.\n\n\u201cSir Knight,\u201d said the lady, \u201cyou will not take my hound from me?\u2019\n\n\u201cThat must I do,\u201d answered Tor. \u201cFor no other cause am I come from King\nArthur\u2019s court to this place.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell,\u201d said she, \u201ctake her if you will; but you will not go far ere you\nare overtaken by one that will give you evil handling.\u201d\n\n\u201cI shall abide whatever adventure cometh,\u201d replied Sir Tor; and he rode\naway.\n\nIt was now even-song, and he and the dwarf abode for the night in a\nhermitage, where they had but rough lodging. On the morrow they rode\ntoward Camelot, but soon they heard one calling loudly on them:--\n\n\u201cKnight, yield me the hound which you took from my lady.\u201d Sir Tor turned\nhis horse, and saw a seemly knight riding to him, well armed, with his\nspear in rest. The two came together so fiercely that they went to the\nground, man and horse. Then they drew their swords, and rushed on each\nother like lions; and they smote many heavy strokes, till the armour of\nboth was cut in many places, and both were wounded. But at the last the\nstrange knight began to weary, and so Tor pressed him still harder, and\nat last smote him to the earth.\n\n\u201cYield thee to my mercy, Sir Knight,\u201d quoth Tor.\n\n\u201cThat will I never do while life lasteth and the soul is in my body,\u201d\n said the other, \u201cunless thou give me up my lady\u2019s hound.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat I will not grant thee,\u201d answered Sir Tor; \u201cfor I am sworn to bring\nto King Arthur the hound and thee, or else slay thee.\u201d\n\nEven as he spoke there came a damsel riding hard on a palfrey, and she\ncried with a loud voice on Sir Tor to grant her a boon. He answered that\nhe would.\n\n\u201cThen,\u201d said the damsel, \u201cI ask the head of this false knight Abellius,\nfor he is the worst knight that liveth, and the greatest murderer.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat is a gift that I should be loath to grant,\u201d replied Tor. \u201cIf this\nknight has committed any trespass against you, let him make amends.\u201d\n\n\u201cAlas!\u201d she said, \u201che cannot make amends, even if he would. Lately he\nfought with my brother, who was a good knight and a gentle, and got the\nbetter of him; and though I kneeled half an hour in the mire, entreating\nhim to spare my brother\u2019s life, he would have no mercy, but struck off\nhis head. Therefore, as thou art a true knight, I require thee to give\nme my gift, for he is the man of most cruelty living, and a destroyer of\ngood knights.\u201d\n\nWhen the damsel had spoken thus, Abellius was afraid, and he yielded,\nand began to beg for mercy. But Tor said that he could not now grant it,\nafter his pledge to the damsel, more especially as Abellius had refused\nmercy before when he might have had it. So he unlaced his helmet and\ntook it off; and then Abellius rose up suddenly and fled. But Sir Tor\nran after him quickly, and struck off his head from behind. After that,\nthe damsel made much of Sir Tor, and took him to her husband\u2019s castle\nhard by, where he had good entertainment till the next day. Then he\nrode to Camelot, where he was joyfully received; and when he told his\nadventures, the king and all the court gave him great praise. But said\nMerlin--\n\n\u201cThese things are nothing to what he shall do; he will prove as noble\na knight as any now living, and gentle, and courteous, and full of\ngood parts, and passing true of his promise, and he shall never do any\noutrage.\u201d\n\nWhen King Arthur heard this, he gave Sir Tor an earldom of lands that\nhad fallen to him. And so ended the quest of the hound.\n\nIn the meanwhile, King Pellinore had followed the knight that carried\naway the lady. As he was passing through a forest, he saw a damsel\nsitting by a well, and a wounded knight lying in her arms. When she saw\nPellinore, she cried to him, \u201cHelp me, Knight, for Christ\u2019s sake!\u201d But\nhe was so eager in his quest that he would not stay. And when the lady\nsaw that, she prayed that God might yet send him as much need of help\nas she had. Presently the wounded knight died, and the lady, for pure\nsorrow, slew herself with his sword.\n\nKing Pellinore rode on, and presently he came to a valley where were\ntwo pavilions. One of the knights of the pavilions was fighting with him\nthat had carried off the lady; for he said she was his kinswoman, and\nshe should not be carried off against her will The lady was standing the\nwhile in charge of two squires. Pellinore went to her and said,--\n\n\u201cFair lady, you must come with me to King Arthur\u2019s court.\u201d\n\n\u201cSir Knight,\u201d said one of the squires, \u201cthose two knights are fighting\nfor this lady. I pray you go to them and tell your errand, and you may\nhave the lady if they be agreed.\u201d\n\nKing Pellinore assented, and he went between the two knights, and asked\nthem why they fought.\n\n\u201cSir Knight,\u201d said one of them, \u201cI will tell you. Even now this knight,\nthat is called Sir Ontzlake of Westland, was passing by, carrying away\nthe lady you see yonder. She is my near kinswoman; and when I heard her\ncomplain that she was with him against her will, I fought with him to\nrelease her.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell,\u201d said the other, \u201cthe lady is mine, for I won her this day by\nforce of arms in King Arthur\u2019s court.\u201d\n\n\u201cFie, Knight!\u201d answered Pellinore, \u201cthat is untruly said. You came in\nall suddenly as we were at the feast, and took away the lady before any\nman could make him ready. But it is my quest to take her back again, and\nyou also, unless one of us abide in the field. If, therefore, you choose\nto fight for her, you must fight with me, and I will defend her.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell,\u201d said the knight, \u201cmake you ready, and I shall strive with you to\nthe uttermost.\u201d\n\nNow Sir Ontzlake was on foot; so King Pellinore was getting off his\nhorse to meet him evenly in the field, when Ontzlake came up craftily\nand ran the horse through with his sword, saying,--\n\n\u201cNow thou art on foot as well as we.\u201d\n\nKing Pellinore was exceedingly angry at this, for the horse was a good\none. He drew his sword, put his shield before him, and cried,--\n\n\u201cKnight, keep well thy head, for thou shalt have a buffet for slaying my\nhorse.\u201d\n\nThe other was ready, and they fought; but it was not for long, for\nPellinore gave Sir Ontzlake so stern a stroke on the helmet that he\nclove his head to the chin, and he fell dead to the earth. When the\nother knight saw that, he would not fight, but yielded to Pellinore\u2019s\nmercy, only asking that his kinswoman should be put to no shame. This\nPellinore promised, and the knight entertained him in his pavilion till\nthe next day, and then gave him a good horse in place of that which\nOntzlake had killed. So Pellinore and the lady rode toward Camelot. When\nthey passed by the place where the wounded knight and the lady had been,\nboth their bodies had been eaten by wild beasts, all save the lady\u2019s\nhead. At this Pellinore mourned, for he knew that he might have saved\nthem if he would. When they came to the court, they were heartily\nwelcomed, and King Pellinore told his adventures, as the other two\nknights had done. Then Pellinore was greatly blamed because he had not\nstayed to help the wounded knight and the lady, and he confessed that\nhe repented sorely that he had been too eager in his quest to do so.\nThereupon Merlin told him that he had good reason to repent, for\nthe lady that had called to him was his own daughter; and he warned\nPellinore that even as he had failed that knight and lady, his own\nnearest friend should fail him in the hour of his greatest need.\n\nAnd thus ended the three quests of the hart, and the hound, and the\nlady, which were the first adventures that befell in King Arthur\u2019s court\nafter he was married to the Lady Guenever.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER V. THE EVIL DEVICES OF MORGAN LE FAY.\n\nKING ARTHUR was now firmly established in his kingdom. He ruled wisely\nand lived nobly, so that there was a great concourse about him of men of\ngood condition, and in the island of Britain at that time were gathered\nthe strongest and bravest knights of Christendom. To such of the Knights\nof the Round Table and others of his court as were of poor estate the\nking gave lands, that they might the better perform all that to which\nthey were pledged by the oaths they took when they were made knights.\nCastles and fair towns arose in the land ; and knights were ever riding\nabout, seeking adventures, of which there was no lack, for evil men who\nhad gotten rich and strong in the stormy times of Vortigern and Uther\nPendragon were still many, and ever they held themselves against King\nArthur and his rule. There were also enchanters, and some of them used\ntheir supernatural powers for evil, who were fearful of his power and\njealous of his greatness, entered into an alliance against him, and they\nled a great host into his lands, and burned, and slew, and plundered on\nevery side. When King Arthur heard this news he was wrathful. He\nappointed King Pellinore to bring the main body of his army as soon as\nmight be; and he himself, with Queen Guenever and such knights and\nmen-at-arms as were at that time in the court, set out to meet the five\nkings, who were lying with their host in a wide forest near the river\nHumber. But it chanced that as King Arthur, with the queen, Sir Kay, Sir\nGawaine, and Sir Griflet, was riding out by the river side, they met the\nfive kings, that were also riding out without any following; and those\nfour fell upon the five kings with such might that they killed them all.\nWhen the followers of the kings found them dead, they lost heart and\ncourage, and would have fled; but Arthur and his little army came upon\nthem, and slew so many that scarcely any escaped back to their own\nlands. So the war was ended before King Pellinore and the main host\ncould come near the place. To show his thankfulness to God for this\ngreat victory, Arthur founded a rich abbey on the spot where the battle\nhad been. Then he returned with his knights to Camelot, and again abode\nthere in peace.\n\nFor some years the realm was at peace; but then it befell that Merlin\ncame under the spell of Viviane, as it has been told in the first\nchapter of this book. When it was noised abroad that King Arthur had\nlost his best counsellor, five kings of the north and in the island of\nBritain at that time were gathered the strongest and bravest knights of\nChristendom. To such of the Knights of the Round Table and others of his\ncourt as were of poor estate the king gave lands, that they might the\nbetter perform all that to which they were pledged by the oaths they\ntook when they were made knights. Castles and fair towns arose in the\nland; and knights were ever riding about, seeking adventures, of which\nthere was no lack, for evil men who had gotten rich and strong in the\nstormy times of Vortigern and Uther Pen-dragon were still many, and ever\nthey held themselves against King Arthur and his rule. There were also\nenchanters, and some of them used their supernatural powers for evil.\n\nOf the king\u2019s sisters by the mother\u2019s side, the daughters of Queen\nIgraine, Arthur chiefly loved Morgan le Fay, who was the wife of\nUrience, King of Gore. She had learned necromancy from Merlin, and was\nscarcely less skilled in magic arts than he. But she hated King Arthur,\nand was ever watching to find an opportunity to destroy him. While\nMerlin was with him, she could do him no ill; but afterwards, because\nArthur loved her and trusted her, he placed his sword Excalibur and the\nscabbard in her keeping, and then Morgan thought the time had come when\nshe might accomplish his ruin. She loved not her husband, King Urience,\nwho was a good knight and loyal to King Arthur, but she chiefly esteemed\na knight named Sir Accolon of Gaul.\n\nIt befell that King Arthur, with many of his knights, one day rode out\nfrom Camelot to hunt in the forest. They followed a great hart; and King\nArthur, King Urience, and Sir Accolon, being the best mounted, rode away\nfrom the others, and chased the hart so mightily that their horses fell\ndead under them. Then they did not know what to do, for they were a\ngreat way from Camelot, in the midst of the thick wood.\n\n\u201cLet us go on foot,\u201d said King Urience, \u201ctill we come to some lodging.\u201d\n\nBefore them lay a great water, and suddenly they saw upon it a little\nship, all gilt, with sails of silk, and it was coming straight toward\nthem, and ran on to the sands. King Arthur went near it, and looked in;\nbut there was no living thing on board.\n\n\u201cSirs,\u201d said Arthur, \u201clet us go into this ship, and see what there is in\nit.\u201d\n\nSo they went on board, and found it full richly garnished, with a fair\ncabin all hung with doth of silk; and while they were gazing upon it,\nthe ship suddenly left the land again, and went into the middle of the\nwater. By this time it was dusk, and all at once there were a hundred\ntorches about the sides of the ship that gave forth a great light. Then\nsuddenly twelve beautiful damsels appeared, and they saluted King Arthur\non their knees, calling him by his name, and bade him welcome, telling\nhim he should have the best cheer they could give. They led the king and\nhis two companions into the cabin, where was a table richly appointed\nwith all kinds of meats and wines. King Arthur and King Urience and Sir\nAccolon fared sumptuously, for they were very hungry after the chase.\nWhen the supper was over, all three were sleepy, and the damsels\nconducted each to a sleeping chamber that was nobly arrayed, where they\nlay on soft pallets, and soon were buried in deep slumber.\n\nWhen King Urience awoke, he found himself, to his great marvel, in\nthe chamber of his wife Morgan le Fay at Camelot. How this could be he\nunderstood not, for when he had fallen asleep he had been full two days\u2019\njourney from Camelot. But Arthur did not fare so well, for when he awoke\nhe discovered that he was in a dark prison, and heard all about him the\ngroans and complaints of woful knights. Then he said,--\n\n\u201cWho are ye that thus complain?\u201d\n\n\u201cWe are,\u201d answered one of them, \u201ctwenty good knights that are here\nprisoners. Some of us have lain here seven years, and even more, and\nsome for less time.\u201d\n\n\u201cFor what cause?\u201d asked King Arthur.\n\nThen the knights told him that the lord of the castle was a rich baron\nnamed Sir Damas, who was one of the falsest knights alive, full of\ntreason, and an arrant coward. He had a younger brother named Sir\nOntzlake, who was a good and honourable knight, and a man of great\nprowess. But Sir Damas, by means of his riches and the men-at-arms he\nkept, had deprived Sir Ontzlake of much of his heritage, so that there\nwas always a great warfare between them. Damas would never meet his\nbrother in the field; and Ontzlake had offered to fight him, or any\nknight he could find in his stead, to settle their dispute in that\nfashion. But Damas would not fight himself, and he was everywhere so\nhated that he could get no knight to undertake his quarrel. So he lay\never in wait with his servants, and laid hold by treachery of every\nerrant knight that came into his lands to seek adventures. Then he kept\nthem in prison, till one of them should agree to fight Sir Ontzlake on\nhis behalf; but thus far, not one had ever consented to do it.\n\nWhen King Arthur heard this he was ill at ease; but he thought that he\nwould rather undertake the battle, albeit it were in an unjust cause,\nthan lie hungering in prison. As he sat there, a damsel came to him and\nasked him, \u201cWhat cheer?\u201d\n\n\u201cI cannot tell,\u201d said King Arthur.\n\n\u201cWell,\u201d she said, \u201cif you will fight for my lord, you shall be delivered\nout of prison; but if not, you shall not escape hence all your life\nlong.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt is a hard case,\u201d answered Arthur. \u201cBut I would rather undertake the\nadventure than die in prison; so I will fight for thy lord, on condition\nthat he will release all these knights as well as myself.\u201d\n\nThis the damsel promised, and she said that he should also have horse\nand armour. When the king looked at her, it seemed to him that he had\nseen her before, and he asked her if she had not been in King Arthur\u2019s\ncourt. She answered that she had never been there; but she spoke false,\nfor she was one of the damsels that served Morgan le Fay. She knew\nArthur well enough, and had come to that place at her mistress\u2019s\nbidding, to contrive that he should undertake the battle on behalf of\nSir Damas. Now she went to Sir Damas, and told him how she had found a\nknight for him. He sent for King Arthur, and saw that he was a strong\nman, well-made, and knightly in his carriage, and so was well content\nto have him for his champion. Then Arthur swore to Sir Damas to do his\nbattle to the uttermost; and Damas straightway released all the knights\nthat had been his prisoners. They, however, waited to see the battle.\n\nNow we must tell of Sir Accolon of Gaul, the knight who had been in the\nship with King Arthur and King Urience. When he awoke from his sleep, he\nfound himself lying by the side of a beautiful fountain. Even while he\nyet wondered how he had been brought thither, there came to him a dwarf,\nwho said, \u201cSir, I am sent hither by Queen Morgan le Fay, who greets you\nwell, and bids you be strong of heart, for you are to fight to-morrow\nmorning early with a knight. Therefore, I have brought you King Arthur\u2019s\nsword Excalibur, and its scabbard; and Queen Morgan desires you, as you\nlove her, to do the battle to the uttermost, as you promised her when\nshe and you talked privately together.\u201d\n\n\u201cI understand well what she means,\u201d answered Accolon; \u201cand now that I\nhave the sword, I will make good what I promised.\u201d So he sent loving\nmessages to Queen Morgan; and he now knew that the enchantment of the\nship, and the means whereby he had been transported to the side of the\nfountain, were of her contrivance. And now also by her means was Sir\nAccolon conducted to the manor of Sir Ontzlake, Damas\u2019s brother, where\nhe was well entertained. But Sir Ontzlake was lying on a couch; for,\na little while before, he had been wounded through both thighs with a\nspear. Soon after Sir Accolon came to him, Sir Damas sent him word that\nhe had found a knight to undertake his battle, and that\u2019 Sir Ontzlake\nmust be ready by the next morning. Sir Ontzlake wist not what to do, for\nhe was so badly hurt that he could not stand on his feet; but his guest,\nSir Accolon, when he knew what the matter was, offered to fight in his\nstead, as Morgan le Fay had sent him word to do; and Sir Ontzlake was\nvery thankful, and sent word to Sir Damas that he would have a knight\nready.\n\nOn the morrow King Arthur heard mass; and after that, he armed himself\nand mounted his horse, and went to the place appointed for the battle,\nwhere there was a great gathering of the gentle folk and commons of\nthe country. While Arthur was waiting, there came to him a damsel from\nMorgan le Fay, and brought a sword and scabbard, like Excalibur and its\nscabbard, saying, \u201cMorgan le Fay sends you here your sword for great\nlove.\u201d For this he was thankful; but both the sword and the scabbard\nwere only counterfeit, brittle, and false.\n\nThen Sir Accolon came into the field, and as both their vizors were\ndown, neither of the knights knew the other. So they rode together with\nsuch force that both were unhorsed; and then they drew their swords, and\nfought on foot, giving each other many heavy strokes. But Sir Accolon\nwounded the king with almost every blow, and shed much of his blood;\nwhile he himself lost no blood at all, because he had the scabbard of\nExcalibur at his side. When King Arthur felt himself so wounded, and saw\nhis own blood on the ground, he was dismayed, for he began to understand\nthat the sword which he had could not be Excali-bur, and it seemed to\nhim that the other knight\u2019s sword was very like Excalibur. For all that\nhe held himself full knightly, and defended himself so well that all the\npeople there said they had never seen a knight fight better. However,\nwith loss of blood he grew so feeble that he withdrew a little to rest.\nBut Sir Accolon was bold because he knew that he had Excalibur, and he\ncalled out, \u201cIt is no time for me to suffer thee to rest.\u201d Then he came\nfiercely on, and King Arthur met him and smote him so mightily on the\nhelm that he nearly fell to the earth. But with that stroke Arthur\u2019s\nsword broke at the cross, and left only the pommel and the handle in his\nhand.\n\nWhen Accolon saw that, he said, \u201cKnight, thou art weaponless, and may\nno longer endure. I am loath to slay thee, therefore yield thee as\nrecreant.\u201d\n\n\u201cNay,\u201d answered Arthur, \u201cI may not yield, for I have sworn to do this\nbattle to the uttermost. Moreover, I would rather die with honour than\nlive with shame; and if you slay me, being weaponless, the shame will be\nwith you.\u201d\n\n\u201cFor that I care not,\u201d answered Accolon; and then he came fiercely on,\nand struck Arthur a blow that well-nigh sent him to the earth. But the\nking pressed against Accolon with his shield, and smote him with the\npommel in his hand so that he went three strides back. Sir Accolon\ncame on again all eagerly; but at the next stroke he gave, the sword\nExcalibur slipped from his hand and fell to the earth, and Arthur leaped\nto it and got it in his hand. Forthwith he perceived clearly that it was\nin truth his good sword Excalibur. \u201cAh!\u201d he cried, \u201cthou hast been\ntoo long from me, and much damage thou hast done me.\u201d Then he suddenly\nsprang to Sir Accolon and snatched the scabbard from where it hung by\nhis side, and threw it far away from him.\n\n\u201cNow, Knight,\u201d said King Arthur, \u201cyou have done me much hurt with this\nsword, but ere we part I shall reward you with it as well as you have\nrewarded me.\u201d So he rushed upon Accolon with all his might, and pulled\nhim to the earth, took off his helmet, and smote him such a buffet on\nthe head that the blood gushed out of his ears, nose, and mouth.\n\n\u201cNow will I slay thee,\u201d said King Arthur.\n\n\u201cSlay me you may,\u201d answered Accolon, \u201cif it please you; for you are the\nbest knight that ever I met, and I see well that God is with you. But I\npromised to fight this battle to the uttermost, and so I cannot yield to\nyou.\u201d\n\nThen it seemed to King Arthur that he knew the knight, so he asked him\nhis name.\n\n\u201cSir,\u201d answered Accolon, \u201cI am of the court of King Arthur, and my name\nis Accolon of Gaul.\u201d\n\nAt this Arthur was sore troubled, for he remembered that Accolon was\nfavoured by his sister Morgan le Fay.\n\n\u201cSir Knight,\u201d said he, \u201cI pray you tell me who gave you this sword.\u201d\n\n\u201cAccursed be the sword,\u201d answered Accolon, \u201cfor it has given me my\ndeath.\u201d Then he confessed that the sword had been sent him by Morgan le\nFay, with the intent that he should kill King Arthur with it; and that\nwhen that was accomplished she would compass the death of her husband\nKing Urience, so that Accolon and she might be king and queen. When he\nhad made this confession, Accolon asked Arthur who he was.\n\n\u201cO Sir Accolon,\u201d answered the king, \u201cnow know thou that I am King\nArthur, to whom thou hast done great damage.\u201d\n\nWhen Accolon heard this, he cried out, \u201cMy gracious lord, have mercy on\nme, for I knew you not!\u201d\n\n\u201cMercy shalt thou have,\u201d answered Arthur, \u201cfor I believe thou didst not\nknow me; but none the less hast thou plotted my death, and art therefore\na traitor. Still I blame not thee so much as my sister Morgan le Fay;\nfor she, by her false arts, has made thee agree and consent to her\nevil purposes. But I will be so avenged on her, if I live, that all\nChristendom shall hear of it.\u201d\n\nThen the keepers of the field and all who had watched the battle drew\nnigh, and Sir Accolon told them that the knight with whom he had done\nbattle was none other than King Arthur. All the people knelt and made\ntheir submission to the king. He, on his part, ordered Sir Damas to give\nSir Ontzlake his rightful inheritance, and charged him, on penalty of\ndeath, to atone to the knights he had kept in prison for the hurt he had\ndone them, and never more to meddle with knights-errant that might come\ninto his country. Sir Ontzlake he charged to come to his court, because\nhe was a good knight, and promised him honour and advancement. Then the\nking and Sir Accolon were removed to a rich abbey of nuns a few miles\naway, where their wounds were dressed, and within four days King Arthur\nwas healed; but Sir Accolon had lost so much blood that he might not\nbe recovered. When he was dead, Arthur bade six of his knights bear his\nbody to Morgan le Fay, and charged them to say that the king sent him to\nher for a present, and that he had got back his sword Excalibur and the\nscabbard.\n\nWhen the tidings came to Morgan le Fay by one of her damsels that\nAccolon was dead, and that King Arthur had got back his sword and\nscabbard, she was full of sorrow and anger; so she got leave from\nQueen Guenever to return to her own country. As she and her attendants\njourneyed, they passed by the very abbey where King Arthur was still\nlying. Knowing that he was there, Morgan went into the abbey and asked\nwhere the king was. She was answered that he was asleep in his chamber;\nso she said she would go in and wake him herself. As she was his sister,\nand a queen, none dare say her nay; so she went into the chamber,\nintending to steal from him Excalibur. But the king, though he was\nasleep, had the sword fast in his right hand, so she could not get it.\nHowever, she took the scabbard, and then went on her way. When the king\nwoke and missed the scabbard, he was passing wroth, and still more so\nwhen he knew who had taken it. So he and Sir Ontzlake armed themselves\nhastily, and rode after Queen Morgan, and after a while they came in\nsight of her. When she saw that King Arthur was pursuing, she rode as\nfast as she could; but ever he drew nearer and nearer. Then she went\nto the shore of a lake that was there, and threw the scabbard into\nit, saying, \u201cWhatever may become of me, my brother shall not have the\nscabbard.\u201d After that she rode with her knights into a valley, and there\nby her enchantments turned herself and them into marble statues.\n\nWhen King Arthur and Ontzlake came up, they saw the statues, and thought\nthe change had been wrought by a judgment of God. They could not find\nthe scabbard, and so rode back to the abbey. As soon as they were gone,\nMorgan and her knights returned to flesh and blood, and went on their\nway to the country of Gore. There Morgan made her castles strong, and\ngarrisoned them, for she greatly dreaded her brother\u2019s wrath. But she\nsent him word that, while she could change herself and her men into the\nlikeness of stones, she had no cause to fear him.\n\nHowever, though Accolon was dead, Morgan abated no whit of her hatred to\nthe king, nor of her evil designs against him. But she pretended to be\nsorrowful because of her deeds, and offered him amends. And she sent a\ndamsel to the court with a mantle, the richest that ever was seen in\nthe world, for it was so covered with precious stones that there was not\nspace to put on another. The damsel said to the king, \u201cYour sister sends\nyou this mantle, and desires that you will take this gift of her; and in\nwhat she has offended you, she will amend it at your own pleasure.\u201d\n\nThe king was greatly pleased with the mantle, but he did not put much\ntrust in his sister. While he was considering what he should say, there\ncame to him the Lady Viviane, who had ever loved him, and she counselled\nhim on no account to put on the mantle, or let it be worn by any in his\ncourt, until it had been put on by the damsel who had brought it. King\nArthur said he would follow her counsel, and so he called the damsel to\nhim, and bade her put on the mantle.\n\n\u201cSir,\u201d said she, \u201cit will not beseem me to wear a knight\u2019s garment.\u201d\n\n\u201cBy my head,\u201d answered the king, \u201cyou shall wear it before it come on my\nback or that of any other that is here.\u201d\n\nWhen she saw that no better might be, the damsel put on the mantle full\nsorrowfully; and lo! straightway she fell down dead, and was burned\nto ashes. Then King Arthur saw how great was the treason of his sister\nMorgan le Fay.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VI. THE ADVENTURE OF THE THREE KNIGHTS AND THE THREE DAMSELS,\n\nKING ARTHUR was exceedingly wrathful against his sister Morgan le Fay,\nand because he suspected that her son, Sir Ewaine, was aware of her\nplots, he banished him from the court. In this he was wrong, for Sir\nEwaine ever held by his father and King Arthur, and hated his mother\u2019s\ntreachery. When Sir Gawaine heard that his cousin Ewaine was to be\nbanished, he made ready to go with him, for he said, \u201cWhoso banisheth my\ncousin, banisheth me also.\u201d\n\nSo the two set out together, and they rode till they came to a great\nforest, and presently they saw a tower in a valley. By the tower were\ntwo knights, armed and on horseback, and twelve fair damsels, who kept\ngoing to and fro by a tree. Gawaine and Ewaine went nearer, and then\nthey saw that the damsels were throwing mire on a white shield that was\nhanging on the tree \u201cWherefore do you thus offer despite to the shield?\u201d\n said Ewaine.\n\n\u201cSirs,\u201d answered one of the damsels, \u201cthere is a knight in this country\nthat is the owner of this shield, and he is a very good knight of his\nhands, but he hates all ladies and gentlewomen, and therefore do we\ndefile his shield. His name is Sir Marhaus, and he is brother to the\nwife of King Anguisance of Ireland.\u201d\n\n\u201cI know him well,\u201d said Sir Ewaine; \u201che is one of the best knights\nliving.\u201d\n\nWhile they spoke, they saw Sir Marhaus riding toward them. Then all the\ndamsels fled into the tower; but one of the knights of the tower put his\nspear in rest, and cried aloud, \u201cSir Marhaus, defend thee.\u201d Then they\nran together, and Sir Marhaus smote that knight so hard that he hurled\nhim from his horse and broke his neck. Thereupon the other knight of the\ntower came on, and him also Sir Marhaus overthrew. After that he took\ndown the white shield from the tree and put in its place the one he had\ncarried before. Then he rode up to Sir Gawaine and Sir Ewaine, and\nasked them what they did there. They answered that they came from King\nArthur\u2019s court to seek adventures.\n\n\u201cWell,\u201d said Marhaus, \u201chere am I ready to fulfil any adventure that you\nrequire of me;\u201d and he rode back a little way, to get space to run a\ncourse with them. Sir Ewaine did not wish that they should joust with\nhim, but Gawaine said they should be shamed if they did not assay him.\nThen said Ewaine, \u201cI will meet him first, for I am weaker than you; and\nif he smite me down, then you may perchance avenge me.\u201d\n\nSo Sir Marhaus and Sir Ewaine came together, and Sir Marhaus smote\ndown Ewaine, horse and man, and hurt him in the side. Then he turned\nto Gawaine, who met him fiercely, but when they came together Gawaine\u2019s\nspear broke, and Sir Marhaus overthrew him also. Sir Gawaine sprang\nlightly to his feet, and drew his sword, bidding Sir Marhaus alight,\nor he would slay his horse. Marhaus dismounted, and tied his horse to\na tree; then he also pulled out his sword, and they fought eagerly\ntogether, giving each other many sore strokes. As it was after nine\no\u2019clock in the morning, Gawaine\u2019s strength ever increased, and Sir\nMarhaus marvelled at it. But he was a knight of great prowess, and he\nwithstood Sir Gawaine mightily. At noon they were still fighting, and\nthen Gawaine began to grow more feeble, till at last he could no longer\nendure.\n\n\u201cSir,\u201d said Marhaus, \u201cI have well felt that you are a passing good\nknight, and a man of marvellous might as ever I met. Our quarrel is not\nso great that it need be fought to the death, and I should be loath to\ndo you hurt, for I perceive you are very feeble.\u201d\n\n\u201cAh, gentle knight,\u201d said Gawaine, \u201cyou are more courteous than I.\u201d\n\nThen they took off their helmets, and kissed one another, and swore that\nthey would henceforth be as brethren. Then Marhaus asked Gawaine and\nEwaine to lodge with him that night, and he took them to a good lodging\nhe had near by. As they rode, Gawaine asked him why, being so valiant a\nknight, he hated all ladies. But Sir Marhaus said he did not hate all,\nbut only the damsels of the tower, and such as they, who were nothing\nbut witches and enchantresses. The two knights lodged with him for a\nweek, till their wounds were well healed; but when he knew that they\nwere King Arthur\u2019s nephews, he gave them the best entertainment he\ncould. When they were whole again, he said he would ride with them\nthrough the forest. So the three travelled for seven days, till they\ncame to a country that was called Arroy, which was always full of\nstrange adventures. And as they were riding along, they came to a fair\nfountain, at the side of which sat three damsels. One was threescore\nyears of age, and the second thirty, and the third but fifteen years\nof age. The knights saluted them, and asked them why they were sitting\nthere.\n\n\u201cWe are here,\u201d said the eldest damsel, \u201cto show strange adventures to\nerrant knights. As ye are seeking adventures, each of you must choose\none of us, and go forth by a separate way; and this day twelvemonth we\nwill all meet here again to tell our adventures.\u201d\n\nTo this the knights assented; and Sir Ewaine, because he was the\nyoungest and the least experienced, chose the eldest damsel. Sir Marhaus\ntook the second, as her age was the most fitting to his; so the youngest\nand fairest was left to Gawaine, of which he was well pleased. Then each\nknight took his damsel, and Sir Ewaine took a way that went west, and\nSir Marhaus a way that went south, and Sir Gawaine went north. As he\nand his damsel rode, they came to a cross by the wayside, and while they\nwere there a knight passed them, the fairest and comeliest they had ever\nseen, making great moan and sorrow. He saluted Gawaine courteously and\nwished him much worship, and Gawaine returned him the like wish.\n\n\u201cAlas!\u201d answered the knight, \u201cthat may not be for me.\u201d\n\nThen, as he went on, there came against him ten knights, one after the\nother, and he smote them all down with one spear. When they were all on\nfoot, they went to him, and he sat still as a stone, and suffered them\nto pull him off his horse, bind him hand and foot, tie him under his\nhorse\u2019s belly, and so lead him away.\n\n\u201cSurely,\u201d said Gawaine, \u201cthat is a doleful sight, to see that knight so\ntreated.\u201d\n\n\u201cSir,\u201d said his damsel, \u201cit would be to your worship and honour to help\nthat dolorous knight, for he is one of the best knights that ever I saw.\u201d\n\n\u201cI would be glad to help him,\u201d answered Sir Gawaine, \u201cbut it seems to me\nthat he would not have my help.\u201d\n\nBut the damsel said sharply, \u201cIt seems to me that you have no heart to\nhelp him.\u201d And she was wroth with Gawaine. While they talked there came\ntwo knights armed at all points, one of whom cried out, \u201cSir Gawaine,\nknight of King Arthur, make thou ready to joust with me.\u201d So they ran\ntogether so mightily that both were overthrown. Then they drew their\nswords and fought hard together. In the meanwhile, the other knight came\nto Gawaine\u2019s damsel, and asked her to abide with him, promising to be\nher faithful knight. She said she would go with him, for she liked not\nSir Gawaine, because he would not strive for the knight that was\nled away by the ten knights he had overthrown. So while Gawaine was\nfighting, the damsel went away with her new companion.\n\nGawaine and the other knight fought together a long time, and then they\nagreed together, and the knight took Gawaine to his manor that was near\nby. As they went, Gawaine asked what knight that was who smote down the\nten knights, and afterwards suffered himself to be so shamefully led\naway.\n\n\u201cAh,\u201d said the other, \u201cthat is the best knight I ever saw, and I do not\nbelieve there is a better in the world. His name is Sir Pelles, and\nhe loves a great lady in this country that is called Ettarde. He first\nbeheld her at a tournament which was held near this place, at which\nwere many ladies and five hundred knights. He who proved to be the best\nknight was to have a good sword, and a circlet of gold to give to the\nlady present at the tournament whom he held to be the fairest. Sir\nPelles was by far the best that was there; no man could withstand him,\nand each of the three days the tournament lasted he struck down more\nthan twenty knights. So he won the prize, and forthwith he laid the\ncirclet at the feet of the Lady Ettarde, and said openly that she\nwas the fairest, and he would prove it on the body of any knight that\ngainsaid him. So he chose her for his sovereign lady, and loved her\nexceedingly. But she is very proud, and she made scorn of Sir Pelles,\nand said she would never love him. But he followed her to her own manor,\nand now he is lodged at a priory near her. Every day she sends knights\nto fight with him; but he always puts them to the worse, and then\nsuffers them to take him prisoner and lead him to her unworthily,\nbecause in no other way can he gain a sight of his lady-love.\u201d\n\nWhen Gawaine heard this, he was full sorry for the knight Sir Pelles,\nand said that the next day he would seek him, and offer him what help he\ncould. In the morning he took leave of his host, and sought Sir Pelles,\nwhom he found sorrowing in the forest. Then had they much talk together,\nand Sir Pelles told Gawaine all that the other knight had told him the\nday before.\n\n\u201cNow,\u201d said Sir Gawaine, \u201cleave off your mourning, and I promise you by\nthe faith of my body that I will do all that lies in my power to get you\nthe love of your lady.\u201d\n\n\u201cAh, my good friend,\u201d said Pelles, \u201cI pray you tell me who you are.\u201d\n\nThis Gawaine told him, and Sir Pelles entreated him to do as he had\npromised, and not to betray him. To that Gawaine made oath; and then\nsaid he would take Pelles\u2019s horse and armour, and ride to the Lady\nEttarde, saying he had slain Pelles. In this way he would gain access to\nher, and would then strive all he could to win her love for his friend.\nSo they changed horses and armour, and Gawaine rode to Ettarde\u2019s castle.\nWhen he told her that he had slain Pelles, she received him cordially,\nthe more when he told her his name, and that he was King Arthurs nephew.\nShe said it was a pity that Pelles was slain, for he was a good knight,\nbut that while he lived she could never have peace; so she entertained\nGawaine with the best cheer she had.\n\nNow the Lady Ettarde was exceedingly fair, and when Gawaine saw her he\nloved her sorely, so that he no longer heeded the oath he had sworn to\nSir Pelles, but wooed the lady for himself, and she was gracious to him.\nThey lived together in a pavilion outside the castle, for Ettarde no\nlonger feared Pelles, thinking that he was dead. For three days and\nnights they stayed there; and then Sir Pelles, who had been waiting for\nGawaine at his lodging, could endure no longer, but armed himself, and\nmounted his horse and rode to the castle. When he came to the pavilion,\nboth Gawaine and the lady were asleep; and when Pelles saw them, his\nheart was like to burst for grief, and also because Gawaine had betrayed\nhim and forsworn himself. At first he thought to slay them, and drew his\nsword; but he could not bring himself to slay them sleeping, so he laid\nhis naked sword across the lady\u2019s throat, and rode away making great\nsorrow. When Ettarde woke and saw the naked sword at her throat, she\nknew it was Pelless, and then she perceived that Gawaine had betrayed\nher. She gave him many reproaches, and Gawaine could say nothing for\nhimself, but armed himself and rode away into the forest, well knowing\nthat he had stained his knightly honour.\n\nBut one of the damsels of the lake, named Nimue, met a knight of Sir\nPelles in the forest, and learned all that had passed, and also that\nPelles was lying in his bed, dying out of pure sorrow because he had\nbeen betrayed. So she undertook to heal him, and the knight brought\nher to Sir Pelles, and by her enchantments she wrought so that he loved\nEttarde no longer. Also, she brought Ettarde to him, and made her love\nhim out of measure. When Pelles awoke and saw Ettarde, all the love had\ngone out of his heart, and he hated her more than any woman alive, and\nsaid, \u201cGo thy way hence, thou traitress; come no more in my sight.\u201d\n So she wept bitterly, and implored him for his love; but he would have\nnothing to do with her, and gave his love to the Lady Nimue, who loved\nhim faithfully in return. And afterwards Ettarde died of grief, but\nPelles lived happily with the lady of the lake.\n\nOf what befell Sir Gawaine after this till the year was out no mention\nis made in the old chronicles.\n\nSir Marhaus, it will be remembered, went with the damsel of thirty years\nby a way that led south. The road took them into a thick forest, and\nwhen night fell they knew not where they were. At last they came to a\nsmall lodge in the wood, but the man that dwelt there would not give\nthem shelter at any price. At last he said, \u201cIf you will take the\nadventure of your lodging, I will bring you where you will be lodged.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat is the adventure?\u201d asked Sir Marhaus.\n\n\u201cThat you will know when you come to the place,\u201d answered the other.\n\n\u201cWhatever it may be, do thou show us the place,\u201d said the knight; \u201cfor\nmy lady and I and my horse are all weary, and rest we must have.\u201d\n\nThen the man took them a little way farther to a fair castle, and he\ncalled the porter, and bid him tell his lord that a knight-errant and\na fair damsel were waiting without, and would lodge with him. \u201cLet them\ncome in,\u201d answered the lord, \u201cbut it may happen that they will repent\nit.\u201d So then Sir Marhaus and his damsel were shown into a great hall,\nwhere the lord of the castle was, with many young men about him. The\nlord asked Sir Marhaus who he was and whence he came.\n\n\u201cSir,\u201d said Marhaus, \u201cI am a knight of King Arthur\u2019s, and I was born in\nIreland.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat will be the worse for thee,\u201d answered the other grimly, \u201cfor I\nlove not thy lord nor the company of the Round Table. Make what cheer\nthou canst to-night, for to-morrow thou wilt have to meet me and my six\nsons.\u201d\n\n\u201cIs there no other choice but that I must have to do with you and your\nsix sons all at once?\u201d asked Sir Marhaus.\n\n\u201cNo,\u201d answered the lord; \u201cand for this reason, that Sir Gawaine once\nslew seven of my sons in an encounter, and I vowed to have my revenge on\nany knight of King Arthur\u2019s that might come into my power.\u201d\n\nThen Sir Marhaus asked him his name, and he said he was called the Duke\nof the South Marches. \u201cAh,\u201d said Sir Marhaus, \u201cI have heard of you ere\nthis as a great foe to King Arthur and all his knights.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat shall you feel to-morrow,\u201d said the duke.\n\nSo that night Sir Marhaus and his damsel were well lodged, and the next\nmorning the knight armed himself, and met the duke and his six sons in\nthe courtyard of the castle. He let them all break a spear upon him,\nand never moved; and then with one spear he smote them all from their\nsaddles. Then he went to the duke, and called on him to yield; but some\nof the sons began to recover themselves, and would have set upon Sir\nMarhaus. \u201cBid your sons stand back,\u201d said Sir Marhaus to the duke, \u201cor\nI will do the uttermost to you all.\u201d So when the duke saw that otherwise\nhe could not escape death, he yielded, and bade his sons do the like.\nAnd Sir Marhaus bound them all never more to be foes to King Arthur or\nhis knights, and at the next Feast of Pentecost to present themselves at\nthe court and make submission to the king.\n\nAfter that Sir Marhaus departed, and two days afterwards his damsel\nbrought him to a place where a great tournament was held. The prize for\nthe best knight was a circlet of gold worth a thousand byzants. At this\ntournament Sir Marhaus did right nobly, and smote down forty knights, so\nthe prize was awarded to him. Then he and his damsel again rode forth,\nand after a long journey they reached the castle of a rich earl named\nFergus. Near by there dwelt a giant called Taulurd, who wrought much\nevil against the earl and wasted his lands, and Fergus complained of him\nto Sir Marhaus.\n\n\u201cDoes he fight on foot or on horseback?\u201d asked the knight.\n\n\u201cOn foot,\u201d answered Earl Fergus, \u201cfor he is so large that no horse could\nbear him.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen will I fight him on foot,\u201d answered Marhaus. And the next day he\nwent to seek for the giant, and found him sitting under a tree, with\ngreat clubs of iron lying about him. When the giant saw Marhaus coming\nhe sprang up, seized a club, and rushed against him. His first blow was\nso mighty that it crushed Marhaus\u2019s shield to pieces; and thereafter\nthe knight was in great peril, for the giant was both strong and a wily\nfighter. At last, however, Sir Marhaus smote off his right arm above the\nelbow; and then he fled away, and ran into a pool of water that was so\ndeep the knight could not follow him. Then Marhaus made the earl\u2019s\nmen bring him heavy stones, and with these he pelted the giant till he\nknocked him down in the water and drowned him. Then Sir Marhaus went\nto the giant\u2019s castle, where he found many knights and ladies, whom he\ndelivered, and so much riches that he was never afterwards in need of\nwealth to the end of his life.\n\nSir Marhaus dwelt a long time with the Earl Fergus to recover from his\nwounds, for he had been sorely bruised by the giant. When he was whole,\nhe and his damsel set out, and reached the fountain that was their\ntrysting-place on the appointed day.\n\nSir Ewaine, who had ridden westward with his damsel of threescore years,\nwent first to a tournament that was held in a place near the marches of\nWales. There he did great deeds, and smote down thirty knights, so\nthat he took the prize, which was a gerfalcon and a white steed with\ntrappings of cloth of gold. After that his damsel brought him to the\ncastle of a great lady in that country, called the Lady of the Rock. Now\nthere were two perilous knights that dwelt nigh the Lady of the Rock,\nnamed Sir Edward and Sir Hue of the Red Castle, and they had despoiled\nthe lady of much of her lands. So she complained to Sir Ewaine; and he\nblamed the knights that they had done that which was contrary to their\noaths. He said he would first entreat them to restore to her that which\nwas her right; and if they were not to be persuaded, then he would do\nbattle with them. The knights were sent for accordingly, and they came\nto the castle with a hundred horsemen. But they cared nothing for Sir\nEwaine\u2019s reproaches, and said they would keep what they had.\n\n\u201cWell,\u201d said Sir Ewaine, \u201cthen will I fight with either of you, and\nprove upon his body that you do wrong to this lady.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat we will not assent to,\u201d answered the brothers, \u201cfor if we do\nbattle, we will both fight with one knight at once; and if thou wilt\nmeet us both, and can conquer us, the lady shall have her lands again.\u201d\n\nTo that Sir Ewaine agreed, and the battle was appointed for the next\nday. When the knights met, both Sir Edward and Sir Hue broke their\nspears on Sir Ewaine without unhorsing him; but he smote them both down,\nthe one after the other. Then he alighted on foot, and fought them with\nhis sword. They gave him many sore wounds, but at last he struck Sir\nEdward so hard on the helm that he clove his head to the shoulders, and\nthen he forced Sir Hue to yield. So the lady was restored to her lands,\nand Sir Hue was sworn to make his submission to King Arthur at the\nensuing Feast of Pentecost. But in this battle Sir Ewaine was so\nmuch hurt that he could undertake no other adventure before the time\nappointed for the three knights and the damsels to meet at the fountain.\n\nBut on that day all the knights were there, and all the damsels, only\nSir Gawaine did not bring his damsel, nor had she much worship to say of\nhim. Then the knights bade farewell to the ladies, and rode again into\nthe forest; but they were met by messengers from King Arthur commanding\nthem to return to the court. When they came there, the king and all\nelse made them heartily welcome, and they were sworn to tell all their\nadventures. At the Feast of Pentecost came the Lady Nimue, and brought\nwith her Sir Pelles; and King Arthur held a great tournament, where Sir\nPelles won the first prize, and Sir Marhaus the second, so they were\nboth made Knights of the Round Table in room of two that had been slain\nduring the twelvemonth. King Arthur was glad that he had got two such\ngood knights; but Sir Pelles never afterwards loved Sir Gawaine, and\nthough he spared him for the king\u2019s sake, ofttimes he overthrew him\nat jousts and tournaments. And Sir Pelles was ever a knight of great\nworship; for when Sir Lancelot grew to be the knight of most prowess,\nthe Lady Nimue so contrived that Sir Pelles never had to do with him,\nand she would not suffer him to be at any tournament where Sir Lancelot\nwas, unless it were to fight on the same side.\n\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VII. LANCELOT DU LAKE\n\nIT will be remembered that King Ban of Benwick and King Bors of Gannes\nhad given right good help to King Arthur when he was fighting for his\nkingdom. Afterwards they went back to their own country, and carried on\ntheir wars against King Claudas of Gaul; but he, having wide lands and\nmany knights at his command, ever put them to the worse, and despoiled\nthem of their territory before Arthur could come or send to help them.\nSo it befell that they both died of grief--King Ban leaving behind him\none son, who was named Lancelot, and two younger, called Lionel and\nEctor de Maris; while King Bors left three sons, named Bleoberis,\nBlamor, and Bors. After the two kings were dead, Arthur, being eased\nfrom his wars at home, sent over to Gaul knights and men-at-arms that\nbeat back King Claudas, and recovered from him the lands of Benwick and\nof Gannes. Arthur also took charge of the sons of the two dead kings,\nall save Lancelot, and had them trained in all manner of knightly\nexercises, so that when they grew to manhood they were all men of\ngreat might and valour, and they became Knights of the Round Table. But\nLancelot fell to the charge of Viviane the enchantress, who was known as\nthe Lady of the Lake, so that afterwards he got the name of Lancelot du\nLake. She nourished and reared him till he was eighteen years of age,\nand then brought him to the court to receive knighthood at the hands of\nKing Arthur. Even then few knights could withstand him, so strong was\nhe, and so skilled with sword and spear; and when he grew to his full\nprowess and manhood, he passed all the other knights that ever were in\nArthur\u2019s court, or in the whole world, so that never was he put to the\nworse altogether. King Arthur had great joy of Sir Lancelot. But his\ncoming to the court was not in the end for the king\u2019s worship, for he\ngrew to love Queen Guenever, and to care for no other lady; and she,\nsince he was not less comely than valiant, loved him also, and forgot\nher duty to her lord and king, from which cause at the last there arose\ngreat sorrow.\n\nJust after Lancelot came to the court, King Arthur had a great war with\nthe Emperor of the Romans. This emperor, whose name was Lucius, had sent\nambassadors to Britain demanding tribute, with many haughty threats\nif it were not given. At this the king was wrathful, and returned for\nanswer that he owed no tribute, nor would pay any, but that he claimed\nthe empire as successor to Constantine, and would shortly come to take\npossession of it. Accordingly, he went over sea with a great army and\nmost of his knights, leaving the kingdom in charge of Sir Baldwin and\nhis cousin and next heir Sir Constantine. When he came to Brittany, the\nking heard of a monstrous giant that lived in a mount there and ravaged\nall the country, feeding on the flesh of men and children; and Arthur\nsought out this giant, and after a terrible fight he slew him. Then he\nand his knights had many-great battles with the mighty armies that had\nbeen gathered by the Emperor Lucius, in the which there were many fierce\nheathen and giants. But always the Britons put their enemies to the\nworse, and killed thousands of them; and at the last Lucius himself was\nslain, and Arthur marched to Rome, where, with much pomp and solemnity,\nhe was crowned emperor. Then he came back with his knights to Britain,\nwhere the queen and all the people received him with great joy.\n\nIn this war Sir Lancelot, though yet but a young knight, did great\nservice; but afterwards, when the knights began again their joustings\nand tournaments, and sought adventures over Britain, his worship\nincreased marvellously, so that most other knights began to hold him\nin dread. It happened that one time, after he had long rested him from\nknightly sports, he went to his brother Sir Lionel, and bade him make\nready, for they two would seek adventures. So they armed, mounted their\nhorses, and set forth.\n\nThe day was very hot, and Sir Lancelot had a strong desire to sleep;\nso he lay down under an apple-tree, and fell into a deep slumber. Sir\nLionel watched the while; and as he was so sitting, he saw three knights\ncome riding as fast as they were able, and behind them there followed\nonly a single knight. But Lionel thought he had never beheld one that\nseemed so mighty. Within a little he overtook all the three knights that\nfled, and smote them down, one after another; then he bound them all\nfast with the bridles of their own horses, and led them away. When Sir\nLionel saw that, he determined to assay that knight himself; so he got\non horseback without wakening his brother Sir Lancelot, and followed the\nstrong knight. When he had overtaken him, he bade him turn. Forthwith\nthe other turned and met Sir Lionel, and smote him down as he had done\nthe three knights. Then he bound him fast, threw him across his own\nhorse, and took him, along with the others, to his castle. There the\nstrong knight unarmed his four captives, beat them while naked with\nthorns, and thrust them into a gloomy prison, where they found many\nother knights, who made a great lamentation.\n\nIt so happened that Sir Ector de Maris, brother to Sir Lancelot and Sir\nLionel, when he found that they had gone to seek adventures, was wroth\nthat he did not accompany them, and set out to seek them. As he rode\nthrough the forest, he came to a strong castle which stood by a stream.\nAt the ford of the stream, close by the castle, grew a tall tree, on\nwhich Sir Ector saw hanging a great many knights\u2019 shields, and among\nthem the shield of his brother Sir Lionel. At the bole of the tree hung\na great copper basin. Sir Ector raised his spear, and struck the basin\nthrice with all his might, so that it sounded like a church-bell.\nForthwith there came out of the castle the same knight that had smitten\ndown Sir Lionel, and he bade Sir Ector make ready. So they ran together,\nand Sir Ector smote the strange knight so hard that he turned his horse\nthrice about, but still he kept his saddle.\n\n\u201cThat was well done,\u201d said the other, \u201cand full knightly hast thou\nstricken me.\u201d Then he rushed on Sir Ector, caught him under his right\narm, bore him clean out of his saddle, and so rode with him into the\nhall of the castle, where he threw him down in the middle of the floor.\nThen said this strong knight, whose name was Sir Turquine, unto Sir\nEctor,--\n\n\u201cBecause you have done more to me this day than has been done by any\nknight these twelve years, I will grant you your life, if you will be\nsworn to be my prisoner all your life.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat will I never promise,\u201d said Ector.\n\n\u201cYou will suffer the more for it,\u201d answered the other. So he unarmed Sir\nEctor, and beat him with thorns, as he had done the other knights, and\nthrew him into his dungeon, where were many knights his fellows, and\nespecially Sir Lionel. The two brothers made great sorrow together, and\nSir Ector asked Lionel where Sir Lancelot was.\n\n\u201cFair brother,\u201d answered Sir Lionel, \u201cI left him asleep under an\napple-tree, and what is become of him I cannot tell.\u201d\n\nThen all the knights that were prisoners said if Sir Lancelot came not\nto help them, they could not be delivered, for they knew no other knight\nbut he who could match Sir Turquine.\n\nMeanwhile Sir Lancelot slept long under the apple-tree, and while he\nlay there, King Arthur\u2019s sister, Morgan le Fay, and three other queens,\npassed by. They saw the knight sleeping, and knew him for Sir Lancelot;\nand then Morgan put an enchantment on him that he should sleep for\nsix hours, and they had him borne to a castle of hers near at hand. By\nnight-time the enchantment was past, and he awoke; and a fair damsel\nbrought his supper, and told him that he was in the power of an\nenchantress, but if he kept up his heart she would aid him. The next day\nthe four queens came to him, and Morgan le Fay told him he must choose\none of them for his true love, and forget his lady Queen Guenever, or\nelse stay in prison there till he died. He answered boldly that he would\nbe true to his lady, and would have none of them, so they left him.\nAfterwards the damsel again came to him, and said she was the daughter\nof King Bagdemagus, and that she would effect his escape on condition\nthat he would promise to go and help her father in a tournament he and\nhis knights were holding against the King of Northgalis. There had been\nanother tournament some days before between the same parties, and King\nBagdemagus was put to the worse because there were three knights of King\nArthur\u2019s court that helped the King of Northgalis; therefore the damsel\nwanted Sir Lancelot\u2019s help for her father. Sir Lancelot knew King\nBagdemagus for a good knight, so cheerfully he promised to help him in\nthe tournament. The next day, early in the morning, the damsel helped\nhim out of his prison, and got him his horse and his armour, and told\nhim where he should find her and her father.\n\nSo Sir Lancelot rode away, glad at heart, and after some adventures\nhe came to an abbey where King Bagdemagus was. The damsel was there\nalready, and she gave him a hearty greeting. Nor was Bagdemagus himself\nbehind in that. Lancelot told him how he had been betrayed by the four\nqueens, and how his brother Sir Lionel had left him. \u201cAnd,\u201d said he,\n\u201cbecause your daughter delivered me out of my prison, I shall, while I\nlive, do her service, and all her friends and kindred.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen am I sure of your help at the tournament,\u201d said King Bagdemagus.\n\n\u201cCertainly I will not fail you,\u201d answered Lancelot; and he asked what\nknights of King Arthur\u2019s had been on the side of the King of Northgalis.\nThe king said they were Sir Mador de la Port, and Sir Mordred, King\nArthur\u2019s nephew, and Sir Gahalatine.\n\nThe tournament was appointed to take place within three miles of the\nabbey; and on the day before, King Bagdemagus sent to Sir Lancelot, by\nhis direction, three of his best knights, each with a white shield bare\nof any device, and a like shield for Sir Lancelot himself. On the morrow\nthe four knights ambushed themselves in a little wood close by the field\nwhere the tournament was to be held. Then the King of Northgalis and his\nknights came into the field on the one side, and King Bagdemagus and his\nknights on the other, and the three knights of King Arthur\u2019s stood by\nthemselves. Then the two parties met with a great dash, and at the first\nencounter there fell twelve knights of King Bagdemagus, and six of the\nKing of Northgalis, and King Bagdemagus was put much to the worse. Then\nin came Sir Lancelot with the white shield, and the three knights with\nhim. He thrust into the thickest of the press, and with one spear\nhe smote down five knights. Then he overthrew the King of Northgalis\nhimself, that was a good knight, and broke his thigh. The three knights\nof King Arthur saw this, and marvelled who it might be.\n\n\u201cYonder is a shrewd guest,\u201d quoth Sir Mador de la Port, \u201ctherefore will\nI have at him.\u201d\n\nSo they encountered, and Sir Lancelot bore him down, horse and man, so\nthat his shoulder was put out. \u201cNow befalleth it to me to joust,\u201d said\nSir Mordred, \u201cfor Sir Mador has had a great fall.\u201d But he fared no\nbetter, for Sir Lancelot smote him out of his saddle with such might\nthat his neck was well-nigh broken, and he lay long in a swoon. Then\ncame in Sir Gahalatine, and he and Lancelot ran together, and both broke\ntheir spears; but when they took to their swords, Sir Lancelot smote Sir\nGahalatine so hard on the helm that blood came from his nose and mouth,\nand he fell stunned from his horse. Thereafter Sir Lancelot got another\ngreat spear, and before it broke he had struck down with it sixteen\nknights, and with another he unhorsed twelve knights more, so that the\nKing of Northgalis\u2019s knights would joust no more, and the prize was\ngiven to King Bagdemagus.\n\nSir Lancelot rode with Bagdemagus to his castle, and there he was well\nentertained by the king and his daughter. The next day he departed to\nseek his brother Sir Lionel, and came to the same forest where he had\nparted from him. As he rode, he met a damsel, and asked her if she knew\nof any adventures.\n\n\u201cYes,\u201d she answered, \u201chere are adventures near at hand, if thou darest\nto prove them.\u201d\n\n\u201cFor that cause came I hither,\u201d said Lancelot. Then the damsel\nundertook, if he would tell her his name, to bring him where was the\nstrongest knight he had ever met. So he told her his name. Then said\nshe, \u201cSir, here is an adventure that well befits thee. Hard by dwells a\nknight that can overmatch any other I ever heard of, except it be thee;\nand I understand that he keeps in his prison more than threescore of\nKing Arthur\u2019s knights that he has conquered with his own hands. But when\nyou have accomplished that adventure, you must promise me, as you are\na true knight, to go with me and help me and other damsels that are\ndistressed by a false knight.\u201d\n\nSir Lancelot promised as she desired, and she brought him to Sir\nTurquine\u2019s castle, and bid him beat on the copper basin. He smote it so\nhard and so long that the bottom fell out, but no one answered. Then he\nrode by the gate of the castle nearly half an hour, and presently he saw\ncoming a great knight, driving before him a horse, on which lay an\narmed knight bound, and that knight Sir Lancelot presently saw was Sir\nGaheris, Sir Gawaines brother.\n\nThen Sir Lancelot rode out to meet them, and the great knight, who was\nSir Turquine, got his spear in readiness. Without many words, they ran\ntogether with so much force that both their horses\u2019 backs broke. So soon\nas they could get to their feet, they drew their swords, and smote\neach other many terrible blows, so that in no long time each was sorely\nwounded. Thus they fought for more than two hours, till at last both\nwere breathless, and they stood leaning on their swords.\n\n\u201cNow, fellow,\u201d quoth Sir Turquine, \u201chold thy hand awhile, and tell me\nwhat I shall ask thee.\u201d\n\n\u201cSay on,\u201d said Sir Lancelot.\n\n\u201cThou art,\u201d said Turquine, \u201cthe biggest man I ever met, and the best\nbreathed, and like one knight that I hate above all others. If thou be\nnot he, I will gladly accord with thee, and for thy love will deliver\nall the prisoners I have; and if thou wilt tell me thy name, thou and I\nwill be friends together, and I will never fail thee while I live.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell,\u201d said Lancelot, \u201cwho is that knight whom thou hatest above all\nothers?\u201d\n\n\u201cTruly,\u201d said Sir Turquine, \u201cit is Sir Lancelot du Lake, for he slew\nmy brother Sir Carados of the Dolorous Tower, who was one of the best\nknights then living. Him, therefore, I except; and if I ever meet him,\none of us shall make an end of the other, for to that I have made a\nvow. And because of what Sir Lancelot did to my brother have I slain\na hundred good knights, and maimed many others; and still have I in my\ndungeon threescore and four. But all these shall be delivered, if thou\nwilt tell me thy name, and thou art not Sir Lancelot.\u201d\n\n\u201cSir Knight,\u201d answered Lancelot, \u201cwit thou well and know that I am\nLancelot du Lake, King Ban\u2019s son of Benwick, and Knight of the Round\nTable; and now I defy thee to do thy worst.\u201d\n\n\u201cAh,\u201d said Turquine, \u201cthou art more welcome to me, Lancelot, than ever\nknight was before, for we shall not part till one of us be dead.\u201d So\nthey rushed together like two wild bulls, lashing at each other with\ntheir swords, and fought for two hours more, and either gave the other\nmany deep wounds. But at last Turquine grew very faint, and could scarce\nhold up his shield for weariness. That saw Sir Lancelot, and rushed\non him more fiercely than ever, and got him down on his knees; then he\nloosed off his helm and smote off his head. After that Lancelot released\nSir Gaheris, and begged him to go into Turquine\u2019s castle and deliver all\nthe knights that were there prisoners; and he begged Gaheris to lend him\nhis horse--for his own was killed--so that he might ride with the damsel\nand fulfil his promise. Gaheris assented joyfully, for said he, \u201cFair\nlord, you have saved both me and my horse; and surely you are the best\nknight of the world, for you have slain the best knight except yourself\nthat ever I saw.\u201d And he begged Lancelot to tell him his name; and\nLancelot did so, and promised to return to the court at the Feast of\nPentecost. So then he departed with his damsel.\n\nGaheris went into the castle, and found there a porter with many keys.\nSo he threw the porter on the ground so hard that his eyes started out\nof his head, and then he took the keys, and let out all the prisoners.\nThey thanked Gaheris much, for when they saw that he was wounded they\nthought he had overcome Turquine. But he told them it was Sir Lancelot\nwho had slain him, and that he had left word for them to await his\ncoming at the court. However, Sir Kay, who was also among the prisoners,\nwith Sir Lionel and Sir Ector, said they would not do so, but would go\nand seek Sir Lancelot.\n\nMeanwhile Lancelot rode with the damsel, and she told him that on the\nroad they were going there was a false knight called Sir Peers du Forest\nSavage, who lay in wait for all ladies, and robbed and distressed them.\nSo Sir Lancelot bade her ride on in front, and when that felon knight\ncame out upon her he would be ready. It fell out as they had planned.\nSir Peers seized the damsel, and then Sir Lancelot came and rebuked him.\nSir Peers drew his sword, and rode to Lancelot, who smote him on the\nhelmet so that he clove him to the throat. Then Lancelot asked the\ndamsel if she required any more service at his hands. She answered\nhim that she did not; but she wished him good fortune in all that he\nundertook, for he was the courtliest knight and the meekest to all\nladies and gentlewomen that she had ever known.\n\nAfter that they parted; and Lancelot rode on for two days through a\nthick wood, and had to sleep as well as he could beneath the trees. On\nthe third day he came to a broad river that was crossed by a long narrow\nbridge. As he was going over the bridge there sprang out all of a sudden\na foul-looking churl, who smote his horse on the nose so that it turned\nabout, and then he asked the knight why he came over that bridge without\nlicense.\n\n\u201cWhy should I not ride this way?\u201d said Lancelot. \u201cThere is no other\nway.\u201d\n\n\u201cThou must find another,\u201d said the churl, and straightway struck at him\nwith a great club stuck full of pins of iron. The knight warded the blow\nwith his sword, and dealt such a buffet in return that he cut the churl\nalmost in twain. So he passed on over the bridge, and at the farther\nside was a fair village, with a castle in the midst. Many people cried\nout to him that he had done an evil deed for himself, for he had slain\nthe chief porter of the castle. Of all this Lancelot took no heed, but\nwent straight into the castle, of which the gate was open, and within he\nfound a green courtyard. Immediately there set upon him two huge giants;\nwell armed except their heads, carrying heavy clubs. One of them rushed\nat him, but Sir Lancelot put off the club with his shield, and with his\nsword he clave the giant\u2019s head down to the breast. When the other saw\nthat, he turned to flee; but Sir Lancelot followed hard after him, and\nsmote him on the shoulder, so that he died on the spot. Then he went\ninto the castle, and a great number of ladies and damsels came and\nthanked him for having rescued them from the giants, who had kept them\nin bondage for many years.\n\nSo Lancelot again rode forth, and passed through many wild countries.\nOne night he lodged in a small house with an old gentlewoman, who\ngave him a bed in her upper chamber. While he lay there asleep he was\nawakened by a sound of one riding hard, and presently there came a\nknocking at the door. Lancelot rose and looked out of the window. It was\nbright moonlight, and he saw one knight defending himself against three.\nForthwith he put on his armour, and got out of the window; then he\ncalled out loud, \u201cTurn, you knights, to me, and leave fighting with that\nknight,\u201d As soon as he said that they all three dismounted, and rushed\nupon Lancelot on foot with their swords, and there began a great battle.\nThe knight whom they had chased would have helped Sir Lancelot.\n\n\u201cNay, Sir Kay,\u201d said Lancelot, who knew him by the device on his shield,\n\u201cI ask none of your help; leave them to me.\u201d So Sir Kay stood back, and\nvery soon Sir Lancelot had stricken all of them to the earth. They cried\nout, \u201cSir Knight, we yield to thee as a man of might.\u201d\n\n\u201cI will not have you yield to me,\u201d answered Lancelot. \u201cIf you will yield\nto Sir Kay the Seneschal, I will spare your lives, but not otherwise.\u201d\n\n\u201cFair Knight,\u201d said they, \u201cwe are loath to do that, for we should have\novercome Sir Kay had not you been here; therefore to yield to him we\nhave no reason.\u201d\n\n\u201cAs for that,\u201d said Lancelot, \u201cmake your own choice whether you live or\ndie; but if you yield, it must be to Sir Kay.\u201d\n\nSo, to save their lives, they did as he commanded, and he swore them to\ngo to King Arthur\u2019s court on the next Whitsunday, and put themselves\nat the grace and mercy of Queen Guenever, saying that Sir Kay had sent\nthem. Then Lancelot suffered them to depart; and he and Sir Kay went\ninto the lodging. Then Sir Kay saw who it was, and he knelt down and\nthanked him for having twice saved his life.\n\n\u201cI have done no more than I ought to do,\u201d answered Sir Lancelot.\n\nWhen Sir Kay was unarmed, he asked for meat; and as he was sore\nhungered, he ate heartily. He was lodged in the same chamber with Sir\nLancelot; but he slept very sound, and in the morning Lancelot rose,\nleaving him still asleep, took Sir Kay\u2019s armour and shield, mounted his\nhorse, and rode away. When Sir Kay arose, and saw that Sir Lancelot had\ngot his armour and left him his own, he said,--\n\n\u201cNow, by my faith, I know well that he will grieve some of King Arthur\u2019s\nknights, for they will think that it is I, and they will be bold with\nhim; and because of his armour and shield, I am sure that I shall ride\nin peace.\u201d So then he thanked his hostess, and departed.\n\nMeanwhile Sir Lancelot rode on through the forest till he came to a fair\nopen country full of rivers and green meadows. On the roadside he saw\nthree pavilions, with white shields hanging before them and great spears\nleaning beside. The knights who lodged in the pavilions were sitting\nbeside them; and Sir Lancelot rode past, and spoke not a word. Then the\nknights said to one another, \u201cIt is the proud Sir Kay; he thinketh no\nknight is as good as he, but the contrary is often proved.\u201d Then one of\nthe knights, who was named Sir Gaunter, said, \u201cBy my faith I will ride\nafter him, and assay him for all his pride, and you may see how I shall\nspeed.\u201d With that he armed him, took his spear and shield, and rode hard\nafter Sir Lancelot. And when he came near him he called out, \u201cAbide,\nthou proud knight Sir Kay, for thou shalt not pass quietly.\u201d\n\nSo Sir Lancelot turned, and when they encountered, Sir Gaunter\u2019s spear\nbroke on his shield, but he smote down Sir Gaunter, horse and man. Then\none of the other knights, whose name was Sir Gilmere, said, \u201cYonder\nknight is not Sir Kay; he is far mightier.\u201d\n\n\u201cI dare lay my head,\u201d said the third brother, that was called Sir\nReynold, \u201che has slain Sir Kay, and taken his horse and harness.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhether it be so or not,\u201d said Sir Gilmere, \u201cit behoves us to take our\nhorses and rescue our brother Sir Gaunter, though methinks we shall all\nhave enough to do to match that knight.\u201d So they rode to the place as\nhard as they could; and first Sir Gilmere put forth his spear, and\nSir Lancelot smote him down, so that he lay in a swoon. Then came Sir\nReynold, and he and Sir Lancelot broke their spears on one another, and\nthen began a hard battle with their swords. The other two brothers rose,\nand recovered themselves a little, and came to help Sir Reynold. When\nLancelot saw that, he first smote Sir Reynold so sorely that he fell\nfrom his saddle, and then he served the other two in like manner. So the\nthree knights had to yield; but they asked him to tell them his name,\nfor they were sure he was not Sir Kay.\n\n\u201cLet that be as it may,\u201d said Lancelot, \u201cI charge ye to come to King\nArthur\u2019s court on Whitsunday and yield ye to Queen Guenever, and say\nthat Sir Kay sent you.\u201d\n\nThis they swore to perform, and then Lancelot rode away from them. In a\nwhile he came to a forest, where he saw four Knights of the Round Table\nsitting on their horses under an oak tree. There were his own brother\nSir Ector de Maris, Sir Sagramour le Desirous that was a good knight,\nSir Gawaine, and Sir Ewaine. As Sir Lancelot passed, they thought by\nthe device on his shield that it was Sir Kay, and Sir Sagramour said he\nwould prove Sir Kay\u2019s might. Thereupon he rode against Sir Lancelot, who\nmet him, and smote him to the ground, horse and man.\n\n\u201cLo, my fellows!\u201d quoth Sir Ector, \u201cyonder you may see what a buffet he\nhas got. That knight is much bigger than ever was Sir Kay.\u201d Then he got\nhis spear in his hand, and rode toward Sir Lancelot, who served him as\nhe had done the other, and still his spear held.\n\n\u201cBy my faith,\u201d said Ewaine, \u201cthat is a strong knight. I am sure he has\nslain Sir Kay, and I see by his great strength it will be hard to match\nhim.\u201d So in his turn he rode against Sir Lancelot, but fared no better\nthan those who had gone before. \u201cNow,\u201d said Gawaine, \u201cI see that I must\nneeds encounter with that knight.\u201d So he took his spear in his hand, and\nrode hard against Sir Lancelot, and each smote the other in the middle\nof the shield; but Gawaine\u2019s spear broke, and Sir Lancelot\u2019s thrust was\nso strong that Gawaine\u2019s horse reared up and fell over with him. Sir\nLancelot passed on smiling, and said, \u201cGod give him joy that made this\nspear; for a better held I never in my hand.\u201d\n\nThen the four knights went to one another, and helped each other as best\nthey might. \u201cWhat say ye to this jest,\u201d said Gawaine, \u201cthat one spear\nhath felled us four?\u201d\n\n\u201cWe would he had been elsewhere,\u201d answered the others; \u201cfor he is a man\nof great might.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou may well say that,\u201d quoth Gawaine, \u201cfor I dare lay my life it is\nSir Lancelot. I know him by his riding. Howbeit we shall know when we\ncome to the court.\u201d\n\nSir Lancelot still rode on his way, and encountered many strange\nadventures. At last he came to a castle, and there he saw a falcon that\nwas caught by the legs, and hung to the bough of a great tree in peril\nof its life. Then came a lady out of the castle, and said, \u201cO Lancelot,\nas thou art the flower of all the knights in the world, help me to get\nmy hawk; for if it be lost, my lord will slay me.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat is your lord\u2019s name?\u201d asked Sir Lancelot.\n\n\u201cSir,\u201d she answered, \u201cit is Sir Phelot, a knight of the King of\nNorthgalis.\u201d\n\n\u201cFair lady,\u201d said Lancelot, \u201csince you know my name, and require me on\nmy knighthood to help you, I will do what I may to get your hawk, though\nI am but an ill climber.\u201d So he alighted, tied his horse to the tree,\nand prayed the lady to unarm him. When he was unarmed, he put off all\nhis clothes save his shirt and breeches, and then climbed the tree, and\nrescued the falcon, the which he tied to a rotten branch and threw it\ndown to the lady. Suddenly the lady\u2019s husband, Sir Phelot, came out of\nthe castle all armed, and said, \u201cNow, Sir Lancelot, I have found thee as\nI would have thee.\u201d\n\n\u201cAh, lady,\u201d said Lancelot, \u201cwhy have you betrayed me?\u201d\n\n\u201cShe hath done as I commanded her,\u201d answered Sir Phelot. \u201cThere is no\nescape for thee; thine hour hath come when thou must die.\u201d\n\nLancelot entreated him to let him at least have his sword, and then he\nwould encounter him, even without armour. But Sir Phelot answered, \u201cI\nknow thee too well for that; thou shalt get no weapon, if I can prevent\nit.\u201d\n\n\u201cAlas,\u201d said Lancelot, \u201cthat ever knight should die weaponless!\u201d So he\nlooked about him, and saw over his head a great bough of the tree that\nwas leafless. This he broke off by pure might, and then suddenly sprang\nfrom the tree, so that his horse stood between him and Sir Phelot. Then\nSir Phelot came round the horse, and struck at him, meaning to have\nslain him. But Lancelot cunningly warded the blow with the bough, and\nthen struck the knight so mightily on the side of the head with it that\nhe stunned him. Then Lancelot took the sword from his hand, and struck\nhis head from his body. When the lady saw that her husband was dead, she\ncried out and swooned away. But Lancelot got on his armour as fast as\nhe could, for he feared lest more enemies should come from the knight\u2019s\ncastle. Then he got on his horse and rode away, and thanked God that he\nhad escaped unscathed from that adventure.\n\nSo after this Sir Lancelot arrived at the court, two days before the\nFeast of Pentecost; and King Arthur and all the court were glad of his\ncoming. And all the knights that he had rescued from Sir Turquine came\nand gave him honour and praise. And those knights whom he had stricken\ndown while he wore Sir Kay\u2019s armour were passing glad when they knew\nit was Sir Lancelot that had put them to the worse. So at that time Sir\nLancelot had the greatest name of any knight in the world, and was the\nmost honoured, both by high and low.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VIII SIR GAWAINE AND THE GREEN KNIGHT.\n\nIT befell that once when King Arthur held his Christmas feast at\nCamelot, some of the best of his knights, as Sir Lancelot and his kin,\nSir Marhaus, Sir Pelles, and the sons of King Pellinore, were absent,\nwandering in search of adventures. Still there were many good Knights\nof the Round Table in their places, and no lack of barons and ladies\nto uphold the high revels. The king kept New-Year\u2019s Day with great\nsplendour, bestowing rich gifts on all his knights and ladies. But when\nthe banquet was spread at noontide, Arthur, as his custom was, would not\nsit at the table until some wondrous adventure should have happened.\n\nHe was not long kept waiting, for suddenly there rode into the great\nhall the tallest knight that had ever been seen by any of the court. His\nstature was that of a giant, and he had the bulk of four ordinary men.\nHe was clad entirely in green, save that he wore spurs of bright gold.\nHis long hair was green, and a bushy beard of the same colour flowed\nover his breast. The mighty steed on which he sat was also green, but\nits mane was decked with gold threads. This strange-looking knight\ncarried neither spear nor shield, but in one hand he bore a holly bough,\nand in the other a great axe with an edge like a razor and a massive\nhandle of solid iron. He entered without making any salutation; and the\nmarvellous apparition of so huge a man and horse, all as green as grass,\nawed for the moment the boldest knight there, so that no one spoke to\nhim. At last, in a rough voice, he asked, \u201cWhere is the governor of this\ncompany?\u201d\n\nAt that King Arthur roused himself, saluted the Green Knight\ncourteously, and invited him to sit down at the banquet.\n\n\u201cThat will I not do,\u201d answered the other. \u201cI come not here to feast,\nbut to seek the most valiant man of thy court, that I may prove him;\nbut methinks here are only beardless children, for I see no man who\nis worthy to match me. If any one of you be bold enough to strike one\nstroke for another, this axe shall be his, and I will abide his blow,\nbut he shall receive a stroke in return from me within twelve months and\na day.\u201d\n\nTo this strange challenge none of the knights present was eager to make\nreply, for all of them felt that after a single blow from so strong\nan arm and so formidable a weapon as those of the Green Knight, no man\nwould be in condition either to receive or give another. When all were\nthus silent, the Green Knight rolled about his red eyes, and tauntingly\nexclaimed that the famous Knights of the Round Table were no better than\na pack of cowards. Then was King Arthur wrathful, and he sprang to his\nfeet and said that he at least feared neither the Green Knight nor his\naxe, and that he would himself undertake the adventure. So he seized\nthe axe, and the knight, placidly stroking his beard, drew down his\ngarments, bared his neck, and awaited the blow.\n\nWhen Sir Gawaine saw that, he came from his seat and entreated King\nArthur not to hazard his own sacred person in that adventure, but to let\nhim undertake it instead. To this the king was loath to assent, but all\nthe court so entreated him that at last he resigned the axe to Gawaine.\n\n\u201cWho, then, art thou?\u201d said the Green Knight, eying scornfully his new\nopponent.\n\n\u201cWit thou well,\u201d answered Gawaine, \u201cthat I am Gawaine, son of King Lot\nof Orkney, Knight of the Round Table, and nephew unto our gracious lord\nKing Arthur.\u201d\n\nThe Green Knight smiled grimly. \u201cIt pleases me well,\u201d said he, \u201cto\nreceive a blow from thee; but thou must swear that within a year and a\nday thou wilt seek me to receive a blow in return.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhere shall I seek thee?\u201d asked Gawaine. \u201cTell me thy name and abode.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhen thou hast smitten me,\u201d answered the knight, \u201cthen will I tell\nthee; and if I cannot speak at all, it will be so much the better for\nthee. Take now the axe, and let me see how thou canst smite.\u201d\n\nSo Gawaine gripped the axe, and the knight, throwing aside his long\nhair, again bared and bent his neck. Sir Gawaine, lifting the axe on\nhigh, smote with all his might, and so great a blow did he give that\nthe knight\u2019s brawny neck was smitten clean through, as if it had been\na twig, and his huge head rolled on the floor of the hall, Deeming\nthat now there was an end of their strange visitor, some of the knights\npushed it with their feet as it went past them. But they had reckoned\nwithout knowing the marvellous vitality of the Green Knight. He received\nGawaine\u2019s stroke and the loss of his head as though nothing had befallen\nhim. Striding down the hall, he picked up his head. Then stepping back\nagain to his horse, he mounted, and held up his head at arm\u2019s length,\nthe which, raising its eyelids and gazing sternly at Gawaine, said,\n\u201cWell and mightily hast thou stricken me. Now be thou ready to go forth\naccording to thy promise, and seek till thou find me. Get thee to the\nGreen Chapel, there to receive from me a blow on New-Year\u2019s mom; and\nif thou fail, then art thou recreant.\u201d So saying, the knight, still\ncarrying his head in his outstretched hand, put spurs to his horse and\ndashed out of the hall. Undismayed either by this fearsome sight or\nby the warning words which the head had spoken, Gawaine burst out into\ngreat laughter, in which the king and his knights presently joined,\nthough Queen Guenever and the ladies were still, in truth, too much\nafeard to do so. And the banquet proceeded without further thought of\nthe Green Knight.\n\nThe year wore round till All-hallowmas, when Sir Gawaine began to think\nof his ghastly tryst with the headless knight, and prepared him for\nhis journey. King Arthur held a feast in honour of his nephew, and\nthereafter Gawaine set out amid great lamentations, for there were few\nthat expected to see him again in life, since it was certain that if the\nGreen Knight smote off his head, he would not be able to rise and take\nit in his hand. But he rode forth showing no sign of fear; and after\na long and tedious journey through a wild and desolate country, during\nwhich he had many perilous adventures with serpents, wolves, bulls,\nbears, and wild men, he found himself, on Christmas morning, in a deep\nforest of ancient oaks. Looking around him, he saw at a little distance\nthe noblest castle he had ever beheld, with walls that rose to a great\nheight, and massive towers of gray stone. Riding up to the gate, he\nfound it shut fast, and the drawbridge raised. Lifting up his voice,\nGawaine summoned the castle, and there appeared at the gate a porter,\nwho asked his errand. The knight answered that he sought a lodging. Then\nanswered the porter that he should be welcome to dwell there as long as\nhe would.\n\nStraightway the drawbridge was let down, the gate flew open, and Gawaine\nentered. When he dismounted from his horse it was well stabled; while\nmany knights and squires came forward to receive the rider, conducted\nhim into the great hall of the castle, and relieved him of his helmet\nand armour. Then the lord of the castle came forward, courteously bade\nGawaine welcome, and embraced him. He was a man of vast stature and\ngreat strength, with a stem but noble countenance. He led Gawaine into a\nsplendid chamber, and assigned him a page to wait upon him.\n\nHaving donned the rich robes that were provided for him, the knight\nreturned to the hall, where he sat down with his host and the numerous\nguests to a noble banquet. In answer to the questions which were\ncourteously asked him, Sir Gawaine informed his entertainer that he was\na knight of King Arthur\u2019s court, whereat there was joy in the hall, and\nevery one in the company made much of him. After dinner all the party\nwent to the chapel to hear even-song. There Sir Gawaine sat by the\nlord-and his lady, who was young and sprightly, and surpassed even Queen\nGuenever in beauty. Gawaine, at the bidding of her lord, saluted her\nwith a kiss, whereat she blushed rosy red, and he begged permission to\nbe her knight and servant. When evensong had been said, all returned\nto the hall, where they were served with wine and spices, and there\nwas much pleasant converse. The lord took off his hood--the which was\nadorned with gold and precious stones--placed it on a spear, and said\nthat he who made the most mirth should have it for his guerdon. It was\nwon by Sir Gawaine, who told many stories that he had heard in King\nArthur\u2019s court; but he bestowed the hood upon the page that served him.\n\nAfter three days had been pleasantly passed in feasting and\nmerry-making, the guests began to depart, and Gawaine bethought him of\nthe quest he was sworn to follow. But the lord of the castle sought to\ndetain him, and asked him how it happened that he was away from Arthur\u2019s\ncourt at Christmas-tide. Gawaine answered that he had a tryst at the\nGreen Chapel on New-Year\u2019s mom. The lord said he would show him the\nplace, for it was only two miles distant from his castle; and to hear\nthis Gawaine was well pleased. Then the lord said he was going out to\nthe chase. He asked the knight to stay within and keep his lady company\nthe while. \u201cWhatever,\u201d he said, \u201cI win in the chase shall be thine, and\nwhatever thou mayst achieve while I am absent thou shalt give to me.\u201d\n To this mirthful bargain Gawaine cheerfully assented. The knight of the\ncastle went forth accordingly into the forest with huntsmen and hounds,\nand Gawaine in the meanwhile entertained the lady. Very soon she gave\nhim to understand that if he would he might have her love; but he, being\nmindful of his duty to his host, answered only that he would ever be her\nknight and faithful servant, nor could she gain more from him even when\nshe kissed him with her rosy lips. At night her lord returned, and gave\nto Gawaine a deer which he had slain in the chase; and thereupon Gawaine\ngave him in return the kiss which the lady had bestowed upon him. The\nlord smiled, and asked him if that were all he had gained; but to that\nGawaine made no answer.\n\nThe next day the lord again went forth with his men and hounds, and the\nlady once more sought Gawaine, to whom she again spoke tender words,\nand bestowed on him a second kiss, to no more purpose than the first. At\nnight the master of the castle brought back with him a wolf\u2019s skin for\nGawaine, who had only the kiss to give in exchange. On the third day the\nfair dame openly and eagerly professed her love for the knight; and\nso marvellous was her beauty, that only by dint of great efforts did\nGawaine remain true to his knightly vows. When the lady found that he\nwould in nowise respond to her blandishments save by such courtesies\nas it was proper for a knight to offer, she drew from her finger a rich\nring, and begged him to accept it as a keepsake; but he excused himself.\nThen she took off the green girdle she wore, and proffered that to him;\nbut it also he refused.\n\n\u201cAh, Sir Knight,\u201d quoth she, \u201csurely thou wouldst not refuse the girdle\ndidst thou but know its worth. Whoso weareth that girdle bound about his\nbody can by no means be wounded or slain.\u201d\n\nWhen Gawaine heard that, he remembered that on the next day he was\nsworn to receive a stroke from the Green Knight, and he thought that the\ngirdle would then be very welcome to him. So he assented to receive\nit from the lady. Then said she, \u201cI will not give it thee unless thou\npromise on thy knightly word to keep the gift secret from my lord.\u201d\n And Sir Gawaine had by this time become so eager for the girdle that he\npromised as she desired. Then she bestowed it upon him, and three kisses\nalso. In no long time after this his host came back with a great boar\nthat he had slain, the which he gave to Gawaine, who in return kissed\nhim thrice, but, according to his pledge, said nothing about the girdle.\n\nOn the following day Gawaine armed himself, having first wrapped the\nlady\u2019s girdle about his body, mounted his good horse, and set out for\nthe Green Chapel, having taken an affectionate leave of the lord and\nlady of the castle. The lord had appointed one of his men to guide him\nto the place, who led him through the oak-wood, and past huge mountains\nwith their tops all shrouded in mist, till they came to the mouth of a\nvalley all dark and desolate. Therein, said the squire, was the Green\nChapel; but he himself would go no farther, for it was the most perilous\nplace in the world. \u201cHe who dwells there,\u201d he said, \u201cis full stiff and\nstern, and bigger than any four knights in King Arthur\u2019s court. No man\nhath ever yet been to the Green Chapel whom he did not slay by a single\nblow of his hand. I counsel thee therefore, Sir Knight, to quit this\nperilous quest, and withdraw thee; and if thou dost, I swear to thee\nthat I will never reveal it.\u201d\n\n[Illustration: 148]\n\nBut Gawaine, bearing in mind his promise to the Green Knight, and\ncomforted also in heart by knowing the magic power of the girdle, would\nnot hearken to the squire, but bade him farewell, and rode on into the\nravine. Long time he rode by a wild and rugged path, amid beetling rocks\nand huge leafless trees, but saw nothing, till at last he came where\nthere was a great cave in the rock, and he was aware of a horrible\nsound, like to the sharpening of a steel blade on a grindstone, but far\nlouder. Nothing dismayed, the knight called out, \u201cWho dwelleth here,\nwith whom I may hold discourse?\u201d\n\nA rough voice answered, bidding him abide where he was; and presently\nforth from the cave strode the Green Knight, with his grim head again\non his shoulders, and carrying in his hand a new axe with a blade full\nbright and keen.\n\n\u201cGive thee good-morrow, Knight,\u201d quoth he to Gawaine. \u201cWell and truly\nhast thou kept thy time. Have now thy helm off, and take thy pay at\nonce.\u201d\n\n\u201cBy my faith,\u201d answered Gawaine, \u201cI do not begrudge thee thy will.\u201d\n\nThen he took off his helm and bared his neck, and calmly awaited the\nblow. The Green Knight raised the axe, and brought it down with so much\nmight that it hissed as it swept through the air; but he made it pass\njust by Gawaine, who shrank a little as it came by him. The Green Knight\nlaughed scornfully.\n\n\u201cBehold,\u201d he said, \u201cthou art a Knight of the Table Round, and yet\nshowest fear before thou hast felt harm. So did not I when thou didst\nstrike me, and therefore must I be the better man.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt is true,\u201d said Gawaine, \u201cthat I have shrunk once, but I will not\nagain. Therefore strike thou, and speedily.\u201d\n\nAgain the Green Knight brought down the axe close by his neck, but\nGawaine moved not at all nor changed countenance. So the third time the\nknight smote him full on the neck, and the axe just drew blood, but no\nmore. Then Gawaine drew his sword.\n\n\u201cHave a care,\u201d said he, \u201cthat thou strike not again, for my covenant\nwith thee was only to receive one blow.\u201d\n\nThen the other laughed loud, and when Gawaine looked at him, behold,\nhe was no longer the Green Knight, but his late host, the lord of the\ncastle.\n\n\u201cKnow thou,\u201d said he, \u201cthat I sent my lady to thee to try thee, and in\nthe main I found thee true; but thou sinnedst a little for love of thy\nlife when thou didst take the girdle and spoke nothing of it to me.\u201d\n\nThen was Gawaine sore abashed, and he denounced bitterly his own\ncowardice and covetousness, and took off the girdle and threw it to the\nlord of the castle.\n\n\u201cNay,\u201d said the other, \u201cnow that thou art repentant, I hold thee to be\nas clean as if thou hadst never sinned.\u201d\n\nAnd he gave him the girdle as a token of his adventure, and invited him\nto return again with him to the castle. This, however, Gawaine, who was\nstill exceedingly ashamed, would not do, but he desired to be remembered\nto the fair lady that had beguiled him. He thanked the lord for the\ngirdle, and said he would wear it in memory of his fault. Then he asked\nthe other for his name, and the knight said he was called Bemlak de\nHautdesert, and that he served Morgan le Fay. She it was who had caused\nhim to go in the guise of the Green Knight to Camelot, to test the\nrenown of the Round Table, hoping to grieve Arthur and Guenever. Then\nthe two parted, and Gawaine rode back to Camelot, where he was joyfully\nwelcomed, and told all his adventures even as they have been here set\ndown.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IX. SIR BEAUMAINS\u2019 QUEST\n\nSOON after this, it befell that King Arthur chose to keep the Feast of\nPentecost at a fair city and castle of his, named Kinkenadon, that was\non the sea-side near the Welsh border. And about noon on the Day of\nPentecost, as the king and all his knights were going to their meat,\nthere came into the hall two men richly attired, and between them,\nleaning on their shoulders, there walked a young man, tall and well\nmade, with very broad shoulders and a comely countenance, and the\nfairest and largest hands that ever man saw. Room was made for him to go\nup to the high dais where sat King Arthur and Queen Guenever, and when\nhe stood there he said,--\n\n\u201cGod bless thee, O King, and all thy fellowship, and in especial the\nfellowship of the Round Table. For this cause am I come hither--to pray\nthat thou wilt give me three gifts, the which shall not be unreasonable,\nbut such as may be worshipfully and honourably granted. And as for the\nfirst gift, I will ask it now, and the other two on this day twelve\nmonths.\u201d\n\n\u201cNow ask,\u201d said King Arthur, \u201cand you shall have your request.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen, sir,\u201d said the young man, \u201cthis is now my petition--that you will\ngive me meat and drink sufficient during these twelve months.\u201d\n\n\u201cAsk better, my fair son, I counsel thee,\u201d quoth the king, \u201cfor this is\nbut a simple request, and my heart giveth to thee greatly; for, if I be\nnot greatly mistaken, thou art come of men of worship, and wilt thyself\nprove a worshipful knight.\u201d\n\n\u201cSir,\u201d answered the other, \u201clet that be as it may; I have asked all that\nI will ask.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell,\u201d said Arthur, \u201cyou shall have meat and drink enough; that I never\nrefused to friend or foe. But what is thy name?\u201d\n\n\u201cThat I cannot tell you,\u201d he answered.\n\n\u201cI marvel greatly at thee,\u201d said the king, \u201cthat thou knowest not thy\nname; and yet thou art one of the goodliest young men that ever I saw.\u201d\n\nThen he called up Sir Kay the Seneschal, and charged him to give the\nyouth meat and drink of the best, and to treat him in all respects as\nthough he were a lord\u2019s son.\n\n\u201cThere is little need to go to such cost for him,\u201d said Kay, \u201cfor I dare\nundertake that he is a villein born, and will never be a good man. Had\nhe come of gentle blood, he would have asked for horse and harness; but\neven as he is, so hath he asked. Since he has no name, I will give him\none, and that is Beaumains, because he hath such fair hands. Into the\nkitchen I will bring him, and there he shall have good meat and broth\nevery day, so that by the twelvemonth\u2019s end he will be as fat as a pork\nhog.\u201d\n\nThen the two squires that had brought the young man departed, and left\nhim with Sir Kay, who scorned and mocked him. At this was Sir Gawaine\nwroth; and so was Sir Lancelot, who bade Sir Kay leave his mocking, for,\nsaid he, \u201cI dare lay my head he will prove a man of great worship.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat cannot be,\u201d said Sir Kay, \u201celse he would not have asked for bread\nand drink. Pain of my life, he hath been brought up in some abbey, where\nthey have fallen short of sustenance; so he has come for it hither.\u201d\n\nThen the king and all the court sat down to the banquet, and Beaumains\nwent to the bottom of the table among the squires and boys, and there\nhe ate sadly. Afterwards both Lancelot and Gawaine invited him to their\nchambers, and would have made much of him; but he refused them, and\nwould do nothing save as Sir Kay commanded. So he was put into the\nkitchen, and lay every night as the scullions did; and so he endured\nfor the whole year, and never displeased any, but was always gentle and\nmild. But whenever there was jousting, he would be there to see it if\nhe could; and when there were sports for the servants of the court, he\nalways took part, and none might cast the stone or the bar so far as he\nby full two yards. Then would Sir Kay say, \u201cHow like you my boy of the\nkitchen?\u201d\n\nThe next Feast of Pentecost the king held at Caerleon in great state;\nand when he and his knights went in to meat, there came a damsel and\nsaluted him, and prayed him for succour.\n\n\u201cFor whom?\u201d asked the king. \u201cWhat is the adventure?\u201d\n\n\u201cSir,\u201d said she, \u201cthere is a lady of great worship who is besieged by\na tyrant, so that she may not go out of her castle; and because it is\nreported that here in your court are the noblest knights of the world, I\nam come to pray you for succour.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat call you the lady?\u201d again asked the king. \u201cWhere dwelleth she, and\nwhat is his name that besieges her?\u201d\n\n\u201cSir King,\u201d answered the damsel, \u201cas for my lady\u2019s name, that I may not\ntell you at this time. But she hath high rank and great estate; and the\ntyrant that besiegeth her and destroyeth her lands is called the Red\nKnight of the Red Lands.\u201d\n\n\u201cI know him not,\u201d said King Arthur.\n\n\u201cSir,\u201d said Gawaine, \u201cI know him well. He is one of the most perilous\nknights in the world; it is said he has seven men\u2019s strength, and from\nhim I once escaped very narrowly with my life.\u201d\n\n\u201cFair damsel,\u201d said the king, \u201cthere be knights here that would\nundertake to rescue your lady, but because you will not tell her name,\nnor where she dwelleth, none of my knights shall go with you by my\nwill.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen must I seek further,\u201d quoth the damsel.\n\nBut while she was making ready to depart, Beaumains came before the king\nand said, \u201cSir King, God thank you, I have been these twelve months in\nyour kitchen, and have had my full sustenance; and now I will ask my two\ngifts that I spoke of before.\u201d\n\n\u201cAsk upon my peril,\u201d said the king.\n\n\u201cThen, sir, these shall be my two gifts: first, that you grant me the\nadventure of this damsel.\u201d\n\n\u201cThou shalt have it,\u201d said the king; \u201cI grant it thee.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd, secondly, that ye bid Sir Lancelot du Lake to make me knight; for\nof him and no other will I be made knight. And when I am gone, I pray\nyou let him ride after me, and make me knight when I require him.\u201d\n\n\u201cAll this shall be done,\u201d said Arthur.\n\n\u201cFie on you, Sir King!\u201d said the damsel wrathfully; \u201cshall I have none\nbut your kitchen-boy to undertake my adventure-?\u201d So she took her horse\nand departed. And just then there came a dwarf, who brought to Beaumains\na noble horse and armour, and all else that was fitting. When he was\narmed, there were few in that court who were so goodly as he to look\nupon. He took his leave of the king and Sir Gawaine, and prayed Sir\nLancelot to ride after him; and then he took his horse and rode after\nthe damsel.\n\nThen said Sir Kay, \u201cI will ride after my boy of the kitchen, to find out\nwhether he will know me for his better.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou would do better to abide at home,\u201d said Gawaine.\n\nBut Sir Kay took his horse and spear, and rode after Beaumains, and\npresently overtook him as he rode with the damsel. He called out, \u201cWhat,\nSir Beaumains, know you not me?\u201d\n\nThen Beaumains turned his horse, and saw that it was Sir Kay.\n\n\u201cYes,\u201d he said; \u201cI know you for an ungentle knight of the court, and\ntherefore beware of me.\u201d\n\nThereupon Sir Kay put his spear in rest, and ran upon him. But Beaumains\nturned aside the spear with his sword, and smote Sir Kay so hard on the\nside that he fell as though he had been dead. Then Beaumains alighted,\nand took Sir Kay\u2019s spear and shield; and then he got on his horse again,\nand continued his way, bidding his dwarf ride Sir Kay\u2019s horse. Then came\nSir Lancelot, and Beaumains proffered him to joust. They ran together so\nmightily that both were borne to the earth and much bruised. When they\nrose, Beaumains put his shield before him, and asked Sir Lancelot to\nfight with him on foot; and this they did for well-nigh an hour. Sir\nLancelot found Beaumains so strong that he marvelled, for he fought more\nlike a giant than a man. Then Lancelot began to dread lest he should be\nshamed; so he said,--\n\n\u201cBeaumains, fight not so sore; your quarrel and mine is not so great but\nwe may leave off.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat is true,\u201d said Beaumains; \u201cbut it doth me good to feel your might.\nAnd yet, my lord, I have not shown the uttermost.\u201d Then he asked Sir\nLancelot to give him the order of knighthood.\n\n\u201cYou must first tell me your name,\u201d said Lancelot, \u201cand of what kin you\nare born.\u201d\n\n\u201cSir, if you will not discover it, I will tell you,\u201d said Beaumains.\n\nThis Sir Lancelot promised; and then Beaumains disclosed that he was\nGareth of Orkney, the youngest son of King Lot and brother to Sir\nGawaine. Of this Lancelot was glad, and so made him a knight. Then\nBeaumains departed with the damsel, and Sir Lancelot came back to\nSir Kay, and had him borne back to Caerleon on a shield. He was long\ndisabled by his wound, and escaped narrowly with his life; and all\nmen scorned him, because he had been overthrown by him whom he had so\nmocked.\n\nBut when Beaumains overtook the damsel, she gave him nothing but hard\nwords.\n\n\u201cWhat do you here?\u201d she said. \u201cYou smell of the kitchen. Your clothes\nare defiled with the grease and tallow you got in King Arthur\u2019s\nscullery. Think you I hold you any the better for what you did to that\nknight? Not so, for you overthrew him unhappily and cowardly. Therefore,\nprithee, return, poor kitchen-knave. I know thee well, for Sir Kay named\nthee Beaumains. What art thou but a turner of spits and a washer of\ndishes!\u201d\n\n\u201cDamsel,\u201d he answered, \u201csay to me what you choose, I shall not quit you;\nfor King Arthur has given me your adventure, and I will fulfil it to the\nend, or else die in it.\u201d\n\n\u201cThou finish my adventure!\u201d she said \u201cTalk not of it; for thou wilt be\nmet presently by one of such sort that, for all the broth thou hast ever\nsupped, thou wouldst not look him in the face.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat shall be seen,\u201d said Beaumains. And as they rode through the wood,\nthere came one on horseback, fleeing in great fear.\n\n\u201cWhat is the matter?\u201d asked Beaumains.\n\n\u201cO Knight, help me!\u201d cried the other. \u201cHereby have six thieves taken my\nlord and bound him, and I fear they will slay him.\u201d\n\n\u201cTake me thither,\u201d said Beaumains, and presently they came to where the\nthieves were with the knight bound. Beaumains rode upon them, and with\nhis first three strokes he slew three of them, and the other three fled.\nHe followed, whereupon they turned on him, and assailed him hard with\nswords and clubs; but it was to no purpose, for he slew them all, and\nthen returned and unbound the knight, who thanked him greatly, and\nbegged him to come to his castle, where he would give him rich rewards.\n\u201cSir,\u201d said Beaumains, \u201cI will have no reward, and I must follow this\ndamsel.\u201d But when he came near her she bade him ride farther off,\nbecause he smelt of the kitchen. Then the knight that Beaumains had\nreleased rode after the damsel, and prayed her to lodge with him that\nnight, and because it was nearly dark she assented. But when at supper\nthe knight set Beaumains beside the damsel, she reproached him for\nplacing a common kitchen-knave at the same table with a lady of\nhigh parentage. Then the knight was ashamed of her words, and he and\nBeaumains sat down at another table.\n\nThe next morning the damsel and Beaumains thanked the knight, and rode\nforth again. Presently they came to a great river, where there was\nbut one ford, and on the farther side were two knights that kept the\npassage.\n\n\u201cWhat say est thou?\u201d said the damsel. \u2018\u201cWilt thou match yonder two\nknights, or shall we return again?\u201d\n\n\u201cNay,\u201d said Beaumains, \u201cI would not return again if there were six\nmore.\u201d So he rushed into the water, and encountered one of the knights\nin the middle of the ford. The spears of both broke in their hands; and\nthen they fought angrily with their swords, till at last Beaumains smote\nthe other so hard on the helm that he fell stunned into the water and\nwas drowned. Then he spurred his horse to the land, where the other\nknight fell upon him and broke his spear also, and then again they\nfought together with their swords, till Beaumains clove the knight\u2019s\nhead to his shoulders. When the damsel saw that, she crossed over the\nford.\n\n\u201cAlas,\u201d said she, \u201cthat ever a kitchen-boy should have the fortune to\ndestroy two such doughty knights! Think not thou hast done well; for the\nfirst knight\u2019s horse stumbled, and he was drowned in the water, and not\nconquered by thy might; and as for the other, it was by mishap that thou\nslewest him.\u201d\n\n\u201cDamsel,\u201d said he, \u201cyou may say what you will, but with whomsoever I\nhave to do, I trust in God to match him ere we part.\u201d\n\n\u201cFie! fie! foul kitchen-knave,\u201d she answered. \u201cEre long thou shalt see a\nknight that will abate thy boast.\u201d\n\nSo then they rode on together till even-song, and ever she chid him and\nscoffed at him, and would not cease. So they came to a land that was all\nblack, and there was a black hawthorn by the way-side, on the which hung\na black banner, and by its side a black shield. Near by stood a black\nspear and a great black horse with silk trappings, and close at hand sat\na knight, all armed in black harness, who was named the Knight of the\nBlack Lands. When the damsel saw him she bade Beaumains flee down the\nvalley, for the horse was not saddled.\n\n\u201cI thank you,\u201d said Beaumains; \u201cever you would make me a coward.\u201d\n\nThen the black knight came to the damsel and said, \u201cFair lady, have you\nbrought this knight from King Arthur\u2019s court to be your champion?\u201d\n\n\u201cNay, sir,\u201d she answered; \u201cthis is but a kitchen-knave that hath been\nfed in the king\u2019s kitchen for alms.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy comes he in such an array?\u201d asked the knight. \u201cIt is a great shame\nthat he bears you company.\u201d\n\n\u201cSir, I cannot be delivered of him,\u201d said the damsel, \u201cfor he rides with\nme against my will. I would that you put him from me, or else slay him;\nfor he is an unhappy knave, and hath done unhappily to-day through\npure misadventure, for he hath slain two knights at the passage of the\nwater.\u201d\n\n\u201cI wonder,\u201d said the black knight, \u201cthat any man of worship would have\nto do with him.\u201d\n\n\u201cSir, they know him not,\u201d she answered; \u201cand because he rides with me,\nthey think he is some knight of good blood.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat may well be,\u201d said the black knight, \u201cespecially as he seems a\nfull likely person, and worthy to be a strong man. But this much will\nI do for you, that I shall put him down on his feet, and his horse and\narmour shall he leave with me, for it were shame for me to do him any\nmore harm.\u201d\n\n\u201cSir Knight,\u201d quoth Beaumains, \u201cthou art full large of my horse and my\narmour. I let thee to wit it cost thee naught; and whether thou like it\nor not, this land will I pass in spite of thee. Neither horse nor armour\nwilt thou get of me, except thou win it with thy hands.\u201d\n\n\u201cSay you so?\u201d said the black knight, smiling. \u201cNow, yield thy lady to me\nwithout more words, for it beseems not a kitchen-knave to ride with such\na lady.\u201d\n\n\u201cThou liest,\u201d answered Beaumains. \u201cI am a gentleman born, and of higher\nlineage than thou, and that will I prove upon thy body.\u201d\n\nThen in great wrath they drew apart with their horses, and ran together\nwith a crash like thunder. The black knight broke his spear to no\npurpose, but Beaumains\u2019 spear thrust through the other\u2019s side, and\nbroke in his body. Nevertheless, he drew his sword, and smote hard at\nBeaumains, hurting him sorely, and Sir Beaumains struck again at him;\nbut in no long time the black knight fell down in a swoon on the ground,\nand immediately afterwards he died there. When Beaumains saw that his\nhorse and armour were so good, he alighted and armed himself in the\nblack knight\u2019s armour, and took his horse, and then rode after the\ndamsel. But ever she gave him many reproaches, and said that he had\nslain the black knight through mischance; and she warned him that there\nwas a knight near by who would give him full payment, therefore had he\nbetter flee. But Beaumains answered that he would not leave her for all\nthat she might say.\n\nThen as they rode together they saw a knight riding by that was all\narmed and dressed in green, and his horse had green trappings. When\nhe came nigh the damsel he said to her, \u201cIs that my brother the black\nknight that you have with you?\u201d\n\n\u201cNay,\u201d she answered; \u201cthis is an unhappy kitchen-knave that hath slain\nyour brother through mischance.\u201d\n\n\u201cAlas!\u201d said the green knight, \u201cit is a great pity that so noble a\nknight should be slain by a knave\u2019s hand.--Ah, traitor!\u201d said he to\nBeaumains, \u201cthou shalt die for slaying my brother.\u201d\n\n\u201cI defy thee,\u201d answered Beaumains; \u201cfor I let thee to wit that I slew\nhim knightly, and not shamefully.\u201d\n\nThen they came together furiously, and the spears of both broke in their\nhands. So they drew their swords, and fought a full hard battle, and the\ngreen knight dealt Beaumains many sore strokes; but at the last, for all\nhe could do, Beaumains got the better of him. So then the green knight\nyielded to Beaumains, and prayed him to grant him his life.\n\n\u201cAll this is in vain,\u201d said Beaumains, \u201cfor thou shalt die, except my\ndamsel pray me to spare thy life and therewith he began to unlace his\nhelm, as though he would have slain him.\n\n\u201cFie upon thee, kitchen-page!\u201d said the damsel; \u201cI will never pray thee\nto spare his life, for I will never be so much in thy debt.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen shall he die,\u201d quoth Beaumains.\n\n\u201cAlas!\u201d said the green knight, \u201csuffer me not to die when a fair word\nwould save my life.--O fair Knight,\u201d he said to Beaumains, \u201cdo thou\nspare me, and I will forgive thee the death of my brother, and ever\nwill be thy man, and thirty knights that hold of me shall be at thy\ncommandment.\u201d\n\n\u201cThou art mad,\u201d said the damsel, \u201cto talk of a dirty kitchen-knave\nhaving thirty knights\u2019 service.\u201d\n\n\u201cSir Knight,\u201d answered Beaumains, \u201cnothing shall avail you, unless my\ndamsel speak with me for thy life so he raised his sword as if to slay\nhim.\n\n\u201cLet be,\u201d said the damsel, \u201cthou base scullion; slay not that knight, or\nelse thou wilt repent it.\u201d\n\n\u201cDamsel,\u201d said Beaumains, \u201cyour charge is to me a pleasure, and at your\ncommandment I will spare his life.\u201d\n\nThen the green knight knelt down and did homage to Beaumains, and after\nthat he conducted them both to his castle, for by this time it was dark\nnight. But even as before, the damsel would not suffer Beaumains to\nsit at the same table with her, so the green knight sat with him at a\nside-table. \u201cI marvel,\u201d said he to the damsel, \u201cthat you rebuke this\nnoble knight as you do, for I know no knight able to match him.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt is a shame,\u201d she answered, \u201cthat you should say such worship of\nhim.\u201d\n\n\u201cTruly,\u201d quoth the green knight, \u201cit would be shameful of me to say any\ndisworship of him, for he has proved himself a better knight than I am.\u201d\n\nOn the morrow they rose early, and after they had broken their fast,\nthe green knight, with the thirty knights that served him, escorted them\nthrough a perilous forest; and at parting he said that he and his thirty\nknights would ever be at Sir Beau-mains\u2019 command. So the knight and\ndamsel pursued their way; and still she chid him as sorely as ever, and\nbade him flee, for they were coming to a place where he would otherwise\nbe put to shame. But of this Beaumains took no heed. And as they rode\nthey came to a great tower, with battlements, as white as snow, and over\nits gate there hung fifty shields of different colours. By the tower\nwas a fair meadow, on which were standing many pavilions, and thereabout\nwere knights and squires, for on the next day there was appointed to be\na tournament at that castle. The lord of it was called the red knight,\nbecause he went all in red Looking out of the window, he saw Sir\nBeaumains where he rode with his damsel and his dwarf. \u201cWith that\nknight,\u201d said he, \u201cwill I joust, for I see that he is a knight-errant.\u201d\n So he armed him hastily, and mounted his horse; and when he drew near\nSir Beaumains, and saw his black armour, he thought it was his brother\nthe black knight, and said, \u201cBrother, what do you in these marches?\u201d\n\n\u201cNay,\u201d said the damsel; \u201cthis is not your brother, but an unhappy\nkitchen-knave that hath overcome your brother, and taken his horse\nand armour; and I saw him also overcome your other brother, the green\nknight. Now you may be avenged upon him, for I cannot get quit of him.\u201d\n\nSo without more words the two knights took their distance, and came\ntogether with such force that both their horses fell to the earth. Then\nthey took to their swords, and fought sternly therewith for well-nigh\ntwo hours. The damsel, who stood by and watched them, at last cried out,\n\u201cAlas, thou noble red knight, think what worship hath followed thee, and\nlet not a kitchen-knave endure before thee as this one doth.\u201d Then the\nred knight was wroth, and redoubled his strokes, hurting Beaumains so\nsore that his blood ran down to the ground; but Beaumains answered him\nfull fiercely, and in a little while smote him to the earth. So the red\nknight cried for mercy, and said, \u201cNoble Knight, slay me not, and I will\nyield to thee with fifty knights that be at my command.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis will avail thee naught,\u201d said Beaumains, \u201cunless my damsel pray me\nto save thy life.\u201d And he made semblance to strike off his head.\n\n\u201cLet be, thou Beaumains,\u201d said the damsel; \u201cslay him not, for he is a\nnoble knight.\u201d\n\nThen Beaumains bade the knight stand up and thank the damsel for his\nlife. And the red knight entertained them that night at his castle,\nwhere they had merry cheer, except that the damsel still spoke many foul\nwords to Sir Beaumains. On the morrow, before they departed, the red\nknight came with his fifty knights to proffer their homage to Sir\nBeaumains, who thanked him courteously. And then he and the damsel rode\naway together; and when she chid him again he said, \u201cDamsel, you are\nuncourteous to rebuke me as you do. I have done you great service; and\nthough ever you threaten me that I shall be beaten by the knights we\nmeet, yet hitherto they have all had to lie in the mire. When you see\nme beaten, or yielding recreant, then may you bid me go from you\nshamefully; but till then, I tell you plainly, I will not depart from\nyou, for I should be worse than a fool were I to leave you while I win\nworship.\u201d\n\nThen was she somewhat abashed, but she said, \u201cWell, right soon shalt\nthou meet with a knight that will pay thee all thy wages, for he is the\nman of most worship in the world, except Lancelot.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe more worship he has,\u201d answered Beaumains, \u201cthe more worship will\nit be to me to have to do with him.\u201d\n\nIn a little while they came in sight of a fair city, and between them\nand the city was a great meadow that was newly mown, whereon were many\npavilions. The damsel told Beaumains that the lord of that city was a\ngoodly knight called Sir Persaunt of Ind, whose custom it was in fair\nweather to dwell in that meadow to joust and tourney, and that he had\never about him five hundred knights and gentlemen. The damsel would have\nhad Beaumains avoid Sir Persaunt, lest he should get some hurt; for\nthey were now near the castle where the Bed Knight of the Bed Lands laid\nsiege to her lady, and Sir Persaunt, she said, though a strong knight,\nwas as nothing to him. But Beaumains answered her fairly and softly that\nhe should think it shame not to prove Sir Persaunt, now they had come so\nnear him. Then said the damsel, \u201cI marvel what manner of man you be. You\nmust surely come of noble blood, for more foully or shamefully did lady\nnever rule or rebuke a knight than I have done to you, and yet you have\nborne all patiently.\u201d\n\n\u201cDamsel,\u201d said Beaumains, \u201ca knight is worth little that cannot endure\na woman\u2019s tongue; but, in truth, the more you said the more you angered\nme, and I wreaked my wrath on those with whom I had to do, so that all\nyour hard words only furthered me in my battles. As to my blood, though\nit is true I had meat in King Arthur\u2019s kitchen, yet if I had willed I\nmight have had meat elsewhere, and all I did there was but to prove my\nfriends.\u201d\n\n\u201cAlas! fair Beaumains,\u201d said she, \u201cforgive me all that I have missaid\nand misdone against you.\u201d\n\n\u201cWith all my heart,\u201d answered Beaumains.\n\nWhile thus they spoke together Sir Persaunt of Ind had seen them, and\nhe sent to know whether Beaumains came in war or in peace. \u201cSay unto\nthy lord,\u201d said Beaumains, \u201cthat I care not; it is as he himself may\nchoose.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen,\u201d said Sir Persaunt, when this answer came to him, \u201cwill I have\nado with him to the uttermost.\u201d So he armed himself, and rode toward\nBeaumains. Then they met together so hard that both their spears were\nbroken, and their horses fell dead to the earth. So they drew their\nswords, and fought for more than two hours, and both were sore wounded\nand their armour cut in many places; but at the last Sir Beaumains smote\nSir Persaunt on the helm so that he fell grovelling to the ground,\nand leaped upon him, and unlaced his helm to have slain him. Then Sir\nPersaunt yielded, and cried for mercy, and the damsel came and asked\nfor his life, which Beaumains readily granted. Then said Sir Persaunt,\n\u201cCertes, Sir Knight, you must be he that slew my brother Sir Periard the\nblack knight, and conquered my other brothers, Sir Pertolope the green\nknight and Sir Perimones the red knight. And now, sir, you shall have\nhomage and fealty of me, and a hundred knights to be always at your\ncommand.\u201d\n\nSo they went to Sir Persaunt\u2019s pavilion, where they supped merrily\ntogether, and afterwards retired to rest. When they had broken their\nfast the next day, Sir Persaunt asked whither they were going. \u201cSir,\u201d\n said the damsel, \u201cwe are going to the siege of my sister at the Castle\nDangerous.\u201d\n\n\u201cAh,\u201d said Sir Persaunt, \u201cthere is the Red Knight of the Red Lands,\nwho is the most perilous knight that I know, and a man that is without\nmercy, and it is said he hath seven men\u2019s strength. He doth great wrong\nto the lady, and that is a pity, for she is one of the fairest in the\nworld. If thou art her sister, is not thy name Lynette?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes,\u201d she said; \u201cand my sister\u2019s name is Dame Lyons.\u201d\n\nSo they had more talk together, and under promise that they would not\nreveal it, Sir Beaumains disclosed to them his real name and lineage.\n\nThen the damsel Lynette sent word to Dame Lyons of her coming, and\nhow she had brought with her a knight that had passed all the perilous\npassages; and when she heard how he had slain the two knights at the\nford, and the black knight, and had overthrown the green knight, the red\nknight, and the blue knight, which was Sir Persaunt, she was very glad,\nfor she said that he must be one of the best knights of the world.\nTherefore she sent rich food and wine to a hermitage that was near at\nhand, and by the dwarf she sent a courteous message to Sir Beaumains.\nThis the dwarf bore, and as he was again returning to the castle, he met\nwith the Red Knight of the Red Lands, who asked him whence he came, and\nwhere he had been.\n\n\u201cSir,\u201d said he, \u201cI have been with the lady\u2019s sister of this castle, and\nshe has been to King Arthur\u2019s court, and has brought a knight with her.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell,\u201d said the knight, \u201cthough she had brought Sir Lancelot or Sir\nGawaine, I would think myself good enough for them.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt may well be,\u201d said the dwarf; \u201cbut this knight has passed all the\nperilous places;\u201d and he told the red knight all that Beaumains had\ndone.\n\n\u201cThen,\u201d said the red knight, \u201che is one of those I have named.\u201d\n\n\u201cHe is none of those,\u201d answered the dwarf, \u201cbut he is a king\u2019s son.\n\n\u201cWhat is his name?\u201d\n\n\u201cThat will I not tell you,\u201d said the dwarf; \u201cbut Sir Kay in scorn called\nhim Beaumains.\u201d\n\n\u201cI care not for him,\u201d said the red knight. \u201cWhat knight soever he be,\nI shall soon deal with him; and if I win him, he shall have a shameful\ndeath, as many others have had.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat were a pity,\u201d said the dwarf, and so they parted.\n\nThat night Sir Beaumains and the damsel Lynette remained at the\nhermitage. The next morning they took their horses, and rode through a\nforest, and came to a plain, where they saw many pavilions and tents,\nand beyond them a great castle. As they came near the siege, Beaumains\nsaw that upon great trees to the right and to the left hung by the necks\nmore than forty knights, with their shields and swords fastened about\nthem. Then Sir Beaumains abated his countenance, and said, \u201cWhat is\nthis?\u201d\n\n\u201cFair sir,\u201d said Lynette, \u201cdo not be discouraged by this sight. All\nthese knights came hither to this siege to rescue my sister; and when\nthe Red Knight of the Red Lands had overcome them, he put them to this\nshameful death without mercy or pity, and in the same way will he serve\nyou, unless you prove yourself the better.\u201d\n\n\u201cJesu defend me,\u201d cried Beaumains, \u201cfrom such a villanous death! Rather\nthan I should fare thus, I would be slain in the battle.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou need not trust in him,\u201d said the damsel, \u201cfor he hath no courtesy,\nbut all that he overcomes are shamefully murdered. And that is a great\npity, for he is a full likely man, and of great prowess, and hath wide\nlands and possessions.\u201d\n\n\u201cHe may be a noble knight,\u201d said Beaumains, \u201cbut he useth shameful\ncustoms; and it is marvellous that none of the good knights of my lord\nKing Arthur have dealt with him before now.\u201d\n\nNow were they come to a tall sycamore tree, on which hung the greatest\nhorn they ever saw, made of elephant\u2019s bone; and Lynette told Beaumains\nthat if he would meet the Red Knight of the Red Lands he must blow that\nhorn. \u201cBut, sir, I pray you,\u201d she said, \u201cblow it not till noon; for it\nis now but prime, and it is said that his strength increases till at\nnoon he has seven men\u2019s strength.\u201d\n\n\u201cFie for shame, fair damsel,\u201d said Beaumains; \u201csay no more as to that.\nIf he were the best knight that ever was, I would meet him in his most\nmight;\u201d and with that he spurred his horse to the sycamore, and blew\nthe horn so eagerly that all the place rang with the noise. Then came\nknights from the tents and pavilions to look, and they that were in the\ncastle looked from the walls. As for the red knight, he armed himself\nhastily, and took a red spear in his hand, and rode out to a place where\nall that were in the castle and at the siege might see the battle.\n\n\u201cSir,\u201d said Lynette to Beaumains, \u201cnow be merry, for yonder comes your\ndeadly enemy, and there is my sister;\u201d and she showed him where Dame\nLyons was looking from a window in the castle.\n\n\u201cBy my head,\u201d said Beaumains, \u201cshe is the fairest lady that ever I\nlooked upon, and I ask nothing better than to do battle in her quarrel,\nfor she shall be my lady, and for her will I fight;\u201d and as he looked\nat her, Dame Lyons made him a courtesy. With that came the Red Knight of\nthe Red Lands, that called to Beaumains,--\n\n\u201cLeave thy looking, Sir Knight, and behold me; for I warn thee that is\nmy lady, and for her have I done many strong battles.\u201d\n\n\u201cIf thou hast,\u201d answered Beaumains, \u201cit seems to me it was but waste\nlabour, for she loveth thee not. If I were advised that she were not\nglad of my coming, I would not do battle for her; but wit thou well,\nKnight, that now I love her, and will rescue her, or else die in the\nquarrel.\u201d\n\n\u201cSay you so,\u201d said the red knight. \u201cMethinks you ought to beware, on\naccount of those knights that you see hanging on yonder great elms.\u201d\n\n\u201cFor shame,\u201d answered Beaumains, \u201cthat you should ever say or do such\nevil, in the which you shame yourself and the order of knighthood. Think\nyou that the sight of those hanged knights causes me to fear? Truly\nit is not so: that shameful sight causes me to have more courage and\nhardihood against you.\u201d\n\n\u201cIf thou be a well-ruled knight,\u201d said the other, \u201cmake thou ready, and\ntalk no longer.\u201d\n\nSo they dashed together with all the might they had, and smote each\nother in the middle of the shield, so that their spears broke, and both\nfell to the ground, where they lay for some time stunned; and all that\nwere watching said the strange knight must be a noble jouster, for never\nbefore had the Red Knight of the Red Lands been so matched. Then they\ndrew their swords, and rushed at each other like fierce lions, dealing\ngreat buffets, till they hewed large pieces from their shields and their\narmour. And so they fought, hour after hour, till it was past noon,\nand neither would stint, and then they rested awhile. When they went to\nbattle again, they fought more fiercely than ever, and dashed against\neach other so hard that often both fell to the ground. Thus they endured\ntill eventide, and none could tell which was the likelier to win the\nbattle. Their armour was so hewn that in many places were they naked,\nbut ever they defended those places. The red knight was a wily fighter,\nand his cunning taught Beaumains to be wise, but he bought his wisdom\nfull dearly. Then they agreed to rest again, and took off their helms\nto catch the cool air. When Beaumains\u2019 helm was off, he looked up at the\nwindow and saw Dame Lyons, and she gave him such a look that his heart\nwas light and joyful. So suddenly he started up, and bade the red knight\nmake ready. \u201cI am full willing,\u201d said the red knight. So they got their\nhelms on again, and the stern combat began once more. But the red knight\nsmote Beaumains on the arm, so that his sword fell out of his hand, and\ngave him thereafter such a buffet on the helm that he fell on the earth,\nand the red knight fell over him to hold him down. Then cried the damsel\nLynette, \u201cO Beaumains! where is thy courage? Alas! my sister beholds\nthee, and sobs and weeps so that it makes my heart heavy.\u201d\n\nWhen Beaumains heard that, he rose with great might, and leaped lightly\nto his sword, caught it in his hand, and rushed upon the red knight,\ndealing his blows so thick and fast as to smite the sword out of his\nhand. Then he hurled him to the ground, and unlaced his helm to slay\nhim.\n\nThen the red knight yielded, and cried for mercy; but Beaumains thought\nof the knights that had been so shamefully hanged, and answered, \u201cI may\nnot with worship spare thy life, because of the shameful deaths thou\nhast caused so many good knights to die.\u201d\n\n\u201cSir,\u201d said the red knight, \u201chold your hand, and you shall know why I\nput them to such a death.\u201d\n\n\u201cSay on,\u201d said Beaumains.\n\n\u201cSir, I once loved a lady, and she had a brother slain. She said it\nwas by Sir Lancelot du Lake or Sir Gawaine, and she made me swear, as I\nloved her, to labour daily in arms till I met one of them, and that all\nI overcame I should put to a villanous death.\u201d\n\nNow there came many earls and barons and noble knights, and fell on\ntheir knees before Sir Beaumains, and prayed him to give the red knight\nhis life.\n\n\u201cFair lords,\u201d said Beaumains, \u201cI am full loath to slay this knight, for\nthough he has done very shamefully, it was all at at lady\u2019s request, so\nhe is the less to be blamed. So I will release him upon this covenant,\nthat he shall go within the castle and yield there to my lady, and ask\nher forgiveness. He must also make her amends for all the trespasses he\nhas done upon her lands. And when that is done, he must go to the court\nof King Arthur, and crave pardon of Sir Lancelot du Lake and of Sir\nGawaine for the ill-will he has borne against them.\u201d\n\n\u201cSir,\u201d said the Red Knight of the Red Lands, \u201call this will I do as\nyou command.\u201d Then he and all his barons did homage and fealty to Sir\nBeaumains. After that the damsel Lynette, who was a right skilled leech,\ncame and searched the wounds of both. For ten days they sojourned in the\ntents, and when they were healed, the Red Knight of the Red Lands went\ninto the castle and made his peace with Dame Lyons, making amends to her\nfor all the wrong he had done her. After that he departed, and rode to\nthe court of King Arthur, where he craved pardon of Sir Lancelot and Sir\nGawaine, and told how he had been overcome, and of all Sir Beaumains\u2019\nbattles.\n\n\u201cBy my head,\u201d said King Arthur, \u201cI marvel much of what blood he hath\ncome, for he is a passing good knight.\u201d\n\n\u201cBe assured,\u201d said Lancelot, \u201cthat he is come of right noble blood; and\nas for his might, there are few knights now living that are so good as\nhe.\u201d\n\n\u201cFrom your manner of speech,\u201d quoth the king, \u201cyou know his name, and of\nwhat kin he is.\u201d\n\n\u201cI suppose I do,\u201d said Lancelot, \u201celse would I not have given him the\norder of knighthood; but he gave me at that time a charge that I should\nnot disclose it till he required me, or till otherwise it were openly\nmade known.\u201d\n\nIn the meanwhile Beaumains, being whole of his wounds, greatly desired\nto see his lady, Dame Lyons, so he armed himself, took his spear, and\nrode to the castle; but when he came to the gate, he found it shut. He\nmarvelled why they would not suffer him to enter; and as he looked up at\nthe castle, he saw there the lady herself, who said to him,--\n\n\u201cGo thy way, Sir Beaumains, for as yet thou shalt not wholly have my\nlove till thou be called one of the number of worthy knights. Therefore\ngo and labour worshipfully in arms these twelve months, and then shalt\nthou hear new tidings.\u201d\n\n\u201cAh, fair lady,\u201d said Beaumains, \u201cI have not deserved that you should\nshow me this strangeness. I thought to have had good cheer with you, and\nsure am I that I have bought your love with part of the best blood in my\nbody.\u201d\n\n\u201cFair knight,\u201d answered Dame Lyons, \u201cbe not displeased, nor over hasty,\nbut believe me that what I have ordered is for the best. A twelvemonth\nwill soon be over, and I promise you that I will not betray you, but\nunto my death I will love you and none other.\u201d\n\nSo Beaumains went away from the castle very sad at heart, for his love\nfor Dame Lyons was exceedingly great. He rode hither and thither without\nheeding where he went, and his dwarf followed him. That night he lodged\nat a poor man\u2019s house, but could get no rest for thinking of his lady;\nso the next day about noon he was very sleepy, and he lay down on the\ngrass with his head on his shield, bidding the dwarf watch his horse.\nNow no sooner had he gone from the castle than Dame Lyons, who loved him\nno less sorely than he her, began to repent her that she had sent him\naway, and the next morning she sent for her brother, Sir Gringamor, that\nwas a good knight, and entreated him to follow Beaumains and watch an\nopportunity to get his dwarf from him. And she asked him to carry the\ndwarf to his own castle, whither she would herself go, and then they\nmight, by questioning the dwarf, learn who Beaumains really was. Sir\nGringamor undertook to do all as she desired; so he followed Beaumains,\nand came where he was asleep, with the dwarf watching. Then suddenly he\ncame behind the dwarf, and carried him off in his arms to his castle;\nbut as they rode away, the dwarf cried out on his master. At this\nBeaumains awoke, and saw Gringamor, whose armour was all black, carrying\naway his dwarf. So he sprang up lightly, mounted his horse, and followed\nas hard as he could; but he knew not the way, and so lost sight of him\nthat he pursued. However, as he rode he met a countryman, and asked him\nwhether he had not seen a knight in black armour, bearing a dwarf in his\narms.\n\n\u201cSir,\u201d said the man, \u201chere passed by me a knight called Sir Gringamor,\nwith a dwarf that mourned and complained, and he went to his castle,\nwhich is near by. But I counsel you to follow him not unless you owe him\ngood-will, for he is a very perilous knight.\u201d\n\nThis counsel Beaumains regarded not, but rode toward the castle, whither\nGringamor had already come with the dwarf. There Dame Lyons and her\nsister questioned him so sharply that he told them his master was the\nson of King Lot and brother to Sir Gawaine, and that his name was Sir\nGareth of Orkney. At this Dame Lyons was greatly rejoiced. \u201cTruly,\nmadam,\u201d said Lynette, \u201che may well be a king\u2019s son, for he is the most\ncourteous and long-suffering man I ever met. I dare say there was never\ngentlewoman that reviled a man as I reviled him; and at all times he\ngave me goodly and meek answers again.\u201d\n\nAs they thus sat talking, there came Sir Gareth to the gate, with an\nangry countenance and his drawn sword in his hand, and cried aloud,\n\u201cThou traitor, Sir Gringamor, give me my dwarf, or, by the faith I owe\nto the order of knighthood, I shall do you all the harm I can.\u201d\n\nThen Sir Gringamor looked out at a window, and said, \u201cSir Gareth of\nOrkney, cease thy boasting words, for thou gettest not thy dwarf again.\u201d\n\n\u201cThou coward knight,\u201d returned Sir Gareth, \u201cbring him with thee and do\nbattle with me, and win him if you can.\u201d\n\n\u201cSo will I do if I choose,\u201d answered Gringamor; \u201cbut for all thy angry\nwords, thou wilt not get him.\u201d\n\n\u201cAh, brother,\u201d said Dame Lyons, \u201cI would he had his dwarf again, for I\ndo not wish that he should be wroth. Know you that I love him before all\nothers; and now I wish you would bring him here within that I may speak\nwith him, but do not let him know who I am.\u201d\n\nSo Gringamor went down to Sir Gareth, and said, \u201cSir, I cry you mercy,\nand all that I have misdone against you I will amend at your pleasure.\nTherefore, I beg you to alight and take such cheer as I can give you in\nthis castle.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut shall I have my dwarf again?\u201d said Sir Gareth.\n\n\u201cYea, sir,\u201d answered Gringamor; \u201cfor as soon as your dwarf told me who\nyou were, and what noble deeds you had done in these marches, I repented\nof what I had done.\u201d\n\nThen Sir Gareth alighted, and Gringamor led him into the castle. And\nin the hall Dame Lyons met him, arrayed like a princess, and gave him\na hearty welcome. When Sir Gareth beheld her he was greatly struck with\nher beauty, and said to himself, \u201cWould that the lady of the Castle\nDangerous were as fair as she.\u201d So ever his love grew hotter, and he\ncould not keep his eyes from her. This Sir Gringamor noted, and he took\nhis sister aside, and asked her whether she willed to marry Sir Gareth,\nfor his love for her was plain. And she answered that she loved him\nbetter than any other man in the world, and deemed no better than to\nhave him for a husband. This told Gringamor to Sir Gareth, who was right\nglad; and thereafter he went to Dame Lyons, and either made great joy\nof the other. Then she told him she was the lady for whom he had done\nbattle, and also how she had caused her brother to take away his dwarf\nthat she might certainly know who he was. And she brought to him the\ndamsel Lynette. At this Sir Gareth was more glad than before, and they\nwere agreed to be married as soon as might be.\n\nIn the meanwhile, the Feast of Pentecost came round, and King Arthur\nheld his court at Camelot. Then came the green knight with thirty\nknights, and they yielded to the king; and also the red knight with\nfifty knights; and Sir Persaunt the blue knight with a hundred knights.\nThey all told King Arthur how they had been overcome by Sir Beaumains,\nand had come to court at his bidding. There also came the Red Knight of\nthe Red Lands, that was named Sir Ironside, with five hundred knights.\nAnd all of them could never say enough in praise of the might and\ngentleness of Sir Beaumains. So the king and all his court went in to\ntheir meat, and presently there entered the Queen of Orkney with a great\nnumber of knights and ladies. She said to her brother King Arthur,\n\u201cWhat have you done with my young son Sir Gareth? He was here with you a\ntwelvemonth, and you made of him a kitchen-knave, which is a great shame\nto you all. Alas! what hath become of my dear son, who was my joy and\nbliss?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, dear mother,\u201d said Gawaine, \u201cI knew him not.\u201d\n\n\u201cNor I,\u201d said the king, \u201cwhich I sorely repent. But, God be thanked, he\nhas proved himself a worshipful knight as any now living of his years,\nand I shall not be glad till I find him.\u201d\n\nSo they devised means to find him, and the king sent a messenger to Dame\nLyons to summon her to court. She sent word back that she would come as\nsoon as might be; and Sir Gareth advised her not to reveal where he was,\nbut to give her advice that the best way to find him would be to appoint\na tournament, at which the knight who was proved the best should take\nher and her lands. Then Dame Lyons went to King Arthur, and was full\nroyally received. But always she would not tell where Sir Gareth was,\nbut said that she would hold a tournament at her castle, where her\nknights should be against King Arthur\u2019s, and then she was sure they\nshould hear of Sir Gareth.\n\nSo great preparations were made for the tournament, and Sir Gareth\nsummoned to Dame Lyons\u2019 castle Sir Ironside and Sir Persaunt, and\nthe green and red knights with their following. Also many other noble\nknights came to take part against King Arthur\u2019s. Among them were Sir\nEpinogris, son of the King of Northumberland, Sir Palomides the Saracen,\nand his brothers Sir Safre and Sir Legwarides that were christened, Sir\nBrian of the Isles, a noble knight, and Sir Grummore Grummorsum, a good\nknight of Scotland. There came also Sir Tristram de Lyons--who by this\ntime was reckoned the best knight of the world after Sir Lancelot, but\nwas not yet a Knight of the Round Table--and many more. But there came\nwith King Arthur to the tournament most of the Knights of the Round\nTable. There were Sir Gawaine and his brethren Sir Agravaine and Sir\nGaheris; Sir Tor, Sir Percivale de Galis and Sir Lamoracke de Galis,\nsons of King Pellinore, and all of them, especially the last, passing\ngood knights; Sir Lancelot, with all his kin; Sir Sagramour, Sir\nDinadan, King Anguisance of Ireland, King Carados of Scotland, King\nUrience of Gore, King Bagdemagus and his son Sir Meleagans; and Sir\nGalahaut the high prince, with other good knights whose names need not\nbe here given. And great provision was made in and about the castle for\nthe lodging of all the knights.\n\nNow Sir Gareth begged all the knights that were on his side that they\nshould not make him known; and his lady, Dame Lyons, gave him a magical\nring, that had the virtue of changing the colours of him who wore it\nevery time he chose, and also the knight who wore it could lose no\nblood. Of this ring Sir Gareth was very glad, because it would prevent\nhim from being known.\n\nWhen the tournament began on the first day, there came from the castle\nSir Epinogris, and Sir Sagramour met him on King Arthur\u2019s part, and\nboth broke their spears. Then Sir Palomides, a knight of the castle,\nencountered Sir Gawaine, and both were overthrown. Then the knights on\neither part rescued their fellows, and remounted them. And soon there\nwas a great concourse of knights. Sir Aglovale and Sir Tor, Knights of\nthe Round Table, smote down Sir Brian and Sir Grummore. Sir Tristram,\nSir Sadocke, and Sir Dinas, knights of the castle, encountered Sir\nBedivere, Sir Petipace, and Sir Ewaine. Sir Tristram overthrew Sir\nBedivere, but Sir Sadocke and Sir Dinas had the worse. Then came in\nSir Persaunt of Ind; but with him met Sir Lancelot, and smote him down,\nhorse and man. Sir Pertolope the green knight encountered Sir Lionel,\nand smote him out of his saddle; and Sir Perimones the red knight ran\nagainst Sir Ector de Maris in such wise that both were unhorsed. Then\ncame in Sir Ironside and Sir Gareth from the castle, and against them\nwere Sir Bors and Sir Bleoberis, cousins to Sir Lancelot. Sir Bors and\nSir Ironside struck each other so hard that both their spears broke and\ntheir horses fell to the earth; but Sir Gareth overturned Sir Bleoberis,\nand with the same spear he smote down Sir Galihodin, Sir Galihud, Sir\nDinadan, Sir Brewnor, and Sir Sagramour. When King Anguisance saw Sir\nGareth do this, he marvelled who it might be, for at every course Sir\nGareth changed his colours, and at one time he was in green, at another\nin red, and again in blue. Then King Anguisance encountered Sir Gareth,\nwho smote him down, horse and man; and in the same wise he served\nKing Carados, King Urience, King Bagdemagus and his son Sir Meleagans.\nThereafter came in Sir Galahaut the high prince, who cried,--\n\n\u201cKnight of the many colours, well hast thou jousted; now make thee\nready, that I may joust with thee.\u201d\n\nWhen Sir Gareth heard that, he took a new spear, and the two ran\ntogether. The prince broke his spear, but Sir Gareth smote him on the\nleft side so that he reeled in his saddle, and would have fallen had not\nhis men come round him and recovered him.\n\n\u201cSo God me help,\u201d said King Arthur, \u201cthat knight with the many colours\nis a good knight;\u201d and he prayed Sir Lancelot to joust with him. But Sir\nLancelot, who was ever courteous and noble, said that the knight had had\ntravail enough for that day, and ought to have the honour. \u201cThough it\nlay in my power to put him from it,\u201d he said, \u201cyet would I not do so.\u201d\n\nThen followed a great tournament with swords, wherein Sir Lancelot did\nmarvellously. Between Sir Lamoracke de Galis and Sir Ironside there was\na strong battle, and also between Sir Palomides and Sir Bleoberis. Sir\nGawaine encountered with Sir Tristram; but there he had the worse, for\nSir Tristram pulled him off his horse. Sir Lancelot encountered with two\nstrong knights of the castle at once, and fought right worshipfully with\nboth; but Sir Gareth came between and put them asunder, and would strike\nno blow against Sir Lancelot, wherefore Sir Lancelot suspected who he\nwas. Shortly after, Sir Gareth met his brother Sir Gawaine, and unhorsed\nhim; and so he did to five or six other knights, so that all who beheld\nsaid that he did better than any. Then Sir Tristram, who had seen how\nwell he had done, went to Sir Ironside and Sir Persaunt and asked them\nwho that knight was that went in so many different colours. So they\ntold him, and related the great deeds he had done when he rode with the\ndamsel Lynette.\n\n\u201cBy my head,\u201d said Sir Tristram, \u201che is a good knight and a big man of\narms; and if he be young, he will yet prove a full noble knight.\u201d\n\nSo Sir Tristram, Sir Ironside, Sir Persaunt, and Sir Perimones rode\ntogether to help Sir Gareth, who went on one side to repair his helm and\ndrink water. And he gave his dwarf his ring to hold while he drank, and\nthen forgot to get it again; of which the dwarf was glad, because he\ndesired that Sir Gareth should be known. So then Sir Gareth went always\nin yellow colours, and King Arthur sent a herald to espy who he was. The\nherald went close to him, and saw written round his helm, in letters of\ngold, \u201cThis is Sir Gareth of Orkney.\u201d So at King Arthur\u2019s command all\nthe heralds proclaimed aloud that the knight in yellow colours was Sir\nGareth of Orkney. When Sir Gareth saw that he was known, he was wroth,\nand redoubled his strokes, and he smote down his brother Sir Gawaine.\n\n\u201cO brother,\u201d said Gawaine, \u201cI thought not you would have stricken me.\u201d\n\nAt that Sir Gareth got out of the press, and came to his dwarf, and took\nhis ring, and changed his colours again. But Gawaine saw where he had\nridden, and followed him. Thereupon Gareth rode far into the wood, so\nthat Gawaine knew not whither he had gone. Then Gareth sent back her\nring to his lady, Dame Lyons, and let her know that he would come to her\nsoon; and he rode forth, and had many perilous adventures. After three\ndays, he met with an armed knight whom he did not know, and they\nfought fiercely together more than two hours, and hurt each other sore.\nPresently there came riding the damsel Lynette, and she called out, \u201cSir\nGawaine, Sir Gawaine! leave fighting with thy brother Sir Gareth.\u201d\n\nThen they knew each other, and rejoiced greatly. And Lynette rode to\nKing Arthur, who was within two miles, and brought him and all his court\nto the place. And the joy that King Arthur and Sir Lancelot had when\nthey saw Sir Gareth cannot be told.\n\n[Illustration: 186]\n\nIn no long time after this were Dame Lyons and Sir Gareth married at\nKinkenadon, and at the same time the damsel Lynette was married to his\nbrother Sir Gaheris. Great was the splendour of the marriage, and there\nwas much rejoicing. A three days\u2019 tournament was held; but Sir Gareth\nand Sir Gaheris did not joust, because they were newly married. On the\nfirst day, Sir Lamoracke de Galis overthrew thirty knights, and won the\nprize; and on that day were Sir Persaunt of Ind and his two brethren\nmade Knights of the Round Table. On the second day Sir Tristram\noverthrew forty knights, and won the prize; and then was Sir Ironside\nmade a Knight of the Round Table. On the third day Sir Lancelot du Lake\ncame in, and he overthrew fifty knights, so the prize was given to\nhim. But the feast was kept up for forty days, because King Arthur was\nwishful to do honour to his nephew Sir Gareth.\n\nAnd thus ends the story of the quest that was undertaken by. Sir Gareth,\nwho was always a good knight; for he was mighty in the field, and would\ndo nothing that was shameful, and was always courteous and gentle to\nladies.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER X. SIR TRISTRAM.\n\nIT is now time that something should be told of Sir Tristram de Lyons,\none of the best knights that ever were in Britain, and one who in his\ntime gained scarcely less worship than Sir Lancelot himself.\n\nSouth of Cornwall there was in King Arthur\u2019s days a rich and fair\ncountry called Lyonesse or Lyons, which is now all sunk under the sea.\nThe king of this country was named Meliodas, a good knight and a wise\nking. He was wedded to a fair and virtuous lady, the sister of King\nMarke of Cornwall. It befell that one time, while King Meliodas was\nabroad hunting, he was taken prisoner by an enchantress that had long\nloved him. When he did not return, the queen his wife, who loved him\nexceedingly, became very sick with sorrow; and at the last she died,\nafter giving birth to a son, who at her request was christened Tristram,\nbecause he was born in her time of sadness. A little while after, the\nking escaped from his prison; and when he found that his queen was dead\nwith grief, his heart was passing heavy. He named his son as the queen\nhad wished, and the boy grew apace, and seemed likely to be a comely\nman. When Tristram was seven years old, the king took for a second wife\na princess of Brittany; and when she had born him children, she began to\nhate Tristram, because that after his father\u2019s death he would be lord of\nthe country. So at last she plotted to poison him, and put a silver\ncup with a poisoned draught in the room where he and her children were\ntogether, so that when he was athirst he might drink of it. But\nit befell that her own son drank of the cup, and very soon died.\nNotwithstanding, the queen would not leave her wicked intent, but again\nshe put a cup with poison in Tristram\u2019s way. This time her husband the\nking took up the cup, and was going to drink, when suddenly she snatched\nit out of his hand. Then the king remembered how his child had died\nsuddenly after drinking, and he drew his sword and swore that if she did\nnot tell him what was in the cup he would slay her. She, being afraid,\nconfessed all her intent, and what she had done. The king loved Tristram\nexceedingly; so he declared that she should be punished. Therefore\nwas the queen brought to trial before the barons, and condemned to be\nburned. But when she had been led out to the stake, Tristram kneeled\ndown before his father, and besought him to grant him a boon; and when\nKing Meliodas promised him, he asked for the queen\u2019s life. To that the\nking was full loath to assent, but he could not go back from his word.\nThus Tristram saved his stepmother from the fire; and afterwards he\ncontrived to reconcile her to the king. But Meliodas would not then\nsuffer his son to remain at the court; so he appointed a gentleman named\nGovernale to be his tutor, who was very learned, and also a great master\nof the arts of hunting and hawking, and sent him with this gentleman\ninto France. So Tristram was abroad with Governale for seven years, and\nlearned all that he could teach him, and was also well skilled in all\nknightly sports and exercises of arms. When he was nineteen years of age\nhe returned home, and was joyfully welcomed by his father, and also by\nthe queen his stepmother, who had loved him as much as any mother could,\nafter he saved her from the fire.\n\nSoon after his return it befell that King Anguisance of Ireland sent\nover to Cornwall to demand from King Marke a tribute that had long been\npaid, but had not been asked for seven years. But King Marke refused\nto pay the tribute, and said that if King Anguisance would send over a\nknight to fight for his right, he would find another to defend the right\nof Cornwall. To this King Anguisance readily assented, because he had in\nhis court Sir Marhaus, who was his wife\u2019s brother, and was at that time\nreckoned one of the noblest of the Knights of the Round Table, while\nthe Cornish knights were of little might or worship. So Sir Marhaus\nundertook the adventure, and came over to Cornwall to do battle for his\nbrother-in-law. When King Marke and his barons heard of his coming, they\nwere greatly discouraged, for there was not one among them that would\nmeet Sir Marhaus; and well knew they that it would be of no purpose to\nseek for a knight at King Arthur\u2019s court, because Sir Marhaus belonged\nto the Round Table, and none of his fellows would fight against him.\n\nWhen the news came to King Meliodas\u2019 country that Sir Marhaus was come\nto Cornwall to fight for the tribute, and that King Marke could get\nno knight to meet him, Tristram was sore wroth and ashamed, and he got\nleave of his father to undertake the adventure. So he went to his uncle\nKing Marke, who knew him not, and said that if he would make him knight,\nhe would encounter Sir Marhaus. King Marke saw that he was strong and\nwell made, and a likely man, so he assented, and made him knight, and\nthen sent word to Sir Marhaus that he had found a champion.\n\n\u201cThat is well,\u201d said Marhaus; \u201cbut let King Marke know that I will fight\nwith no knight that is not of royal blood.\u201d\n\nThis King Marke told to Sir Tristram; who answered, \u201cSince he says so,\nlet him know that I am come of better blood than himself; for now shall\nyou know that I am the son of King Meliodas and of your own sister.\u201d\n\nWhen King Marke heard that, he made great joy of Sir Tristram, and sent\nword to Sir Marhaus who it was that would meet with him. It was agreed\nthat the battle should be on a small island near where Sir Marhaus\u2019\nships were lying; and thither went Tristram with his horse and armour,\nand all else that he needed. When Sir Marhaus saw him he said,--\n\n\u201cYoung knight Sir Tristram, what dost thou here? I am sorry of thy too\ngreat courage, for I have matched with some of the best knights of the\nworld. Therefore I counsel thee to return again to thy ship.\u201d\n\nBut Tristram answered him courteously that he could not do that, for he\nhad undertaken on his own request to fight in his uncle\u2019s quarrel to the\nuttermost. Moreover, as that was his first battle, he was glad that it\nwas to be with a well-proved knight, for he hoped to win worship.\n\n\u201cWell, fair knight,\u201d said Marhaus, \u201cif you seek to win worship on me,\nI will tell you that you will lose no worship if you can withstand but\nthree strokes from me.\u201d\n\nThen they set their spears in rest, and ran together so fiercely that\nboth went to the ground, horse and man; but Marhaus gave Tristram a sore\nwound in the side with his spear. Then they drew their swords and fought\nfull hard for more than half the day, giving each other many great\nwounds. But at the last Sir Tristram waxed fresher and better winded\nthan Sir Marhaus, and with a mighty stroke he smote Sir Marhaus so hard\non the helm that the sword edge went through and stuck in the brain-pan.\nThen Sir Marhaus fell on his knees, and Tristram pulled thrice at his\nsword ere he could withdraw it, and even then a piece was broken out of\nthe edge and remained in the wound. Suddenly Sir Marhaus rose, threw his\nsword and shield from him, and fled to his ships. But Tristram cried,--\n\n\u201cAh! Sir Knight of the Round Table, dost thou withdraw? Thou dost\nthyself and thy kin great shame. I am but a young knight, and never\nfought till now; but rather than withdraw, I would be hewn into a\nhundred pieces.\u201d\n\nTo that Sir Marhaus answered nothing, but went his way groaning; and as\nsoon as he was on board his ship, he caused her to set sail for Ireland.\nWhen he reached King Anguisance\u2019 court his wounds were searched, but the\npiece of Sir Tristram\u2019s sword could not be got out of his skull; so he\ndied. Then the queen, his sister, kept the piece of the sword always by\nher, for she meant to have vengeance for her brother\u2019s death, if ever\nshe might.\n\nThough Sir Tristram had won the battle, yet he was very badly hurt, and\nhe lay in bed for more than a month. Then all his wounds were healed\nsave that which Sir Marhaus had given him in the side with his spear;\nand this could not be made whole, because the point of the spear had\nbeen in some manner envenomed. King Marke sorrowed greatly, because he\nbegan to fear that his nephew would die, so he sent for all the skilled\nleeches and surgeons he could hear of; but none of them could do\nanything. Then at last a wise woman told the king that Sir Tristram\ncould not be healed save in the country whence came the poison that was\nin the wound. Thereupon King Marke fitted up a fair vessel, and sent\nTristram over to Ireland, with his tutor Govemale to attend him. By\nchance he came to land close by a castle where King Anguisance and his\nqueen were; and then Tristram, who was a very skilful harper, took his\nharp and sang and played in such fashion as never before had been heard\nin Ireland. This was told to the king, who sent for Tristram to his\ncourt, and asked him his name, and why he came there. Tristram said,--\n\n\u201cI am of the country of Lyonesse, and my name is Tramtrist. I have been\nsore wounded in a battle I fought for a lady\u2019s right, and am come hither\nto, be healed if I may.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell,\u201d said the king, \u201cyou shall have all the help I can give you.\u201d\n\nSo he gave Tramtrist in charge to his daughter, who was a very fair\nlady, and was called La Beale Isoude, and she was one of the most\nskilful leeches in the world. When she had searched his wound, she found\nthe poison at the bottom of it, and in a little while she had healed it.\nTristram soon began to cast great love to Isoude, and he taught her to\nharp, so that she grew also to love him. But at that time there was in\nIreland Sir Palomides, a Saracen knight, who was a man of great worship,\nand he was much cherished both by the king and the queen. Now Sir\nPalomides also loved Isoude, and gave her many great gifts; and between\nhim and Tristram there rose much jealousy and envy,--the more as Isoude\ntold Tristram that Palomides was willing to be christened for her sake.\n\nIt happened that King Anguisance gave a great tournament, to which\nknights came from all parts of Britain. La Beale Isoude came to Tristram\nand told him of it; and when he said that he was yet but feeble, and\nmight not joust, she asked him to do so for her sake, lest Sir Palomides\nshould win the prize. Then he assented, on the condition that she would\nnot let any one know of it. On the first day of the tournament, Sir\nPalomides came into the field with a black shield, and he won great\nworship; for he overthrew Sir Gawaine, Sir Gaheris, King Bagdemagus, Sir\nSagramore, Sir Dodinas le Savage, and many other good knights. Then came\nKing Anguisance to Tristram and said,--\n\n\u201cSir Tramtrist, why will you not joust?\u201d\n\n\u201cSir,\u201d said he, \u201cI was but late hurt, and dare not adventure.\u201d While\nthey spoke together, there came a squire named Hebes that had known\nSir Tristram in Cornwall, and made a low reverence to him. Sir Tristram\nbegged him not to discover his name, and that Hebes promised. But\nIsoude had seen him bow to Tristram, and therefore she thought he\nmust be some great knight, and was much comforted. On the morrow Sir\nPalomides again went into the field, and did as well as he had done\nbefore.\n\nThen Isoude armed Tristram in white armour with a white shield, and let\nhim into the field by a private postern. Anon Sir Palomides saw him, and\nrode at him with a great spear; but there Sir Tristram smote him to the\nground, horse and man. So there arose a great cry all over the field\nthat Sir Palomides had had a fall; and then was Isoude exceedingly glad.\nAfter that none of the other knights would meddle with Sir Tristram. But\nPalomides was sore wrathful and ashamed, and withdrew out of the field.\nThat Sir Tristram saw, and he rode after him and bade him turn, for they\nwould be better proved ere they parted. When Palomides heard that, he\nturned angrily, and they fought together with their swords; but very\nsoon Sir Tristram smote him so mighty a stroke on the helm that he fell\non the ground.\n\n\u201cNow yield thee,\u201d said Tristram, \u201cor else will I slay thee.\u201d\n\nSo Palomides yielded, and Tristram charged him, on pain of his life, to\nforsake La Beale Isoude; and also for twelve months and a day to bear no\narmour. This Sir Palomides was sworn to perform.\n\n\u201cAlas!\u201d said he, \u201cnow am I utterly shamed;\u201d and in his great despite and\nanger he took off his armour and flung it away.\n\nSir Tristram returned to the castle by the same secret postern by which\nhe had left it, and found there La Beale Isoude, who gave him a full\ntender greeting. But in a while it became known that Sir Tramtrist, as\nhe was called, was the knight that had overthrown Sir Palomides; so then\nhe was still more honoured than before.\n\nBut, unhappily, one day it befell that the queen happened to take up Sir\nTristram\u2019s sword, and she drew it from the scabbard; and there, within a\nfoot and a half of the point, was a great piece broken out of the edge.\nAs soon as the queen saw that, she remembered the piece of a sword that\nwas taken out of the head of her brother Sir Marhaus.\n\n\u201cBy Heaven!\u201d said she to Isoude, \u201cthis is the same traitorous knight\nthat slew my brother, thine uncle.\u201d\n\nThen the queen hastened to her own chamber, and took out of a coffer the\npiece of the sword, which she had kept by her ever since Sir Marhaus\u2019\ndeath; and when she put it to Sir Tristram\u2019s sword, she found it fitted\nexactly. So she went to King Anguisance, her husband, and made her\ncomplaint. King Anguisance was much grieved, for he liked Tristram\nwell; but he went to seek him, and found him all armed and on horseback,\nbecause Isoude had already told him what her mother had discovered.\n\n\u201cNay,\u201d said the king, \u201cif I chose to have thee slain, resistance would\nnot avail thee. But I will give thee leave to depart from this court in\nsafety, if thou wilt tell me who thou art, and if thou slew my brother\nSir Marhaus.\u201d\n\n\u201cSir,\u201d said Tristram, \u201cnow will I tell you all the truth. My father is\nKing Meliodas of Lyonesse, and my name is Tristram. It was I that did\nbattle with Sir Marhaus, for love of my uncle King Marke; and before I\nencountered with him had I never fought with any knight.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell,\u201d said the king, \u201cI cannot but say that you did as a good knight\nshould; but I cannot maintain you in this country, lest I should\ndisplease my wife and her kin.\u201d\n\nSo Tristram thanked him for all the goodness he and his daughter had\nshown, and promised him that if ever he needed a friend in England he\nwould serve him. Then he asked leave to say farewell to Isoude; and the\nking assented. Tristram went to Isoude, and told her who he was, and\nwhy he had come into Ireland They parted full tenderly, and Isoude swore\nthat for the next seven years she would not be married save with his\nconsent. Then Tristram went into the court, and took his leave of all\nthe knights and barons; and he offered, if he had done wrong to any, to\nmake amends, and said that if any had a quarrel with him, he was ready\nto make it good in open field. But though some of the knights were of\nSir Marhaus\u2019 blood, not one of them dared to meddle with him.\n\nSo Sir Tristram with his tutor Governale and the squire Hebes, whom he\nhad made knight, returned to England; and for a while he lived with his\nfather, King Meliodas, who was right glad to see him. Then he went again\nto the court of King Marke, and lived there a long time in much honour.\nBut at last it chanced that both the king and Tristram loved the same\nlady, who was the wife of a knight named Segwarides; and King Marke was\nfrom that time jealous of Sir Tristram, and grew to hate him. Now, one\nday there came to the court the good knight Sir Bleoberis de Ganis,\ncousin to Sir Lancelot du Lake, and asked King Marke for a boon. King\nMarke assented, and then Sir Bleoberis said,--\n\n\u201cI will have the fairest lady of your court, the one whom I may choose.\u201d\n\nThe king had given his promise, and so could not refuse; and then Sir\nBleoberis chose Sir Segwarides\u2019 wife, and led her away with him. When\nSir Segwarides saw that, he armed himself to rescue his wife, and rode\nafter Bleoberis. The ladies of the court knew that Tristram had loved\nthat lady, and rebuked him because he had suffered her to be taken away.\n\n\u201cNay,\u201d said Tristram, \u201cit was not my part to have to do in the matter,\nwhile her lord and husband was there. But if Sir Segwarides do not fare\nwell, it may happen that I will speak with that knight before he quit\nthe country.\u201d\n\nPresently came Sir Segwarides\u2019 squire, and reported that his lord had\nbeen overthrown and sore wounded by Sir Bleoberis. Then Sir Tristram\ntook his armour and his horse, and rode forth to rescue the lady. As\nhe went, he met his cousin, Sir Andret, who had been out to meet two\nknights of King Arthur\u2019s that were going through the country seeking\nadventures. Sir Tristram asked him what tidings.\n\n\u201cNever worse with me than now,\u201d said Andret; \u201cfor King Marke sent me to\nbring to him two of King Arthur\u2019s knights, and one of them overthrew and\nwounded me, and they set naught by my message.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell,\u201d said Sir Tristram, \u201cif I meet with them, I may happen to avenge\nyou.\u201d So he rode on after the two knights, who were Sir Sagramore le\nDesirous and Sir Dodinas le Savage. In a little while he overtook\nthem, and asked them whence they came, and what they were doing in that\ncountry. They looked scornfully on Sir Tristram, and Sir Sagramore said:\n\n\u201cFair knight, are you a knight of Cornwall?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy do you ask?\u201d said Tristram.\n\n\u201cBecause it is seldom seen,\u201d answered Sagramore, \u201cthat you Cornish men\nare valiant with arms. Within these two hours there met us a Cornish\nknight, and great words he spake, but anon with little might was he laid\non the earth; and I trow you shall have the same hansel that he had.\u201d\n\n\u201cFair knights,\u201d answered Sir Tristram, \u201cit may happen that I shall\nwithstand you better than he did; and whether you will or not I will\nhave to do with you for it was my cousin that you overthrew.\u201d When Sir\nDodinas heard that, he took his spear and cried, \u201cKnight, keep well\nthyself.\u201d So they rode together, and Sir Dodinas\u2019 spear broke, but Sir\nTristram smote him clean over his crupper, and well-nigh broke his neck.\nWhen Sir Sagramore saw his fellow have such a fall, he marvelled who the\nstrange knight might be, and he put his spear in rest, and rode at\nSir Tristram with all his might; but Sir Tristram bore him also to the\nearth, and in the fall he broke his thigh. Then said Tristram: \u201cFair\nknights, will you have any more? Are there no stronger knights in King\nArthur\u2019s court? It is a shame to speak disworship of Cornish knights,\nfor here has one knight of Cornwall matched you both.\u201d\n\nThis they had to confess; and then they asked him his name. When he told\nthem they were glad, and begged him to remain in their fellowship; but\nhe said he must follow Sir Bleoberis. So they bade him farewell, and in\na little while he overtook Sir Bleoberis riding in a fair valley, with\nSir Segwarides\u2019 wife riding behind his squire on a palfrey.\n\n\u201cAbide, Sir Knight,\u201d said Tristram; \u201cbring back that lady, or deliver\nher to me.\u201d\n\n\u201cI will not,\u201d answered Bleoberis, \u201cfor I dread no Cornish knight so\nsorely that I need to obey him.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy,\u201d said Tristram, \u201cmay not a Cornish knight do as well as another?\nWithin three miles of this place, there were two knights of King\nArthur\u2019s met me but now, and ere we parted they found one Cornish knight\ngood enough for them both.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat were their names?\u201d asked Sir Bleoberis; and when Sir Tristram told\nhim, he said, \u201cThey are two good knights, and if you have beaten them\nboth you must needs be a man of great worship. Still, for all that, ere\nyou get this lady you must beat me also.\u201d Then they met together like\nthunder, and either bore the other down to the earth. Thereafter they\ntook to their swords, and fought eagerly and mightily for near two\nhours. At last Sir Bleoberis asked Sir Tristram to hold his hand and\ntell him his name.\n\n\u201cI fear not to tell you my name,\u201d answered Tristram. \u201cI am Tristram, the\nson of King Meliodas of Lyonesse.\u201d\n\n\u201cTruly,\u201d said Bleoberis, \u201cI am right glad to meet with you. Are you not\nthe same knight that slew Sir Marhaus, and overthrew Sir Palomides at a\ntournament in Ireland?\u201d\n\n\u201cYea,\u201d quoth Tristram. \u201cAnd now tell me your name.\u201d\n\n\u201cWith a good will. I am Bleoberis de Ganis, cousin to Sir Lancelot, who\nis called one of the best knights of the world.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat is truth,\u201d said Sir Tristram, \u201cfor Sir Lancelot is peerless of\ncourtesy and of knighthood; and for his sake I would fight no more with\nyou.\u201d\n\nSir Bleoberis thanked him for his courtesy, and proposed that the lady\nshould choose with which of them she would go. Sir Tristram assented,\nfor he thought she would come to him. But the lady was angered because\nhe had not at the first undertaken to rescue her, and she reproached him\nsharply, and begged Sir Bleoberis to take her to her lord. Sir Tristram\nwas wondrous wroth, and answered that if her lord had been away he would\nhave been the first to ride after her. So Bleoberis took the lady to her\nhusband Segwarides, and she told him that Sir Tristram had rescued her,\nat which Sir Segwarides was well pleased.\n\nAfter this King Marke ever plotted to destroy Sir Tristram, and he\nbethought him to send him into Ireland to ask for La Beale Isoude to be\ngiven to King Marke for his queen, for he was unwedded. But King Marke\nhoped that Sir Tristram would fall into some peril and be destroyed\non the journey. However, Tristram undertook the adventure, for he knew\nnothing of his uncle\u2019s malice against him. Accordingly he set sail, but\na tempest drove him back on the coast of England, not far from Camelot;\nand there he set up a pavilion, and hung his shield over the entrance.\nAnon there came by two of King Arthur\u2019s knights, Sir Ector de Maris and\nSir Gringamor, and they touched the shield, and bade him come forth and\njoust. Sir Tristram made ready, and smote both of them down with one\nspear, bruising them sorely. Then they asked him whence he came. \u201cFair\nknights,\u201d said Tristram, \u201cI am of Cornwall.\u201d\n\n\u201cAlas!\u201d said Sir Ector, \u201cnow am I ashamed that any Cornish knight should\novercome me.\u201d And in his mortification he put off his armour, went on\nfoot, and would not ride.\n\nNow it chanced that at that time Sir Bleoberis de Ganis and his brother\nSir Blamor had accused King Anguisance of Ireland of treason before King\nArthur, and he was summoned to come to Camelot by a given day and make\nanswer, on forfeiture of all his lands. King Arthur was at that time\nwith Sir Lancelot, at his castle of Joyous Gard; but he had appointed\nKing Carados of Scotland and another king to be the judges. When the day\ncame, King Anguisance was there before the judges, and Sir Blamor\ncame forward and charged him with having murdered a cousin of his by\ntreasonable means. King Anguisance was much abashed, for he understood\nthat he must meet Sir Blamor in open field to disprove his charge, or\nfind a knight to meet him; because in those times all such accusations\nwere determined by the ordeal of battle. Now the king knew that Sir\nBlamor was a noble knight, and he did not know where to find one to meet\nhim. But the judges gave him three days wherein to make ready, and he\nwent to his lodgings greatly cast down.\n\nAll this heard Govemale, who was riding near Camelot, and he told\nTristram. \u201cBy my faith,\u201d said Sir Tristram, \u201cthat is the best news I\nhave heard this seven years; for now will the King of Ireland be in need\nof my help, and for his love will I undertake the battle.\u201d So he sought\nKing Anguisance, and told him that in gratitude for the kindness he had\nshown him in Ireland, and for La Beale Isoude\u2019s sake, he would take the\nbattle in hand for him on two conditions--namely, that King Anguisance\nwould swear the accusation was unjust, and would promise him after the\nbattle to give him what boon he might ask. To all this the king gladly\nassented, and sent word to the judges that he had found a champion. On\nthe day set the two knights met in the field, and when they withdrew to\nmake ready, Sir Bleoberis said to Sir Blamor: \u201cBrother, you will find\nthat knight the mightiest you ever had to do with. I know him right\nwell, for I have had to do with him. But do thou remember of what kin we\nare come, and that none of our kindred was ever shamed in battle, but\nwould rather suffer death than be shamed.\u201d\n\n\u201cBrother,\u201d answered Sir Blamor, \u201cyou need have no doubt of me. I know\nthat knight, Sir Tristram, is one of the best in the world; but though\nhe may overcome me, he shall not shame me, for rather than yield\nrecreant will I die.\u201d\n\nThen each took his horse to an opposite end of the lists, and they met\ntogether with great force in the midst; and there Sir Tristram smote\nSir Blamor from his horse. After that they did a great battle with their\nswords; but at the last Sir Tristram struck Sir Blamor so heavy a blow\non the helm that he fell down, and might not rise again. As soon as Sir\nBlamor could speak, he said: \u201cSir Tristram, I require thee, as thou art\na noble knight, and the best that ever I met, to slay me out of hand;\nfor yield will I never, and I would not live shamed to be lord of all\nthe world.\u201d\n\nSir Tristram knew not what to do, for he remembered of what blood Sir\nBlamor was come, and for Sir Lancelot\u2019s sake he was right loath to slay\nhim; but yet Sir Blamor would not yield, and so King Anguisance would\nnot be acquitted. With that Sir Tristram went to the judges, and\nbesought them to take the matter into their hands. \u201cFor,\u201d said he, \u201cit\nwere pity that that noble knight should be slain, and you hear that\nshamed he will not be; and I pray to God that he never be slain or\nshamed by me.\u201d And he asked King Anguisance, for whom he fought the\nbattle, to have mercy on Sir Blamor. To that King Anguisance assented\ngladly; and after further talk, Sir Bleoberis and Sir Tristram took up\nSir Blamor, and the two brethren were accorded with King Anguisance, and\nswore friendship with him for ever. And for that gentle battle all the\nblood of Sir Lancelot loved Sir Tristram ever after.\n\nThen King Anguisance sailed with Sir Tristram into Ireland; and when it\nwas known what Sir Tristram had done for the king, the queen and all the\nbarons received him with great joy, and especially La Beale Isoude. So\nthere Sir Tristram asked for the boon the king had promised him, and\nthat was that Isoude should be given for wife to his uncle King Marke;\nfor so he had sworn to him. King Anguisance assented, though he said\nhe had rather Tristram had asked her for himself. However, in a little\nwhile a ship was got ready, and Isoude went into it with Tristram; and\nshe took with her as waiting-woman an ancient lady named Bragwaine. To\nthis lady, just before they set sail, the queen, Isoudes mother, gave a\nflask containing a potion, and charged her to let Isoude and King Marke\ndrink of it on the day they were married. \u201cAnd then I undertake,\u201d said\nthe queen, \u201cthat they will love each other all their life long.\u201d But as\nthey sailed in the ship, it chanced that Tristram saw the flask standing\nin the cabin. \u201cMadam,\u201d said he to Isoude, \u201chere is choice wine which\nyour servant Bragwaine and my servant Govemale have put on one side for\nthemselves; but we will disappoint them.\u201d So they drank to each other\nmerrily, thinking no evil; but from that time they loved each other, and\ntheir love never changed in weal or woe.\n\nNow the ship put into a harbour by a castle that was named Pluere, and\nSir Tristram and Isoude went on shore to refresh themselves. But as soon\nas they came within the castle they were taken prisoners; for the custom\nof the castle was that whatever knight came there with a lady must fight\nwith the lord, who was named Sir Brewnor, and his lady must be shown\nagainst Sir Brewnors lady. If Sir Brewnor overcame the strange knight,\nthen was the other put to death; and if Sir Brewnor\u2019s lady were the\nfairer, then must the other lady lose her head. That custom had been\nkept up for many winters, and therefore was the castle called Pluere;\nthat is, the Castle of Tears.\n\nWhen Sir Tristram was told of the custom, he said it was a right foul\nand shameful one. \u201cBut,\u201d said he, \u201cone advantage have I, that my lady\nis the fairest I ever saw, and I do not fear that for lack of beauty\nshe will lose her head; and as for me, rather than lose my head, I will\nfight for it on a fair field.\u201d\n\nOn the morrow Sir Tristram got his horse and armour brought him, and was\nled with Isoude to an open place within the castle, where was a great\nassemblage to see what should take place. Then came Sir Brewnor with his\nlady all veiled, and said to Tristram: \u201cIf thy lady be fairer than mine,\nwith thy sword smite off her head; and if my lady be fairer than thine,\nI will do the like by thy lady. And if I win thee, then shalt thou lose\nthy head.\u201d\n\n\u201cSir,\u201d answered Tristram, \u201cthis is a foul and horrible custom that you\nuse. Rather than that my lady should lose her head, I would choose to\nlose mine own.\u201d\n\n\u201cNot so,\u201d said Brewnor; \u201cthe ladies shall first be shown and judged.\u201d\n\n\u201cI fear me that there are none here who will give rightful judgment,\u201d\n quoth Tristram. \u201cHowbeit, I doubt not that my lady is fairer than\nyours, and whoever may say the contrary, I will prove it upon his body.\u201d\n Thereupon Sir Tristram unveiled La Beale Isoude, and turned her round\nthrice, so that all might see her, the while he held his naked sword in\nhis other hand. Sir Brewnor did the like with his lady; but as soon as\nhe had beheld Isoude, he thought he had never seen a fairer lady, and\nall the people that were present gave judgment that she was the fairer.\n\n\u201cHow now?\u201d said Sir Tristram. \u201cBecause you and your lady have long used\nthis wicked custom, and have caused the destruction of many good knights\nand ladies, it were no great damage to destroy you both.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell,\u201d said Brewnor, \u201cit is true that thy lady is fairer than mine; and\nif thou slay mine, I doubt not I shall slay thee, and so win thy lady.\u201d\n\n\u201cThou shalt win her dearer than ever lady was won,\u201d answered Tristram;\n\u201cand because of thine evil custom give me thy lady.\u201d So he took the lady\nfrom him, and she bent her neck, and without more words he smote off her\nhead.\n\n\u201cWell, knight,\u201d said Brewnor, \u201cthou hast done me a despite.\u201d Then they\ntook their horses, and ran together; and Sir Tristram unhorsed Sir\nBrewnor, who thereupon drew his sword, and thrust Sir Tristram\u2019s horse\nthrough the shoulders, so that he fell dead to the earth. And Sir\nBrewnor strove to slay Tristram as the horse fell; but Tristram was too\nnimble for him, and got out his sword before the other could give him\nmore than one or two strokes. So they fought a long time, for this Sir\nBrewnor was a proved and wily knight; but at last he was getting the\nworse, when he rushed on Sir Tristram and took him in his arms with\nintent to throw him on the ground, for he trusted much in his strength.\nBut at that time Tristram was reckoned the strongest knight in the\nworld, for he was stronger than even Sir Lancelot, though Lancelot was\nthe better winded. He thrust Sir Brewnor on the earth, undid his helm,\nand struck off his head.\n\nMost of those that belonged to the castle came now and did homage to Sir\nTristram, and asked him to abide there a little while; and he assented.\nBut one of the knights of the castle rode to Sir Galahaut the high\nprince, Sir Brewnor\u2019s son, who was near by with the King of the Hundred\nKnights, and told him what had happened. So they came forthwith to the\ncastle with a great fellowship of knights. Sir Galahaut challenged Sir\nTristram to fight, and they had a long tussle, but in the end Tristram\ngot the better; and then all the knights fell fiercely upon him, so he\nyielded to Sir Galahaut, but told him that he had done unknightly to\nsuffer his men to meddle. The King of the Hundred Knights would have had\nSir Galahaut kill Sir Tristram because he had slain Sir Brewnor; but Sir\nGalahaut would not, and said he could not blame Sir Tristram, because of\nthe shameful custom that his father had used. And when the King of the\nHundred Knights heard what the custom was, he also said it was an evil\none. Then Sir Tristram told his name and the errand he was on to Sir\nGalahaut, who set him at liberty on a pledge that as soon as he might he\nwould go in fellowship with Sir Lancelot.\n\nAfter that, Tristram brought La Beale Isoude to Cornwall, where she and\nKing Marke were married with much ceremony; but ever she gave all her\nlove to Sir Tristram. Now it befell that some of Queen Isoude\u2019s ladies\nwere jealous of Dame Bragwaine, who had come with her from Ireland, and\nthey got some churls to set upon her while she was gathering herbs in\na forest, and bind her to a tree. There she was three days, and then by\nchance Sir Palomides found her, and saved her from death, and took\nher to a nunnery near by to be recovered. Queen Isoude greatly loved\nBragwaine, and much lamented her absence; and one day she was walking in\nthe forest and lamenting, when Sir Palomides overheard her. So he came\nto her, and said, \u201cMadam, if you will grant me a boon, I will undertake\nto bring you Dame Bragwaine safe and sound.\u201d\n\nTo hear this Isoude was so glad that, without thinking, she agreed\nto his offer; and straightway he went to the nunnery, and brought out\nBragwaine to her. Then he reminded her of her promise; and she said,\n\u201cSir Palomides, I know not what your desire is, but though I promised\nyou largely, I thought no ill, nor will I consent to any.\u201d Palomides\nsaid he would make his request before her husband King Marke. Then\nIsoude went back to the court, and Palomides soon followed. He laid his\ncase before the king, and told him what the queen had promised; and she\nhad to confess that she had promised to give him any boon he might ask.\n\n\u201cWell, madam,\u201d said the king, \u201cif you were hasty to make such a bargain,\nI must still see that you hold to your word.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen,\u201d said Palomides, \u201cI will have the queen, to lead and govern her\nas I will.\u201d\n\nAt this King Marke was dismayed; but he bethought him of Sir Tristram,\nand deemed that he would rescue her, so he answered hurriedly, \u201cTake her\nwith the adventures that may befall, for I suppose thou wilt not long\nkeep her.\u201d\n\n\u201cAs for that,\u201d said Palomides, \u201cI dare well abide the adventure.\u201d And\nhe took Queen Isoude by the hand, and led her away. Anon King Marke sent\nfor Sir Tristram; but he could not be found, for he was hunting in the\nforest. Then a knight of Sir Tristram\u2019s named Sir Lambegus proffered to\ngo and essay the rescue of the queen. He followed after Palomides, and\nchallenged him, and they fought a strong battle; but at the last Sir\nPalomides smote down Sir Lambegus, so that he lay as if dead. But while\nthey were fighting, the queen had run away into the forest. She came\nto a well, and was going to drown herself in it; but a knight named Sir\nAndret that had a castle thereby prevented her, and took her into his\ncastle. When he knew what had happened, he armed him, and went out to\nseek Sir Palomides, to avenge the queen. So he met Palomides, who fought\nwith him, wounded him well-nigh to death, and forced him to say where\nthe queen was. So Palomides rode to the castle; but Isoude saw him\ncoming, and caused all the gates to be shut fast. When Palomides found\nthat he could not gain entrance, he put his horse to pasture, and sat\ndown at the gate raging like a man that had lost his wits.\n\nIn the meanwhile, Sir Tristram had come home from hunting, and learned\nhow Sir Palomides had taken away the queen. \u201cAlas!\u201d he cried, \u201cthis\nday am I shamed, for well I know that Sir Lambegus hath not might to\nwithstand Sir Palomides.\u201d He armed as quickly as he might, and followed\nafter them. From Sir Andret, whom he found sore wounded, he learned all\nthat had happened, and that Isoude was safe within his castle. So he\nthanked that knight much, and rode on till he came to the castle, and\nthere he saw Palomides sleeping at the gate. So he sent Govemale to say\nthat his mortal enemy, Tristram, was there. When Govemale had delivered\nthat message, Sir Palomides arose without saying a word, took his horse\nand his spear, and ran at Sir Tristram, who smote him over his horse\u2019s\ntail. Then they took to their swords, and both fought eagerly, for it\nwas for the love of the same lady; and Isoude sat within, and watched\nthem fight. But ever Palomides got the worse, and Queen Isoude said to\nherself, \u201cWell, I know that by the end Sir Palomides will be but a dead\nknight, and because he is not yet christened I am loath that he should\ndie a Saracen.\u201d So she came out of the castle, and implored Sir Tristram\nto fight no more.\n\n\u201cMadam,\u201d he cried, \u201cwhat mean you? Will you have me shamed? You know\nwell I will be ruled by you.\u201d\n\n\u201cI wish not your dishonour,\u201d answered the queen; \u201cbut I ask that for my\nsake you spare this unhappy Saracen Sir Palomides.\u201d\n\n\u201cMadam,\u201d said Tristram, \u201cat your bidding I will leave fighting for this\ntime.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis,\u201d she said to Palomides, \u201cshall be your charge, that you quit this\ncountry while I am within it.\u201d\n\n\u201cI will obey your bidding,\u201d answered Palomides, \u201cbut sorely against my\nwill.\u201d\n\n\u201cTake then thy way to the court of King Arthur,\u201d said the queen, \u201cand\ncommend me to Queen Guenever, and tell her I send her word that there\nare in this land but four true lovers--Lancelot du Lake and Guenever and\nTristram and Isoude.\u201d\n\nSo Sir Palomides departed sadly, and Sir Tristram took home the queen,\nwho was joyfully received by King Marke. Then for a while Tristram was\nmuch honoured and cherished at court; but ere long the king grew very\nsuspicious of his love for Queen Isoude; and one day, as they were\ntalking in a window-place, he suddenly drew his sword, and ran at\nTristram to take his life, calling him a false traitor. Tristram caught\nthe sword from him, and smote him five or six times on the back with the\nflat of it, so that he fell on his face. Then he and his knights went\ninto the forest, and waged such warfare against King Marke\u2019s knights\nthat the king was glad to make friendship with him again. So for a time\nall went smoothly; and the king held a jousting in the forest, to the\nwhich came Sir Lamoracke de Galis, who was one of the best knights of\nthe world, and he did mightily, overthrowing thirty knights. Then King\nMarke asked Sir Tristram to joust with Sir Lamoracke. That he was loath\nto do, because, he said, both the knight and his horse were tired, and\nit would be shame to rob him of the worship he had gained. The king,\nhowever, required him to joust; so with no good will he rode forth. Sir\nLamoracke met him mightily, but his horse was so wearied that with\nthe force of their meeting it fell to the ground, Sir Lamoracke still\nkeeping his seat in the saddle. Then Lamoracke was wroth, and required\nSir Tristram to fight on foot; but Sir Tristram would not, and said he\nhad only jousted with him because he was so commanded. But his refusal\nonly made Sir Lamoracke the more angry, and he swore to be quits with\nSir Tristram.\n\nShortly afterward Sir Lamoracke met a knight of Morgan le Fay that was\ngoing to King Arthur\u2019s court with a magic drinkinghorn that Morgan had\ncontrived to shame Queen Guenever and Sir Lancelot; for it was of such\nkind that any wife who did not love her husband best could not drink\nfrom it without spilling. When Sir Lamoracke understood the virtue of\nthe horn, he made the knight bear it to King Marke\u2019s court to spite Sir\nTristram. The king made his queen Isoude and a hundred ladies of his\ncourt drink from it, and very few of them drank clean. Then was the king\nangered, and swore that the queen and the ladies who had failed should\nbe burned. But his barons plainly said they would not suffer it. Sir\nTristram was wroth at Sir Lamoracke because he had sent the horn. And he\nhad cause, for soon fresh quarrels arose between him and the king; and\nat the last he was driven from the country, and Queen Isoude shut in\na close prison. Sir Tristram went to Brittany, and fought in the wars\nthere, and had many adventures; but after a while he returned to Britain\nto seek Isoude. There he met Sir Lamoracke sitting by a well, and they\nhad a great battle together; but neither could prevail, so they swore\nfriendship together, and that neither of them should fight against the\nother. Then both of them chanced to meet Sir Palomides, who at that time\nhad taken up the quest of following a strange and dreadful beast that\nwas called the questing-beast. It had a head and neck like a serpent,\na body like a leopard, and legs and feet like a deer, and the noise it\nmade was like the cry or questing of thirty couples of hounds. It was\nwhile he was seeking this beast that Sir Palomides met Sir Lamoracke and\nSir Tristram; and there with one spear he smote them both down; which\nshows that sometimes the worse knight may put the better knight to\nreproach.\n\nAfter that, Sir Tristram and Sir Lamoracke parted; and as Sir Tristram\nrode he fell in with Sir Kay, who asked him of what country he was come.\nSir Tristram answered that he was a knight of Cornwall. \u201cIt may well\nbe,\u201d said Sir Kay, \u201cfor I never yet heard that any good knight came out\nof Cornwall.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat is evil said,\u201d quoth Tristram; \u201cbut if it please you to tell me\nyour name, I require it.\u201d\n\n\u201cSir, wit you well that I am Sir Kay the seneschal.\u201d\n\n\u201cIs that your name?\u201d said Tristram. \u201cYou are called the shamefullest\nknight of your tongue that is now living; howbeit it is said that you\nare a good knight.\u201d\n\nIn a while there joined fellowship with them Sir Tor, the half-brother\nof Sir Lamor\u00e2cke, and Sir Brandiles. These two and Sir Kay spoke much\nshame of Cornish knights; and Sir Tristram sat by and said nothing, but\nhe thought the more. In a while Sir Brandiles asked him to joust; and\nSir Tristram smote him down, and afterwards served Sir Tor in the same\nmanner. Then he rode on his way, and the three knights followed till\nthey overtook him. He proffered them to joust; but they said they had\nhad enough of that, and they required him to tell them his name. This he\ndid, and they were right glad, and said that he ought to be a Knight of\nthe Round Table, all the fellowship of which desired his company. Sir\nTristram said he was not worthy to be of that fellowship; but they all\nsaid he was the knight of most power alive, except Sir Lancelot. After\nmuch conversation they parted.\n\nNow King Arthur had at this time fallen into the crafts of an\nenchantress named the Lady Annowre, that had brought him into a place\ncalled the Forest Perilous with intent to have his love; and when she\ncould not get that, she sought to destroy him. But the Lady of the Lake,\ncalled Nimue, that was ever friendly, to King Arthur, came into the\nforest where Sir Tristram was, to seek him or Sir Lancelot, to rescue\nthe king; for she knew that unless she got the aid of one or other of\nthem he would be slain. As she rode she met Sir Tristram, and cried,\n\u201cOh, my lord Sir Tristram, well be we met, for within these two hours,\nunless you prevent it, will be done the foulest deed that ever was\nwrought in this land.\u201d\n\n\u201cFair damsel,\u201d said Tristram, \u201ccan I amend it?\u201d\n\n\u201cCome with me,\u201d quoth she, \u201cand make what haste you may; for you shall\nsee the man of most worship in the world sorely bestead. It is none\nother than King Arthur himself.\u201d\n\n\u201cGod forbid that he should be in such peril,\u201d said Sir Tristram. And\nthey rode together at a great pace till they came to a castle, and at\nits base there was a knight fighting on foot against two others. Even as\nSir Tristram came up, the two had smitten down the one knight, which\nwas King Arthur, and were unlacing his helm to slay him, while the\nenchantress Annowre had got the king\u2019s sword in her hand to have\nstricken off his head. Then Tristram cried out, \u201cTraitress! traitress!\nleave that!\u201d and he smote first one of the knights and then the other,\nso that they both fell dead. In the meanwhile the damsel of the Lake\ncried out to King Arthur, \u201cLet not that untrue lady escape.\u201d So King\nArthur overtook her, and, having got his sword again, he smote off her\nhead with it, and the damsel took it up, and hung it on her saddle-bow.\n\nThen Sir Tristram horsed King Arthur again and rode with him. The king\nthanked him most heartily, and begged for his name; but Sir Tristram\nwould not give it, saying only that he was a poor knight adventurer, and\nwould bear the king company till he came to some of his own knights. In\na little they met Sir Ector de Maris, and he, not knowing King Arthur\nor Sir Tristram, desired to joust with one of them. Sir Tristram rode to\nhim and smote him off his horse. When he had done that, he said to King\nArthur: \u201cMy lord, yonder is one of your own knights, so I will depart;\nbut I trust you will believe that I shall always be ready to do you\nservice.\u201d\n\n\u201cAlas! good knight,\u201d said King Arthur, \u201cwill you not tell me your name?\u201d\n\n\u201cNot at this time,\u201d answered Tristram, and so departed.\n\nSoon after this, Sir Tristram found means to meet again with Queen\nIsoude--who had returned to her husband\u2019s court--to the great joy of\nboth of them. But by mishap Sir Tristram was led mistakenly to believe\nthat Isoude had proved false to him, and he grieved so sorely that he\nwent out of his mind, and ran wild in a wood among herdmen, where he\nremained a long time. And there he soused Sir Dagonet, King Arthur\u2019s\nfool, in a well; and also slew a great giant named Ta\u00fcleas and rescued a\nknight whom Ta\u00fcleas had conquered. When King Marke heard of the wild\nman that did such deeds, he had him brought to his castle. There Sir\nTristram came to his wits again; and when King Marke knew who it was, he\nwould have had him put to death. But this the barons would not agree to,\nand so at last it was agreed that he should be banished from Cornwall\nfor ten years. As he went to the ship there came to him a knight of\nKing Arthur\u2019s named Sir Dinadan, who had travelled to Cornwall to seek\nfellowship with him, and this knight asked leave to go with him. Sir\nTristram assented, for Dinadan was a good knight, and ever full of\nmirth. Then he and Sir Dinadan went into the ship together, and Sir\nTristram sent back a message of defiance to King Marke, that he would\ncome again when he chose.\n\nAfter he and Sir Dinadan had landed in King Arthur\u2019s realm, there came\nto them a damsel that was seeking good knights to defend Sir Lancelot\nagainst the treason of Morgan le Fay, who had ordained thirty knights\nto lie in wait for him. The damsel knew of this plot, and sought for\nknights to hinder it. When she told Sir Tristram, he said,--\n\n\u201cFair damsel, bring me to the place where they are to meet Sir\nLancelot.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy!\u201d cried Dinadan, \u201cwhat will you do? It is not for us to fight with\nthirty knights. I am ready enough to deal with one or two, but to fight\nwith fifteen will I never undertake.\u201d\n\n\u201cFie for shame,\u201d said Tristram; \u201csurely you will do your part?\u201d\n\n\u201cNay,\u201d answered Sir Dinadan, \u201cI will meddle not. But if you will go,\nlend me your shield, for it bears Cornish arms, and yon knights of\nCornwall have such a name for cowardice that you are forborne, so I\nshall be left in peace.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo,\u201d said Tristram, \u201cI will not part with my shield, for her sake that\ngave it me. But if you will not go with me, I swear that I will slay\nyou; for I only ask of you to answer one knight, and if that be too\nmuch, then stand by and look on.\u201d\n\n\u201cSir,\u201d said Dinadan, \u201cI promise to do what I can to save myself, but I\nheartily wish I had never met with you.\u201d\n\nThen were they aware of the thirty knights that passed by to lie in wait\nfor Sir Lancelot. Sir Tristram cried out, \u201cLo! here is a knight against\nyou for the love of Sir Lancelot;\u201d and he slew two with his spear and\nten with his sword. Thereafter came in Sir Dinadan, and he did passing\nwell; and in the end, of the thirty knights there went but ten away, and\nthey fled. So Sir Tristram and Sir Dinadan rode on and sought lodging,\nand they came to a castle where it was the custom that any who wanted\nlodging must joust with two knights that dwelt there. Sir Tristram and\nSir Dinadan smote them both down, and then they went within and had\ngood cheer. But just as they were about to take their rest, came Sir\nPalomides and Sir Gaheris requiring to have the custom of the castle.\n\n\u201cWhat is this?\u201d said Sir Dinadan; \u201cI would have my rest.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat may not be,\u201d said Tristram. \u201cWe must needs defend the custom of\nthe castle now that we have got the better of the lord of the castle, so\nyou must even make you ready.\u201d\n\n\u201cIn an evil hour came I into your company,\u201d answered Dinadan, and with\nmuch grumbling he made him ready. When they encountered, Sir Tristram\nmet Sir Gaheris and gave him a fall, but Sir Palomides unhorsed Sir\nDinadan and bruised him much. Then they were for fighting on foot, and\nSir Tristram was ready enough, but Sir Dinadan would not. \u201cYou fare like\na madman,\u201d said he to Tristram; \u201cand I may curse the hour when I saw\nyou. There are not in the world two knights that crave after fighting as\ndo you and Sir Lancelot. Once I fell in his company, and he set me work\nthat kept me in bed for a quarter of a year.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen will I fight them both,\u201d said Tristram; but to this the others\nwould not agree, so he encountered Sir Palomides alone, and in a while\nhe drove Palomides backward, and then the two other knights parted them.\nAfter that, Sir Tristram desired that all four should lodge together;\nbut Dinadan would stay no more in that place, and took his horse and\nharness and departed. The others followed, and found him in a priory,\nwhere they had good cheer.\n\nIn the morning Sir Tristram rode forth; but Sir Dinadan was so bruised\nthat he could not ride, and he remained behind. There was a knight at\nthe priory named Sir Pellinore, and he desired to know Sir Tristram\u2019s\nname; but he would not tell it. When Sir Tristram had departed, this\nknight said he would follow him, to make him tell his name. \u201cBeware,\nSir Knight,\u201d said Dinadan; \u201cfor if you follow him, I warn you you will\nrepent it.\u201d The other took no heed, but went after Sir Tristram and\nrequired him to joust. Then Sir Tristram smote him down, and gave him a\ngreat wound in the shoulder. And so he went his way.\n\nAbout this time the King of Northgalis and King Carados of Scotland\nagreed to hold a tournament against each other at a great castle called\nthe Castle of Maidens, and Sir Tristram bethought him to go to that\ntournament. On the way he met with Sir Gawaine, and they had many\nadventures together. The tournament lasted three days, and on each day\nSir Tristram smote down so many knights that the prize was given to him.\nBut on the third day Sir Lancelot, by misadventure, hurt Sir Tristram\nbadly with a spear, and Sir Tristram left the field, because he would\nnot be known by King Arthur. When his wound was healed, he rode forth\nagain and encountered many knights; and at last he rescued Sir Palomides\nfrom a felon knight named Sir Breuse sans Pitie that had set upon him\nwith a great fellowship. When Sir Tristram found who it was he had\nrescued, he appointed a day to meet Sir Palomides in mortal combat,\nbecause there was ever enmity between them on account of the love that\nboth bore to Queen Isoude. A solemn compact was made that they should\nfight at the tomb of Sir Lanceor, the knight of Ireland that was slain\nlong before by Balin le Savage. On the day set, Sir Tristram came to\nthe tomb, and there was he aware of a seemly knight that came riding in\nwhite armour, with a covered shield. When he came near Sir Tristram he\ncried out, \u201cYou are welcome, Sir Knight, and well and truly have you\nkept your promise.\u201d So they rode together with all their might, and\nboth were overthrown. After that they fought on foot for more than four\nhours, and each dealt the other many sore strokes. At the last, the\nstrange knight said, \u201cSir Knight, you fight wondrous well, as ever I saw\nknight; therefore I require you, if it please you, tell me your name.\u201d\n\nTristram, who knew by this time that the stranger could not be\nPalomides--for he was too mighty--answered, \u201cI am loath to tell thee my\nname.\u201d\n\n\u201cTruly,\u201d answered the other, \u201cwhen I am required I am never loath to\ntell any man my name.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen,\u201d quoth Tristram, \u201cI require thee to tell me thy name.\u201d\n\n\u201cSir,\u201d said he, \u201cmy name is Lancelot du Lake.\u201d\n\n\u201cAlas!\u201d cried Sir Tristram, \u201cwhat have I done? You are the man in all\nthe world that I most love.\u201d\n\n\u201cFair knight,\u201d said Sir Lancelot, \u201ctell me now thy name.\u201d\n\n\u201cTruly, I am Sir Tristram de Lyons.\u201d\n\n\u201cAlas!\u201d said Lancelot, \u201cwhat an adventure hath befallen me.\u201d So they\nboth sat on the stone, took off their helms, and kissed each other, and\nthey had great joy at their meeting. And so was the prediction of Merlin\nfulfilled, that at that tomb the two best knights of the world should do\nbattle.\n\nSir Lancelot conducted Sir Tristram to Gamelot, where King Arthur, who\nhad long desired him, and all the Knights of the Round Table, received\nhim with the greatest honour. And forthwith he was made Knight of the\nRound Table, and the seat that was given him was that of Sir Marhaus,\nwhom he himself had slain. So he abode a while at King Arthur\u2019s court,\nand then again he went into Cornwall for the love of Queen Isoude, and\nafter many hardships and perils he brought her with him to England.\nThere they fell in with Sir Lancelot, who took them to his castle of\nJoyous Gard, and put it in their governance as if it had been their own.\nSo they lived at Joyous Gard very happily together; and there for the\npresent we will leave them.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XI. GERAINT AND ENID.\n\nONE Whitsuntide King Arthur held his court at Caerleon upon Usk, and\nhe had with him Queen Guenever and most of his knights. While he was\nholding high feast in his hall, there came to him one of his foresters\nfrom the Forest of Dean, and reported to him that he had seen there a\nwhite stag of wondrous size and beauty. King Arthur resolved to hunt\nthat stag on the following day; and Queen Guenever craved leave to ride\nwith him and see the chase, which Arthur granted her with a good will.\nBut on the morrow the king and his huntsmen rose full early, and the\nqueen overslept herself, so when she awoke they were all gone. She\ntook her horse as soon as she might, and rode forth with her maidens to\nfollow the hunt. Presently there met her a good knight of the court, Sir\nGeraint, the son of Erbin, who was lord of the country of Devon. While\nthey held converse together, they saw a dwarf riding along on a great\nhorse, and behind him a knight and a lady riding together. The knight\nwas fully armed, and seemed to be a man of much prowess.\n\n\u201cSir Geraint,\u201d said the queen, \u201cknowest thou the name of that knight?\u201d\n\n\u201cI know him not,\u201d answered Geraint; \u201cand because of his helm I cannot\nsee his face.\u201d\n\nThen the queen bade one of her maidens go and ask the dwarf who the\nknight was. She obeyed; but when she asked the dwarf he would not tell\nher. \u201cSince,\u201d she said, \u201cthou art so churlish, I will go and ask him\nmyself.\u201d\n\n\u201cThou shalt not ask him, by my faith,\u201d said he.\n\n\u201cWherefore?\u201d asked the maiden.\n\n\u201cBecause thou art not of honour sufficient to befit thee to speak to my\nlord.\u201d\n\nThen the maiden turned her horse\u2019s head towards the knight, upon which\nthe dwarf struck her across the face with a whip that he carried in\nhis hand, so that the blood flowed forth, and the maiden returned to\nGuenever complaining of the hurt she had received.\n\n\u201cVery rudely has the dwarf treated thee,\u201d said Geraint. \u201cI will myself\ngo to ask who the knight is.\u201d So he went to the dwarf, who, however,\nsaid and did to him as he had done to the damsel Very wroth was Geraint,\nand he put his hand to his sword; but he considered that it would be no\nvengeance to him to slay the dwarf and be attacked unarmed by the armed\nknight, so he returned to the queen, who said he had acted wisely and\ndiscreetly.\n\n\u201cMadam,\u201d said Geraint, \u201cI will follow them yet; and in time they\nwill come to some inhabited place where I may get arms, so that I can\nencounter the knight.\u201d\n\nTo this the queen assented, but cautioned him not to attack the knight\nuntil he got arms; and she said she should be anxious concerning him\ntill she got good news of him.\n\n\u201cIf I am alive,\u201d quoth Geraint, \u201cby to-morrow afternoon, madam, you\nshall hear tidings of me;\u201d and so he departed, and followed the knight,\nthe lady, and the dwarf. They rode past Caerleon, and over the ford of\nthe Usk, and then went up a lofty ridge of ground till they came to the\ntop of it. There stood a fair town, and on the other side of it a great\ncastle. As the knight passed through the town all the people in it\nsaluted him and the lady. The three rode on and went into the castle,\nwhere Geraint saw many people welcome them. He himself looked into every\nhouse in the town, to see if there were any that he knew, from whom he\nmight borrow a suit of armour; but he had never seen any of the people\nbefore. Every house he saw was full of men and arms and horses; and\nthe people were polishing shields, and burnishing swords, and washing\narmour, and shoeing horses.\n\nGeraint looked about him, to see where he should lodge, and he perceived\nat a little distance from the town an old palace that once had been full\nnobble, but now was falling into decay. He went toward it, and found\nthat it was approached by a bridge of marble. On the bridge he saw\nsitting an old man, clad in poor and tattered garments. Upon him Geraint\ngazed steadfastly for a long time.\n\n\u201cYoung man,\u201d said he, \u201cwherefore art thou thoughtful?\u201d\n\n\u201cI am thoughtful,\u201d answered Geraint, \u201cbecause I know not where to go\nto-night.\u201d\n\n\u201cWilt thou abide with me?\u201d said the old man, \u201cand thou shalt have of the\nbest that I can give thee.\u201d\n\nSo he led the way into the hall, and Geraint followed him. In the hall\nGeraint dismounted and left his horse, and his host took him into an\nupper chamber where were two women. One was old and decrepit, but it\nseemed to Geraint that when she was young she must have been exceedingly\nfair. The other was a young damsel, and he thought he had never seen a\nmaiden more full of comeliness, grace, and beauty than she. But both of\nthe women were attired in old and worn-out garments. The old man\nbade the girl attend to their guest; and she disarrayed him, and then\nunsaddled his horse and gave it straw and com. After that the old man\nbade her go to the town and bring the best she could find, both of food\nand liquor. While she was away, the old people conversed pleasantly with\nGeraint. In a while she returned, bringing with her a youth who bore a\nflagon of mead and the quarter of a young bullock. In her hands and in\nher veil she carried a quantity of bread \u201cI could not obtain better than\nthis,\u201d she said, \u201cnor with better would I have been trusted.\u201d\n\n\u201cSurely it is good enough,\u201d said Geraint. So the food was made ready,\nand Geraint and the old people sat down to the table, while the maiden\nwaited upon them.\n\nWhen they had finished eating, Geraint talked with the old man, and\nasked him to whom the palace belonged \u201cTruly,\u201d answered the other, \u201cit\nwas I that built it, and to me also belonged the town and the castle you\nhave seen.\u201d\n\n\u201cAlas!\u201d said Geraint, \u201chow comes it that you have lost them?\u201d\n\n\u201cI lost a great earldom as well as these,\u201d answered the other, \u201cand it\nwas in this wise. I had a nephew, the son of my brother, and I took his\npossessions to myself; and when he came to his strength he demanded\nhis property of me, but I withheld it from him. Thereupon he waged war\nagainst me, and took from me all that I possessed.\u201d\n\n\u201cGood sir,\u201d said Geraint, \u201cwill you tell me wherefore came the knight,\nlady, and dwarf that I just now saw go into the castle; and also why\nthere is such preparation and furbishing of arms going forward in the\ntown?\u201d\n\n\u201cThe preparations,\u201d answered the old earl, whose name was Uniel, \u201care\nfor a tournament that is to be held to-morrow by the young earl, my\nnephew. In a meadow hard by will be hung a silver sparrow-hawk on a\nsilver rod, and that is the prize. Any man may joust for it if he have\nwith him the lady that he loves the best. The knight you saw has won the\nsparrow-hawk these two years, and if he win it to-morrow it will then be\nsent to him every year, and he will no more come-for it himself; but he\nwill thenceforth be called the Knight of the Sparrow-Hawk.\u201d\n\nThen Geraint told Earl Uniel of the quest he was on, and of the insult\nwhich the knight\u2019s dwarf had given to him and to Queen Guenever; and he\nasked what it were best for him to do.\n\n\u201cIt is not easy to counsel thee,\u201d said the earl, \u201cbecause thou hast\nneither dame nor maiden with thee for whom thou couldst joust. Yet have\nI arms here which thou mightst have.\u201d\n\n\u201cAh, sir.\u201d said Geraint, \u201cmay Heaven reward you! And if you will permit\nme to-morrow to challenge for this fair maiden your daughter, I will\nengage, if I come alive from the tournament, to love her ever after; and\nif I do not escape she will be nothing the worse.\u201d\n\nTo this the old earl gladly assented; nor was the maiden sorry, for\nGeraint was a right comely and noble man, and was ever courteous to\nladies. So the next morning they all went forth to the meadow. And the\nknight that had previously won the sparrow-hawk came forth with great\npride, because he deemed that none would, dare to encounter him. He bade\nhis lady to take the sparrow-hawk, because she was the fairest, and if\nany denied her, by force would he defend it for her.\n\n\u201cTouch it not,\u201d said Geraint; \u201cfor there is here a maiden who is fairer,\nand more noble, and more comely, and has a better claim to it than thou\nhast.\u201d\n\nThen said the knight scornfully, \u201cIf thou maintainest the sparrow-hawk\nto be due to thy lady, come forward and do battle for it with me.\u201d\n\nGeraint came forward accordingly. He and his horse were arrayed in the\nEarl Uniers old armour, which was heavy and rusty, and of uncouth shape;\nso that few thought he would be likely to keep his ground against that\nstrong knight. Then three or four times the two ran together and broke\ntheir spears on each other without doing any hurt. Then said the old\nearl to Geraint, \u201cO knight, since no other lance will hold, here is the\ngood spear which I took in my hand on the day when first I was knighted,\nand a better never held I in my hand.\u201d\n\nGeraint thanked him and took the spear. Then the dwarf also brought\na lance to his lord, and said, \u201cBethink thee that no knight has ever\nwithstood thee so long as this one.\u201d\n\n\u201cI vow by Our Lady,\u201d quoth Geraint, \u201cthat if I be not slain and this\nspear hold, he shall fare none the better for thy service.\u201d So again\nthey rushed together, and this time Geraint by pure might broke the\nother knight\u2019s shield in twain and burst his saddle-girths, so that he\nfell back to the ground. Then quickly Geraint dismounted and drew his\nsword, and the other knight also rose and pulled out his sword; and they\nfought fiercely on foot, striking each other such heavy blows that the\nfire flashed like stars from their armour, and their vision was obscured\nwith blood and sweat. After a while the stranger knight seemed as though\nhe would prevail, at which the young earl and all his party rejoiced;\nbut Earl Uniel and his wife and the maiden were heavy of heart. So Earl\nUniel went near to Geraint and cried, \u201cO knight, bethink thee of the\ninsult that thou and Queen Guenever had from the dwarf.\u201d At that Geraint\nput forth all his might, and struck his enemy so mightily on the helm\nthat it broke, and the sword cut through to the skull.\n\nThen the knight fell on his knees, yielded, and craved mercy of Geraint.\n\u201cI will grant thee grace,\u201d answered Geraint, \u201con one condition--that\nthou go to King Arthur\u2019s court and make amends to Queen Guenever for the\ninsult that was offered her by thy dwarf. As for the insult he gave to\nme, for that I have myself taken amends.\u201d The knight promised to obey;\nand in reply to Geraint he said his name was Edeym, the son of Nudd.\nSo he got on his horse and rode sadly toward Caerleon, and his lady and\ndwarf went with him.\n\nIn the meantime the young earl came and greeted Geraint, and asked him\nto come to his castle; but Geraint said he would lodge that night where\nhe had lodged before, and so returned with Earl Uniel and his wife and\ndaughter to the old palace. But the young earl sent thither a great\nmany servants, who put the house in order, and brought large store of\nprovision, and set out the feast in the great hall. Also they brought\nfine garments for Uniel and the two women; but Geraint entreated that\nthe maiden should wear no other array than the old worn vest and veil in\nwhich he had seen her first. Then a great company sat down to the feast,\nand in the highest places were Geraint, the young earl, the old earl,\nhis wife, and the maiden, who was called Enid. So they feasted, and\nafterwards they talked together. Geraint said plainly that if he lived\nEarl Uniel should not be long without his possessions.\n\n\u201cAs to that,\u201d answered the young earl, \u201cit is not my fault that he lost\nthem; and with regard to the disagreement between us, I will gladly\nabide by thy decision, and agree to what thou judgest right.\u201d\n\n\u201cI but ask thee,\u201d said Geraint, \u201cto restore to him what was his.\u201d\n\nThis the young earl did, and Uniel received back his town and castle and\nall that he had lost. Then said he to Geraint, \u201cO knight, here is the\nmaiden for whom thou didst challenge at the tournament. Well hast thou\nwon her, and I gladly give her to thee.\u201d\n\n\u201cShe shall go with me,\u201d said Geraint, \u201cto the court of King Arthur; and\nshe shall wear still the raiment in which I first saw her, till for my\nsake Queen Guenever arrays her in richer garments.\u201d And he looked on\nEnid with joy, for his heart was full of love toward her. The next day,\naccordingly, Geraint and Enid rode forth toward Caerleon.\n\nIn the meantime King Arthur had killed the white stag he hunted; and\nat the queen\u2019s wish he agreed not to decide to whom its head should be\ngiven till Geraint returned from the quest he was on, because if he were\nsuccessful the queen wished that some mark of honour should be bestowed\nupon him. So the next day Guenever caused a watch to be set on the\nbattlements of the palace to tell when Geraint might appear. A little\nafter mid-day, the porter who was without came and informed the queen\nthat at the gate was a knight who said his errand was to her; that his\narmour was all broken and blood-stained, and his whole aspect pitiful.\n\n\u201cKnowest thou his name?\u201d asked the queen.\n\n\u201cHe says,\u201d answered the porter, \u201cthat his name is Edeym, the son of\nNudd.\u201d So the knight was brought in, and Guenever saw that it was the\nknight whom Geraint had followed; and she could not but pity him, even\nalthough the churlish dwarf was with him. So he told Guenever all that\nhad befallen him, and what Geraint had done; and it was settled that\nhe should be put in charge of the leeches, and, when he was recovered,\nshould give such satisfaction to the queen as the Knights of the Round\nTable might judge fitting. The next day Geraint came to Caerleon with\nEnid, and both of them were nobly received. Queen Guenever attired the\nmaiden in some of her own rich raiment, and then all said that they had\nnever seen any one who was more beautiful. Before long she and Geraint\nwere wedded, and Geraint abode with her at the court, and won great\nhonour in joustings and in the hunt.\n\nBut after three years Erbin, because he was grown old and feeble, sent\nfor his son to take charge of his territories. King Arthur was loath to\nlet him go, and Guenever was sorry to part with Enid; but inasmuch as\nthe parting was unavoidable, they sent them away with a noble following\nof knights and ladies. So Geraint went into Devon, and ruled in\nhis father\u2019s place. He governed the country well and wisely, and\nat tournaments there was no knight of that country strong enough to\nwithstand him. But after a while he grew to love Enid so much that\nhe neglected knightly sports, and spent all his time with her in the\npalace; and in this way he began to lose the love of his people, and his\nfame was no longer great in the land. This became known to Enid, and she\nsorrowed much on account of it. One morning in summer they were lying on\nthe couch in their chamber, and Enid was awake, but Geraint slept. The\nclothing had fallen off his arms and breast, and as she gazed on him\nshe exclaimed, \u201cAlas! and am I the cause that these arms and this breast\nhave lost their glory and the warlike fame which once they so richly\nenjoyed.\u201d\n\nAs she spoke thus, the tears dropped from her eyes and fell on her\nhusband\u2019s breast, so that he awoke; and hearing her words imperfectly,\nthe thought entered his mind that she loved some other man more than\nhim, and wished for other society. So Geraint was sore troubled, and\nhe sprang quickly from his couch, and calling his squire, bade him get\nready his horse and arms. \u201cAnd do thou arise,\u201d he said sternly to\nEnid, \u201cand apparel thyself in the worst riding-dress thou hast in thy\npossession, and cause thy horse to be got ready. Evil betide me if\nwe return here till thou knowest whether I have lost my strength so\ncompletely as thou didst say. If that be so, then will it be easy for\nthee to seek the society of him whom thou desirest.\u201d\n\nEnid arose, and clothed herself in her meanest garments; but she said,\n\u201cMy lord, I know nothing of your meaning.\u201d\n\n\u201cNeither will you know at this time,\u201d he answered roughly. Then\nGeraint went to Erbin, and told him he was going on a quest, and it was\nuncertain when he would return. After that he rode forth with Enid, and\ncharged her to ride before him, and, whatever she might hear or see, not\nto turn back, or to speak to him unless he spoke first to her. And he\nchose a road that was wild and beset by thieves and robbers. In a while\nthey came to a great forest; and Enid saw four armed horsemen lying in\nwait, of whom one said to the others, \u201cHere is a good opportunity for us\nto capture this lady and the horses and armour; for we can easily master\nyonder knight, who hangs his head so heavily.\u201d When Enid heard this, she\nknew not what to do, for Geraint had charged her not to speak to him.\n\u201cYet,\u201d she said to herself, \u201cI would rather have my death from his hand\nthan from that of any other; and though he slay me, yet will I speak to\nhim, lest I endure the misery of seeing him slain.\u201d So she waited for\nGeraint till he came near.\n\n\u201cMy lord,\u201d she said kindly, \u201cdid you hear the words of those men\nconcerning you?\u201d\n\nThen he raised his eyes, and looked at her angrily.\n\n\u201cDid I not bid thee hold thy peace?\u201d he said. \u201cI only wished for\nsilence, not for warning. And thou--thou shouldst desire to see me slain\nby these men; yet do I feel no dread.\u201d\n\nThen the foremost of the robbers couched his spear, and rushed at\nGeraint, who received the stroke on his shield, and thrust his own lance\nthrough the other\u2019s body. And so he served the other three. After that\nhe dismounted, took the arms of the dead men, fastened them on their\nsaddles, and tied all the bridles of the horses together. Then he bade\nEnid ride before, and drive the horses; and again he forbade her to\nspeak to him unless he first spoke to her. In that manner they went\nthrough the forest, and then came out on a vast plain, across which Enid\nsaw three armed knights coming toward them; and she heard them say that\nit would be easy to take all that spoil from one dolorous knight. Again\nwas she terrified for Geraint, because she thought he was wearied\nwith his former combat; so she warned him of the purpose of the three\nknights.\n\n\u201cI declare to Heaven,\u201d he said, \u201cthat all they can do is less grievous\nto me than that thou wilt not be silent as I bid thee.\u201d\n\n\u201cMy lord,\u201d she answered meekly, \u201cI feared lest they should surprise thee\nunawares.\u201d\n\n\u201cHold thy peace, then,\u201d replied Geraint. \u201cDo not I desire silence?\u201d\n\nStraightway the three knights attacked Geraint, but they fared no better\nthan the others had done before; for he slew them all, and added their\narms and horses to the other spoil which was in Enid\u2019s charge. Yet\nagain, when they were nearly across the plain, did Enid break silence to\nwarn her lord of five horsemen who were preparing to attack him; and he\nwas exceedingly wrathful, and rebuked her sorely. But he slew all the\nfive robbers, and added their arms and horsey to the others. Then they\nrode toward a wood, there to pass the night, and even in his anger\nGeraint was troubled at heart to see so fair and tender a woman as Enid\ntoiling to guide so many horses. In the wood Geraint slept all night;\nbut he bade Enid watch, and she obeyed him.\n\nIn the morning they came to a fair city, and there Geraint hired a\nlodging, and had all his horses stabled. He commanded Enid to sit on the\nside of the chamber opposite to where he sat. Then both of them slept;\nand when they awoke, the earl to whom the city belonged, and who had\nbeen told of the arrival of this stranger knight with a passing fair\nlady and many horses and much spoil, came to visit Geraint, bringing\nwith him twelve knights; and his name was the Earl Doorm. He asked\nGeraint the object of his journey. \u201cI have none,\u201d said he, \u201cbut to seek\nadventures and follow my own inclination.\u201d Then the earl saw Enid where\nshe sat apart, and he thought he had never seen so comely a maiden as\nshe. So he said to Geraint, \u201cHave I thy permission to go and converse\nwith yonder maiden?\u201d\n\n\u201cThou hast it gladly,\u201d he answered.\n\nThen the earl went to her, and said, \u201cFair maiden, it cannot be pleasant\nto thee to travel thus with yonder knight.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt is not unpleasant to me to journey with him,\u201d she answered.\n\n\u201cI will give thee good counsel,\u201d he said; for her beauty inflamed him\nexceedingly. \u201cAll my earldom shall be at thy disposal if thou wilt dwell\nwith me.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat will I not,\u201d she replied. \u201cAm I to be faithless to my lord?\u201d\n\n\u201cThou art foolish,\u201d quoth he. \u201cIf I slay thy lord, I can take thee with\nme in thine own despite, and turn thee away when I please. But if thou\nwilt go with me of thine own goodwill, I swear that I will remain true\nto thee as long as I may live.\u201d\n\nThen Enid took counsel with herself how she might save her lord. So she\nsaid to the earl, \u201cThen must you, to save me from any needless shame,\ncome, here to-morrow, and take me away as though I knew nothing of the\nmatter.\u201d\n\nTo that he assented gladly, and went away. She and Geraint retired\nearly, but about midnight she woke him and told him all that had passed\nbetween herself and Earl Doorm, and said it would be well that they\nshould flee. He was wroth with her for speaking, but did as she advised;\nand in payment to his host gave him all the horses and armour he had\ntaken from the robbers, asking only of the man that he should guide them\nout of the town by a different way from that by which they had entered.\nTo this the man agreed readily; but when he returned, he found Earl\nDoorm at his house with many knights. The earl was wrathful to find that\nGeraint and Enid were gone, and rode hard after them with his knights.\nEnid was uneasy as she rode along, and ever she looked behind her. Some\ntime after dawn she saw a great cloud of dust behind them, that came\nnearer, and in a while she perceived a knight coming through the mist.\nSo she could not refrain from warning Geraint, who was wrathful, and\nreproached her because she would not keep silence in obedience to his\norders. However, he turned his horse, and every knight that came up\nhe overthrew. The earl assailed him the last, and they fought long\ntogether; but Geraint compelled him to sue for mercy, the which he\ngranted him.\n\nSo Geraint and Enid pursued their journey till they came to a passing\nfair valley, with a river running through it. Over the river was a\nbridge, and on the other side a walled town. As they rode, they met a\nknight, and Geraint asked him to whom the valley and town belonged.\nHe answered that they were in the hands of a perilous knight that was\ncalled the Little King.\n\n\u201cCan I go by yonder bridge and the highway that runs past the town?\u201d\n asked Geraint.\n\n\u201cYou cannot go that way,\u201d answered the knight, \u201cunless you intend to\ncombat with the Little King; for it is his custom to combat with every\nknight that comes upon his lands.\u201d\n\n\u201cNevertheless,\u201d said Geraint, \u201cI shall pursue my journey that way.\u201d\n\n\u201cIf you do,\u201d said the knight, \u201cyou will probably meet with shame and\ndisgrace in reward for your daring.\u201d\n\nThen Geraint rode on over the bridge, and Enid with him. And on the\nother side he saw a knight, that was very small of stature, mounted on a\ngreat war-horse.\n\n\u201cTell me, knight,\u201d said he, \u201cwhether it is through ignorance or\npresumption that you seek to insult my dignity and infringe my rules?\nCome with me now to my court, and give me satisfaction.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat will I not,\u201d answered Geraint.\n\n\u201cThen will I have satisfaction, or receive my overthrow at thy hands,\u201d\n returned the Little King. So they fought together a long time on their\nhorses, and it was exceedingly difficult for Geraint to strike the\nLittle King, because he was so small of stature; but at the last he\nthrew him headlong on the ground. Then they encountered on foot, and\neach gave the other painful wounds. At length Geraint grew enraged,\nand struck the other so fierce a blow that it shattered his helmet and\nwounded him on the head, even to the bone. Then the Little King dropped\nhis sword, and entreated for mercy; which Geraint granted on condition\nthat the Little King should always be his ally, and engage to come to\nhis assistance if ever it were needed. To this the Little King pledged\nhimself: and then he begged Geraint to come with him to his court, so\nthat he might recover from his fatigue; but to this Geraint would not\nassent for all his entreaty, and insisted on continuing his journey,\nwounded as he was.\n\nThe heat of the sun was very great, and so when Geraint and Enid had\nridden a little further, his wounds began to pain him more than they\nhad done at first, and to escape the sun\u2019s rays he went into a wood and\nstood under a tree. Enid followed after, and stood under another tree.\nSuddenly they heard a great noise, the reason of which was that King\nArthur and many knights and ladies of his court were come into the wood.\nA foot-page of Sir Kay the seneschal saw the knight and lady standing\nsilent under the trees, and he hastened to tell his master, who took his\nspear and shield, and rode to where Geraint was.\n\n\u201cAh, knight,\u201d said Sir Kay, \u201cwhat dost thou here?\u201d\n\n\u201cI am standing under a tree to avoid the rays of the sun.\u201d\n\n\u201cWherefore is thy journey, and who art thou?\u201d\n\n\u201cI seek adventures, and go where I list.\u201d\n\n\u201cIndeed,\u201d quoth Kay. \u201cThen come with me to King Arthur, who is near at\nhand.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat will I not,\u201d answered Geraint curtly. He knew Sir Kay well, but\nSir Kay knew him not.\n\n\u201cThou must needs come,\u201d said Kay; and therewith he couched his spear and\nattacked Geraint, who, becoming angry, smote him with the shaft of his\nlance, and rolled him headlong on the ground. Sir Kay got on his feet\nagain as well as he could, and rode back to the tents, where he met Sir\nGawaine.\n\n\u201cThere is yonder in the wood,\u201d said he, \u201ca wounded knight, with battered\narmour. Will you go and ascertain who he is?\u201d\n\nGawaine assented, but Kay warned him to take his spear and armour,\nbecause the knight was not over courteous. This Gawaine did, and then he\nwent to Geraint, and asked him who he was, and whether he would go with\nhim to King Arthur; but Geraint would not tell his name, and refused to\ngo to the king. \u201cI will not leave thee,\u201d said Gawaine, \u201ctill I know who\nthou art.\u201d Then he charged Geraint with his spear, and it splintered on\nhis shield, and their horses stood front to front. Gawaine gazed fixedly\nat the other, and saw who he was.\n\n\u201cAh, Geraint,\u201d he cried, \u201cart thou here?\u201d\n\n\u201cI am not Geraint,\u201d said the knight, who, what with the pain of his\nwounds and the agony of his mind, divided between jealousy of Enid and\nsorrow and love, was well-nigh out of his wits.\n\n\u201cGeraint thou art, I know well,\u201d answered Gawaine, \u201cand a wretched and\ninsane expedition is this.\u201d Then he looked round, and saw Enid, and\nwelcomed her gladly. Again he entreated Geraint to come to the king.\n\n\u201cI will not,\u201d he answered; \u201cfor I am not in a fit state to see any one.\u201d\n\nSo Gawaine contrived that King Arthur should be brought to the place;\nand when he came, he commanded that Geraint should not be allowed to\ngo forth till he was healed, and committed him to the charge of his\nphysicians. A whole month they abode in that place; and Queen Guenever\ntook charge of Enid, and tended her lovingly. But ever Enid was\nsorrowful, for still she knew not why her lord had so utterly changed\nto her; and as for him, though his body was healed, he remained sad and\nsilent.\n\nAt last Geraint went to the king, saying that he was whole, and asked\nleave again to go forth, which Arthur unwillingly granted. So he and\nEnid once more set out, and Geraint desired her to ride before him, as\nshe had formerly done. As they journeyed along the road, they heard loud\nwailing; and there, in an open glade of the wood, they saw a lady, young\nand fair, standing by a dead knight.\n\n\u201cWhat hath befallen thee, lady?\u201d asked Geraint.\n\n\u201cSir,\u201d she answered weeping, \u201cI was journeying here with my beloved\nhusband, when there came upon us three giants, and without any\nprovocation they slew him.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhich way went they hence?\u201d said Geraint. She pointed out the way, and\nhe bade Enid stay with the lady, and rode after the giants. Presently he\novertook them. Each was as great in stature as three men, and carried\nin his hand a huge club. Geraint rushed upon them, and thrust his lance\nthrough the body of one, then drew it forth and slew another in the same\nway. But the third turned upon him, and struck him with his dub, so\nthat the blow crushed his shoulder, and opened all his wounds anew. Then\nGeraint drew his sword, and smote the giant so fiercely on the crown of\nthe head that it was split down to his shoulders, and he fell dead in\nthat place. So Geraint left him thus, and returned to Enid; and as soon\nas he came to her he sank down at her feet as though he were dead. Then\nEnid uttered a cry, piercing and loud and thrilling; and it chanced that\na wild earl called Limours, with a great company, was travelling on the\nhighroad, and he heard the cry, and turned aside to see what was the\ncause of it. The earl said to Enid, \u201cFair lady, what hath befallen\nthee?\u201d\n\n\u201cAlas!\u201d she answered, \u201cthe only man I ever loved, or shall love, is\nslain.\u201d\n\nThen he asked the other the cause of her grief.\n\n\u201cThey have slain my dear husband also.\u201d\n\n\u201cWho was it that slew them?\u201d asked the earl.\n\n\u201cSome giants,\u201d she answered, \u201cslew my best beloved; and the other knight\nwent in pursuit of them, and came back as thou seest.\u201d\n\nThe earl caused the dead knight to be buried; but it seemed to him that\nthere was still some life left in Geraint, so he had him carried along\non a shield. And the two women followed. When they came to the earl\u2019s\nmansion, Geraint was placed on a couch in the hall, and Enid sat by his\nside. The earl and his companions changed their travelling dress; and he\ncame and asked Enid to do likewise, but she refused.\n\n\u201cDo not be sorrowful for this matter,\u201d said he, \u201cand take no heed\nwhether yonder knight live or die. Behold, a good earldom, together with\nmyself, will I bestow upon thee. Be therefore happy and joyful.\u201d\n\n\u201cI shall never henceforth be happy while I live,\u201d said Enid.\n\n\u201cCome, then, and eat,\u201d quoth the earl.\n\n\u201cNo, I will not,\u201d she answered.\n\n\u201cBy our Lady thou shalt,\u201d he cried, and forced her to come to the table,\nwhere he many times bade her eat. Then said Enid, \u201cI call all here\nto witness that I will not eat till he that is on yonder couch eateth\nlikewise.\u201d\n\n\u201cThou canst not fulfil that pledge,\u201d said the earl, \u201cfor the man is\nalready dead.\u201d\n\n\u201cStill will I abide by what I have said.\u201d\n\nThen he offered her a goblet of wine, and bade her drink, and then she\nwould change her mind.\n\n\u201cEvil betide me,\u201d she replied, \u201cif I drink aught till he drink also.\u201d\n\nThen the earl grew angry. \u201cTruly,\u201d said he, \u201cit is of no more avail for\nme to be gentle with thee than ungentle;\u201d and, un-knightly, he struck\nher with his hand on the face. And Enid raised an exceedingly loud and\nbitter cry;--not so much, indeed, because of the pain of the blow, as\nbecause it reminded her more strongly of the calamity that had befallen\nher, since she felt that if Geraint had been alive no man dared have\nsmitten her. But all at once, at the sound of her cry, Geraint rose up\nfrom the couch. His sword was still in his hand as it had been when he\nswooned, and with it he rushed to the earl, and gave him so stern a blow\nthat it clove him in twain till the sword was stayed by the table.\n\nThen, at the sight of that terrible stroke, all who were there fled away\nwith loud outcries. Geraint was sore grieved when he looked upon Enid,\nfor her face was pale, and she wept bitterly.\n\n\u201cLady,\u201d said he, \u201cknowest thou where our horses are?\u201d\n\n\u201cI know where thy horse is, my lord,\u201d she answered, \u201cbut I know not\nwhere the other may be.\u201d She showed him where his horse was, and he\nmounted, and took up Enid and placed her before him, and so they rode\nforth. Presently something was heard like the sound of a host\napproaching, and Geraint put Enid on the other side of a hedge by the\nwayside, and made him ready. Immediately a knight rode forward and\ncouched his lance. Then Enid could not restrain herself, but sprang to\nher feet, and cried. \u201cO knight! whoever thou art, what renown wilt thou\ngain by slaying one that is already well-nigh dead?\u201d\n\n\u201cO Heaven!\u201d cried he, \u201cis it Geraint?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, in truth,\u201d she answered; \u201cand who art thou?\u201d\n\n\u201cI am the Little King. I heard you were in trouble, and was coming to\nyour assistance.--And if thou, Geraint, had followed my advice, none of\nthese hardships would have befallen thee.\u201d\n\n\u201cNothing can happen,\u201d said Geraint, \u201cwithout the will of Heaven, though\nmuch good results from counsel.\u201d\n\nSo he and Enid went with the Little King to the house of a baron that\nwas the son of his sister, and there Geraint abode till he was perfectly\nwell. After that, the Little King said to Geraint, \u201cNow will we go to my\ncourt, to rest and amuse ourselves.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo,\u201d said Geraint; \u201cI will journey first for one day more and return\nagain.\u201d\n\nSo they set forth together, and presently came to a place where the road\ndivided into two. There they met a man walking on foot, and the Little\nKing asked him which was the best road to follow. \u201cThis,\u201d said he,\npointing to the one by which he had come, \u201cis the best to follow; for if\nyou go by the other you will never return. It leads to a hedge of mist,\nwithin which are enchanted games, and no one who has gone thither has\never come back. The court of the Earl Owain is there, and he permits no\none to lodge in the town except he will go to his court.\u201d\n\nBut Geraint said they would go by that road; and they travelled till\nthey came to the town, whence the Earl Owain sent for them to his court,\nwhither they went willingly; and when Geraint said he wished to go to\nthe games, the earl assented. After they had eaten, Geraint took his\narms and his horse and rode forth, the earl and all the company going\nwith him. When they came to the hedge of mist, it was so high that no\none could see the top. \u201cWhich way may I enter?\u201d asked Geraint.\n\n\u201cI know not,\u201d answered Owain, \u201cbut enter by the way that seems easiest.\u201d\n\nThen fearlessly Geraint dashed through the mist; and beyond it he found\na fair orchard, within which was a pavilion of red satin. In front of\nit was a great apple tree, to one branch of which hung a hunting-horn.\nGeraint dismounted, and entered the tent. Within there was only a\nmaiden, sitting in a golden chair; and opposite to her was another like\nchair that was empty. Geraint went and sat down in it.\n\n\u201cAh, knight,\u201d said the maiden, \u201cI would not counsel thee to sit in that\nchair.\u201d\n\n\u201cWherefore?\u201d said Geraint.\n\n\u201cBecause he to whom it belongs has never suffered another to sit in it.\u201d\n\n\u201cI care not,\u201d answered Geraint, \u201cthough it displease him that I sit in\nthe chair.\u201d\n\nThereupon there arose a mighty tumult about the pavilion; and Geraint\nlooked to see what was the cause of it, and he saw a great knight, fully\narmed, mounted on a mettlesome war-horse.\n\n\u201cTell me, knight,\u201d said he, \u201cwho was it bade thee sit on that chair?\u201d\n\n\u201cMyself,\u201d quoth Geraint.\n\n\u201cIt was wrong of thee,\u201d said the other, \u201cto do me this shame and\ninsolence. Arise now, and give me satisfaction.\u201d\n\nThen Geraint went forth, mounted his horse, and encountered him. Again\nand again they rushed at each other and broke spears; but at last\nGeraint cast him on the ground, a whole spear\u2019s length beyond his\nhorse\u2019s crupper. Thereupon he sued for mercy, and promised to grant all\nthat Geraint asked.\n\n\u201cI only desire,\u201d he answered, \u201cthat this enchantment shall cease.\u201d\n\n\u201cSound yonder horn,\u201d said the knight, \u201cand the hedge of mist will\nimmediately disappear; but it will not go hence unless the horn be\nsounded by the knight by whom I have been vanquished.\u201d\n\nThen Geraint went and sounded the horn, and at the first blast the hedge\nof mist vanished; and there Geraint was visible to Enid, who had been\nsorrowful with anxiety concerning him, and to all the others. So on\nthe morrow Geraint returned with his wife to his own dominions. All the\ndistrust and grief between them had gone like the hedge of mist, because\nhe had proved her to be faithful and loving to him beyond all women.\nThenceforth he reigned prosperously, and his warlike fame and splendour\nlasted thereafter as long as he lived.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XII. SIR EWAINE AND THE ADVENTURE OF THE FOUNTAIN.\n\nONE time, as King Arthur was at Caerleon, it befell that though, because\nit was not the time of any high festival, most of the Knights of the\nRound Table were absent seeking adventures, yet there were in the palace\nSir Kay, and Sir Gawaine, and Sir Ewaine his cousin, the son of Morgan\nle Fay, and Sir Konon, a good knight of the kings household, and some\nother knights. They were sitting one night about the fire in Sir Kay\u2019s\nchamber relating adventures; and Sir Konon told a marvellous story, how,\nsome time before, he had found his way to a strange fountain--seeing\nmany wonderful sights by the road--and had there been overthrown by a\nknight in black armour. To this story Ewaine especially listened with\nclose attention, and when it was ended he asked Sir Konon which way he\nhad taken to go to the fountain. Konon described it to him; and the next\nday Ewaine took his horse and armour and a great spear in his hand, and\nrode forth determined to pursue the adventure.\n\nIn a while he came to a beautiful valley, with green meadows on either\nside and a river in the midst. By the side of the river was a path, and\nSir Ewaine followed this path till evening. Then he came to an immense\nand stately castle, the largest he had ever seen; and in front of it\nwere two fair youths, with yellow curling hair, and wearing garments of\nyellow satin, shooting with bows made of ivory and arrows of whalebone,\npointed with gold. Standing by was a stately knight, richly dressed.\nEwaine advanced and saluted him; and he courteously returned the\ngreeting, and led him into the castle. There, in a splendid hall, were\nfour and twenty damsels working at embroidery and tapestry, and they\nwere the fairest women Ewaine had ever beheld. As soon as the lord\nand his guest entered, six of the damsels advanced and took charge\nof Ewaine\u2019s horse; six others relieved him of his armour, which they\nproceeded to clean; the third six prepared a banquet; while the others\nbrought to the guest rich attire in place of his travel-soiled garments.\nThen all sat down to the banquet, which was the most splendid that\nEwaine had ever partaken of. After they had eaten, the knight informed\nthe lord of the castle that he had come to achieve the adventure of a\ncertain wonderful fountain, where was a knight in black armour. The lord\nsmiled, and said that the quest would not end to his advantage; but as\nSir Ewaine persisted, he said:--\n\n\u201cSleep here to-night, and to-morrow rise early, and take the road upward\nthrough the valley till you come to a wood. A little way within the\nwood you will find a road branching off to the right; and this you must\nfollow till you come to a great glade with a mound in the centre. On\nthe top of the mound you will see a black man of great stature, who will\nshow you the way to the fountain.\u201d\n\nEwaine thanked the lord for his courtesy, and on the next day he set out\naccording to the instruction which had been given him. In due time he\narrived at the wood, which he found to be swarming with all kinds of\nwild animals, in such numbers as he had never before beheld. When he\ncame to the mound, there sat the black man on the top of it. He was of\nvast bulk, and exceedingly ill-favoured, for he had but one eye in the\nmiddle of his forehead. In his hand he held an iron club, which would\nhave been a burden for four strong knights. He said nothing to Ewaine,\nbut looked at him steadfastly. Then said Ewaine, \u201cHast thou any power\nover all these animals that I see about thee?\u201d\n\n\u201cThat shalt thou soon see, little man,\u201d answered the black; and he\nraised his club and smote a stag that was feeding near him, so that it\ncried out vehemently. Immediately all the animals in the wood crowded\nround the black man, in such numbers that Ewaine could scarce find room\nto stand in the glade. Then their master bade them go and feed; and\nstraightway they bowed their heads to him in homage and dispersed.\nEwaine now asked of him the way to the fountain.\n\n\u201cTake,\u201d he answered, \u201cthe path that leads to the head of the glade, and\nascend the wooded steep to its summit. There thou wilt find a large open\nspace, and in the midst a tall tree with thick spreading branches. Under\nthis tree is the fountain; and by its side a marble slab, on which is\na silver bowl fastened by a chain of silver. If thou wouldst prove the\nadventure of the fountain, take the bowl and throw some water on the\nslab.\u201d\n\nEwaine went up the steep as the black man had told him, and came to the\nfountain. There he took the bowl and cast some water on the slab; and\nimmediately there came the loudest burst of thunder he had ever heard,\nas though heaven and earth were meeting. Then followed a terrible shower\nof hail, the stones of which were so large and so many that no man nor\nbeast could have endured them unprotected and lived. Ewaine sheltered\nhimself and his horse as well as he could under the tree with his\nshield. When he looked on the tree, not a leaf was left upon it; but\nthe sky became clear, and a flight of birds came to the tree and sang a\nstrain of such ravishing sweetness as the knight had never heard before.\nWhile he was listening to it, he heard a voice that cried to him, \u201cO\nknight, what has brought thee hither? What evil have I done to thee,\nthat thou shouldst act toward me and my possessions as thou hast done\nto-day? Dost thou not know that the shower has left in my dominions\nneither man nor beast alive that was exposed to it?\u201d Then Ewaine looked\nforth and beheld approaching a knight dad in black velvet, armed in\nblack armour, and riding a coal-black horse. The two encountered with\ngreat force, and both broke their spears without losing their saddles.\nThen they drew their swords and fought some time, till at last Ewaine\nsmote the black knight so hard on the helm that the sword cut through\nhis skull to the very brain. The black knight felt that he had received\na mortal wound, and fled; and Ewaine followed hard after him. Presently\nthey came to a great castle. The fleeing knight entered through the\ngate, but the portcullis was let fall upon Ewaine, and it struck his\nhorse just behind the saddle, cutting him in two, and striking off the\nrowels of the knight\u2019s spurs. Then was Ewaine shut in between the two\ngates, and he knew not what to do. But through an aperture in the gate\nhe could see a street with a row of houses on each side. There came to\nthe gate a maiden, richly clad, who desired him to open it.\n\n\u201cHeaven knows, fair lady,\u201d said he, \u201cit is no more possible for me to\nopen the gate than it is for thee to set me free.\u201d\n\n\u201cTruly,\u201d she answered, \u201cI will do what I can to release thee, for thou\nart a full gallant knight.\u201d She passed to him through the aperture a\nring, and said, \u201cTake this ring, and put it on thy finger with the stone\ninside thy hand; and so long as thou concealest it, it will conceal\nthee. When they have consulted together, they will come forward to seize\nthee in order to put thee to death; but they will not be able to find\nthee. I will wait within, and thou wilt be able to see me, though I\ncannot see thee; therefore come and place thy hand on my shoulder, and\naccompany me where I shall go.\u201d\n\nEwaine did all as the damsel had told him. The people of the castle came\npresently and opened the gate to seize him; and when they could find\nnothing but the half of his horse, they were sorely grieved. But Ewaine\nwent to the maiden and put his hand on her shoulder, and she led him to\na large and beautiful chamber that was richly adorned. There she served\nhim with delicious food in vessels of gold and silver. While Ewaine was\neating, he heard a great clamour in the castle, and asked the cause of\nit.\n\n\u201cThe lord of this castle has just died,\u201d answered the maiden. Then\nshe prepared for him a noble couch, on which he lay down and slept\nall night. In the morning he was awakened by a loud sound of wailing.\n\u201cWherefore is this outcry?\u201d he asked.\n\n\u201cThey are carrying the body of the dead lord to the place of burial,\u201d\n answered the damsel. Then Ewaine rose and looked out of the window. In\nthe street he beheld an immense crowd of armed men and of women in rich\nattire, and in the midst of the throng was a bier, on which lay the body\nof the knight he had slain. Behind it walked a lady with long yellow\nhair that fell over her shoulders, and her dress of yellow satin was\nall rent; she smote her hands together, and wailed bitterly. She was\nthe fairest lady Ewaine had ever seen, and as soon as he beheld her he\nbecame inflamed with love for her. He inquired of the maiden who the\nlady was.\n\n\u201cShe is my mistress, and one of the fairest and most noble of women. She\nis called the Countess of the Fountain; and the knight whom thou didst\nslay yesterday was her husband.\u201d\n\n\u201cVerily,\u201d said Ewaine, \u201cshe is the woman that I love best in all the\nworld.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen,\u201d said the damsel, \u201cshe shall also love thee not a little.\u201d\n\nSo after she had waited on Ewaine when he broke his fast, she bade him\nlie on the couch and sleep and she would go and woo for him. Then she\nshut the door of the chamber after her and went straight to the castle.\nThere was nothing but mourning and sorrow, and the countess in her\nchamber could not bear the sight of any one through grief. The damsel,\nwhose name was Luned, and who was a favourite attendant of the countess,\nwent in and saluted her; but the countess sharply reproached her for not\nmourning as all the rest did.\n\n\u201cTruly,\u201d said Luned, \u201cI thought thy good sense was greater than I\nfind it to be. Is it well for thee to mourn for that good man, or for\nanything else that thou canst not have?\u201d\n\n\u201cI declare solemnly,\u201d said the countess, \u201cthat in the whole world there\nis not a man equal to him!\u201d\n\n\u201cNot so,\u201d answered Luned; \u201can ill-favoured man that is alive is now as\ngood as or better than he.\u201d\n\nAt this the countess was exceedingly wrathful, and declared to Luned\nthat she would banish her. Luned replied that the only cause for it was\nher desire to render her a service of which she stood in need; and she\nwas going away affecting great anger, when the countess called her back.\n\n\u201cIn truth,\u201d said she, \u201cevil is thy disposition; but if thou knowest what\nis to my advantage, declare it to me.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat will I,\u201d quoth Luned. \u201cThou knowest that unless thou canst defend\nthe fountain thou canst not maintain thy dominions; and no one can\ndefend the fountain except a knight of King Arthur\u2019s court. Now will I\ngo thither, and ill betide me if I return hence without a warrior who\ncan guard the fountain as well or better than he who kept it formerly.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat will be hard to perform,\u201d said the countess. \u201cGo, however, and\nmake proof of that which thou hast promised.\u201d\n\nLuned accordingly set out under pretence of going to the court; but in\nreality she only returned to the chamber where she had left Ewaine,\nand remained there with him as long as it would have taken her to go\nto Caerleon and return again. Then she went again to the countess, who\nasked her what news she brought from the court.\n\n\u201cI bring you the best of news,\u201d said Luned, \u201cfor I have compassed the\nobject of my mission. When shall I present to you the knight who has\naccompanied me hither?\u201d\n\nThe countess appointed the next day at noon for the interview; and\nat that time, accordingly, Luned conducted Ewaine, for whom she\nhad provided suitable attire, to the chamber of the lady, who gazed\nsteadfastly upon him, and said, \u201cLuned, this knight has not the look of\na traveller.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat harm is there in that, lady?\u201d answered Luned boldly, as was her\nwont.\n\n\u201cI am certain that he it was, and no other, who conquered and slew my\nlord.\u201d\n\n\u201cSo much the better for thee,\u201d returned Luned; \u201cfor had he not been\nstronger than thy lord he could not have slain him. For what is past\nthere is no remedy.\u201d\n\nEwaine feared for what would come next, for as he gazed on the countess\nhis passion had grown greater than before. But not unmoved had she\nherself looked upon the comely knight.\n\n\u201cGo back to thine abode,\u201d she said to Luned, \u201cand I will take counsel.\u201d\n\nThe next day she assembled all the chief men among her subjects, and\nshowed them that her dominions could not be defended except by some\nknight of great prowess. \u201cTherefore,\u201d she said, \u201cif you can choose such\nan one from among yourselves, let him take me; and if not, give your\nconsent that I should take a husband from elsewhere to defend my\ndominions.\u201d\n\nThey came to the determination that it would be better for the countess\nto marry some one from elsewhere; and thereupon she caused her nuptials\nwith Ewaine to be straightway solemnized; and the men of the earldom did\nhim homage. He defended the fountain against all comers, and for three\nyears he reigned in that country, and was much beloved by his subjects.\n\n[Illustration: 256]\n\nAt the end of that time King Arthur, who had grown very uneasy because\nof Ewaines protracted absence, set out with many knights to the\nValley of the Fountain to find what had become of him. They were all\nentertained as nobly as Ewaine himself had been by the knight who dwelt\nin the stately castle with the twenty-four damsels. The next day they\nwent forward to the place of the fountain; and there Sir Kay, with the\nking\u2019s permission; undertook the adventure, and threw the water on the\nmarble slab. After the thunder and the hail-storm, came a knight in\nblack armour, who encountered Sir Kay and easily overthrew him. Then\nArthur and his company encamped on the plain, and the next day Sir\nKay, who was not satisfied with his first repulse, again challenged the\nknight, who this time not only unhorsed him, but wounded him severely.\nThereafter all the knights the king had brought with him, except\nSir Gawaine, successively encountered the black knight, and were all\noverthrown one after another. Then at last Gawaine met him, but he\ndid not carry his own shield. For two days the two met and fought on\nhorseback with spears, and neither could gain the advantage. On the\nthird day they fought with increased fury, and both were unseated. Then\nthey fell to with their swords, and struck many terrible blows. At last\na blow from Ewaine turned Sir Gawaines helm on one side, so that his\nface could be seen. \u201cAh!\u201d cried Ewaine, \u201cI knew thee not for my cousin,\nbecause thou hadst not thine own shield. Take my sword, for thou hast\nconquered.\u201d But Gawaine said that Ewaine was the victor, and they\ndisputed this till the king decided that neither had vanquished the\nother. Then they embraced, and Arthur and his knights were exceedingly\nrejoiced to see Sir Ewaine once more. He led them all to the Castle of\nthe Fountain, where they were splendidly entertained for three months.\n\nAfter that King Arthur returned to his own dominions, and he entreated\nthe countess to permit Ewaine to go with him for three months. She\nassented, though it was very painful to her. But when Ewaine was once\nmore among his kindred and friends, he forgot all about his lady and his\nterritory, and remained about three years instead of three months!\n\nNow one day, as Ewaine was sitting in the hall of the king\u2019s palace\nat Caerleon, there came in a damsel riding on a bay horse; and she\ndismounted and went up to him, and took the ring off his finger. \u201cThus,\u201d\n said she, \u201cshould be treated the deceiver, the traitor, the faithless,\nthe disgraced.\u201d Then she got on her horse again and departed. But Ewaine\nsuddenly remembered the countess, and how he had deserted her; and his\nmind was so filled with shame and sorrow that he well-nigh lost his\nreason. He wandered away from Caerleon into wild and desert places, and\nremained there till his apparel wore out, and his hair and beard grew\nlong, and his body was sore wasted. And as he wandered, he came to a\nfair park belonging to the countess whom he had deserted. There he lay\ndown by a small lake; and he was so weak that he became insensible. It\nhappened that the countess came forth with her maidens to walk in the\npark, and they saw him lying there. They saw that life was still in him;\nand the countess went back to her palace, and gave to one of her maidens\na flask containing precious ointment. \u201cGo,\u201d said she, \u201cwith this balsam\nand a horse and clothing to that man who lieth in the park, and anoint\nhim with the balsam near the heart. If there is life in him, he will\narise; and then watch what he will do.\u201d\n\n[Illustration: 262]\n\nThe maiden obeyed, and poured the whole of the balsam upon Ewaine; then\nshe withdrew a little-and watched. Soon he rose up and looked at his\nperson, and became ashamed of the unseemliness of his appearance; so he\nclothed himself, and with some difficulty mounted on the horse. Then the\ndamsel saluted him; and he asked her what land that was. \u201cTruly,\u201d she\nsaid, \u201cit belongs to a widowed countess. At the death of her husband she\nhad two earldoms, but now this park and castle are all that are left to\nher, the rest having been taken from her by a young earl, her neighbour,\nbecause she refused to become his wife.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat is pity,\u201d said Ewaine. Then she led him to the castle, and took\nhim to a pleasant chamber, where she waited on him till he was quite\nrecovered; and in three months he had become more mighty and more comely\nthan ever he was before. One day he heard a great tumult outside the\ncastle walls, and he asked the maiden what was the cause.\n\n\u201cThe earl of whom I spoke to thee,\u201d she said, \u201chas come before the\ncastle with a numerous army to subdue the countess.\u201d Then Ewaine asked\nher to obtain for him from the countess the loan of a horse and arms;\nand when he had got them he went forth, and penetrated the hostile army\ntill he came to the earl himself, whom he dragged out of his saddle,\nand carried him off, in spite of all the efforts of his knights, to the\ncastle. Then he took him to the countess, and threw him down before her,\nand said, \u201cBehold, here is a gift in requital for thy precious balsam.\u201d\n\nThen the earl restored to the countess all that he had taken from her;\nand as a ransom for his life he gave her the half of his own dominions,\nand much gold and silver. After that Ewaine took his departure; and as\nhe rode through a wood he heard a loud yelling, which was repeated a\nsecond and third time. He went to the spot whence the sound proceeded,\nand came to a huge craggy mound, whereon a black lion and a horrible\nserpent were fighting. Ewaine drew his sword and smote the serpent in\ntwain. Then he continued on his way; but the lion followed him, and\nplayed about him as though it had been a hound. Thus they journeyed on\ntogether. When it was time to rest for the night, Ewaine dismounted,\nturned his horse loose to graze, and kindled a fire; and the lion,\nhaving left him, presently returned with a large roebuck, which it threw\ndown before him. Ewaine roasted some of the flesh for himself, and the\nrest of it he gave to the lion. While he was eating, he heard a deep\nsigh that seemed to come from within a rock near at hand. He called out\nto know whether the sigh proceeded from a mortal; and a voice answered\nthat it did. \u201cWho art thou?\u201d asked Ewaine.\n\n\u201cI am,\u201d said the voice, \u201cLuned, the handmaiden to the Countess of the\nFountain. I am imprisoned here on account of the knight that came from\nKing Arthur\u2019s court and married the countess. He was the friend I loved\nmost in the world; and after he had departed, two of the knights of the\ncourt traduced him. I told them that they two were not a match for him\nalone. So they have imprisoned me in this stone vault; and I am to be\nput to death if he come not to deliver me by a certain day, which is no\nfurther off than the day after to-morrow. I have no one to seek him for\nme. His name is Ewaine, the son of King Urience.\u201d\n\n\u201cArt thou certain that if he knew all this the knight would come to\nrescue thee?\u201d asked Ewaine.\n\n\u201cI am most certain of it,\u201d she answered.\n\nIn the morning Ewaine asked the damsel if there were any place near\nwhere he could get lodging. She directed him to an earl\u2019s castle near.\nThither he went, and the lion with him; and at the castle was he right\nnobly entertained. But he found the earl and everybody else in the\ncastle exceedingly sorrowful; so he asked the reason.\n\n\u201cI have two sons,\u201d said the earl, \u201cand yesterday they went to the\nmountains to hunt. Now there is on the mountain a horrible giant that\nkills men and devours them, and he seized my sons. To-morrow he has\nfixed an hour to be here; and he threatens that he will then slay\nmy sons before my eyes, unless I will deliver into his hands my only\ndaughter, whom you see here.\u201d The maiden sat beside her father; and she\nwas exceedingly fair, but very sorrowful.\n\nEwaine said that was very lamentable, and then talked of other matters.\nThe next morning there was a great clamour, which was caused by the\ncoming of the giant with the two youths. Then Ewaine put on his armour,\nand went forth to attack the giant; and his lion went with him. When the\ngiant saw that Ewaine was armed, he rushed fiercely upon him; and\nthe lion fought against the giant more strongly even than Ewaine did\n\u201cTruly,\u201d said the giant, \u201cI could deal easily with thee were it not for\nthis lion that is with thee.\u201d Upon that, Ewaine took the lion back to\nthe castle and shut the gate upon him, and then returned to fight the\ngiant as before. The lion roared furiously, and climbed up till he got\nto the top of the castle, and then sprung down from the wall, and rushed\nagain upon the giant, giving him a stroke with his paw that tore him\nfrom the shoulder to the hip, so that he fell down dead. Then Ewaine\nrestored the two youths to their father.\n\nThe earl besought Ewaine to remain with him, but he would not, and set\nforth to the place where Luned was imprisoned in the stone vault. When\nhe came there he found a great fire kindled, and the two knights were\nleading the maiden to cast her into it. Ewaine asked what charge\nthey had against her; and they told him of the compact that there was\nbetween-them. Then, without making himself known, he proffered himself\nto do battle for her in place of Ewaine; and the knights assented. They\nattacked Ewaine, and, inasmuch as he had not his usual strength, he\nwas sore beset by them; but his lion fell upon them and put them to the\nworse. So thus was Luned saved from being burned. And Ewaine returned\nwith her to the dominions of the Countess of the Fountain; and thence he\ntook the countess with him to the court of King Arthur, where they lived\nafterwards in great happiness and renown.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XIII. THE TOURNAMENT OF LONAZEP.\n\nWHILE Tristram was with La Beale Isoude at Joyous Gard, he often rode\nhunting, of which pastime he was exceedingly fond; and by Isoude\u2019s\nadvice he always rode armed. One day as he was returning from the chase,\nwith his helm on, he met Sir Dinadan, who had come into that country\nto seek him. Sir Dinadan told his name; but Sir Tristram would not, at\nwhich Sir Dinadan was angry, and reproached him; and at last said that\nhe must either tell his name or do battle. Tristram would do neither;\nso then Dinadan chid him for a coward. As they talked there came by\na knight, Sir Epinogris, and Dinadan challenged him to joust. Sir\nEpinogris was nothing loath, and when they ran together he smote Sir\nDinadan out of his saddle.\n\n\u201cHow is it with you now?\u201d said Tristram.\n\n\u201cFie upon thee, coward,\u201d cried Dinadan. \u201cIf thou be anything of a\nknight, avenge my shame.\u201d\n\n\u201cNay,\u201d answered Sir Tristram. \u201cI will not joust at this time; but take\nyour horse and let us go from hence.\u201d\n\n\u201cGod defend me,\u201d said Dinadan, \u201cfrom thy fellowship, for I have not sped\nwell since I met thee.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell,\u201d said Tristram, \u201cperadventure I could give you tidings of Sir\nTristram.\u201d\n\n\u201cI will not believe,\u201d answered Dinadan, \u201cthat Sir Tristram would ever be\nin thy company; if he were, he were so much the worse.\u201d\n\nAnd so they parted; and Tristram rode home to Joyous Gard, where\nhe alighted and unarmed him. He told Isoude of his meeting with Sir\nDinadan, and how he was full of mirth, and the best companion among all\nknights. \u201cWhy have you not brought him with you?\u201d asked Isoude.\n\n\u201cDo not be afraid,\u201d said Sir Tristram. \u201cHe has only come here to seek\nme, and I guess we shall soon hear of him.\u201d\n\nEven as he spoke, one of the servants in the castle came to tell Sir\nTristram that an errant-knight had come to the castle seeking lodging;\nand by the device of his shield Tristram knew it was Sir Dinadan. So\nTristram bade Isoude send for him, saying that he would himself keep out\nof sight; and he told his lady that if she spoke in praise of lovers,\nagainst whom Sir Dinadan ever railed, she would have great diversion.\nDinadan was accordingly welcomed to the castle, and when he was brought\nto Isoude, she questioned him as to his name, and whence he came, and\nwherefore he rode in that country. He told her all she would know. Then\nshe led the talk to lovers, and he railed greatly against them. \u201cNow,\nI pray you,\u201d said she, \u201cto tell me, will you fight for my love against\nthree knights that have done me great wrong? Inasmuch as you be a knight\nof King Arthur\u2019s court, I require you to undertake this battle for me.\u201d\n\n\u201cMadam,\u201d answered Dinadan, \u201cI will say plainly to you that though you\nare the fairest lady I ever saw, and much fairer than is my lady Queen\nGuenever, yet will I not fight for you or for any other against three\nknights.\u201d So Isoude laughed heartily at him; and they had pleasant\ndiversion together. In the morning Tristram armed him early, to ride to\nLonazep, where a great tournament had been appointed, to which knights\nwere coming from all parts; and he promised to meet with Sir Dinadan on\nthe way, and ride with him. Afterwards Sir Dinadan departed, and in a\nwhile he overtook Sir Tristram.\n\n\u201cAh!\u201d said he, \u201cart thou that coward knight with whom I met yesterday?\nMake ready; for thou shalt joust with me whether thou wilt or not.\u201d\n\n\u201cTo that I am loath,\u201d answered Tristram; and so they ran together. But\nTristram missed him purposely, and he broke his spear on Tristram. Then\nhe drew out his sword; but Tristram refused to fight with swords.\n\n\u201cWell,\u201d cried Dinadan, \u201cthou art as goodly and large a man as ever I\nsaw; but a greater coward I never met. What wilt thou do with those\ngreat spears thou hast with thee?\u201d--for Tristram\u2019s squires were bearing\nspears for his use at the tournament.\n\n\u201cI shall give them,\u201d said Tristram, \u201cto some good knight when I come to\nthe tournament; and if I see you do the best, I will give them to you.\u201d\n\nAs they rode on together and talked, they saw in the way a knight that\nstood ready to joust.\n\n\u201cDo thou meet him,\u201d said Tristram. \u201cI will not, for he seems to me to be\na shrewish knight.\u201d\n\n\u201cShame on thee!\u201d answered Dinadan.\n\nHowever, he encountered with the knight, who smote him clean out of his\nsaddle. Then Sir Dinadan rose to his feet very angry, and challenged the\nother to fight on foot.\n\n\u201cWhat is thy name?\u201d asked the knight.\n\n\u201cWit you well, I am Sir Dinadan.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd I am Sir Gareth, brother to Sir Gawaine.\u201d\n\nThen were both glad of the meeting, for Sir Gareth was the best knight\nof his kin, and was greatly loved of all true knights; so there was no\nmore talk of fighting. But as Dinadan and Gareth rode together, they\nspoke of Tristram, and of his great cowardice (for they knew him not);\nand he heard all they said, but only laughed at them. Presently they\novertook another knight, who wished to joust.\n\n\u201cLet one of you encounter with that knight,\u201d said Tristram, \u201cfor I will\nnot have to deal with him.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen I will,\u201d said Gareth.\n\nSo they ran together, and the stranger knight smote Sir Gareth over his\nhorse\u2019s croup.\n\n\u201cNow,\u201d quoth Tristram to Sir Dinadan, \u201cdo thou avenge that good knight\nSir Gareth.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat will I not,\u201d answered Dinadan; \u201cfor the stranger hath stricken\ndown a much stronger knight than I am.\u201d\n\n\u201cAh,\u201d said Sir Tristram, \u201cnow, Sir Dinadan, I perceive that your heart\nbegins to fail you; so you shall see what I can do.\u201d Then he rode to\nthe other knight, and, when they met, smote him clean out of his saddle.\nThen Sir Dinadan marvelled who this man might be that he thought such a\ncoward. But the knight that was overthrown drew his sword, and demanded\nto fight on foot.\n\n\u201cWhat is your name?\u201d asked Tristram.\n\n\u201cSir,\u201d answered the other, \u201cmy name is Palomides.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat knight do you most hate?\u201d then said Tristram.\n\n\u201cSir Knight,\u201d said Sir Palomides, \u201cI hate Sir Tristram to the death; and\nif we meet, then one of us shall die.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen,\u201d answered Tristram, \u201cyou may know that I am Sir Tristram; and so\nnow do your worst.\u201d\n\nWhen Sir Palomides heard that, he was astonished; and he begged Sir\nTristram to forgive his evil words, and promised ever to serve him\nknightly. So they were friends, and all four rode on together; but Sir\nDinadan complained of the manner in which Sir Tristram had mocked\nhim. As they went, Sir Palomides told of a shameful deed that had been\nwrought by Sir Gawaine and his brothers Gaheris, Agravaine, and Mordred.\nThey had ever had ill-will to King Pellinore and all his kin, because\nKing Pellinore had killed in battle their father King Lot, and they had\nmany years before compassed the death of King Pellinore. But even\nthis vengeance had not satisfied them; and they had lately beset Sir\nLamoracke de Galis, his son, as he was riding alone from a tournament,\nand had killed him feloniously, giving him his death-wound from behind.\nOf this deed Sir Tristram and the others spoke strongly in blame; and\nSir Gareth, though he was the brother of those who had done it, said\nas much as any of the others, declaring that because of that murder he\nshould never love his brethren or keep fellowship with them.\n\nThe four knights went back again together to Joyous Gard, because the\nday of the tournament was not yet come, and there they had good cheer\ntogether. After some days they set out for Lonazep, and Queen Isoude\nrode with them, richly attired, to see the tournament. As they went\nalong they saw a large body of knights: it was Sir Galihodin, who had\ntwenty knights with him. When Sir Galihodin beheld Tristram and his\nparty, he said,--\n\n\u201cFair fellows, yonder ride four knights and a beautiful lady. I am\ndisposed to take their lady from them.\u201d\n\nSo he sent a squire to Sir Tristram to ask whether he and his fellows\nwould joust or deliver up their lady.\n\n\u201cTell your lord,\u201d answered Tristram, \u201cto come with as many as he will,\nand win her and take her.\u201d\n\n\u201cSir,\u201d said Palomides, \u201cI pray you to let me have this adventure.\u201d\n\n\u201cWith all my heart,\u201d said Sir Tristram.\n\nThen Sir Galihodin and three of his fellows approached them; but Sir\nPalomides, with one spear, unhorsed all of them. When the rest of Sir\nGalihodin\u2019s knights saw his downfall, six more of them came, and would\nhave set on Sir Palomides; but he stood still and awaited them; and Sir\nGalihodin forbade them to meddle with him; so, as Sir Palomides saw that\nthey would joust no more, he returned to Tristram and the others.\n\n\u201cRight well and worshipfully have you done,\u201d said Tristram, \u201cas a good\nknight should.\u201d\n\nPresently they fell in with four knights more--Sir Gawaine, Sir Ewaine,\nSir Sagramore le Desirous, and Sir Dodinas le Savage. Now, Sir Palomides\nwas eager to prove himself a good knight before Queen Isoude, and he\nbegged Sir Tristram that if these knights sought to joust they also\nmight be left to him. Sir Tristram again assented. So Sir Palomides rode\nforward, encountered the four knights one after another, and smote them\nall to the ground. After that, they rode on quietly to Lonazep; and\nthere Sir Tristram had two pavilions pitched beside a well and he and\nhis company abode in them.\n\nAt and about the castle of Lonazep were gathered a noble assembly of\nknights and kings. King Arthur was there, with the most of the Knights\nof the Round Table; and on the other side the kings of Scotland,\nIreland, Surluse, Northumberland, Listenoise, Northgalis, and others,\nwith their knights.\n\nSir Tristram and the three knights who were with him went in green\ncolours; and when the pavilions had been pitched, Sir Tristram and Sir\nDinadan rode into Lonazep to hear what might be doing there, and Sir\nTristram rode Sir Palomides\u2019 horse, which was white. Sir Gawaine and\nSir Galihodin saw him, and they thought it was the same knight who had\nstricken them down; and so they told King Arthur that that knight on the\nwhite horse had unhorsed them and six of their fellows. Thereupon King\nArthur sent for Sir Tristram, and asked him his name; but Tristram would\nnot tell it.\n\n\u201cUpon what side will you be in the tournament?\u201d asked the king.\n\n\u201cTruly,\u201d replied Sir Tristram, \u201cI cannot tell that till I come to the\nfield, and then I will go on the side to which my heart inclineth.\u201d\n\nSo then he and Sir Dinadan rode again to their pavilions.\n\n\u201cNow, upon what party,\u201d said Sir Tristram, \u201cshall we be to-morrow?\u201d\n\n\u201cSir,\u201d said Palomides, \u201cif you will take my advice, we shall be against\nKing Arthur, for on his part will be Sir Lancelot and many other good\nknights; and the more worshipful they, the more worship shall we win.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat is full knightly spoken,\u201d said Tristram; \u201cand we will do according\nto your counsel.\u201d\n\nSo the next morning the four knights rode into the field, arrayed with\ntrappings, shields, and spears of green; and Queen Isoude sat at a high\nwindow where she could see the jousts. The knights went straight to the\nparty of the King of Scotland. When King Arthur saw them do that, he\nasked Sir Lancelot who they were.\n\n\u201cI do not certainly know,\u201d answered Lancelot; \u201cbut I should guess that\nSir Tristram and Sir Palomides are among them.\u201d\n\nTwo knights that were brothers, named Sir Edward and Sir Sadocke, asked\nleave of King Arthur to have the first jousts; and straightway they met\nthe kings of Scotland and Northgalis, and smote them from their saddles.\nAt that was Sir Palomides wroth, and he rode first against Sir Edward\nand then against Sir Sadocke, and with the same spear he overthrew them\nboth. Then came in Sir Tristram on a black horse, and ere he stinted\nhe smote down with one spear four good knights; and Sir Gareth and Sir\nDinadan supported him manfully.\n\n\u201cBy my head!\u201d cried King Arthur, \u201cthat knight on the black horse does\nmarvellously well.\u201d\n\n\u201cWait a little,\u201d said Gawaine; \u201cthat knight has scarcely yet begun.\u201d\n\nAnd Sir Tristram remounted the kings of Scotland and North-galis, and\nthen he pressed in among the knights of the opposite party, and smote\nwith his spear and his sword to the right and left, till he had struck\ndown thirty knights, and Sir Palomides twenty; and most of these were\nproved knights of King Arthur\u2019s court.\n\n\u201cAs I live,\u201d said the king to Lancelot, \u201cit is a great shame to see\nthose two smite down so many knights of mine. Therefore make you ready,\nfor we will have to do with them.\u201d\n\n\u201cSir,\u201d said Sir Lancelot, \u201cthey are two passing good knights, and it\nwill be little worship to us to have to do with them now, for they have\nthis day had sore travail.\u201d\n\n\u201cNevertheless,\u201d answered King Arthur, \u201cI will be avenged. Therefore take\nSir Bleoberis and Sir Ector, and I will be the fourth, to do with them\nand the other two that ride with them.\u201d\n\n\u201cSir,\u201d said Lancelot, \u201cyou shall find us ready.\u201d\n\nSo the four rode into the field; and there Sir Lancelot smote down Sir\nTristram, and Sir Bleoberis Sir Palomides, and Sir Ector Sir Gareth, and\nKing Arthur overthrew Sir Dinadan. Then there was a great cry that the\nfour green knights had a fall; and the King of Northgalis, remembering\nhow Sir Tristram had helped him, rode straight to him and said,--\n\n\u201cNoble knight, I know not who thou art; but for the great deeds thou\nhast done this day take now my horse, and I will help myself as well\nas I can; for God knows thou art better worthy to have my horse than I\nmyself.\u201d\n\n\u201cSir,\u201d said Tristram, \u201cI thank you; and mayhap I shall be able to\nrequite your courtesy.\u201d\n\nThen Sir Tristram mounted and rode to King Arthur, and gave him with his\nsword such a buffet on the helm that he fell from his saddle. Then Sir\nTristram gave the king\u2019s horse to the King of Northgalis. There was\na great press about King Arthur to horse him again; but Sir Palomides\nwould not suffer it, but smote with his sword to the right and left\nmightily. Then, leaving Sir Palomides still on foot, Sir Tristram rode\nthrough the thickest of the press, smiting down many knights as he went,\nand passed to his pavilion. There he changed his horse, and put on red\nharness; and then he dashed lightly into the field again, and overthrew\nfive knights with a single spear. Very soon he had again horsed Sir\nPalomides, Sir Gareth, and Sir Dinadan; and they again began to do\nmarvellous deeds of arms; but they knew not who had succoured them,\nbecause Tristram had changed his armour. Now La Beale Isoude, who had\nwatched Sir Tristram quit the field and return again, was well pleased\nwhen she saw him doing such great deeds, and she smiled as she sat at\nthe window. It chanced that Sir Palomides looked up and saw her, and he\nwas so rejoiced--because his love for her was still unabated--that he\nfelt as though he could have overcome any knight, even Sir Lancelot or\nSir Tristram himself. And he did so mightily that all men marvelled at\nhis deeds; for he fared like a lion, and no knight could withstand him.\n\n\u201cBy our Lady,\u201d quoth Sir Tristram to Sir Dinadan, \u201cI always knew Sir\nPalomides for a good knight, but never before have I seen him do so\nwell.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt is his day,\u201d answered Dinadan.\n\nBut he had seen how Palomides looked up at Isoude, and he said to\nhimself that if Tristram knew for whose love he wrought these great\nachievements he would not be so well pleased. But all that were in the\nfield gave Sir Palomides the prize. Just then came in Sir Lancelot, and\nwhen he heard the cry that Sir Palomides had done best, he got a great\nspear and rode against him. But Sir Palomides smote the spear with his\nsword and struck it in twain; and then, as he rode past Sir Lancelot,\nhe struck at his horse and slew it, so that Sir Lancelot fell to the\nground.\n\nThen was there a loud outcry, and many knights said that Sir Palomides\nhad acted contrary to the rules of the tournament. When Sir Ector\nde Maris saw how his brother Sir Lancelot had fared, he rode eagerly\nagainst Sir Palomides, and smote him out of his saddle. Then came Sir\nLancelot with his sword to Sir Palomides and cried,--\n\n\u201cThou hast this day done me the greatest despite that ever was done me\nin tournament or joust. Therefore defend thee, for I will be avenged.\u201d\n\nSo Sir Palomides entreated him to forgive his unkindness, and to spare\nhim; \u201cfor,\u201d said he, \u201cI know well I have not might to withstand you; and\nif you put me from my worship now, you put me from the greatest worship\nI ever had or shall have.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell,\u201d said Lancelot, \u201cit is true that you have done marvellously well\nthis day; and I have a guess for whose love it is. If my lady were here,\nyou should not have borne away the worship; but as she is not here, you\nshall have it for me, and I will forbear you. But beware that your love\nbe not discovered, for if Sir Tristram knew it, you would have cause to\nrepent.\u201d\n\nSo he, of his great nobleness, suffered Palomides to depart. Then Sir\nLancelot was remounted, in spite of all the knights of the other side,\nand did great feats on King Arthur\u2019s part, as Sir Tristram and Sir\nPalomides did on the other. But Sir Lancelot and Sir Tristram always\nspared one another. But when the tournament was ended for the day, King\nArthur and all the kings gave Sir Palomides the prize, for he had begun\nat the first and had endured to the end. When King Arthur was praising\nSir Palomides, Sir Lancelot said,--\n\n\u201cSir, as for Palomides, he has this day well deserved the prize; and\nyet, there was on the field a far better knight than he, and that will\nbe proved before the tournament is over.\u201d\n\nWhen Sir Tristram and his fellows returned to their pavilions, Sir\nDinadan was angry because Sir Tristram had let Sir Palomides carry off\nthe prize, and he reproached him with intent to provoke him, so that he\nmight the next day put forth all his powers. Early the next morning Sir\nTristram, Sir Palomides, Sir Gareth, and Queen Isoude rode out into the\nforest to take the fresh air; and as they went, it chanced that King\nArthur and Sir Lancelot came near them. \u201cYonder,\u201d said Sir Lancelot,\n\u201crideth the fairest lady in all the world except my lady Queen\nGuenever.\u201d\n\n\u201cWho is it?\u201d asked King Arthur: and when Lancelot told him, he said he\nwould go nearer and greet Queen Isoude.\n\n\u201cSir,\u201d said Lancelot, \u201cit is not wise to go too near, for there are with\nher two as good knights as any now living, and if we come suddenly upon\nthem, they may be displeased.\u201d\n\n\u201cAs for that,\u201d replied the king, \u201cI will greet her, for I care not who\nmay be displeased.\u201d\n\n\u201cSir,\u201d said Lancelot, \u201cyou put yourself in great jeopardy.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell,\u201d quoth the king, \u201cwe will take the adventure.\u201d So he rode\nstraight to Queen Isoude, and saluted her, and said, \u201cGod save you,\ngracious lady.\u201d\n\n\u201cSir,\u201d she answered, \u201cyou are welcome.\u201d\n\nThen the king looked at her steadfastly, and admired her beauty. With\nthat came Sir Palomides, and said, \u201cThou uncourteous knight, what\nseekest thou here? Thou art uncourteous to come upon a lady so suddenly;\ntherefore withdraw thee.\u201d King Arthur took no heed of his words, but\nstill looked on Queen Isoude. Then was Sir Palomides wroth, and he rode\nagainst King Arthur with his spear, and smote him from his horse. When\nSir Lancelot saw that, he said to himself, \u201cI am loath to have to do\nwith yonder knight, not for his own sake, but because of Sir Tristram;\nfor if I smite down Sir Palomides, I must encounter Sir Tristram, and\nI cannot match them both. Still, whether I live or die, needs must I\navenge my lord.\u201d And then he bade Sir Palomides make ready, and when\nthey rode together, he gave him a great fall. That saw Sir Tristram, and\ncried to Lancelot, \u201cSir Knight, keep thee, for I must joust with thee.\u201d\n\n\u201cI have no fear to joust with thee,\u201d answered Lancelot, \u201cbut I am\nloath to do it. I was compelled to avenge my lord, when he was unhorsed\nunwarily and unknightly; but though I have done so, you should take\nno displeasure, for he is such a friend to me that I could not see him\nshamed.\u201d\n\nThen Sir Tristram understood that it was Sir Lancelot who spoke, and he\nsuspected that it was King Arthur whom Palomides had struck down. So he\nput down his spear, and suffered Lancelot and the king to withdraw; and\nhe chid Sir Palomides sharply for having shown such discourtesy to\nKing Arthur. Sir Palomides was sore grieved at his words; and when the\ntournament began, he forsook Sir Tristram, and went against him to\nthe opposite party. There he did great deeds of arms, and Sir Tristram\nmarvelled that he had gone against him, and said to Gareth, \u201cHe is weary\nof my company.\u201d\n\n\u201cSir,\u201d answered Gareth, \u201che desires to win worship and honour from\nyou. That Sir Dinadan saw yesterday, and it was for that reason that\nhe reproached you yesternight; for he loveth you better than any other\nknight in the world, and he wished to stir you up to win worship.\u201d\n\n\u201cI may well believe you,\u201d said Tristram; \u201cand since I now understand\nPalomides\u2019 evil will and envy, you shall see how long his worship shall\nendure.\u201d With that he went into the press, and did so mightily that all\nthe cry forsook Sir Palomides and followed Sir Tristram; for he smote\ndown forty knights with his spear, and many others with his sword.\n\n\u201cHow now?\u201d said Sir Lancelot to King Arthur. \u201cI told you that this day\na better knight than Sir Palomides should play his part. See how well\nyonder knight is doing; he has both strength and wind.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou say truth,\u201d answered the king: \u201cI never saw a better knight. He far\nsurpasses Palomides.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt needs must be so,\u201d said Lancelot, \u201cfor it is the noble knight Sir\nTristram himself.\u201d\n\nWhen Palomides saw Sir Tristram doing so well, he wept from pure anger,\nfor he knew that if Sir Tristram put forth his might he himself should\nget little worship. In a while Sir Tristram left the field, and went to\nhis pavilions, where he found Sir Dinadan still sleeping in his bed; and\nhe woke him up, and bade him come to the field. Sir Dinadan rose up and\narmed him; but when he looked on Tristram\u2019s shield and helm, and saw\nthere the dints of many blows, he said, \u201cWell was it for me that I\nslept; for had I been with you, I must for shame have followed you, and\nI see by the marks on your shield that I should have been well beaten.\u201d\n\n\u201cLeave your japes,\u201d said Tristram, \u201cand come with me.\u201d Then he changed\nhis harness, and put on black armour.\n\n\u201cAh,\u201d said Dinadan; \u201chave you plucked up your spirits? You are not in\nthe same mood you were in yesterday.\u201d\n\nSir Tristram only smiled, and bade Dinadan come with him.\n\nNow Sir Palomides saw Tristram change his armour, and so did Queen\nIsoude. And Palomides thought to do Tristram a shame. So he changed his\nown armour with a wounded knight that was sitting by a well near the\nfield, and then returned again to the tournament. This also Queen Isoude\nsaw, but none of the knights in the field knew of it. Then Sir Palomides\nmet Tristram, and both broke their spears, and after that they fought\nwith their swords. Sir Tristram wondered who the other knight might be,\nfor he felt that he was passing strong; and each gave the other many\nsore strokes. Then came in Sir Lancelot; and there came knights to him,\nand begged him to undertake the battle with the knight in black\narmour, because he had almost overcome the good knight with the silver\nshield,--which was Sir Palomides. Sir Lancelot knew not Sir Tristram,\nbecause he had changed his armour; so he rode between Tristram and\nPalomides, and said to Palomides, \u201cSir, let me have the battle, because\nyou have need of rest.\u201d Sir Palomides assented gladly, for he knew Sir\nLancelot well, and hoped that he might beat or shame Sir Tristram. Sir\nTristram also knew Sir Lancelot, but he met him full knightly, and they\nfought long and sorely together; and Queen Isoude well-nigh swooned for\nsorrow. Then said Sir Dinadan to Sir Gareth,--\n\n\u201cThat knight in the black harness is Sir Tristram, and Sir Lancelot must\nneeds get the better of him, for Sir Tristram hath had sore travail this\nday.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen let us smite him down,\u201d said Sir Gareth.\n\n\u201cIt were better we should do so than that Sir Tristram should be\nshamed,\u201d answered Dinadan, \u201cfor yonder there waits the strong knight\nwith the silver shield, ready to fall on Sir Tristram if need be.\u201d\n\nThen forthwith Sir Gareth rushed on Sir Lancelot, and gave him such a\nstroke on the helm that he was well-nigh stunned; and immediately Sir\nDinadan came upon him from the other side with a great spear, and smote\nhim such a buffet that he fell to the ground, horse and all.\n\n\u201cFor shame!\u201d cried Tristram to Gareth and Dinadan; \u201cwhy have you smitten\ndown that good knight while he was fighting with me?\u201d Then came in Sir\nPalomides, and struck Sir Dinadan from his horse; and Sir Lancelot,\nbecause Dinadan had smitten him down before, assailed him with his\nsword. Then Sir Palomides came fresh on Sir Tristram, who, being wishful\nto help Sir Dinadan, gave Palomides a mighty buffet, and then pulled\nhim from his horse; and he himself leaped lightly down, and went between\nLancelot and Dinadan, so that he and Lancelot again did battle together.\nStraightway Sir Dinadan got Tristram\u2019s horse and brought it to him, and\nsaid aloud, so that Lancelot might hear, \u201cMy lord Sir Tristram, take\nyour horse.\u201d\n\n\u201cAh!\u201d cried Sir Lancelot, \u201cwhat have I done? Now am I dishonoured. Ah,\nmy lord Sir Tristram! why are you disguised? You have put yourself in\ngreat peril. But I pray you, noble knight, pardon me; for if I had known\nyou, we should not have done this battle.\u201d\n\n\u201cSir,\u201d answered Tristram, \u201cthis is not the first kindness you have\nshown me.\u201d Then were they both horsed again; and all the people on King\nArthur\u2019s side said that Sir Lancelot had that day done the best, and\non the other side that Sir Tristram had done the best. But said Sir\nLancelot, \u201cI have no right to the honour, for Sir Tristram has been\nlonger in the field than I, and has smitten down many more knights; and\ntherefore he has won the degree.\u201d And so was it proclaimed.\n\nThen the tournament ended for that day, and Queen Isoude returned to the\npavilions, wroth out of measure with Sir Palomides, for she had seen all\nthat he had done; and as Sir Tristram rode to the pavilions with Gareth\nand Dinadan, Sir Palomides came with them, still disguised in the armour\nof the wounded knight, and bearing the silver shield. Sir Tristram\nknew him not for Palomides, and therefore said they had no need of his\nfellowship; and thereupon Palomides made himself known. Sir Tristram\nreproached him sorely for what he had done, but he swore that he had\nnot known him because of the changed armour. This excuse Sir Tristram\nreceived; but when they came to the tents, and Queen Isoude saw\nPalomides, she changed colour for anger.\n\n\u201cMadam, wherefore look you so angrily?\u201d asked Sir Tristram.\n\n\u201cMy dear lord,\u201d she answered, \u201chow can I be otherwise, when I saw this\nday how you were betrayed, and well-nigh brought to your death? I\nwill not suffer in my presence such a felon and traitor as this Sir\nPalomides; for I saw how he watched you quit the field, and then, when\nhe beheld you return, he changed armour with a wounded knight and\ncame against you. For what he could do I was not greatly afraid, but I\ndreaded because of Sir Lancelot that knew you not.\u201d\n\n\u201cMadam,\u201d said Palomides, \u201cyou may say what you will. I must not\ncontradict you, but by my knighthood, I knew not Sir Tristram.\u201d\n\n\u201cSir Palomides,\u201d said Tristram, \u201cI will hold you excused; and though you\nspared me not, all is pardoned on my part.\u201d\n\nThen La Beale Isoude hung down her head, and said no more. But while\nthey sat at their meat, two armed knights came into the pavilion.\n\u201cSirs,\u201d said Tristram, \u201cyou do not well to come upon us armed at all\npoints.\u201d\n\n\u201cNay,\u201d said one of them, \u201cwe come not with any evil intent, but as\nfriends. I am come to see thee, Sir Tristram, and this knight to see\nQueen Isoude.\u201d\n\nThen Sir Tristram requested them to take off their helms; and when they\ndid so, they were Sir Lancelot and King Arthur. So they were joyfully\nwelcomed, and there was much merry talk about the tournament and other\nthings.\n\n\u201cFor what cause,\u201d said King Arthur, \u201care you, Sir Tristram, against us?\nYou are a Knight of the Round Table, and of right should be with us.\u201d\n\n\u201cMy lord,\u201d said Sir Tristram, \u201chere are Sir Dinadan and your own nephew,\nSir Gareth, that have made me be against you.\u201d\n\n\u201cMy lord,\u201d quoth Sir Gareth, \u201cthough I have the blame, it was Sir\nTristram\u2019s own will.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd that have we cause to repent,\u201d said Dinadan; \u201cfor this unhappy Sir\nTristram brought us to the tournament, and many great buffets hath he\nsince earned us.\u201d\n\nAt that all laughed mightily. Then said King Arthur to Tristram, \u201cWhat\nknight was it that fought so sturdily with you--he with the silver\nshield?\u201d\n\n\u201cSir,\u201d answered Tristram, \u201che is sitting at this table.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat?\u201d cried the king. \u201cWas it Sir Palomides?--Ah, sir, that was\nunknightly of you.\u201d\n\n\u201cSir,\u201d answered Palomides, \u201cI knew not Sir Tristram, because he was so\ndisguised.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat might well be,\u201d said Lancelot, \u201cfor I knew him not.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt matters not,\u201d said Tristram, \u201cfor I have pardoned him, and I should\nbe sorry to lose his fellowship, for I love his company.\u201d\n\nAfter that they had much pleasant converse together, and not until night\ndid King Arthur and Sir Lancelot take their leave. On the following day,\nin the tournament, Sir Tristram and Palomides at first went together\nagainst King Arthur\u2019s knights, as before, and did passing well. Sir\nLancelot came in on King Arthur\u2019s side, and great deeds he wrought; but\nhe and his fellows were too few against the other party. When Tristram\nsaw how nobly Arthur\u2019s knights bore them, he called Palomides, Gareth,\nand Dinadan to him, and proposed that they should turn to King Arthur\u2019s\nside. Gareth and Dinadan assented, but Sir Palo-mides said he would not\ndepart from the side on which he came in.\n\n\u201cThat is for my sake,\u201d quoth Tristram; and so Sir Palomides left them.\nAnd Tristram and the other two went to King Arthur\u2019s side, and then they\nsmote down all they met, so that none could withstand them; and King\nArthur himself gave Sir Palomides a fall. So the kings who held against\nKing Arthur\u2019s were fain to withdraw their knights.\n\n\u201cAlas!\u201d cried Palomides, \u201cnow have I lost all the worship I had won;\u201d\n and he rode to a well, and there put off his armour, and wept and wailed\nlike a woman.\n\nSo the tournament was ended, and Sir Tristram would have given the chief\nprize to Sir Lancelot, and Sir Lancelot to Sir Tristram; but by the\naward of King Arthur it was divided between them.\n\nSir Tristram returned with his companions to his pavilions; but as Sir\nPalomides sat by the well, the kings of Scotland and Northgalis came by,\nand they got him to put on his armour again, and to ride with them. It\nchanced that they passed by Sir Tristram\u2019s tents, and Sir Palomides rode\nto the entrance, and cried out, \u201cSir Tristram de Lyons, where art thou?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat, Sir Palomides!\u201d answered Tristram; \u201cwill you not come in among\nus?\u201d\n\n\u201cFie on thee, traitor!\u201d said Palomides. \u201cIf it were daylight, now would\nI slay thee with mine own hands; and if ever I meet thee, thou shalt die\nfor this day\u2019s deed.\u201d\n\n\u201cSir Palomides,\u201d replied Tristram, \u201cyou blame me wrongly. Had you done\nas I did, you would have had worship: but since you give me warning,\nhenceforth will I beware of you.\u201d\n\n\u201cFie on thee, traitor,\u201d again said Palomides, and then he departed. So\nhe went with the two kings, and Sir Tristram took his way with La Beale\nIsoude to Joyous Gard.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XIV. THE END OF THE HISTORY OF THE ROUND TABLE, AND THE PASSING\nOF ARTHUR.\n\nTHE Tournament of Lonazep was the last great gathering of the chivalry\nof Britain. In no long time after, the good knight Sir Tristram was\nslain by the crafts of his uncle and old enemy, King Marke of Cornwall.\nAs for the Knights of the Round Table, they were dispersed in the quest\nof the Holy Grail; which was a vessel that had been brought to Britain\na long time before by Joseph of Arimathea with some of the blood of\nour Lord therein, and had been left in charge of King Pellam, Joseph\u2019s\ndescendant. Whoever could partake thereof was made whole of all wounds;\nbut it might not be seen except by a knight that was absolutely pure and\nclean. Most of the Knights of the Round Table took part in the quest,\nand some of them, especially Sir Lancelot, Sir Bors, and Sir Percival de\nGalis, met with marvellous adventures in it; but it was achieved at last\nby Sir Galahad, the son of Sir Lancelot by Elaine the daughter of King\nPellam. As soon as he had achieved the Grail he died, and thereupon the\nsacred vessel disappeared from this world for ever. Of the other knights\nthat went in the quest, many perished; but afterwards the remnant\ngathered again about King Arthur, and maintained the Round Table with\nmight, for Sir Lancelot, Sir Gawaine, and other good knights were still\nleft. And Sir Lancelot loved Queen Guenever more than before, and she\nhim; but it chanced that there came some disagreement between them,\nand she bade him withdraw from the court. So he departed, and went to a\nhermitage near Windsor, and none save his cousin Sir Bors knew whither\nhe had gone.\n\nSoon afterward Queen Guenever gave a banquet to certain of the Knights\nof the Round Table, and especially to Sir Gawaine. Now Sir Gawaine was\nexceedingly fond of all kinds of fruit, and especially of apples and\npears, so of these the queen had made large provision. But a knight of\nthe court, named Sir Pinell, hated Sir Gawaine; for he was cousin to Sir\nLamoracke de Galis, whom Gawaine and his brethren had slain. With intent\nto avenge him on Sir Gawaine, he put poison into some of the fairest of\nthe fruit; but it fell out that no one ate the apples he had poisoned\nsave a knight named Sir Patrice, cousin to Sir Mador de la Port; and as\nsoon as he had eaten, the poison was so strong that he died forthwith.\nThen was there a great stir among all the knights at the table, for as\nQueen Guenever had provided the banquet every one had suspicion of her;\nand she herself was sore abashed, for she did not understand the matter.\nBut Sir Mador de la Port, who was one of the guests, rose up and accused\nthe queen of the death of Sir Patrice; and forasmuch as all the other\nknights believed her to be guilty, none of them would take up the\nquarrel on her behalf. Then Guenever burst into weeping, and at last she\nfell down in a swoon.\n\nNews of the matter was soon brought to King Arthur, and he was sore\ntroubled; but being bound by the oaths of knighthood, he appointed a\nday, fifteen days after that, on which Sir Mador was to be ready, armed,\nin the meadow beside Winchester, to make good his accusation against\nthe queen; and if no knight appeared on her behalf, or if a knight did\nappear and was vanquished, then should she be burned in that place. With\nthis Sir Mador was content, and departed. When King Arthur and the queen\nwere alone together, he asked her how the matter had come about.\n\n\u201cSir,\u201d said she, \u201cas God me help, I know nothing of it.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhere is Sir Lancelot?\u201d asked Arthur. \u201cIf he were here, he would\nundertake the battle for you.\u201d\n\n\u201cSir,\u201d said the queen sorrowfully, for well she knew that she had sent\nhim away from the court, \u201cI cannot tell you where he is, but his kinsmen\nbelieve that he is not within this realm.\u201d\n\n\u201cOf that am I sorry,\u201d said the king. \u201cBut I counsel you to go to Sir\nBors, and pray him to undertake the battle for you for Sir Lancelot\u2019s\nsake, and I dare affirm that he will not refuse you.\u201d So the queen\nwent to Sir Bors, and entreated him as King Arthur had bidden her. \u201cAh,\nmadam,\u201d said he, \u201cI may not with any worship have to do in this matter;\nfor I was at the banquet, and if I undertake the battle on your behalf,\nall the other knights my fellows will suspect me of guilt. Now stand you\nin need of Sir Lancelot, who would not have failed you, whether in right\nor wrong. I wonder how you can for very shame require anything of me,\nafter you have so discourteously treated that good knight my cousin.\u201d\n\n\u201cAlas!\u201d cried the queen, and she fell on her knees to Sir Bors, and\nimplored him to have mercy on her; \u201cfor,\u201d said she, \u201cif you will not, I\nmust die a shameful death, and I have not deserved it.\u201d Just then came\nKing Arthur, and he also required Sir Bors to undertake the battle\nfor Sir Lancelot\u2019s sake. So then Sir Bors consented to be the queen\u2019s\nchampion, if on the appointed day a better knight than himself did not\nundertake the battle. The king and queen were greatly comforted; but Sir\nBors straightway rode in secret to Sir Lancelot, and told him what had\nhappened. Said Lancelot: \u201cThis has happily come as I would have it. Do\nyou make you ready on the day fixed to do the battle, but delay as long\nas you can till I come.\u201d\n\nThis Sir Bors undertook; and on the day set, the king and all the court\nwere gathered in the meadow beside Winchester, where the battle was\nappointed to be fought. The queen was brought into the place as a\nprisoner, and there was an iron stake set up, so that if Sir Mador\nhad the better she should be burned forthwith, according to the king\u2019s\njudgment. Then came Sir Mador de la Port, and made oath before the King\nthat Queen Guenever had treasonably slain his cousin Sir Patrice; and\nthat he would maintain with his body against any one that should say\nthe contrary. Forthwith there entered Sir Bors, and he said that Queen\nGuenever was innocent, and he would prove with his body that she was not\nguilty of the treason charged against her.\n\n\u201cThen make thee ready,\u201d said Sir Mador, \u201cand we shall soon prove whether\nthou or I be in the right.\u201d\n\n\u201cSir,\u201d said Bors, \u201cthough I know you for a good knight, I have no doubt\nthat I can withstand you; but I have only undertaken to do this battle\nif there come not a better knight than I and discharge me of it.\u201d\n\n\u201cThou must either meet me forthwith,\u201d said Mador angrily, \u201cor say nay\nand withdraw.\u201d\n\n\u201cTake your horse,\u201d said Bors, \u201cand you shall not have to wait long.\u201d\n Then both of them went to their tents, and made them ready; but Sir Bors\ndelayed as long as he could, till Sir Mador rode about the field crying\nto the queen, \u201cBid your champion come forth if he dare.\u201d Then was Sir\nBors ashamed, and took his horse, and came into the lists; but just then\nhe was aware of a strong knight that came fast out of a wood near by on\na white horse with a shield of strange device; and this knight requested\nSir Bors to retire and let him take the battle. Sir Bors knew well who\nit was, and so willingly withdrew. Then the king asked the stranger\nknight if he were willing to undertake the battle.\n\n\u201cTherefore,\u201d said he, \u201ccame I hither; and it seems to me a shame and\ndishonour to all you Knights of the Round Table that you should have\nsuffered so noble a lady and courteous a queen as Queen Guenever to be\nrebuked and shamed among you.\u201d\n\nThen all the knights marvelled who the stranger could be; but Sir Mador\nwas impatient, and so he and the other encountered in the midst of the\nlists, and Sir Mador\u2019s spear broke, but Sir Lancelot\u2019s held and bore Sir\nMador to the ground. Then he drew his sword and challenged the stranger\nto fight him on foot; and quickly Sir Lancelot descended. So met they\nfoot to foot, and fought a great battle for more than an hour, for Sir\nMador was a passing good knight. But at the last Sir Lancelot smote\nhim down, and then he yielded, and withdrew his accusation against the\nqueen. So was she delivered; and then King Arthur prayed the stranger to\ntake off his helmet. This he did, and all present knew that it was Sir\nLancelot. Full joyfully was he greeted, especially by Queen Guenever,\nwho repented her sorely of her unkindness to him. Afterwards, through\nthe contrivance of the damsel of the lake, Nimue, it became known that\nSir Pinell had done the deed of which Queen Guenever had been accused,\nand he fled to his own country; so then Sir Mador prayed the queen to\nforgive him, and peace was made between them.\n\nOn the following Lady-day, King Arthur proclaimed a tournament at\nCamelot; and thereto was a great gathering of knights from all parts,\nthough many of the best of those who had been at Lonazep were now dead.\nQueen Guenever would not go, because she said she was sick; and at first\nSir Lancelot also excused himself, but the queen told him it were better\nfor him to go, lest there should be suspicion that he stayed behind for\nher sake. So then he departed, but in ill-humour, and declared that he\nwould be against King Arthur and his fellowship. Now as Sir Lancelot\nrode, he rested on his way at a castle which was named Astolat, and the\nknight that dwelt there was called Sir Bernard. He entertained Lancelot\ncourteously, though he knew not his name, but saw by his manner and\nhis many scars that he was a great lord and a well-proved knight. Sir\nLancelot said to his host, \u201cSir, can you lend me a shield with a device\nwhich is not known? I would go to the tournament disguised, and my\nshield is too well known.\u201d\n\nSir Bernard answered, \u201cSir, you shall have your desire, for you seem a\nfull likely knight. I have two sons, of whom the elder was hurt on the\nsame day he was made knight, so that never since has he been able to\nride. His shield shall you bear; and his brother, Sir Lavaine, shall\nattend you in the field.\u201d\n\nAt this Sir Lancelot was well pleased. Now the old knight had a daughter\nthat was exceedingly beautiful, so that she was called the Fair Maid of\nAstolat; and when she saw Sir Lancelot she loved him exceedingly;\nbut his heart was ever set on Queen Guenever, and he returned not the\nmaiden\u2019s love. Still, being courteous to all ladies, he was ever gentle\nwith her; and she was so emboldened that she entreated him to wear her\ntoken at the tournament.\n\n\u201cFair damsel,\u201d said he, \u201cif I grant you that, I shall have done more for\nyou than I did ever for any lady before.\u201d Then he bethought him that\nhe did not wish to be known at the tournament, and that if he bore the\ndamsel\u2019s token none would think it was he; so he granted her request.\nAnd she brought him a sleeve of red cloth embroidered with pearls; and\nhe put it on his helm, and gave her his shield to keep for him till he\ncame again for it.\n\nSo Lancelot departed to the tournament, and there he did great deeds\nagainst King Arthur\u2019s knights, and he put back all the fellowship of the\nRound Table; and Sir Lavaine supported him mightily. But by mischance\nSir Bors hurt Sir Lancelot sore with a spear, which went into his side\nand broke, and the spearhead remained in the wound. Then the tournament\nended for the day; and because Sir Lancelot\u2019s name was not known, the\nprize was adjudicated to the knight who wore the red sleeve. But Sir\nLancelot suffered so sorely from his wound that he withdrew secretly\nfrom the crowd with Sir Lavaine; and when they were come to a quiet\nplace he bade Sir Lavaine draw out the spear-head When that was done, he\nbled so much that he swooned away; but at last he recovered so far as\nto be able to ride to a hermitage near by, where the hermit tended him\ncarefully, and having in old days been himself a knight, he knew him for\nSir Lancelot. In the meantime, there was great grief with King Arthur\nand the knights at Camelot that they could not find the knight with the\nred sleeve, and all of them dispersed to seek for him. Now it chanced\nthat in the search Sir Gawaine lodged with Sir Bernard at Astolat, and\nthe damsel Elaine asked him how the tournament had gone. Then he told\nher of the great exploits that had been achieved by the knight with the\nred sleeve.\n\n\u201cRight thankful am I,\u201d quoth Elaine, \u201cthat the good knight sped so well;\nfor he is the man that I first loved, and the only man that ever I shall\nlove.\u201d\n\n\u201cFair lady,\u201d said Gawaine, \u201cis that knight your love?\u201d\n\n\u201cCertainly,\u201d she answered, \u201che is my love.\u201d\n\n\u201cDo you know his name?\u201d asked Gawaine.\n\n\u201cI know not his name,\u201d said Elaine, \u201cfor he would never tell it; but he\nleft here his shield in my keeping, and took my brother\u2019s in its stead,\nso that he might not be known.\u201d\n\nThen Gawaine asked to look at the shield; and when he saw it, he knew it\nfor Sir Lancelot\u2019s. Then he marvelled, because before that time he had\nnever known Lancelot bear any lady\u2019s token; and he told Elaine who the\nknight was, and that he had been sore wounded. Thereupon she asked leave\nof her father to go forth and seek him and her brother Sir Lavaine. But\nSir Gawaine went to London, and there openly he declared all that he had\nlearned concerning Lancelot and the maid of Astolat. Thereat was Queen\nGuenever greatly angered, and she declared to Sir Bors that Lancelot was\na false traitor. But Sir Bors set forth to seek him.\n\nIn the meanwhile the damsel Elaine rode to Camelot, and there she saw\nher brother Sir Lavaine that had come out to exercise his horse. So she\ncaused him to bring her to the hermitage where Sir Lancelot lay; and\nwhen she saw him lying all pale and wasted on his bed, she swooned for\nsorrow. When she came to herself, he comforted her, and asked her how\nshe came to know his name. And she told him how Sir Gawaine had seen his\nshield. \u201cAlas!\u201d said Lancelot, \u201cI repent sorely that my name is known,\nfor that will lead to trouble.\u201d Then Elaine never left Lancelot, but\nnursed him night and day. After a long while he was whole of his wound,\nand made ready to depart. So Elaine said to him, \u201cMy lord Sir Lancelot,\nas you are a fair and courteous knight, have mercy on me, and suffer me\nnot to die for your love.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat would you that I did?\u201d asked Lancelot.\n\n\u201cI would have you for my husband,\u201d she answered.\n\n\u201cFair damsel,\u201d said he, \u201cI am purposed never to be married.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen must I die for your love,\u201d she said. He spoke to her full\ntenderly, and promised, if she could give her love to another, to be his\ngood friend. But all was to no purpose; for after he had departed, she\nnever slept nor ate, and after ten days she felt that her days were\ndone, but still she spoke and thought only of Lancelot. The priest that\nwas with her bade her leave such thoughts. Then said she, \u201cWhy should I\nleave such thoughts? Is it any sin to love a noble knight? I take God to\nwitness that I was never greater offender against his laws than that I\nloved the noble knight Sir Lancelot out of all measure, whereof I have\nmy death.\u201d And she had a letter written to Sir Lancelot, and requested\nthat when she was dead the letter might be put in her hand, and she be\nlaid in a fair bed with all the richest clothing she had about her; and\nthen that the bed should be laid in a barge covered with black, and sent\ninto the river Thames. All this was done, and the barge with the maid\u2019s\nbody floated down the Thames to Westminster, where the court was at that\ntime. The king saw it floating on the river, and sent three knights to\nfind out what it might be. When they saw so fair a corpse lying in the\nrichest bed they had ever beheld, they caused the barge to be drawn to\nthe shore, and told the king; who came to it, and took the letter from\nthe dead maid\u2019s hand. It set forth that she who writ it had died for\nlove of Sir Lancelot du Lake, and entreated the knight to pray for her\nsoul. At this Sir Lancelot was sorry, and the queen repented of all the\nhard words she had said against him.\n\nSo Sir Lancelot was at that time the knight of by far the most worship\nliving. Whenever there was a jousting, and he might be there, he carried\naway the palm; and he was ever ready to uphold the honour of King Arthur\nand of his court against all comers. Therefore was he well cherished of\nthe King, while Queen Guenever loved him more and more, especially after\nhe rescued her from Sir Meleagans, the son of King Bagdemagus, who had\nlaid hold of her by treacherous means. But this same guilty love between\nLancelot and the queen now most unhappily was the cause of the total\ndestruction of the Round Table, and the end of Arthur\u2019s glorious reign.\nSir Agravaine and Sir Mordred had ever hated Sir Lancelot; and now,\nagainst the will and counsel of Sir Gawaine, Sir Gaheris, and Sir\nGareth, their brethren, they revealed the love of Lancelot and the queen\nto King Arthur. The king was cut to the heart, for much he loved Sir\nLancelot, but he refused to believe that such wrong had been done unless\nhe had proof. This was obtained by the contrivances of Agravaine and\nMordred; but Lancelot slew Agravaine, and sorely wounded Mordred. Then\nhe gathered together all the knights of his kin, and all others\nthat would follow him, and prepared to rescue the queen, for she was\nsentenced by King Arthur to be burned. Against this Sir Gawaine pleaded\nearnestly, but in vain; but when the king bade him be one of those to\nlead the queen to her execution, he openly refused; and though Gareth\nand Gaheris consented to be there, they would not put on their armour.\nThen the queen was led forth to her death, clad only in a single white\ngarment; but Sir Lancelot had word of it, and he and his company came\nsuddenly, and overpowered them that guarded her, and rescued her. By\nill-hap, Sir Lancelot slew Gaheris and Gareth, not knowing them; for\nthey had gone unarmed among those who were leading the queen to the\nstake. Then he took Queen Guenever to his castle of Joyous Gard, and\nmade ready to defend her there.\n\nWhen King Arthur heard how the queen had been rescued, and especially\nof the death of Gaheris and Gareth, he was full of sorrow; but when Sir\nGawaine knew that his brethren had fallen by the hand of Sir Lancelot,\nwhom they had always loved, he well-nigh went out of his mind. Then he\ntook a great oath to be revenged against Sir Lancelot. And he and King\nArthur raised a large army, and besieged Joyous Gard. But it was a very\nstrong place, and well stored with provision, so that nothing could be\ndone against it. Then King Arthur and Gawaine, with many reproaches and\nangry words, taunted Sir Lancelot to come out of the castle and meet\nthem in the open field. He was loath to do so, for he wished not to hurt\nKing Arthur or Gawaine; but at the last he consented, and there were\ngreat battles fought outside the castle. Many times Sir Lancelot might\nhave slain the king, but he forbore him; but Sir Lancelot\u2019s knights,\nthough not so many as those on the other side, were the most perilous\nat that time living, and they did great execution against those of the\nking. The rumour of this unhappy war spread all through Christendom; and\nthe Pope sent a bishop to King Arthur, charging him to make peace with\nSir Lancelot and take his queen again. So at last it was agreed that Sir\nLancelot should deliver up Queen Guenever, and no harm be done her; and\nthat Sir Lancelot should withdraw him to his realm beyond the sea. This\nwas done, and not only Sir Lancelot\u2019s own kin but many more of the best\nknights of Britain went with him to his own country of Benwick, where he\ngave them lands and made ready for war.\n\nIn no long time King Arthur and Sir Gawaine followed after with a great\nhost, leaving the realm of Britain in keeping of the kings nephew, Sir\nMordred; and they besieged Sir Lancelot in his strong city of Benwick.\nThere Sir Gawaine came every day before the walls, and defied Sir\nLancelot to combat; and at the last Sir Lancelot met him in the field,\nand after a long fight wounded him sorely on the head. As soon as\nGawaine was healed, he came forth and challenged Sir Lancelot again; and\nagain Sir Lancelot struck him down, but would not slay him. Before he\ncould be fully recovered from this second wound, there came news that\nSir Mordred had spread a report that King Arthur was slain in battle\nagainst Sir Lancelot, and had seized the kingdom. Then Arthur and all\nhis host returned with what speed they might, and landed at Dover. There\nMordred met him with a great army; but in the battle King Arthur was\nvictorious, and Mordred fled. On that day Sir Gawaine received a mortal\nwound, and then he repented that he had waged such bitter war against\nSir Lancelot: so he wrote him a letter, in which he begged his\nforgiveness, and besought him to pray at his tomb; and he also requested\nthat Lancelot would come over and help King Arthur against the traitor\nMordred. Then Gawaine died, and King Arthur mourned over him, and caused\nhim to be buried in the chapel of Dover Castle.\n\nIt was now reported to the king that Sir Mordred had gathered a great\nhost at Barendown; and King Arthur went forward to meet him. There was\nanother great battle; but again King Arthur won the field, and Mordred\nand his party fled toward Salisbury. The king followed him, and many\npeople flocked to his army; and he made ready to fight another battle on\nSalisbury Plain. But while Arthur was in his camp, he dreamed one\nnight that Sir Gawaine came to him, and warned him not to fight against\nMordred the next day, for if he did he should have his death; but that\nif he would treat with Mordred and delay for a month, then would come\nover Sir Lancelot and his host, and put the traitor and his party\naltogether to the worse. When the king woke, he took measures to treat\nwith Mordred; so it was agreed that the king and his false nephew should\nmeet between the two armies, with fourteen attendants each, to make the\ntreaty. So the armies were drawn out, and King Arthur warned his men\nthat if they saw any sword drawn or other sign of battle they should\ncome on fiercely, because he did not trust Mordred. But Mordred gave\na like warning to his men. While the two armies were standing face to\nface, it befell that an adder crept out of a bush of heather, and\nstung a knight on the foot. Forthwith he drew his sword to slay it,\nand thought of no other harm; but immediately the two hosts advanced\nfiercely against one another, and fought with all the greater fury\nbecause each party thought that the other had designed treachery. King\nArthur rode at the head of his knights, and smote down on every hand,\nand Mordred on his part fought better than he had done in all his life\nbefore. At the last the king looked around him, and of all his host\nthere were none left but Sir Lucas and Sir Bedivere, while on the other\nside there was none but Mordred himself, that stood leaning grimly on\nhis sword. When Arthur saw him, he took his spear in his hand, and ran\ntoward him, crying, \u201cTraitor, now is thy death-day come.\u201d\n\nWhen Mordred heard that, he waited for King Arthur with his sword ready\nin his hand; but the king avoided his blow, and thrust his spear clean\nthrough his body. Then Mordred felt that he had his death-wound, and he\nthrust himself up the spear, and smote King Arthur on the helm with his\nsword, that it pierced to the brain-pan. Mordred fell stark dead, and\nthe king sank down in a swoon. But Sir Bedivere and Sir Lucas, though\nboth of them were sore wounded, contrived to bring him to a little\nchapel by the seaside; and there Sir Lucas, that had sustained a mortal\nwound, fell down and died at the king\u2019s feet. Then Sir Bedivere wept for\nSir Lucas\u2019 death, for he was his brother.\n\n\u201cLeave this weeping and mourning,\u201d said King Arthur, \u201cfor it will not\navail. Now my time is full short; therefore take thou my good sword\nExcalibur, and go to the water-side and throw it into the water.\u201d\n\nThen went Sir Bedivere with the sword; and as he looked upon it, and\nsaw how the pommel and haft were all ornamented with precious stones, he\nthought it would be a pity that so noble a sword should be wasted So he\nhid it under a bush, and came back to the king, and told him that he had\nthrown the sword into the water.\n\n\u201cWhat sawest thou there?\u201d asked the king.\n\n\u201cI saw nothing but the waves caused by the wind,\u201d answered Bedivere.\n\n\u201cThou hast said untruly,\u201d said Arthur; \u201ctherefore as thou art true and\ndear to me, go and obey my command.\u201d\n\nSir Bedivere returned, and took the sword in his hand, but he could not\nbring himself to throw it into the water. So once more he hid it, and\nwent back to the king, telling him that he had done according to his\nbidding, but had seen nothing.\n\n\u201cAh, traitor,\u201d cried the king, \u201ctwice now hast thou betrayed me for the\nrich sword; but go yet and do my bidding, and if thou doest it not, then\nwill I slay thee with mine own hands.\u201d\n\nSo then Bedivere went and took the sword, and wrapped the belts about\nthe hilt, and flung it as far as he might into the sea; and lo! there\ncame a hand above the water, and caught the sword, and brandished it\nthrice, and then vanished with it beneath the water. Then Bedivere\nreturned to the king and told him what he had seen.\n\n\u201cAlas!\u201d said Arthur, \u201chelp me from hence, for I fear I have tarried over\nlong.\u201d\n\nThen Bedivere took the king on his back, and carried him to the\nwater-side; and there was a barge with many fair ladies in it, all\nwearing black hoods. \u201cNow put me into the barge,\u201d said Arthur; and\nBedivere did so, and three queens received the king, with great mourning\nand wailing, and one of them said,--\n\n\u201cAh, my dear brother, why hast thou tarried so long?\u201d Then the barge\nwent away, and Bedivere lost sight of it. So he departed, weeping and\nwailing, and wandered all night in the forest. In the morning he found\nhimself by a hermitage and a chapel. When he went into the chapel, he\nsaw a hermit praying by a tomb newly made. \u201cSir,\u201d said Bedivere, \u201cwhat\nman is there buried that you pray for?\u201d\n\n\u201cMy fair son,\u201d answered the hermit, \u201cI know not; but last night, about\nmidnight, there came here a great number of ladies which brought the\nbody of a knight, and they prayed me to bury him.\u201d\n\n\u201cAlas!\u201d cried Bedivere, \u201cthen it is my lord King Arthur that lies buried\nin this chapel.\u201d And he swooned by the side of the tomb. When he came\nto himself, he vowed that henceforth he would abide with the hermit,\nand become a holy man. Of the death of King Arthur, and whether he was\nburied in that tomb, nothing more was certainly known; but many people\nbelieved that he was not dead at all, but remained in the Isle of\nAvallon, with the Lady of the Lake, and would yet come again to recover\nhis kingdom.\n\nIn the meanwhile Sir Lancelot heard of the treason of Mordred and the\ndeath of Gawaine; and he received Gawaine\u2019s letter, which made him very\ndoleful. So he gathered a great host, and came over into England, but\nthere he heard the evil news of Arthur\u2019s death; and it was told him that\nQueen Guenever had gone into a nunnery at Almesbury. Thither he went\nand saw her; and they had a sad meeting, for she bade him an eternal\nfarewell, and told him he must never see her again, for she had\ndedicated herself to the service of Heaven. And she bade him return to\nhis own kingdom, and rule it fitly, and take to himself a wife. But this\nSir Lancelot denied her; for he said that as she had become a nun, so\nwould he also take a religious habit. And this he did, at the same place\nwhere was Sir Bedivere and the tomb of King Arthur; and with him abode\nsix knights of his kin, that also became hermits. Six years they dwelt\nthere in great piety and penitence. Then it was made known to Lancelot\nin a vision that Guenever was dead at Almesbury; and he was bid to bring\nher to Glastonbury, and bury her by the side of her lord. So the next\nday he and his six fellows set out for Almesbury, and there they found\nthe queen dead; and they bore her body to Glastonbury, and buried her\nwith great solemnity in the same tomb as King Arthur. And from that time\nforth Lancelot scarce ever ate or slept, but was always praying by the\ntomb, so that in six weeks he also waxed very sick and died. He had\nbidden his fellows to bury him at Joyous Gard, and thither he was borne;\nand before he was laid in his grave, Sir Bors cried, weeping, \u201cAh,\nSir Lancelot, there thou liest, that wert never matched of any earthly\nknight\u2019s hands; and thou wert the courtliest knight that ever bare\nshield; and thou wert the truest friend that ever bestrode horse; and\nthou wert the truest lover that ever loved woman; and thou wert the\nkindest man that ever struck with sword; and thou wert the goodliest\nperson that ever came among peers or knights; and thou wert the meekest\nman, and the gentlest, that ever ate in hall among ladies; and thou wert\nthe sternest knight to thy mortal foe that ever put spear in rest.\u201d\n\nSuch is the end of the history of King Arthur and his Knights of the\nRound Table. After Arthur, his kinsman Constantine, the son of Sir Cador\nof Cornwall, was chosen King of Britain, and full nobly and worshipfully\nhe ruled the realm. But of the goodly company of the Knights of the\nRound Table there was no remnant left.\n\nTHE END.","title":"Stories of the Days of King Arthur","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":77789}