if* 
 
 
 
 BHI
 
 Ex Libris 
 C. K. OGDEN 1 


 
 Camelot 
 
 EDITED BY ERNEST Riivs. 
 
 MALORY'S KING ARTHUR.
 
 MALORY'S HISTORY OF 
 
 KING ARTHUR 
 
 QUEST OF THE HOLY GRAIL. 
 
 [FROM THE MORTE D' ARTHUR.] 
 
 Edited, with General Introduction to the " Camelot Classics" 
 
 BY ERNEST RHYS. 
 
 LONDON: 
 WALTER SCOTT, 24 WARWICK LANE, 
 
 PATERNOSTER ROW. 
 1886.
 
 Camelot Classics. 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 HIS book of King Arthur and his noble 
 Knights of the Round Table, that sets out 
 adventurously in modern guise to-day, has 
 capital claim to be made herald of the great 
 company of prose-writers. This, not so 
 much for its own inherent quality, unique as 
 that is, as for its bearing on the splendid 
 aftergrowth of letters, and its touch of an event which, 
 though compassed bloodlessly amid the rumours and 
 fierce presence of war, was really revolutionary. It was 
 the revolution of Caxton so peacefully begun in the 
 silence of Westminster ; and yet so tremendous, as we see 
 it now. And Sir Thomas Malory's Morte V Arthur was 
 one of the books most directly called into being by Caxton's 
 introduction of printing in the Fifteenth Century. 
 
 It is natural to dwell on this link of the literary evolu- 
 tion first ; the whole question of the popular approach to 
 letters naturally makes us inclined to think with great 
 interest on Caxton's deliverance. If we pursue this thought 
 now, however, let us not forget the more inward side of 
 things, and the place of the Morte D' Arthur on that side. 
 For the inward significance of the book is not slight, and 
 examining it more closely we shall find how typical it is
 
 vi INTRODUCTION. 
 
 in both matter and method, and how suggestive. Especially 
 we at this time ought to be interested in it, for this prose 
 outcome of the fascinating Middle Age sentiment has 
 direct bearing on the order of prose-writing tyrannically 
 most in vogue with us, Tale-telling ! Across the naive 
 pretence of the word HISTORY printed on its title-page 
 we find Romance seductively scribbled, as it were ; and 
 indeed no more tempting by-way into English prose litera- 
 ture could well be found for the uninitiated than this 
 first of all favourite English romances. Putting off until 
 later the full considering of the book, however, let us first 
 of all invoke the shade of Caxton, great forefather of this 
 and all other new editions intended for a Nineteenth 
 Century audience, and try and touch the printing-press 
 afresh with the memory of its picturesque beginning. 
 
 It was in the year 1485 four centuries ago exactly 
 that Caxton imprinted at Westminster the first edition of 
 the Morte D' Arthur, eight or ten years later than the first 
 book produced by him. This sounds a commonplace now, 
 with printing one of the commonest of all commonplaces ; 
 but it was different then. The successful starting of his 
 press by Caxton in the Almonry at Westminster, "a little 
 enclosure containing a chapel and almshouses, swept away 
 since Caxton's time by later buildings, near the west front 
 of the church,"* may be said to have caused a sensation. 
 The audience was still small then, but it was fast growing. 
 The monopoly of letters by the monastic coteries was at 
 an end, and the intellectual appetite of the wider throng 
 of men had been already sharpened in many ways. To 
 this it was the printing-press was directly due, for the 
 demand for books pressed hard upon the slow processes 
 of the scribes and copyists, though these processes had 
 been developed considerably by trade-guilds, such as the 
 Brothers of the Pen at Brussels ; and upon the stimulus 
 thus given the genius of Faust and Gutenberg found issue 
 in the printing-press. One can imagine the excitement that 
 the new art aroused in London, when Caxton returned there 
 with it. One sees the stream of students and society 
 * Green's Short History of the English People, p. 289.
 
 INTRODUCTION. vii 
 
 dilletantij fair ladies and fine gentlemen princes, duchesses, 
 priests, merchants flocking to the Almonry with their 
 patronage and suggestions for new books. And Caxton 
 was equal to the hour : with the love and enthusiasm of a 
 student he had, too, the tact of his trade. Here is his ad- 
 vertisement: "If it please any man, spiritual or temporal, 
 to buy any pyes of two or three commemorations of Salis- 
 bury all emprinted after the form of the present letter, 
 which be well and truly correct, let him come to West- 
 minster, into the Almonry at the red pale, and he shall 
 have them good chepe." The picture this calls up is full 
 of charm. Ladies of quaint costume and bright face, gentle- 
 men of degree, dark-cowled monks, are among the cus- 
 tomers there, carrying away with them rare burdens, 
 books of poetry and romance and ritual, one of which 
 would mark a red-letter day for the book-hunter now. 
 "The Almonry at the red pale!" a strange and quiet 
 birth-place surely for the violent steam-dragons of modern 
 letters. 
 
 It is a far cry from Caxton to the literary activity of to- 
 day ; the recall of four centuries is difficult. But consider 
 for a moment what an immense deliverance was here 
 what a liberation of forces ! Here was another of the 
 mighty strokes with which the human spirit struck its way 
 out of the old imprisonment of time and space, during the 
 Fifteenth Century a century so barren in many ways as it 
 seems at a first glance. Not long before, Constantinople 
 had fallen to the Turks, and the wealth of Greek culture 
 held for long within its walls was scattered through Europe, 
 the first disciple of the famed Chalcondylas reaching Oxford 
 shortly after Caxton began printing. The effect of this 
 Greek renascence was masterful in the extreme ; the name 
 of Erasmus alone will attest it. The recovery of the per- 
 fect culture of that mighty Hellenic world had inestimable 
 influence on the intellectual life of the time. But following 
 this adventure into the past were others more tremendous 
 into the future. At the end of the century came the 
 valiant leap into space of Columbus, and then, even more 
 mighty, that of Copernicus. The old narrow walls of the
 
 viii INTRODUCTION. 
 
 world fell asunder, and the imagination had a new 
 horizon, vastly extended, opened to it, lit with the radiance 
 of an enchanted promise. It was the first faint dawning of 
 the superb Elizabethan day, when men's souls ran riot at 
 the very access of a sunshine which we with our modern 
 critical discernment of the nice negatives of shadow find so 
 intolerably brilliant and positive. 
 
 Thinking of the sudden spiritual escape that these three 
 names betoken, chiefly effected by scientific enlargement of 
 ways and means, it is not extravagant to find in this 
 century a period rather remarkably complementary to that. 
 The obscure little black-letter imp that Caxton unfolded 
 from his cloak has grown out of all knowledge a very 
 devil in power of mischief, if a ministering angel in power 
 of good. The newspaper is in every obscurest corner of the 
 empire, and it is conceivable that before the present rage 
 for having everything done by law has quieted, the Govern- 
 ment may be asked to nationalise the news of the day, and 
 provide each man as his natural right with a morning paper. 
 And with this new provision, such as it is, for the mind, 
 the power to assimilate has increased. Education has gone 
 out ; the people have beyond all recall power of knowledge 
 in their hands ; and the aspects of a high spiritual destiny 
 may at any time now find the eyes of the vast multitude of 
 men opened to see and look powerfully forward at their high 
 incitement. This as it may, the recent signs of the times pro- 
 claim beyond all question a liberation of forces that connects 
 itself suggestively with that of the Fifteenth Century. The 
 Democracy! this is the shape that stands ominously at 
 the gates of Academe, demanding irregular entrance. Well 
 may those to whom the old traditions are sacred tremble 
 somewhat at what to them seems a threatened desecration 
 of the beloved groves ! Voices of solemn warning from 
 within have not ceased sounding in our ears, indeed, since 
 Mr. Matthew Arnold uttered years ago his first eloquent 
 protest. 
 
 There is a great deal, no doubt, to be said on both sides. 
 The average man, let it be confessed, has rather a suspicion 
 of academic rules and regulations. The vocabularies and the
 
 INTRODUCTION. ix 
 
 precious distinctions, what have they to do with him ? 
 He reads for the sake of life, and not for the sake of letters. 
 Does it bring solace and courage ; does it give stimulus and 
 enlargement to the every-day life ; is the pulse that beats 
 for laughter and tears throbbing behind its pages ; is it 
 alive, potent, contemporary 1 These the questions he un- 
 consciously puts to a book, and unless the answer is ready, 
 he will have none of it. And the questions are altogether 
 sane and reasonable. On the other hand, it is pointed out 
 that this verdict is often too hasty, and that a great deal of 
 highest import for every-day life cannot be seized by the 
 impatient hands of men itching for the quick returns of the 
 market-place. There is truth in both sides ; and after this 
 it must concern more and more those to whom culture is 
 not a mere luxury for a small coterie of the elect, how best 
 to make the popular approach to the nobler books ready 
 and sure. Here there is the high justification of those 
 who, having watched that reckless pioneer, the newspaper, 
 sally out, wish that the nobler presence of prose should 
 follow. 
 
 It is the spirit that imports, the letter is secondary. 
 But the spirit must be naturally embodied in its art-form, 
 in the letter, to really gain the ear of the world. Only by 
 long considering of this art-form by men of genius has our 
 prose utterance become what it now is, and to-day, with the 
 facile opportunities of journalism inviting everyone to 
 speech in print, how greatly important that we should seek 
 earnestly to set a standard of excellence really high in 
 this utterance. For it is not being fantastic altogether to 
 reflect that as the first speech of the lips, so the second 
 speech of the pen may in time become a fluent universal 
 faculty. There will always be, let us hope, the artists of 
 special gift to strike the higher note, but one can conceive 
 a current style simple, adequate, direct common to all ; 
 capable of expressing with free and manly sincerity the 
 natural relationships of life and thought. Were such a 
 current style the usual acquirement, taught in the schools, 
 of every citizen, it is largely in the matrix of this present 
 half-century that it would most likely be formed. An even
 
 x INTRODUCTION. 
 
 wilder flight into the future the imagination takes, indeed, 
 and dreams of still greater destinies, when all languages 
 have become one living whole, and prose and poetry are 
 immortally married, and music is divinely articulate, in the 
 great confederacy of tongues. 
 
 The spirit first, the prime motive impetus, we ask. 
 And as its test, to save all falseness, let us seek earnestly 
 the literary excellence, asking higher and higher perfection. 
 It is not needed for this test to frame final theories ; the 
 final theory of prose indeed is a matter that the good- 
 natured scribbler who would possess his days in peace 
 had better not meddle with. Fortunately for those who 
 have not academic authority to back them, the spiritual 
 test will be found as a rule to connote the literary one. 
 There have been writers who have written excellently 
 about nothing, but they are the rare exceptions ; the 
 supreme reach of utterance has been that of the greatest 
 souls. Mere literary quality will not avail for ever. It 
 is the human presence behind the voice, the reliance upon 
 a vision that has fathomed life, and its humours and 
 sorrows, and its greatly celestial import. And what a 
 saving it is, to escape the need of all the thousand classic 
 vocables and categories, and make the simple human 
 heart the test. Only, though exact critical arrangement 
 of the head be done without, the head itself, the intellect- 
 ually disciplined sense of truth and beauty, which any 
 shepherd on his hillside, or any toiler in the crowd, can 
 attain, is despised at the reader's fatallest peril. 
 
 Before attempting therefore to sketch roughly the growth 
 of English prose, let us call up the echoes of two great 
 voices, where the presence behind is indisputable, pleas 
 separately for the life-inspiration behind the literary, and 
 for the natural direction of art. The first is, as most will 
 at once recognise, from Milton. 
 
 "And long it was not after, when I was confirmed in this 
 opinion, that he, who would not be frustrate of his hope to write 
 well hereafter in laudable things, ought himsolf to be a true 
 poem . . . ." 
 
 There is only one name that naturally appears with
 
 INTRODUCTION. xi 
 
 Milton's in the first rank and order, and though it is not 
 as a prose-writer that he whom a recent journalist with 
 a fine faculty for evasion termed " the talented author of 
 ' Hamlet,' " is generally referred to, the excellence of his 
 prose utterance is not likely to be called in question. And 
 the passage, which is of course from " Hamlet," applies 
 suggestively, with a little variation, to the art of prose 
 as well as to the art of acting : 
 
 " Be not too tame neither, but let your own discretion be your 
 tutor; suit the action to the word, the word to the action, 
 with this special observance, that you o'erstep not the modesty 
 of nature : for anything so overdone is from the purpose of 
 playing, whose end doth at the first and now, was, and is, to 
 hold as 'twere the mirror up to nature ; to show virtue her own 
 feature, scorn her own image, and the very age and body of the 
 time his form and pressure." 
 
 With these notes of two supreme artists in our ears, 
 giving us a sort of talisman to try the spirit and letter 
 of our prose-writers, we can safely essay the journey of 
 English prose through history. 
 
 The story of our prose is indeed most picturesque, full 
 of folk-interest and local colour, as well as of wider his- 
 torical suggestion. To read it aright we must go back 
 farther even than the monk at his manuscript desk, 
 to the first life-springs of action, to the battle-field and the 
 castle hall and the cottage hearth, where, on the very edge of 
 adventure, men felt the stirring of that mental appetite 
 which made them call for tale and song. A tale and a song ! 
 there is the beginning : the epic and the lyric instincts lie 
 at the very root of literature, and with them is interwoven 
 the graver one of awe finding voice in prayer. In very 
 subtle ways these first instincts have influenced prose and 
 verse, and the special use of both. Thinking of this special 
 use, and of the qualities and functions which are severally 
 allotted to each, it is a simple and safe way out of a 
 very' complicate dilficulty to remember that prose is pri- 
 marily the written equivalent of ordinary speech in all its 
 range and variety ; verse, not to confine poetry to metrical 
 utterance only, of song. This is the fundamental distinc- 
 tion, which, simple as it seems, is often overlooked in the
 
 xii INTRODUCTION. 
 
 academic deliverances upon the subject. The great virtue 
 of prose is that, like pure speech, it can rise from easiest 
 colloquy to highest eloquence. Beyond this it may not go ; 
 for then succeeds song, whose only limitation is one of 
 the music in words. The measure of prose-style is its 
 adequacy to the infinite variety of thought within' the 
 written range of speech : there seems no inherent restriction 
 beyond this. The degrees of the approach of speech to 
 song, so inappreciably fine, set one wondering how far a 
 style nobly conjoining the attributes of both can be 
 attained. But this is venturing on dangerous ground, set 
 with many traps for the unwary. 
 
 It is ten centuries and more we must turn back for the 
 actual birth of English prose. As Mr. Stopford Brooke has 
 pointed out in his invaluable English Literature Primer, it 
 begins with Bseda, the Venerable Bede, who, after writing 
 many important Latin works, gave his last energies to a 
 Translation of the Gospel of St. John. " In the story of his 
 death told by his disciple Cuthbert is the first record of 
 English prose-writing. When the last day came the dying 
 man called his scholars to him that he might dictate more 
 of his translation. ' There is still a chapter wanting,' said 
 the scribe, ' and it is hard for thee to question thyself 
 longer.' ' It is easily done,' said Bseda, ' take thy pen and 
 write quickly.' Through the day they wrote, and when 
 evening fell, 'There is yet one sentence unwritten, dear 
 master,' said the youth. 'Write it quickly,' said the 
 master.' ' It is finished now.' ' Thou sayest truth,' was 
 the reply, 'all is finished now;' whereupon he sang the 
 ' Glory to God,' and died. It is to that scene that English 
 prose looks back as its sacred source, as it is in the great- 
 ness and variety of Bseda's Latin work that English 
 literature strikes its key-note." The Latin foster- 
 parentage of Bseda's English suggests at once the way 
 in which our language in its growth has been shaped and 
 modified by foreign influence. Like the English people 
 themselves, their prose and poetry are compounded in a 
 very extraordinary way of world-wide elements. 
 
 * Eng. Lit. Primer, by Stopford Brooke, M.A., p. 19.
 
 INTRODUCTION. xiii 
 
 To Bseda, the Venerable Bede, succeeds the great name 
 of King Alfred, whose really kingly care and enthusiasm 
 for the cause of the English tongue, proved not only by his 
 own literary work of writing and translating, but by his 
 schools for its propagation, give him the right to be called 
 " The Father of English Prose." From the reign of Alfred 
 let us take a passage to show what English was in its Anglo- 
 Saxon guise about A.D. 890. For the sake of easy 
 comparison, let it be the famous first clause of the Lord's 
 Prayer : 
 
 " Faeder ure thu the eart in heofenum. Si thin nama gehalgod, 
 to-be-come thin rice. Geweorhte thin willa on eorthan, swa swa 
 on heofenum." 
 
 The great storehouse of old English prose is the English 
 Chronicle, which continues from Alfred to Stephen. " The 
 narrative of Alfred's wars with the Danes, written, it is 
 likely, by himself at the end of his reign, enables us to 
 estimate the great weight Alfred himself had in literature." * 
 After Alfred there was a lapse again, but under Athelred 
 and the Danish kings a revival is proved by the growing 
 volume of the English Chronicle, which ends abruptly at 
 last by the death of Stephen, and with it old English 
 prose. For now followed the Norman invasion, threatening 
 greatly the safety of the language, but after a struggle, 
 often desperate enough as it seemed, the English prevailed, 
 having gained in subtle ways by the adventure. This 
 conflict with foreign influence is repeated with varying 
 circumstance over and over, but all the while the youngest 
 of the languages kept waxing greater and stronger, drawing 
 new qualities from almost every other language in turn. 
 The Normans brought in Romance afresh, and an added 
 zest for tales of all kinds. The epic instinct moved letters 
 more and more, the Welsh, always masters of romance and 
 song, influencing English literature in a roundabout way 
 through the French. Geoffrey of Monmouth wrote in 
 Latin, too, twelve books of a romance-history of Britain, 
 collated chiefly from Welsh sources, and these twelve books, 
 
 * Eng. Lit. Primer, by Stopford Brooke, M.A., p. 21.
 
 xiv INTRODUCTION. 
 
 transmuted and graced by French translation, found their 
 way back into English verse in Layamon's Brut. This 
 roundabout process is typical of many other romances in 
 vogue about this time, from some of which, indeed, by 
 curious evolution, this very book of King Arthur and his 
 Knights is derived. Besides the Arthurian romance as 
 then known, other important romance-cycles were Char- 
 legmagne, the Life of Alexander, and the Siege of Troy; 
 and many more followed as the demand grew. 
 
 The second line of development was through religion, and 
 as the romance-cycles culminate in Chaucer and Malory, so the 
 religious element in Langland and Wiclif. The Mendicant 
 Friars had helped to accomplish two things ; they had 
 brought about a religious revival, and at the same time mix- 
 ing with the poorer classes of English speech, had done much 
 to reconcile the conflict between French and English, the 
 aristocratic and the democratic elements of speech. But 
 presently waxing rich and indolent the religious impulse 
 they had themselves given returned upon their own heads, 
 and with the religious revival that ensued was interwoven a 
 democratic movement of rebellion against oppression of the 
 people by the nobles. It was indeed amid great misery 
 that the English language passed that part of its youth 
 which lies in the Fourteenth Century ; and from great 
 misery it learnt new words and new emphasis of bitter- 
 ness and pain. The Black Death ominous name! was 
 in the land, and to the superstitious seeing of the people 
 a great tempest in 1362 gave an added awful sig- 
 nificance. In the sorrow and great trouble of their 
 lives men turned eagerly to religion. The best picture 
 of this time is not in prose, but verse ; the Vision 
 of Piers the Plowman is the monument of the dark interest 
 of these days. But while every one was reading the Vision, 
 Wiclif was working at his Translation of the Bible, and 
 in hig battle with Holy Church sending out tracts and 
 sermons written in stirring popular language, which, with 
 his Bible Translation, had great effect upon the popular 
 approach to letters. As we have before taken a short 
 passage from Alfred's time, let us take one from Wiclif
 
 INTRODUCTION. xv 
 
 five hundred years later, be it remembered. The finest 
 examples of Wiclif's English are in his Translation of the 
 Bible, and seeing how unspeakably important in our litera- 
 ture is its influence, let us take a line or two from his 
 version of The Magnificat : 
 
 "He hath made myght in his arm, he scatteride proude men 
 with the thoughte of his herte. 
 
 " He sctte down mighty men fro seete, and enhaunside meke 
 men. He hath fulfilled hungry men with goodis, and he has left 
 rich rneu void." 
 
 The master influence in literature during the Fourteenth 
 Century is of course Chaucer, and though his prose work is 
 small in quantity, it is, like that of all our other great 
 poets, remarkable in its own way. Let us take, there- 
 fore, a single example in a short passage from The Persones 
 Tale, which ingenious piece of moralising, though probably 
 a free translation from some Latin religious treatise, has 
 yet enough of Chaucer's native quality to make this a 
 warrantable quotation : 
 
 "Owre swete Lord God of heven, that no man wil perische, 
 but wol that we comen alle to the knowleche of him, and to the 
 blisful life that is perdurable, ammonestith us by the prophet 
 Jeremye, that saith in this wise : Stondeth upon tin weyes, and 
 seeth and axeth of olde pathes, that is to sayn, of old sentence, 
 which is the good way, and walketh in that way, and ye schul 
 fynde refresshyng for youre soules." 
 
 Over and above the Chaucerian grace, which in this 
 passage makes what is really the opening of a long sermon 
 like the breath of a spring wind, there is in the Persones 
 Tale an easy power of utterance which is notable 
 at his time. For, as Mr. George Saintsbury has pointed 
 out in the Introduction to his recent Anthology of English 
 Prose, it was not until the Elizabethan era that anything 
 like an adequate art of prose-writing was attained. 
 
 In Sir Thomas Malory to whom we must leap now, the 
 literary path being more familiarly known after Chaucer 
 the want of the more perfect art is not felt so much, 
 the same demand not arising in narrative prose. At the 
 same time one cannot read far in the Morte D' Arthur
 
 xvi INTRODUCTION. 
 
 without feeling the inadequacy of the modes of expression ; 
 awkward confusions and repetitions abound. Happily 
 Malory does not attempt anything in the way of rhetorical 
 demonstrations j he is so simple and natural that the faults 
 themselves have often a certain archaic effect, not unpleas- 
 ing. The virtues of his style are on the other hand unique 
 in their way, and despite their French derivation in part, 
 merit a better tribute than critics have as a rule paid to 
 them ; in one popular and generally admirable account of 
 English literature, indeed, he is scarcely so much as named. 
 Kemembering that the Morte D' Arthur was largely a trans- 
 lation and a collect from foreign sources, after all deductions 
 are made, there is much with which Malory must be cred- 
 ited that is of the highest importance in prose. He had the 
 literary instinct and genius without a doubt. It is partly 
 for this very reason of its foreign derivation, moreover, that 
 his work is so significant. In no sense of the word abso- 
 lutely original, translated from sources in probably three 
 different tongues, medley of history and myth, tradition 
 and true report, as it is ; the book is eminently typical of 
 English prose generally, with its foreign foster-parentage 
 and its constant foreign modification. The French influ- 
 ence is of course especially dominant in the book, in detail 
 as well as in general treatment. The very idiom of the 
 quaint old romances that Malory drew upon is copied and 
 repeated, often indeed with charming effect. Some of the 
 passages one could not imagine altered in any way so as to 
 be improved. Here, for instance, is one touched with the 
 simplest pathos, describing King Arthur's sorrowful re- 
 proach to the Knights on their leaving the court at Camelot 
 on the Quest of the Holy Grail : 
 
 "And therewith the tears fell into his eyes, and he said, 'Sir 
 Gawaine, Sir Gawaine, ye have set me in great sorrow, for I have 
 great doubt that my true fellowship shall never meet more here 
 again.' 'Ah,' said Sir Launcelot, ' comfort yourself, for it shall 
 be unto us as a great honour, and much more than if we died in 
 other places, for of death we be sure. ' " 
 
 Such passages abound, but as we have to return to the book 
 later it is best perhaps to resist the temptation to go on
 
 INTRODUCTION. xvii 
 
 quoting now. Of course we do not look to it for many 
 qualities which perfect prose must have, but in its own way, 
 succeeding simply and naturally in that way, the Morte 
 D' Arthur is admirable. In the history of prose it is most 
 valuable indeed, as showing the attainment of a taking 
 manner of tale-telling, which has greatly influenced later 
 romancists, not to mention the poets who have been 
 captivated by it. 
 
 We are upon more familiar ground in the Fifteenth 
 Century, and it is unnecessary in journeying on to note 
 more than the chief landmarks by the way. Remembering 
 the leading names accordingly, and associating them with 
 all that they suggest, we need only stop at Sir Thomas 
 More before advancing to Tyndale and the red-letter event 
 which is his in English literature. More was really a 
 man of genius, of true literary love and enthusiasm, as 
 interesting in his writings as in his life, and in many ways 
 he links suggestively the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Cen- 
 turies. Holbein's picture of the circle in the famous house 
 at Chelsea which gives one more association to that 
 renowned old village-suburb by the Thames, carries the 
 imagination actively into the haunted past of More's 
 brilliant and tragic career ; and the literary product of 
 that career has no common interest for us. More's style 
 is notable in that it was the style of a writer who wrote 
 first of all and of choice in Latin, turning to English for 
 the sake of reaching the wider audience. His English 
 prose is nervous and wonderfully capable, considering the 
 period at which he wrote. We give a passage describing 
 the character of Richard III., from his history of Edward 
 V. and Richard's usurpation. It will be remembered that 
 Shakespeare followed in his play of " Richard III." More's 
 account : 
 
 " With large gifts he gat him nnsteadfast friendship, for which 
 he was fain to pil and spoil in other places and get him steadfast 
 hatred. He was close and secret ; a deep dissimuler, lowly of 
 countenance, arrogant of heart : outwardly coumpinable where 
 he inwardly hated, not letting to kiss whom he thought to kill ; 
 dispitious and cruel, not for evil will alway, but oftener for 
 ambition, and either for the surety and increase of his estate." 
 
 b
 
 xviii INTRODUCTION. 
 
 This will suffice. More's Utopia was of course written in 
 Latin, and therefore does not bear directly on English 
 prose. In Tyndale we reach now an important landmark. 
 Tyndale was an ardent believer in the English language 
 and its future, and his " Translation of the New Testament, 
 1525, fixed," says Mr. Stopford Brooke, "our standard 
 English once for all, and brought it finally into every 
 English home." His version of the Bible throughout, 
 eked out as it was in part from Coverdale's translation, is 
 very much the same as we have in universal use now. " It 
 was this Bible," continues Mr. Brooke, " which, revised by 
 Coverdale, and edited and re-edited as Cromwell's Bible, 
 1539, and again as Cranmer's Bible, 1540, was set up in 
 every parish church in England. It got north into Scotland, 
 and made the Lowland English more like the London 
 English. It passed over to the Protestant settlements in 
 Ireland. After its revisal in 1611, it went with the Puritan 
 Fathers to New England, and fixed the standard of English 
 in America. Eighty millions of people now speak the 
 English of Tyndale's Bible, and there is no book which has 
 had so great an influence on the style of English Literature 
 and the standard of English Prose."* In certain orders of 
 prose indeed there is nothing to equal the superb fitness of 
 words and the natural music of some passages in the Old 
 and New Testaments. Turn to almost any of the Books of 
 the Old Testament, to the Gospels and Epistles, and there 
 is truly a wealth of strength and sweetness of utterance 
 that can never fail to splendidly stimulate and refresh our 
 literary processes. For all to whom the virtue of words 
 well used is inestimable, for all who find a mental thrill in 
 the fitness of a great passage, what stimulus, what unspeak- 
 able refreshment there is in these fluid, rhythmic sentences. 
 We Can open almost anywhere. Here is a passage from 
 Ecclesiastes, noble in its thought, hauntingly musical in its 
 expression, and it is but one amid a hundred others : 
 
 "Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and 
 fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and 
 the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail : because 
 
 * Eng. Lit. Primer, p. 59.
 
 INTRODUCTION. xix 
 
 man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the 
 streets : or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be 
 broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel 
 broken at the cistern. Then shall the dust return to the earth as 
 it was : and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it" 
 
 Turn but a page, and in the Canticles we light upon a 
 passage which has been chosen by such a purist in prose 
 style as Mr. George Saintsbury, as a perfect example of 
 prose-rhythm, and which therefore we may admire without 
 critical misgiving : 
 
 "Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm : 
 for love is strong as death ; jealousy is cruel as the grave : the 
 coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame. 
 Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it : 
 if a man would give all the substance of his house for love it would 
 utterly be contemned." 
 
 It would be gratuitous to quote further from sources so 
 returned to, returned to, indeed, until there is a danger 
 of the noblest storehouse of English prose becoming so 
 ordinary a resort as to lose the full influence of its supreme 
 virtue. One cannot well lay too much stress on the 
 unceasing influence the Bible has had upon the language, 
 unconsciously influencing as it has been, constantly for the 
 last three hundred years, the everyday ways and means of 
 expression. 
 
 Following the conflicting impulses of the New Learning, 
 as it has been called, the recovery, that is, of the immense 
 literary stimulus of Greek culture, in the Fifteenth Cen- 
 tury, and of the Reformation, whose expression is, on its 
 best side, the Translation of the Bible, and the English 
 Prayer Book. 1549 52 the throng of great writers makes it 
 impossible to do more than outline the general line of 
 advance, and state one or two of the foremost names. 
 We are on the verge of the Elizabethan era, where the 
 store of riches is so embarrassing that one might go on 
 quoting for page after page endlessly, in the vain attempt 
 to analyse and compare the hundred varying influences. 
 But the quality and the characteristics of Elizabethan prose 
 are very much those on the whole of Elizabethan verse,
 
 xx INTRODUCTION. 
 
 which every one has, or pretends to have, an understanding 
 of. The same tremendous impulse, the same heat and 
 power, the same intense fusion of thought in passionate 
 words : these we have in the prose too. Its virtue was 
 its energy and imaginative movement ; its lack was a 
 lack of that intelligent ease which, while preserving the 
 dignity and earnestness of subject, is able to pass in 
 turn to all sides of the question. So we have an eloquence 
 and an abounding energy which are astonishing ; but we 
 have not the variety and grace of transition that the 
 prose equal to the whole range of expression must possess. 
 Some passages in the Elizabethan prose are as great as, 
 or greater than, any that have since been written, with 
 as tine a sense of proportion, as perfect a balance of 
 the sentence ; but the art is not sustained, is not capable 
 of a continued, lengthy flight of perfect utterance. Remem- 
 bering this, we can choose noble passages in abundance. 
 Passing by Latimer, who has much that is very tempting, 
 here is one from Sir Walter Raleigh, the ending of his 
 History of the World, of which Taine, in his English Litera- 
 ture, says : " The courtier Raleigh, whilst writing of the 
 fall of empires, and how the barbarous nations had destroyed 
 this grand and magnificent Roman Empire, ended his book 
 \vith the ideas and tone of a Bossuet " : 
 
 " eloquent, just, and mightie Death ! whom none could 
 advise, thou hast persuaded ; what none hath dared, thou hast 
 done ; and whom all the world hath flattered, thou only hast cast 
 out of the world and despised : thou hast drawn together all the 
 far stretched greatness, all the pride, cruelty, and ambition of 
 man, and covered it all over with these two narrow words, Hie 
 jacet." 
 
 Many others nearly contemporary with Raleigh we must 
 pass over, but some note must be made on John Lyly, 
 whose Euphues set a fashion in prose, as in the society talk 
 of the time, which was cleverly caricatured by Shakespeare 
 in the conceits of Armado in Love's Labour's Lost. 
 Elizabeth herself encouraged the affectation, and for a time it 
 was all the fashion in court, a fashion whose influence 
 may be estimated from such phrases of word-play aa " If
 
 INTRODUCTION. xxi 
 
 she had no sight in descant, desire her to chant it." Lyly's 
 Euphues, however, proves a certain artistic devotion to the 
 methods of style which tended greatly to the perfecting 
 of our prose. A tendency to-day, occasionally remarked 
 upon, to a sort of Euphuism in prose and verse gives Lyly 
 an added interest for us moreover. In Sir Philip Sidney 
 we have another of those who have fascinated the popular 
 mind and a much greater writer, who is notable as showing 
 the development of prose in the advance from his Euphuistic 
 Arcadia to the noble Apologiefor Poetrie, from which let us 
 quote this delightful plea for " our Poet the Monarch " . 
 
 " He begirmeth not with obscure definitions, which must blur 
 the margent with interpretations, and load the memory with 
 doubtfulness : but he cometh to you with words sent in delightful 
 proportion, either accompanied with, or prepared for the well 
 inchaunting skill of Musicke ; and with a tale forsooth he cometh 
 unto you, with a tale which holdeth children from play, and old 
 men from the chimney corner." 
 
 We find the same poetic impulse underlying the Eliza- 
 bethan prose without. Turn later to Bacon even : his 
 method in the Essays is one of poetic illustration rather 
 than of abstract analysis. As an example of the concrete 
 symbolism with which he expounded his subject there, take 
 this sentence : 
 
 ' ' Libraries are as the shrines where all the relics of the ancient 
 saints, full of true virtue, and that without delusion or imposture, 
 are preserved and reposed." 
 
 The well-known charm of Bacon's Essays, in their 
 fulness and fine wisdom, influencing so much all later 
 essayists, and the greatness in matter and form of his 
 Advancement of Learning, we can only so far refer to here. 
 And if before Bacon there are many writers whom we 
 must unwillingly pass over, after him how many more? 
 Burton's Anatomy of Melancholy ; Sir Thomas Browne's 
 Religio Medici; Fuller, " quaint and delightful," from whom 
 one wishes to quote if only for his influence on Charles 
 Lamb ; Lord Herbert ; Clarendon ; Jeremy Taylor, whose 
 works, " especially literary, weighty with argument," says
 
 xxii INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Mr. Stopford Brooke, "are even more read for their sweet and 
 deep devotion, for their rapid, impassioned, and convoluted 
 eloquence." Here is a wealth of choice indeed. One 
 writer, less important in many ways than some we have 
 just mentioned, requires a special note because of his 
 bearing on nature-study in our literature. This is Izaak 
 Walton, whose Complete Angler has become the typical 
 book of the citizen's escape to the country, in its simple 
 out-of-door pleasantness and unaffected love of Nature. 
 And this serves to remind us how the love of Nature has 
 affected English literature throughout, how from the first the 
 breath of spring, the welcome gleam of the sun, the shade of 
 trees, the coming of storm, the green pastures and still waters 
 of England have moved those who have interpreted life for 
 us. The feeling for Nature, indeed, has been a dominant 
 influence in our literature throughout, and in its increasing 
 sympathy and truth of description, as shown in White's 
 Selborne and in the modern books of nature that derive 
 from White and Walton, throws influence in letters, and 
 in its increasing sympathy and truth of description, throws 
 important light on the development of our prose and verse 
 expression of life generally. 
 
 Before turning to Milton, who, following the Elizabethans 
 proper, has much of their characteristic quality and defect 
 in his prose, we must not in our literary quest forge b 
 the life-influences of the period in which he had his 
 being. We have traversed so hastily the ground between 
 the date of Tyndale's Translation of the Bible and Milton, 
 noticing merely the greater landmarks, that we have 
 overlooked somewhat the signs of human struggle by 
 the way. For conceive the tremendous march of history 
 in this time ! Think of the Reformation, the spiritual 
 stimulus to men who up till then had been mainly 
 animal in life ; the quickening of the general heart 
 of man, and with the heart, the head ! No wonder that 
 the leaders of the time forged new intellectual weapons, 
 and in the violent energies of religion made words newly 
 responsive to and provocative of Thought. Latinists as 
 these writers and preachers were, their sympathies moved
 
 INTRODUCTION. xxiii 
 
 always necessarily towards the people ; and thus they paved 
 the way to a better adapting of the modes of utterance 
 to the real needs of the human spirit. A wider escape 
 followed the purely theological one. We have but to 
 turn to such a book as Green's Short History of the English 
 People, and read the headings of the sections into which 
 his chapter on the Reformation is divided, to feel at once 
 what a time it was for the people. THE PROTESTANTS; THE 
 MARTYRS ; ELIZABETH ; MARY STUART ; THE ARMADA ; THE 
 ELIZABETHAN POETS : what a spectacle this connotes ! 
 What a drama for the eyes of the multitude, stirring 
 men to apprehend life vividly anew. What an unspeak- 
 able widening of the imagination of the people! And 
 then the Puritan epoch, with its moral effort, with its 
 noble spiritual devotion, and its ignoble spiritual selfish- 
 ness, tragically leading up to the royal scaffold at Whitehall. 
 A drama indeed, of vast movement ! 3 
 
 The grand expression of the heart of this period is of 
 course Shakespeare. The Elizabethan Drama reflects it 
 marvellously, in all its colour and form, in its vast ad- 
 venture and discovery, in all its exuberance and thriftless 
 splendour. No one can indeed at all understand English 
 prose who does not know intimately the dramatic outcome 
 of this time. All that feeling the way to touch and 
 quicken the human spirit through an art which in any 
 degree made use of words is of the highest importance in 
 the literary advance into Nature and Thought. To all this 
 human comedy and tragedy succeeds well the trumpet 
 challenge and appeal of Milton, behind which one feels an 
 heroic majesty of presence, but not the sweet humanity of 
 the Boar's Head Tavern and the Forest of Arden. The 
 dramatic modes of utterance at this time were necessarily 
 rhythmic beyond the reach of prose, and one feels on turn- 
 ing to Milton that the bearing of verse upon prose was for 
 him imperfectly adjusted. How far his Puritan environ- 
 ment and temper affected this, remembering how great was 
 his artistic sense, we cannot actually determine. But we 
 take Milton as type of the period, and we feel that there is 
 still a great advance to be made in the capable use of words
 
 xxiv INTRODUCTION. 
 
 for the hundred purposes of life. Milton's prose is indeed 
 magnificent at its best, great, august ; but it is dispro- 
 portionate, incontinent, without the adequate ease and 
 variety of utterance which the perfect prose-writer must 
 possess. Take that familiar passage from the Areopagitica, 
 beginning " Lords and Commons of England ! " What a 
 roll of music ; the organ tones are unmistakably there. 
 But read on, and you feel that he is obliged to keep up 
 the fortissimo of expression ; he has not that grace of 
 transition that it was left to lesser men to discover. But 
 Milton's grandeur and sonorous eloquence have an influence 
 greater than we can estimate. There is something that 
 greatly haunts the ear and the mind in his majestic 
 paragraphs 
 
 "Lords and Commons of England ! consider what nation it is 
 whereof ye are, and whereof ye are the governors ; a nation not 
 slow and dull, but of a quick, ingenious, and piercing spirit ; 
 acute to invent, subtile and sinewy to discourse, not beneath the 
 reach of any point the human capacity can soar to. ... " 
 
 Enough ; there is no need to complete the passage. One 
 hears the music go rolling on, and realises what power the 
 musician has. The lesser writer who was to bring ease and 
 variety to complete the art of prose was not far behind. 
 Dryden was over forty at Milton's death in 1674; it 
 was Dryden who brought balance and sense of form to 
 chasten the Titanic vehemence of Milton's method. Taine, 
 who is peculiarly qualified to deal with a writer like Dryden, 
 says of him : " Pie naturally attains a definite prose style ; 
 his ideas are unfolded with breadth and clearness ; his style 
 is well moulded, exact and simple, free from the affectations 
 and the ornaments with which Pope afterwards burdened 
 his own ; his expression is, like that of Corneille, ample 
 and periodic, by virtue simply of the internal argument 
 which unfolds and sustains it." Of course, to judge of the 
 qualities of his prose, and the varied adequacy of his 
 method, one must read him in full, but a sentence or two 
 will show his natural case of expression ;
 
 INTRODUCTION. xxv 
 
 "Thoughts, such as they are, come crowding in so fast upon me, 
 that my only difficulty is to choose or to reject, to run them into 
 verses, or to give them the other harmony of prose. I have so 
 long studied and practised both, that they are grown into a habit, 
 and become familiar to me." 
 
 After Dryden there is no need to go on particularising. 
 The literary production that follows we are all well familiar 
 with. It is enough to remember generally the influence of 
 the master prose-writers of Pope's time, Swift, Defoe, 
 Steele, Addison, Berkeley, great respectively in political and 
 social satire, in fiction, in the essay, and in philosophy. 
 Defoe, over and above his immortal distinction as the 
 author of Robinson Crusoe, is remarkable as the first pro- 
 nounced type of journalist. "His Review, published twice 
 a-week for a year, was wholly written by himself; but 
 he founded, conducted, and wrote for a host of other news- 
 papers, and filled them with every subject of the day." It 
 is a hundred and fifty years and more now since Defoe was 
 born, and we look back with curious interest to his initiative 
 in journalism, wondering how far it was due to this that 
 his simple appeal as a story-teller to the people was so 
 marvellously successful. Steele and Addison it would be 
 almost an impertinence to comment upon at length, but too 
 much stress can hardly be laid upon the supreme excellence 
 of their style, and their inestimable influence upon the 
 popular mind. Never, indeed, was more clearly shown the 
 great virtue of a real response in letters to life. We find 
 printed in the Spectator, indeed, " the whole age of Queen 
 Anne the political and literary disputes, the fine gentlemen 
 and ladies, the characters of men, the humours of society, 
 the new book, the new play ; we live in the very streets 
 and drawing-rooms of Old London." Here again is a large 
 fund of journalistic suggestion, and those who wish to recon- 
 cile journalism with literary excellence cannot find a better 
 example than the Spectator. 
 
 Mr. George Saintsbury, in his recent anthology of the 
 English prose-writers, has pointed out that the Eighteenth 
 Century was reactionary to some extent, against the plain 
 directness and vernacular energy of the writers from Dryden
 
 xxvi INTRODUCTION. 
 
 to Swift. The Latinist influence in its more ponderous 
 forms was recalled by Dr. Johnson and Gibbon. But at 
 the same time the popular sense of Fielding and his fellows 
 in the novel, and the development as a popular literary 
 influence of the newspaper, acted as an alterative to these 
 powerful academic draughts. Oliver Goldsmith, with his 
 exquisite sympathy, and his natural writing, "is a very 
 salutary influence by the side of Johnson's laborious intel- 
 lectuality. Set Goldsmith on the one side, with his 
 simplicity and tenderness and idyllic imagination, and 
 Gibbon, with his historical magnificence and creative 
 power, on the other, and you have in these the extreme 
 literary types on either hand of the period. The spirit of 
 this time is preserved with extraordinary vividness in 
 Boswell's Life, of Johnson, a book which will be read 
 perhaps after the last of Johnson's own writings, and which 
 artlessly sets a perfect example in the art of biography. 
 On the whole there can be no doubt of the great advance 
 in strength and variety in the use of prose during the 
 Eighteenth Century, an advance more definitely marked 
 than that perhaps of our own. If, however, it is true, as 
 Mr Saintsbury has told us, that the formative period of 
 English prose ended then, the student who does not possess 
 any final and exact theory of prose-style will be liable to 
 imagine that he still sees signs of development in plenty. 
 He reads Charles Lamb, and De Quincey, and Landor, and 
 many later writers not finding everything they do original, 
 but feeling that there is in them at any rate an immense 
 further increase in the range and scope of prose. 
 
 To take only one of these, Charles Lamb, he alone has 
 had remarkable effect upon the writing of the present day, 
 to the end of a capable ease of expression, rising to dignity, 
 lightly touched with humour, admirably varied in its wit 
 and wisdom. Deriving as he does from Elizabethan sources 
 largely, from such choice old spirits as Fuller, he has a 
 modern touch quite his own, and his sweetness and coy, 
 kindly wit must have greatly helped to give human quality 
 to the right British narrowness and arrogance that have so 
 threatened us, before and after that good old typical
 
 INTRODUCTION. xxvii 
 
 thunderer, Dr. Johnson. Turning from Elia to the utterly 
 different production of Sir Walter Scott again, and con- 
 sidering his immeasurable influence upon the processes of 
 the novel, which forms the most remarkable literary force 
 of our time, we may well feel that the future of English 
 prose must be vast. And with De Quincey and Carlyle 
 and Macaulay not to speak of such later writers as Mr. 
 Ruskin and Cardinal Newman powerfully bearing upon 
 literary methods, we may well look sanguinely forward. Not 
 accepting all or any of these as immaculate, discriminating 
 always in our liking for what is best in them, and taking 
 for ensample only what is best, we feel that they mark 
 among them a great advance, and that, apart from the 
 mannerism and slovenliness of many contemporary writers, 
 this advance bids fair to be nobly maintained and improved 
 upon. 
 
 It is only a very superficial view that we have been able 
 to take, necessarily, of the growth of English prose. But 
 such as it is, it will help us to relate the present to the past, 
 and the many parts to the great whole of literature. We 
 have seen at any rate how the order of the language has 
 been evoked out of a chaos of diverse elements how it has 
 grown, struggling always with foreign invasion, losing and 
 gaining in turn, but always gaining in the end. This 
 struggle contributed incalculably, we feel, to the quality 
 and energy of the language ; and though it can never have 
 quite the same struggle to go through again, we see how 
 in Carlyle an importation of German, and in more recent 
 writers of French idiom, is having great effect in subtle 
 ways upon power and freedom of expression. With every 
 age, no doubt, new influences will produce new qualities ; 
 the strong point of our English tongue is in fact its readiness 
 to assimilate the best from every side. And there are still, 
 one feels, noble qualities to be attained by indefatigable 
 quest in the old empires and the old languages of the world. 
 A little must be taken from every language, to fit for its 
 great future this language of ours, which seems potentially 
 the universal one. 
 
 We have in the foregoing sketch of our prose-writers kept
 
 xxviii INTRODUCTION. 
 
 too much to the merely literary standpoint, neglecting rather 
 the active social significance of the different periods. But 
 it will fall to those who take special charge of the several 
 authors in the edition called Camelot to show the full 
 import its volumes have for us. Here it chiefly remains to 
 apply in a general way the gathered suggestion of the past 
 to the contemporary popular need of books, and so to relate 
 it to the present scheme. Lightly as we have gone over 
 the field, it is clear that there are many books of surpassing 
 interest which are hidden away from the everyday reader, 
 but which, by being brought again to light by sympathetic 
 hands, having the right word spoken to put them in touch 
 with the time, can hardly fail to gain new popular vogue. 
 The same holds with many foreign authors, old and new, 
 whom translation would bring familiarly home to us all. 
 By combining these less-known books with others which 
 are already popularly accepted, but which some suggestive 
 word of introduction, showing clearly their contemporary 
 bearing, would do much haply to make more potent in our 
 midst, it may be that we shall be able to help a little in 
 making the higher literature really responsive to everyday 
 life and its needs. As if from the viewless walls of antique 
 Camelot, we call the voices which can affect our lives so 
 greatly to ends of wisdom and happiness. 
 
 This first voice, this romance of King Arthur and his 
 Knights, may fairly serve as a test for those to follow. For 
 although the Morte D' Arthur has had a certain vogue 
 in time past, it has been found rather diffuse and in- 
 coherent as a rule, perhaps, by the modern reader who 
 has turned to it. The present version therefore, revised 
 and divided so as to give it greater coherency and make 
 the leading lines of the romance clearer, may well serve 
 as a test of the acceptance of old books in a new guise. 
 We have dwelt incidentally already on the place of Sir 
 Thomas Malory among our prose-writers, but we must 
 consider the Morte D y Arthur apart from pure literature 
 merely if we wish to get at its full significance. The 
 book's history is so remarkable as to seem itself like a 
 romance. The curious parallels in some of its leading
 
 INTRODUCTION. xxix 
 
 incidents with the ancient myths of the Eastern world 
 suggest its genesis in the minds of the remote forefathers 
 of the Welsh who invaded Britain centuries back. Dating 
 back in an indistinguishable degree as far as the Sanskrit 
 Mahabharata and other remote records, the story of King 
 Arthur, the Prince who, fatefully environed, sinned his 
 way as it were into heroism and kingdom, won shame and 
 highest honour, and became the romance-type in his weak- 
 ness and strength of all humanity, has never ceased to 
 fascinate the story-tellers and the people. Its trace is con- 
 tinual in other languages, but especially in our own its 
 history is interwoven, appearing and reappearing, as 
 it does, in a hundred guises, altered in art-form as the 
 literary custom of the day demanded, so that it serves in 
 fact as a sort of touchstone of the different periods. In 
 each version it was modified and added to, and the letter 
 in especial violently revised ; but in spite of a hundred 
 re-shapings, the spirit of the book remains virtually the same. 
 The first advent of the story in Britain was probably in the 
 shape of a Welsh bardic epic, sung to a primitive harp in 
 the castle halls and on the battle-fields of old Wales ; its 
 first literary appearance was in Geoffrey of Monmouth's 
 romance-history in Latin prose, completed in 1147. These 
 legends of Geoffrey's were translated into French verse, 
 and, coloured and graced by the art of the Norman trou- 
 veurs, found their way back again to form one of the great 
 cycles of romance in vogue in the Thirteenth Century. 
 It was then that Walter Map too invented and added, with 
 the insight of true genius, the story of the Quest of the 
 Grail. Thus spiritualised, it again passed into France, and 
 was further touched and adorned with French poetry, being 
 told and re-told with all the imaginative feeling of which the 
 French romancists of the day were capable. From these 
 French versions it was that Sir Thomas Malory collated his 
 Morte D' Arthur. Since Caxton first issued Malory's English 
 transcript, we know how the book has enthralled the 
 popular heart. Milton, we know, hesitated for long whether 
 he should not make it his life work, instead of the Paradise 
 Lost. Its spirit lives in Spenser's Faery Queen. Even the
 
 xxx INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Eighteenth Century felt its fascination, and attempted to 
 adapt it to itself, with what unsuccess need hardly be said. 
 The Nineteenth has been more successful, and it is indeed 
 remarkable how the Arthurian and allied romances have 
 affected modern art of all kinds, not only in England, but 
 elsewhere. Tennyson's Idylls of the King naturally occur 
 first to us, and in these poems, nobly perfect in themselves, 
 we see at once an ominous sign of the times in that what 
 has been called our English prose epic should lose its high 
 epic proportion, and its fateful coherency, in the daintier love- 
 liness of an idyllic presentment. Poets of later schools have 
 drawn largely too upon these chivalric romances. Matthew 
 Arnold, William Morris, A. C. Swinburne, and others have 
 touched on one or another of them, and their mediaeval 
 romance-spirit has influenced painting still more, as the 
 work of Ilossetti, Burne-Jones, G. R Watts, Millais, and 
 others bears splendid witness. In music and the lyric 
 . drama, Wagner stands eminently forward as its exponent. 
 The great trilogy of Lohengrin, Tristan and Isolde, and 
 Parsifal form indeed by far the most illustrious commentary 
 on the spiritually drawn chivalry of the Holy Grail and the 
 mystic walls of Monsalvat that has appeared since the 
 first inception of the legends. All this reflection in modern 
 art is most suggestive. It shows in these times of realism, 
 healthy and morbid, how the artistic spirit inevitably 
 repairs to the Ideal, and tries in this case to solve the 
 problems of Nineteenth Century life by a reference to the 
 romance problems of timeless Camelot. 
 
 The book is a romance rather than a history, we have 
 said, but to most of us thi% is no reproach. Some historians 
 have indeed doubted altogether the existence of King 
 Arthur, but such a doubt to your true reader will always be 
 blasphemous. There may be a want of direct evidence 
 concerning him, but if any distrust the history let them 
 take the book and go to Queen-Camel in Somersetshire, 
 where the legends of the ancient Camelot still remain ; or 
 to Carlisle, or Caerleon-upon-Usk, or Bamborough, supposed 
 to be Sir Launcelot's famous castle of Joyous Gard, or best 
 of all, perhaps, to the haunted land of Merlin in South
 
 INTRODUCTION. xxxi 
 
 Wales. There, in the spirit of old romance, go to Merlin's 
 Hill Mynycld Merlin where the great prince of magicians 
 is supposed to lie buried, and then striking off from the 
 green pastoral vale of Towey, climb the steep to Cerrig 
 Cennen Castle, within whose lonely walls that were 
 a hopeless sceptic who dared to doubt that King 
 Arthur or some of his knights had listened there to the 
 mysterious tones of Merlin, or the wailing music of 
 minstrel's harp or autumn wind. Cerrig Cennen, with 
 many other spots where the old-time sentiment still lingers, 
 is indeed better than any commentary the libraries can offer 
 on the Morte D' Arthur. With its wild surroundings, the 
 Black Mountains, where flows out of the rock the haunted 
 river Loughor, and the mystic tarns, the Llyn yy Fan, lie 
 hid, the castle on its wild steep is eloquent of romance 
 and chivalrous emprise, and it is easy, as the cloud shadows 
 go sweeping by, to imagine the knights of old galloping 
 with hot speed along the mountain sides below. 
 
 If the exact letter of the book be doubted, its spirit is 
 happily secure in our hearts for ever. The biography of 
 the material King Arthur will never be catalogued possibly, 
 but the ideal Arthur lives and reigns securely beyond 
 time and space, in that kingdom of old 'romance of which 
 Camelot is the capital. In Malory's account he is not 
 immaculate ; he errs and sins and suffers, is defeated and 
 shamed often, and for that reason appeals more closely to 
 the human heart. And so with all his knights, except 
 Sir Galahad, whose honour was without reproach or stain. 
 It is the flower of chivalry which King Arthur typifies, 
 grown in the garden of romance, full of poetic and spiritual 
 symbolism, which charms us to-day, a flower of incomparable 
 setting. The beauty of this setting, so simple, so effective, 
 with all its crudity, is really beyond analysis. How, 
 for instance, this presentment of Merlin in one of his many 
 disguises, pictures him as he came one wild February day 
 to King Arthur at the Castle of Bedegraine, in the forest of 
 Sherwood : 
 
 "And Merlin was so disguised that King Arthur knew him not, 
 for he was all furred in black sheepskins, and a great pair of boots,
 
 xxxii INTRODUCTION. 
 
 with a bow and arrows, in a russet gown, and brought wild geese in 
 his hand, and it was on the morrow after Candlemas Day, but 
 King Arthur knew him not." 
 
 There is wonderful picturesqueness and colour in Malory's 
 descriptions, and the feeling for the environment of the 
 untiring action of the book is of the highest order of romance. 
 What could be more effective than the episode of the 
 Brachet and the White Hart in the Book of Queen Guenever, 
 or of the Fair Maid of Astolat, so exquisitely reset by 
 Tennyson, or of the Vision of Sir Launcelot in the book 
 we have named after him 1 The account of Sir Launcelot's 
 death in the last chapters of the last book is full of 
 sorrowful beauty, and contains too the most remarkable 
 prose passage in the Morte D' Arthur, that eloquent moral 
 appeal beginning " Oh, ye mighty and pompous lords ! " 
 There is an heroic elevatedness about the last book 
 the Book of the Morte D' Arthur throughout, that 
 specially marks it. Malory's practice in the earlier 
 books seemed to have taught him a greater mastery of 
 the means at his command. But in truth, wherever we 
 turn, memorable passages occur tempting us to quote. Here, 
 almost at random, is one from the Book of Balin le Savage, 
 touched with most pathetic grace, a passage once heard 
 never to be forgotten : 
 
 "Then he looked by him, and was ware of a damsel that came 
 riding as fast as her horse might gallop upon a fair palfrey. And 
 when she espied that Sir Launceor was slain, then she made 
 sorrow out of measure, and said " Balin ! two bodies hast thou 
 slain and one heart, and two hearts in one body, and two souls 
 thou hast lost." And therewith she took the sword from her 
 love that lay dead, and as she took it she fell to the ground in a 
 swoon." 
 
 Out of that swoon the damsel only comes to kill herself 
 with her lover's sword, and her fatal fidelity is characteristic 
 of the tragic consistency of the Morte D' Arthur episodes 
 throughout. 
 
 The whole story of the Quest of the Holy Grail, again, is full 
 of beauty, with its spiritual significance and mysticism woven 
 most imaginatively into the main woof of the book. Walter
 
 INTRODUCTION. xxxiii 
 
 Map, when he added this, giving coherency to the diffuse 
 insertion of the various romances, showed true poetic per- 
 ception. Before it was a mere testament of chivalry, a 
 chivalry of animal heat and energy ; but now upon the 
 knights fell the strange allurement of the Holy Ghost, and 
 following its mystic impulse, they set forth on their new 
 quest with passionate heroism and devotion. Sir Galahad 
 naturally recurs in Tennyson's haunting rhymes as we 
 think of the Sancgreal, which the poet has elsewhere 
 touched on suggestively in his Idylls : 
 
 " Sometimes on lonely mountain meres 
 
 I find a magic bark : 
 I leap on board ; no helmsman steers, 
 
 I float till all is dark. 
 A gentle sound, an awful light ! 
 
 Three angels bear the Holy Grail ; 
 With folded-feet, in stoles of white, 
 
 On sleeping wings they sail ! 
 Ah, blessed vision ! blood of God ! 
 
 My spirit beats her mortal bars, 
 As down dark tides the glory glides, 
 
 And star-like mingles with the stars." 
 
 Altogether the romance may be trusted to charm us to-day 
 as it charmed its readers in Oaxton's first edition. Its 
 spirit of adventure, the spiritualised reflex of an age of 
 animal energy, is a salutary one to move in our too 
 reflective, critical modern order of literature. There is 
 nothing of the latter-day morbid sentimentalism in it ; 
 throughout it is as fresh and breezy as the first west wind 
 of spring. As a romance it is mainly significant ; it bears 
 especially upon the processes of tale-telling, and touches 
 the root of the vexed question of romance and realism which 
 is so exercising the present writers of fiction. From a purely 
 literary point of view, it is in this respect that it chiefly 
 commands attention ; there is a potent fund of suggestion 
 for the tale-teller in its simple methods and effects. 
 Idealistic and realistic presentment ; place and folk 
 interest ; dramatic movement : there is curious lore to 
 
 be learnt in these things from the book. 
 
 c
 
 xxxiv INTRODUCTION. 
 
 As collated by Malory, the epic interest of the Jforte 
 D' Arthur was not kept very strictly in mind, and a certain 
 diffuseness and repetition resulted which have done much 
 to deter the general reader from it. Malory's Book really 
 resolves itself into three great divisions : first, the history 
 of King Arthur proper ; second, the romances of Sir 
 Launcelot and Sir Tristram de Lyoness, which, chronicling 
 the feats of arms of these two, the most famous of all the 
 knights, become really the story of the long duel in knight- 
 hood and chivalry betwixt them ; and third, the Quest of the 
 Grail. In the present version it has been thought well to 
 omit the second of these two divisions, which it is -proposed 
 to afterwards issue as a volume by itself, complementary to 
 this of King Arthur and the Quest of the Grail. By this 
 alteration the fateful epic consistency of the book is, it is 
 believed, enhanced, and the tragic movement of the story on 
 through the mysteries of the Holy Grail to the death of 
 Arthur by the hands of Mordred is thrown into clearer 
 outline. What other alterations it has been thought wise 
 to make are explained in the notes at the end of the book, 
 in which will be found, too, other information throwing 
 light upon the present edition. 
 
 It is with the idea of making this romance of the age of 
 chivalry more easily available to the modern reader that the 
 present edition has been prepared ; and as this book in 
 Romance, so it is desired that the volumes of the series 
 named after it shall throughout be representative of the 
 leading sections of prose literature. The idea is not so 
 much to give exact texts for students there is already 
 admirable provision for this but to supply books which 
 will meet the larger human need, and thus continue the 
 great work that Caxton began four centuries ago. In their 
 editing and preparation, therefore, which will be entrusted 
 to writers who bring sympathy and enthusiasm as well as 
 intelligence to the work, that only will be said and done 
 which is necessary to make their appeal to the reader 
 contemporary and modernly suggestive for the everyday 
 life. Books for street and field it is hoped to make them, 
 books which may serve as comrades in the world,
 
 INTRODUCTION. xxxv 
 
 speaking greatly for truth and beauty and a natural life, 
 and showing in all the celestial meaning. Not so much for 
 the sake of letters as for the sake of life, then, let us read 
 in their pages, in the spirit of these words of Caxton in 
 the Prologue to the Morte D' Arthur, which may be 
 applied in one way or another to the volumes called 
 Camelot throughout : " For herein may be seen noble 
 chivalry, courtesy, humanity, friendliness, hardiness, love, 
 friendship, cowardice, murder, hate, virtue, and sin. Do 
 after the good and leave the evil, and it shall bring you to 
 good fame and renown. And for to pass the time this book 
 shall be pleasant to read in, but for to give faith and belief 
 that all is true that is contained herein, ye be at your 
 liberty." 
 
 EDITOR.
 
 C AXIOM'S PROLOGUE. 
 
 FTER that I had accomplished and finished 
 divers histories, as well of contemplation as 
 of other historial and worldly acts of great 
 conquerors and princes, and also of certain 
 books of ensainples and doctrine, many noble 
 and divers gentlemen of this realm of England, came and 
 demanded me, many and ofttimes, why that I did not 
 cause to be imprinted the noble history of the Sancgreal, 
 and of the most renowned Christian king, first and chief 
 of the three best Christian and worthy, King Arthur, 
 which ought most to be remembered among us Englishmen, 
 before all other Christian kings ; for it is notoriously 
 known, through the universal world, that there be nine 
 worthy and the best that ever were, that is, to wit, three 
 Paynims, three Jews, and three Christian men. As for 
 the Paynims, they were before the Incarnation of Christ, 
 which were named, the first, Hector of Troy, of whom the 
 history is common, both in ballad and in prose ; the second, 
 Alexander the Great ; and the third, Julius Caesar, Emperor 
 of Rome, of which the histories be well known and had. 
 And as for the three Jews, which also were before the 
 Incarnation of our Lord, of whom the first was Duke 
 Joshua, which brought the children of Israel into the land 
 of behest ; the second was David, King of Jerusalem ; and
 
 xxxviii CAX TON'S PROLOGUE. 
 
 the third Judas Maccabeus. Of these three, the Bible 
 rehearseth all their noble histories and acts. And, since 
 the said Incarnation, have been three noble Christian men, 
 stalled and admitted through the universal world, into the 
 number of the nine best and worthy : of whom was first, 
 the noble Arthur, whose noble acts I purpose to write in 
 this present book here following ; the second was Charle- 
 magne, or Charles the Great, of whom the history is had in 
 many places, both in French and in English ; and the third, 
 and last, was Godfrey of Boulogne, of whose acts and life 
 I made a book unto the excellent prince and king, of noble 
 memory, King Edward the Fourth. 
 
 The said noble gentlemen instantly required me for to 
 imprint the history of the said noble king and conqueror, 
 King Arthur, and of his knights, with the history of the 
 Sancgreal, and of the death and ending of the said 
 Arthur, affirming that I ought rather to imprint his acts 
 and noble feats, than of Godfrey of Boulogne, or any of 
 the other eight, considering that he was a man born within 
 this realm, and king and emperor of the same ; and that 
 there be in French divers and many noble volumes of his 
 acts, and also of his knights. To whom I have answered, 
 that divers men hold opinion that there was no such Arthur, 
 and that all such books as be made of him be but feigned 
 and fables, because that some chronicles make of him no 
 mention, nor remember him nothing, nor of his knights. 
 Whereto they answered, and one in especial said, that in 
 him that should say or think that there was never such a 
 king called Arthur, might well be aretted great folly and 
 blindness; for he said there were many evidences to the 
 contrary. First ye may see his sepulchre in the monastery of 
 Glastonbury. And also in Policronicon, in the fifth book, 
 the sixth chapter, and in the seventh book, the twenty-third 
 chapter, where his body was buried, and after found, and 
 translated into the said monastery. Ye shall see also in the 
 History of Bochas, in his book De Casu Principum, part 
 of his noble acts, and also of his fall. Also Galfridus, 
 in his British book, recounteth his life. And in divers 
 places of England, many remembrances be yet of him, and
 
 CAXTOWS PROLOGUE. xxxix 
 
 shall remain perpetually of him, and also of his knights. 
 First, in the Abbey of Westminster, at St. Edward's shrine, 
 remaineth the print of his seal in red wax closed in bery], 
 in which is written " Patricius Arthurus Britanniae, 
 Gallia?, Germanise, Dacise Imperator." Item in the castle 
 of Dover ye may see Sir Gawaine's skull, and Cradok's 
 mantle : at Winchester, the Round Table : in other places 
 Sir Launcelot's sword, and many other things. Then all 
 these things considered, there can no man reasonably 
 gainsay but that there was a king of this land named 
 Arthur ; for in all the places, Christian and heathen, he is 
 reputed and taken for one of the nine worthies, and the 
 first of the three Christian men. And also he is more spoken 
 beyond the sea, and more books made of his noble 
 acts, than there be in England, as well in Dutch, Italian, 
 Spanish, and Greek, as in French. And yet of record, 
 remaineth in -witness of him in Wales, in the town 
 of Camelot, the great stones, and the marvellous works 
 of iron lying under the ground, and royal vaults, 
 which divers now living have seen. Wherefore it is a great 
 marvel why that he is no more renowned in his own 
 country, save only it accordeth to the word of God, which 
 saith, that no man is accepted for a prophet in his own 
 country. Then all things aforesaid alleged, I could not 
 well deny but that there was such a noble king named 
 Arthur, and reputed for one of the nine worthies, and 
 first and chief of the Christian men. And many noble 
 volumes be made of him and of his noble knights in French, 
 which I have seen and read beyond the sea, which be 
 not had in our maternal tongue. But in Welsh be many, 
 and also in French, and some in English, but nowhere nigh 
 all. Wherefore, such as have late been drawn out briefly 
 into English, I have, after the simple cunning that God 
 hath sent me, under the favour and correction of all noble 
 lords and gentlemen enprised to imprint a book of the 
 noble histories of the said King Arthur, and of certain of 
 his knights after a copy unto me delivered ; which copy 
 Sir Thomas Malory did take out of certain books of French, 
 and reduced it into English. And I, according to my
 
 xl CAXTOWS PROLOGUE. 
 
 copy, have down set it in print, to the intent that nob^a men 
 may see and learn the noble acts of chivalry, the gentle and 
 virtuous deeds that some knights used in those days, by 
 which they came to honour, and how they that were 
 vicious were punished, and oft put to shame and rebuke ; 
 humbly beseeching all noble lords and ladies, with all 
 other estates of what state or degree they be of, that 
 shall see and read in this present book and work, that 
 they take the good and honest acts in their remem- 
 brance, and follow the same. Wherein they shall find 
 many joyous and pleasant histories, and the noble and 
 renowned acts of humanity, gentleness, and chivalry. For, 
 herein may be seen noble chivalry, courtesy, humanity, 
 friendliness, hardiness, love, friendship, cowardice, murder, 
 hate, virtue, and sin. Do after the good, and leave the evil, 
 and it shall bring you unto good fame and renown. And, 
 for to pass the time, this book shall be pleasant to read in, 
 but for to give faith and belief that all is true that is 
 contained herein, ye be at your own liberty. But all is 
 written for our doctrine, and for to be\vare that we fall not 
 to vice nor sin, but to exercise and follow virtue, by the 
 which we may come and attain to good fame and renown 
 in this life, and after this short and transitory life to come 
 unto everlasting bliss in heaven ; the which He grant ua 
 that reigneth in heaven, the blessed Trinity. Amen.
 
 THE HISTORY OF KING ARTHUR 
 
 AND THE QUEST OF THE HOLY GRAIL 
 
 THE BOOK OF MERLIN, AND THE COMING OF 
 ARTHUR. 
 
 I. 
 
 T befel in the days of the noble Utherpendragon, 
 when he was king of England, and so reigned, 
 there was a mighty and a noble duke in 
 Cornwall, that held long time war against him ; 
 and the duke was named the duke of Tintagil. 
 And so by means king Uther sent for this duke, 
 charging him to bring his wife with him, for she was called a right 
 fair lady, and a passing wise, and Igraine was her name. So when 
 the duke and his wife were come to the king, by the means of 
 great lords, they were both accorded, and the king liked and loved 
 this lady well, and made her great cheer, in his desire, out of 
 measure. But she was a passing good woman, and would not 
 assent to the king. And then she told the duke, her husband, 
 and said, " I suppose that we were sent for that I should be dis- 
 honoured ; wherefore, husband, I counsel you that we depart 
 from hence suddenly, that we may ride all night to our own castle." 
 And like as she had said, so they departed, that neither the king, 
 nor none of his council, were aware of their departing. As soon 
 as king Uther knew of their departing so suddenly, he was 
 
 i
 
 2 THE BOOK OF MERLIN. 
 
 wonderful wrath ; then he called to him his privy council, and 
 told them of the sudden departing of the duke and his wife. 
 Then they advised the king to send for the duke and his wife, by a 
 great charge : " And, if he will not " said they, " come at your 
 commandment, then may ye do your best, for then have you 
 a cause to make mighty war upon him." So that was done, 
 and the messengers had their answers, and that was this, 
 shortly, " That neither he nor his wife would not come at 
 him." Then was the king wondrous wrath. And then the 
 king sent him plain word again, and bade him be ready, 
 and stuff him, and garnish him ; for within threescore days 
 he would fetch him out of the strongest castle that he 
 had. When the duke had this warning, anon he went and 
 furnished and garnished two strong castles of his, of the 
 which the one was Tintagil, and that other called Terabil. So 
 his wife, dame Igraine, he put in the castle of Tintagil, and he 
 put himself in the castle of Terabil, the which had many issues 
 and posterns out. Then in all haste came Uther, with a great 
 host, and laid a siege about the castle of Terabil, and there he 
 pitched many pavilions. And there was great war made on both 
 parties, and much people slain : then for pure anger and for 
 great love of fair Igraine, king Uthcr fell sick. Then came 
 to king Uther Sir Ulfius, a noble knight, and asked the king 
 " Why he was sick ? " "I shall tell thee," said the king : " 1 
 am sick for anger and for love of fair Igraine, that I may not be 
 whole." " Well, my lord," said Sir Ulfius, " I shall seek Merlin, 
 and he shall get you remedy, that your heart shall be pleased." 
 So Ulfius departed, and by adventure he met Merlin in a 
 beggar's array ; and there Merlin asked Ulfius whom he 
 sought? And he said he had little ado to tell him. "Well," 
 said Merlin, " I know whom thou seekest, for thou seekest 
 Merlin, therefore seek no further, for I am he ; and if king 
 Uther will well reward me, and be sworn to me to fulfil my 
 desire, the which shall be his honour and profit more than mine, 
 I shall cause him to have all his desire." "All this will I 
 undertake," said Ulfius, " that there shall be nothing reasonable, 
 but thou shall have thy desire." "Well," said Merlin, "he shall 
 have his intent and desire ; and, therefore," said Merlin, "ride 
 on your way, for I will not be long behind." 
 
 II. 
 
 THEN Ulfius was glad, and rode on more than a pace till 
 that he came unto king Utherpendragon, and told him he
 
 THE BOOK OF MERLIN. 3 
 
 had met with Merlin. "Where is he?" said the king. 
 "Sir," said Ulfius, "he will not tarry long." Therewithal 
 Ulfius was aware where Merlin stood at the porch of the pavil- 
 ion's door ; and then Merlin was bound to come to the king. 
 When king Uther saw him, he said that he was welcome. 
 " Sir," said Merlin, " I know all your heart, every deal ; so you 
 will be sworn to me, as you be a true king anointed, to fulfil 
 my desire, you shall have your desire." Then the king was sworn 
 upon the four Evangelists. " Sir," said Merlin, " this is my 
 desire : by Igraine you shall get a child, and when it is born it 
 shall be delivered to me for to nourish, as I will have it ; for it 
 shall be your worship, and the child's avail as much as the child 
 is worth." " I will well," said the king, " as thou wilt have it." 
 "Now make you ready," said Merlin, "this night shall you be 
 with Igraine in the castle of Tintagil, and you shall be like the 
 duke, her husband ; Ulfius shall be like Sir Brastias, a knight 
 of the duke's ; and I will be like a knight, called Sir Jordains, a 
 knight of the duke's ; but beware you make not many questions 
 with her, nor with her men, but say you are weary, and so hie 
 you to bed, and rise not on the morrow till I come to you ; for 
 the castle of Tintagil is but ten miles hence." So, as they had 
 devised, it was done ; but the duke of Tintagil espied how the 
 king rode from the siege of Terabil ; and, therefore, that night 
 he issued out of the castle, at a postern, for to have distressed 
 the king's host ; and so through his own issue the duke himself 
 was slain, or ever the king was at the castle of Tintagil. So 
 after the death of the duke, king Uther came unto Igraine more 
 than three hours after his death. And ere day, Merlin 
 came to the king, and bade him make him ready ; and so he 
 kissed the lady Igraine, and departed in all haste. But when 
 the lady heard tell of the duke, her husband, and by all record 
 he was dead or ever king Uther came to her, then she mar- 
 velled who that might be that came in likeness of her 
 lord ; so she mourned privily, and held her peace. Then all 
 the barons, by one assent, prayed the king of accord between 
 the lady Igraine and him. The king gave them leave, for fain 
 would he have been accorded with her. So the king put all his 
 trust in Ulfius to entreat between them ; so by that entreaty, at 
 the last, the king and she met together. " Now will we do 
 well," said Ulfius ; " our king is a lusty knight, and wifeless, 
 and my lady Igraine is a passing fair lady ; it were great joy 
 unto us all and it might please the king to make her his 
 queen." Unto that they were all well agreed, and moved it to 
 the king. And anon, like a lusty knight, he assented thereto
 
 4 THE BOOK OF MERUN. 
 
 with a good will ; and so, in all haste, they were married in a 
 morning with great mirth and joy. And king Lot, of Lothian 
 and Orkney, then wedded Margawse, that was Gawaine's mother ; 
 and king Nentres, of the land of Garlot, wedded Elaine. All 
 this was done at the request of king Uther. And the third 
 sister, Morgan le Fay, was put to school, in a nunnery ; and 
 there she learned so much, that she was a great clerk of necro- 
 mancy ; and after, she was wedded to king Urience, of the land 
 of Gore, that was Sir Ewaine le Blan:hemaine's father. 
 
 III. 
 
 THEN the queen Igraine drew daily nearer her time when the 
 child Arthur should be born, and it fell, within half a-year, that 
 king Uther asked her by the faith she owed unto him, who was 
 father to her child ? Then was she sore abashed to give an 
 answer. " Fear you not," said the king ; "but tell me the truth, 
 and I shall love you the better by that faith of my body." 
 " Sir," said she, " I shall tell you the truth. The same night 
 that my lord was dead, that hour of his death, there came unto 
 my castle of Tintagil a man like my lord in speech and counte- 
 nance, and two knights with him in likeness of his two knights, 
 Brastias and Jordains ; and so I received him as I ought to do my 
 lord : and that same night, as I shall answer unto God, the child 
 was begotten." " That is truth," said the king, " as you say, for 
 it was I myself that came in his likeness ; and, therefore, fear you 
 not, for I am father to the child." And there he told her all the 
 cause how it was by Merlin's counsel. Then the queen made 
 great joy when she knew who was the father of her child. Soon 
 came Merlin unto the king, and said, " Sir, you must provide 
 you for the nourishing of your child." "As thou wilt," said the 
 king, "be it." "Well," said Merlin, "I know a lord of yours, 
 in this land, that is a passing true man, and faithful, and he 
 shall have the nourishing of your child : his name is Sir Ector, 
 and he is a lord of fair livelihood, in many parts of England 
 and Wales. And this lord, Sir Ector, let him be sent for, for to 
 come and speak with you, and desire him yourself, as he loveth 
 you, that he will put his own child to nourishing to another 
 woman, and that his wife nourish yours ; and when the child 
 is born, let it be delivered unto me, at yonder postern, unchrist- 
 ened." As Merlin had devised, so it was done. And when Sir 
 Ector was come, he made affiance to the king for to nourish the 
 child, like as the king desired ; and there the king granted Sir 
 Ector great rewards. Then when the queen was delivered, the
 
 THE BOOK OF MERLIN. 5 
 
 king commanded two knights and two ladies to take the child, 
 bound in rich cloth of gold, "And deliver him to what poor man 
 you meet at the postern gate of the castle." So the child was 
 delivered unto Merlin, and so he bare it forth unto Sir Ector, 
 and made a holy man to christen him, and named him Arthur : 
 and so Sir Ector's wife nourished him with her own breasts. 
 
 Then within two years king Uther fell sick of a great malady ; 
 and in the meanwhile his enemies usurped upon him, and did a 
 great battle upon his men, and slew many of his people. "Sir," 
 said Merlin, " you may not lie so as you do, for you must to the 
 field, though you ride in a horse-litter ; for you shall never have 
 the better of your enemies but if your person be there, and then 
 shall you have the victory." So it was done as Merlin had de- 
 vised, and they carried the king forth in a horse-litter, with a 
 great host towards his enemies. And at Saint Alban's there 
 met with the king a great host of the north ; and that day Sir 
 Ulfius and Sir Brastias did great deeds of arms, and king 
 Uther's men overcame the northern battle, and slew much 
 people, and put the remnant to flight : and then the king re- 
 turned to London, and made great joy of his victory. And 
 within a while after he was passing sore sick, so that three days 
 and three nights he was speechless, wherefore all the barons 
 made great sorrow, and asked Merlin what counsel were best? 
 "There is none other remedy," said Merlin, "but God will 
 have his will ; but look ye that all his barons be before him 
 to-morrow, and God and I shall make him to speak." So 
 on the morrow all the barons, with Merlin, came before 
 the king ; then Merlin said aloud unto king Uther, " Sir, shall 
 your son Arthur be king after your days of this realm, with 
 all the appurtenances." Then Utherpendragon turned him 
 and said, in hearing of them all, "I give him God's blessing and 
 mine, and bid him pray for my soul, and righteously and wor- 
 shipfully that he claim the crown upon forfeiture of my blessing." 
 And therewith he yielded up the ghost. And then he was interred 
 as belonged unto a king : wherefore Igraine, the queen, made 
 great sorrow, and all the barons. Then stood the realm in 
 great jeopardy a long while, for every lord that was mighty of 
 men made him strong, and many weened to have been king. 
 Then Merlin went to the Archbishop of Canterbury, and coun- 
 selled him to send for all the lords of the realm, and all the 
 gentlemen of arms, that they should come to London before 
 Christmas, upon pain of cursing ; and for this cause, that as 
 Jesus was born on that night, that He would of His great mercy 
 show some miracle as He was come to be king of all mankind,
 
 6 THE BOOK OF MERLIN. 
 
 for to show some miracle who should be rightwise king of this 
 realm. So the archbishop, by the advice of Merlin, sent for all 
 the lords and gentlemen of arms, that they should come by 
 Christmas eve to London : and many of them made them clean 
 of their lives, that their prayer might be the more acceptable to 
 God. So in the greatest church of London (whether it were 
 Paul's or not the French book maketh no mention) all the estates 
 and lords were long or it was day in the church for to pray. 
 And when matins and the first mass was done, there was seen 
 in the churchyard, against the high altar, a great stone, four- 
 square, like to a marble stone, and in the midst thereof was an 
 anvil of steel, a foot of height, and therein stuck a fair sword, 
 naked by the point, and letters of gold were written about the 
 sword that said thus: "Whoso pulleth out this sword of this 
 stone and anvil is rightwise king born of England." Then the 
 people marvelled and told it to the archbishop. " I command 
 you," said the archbishop, " that you keep you within your 
 church ; and pray unto God still that no man touch the sword 
 till the high mass be all done." So when all the masses were 
 done, all the estates went for to behold the stone and the 
 sword, and when they saw the scripture, some assayed, such as 
 would have been king ; but none might stir the sword, nor move 
 it. " He is not yet here," said the archbishop, " that shall 
 achieve the sword, but doubt not God will make him to be 
 known. But this is my counsel," said the archbishop, "that we 
 let purvey ten knights, men of good fame, and they to keep this 
 sword." And so it was ordained, and then there was made a 
 cry, that every man should assay that would for to win the sword. 
 And, upon new year's day, the barons let make a joust and 
 tournament, that all knights that would joust and tourney there 
 might play : and all this was ordained for to keep the lords 
 together, and the commons, for the archbishop trusted that God 
 would make him known that should win the sword. So, upon 
 new year's day, when the service was done, the barons rode to 
 the field, some to joust, and some to tourney. And so it hap- 
 pened that Sir Ector, that had great livelihood about London, 
 rode to the jousts, and with him rode Sir Kaye, his son, and 
 young Arthur, that was his nourished brother ; and Sir Kaye 
 was made knight at Allhallowmas afore. So as they rode 
 towards the jousts, Sir Kaye had lost his sword, for he had left 
 it at his father's lodging ; and so he prayed young Arthur to 
 ride for his sword. " I will with a good will," said Arthur, 
 and rode fast after the sword ; and when he came home, the 
 lady and all were gone out to see the jousting. Then was
 
 THE BOOK OF MERLIN. ^ 
 
 Arthur wrath, and said to himself, " I will ride to the churchyard 
 and take the sword with me that sticketh in the stone, for my 
 brother, Sir Kaye, shall not be without a sword this day." And 
 so, when he came to the churchyard, Arthur alighted, and tied 
 his horse to the stile, and so went to the tent, and found no 
 knights there, for they were all at the jousting ; and so he 
 handled the sword by the handles, and lightly and fiercely he 
 pulled it out of the stone, and took his horse, and rode his way 
 till he came to his brother, Sir Kaye, and delivered him the 
 sword. And, as soon as Sir Kaye saw the sword, he wist well 
 that it was the sword of the stone ; and so he rode to his father, 
 Sir Ector, and said, " Sir, lo ! here is the sword of the stone ; 
 wherefore I must be king of this land." When Sir Ector beheld 
 the sword, he returned again, and came to the church, and there 
 they alighted all three, and went into the church ; and anon he 
 made Sir Kaye to swear upon a book how he came to that sword. 
 "Sir," said Sir Kaye, " by my brother, Arthur, for he brought it to 
 me." "How gat you this sword?" said Sir Ector to Arthur. 
 ' Sir, I will tell you ; when I came home for my brother's sword 
 I found nobody at home for to deliver me his sword ; and so I 
 thought my brother, Sir Kaye, should not be swordless, and so I 
 came thither eagerly, and pulled it out of the stone without any 
 pain." "Found ye any knights about this sword?" said Sir 
 Ector. " Nay," said Arthur. " Now," said Sir Ector to Arthur, 
 " I understand that you must be king of this land." "Where- 
 fore I?" said Arthur, "and for what cause?" " Sir," said Sir 
 Ector, "for God will have it so ; for there should never no man 
 have drawn out this sword, but he that shall be rightwise king 
 of this land. Now let me see whether ye can put the sword 
 there as it was, and pull it out again." " That is no mastery," 
 said Arthur ; and so he put it in the stone. Therewith Sir 
 Ector assayed to pull out the sword, and failed. 
 
 IV. 
 
 " Now assay you," said Sir Ector to Sir Kaye. And anon he 
 pulled at the sword with all his might, but it would not be. 
 " Now shall ye assay," said Sir Ector to Arthur. " With a good 
 will," said Arthur, and pulled it out easily. And therewithal 
 Sir Ector kneeled down to the earth, and Sir Kaye also. 
 "Alas ! " said Arthur, "mine own dear father, and my brother, 
 why kneel you to me ?" " Nay, nay, my lord Arthur, it is not 
 so. I was never your father, nor of your blood, but I wot well 
 that you are of an higher blood than I weened you were?"
 
 8 THE BOOK OF MERLIN. 
 
 And then Sir Ector told him all how he was betaken him to 
 nourish, and by whose commandment, and by Merlin's deliver- 
 ance. Then Arthur made great moan when he understood that 
 Sir Ector was not his father. " Sir," said Sir Ector unto Arthur, 
 " will you be my good and gracious lord when you are king ? " 
 " Else were I to blame," said Arthur, " for you are the man in 
 the world that I am most beholden unto, and my good lady and 
 mother, your wife, that, as well as her own, hath fostered and 
 kept me ; and, if ever it be God's will that I be king, as you say, 
 ye shall desire of me what I may do, and I shall not fail you ; 
 God forbid I should fail you." " Sir," said Sir Ector, " I will 
 ask no more of you but that you will make my son, your fostered 
 brother, Sir Kaye, seneschal of all your lands." "That shall be 
 done, sir," said Arthur, " and more by the faith of my body, 
 and that never man shall have that office but he while that he 
 and I live." Therewithal they went unto the archbishop, and 
 told him how the sword was achieved, and by whom. And, 
 upon the twelfth day, all the barons came thither for to assay to 
 take the sword who that would assay. But there before them 
 all there might none take it out but only Arthur, wherefore 
 there were many great lords wrath, and said, " It was great 
 shame unto them all and the realm, to be governed with a boy 
 of no high blood born." And so they fell out at that time, that 
 it was put off till Candlemas, and then all the barons should 
 meet there again. But always the ten knights were ordained 
 for to watch the sword both day and night ; and so they set a 
 pavilion over the stone and the sword, and five always watched. 
 And at Candlemas many more great lords came thither for to 
 have won the sword, but none of them might prevail ; and right 
 as Arthur did at Christmas he did at Candlemas, and pulled 
 out the sword easily, whereof the barons were sore aggrieved, 
 and put it in delay till the high feast of Easter ; and, as Arthur 
 sped before, so did he at Easter : and yet there were some of 
 the great lords had indignation that Arthur should be their 
 king, and put it off in delay till the feast of Pentecost. Then 
 the Archbishop of Canterbury, by Merlin's providence, let 
 purvey of the best knights that might be gotten, and such 
 knights as king Utherpendragon loved best, and most trusted 
 in his days ; and such knights were put about Arthur, as Sir 
 Boudwine, of Britain ; Sir Kaye, Sir Ulfius, and Sir Brastias : 
 all these, with many others, were always about Arthur, day and 
 night, till the feast of Pentecost.
 
 THE BOOK OF MERLIN. 9 
 
 V. 
 
 AND, at the feast of Pentecost, all manner of men assayed for 
 to pull at the sword that would assay ; and none might prevail 
 but Arthur, and he pulled it out before all the lords and com- 
 mons that were there ; wherefore all the commons cried at 
 once, "We will have Arthur unto our king, we will put him no 
 more in delay, for we all see that it is God's will that he shall 
 be our king, and who that holdeth against it we will slay him :" 
 and therewithal they all kneeled down all at once, and cried 
 Arthur mercy because they had delayed him so long. And 
 Arthur forgave it them, and took the sword between both his 
 hands, and offered it up to the altar, where the archbishop was, 
 and was made knight of the best man that was there. And so 
 anon was the coronation made, and there was he sworn to the 
 lords and commons for to be a true king, to stand with true 
 justice from thenceforth all the days of his life : and then he 
 made all the lords that held off the crown, to come in and do 
 him service as they ought to do. And many complaints were 
 made unto king Arthur, of great wrongs that were done since 
 the death of king Utherpendragon, of many lands that were 
 bereaved of lords, knights, ladies, and gentlemen ; wherefore 
 king Arthur made the lands for to be rendered again unto them 
 that owed them. When this was done, that the king had 
 established all the countries about London, then he did make 
 Sir Kaye seneschal of England, and Sir Boudwine, of Britain, 
 was made constable, and Sir Ulfias was made chamberlain, and 
 Sir Brastias was made warden, for to wait upon the north from 
 Trent forward ; for it was that time, for the most part, enemy 
 unto the king. But within few years after, king Arthur won all 
 the north, Scotland, and all that were under their obeisance : 
 also a part of Wales held against king Arthur, but he overcame 
 them all, as he did the remnant, and all through the noble 
 prowess of himself and his knights of the Round Table. 
 
 VI. 
 
 THEN king Arthur removed into Wales, and let cry a great 
 feast, that it should be holden at Pentecost after the coronation 
 of him at the city of Carlion. Unto this feast came king Lot, of 
 Lothian and of Orkney, with five hundred knights with him. 
 Also there came unto this feast king Urience, of Gore, which 
 brought with him four hundred knights. Also to this feast 
 there came king Nentres, of Garlothe, and with him seven
 
 io THE BOOK OF MERLIN. 
 
 hundred knights. Also there came unto this feast the king of 
 Scotland, with six hundred knights with him, and he was but a 
 young man. And there came unto this feast a king, that was 
 called the king with the five hundred knights, but he and 
 his men were passing well beseen at all points. Also there 
 came the king of Carados with five hundred knights. Then 
 was king Arthur glad of their coming, for he weened that 
 all the kings and knights had come for great love, and for 
 to have done him worship at his feast ; wherefore the king 
 made great joy, and sent unto the kings and knights great 
 present. But the kings would none receive, but rebuked the 
 messengers shamefully, and said they had no joy to receive 
 gifts of a beardless boy that was come of low blood ; and 
 sent him word that they would have none of his gifts, and 
 that they were come to give him gifts with hard swords between 
 the neck and the shoulders, and therefore they came thither ; so 
 they told the messengers plainly, for it was great shame to all 
 them to see such a boy to have the rule of so noble a realm as 
 this land was. With this answer the messengers departed, and 
 told this answer unto king Arthur ; and for this cause, by the 
 advice of his barons, he took him to a strong tower, with five 
 hundred good men of arms with him : and all the kings afore- 
 said in a manner laid a siege afore him, but king Arthur was 
 well victualled. And within fifteen days after Merlin came 
 among them into the city of Carlion ; then all the kings were 
 passing glad of Merlin's coming, and asked him, " For what 
 cause is that beardless boy, Arthur, made your king 1 " " Sirs," 
 said Merlin, " I shall tell you the cause : for he is king Uther- 
 pendragon's son." " Then he is a bastard," said they all. 
 " Nay," said Merlin, " after the death of the duke, was Arthur 
 begot, and thirteen days after king Utherpendragon wedded 
 fair Igraine ; and therefore I prove him he is no bastard, and 
 whosoever sayeth nay, he shall be king, and overcome all his 
 enemies ; and or that he die he shall be king of England, and 
 he shall have under his obeisance, Wales, Ireland, and 
 Scotland, and many more realms than I will now rehearse." 
 Some of the kings had marvel at Merlin's words, and deemed 
 well that it should be as he said ; and some of them laughed 
 him to scorn, as king Lot and more other called him a witch. 
 But then were they accorded with Merlin, that king Arthur 
 should come out and speak with the kings, and for to come safe 
 and go safe, such assurance was made or Merlin went. So 
 Merlin went unto king Arthur, and told him how he had done, 
 and bade him that he should not fear ; but come out boldly and
 
 THE BOOK OF MERLIN. \ i 
 
 speak with them, and spare them not, but answer them as their 
 king and chieftain : for you shall overcome them all, whether 
 they will or will not. 
 
 VII. 
 
 THEN king Arthur came out of his tower, and had underneath 
 his gown a jesseraunt of double mail, which was good and sure; 
 and there went with him the Archbishop of Canterbury, and Sir 
 Boudwine, of Britain, and Sir Kaye, the seneschal, and Sir 
 Brastias : these were the men of most worship that were with 
 him ; and when they were met together, there was but little 
 meekness, for there was stout and hard words on both sides. 
 But always king Arthur answered them and said, " That he 
 would make them to bow, and he lived : " wherefore they 
 departed with wrath, and king Arthur bade keep them well, and 
 they bid the king keep him well. So the king returned to the 
 tower again, and armed him and all his knights. " What will 
 ye do ? " said Merlin to the kings : " ye are better to stint, for 
 here ye shall not prevail, though ye were ten times so many." 
 " Be we well advised to be afraid of a dream-reader ? " said 
 king Lot. With that Merlin vanished away, and came to king 
 Arthur, and bade him set on them fiercely ; and in the mean- 
 while there were three hundred good men of the best that were 
 with the kings, that went straight to king Arthur, and that 
 comforted him greatly. " Sir," said Merlin to king Arthur, 
 " fight not with the sword that you had by miracle, till you see 
 that you go to the worst, then draw it out and do your best." 
 So forthwithal king Arthur set upon them in their lodging, and 
 Sir Boudwine, Sir Kaye, and Sir Brastias slew on the right 
 hand and on the left, that it was marvel, and alway king Arthur 
 on horseback laid on with a sword, and did marvellous deeds of 
 arms, that many of the kings had great joy of his deeds and 
 hardiness. Then king Lot brake out en the backside, and the 
 king with the hundred knights, and king Carados, and set on 
 king Arthur fiercely behind him. With that king Arthur turned 
 with his knights, and smote behind and before, and king Arthur 
 was in the foremost press, till his horse was slain under him. 
 And therewith king Lot smote down king Arthur : with that his 
 four knights received him, and set him on horseback. Then he 
 drew his sword Excalibur ; but it was so bright in his enemy's 
 eyes, that it gave light like thirty torches, and therewith he 
 put them back, and slew much people. And then all the 
 commons of Carlion arose with clubs and staves, and slew 
 many knights ; but all the knights held them together with
 
 12 THE BOOK OF MERLIN. 
 
 the knights that were left alive, and so fled and departed. And 
 Merlin came to king Arthur, and counselled him to follow 
 them no farther. 
 
 VIII. 
 
 So, after the feast and tourney, king Arthur drew him to 
 London, and by the counsel of Merlin the king did call his 
 barons to counsel ; for Merlin had told the king that the six 
 knights that made war upon him would in all haste be avenged 
 on him and on his lands. Wherefore the king asked counsel 
 of them all : they could no counsel give, but said, " They were 
 big enough." " Ye say well," said king Arthur, " and I thank 
 you for your good courage ; but will ye all that love me speak 
 with Merlin ? ye know well that he hath done much for me, and 
 he knoweth many things ; and when he is afore you, I would 
 that ye prayed him heartily of his best advice." And all the 
 barons said, " They would pray him and desire him." So 
 Merlin was sent for, and was fair desired of all the barons to 
 give them the best counsel. " I shall tell you, sires," said 
 Merlin ; " I warn you all, that your enemies are passing strong 
 for you, and they are good men of arms as any that now live ; 
 and by this time they have gotten four kings more, and a 
 mighty duke also ; and but if our king had more chivalry with 
 him than he may make himself within the bonds of his own 
 realm, and he fight with them in battle, he shall be overcome and 
 slain.'' " What were the best to do in this case ?" said all the 
 barons. " I shall tell you," said Merlin, " mine advice : there 
 are two brethren beyond the sea, and they be kings both, and 
 marvellous good men of their hands ; the one hight king Ban 
 of Benwicke, and that other hight king Bors of Gaul, that is 
 France ; and on these two kings warreth a mighty man of 
 men, king Claudas, and striveth with them for a castle ; 
 but this Claudas is so mighty of goods, whereof he getteth 
 good knights, that he putteth these two kings for the most part 
 to the worst : wherefore this is my counsel, that our king send 
 unto the two kings, Ban and Bors, by two trusty knights with 
 letters well devised, that if they will come and see king Arthur 
 and his court, and so help him in his wars, that he will be sworn 
 to them to help them in their wars against king Claudas. Now, 
 what say ye unto this counsel?" said Merlin. "This is well 
 counselled," said the king and all the barons. Right so in all 
 the haste were ordained to get two knights upon the message 
 unto the two kings. So were there made letters in most 
 pleasant wise, according unto king Arthur's desire. Ulfius and
 
 THE BOOK OF MERLIN, 13 
 
 Brastias were made the messengers, and so rode forth well 
 horsed and well armed, as the guise was that time, and so 
 passed to sea, and rode towards the city of Benwicke, and there 
 besides were eight knights that espied them : and at the 
 straight passage they met with Sir Ulfius and Sir Brastias, and 
 would have taken them prisoners. So they prayed them that they 
 might pass, for they were messengers unto king Ban and Bors, 
 sent from king Arthur. "Therefore," said the eight knights, "ye 
 shall die, or be our prisoners, for we be knights of king Claudas." 
 And therewith two of them dressed their spears, and Ulfius and 
 Brastias dressed their spears, and ran together with great strength, 
 and Claudas' knights brake their spears, and the other two held 
 and bare the two knights out of their saddles unto the earth, 
 and so left them lying, and rode their way ; and the other six 
 knights rode afore to a passage to meet with them again, and so 
 Ulfius and Brastias smote other two down, and so passed on 
 their way. And at the third passage they smote down other 
 two : and at the fourth passage there met with two for two, and 
 both were laid to the earth. So there was none of the eight 
 knights but that he was so hurt or else bruised : and when they 
 came to Benwicke, it fortuned there were both the kings, Ban 
 and Bors. When it was told the kings that there were come 
 messengers, there were sent to them two knights of worship, 
 the one high Lionses, lord of the country of Payarne, and Sir 
 Phariance, a worshipful knight. Anon they asked from whence 
 they came, and they said, " From king Arthur of England : " 
 they then took them in their arms, and made great joy each of 
 other. But anon, as the two kings wist that they were 
 messengers of king Arthur's no tarrying was made ; but forth- 
 with they spake with the knights, and welcomed them in the 
 faithfullest wise, and said, " They were most welcome unto them 
 before all the kings living:" and therewith they kissed the letters, 
 and delivered them straight. And when king Ban and Bors 
 understood the letters, then were they better welcome than be- 
 fore : and after the haste of the letter they gave them this 
 answer, " That they would fulfil the desire of king Arthur's 
 writing." And Ulfius and Brastias tarried there as long as they 
 would, and had as good cheer as might be made them in those 
 marches. Then Ulfius and Brastias told the kings of the 
 adventure of their passage of the eight knights. " Ha ! ha ! " 
 said king Ban and Bors, "they were our good friends : I would 
 I had wist of them, they should not have escaped so." So 
 Ulfius and Brastias had good cheer and great gifts, as much as 
 they might bear away, and had their answer by mouth and by
 
 14 THE BOOK OF MERLIN. 
 
 writing, "That those two kings would come to king Arthur in all 
 the haste that they might." So the two knights rode on afore, 
 and passed the sea, and came to their lord, and told him how 
 they had sped, whereof king Arthur was passing glad. "At 
 what time suppose ye the two kings will be here ? " " Sir," said 
 they, " afore Allhallowmas." Then the king let purvey for a 
 great feast, and let cry a great joust. And by Allhallowmas the 
 two kings were coming over the sea, with three hundred knights 
 well arrayed, both for the peace and for the war. And king 
 Arthur met with them ten miles out of London, and there was 
 great joy as could be thought of made ; and on Allhallowmas, 
 at the great feast sate in the hall the three kings, and Sir Kaye, 
 the seneschal, served in the hall, and Sir Lucas, the butler, that 
 was duke Corneus' son, and Sir Griflet, that was the son of 
 Cardol ; these three knights had the rule of all the service that 
 served the kings. And anon as they had washed and were 
 risen, all knights that would joust made them ready. By when 
 they were ready on horseback there were seven hundred 
 knights : and king Arthur, Ban, and Bors, with the Archbishop 
 of Canterbury, and Sir Ector, Kaye's father, they were in a 
 place covered with cloth of gold like a hall, with ladies and 
 gentlewomen, for to behold who did best, and thereon to give 
 judgment. 
 
 IX. 
 
 KING Arthur and the two kings let dispart the seven hundred 
 knights in two parties ; and there were three hundred knights 
 of the realm of Benwicke, and they of Gaul turned on the other 
 side. Then they dressed their shields, and many good knights 
 couched their spears. So Sir Griflet was the first that met with 
 a knight, that was called Ladinas, and they met so eagerly that 
 all men had wonder ; and they fought so that their shields fell 
 to pieces, and horse and men fell to the earth ; and both the 
 English knight and the French knight lay so long, that all men 
 weened that they had been dead. And when Lucas, the butler, 
 saw Griflet lay so, he quickly horsed him again, and they two 
 did marvellous deeds of arms with many batchelors ; and also 
 Sir Kaye came out of an ambushment with five good knights 
 with him, and they smote other five down, horse and man. But 
 Sir Kaye did that day marvellous deeds of arms, that there was 
 none that did so well as he on that day. Then there came in, 
 fiercely, Sir Ladinas and Sir Grastian, two knights of France, 
 and did passing well, that all men praised them. Then came 
 there Sir Placidas, a good knight, and met with Sir Kaye, and
 
 THE BOOK OF MERLIN. 15 
 
 smote him down, horse and man ; wherefore Sir Griflet was 
 wrath, and met with Sir Placidas so hard, that horse and man 
 fell to the earth. But when the five knights wist that Sir Kaye 
 had a fall, they were wondrous wrath, and there with each of 
 them five bear down a knight. When king Arthur and the two 
 kings saw them begin to wax wrath on both parts, they leaped 
 on small' hackneys, and let cry that all men should depart unto 
 their lodging ; and so they went home and unarmed them, and 
 so to evensong and supper. And after the three kings went into 
 a garden, and gave the prize unto Sir Kaye and to Sir Lucas, the 
 butler, and to Sir Griflet ; and then they went to counsel, and 
 with them Gwenbaus, brother unto Sir Ban and Bors, a wise 
 clerk, and thither went Ulfius and Brastias, and Merlin : and, 
 after they had been in counsel, they went to bed. And on the 
 morrow they heard mass, and after went to dinner, and so their 
 counsel, and made many arguments what were best to do. At 
 the last they were concluded that Merlin should go with a token 
 of king Ban, and that was a ring, unto his men and king Bors ; 
 and Gracian and Placidas should go again and keep their castles 
 and their countries, as king Ban, of Benwicke, and king Bors, 
 of Gaul, had ordained them, and so passed the sea and came to 
 Benwicke. And when the people saw king Ban's ring, and 
 Gracian and Placidas, they were glad, and asked how the king 
 fared, and made great joy of their welfare and accordance ; and, 
 according unto their sovereign lord's desire, the men of war 
 made them ready in all haste possible, so that they had 
 fifteen thousand on horseback and on foot, and they had great 
 plenty of victuals with them, by Merlin's provision. But 
 Gracian and Placidas were left to furnish and garnish the 
 castles, for dread of king Claudas. Right so Merlin passed the 
 sea, well victualled, both by water and by land ; and, when he 
 came to the sea, he sent home the footmen again, and took no 
 more with him but ten thousand men on horseback, the most 
 part men of arms, and so shipped and passed the sea into 
 England, and landed at Dover ; and through the wit of Merlin 
 he led the host northward, the priviest way that could be 
 thought, unto the forest of Bedgraine, and there in a valley he 
 lodged them secretly. Then rode Merlin unto king Arthur 
 and the two kings, and told them how he had sped ; whereof 
 they had great marvel, that man on earth might speed so soon, 
 and go and come. So Merlin told them that ten thousand were 
 in the forest of Bedgraine, well armed at all points. Then was 
 there no more to say, but to horseback went all the host, as king 
 Arthur had afore purveyed. So, with twenty thousand, he
 
 1 6 THE BOOK OF MERLIN. 
 
 passed by night and clay, but there was made such an ordinance 
 afore by Merlin, that there should no man of war ride nor go in 
 no country, on this side Trent water, but if he had a token from 
 king Arthur ; where the king's enemies durst not ride, as they 
 did before, to espy. 
 
 X. 
 
 AND so within a little space the three kings came unto the 
 castle of Bedgraine, and found there a passing fair fellowship, 
 and well beseen, whereof they had great joy ; and victuals they 
 wanted none. This was the cause of the northern host, that 
 they were reared for the despite and rebuke that the six kings 
 had at Carlion. And those kings, by their means, got to them 
 five other kings, and thus they began to gather their people ; 
 and how they swore, that for weal nor woe, they should not 
 leave each other till they had destroyed king Arthur : and then 
 they made an oath. The first that began the oath was the duke 
 of Candebenet, and then swore king Brandegoris of Latangor, 
 and king Clarence of Northumberland, and the king of the 
 hundred knights that was a passing good man and a young, 
 and king Lot, a passing good knight, and Sir Gawaine's 
 father, and king Uriance of the land of Gore, and king Idres 
 of Cornwall, and king Cradelmans, and king Agwisance 
 of Ireland, and king Nentres, and king Carados ; to bring 
 each one many thousand men of arms on horseback. So 
 their whole host was of clean men of arms on horseback fifty 
 thousand, and on foot ten thousand, of good men's bodies. 
 Then were they soon ready, and mounted upon horse, and 
 sent forth their fore-riders. For these eleven kings, in their 
 ways, laid siege unto the castle of Bedgraine, and so they 
 departed, and drew toward Arthur, and left few to abide 
 at the siege : for the castle of Bedgraine was holden of 
 king Arthur, and the men that were within were Arthur's. 
 And so, by Merlin's advice, there were sent fore-riders to 
 scour the country, and there met with the fore-riders of the 
 north, and made them tell which way the host came, and then 
 they told it to king Arthur ; and by king Ban and Bor's counsel, 
 they let burn, and destroyed all the country afore them, 
 where they should ride. The king with the hundred knights 
 dreamed a wonderful dream, two nights afore the battle : that 
 there blew a great wind, and blew down the castles and their 
 towns, and after that came a water, and bare it all away. 
 All that heard of the dream said it was a token of great, battle. 
 Then, by the counsel of Merlin, when they wist which way the
 
 THE BOOK OF MERLIN. 17 
 
 eleven kings would ride, and lodge that night, at midnight they 
 set upon them as they were in their pavilions : but the scout 
 watch by their host cried, " Lords, to arms, for here be your 
 enemies at your hand." 
 
 XI. 
 
 THEN king Arthur, and king Ban, and king Bors, with their 
 good and trusty knights, set upon them so fiercely, that they 
 made them overthrow their pavilions on their heads ; but the 
 eleven kings, by manly prowess of arms, took a fair field. But 
 there was slain that morrow-tide ten thousand of good men's 
 bodies. And so they had afore them a strong passage, yet were 
 they fifty thousand of hardy men. Then it drew toward day. 
 " Now shall you do, by mine advice," said Merlin unto the three 
 kings ; " I would that king Ban and king Bors, with their fel- 
 lowship of ten thousand men, were put in a wood here beside, 
 in an ambushment, and keep them privy, and that they be led 
 or the light of the day come, and that they stir not till ye and 
 your knights have fought with them long ; and, when it is day- 
 light, dress your battle even afore them and the passage, that 
 they may see all your host ; for then they will be the more hardy 
 when they see you have but twenty thousand, and cause them 
 to be the gladder, to suffer you and your host to come over the 
 passage." All the three kings and the barons said that Merlin 
 had said passing well, and it was done as he had devised. So 
 on the morrow, when either host saw other, the host of the north 
 was well confronted. Then to Ulfius and Brastias were de- 
 livered three thousand men of arms, and they set on them 
 fiercely in the passage, and slew on the right hand and on the 
 left hand, that it was wonderful to tell. When the eleven 
 knights saw that there was so few a fellowship, and did such 
 deeds of arms, they were ashamed, and set on them fiercely 
 again ; and there was Sir Ulfius's horse slain under him, but he 
 did well and marvellously on foot. But the duke Eustace of 
 Cambernet, and king Clarence of Northumberland, were always 
 grievous on Sir Ulfius. When Brastias saw his fellow so fared 
 withal, he smote the duke with a spear, that horse and man fell 
 down. That saw king Clarence, and returned to Brastias, and 
 either smote other, so that horse and man went to the earth ; 
 and so they lay long astounded, and their horses' knees broke 
 to the hard bone. Then came Sir Kaye the seneschal with six 
 fellows with him, and did passing well. With that came the 
 eleven kings, and there was Sir Griflet put to the earth, horse 
 and man : and Lucas, the butler, horse and man, by king 
 
 2
 
 1 8 THE BOOK OF MERLIN. 
 
 Grandegors, and king Idres, and king Agusance. Then waxed 
 the meddle passing hard on both parties. When Sir Kaye saw 
 Sir Griflet on foot, he rode to king Nentres, and smote him 
 down, and led his horse to Sir Griflet, and horsed him again. 
 Also Sir Kaye, with the same spear, smote down king Lot, and 
 hurt him passing sore. That saw the king with the hundred 
 knights, and ran to Sir Kaye, and smote him down, and took 
 his horse, and gave him to king Lot, whereof he said gramercy. 
 When Sir Griflet saw Sir Kaye and Lucas, the butler, on foot, 
 he took a sharp spear, great and square, and rode to Pynell, a 
 good man of arms, and smote down horse and man, and then 
 he took his horse and gave him Sir Kaye. When king Lot saw 
 king Nentres on foot, he ran to Melot de la Roche, and smote 
 him down, horse and man, and gave king Nentres the horse, and 
 horsed him again. Also the king of the hundred knights saw 
 king 5 Idres on foot, then he ran unto Guimiare de Bloi, and 
 smote him down, horse and man, and gave king Idres the horse, 
 and horsed him again. And king Lot smote down Clariance de 
 la Forest Savage, and gave the horse to duke Eustace. And 
 so, when they had horsed the kings again, they drew them all 
 eleven kings together, and said they would be revenged of the 
 damage that they had taken that day. In the meanwhile came 
 in Sir Ector, with an eager countenance, and found Ulfius and 
 Brastias on foot, in great peril of death, which were foul defiled 
 under the horse's feet. Then king Arthur as a lion ran into 
 king Cradelmont, of North Wales, and smote him through the 
 left side, that the horse and the king fell down, and then he 
 took the horse by the reins, and led him unto Ulfius, and said, 
 " Have this horse, mine old friend, for great need hast thou of a 
 horse." " Gramercy 1 " said Ulfius. Then king Arthur did so 
 marvellously in arms, that all men had wonder thereof. When 
 the king with the hundred knights saw king Cradelmont on foot, 
 he ran unto Sir Ector, that was well horsed, Sir Kaye's father, 
 and smote down horse and man, and gave the horse to the 
 king, and horsed him again. And when king Arthur saw 
 the king ride on Sir Hector's horse, he was wrath, and with his 
 sword he smote the king on the helm, that a quarter of the helm 
 and shield fell down, and the sword curved down unto the 
 horse's neck, and so the king and the horse fell down to the 
 ground. The Sir Kaye came to Sir Morganore, the seneschal, 
 with the king of the hundred knights, and smote him down, 
 horse and man, and led the horse unto his father, Sir Ector. 
 Then Sir Ector ran into a knight, that hight Kardens, and 
 smote down horse and man, and led the horse unto Sir Brastias,
 
 THE BOOK OF MERLIN. 19 
 
 that had great need of a horse, and was greatly bruised. When 
 Brastias beheld Lucas, the butler, that lay like a dead man 
 under the horse's feet, and to rescue him Sir Griflet did 
 marvellously ; and there were always fourteen knights upon 
 Sir Lucas, and then Brastias smote one of them on the helm, 
 that it went to the teeth ; and he rode to another, and smote 
 him, that the arm flew into the field. Then he went to the 
 third, and smote him on the shoulder, that both shoulder and 
 arm flew into the field. And when Sir Griflet saw him rescued, 
 he smote a knight on the temples, that head and helm went to 
 the earth, and Sir Griflet took the horse of that knight, and led 
 him unto Sir Lucas, and bid him mount upon the horse, and 
 revenge his hurts ; for Brastias had slain a knight before, and 
 horsed Sir Griflet. 
 
 XII. 
 
 THEN Lucas saw king Agwisance, that late had slain Moris 
 de la Roche ; and Lucas ran to him with a short spear that was 
 great, and he gave him such a fall, that the horse fell down to the 
 earth. Also Sir Lucas found there on foot Bloyas de la Flaun- 
 dres and Sir Gwinas, two hardy knights ; and in the madness 
 that Sir Lucas was in he slew two bachelors, and horsed them 
 again. Then waxed the battle passing hard on both parties ; 
 but king Arthur was glad that his knights were horsed again : 
 and then they fought together, that the noise and sound rang by 
 the water and the wood ; wherefore king Ban and king Bors 
 made them ready, and dressed their shields and harness, and 
 they were so courageous, that many knights shook and trembled 
 for eagerness. All this while Lucas, and Gwinas, and Briaunt, 
 and Belias of Flanders, held a strong meddle against six kings 
 that was king Lot, king Nentres, king Brandegoris, king 
 Idres, king Urience, and king Agwisance. So, with the help of 
 Sir Kaye and Sir Griflet; they held these six kings hard, while 
 that they had any power to defend themselves. But when king 
 Arthur saw the battle would not be ended in any manner, he 
 fared like a mad lion, and stirred his horse here and there, on 
 the right hand and on the left, that he stinted not until he had 
 slain twenty knights. Also he wounded king Lot sore on 
 the shoulder, and made him to leave that ground ; for Sir Kaye 
 and Sir Griflet did there, with king Arthur, great deeds of arms ; 
 and then Sir Ulfius, Sir Brastias, and Sir Ector encountered 
 against the duke Eustace, king Cradelmont, king Cardlemans, 
 king Clariance of Northumberland, king Carados, and against 
 the king with the hundred knights. So these knights
 
 20 THE BOOK OF MERLIN. 
 
 encountered with these kings, that they made them to avoid the 
 ground. Then king Lot made great dole for his damages and 
 his fellows, and said unto the eleven kings, " But if ye will not 
 do as I devise we shall be slain and destroyed. Let me have 
 the king with the hundred knights, king Agwisance, king Idres, 
 and the duke of Cambenet, and we five kings will have fifteen 
 thousand men of arms with us, and we will go apart while ye six 
 kings hold the meddle with twelve thousand ; and as we see 
 that ye have foughten with them long, then will we come on 
 fiercely, and else shall we never match them," said king Lot, 
 "but by this mean." So anon they departed as they had 
 devised, and the six kings made their party strong against king 
 Arthur, and made great war long. In the meanwhile broke the 
 ambushment of king Ban and Bors, and Lionses and Phariaunce 
 had the vanguard ; and the two kings met with king Idres and 
 his fellowship : and there began a gteat meddle of breaking 
 of spears, and smiting of swords, with slaying of men and 
 horses, and king Idres was near at a discomfiture. That saw 
 Agwisance, the king, and put Lionses and Phariaunce in point 
 of death : for the duke of Cambenet came on them with a great 
 fellowship. So these two knights were in great danger of their 
 lives, that they were fain to return, but always they rescued 
 themselves and their fellowship marvellously. When king Bors 
 saw those knights put back, it grieved him sore. Then he came 
 on so fast, that his fellowship seemed as black as the men of 
 Ind. When king 7 ot had espied king Bors, he knew him 
 well : then he said, " O Jesu ! defend us from death and 
 horrible maims ; for I see well we have been in great peril of 
 death : for I see yonder a king, one of the most worshipfullest 
 men, and one of the best knights in the world is joined to his 
 fellowship." "What is he?" said the king with the hundred 
 knights. " It is," said king Lot, " king Bors of Gaul : I marvel 
 how they came into this country without meeting of us all." 
 " It was by the advice of Merlin," said a knight. "As for him," 
 said king Carados, " I will encounter with king Bors, if ye will 
 rescue me when it is need." " Go on," said they all ; "we will 
 do all that we may for you." Then king Carados and his host 
 rode a soft pace till they came as nigh king Bors as a bow-shot. 
 Then either battle let their horses run as fast as they might ; 
 and Sir Bleoberis, that was the godson unto king Bors, bore his 
 chiefs standard, which was a passing good knight. " Now shall 
 we see," said king Bors, " how these northern Britons can bear 
 their arms." And king Bors encountered with a knight, and 
 smote him throughout with a spear, that he fell down dead unto
 
 THE BOOK OF MERLIN. 21 
 
 the earth, and after drew his sword, and did marvellous deeds 
 of arms, that both parties had great wonder thereof; and his 
 knights failed not, but did their part, and king Carados was 
 smitten to the earth. With that came the king with the hundred 
 knights, and rescued king Carados mightily with force of arms ; 
 for he was a passing good knight, and was but a young man. 
 
 XIII. 
 
 BY then came into the field king Ban as a fierce lion, with 
 bands of green, and thereupon gold. " Ha ! ha ! " said king 
 Lot, "now shall we be discomfited : for yonder I see the most 
 valiant knight of the world, and the man of most renown. For 
 such two brethren as are king Ban and king Bors are not 
 living : wherefore, we must needs void or die ; and but we avoid 
 manly and wisely there is but death." When king Ban came 
 into the battle, he came in so fiercely, that the stroke resounded 
 again from the wood and the water ; wherefore king Lot wept 
 for pity and sorrow, that he saw so many good knights take 
 their end. But, through the great force of king Ban, they made 
 both the northern battles that were parted to hurtle together 
 for great dread ; and the three kings, with their knights, slew 
 down right, that it was a pity to behold ; and a great multitude 
 fled. 
 
 But king Lot, and the king with the hundred knights, and 
 king Morganore, gathered the people together passing knightly, 
 and did great deeds of arms, and held the battle all that day 
 like hard. When the king with the hundred knights beheld the 
 great damage that king Ban did, he thrust unto him with his 
 horse, and smote him a mighty stroke upon the helm, which 
 astonished him sore. Then was king Ban wrath with him, and 
 set upon him fiercely. When that other saw that, he cast up 
 his shield, and spurred his horse forward ; but the stroke of 
 king Ban fell down, and carved a cantel of the shield, and the 
 sword slid down by the hawberk behind his back, and cut in 
 twain the trapping of steel, and the horse also, in two pieces, 
 that the sword fell to the ground. Then the king with the 
 hundred knights avoided the horse lightly, and with his sword 
 he broached the horse of king Ban through and through. With 
 that king Ban with great diligence avoided the dead horse, and 
 came and smote at the other so eagerly upon the helm that he 
 fell to the earth. Also in that ire he felled king Morganore, 
 and there was great slaughter of good knights and much people. 
 By that time came in the press king Arthur, that found king Ban
 
 22 THE BOOK OF MERLIN. 
 
 standing among dead men and dead horses, fighting on foot as 
 a mad lion, that there came none nigh him as far as he might 
 reach with his sword, but that he caught a grievous buffet, 
 whereof king Arthur had great pity. And king Arthur was 
 so bloody, that by his shield no man might know him ; for all 
 was blood and brains on his sword. And, as king Arthur looked 
 by him, he saw a knight that was passing well horsed ; and 
 therewith he ran to him, and smote him on the helm with such 
 force, that his sword cut him in two pieces, and the one half fell 
 on the one side, and the other on the other side : and king 
 Arthur took the horse and led him unto king Ban, and said, 
 " Fair brother, have this horse ; for ye have great need thereof, 
 and me repenteth sore of your great damage." " It shall be 
 soon revenged," said king Ban : " for I trust in God mine hurt 
 is not much : but some of them may sore repent this." " I will 
 well," said king Arthur ; " for I saw your deeds full actual : 
 nevertheless, I might not come at you at that time." But, when 
 king Ban was mounted on horseback, then there began a new 
 battle, which was sore and hard, and passing great slaughter. 
 
 And so, through great force, king Arthur and king Ban and 
 king Bors made their knights a little to withdraw them ; but 
 always the eleven kings with their chivalry never turned back ; 
 and so withdrew them to a little wood, and so over a little river, 
 and they rested them ; for on the night they might have no rest 
 in the field. And then the eleven kings and their knights 
 assembled them all on a heap together, as men adread and all 
 discomfited. But there was no man that might pass them, they 
 held them so hard together, both behind and before, that king 
 Arthur had marvel of their great deeds of arms, and was passing 
 wrath. " Ah ! Sir Arthur," said king Ban and king Bors, 
 " blame them not ; for they do as good men ought to do : for 
 by my faith," said king Ban, "they are the best fighting men, and 
 knights of most prowess, that ever I saw or heard speak of: and 
 those eleven kings are men of great worship ; and, if they were 
 belonging to you, there were no king under heaven had such 
 eleven knights, and of such worship." " I may not love them," 
 said king Arthur ; "they would destroy me." " That know we 
 well," said king Ban and king Bors ; " for they are your mortal 
 enemies, and that hath been proved aforehand ; and this day 
 they have done their part, and that is great pity of their wilful- 
 ness." Then all the eleven kings drew them together; and then 
 said king Lot, " Lords, ye must take other ways than you do, or 
 else the great loss is behind ; ye may see what people we have 
 lost, and what good men we lose, because always we wait upon
 
 THE BOOK OF MERLIN. 23 
 
 those footmen ; and ever, in saving one of the horsemen for him. 
 Therefore, this is mine advice : let us put our footmen from us ; 
 for it is almost night. For king Arthur will not tarry upon the 
 footmen ; therefore, they may save themselves : the wood is 
 near at hand. And, when we horsemen be together, look that 
 every one of you kings make such an ordinance that none 
 break upon pain of death ; and who that seeth any man dress 
 him for to flee, lightly that he be slain ; for it is better that we 
 slay a coward, than through a coward all we be slain. Now say 
 ye," said king Lot ; "answer unto me, all ye kings." "It is well 
 said," quoth king Nentres ; and so said the king with the 
 hundred knights ; and the same said king Carados and king 
 Urience ; so did king Idres and king Brandegoris ; and so did 
 king Cardelmans and the duke of Cambenet ; the same said 
 king Clariaunce and king Agwisance. And they swore that 
 they would never fail the one unto the other, neither for life nor 
 for death ; and who that fled, but did as they did, should be 
 slain. Then anon they amended their harness, and righted 
 their shields, and took new spears, and set them on their thighs, 
 and stood still as it had been a clump of trees. 
 
 XIV. 
 
 WHEN king Arthur, and king Ban, and king Bors beheld 
 them and all their knights, they praised them greatly for their 
 noble cheer of chivalry, for the hardiest fighters that ever they 
 heard or saw. With that there dressed them a forty noble 
 knights, and said unto the three kings that they would break 
 their battle. These were their names : Lionses, Phariaunce, 
 Ulfius, Brastias, Ector, Kaye, Lucas, the butler, Griflet le Fise 
 de Dieu, and Meriet of the rock, Gwinas de Bloy, and Briant 
 de la Forrest Savage ; Ballaus and Morians, of the castle of 
 Maidens ; Flanediius, of the castle of Ladies ; Annecians, 
 which was king Bors' godson, a valiant knight ; Ladinas de la 
 Reuse, Emeraus Caulas, and Gracience le Castlein ; one Bloise 
 de la Case, and Sir Colgrevaunce, of Cozre. All these forty 
 knights rode on afore with great spears on their thighs, and 
 spurred their horses mightily, as fast as their horses might 
 run. And the eleven kings, with part of their good knights, 
 rushed with their horses as fast as they might with their spears; 
 and there they did, on both parties, marvellous deeds of arms. 
 So came into the thickest of the press king Arthur, Ban, and 
 Bors, and slew downright, on both hands, that their horses 
 went in blood up to the fetlocks. But ever the eleven knights
 
 24 THE BOOK OF MERLIN. 
 
 and their host were always in king Arthur's visage ; wherefore 
 king Ban and Bors had great marvel, considering the great 
 slaughter that there was ; but, at the last, they were driven 
 back over a little river. With that came Merlin upon a great 
 black horse, and said to king Arthur, " Ye have never done : 
 have ye not done enough ? Of threescore thousand ye have left 
 on live but fifteen thousand : it is time for to say, Ho ! For 
 God is wrath with you that you will never have done ; for 
 yonder eleven kings, at this time, will not be overthrown ; but, 
 and if ye tarry upon them any longer, all your fortune will turn, 
 and theirs shall increase. And, therefore, withdraw you to 
 your lodging, and there rest you as soon as you may, and 
 reward well your good knights with gold and silver ; for they 
 have right well deserved it. For there may no riches be too 
 dear for them ; for of so few men as ye have, there were never 
 men did more prowess than they have done this day : for ye 
 have this day matched with the best fighters of the world." 
 "That is truth," said king Ban and Bors. "Also," said 
 Merlin, " withdraw you where you list ; for these three years I 
 dare undertake they shall not hurt nor grieve you, and by then 
 ye shall hear new tidings." And then Merlin said to king 
 Arthur, " These eleven kings have more in hand than they are 
 aware of ; for the Saracens are landed in their countries more 
 than forty thousand, that burn and slay, and have laid siege to 
 the castle Vandesborough, and made great destruction : there- 
 fore, dread ye not these three years. Also, sir, all the goods 
 that ye have gotten at this battle, let it be searched ; and, when 
 ye have it in your hands, let it be freely given to these two 
 kings that be here, Ban and Bors, that they may reward their 
 knights with all ; and that shall cause strangers to be of a 
 better will to do you service at a need. Also ye be able enough 
 to reward your own knights of your own goods, whensoever it 
 liketh you." "It is well said," quoth king Arthur; "and as 
 thou hast devised so shall it be done." When it was delivered 
 to king Ban and king Bors, they gave the goods as freely to 
 the knights as it was given them. 
 
 Then Merlin took his leave of king Arthur, and of the two 
 kings, for to go to see his master, Blaise, which dwelt in North- 
 umberland, and so departed and came to his master, which was 
 passing glad of his coming ; and there he told him how king 
 Arthur and the two kings had sped at the great battle, and how 
 it was ended, and told him the names of every king and knight 
 of worship that was there. And so Blaise wrote the battle, 
 word by word, as Merlin told him ; how it began, and by whom ;
 
 THE BOOK OF MERLIN. 25 
 
 and in likewise how it was ended, and who had the worst : all 
 the battles that were done in king Arthur's days, Merlin caused 
 Blaise, his master, to write them ; also he caused him to write 
 all the battles that every worthy knight did of king Arthur's 
 court. After this Merlin departed from his master, and came 
 to king Arthur, that was in the castle of Bedegraine, that was 
 one of the castles that stood in the forest of Sherwood ; and 
 Merlin was so disguised, that king Arthur knew him not ; for 
 he was all furred in black sheep-skins, and a great pair of boots, 
 and a bow and arrows, in a russet gown ; and brought wild 
 geese in his hand, and it was on the morrow after Candlemas- 
 day ; but king Arthur knew him not. " Sir," said Merlin to 
 king Arthur, "will ye give me a gift?" "Wherefore," said the 
 king, "should I give thee a gift, thou churl?" "Sir," said 
 Merlin, " ye were better to give me a gift, the which is not in 
 your hands, than to lose great riches ; for here, in the same 
 place whereas the great battle was, is great treasure hid in the 
 earth." "Who told thee so, churl?" said king Arthur. 
 " Merlin told me so," said he. Then Ulfius and Brastias knew him 
 well enough, and smiled at him. " Sir," said these two knights, 
 " it is Merlin that speaketh so unto you." Then king Arthur 
 was greatly abashed, and had marvel of Merlin, and so had 
 king Ban and king Bors, and so they had great sport at him. 
 So, in the meanwhile, there came a damsel, which was an earl's 
 daughter, and her father's name was Sanam, and her name was 
 Lyonors, a passing fair damsel ; and so she came thither for to 
 pay homage, as other lords did after the great battle. And 
 king Arthur set his love greatly upon her, and so did she upon 
 him ; and in this wise was Borres begotten, that was after a 
 good knight of the Round Table. Then there came word that 
 king Rience, of North Wales, made strong war upon king 
 Leodegraunce of Cameliard ; for the which thing king Arthur 
 was wrath ; for he loved him well, and hated king Rience, 
 because he was always against him. So by the ordinance of the 
 three kings that were sent home to Benwicke, they all would 
 depart for dread of king Claudas, and Phariaunce, and Antemes, 
 and Gracians, and Lyonses Payarne, with the leaders of those 
 that should keep the king's lands. 
 
 XV. 
 
 THEN king Arthur, and king Ban, and king Bors departed 
 with their fellowship, about twenty thousand, and came, within 
 six days, into the country of Cameliard, and there rescued king
 
 26 THE BOOK OF MERLIN. 
 
 Leodegraunce, and slew there much people of king Rience, unto 
 the number of ten thousand of men, and put him to flight. And 
 then had these three kings great cheer of king Leodegraunce, and 
 thanked them of their great goodness that they would revenge 
 him of his enemies. And there had king Arthur the first sight of 
 Guenever, daughter unto king Leodegraunce, and ever after he 
 loved her ; and afterward they were wedded, as it shall be 
 showed hereafter. So bravely to make an end, these two kings 
 took their leave to go into their own country ; for king Claudas 
 did great destruction on both their lands. " Then," said king 
 Arthur, " I will go with you." " Nay," said the two kings, " ye 
 shall not at this time, for ye have yet much to do in these lands, 
 therefore we will depart ; and, with the great goods that we 
 have gotten in these lands, by your gifts, we shall wage many 
 good knights, and withstand the malice of king Claudas : for 
 by the grace of God, if we have need, we will send to- you for suc- 
 cour. And if ye have need, send for us, and we will not tarry, 
 by the faith of our bodies." "It shall not need," said Merlin, 
 " that these two kings come again in the way of war ; but I know 
 well that the noble king Arthur may not be long from you ; for 
 ere twelve months be passed, ye shall have great need of him, 
 and then he shall revenge you on your enemies, as ye have re- 
 venged him on his : for these eleven kings shall die all in one 
 day, by the great might and prowess of arms of two valiant 
 knights, as it shall be showed hereafter, their names Ben Balin 
 le Savage, and Balan, his brother, which be marvellous good 
 knights as any be now living. 
 
 Now turn we unto the eleven kings which returned to the city, 
 that hight Sorhaute, which city was within king Urience's land, 
 and there they refreshed them as well as they might, and made 
 leeches to search their wounds, and sorrowed greatly for the 
 death of their people. With that there came a messenger, and 
 told them " that there was coming into their lands people that 
 were lawless, as well as Saracens, forty thousand, and have burnt 
 and slain all the people that they may come by, without mercy, 
 and have laid siege unto the castle of Vandesborough." 
 "Alas!" said the eleven kings, "here is sorrow upon sorrow ; 
 and if we had not warred against king Arthur, as we have done, 
 he would soon revenge us ; and as for king Leodegraunce, he 
 loveth king Arthur better than us ; and as for king Rience, he 
 has enough to do with king Leodegraunce, for he hath laid siege 
 unto him." So they consented to keep all the marshes of Corn- 
 wall, of Wales, and of the north. So first they put king Idres 
 in the city of Nauntes, in Britain, with four thousand men of
 
 THE BOOK OF MERLIX. 27 
 
 arms, for to watch both the water and the land : also they put 
 in the city of Windesan king Nentres of Garlot, with four 
 thousand knights for to watch both the water and the land. 
 
 Also they had, of other men of war, more than eight thousand 
 for to fortify all the fortresses in the marshes of Cornwall ; also 
 they put more knights in all the marshes of Wales, and of 
 Scotland, with many good men of arms. And so they kept 
 them together for the space of three years, and ever allied them 
 with mighty kings, dukes, lords, and gentlemen; and to. them 
 fell king Rience of North Wales, which was a mighty man of 
 men ; and also Nero, that was a mighty man of good men also. 
 And all thiswhile theyfurnished and garnished them of good men 
 of arms, and victuals, and all manner of ordnance that be- 
 longeth to war for to avenge them of the battle of Bedegraine, 
 as it is rehearsed in the book of adventure following. 
 
 XVI. 
 
 THEN after that king Ban and king Bors were departed, 
 king Arthur rode unto Carlion, and thither came to him 
 Lot's wife, of Orkney, in manner of a messenger ; but she 
 was sent thither to espy the court of king Arthur, and she 
 came richly beseen with her four sons, Gawaine, Gaheris, 
 Agravaine, and Gareth, with many other knights and ladies ; and 
 she was a passing fair lady, wherefore the king cast great love 
 unto her, and in this wise was Mordred begotten. And she 
 was his sister, on the mother's side, Igraine. So there she 
 rested her a month, and, at the last, she departed. Then, on a 
 time, the king dreamed a marvellous dream, whereof he was 
 right sore afraid ; but all this time king Arthur knew not that 
 king Lot's wife was his sister. This was king Arthur's dream. 
 Him thought that there was come into this land many griffins 
 and serpents, and him thought that they burnt and slew all the 
 people in the land, and then him thought that he fought with 
 them, and that they did him passing great damage, and wounded 
 him full sore ; but, at the last, he slew them all. When the king 
 awoke he was passing heavy, and right pensive of his dream ; 
 and so, for to put away all these thoughts, he made him ready, 
 with many knights, to ride on hunting. As soon as he was in 
 the forest the king saw a great hart afore him. "This hart will 
 I chase," said king Arthur. And so he spurred his horse, and 
 rode long after ; and so, by fine force, oft he was like to have 
 smitten the hart : whereas the king had chased the hart so 
 long, that his horse had lost his breath, and fell down dead.
 
 28 THE BOOK OF MERLIN. 
 
 Then a yeoman set the king another horse : the king saw the 
 hart in ambush, and his horse dead, he sat him down by a 
 fountain, and there he fell in great thoughts. And as he sat 
 there alone, him thought he heard a noise of hounds to the 
 number of thirty ; and with that the king saw coming toward 
 him the strangest beast that ever he saw or heard tell of. So 
 the beast went to the fountain, and drank, and the noise was in 
 the beast's belly, like unto the questing of thirty couple of 
 hounds ; but all the while that the beast drank there was no 
 noise in the beast's belly. And therewith the beast departed, 
 with a great noise, whereof the king had great marvel : and so 
 he was in great thought, and therewith he fell on sleep. Right so 
 there came a knight on foot to king Arthur, and said, " Knight, 
 full of thought, and sleepy, tell me if thou sawest a strange beast 
 pass this way ?" " Such a one saw I," said king Arthur unto the 
 knight, " that is past two miles. What would you with that 
 beast?" said king Arthur. "Sir, I have followed that beast a 
 long time, and have killed my horse, so would God I had 
 another to follow my quest." Right so came one with the 
 king's horse ; and when the knight saw the horse, he prayed 
 the king to give him that horse ; for I have followed the quest 
 these twelve months, and either I shall achieve him, or bleed of 
 the best blood of my body. King Pellinore that time followed 
 the questing beast, and after his death Sir Palomides followed 
 it. 
 
 XVII. 
 
 " SIR KNIGHT," said king Arthur, "leave that quest, and suffer 
 me to have it, and I will follow it another twelve months." "Ah ! 
 fool," said the knight to king Arthur, "thy desire is vain ; for it 
 shall never be achieved but by me, or by my next kin." There- 
 with he start to the king's horse, and mounted into the saddle, 
 and said, "Gramercy, this horse is mine." "Well," said king 
 Arthur, " thou mayest take my horse by force ; but, and I 
 might prove thee whether thou wert better on horseback or I, I 
 would be content." "Well," said the knight, "seek me here 
 when thou wilt, and here nigh this well thou shalt find me." 
 And so passed forth on his way. Then sat king Arthur in a 
 great study, and bade his men fetch his horse as fast as ever 
 they might. Right so came Merlin, like a child of fourteen 
 years of age, and saluted the king, and asked him " Why he 
 was so pensive and heavy?" "I may well be pensive and 
 heavy," said the king, "for here even now I have seen the 
 most marvellous sight that ever I saw." " That know I well,"
 
 THE BOOK OF MERLIN. 29 
 
 said Merlin, "as well as thyself, and of -all thy thoughts; but 
 thou art but a fool to take thought, for it will not amend thee ; 
 also I know what thou art, and also who was thy father, 
 and also on whom thou wert begotten ; king Utherpendragon 
 was thy father, and begat thee on Igraine." " That is false," 
 said king Arthur, " how shouldest thou know it ? for thou art not 
 so old of years for to know my father." " Yes," said Merlin, 
 " I know it better than you, or any man living." " I will not 
 believe thee," said king Arthur, and was wrath with the child. 
 So Merlin departed, and came again in the likeness of an old 
 man of fourscore years of age, whereof the king was glad, for he 
 seemed to be a right wise man. " Then," said the old man, 
 "why are you so sad?" "I may well be heavy," said king 
 Arthur, " for divers things ; also here was a child, and told me 
 many things that me seemeth he should not know ; for he was 
 not of age for to know my father." " Yes," said that old man, 
 " the child told you the truth, and more would he have told you, 
 and you would have suffered him ; but you have done a thing 
 late wherefore God is displeased with you ; for you have gotten 
 a child by your sister, that shall destroy you and all the knights 
 of your realm." "What are you," said king Arthur, "that tell 
 me these tidings?" " I am Merlin, and I was he in the child's 
 likeness." " Ah ! " said king Arthur, " ye are a marvellous 
 man ; but I marvel much at thy words, that I must die in 
 battle.'' " Marvel not," said Merlin, " for it is God's will that 
 your body be punished for your foul deeds ; but I may well be 
 sorry," said Merlin, " for I shall die a shameful death and be 
 put into the earth all quick ; and ye shall die a worshipful 
 death." As they thus talked came one with the king's horses ; 
 and so the king mounted on his horse, and Merlin on another, 
 and so rode to Carlion. And anon the king asked Ector and 
 Ulfius how he was begotten ? and they told him that Utherpen- 
 dragon was his father, and queen Igraine his mother. Then 
 king Arthur said unto Merlin, " I will that my mother be sent 
 for, that I may speak with her ; and if she say so herself, then 
 will I believe it." In all haste the queen was sent for ; and she 
 came anon, and brought with her Morgan le Fay, her daughter, 
 that was as fair a lady as any might be : and the king welcomed 
 Igraine in the best manner. 
 
 XVIII. 
 
 RIGHT so came Ulfius, and said openly, that the king and all 
 that were there might hear, " Ye are the falsest lady of the
 
 30 THE BOOK OF MERLIN. 
 
 world, and most traitress unto the king's person." "Beware, 
 Ulfius," said King Arthur, " what thou sayest ; for thou 
 speakest a great word." " I am well aware," said Sir Ulfius, 
 " what I speak ; and here is my glove for to prove it upon any 
 man that saith the contrary, that this Queen Igraine is the cause 
 of all your damage, and of your great war that ye have had ; 
 for, and she would have uttered in the life of King Utherpen- 
 dragon of the birth of you, and how you were begotten, we should 
 never have had half the mortal wars which ye have had. For 
 the most part of your great lords, barons, and gentlemen of 
 your realm knew never whose son ye were, nor of whom you 
 were begotten : and she that bare you of her body should have 
 made it known openly, in excusing of her worship and yours, 
 and in likewise to all the realm. Wherefore, I prove her false to 
 God and you, and to all your realm ; and who will say the 
 contrary, I will prove it upon his body." Then spake Igraine, 
 and said, " I am a woman, and may not fight ; but rather than 
 I should be dishonoured, there would some good man take 
 my quarrel. More," she said, " Merlin knovveth well, and you, 
 Sir Ulfius, how King Uther came to me, in the castle of 
 Tintagil, in the likeness of my lord that was dead three 
 hours before, and thereby was the child Arthur begotten. And, 
 after the thirteenth day, King Uther wedded me, and, by his 
 commandment, when the child was born, it was delivered to 
 Merlin, and nourished by him : and so I saw the child never 
 after, nor wot not what is his name ; for I never knew him yet." 
 And then Sir Ulfius said unto the queen, "Merlin is more to 
 blame than ye." " I wot well," said the queen, " that I bare a 
 child by my lord. King Uther,but I wot not where he is become." 
 Then Merlin took the king by the hand saying, " This is your 
 mother." And therewith Sir Ector bear witness how he 
 nourished him by King Uther's commandment. And there- 
 with King Arthur took his mother, Queen Igraine, in both his 
 arms, and kissed her, and either wept upon other. And then 
 the king let make a feast, which lasted eight days. Then on a 
 day there came into the court a squire on horseback, leading 
 a knight before him, wounded to the death, and told him 
 "There is a knight in the forest that hath reared up a pavilion 
 by the well side, and hath slain my master, a good knight, and 
 his name was Miles : wherefore, I beseech you, that my master 
 may be buried, and that some good knight may revenge my 
 master's death." Then was in the court great noise of the 
 knight's death, and every man said his advice. Then came 
 Griflet, that was but a squire, and he was but young, of the age
 
 THE BOOK OF MERLIN. 31 
 
 of King Arthur ; so he besought the king, for all the service he 
 had done, to give him the order of knighthood. 
 
 XIX. 
 
 " THOU art full young and tender of age," said King Arthur, 
 "for to take so high an order upon thee." "Sir," said Griflet, 
 " I beseech you make me a knight." " Sir," said Merlin, " it 
 were pity to lose Griflet, for he will be a passing good man 
 when he cometh to age, abiding with you the term of his life ; 
 and if he adventure his body with yonder knight at the fountain, 
 he shall be in great peril, if ever he come again, for he is one of 
 the best knights of the world, and the strongest man of arms." 
 "Well," said King Arthur. So at the desire of Griflet, the king 
 made him knight. 
 
 "Now," said King Arthur to Griflet, "since that I have 
 made thee knight, thou must grant me a gift." " What ye will, 
 my lord," said Sir Griflet. " Thou shalt promise me, by the 
 faith of thy body, that when thou hast jousted with the knight 
 at the fountain, whether it fall that ye be on foot or on horse- 
 back, that in the same manner ye shall come again unto me 
 without any question, or making any more debate." " I will 
 promise you," said Griflet, "as ye desire." Then Sir Griflet took 
 his horse in great haste, and dressed his shield, and took a great 
 spear in his hand ; and so he rode a great gallop till he came to 
 the fountain, and there he saw a rich pavilion, and thereby, 
 under a cloth, stood a fair horse, well saddled and bridled ; and, 
 on a tree, a shield of divers colours, and a great spear. Then 
 Sir Griflet smote upon the shield with the end of his spear, that 
 the shield fell down to the ground. With that came the knight 
 out of the pavilion, and said, " Fair knight, why smote ye down 
 my shield?" "For I will joust with you," said Sir Griflet. 
 "It were better ye did not," said the knight, "for ye are but 
 young, and late made knight, and your might is nothing to 
 mine^" "As for that," said Sir Griflet, " I will joust with you." 
 "That is me loth," said the knight, "but sith I must needs, I 
 will dress me thereto ; but of whence be ye?" said the knight. 
 " Sir, I am of King Arthur's court." So they ran together, that 
 Sir Griflet's spear all shivered, and therewithal he smote Sir 
 Griflet through the shield and the left side, and brake his spear, 
 that the truncheon stuck in his body, that the horse and knight 
 fell down.
 
 32 THE BOOK OF MERLIN. 
 
 XX. 
 
 WHE>T the knight saw him lay so on the ground, he alighted, 
 and was passing heavy, for he weened he had slain him ; and 
 then he unlaced his helm and gave him wind : and so, with the 
 truncheon, he set him upon his horse, and betook him to God, 
 and said, he had a mighty heart, and if he might live, he 
 would prove a passing good knight. And so Sir Griflet rode 
 to the court, whereas a great moan was made for him ; but 
 through good leeches he was healed, and his life saved. Right 
 so came in the court twelve knights, and were aged men, and 
 they came from the Emperor of Rome, and asked of King Arthur 
 truage for this realm, or else the emperor would destroy him 
 and his land. " Well," said King Arthur, " ye are messengers, 
 therefore may ye say what ye will, or else ye would die there- 
 fore ; but this is mine answer : I owe the emperor no truage, 
 nor none will I send him ; but upon a fair field I shall give him 
 my truage, that shall be with a sharp spear, or else with a sharp 
 sword, and that shall be within these few days, by my father's 
 soul." And therewith the messengers departed passingly wrath, 
 and King Arthur was as wrath as they, for in an evil time came 
 they then, for the king was passing wrath for the hurt of Sir 
 Griflet. And by and by he commanded a privy man of his 
 chamber, that, or it be day, his best horse and armour, with all 
 that belonged to his person, that it be without the city or 
 to-morrow day. Right so on the morning, afore day, he met 
 with his man and his horse, and so mounted up and dressed his 
 shield, and took his spear, and bid his chamberlain tarry there 
 till he came again. And so King Arthur rode but a soft pace 
 till it was day, and then was he aware of three churls which 
 chased Merlin, and would have slam him. Then King Arthur 
 rode unto them a good pace, and cried to them, " Flee, churls!" 
 Then were they afraid when they saw a knight, and fled away. 
 " O, Merlin!" said King Arthur, "here hadst thou been slain 
 for all thy craft had I not been." " Nay," said Merlin, " not so, 
 for I could save myself if I would, and thou art more near thy 
 death than I am, for thou goest toward thy death, and God be 
 not thy friend." So as they went thus talking, they came to the 
 fountain, and the rich pavilion by it. Then King Arthur was 
 aware where a knight sat, all armed, in a chair. " Sir knight," 
 said King Arthur, "for what cause abideth thou here, that there 
 may no knight ride this way but if he do joust with thee ? I 
 rede thee leave that custom," said King Arthur. "This custom," 
 said the knight, "have I used, and will use, maugre who saith
 
 THE BOOK OF MERLIN. 33 
 
 nay ; and who is grieved with my custom let him amend it that 
 will." "I will amend it," said King Arthur. "And I shall 
 defend it," said the knight. Anon he took his horse, and 
 dressed his shield, and took his spear ; and they met so hard, 
 either on other's shield, that they all to-shivered their spears. 
 Therewith King Arthur drew his sword. " Nay, not so," said 
 the knight ; " it is fairer that we twain run more together with 
 sharp spears." " I will well," said King Arthur, " and I had any 
 more spears." " I have spears enough," said the knight. So 
 there came a squire and brought two good spears, and King 
 Arthur took one, and he another ; so they spurred their horses, 
 and came together with all their might, that either break their 
 spears in their hands. Then King Arthur set hand to his sword. 
 "Nay," said the knight, "ye shall do better, ye are a passing 
 good jouster as ever I met withal ; for the love of the high order 
 of knighthood let us joust it once again." " I assent me," said 
 King Arthur. Anon there were brought two good spears, and 
 each got a spear, and therewith they ran together, that King 
 Arthur's spear all to-shivered. But the knight hit him so hard 
 in the midst of the shield, that horse and man fell to the earth, 
 wherewith King Arthur was sore angered, and drew out his 
 sword, and said, " I will assay thee, sir knight, on foot, for I 
 have lost the honour on horseback." " I will be on horseback," 
 said the knight. Then was King Arthur wrath, and dressed his 
 shield toward him with his sword drawn. When the knight saw 
 that, he alighted for him. He thought it was no worship to have 
 a knight at such a vantage, he to be on horseback, and that 
 other on foot, and so alighted and dressed him to King Arthur, 
 and there began a strong battle, with many great strokes, and so 
 hewed with their swords, that the cantels flew in the fields, and 
 much blood they bled both, so that all the place where they 
 fought was all bloody, and thus they fought long, and rested 
 them ; and then they went to battle again, and so hurtled 
 together like two wild boars, that either of them fell to the earth. 
 So at the last they smote together, that both their swords met 
 even together. But the sword of the knight smote King Arthur's 
 sword in two pieces, wherefore he was heavy. Then said the 
 knight to the king, " Thou art in my power, whether me list to 
 save thee or slay thee, and but thou yield thee as overcome and 
 recreant, thou shalt die." "As for death," said King Arthur, 
 " welcome be it when it cometh, but as to yield me to thee as 
 recreant, I had rather die than to be so shamed." And there- 
 withal the king leapt unto the knight, and took him by the middle, 
 and threw him down, and rased off his helm. When the knight 
 
 3
 
 34 THE BOOK OF MERLIN. 
 
 felt that, he was a dread, for he was a passing big man of might ; 
 and anon he brought King Arthur under him and rased off his 
 helm, and would have smitten off his head. 
 
 XXI. 
 
 THEREWITHAL came Merlin and said, "Knight, hold thy 
 hand, for and thou slay that knight thou puttest this realm in 
 the greatest damage that ever realm was in, for this knight is a 
 man of more worship than thou wottest of." "Why, who is 
 he?" said the knight. " It is King Arthur." Then would he 
 have slain him for dread of his wrath, and heaved up his sword, 
 and therewith Merlin cast an enchantment on the knight, that 
 he fell to the earth in a great sleep. Then Merlin took up King 
 Arthur, and rode forth with him upon the knight's horse. "Alas! ;) 
 said King Arthur, "what hast thou done, Merlin? Hast thou 
 slain this good knight by thy crafts? There lived not so worship- 
 ful a knight as he was. I had rather than the loss of my land a 
 year that he were alive." " Care ye not," said Merlin, " for he 
 is wholer than ye, for he is but asleep, and will awake within 
 three hours. I told you," said Merlin, " what a knight he was : 
 here had ye been slain had I not been. Also, there liveth not a 
 better knight than he is one, and he shall do you hereafter right 
 good service, and his name is Pellinore ; and he shall have two 
 sons that shall be passing good men, and, save one, they shall 
 have no fellow of prowess and of good living ; the one shall be 
 named Percivale of Wales, and the other Lamoracke of Wales ; 
 and they shall tell you the name of your own begotten son that 
 shall be the destruction of all this realm." Right so the king 
 and he departed, and went unto a hermitage, whereas was a 
 good man and a great leech. So the hermit searched all his 
 wounds and gave good salves ; and the king was there three 
 days, and then were his wounds well amended that he might 
 ride and go. ^And so Merlin and he departed, and as they 
 rode King Arthur said, "I have no sword." "No matter," said 
 Merlin, " hereby is a sword that shall be yours and I may." 
 So they rode till they came to a lake, which was a fair 
 water and a broad ; and in the midst of the lake King Arthur 
 was aware of an arm clothed in white samite, that held a fair 
 sword in the hand. " Lo," said Merlin unto the king, " yonder 
 is the sword that I spake of." With that they saw a damsel 
 going upon the lake. " What damsel is that ? " said the king. 
 " That is the Lady of the Lake," said Merlin, "and within that 
 lake is a reach, and therein is as fair a place as any is on earth,
 
 THE BOOK OF MERLIN. 35 
 
 and richly beseen ; and this damsel will come to you anon, and 
 then speak fair to her that she will give you that sword." There- 
 with came the damsel to King Arthur and saluted him, and he 
 her again. " Damsel," said the king, " what sword is that which 
 the arm holdeth yonder above the water? I would it were mine, 
 for I have no sword." "Sir king," said the damsel of the lake, 
 "that sword is mine, and if ye will give me a gift when I ask it 
 you, ye shall have it." "By my faith," said King Arthur, "I will 
 give you any gift that you will ask or desire." " Well," said the 
 damsel, "go ye into yonder barge, and row yourself unto the 
 sword, and take it and the scabbard with you ; and I will ask 
 my gift when I see my time." So King Arthur and Merlin 
 alighted, tied their horses to two trees, and so they went into 
 the barge. And when they came to the sword that the hand 
 held, King Arthur took it up by the handles, and took it with 
 him : and the arm and the hand went under the water, and so 
 came to the land, and rode forth. Then King Arthur saw a rich 
 pavilion. "What signifieth yonder pavilion?" "That is the 
 knight's pavilion, that ye fought with last, Sir Pellinore ; but he is 
 out ; for he is not there ; he hath had to do with a knight of yours, 
 that hight Eglame, and theyhave foughten together a great while, 
 but at the last Eglame fled, and else he had been dead and Sir 
 Pellinore hath chased him to Carlion, and we shall anon meet 
 with him in the highway." "It is well said," quoth King Arthur, 
 "now have I a sword, and now will I wage battle with him, and 
 be avenged on him." " Sir, ye shall not do so," said Merlin, 
 " for the knight is weary of righting and chasing ; so that ye 
 shall have no worship to have a do with him. Also he will not 
 lightly be matched of one knight living, and therefore my 
 counsel is, that ye let him pass ; for he shall do you good 
 service in short time, and his sons after his days. Also ye shall 
 see that day in short space, that ye shall be right glad to give 
 him your sister to wife." " When I see him," said King Arthur, 
 "I will do as ye advise me." Then King Arthur looked upon the 
 sword, and liked it passing well. '' Whether liketh you better," 
 said Merlin, "the sword or the scabbard?" "Me liketh better 
 the sword," said King Arthur. " Ye are more unwise," said 
 Merlin : " for the scabbard is worth ten of the sword : for while 
 ye have the scabbard upon you, ye shall lose no blood, be ye 
 never so sore wounded, therefore keep well the scabbard alway 
 with you." So they rode on to Carlion, and by the way they 
 met with Sir Pellinore. But Merlin had done such a craft, that 
 Pellinore saw not Arthur, and so he passed by without any 
 words. " I marvel," said the king, " that the knight would not
 
 36 THE BOOK OF MERLIN. 
 
 speak." " Sir," said Merlin, " he saw you not ; for and he had 
 seen you, he had not lightly departed." So they came unto 
 Carlion, whereof the knights were passing glad ; and when they 
 heard of his adventures, they marvelled that he would jeopard 
 his person so alone. But all men of worship said it was merry 
 to be under such a chieftain, that would put his person in 
 adventure as other poor knights did. 
 
 XXII. 
 
 THE meanwhile came a messenger hastily from King Rience, 
 of North Wales, and he was king of all Ireland, and of many 
 isles, and this was his message, greeting well King Arthur in 
 this manner wise, saying, that King Rience had discomfited and 
 overcome eleven kings, and every each of them did him 
 homage ; and that was this : they gave him their beards clean 
 cut off as much as there was, wherefore the messenger came for 
 King Arthur's beard. For King Rience had hemmed a mantle 
 with kings' beards, and there lacked for one place of the 
 mantle, wherefore he sent for his beard, " Or else," said the 
 messenger, " he will enter into thy lands, and burn and slay, and 
 never leave till he have thy head and beard." " Well," said King 
 Arthur, " thou hast said thy message, which is the most villainous 
 and lewdast message that ever man heard sent to a king. Also 
 thou mayest see my beard full young yet for to make a hem of, but 
 tell thou the king this : I owe him no homage, nor none of mine 
 elders, but or it be long, he shall do to me homage on both his 
 knees, or else he shall lose his head, by the faith of my body ; 
 for this is the most shamefullest message that ever I heard speak 
 of. I see well the king met never yet with a worshipful man : 
 but tell him I will have his head without he do homage unto 
 me." Then the messenger departed. " Now is there any 
 here," said King Arthur, "that knoweth King Rience ?" Then 
 answered a knight, that hight Naram, " Sir, I know him well ; 
 he is a passing good man of his body, as few be living, and a 
 passing proud man ; and, sir, doubt ye not, he will make war 
 on you with a mighty puissance." " Well," said King Arthur to 
 the knight, " I shall ordain for him, and that shall he find." 
 
 XXIII. 
 
 THEN King Arthur let send for all the children that were born 
 on May-day, begotten of lords, and born of ladies. For Merlin 
 told King Arthur that he that should destroy him should be born
 
 THE BOOK OF SIR BALIN LE SAVAGE. 37 
 
 on May-day ; wherefore he sent for them all, upon pain of 
 death. And so there were found many lords' sons, and all were 
 sent unto the king ; and so was Mordred sent by King Lot's 
 wife, and all were put in a ship to the sea, and some were four 
 weeks old, and some more. And so, by fortune, the ship drove 
 unto a castle, and was all to riven and destroyed, the most part, 
 save that Mordred was cast up, and a good man found him, 
 and nourished him till he was fourteen years old, and then 
 brought him to the court ; as it is rehearsed afterward, toward 
 the end, of the death of King Arthur. So many lords and barons 
 of this realm were sore displeased, because that their children 
 were lost ; and many put the blame on Merlin, more than on 
 King Arthur. So, what for dread, and what for love, they held 
 their peace. But when the messenger came to King Rience, 
 ihen was he moved out of measure for anger, and purveyed him 
 for a great host, as it is rehearsed afterward, in the Book of 
 Balin le Savage, that followeth next after ; and how by adven- 
 ture Balin got the sword. 
 
 THE BOOK OF SIR BALIN LE SAVAGE. 
 I. 
 
 |FTER the death of King Utherpendragon reigneth 
 King Arthur his son, which had great wars in his 
 days, for to get all England into his hands; for there 
 were many kings at that time within the realm 
 of England, in Wales, in Scotland, and in Cornwall. 
 So it befel upon a time, when King Arthur was at London, there 
 came a knight that brought the king tidings how that Rience, 
 of North Wales, had reared a great number of people, and were 
 entered into the land, and burnt and slew the king's true liege 
 people. "If that be true," said King Arthur, "it were great 
 shame unto mine estate, but that he were mightily withstanden." 
 "It is truth," said the knight, "for I saw the host myself." 
 Then King Arthur let make a cry, that all the lords, knights, 
 and gentlemen of arms, should draw unto a castle, that was called 
 in those days Camelot, and the king would let make a council 
 general, and a great joust. So when the king was come thither, 
 with all his baronage, and lodged as them seemed best, there 
 came a damsel, which was sent on message from the great Lady 
 Lily, of Avelion ; and, when she came before King Arthur, she 
 told him from whom she came, and how she was sent on
 
 38 THE BOOK OF SIR DALIN LE SAVAGE. 
 
 message unto him for these causes. And she let her mantle 
 fall, that was richly furred, and then she was girded with a 
 noble sword, whereof the king had great marvel, and said, 
 "Damsel, for what cause are ye gird with that sword, it be- 
 seemeth you not ?" "Now shall I tell you," said the damsel, 
 " This sword, that I am gird withal, doth me great sorrow and 
 remembrance ; for I may not be delivered of this sword but by 
 a good knight ; and he must be a passing good man of his 
 hands, and of his deeds, and without villainy or treachery. If I 
 may find such a knight that hath all these virtues, he may draw 
 out this sword of the scabbard. For I have been at King Rience ; 
 for it was told that there was passing good knights, and he and 
 all his knights have assayed it, and none can speed." 
 
 " This is a great marvel," said King Arthur, " and if be sooth, 
 I will myself assay to draw out the swofd ; not presuming upon 
 myself that I am the best knight, but that I will begin to draw at 
 your sword, in giving example to all the barons, that they shall 
 assay every one after other, when I have assayed." Then King 
 Arthur took the sword by the scabbard and the girdle, and 
 pulled at it eagerly, but the sword would not out. " Sir," said 
 the damsel, " ye need not pull half so hard ; for he that 
 shall pull it out shall do it with little might." " Ye say well," 
 said King Arthur: "now assay ye, all my barons ; but beware 
 ye be not defiled with shame, treachery, nor guile." " Then it 
 will not avail," said the damsel ; " for he must be a clean 
 knight, without villainy, and of gentle stream of father's side 
 and mother's side." Most of all the barons of the Round Table, 
 that were there at that time, assayed all in turn, but none 
 might speed. Wherefore the damsel made great sorrow out of 
 measure, and said, " Alas ! I weened in this court had been the 
 best knights, without treachery or treason." " By my faith," 
 said King Arthur, "here are as good knights as I deem any be 
 in the world ; but their grace is not to help you, wherefore I 
 am greatly displeased." 
 
 II. 
 
 IT happened so, at that time, that there was a poor knight 
 with King Arthur, that had been prisoner with him half 
 a year and more, for slaying of a knight, which was cousin 
 to King Arthur. The knight was named Balin le Savage, 
 and by good means of the barons, he was delivered out 
 of prison ; for he was a good man named of his body, and 
 he was born in Northumberland. And so he went privily 
 into the court and saw this adventure, whereof his heart
 
 THE BOOK OF SIR DALIN LE SA VAGE. 39 
 
 rose, and would assay it as other knights did ; but for 
 because he was poor, and poorly arrayed, he put him not far in 
 press. But in his heart he was fully assured (if his grace 
 happened him) as any knight that was there. And, as that 
 damsel took her leave of King Arthur and the barons, this 
 knight, Balin, called unto her, and said, " Damsel, I pray you 
 of your courtesy, to suffer me as well to assay as these lords ; 
 though I be poorly clothed, in mine heart me seemeth I am 
 fully assured as some of these other lords, and me seemeth in 
 my heart to speed right well." The damsel beheld the poor 
 knight, and saw he was a likely man ; but, because of his poor 
 array, she thought he should be of no worship without villainy 
 or treachery. And then she said to the knight Balin, " Sir, it 
 is no need to put me to any more pain or labour, for it beseem- 
 eth not you to speed there, as others have failed." "Ah ! fair 
 damsel " said Balin, " worthiness and good graces, and good 
 deeds, are not all only in raiment, but manhood and worship is 
 hid within man's person ; and many a worshipful knight is not 
 known unto all people ; and therefore worship and hardiness is 
 not in raiment and clothing." " By God ! " said the damsel, 
 "ye say truth ; therefore ye shall assay to do what ye may." 
 Then Balin took the sword by the girdle and scabbard, and drew 
 it out easily ; and when he looked upon the sword, it pleased him 
 well. Then had the king and all the barons great marvel, that 
 Balin had done that adventure ; and many knights had great 
 spite at Balin. " Truly," said the damsel, " that is a passing 
 good knight, and the best man that ever I found, and most of 
 worship, without treason, treachery, or villainy, and many 
 marvels shall he achieve. Now gentle and courteous knight," 
 said the damsel, " give me the sword again." " Nay," said 
 Balin, " for this sword will I keep, but it be taken from me 
 by force." " Well," said the damsel, " ye are not wise to keep 
 the sword from me ; for ye shall slay with the sword the best 
 friend that ye have, and the man that ye most love in this 
 world ; and the sword shall be your destruction." " I shall 
 take the adventure," said Balin, " that God will ordain to me : 
 but the sword ye shall not have at this time, by the faith of my 
 body." " Ye shall repent it within a short time," said the damsel, 
 " for I would have the sword more for your avail than for mine, 
 for I am passing heavy for your sake ; for ye will not believe 
 that the sword shall be your destruction, and that is as great 
 pity as ever I knew." With that the damsel departed, making 
 the greatest sorrow that might be. Anon after Balin sent 
 for his horse and his armour, and so would depart from the
 
 40 THE BOOK OF SIR BALIN LE SAVAGE. 
 
 court, and took his leave of King Arthur. " Nay," said the 
 king, " I suppose ye will not depart so lightly from this fellow- 
 ship. I believe ye are displeased, that I have showed you 
 unkindness ; blame me the less, for I was misinformed against 
 you. But I weened you had not been such a knight as ye 
 are of worship and prowess ; and if ye will abide in this court 
 with my good knights, I shall so advance you, that ye shall be 
 well pleased." " God thank your highness," said Balin, " for 
 your bounty and highness may no man praise half to the 
 value ; but now at this time I must needs depart, beseeching 
 you alway of your good grace." " Truly," said King Arthur, " I 
 am right wrath for your departing ; I beseech you, fair knight, 
 that ye will not tarry long, and ye shall be right welcome to me 
 and all my barons, and I shall amend all that is amiss, and 
 that I have done against you." " God thank your lordship," 
 said Balin, and therewith made him ready to depart. Then the 
 most part of the knights of the Round Table said, that Balin did 
 not this adventure all only by might, but by witchcraft. 
 
 III. 
 
 THE meanwhile that this knight was making him ready to 
 depart, there came into the court a lady, which hight the Lady 
 of the Lake, and she came on horseback richly beseen, and 
 saluted King Arthur, and there she asked him a gift that he 
 had promised her when she gave him the sword. 
 
 " That is sooth," said King Arthur, " a gift I promised you ; 
 but I have forgotten the name of the sword which ye gave me." 
 "The name of it," said the lady, "is Excalibur, that is as much 
 to say as cut-steel." " Ye say well," said King Arthur ; " ask 
 what ye will, and ye shall have it, if it lie in my power to give 
 it." " Well," said the Lady of the Lake, " I ask the head of the 
 knight that hath won the sword, or else the damsel's head that 
 brought it ; and though I have both their heads I care not, for 
 he slew my brother, a full good knight and a true, and the 
 gentlewoman was causer of my father's death." " Truly," said 
 King Arthur, " I may not grant you neither of their heads with 
 my worship ; therefore ask what ye will else, and I shall fulfil 
 your desire." " I will ask none other thing of you," said the 
 lady. When Balin was ready to depart, he saw the Lady of the 
 Lake there, by whose means was slain his own mother, and he 
 had sought her three years. And when it was told him that she 
 demanded his head of King Arthur, he went straight to her and 
 said, " Evil be ye found, ye would have my head, and therefore
 
 THE BOOK OF SIR BALTN LE SAVAGE. 41 
 
 ye shall lose yours : " and with his sword lightly he smote off 
 her head in the presence of King Arthur. " Alas 1 for shame," 
 said the king ; " why have you done so ? you have shamed me 
 and all my court, for this was a lady that I was much beholden 
 unto, and hither she came under my safe conduct, I shall never 
 forgive you that trespass." " My lord," said Balin, " me fore- 
 thinketh much of your displeasure, for this lady was the untruest 
 lady living ; and by her enchantment and witchcraft she -hath 
 been the destroyer of many good knights, and she was the 
 causer that my mother was burnt through her falsehood and 
 treachery." " What cause soever ye had," said King Arthur, 
 " ye should have forborne her in my presence ; therefore think 
 not the contrary, ye shall repent it, for such another despite had 
 I never in my court afore ; therefore withdraw you out of my 
 court in all the haste ye may." Then Balin took up the head of 
 the lady, and bear it with him to his hostel, and there he met 
 with his squire, that was sorry he ha4 displeased King Arthur ; 
 and so they rode forth out of the town. " Now," said Balin, 
 " we must here depart ; take you this head and bear it to my 
 friends, and tell them how I have sped, and tell my friends in 
 Northumberland that my most foe is dead ; also tell them now 
 I am out of prison, and also what adventure did befall me at the 
 getting of this sword." "Alas," said the squire, "ye are greatly 
 to blame for to displease King Arthur." "As for that," said 
 Balin, " I will hie me with all the haste I may to meet with 
 Rience, and destroy him, or else to die therefore ; and if it may 
 happen me to win him, then will King Arthur be my good and 
 gracious lord." " Where shall I meet with you ? " said the 
 squire. " In King Arthur's court," said Balin. So his squire 
 and he departed at that time. Then King Arthur and all the 
 court made great dole, and had great shame of the death of the 
 Lady of the Lake. Then the king full richly buried her. 
 
 IV. 
 
 AT that time there was in King Arthur's court a knight that 
 was the king's son of Ireland, and his name was Lanceor ; and 
 he was a proud knight, and he counted himself one of the best 
 knights of the court, and he had great spite at Balin for the 
 achieving of the sword, than any should be accounted of more 
 prowess then he was, and he asked King Arthur, " If he would 
 give him leave to ride after Balin, and to revenge the despite 
 that he hath done." " Do your best," said King Arthur, " for I 
 am right wrath with Balin ; I would he were quit of the despite
 
 42 THE BOOK OF SIR BALIN LE SAVAGE. 
 
 that he hath done to me and to my court." Then this Lanceor 
 went to his hostel to make him ready : in the meanwhile came 
 Merlin to King Arthur's court, and there it was told him of the 
 adventure of the sword, and of the Lady of the Lake. " Now 
 shall I say to you," said Merlin, "this damsel that here standeth, 
 that brought the sword unto your court, I shall tell you the 
 cause of her coming, she is the falsest damsel that liveth." 
 " Say not so," said they ; " she hath a brother, a passing good 
 knight of prowess, and a full true man ; and this damsel loved 
 another that held her to paramour, and this good knight, 
 her brother, met with the knight that held her to paramour, 
 and slew him by force of his hands. When this false damsel 
 understood this, she went to the lady Lily, of Avelion, and 
 besought her of help to be avenged on her brother. And 
 so this lady Lily, of Avelion, took her this sword, which 
 she brought with her, and told that there should no man 
 draw it out of the scabbard, but if he were one of the best 
 knights of this realm, and he should be hardy and full of 
 prowess, and with that sword he should slay her brother. This 
 was the cause that the damsel came into this court." " I know 
 it as well as ye do," said Merlin ; " would to God she had 
 never come into this court, for she came never in fellowship of 
 worship to do good, but alway great harm, and that knight 
 which hath achieved the sword shall be destroyed by that 
 sword ; wherefore it shall be great damage, for there is not 
 living a knight of more prowess than he is, and he shall do unto 
 you my lord, King Arthur, great honour and kindness ; and 
 great pity it is for he shall not endure but a while, and as for 
 his strength and hardiness, I know not his match living." But 
 the knight of Ireland armed him in all points, and dressed him 
 his shield on his shoulder, and mounted upon horseback, and 
 took his spear in his hand, and rode after as fast as his horse 
 could run : and within a little on a mountain he had a sight of 
 Balin, and with a loud voice he cried to him, and said, "Abide, 
 knight, for ye shall abide, whether ye will or will not : and the 
 shield that is before you, shall not help you." When Balir. 
 heard that noise, he turned his horse fiercely, and said, " P^air 
 knight, what will you with me ; will ye joust with me?" "Yes," 
 said the Irish knight, "therefore am I come after you." "Perad- 
 venture," said Balin, "it had been better to have holden you at 
 home ; for many a man weeneth to put his enemy to rebuke, 
 and often it falleth to himself. Of what court be ye sent 
 from?" "I am come from the court of King Arthur," said the 
 knight of Ireland, " that am come hither for to revenge the
 
 THE BOOK OF SIR BALIN LE SAVAGE. 43 
 
 despite that ye have done this day to King Arthur and to his 
 court." 
 
 " Well," said Balin, " I see well I must have ado with you, 
 which me forethinketh for to grieve King Arthur or any of his 
 knights, and your quarrel is full simple to me," said Balin ; "for 
 the lady that is dead did great damage, and else I would have 
 been as loth as any knight that liveth for to slay a lady." 
 " Make you ready," said the knight Lanceor, "and dress you to 
 me ; for one of us shall abide in the field." Then they took 
 their spears in all the haste they might, and came together as 
 fast as their horses might drive, and the king's son of Ireland 
 smote Balin upon his shield, that his spear went all to shivers. 
 And Balin smote him with such a might, that it went through 
 his shield and perished the hawberk, and so pierced through his 
 body and the horse croup ; and Balin anon turned his horse 
 fiercely, and drew out his sword, and wist not that that he had 
 slain him, and then he saw him lie as a dead corpse. 
 
 V. 
 
 THEN he looked by him, and was ware of a damsel that came 
 riding as fast as her horse might gallop upon a fair palfrey. 
 And when she espied that Sir Lanceor was slain, then she made 
 sorrow out of measure, and said, " O Balin ! two bodies hast 
 thou slain and one heart, and two hearts in one body, and two 
 souls thou hast lost." And therewith she took the sword from 
 her love that lay dead, and as she took it she fell to the ground 
 in a swoon : and when she arose, she made great dole out of 
 measure, which sorrow grieved Balin passing sore, and went to 
 her for to have taken the sword out of her hands, but she held 
 it so fast, that in nowise he might take the sword out of her 
 hands ; but if he should have hurt her, and suddenly she set the 
 pommel of the sword to the ground, and ran herself through the 
 body. And when Balin saw her dead, he was passing heavy in 
 his heart, and ashamed that so fair a damsel had destroyed her- 
 self for the great love she had unto Sir Lanceor. "Alas ! " said 
 Balin, " me repenteth sore the death of this knight, for the love 
 of this damsel ; for there was much true love between them 
 both," and for sorrow he might no longer behold them, but 
 turned his horse and looked toward a forest, and there he espied 
 the arms of his brother Balan ; and when they were met, they 
 put off their helms and kissed together, and wept for joy and 
 pity. " Then," said Balan, " I weened little to have met with you 
 at this sudden adventure ; I am right glad of your deliverance
 
 44 THE BOOK Of SIR BALIN LE SA VAGE. 
 
 out of your dolorous prisoning, for a man told me in the 
 Castle of Fourstones that ye were delivered, and that man had 
 seen you in King Arthur's court ; and therefore I came hither 
 into this country, for here I supposed to find you." And anon 
 Balin told unto his brother of all his adventures of the sword, 
 and of the death of the Lady of the Lake, and how King Arthur 
 was displeased with him ; " wherefore he sent this knight after 
 me that lieth here dead, and the death of this damsel grieveth 
 me full sore." " So doth it me," said Balan ; "but ye must take 
 the adventure that God will ordain unto you." " Truly," said 
 Balin, " I am right heavy of mind that my lord, King Arthur, is 
 displeased with me, for he is the most worshipfullest knight 
 that reigneth now on the earth, and his love I will get, or else I 
 will put my life in adventure ; for King Rience, of North Wales, 
 lieth at a siege at the castle Terabil, and thither will we draw 
 in all haste, to prove our worship and prowess upon him." 
 " I will well," said Balan, " that we do so, and we will help 
 each other as brethren ought to do." 
 
 VI. 
 
 "BROTHER," said Balin, "let us go hence, and well be we 
 met." The meanwhile as they talked there came a dwarf from 
 the city of Camelot on horseback, as fast as he might, and 
 found the dead bodies ; wherefore he made great dole, and drew 
 his hair for sorrow, and said, "Which of you knights hath done 
 this deed?" "Whereby asketh thou it?" said Balin. "For I 
 would wit," said the dwarf. " It was I," said Balin, " that 
 slew this knight in my defence ; for hither came he to chase 
 me, and either I must slay him or me, and this damsel slew 
 herself for his love, which me sore repenteth, and for her sake I 
 shall owe all women the better love and favour." " Alas ! " 
 said the dwarf, " thou hast done great damage unto thyself ; for 
 this knight, that is here dead, was one of the most valiantest 
 men that lived, and trust thou well, Balin, that the kin of this 
 knight will chase thee through the world till they have slain 
 thee." "As for that," said Balin, " I fear it not greatly ; but I 
 am right heavy, because I have displeased my sovereign lord, 
 King Arthur, for the death of this knight." So, as they talked 
 together, there came a man of Cornwall riding by them, which 
 was named King Marke ; and when he saw these two bodies 
 dead, and understood how they were dead by one of the two 
 knights abovesaid, then made King Marke great sorrow for the 
 true love that was between them, and said, " I will not depart
 
 THE BOOK OF SIR BALIN LE SA VAGE. 45 
 
 from hence till I have on this earth made a tomb." And there 
 he pitched his pavilions, and sought through all the country to 
 find a tomb. And in a church they found one was rich 
 and fair, and then the king let put them both in the earth, and 
 put the tomb on them, and wrote both their names on the 
 tomb, " Here lieth Lanceor the king's son, of Ireland ; that at 
 his own request was slain by the hands of Balin, and how his 
 lady Colombe and paramour slew herself with her love's sword, 
 for dole and sorrow." 
 
 VII. 
 
 THE meanwhile as this was doing, came Merlin unto king 
 Marke, and seeing all his doing, said, " Here in this place 
 shall be the greatest battle between two knights that ever 
 was or ever will be, and the truest lovers, and yet none 
 of them shall slay other ; " and there Merlin wrote their names 
 upon the tomb with letters of gold, that should fight in that 
 place, whose names were Launcelot du Lake, and Tristram de 
 Liones. "Thou art a marvellous man," said King Marke unto 
 Merlin, " that speakest of such marvels ; thou art a boisterous 
 fellow, and an unlikely, to tell of such deeds. What is thy 
 name?" said King Marke. "At this time," said Merlin, "I 
 will not tell ; but at that time, when Sir Tristram shall be 
 taken with his sovereign lady, then ye shall know and hear 
 my name, and at that time ye shall hear tidings that shall 
 not please you. Then," said Merlin to Balin, " thou hast done 
 thyself great hurt, because thou did not save this lady that 
 slew herself, that might have saved her if thou had would." 
 " By the faith of my body," said Balin, " I could not, nor 
 might not save her : for she slew herself suddenly." " Me 
 repenteth," said Merlin ; "because of the death of that lady, 
 thou shalt strike a stroke the most dolorous that ever man 
 stroke, except the stroke of our Lord ; for thou shalt hurt the 
 truest knight, and the man of the most worship that now liveth, 
 and through that stroke three kingdoms shall be in great 
 poverty, misery, and wretchedness twelve years, and the 
 knight shall not be whole of that wound in many years." And 
 then Merlin took his leave of Balin. "Then," said Balin, "if 
 I wist it were sooth that ye say, I should do such a perilous 
 deed as that I would slay myself to make thee a liar." And 
 therewith anon Merlin suddenly vanished away : then Balin 
 and his brother took their leave of King Marke. 
 
 "First," said the king, "tell me your name." "Sir," said 
 Balin, " ye may see he beareth two swords, thereby ye may call
 
 46 THE BOOK OF SIR BAL1N LE SAVAGE. 
 
 him the knight of the two swords." And so departed King 
 Marke, and rode to Camelot to King Arthur ; and Balin and his 
 brother took the way to King Rience, and as they rode together 
 they met with Merlin disguised, but they knew him not. 
 " Whither ride ye ? " said Merlin. " We have little to do," 
 said the two knights, "for to tell thee." "But what is thy 
 name ? " said Balin. "As at this time," said Merlin, " I will not 
 tell thee." "It is full evil seen," said the two knights, "that 
 thou art a true man, when them wilt not tell thy name." " As 
 for that," said Merlin, " be it as it may ; but I can tell you 
 wherefore ye ride this way, for to meet King Rience : but it will 
 not avail you, without you have my counsel." "Ah!" said 
 Balin, "ye are Merlin: we will be ruled by your counsel." 
 " Come on," said Merlin ; " ye shall have great worship, and 
 look that ye do knightly ; for ye shall have great need." " As 
 for that," said Balin, " dread ye not : we will do what we may." 
 
 VIII. 
 
 THEN Merlin lodged them in a wood amongst leaves, beside 
 the highway, and took off the bridles of their horses, and put 
 them to grass, and laid them down to rest them till it was nigh 
 midnight. Then Merlin bade them arise and make them ready ; 
 for the king was nigh them that was stolen away from his host, 
 with threescore of his best knights : and twenty of them rode 
 before, to warn the Lady de Vance that the king was coining ; 
 for that night King Rience should have been with her. " Which 
 is the king?" said Balin. "Abide," said Merlin; "here in a 
 straight way ye shall meet with him." And therewith he showed 
 Balin and his brother where he rode. Anon Balin and his 
 brother met with the king, and smote him down, and wounded 
 him fiercely, and laid him to the ground ; and there they slew on 
 the right hand and on the left, and slew more than forty of his 
 men, and the remnant fled. Then went they again to King 
 Rience, and would have slain him, if he had not yielded him to 
 their grace. Then said the king again, " Knights, full of 
 prowess, slay me not ; for by my life ye may win, and by my 
 death shall ye win nothing." Then said these two knights, 
 " Ye say sooth and troth ;'' and so laid him on a horse-litter. 
 With that Merlin was vanished, and came to King Arthur afore- 
 hand, and told him how his most enemy was taken and dis- 
 comfited. " By whom ? " said King Arthur. " By two knights," 
 said Merlin, " that would please your lordship, and to-morrow 
 ye shall know what they be." Anon after came the knight with
 
 THE BOOK OF SIR BALIN LE SA VAGE. 47 
 
 the two swords, and Balan, his brother, and brought with them 
 King Rience, and there delivered him to the porters, and charged 
 them with him, and so they two returned again in the springing 
 of the day. King Arthur came to King Rience and said, " Sir 
 king, you are welcome; by what adventure came ye hither?" 
 " Sir," said King Rience, " I came hither by a hard adventure." 
 " Who won you ?" said King Arthur. " Sir," said Rience, " the 
 knight with the tsvo swords and his brother, which are two mar- 
 vellous knights of prowess." " I know them not," said King 
 Arthur; "but much I am beholden unto them." "Ah !" said 
 Merlin, " I shall tell you it is Balin that achieved the sword, 
 and his brother, Balan, a good knight ; there liveth not a better 
 in prowess and worthiness, and it shall be the greatest dole of 
 him that ever was of knight, for he shall not long endure." 
 "Alas!" said King Arthur, "that is a great pity; for I am 
 greatly beholden unto him, and I have full evil deserved it unto 
 him for his kindness." " Nay," said Merlin, " he shall do much 
 more for you, and that shall ye know ere it be long. But, sir, 
 are ye purveyed?" said Merlin ; "for to-morrow the host of Nero, 
 King Rience's brother, will set upon you afore dinner with a 
 mighty host : therefore, make you ready, for I will depart 
 from you." 
 
 IX. 
 
 THEN king Arthur made ready his host in ten battles ; and 
 Nero was ready in the field, afore the Castle Terabil, with a 
 mighty host ; for he had ten battles, with much more people 
 than King Arthur had. So Nero himself had the van-guard with 
 the most party of his people : and Merlin came to King Lot of 
 the Isle of the Orkney, and held him with a tale of prophecy, till 
 Nero and his people were destroyed. And there Sir Kaye, the 
 seneschal, did passing well, that all the days of his life he had 
 thereof worship ; and Sir Hervis de Revel did marvellous deeds 
 with King Arthur : and King Arthur slew that day twenty 
 knights, and maimed forty. At that time came in the knight 
 with the two swords, and his brother, Balan ; but they two did 
 so marvellously, that the king and all the knights had great 
 marvel thereof : and all that beheld them said, that they were 
 sent from heaven as angels, or as devils from hell ; and King 
 Arthur said himself, that they were the best knights that ever he 
 saw ; for they gave such strokes that all men had wonder of 
 them. In the meantime came one to King Lot and told him, 
 that, while he tarried there, Nero was destroyed and slain
 
 48 THE BOOK OF SIR BALIN LE SA VAGE. 
 
 with all his people. " Alas ! I am ashamed," said King Lot, 
 " for, through my default, is slain many a worshipful man : for, 
 if we had been together, there had been no host under heaven 
 that had been able to match us. This flatterer, with his prophecy, 
 hath mocked me." All that did Merlin ; for he knew well that, if 
 King Lot had been there with his body at the first battle, King 
 Arthur and all his people should have been destroyed and slain; 
 and Merlin knew well that one of the kings should be dead that 
 day, and loth was Merlin that any of them both should be 
 slain ; but of the twain he had leaver King Lot had been slain 
 than King Arthur. 
 
 " Now what is best to do ? " said King Lot, " whether is it 
 better for to treat with King Arthur, or to fight ? for the most 
 part of our people are slain and destroyed." " Sir," said a 
 knight, " set upon King Arthur ; for he and his men are weary 
 of fighting, and we be fresh." " As for me," said King Lot, " I 
 would that every knight would do his part as I will do mine." 
 And then they advanced their banners, and smote together, and 
 all to-shivered their spears ; and King Arthur's knights, with the 
 help of the knight of the two swords, and his brother, Balan, put 
 king Lot and his host to the worst. But always King Lot held 
 him in the foremost, and did great deeds of arms ; for all his 
 host was borne up by his hands, for he abode and withstood all 
 knights. Alas 1 he might not ever endure, the which was great 
 pity that so worthy a knight as he was should be overmatched, 
 and that of late time afore had been a knight of King Arthur's, 
 and had wedded King Arthur's sister ; and, because King Arthur 
 cast his love upon her and therewith begat Mordred, therefore 
 King Lot held against King Arthur. So there was a knight, that 
 was called the knight with the strange beast, and at that time 
 his right name was Pellinore, which was a good man of prowess ; 
 and he smote a mighty stroke at King Lot as he fought with his 
 enemies : and he failed of his stroke, and smote the horse's 
 neck, that he fell to the ground with King Lot. And therewith 
 Sir Pellinore smote him a great stroke through the helm, and 
 hewed him to the brows : then all the host of Orkney fled for 
 the death of King Lot, and there was slain many a mother's son. 
 But King Pellinore bare the blame of the death of King Lot : 
 wherefore, Sir Gawaine revenged the death of his father the 
 tenth year after he was made knight, and slew King Pellinore 
 with his own hands. Also there was slain at the battle twelve 
 kings on King Lot's side with Nero, and all were buried in the 
 church of St. Stevens, in Camelot ; and the remnant of knights, 
 and of others, were buried in a great rock.
 
 THE BOOK OF SIR BALIN LE SA VAGE. 49 
 
 X. 
 
 So, at the interment, came King Lot's wife, Morgause, with 
 her four sons, Gawaine, Agravaine, Gaheris, and Gareth. Also 
 there came thither King Urience, Sir Ewaine's father, and 
 Morgan le Fay, his wife, that was King Arthur's sister : all these 
 came to the interment. But of all these twelve knights King 
 Arthur let make the tomb of King Lot passing richly, and his 
 tomb stood by itself apart. And then King Arthur let make 
 twelve images of Latin and of copper, and made them to be 
 overgilt with fine gold, in sign and token of the twelve kings ; 
 and every image held a taper of wax, which burnt night and 
 day. And King Arthur was made in sign of a figure standing 
 above them all, with a sword drawn in his hand ; and all the 
 twelve figures had countenances like unto men that were over- 
 come. All this made Merlin by his subtle craft, and there he 
 said to King Arthur, "When I am dead the twelve tapers shall 
 burn no longer ; and, soon after this, the adventures of the Holy 
 Sancgreal shall come among you, and shall also be achieved." 
 Also he told unto King Arthur, how Balin, the worshipful knight, 
 should give the dolorous stroke, whereof shall fall great 
 vengeance. "And where is Balin, and Balan, and Pellinore?" 
 said King Arthur. 
 
 " As for Sir Pellinore," said Merlin, " he will meet with you 
 anon ; and as for Balin he will not be long from you : but the 
 other brother, Balan, will depart, and ye shall see him no more." 
 " Now, by my faith." said King Arthur, " they are two marvel- 
 lous knights, and namely Balin passeth of prowess far of any 
 knight that ever I found ; for I am much beholden unto him. 
 Would to God that he would abide still with me." " Sir," said 
 Merlin, " look that ye keep well the scabbard of Excalibur ; 
 for, as I told you, ye shall lose no blood as long as ye have the 
 scabbard upon you, though ye have as many wounds upon your 
 body as ye may have." So afterwards, for great trust, King 
 Arthur betook the scabbard to Morgan le Fay, his sister ; and 
 she loved another knight better than her husband, King Urience, 
 or King Arthur, And she would have had King Arthur slain : 
 and, therefore, she let make another scabbard like it by enchant- 
 ment, and gave the scabbard of Excalibur to her love, a knight 
 named Sir Accolon, which after had nigh slain King Arthur. 
 After this Merlin told unto King Arthur of the prophecy that there 
 should be a great battle beside Salisbury, and that Mordred, 
 his own son, should be against him : also he told him, that 
 Basdemegus was his cousin, and german unto King Urience. 
 
 4
 
 o THE BOOK OF StR BALtN LE SA VAGE. 
 
 XI. 
 
 WITHIN a day or two King Arthur was somewhat sick, and 
 he let pitch his pavilion in a meadow, and there he laid him 
 down on a pallet to sleep, but he might have no rest. Right so 
 he heard a great noise of a horse ; and therewith the king 
 looked out at the porch of the pavilion's door, and saw a knight 
 coming by him making great sorrow. "Abide, fair sir," said 
 King Arthur, " and tell me wherefore thou makest this sorrow." 
 " Ye may little amend it," said the knight, and so passed forth 
 unto the castle of Meliot. Anon after there came Balin ; and, 
 when he saw King Arthur, anon he alighted off his horse, 
 and came to the king on foot, and saluted him. " By my 
 head," said King Arthur, "ye be welcome, sir. Right 
 now came riding this way a knight making great sorrow, 
 and I cannot tell for what cause ; wherefore, I would 
 desire you, of your courtesy and gentleness, that ye will 
 fetch that knight again, either by force, or else by his good will." 
 " I will do more for your lordship than that," said Balin, and 
 so rode more than a pace, and found the knight with a damsel 
 in a forest, and said, " Sir knight, ye must come with me unto 
 my lord, King Arthur, for to tell him the cause of your sorrow." 
 "That will I not," said the knight; "for it would scath me 
 greatly, and do you none avail." " Sir," said Balin, " I pray 
 you make you ready ; for ye must needs go with me, or else I 
 will fight with you, and bring you by force, and that were I loth 
 to do." " Will ye be my warrant," said the knight to Balin, 
 "if I go with you?" " Yea," said Balin, "or else I will die 
 therefore." And so he make him ready to go with the good 
 knight, Balin, and left there the damsel : and, as they were afore 
 King Arthur's pavilion, there came one invisible, and smote the 
 knight that went with Balin throughout the body with a spear. 
 
 " Alas ! " said the knight, " I am slain under your conduct and 
 guard, with a traitorous knight, called Garlon ; therefore, take 
 my horse, the which is better than yours, and ride to the damsel, 
 and follow the quest that I was in, whereas she will lead you, 
 and revenge my death when ye may best." " That shall I do," 
 said Balin, " and thereof I make a vow to you by my knight- 
 hood." And so he departed from this knight, making great 
 sorrow. So King Arthur let bury this knight richly, and made 
 a mention upon the tomb how there was slain Herleus le 
 Berbeus, and also how the treachery was done by the knight, 
 Garlon. But ever the damsel bore the truncheon of the spear 
 with her that Sir Herleus was slain with.
 
 THE BOOK Of Silt BALIN LE SAVAGE. 51 
 
 XII. 
 
 So Balin and the damsel rode into the forest, and there met 
 with a knight that had been on hunting ; and that knight asked 
 Balin for what cause he made so great sorrow. " Me list not 
 to tell you," said Balin. " Now," said the knight, " and I were 
 armed as ye be I would fight with you." " That should little 
 need," said Balin ; " for I am not afraid to tell it you : " and he 
 told him all the cause how it was. "Ah !" said the knight, 
 " is this all ? here I ensure you, by the faith of my body, never 
 to depart from you as long as my life lasteth." And so they 
 went to the hostel and armed him, and so rode forth with 
 Balin ; and as they came by a hermitage, fast by a churchyard, 
 there came the knight Garlon invisible, and smote this good 
 knight, Perin de Mountbelyard, with a spear through the body. 
 " Alas ! " said the knight, " I am slain by this traitor knight 
 that rideth invisible." "Alas!" said Balin, "it is not the first 
 despite that he hath done to me." And there the hermit and 
 Balin buried the knight under a rich stone and a tomb royal ; 
 and, on the morrow, they found letters of gold written, how Sir 
 Gawaine shall revenge King Lot's death, his father, upon King 
 Pellinore. And anon, after this, Balin and the damsel rode 
 till they came to a castle ; and there Balin alighted, and he and 
 the damsel weened to have gone into the castle. And anon, as 
 Balin came within the gate, the porticullis fell down at his 
 back : and there came many men about the damsel, and would 
 have slain her. And, when Balin saw that, he was so grieved, 
 because he might not help the damsel : and then he went upon 
 the walls, and leaped over into the ditch, and hurt him not. 
 And anon he pulled out his sword, and would have foughten 
 with them. And they all said "that they would not fight 
 with him ; for they did nothing but the old custom of the castle." 
 And told him how their lady was sick, and had lain many years, 
 and she might not be whole, but if she had a silver dish full of 
 blood, of a clean maid, and a king's daughter ; and, therefore, 
 the custom of the castle is, that there shall none pass this way 
 but she shall bleed of her blood a silver dish full. " Well," 
 said Balin, " she shall bleed as much as she may bleed ; but I 
 will not that she lose her life, while my life lasteth." And so 
 Balin made her to bleed by her good will ; but her blood helped 
 not the lady. And so he and she rested there all that night, 
 and had their right good cheer ; and, on the morrow, they 
 passed on their way. And as it telleth afterwards, in the 
 Sancgreal, that Sir Percivale's sister helped that lady with 
 her blood, whereof she died.
 
 52 THE BOOK OF SIR 3ALIN LE SAVAGE. 
 
 XIII. 
 
 THEN they rode three or four days, and never met with 
 adventure ; and by hap they were lodged with a gentleman 
 that was a rich man, and well at ease. And, as they sat at 
 their supper, Balin heard one complain grievously by him in a 
 chair. "What noise is this?" said Balin. "Forsooth," said 
 his host, " I will tell you : I was but late at a jousting, and there 
 I jousted with a knight, that is brother unto King Pellam, and 
 twice I smote him down ; and then he promised to quit me on 
 my best friend, and so he wounded my son that cannot be whole 
 till I have of that knight's blood : and he rideth always invis- 
 ible, but I know not his name." " Ah ! " said Balin, " I know 
 that knight, his name is Garlon ; he hath slain two knights of 
 mine in the same manner, therefore I had rather meet with that 
 knight than all the gold in this realm, for the despite that he 
 hath done me." " Well," said his host, " I shall tell you : King 
 Pellam, of Listenise, hath made a cry, in all this country, of a 
 great feast that shall be within twenty days, and no knight may 
 come there but if he bring his wife with him, or his paramour ; 
 and that knight, your enemy and mine, ye shall see that day." 
 " Then I behove you," said Balin, " part of his blood to heal 
 your son withal." "We will be forward to-morrow," said his 
 host. So, on the morrow, they rode all three towards Pellam, 
 and had fifteen days' journey or they came thither : and that 
 same day began the great feast, and they alighted and stabled 
 their horses, and went into the castle : but Balin's host might 
 not be let in, because he had no lady. Then was Balin well 
 received, and brought to a chamber, and unarmed him ; and 
 there were brought him robes to his pleasure, and would have 
 had him leave his sword behind him. " Nay," said Balin, 
 "that will I not do ; for it is the custom of my country for a 
 knight always to keep his weapon with him, and that custom 
 will I keep, or else I will depart as I came." Then they gave 
 him leave to wear his sword. And so he went to the castle, and 
 was set among knights of worship, and his lady afore him. 
 Soon Balin asked a knight, " Is there not a knight in this court 
 whose name is Garlon ? " " Yonder he goeth," said the knight, 
 "he with that black face : he is the marvailest knight that is 
 now living, for he destroyeth many good knights, for he goeth 
 invisible." "Ah ! well," said Balin, " is that he 1 " 'Then Balin 
 advised him long, " If I slay him here I shall not escape, and if 
 I leave him now, peradventure I shall never meet with him 
 again at such a good time, and much harm he will do, and he 
 live." Therewith this Garlon espied that this Balin beheld him,
 
 THE BOOK OF SIR BALIN LE SAVAGE. 53 
 
 and then he came and smote Balin on the face with the back of 
 his hand, and said, " Knight, why beholdest thou me so ? for 
 shame ; therefore eat thy meat, and do that thou came for." 
 "Thou sayest sooth," said Balin ; "this is not the first despite 
 that thou hast done me ; and, therefore, I will do that I came 
 for." And rose up so fiercely, and cleaved his head to the 
 shoulders. " Give me the truncheon," said Balin to his lady, 
 " wherewith he slew your knight." Anon she gave it him, for 
 always she bear that truncheon with her. And therewith Balin 
 smote him through the body, and said openly, " With that 
 truncheon thou hast slain a good knight, and now it sticketh in 
 thy body." And then Balin called to him his host, saying, 
 " Now may ye fetch blood enough for to heal your son withal." 
 
 XIV. 
 
 ANON all the knights rose up from the table for to set on 
 Balin ; and King Pellam himself arose up fiercely, and said, 
 " Knight, why hast thou slain my brother ? thou shalt die, 
 therefore, ere thou depart." " Well," said Balin, " then do it 
 yourself." " Yes," said King Pellam, " there shall no man have 
 to do with thee but myself, for the love of my brother." Then 
 King Pellam caught in his hand a grim weapon, and smote 
 eagerly at Balin ; but Balin put the sword between his head and 
 the stroke, and therewith his sword burst in sunder. And when 
 Balin was weaponless, he came into a chamber for to seek some 
 weapon, and so from chamber to chamber, and no weapon could 
 he find ; and always King Pellam followed him, and at the last he 
 entered into a chamber that was marvellously well dight and 
 richly, and a bed arrayed with cloth of gold, the richest that 
 might be thought, and one lying therein, and thereby stood a 
 table of clean gold, with four pillars of silver that bear up the 
 table, and upon the table stood a marvellous spear, strangely 
 wrought. And when Balin saw the spear, he gat it in his hand, 
 and turned him to King Pellam, and smote him passingly sore 
 with that spear, that King Pellam fell down in a swoon ; and 
 therewith the castle rove and walls brake, and fell to the earth, 
 and Balin fell down, so that he might not stir hand nor foot . 
 and so the most part of the castle that was fallen down, through 
 that dolorous stroke, lay upon King Pellam and Balin three 
 days. 
 
 XV. 
 
 THEN Merlin came thither and took up Balin, and gat him a 
 good horse, for his horse was dead, and bade him ride out of that
 
 54 THE BOOK OF SIR BALIN LE SA VAGE. 
 
 country. " I would have my damsel," said Balin. " Lo," said 
 Merlin, " where she lieth dead." And King Pellam lay so many 
 years sore wounded, and might never be whole till Galahad, the 
 haughty prince, healed him in the quest of the Sancgreal ; for 
 in that place was part of the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, that 
 Joseph, of Arimathy, brought into this land, and there himself 
 lay in that rich bed. And that was the same spear that Longius 
 smote our Lord to the heart ; and King Pellam was nigh of 
 Joseph's kin, and that was the most worshipful man that lived in 
 those days : and great pity it was of his hurt, for the stroke 
 turned him to great dole, vexation, and grief. Then departed 
 Balin from Merlin, and said, " In this world we shall never meet 
 more." So he rode forth through the fair countries and cities, 
 and found the people dead on every side. And all that were 
 alive, cried, " O Balin ! thou hast caused great damage in these 
 countries, for the dolorous stroke that thou gavest unto King 
 Pellam, three countries are destroyed ; and doubt not but the 
 vengeance will fall on thee at the last." When Balin was past 
 the countries he was passing faint ; so he rode eight days ere he 
 met with adventures, and at the last he came into a fair forest, in a 
 valley, and was aware of a tower, and there beside he saw a 
 great horse of war tied to a tree, and there beside sat a fair 
 knight on the ground, and made great mourning : and he was a 
 likely man, and well made. Balin said, " God save you, why be 
 ye so heavy ? tell me, and I will amend it, and I may to my 
 power." "Sir knight," said he, "again thou doest me great 
 grief ; for I was in merry thoughts, and now thou puttest me to 
 more pain." Balin went a little from him, and looked on his 
 horse. Then Balin heard him say thus : "Ah ! fair lady, why 
 have ye broken my promise ; for ye promised me to meet me 
 here by noon, and I may curse you that ever ye gave me this 
 sword ; for with this sword I will slay myself." And he pulled 
 it out, and therewith Balin started to him, and took him by the 
 hand. "Let go my hand," said the knight, "or else I shall 
 slay thee." "That shall not need," said Balin, "for I shall 
 promise you my help to get you your lady, if you will tell me 
 where she is ? " " What is your name ? " said the knight. " My 
 name is Balin le Savage." " Ah ! sir, I know you well enough ; 
 you are the knight with the two swords, and the man of most 
 prowess of your hands living." "What is your name?" said 
 Balin. " My name is Garnish of the Mount, a poor man's son ; 
 but, by my prowess and hardiness, a duke hath made me a 
 knight, and gave me lands : his name is Duke Hermel, and his 
 daughter is she that I love, and she me, as I deemed." " How
 
 THE BOOK OF SIR BALIN LE SAVAGE. 55 
 
 far is she hence ? " said Balin. " But five miles," said the 
 knight. " Now ride we hence," said the two knights. So they 
 rode more than a pace till that they came unto a fair castle, well 
 walled and ditched. " I will into the castle," said Balin, "and 
 look if she be there." So he went in, and searched from 
 chamber to chamber, and found her bed, but she was not there ; 
 then Balin looked into a fair little garden, and, under a laurel- 
 tree, he saw her lie upon a quilt of green samite, and a knight 
 in her arms, and under their heads grass and herbs. When 
 Balin saw her lie so with the foulest knight that ever he saw, 
 and she a fair lady, then Balin went through all the chambers 
 again, and told the knight how he had found her as she had 
 slept fast, and so brought him to the place where she lay fast 
 sleeping. 
 
 XVI. 
 
 AND when Garnish beheld her so lying, for pure sorrow his 
 mouth and nose burst out on bleeding, and with his sword he 
 smote off both their heads ; and then he made sorrow out of 
 measure, and said, " Oh ! Balin, much sorrow hast thou brought 
 to me ; for hadst thou not showed me that sight, I should have 
 passed my sorrow." " Forsooth," said Balin, " I did it to this 
 intent, that it should assuage thy courage, and that ye might see 
 and know their falsehood, and to cause you to leave that lady's 
 love. God knoweth I did none other but as I would you did to 
 me." "Alas!" said Garnish, "now is my sorrow double that 
 I may not endure, now have I slain that I most loved in all my 
 life." And therewith suddenly he rove himself on his own sword 
 unto the hilt. When Balin saw that, he dressed him from 
 thence, lest folks should say that he had slain them ; and so he 
 rode forth, and within three days he came by a cross, and 
 thereon was letters of gold written, that said, " It is not for a 
 knight alone to ride towards this castle." Then saw he an old 
 hoary gentleman coming toward, that said, " Balin le Savage, 
 thou passeth thy bounds this way ; therefore turn again, and it 
 will avail thee." And he vanished away anon, and so he heard 
 a horn blow, as it had been the death of a beast. " That blast," 
 said Balin, " is blown for me ; for I am the prize, and yet am I 
 not dead." And therewith he saw a hundred ladies and many 
 knights that welcomed him with fair semblance, and made him 
 passing good cheer unto his sight, and led him into the castle, 
 and there was dancing and minstrelsy, and all manner of joy. 
 Then the chief lady of the castle, said, " Knight with the two 
 swords, ye must have a do and joust with a knight hereby that 
 keepeth an island ; for there may no man pass this way, but h
 
 56 THE BOOK OF SIR BALlN LE SAVAGE. 
 
 may joust, or he pass." " That is an unhappy custom," said 
 Balin, " that a knight may not pass this way, but if he joust." 
 " Ye shall have a do but with one knight," said the lady. 
 " Well," said Balin, " since I shall thereto, I am ready ; but 
 travelling men are often weary, and their horses also : but 
 though my horse be weary, my heart is not weary, I would be 
 fain there my death should be." " Sir," said a knight to Balin, 
 " me thinketh your shield is not good, I will lend you a bigger ; 
 thereof, I pray you." And so he took the shield that was 
 unknown, and left his own, and so rode unto the island, and put 
 him and his horse in a great boat. And when he came on the 
 other side he met with a damsel, and she said, " O knight, 
 Balin, why have you left your own shield ; alas ! ye have put 
 yourself in great danger : for by your shield you should have 
 been known. It is great pity of you as ever was of knight, for 
 of prowess and hardiness thou hast no fellow living." " Me 
 repenteth," said Balin, " that ever I came within this country : 
 but I may not turn now again for shame, and what adventure 
 shall fall to me, be it life or death, I will take the adventure that 
 shall come to me." And then he looked on his armour, and 
 understood he was well armed, and therewith blessed him, and 
 mounted upon his horse. 
 
 XVII. 
 
 THEN afore him he saw come riding out of a castle, a knight, 
 and his horse trapped all in red, and himself in the same colour. 
 And when this knight in the red beheld Balin, him thought that 
 it should be his brother Balin, because of his two swords ; but 
 because he knew not his shield, he deemed that it should not 
 be. And so they couched their spears, and came marvellously 
 fast together, and smote either other in the shields ; but their 
 spears and their course was so big that it bare down horse and 
 man, so that they lay both in a swoon ; but Balin was sore 
 bruised with the fall of his horse, for he was weary of travel. 
 And Balan the first that rose on foot, and drew his sword, and 
 went toward Balin, and he arose and went against him, but 
 Balan smote Balin first, and he put up his shield, and smote him 
 through the shield, and broke his helm ; then Balin smote him 
 again with that unhappy sword, and well nigh had felled his 
 brother Balan : and so they fought there together till their 
 breaths failed. Then Balin looked up to the castle, and saw the 
 towers stand full of ladies. So they went to battle again, and 
 wounded each other grievously ; and then they breathed often- 
 time, and so went to battle : that all the place there as they 
 fought was red of their blood. And., at that time, there was none
 
 THE BOOK OF SIR BALIN LE SAVAGE. 57 
 
 of them both but they had smitten either other seven great 
 wounds ; so that the least of them might have been the death 01 
 the mightiest giant in the world. Then they went to battle 
 again so marvellously, that doubt it was to hear of that battle ; 
 for the great bloodshedding, and their hawberks unnailed, that 
 naked they were on every side : at the last Balan, the younger 
 brother, withdrew him a little, and laid him down. Then said 
 Balin le Savage, " What knight art thou ? for ere now I found 
 never no knight that matched me." " My name is," said he, 
 "Balan, brother to the good knight Balin." "Alas!" said Balin, 
 "that ever I should see this day." And therewith he fell back- 
 ward in a swoon. Then Balan went on all four, feet and hands, 
 and put off the helm of his brother, and might not know him by 
 the visage, it was so full hewn and bebled ; but when he awoke, 
 he said, " O Balan, my brother, thou hast slain me, and I thee, 
 wherefore all the wide world shall speak of us both." " Alas ! " 
 said Balan, "that ever I saw this day, that through mishap I 
 might not know you ; for I espied well your two swords, but 
 because ye had another shield, I deemed you had been another 
 knight." "Alas!" said Balin, "all that made an unhappy 
 knight in the castle, for he caused me to leave mine own shield 
 to the destruction of us both ; and if I might live I would 
 destroy that castle for the ill customs." " That were well done," 
 said Balan, "for I had never grace to depart from them, since that 
 I came hither, for here it happened me to slay a knight that 
 kept this island, and since might I never depart, and no more 
 should ye, brother, and ye might have slain me, as ye have, and 
 escaped yourself with your life." Right so came the lady of the 
 tower with four knights and six ladies, and six yeomen unto 
 them, and there she heard how they made their mourn either to 
 other, and said, " We came both out of one womb, and so shall 
 we lie both in one pit." So Balan prayed the lady of her gentle- 
 ness, for his true service, that she would bury them both in that 
 place there the battle was done. And she granted them, with 
 weeping cheer, and said, " It should be done richly, and in the 
 best manner." " Now will ye send for a priest, that we may 
 receive the sacrament and blessed body of our Lord Jesus 
 Christ." " Yea," said the lady, " it shall be done." And so she 
 sent for a priest, and gave them their rites. " Now," said Balin, 
 " when we are buried in one tomb, and the inscription made 
 over us how two brethren slew each other, there will never good 
 knight, nor good man, see our tomb, but they will pray for our 
 souls." And so all the ladies and gentlewomen wept for pity. 
 And anon Balan died, but Balin died not till the midnight after,
 
 58 THE BOOK OF SIR BALIN LE SAVAGE. 
 
 and so were buried both; and the lady let make an inscription 
 of Balan, how he was there slain by the hands of his own 
 brother : but she knew not Balin's name. 
 
 XVIII. 
 
 ON the morrow came Merlin, and let write Balin's name upon 
 the tomb, with letters of gold : " Here lieth Balin le Savage, 
 that was the knight with the two swords, and he that smote the 
 dolorous stroke." Merlin let make there also a bed, that there 
 should never man lie in but he went out of his wit ; yet Launce- 
 lot du Lake fordid that bed through his nobleness. And anon, 
 after as Balin was dead, Merlin took his sword, and took off 
 the pommel, and set on another pommel. Then Merlin had 
 a knight that stood afore him to handle that sword, and he 
 assayed, but he could not handle it. Then Merlin laughed. 
 " Why laugh ye ?" said the knight. "This is the cause," said 
 Merlin : " there shall never no man handle this sword but the 
 best knight of the world, and that shall be Launcelot, or else 
 Galahad, his son ; and Launcelot, with his sword, shall slay the 
 man that in this world he loved best, that shall be Sir Gawaine." 
 All this he let write in the pommel of the sword. Then Merlin 
 let make a bridge of iron and of steel into that island, and it 
 was but half-a-foot broad : and there shall never man pass that 
 bridge, nor have hardiness to go over, but if he were a passing 
 good man, and a good knight, without treachery or villainy. 
 Also, the scabbard of Balin's sword, Merlin left it on this side 
 the island, that Galahad should find it. Also, Merlin let make, 
 by his subtlety and craft, that Balin's sword was put in marble 
 stone, standing upright, as great as a millstone, and the stone 
 hoved always above the water, and did many years : and so, 
 by adventure, it swam down the stream to the city of Camelot. 
 And that same day Galahad, the haughty prince, came with 
 King Arthur ; and so Galahad brought with him the scabbard, 
 and achieved the sword that was there in the marble stone, 
 hoving upon the water ; and, on Whitsunday, he achieved the 
 sword as it is rehearsed in the book of the Sancgreal. Soon after 
 this was done Merlin came to King Arthur, and told him of the 
 dolorous stroke that Balin gave to King Pellam. and how Balin 
 and Balan fought together the marvailest battle that ever was 
 heard of, and how they were buried both in one tomb. " Alas," 
 said King Arthur, ' this is the greatest pi*y that ever I heard 
 tell of two knights ; for in the world I know not such two 
 knights as they were." Thus endeth the tale of Balin and 
 Balan, two brethren, born in Northumberland, good knights,
 
 THE BOOK OF THE THREE QUESTS. 59 
 
 THE BOOK OF THE ROUND TABLE AND THE 
 THREE QUESTS. 
 
 1. 
 
 N the beginning of King Arthur, after that he was 
 chosen king by adventure and by grace, for the 
 most part the barons knew not that he was Uther- 
 pendragon's son, but as Merlin made it openly known. 
 But yet many kings and lords made great war 
 against him for that cause, but King Arthur full well overcame 
 them all ; for the most part of the days of his life he was much 
 ruled by the counsel of Merlin. So it befell on a time that King 
 Arthur said unto Merlin, " My barons will let me have no rest, 
 but needs they will have that I take a wife, and I will none 
 take but by thy counsel and by thine advice." " It is well 
 done," said Merlin, "that ye take a wife, for a man of your 
 bounty and nobleness should not be without a wife. Now 
 is there any fair lady that ye love better that another?" 
 " Yea," said King Arthur, " I love Guenever, the king's 
 daughter, Leodegraunce, of the land of Cameliard, which 
 Leodegraunce holdeth in his house the Table Round that ye 
 told he had of my father, Uther. And this damsel is the most 
 gentlest and fairest lady that I know living, or yet that I ever 
 could find." " Sir, ' said Merlin, " as of her beauty and fairness 
 she is one of the fairest that live : but, and ye loved her not so 
 well as ye do, I would find you a damsel, of beauty and of 
 goodness, that should like you, and should please you, and your 
 heart were not set ; but there as a man's heart is set, he will be 
 loth to return." "That is truth," said King Arthur. But 
 Merlin warned the King privily, that Guenever was not whole- 
 some for him to take to wife, for he warned him that Launcelot 
 should love her, and she him again ; and so he turned his tale 
 to the adventures of the Sancgreal. Then Merlin desired of the 
 King to have men with him that should inquire of Guenever : 
 and so the King granted him. And Merlin went forth to King 
 Leodegraunce of Cameliard, and told him of the desire of the 
 King : that he would have to his wife Guenever his daughter. 
 "That is to me," said King Leodegraunce, "the best tidings 
 that ever I heard, that so worthy a king of prowess and 
 nobleness will wed my daughter : and, as for my lands, I will 
 give him, wished I that it might please him, but he hath lands 
 enough, he needeth none ; but J shall send him a gift tha.t
 
 60 THE BOOK OF THE THREE QUESTS. 
 
 shall please him much more, for I shall give him the Table 
 Round, the which Utherpendragon gave me ; and, when it 
 is full complete, there is a hundred knights and fifty : and, as 
 for a hundred good knights, I have myself, but I lack fifty, for 
 so many have been slain in my days." And so King Leode- 
 graunce delivered his daughter, Guenever, unto Merlin, and the 
 Table Round, with the hundred knights : and so they rode freshly, 
 with great royalty, what by water, and what by land, till they 
 came that night unto London. 
 
 II. 
 
 WHEN King Arthur heard of the coming of Guenever, and 
 the hundred knights of the Round Table, he made great joy for 
 their coming, and said, openly, " This fair lady is passing wel- 
 come to me, for I loved her long, and therefore there is nothing 
 so pleasing to me : and these knights with the Round Table 
 please me more than right great riches." Then in all haste the 
 King did ordain for the marriage and coronation, in the most 
 honourable wise that could be devised. " Now, Merlin," 
 said King Arthur, "go thou and espy me in all this land fifty 
 knights, that be of most prowess and worship. J> Within short 
 time Merlin made the best speed he might, and found twenty- 
 eight good knights, but no more could he find. Then the 
 Archbishop of Canterbury was sent for, and he blessed the 
 sieges of his Round Table with great royalty and devotion ; 
 and there sat the twenty-eight knights in their sieges. And 
 when this was done, Merlin said, " Fair sits, ye must all arise 
 and come unto King Arthur, for to do him homage ; he will 
 have the better will to maintain you." And so they arose and 
 did their homage ; and, when they were gone, Merlin found in 
 the sieges letters of gold, that told the knights' names that had 
 sitten therein. But two sieges were void. And so anon came 
 young Gawaine, and asked the King a gift. "Ask," said the 
 King, " and I shall grant it you." " Sir, I ask that ye will make 
 me knight the same day that ye shall wed fair Guenever." " 1 
 will do it with a good-will," said King Arthur, " and do to you 
 all the worship that I may ; for I must so do, by reason you 
 are my nephew and sister's son." 
 
 III. 
 
 FORTHWITHAL there came a poor man into the court, and 
 brought with him a fair young man, of eighteen years of age, 
 riding upon a lean mare. And the poor man asked all men 
 that he met, " Where shall I find King Arthur?" " Yonder he.
 
 7 HE BOOK OF THE THREE QUESTS. 6r 
 
 is," said the knights ; " wilt thou any thing with him ?" " Yea," 
 said the poor man, " therefore I came hither." Anon, as he 
 came before the King, he saluted him, and said, " O King 
 Arthur, the flower of all knights and kings, I beseech Jesus 
 save thee. Sir, it was told me, that at this time of your mar- 
 riage ye would give any man the gift that he would ask, except 
 it were unreasonable." " That Is truth," said the King, " such 
 cries I let make ; and that will I hold, so it impair not my 
 realm nor mine estate." " Ye say well and graciously," said 
 the poor man. " Sir, I ask nothing else but that ye will make 
 my son here a knight." " It is a great thing that thou askest of 
 me," said the King. "What is thy name?" said the King to 
 the poor man. " Sir, my name is Aries, the cowherd."' 
 " Whether cometh this of thee, or of thy son ] " said the King. 
 " Nay, sir," said Aries, "this desire cometh of my son, and not 
 of me. For I shall tell you, I have thirteen sons, and all they 
 will fall to what labour I put them to, and will be right glad to 
 do labour ; but this child will do no labour for me, for any thing 
 that my wife or I may do, but always he will be shooting, or 
 casting of darts, and glad to see battles, and to behold knights : 
 and always, both day and night, he desireth of me that he might 
 be made a knight." " What is thy name ? " said the King to the 
 young man. "Sir, my name is Tor." The King beheld him fast, 
 and saw he was passingly well visaged, and passingly well made of 
 his years. "Well," said King Arthur to Aries, the cowherd, "fetch 
 all thy sons afore me, that I may see them." And so the poor man 
 did, and all were shapen much like the poor man ; but Tor was 
 not like none of them all, in shape nor in countenance, for he 
 was much more than any of them. " Now," said King Arthur 
 unto Aries, the cowherd, " where is that sword that he shall 
 be made knight withal?" "It is here," said Tor. "Take it 
 out of the sheath," said the King, "and require me to make you 
 a knight." Then Tor alighted off his mare, and pulled out his 
 sword, kneeling, requiring the King that he would make him 
 knight, and that he might be a knight of the Round Table. "As 
 for a knight I will make you," and therewith smote him in the 
 neck with the sword, saying, " Be ye a good knight : and so I 
 pray to God ye may be ; and if ye be of prowess, and of worthi- 
 ness, ye shall be a knight of the Round Table." " Now, Mer- 
 lin," said King Arthur, " say whether this Tor shall be a good 
 knight or no." " Yea, sir, he ought to be a good knight, for he 
 is come of as good a man as any is on live, and of king's blood." 
 " How so, sir ? " said the King. " I shall tell you," said Merlin : 
 "this poor man, Aries, the cowherd, is not his father, he \3
 
 62 THE BOOK OF THE THREE QUESTS. 
 
 nothing like to him ; for King Pellinore is his father." " I 
 suppose nay," said the cowherd. " Fetch thy wife afore me," 
 said Merlin, "and she shall not say nay." Anon the wife was 
 fetched, which was a fair housewife, and there she answered 
 Merlin full womanly ; and there she told the King and Merlin, 
 that when she was a maid, and went to milking, " there met 
 with me a stern knight, and he begot my son Tor ; and he took 
 from me my greyhound, that I had at that time with me, and 
 said that he would keep the greyhound for my love. 1 ' "Ah !" 
 said the cowherd, " I weened not this ; but I may believe it 
 well, for the boy had never no likeness to me " " Sir, ' said Tor 
 to Merlin, "dishonour not my mother." ; ' Sir," said Merlin, 
 " it is more for your worship than hurt ; for your father is a good 
 man, and a king, and he may right well advance you and your 
 mother ; for ye were begotten or ever she was wedded." " That 
 is truth," said the wife. "It is the less griel to me" said the 
 cowherd. 
 
 IV. 
 
 So on the morrow King Pellinore came to the court of King 
 Arthur, which had great joy of him, and told him of Tor, how 
 he was his son, and how he had made him knight at the request 
 of the cowherd. When King Pellinore beheld Tor, he pleased 
 him much. So the King made Gawaine knight, but Tor was the 
 first that he made at the feast. " What is the cause," said King 
 Arthur, "that there be two places void in the sieges ? " " Sir," 
 said Merlin, "there shall no man sit in those places but they 
 that shall be of most worship. But in the Siege Perilous, there 
 shall no man sit therein but one ; and if there be any so hardy 
 to do it, he shall be destroyed ; and he that shall sit there shall 
 have no fellow." And therewith Merlin took King Pellinore by 
 the hand, and, in the one hand next the two sieges and the 
 Siege Perilous, he said, in open audience : " This is your place, 
 and best he be worthy to sit therein of any that is here." 
 Thereat had Sir Gawaine great envy, and said to Gaheris, his 
 brother, "Yonder knight is put unto great worship ; the which 
 grieveth me sore, for he slew our father, King Lot, therefore I 
 will slay him," said Sir Gawaine, "with a sword that was sent 
 me, which is passing trenchant." "Ye shall not do so," said 
 Gaheris, " at this time ; for at this time I am but a squire, and, 
 when I am made knight, I will be avenged on him ; and there- 
 fore, brother, it is best ye suffer till another time, that we have 
 him out of the court, for and we did so now, we should trouble 
 this high feast." " I will well," said Sir Gawaine, "as ye will."
 
 THE BOOK OF THE THREE QUESTS* 63 
 
 V. 
 
 THEN was the high feast made ready,and the King was wedded 
 at Camelot unto dame Guenever, in the church of St. Stevens, 
 with great solemnity ; and, as every man was set after his 
 degree, Merlin went unto all the knights of the Round Table, 
 and bid them sit still, and that none should remove, " for ye 
 shall see a marvellous adventure." Right so as they sat, there 
 came running in a white hart into the hall, and a white brachet 
 next him, and thirty couple of black running hounds came after 
 with a great cry, and the hart went about the Table Round ; 
 as he went by the other tables, the white brachet caught him by 
 the buttock, and pulled out a piece, wherethrough the hart 
 leapt a great leap, and overthrew a knight that sat at the table's 
 side ; and therewith the knight arose and took up the brachet, 
 and so went forth out of the hall, and took his horse, and rode 
 his way with the brachet. Right soon anon came in a lady on 
 a white palfrey, and cried aloud to King Arthur, " Sir, suffer 
 me not to have this despite, for the brachet was mine that the 
 knight led away" "I may not do therewith," said the King. 
 With this there came a knight riding all armed, on a great 
 horse, and took the lady with him by force ; and she cried and 
 made great moan. When she was gone, the King was glad, 
 because she made such a noise. " Nay," said Merlin, " ye may 
 not leave these adventures so lightly, for these adventures 
 must be brought again, or else it would be disworship to you, 
 and to your feast." " I will," said the King, " that all be done 
 by your advice." " Then," said Merlin, " let call Sir Gawaine, 
 for he must bring again the white hart ; also, sir, ye must let 
 call Sir Tor, for he must bring again the brachet and the knight, 
 or else slay him ; also, let call King Pellinore, for he must bring 
 again the lady and the knight, or else slay him ; and these 
 three knights shall do marvellous adventures or they come 
 again." Then were they called all three, as it is rehearsed 
 afore, and every each of them took their charge, and armed 
 them surely. But Sir Gawaine had the first request, and 
 therefore we will begin at him. 
 
 VI. 
 
 SIR GAWAINE rode more than a pace, and Gaheris, his 
 brother, rode with him instead of a squire, for to do him service. 
 So as they rode they saw two knights fight on horseback passing 
 sore ; so Sir Gawaine and his brother rode between them, and
 
 64 THE 00 A' Of THE THREE QUESTS. 
 
 asked them for what cause they fought so ? The one knight 
 answered and said, " We fight for a simple matter, for we be 
 two brethren, and born and begotten of one man and of one 
 woman. 1 ' " Alas," said Sir Gawaine, " why do ye so ? " 
 "Sir," said the elder, "there came a white hart this way this 
 day, and many hounds chased him, and a white brachet was 
 always near him ; and we understood it was adventure made 
 for the high feast of King Arthur ; and, therefore, I would have 
 gone after to have won me worship, and here my younger 
 brother said he would go after the hart, for he was a better 
 knight than I, and for this cause we fell at debate ; and so 
 We thought to prove which of us both was better knight." 
 "This is a simple cause," said Sir Gawaine; "strange men 
 ye should debate with, and not brother with brother ; there- 
 fore, and if ye will do by my counsel, I will have ado with you ; 
 that is, ye shall yield you unto me, and that ye go unto King 
 Arthur, and yield you unto his grace." " Sir knight," said the 
 two brethren, " we are sore fought, and much blood have we lost 
 through our wilfulness ; and, therefore, we would be loth to 
 have ado with you." " Then do as I will have you," said Sir 
 Gawaine. "We will agree to fulfil your will; but by whom 
 shall we say that we be thither sent ? " " Ye may say, by the 
 knight that followeth the quest of the white hart. Now what 
 is your names ?" said Sir Gawaine." " Sorlouse of the Forest," 
 said the elder : " and my name is," said the younger, " Brian of 
 the Forest." And so they departed and went to the King's 
 court, and Sir Gawaine went in his quest, and as Sir Gawaine 
 followed the hart by the cry of the hounds, even afore him there 
 was a great river, and the hart swam over ; and as Sir Gawaine 
 would have followed after, there stood a knight on the other side 
 and said, " Sir knight, come not over after the hart, but if thou 
 wilt joust with me." " I will not fail as for that," said Sir 
 Gawaine, "to follow the quest that I am in." And so he made 
 his horse to swim over the water ; and anon they got their 
 spears, and ran together full hard ; but Sir Gawaine smote him off 
 his horse, and then he turned his horse, and bid him yield him. 
 "Nay," said the knight, "not so, though thou have the better 
 of me on horseback, I pray thee, valiant knight, alight on foot, and 
 match we together with swords." "What is your name," said 
 Sir Gawaine. " Allardin of the Isles," said the other. Then 
 either dressed their shields and smote together, but Sir Gawaine 
 smote him through the helm so hard, that it went to the brains, 
 and the knight fell down dead. " Ah ! " said Gaheris, " that 
 was a mighty stroke of a young knight"
 
 THE BOOK OF THE THREE QUESTS, 65 
 
 VII. 
 
 THEN Sir Gawaine and Sir Gaheris rode more than a pace 
 after the white hart, and let slip at the hart three couple of grey- 
 hounds ; and so they chased the hart into the castle, and in the 
 chief place of the castle they slew the hart that Sir Gawaine and 
 Gaheris followed after. Right so there came a knight out of a 
 chamber, with a sword in his hand, and slew two of the hounds, 
 even in the sight of Sir Gawaine, and the remnant, he chased 
 them with his sword out of the castle. And when he came 
 again he said, " Oh ! my white hart ! me repenteth that thou 
 art dead, for my sovereign lady gave thee to me ; and evil have 
 I kept thee, and thy death shall be dear bought and I live." 
 And anon he went into his chamber and armed him, and came 
 out fiercely, and there he met with Sir Gawaine " Why have 
 youslain my hounds ? " said Sir Gawaine, " for they did but their 
 kind, and I had rather ye had worked your anger upon me than 
 the dumb beasts." "Thou sayest truth," said the knight, "I 
 have avenged me on thy hounds, and so as I will be on thee or 
 thou go." Then Sir Gawaine alighted on foot, and dressed his 
 shield, and they stroke mightily, and clave their shields, and 
 stunned their helms, and brake their hawberks, that the blood 
 ran down to their feet. At the last, Sir Gawaine smote the 
 knight so hard, that he fell to the earth ; and then he cried 
 mercy, and yielded him, and besought him as he was a knight, 
 and gentleman, to save his life. " Thou shall die," said Sir 
 Gawaine, " for slaying of my hounds." " I will make amends 
 unto my power," said the knight. Sir Gawaine would no mercy 
 have, but unlaced his helm to have stricken off his helm : right 
 so came his lady out of her chamber and fell over him, and so 
 he smote off her head by misadventure. "Alas!" said Gaheris, 
 " that is foul and shamefully done, that shame shall never from 
 you : also, ye should give mercy unto them that ask mercy ; for 
 a knight without mercy is without worship." Sir Gawaine was 
 so astonished at the death of this fair lady, that he wist not 
 what he did ; and said to the knight, "Arise, I will give thee 
 mercy." " Nay, nay," said the knight, " I take no force of 
 mercy now, for thou hast slain my love and my lady, that I 
 loved best of all earthly things." " Me repenteth it sore," said 
 Sir Gawaine, " for I thought to have stricken at thee : but now 
 thou shalt go unto King Arthur, and tell him of thine adventures, 
 and how thou art overcome by the knight that went in the quest 
 of the white hart." " I take no force," said the knight, " whether 
 I live or die." But, for dread of death, he swore to go unto King 
 
 5
 
 66 THE BOOK OF THE THREE QUESTS. 
 
 Arthur ; and he made him for to bear one greyhound before him 
 upon his horse, and another behind him also. " What is your 
 name," said Gawaine, " or we depart ? " " My name is," said the 
 knight, " Ablamore of the Marsh." So he departed towards 
 Camelot. 
 
 VIII. 
 
 AND Sir Gawaine went into the castle, and made him ready to 
 lay there all night, and would have unarmed him. " What will 
 ye do ? " said Gaheris ; " will ye unarm you in this country \ ye 
 may well think that ye have many enemies here about." They 
 had no sooner said that word, but there came four knights well 
 armed, and assailed Sir Gawaine hard, and said thus unto him : 
 ' Thou new-made knight, thou hast shamed thy knighthood, for 
 a knight without mercy is dishonoured. Thou hast also slain a 
 fair lady, which is unto thee great shame for evermore ; and, 
 doubt thou not, thou shalt have great need of mercy or thou 
 depart from us." And therewith one of them smote Sir Gawaine 
 such a stroke, that he had nigh felled him to the earth, and 
 Gaheris smote him again sore ; and so they were on the one 
 side, and on the other, that Sir Gawaine and Gaheris were in 
 great jeopardy of their lives, and one of them, with a bow and 
 archer, smote Sir Gawaine through the arm, that it grieved him 
 wondrous sore. And, as they should have been both slain, 
 there came four ladies, and besought the knights of grace for 
 Sir Gawaine. And goodly, at the request of the ladies, they 
 gave Sir Gawaine and Gaheris their lives, and made them to 
 yield them as prisoners ; then Sir Gawaine and Gaheris made 
 great moan. " Alas " said Sir Gawaine, " mine arm grieveth 
 me sore I am like to be maimed ; " and so made his complaint 
 piteously. On the morrow early came one of the four ladies to 
 Sir Gawaine, which had heard all his complaints, and said, " Sir 
 knight, what cheer ? " " Not good," said he. " It is your own 
 default," said the lady, " for ye have done a passing foul deed 
 in the slaying of the lady, which will be great villainy to you. 
 But be ye not of King Arthur's kin ? " said the lady. " Yes, 
 truly," said Gawaine. " What is your name ? " said the lady, 
 " ye must tell it or that ye pass." " My name is Gawaine, King 
 Lot's son, of Orkney, and my mother is King Arthur's sister." 
 "Ah ! then ye are nephew unto King Arthur," said the lady, 
 " and I shall so speak for you, that ye shall have conduct to go 
 to King Arthur for his love." And so she departed, and told 
 the four knights how their prisoner was King Arthur's nephew, 
 " and his name is Gawaine, King Lot's son, of Orkney." Then
 
 THE BOOK OF THE THREE QUESTS. 67 
 
 they gave him the head of the white hart, because it was in his 
 quest. Then anon they delivered Sir Gawaine under this pro- 
 mise, that he should bear the dead lady with him in this 
 manner : her head was hanged about his neck, and the whole 
 body of her lay before him upon the mane of his horse : and in 
 this manner he rode forth towards Camelot. And anon as he 
 was come to the court, Merlin desired of King Arthur, that Sir 
 Gawaine should be sworn to tell of all his adventures, and so he 
 was : and showed how he slew the lady, and how he would give 
 no mercy to the knight, wherethrough the lady was villainously 
 slain. Then the King and the Queen were greatly displeased 
 with Sir Gawaine for the slaying of the lady : and, thereby, the 
 ordinance of the Queen was set to an inquest of ladies on Sir 
 Gawaine. And they judged him, ever while he lived to be with 
 all ladies, and to fight for their quarrels, and that he should ever ' 
 be courteous, and never to refuse mercy to him that asketh 
 mercy. Thus was Sir Gawaine sworn upon the four Evange- 
 lists, that he would never be against ladies nor gentlewomen, 
 but if he fought for a lady, and his adversary for another. And 
 thus endeth the adventure of Sir Gawaine, which he did at the 
 marriage of King Arthur. 
 
 IX. 
 
 THEN Sir Tor was ready, and he mounted on horseback, and 
 rode forth his way a good pace after the knight with the brachet. 
 And so as he rode, he met with a dwarf suddenly, which smote 
 his horse on the head with a staff, that he went backward more 
 than his spear's length. " In what intent doest thou smite my 
 horse ? " said Sir Tor. " For thou shalt not pass this way," said 
 the dwarf ; " but that thou shalt first joust with yonder knights, 
 that abide in yonder pavilions that thou seest." Then was Sir 
 Tor ware where two pavilions were, and great spears stood out, 
 and two shields hung on two trees by the pavilions. " I may 
 not tarry," said Sir Tor, "for I am in a quest which I must 
 needs follow." "Thou shalt not pass," said the dwarf; and 
 therewith he blew his horn. Then there came one armed on 
 horseback, and dressed his shield, and came fast toward Sir 
 Tor ; and he dressed him against him, and so ran together, that 
 Sir Tor bare him from his horse. And anon the knight yielded 
 him to his mercy : " But, sir, I have a fellow in yonder pavilion, 
 that will have ado with you anon." " He shall be welcome," 
 said Sir Tor. Then was he ware of another knight coming with 
 great random, and each of them dressed to other, that marvel it 
 was to see ; but the knight smote Sir Tor a great stroke in the
 
 68 THE BOOK OF THE THREE QUESTS. 
 
 midst of the shield, that his spear all to-shivered, and Sir Tor 
 smote him through the shield below, that it went through the 
 side of the knight, but the stroke slew him not. And therewith 
 Sir Tor alight, and smote him upon the helm a great stroke ; and 
 therewith the knight yielded him, and besought him of mercy. 
 " I will well," said Sir Tor, " but thou and thy fellow must go 
 unto King Arthur, and yield you prisoners to him." "By whom 
 shall we say that we are thither sent?" "Ye shall say, by 
 the knight that went with the brachet. Now what be your 
 names?" said Sir Tor. "My name is," said the one, "Sir 
 Felot of Langdoc." " And my name is," said the other, " Sir 
 Petipace of Winchelsea." " Now go. ye forth," said Sir Tor : 
 "God speed you and me." Then came the dwarf, and said to 
 Sir Tor, " I pray you to give me a gift." " I will well," said Sit 
 Tor. "I ask no more," said the dwarf, "but that ye will suffer 
 me to do you service, for I will serve no more recreant knights." 
 "Then take a horse anon," said Sir Tor, " and come on and ride 
 with me : I wot ye ride after the knight with the white brachet." 
 " I shall bring you where he is," said the dwarf. And so they 
 rode through the forest, and at the last they were ware of two 
 pavilions by a priory with two shields, and the one shield was 
 renewed with white, and the other shield was red. 
 
 X. 
 
 THEREWITH Sir Tor alighted, and took the dwarf his spear, 
 and so came to the white pavilion, and saw three damsels lie 
 therein on a pallet sleeping. And then he went unto that other 
 pavilion, and there he found a fair lady sleeping ; and there 
 was the white brachet that bayed at her fast. And therewith 
 anon the lady awoke and went out of the pavilion, and all her 
 damsels : but anon as Sir Tor espied the white brachet, he took 
 it by force, and took it to the dwarf. " What will ye do ? " 
 said the lady; "will ye take away my brachet from me?" 
 "Yea," said Sir Tor ; "this brachet have I sought from King 
 Arthur's court to this place." " Well," said the lady, " sir 
 knight, ye shall not go far with it, but that ye shall be met 
 withal or it be long, and also evil handled." " I shall abide it, 
 what adventure soever cometh by the grace of God : " and so 
 mounted upon his horse, and passed forth on his way toward 
 Camelot ; but it was so near night that he might not pass but 
 little further. " Know ye any lodging?" said Sir Tor. " I know 
 none," said the dwarf; "but here beside is a hermitage, and 
 there ye must take such lodging as ye find." And within awhile 
 they came to the hermitage and took lodging. And there was
 
 THE BOOK OF THE THREE QUESTS. 69 
 
 bread, and grass and oats for their horses ; soon it was sped, and 
 full hard was their supper ; but there they rested them all the 
 night till on the morrow, and heard a mass devoutly, and took 
 their leave of the hermit, and Sir Tor prayed the hermit to 
 pray for him. He said he would, and betook him to God ; and 
 so mounted on horseback, and rode toward Camelot a long 
 while. With that they heard a knight call loud that came after 
 them, and said, " Knight, abide and yield my brachet that thou 
 tookest from my lady." Sir Tor returned again and beheld 
 him, and saw he was a seemly knight, and well horsed and 
 armed at all points : then Sir Tor dressed his shield, and took 
 his spear in his hand, and the other came fiercely upon him, 
 and smote each other that both horse and men fell to the earth. 
 Anon they lightly arose, and drew their swords as eagerly as 
 two lions, and put their shields afore them, and smote through 
 their shields, that the cantels fell off on both parties ; and also 
 they brake their helms that the hot blood ran out, and the thick 
 mails of their halberts they carved and rove asunder, that the 
 hot blood ran to the ground, and they had both many great 
 wounds, and were passing weary. But Sir Tor espied that the 
 other knight fainted, and then he pursued fast upon him, and 
 doubled his strokes, and made him fall to the ground on the 
 one side. Then Sir Tor made him yield him. "That will I 
 not," said Abellius, "while my life lasteth, and the soul within 
 my body, unless that thou wilt give me the brachet." " That 
 will I not do," said Sir Tor, " for it was my quest to bring 
 again the brachet and thee, or else slay thee. :> 
 
 XI. 
 
 WITH that came a damsel riding upon a palfrey, as fast as 
 she might drive, and cried with a loud voice unto Sir Tor. 
 " What will ye with me ? " said Sir Tor. " I beseech thee," said 
 the damsel, " for King Arthur's love, give me a gift ; I require 
 thee, gentle knight, as thou art a gentleman." " Now, 1 ' said Sir 
 Tor, " ask a gift, and I will give it you." " Gramercy," said the 
 damsel, " I ask the head of this false knight Abellius, for he is 
 the most outrageous knight that liveth, and the greatest mur- 
 derer." " I am right sorry and loth," said Sir Tor, " of that gift 
 which I have granted ; let him make you amends in that which 
 lie hath trespassed against you." " He cannot make amends," 
 said the damsel, " for he hath slain mine own brother, which 
 was a better knight than ever he was, and he had no mercy upon 
 him ; insomuch that I kneeled half-an-hour afore him in the 
 mire, for to save my brother's life, which had done him no
 
 70 THE BOOK OF THE THREE QUESTS. 
 
 damage, but fought with by adventure of arms as knights 
 adventurous do ; and for all that I could do or say, he smote 
 off my brother's head ; wherefore I require thee, as thou art a 
 true knight, to give me my gift, or else I shall shame thee in all the 
 court of King Arthur, for he is the falsest knight living, and a great 
 destroyer of good knights." Then when Abellius heard this he 
 was sore afraid, and yielded him, and asked mercy. " I may 
 not now," said Sir Tor, " but if I should be found false of my 
 promise ; for when I would have taken you to mercy, ye would 
 none ask, but if ye had the brachet again that was my quest." 
 And therewith he took off his helm, and he arose and fled, and 
 Sir Tor after him, and smote off his head quite. "Now, sir," 
 said the damsel, " it is near night, I pray you come and lodge 
 with me here at my place, it is here fast by." " I will well," 
 said Sir Tor, for his horse and he had fared evil sith they 
 departed from Camelot. And so he rode with her, and had 
 passing good cheer with her ; and she had an old knight 
 to her husband, which made him passing good cheer, and 
 well eased Sir Tor and his horse. And on the morrow 
 he heard mass, and brake his fast, and took his leave of 
 the knight and of the lady, which besought him to tell them his 
 name. " Truly," said he, " my name is Sir Tor, that late was 
 made knight ; and this was the first request of arms that ever I 
 did to bring again that this knight Abellius took away from 
 King Arthur's court." " Oh 1 knight," said the lady and her 
 husband, "if ye come again here in our marches, come and see 
 our poor lodging, and it shall be always at your commandment." 
 So Sir Tor departed, and came to Camelot on the third day by 
 noon : and the King and the Queen, and all the court, was pass- 
 ing glad of his coming, and made great joy that he was come 
 again, for he went from the court with little succour ; but that 
 his father, King Pellinore, gave him an old courser, and King 
 Arthur gave him armour and a sword, and else had he none 
 other succour, but rode so forth himself alone. And then the 
 King and the Queen, by Merlin's advice, made him to swear to 
 tell of his adventures, and so he told and made profess of his 
 deeds, as it is afore rehearsed ; wherefore the King and the Queen 
 made great joy. "Nay," said Merlin, "these be but jests to 
 that he shall do ; he shall prove a noble knight of prowess, as 
 good as any is living, and gentle and courteous, and full of good 
 parts, and passing true of his promise, and never shall do 
 outrage." Where, through Merlin's words, King Arthur gave 
 him an earldom of lands that fell unto him : and here endeth 
 the quest of Sir Tor, King Pellinore's son.
 
 THE BOOK OF THE THREE QUESTS. 71 
 
 XII. 
 
 THEN King Pellinore armed him and mounted upon his horse 
 and rode more than a pace after the lady that the knight led 
 away. And so as he rode in the forest, he saw in a valley a 
 damsel sit by a well side, and a wounded knight between her 
 arms, and Sir Pellinore saluted her. And when she was ware 
 of him, she cried overloud, " Help me, knight, for Christ's 
 sake." King Pellinore would not tarry, he was so eager in his 
 quest ; and ever she cried more than a hundred times after help. 
 And when she saw he would not abide, she prayed unto God for 
 to send him as much need of help as she had, and that he 
 might know it or he died. And as the book telleth, the knight 
 died that lay there wounded ; wherefore the lady for pure 
 sorrow slew herself with her love's sword. So as King Pellinore 
 rode in that valley, he met with a poor labouring man. " Sawest 
 thou not," said King Pellinore, "a knight riding and leading 
 away a lady ? " " Yes," said the poor man. " I saw that 
 knight, and the lady that made great moan ; and yonder beneath 
 in a valley there shall ye see two pavilions, and one of the 
 knights of the pavilions challenged that lady of that knight, and 
 said, ' she was his near cousin, wherefore he should lead her no 
 farther ; ' and so they waged in that quarrel, for the one said, ' he 
 would have her by force ; ' and the other said, ' he would have 
 the rule of her, because he was her kinsman, and would lead 
 her to her friends ;' for this quarrel I left them fighting, and if 
 ye ride apace ye shall find them yet fighting, and the lady is in 
 keeping with the squires in the pavilions." "God thank thee," 
 said King Pellinore. Then he rode a gallop till that he had a 
 sight of the two pavilions, and the two knights fighting. Anon 
 rode he to the two pavilions, and saw the lady that was his 
 quest, and said to her, " Fair lady, ye must come with me unto 
 King Arthur's court" " Sir knight," said the two squires that 
 were with her, "yonder be two knights that fight for this lady, go 
 thither and depart them, and be agreed with them, and then may 
 ye have her at your own pleasure." " Ye say well," said King 
 Pellinore. And anon he rode between them, and parted them 
 asunder, and asked the cause why they fought. " Sir knight," 
 said the one, " I shall tell you : this lady is my nigh kinswoman, 
 mine aunt's daughter ; and when I heard her complain that she 
 was with him maugre her head, I waged battle to fight with him." 
 " Sir knight," said the other, whose name was Ontzlake, of Went- 
 land, "this lady I gat by my prowess of arms, this day of King 
 Arthur's court." "That is untruly said," quoth King Pellinore, "for
 
 72 THE BOOK OF THE THREE QUESTS. 
 
 ye came in there all suddenly, as we were at the high feast, and 
 took away this lady or any man might make him ready ; and 
 therefore it was my request for to bring her again, and you also, 
 or else the one of us to abide in the field ; therefore the lady 
 shall go with me to King Arthur, or I shall die for it, for I have 
 promised it unto him, and therefore fight no more for her, for 
 none of you both shall have no part of her at this time ; and if 
 ye list to fight for her, fight with me, and I will defend her." 
 " Well," said the knight, " make you ready, and we shall assail 
 you with all our power." And as King Pellinore would have put 
 his horse from them, and alight on foot, Sir Ontzlake run his 
 horse through with the sword, and said, " Now art thou on foot 
 as well as we." And when King Pellinore saw that his horse was 
 so slain, he was wrath, and then fiercely and lightly leapt from 
 his horse, and in great haste drew out his sword and put his 
 shield afore him, and said, " Knight, keep well thy head ; for 
 thou shall have a buffet for the slaying of my horse." So King 
 Pellinore gave him such a stroke upon the helm that he clove 
 down the head to the chin, and therewith he fell to the earth 
 dead. 
 
 XIII. 
 
 AND then he turned him to that other knight that was sore 
 wounded ; but when he had seen the buffet that the other had, 
 he would not fight, but kneeled down and said, "Take my 
 cousin, the lady, with you, at your request ; and I require you, 
 as ye be a true knight, put her to no shame nor villainy." 
 " What," said King Pellinore, " will ye not fight for her ? " " No, 
 sir," said the knight, " I will not fight with a knight of prowess 
 as ye be." " Well," said King Pellinore, " ye say well ; I 
 promise you she shall have no villainy by me, as I am a true 
 knight. But now I lack a horse," said King Pellinore, " I will 
 have Ontzlake's horse." " Ye shall not need," said the knight ; 
 u for I shall give you such a horse as shall please you, so that ye 
 will lodge with me, for it is near night." "I will well," said 
 King Pellinore, " abide with you all night." And there he had 
 with him right good cheer, and fared of the best, with passing 
 good wine, and had merry rest that night ; and on the morrow 
 he heard a mass, and after dined, and then was brought him a 
 fair bay courser, and King Pellinore's saddle set upon him. 
 " Now what shall I call you ? " said the knight, " inasmuch as ye 
 have my cousin at your desire of your quest." " Sir, I shall tell 
 you : my name is Pellinore, king of the Isles, and knight of the 
 Round Table." " Now I am glad," said the knight, " lhat such
 
 THE BOOK OF THE THREE QUESTS. 73 
 
 a noble man as ye shall have the rule of my cousin." "What is 
 now your name?" said King Pellinore : "I pray you tell me." 
 "Sir," said he, "my name is Sir Meliot of Logurs, and this lady, 
 my cousin, hight Nimue ; and the knight, that is in that other 
 pavilion, is my sworn brother, a passing good knight, and his 
 name is Brian of the Isles, and he is full loth to do any wrong, 
 and full loth to fight with any man or knight ; but if he be 
 sought upon, so that for shame he may not leave." " It is 
 marvel," said King Pellinore, " that he will not have ado with 
 me." " Sir, he will not have ado with no man but if it be at his 
 request." " Bring him one of these to the court of King 
 Arthur," said King Pellinore. "Sir, we will come together." 
 "Ye shall be greatly welcome there," said King Pellinore, "and 
 also greatly allowed for your coming." And so he departed 
 with the lady, and brought her to Camelot. So, as they rode in 
 a valley that was full of stones, the lady's horse stumbled, and 
 threw her down, wherewith her arm was sore bruised, and near 
 she swooned for pain and anguish. " Alas ! sir," said the lady, 
 "mine arm is out of joint, wherethrough I must needs rest me." 
 " Ye shall do well," said King Pellinore. And so he alighted 
 under a fair tree, whereas was fair grass, and he put his horse 
 thereto, and so laid him under the tree, and slept till it was nigh 
 night, and when he awoke he would have ridden. " Sir," said 
 the lady, " it is so dark that ye may as well ride backward as 
 forward." So they abode still and make there their lodging. 
 Then King Pellinore put off his armour, and then, a little before 
 midnight, they heard the trotting of a horse. " Be ye still," 
 said King Pellinore, " for we shall hear of some adventure." 
 
 XIV. 
 
 AND therewith he armed him. So, right even afore him, 
 there met two knights ; the one came from Camelot, and the 
 other from the north, and either saluted other. "What tidings 
 at Camelot ? " said the one. " By my head," said the other, 
 " there have I been, and espied the court of King Arthur ; and 
 there is such a fellowship that they may never be broke, and 
 well nigh all the world holdeth with King Arthur : for there is 
 the flower of chivalry. Now for this cause I am riding into the 
 north to tell our chieftains of the fellowship which is withholden 
 with King Arthur." " As for that," said the other knight, " I 
 have brought a remedy with me, that is the greatest poison that 
 ever ye heard speak of, and to Camelot will I with it ; for we 
 have a friend right nigh King Arthur, and well cherished, that 
 shall poison King Arthur : so he hath promised our chieftains,
 
 74 THE BOOK OF THE THREE QUESTS. 
 
 and hath received great gifts for to do it." " Beware," said the 
 other knight, "of Merlin, for he knoweth all things by the 
 devil's craft ; therefore will I not let it," said the knight. And 
 so they departed in sunder. Anon after King Pellinore made 
 him ready, and his lady, and rode towards Camelot ; and as 
 they came by the well, whereas the wounded knight was, and 
 the lady, there he found the knight and the lady eaten with lions, 
 or wild beasts, all save the head ; wherefore he made great 
 mourn, and wept passing sore, and said, "Alas! her life I 
 might have saved ; but I was so fierce in my quest, therefore I 
 would not abide." "Wherefore make ye such dole?" said 
 the lady. " I wot not," said King Pellinore ; " but my heart 
 mourneth sore for the death of this lady, for she was a passing 
 fair lady, and a young." " Now shall ye do by mine advice," 
 said the lady : " take this knight, and let him be buried in a 
 hermitage, and then take the lady's head and bear it with you 
 unto King Arthur's court." So King Pellinore took this dead 
 knight on his shoulders, and had him to the hermitage, and 
 charged the hermit with his corpse, and that service should be 
 done for the soul, and take his harness for your labour and pain. 
 " It shall be done," said the hermit, " as I will answer to God." 
 
 XV. 
 
 AND therewith they departed, and came whereas the head of 
 the lady lay with fair yellow hair, which grieved King Pellinore 
 passing sore when he looked upon it ; for much he cast his 
 heart on the visage. And so by noon they came to Camelot, 
 and King Arthur and the Queen were passing glad of his coming 
 to the court ; and there he was made to swear, upon the four 
 Evangelists, for to tell all the truth of his quest, from the begin- 
 ning unto the ending. "Ah! Sir Pellinore," said the Queen, 
 " ye were greatly to blame that ye saved not the lady's life." 
 "Madam," said King Pellinore, "ye were greatly to blame and 
 if ye would not save your own self and ye might : but, saving 
 your honour, I was so furiaus in my quest that I would not 
 abide, and that repenteth me, and shall do all the days of my 
 life." " Truly," said Merlin, " ye ought sore to repent it ; for 
 the lady was your own daughter, born of the Lady of the Rule, 
 and that knight that was dead was her love, and should have 
 wedded her, and he was a right good knight of a young man, 
 and would have proved a good man, and to this court was he 
 coming, and his name is Sir Miles of the Launds, and a knight 
 came behind him and slew him with a spear, and his name is 
 Loraine le Savage, a false knight, and a very coward, and she for
 
 THE BOOK OF MORGAN LE FA Y. 75 
 
 great sorrow slew herself with his sword, and her name was 
 Eleine ; and because ye would not abide and help her, ye shall 
 see your best friend fail you when ye be in the greatest distress 
 that ever ye were, or shall be in : and that penance God hath 
 ordained you for that deed, that he that ye shall most trust to, 
 of any man alive, he shall leave you there as ye shall be slain." 
 "Me forethinketh," said King Pellinore, "that this shall betide 
 me ; but God may well foredo all destinies." 
 
 Thus when the quest was done of the white hart that Sir 
 Gawaine followed, and the quest of the brachet followed of Sir 
 Tor, son unto King Pellinore, and the quest of the lady that the 
 knight took away, the which King Pellinore at that time 
 followed, then King Arthur established all his knights, and gave 
 them lands, that were not rich of land, and charged them never 
 to do outrage nor murder, and always to flee treason ; also by 
 no means to be cruel, but to give mercy unto him that asked 
 mercy, upon pain of forfeiture of their worship and lordship of 
 King Arthur for evermore ; and always to do ladies, damsels, 
 and gentlewomen succour, upon pain of death : also that no 
 man take no battles in a wrong quarrel for no law, nor for 
 worldly goods. Unto this were all the knights sworn of the 
 Round Table, both old and young ; and every year they were 
 sworn at the high feast of Pentecost. 
 
 THE BOOK OF MORGAN LE FAY, AND THE 
 
 THREE DAMSELS. 
 
 I. 
 
 HEN after these quests of Sir Gawaine, of Sir Tor, 
 and of King Pellinore, Merlin fell in a dotage on the 
 damsel that King Pellinore brought to the court with 
 him ; and she was one of the damsels of the lake, 
 which hight Nimue. But Merlin would let her 
 have no rest, but always he would be with her in every 
 place ; and ever she made Merlin good cheer, till she had 
 learned of him all manner of things that she desired, and 
 he was so sore assotted upon her that he might not be from 
 her. So, upon a time, he told unto King Arthur, " That he 
 should not endure long, and that, for all his crafts, he should 
 be put in the earth quick." And so he told the king many 
 things that should befall ; but always he warned King Arthur to 
 keep well his sword Excalibur, and the scabbard ; for he told
 
 76 THE BOOK OF MORGAN LE FA Y. 
 
 him how the sword and the scabbard should be stolen from him 
 by a woman that he most trusted. Also he told King Arthur 
 that he would miss him, yet had ye rather than all your lands to 
 have me again. "Ah ! " said the King, "since I know of your 
 adventure purvey for it, and put away, by your crafts, that mis- 
 adventure." "Nay," said Merlin, "it will not be." And then 
 he departed from King Arthur. And within a while the Lady 
 of the Lake departed, and Merlin went evermore with her 
 wheresoever she went. And oftentimes Merlin would have had 
 her privily away by his subtle crafts ; and then she made him 
 to swear that he should never do none enchantment upon her if 
 he would have his will : and so he swore. 
 
 So she and Merlin went over the sea unto the land of Benwick, 
 where King Ban was king, that had great war against King 
 Claudas : and there Merlin spake with King Ban's wife, a fair 
 lady and a good, and her name was Elaine, and there he saw 
 young Launcelot. There the Queen made great sorrow for the 
 mortal war that King Claudas made on her lord and on her 
 lands. "Take no heaviness," said Merlin, "for this child, 
 within these twenty years, shall revenge you on King Claudas, 
 that all Christendom shall speak of it, and this same child shall 
 be the most man of worship of this world ; and I know well that 
 his first name was Galahad, and sith ye have confirmed him 
 Launcelot." " That is truth," said the Queen ; " his first name 
 was Galahad." " Oh ! Merlin," said the Queen, " shall I live to 
 see my son such a man of prowess ? " " Yea, lady, on my peril 
 ye shall see it, and live after many winters." And then, soon 
 after, the Lady of the Lake and Merlin departed ; and by the way 
 as they went Merlin showed her many wonders, and came into 
 Cornwall. And always Merlin lay about the lady ; and she was 
 ever passing weary of him, and fain would have been delivered 
 of him ; for she was afraid of him, because he was a devil's son, 
 and she could not put him away by any means. 
 
 And so, upon a time, it happened that Merlin showed to her 
 a rock where was a great wonder, and wrought by enchant- 
 ment, which went under a stone. So, by her subtle craft and 
 working, she made Merlin to go under the stone to let her wit 
 of the marvels there ; but she wrought so there for him, that he 
 came never out, for all the craft that he could do : and so she 
 departed, and left Merlin. 
 
 II. 
 
 AND then King Arthur rode to Camelot, and there he made a 
 solemn feast, with mirth and joy. So anon after he returned to 
 Carlisle, and there came to King Arthur new tidings, that the
 
 THE BOOK OF MORGAN LE FA Y. 77 
 
 King of Denmark, and the King of Ireland his brother, and 
 the King of Wales, and the King of Soleyse, and the King 
 of the Isle of Longtainse ; all these five knights, with a 
 great host, were entered into King Arthur's land, and 
 burnt and slew all that they found afore them, both cities 
 and castles, that it was great pity to see. " Alas ! " said 
 King Arthur, "yet had I never rest one month, sith I was 
 crowned king of this land. Now shall I never rest till I meet 
 with those kings in a fair field, and to that I make mine avow ; 
 for my true liege people shall not be destroyed in my default, go 
 with me who will, and abide who will." Then the King let write 
 unto King Pellinore, and prayed him in all haste to make him 
 ready, with such people as he might lightliest rear, and hie him 
 after in all haste. All the barons were privily wrath that the 
 King should depart so suddenly : but the King by no means 
 would abide, but made writings unto them that were not there, 
 and bade them hie after him such as were not at that 
 time in the court. Then the King came to Queen Guen- 
 ever, and said, " Lady, make you ready ; for ye shall go 
 with me, for I may not long miss you : ye shall cause me to be 
 the more hardier, what adventure soever befall me ; I will not 
 wit my lady to be in any jeopardy." " Sir," said she, " I am at 
 your command, and shall be ready what time soever ye be 
 ready." So on the morrow the King and the Queen departed with 
 such fellowship as they had, and came into the north in a forest 
 beside the Humber, and there lodged them. When the tidings 
 came to the five kings above said, that King Arthur was beside 
 the Humber in a forest, there was a knight, brother unto one of 
 the five kings, that gave them this counsel : " Ye know well 
 that King Arthur has with him the flower of chivalry of the 
 world, as it is proved by the great battle he did with the 
 eleven kings ; and, therefore, hie unto him night and day, till 
 that we be nigh him ; for the longer he tarrieth the bigger he 
 is, and we ever the weaker. And he is so courageous of him- 
 self, that he is come to the field with little people : and, there- 
 fore, let us set upon him or it be day, and we shall so slay of 
 his knights that there shall not one escape." 
 
 III. 
 
 UNTO this counsel the five kings assented ; and so they passed 
 forth with their host through North Wales, and came upon King 
 Arthur by night, and set upon his host, he and his knights being 
 in their pavilions ; and King Arthur was unarmed, and had laid 
 him to rest with the Queen. " Sirs," said Sir Kaye, " it is not
 
 78 THE BOOK OF MORGAN LE FA Y. 
 
 good that we be unarmed." " We shall have no need," said Sir 
 Gawaine and Sir Griflet, that lay in a little pavilion by the King. 
 With that they heard a great noise, and many cried " Treason ! " 
 " Alas ! " said King Arthur, " we are all betrayed. Unto arms, 
 fellows ! " cried he then. So they were anon armed at all 
 points. Then came there a wounded knight unto King Arthur, 
 and said to him, " Sir, save yourself and my lady, the Queen ; 
 for our host is destroyed, and much people of ours slain." So 
 anon the King, and the Queen, and three knights, rode towards 
 the Humber to pass over it, and the water was so rough that 
 they were afraid to pass over. " Now may ye choose," said 
 King Arthur, " whether ye will abide, and take the adventure 
 upon this side ; for, and ye be taken, they will slay you." " It 
 were me rather," said the Queen, " to die in the water, than for 
 to fall into your enemies' hands, and there to be slain." And as 
 they stood so talking Sir Kaye saw the five kings coming, on 
 horseback, by themselves alone, with their spears in their hands, 
 towards them. " Lo I " said Sir Kaye, " yonder be the five 
 kings ; let us go to them, and match them." " That were folly," 
 said Sir Gawaine; "for we are but four, and they be five." 
 " That is truth," said Sir Griflet. " No force," said Sir Kaye. 
 " I will undertake two of them, and may ye three undertake the 
 other three." And therewith Sir Kaye let his horse run as fast 
 as he might, and struck one of them through the shield and the 
 body of a fathom deep, that the king fell to the earth stark dead. 
 That saw Sir Gawaine, and ran unto another king so hard, that 
 he smote him through the body ; and therewith King Arthur 
 ran to another, and smote him through the body with a spear, 
 that he fell down to the earth dead ; then Sir Griflet ran to the 
 fourth king, and gave him such a fall, that he broke his neck. 
 Anon Sir Kaye ran unto the fifth king, and smote him so hard 
 upon the helm, that the stroke cleaved the helm and the head 
 to the shoulders. " That was well stricken," said King Arthur, 
 " and most worshipfully hast thou holden thy promise ; there- 
 fore I shall honour thee as long as I live." And therewith they 
 set the Queen in a barge in the Humber ; but always Queen 
 Guenever praised Sir Kaye for his noble deeds, and said, 
 " What lady that ye love, and she love you not again, she were 
 greatly to blame ; and among ladies," said the Queen, " I shall 
 bear your noble fame ; for ye spake a great word, and fulfilled 
 it worshipfully." And therewith the Queen departed. Then the 
 King and the three knights rode into the forest ; for there they 
 supposed to hear of them that were escaped, and there King 
 Arthur found the most part of his people, and told them all how
 
 THE BOOK OF MORGAN LE FA Y. 79 
 
 the five kings were dead : "and, therefore, let us hold to- 
 gether till it be day, and when their host espy that their 
 chieftains be slain, they will make such sorrow that they shall 
 not be able to help themselves." Right so as the King had said, 
 so it was ; for when they found the five kings dead, they made 
 such sorrow, that they fell down from their horses. Therewith 
 came King Arthur, with a few people, and slew on the right 
 hand and on the left, that well nigh there escaped no man ; but 
 all were slain to the number of thirty thousand men. And 
 when the battle was all ended King Arthur kneeled down and 
 thanked God full meekly ; and then he sent for the Queen, and 
 she came anon, and made great joy for the victory of that 
 dangerous battle. 
 
 IV. 
 
 THEREWITHAL came one to King Arthur, and told him tha 
 King Pellinore was within three miles with a great host, and 
 said, " Go unto him, and let him have knowledge how we have 
 sped." So within a while King Pellinore came with a great 
 host, and saluted the people and the King : and there was great 
 joy made on every side. Then King Arthur let search how 
 much people of his party there was slain, and there were found 
 not past a two hundred men slain, and eight knights of the 
 Round Table in their pavilions. Then the King let rear and 
 built, in the same place there as the battle was done, a fair 
 abbey, and endowed it with great livelihood, and let call it the 
 Abbey of le Beale Adventure. But when some of them came 
 into their countries, there as the five kings were kings, and told 
 them how they were slain, there was made great sorrow. And 
 when all King Arthur's enemies (as the King of North Wales, 
 and the King of the North) wist of the battle, they were passing 
 heavy. And so the King returned to Camelot in haste ; and 
 when he was come to Camelot he called King Pellinore unto 
 him, and said, " Ye understand well that we have lost eight 
 good knights of the Table Round ; and, by your advice, we will 
 choose eight again of the best that we may find in this court." 
 " Sir," said King Pellinore, " I shall counsel you, after my con- 
 ceit, the best : there are in your court right noble knights, both 
 old and young ; and, therefore, by mine advice, ye shall choose 
 th* one half of old, aud the other half of young." "Which be 
 the cM ?" said King Arthur. " Sir," said King Pellinore, "me 
 seemeth that King Urience, that hath wedded your sister, 
 Morgan le Fay ; and the King of the Lake ; and Sir Hervise de 
 ^vel, a noble knight ; and Sir Galagars, the fourth." "This
 
 8o THE BOOK OF MORGAN LE FA Y. 
 
 is well devised," said King Arthur; "and right so shall it be." 
 "Sir," said King Pellinore, "the first is Sir Gawaine, your 
 nephew, that is as good a knight of his time as any is in this 
 land ; and the second, as me seemeth, is Sir Griflet le Fils de 
 Dieu, that is a good knight, and full desirous in arms, and, who 
 may see him live, he shall prove a good knight ; and the third, 
 as me seemeth well worthy, is Sir Kaye, the seneschal ; for 
 many time she hath done full worshipful : and now at your last 
 battle he did full honourably for to undertake to slay two 
 kings." "By my head," said King Arthur, "he is best worthy 
 to be a knight of the Round Table of any that ye have 
 rehearsed, and he had done no more prowess all the days of 
 my life." 
 
 V. 
 
 THEN said King Pellinore, "Now shall I put to you two 
 knights, and ye shall choose which is most worthy, that is, Sir 
 Bagdemagus and Sir Tor, my son. But because Sir Tor is my 
 son, I may not praise him ; but else and he were not my son, I 
 durst say that, of his age, there is not in this land a better knight 
 than he is, nor of better conditions, and loth to do any wrong, 
 and loth to take any wrong." " By my head," said King 
 Arthur, "he is a passing good knight as any ye spake of this 
 day, and that know I full well, for I have seen him proved ; and 
 he saith little, but he doth much more ; for I know none in all his 
 court, and he were as well born on his mother's side as he is on 
 your side, that is like him of prowess and of might, and there- 
 fore I will have him at this time, and leave Sir Bagdemagus till 
 another time." And when they were so chosen, by the assent of 
 all the barons, so were there found in their sieges every knight's 
 name, as is afore rehearsed. And so were they set in their 
 sieges ; whereof Sir Bagdemagus was wondrous wrath, that Sir 
 Tor was so advanced, and therefore suddenly he departed from 
 the court of King Arthur, and took his squire with him, and rode 
 long in a forest, till they came to a cross, and there he alighted, 
 and said his prayers devotedly. The meanwhile his squire 
 found written upon the cross that Bagdemagus should never 
 return again to the court till he had won a knight's body of the 
 Round Table, body for body. " Lo ! sir," said his squire, " here 
 I find written of you ; therefore I bid you return again to the 
 court." "That shall I never," said Bagdemagus, "till men 
 speak of me great worship, and that I be worthy to be a knight 
 of the Round Table." And so he rode forth, and by the way he 
 found a branch of a holy herb, that was the sign of the
 
 7 HE BOOK OF MORGAN LE FA Y. 81 
 
 Sancgreal, and no knight found such tokens but he were a good 
 liver. So as Sir Bagdemagus rode to so many adventures, it 
 happened him to come to the rock there as the Lady of the 
 Lake had put Merlin under a stone, and there he heard him 
 make great moan, wherefore Sir Bagdemagus would have 
 helpen him, and went to the great stone, and it was so heavy 
 that a hundred men might not lift it up. When Merlin wist that 
 he was there, he bid him leave his labour, for all was in vain, 
 and might never be helpen but by her that put him there ; and 
 so Sir Bagdemagus departed, and did many adventures, and 
 proved after a full good knight of prowess, and came again to 
 the court of King Arthur, and was made knight of the Round 
 Table. And so on the morrow there fell new tidings, and other 
 adventures. 
 
 VI. 
 
 THEN it befell that King Arthur, and many of his knights, 
 rode on hunting into a great forest, and it happened King 
 Arthur, King Urience, and Sir Accolon, of Gaul, followed a 
 great hart, for they three were well horsed, and they chased so 
 fast that within awhile they three were ten miles from their 
 fellowship, and at the last they chased so sore, that they slew 
 their horses under them. Then were they all three on foot, and 
 ever they saw the hart afore them, passing weary and ambushed. 
 "What will ye do?" said King Arthur, "we are hard bested." 
 " Let us go on foot," said King Urience, " till we may meet with 
 some lodging." Then were they ware of the hart, that lay on a 
 great water bank, and a brachet biting upon his throat, and 
 many other hounds came after. Then King Arthur blew the 
 prize, and dight the hart there. Then King Arthur looked 
 about him, and saw afore him, in a great water, a little ship, all 
 appareled with silk, down to the water, and the ship came 
 straight unto them, and landed on the sands. Then King 
 Arthur went to the bank, and looked in, and saw none earthly 
 creature therein. " Sirs," said the king, "come thence, and let 
 us see what is in this ship." So they went in all three, and 
 found it richly hanged with cloth of silk ; and by that time it 
 was dark night, there suddenly were about them a hundred 
 torches, set on all the sides of the shipboards, and gave a great 
 light. And therewith came out twelve fair damsels, and saluted 
 King Arthur on their knees, and called him by his name, and 
 said he was welcome, and such cheer as they had he should 
 have of the best. And the King thanked them fair. Therewith 
 they led the King and his two fellows into a fair chamber, and 
 
 6
 
 82 THE BOOK OF MORGAN LE FA Y. 
 
 there was a cloth laid, richly beseen, of all that belonged to a 
 table, and there they were served of all wines and meats that 
 they could think of, that the King had great marvel : for he 
 fared never better in his life for one supper. And so, when they 
 had supped at their leisure, King Arthur was led into a 
 chamber, a richer beseen chamber saw he never none, and so 
 was King Urience served, and led into another chamber ; and 
 Sir Accolon was led into the third chamber, passing rich and 
 well beseen. And so were they laid in their beds right easily, 
 and anon they fell on sleep, and slept marvellously sore all that 
 night. And on the morrow King Urience was in Camelot, 
 a-bed in his wife's arms, Morgan le Fay : and when he awoke 
 he had great marvel how he came there, for on the even afore 
 he was about two days' journey from Camelot. And also, when 
 King Arthur awoke, he found himself in a dark prison, hearing 
 about him many complaints of woeful knights. 
 
 VII. 
 
 THEN said King Arthur, " What are ye that so complain ? " 
 " We are here twenty good knights prisoners,' 1 said they, " and 
 some of us have lain here seven years, and some more and 
 some less." " For what cause ? " said King Arthur. " We shall 
 tell you," said the knights. " The lord of this castle is named 
 Sir Damas, and he is the falsest knight that liveth, and full of 
 treason, and a very coward as any liveth ; and he hath a 
 younger brother, a good knight of prowess, his name is Sir 
 Ontzlake, and this traitor, Damas, the elder, will give him no 
 part of his livelihood, but that Sir Ontzlake keepeth through his 
 prowess, and so he keepeth from him a full fair manor, and a 
 rich ; and therein Sir Ontzlake dwelleth worshipfully, and is 
 beloved of all the people and commonalty. And this Sir Damas, 
 our master, is as evil beloved, for he is without mercy, and he 
 is a very coward, and great war hath been between them both ; 
 but Sir Ontzlake hath ever the better, and ever he proffereth 
 Sir Damas to fight for the livelihood, body for body, but he will 
 do nothing ; or else to find a knight to fight with him, unto that 
 Sir Damas hath granted, to find a knight, but he is so evil, and 
 hated, that there is no knight that will fight for him. And 
 when Sir Damas saw this, that there was no knight that would 
 fight for him, he hath daily lain in a wait, with many knights 
 with him, to take all the knights in this country, to see and espy 
 their adventures ; he hath taken them by force, and brought 
 them into his prison, and so he took us severally, as we rode on
 
 THE BOOK OF MORGAN LE FA Y. 83 
 
 our adventures ; and many good knights have died in this 
 prison for hunger, to the number of eighteen knights ; and if 
 any of us all that is here, or hath been, would have foughten 
 with his brother Ontzlake, he would have delivered us ; but 
 because this Sir Damas is so false, and. so full of treason, we 
 would never fight for him to die for it ; and we be so lean 
 for hunger, that we may hardly stand on our feet." " God 
 deliver you, for His mercy," said King Arthur. Anon therewith 
 came a damsel unto King Arthur, and asked him, " What 
 cheer ? " "I cannot tell," said he. " Sir," quoth she, " and ye 
 will fight for my lord, ye shall be delivered out of prison, or else 
 ye shall never escape with your life." " Now," said King 
 Arthur, " that is hard ; yet had rather I to fight with a knight 
 than to die in prison : if I may be delivered with this, and all 
 these prisoners," said King Arthur, " I will do the battle." 
 " Yes," said the damsel. " I am ready," said King Arthur, " if 
 I had a horse and armour." " Ye shall lack none," said the 
 damsel. " Me seemeth, damsel, I should have seen you in 
 the court of King Arthur." " Nay," said the damsel, " I came 
 never there ; I am the lord's daughter of this castle." Yet was 
 she false, for she was one of the damsels of Morgan le Fay. 
 Anon she went unto Sir Damas, and told him how he would do 
 battle for him. And so he sent for King Arthur ; and when he 
 came he was well coloured, and well made of his limbs, and 
 that all the knights that saw him said it were a pity that such a 
 knight should die in prison. So Sir Damas and he were agreed 
 that he should fight for him, upon this covenant, that all the 
 other knights should be delivered ; and unto that was Sir 
 Damas sworn unto King Arthur, and also to do this battle to 
 the uttermost. And with that all the twenty knights were 
 brought out of the dark prison into the hall, and delivered ; 
 and so they all abode to see the battle. 
 
 VIII. 
 
 TURN we unto Sir Accolon of Gaul, that when he awoke he 
 found himself by a deep well side, within half-a-foot in great 
 peril of death, and there came out of that fountain a pipe of 
 silver, and out of that pipe ran water all on high in stone of 
 marble. And when Sir Accolon saw this, he blessed him and 
 said, "Jesus, save my lord, King Arthur, and King Urience, for 
 these damsels in this ship have betrayed us ; they were devils 
 and no women ; and if I may escape this misadventure, I shall 
 destroy all where I may find these false damsels that use
 
 84 THE BOOK OF MORGAN LE FA Y. 
 
 enchantments." And with that there came a dwarf with a great 
 mouth and flat nose, and saluted Sir Accolon, and said how he 
 came from Queen Morgan le Fay, " and she greeteth you well, 
 and biddeth you to be strong of heart, for ye shall fight to- 
 morrow with a knight 'at the hour of prime ; and, therefore, she 
 hath sent you here Excalibur, King Arthur's sword, and the 
 scabbard ; and she desireth you, as you love her, that ye do the 
 battle to the uttermost, without any mercy, like as ye have 
 promised her when ye spake together in private ; and, what 
 damsel that bringeth her the knight's head that ye shall fight 
 withal, she will make her a rich queen for ever." " Now I 
 understand you well," said Sir Accolon, " I shall hold that I 
 have promised her, now I have the sword. When saw ye my 
 lady, Queen Morgan ? " " Right late," said the dwarf. Then 
 Sir Accolon took him in his arms, and said, "Recommend me 
 unto my lady, Queen Morgan, and tell her, that all shall be done 
 as I have promised her, or else I will die for it. Now I 
 suppose," said Sir Accolon, " she hath made all these crafts and 
 enchantments for this battle." " Ye may well believe it," said 
 the dwarf. Right so came a knight and a lady with six squires, 
 and saluted Sir Accolon, and prayed him to arise, and come and 
 rest him at his manor. And so Sir Accolon mounted upon a 
 spare horse, and went with the knight into a fair manor by a 
 priory, and there he had passing good cheer. Then Sir Damas 
 sent unto his brother, Sir Ontzlake, and bid him make him ready 
 by to-morrow, at the hour of prime, and to be in the field to 
 fight with a good knight, for he had found a knight that was 
 ready to do battle at all points. When this word came unto Sir 
 Ontzlake he was passing heavy, for he was wounded a little too 
 sore through both his thighs with a spear, and made great moan, 
 but for all he was wounded he would have taken the battle in 
 hand. So it happened at that time, by the means of Morgan le 
 Fay, Sir Accolon was lodged with Sir Ontzlake, and when he 
 heard of that battle, and how Sir Ontzlake was wounded, he said 
 he would fight for him, because Morgan le Fay had sent him 
 Excalibur and the scabbard for to fight with the knight on the 
 morrow. This was the cause Sir Accolon took the battle in 
 hand. Then Sir Ontzlake was passing glad, and thanked Sir 
 Accolon heartily that he would do so much for him. And there- 
 with Sir Ontzlake sent word to his brother, Sir Damas, that he 
 had a knight that for him should be ready in the field by the 
 hour of prime. 
 
 So on the morrow King Arthur was armed and well horsed, 
 and asked Sir Damas, " When shall we go to the field ? " "Sir,"
 
 THE BOOK OF MORGAN LE FA Y. 85 
 
 said Sir Damas, "ye shall hear mass." And when mass was 
 done, there came a squire on a great horse, and asked Sir 
 Damas if his knight was ready ? " for our knight is ready in the 
 field." Then King Arthur mounted on horseback, and there 
 were all the knights and commons of the country ; and so by all 
 advices there were chosen twelve good men of the country for to 
 wait upon the two knights. And, as King Arthur was upon 
 horseback, there came a damsel from Morgan le Fay, and 
 brought unto King Arthur a sword like unto Excalibur, and the 
 scabbard, and said unto King Arthur, " Morgan le Fay sendeth 
 you here your sword for great love." And he thanked her, and 
 weened it had been so, but she was false, for the sword and the 
 scabbard was counterfeit, brittle, and false. 
 
 IX. 
 
 AND then they dressed them on both parties of the field, and 
 let their horses run so fast, that either smote other in the midst 
 of their shields with their spears, that both horses and men went 
 to the ground, and then they started up both and drew out their 
 swords : and, in the meantime, while that they were thus fight- 
 ing, came the damsel of the lake into the field that had put 
 Merlin under the stone; and she came thither for the love of 
 King Arthur, for she knew how Morgan le Fay had so ordained 
 that King Arthur should have been slain that day ; and, there- 
 fore, she came to save his life. And so they went eagerly to do 
 their battle, and gave many sad strokes ; but always King 
 Arthur's sword was not like Sir Accolon's ; so that, for the most 
 part, every stroke that Sir Accolon gave he wounded King 
 Arthur sore, that it was marvel that he stood, and always his 
 blood fell fast from him. When King Arthur beheld the ground 
 so sore beblooded he was dismayed, and then he deemed 
 treason that his sword was changed, for his sword was not still 
 as it was wont to do, therefore was he sore adread to be dead, 
 for ever him seemed that the sword in Sir Accolon's hand was 
 Excalibur ; for at every stroke that Sir Accolon struck, he drew 
 blood on King Arthur. " Now, knight," said Sir Accolon to 
 King Arthur, "keep thee well from me." But King Arthur 
 answered not again, and gave him such a buffet on the helm, 
 that he made him to stoop, nigh falling to the ground. Then 
 Sir Accolon withdrew him a little, and came on with Excalibur 
 on high, and smote King Arthur such a buffet, that he fell nigh 
 to the earth. Then were they both wrath, and gave each other 
 many sore strokes ; but always King Arthur lost so much blood,
 
 86 THE BOOK OF MORGAN LE FA Y. 
 
 that it was marvel that he stood on his feet ; but he was so full 
 of knighthood, that knightly he endured the pain. And Sir 
 Accolon lost not a drop of blood, therefore he waxed passing 
 light, and King Arthur was passing feeble, and thought verily to 
 have died. But, for all that, he made countenance as though he 
 might endure, and held Sir Accolon as short as he might : but 
 Sir Accolon was so bold because of Excalibur, that he waxed 
 passing hardy. But all men that beheld them said they saw 
 never knight fight so well as did King Arthur, considering the 
 blood that he bled, and all the people were sorry for him, but 
 the two brethren would not accord. Then always they fought 
 together as fierce knights, and King Arthur withdrew him a little 
 for to rest him, and Sir Accplon called him to battle and said, 
 " It is no time for me to suffer thee to rest." And therewith he 
 came fiercely upon King Arthur, and King Arthur was wrath for 
 the blood that he had lost, and smote Sir Accolon upon the 
 helm so mightly, that he made him nigh fall to the earth, and 
 therewith King Arthur's sword brake at the cross, and fell in the 
 grass among the blood, and the pommel and the handle he held 
 in his hand. When King Arthur saw that, he was greatly afraid 
 to die, but always he held up his shield, and lost no ground, nor 
 abated any cheer. 
 
 X. 
 
 THEN Sir Accolon began to say thus, with words of treason : 
 " Knight, thou art overcome, and mayest no longer endure ; 
 and, also, thou art weaponless, and thou hast lost much of thy 
 blood, and I am full loth to slay thee ; therefore, yield thee as 
 recreant." " Nay," said King Arthur, " I may not so, for I 
 have promised to do thee battle to the uttermost by the faith of 
 my body while my life lasted ; and, therefore, I had rather 
 to die with honour than to live with shame ; and if it were 
 possible for me to die a hundred times, I had rather so often 
 die than to yield me to thee ; for, though I lack weapon, and 
 am weaponless, yet shall I lack no worship ; and if thou slay 
 me weaponless, it shall be to thy shame." " Well," said Sir 
 Accolon, " as for the shame, I will not spare. Now keep thee 
 from me," said Sir Accolon, "for thou art but a dead man." 
 And therewith, Sir Accolon gave him such a stroke, that he fell 
 nigh to the earth, and would not have King Arthur to cry him 
 mercy. But King Arthur pressed unto Sir Accolon with his 
 shield, and gave him, with the pommel in his hand, such a 
 buffet, that he went three strides back. When the damsel 
 of the lake beheld King Arthur, how full of prowess and
 
 THE BOOK OF MORGAN LE FA Y. 87 
 
 worthiness his body was, and the false treason that was 
 wrought for him to have slain him, she had great pity that 
 so good a knight, and so noble a man of worship, should be 
 destroyed. And, at the next stroke, Sir Accolon struck him 
 such a stroke, that, by the damsel's enchantment, the sword, 
 Excalibur, fell out of Sir Accolon's hand to the earth ; and 
 therewith King Arthur lightly leapt to it, and quickly gat it in his 
 hand, and forthwith he perceived clearly that it was his good 
 sword, Excalibur, and said, "Thou hast been from me all too 
 long, and much damage hast thou done me." And therewith 
 he espied the scabbard hanging by Sir Accolon's side, and 
 suddenly he leapt to him and pulled the scabbard from him, 
 and anon threw it from him as far as he might throw it. " O 
 knight," said King Arthur, " this day thou hast done me great 
 damage with this sword. Now are ye come to your death ; 
 for I shall not warrant you, but that ye shall be as well 
 rewarded with this sword, or we depart asunder, as thou hast 
 rewarded me ; for much pain have ye made me to endure, and 
 have lost much blood." And therewith King Arthur rushed 
 upon him with all his might, and pulled him to the earth, and 
 then rushed off his helm, and gave him such a buffet on the 
 head, that the blood came cut of his ears, nose, and mouth. 
 " Now will I slay thee," said King Arthur. " Slay me ye may," 
 said Sir Accolon, " and it please you, for ye are the best knight 
 that ever I found, and I see well that God is with you ; but for 
 I promised to do this battle," said Sir Accolon, " to the utter- 
 most, and never to be recreant while I lived, therefore shall I 
 never yield me with my mouth, but God do with my body what 
 he will." And then King Arthur remembered him, and thought 
 he should have seen this knight. " Now tell me," said King 
 Arthur, " or I will slay thee, of what country thou art ? and of 
 what court ?" " Sir knight," quoth Sir Accolon, " I am of the 
 court of King Arthur, and my name is Sir Accolon, of Gaul." 
 Then was King Arthur more dismayed than he was before, for 
 then he remembered him of his sister, Morgan le Fay, and of 
 the enchantment of the ship. " Oh ! sir knight," said he, " I 
 pray thee tell me who gave thee this sword, and by whom 
 had ye it ? " 
 
 XI. 
 
 THEN Sir Accolon bethought him, and said, " Woe worth this 
 sword, for by it have I gotten my death." " It may well be," 
 said King Arthur. "Now, sir," said Sir Accolon, " I will tell 
 you : this sword hath been in my keeping the most of these
 
 88 THE BOOK OF MORGAN LE FA Y. 
 
 twelve months, and Queen Morgan le Fay, King Urience's wife, 
 sent it me yesterday, by a dwarf, to this intent that I should 
 slay King Arthur, her brother ; for ye shall understand that 
 King Arthur is the man which she most hateth in this world, 
 because that he is the most of worship and of prowess of any 
 of her blood. Also she loveth me out of measure as her 
 paramour, and I her again ; and if she might bring about for 
 to slay King Arthur with her crafts, she would slay her husband, 
 King Urience, lightly, and then had s\e me devised to be king 
 in this land, and so for to reign, and she to be my queen ; but 
 that is now done," said Sir Accolon, "for I am sure of my 
 death." "Well," said King Arthur, "I feel by you ye would 
 have been king in this land : it had been great damage for to 
 have destroyed your lord," said King Arthur. " It is triuh," 
 said Sir Accolon : " but now have I told you the truth, where- 
 fore I pray you, that ye will tell me of whence ye are, and of 
 what court ? " " Oh ! Sir Accolon," said King Arthur, " now let 
 thee to wit that I am King Arthur, to whom thou hast done 
 great damage." When Sir Accolon heard that, he cried out 
 aloud, " Oh ! my gracious lord, have mercy on me ; for I knew 
 not." " Oh ! Sir Accolon," said King Arthur, " mercy shalt 
 thou have, because I feel, by thy words at this time, thou 
 knewest not my person ; but I understand well by thy words 
 that thou hast agreed to the death of my person, and therefore 
 thou art a traitor : but I blame thee the less, for my sister, 
 Morgan le Fay, by her false crafts made thee to agree and 
 consent to her false lusts ; but I shall so be avenged upon her, 
 and I live, that all Christendom shall speak of it. God knoweth 
 I have honoured her, and worshipped her more than any of my 
 kin, and more have I trusted her than my own wife, and all my 
 kin after." Then King Arthur called the keepers of the field, 
 and said, " Sirs, come hither, for here we be two knights that 
 have fought unto a great damage of us both, and like each one 
 of us to have slain other, if it had happened so ; and had any 
 of us known other, here had been no battle nor stroke stricken." 
 Then all aloud cried Sir Accolon unto all the knights and men 
 that there were gathered together, and said to them, in this 
 manner wise : " Oh ! my lords, this noble knight that I have 
 fought withal, which me full sore repenteth, is the most man of 
 prowess of manhood and of worship that in all the world liveth ; 
 for it is himself, King Arthur, our most sovereign, liege, lord, 
 and king ; and with great mishap, and great misadventure, 
 have I done this battle against my king and lord that I am 
 holden withal."
 
 THE BOOK OF MORGAN LE FA Y. 89 
 
 XII. 
 
 THEN all the people fell down on their knees, and cried King 
 Arthur's mercy. " Mercy shall ye have," said King Arthur ; 
 "here may ye see what adventures befalleth oftentimes to 
 errant-knights, how I have fought with one of mine own knights 
 to my great damage and his hurt. But, sirs, because I am sore 
 hurt and he both, and have great need of a little rest, ye shall 
 understand my opinion between you two brethren : as to thee, 
 Sir Damas, for whom I have been champion, and won the 
 field of this knight, yet will I judge, because ye, Sir Damas, 
 are called a very proud knight, and full of villainy, and no- 
 thing worth of prowess of your deeds ; therefore I will that 
 ye give unto yovir brother all the whole manor, with the 
 appurtenance, under this manner of form : that Sir Ontzlake 
 hold the manor of you, and yearly to give you a palfrey to ride 
 upon, for that will become you better to ride on than a courser. 
 Also, I charge thee, Sir Damas, upon pain of death, that thou 
 never distress none errant-knights that ride on their adventures. 
 Also, that thou restore these twenty knights, which thou hast 
 long kept in prison, of all their harness, and that thou content 
 them ; and, if any of them come to my court, and complain of 
 thee, by my head thou shalt die therefore. Also Sir Ontzlake, 
 as to you, because ye are named a good knight, and full of 
 prowess, and true and gentle in all your deeds, this shall be your 
 charge. I will that in all goodly haste ye come to me and to 
 my court, and ye shall be a knight of mine ; and if your deeds 
 be thereafter, I shall so advance you by the grace of God, that 
 ye shall, in a short time, be in ease for to live as worshipfully as 
 doth your brother, Sir Damas." " God thank you of your 
 largess, and of your great goodness," said Sir Ontzlake ; " and I 
 promise you that from henceforth I shall be at all times at your 
 commandment. For, sir, as God would I was hurt but late 
 with an adventurous knight, through both my thighs, which 
 grieved me sore, and else had I done this battle with you." 
 " Would to God," said King Arthur, " it had been so ; for then 
 had not I been hurt as I am. I shall tell you the cause why ; for 
 I had not been hurt as I am, had not it been mine own sword 
 that was stolen from me by treason, and this battle was ordained 
 aforehand for to have slain me, and so it was brought to the pur- 
 pose by false trickery, and treason, and false enchantment" 
 " Alas ! " said Sir Ontzlake, " that is great pity that so noble a 
 man as you are of your deeds and prowess, that any man or 
 woman might find in their hearts to work anv treason against
 
 90 THE BOOK OF MORGAN LE FA Y. 
 
 your person." " I shall reward them," said King Arthur, " in 
 short space, by the grace of God. Now tell me, how far am I 
 from Camelot 1 '' " Sir, ye are two days' journey therefrom." 
 " I would fain be at some place of worship," said King Arthur, 
 " that I might rest myself." " Sir," said Sir Ontzlake, " hereby 
 is a rich abbey of nuns, of our elder's foundation, but three miles 
 hence." So then the King took his leave of all the people, and 
 mounted on horseback, and Sir Accolon with him ; and when 
 they were come to the abbey, he let fetch surgeons and leeches 
 for to search his wounds, and Sir Accolon's both ; but Sir 
 Accolon died within four days after, for he had bled so much 
 blood that he might not live, but King Arthur was well re- 
 covered. And when Sir Accolon was dead, he let send on 
 horseback with six knights of Camelot, and said, " Bear him to 
 my sister, Morgan le Fay, and say that I send him her for a 
 present, and tell that I have my sword, Excalibur, and the 
 scabbard." So they departed with the body. 
 
 XIII. 
 
 THE meanwhile Morgan le Fay had weened that King Arthur 
 had been dead. So on a day she espied King Urience, how he 
 lay in his bed sleeping ; then she called unto her a damsel of 
 her counsel, and said, " Go fetch me my lord's sword, for I saw 
 never better time to slay him than now." " O madam," said 
 the damsel, " and if ye slay my lord ye can never escape." 
 " Care not thou," said Morgan le Fay, " for now I see my time 
 in the which it is best to do it, and therefore hie thee fast, and 
 fetch me the sword." Then the damsel departed, and found Sir 
 Ewaine sleeping upon a bed in another chamber ; so she went 
 unto Sir Ewaine, and wakened him, and bade him arise and 
 wait upon my lady, your mother ; " for she will slay the King, 
 your father, sleeping in his bed, for I go to fetch her his sword." 
 " Well," said Sir Ewaine, " go on your way, and let me deal." 
 Anon the damsel brought the sword unto Morgan with quaking 
 hands, and she lightly took the sword and drew it out, and went 
 boldly to the bed's side, and awaited how and where she might 
 slay him best. And as she lift up the sword for to smite, Sir 
 Ewaine came hither and leapt unto his mother, and caught her 
 by the hand, and said, "Ah ! fiend, what wilt thou do ? and 
 thou were not my mother, with this sword I would smite off thy 
 head. Ah ! " said Sir Ewaine, " men say that Merlin was 
 begotten of a devil ; but I may say an earthly devil bear me." 
 " Oh 1 fair son, Ewaine," said Morgan, " have mercy upon me,
 
 THE BOOK OF MORGAN LE FA Y. 91 
 
 I was tempted with the devil ; wherefore I cry thee mercy, I 
 will never more do so, and save my worship and discover me 
 not." " On this covenant," said Sir Ewaine, " I will give you 
 so you will never be about to do such deeds." " Nay, son," 
 said she, " and thereto I make you assurance." 
 
 XIV. 
 
 THEN came tidings unto Morgan le Fay, that Sir Accolon was 
 dead, and his body brought to the church, and how King Arthur 
 had his sword again. But when Morgan wist that Sir Accolon 
 was dead, she was so sorrowful that near her heart burst ; but 
 because she would not that it were known, she kept her counten- 
 ance outward, and made no semblance of sorrow. But well she 
 wist, and if she abode till her brother Arthur came thither, there 
 should no gold save her life. Then she went unto Queen 
 Guenever, and asked her leave to ride into the country. " Ye 
 may abide," said Queen Guenever, " till your brother, the king, 
 come home." "I may not," said Morgan le.Fay, "for I 
 have such hasty tidings that I may not tarry." " Well," said 
 Queen Guenever, " ye may depart when ye will." So early on 
 the morrow, or it was day, she took her horse and rode all that 
 day, and the most part of the night ; and, on the morrow, by 
 noon, she came to the same abbey of nuns whereas King 
 Arthur lay, and she knowing that he was there, she asked where 
 he was ; and they answered, and said, " that he had lain him 
 down in his bed to sleep, for he had had but little rest these 
 three nights." " Well," said she, " I charge you that none of 
 you awake him till I awake him myself." And then she alighted 
 from her horse, and thought to steal away Excalibur, his good 
 sword ; and so she went straight unto his chamber, and no man 
 durst disobey her commandment, and there she found King 
 Arthur asleep in his bed, and Excalibur in his right hand naked : 
 when she saw that, she was passing heavy that she might not 
 come by the sword without she had wakened him, and then she 
 wist well that she had been dead. Then she took the scabbard, 
 and went her way on horseback. When the King awoke and 
 missed his scabbard, he was wondrous wrath, and asked who 
 had been there. And they said, his sister Queen Morgan had 
 been there, and had put the scabbard under her mantle, and was 
 gone. " Alas ! " said King Arthur, " falsely have ye watched 
 me." " Sir," said they, " all we durst not disobey your sister's 
 commandment." " Ah ! " said the -King, " let fetch the best 
 horse that may be found, and bid Sir Ontzlake arm him in all 
 haste, and take another good horse, and ride with me."
 
 92 THE BOOK OF MORGAN LE FA Y. 
 
 So anon the King and Sir Ontzlake were well armed, and rode 
 after this lady ; and as they rode they came by a cross, and 
 found a cowherd, and they asked the poor man if there came 
 any lady late riding that way. " Sir," said this poor man, 
 " right late came a lady riding with forty horses, and to yonder 
 forest she rode." Then they spurred their horses, and followed 
 fast after, and within awhile King Arthur had a sight of her, 
 that he chased as fast as he might ; and when she espied him 
 following her, she rode through the forest a great pace, till she 
 came to a plain : and when she saw she might not escape, she 
 rode unto a lake thereby, and said, "Whatsoever becometh of 
 me, my brother shall not have this scabbard." And she let 
 throw the scabbard in the deepest of the water, and it sunk ; for 
 it was so heavy of gold and precious stones. Then she rode 
 into a valley, where many great stones were ; and when she 
 saw that she must needs be overtaken, she turned herself, horse 
 and man, by enchantment into a great marble stone. So anon 
 King Arthur and Sir Ontzlake came whereas the King might not 
 know his sister and her men, and one knight from another. 
 " Ah ! " said the King, " here may ye see the vengeance of God ; 
 and now am I sorry that this misadventure is befallen." And 
 then he looked for the scabbard, but it could not be found. So 
 he returned again to the abbey that he came from. When King 
 Arthur was gone, she turned all into the likeness as she and they 
 were before, and said, " Sirs, now may we go wheresoever we 
 will, for my brother Arthur is gone." 
 
 XV. 
 
 THEN said Morgan, "Saw ye my brother, Sir Arthur?" 
 "Yes," said her knights, "right well, and that ye should have 
 found, and we might have stirred one steed ; for, by his fierce 
 countenance, he would have caused us to have fled." " I 
 believe you well," said Morgan. Anon after she rode she met 
 with a knight leading another knight on his horse before him, 
 bound hand and foot, blindfold, to have drowned him in a 
 fountain. When she saw that knight so bound, she asked what 
 he would do with that knight. " Lady," said he, " I will drown 
 him." "For what cause?" said she. "For I found him with 
 my wife, and she shall have the same death anon." "That 
 were pity," said Morgan. "Now what say you, ye knight, is it 
 truth that he saith of you?" said she to the knight that should 
 be drowned. " Nay, truly, madam, he saith not right of me." 
 "Of whence be ye," said Morgan le Fay, !: and of what
 
 THE BOOK OF MORGAN LE FA Y. 93 
 
 country?" "I am of the court of King Arthur, and my name is 
 Manassen, cousin unto Sir Accolon, of Gaul." " Ye say well," 
 said she, " and for the love of him ye shall be delivered ; ye 
 shall have your adversary in the same case that ye be in." And so 
 Manassen was loosed, and the other knight bound. And anon 
 Manassen unarmed him, and armed himself in his harness, and 
 so mounted on horseback, and the knight afore him, and so 
 threw him into the fountain, and drowned him. And then he 
 rode to Morgan again, and asked her if she would any thing 
 unto King Arthur. "Tell him not that I rescued thee for the 
 love of him, but for the love of Sir Accolon ; and tell him that I 
 fear him not, while I can make me and them that be with 
 me in likeness of stones, and let him wit that I can do much 
 more when I see my time." And so she departed, and went 
 into the country of Gore, and there was she richly received, and 
 made her castles and towns passing strong ; for always she 
 dreaded much King Arthur. When King Arthur had well 
 rested him at that abbey, he rode to Camelot, and found his 
 Queen and his barons right glad of his coming. And when 
 they heard of his strange adventures, as is afore rehearsed, they 
 all had marvel of the falsehood of Morgan le Fay, and many 
 knights wished her burnt. Then came Manassen to the court, 
 and told the King of his adventure. "Well," said the King, 
 " she is a kind sister : I shall be so avenged on her and I live, 
 that all Christendom shall speak of it." So on the morrow there 
 came a damsel from Morgan to the King, and she brcught with 
 her the richest mantle that ever was seen in the court, for it was set 
 as full of precious stones as might stand one by another ; and there 
 were the richest stones that ever the King saw. And the damsel 
 said, " Your sister sendeth you this mantle, and desireth you, that 
 ye will take this gift of her, and in what thing she hath offended 
 you, she will amend it at your own pleasure." When the King 
 beheld this mantle, it pleased him much, but he said but little. 
 
 XVI. 
 
 AND with that came the damsel of the lake unto the King, 
 and said, " Sir, I must speak with you in private." " Say on," 
 said the King, " what ye will." " Sir," said the lady, " put not on 
 you this mantle till you have seen more, and in no wise let it 
 not come upon you, nor on no knights of yours, till ye com- 
 mand the bringer thereof to put it upon her." "Well," said 
 King Arthur, " it shall be done as ye counsel me." And then 
 he said unto the damsel that came from his sister, " Damsel,
 
 94 THE BOOK OF MORGAN LE FA Y. 
 
 this mantle that ye have brought me, I will see it upon you." 
 " Sir," said she, " it will not beseem me to wear a knight's 
 garment." " By my head," said King Arthur, " ye shall wear it, 
 or it come on my back, or any man that is here." And so the 
 King made it to be put upon her, and forthwith she fell down 
 dead, and never more spake word after, and was burnt to coals. 
 Then was the King wondrous wrath, more than he was afore, 
 and said unto King Urience, " My sister, your wife, is alway 
 about to betray me ; and well I wot either ye or my nephew, 
 your son, is of counsel with her, to have me destroyed : but as 
 for you," said King Arthur to King Urience, " I deem not 
 greatly that ye be of her counsel : for Sir Accolon confessed to 
 me, with his own mouth, that she should have destroyed you as 
 well as me, therefore I hold you excused ; but as for your son, 
 Sir Ewaine, I hold him suspect, therefore 1 charge you put him 
 out of my court." So Sir Ewaine was charged. And when Sir 
 Gawaine wist of it, he made him ready to go with him, and 
 said, " Whoso banished my cousin Ewaine shall banish me." 
 So they two departed, and rode in a great forest ; and so they 
 came to an abbey of monks, and there were well lodged. But 
 when the King wist that Sir Gawaine was departed from the 
 court, there was made great sorrow among all the states. 
 " Now," said Sir Gaheris, Sir Gawaine's brother, " we have 
 lost two good knights for the love of one." So on the morrow 
 they heard mass in the abbey, and so they rode forth till they 
 came to a great forest ; then was Sir Gawaine ware, in a valley 
 by a turret, of twelve fair damsels, and two knights armed upon 
 two great horses, and the damsels went to and fro by a tree. 
 And then was Sir Gawaine ware how there hung a white shield 
 on that tree, and ever as the damsels came by it they spit upon 
 it, and some threw mire upon it. 
 
 XVII. 
 
 THEN Sir Gawaine and Sir Ewaine went and saluted them, 
 and asked them why they did that despite to the shield. " Sirs," 
 said the damsels, " we shall tell you. There is a knight in this 
 country that owneth this white shield, and he is a passing good 
 knight of his hands, but he hateth all ladies and gentlewomen, 
 and therefore we do all this despite to the white shield." " I 
 shall say to you," said Sir Gawaine to the ladies, " it beseemeth 
 evil a good knight to despise all ladies and gentlewomen ; and 
 also, peradventure, though he hate you, he hath some cause ; 
 and peradventure that he loveth, in some other places, good 
 ladies and gentlewomen, and to be loved again, if he be such a
 
 THE BOOK OF MORGAN LE FA Y. 95 
 
 man of prowess as ye speak of. Now, what is his name ? " 
 "Sir," said they, "his name is Marhaus, the king's son of 
 Ireland." "I know him well," said Sir Ewaine, "he is a 
 passing good knight as any is living, for I saw him once proved 
 at a jousting, whereas many knights were gathered, and that 
 time there might no man withstand him." "Ah!" said Sir 
 Gawaine, " damsels, me thinketh ye are to blame ; for it is to 
 suppose that he that hung this shield there, he will not be long 
 therefrom, and then may those knights match him on horse- 
 back, and that is more your worship than thus ; for I will abide 
 no longer to see a knight's shield dishonoured." And therewith 
 Sir Ewaine and Sir Gawaine departed a little from them, and 
 then they were ware where Sir Marhaus came riding up, on a 
 great horse, straight toward them. And when the twelve 
 damsels saw Sir Marhaus, they fled into the turret, as they 
 had been wild, so that some of them fell by the way. Then the 
 one of the knights of the turret dressed his shield, and said, on 
 high, " Sir Marhaus, defend thee." And so they ran together, 
 that the knight break his spear on Sir Marhaus, and Sir Mar- 
 haus smote him so hard that he brake his neck. That saw the 
 other knight of the turret, and dressed him toward Sir Marhaus, 
 and they met so eagerly together, that the knight of the turret 
 was soon smitten down, horse and man, stark dead. 
 
 XVIII. 
 
 AND then Sir Marhaus rode unto his shield, and saw how it 
 was defiled, and said, " Of this despite I am a part avenged ; 
 but for her love that gave me this white shield, I shall wear thee, 
 and hang mine here in thy stead." And so he hung it about 
 his neck, and then he rode straight to Sir Gawaine and Sir 
 Ewaine, and asked them what they did there. They answered, 
 "that they came from King Arthur's court for to seek adven- 
 tures." "Well," said Sir Marhaus, "here am I ready, a knight 
 adventurous, that will fulfil any adventure that ye will desire of 
 me : " and so departed from them to fetch his range. " Let 
 him go," said Sir Ewaine to Sir Gawaine, "for he is a passing 
 good knight as any is living in this world ; I would not, by my 
 will, that any of us two should match with him. 1 ' " Nay," said 
 Sir Gawaine, " not so ; it were a shame to us if he were not 
 assayed, were he never so good a knight." " Well," said Sir 
 Ewaine, " I will assay him afore you, for I am more weaker 
 than ye are ; and, if he smite me down, then may ye revenge." 
 So these two knights came together with great random, that Sir
 
 96 THE BOOK OF MORGAN LE FA Y. 
 
 Ewaine smote Sir Marhaus that his spear burst in pieces on the 
 shield, and Sir Marhaus smote him so sore, that horse and man 
 he bare to the earth, and hurt Sir Ewaine on the left side. 
 Then Sir Marhaus turned his horse, and rode toward Sir Gawaine 
 with his spear ; and when Sir Gawaine saw that, he dressed his 
 shield, and they adventured their spears, and they came together 
 with all the might of their horses, that either smote other so hard 
 in the midst of their two shields, that Sir Gawaine's spear break, 
 and Sir Marhaus's spear held, and therewith Sir Gawaine and 
 his horse rushed down to the earth ; and lightly Sir Gawaine 
 arose upon his feet, and drew out his sword, and dressed him 
 toward Sir Marhaus on foot. And Sir Marhaus saw that, and 
 drew out his sword, and began to come to Sir Gawaine on 
 horseback. "Sir knight," said Sir Gawaine, "alight on foot, or 
 else I will slay thy horse." " Gramercy," said Sir Marhaus, 
 "of your gentleness ye teach me courtesy, for it is not according 
 for one knight to be on foot and the other on horseback : " and 
 therewith Sir Marhaus set his spear against a tree and alighted, 
 and tied his horse to a tree, and dressed his shield, and either 
 came to other eagerly, and smote together with their swords, 
 that their shields flew in cantels, and they bruised their helms 
 and their hauberks, and wounded either other. But Sir 
 Gawaine, after it passed nine of the clock, waxed ever stronger 
 and stronger ; for then it came to the hour of noon, and thrice 
 his might was increased. All this espied Sir Marhaus, and had 
 a great wonder how his might increased ; and so they wounded 
 each other passing sore. And, when it was past noon, and 
 drew toward even-song time, Sir Gawaine's strength waxed 
 passing faint, that scarce he might not endure any longer ; and 
 Sir Marhaus waxed bigger and bigger. " Sir knight," said Sir 
 Marhaus, "I have well felt that ye are a passing good knight, 
 and a marvellous man of might as ever I felt any, while it 
 lasteth, and our quarrels are not great, and therefore it were 
 pity to do you hurt : for I perceive ye are passing feeble." 
 " Ah ! " said Sir Gawaine, " gentle knight, ye say the words that 
 I should say." And therewith they took off their helms, and 
 either kissed other, and there they swore together, either to love 
 other as brethren. And Sir Marhaus prayed Sir Gawaine to 
 lodge with him that night ; and so they took their horses, and 
 rode toward Sir Marhaus's place ; and, as they rode by the way, 
 Sir Gawaine said, " Sir knight, I marvel that so valiant a man 
 as ye be love no ladies nor gentlewomen." " Sir," said Sir 
 Marhaus, "they name me wrongfully that give me that name; 
 but well I wot it is the damsels of the turret that so name me,
 
 THE BOOK OF MORGAN LE FA Y. 97 
 
 and others such as they be. Now shall I tell you for what cause 
 I hate them so ; for they be witches and enchantresses the most 
 part of them : and be a knight ever so good of his body, and of 
 prowess as any man may be, they will make him a coward for 
 to have the better of him ; and this is the principal cause that I 
 -hate them. And to all good ladies and gentlewomen I owe my 
 service as a knight ought to do." And, as the French book 
 rehearseth, there were many knights that overmatched Sir 
 Gawaine, for all the thrice-might that he had : as Sir Launcelot 
 du Lake, Sir Tristram, Sir Bors de Gaul, Sir Percivale, and Sir 
 Marhaus : these five knights had the better of Sir Gawaine. 
 Then within a while they came to Sir Marhaus's place, the 
 which was in a little priory, and there they alighted : and ladies 
 and damsels unarmed them, and hastily looked to their hurts ; 
 for they were all three hurt. And so they had there good lodg- 
 ing with Sir Marhaus, and good cheer ; for, when he wist that 
 they were King Arthur's sister's sons, he made them all the 
 cheer that lay in his power ; and so they sojourned there about 
 seven nights, and were right well eased of their wounds, and at 
 the last departed. " Now," said Sir Marhaus, " we will not 
 depart so lightly : for I will bring you through the forest," and 
 so rode day by day well at seven days or they found any 
 adventure. At the last they came into a great forest, which was 
 named the country and forest of Arroy, and the country of 
 strange adventures. " In this country," said Sir Marhaus, 
 "came never knight, since it was christened, but he found 
 strange adventures." So long they rode till they came into 
 a deep valley full of stones, and thereby they saw a fair 
 stream of water ; and above the head of the stream was a fair 
 fountain, and three damsels sitting thereby. And then they 
 rode unto them, and either saluted the other ; and the eldest 
 had a garland of gold about her head, and she was threescore 
 winters of age or more, and her hair was white underneath the 
 garland. The second damsel was of thirty winters of age, with 
 a circlet of gold about her head. The third damsel was but 
 fifteen years of age, and she had a garland of flowers about her 
 head. When these knights had well beholden them, they asked 
 them the cause why they sat at that fountain. "We be here," 
 said the damsels, "for this cause: if we may see any errant- 
 knights, to teach them strange adventures ; and ye be three 
 knights, that seek adventures, and we three damsels ; and, 
 therefore, each of you must choose one of us. And, when ye 
 have done so, we will lead you unto three highways, and there 
 each of you shall choose a way, and his damsel with him ; and 
 
 7
 
 98 THE BOOK OF MORGAN LE FA Y. 
 
 this day twelvemonths ye must meet here again, and God spare 
 you your lives ; and therefore ye must plight your troth." "This 
 is well said," said Sir Marhaus. 
 
 XIX. 
 
 " How shall we choose every one of us a damsel ?" "I shall 
 tell you," said Sir Ewaine ; " I am the youngest and most 
 weakest of you both : therefore I will have the eldest damsel ; 
 for she hath seen much, and can help me best when I have need, 
 for I have most need of help of you both." "Then," said Sir 
 Marhaus, " I will have the damsel of thirty winters of age ; for 
 she falleth best to me." "Then," said Gawaine, " I thank you ; for 
 ye have left me the youngest and the fairest, and she falleth best 
 to me." Then every damsel took her knight by the rein of the 
 bridle, and brought them to the three ways ; and there was their 
 oath made, to meet at the fountain that day twelvemonth, and 
 they lived. So they kissed and departed, and each knight set 
 his lady behind him ; and Sir Ewaine took the way that lay 
 west, and Sir Marhaus took the way that lay south, and Sir 
 Gawaine took the way that lay north. Now will we begin at 
 Sir Gawaine, that held that way till he came to a fair manor, 
 whereas dwelled an old knight and a good householder ; and 
 there Sir Gawaine demanded of the old knight, if he knew any 
 adventures in that country. " I shall show you some to- 
 morrow," said the old knight, " and that marvellous." So on 
 the morrow they rode into the forest of adventures, till they 
 came to a land, and thereby they found a cross ; and, as they 
 stood and halted, there came by them the fairest knight and 
 the seemliest man that ever they saw, making the greatest moan 
 that ever man made. And then he was aware of Sir Gawaine, 
 and saluted him, and prayed to God to send him much worship. 
 "As to that," said Sir Gawaine, "gramercy! Also I pray to 
 God that he send you honour and worship." "Ah" said the 
 knight, "I may lay that on side ; for sorrow and shame cometh 
 to me after worship." 
 
 XX. 
 
 AND therewith he passed to that one side of the land ; and, 
 on the other side, Sir Gawaine saw ten knights that halted and 
 made them ready with their shields and spears, against that 
 one knight that came by Sir Gawaine. Then this one knight 
 adventured a great spear, and one of the ten knights encountered 
 with him ; but this woeful knight smote him so hard, that he
 
 THE BOOK OF MORGAN LE FA V. 99 
 
 fell over the horse's tail. So this dolorous knight served them 
 all, and smote them down, horse and man ; and all he did 
 it with one spear. And, when they were all ten on foot, 
 they went to that one knight, and he stood stone still, and 
 suffered them to pull him down off his horse, and bound 
 him hand and foot, and tied him under his horse's belly, 
 and so led him with them. " Oh ! Jesus," said Sir Gawaine, 
 "this is a doleful sight, to see yonder knight so to be treated: 
 and it seemeth by the knight, that he suffereth them to bind 
 him so ; for he maketh no resistance." "No, verily," said his 
 host, " that is truth ; for, and if that he would, they were all too 
 weak so to do to him." " Sir," said the damsel unto Sir 
 Gawaine, " me seemeth that it were your worship and honour 
 to help that dolorous knight ; for me thinketh he is one of 
 the best knights that ever I saw." " I would be glad to do for 
 him," said Sir Gawaine : "but it seemeth he will have no help." 
 "Then," said the damsel, "me seemeth ye have no list to help 
 him." Right thus, as they talked, they saw a knight on that 
 other side of the land, all armed save the head ; and on that 
 other side of the land came a dwarf on horseback, all armed 
 save the head, with a great mouth, and a short nose. And the 
 dwarf, when he came nigh to the knight, inquired, "Where is 
 the lady that should meet us here?" And therewithal she 
 came forth out of the wood, and then they began to strive 
 for the lady ; for the knight said he would have her, and the 
 dwarf said he would have her. " Well, ye do well," said the 
 dwarf; "yonder is a knight at the cross : let us put it to his 
 judgment, and as he deemeth even so be it." " I will well," 
 said the knight. And then they went all three unto Sir 
 Gawaine, and told him wherefore they two strove. "Well, 
 sirs," said he, "will ye put the matter into my hand?" "Yes, 
 sir," said they both. "Now, damsel," said Sir Gawaine, "ye 
 shall stand between them both ; and, whether ye list better to 
 go to, he shall have you." And so, when the damsel was set 
 between them both, she left the knight and went to the dwarf: 
 and the dwarf took her, and went his way singing, and the 
 knight went his way with great mourning. Then came there 
 two knights all armed, and cried on high, " Sir Gawaine, knight 
 of King Arthur, make thee ready in all haste, and joust with 
 me." So they ran together, that either fell down ; and then on 
 foot they drew their swords, and did full actually. In the mean- 
 while the other knight went unto the damsel, and asked her why 
 she abode with that knight, saying, "And, if ye would abide 
 with me, I will be your faithful knight." " With you will
 
 ioo THE BOOK OF MORGAN LE FA Y. 
 
 I be," said the damsel ; " for with Sir Gawaine I may not find 
 in mine heart to be with him. For now here was one knight, 
 that discomfited ten knights, and at the last he was cowardly 
 led away ; and, therefore, let us two go our way while they 
 fight." And Sir Gawaine fought with the other knight long ; 
 but, at the last, they were both accorded, and then the knight 
 prayed Sir Gawaine to lodge with them that night. So, as Sir 
 Gawaine went with this knight, he demanded him, " What 
 knight is he in this country that smote down the ten knights? 
 for, when he had done so manfully, he suffered them to bind 
 him hand and foot, and so led him away." "Ah!" said the 
 knight, " that is the best knight, I trow, in the world, and the 
 man most of prowess ; and he hath been served so, as he was 
 even now, more than ten times, and he is named Sir Pelleas ; 
 and he loveth a great lady in this country, and her name is 
 Ettarde. And so, when he loved her, there was cried in this 
 country great jousts three days ; and all the knights of this 
 country were there, and also the gentlewomen. And who that 
 proved him the best knight should have a passing good sword 
 and a circlet of gold ; and the circlet the knight should give it 
 to the fairest lady that was at those jousts. And this knight, 
 Sir Pelleas, was the best knight that was there, and there five 
 hundred knights ; but there was never man that ever Sir 
 Pelleas met withal, but that he struck him down, or else from 
 his horse. And every day of the three days he struck down 
 twenty knights ; therefore, they gave him the prize. And 
 forthwithalhe went there where the Lady Ettarde was, and gave 
 her the circlet, and said openly, that she was the fairest lady 
 that was there, and that would he prove upon any knight that 
 would say nay. 
 
 XXI. 
 
 " AND so he chose her for his sovereign lady, and never to 
 love other but her ; but she was so proud that she had scorn of 
 him, and said, that she would never love him, though he would 
 die for her." Wherefore all ladies and gentlewomen had scorn 
 of her because she was so proud ; for there were fairer than she, 
 and there was none that was there but, and Sir Pelleas would 
 have proffered them love, they would have loved him for his 
 noble prowess. And so the knight promised the Lady Ettarde 
 to follow her into the country, and never to leave her till she 
 loved him ; and thus he is here the most part nigh her, and 
 lodged by a priory, and every week she sendeth knights to 
 fight with him ; and when he hath put them to the worst, then
 
 THE BOOK OF MORGAN LE FA K 101 
 
 will he suffer them wilfully to take him prisoner, because he 
 would have a sight of this lady : and always she doth him great 
 despite ; for sometimes she maketh her knights to tie him to 
 the horse-tail, and sometimes bind him under the horse-belly. 
 Thus in the most shamefullest wise that she can think he is 
 brought to her ; and all this she doth for to cause him to leave 
 this country, and to leave his loving ; but all this cannot make 
 him to leave, for, and he would have fought on foot, he might 
 have had the better of the ten knights, as well on foot as on 
 horseback." " Alas ! " said Sir Gawaine, " it is great pity of him ; 
 and after this night, in the morning, I will go seek him in the 
 forest to do him all the help that I can." So, on the morrow, 
 Sir Gawaine took his leave of his host, Sir Carodos, and rode 
 into the forest ; and, at the last, he met with Sir Pelleas 
 making great mourn out of measure : so each of them saluted 
 other, and Gawaine asked him " Why he made such sorrow ?" 
 And, as it is above rehearsed, Sir Pelleas told Sir Gawaine, 
 " But always I suffer her knights to fare so with me as ye saw 
 yesterday, in trust, at the last, to win her love ; for she knoweth 
 well that all her knights should not lightly win me, and me list 
 to fight with them to the uttermost. Wherefore, and I loved her 
 not so sore, I had rather to die a hundred times, and I might 
 die so often, rather than I would suffer this great despite ; but I 
 trust she will have pity upon me at the last, for love causeth 
 many a good knight to suffer for to have his intent : but, alas ! 
 I am unfortunate." And herewith he made so great a mourn 
 and sorrow, that scarce he might hold him on horseback. 
 "Now," said Sir Gawaine, "leave off your mourning, and I 
 shall promise you, by the faith of my body, to do all that lieth 
 in my power to get you the love of your lady, and thereto I will 
 plight you my truth." " Ah ! my good friend," said Sir Pelleas, 
 " of what court are ye ? I pray you that ye will tell me." And 
 then Sir Gawaine said, " I am of the court of King Arthur, and 
 am his sister's son, and King Lot, of Orkney, was my father, 
 and my name is Sir Gawaine." And he then said, " My name 
 is Sir Pelleas, born in the isles, and of many isles I am lord, and 
 never have I loved lady nor damsel till now, in an unhappy time. 
 And, sir knight, sith ye are so nigh a cousin unto King Arthur, 
 and a king's son ; therefore, I pray thee, betray me not, but 
 help me, for I may never come by her but by the help of some 
 good knight : for she is in a strong castle here fast by, within 
 this four miles, and over all this country she is lady of. And so 
 I may never come unto her presence, but as I do suffer her 
 knights for to take me ; and but if I did so that I might have a
 
 102 THE BOOK OF MORGAN LE FA Y. 
 
 sight of her I had been dead afore this time, and yet had I 
 never one fair word of her ; but when I am brought before 
 her she rebuketh me in the foulest manner that ever she 
 may : and then her knights take me and my horse, and my 
 harness, and put me out of the gates, and she will not suffer 
 me to eat nor drink, and always I offer me to be her prisoner, 
 but so she will not take me ; for I would desire no more what pains 
 soever I had, so that I might have a sight of her daily." 
 "Well," said Sir Gawaine, "all this shall I amend, and ye will 
 do as I shall devise : I will have your horse and your armour, and 
 so will I ride to her castle, and tell her that I have slain you ; and 
 so shall I come within to her, to cause her to cherish me, and 
 then shall I do my true part, that ye shall not fail to have her love." 
 
 XXII. 
 
 AND therewithal Sir Gawaine plight his troth unto Sir 
 Pelleas to be true and faithful unto him. When they had plight 
 their troth, the one to the other, they changed their horses and 
 harness, and Sir Gawaine departed and came to the castle, 
 whereas stood the pavilions of this lady without the gate : and 
 as soon as Ettarde had espied Sir Gawaine, she fled towards the 
 castle. Then Sir Gawaine spake on high and bid her abide, for 
 he was not Sir Pelleas ; " I am another knight that hath slain 
 Sir Pelleas." "Do off your helm," said the Lady Ettarde, 
 "that I may behold your visage." And when she saw it was 
 not Sir Pelleas, she made him to alight, and led him unto her 
 castle, and asked him faithfully whether he had slain Sir Pelleas ? 
 and he said yea. And then Sir Gawaine told her that his name 
 was Sir Gawaine, and of the court of King Arthur, and his 
 sister's son. " Truly," said she, " that is great pity, for he was a 
 passing good knight of his body, but of all men alive I hated 
 him most, for I never could be quiet for him ; and for that ye 
 have slain him I shall be your love, and do any thing that may 
 please you." So she made Sir Gawaine good cheer. Then Sir 
 Gawaine said, "That he loved a lady, and by no means she 
 would love him." "She is to blame," said Ettarde, "and she 
 will not love ; for that ye be so well born a man, and such a man 
 of prowess, there is no lady in this world too good for you." 
 "Will ye," said Sir Gawaine, "promise me to do all that ye 
 may do, by the faith of your body, to get me the love of my 
 lady?" "Yea, sir," said she, " and that I promise you by the 
 faith of my body." " Now," said Sir Gawaine, " it is yourself 
 that I love so well ; therefore, I pray you, hold your promise."
 
 THE BOOK OF MORGAN LE FA Y. 103 
 
 " I may not choose," said the Lady Ettarde : "but if I should be 
 forsworn." And so she granted to fulfil all his desire. And 
 then it was in the month of May that she and Sir Gawaine 
 went out of the castle and supped in a pavilion, and there was 
 a bed made, and in another pavilion she laid her damsels ; and 
 in the third pavilion she laid part of her knights : for then she had 
 no dread nor fear of Sir Pelleas. And there Sir Gawaine was 
 with her, in that pavilion, two days and two nights, against the 
 faithful promise that he made to Sir Pelleas. And, on the third 
 day, in the morning early, Sir Pelleas armed him, for he had 
 not slept since that Sir Gawaine departed from him ; for Sir 
 Gawaine had promised, by the faith of his body, to come unto 
 him to his pavilion by the priory within the space of a day and a 
 night. Then Sir Pelleas mounted on horseback, and came to 
 the pavilions that stood without the castle, and found, in the 
 first pavilion, three knights in their beds, and three squires 
 lying at their feet ; then went he to the second pavilion and 
 lound four gentlewomen lying in four beds ; and then he went 
 to the third pavilion, and found Sir Gawaine asleep with his Lady 
 Ettarde, and either clasping other in their arms. And when he 
 saw that his heart almost burst for sorrow ; and said, "Alas! 
 that ever a knight should be found so false." And then he took 
 his horse, and might no longer abide for sorrow. And when he had 
 ridden nigh half-a-mile, he turned again, and thought to slay 
 them both ; and when he saw them both lie so fast sleeping, scarce 
 he might hold him on horseback for sorrow, and said thus to him- 
 self: "Though he be never so false I will not slay him 
 sleeping ; for I will never destroy the high order of knight- 
 hood." And therewith he departed again, and left them sleeping. 
 And or he had ridden half-a-mile he returned again, and thought 
 then to slay them, making the greatest sorrow that any man 
 might make ; and when he came to the pavilions, he tied his 
 horse to a tree, and pulled out his sword, naked in his hand, 
 and went straight to them where they lay together, and yet he 
 thought that it were great shame for him to slay them sleeping, 
 and laid the naked sword overthwart their throats, and then he 
 took his horse and rode forth his way, making great and woeful 
 lamentation. And when Sir Pelleas came to his pavilions, he 
 told his knights and squires how he had sped, and said thus 
 to them : " For your true and faithful service that you have 
 done to me I shall give you all my goods ; for I will go unto my 
 bed, and never arise until I be dead. And when I am dead I 
 charge you that ye take the heart of my body, and bear it unto 
 her, between two silver dishes, and tell her how I saw her lie in
 
 104 THE BOOK OF MORGAN LE FA Y. 
 
 her pavilion with the false knight, Sir Gawaine." Right so Sir 
 Pelleas unarmed himself and went to bed, making the greatest 
 sorrow that ever man heard. And then Sir Gawaine and the 
 Lady Ettarde awakened out of their sleep, and found the naked 
 sword overthwart both their throats ; then she knew well that it 
 was Sir Pelleas' sword. "Alas !" said she to Sir Gawaine, "ye 
 have betrayed me and Sir Pelleas also ; for ye told me that ye 
 had slain him, and now I know well it is not so, he is alive : 
 and if Sir Pelleas had been as courteous to you as you have 
 been to him ye had been a dead knight, but ye have deceived 
 me and betrayed me falsely, that all ladies and damsels may 
 beware by you and me." And therewith Sir Gawaine made 
 him ready, and went into the forest. Then it happened that 
 the damsel of the lake, Nimue met with a knight of Sir Pelleas, 
 which went on foot in the forest making great moan, and she 
 asked him the cause of his sorrow ; then the woeful knight told 
 her, "how that his master and lord was betrayed through a 
 knight and a lady, and how he would never arise out of his bed 
 till he were dead." " Bring me to him anon, and I will warrant 
 his life, that he shall not die for love ; and she that hath caused 
 him to love, she shall be in as evil a plight as he is now, or it be 
 long : for it is no joy of such a presumptuous lady that will have 
 no mercy of such a valiant knight." Anon the knight brought 
 her unto his lord and master. And when she saw him so lying 
 in his bed, she thought she had never seen so likely a knight, 
 and therewith she threw an enchantment upon him, and he fell 
 asleep. And in the meanwhile she rode to the Lady Ettarde, 
 and charged that no man should waken him till she came again. 
 And so within two hours she brought the Lady Ettarde thither, 
 and both the ladies found him asleep. " Lo ! " said the dam- 
 sel of the lake, "ye ought to be ashamed to murder such a 
 knight." And therewith she cast such an enchantment upon 
 her, that she loved him out of measure, that well nigh she was 
 out of her mind. " Oh 1 Lord Jesus," said the Lady Ettarde, 
 "how is it befallen me that I now love him which I before most 
 hated of all men living?" "This is the right wise judgment of 
 God," said the lady of the lake. And then anon Sir Pelleas 
 awoke, and looked upon the Lady Ettarde ; and when he saw 
 her he knew her, and then he hated her more than any woman 
 alive, and said, "Go thy way hence, thou traitoress j come no 
 more in my sight." And when she heard him say so, she wept, 
 and made great sorrow out of measure.
 
 THE BOOK OF MORGAN LE FA Y. 105 
 
 XXIII. 
 
 " SIR knight, Pelleas," said the damsel of the lake, " take 
 your horse, and come with me out of this country, and ye shall 
 have a lady that shall love you." " I will well," said Sir PeUeas, 
 "for the Lady Ettarde hath done me great despite and shame." 
 And there he told her the beginning, and how he had purposed 
 never to have risen till that he had been dead ; " and now God 
 hath sent me such grace, that I hate her as much as ever I 
 loved her, thanked be God." " Thank me," said the damsel of 
 the lake. Anon Sir Pelleas armed him, and took his horse, and 
 commanded his men to bring after his pavilions and his stuff, 
 whereas the damsel of the lake would assign. So the Lady 
 Ettarde died for sorrow, and the damsel of the lake rejoiced Sir 
 Pelleas, and they loved together during their lives. 
 
 XXIV. 
 
 Now return we unto Sir Marhaus, that rode with the damsel 
 of thirty winters of age southward, and so they came into a deep 
 forest, and by fortune they were benighted, and rode long in a 
 deep way, and at the last they came unto a court-yard, and there 
 they demanded harbour. But the man of the court-yard would 
 not harbour them for no treating that they could treat ; but this 
 much the good man said : And ye will take the adventure of 
 your lodging, I shall bring you where ye shall be lodged." 
 "What adventure is that, that I shall have for my lodging ?" 
 said Sir Marhaus. " Ye shall wit when ye come there," said the 
 good man. " What adventure soever it be, I require thee bring 
 me thither," said Sir Marhaus, "for I am weary, and my damsel 
 and my horse," so the good man went and opened the gate, and 
 within an hour he brought him unto a fair castle. And then 
 the poor man called the porter, and anon he was let into the 
 castle, and forthwith he showed to the lord how he had brought 
 him an knight-errant, and a damsel that would be lodged with 
 him. "Let him come in," said the lord, "it may happen that they 
 shall repent that they took their lodging here in this castle." So 
 Sir Marhaus was let in with torch-light, and there was a goodly 
 sight of young men that welcomed him. And then his horse 
 was led into the stable, and he and his damsel was brought 
 into the hall : and there stood a mighty duke, and many goodly 
 men about him. Then this lord asked him how he hight, and 
 from whence he came, and with what man he dwelled. " Sir," 
 said he, " I am a knight of King Arthur's, and knight of the
 
 106 THE BOOK OF MORGAN LE FA Y. 
 
 Table Round, and my name is Sir Marhaus, and I was born in 
 Ireland." And then said the duke unto him, " That me sore 
 repenteth, and the cause is this : I love not thy lord, nor none of 
 all thy fellows that be of the Table Round ; and, therefore, ease 
 thyself this night as well as thou mayst, for to-morrow I and 
 my six sons shall match with thee, if God will." " Is there 
 none other remedy but that I must have ado with you and 
 your six sons at once ?" said Sir Marhaus. " No," said the duke, 
 "for this cause I made mine avow : Sir Gawaine slew my 
 seven sons in an encounter ; and, therefore, I made mine avow, 
 that there should never no knight of King Arthur's court lodge 
 with me, or come here as I might have ado with him, but that 
 I should revenge the death of my seven sons." " Sir, I require 
 you," said Sir Marhaus, "that ye will tell me, if it please you, 
 what your name is?" "Wit ye well that I am the Duke of the South 
 Marches." " Ah ! " said Sir Marhaus, " I have heard say that ye 
 have been a long time a great foe unto my lord King Arthur, and 
 to his knights." "That shall ye feel to-morrow," said the duke. 
 "Shall I have ado with you?" said Sir Marhaus. "Yea," said 
 the duke, " thereof thou shall not choose ; therefore, take thee 
 to thy chamber, where thou shalt have all that to thee 
 belongeth." So Sir Marhaus departed, and was led to a 
 chamber, and his damsel was also led to her chamber. And on 
 the morrow the duke sent to Sir Marhaus, that he should make 
 him ready. And so Sir Marhaus arose and armed him, and 
 then there was a mass sung afore him, and after breakfast, and 
 so mounted on horseback in the court of the castle, where they 
 should do battle. So there was the duke all ready on horse- 
 back, clean armed, and his six sons by him, and everyone had a 
 spear in liis hand ; and so they encountered, whereas the duke, 
 and two of his sons, brake their spears upon him ; but Sir 
 Marhaus held up his spear and touched none of them. 
 
 XXV. 
 
 THEN came the four sons of the duke by couples, and two of 
 them brake their spears, and so did the other two : and all this 
 while Sir Marhaus did not touch them. Then Sir Marhaus ran 
 to the duke, and so smote him with his spear, that horse and 
 man fell to the earth ; and so he served his sons. And then Sir 
 Marhaus alighted down, and bid the duke yield him, or else he 
 would slay him : and then some of his sons recovered, and would 
 have set upon Sir Marhaus. Then said Sir Marhaus to the 
 duke, " Cease thy sons, or else I will do the uttermost to you 
 all." Then when the duke saw he might not escape death, he
 
 THE BOOK OF MORGAN LE FA Y. 107 
 
 cried to his sons, and charged them to yield them unto Sir 
 Marhaus. And they kneeled all down, and put the pommels of 
 their swords unto Sir Marhaus, and he received them ; and then 
 they helped their father : and there, by a common assent, pro- 
 mised unto Sir Marhaus never to he foes unto King Arthur, and 
 thereupon, at Pentecost after, the duke to come, and his six 
 sons, and put them in the King's grace. Then Sir Marhaus 
 departed ; and, within two days, his damsel brought him where- 
 as was a great tournament that the Lady de Vause had cried ; and 
 who that did best should have a rich circlet of gold, worth a 
 thousand besaunts. And there Sir Marhaus did so nobly, that 
 he was renowned to have smitten down forty knights ; and so the 
 circlet of gold was rewarded him. Then he departed from 
 thence with great worship ; and, within seven days after, the 
 damsel brought him to the earl's place, whose name was called 
 Fergus, which after was Sir Tristram's knight ; and this earl 
 was but a young man, and late come to his lands ; and there 
 was a giant fast by him that hight Taulurd, and he had another 
 in Cornwall, that hight Taulas, that Sir Tristram slew when he 
 was out of his mind. So this earl made his complaint unto Sir 
 Marhaus, that there was a giant by him, that destroyed all his 
 lands, and how he durst nowhere ride nor go for him. " Sir," 
 said Sir Marhaus, "useth he to fight on horseback or on foot?" 
 " Nay," said the earl, "there may no horse bear him, he is so 
 great." "Well," said Sir Marhaus, "then will I fight with him 
 on foot." So on the morrow Sir Marhaus prayed the earl, that 
 one of his men might bring him whereas the giant was ; and so 
 he was aware of him, for he saw him sit under a holly tree, and 
 many clubs of iron and battle-axes about him. So Sir Marhaus 
 dressed him to the giant, putting his shield afore him, and the 
 giant started to a club of iron, and came against Sir Marhaus as 
 fast as he might drive ; and, at the first stroke, he clave Sit 
 Marhaus's shield all to pieces, and light on a stone and crushed it 
 into the earth, and there he was in great peril, for the giant was 
 a wily fighter : but, at the last, Sir Marhaus smote off his right 
 arm above the elbow. Then the giant fled, and the knight after 
 him ; and so he drove him to a water, but the giant was so high, 
 that he could not wade after him : and then Sir Marhaus made 
 the Earl Fergus's man to fetch stones, and with those stones he 
 gave the giant many a sore knock, till at the last he made him to 
 fall down into the water, and so he was there drowned. Then 
 Sir Marhaus went to the giant's castle, and there he delivered 
 out of the giant's prison twenty-four ladies, and twenty-two 
 knights, and there he had riches without number, so that all the
 
 io8 THE BOOK OF MORGAN LE FA Y. 
 
 days of his life he was never poor man after. Then he returned 
 to the Earl Fergus, which greatly thanked him, and would have 
 given him half his land, but he would take none. So Sir 
 Marhaus dwelled with the earl nigh half-a-year, for he was sore 
 bruised with the giant, and at the last he took his leave : and as 
 he rode by the way he met with Sir Gawaine and Sir Ewaine : 
 and so by adventure, he met with four knights of King Arthur's 
 court ; the first was Sir Sagramore le Desirous, Sir Osanna, Sir 
 Dodinas le Savage, and Sir Felot of Listinoise ; and there Sir 
 Marhaus, with one spear, smote down these four knights, and 
 hurt them sore. So he departed, and met his day afore set. 
 
 XXVI. 
 
 Now turn we unto Ewaine, which rode westward with his 
 damsel of threescore winters of age, and she brought him there 
 as was a tournament, nigh the march of Wales. And at that 
 tournament Sir Ewaine smote down thirty knights, wherefore 
 the prize was given him, and the prize was a gerfalcon and a 
 white steed trapped with cloth of gold. So then Sir Ewaine 
 did many strange adventures, by the means of the old damsel 
 that went with him ; and so she brought him unto a lady that 
 was called the Lady of the Rock, which was a full courteous 
 lady. So there were in that country two knights that were 
 brethren, and they were called two perilous knights ; the one 
 hight Sir Edward, of the Red Castle, and the other hight Sir 
 Hue, of the Red Castle : and these two brethren had disinherited 
 the Lady of the Rock of a barony of lands by their extortion. 
 And, as Sir Ewaine lodged with this lady, she made her com- 
 plaint unto him of these two knights. " Madam," said Sir 
 Ewaine, " they are to blame, for they do against the high order 
 of knighthood, and the oath that they have made ; and, if it like 
 you, I will speak with them, because I am a knight of King 
 Arthur's, and I will entreat them with fairness ; and, if they will 
 not, I shall do battle with them in the defence of your right." 
 " Gramercy ! " said the lady, " and thereas I may not acquit 
 you, God shall." So on the morrow the two knights were sent 
 for, that they should come thither to speak with the Lady of the 
 Rock. And wit it well they failed not, for they came with a 
 hundred horses. But when the lady saw them in this manner 
 so many, she would not suffer Sir Ewaine to go out unto them, 
 neither upon surety, nor for fair language, but she made him 
 to speak with them out of a tower. But, finally, these two 
 brethren would not be entreated, and answered, that they would 
 keep what they had. " Well," said Sir Ewaine, " then will I fight
 
 THE BOOK OF MORGAN LE FA K 109 
 
 with one of you both, and prove upon your bodies, that ye do 
 wrong and extortion unto this lady." " That will we not do," 
 said the two brethren ; "for, and we do battle, we two will fight 
 with one knight at once ; and, therefore, if ye will fight so, we 
 will be ready at what hour ye will assign us : and, if that ye win 
 us in plain battle, then the lady shall have her lands again." 
 " Ye say well," said Sir Ewaine, " therefore make you ready, so 
 that ye be here to-morrow in the defence of the lady's right." 
 
 XXVII. 
 
 THEN was there peace made on both parties, that no treason 
 should be wrought on neither. So then the knights departed 
 and made them ready ; and that night Sir Ewaine had groat 
 cheer. And, on the morrow, he arose early and heard mass, 
 and broke his fast, and after rode unto the plain without the 
 gates, where halted the two brethren abiding him. Then rode 
 they together passing sore, that Sir Edward and Sir Hue brake 
 their spears upon Sir Ewaine : and Sir Ewaine smote Sir 
 Edward, that he fell over his horse's tail, and yet brake not his 
 spear : and then he spurred his horse and came upon Sir Hue, 
 and overthrew him ; but they soon recovered and dressed their 
 shields, and drew their swords, and bid Sir Ewaine alight awl 
 do battle to the uttermost. Then Sir Ewaine avoided suddenly 
 his horse, and put his shield afore him, and drew his sword, aud 
 so they dressed together, and either gave other great strokes : 
 and there these two brethren wounded Sir Ewaine passing sore, 
 that the Lady of the Rock weened that he would have dievl. 
 And thus fought they together five hours as men enraged, and 
 without reason : and, at the last, Sir Ewaine smote Sir Edwat d 
 upon the helm such a buffet, that his sword carved him unto h is 
 collar bone ; and then Sir Hue abated his courage. But Sir 
 Ewaine pressed fast to have slain him : and when Sir Hue so \v 
 that, he kneeled down, and yielded him unto Sir Ewaine. And 
 he of his gentleness received his sword, and took him by the 
 hand, and went into the castle together. Then the Lady of the 
 Rock was passing glad, and Sir Hue made great moan for his 
 brother's death. Then the lady was restored unto her land'J, 
 and Sir Hue was commanded to be at the court of King Arthur 
 at the next feast of Pentecost. So Sir Ewaine dwelled with tlie 
 lady nigh half-a-year, for it was long or he might be whole of 
 his great hurts. And then, when it drew nigh the term day, 
 that Sir Gawaine should meet at the cross way, then every 
 knight drew him thither to hold his promise that they had
 
 i io THE BOOK OF MORGAN LE FA Y. 
 
 made ; and Sir Marhaus and Sir Ewaine brought their damsels 
 with them ; but Sir Gawaine had lost his damsel, as it is afore 
 rehearsed. 
 
 XXVIII. 
 
 AND right at the twelvemonth's end they met all three 
 knights at the fountain, and their damsels : but the damsel that 
 Sir Gawaine had with him could say but little worship of him. 
 So they departed from the damsels and rode through a great 
 forest, and there they met with a messenger that came from 
 King Arthur, which had sought them well nigh a twelvemonth 
 throughout all England, Wales, and Scotland, and was charged, 
 if that he might find Sir Gawaine and Sir Ewaine, to bring them 
 unto the court again : and then were they all glad ; and so they 
 prayed Sir Marhaus to ride with them unto King Arthur's court. 
 And so within twelve days they came to Camelot; and the King 
 was passing glad of their coming, and so were all they of the 
 court. Then King Arthur made them to swear upon a book, to 
 tell him all their adventures that there had been fallen them all 
 the twelvemonths, and so they did. And there was Sir Marhaus 
 well known ; for there were knights that he had matched afore 
 time, and he was named one of the best knights then living. 
 Against the feast of Pentecost came the Damsel of the Lake, and 
 brought with her Sir Pelleas : and at that high feast there was a 
 great jousting of knights, and, of all the knights that were at 
 that jousting, Sir Pelleas had the prize, and Sir Marhaus was 
 named the next. But Sir Pelleas was so strong, that there might 
 but a few knights hit him a buffet with a spear. And, at that 
 feast, Sir Pelleas and Sir Marhaus were made knights of the 
 Table Round, for there were two sieges void, for two knights had 
 been slain in those twelve months. And great joy had King 
 Arthur of Sir Pelleas and Sir Marhaus : but Sir Pelleas loved 
 never after Sir Gawaine, but that he spared him for the love of 
 King Arthur : but often times, at the jousts and tournaments, 
 Sir Pelleas quitted Sir Gawaine ; for so it is rehearsed in the 
 French Book. So Sir Tristram, many days after that, fought 
 with Sir Marhaus in an island, and there they did a great battle ; 
 but at the last Sir Tristram slew him. And Sir Tristram was 
 sore wounded, that hardly he might recover, and lay at a 
 nunnery half-a-year. And Sir Pelleas was a worshipful knight, 
 and was one of the four that achieved the Sancgreal ; and the 
 Damsel of the Lake made by her means, that never he had ado 
 with Sir Launcelot du Lake ; for whereas Sir Launcelot was at 
 any jousts or tou.naments she would not suffer him to be there 
 on that day, but if it were on Sir Launcelot's side.
 
 THE BOOK OF SIR LAUNCELOT DU LAKE, in 
 
 THE BOOK OF SIR LAUNCELOT DU LAKE. 
 I. 
 
 [,OW leave we of Sir Tristram de Lyons, and spe.Vc 
 we of Sir Launcelot du Lake, and Sir Galahad, 
 Sir Launcelot's son, how he was begotten, and in 
 what manner. Afore the time that Sir Galahad wa^- 
 begotten or born, there came in a hermit unto King 
 Arthur, on Whitsunday, as the knights sat at the Round Table : 
 and when the hermit saw the siege perilous, he asked the King 
 and all the knights, why that seat was void ? King Arthur and 
 all the knights answered, " There shall never none sit in that 
 siege but one, but if he be destroyed." " Then," said the hermit, 
 " wot ye not what he is ? " " Nay," said King Arthur and all 
 the knights, " we wot not who he is that shall sit therein." 
 " Then wot I," said the hermit, " for he that shall sit in that 
 siege is yet unborn and ungotten, and this same year he shall be 
 gotten that shall sit in that siege perilous, and he shall win the 
 Sancgreal." When the hermit had made this mention, he 
 departed from the court of King Arthur. And then after the 
 feast Sir Launcelot rode on his adventures, till upon a time by 
 adventure he passed over the bridge of Corbin : and there he 
 saw the fairest tower that ever he saw, and there under was a fair 
 town full of people, and all the people, men and women, cried all 
 at once, " Ye are welcome, Sir Launcelot du Lake, the flower of 
 all knighthood, for by thee all we shall be holpen out of danger." 
 " What mean ye," said Sir Launcelot, " that ye cry so upon 
 me ? " " Ah ! fair knight," said they all, " here is within this 
 tower a dolorous lady, that hath been there in pains many- 
 winters : for ever she boileth in scalding water. And but late," 
 said all the people, " Sir Gawaine was here, and he might not 
 help her, and so he left her still in pain." " So may I," said Sir 
 Launcelot, "leave her in pain as well as Sir Gawaine hath 
 done." " Nay," said the people, " we know well that it is Sir 
 Launcelot that shall deliver her." " Well," said Sir Launcelot, 
 "then show me what I shall do." Then they brought Sir 
 Launcelot into the tower : and, when he came to the chamber 
 there as this lady was, the doors of iron unlocked and unbolted, 
 and so Sir Launcelot went into the chamber that was as hot as 
 any stew, and there Sir Launcelct took the fairest lady by the 
 hand that ever he saw, and she was all naked as a needle. And, 
 by enchantment, Queen Morgan le Fay and the Queen of 
 Northgalis had put her in there in those pains, because she was
 
 112 THE BOOK OF SIR LAUNCELOT DU LAKE. 
 
 called one of the fairest ladies in that country : and there she 
 had been well five years, and never might she be delivered out 
 of her great pains unto the time that the best knight of the 
 world had taken her by the hand. Then the people brought her 
 clothes : and, when she was arrayed, Sir Launcelot thought she 
 was the fairest lady in the world, but if it were Queen Guenever. 
 Then this lady said unto Sir Lancelot, " Sir, if it please you, 
 will ye go with me here by into a chapel, that we may give 
 lauding and praising unto Almighty God 1 " " Madam," said Sir 
 Launcelot, " come on with me ; I will go with you." So when 
 they came there they gave thanks unto God, and all the people 
 learned and gave thanks unto God, and said, " Sir knight, since 
 ye have delivered this lady, ye shall deliver us from a serpent 
 that is here in a tomb." Then Sir Launcelot took his shield, and 
 said, " Bring me thither ; and what I may do unto the pleasure 
 of God and you, I will do it." So when Sir Launcelot came 
 there, he saw written upon the tomb letters of gold, that said 
 thus : " Here shall come a leopard of king's blood, and he 
 will slay this serpent ; and this leopard shall engender a lion in 
 this foreign country, the which lion shall pass all other knights." 
 So then Sir Launcelot lift up the tomb, and there came out a 
 horrible and fiendly dragon, spitting fire out of his mouth. 
 
 Then Sir Launcelot drew out his sword and fought with the 
 dragon long, and at the last with great pain Sir Launcelot slew 
 the dragon. Therewithal came King Pelleas, the good and 
 noble knight, and saluted Sir Launcelot, and he him again. 
 " Fair knight," said the King, " what is your name ? I require 
 you of your knighthood tell me." 
 
 II. 
 
 " SIR," said Sir Launcelot, " wit ye well my name is Sir 
 Launcelot du Lake." " And my name is Sir Pelleas, King of 
 the foreign country, and nigh cousin unto Joseph of Arimathy." 
 Then either of them made much of other, and so they went into 
 the castle for to take their repast : and anon there came in a 
 dove at a window, and in her bill there seemed a little censer of 
 gold, and therewithal there was such a savour, as though all the 
 spicery of the world had been there. And forthwithal there was 
 upon the table all manner of meats and drinks that they could 
 think upon : so there came a damsel passing fair and young, 
 and she bore a vessel of gold between her hands, and thereto 
 the King kneeled devoutly, and said his prayers, and so did all 
 that were there. "Oh Jesu." said Sir Launcelot, "what may
 
 THE BOOK OF SIR LAUNCELOT DU LAKE. 113 
 
 this mean ? " " This is," said King Pelleas, " the richest thing 
 that any man hath living. And when this thing goeth about, 
 the Round Table shall be broken : and wit ye well," said King 
 Pelleas, "that this is the Holy Sancgreal which ye have here 
 seen." So King Pelleas and Sir Launcelot led their lives the 
 most part of that day : and full fain would King Pelleas have 
 found the means to have had Sir Launcelot for to have cast his 
 love on his daughter, fair Dame Elaine, and for this intent : the 
 King knew well that Sir Launcelot should get a child upon his 
 daughter, the which should be named Sir Galahad, the good 
 knight, by whom all the foreign countiy should be brought out 
 of danger, and by him the Holy Grail would be achieved. Then 
 came there forth a lady, which was called Dame Brisen, and she 
 said unto King Pelleas, " Sir, wit ye well that Sir Launcelot 
 loveth no lady in the world, but only Queen Guenever ; and 
 therefore ye must work by my counsel, and I shall make him 
 to come to your daughter Elaine, and he shall not wit but that 
 he is with Queen Guenever." "Oh, the most fairest lady, Dame 
 Brisen," said King Pelleas, "hope ye to bring this about?" 
 " Sir," said she, " upon pain of my life let me deal." For this 
 Dame Brisen was one of the greatest enchantresses that was at 
 that time in the world living. Then anon by Dame Brisen's wit 
 she made one to come to Sir Launcelot that he knew well : and 
 this man brought him a ring from Queen Guenever like as he 
 h ad come from her, and such a one for the most part as she was 
 wont to wear. And when Sir Launcelot saw that token, wit ye 
 well he was never so fain. " Where is my lady, Queen Guen- 
 ever ? " said Sir Launcelot. " She is in the castle of Case," 
 said the messenger, "but five miles hence." Then Sir Launcelot 
 thought to be there that same night. And then this Dame 
 Brisen, by the commandment of King Pelleas, let send his 
 daughter to that castle with twenty-five knights. Then Sir 
 Launcelot against night rode unto that castle, and there anon he 
 was received worshipfully, with such people unto him seeming 
 as were about Queen Guenever's secret. So when Sir Launcelot 
 was alighted he asked where the Queen was. So Dame Brisen 
 said she was in her chamber. And then the people were 
 avoided, and Sir Launcelot was led unto the chamber : and 
 Dame Brisen brought Sir Launcelot a cup full of wine ; and, as 
 soon as he had drunk that wine he was so besotted, and so mad, 
 that he weened the Lady Elaine had been Queen Guenever. 
 Wit ye well that Sir Launcelot was glad, and so was the lady 
 Dame Elaine ; for well she knew, that the same night Sir 
 Galahad should be begotten that should prove the best knight of 
 
 8
 
 114 THE BOOK OF SIR LAUNCELOT DU LAKE. 
 
 the world : and so they lay unto five of the clock on the 
 morrow. And all the windows and holes of that chamber were 
 stopped, that no manner of light might be seen : and then Sir 
 Launcelot remembered him, and he arose and went to the 
 window. 
 
 III. 
 
 AND anon, as he had unshut the window, the enchantment 
 was gone. " Alas ! " said he " that I have lived so long ; now 
 am I shamed." So then he got his sword in his hand, and said, 
 " Thou traitoress, what art thou that hast bewitched me all this 
 night ? thou shalt die right here of my hand." Then this fair 
 lady, Dame Elaine, kneeled down before Sir Launcelot, and 
 said, " Fair, courteous knight, come of king's blood, I require 
 you have mercy upon me ; and, as thou art renowned the most 
 noble knight of the world, slay me not, for I shall bear him, by 
 thee, that shall be the most noblest knight of the world." " Ah, 
 thou false traitoress ! " said Sir Launcelot, " why hast thou thus 
 betrayed me ? Anon tell me what thou art ! " She answered 
 and said, " Sir, I am Elaine, the daughter of King Pelleas." 
 " Well," said Sir Launcelot, " I will forgive you this deed : " and 
 therewith he took her up in his arms, and kissed her ; for she 
 was a fair lady, and thereto lusty and young, and wise as any 
 was at that time living. " So God me help," said Sir Launcelot, 
 " I may not put this blame to you, but her that made this en- 
 chantment upon me, as between you and me, and I may find 
 that same Lady Brisen, she shall lose her head for her witchcraft, 
 for there was never knight so deceived as I am this night." 
 And so Sir Launcelot arrayed him and armed him, and took his 
 leave mildly of that young lady, Dame Elaine, and so he de- 
 parted. Then she said, " My lord, Sir Launcelot, I beseech you, 
 see me as soon as you may, for I have obeyed me unto the 
 prophecy that my father told me, and, by his commandment to 
 fulfil this prophecy, I have given the greatest riches and the 
 fairest flower that ever I had, that is, my maidenhood, which I 
 shall never have again ; and therefore, gentle knight, owe me 
 your good will." And so Sir Launcelot arrayed him, and was 
 armed, and took his leave mildly of that young lady, Dame 
 Elaine, and so he departed, and rode till he came to the castle 
 of Corbin, where her father was. And, as soon as her time 
 came, she was delivered of a fair child, and they christened him, 
 and named him Galahad ; and wit ye well, that child was well 
 kept, and well nourished : and he was thus named Galahad, for 
 because Sir Launcelot was so named at the font stone ; and after
 
 THE BOOK OF SIR LAUNCELOT DU LAKE. 115 
 
 that the Lady of the Lake confirmed him Sir Launcelot du Lake. 
 Then, after that this Lady Elaine was delivered and churched, 
 there came a knight unto her, whose name was Sir Bromell le 
 Plech, which was a great lord, and he had loved that lady long, 
 and he evermore desired her that he might wed her ; and so by 
 no means she could put him off ; till, upon a day, she said to 
 Sir Bromell, " Wit ye well, sir knight, I will not love you, for 
 my love is set upon the best knight of the world." " Who is 
 he ? " said Sir Bromell. " Sir," said she, " it is Sir Launcelot du 
 Lake that I love, and none other ; therefore woo me no longer." 
 " Ye say well," said Sir Bromell ; " and since, ye have told me 
 so much, ye shall have but little joy of Sir Launcelot ; for I shall 
 slay him wherever I meet him." " Sir," said the Lady Elaine, 
 " do him no treason." " Wit ye well, my lady," said Sir Bromell, 
 " and I promise you these twelvemonths I shall keep the bridge 
 of Corbin, for Sir Launcelot's sake ; that he shall neither come 
 nor go to you, but I shall meet with him." 
 
 IV. 
 
 THEN, as it befel by fortune and adventure, Sir Bors de 
 Ganis, which was nephew unto Sir Launcelot, came over that 
 bridge, and there Sir Bromell and Sir Bors jousted ; and Sir 
 Bors smote Sir Bromell such a buffet, that he bare him over his 
 horse's tail : and then Sir Bromell, like an hardy knight, pulled 
 out his sword, and dressed his shield, to do battle with Sir Bors ; 
 and then Sir Bors alighted and avoided his horse : and there 
 they dashed together many sad strokes, and long thus they 
 fought, till at the last Sir Bromell was laid unto the ground ; and 
 there Sir Bors began for to unlace his helm, for to slay him. 
 Then Sir Bromell cried Sir Bors mercy, and yielded him. 
 "Well," said Sir Bors, "upon this covenant thou shalt have 
 thy life : so thou go unto Sir Launcelot upon Whitsunday that 
 next cometh, and yield thee unto him as a knight recreant." " I 
 will do so," said Sir Bromell ; and that he sware upon the cross 
 of the sword, and so he let him depart. And Sir Bors rode unto 
 King Pelleas, that was within Corbin, and when the King, and 
 Dame Elaine, his daughter, knew that Sir Bors was nephew 
 unto Sir Launcelot, they made him great cheer. Then said 
 Dame Elaine, "We marvel much where Sir Launcelot is, for 
 he came never here but once." " Marvel not," said Sir Bors, 
 " for all this half year he hath been in prison, with Queen Mor- 
 gan le Fay, King Arthur's sister." "Alas ! " said Dame Elaine, 
 " that me sore repenteth." And ever Sir Bors beheld the child,
 
 Ii6 THE BOOK OF SIR LAUNCELOT DU LAKE. 
 
 that she had in her arms, and ever him seemed it was passing- 
 like Sir Launcelot. " Truly," said Dame Elaine, " wit ye well 
 that this child is his." Then Sir Bors wept for joy, and he 
 prayed unto God the child might prove as good a knight as his 
 father was. And so there came in a white dove, and she bare a 
 little censer of gold in her bill : and anon there was all manner 
 of meats and drinks ; and there was a maiden that bare the 
 Sancgreal, and she said openly, " Wit ye well, Sir Bors, that 
 this child is Galahad, that shall sit in the Siege Perilous, and also 
 shall achieve the Sancgreal ; and he shall be much better than 
 ever was Sir Launcelot du Lake, that is his own father." And 
 then they kneeled down and made their devotions ; and there 
 was such a savour, as all the spicery in the world had been 
 there : and when the dove took her flight, the maiden vanished 
 away with the Sancgreal, as she came. " Sir," said Sir Bors 
 unto King Pelleas, " this castle may well be called the Castle 
 Adventurous, for here be many strange adventures." " That is 
 truth," said King Pelleas, "for well may this place be called 
 the adventurous place, for here come but few knights that go 
 away with any worship be he never so strong, here he may be 
 proved : and, but late ago, Sir Gawaine, the good knight, got 
 but little worship here. For I let you to wit," said King Pelleas, 
 " here shall no knight win no worship, but if he be of worship 
 himself, and of good living, and that loveth God, and dreadeth 
 God ; and else he getteth no worship here, be he ever so hardy." 
 " That is a wonderful thing ! " said Sir Bors : " what ye mean 
 in this country I wot not ; for ye have many strange adventures : 
 therefore I will lie in this castle this night." " Ye shall not do 
 so," said King Pelleas, " by my counsel, for it is hard that ye 
 escape without a shame." " I shall take the adventure that will 
 befall me," said Sir Bors. "Then I counsel you," said King 
 Pelleas, "for to be confessed clean." "As for that," said Sir 
 Bors, " I will be confessed with a good will." So Sir Bors was 
 confessed ; and, for all women, Sir Bors was a virgin, save for 
 one, which was the daughter of King Brandegoris. And so Sir 
 Bors was led to bed into a fair, large chamber, and many doors 
 were shut about that chamber ; and, when Sir Bors espied all 
 those doors, he made all the people to avoid, for he might have 
 nobody with him ; but in nowise Sir Bors would unarm him, but 
 so laid him upon the bed. And right so he saw come in a 
 light, which he might well see, a spear great and long, which 
 came straight upon him, point long ; and so Sir Bors seemed 
 that the head of the spear burnt like a taper. And anon, or Sir 
 Bors wist, the spear-head smote him into the shoulder an hand's
 
 THE BOOK OF STR LAUNCELOT DU LAKE. 117 
 
 breadth in deepness ; and that wound grieved Sir Bors passing 
 sore, and then he laid him down again for pain. And anon 
 therewithal came a knight, all armed, with his shield on his 
 shoulder, and his sword drawn in his hand ; and he said to Sir 
 Bors, "Arise, sir knight! and fight with me." "I am sore 
 hurt," said Sir Bors ; " but yet I shall not fail thee." And then 
 Sir Bors started up, and dressed his shield ; and then they 
 lashed together mightily a great while. And so, at the last, Sir 
 Bors bare him always backward until he came to a chamber 
 door ; and there that knight went into that chamber, and there 
 rested him a great while : and, when he had rested him, he came 
 out freshly again, and began a new battle with Sir Bors, mightily 
 and strongly. 
 
 V. 
 
 THEN Sir Bors thought he should no more go into that 
 chamber to rest him ; and so Sir Bors dressed him between the 
 knight and the chamber-door, and there Sir Bors smote him so 
 sore that he fell down ; and then that knight yielded him to Sir 
 Bors. " What is your name ? " said Sir Bors. " Sir," said that 
 knight, "my name is Sir Pedivere, of the Straight Marches." 
 So Sir Bors made him swear, that, at Whitsunday next coming, 
 for to be at the court of King Arthur, and yield him there as 
 prisoner, and an overcome knight, by the hands of Sir Bors. So 
 thus departed Sir Pedivere, of the Straight Marches. And then 
 Sir Bors laid him down for to rest him ; and then he heard and 
 felt much noise at that chamber. And then Sir Bors espied that 
 there came in, he wist not whether at the doors or windows, a 
 shot of arrows and cross-bow quarels, so thick, that he had great 
 marvel of it ; and there fell many upon him, and hurt him in 
 the bare places. And then Sir Bors was aware where came in 
 an hideous lion. So Sir Bors dressed him unto the lion ; and 
 anon the lion bereft him of his shield : and with his sword Sir 
 Bors smote off the lion's head. Right so, Sir Bors forthwith 
 saw a dragon in the court, passing horrible, and there seemed 
 letters of gold written in his forehead ; and Sir Bors thought 
 that the letters made a signification of his lord, King Arthur. 
 Right so, there came an old and an horrible leopard ; and there 
 they fought long, and did great battle together. And, at the 
 last, the dragon spit out of his mouth as it had been well an 
 hundred dragons ; and lightly all the small dragons slew the old 
 dragon, and tore him all to pieces. And anon forthwith there 
 came an old man into the hall, and he sat him down in a fair 
 chair, and there seemed to be two great adders about his neck ;
 
 n 8 THE BOOK OF SIR LAUNCELOT DU LAKE. 
 
 and then the old man had a harp, and there he sang an old song, 
 how Joseph of Arimathy came into this land. And when he 
 had sang, the old man bade Sir Bors to go from thence ; " for 
 here shall ye have no more adventures ; and full worshipfully 
 have ye done, and better shall ye do hereafter." And then Sir 
 Bors seemed that there came the whitest dove that ever he saw, 
 with a little golden censer in her mouth ; and anon therewithal 
 the tempest ceased and passeth, that before was marvellous 
 to hear. So was all the court full of good savours. Then Sir 
 Bors saw four fair children, that bare four tapers, and an old 
 man in the midst of the children, with a censer in his own hand, 
 and a spear in his other hand ; and that same spear was called 
 the spear of vengeance. 
 
 VI. 
 
 " Now," said that old man unto Sir Bors, " go ye unto your 
 cousin Sir Launcelot, and tell him of this adventure, the which 
 had been most convenient for him of all earthly knights. But 
 sin is so foul in him, that he may not achieve such holy deeds ; 
 for, had not his sin been, he had passed all the knights that ever 
 was in his days. And tell thou Sir Launcelot, that, of all worldly 
 adventures, he passeth in manhood and prowess all other ; but, 
 in these spiritual matters, he shall have many his better." And 
 then Sir Bors saw four gentlewomen coming by him, poorly 
 beseen ; and he saw whereas they entered into a chamber, where 
 was great light, as it were a summer light : and the women 
 kneeled down before an altar of silver, with four pillars ; and he 
 saw as it had been a bishop kneeling down before that table of 
 silver : and, as Sir Bors looked up, he saw a sword like silver, 
 naked, hovering over his head ; and the clearness thereof smote 
 so in his eyes, that, at that time, Sir Bors was blind. And there 
 he heard a voice that said, " Go thou hence, thou Sir Bors ; for 
 as yet thou art not worthy to be in this place." And then he 
 went backward to his bed, till on the morrow ; and, on the 
 morrow, King Pelleas made great joy of Sir Bors : and then he 
 departed, and rode to Camelot ; and there he found Sir Launcelot 
 du Lake, and told, him of the adventures that he had seen 
 with King Pelleas at Corbin. 
 
 So the noise sprang to King Arthur's court, that Sir Launcelot 
 had gotten a child by fair Elaine, the daughter of King Pelleas ; 
 wherefore, Queen Guenever was wrath, and gave many rebukes 
 unto Sir Launcelot, and called him false knight. And then Sir 
 Launcelot told the Queen all, and how he was made to come to 
 Elaine by enchantment, in likeness of the Queen : so the Queen
 
 THE BOOK OF SIR LAUNCELOT DU LAKE. 119 
 
 held Sir Launcelot excused. And, as the book saith, King 
 Arthur had been in France, and had much war upon the mighty 
 King Claudas, and had won much of his lands, and, wheivthe 
 King was come again, he let ciy a great feast, and all lords and 
 ladies of England should be there, but such as were rebellious 
 against him. 
 
 VII. 
 
 AND when Dame Elaine, the daughter of King Pelleas, heard 
 of this feast, she sent unto her father, and required him 
 that he would give her leave for to ride unto that feast. 
 The King answered, " I will well that ye go thither ; but 
 in anywise, as ye love me, and will have my blessing, that 
 ye be well beseen in the richest wise : and look that ye 
 spare for no cost ; ask and ye shall have all that you needeth." 
 Then by the advice if Dame Brisen, her maid, all things 
 were apparelled unto the purpose, and there was never 
 more lady richly beseen than she was. So she rode with twenty 
 knights, and ten ladies, and gentlewomen, to the number of an 
 hundred horses j and, when she came to Camelot, King Arthur 
 and Queen Guenever said, and all the knights, that Dame 
 Elaine was the fairest and best beseen lady that ever was in 
 that court. And anon, as King Arthur wist that she was come, 
 he met her, and saluted her ; and so did the most part of the 
 knights of the Round Table, both Sir Tristram, Sir Bleoberis, 
 and Sir Gawaine, and many more that I will not rehearse. But 
 when Sir Launcelot saw her he was sore ashamed, and that 
 because he drew his sword at the Castle of Case, that he would 
 not see her, nor yet speak to her ; and yet Sir Launcelot thought 
 she was the fairest woman that he saw in his life days. But 
 when Dame Elaine saw that Sir Launcelot would not speak to 
 her, she was so heavy, that she wend her heart would have 
 burst : for wit ye well that out of measure she loved him. And 
 then Dame Elaine said unto her gentlewoman, Dame Brisen, 
 " The unkindness of Sir Launcelot near hand slayeth me." " A 
 peace, madam ! " said Dame Brisen ; " I will undertake that 
 this night he shall come to you, and ye would hold you still." 
 "That were me rather," said Dame Elaine, "than all the gold 
 that is above the earth." " Let me deal," said Dame Brisen. 
 So when Dame Elaine was brought unto Queen Guenever, either 
 made other good cheer by countenance, but nothing with hearts. 
 But all men and women spake of the beauty of Dame Elaine, 
 and of her great riches. Then at night the Queen commanded 
 that Dame Elaine should sleep in a chamber, nigh unto her
 
 120 THE BOOK OF SIR LAUNCELOT DU LAKE. 
 
 chamber, and all under one roof: and so it was done as the 
 Queen had commanded. Then the Queen sent for Sir Launce- 
 lot, and bade him come to her chamber that night, " Or else, I 
 am sure," said the Queen, " that ye will go to your lady, Dame 
 Elaine, by whom ye gat Galahad." " Ah ! madam," said Sir 
 Launcelot, " never say ye so ; for aforetime it was against my 
 will." " Then," said the Queen, " look that ye will come to me 
 when I send for you." " Madam," said Sir Launcelot, " I shall 
 not fail you, but I shall be ready at your command." This 
 bargain was not so soon done and made between them, but 
 Dame Brisen knew it by her crafts, and told it to her lady, Dame 
 Elaine. " Alas ! " said she, " how shall I do ? " " Let me deal," 
 said Dame Brisen ; " for I shall bring him by the hand to you, 
 and he shall ween that I am Queen Guenever's messenger." 
 " Now well is me," said Dame Elaine, "for of all the world I 
 love none so much as I do Sir Launcelot." 
 
 VIII. 
 
 So, when the time came that all the folks were asleep, Dame 
 Biisen came unto Sir Launcelot, and said, "Sir Launcelot clu 
 Lake, be ye asleep? my lady, Queen Guenever, waiteth upon 
 you." " O, fair lady !" said Sir Launcelot, "I am ready to go 
 with you where ye will have me." So Sir Launcelot threw upon 
 him a long gown, and took his S'.vord in his hand ; and then 
 Dame Brisen took him by the finger, and led him unto Dame 
 Elaine : and then she departed, and left them together. Wit 
 ye well the lady was glad, and so was Sir Launcelot ; for he 
 weened that it was the Queen. Now leave we them, and speak 
 we of Queen Guenever, that sent one of her gentlewomen unto 
 Sir Launcelot ; and, when she came there, she found Sir Laun- 
 celot away. So she came again unto the Queen, and told 
 her all, how she had sped. "Alas!" said the Queen, "where 
 is that knight become ? " Then the Queen was nigh out 
 of her wits, and then she writhed and weltered as a mad 
 woman, and might not sleep a four or five hours. Then Sir 
 Launcelot had a condition that he used of custom, he would 
 clatter in his sleep, and speak oft of his lady, Queen Guenever. 
 So Sir Launcelot had waked so long as it had pleased him ; 
 then by course of kind he slept. And in his sleep he talked and 
 clattered as a jay of the love that had been between Queen 
 Guenever and him ; and so, as he talked so loud, the Queen 
 heard him there as she lay in her chamber : and when she heard 
 him so clatter, she was nigh out of her mind, and for anger and
 
 THE BOOK OF SIR LAUNCELOT DU LAKE. 121 
 
 pain wist not what to do ; and then she coughed so loud that 
 Sir Launcelot awaked, and he knew her hemming ; and then he 
 knew well that he was not with the Queen. And therewith he 
 leapt out of his bed as he had been a madman in his shirt, and 
 the Queen met him in the floor, and thus she said : " False 
 traitor knight thou art, look thou never abide in my court, and 
 avoid my chamber ; and be not so hardy, thou false traitor 
 knight that thou art, that ever come in my sight." " Alas," said 
 Sir Launcelot, and therewith he took such a hearty sorrow at her 
 words, that he fell down to the ground in a swoon ; and there- 
 with Queen Guenever departed. And when Sir Launcelot 
 awaked of his swoon he leapt out at a bay window into a garden, 
 and there with thorns he was all to scratched in his visage and his 
 body ; and so he ran forth he wist not whither, and was mad as 
 ever was man. And so he ran two years, and never man might 
 have grace to know him. 
 
 IX. 
 
 Now turn we unto Queen Guenever, and unto Dame Elaine. 
 Then, when Dame Elaine heard Queen Guenever so rebuke 
 Sir Launcelot, and also she saw how he swooned, and after leapt 
 out of a bay window, then she said unto Queen Guenever, 
 " Madame, ye are greatly to blame for Sir Launcelot, for now ye 
 have lost him ; for I saw and heard by his countenance that he 
 is mad for ever. Alas, madam, ye do great sin, and to yourself 
 great dishonour, for ye have a lord of your own, and therefore it 
 is your part for to love him above all other ; for there is no 
 Queen in all this world that hath such another King as ye have ; 
 and if it were not, I might have the love of my lord, Sir 
 Launcelot ; and because I have to love him, for by him I have 
 borne a fair son, and his name is Galahad, and he shall be in his 
 time the best knight in the world." " I warn and charge you, 
 Dame Elaine," said the Queen, " that when it is daylight, to 
 avoid my court ; and, for the love ye owe to Sir Launcelot, dis- 
 cover not your counsel, for and ye do it will be his death." 
 "As for that," said Dame Elaine, "I dare undertake he is 
 marred for ever, and that have ye made ; for ye nor I are like to 
 rejoice him, for he made the most piteous groan when he leapt 
 out at yonder bay window that ever I heard man make." "Alas ! " 
 said Queen Guenever, " for now I wot well we have lost him 
 for ever." " Alas ! " said fair Elaine. So on the morrow Dame 
 Elaine took her leave to depart, and she would no longer abide. 
 Then King Arthur brought her on her way, with more than a 
 hundred knights, through a great forest : and by the way she
 
 122 THE BOOK OF SIR LAUNCRLOT DU LAKE. 
 
 told Sir Bors de Ganis all how it betide that same night, and 
 how Sir Launcelot leapt out at a bay window, distraught 
 out of his wit. "Alas!" said Sir Bors, "where is my lord, 
 Sir Launcelot, become ?" " Sir," said Dame Elaine, " I cannot 
 tell you." " Alas," said Sir Bors, " between you both ye have 
 destroyed that good knight." "As for me," said Dame Elaine, 
 " I said never, nor did never thing that should in anywise 
 displease him ; but with the great rebuke that Oueen Guenever 
 gave him, I saw him swoon to the ground ; and when he 
 awoke he took his sword in his hand, naked, save his shirt, and 
 leapt out at a window, with the grisliest groan that ever I heard 
 any man make." " Now farewell, Dame Elaine," said Sir Bors, 
 " and hold my lord, King Arthur, with a tale as long as ye may, 
 for I will turn again unto Queen Guenever, and give her an 
 heat ; and I require you, as ye will have my service, make good 
 watch, and espy if ye may see my lord, Sir Launcelot." " Truly," 
 said Dame Elaine, " I will do all that I may, for as fain would 
 I know where he is become as you or any of his kin, or as Queen 
 Guenever, and a good cause I have thereto, as well as any 
 other. And wit ye well, I would lose my life for him rather 
 than he should be hurt. But, alas ! I fear me that I shall never 
 see him, and the chief causer of all this is Dame Guenever." 
 " Madam," said Dame Brisen (the which had made the enchant- 
 ment before between Sir Launcelot and her), " I pray you 
 heartily let Sir Bors depart, and hie him with all h'is might as 
 fast as he may to seek Sir Launcelot, for I warn you he is clean 
 out of his mind, and yet he shall be well helped, and but by 
 miracle." Then wept Dame Elaine, and so did Sir Bors de 
 Ganis, and so they departed ; and Sir Bors rode straight unto 
 Oueen Guenever : and when she saw Sir Bors, she began to 
 weep as she had been mad. " Fie upon your weeping," said 
 Sir Bors, "for ye weep never but when there is no boot. Alas, 
 that ever Sir Launcelot's kin saw you ; for now have ye lost the 
 best knight of all our blood, and he that was the leader of us 
 all, and our succour : and, I dare well say, and make it good, 
 that all kings, Christian or heathen, may not find such a knight, 
 for to speak of his nobleness and courtesy, with his beauty and 
 gentleness. Alas ! " said Sir Bors, " what shall we do that be 
 of his blood?" "Alas !" said Sir Ector de Maris. "Alas ! " 
 said Sir Lionel. 
 
 X. 
 
 AND when the Queen heard them say so, she fell to the 
 ground in a deadly swoon. And then Sir Bors took her and 
 roused her ; and when she was come to herself again, she
 
 THE BOOK OF SIR LAUNCELOT DU LAKE. 123 
 
 kneeled before the three knights, and held up both her hands, 
 and besought them to seek him, and not to spare for no goods 
 but that he be found, for I wot well he is out of his mind. And 
 Sir Bors, Sir Ector, and Sir Lionel departed from the Queen, 
 for they might not abide no longer for sorrow. And then the 
 Queen sent them treasure enough for their expenses : and so 
 they took their horses and their armour, and departed, and then 
 they rode from country to country, in forests, and in wilder- 
 nesses, and in ways, and ever they laid watch as well both at 
 forests and at all manner of men as they rode to hearken and 
 to inquire after him, as he that was a naked man in his shirt, 
 with a sword in his hand. And thus they rode well nigh a 
 quarter of a year endlong and overthwart in many places, forests, 
 and wildernesses, and oftentimes were evil lodged for his sake, 
 and yet for all their labour and seeking could they never hear 
 word of him ; and, wit ye well, these three knights were passing 
 sorry. So then, at the last, Sir Bors and his fellows met with a 
 knight that hight Sir Melion de Tartare. " Now, fair knight," 
 said Sir Bors, "whither be ye going?" for they knew either 
 other beforetime. "Sir," said Sir Melion, -"I am in the way 
 towards the court of King Arthur." " Then we pray you," said 
 Sir Bors, " that ye will tell my lord, King Arthur, and my lady, 
 Queen Guenever, and all the fellowship of the Round Table, 
 that we cannot in no wise tell where Sir Launcelot is become." 
 Then Sir Melion departed from them, and said that he would tell 
 the King, and the Queen, and all the fellowship of the Round 
 Table, as they had desired him. So when Sir Melion was come 
 unto the court of King Arthur, he told the King, and the Queen, 
 and all the fellowship of the Round Table, what Sir Bors had said 
 of Sir Launcelot. Then Sir Gawaine, Sir Ewaine, Sir Sagramore 
 le Desirous, Sir Aglovale, and Sir Percivale de Galis took 
 upon them, by the great desire of King Arthur, and in especial 
 by the Queen, to seek throughout all England, Wales, and 
 Scotland, to find Sir Launcelot ; and with them rode eighteen 
 knights more to bear them fellowship ; and, wit ye well, that 
 they lacked no manner of spending, and so were they twenty- 
 three knights. Now return we unto Sir Launcelot, and speak 
 we of his care and woe, and what pain that he endured ; for 
 cold, hunger, and thirst, he had plenty. And thus, as these 
 noble knights rode together, they by one assent departed 
 asunder, and then they rode by two, by three, by four, and by 
 live ; and ever they assigned where they should meet. And so 
 Sir Aglovale and Sir Percivale rode together unto their mother, 
 which was a Queen in those days : and when she saw her two
 
 124 THE BOOK OF SIR LAUNCELOT DU LAKE. 
 
 sons, for joy she wept right tenderly, and then she said unto them, 
 " Ah, my dear sons, when your father was slain he left me four 
 sons, of the which now be two slain, and for the death of my noble 
 son, Sir Lamoracke, shall my heart never be glad." And then 
 she kneeled down upon both her knees before Sir Aglovale 
 and Sir Percivale, and besought them to abide at home with 
 her. "Ah, sweet mother," said Sir Percivale, "we may not 
 abide here, for we be come of King's blood on both parties ; 
 and therefore, mother, it is our kind to hunt at arms and noble 
 deeds." " Alas ! my sweet sons," said she, " for your sakes 
 I shall lose my liking and lust, and wind and weather I may 
 not endure, what for the death of your father, King Pellinore, 
 that was shamefully slain by the hands of Sir Gawaine, and 
 his brother, Sir Gaheris ; and they slew him not manfully, but 
 by treason. And, my dear sons, this is a piteous complaint for 
 me of your father's death, considering also the death of Sir 
 Lamoracke, which of knighthood had but few fellows : now, my 
 dear sons, have this in your minds." Then there was great 
 weeping and sobbing in the court when they should depart, 
 and she fell down in a swoon in the midst of the court. 
 
 XI. 
 
 As soon as she came again to herself, she sent a squire after 
 them with spending enough for them. And when the squire 
 had overtook them, they would not suffer him to ride with them, 
 but sent him home again to comfort their mother, praying her 
 meekly of her blessing. And so this squire was benighted, 
 and, by misfortune, he happened to come unto a castle where 
 dwelled a baron ; and so when the squire was come into the 
 castle, the lord asked him from whence he came, and whom 
 he served. " My lord," said the squire, " I serve a good knight, 
 that is called Sir Aglovale." The squire said it to a good 
 intent, weening unto him to have been the more forborne for 
 Sir Aglovale's sake, than that he had answered he had served 
 the Queen, Sir Aglovale's mother. " Well, my fellow," said the 
 lord of the castle, " for Sir Aglovale's sake thou shalt have an 
 evil lodging; for Aglovale slew my brother, and therefore thou 
 shalt die on part of payment." And then the lord commanded 
 his men to have him out of his castle, and there they slew him 
 out of mercy. Right so on the morrow came Sir Aglovale and 
 Sir Percivale riding by a churchyard where men and women 
 were busy, and beheld the dead squire, and thought to bury 
 him. "What is there," said Sir Aglovale, "that ye behold so
 
 THE BOOK OF SIR LAUNCELOT DU LAKE. 125 
 
 fast ?" A good man started forth and said, " Fair knight, here 
 lieth a squire slain shamefully this night." " How was he slain, 
 fair fellow?" said Sir Aglovale. "My fair sir," said the man, 
 " the lord of this castle lodged the squire this night ; and 
 because he said he was servant unto a good knight that is with 
 King Arthur, his name is Sir Aglovale, therefore the lord 
 commanded to slay him, and for this cause he is slain." 
 " Gramercy," said Sir Aglovale, " and lightly shall ye see his 
 death revenged, for I am the same knight for whom this squire 
 was slain." Then Sir Aglovale called unto him Sir Percivale, 
 and bid him alight quickly, and so they alighted both. And so 
 they went on foot into the castle, and as soon as they were 
 within the castle-gate Sir Aglovale bid the porter go into his 
 lord, and tell him that I am Sir Aglovale, for whom this squire 
 was slain this night. Anon, the porter told this unto his lord, 
 whose name was Sir Goodwin, and anon he armed him, and 
 then he came into the court and said, " Which of you is Sir 
 Aglovale." " Here am I," said Sir Aglovale : "for what cause," 
 said Sir Aglovale, " slewest thou this night my mother's squire ? " 
 " I slew him," said Sir Goodwin, " because of thee ; thou 
 slewest my brother, Sir Gawdelyn.'" "As for thy brother," 
 said Sir Aglovale, " I avow it I slew m'm ; for he was a false 
 knight, and a betrayer of ladies and of good knights, and for 
 the death of my squire thou shalt die." " I defy thee," said 
 Sir Goodwin : and then they lashed together as eagerly as it 
 had been two wild lions ; and Sir Percivale fought with all the 
 remnant that would fight : and so within awhile Sir Percivale 
 had slain all that would withstand him ; for Sir Percivale 
 dealed so his strokes, that were so rude, that there durst no 
 man abide him. And, within a little while, Sir Aglovale 
 had down Sir Goodwin to the earth, and there he unlaced his 
 helm, and struck off his head. And then they departed and 
 took their horses ; and then they let carry the dead squire unto 
 a priory, and there they buried him. 
 
 XII. 
 
 AND when this was done, they rode into many countries, ever 
 inquiring after Sir Launcelot, but in nowise they could hear of 
 him. And at the last they came to a castle hight Cardigan, 
 and there Sir Percivale and Sir Aglovale were lodged together ; 
 and privily, about midnight. Sir Percivale came to Sir Aglovale's 
 squire, and said, "Arise, and make thee ready, for thou and I 
 will ride away secretly." " Sir," said the squire, " I would fain
 
 126 THE BOOK OF SIR LAUNCELOT DU LAKE. 
 
 ride with you where ye would have me, but, and my lord your 
 brother take me, he will slay me." "As for that, care thou 
 not," said Sir Percivale, " for I shall be thy warrant." And so 
 they rode till it was afternoon, and then they came upon a 
 bridge of stone, and there he found a knight that was bound 
 with a chain fast about the waist unto a pillar of marble. " O, 
 fair knight," said that bound knight, " 1 require thee loose 
 me of my hands." " What knight are ye," said Sir Percivale, 
 "and for what cause are ye so bound 1 ?" " Sir, I shall tell you," 
 said that knight ; " I am a knight of the Round Table, and my 
 name is Sir Persides, and thus by adventure I came this way, 
 and here I lodged in this castle at the bridge foot, and therein 
 clwelleth an uncourteous lady ; and, because she proffered me 
 to be my paramour, and that I refused her, she set her men 
 upon me suddenly or that I might come to my weapon, and 
 thus they bound me, and here, and wot well I shall die, but if 
 some man of worship break my hands." " Be ye of good cheer," 
 said Sir Percivale, " and because ye are a knight of the Round 
 Table as well as I, I trust to God to break your hands ;" and 
 therewith Sir Percivale drew out his sword, and stroke at the 
 chain with such a might, that he cut in two the chain, and went 
 through Sir Persides' hawberk, and hurt him a little. " O Jesu," 
 said Sir Persides, "that was a mighty stroke as ever I felt, for 
 had not the chain been ye had slain me." And therewithal Sir 
 Persides saw a knight coming out of the castle all that he might, 
 flying. " Beware," said Sir Persides, " yonder cometh a man 
 that will have to do with you." " Let him come," said Sir 
 Percivale. And so he met with that knight in the midst of the 
 bridge, and Sir Percivale gave him such a buffet, that he smote 
 him quite from his horse, and over a part of the bridge, that had 
 not been a little vessel underneath the bridge that knight had 
 been drowned. And then Sir Percivale took the knight's horse, 
 and made Sir Persides to mount upon him. And so they 
 rode unto the castle, and bid the lady deliver Sir Persides' ser- 
 vants, or else he would slay all that he might find. And so for 
 fear she delivered them all. Then was Sir Percivale aware of a 
 lady that stood in a tower. "Ah, madam," said Sir Percivale, 
 " what use is that in a lady for to destroy good knights but if 
 they will be your paramour forthwith ; it is a shameful custom 
 of a lady ; and if that I had not a great matter in hand, I 
 should undo your evil customs.'' And so Sir Persides brought 
 Sir Percivale unto his own castle, and there he made him the 
 best cheer that he could devise all that night. And, on the 
 morrow, when Sir Percivale had heard- mass, and broken his
 
 THE BOOK OF SIR LAUNCELOT DU LAKE. 127 
 
 fast, he bid Sir Persides ride unto King Arthur, "and tell the 
 King how ye met with me, and tell my brother, Sir Aglovale, 
 how I rescued you, and bid my brother that he seek not after 
 me ; for tell him that I am in the quest for to seek Sir Launcelot 
 du Lake, and though he seek me, he shall not find me ; and 
 tell him that I will never see him nor the court till I have found 
 Sir Launcelot. Also, tell Sir Kaye, the seneschal, and Sir 
 Mordred, that I trust unto Jesu to be of as great worthiness as 
 either of them ; for tell them, that I shall never forget their 
 mocks and scorns that they did to me that day when I was 
 made knight ; and tell them, that I will never see that court 
 till men speak of me more worship than ever man did of any 
 of them both." And Sir Persides departed from Sir Percivale, 
 and then he rode unto King Arthur, and told there of Sir Perci- 
 vale ; and when Sir Aglovale heard him speak of his brother, 
 Sir Percivale, he said, " He departed from me unkindly." 
 
 XIII. 
 
 " SIR," said Sir Persides, " on my life he shall prove a noble 
 knight as any is now living." And when he saw Sir Kaye and 
 Sir Mordred, Sir Persides said thus : " My fair lords both, Sir 
 Percivale greeteth you well both, and he sendeth you word by 
 me, that he trusteth unto God, or ever he cometh to the court 
 again to be of as great nobleness as ever ye were both, and 
 more men to speak of his nobleness than ever did of yours." 
 " It may well be," said Sir Kaye and Sir Mordred, " but at that 
 time when he was made knight he was full unlikely to prove a 
 good knight." " As for that," said King Arthur, " he must needs 
 prove a good knight, for his father and his brethren were noble 
 knights." Now will we return unto Sir Percivale, that rode 
 long, and in a forest he met a knight with a broken shield and 
 a broken helm ; and as soon as either saw other readily, they 
 made them ready to joust, and so hurtled together with all the 
 might of their horses, and met together so hard, that Sir Perci- 
 vale was smitten to the earth. And then Sir Percivale arose 
 lightly, and cast his shield upon his shoulder, and drew his 
 sword, and bade the other knight alight and do battle to the 
 uttermost. " Will ye more ? " said the knight ; and therewith 
 he alighted and put his horse from him, and then they came 
 together an easy pace, and there they lashed together with 
 their swords ; and sometimes they stroke, and sometimes they 
 feigned, and either gave other many great wounds. Thus 
 they fought near half-a-day, and never rested them but little ;
 
 128 THE BOOK OF SIR LAUNCELOT DU LAKE. 
 
 and there was none of them both that had less wounds than 
 fifteen, and they bled so much, that it was marvel that they 
 stood upon their feet. But this knight that fought with Sir 
 Percivale was a proved knight, and a well fighting, and Sir 
 Percivale was young and strong, not knowing in fighting as the 
 other was. Then Sir Percivale spake first, and said " Sir 
 knight, hold thy hand a little while still, for we have fought for 
 a simple matter and quarrel ever long, and therefore I require 
 thee of gentleness tell me thy name, for I was never or this time 
 matched." "So God me help," said the other knight, "and 
 never before this time was there never no manner of knight, the 
 which wounded and hurt me so dangerously as thou hast done ; 
 and yet have I fought in many battles, and now shalt thou wit 
 that I am a knight of the Round Table, and my name is Sir 
 Ector de Maris, brother unto the good knight, Sir Launcelot 
 du Lake." "Alas!" said Sir Percivale, "and my name is Sir 
 Percivale de Galis, that have made my quest for to seek Sir 
 Launcelot : now am I seeker that I shall never finish my quest, 
 for ye have slain me." " It is not so," said Sir Ector, "for I am 
 slain by your hands, and may not live ; therefore I require you," 
 said Sir Ector unto Sir Percivale, " ride ye hereby unto a 
 priory, and bring me a priest, that I may receive my Saviour, for 
 I may not live. And when ye come unto the court of King 
 Arthur, tell not my brother Sir Launcelot how ye have slain me, 
 for then he will be your mortal enemy ; but ye may say, that I 
 was slain in my quest as I sought him." " Alas ! " said Sir 
 Percivale, " ye say that thing that never will be, for I am so 
 faint for bleeding, that unless I may stand, how should I then 
 take my horse." 
 
 XIV. 
 
 THEN they made both great dole out of measure. "This will 
 riot avail," said Sir Percivale ; and then he kneeled down and 
 made his prayers devoutly unto Almighty God, for he was one 
 of the best knights of the world that was at that time, in whom 
 the very faith stood most in. Right so there came by the holy 
 vessel of the Sancgreal, with all manner of sweetness and savour, 
 but they could not readily see who bear that holy vessel ; but Sir 
 Percivale had a glimmering of that vessel, and of the maiden 
 that bear it ; for she was a perfect clean maid. And forthwith 
 they were both as whole of limb and hide as ever they were in 
 their life days ; wherefore, they gave thanks unto Almighty God 
 right devoutly. " O Jesu ! " said Sir Percivale, " what may this
 
 THE BOOK OF SIR LAUNCELOT DU LAKE. 129 
 
 mean, that we be thus healed, and right now we were at a point 
 of dying." " I wot well," said Sir Ector, " what it is : it is an 
 holy vessel that is borne by a maiden, and therein is a part of the 
 holy blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, blessed might He be ; but 
 it may not be seen," said Sir Ector, "but if he be by a perfect 
 man." " So God me help," said Sir Percivale, " I saw a damsel 
 as me, though all in white, with a vessel in both her hands, and 
 forthwithal I was whole." So then they took their horses and 
 their harness, and amended it as well as they might, that was 
 broken, and so they mounted upon their horses, and rode talking 
 together ; and there Sir Ector told Sir Percivale how he had 
 sought his brother Sir Launcelot, and never could have know- 
 ledge of him. In many strange adventures have I been in this 
 quest : and so either told other of their adventures. 
 
 XV. 
 
 AND now leave we a little of Sir Ector and Sir Percivale, and 
 speak we of Sir Launcelot, that suffered and endured many 
 sharp showers, which ever ran wild wood from place to place, 
 and lived by fruit, and such as he might get, and drank water two 
 years : and other clothing had he but little, save his shirt and 
 his breeches. And thus, as Sir Launcelot wandered here and 
 there, he came into a fair meadow, where he found a pavilion, 
 and there upon a tree hung a white shield, and two swords 
 hung thereby, and two spears there leaned against a tree. 
 And when Sir Launcelot saw the swords, anon he leapt to the 
 one sword, and took it in his hand, and drew it out, and then 
 he lashed at the shield, that all the meadow rang of the dints 
 that he gave, with such a noise as ten knights had fought together. 
 Then there came forth a dwarf, and leapt unto Sir Launcelot, 
 and would have had the sword out of his hand ; and then Sir 
 Launcelot took him by both the shoulders, and threw him to the 
 ground upon his neck, that he had almost broken his neck ; 
 and therewithal the dwarf cried for help. Then came forth a 
 little knight, and well apparelled in scarlet, furred with minever ; 
 and anon as he saw Sir Launcelot, he deemed that he should be 
 out of his wits, and then he said with fair speech, "Good friend, 
 lay down that sword, for as me seemeth thou hast more need 
 to sleep, and of warm clothes, than to wield that sword." " As 
 for that," said Sir Launcelot, " come thou not nigh me ; for and 
 thou do, wit thou well I will slay thee." And when the knight 
 of the pavilion saw that, he started backward within the 
 
 9
 
 130 THE BOOK OF SIR LAUNCELOT DU LAKE. 
 
 pavilion ; and then the dwarf armed him lightly, and so the 
 knight thought by force and might to take the sword from Sir 
 Launcelot : and so he came stepping out ; and when Sir 
 Launcelot saw him come all armed with his sword in his hand, 
 Sir Launcelot flew upon him with such a might, and hit him 
 upon the helm such a buffet, that the stroke troubled his brains. 
 And therewith the sword brake in three, and the knight fell to 
 the ground as though he had been dead, and the blood burst 
 out at his mouth, nose, and ears. And then Sir Launcelot ran 
 into the pavilion, and there he crept into the warm bed ; and in 
 that bed there was a lady, and lightly she gat her smock, and 
 ran out of the pavilion. And when she saw her lord lie on the 
 ground, like to be dead, then she cried and wept as though she 
 had been mad. Then with her noise the knight awaked out of 
 his swoon, and looked up quickly with his eyes, and then he 
 asked her where the madman was that had given him such a 
 buffet ; " for such a buffet had I never of man's hand." " Sir," 
 said the dwarf, " it is no worship to hurt him ; for he is a man 
 out of his wits, and doubt ye not he hath been a man of great 
 worship, and for some heartily sorrow that he hath taken he is 
 fallen mad." "And me seemeth," said the dwarf, "that he re- 
 sembleth much unto Sir Launcelot du Lake, for him I saw at the 
 great tournament beside Lonazep." "Jesu defend," said that 
 knight ; " that ever the noble knight Sir Launcelot should be 
 in such a plight : but whatsoever he be," said that knight, " harm 
 will I none do him." And this knight's name is Sir Bliaunt ; 
 then he said unto the dwarf, " Go thou in all haste, on horse- 
 back, unto my brother Sir Selivant, that is at the castle 
 Blanche, and tell him of mine adventure, and bid him bring 
 with him a horse litter, and then will we bear this knight unto 
 my castle." 
 
 XVI. 
 
 So the dwarf rode fast and came again, and brought Sir 
 Selivant with him, and six men with a horse-litter. And so 
 they took up the feather-bed with Sir Launcelot, and carried all 
 with them to the castle Blanche, and he never awakened until 
 he was within the castle ; and then they bound his hands and 
 his feet, and gave him good meals and good drink, and brought 
 him again to his strength and his fairness ; but in his wits they 
 could not bring him again, nor to know himself. Thus Sir 
 Launcelot wasthere more than a year and a-half, honestly arrayed, 
 and fair faring withal. Then upon a day, this lord of that castle, 
 Sir Bliaunt, took his arms on horseback, with a spear to seek
 
 THE BOOK OF SIR LAUNCELOT DU LAKE. 131 
 
 adventures ; and as he rode in a forest there met him two 
 knights adventurous ; the one was Sir Breuse Sans Pitie, and 
 his brother, Sir Bertlot ; and these two ran both at once upon 
 Sir Bliaunt, and break both their spears upon his body, and then 
 they drew out their swords, and made a great battle, and fought 
 long together : but at the last Sir Bliaunt was sore wounded, 
 and felt himself faint, and then he fled on horseback towards his 
 castle. And as they came hurtling under the castle, where Sir 
 Launcelot lay in a window, and saw two knights laid upon Sir 
 Bliaunt with their swords ; and when Sir Launcelot saw that, 
 yet as mad as he was, he was sorry for his lord Sir Bliaunt. 
 And then Sir Launcelot break his chains from his legs, and from 
 his arms, and in his breaking he hurt both his hands : and so 
 Sir Launcelot ran out at a postern, and there he met with the 
 two knights that chased Sir Bliaunt, and there he pulled down 
 Bertlot with his bare hands from his horse, and therewithal he 
 writhed his sword out of his hands ; and as he leapt up to Sir 
 Breuse, and gave him such a buffet upon the head, that he 
 tumbled backward over the horse's croup. And when Sir 
 Bertlot saw his brother have such a fall, he gat a spear in his 
 hand, and would have run Sir Launcelot through : that saw Sir 
 Bliaunt, and struck off the hand of Sir Bertlot ; and then Sir 
 Breuse and Sir Bertlot gat their horses, and fled away. When 
 Sir Selivant came, and saw what Sir Launcelot had done for his 
 brother, then he thanked God, and so did his brother, that ever 
 they did him any good ; but when Sir Bliaunt saw that Sir 
 Launcelot was hurt, with the breaking of his chains, then he was 
 sorry that he had bound him. " Bind him no more," said Sir 
 Selivant, "for he is happy and gracious." Then they made 
 great joy of Sir Launcelot, and they bound him no more. And 
 so he abode there half-a-year and more ; and in a morning early 
 Sir Launcelot was aware where came a great boar, with many 
 hounds nigh him ; but the boar was so big, that there might no 
 hounds tear him, and the hunters came, after blowing their 
 horns both on horseback and on foot ; and, at the last, Sir 
 Launcelot was aware where one of them alighted and tied his 
 horse to a tree, and leaned his spear against the tree. 
 
 XVII. 
 
 So came Sir Launcelot and found the horse bound to a tree, 
 and a spear leaning against a tree, and a sword tied unto the 
 saddle bow : and then Sir Launcelot leapt into the saddle, and 
 gat that spear in his hand, and then he rode after the boar ; and
 
 132 THE BOOK OF SIR LAUNCELOT DU LAKE. 
 
 then Sir Launcelot was aware where the boar set his back unto 
 a tree fast by a hermitage. Then Sir Launcelot ran at the boar 
 with his spear : and therewith the boar turned him suddenly, 
 and tore out the lungs and the heart of Sir Launcelot's horse : so 
 Sir Launcelot fell to the earth, and or ever Sir Launcelot 
 might get from his horse, the boar tore him on the brawn 
 of the thigh up to the huckle bone : and then Sir Launcelot was 
 wrath, and up he gat him on his feet, and drew out his sword, 
 and he smote off the boar's head at one stroke. And therewith 
 came out the hermit ; and, when he saw him have such a wound, 
 then the hermit came unto Sir Launcelot, and bemoaned him, 
 and would have had him unto his hermitage : but when Sir 
 Launcelot heard him speak, he was so wrath with his wound, 
 that he ran upon the hermit to have slain him. And then the 
 hermit ran away : and when Sir Launcelot might not overtake 
 him, he threw his sword after him ; for Sir Launcelot might not 
 go farther for bleeding. Then the hermit turned again, and 
 asked Sir Launcelot how he was hurt ? " Fellow," said Sir Laun- 
 celot, " this boar hath bitten me right sore." " Then come with 
 me," said the hermit, " and I shall heal you." " Go thy way," 
 said Sir Launcelot, "and deal not with me." And then the 
 hermit ran his way fast, and in his way he met with a good 
 knight with many men. "Sir," said the hermit, "here is fast 
 by my place the goodliest man that ever I saw, and he is sore 
 wounded with a boar, and yet he hath slain the boar ; but well 
 I wot," said the hermit, "and he be not holpen, that goodly man 
 shall die of that wound, and that were full great pity." Then 
 that knight, at the desire of the hermit, gat a cart, and in that 
 cart that knight put the boar and Sir Launcelot ; for Sir Launce- 
 lot was so feeble that they might right easily deal with him. 
 And so Sir Launcelot was brought to the hermitage, and the 
 hermit healed him of his wounds. But the hermit might not 
 find Sir Launcelot sustenance, and so he impaired and waxed 
 feeble, both of his body and of his wit for default of sustenance, 
 and waxed more weaker than he was aforehand. And then 
 upon a day Sir Launcelot ran his way into the forest, and by 
 adventure came into the city of Corbin, where Dame Elaine was 
 that had borne Galahad, Sir Launcelot's son. And so when he 
 was entered into the town, he ran through the town into the 
 castle, and then all the young men of the city ran after Sir 
 Launcelot, and there they threw turfs at him, and gave him 
 many sad strokes : and, as Sir Launcelot might reach any of 
 them, he threw them, so that they would never more come into 
 his hands ; for of some he break their legs, and some their
 
 THE BOOK OF SIR LAUNCELOT DU LAKE. 133 
 
 arms, and so fled into the castle. And then came out knights 
 and squires for to rescue Sir Launcelot, and when they beheld 
 him, and looked upon his person, they thought they saw never 
 so goodly a man ; and when they saw so many wounds upon 
 him, they all deemed that he had been a man of worship. And 
 then they ordained clothes unto his body, and straw underneath 
 him, and a little house, and then every day they would throw him 
 meat, and set him drink ; but there were few or none that would 
 bring meat to his hands. 
 
 XVIII. 
 
 So it befell, that King Pelleas had a nephew, whose name was 
 Castor, and he desired of the King, his uncle, to be made a 
 knight ; and so, at the request of this Castor, the King made 
 him knight at the feast of Candlemas. And when Castor was 
 made knight, that same day he gave many gowns ; and so Sir 
 Castor sent for the fool, that was Sir Launcelot ; and when he 
 was come afore Sir Castor, he gave Sir Launcelot a robe of 
 scarlet, and all that belonged unto him : and when Sir Launce- 
 lot was arrayed like a knight, he was the seemliest man in all 
 the court, and none so well made. So, when he saw his time, 
 he went into the garden, and there Sir Launcelot laid him down 
 by a well, and slept. And so, at afternoon, Dame Elaine and 
 her maidens came into the garden for to play them ; and, as 
 they ran up and down, one of Dame Elaine's maidens espied 
 where lay a goodly man by the well sleeping, and anon showed 
 him unto Dame Elaine. " Peace," said Dame Elaine, " say 
 no word : " and then she brought Dame Elaine where as he lay. 
 And when Dame Elaine beheld, anon she fell in remembrance of 
 him, and knew him verily for Sir Launcelot, and therewith she 
 fell on weeping so heartily, that she sunk down to the ground ; 
 and when she had wept a great while, then she arose and called 
 her maidens, and said she was sick. And so she went out of 
 the garden, and went straight unto her father, and there she 
 took him apart by himself, and then she said, " Oh, father, now 
 have I need of your help : and but if that ye help me, farewell 
 my good days for ever." " What is that, daughter ? " said King 
 Pelleas. "Sir," said she, "thus it is : in your garden I went to 
 sport me, and there, by the well, I found Sir Launcelot du Lake 
 sleeping." " I may not believe it," said King Pelleas. " Sir," said 
 she, " truly he is there : and me seemeth that he should be 
 defraught of his wit." " Then hold you still," said King Pelleas, 
 " and let me deal." Then the King called unto him such as he 
 most trusted a four persons, and Dame Elaine, his daughter ;
 
 134 THE BOOK OF SIR LAUNCELOT DU LAKE. 
 
 and when they came to the well, and beheld Sir Launcelot, 
 anon Dame Brisen knew him. " Sir," said Dame Brisen, " we 
 must be wise and ware how we deal with him, for this knight is 
 out of his mind ; and if that we awake him rudely, what he will 
 do we all know not, but ye shall abide, and I shall throw such 
 an enchantment upon him, that he shall not awake within the 
 space of an hour." And so she did. Then, within a little while 
 alter, King Pelleas commanded that all the people should avoid, 
 that none should be in that way there as the King should come : 
 and so, when all this was done, these four men, and these 
 ladies, laid hand upon Sir Launcelot, and so they bear him 
 into a tower, and so into the chamber, where as was the holy 
 vessel of Sancgreal ; and, by force, Sir Launcelot was laid by 
 that holy vessel. And then there came a holy man and un- 
 covered the vessel : and so, by miracle, and by virtue of that 
 holy vessel, Sir Launcelot was all healed and recovered : and, 
 when he was awaked, he groaned and sighed sore, and com- 
 plained greatly that he was passing sore. 
 
 XIX. 
 
 AND when Sir Launcelot saw King Pelleas and Dame Elaine, 
 he waxed ashamed, and thus he said : " O, good Lord Jesu ! 
 how came I here : for God's sake, my lord, let me wit how I 
 came here." " Sir," said Dame Elaine, " into this country ye 
 came like a madman, all out of your wit, and here ye have been 
 kept as a fool, and no creature here knew what ye were, till 
 that, by fortune, a maid of mine brought me unto you, where, as 
 ye lay sleeping by a well side ; and anon, as I verily beheld 
 you, I knew you, and then I told my father ; and so ye were 
 brought before this holy vessel, and, by the virtue of it, thus 
 were ye healed." " O, Jesu ! mercy," said Sir Launcelot, " if 
 this be sooth, how many be there that know of my weakness ? " 
 " So God help me," said Dame Elaine, "no more but my father 
 and I, and Dame Brisen." " Now, for Christ's love," said Sir 
 Launcelot, "keep it secret, and let no man know it in the 
 world. For I am sore ashamed that I have been thus mis- 
 carried : for I am banished out of the country of Logris for 
 ever ; that is to say, out of the country of England." And so 
 Sir Launcelot lay more than a fortnight or ever he might 
 stir for soreness, and then, upon a day, he said unto Dame 
 Elaine these words : " Fair lady, for your sake I have had 
 much travel, care, and anguish ; I need not to rehearse it, ye 
 know well how, notwithstanding I know well that I have done
 
 THE BOOK OF SIR LAUNCELOT DU LAKE. 135 
 
 foul to you, when I drew my sword upon you, for to have slain 
 you on the morrow, when I had been with you : and all was the 
 cause that ye and Dame Brisen made me to come to you, 
 maugre my head ; and, as ye say, that night Galahad, your son. 
 was gotten." " That is truth," said Dame Elaine. " Now will 
 ye, for my love," said Sir Launcelot, "go unto your father, and 
 get me a place of him, wherein I may dwell ; for in the court of 
 King Arthur may I never come." " Sir," said Dame Elaine, " I 
 will live and die with you, and only for your sake, if my life might 
 not avail you, and that my death might avail you : wit ye well, I 
 would die for your sake. And I will go to my father, and I am 
 sure there is nothing that I can desire of him but I shall have it : 
 and where ye be, my lord, Sir Launcelot, doubt ye not but I 
 will be with you, with all the service that I may do." So 
 forthwith she went unto her father, and said, " Sir, my lord, 
 Sir Launcelot, desireth to be here by you, in some castle 
 of yours." " Well, daughter," said the King, " sith it is his 
 desire to abide in these Marches, he shall be in the castle of 
 Bliaunt, and there shall ye be with him, and twenty of the fair- 
 est ladies that be in this country, and they shall be of the 
 greatest blood ; and also ye shall have ten knights with you ; 
 for, daughter, I will that ye wit, we all be honoured by the 
 blood of the noble knight Sir Launcelot." 
 
 XX. 
 
 THEN went Dame Elaine unto Sir Launcelot, and told him 
 how her father had devised for him and her. Then came the 
 knight Sir Castor (that was nephew unto King Pelleas) unto Sir 
 Launcelot, and asked him what was his name. " Sir," said Sir 
 Launcelot, " my name is le Chevalier mal Fet : this is as much 
 to say, the knight that hath trespassed." " Sir," said Sir 
 Castor ; " it may well be so, but me seemeth that your name 
 should be Sir Launcelot du Lake ; for, or now I have seen you." 
 " Sir," said Launcelot, " ye are not as a gentle knight ; I put, 
 case my name were Sir Launcelot, and that it list me not to 
 discover my name, what should it grieve you to keep my coun- 
 sel, and ye not hurt thereby. But wit ye well, and ever it lie in 
 my power, I shall grieve you, and that I promise you truly." 
 Then Sir Castor kneeled down, and asked Sir Launcelot mercy ; 
 "for I shall never utter what ye be, as long as ye be in these 
 parts." Then Sir Launcelot pardoned him. And then after 
 this King Pelleas, with ten knights, and Dame Elaine, and 
 twenty ladies, rode unto the castle of Bliaunt, that stood in an
 
 136 THE BOOK OF SIR LAUNCELOT DU LAKE. 
 
 island, enclosed with iron, with a fair water, deep and large. 
 And, when they were there, Sir Launcelot let call it the Joyous 
 Isle ; and there he was called none otherwise but le Chevalier 
 mal Fet, the knight that hath trespassed. Then Sir Launcelot 
 let make him a shield all of sable, and a queen crowned in the 
 midst, all of silver, and a knight clean armed, kneeling before 
 her ; and every day once, for any mirths that all the ladies 
 might make him, he would look towards the realm of Logris, 
 where as King Arthur and Queen Guenever were, and then would 
 he fall on a-weeping, as though his heart should all to break. 
 So it befell that time, that Sir Launcelot heard of a jousting fast 
 by his castle, within six miles : then he called unto him a dwarf, 
 and bid him go unto that jousting, and, or ever the knights 
 depart, look that thou make there a cry, in hearing of all the 
 knights that be there, " that there is a good knight in Joyous 
 Isle, that is, the castle Bliaunt, and say that his name is le 
 Chevalier mal Fet, that will joust against all knights that will 
 come, and who that putteth that knight to the worst shall have 
 a fair maiden and a ger-falcon." 
 
 XXI. 
 
 So when this cry was made, unto Joyous Isle drew many 
 knights, to the number of five hundred : and, wit ye well, that 
 there was never seen in King Arthur's days one knight that did 
 such deeds of arms as Sir Launcelot did three days together. 
 For he had the better hand of five hundred knights, and yet 
 there was none slain of them ; and after that Sir Launcelot 
 made them all a great feast. And, in the meanwhile, came Sir 
 Percivale de Galis and Sir Hector de Maris under the castle 
 that was called the Joyous Isle, and so, as they beheld that 
 fair castle, they would have gone into it, but they might not for 
 the broad water, and bridge could they none find. Then 
 they saw, on that other side, a lady, with a sparrow-hawk 
 upon her hand, and Sir Percivale called unto her, and 
 asked her who was within that castle. " Fair knight," said 
 the lady, " here within this castle is the fairest lady in this 
 land, and her name is Dame Elaine ; also we have in this 
 castle the fairest knight and the mightiest man that is (I 
 dare well say) now living, and he calleth himself le Chevalier 
 mal Fet." " How came he into this Marches ? " said Sir 
 Percivale. "Truly," said the damsel, "he came into this coun- 
 try like a madman, with dogs and boys chasing him throughout 
 the city of Corbin ; and, by the holy vessel of the Sancgreal, 
 he was brought into his wit again, but he will not do battle with
 
 THE BOOK OF SIR LAUNCELOT DU LAKE. 137 
 
 no knight but by nine of the clock at morning or by noon. And. 
 if ye list to enter into the castle," said the damsel, " ye must ride 
 unto the further side of the castle, and there shall ye find a vessel 
 that shall bear you and your horses." Then they departed, and 
 came unto the vessel ; and then Sir Percivale alighted, and said 
 unto Sir Ector de Maris, " Ye shall abide me here, until I know 
 what manner of knight he is, for it were a great shame unto us, 
 inasmuch as he is but one knight, and we should both do battle 
 with him." " Do as ye list," said Sir Ector de Maris, " here 
 shall I abide you, until that I hear of you again." Then Sir 
 Percivale passed the water, and when he came to the castle gate, 
 he said to the porter, " Go thou unto the good knight within the 
 castle, and tell him that there is come an errant-knight to joust 
 with him." " Sir," said the porter, " ride ye within the castle, 
 and there shall ye find a common place for jousting, that lords 
 and ladies may behold you." So anon, as Sir Launcelot had 
 warning, he was soon ready. And there Sir Percivale and Sir 
 Launcelot encountered with such a might, and their spears were 
 so rude, that both the horses and the knights fell to the ground ; 
 and then they avoided their horses and drew out their swords, 
 and hewed away cantels of their shields, and hurtled together 
 with their shields like two wild boars, and either wounded other 
 passing sore ; and at the last Sir Percivale spake first, when 
 they had fought more than two hours : " Fair knight," said Sir 
 Percivale, " I require thee tell me thy name ? for I met never 
 with such a knight as ye are." " Sir," said Sir Launcelot, " my 
 name is le Chevalier mal Fet. Now tell me your name," said 
 Sir Launcelot, " I require you as ye are a gentle knight." 
 " Truly," said Sir Percivale, " my name is Sir Percivale de 
 Galis, which is brother unto the good knight Sir Lamoracke de 
 Galis, and King Pellinore was our father, and Sir Aglavale is 
 my brother." "Alas !" said Sir Launcelot, "what have I done, 
 to fight with you, that are a knight of the Round Table, that 
 sometime was your fellow in King Arthur's court" 
 
 XXII. 
 
 AND therewithal Sir Launcelot kneeled down upon his knees, 
 and threw away his shield and his sword from him. When Sir 
 Percivale saw him do so, he marvelled what he meant, and thus 
 he said unto him : " Sir knight, whatsoever thou be, I require 
 thee, upon the high order of knighthood, tell me your right 
 name." Then Sir Launcelot answered and said, " So God me 
 help, my name is Sir Launcelot du Lake, King Ban's son, of
 
 138 THE BOOK OF SIR LAUNCELOT DU LAKE. 
 
 . Berwick." " Alas ! " said Sir Percivale, " what thing have I 
 done : I was sent by Queen Guenever for to seek you, and so I 
 have sought you near this two years ; and yonder is Sir Ector 
 de Maris, your brother, abideth me on the other side of the 
 water. Now, sir, I pray you, for God's sake," said Sir Percivale, 
 " forgive me mine offence that I have done." " It is soon for- 
 given," said Sir Launcelot. Then Sir Percivale sent for Sir 
 Ector de Maris. And when Sir Launcelot had a sight of him, 
 he ran unto him, and took him in his arms ; and then Sir Ector 
 kneeled down, and either wept upon other, that all had great 
 pity to behold them. Then came Dame Elaine, and there she 
 made them the greatest cheer that she could devise ; and there 
 she told Sir Ector and Sir Percivale how and in what manner 
 Sir Launcelot came into that country, and how he was there 
 healed. And there it was known how long Sir Launcelot was 
 with Sir Bliaunt and with Sir Selivant, and how he first met 
 with them, and how he departed from them because of a boar ; 
 and how the hermit healed Sir Launcelot of his great wounds, 
 and how that he came to Corbin. 
 
 XXIII. 
 
 Now leave we of Sir Launcelot in Joyous Isle, with the fair 
 lady, Dame Elaine, and Sir Percivale and Sir Ector playing with 
 them ; and return we unto Sir Bors de Ganis, and Sir Lionel, 
 which had sought Sir Launcelot nigh by the space of two years, 
 and never could they hear of him. And so, as they rode thus 
 by adventure, they came unto the house of King Brandegore, 
 and there Sir Bors was well known ; for he had gotten a 
 child of the King's daughter fifteen years before, and his name 
 was Helaine le Blancke. And, when Sir Bors saw that 
 child, it liketh him passing well : and so those two knights 
 had good cheer of King Brandegore. And, on the morrow 
 after, Sir Bors came before King Brandegore and said : " Here 
 is my son, Helaine le Blancke, that, as it is said, he is my son ; 
 and, sith it is so, I will that ye wit I will have him with me unto 
 King Arthur's court." " Sir," said the King, " ye may well 
 take him with you ; but he is over tender of age." " As 
 for that," said Sir Bors, " I will have him with me, and bring 
 him unto the house of most worship in the world." So, when 
 Sir Bors should depart, there was made great sorrow for 
 the departing of Helaine le Blancke, and great weeping was 
 there made. But Sir Bors and Sir Lionel departed : and, 
 within short space after their departing, they came to Camelot, 
 whereas at that time was King Arthur. And when King
 
 THE BOOK OF SIR LAUNCELOT DU LAKE. 139 
 
 Arthur understood that Helaine le Blancke was Sir Bors' son, 
 and nephew unto King Brandegore, then King Arthur let 
 make him knight of the Round Table : and so he proved a 
 good knight and an adventurous. 
 
 Now will we turn unto our matter of Sir Launcelot. It 
 befell upon a day Sir Ector and Sir Percivale came unto Sir 
 Launcelot, and asked him what he would do, and whether he 
 would go with them unto King Arthur or not ? " Nay," said 
 Sir Launcelot, " that may not be by any means ; for I was so 
 evil entreated at that court, that I cast me never to come there 
 more." " Sir," said Sir Ector, " I am your own brother, and 
 ye are the man in the world that I love most ; and, if I under- 
 stood that it were your disworship, ye may right well understand 
 that I would never counsel you thereto : but King Arthur and 
 all his knights, and in especial Queen Guenever, made such 
 dole and sorrow that it was marvellous to hear and see. And 
 ye must remember the great worship and renown that ye be of, 
 how that ye have been more spoken of than any other knight 
 that is now living : for there is none that beareth the name 
 now but ye and Sir Tristram. Therefore, brother," said Sir 
 Ector, " make you ready to ride unto the court with us ; and 
 I dare well say, there was never knight better welcome unto 
 the court than ye. And I wot well, and can make it good," 
 said Sir Ector, "it hath cost my lady, the Queen, twenty 
 thousand pounds the seeking of you." "Well, brother," said 
 Sir Launcelot, " I will do after your counsel, and ride with 
 you." So then they took their horses, and made them ready, 
 and took their leave of King Pelleas, and of Dame Elaine. 
 And when Sir Launcelot should depart, Dame Elaine made 
 great sorrow. " My lord, Sir Launcelot," said Dame Elaine, 
 " at this same feast of Pentecost shall your son and mine, 
 Galahad, be made knight ; for he is full fifteen winters old." 
 " Do as ye list," said Sir Launcelot ; " God give him grace to 
 prove a good knight." " As for that," said Dame Elaine, " I 
 doubt not but he will prove the best man of his kin, except 
 one.'' " Then shall he be a man good enough," said Sir 
 Launcelot. 
 
 XXIV. 
 
 THEN they departed, and, within five days' journey, they 
 came to Camelot, which is called, in English, Winchester ; and, 
 when Sir Launcelot was come among them, the King and all 
 the knights made great joy of him. And there Sir Percivale de 
 Galis, and Sir Ector de Maris, began to tell of all the ad- 
 ventures, how Sir Launcelot had been out of his mind all the
 
 140 THE BOOK OF SIR GALAHAD. 
 
 time of his absence ; how he called himself le Chevalier mal 
 Fet ; as much as to say, the knight had trespassed. And in 
 three days Sir Launcelot smote down five hundred knights. 
 And ever, as Sir Ector and Sir Percivale told these tales of 
 Sir Launcelot, Queen Guenever wept as she would have 
 died : then, afterwards, the queen made great joy. " O Jesu ! " 
 said King Arthur, " I marvel for what cause ye, Sir Launcelot, 
 went out of your mind : I, and many others, deemed that it was 
 for the love of fair Elaine, the daughter of King Pelleas, by 
 whom it is noised that ye have gotten a child, and his name is 
 Galahad ; and men say he shall do marvels." " My lord," said 
 Sir Launcelot, " if I did any folly, I have found that I sought." 
 And so the King held him still, and spake no more ; but all Sir 
 Launcelot's kin knew for whom he went out of his mind. And 
 then there were great feasts made, and great joy ; and many 
 great lords and ladies, when they heard that Sir Launcelot was 
 come to the court again, made great joy. 
 
 THE BOOK OF SIR GALAHAD. 
 I. 
 
 ijT the vigil of Pentecost, when all the fellowship of the 
 Round Table were come unto Camelot, and there 
 they all heard their service, and then all the tables 
 were covered, ready to set thereon the meat, right so 
 entered into the hall a full fair gentlewoman on horse- 
 back, that had ridden full fast, for her horse was all besweat. 
 Then she there alighted, and came before King Arthur and 
 saluted him. And then the King said, " Damsel, God bless 
 you." " Sir," said she, " for God's sake show me where Sir 
 Launcelot is." " Yonder may ye see him," said King Arthur. 
 Then she went unto Sir Launcelot, and said, " Sir Launcelot, I 
 salute you on King Pelleas' behalf, and I require you to come 
 with me hereby into a forest." Then Sir Launcelot asked her 
 with whom she dwelled. " I dwell," said she " with King 
 Pelleas." "What is your will with me?" said Sir Launcelot. 
 " Ye shall know and understand," said she, " when ye come 
 thither." " Well," said he, " I shall gladly go with you." So 
 Sir Launcelot bade his squire to saddle his horse, and bring his 
 armour : and in all the haste he did his commandment. Then 
 came the Queen unto Sir Launcelot, and said, " Will ye leave 
 us at this high feast?" " Madam," said the gentlewoman, "wit
 
 THE BOOK OF SIR GALAHAD. 141 
 
 ye well he shall be with you to-morrow by dinner-time." "If I 
 wist/' said the Queen, "that he should not be with us here 
 to-morrow, he should not go with you by my good will." Right 
 so departed Sir Launcelot with the gentlewoman, and rode till 
 they came into a forest, and into a great valley, where he saw an 
 abbey of nuns, and there was a squire ready to open the gates : 
 and so they entered in and descended from their horses, and 
 there came a fair fellowship about Sir Launcelot and welcomed 
 him, and were passing glad of his coming ; and then they led 
 him into the abbess's chamber, and unarmed him. Right so he 
 saw, lying upon a bed, two of his cousins, Sir Bors and Sir 
 Lionel, and then he awaked them ; and when they saw him they 
 made great joy. " Sir," said Sir Bors unto Sir Launcelot, 
 " what adventure hath brought you hither, for we weened to- 
 morrow to have found you at Camelot." " So God me help," 
 said Sir Launcelot, " a gentlewoman hath brought me hither, 
 but I know not the cause." In the meanwhile, as they stood 
 thus talking together, there came in twelve nuns, which brought 
 with them Galahad, the which was passing fair and well made, 
 that scarcely men in the world might not find his match. And 
 all those ladies wept. "Sir," said the ladies, "we bring here this 
 child, the which ye have nourished ; and we pray you for to 
 make him a knight, for of a more worthier man's hand may he 
 not receive the order of knighthood." Sir Launcelot beheld 
 that young squire, and saw he was seemly and demure as a 
 dove, with all manner of good features, that he weened of his 
 age never to have seen so fair a man of form. Then said 
 Sir Launcelot, "Cometh this desire of himself ?" He and all, 
 they said, " Yea." " Then shall he," said Sir Launcelot, " re- 
 ceive the high order of knighthood as to-morrow at the reverence 
 of the high feast." That night Sir Launcelot had passing good 
 cheer, and on the morrow, at the hour of prime, at Galahad's 
 desire, he made him a knight, and said, "God make him a good 
 man, for beauty faileth him not as any that liveth." 
 
 II. 
 
 " Now, fair sir," said Sir Launcelot, " will ye come with me 
 unto the court of my lord King Arthur?" "Nay," said he, " I 
 will not go with you as at this time." Then he departed from 
 them, and took his two cousins with him; and so they came 
 unto Camelot, by the hour of nine on Whitsunday morning. By 
 that time the King and the Queen were gone to the minister to 
 hear their service : then the King and the Queen were passing 
 glad of Sir Bors and Sir Lionel, and so was all the fellowship.
 
 142 THE BOOK OF SIR GALAHAD. 
 
 So when the King and all the knights were come from the service, 
 the barons espied in the sieges of the Round Table all about 
 written with letters of gold, " Here ought to sit he ; " and " He 
 ought to sit here." And thus they went so long, until they came 
 unto the Perilous Siege, where they found letters newly written of 
 gold, and said : " Four hundred winters, and four and fifty 
 accomplished, after the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, ought 
 this siege to be fulfilled." Then they all said, " This is a full 
 marvellous thing, and an adventurous." "In the name of 
 God ! " said Sir Launcelot ; and then he accounted the term 
 of the writing, from the birth of our Lord unto that day. " It 
 seemeth me," said Sir Launcelot, " this Siege ought to be 
 fulfilled this same day ; for this is the feast of Pentecost, after 
 the hundred and four and fiftieth year ; and if it would please 
 all parties, I would that none of these letters were seen this day, 
 till he be come that ought to achieve this adventure." Then 
 made they for to ordain a cloth of silk for to cover these letters 
 in the Perilous Siege. Then the King had haste unto dinner. 
 " Sir," said Sir Kaye, the steward, " if ye go now unto your 
 meat, ye shall break the old custom of your court ; for ye have 
 not used upon this day to sit at your meat, or that ye have seen 
 some adventure." " Ye say truth," said King Arthur, " but I 
 had so great joy of Sir Launcelot and of his cousins, which be 
 come to the court whole and sound, that I bethought me not of 
 mine old custom." So as they stood speaking, in came a squire, 
 and said unto the King, " Sir, I bring unto you marvellous 
 tidings." "What be they?" said King Arthur. "Sir, there is 
 here beneath, at the river, a great stone, which I saw float above 
 the water, and therein saw I a sword sticking." " Then," said 
 the King, " I will see that marvel." So all the knights went 
 with him, and when they came unto the river, they found there- 
 a stone floating, as if it had been of red marble, and therein 
 stuck a fair and a rich sword, and in the pommel thereof were 
 precious stones wrought with subtle letters of gold. Then the 
 barons read the letters, which said in this wise : " Never shall 
 man take me hence, but only he by whom I ought to hang, and 
 he shall be the best knight of the world." When the King had 
 seen these letters, he said unto Sir Launcelot, " Fair sir, this 
 sword ought to be yours ; for I am sure that ye be the best 
 knight of the world." Then Sir Launcelot answered soberly, 
 " Certainly, sir, it is not my sword : also, sir, wit ye well I have 
 no hardiness to set my hand to it, for it belongeth not to hang 
 by my side : also, who assayeth for to take that sword, and 
 faileth of it, he shall receive a wound by that sword, that he
 
 THE BOOK OF SIR GALAHAD. 143 
 
 shall not be whole long after. And I will that ye wit that this 
 same day will be the adventures of the Sancgreal (that is called 
 the holy vessel) begin." 
 
 III. 
 
 " Now, my fair nephew," said the King unto Sir Gawaine, 
 " assay ye once for my love." " Sir," said he, " save your grace, 
 I shall do that." "Sir," said the King, "assay to take the 
 sword at my command." "Sir," said Sir Gawaine, "your 
 command I will obey." And therewithal he took the sword by 
 the handle, but he might not stir it. " I thank you," said King 
 Arthur unto Sir Gawaine. " My lord Sir Gawaine," said Sir 
 Launcelot,' s now wit ye well this sword shall touch you so sore, 
 that ye shall will ye had never set your hand thereto, for the 
 best castle of this realm." " Sir," said Sir Gawaine, " I might 
 not withstand mine uncle's will and commandment." But when 
 King Arthur heard this, he repented it much : and then he bade 
 Sir Percivale that he should assay for his love, and he said 
 gladly for to bear Sir Gawaine fellowship. And therewithal 
 he set his hand upon the sword, and drew at it strongly ; but 
 he might not once move it. Then were there no more that 
 durst be so hardy to set their hands thereto. "Now may 
 ye go unto your dinner," said Sir Kaye unto King Arthur, 
 " for a marvellous adventure have ye seen." So the King 
 and all his knights went unto the court, and every knight 
 knew his own place, and set them therein : and the young 
 men that were no knights served them. So then they 
 were served, and all the sieges fulfilled, save only the 
 Perilous Siege. And there befel a marvellous adventure, 
 that all the doors and the windows of the palace shut by 
 themselves ; but, for all that, the hall was not greatly darkened, 
 and therewith they were all abashed both one and other. 
 Then King Arthur spake first and said : " By God, fair fellows 
 and lords, we have seen this day marvels.; but or night I 
 suppose we shall see greater marvels." In the meanwhile 
 came in a good old man and an ancient, clothed all in white ; 
 and there was no knight that knew from whence he came. 
 And with him he brought a young knight, both on foot, in 
 red arms, without sword or shield, save a scabbard hanging by 
 his side, and these words he said : " Peace be with you, fair 
 lords." Then the old man said unto King Arthur, " Sir, I 
 bring you here a young knight that is of king's lineage, and of 
 the kindred of Joseph of Arimathy : wherefore the marvels of 
 this court, and of strange realms, shall be fully accomplished."
 
 144 THE BOOK OF SIR GALAHAD. 
 
 IV. 
 
 THE King was right glad of his words, and said unto the 
 good man, " Sir, ye be right heartily welcome, and the young 
 knight with you." Then the old man made the young knight 
 to unarm him, and he was in a coat of red sandal, and bear a 
 mantle upon his shoulder, that was furred with fine ermines, 
 and put that upon him : and the old man said unto the young 
 knight, " Sir, follow after." And anon he brought him unto 
 the Perilous Siege, where beside sat Sir Launcelot ; and the 
 good old man lift up the cloth, and found there letters that 
 said, " This is the siege of Sir Galahad, the good knight." 
 " Sir," said the old man, " wit ye well this place is yours." 
 And then he set him down surely in that siege, and then he 
 said to the old man, " Sir, ye may now go your way, for ye 
 have well done that ye were commanded to do : and recommend 
 me unto my grandsire King Pelleas, and unto my Lord Pechere, 
 and say unto them on my behalf, ' that I shall come and see 
 them as soon as I may.'" So the good man departed, and 
 there met him twenty noble squires, and so they took their 
 horses and went their way. Then all the knights of the Round 
 Table marvelled them greatly of Sir Galahad, that he durst 
 sit there in that Perilous Siege, and was so tender of age ; and 
 wist not from whence he came, but only by God, and said he, 
 "This is by whom the Sancgreal shall be achieved, for there sat 
 never none but that he were mischieved." Then Sir Launcelot 
 beheld his son, and had great joy of him. Then Sir Bors told 
 his fellows, " Upon pain of my life, this young knight shall come 
 unto great worship." This noise was great in all the court, so 
 that it came to the Queen : then she had great marvel what 
 knight it might be, that durst adventure him to sit in the 
 Perilous Siege. Many said unto the Queen, that he resembled 
 much unto Sir Launcelot. " I may well suppose," said the 
 Queen, " that Sir Launcelot begat him upon King Pelleas' 
 daughter, which was by enchantment, and his name is Sir 
 Galahad : I would fain see him," said the Queen, " for he 
 must needs be a nobleman, for so is his father that him begat ; 
 I report me unto all the knights of the Round Table." So 
 when dinner was done, and that the King and all were risen, 
 the King went unto the Perilous Siege, and lift up the cloth, and 
 found there the name of Sir Galahad ; and then he showed it 
 unto Sir Gawaine, and said, " Fair nephew, now we have 
 among us Sir Galahad, the good knight, that shall worship us 
 all ; and upon pain of my life, he shall achieve the Sancgreal,
 
 THE BOOK OF SIR GALAHAD. 145 
 
 as Sir Launcelot hath done us to understand." Then came 
 King Arthur unto Sir Galahad, and said, " Sir, ye be welcome, 
 for ye shall move many good knights unto the quest of the 
 Sancgreal, and ye shall achieve that never knight might bring 
 to an end." Then the King took him by the hand, and went 
 down from the palace, to show Sir Galahad the adventure 
 of the stone. 
 
 THE Queen heard thereof, and came after with many ladies, 
 and showed the stone which hoved on the water. " Sir," said 
 the King to Sir Galahad, "here is a great marvel as ever I saw, 
 and right good knights have assayed and failed." " Sir," said 
 Sir Galahad, " that is no marvel, for this adventure is not theirs, 
 but mine ; and for the surety of this sword I brought none with 
 me, for here by my side hangeth the scabbard." And anon he 
 laid his hand on the sword, and lightly drew it out of the stone, 
 and then he put it into the scabbard, and said unto the King : 
 " Now it goeth better than it did aforehand." "Sir," said the 
 King, " then a shield God shall send unto you." " Now have 
 I," said Sir Galahad, "that sword that sometime was belonging 
 unto the good knight Sir Balin le Savage, and he was a passing 
 good man of his hands ; and with that sword he slew his 
 brother Balan, and that was great pity, for he was a good 
 knight, and either slew other through a notorious stroke that 
 Sir Balan gave unto my grandfather, King Pelleas, the which is 
 not yet whole, nor shall not be till I heal him." Therewith the 
 King and all other espied where came riding down the river a 
 lady on a white palfrey, toward them, and she saluted the King 
 and the Queen, and asked if Sir Launcelot was there : and then 
 Sir Launcelot answered himself " I am here, fair lady." Then 
 she said, all weeping, " Your great doings be changed since to- 
 day in the morning." "Damsel, why say ye so?" said Sir 
 Launcelot. " I say you sooth," said the damsel, " for ye were 
 this day the best knight in the world ; but who should say so now 
 should be openly proved a liar, for there is one better than ye, 
 and well is it proved by the adventure of the sword, whereto ye 
 durst not set your hand, and that is the change and leaving of 
 your name ; wherefore I make unto you a remembrance, that 
 ye shall not ween from henceforth that ye be the best knight of 
 the world." "As touching that," said Sir Launcelot, "I know 
 well I was never the best." "Yes," said the damsel, "that 
 were ye, and yet are of any sinful man of the world : and, sir, 
 King Nacien, the hermit, sendeth thee word that to thee shall 
 
 10
 
 146 THE BOOK OF SIR GALAHAD. 
 
 befall the greatest worship that ever befell king in Britain, and 
 shall tell you wherefore, for this day the Sancgreal appeared in 
 this thy house, and fed thee and all thy fellowship of the Round 
 Table." And so the damsel took her leave, and departed the 
 same way that she came. 
 
 VI. 
 
 " Now," said the King, " I am sure at this quest of the 
 Sancgreal, shall all ye of the Round Table depart, and never 
 shall I see you again whole together ; therefore I will see you 
 all whole together in the meadow of Camelot, for to joust and 
 to tourney, that after your death men may speak of it, that such 
 good knights were wholly together such a day." And unto that 
 counsel, and at the King's request, they accorded all, and took 
 on their harness that longed to jousting. But all the meaning 
 of the King was to see Sir Galahad proved, for the King deemed 
 he should not lightly come again unto the court after his depart- 
 ing : so were they all assembled in the meadow, both more and 
 less. Then Sir Galahad, by the prayer of the King and the 
 Queen, did upon him a noble jesserarice, and also he did on 
 his helm, but shield would he take none, for no prayer of the 
 King. And then Sir Gawaine and other knights prayed him 
 for to take a spear, and so he did : and the Queen was in a 
 tower with all her ladies to behold that tournament. There Sir 
 Galahad dressed him in the middest of the meadow, and there 
 he began to break spears marvellously, that all men had wonder 
 of him, for he there surmounted and exceeded all other knights, 
 for within a little while he had thrown down many good knights 
 of the Round Table, save twain, that was Sir Launcelot and Sir 
 Percivale. 
 
 VII. 
 
 THEN the King, at the Queen's request, made him to alight 
 and to unlace his helm, that Queen Guenever might see him in 
 the visage: and when she beheld him she said, "Soothly I dare 
 say that Sir Launcelot begat him, for never two men resembled 
 more in likeness, therefore it is no marvel though he be of great 
 prowess." So a lady that stood by the Queen said, "Madam, 
 for God's sake ought he of right to be so good a knight." " Yea 
 forthwith," said the Queen, "for he is of all parties come of the 
 best knights of the world, and of the highest lineage, for Sir 
 Launcelot is come but of the eighth degree from our Lord, Jesu 
 Christ, and Sir Galahad is of the ninth degree of our Lord, Jesu
 
 THE BOOK OF SIR GALAHAD. 147 
 
 Christ, therefore I dare well say that they be the greatest gentle- 
 men of all the world." And then the King and all the estate 
 went home unto Camelot's minster : and so, after that they 
 went to supper, and every knight sat in their place as they were 
 before-hand, then anon they heard cracking and crying of 
 thunder, that they thought the place should all to rive. In the 
 midst of the blast entered a sunbeam more clear by seven times 
 than ever they saw day, and all they were alighted of the grace 
 of the Holy Ghost. Then began every knight to behold other, 
 and either saw other by their seeming fairer than ever they saw 
 other, not for then there was no knight that might speak any 
 word a great while ; and so they looked every man on other as 
 they had been dumb. Then there entered into the hall the 
 Holy Grail covered with white samite, but there was none that 
 might see it, nor who bare it, and there was all the hall fulfilled 
 with great odours, and every knight had such meat and drink as 
 he best loved in this world, and when the Holy Grail had been 
 borne through the hall, then the holy vessel departed suddenly, 
 that they wist not where it became. Then had they breath to 
 speak, and then the King yielded thanks unto God of his grace 
 that he had sent them. " Certainly," said King Arthur, " we 
 ought greatly to thank our Lord, Jesus Christ, for that he hath 
 showed us this day at the reverence of this high feast of Pente- 
 cost." " Now," said Sir Gawaine, " we have been served this 
 day of what meats and drinks we thought on, but one thing be- 
 guiled us, we might not see the Holy Grail, it was so preciously 
 covered, wherefore I will make here a vow, that to-morrow, 
 without any longer abiding, I shall labour in quest of the 
 Sancgreal, that I shall hold me out a twelvemonth and a day, 
 or more if need be, and never shall I return again unto the court 
 till I have seen it more openly than it hath been seen here. 
 And if I may not speed I shall return again, as he that may not 
 be against the will of our Lord, Jesus Christ." When they of 
 the Round Table heard Sir Gawaine say so, they arose the most 
 part of them and>avowed the same. And anon as King Arthur 
 heard this, he was greatly displeased, for he wist well that they 
 might not gainsay their vows. " Alas," said King Arthur unto 
 Sir Gawaine, " ye have nigh slain me with the vow and promise 
 that ye have made, for through you ye have bereft me of the 
 fairest fellowship, and the truest of knighthood, that ever were 
 seen together in any realm of the world, for when they shall 
 depart from hence I am sure that all shall never meet more in 
 this world, for there shall many die in the quest, and so it fore- 
 thinketh me a little, for I have loved them as well as my life ;
 
 148 THE BOOK OF SIR GALAHAD. 
 
 wherefore it shall grieve me right sore the separation of this 
 fellowship, for I have had an old custom to have them in my 
 fellowship." 
 
 VIII. 
 
 AND therewith the tears fell into his eyes, and he said, " Sir 
 Gawaine, Sir Gawaine, ye have set me in great sorrow, for I 
 have great doubt that my true fellowship shall never meet more 
 here again." "Ah," said Sir Launcelot, "comfort yourself, for 
 it shall be unto us as a great honour, and much more than if we 
 died in any other places, for of death we be sure." "Ah, 
 Sir Launcelot," said the king, " the great love that I have had 
 unto you all the days of my life, maketh me to say such doleful 
 words ; for never Christian king had never so many worthy men 
 at his table as I have had this day at the Round Table, and 
 that is to me great sorrow." When the Queen, ladies, and 
 gentlewomen wist these tidings, they had such sorrow and 
 heaviness, that no tongue might tell it, for those knights had 
 holden them in honour and charity ; but among all other Queen 
 Guenever made great sorrow. " I marvel," said she, " my lord 
 will suffer them to depart from him." Thus was all the court 
 troubled, because those knights should depart ; and many of 
 those ladies that loved knights would have gone with their 
 lovers : and so had they done, had not an old knight come 
 among them in religious clothing, and then he spake all on 
 high and said, " Fair lords, that have sworn in the Quest 
 of the Sancgreal, thus sendeth your nation the hermit word, 
 that none in this quest lead lady nor gentlewoman with him, for 
 it is not to do in so high a service as they labour in ; for I warn 
 you plain, he that is not clean out of sin, he shall not see the 
 mysteries of our Lord Jesu Christ." For this cause they left 
 their ladies and gentlewomen. After this the Queen came unto 
 Sir Galahad, and asked him of whence he was, and of what 
 country. He told her of whence he was, and son unto Sir 
 Launcelot she said he was ; as to that he said neither yea nor 
 nay. " So God me help," said the Queen, " of your father ye 
 need not to shame you, for he is the goodliest knight, and of the 
 best men come, and of the race of all parts of kings, and of so 
 therefore ye ought of right to be of your deeds a passing good 
 man, and certainly," she said, "ye resemble him much." Then 
 was Sir Galahad a little ashamed, and said unto the Queen, 
 " Madam, inasmuch as ye know it of a certainty, wherefore do 
 ye ask it of me ? for he that is my father shall be known openly,
 
 THE BOOK OF SIR GALAHAD. 149 
 
 and all betimes." And then they went to rest them ; and, in 
 the honour of the highness of Sir Galahad, he was led into King 
 Arthur's chamber, and there he rested him in his own bed. 
 And, as soon as it was daylight, the king arose ; for he had 
 taken no rest of all that night for sorrow. Then went he unto 
 Sir Gavvaine, and unto Sir Launcelot, that were risen for to hear 
 mass. And then King Arthur said again, " Ah ! Sir Gawaine, 
 Sir Gawaine ! ye have betrayed me ; for never shall my court 
 be amended by you, but ye will never be sorry for me as I am 
 for you." And therewith the tears began to run down by his 
 visage, and therewith the King said, " Ah ! knight, Sir Launce- 
 lot ! I require thee that thou wilt counsel me, for I would this 
 quest were undone, and it might be." " Sir," said Sir Launcelot, 
 "ye saw yesterday so many worthy knights that then were 
 sworn, that they may not leave it in no manner of wise." 
 "That wot I well," said the King, "but it shall so heavy me 
 their departing, that I wot well that there shall no manner of joy 
 remedy me." And then the King and the Queen went to the 
 minster : so anon Sir Launcelot and Sir Gawaine commanded 
 their men to bring their arms ; and when they were all armed, 
 save their shields and their helms, then they came to their 
 fellowship, which all were ready in the same wise for to go to 
 the minster to hear their service. Then, after the service was 
 done, the king would wit how many had taken the quest of the 
 Sancgreal, and to account them he prayed them all. Then 
 found they by tale an hundred and fifty, and all were knights of 
 the Round Table : and then they put on their helms and 
 departed, and recommended them all wholly unto the Queen, 
 and there was weeping and great sorrow. Then the Queen 
 departed into her chamber, so that no man should perceive her 
 great sorrows. When Sir Launcelot missed the Queen he went 
 into her chamber, and when she saw him, she cried aloud, "O ! 
 Sir Launcelot ! ye have betrayed me and put me to death, for to 
 leave thus my lord." "Ah! madam," said Sir Launcelot, "I 
 pray you be not displeased, for I shall come again as soon as 
 I may with my worship." " Alas ! " said she, " that ever I saw 
 you ; but He that suffered death upon the cross for all mankind 
 be to you goo t d conduct and safety, and all the whole fellow- 
 ship." Right so departed Sir Launcelot, and found his fellowship 
 that abode his coming : and so they mounted upon their horses, 
 and rode through the streets of Camelot, and there was weep- 
 ing of the rich and poor, and the King returned away, and 
 might not speak for weeping. So within a while they came to 
 a city and a castle that night Vagon ; there they entered into
 
 150 THE BOOK OF SIR GALAHAD. 
 
 the castle. And the lord of that castle was an old man, that 
 hight Vagon, and he was a good man of his living, and set open 
 the gates, and made them all the good cheer that he might. 
 And so, on the morrow, they were all accorded that they should 
 depart every each from other. And then they departed on 
 the morrow with weeping and mourning cheer, and every knight 
 took the way that him best liked. 
 
 IX. 
 
 Now rideth Sir Galahad yet without shield, and so he rode 
 four days without any adventure ; and, at the fourth day, after 
 even-song, he came to a white abbey, and there he was received 
 with great reverence, and led to a chamber, and there he was 
 unarmed ; and then was he ware of two knights of the Round 
 Table, one was King Bagdemagus, and the other was Sir 
 Uwaine ; and when they saw him they went unto him, and 
 made of him great solace, and so they went to supper. " Sir," 
 said Sir Galahad, " what adventure brought you hither?" " Sir," 
 said they, "it is told us that within this place is a shield that 
 no man may bear about his neck, but if that he be mischieved 
 or dead within three days, or else maimed for ever." "Ah ! 
 sir," said King Bagdemagus, " I shall bear it to-morrow for to 
 essay this strange adventure." " In the name of God," said Sir 
 Galahad. "Sir," said King Bagdemagus, "and I may not 
 achieve the adventure of this shield, ye shall take it upon you, 
 for I am sure ye shall not fail." " Sir," said Sir Galahad, 
 " I agree right well thereto, for I have no shield." So on the 
 morrow they arose and heard mass ; then King Bagdemagus 
 asked where the adventurous shield was. Anon a monk led 
 him behind an altar, where the shield hung as white as any 
 snow, but in the midst was a red cross. " Sir," said the monk, 
 " this shield ought not to hang about any knight's neck, but he 
 be the worthiest knight's of the world, and therefore I counsel 
 you knights to be well advised." " Well," said King Bagdema- 
 gus, " I wot well that I am not the best knight of the world, 
 but yet shall I essay to bear it." And so he bare it out of the 
 monastery, and then he said unto Sir Galahad, " If it will 
 please you, I pray you abide here still, till ye know how I shall 
 speed." " I shall abide you here," said Sir Galahad. Then 
 King Bagdemagus took with him a squire, the which should 
 bring tidings unto Sir Galahad how he sped. Then when they 
 had ridden a two mile, and came in a fair valley before a her- 
 mitage, then they saw a goodly knight come from that party in
 
 THE BOOK OF SIR GALAHAD. 151 
 
 white armour, horse and all, and he came as fast as his horse 
 might run, with his spear in the rest, and King Bagdemagus 
 dressed his spear against him, and brake it upon the white 
 knight ; but the other struck him so hard, that he brake the 
 mails, and thrust him through the right shoulder, for the shield 
 covered him not as at that time ; and so he bear him from his 
 horse, and therewith he alighted, and took the white shield from 
 him, saying, " Knight, thou hast done thyself great folly, for 
 this shield ought not to be borne but by him that shall have no 
 peer that liveth." And then he came to King Bagdemagus' 
 squire and said, "Bear this shield unto the good knight, Sir 
 Galahad, that thou left in the abbey, and greet him well from me." 
 " Sir," said the squire, " what is your name ? " " Take thou no 
 heed of my name," said the knight, " for it is not for thee to 
 know, nor none earthly man." " Now, fair sir," said the squire, 
 " at the reverence of Jesu Christ tell me for what cause this 
 shield may not be borne, but if the bearer thereof be mischieved." 
 " Now sith thou hast conjured me so," said the knight, " this 
 shield behoveth to no man but unto Sir Galahad." Then the 
 squire went unto King Bagdemagus, and asked him whether he 
 were sore wounded or not. " I am sore wounded," said he, 
 " and full hardly I shall escape from the death." Then he set 
 his horse, and brought him with great pain to an abbey : then 
 was he taken down softly and unarmed, and laid in a bed, and 
 his wound was looked unto ; for he lay there long, and escaped 
 hard with his life. 
 
 X. 
 
 " SIR GALAHAD," said the squire, " that knight that wounded 
 King Bagdemagus sendeth you greeting, and bid that ye should 
 bear this shield, wherethrough great adventures shall befall." 
 " Now blessed be God and fortune," said Sir Galahad, and 
 then he asked for his armour, and mounted upon his horse, and 
 hung the white shield about his neck, and commended them to 
 God. And Sir Uwaine said he would bear him fellowship if it 
 please him. " Sir," said Sir Galahad, " that may ye not, for I 
 must go alone, save this squire, that shall bear me fellowship :" 
 and so departed Sir Uwaine. Then within awhile came Sir 
 Galahad there as the white knight abode him by the hermitage, 
 and every each saluted other courteously. " Sir," said Sir 
 Galahad, "by this shield have been full many marvels." " Sir," 
 said the knight, " it befell after the passion of our Lord Jesu 
 Christ thirty years that Joseph of Arimathy, the gentle knight 
 that took down our Lord from the cross, and at that time he
 
 152 THE BOOK OF SIR GALAHAD. 
 
 departed from Jerusalem with a great part of his kindred with 
 him. And so they laboured till they came to a city, that bight 
 Sarras; and, at that same hour that Joseph came unto Sarras, 
 there was a king, that hight Evelake, that had great war against 
 the Saracens, and in especial against one Saracen, the which 
 was King Evelake's cousin, a rich and mighty king ; the which 
 marched nigh this land, and his name was called Tollome le' 
 Feintes : so upon a day these two met to do battle. 
 
 " Then Joseph, the son of Joseph of Arimathy, went unto King 
 Evelake, and told him that he would be discomfited and slain, but 
 if he left his belief of the old law, and believed upon the new law. 
 And then he showed him the right belief of the Holy Trinity, 
 the which he agreed with all his heart, and then this shield 
 was made for King Evelake, in the name of Him that died upon 
 the cross. And then, through his good belief, he had the 
 better of King Tollome ; for when King Evelake was in the 
 battle, there was a cloth set before the shield ; and, when he 
 was in the greatest peril, he let put away the cloth, and then 
 anon his enemies saw a figure of a man upon the cross, where- 
 through they were discomforted. And so it befell that a man of 
 King Evelake's had his hand smitten off, and bear his hand in 
 his other hand. And Joseph called that man unto him, and bid 
 him go with good devotion and touch the cross : and as soon 
 as that man had touched the cross with his hand, it was as whole 
 as ever it was before. Then soon after there befell a great marvel 
 that the cross of the shield at one time vanished away, that no 
 man wist where it became. And then was the King Evelake 
 baptised, and, for the most part, all the people of that city. So, 
 soon after, Joseph would depart, and King Evelake would go 
 with him, whether he would go or not. And so by fortune they 
 came into this land, which at that time was called Great 
 Britain, and there they found a great felon paynim that put 
 Joseph in prison. And so, by fortune, tidings came unto a 
 worthy man, that hight Mondrames, and he assembled all his 
 people, for the great renown that he had heard of Joseph, and 
 so he came unto the land of Great Britain, and deserted his 
 felon paynim, and consumed him, and therewith delivered 
 Joseph out of prison ; and after that all the people were turned 
 to the Christian faith. 
 
 XI. 
 
 " NOT long after that Joseph was laid in his death-bed, and 
 when King Evelake saw that he made great sorrow and said, 
 " For thy love I have left my country, and sith thou shall
 
 THE BOOK OF SIR GALAHAD. 153 
 
 out of this world, leave me some token that I may think on 
 thee." " That will I do right gladly," said Joseph : " now bring 
 me the shield that I took from you when ye went into the battle 
 against King Tollome." Then Joseph bled sore at the nose, 
 that he might not by no means be stenched ; and thereupon that 
 same shield he made a cross of his own blood. " Now may ye 
 see a remembrance that I love you ; for ye shall never see this 
 shield but ye shall think of me, and it shall be always as fresh as 
 it is now, and never shall no man bear this shield about his neck 
 but he shall repent it, unto the time that Sir Galahad, the 
 good knight, bear it, and the last of my lineage shall have it 
 about his neck, the which shall do many marvellous deeds." 
 " Now," said King Evelake, "where shall I put this shield, 
 that this worthy knight may have it ?" " Ye shall have it there 
 at Nacien, where the hermit shall be put after his death ; for 
 thither shall the good knight come the fifteenth day after that he 
 shall receive the order of knighthood, and so that day that 
 they set, is this time that ye have his shield ; and in the same 
 abbey lieth Nacien, the hermit." And then the white knight 
 vanished away. Anon as the squire had heard these words, he 
 alighted from his hackney, and kneeled down at Sir Galahad's 
 feet, and besought him that he might go with him till that he 
 had made him a knight. " If I would not refuse you, and then 
 will ye make me a knight," said the squire, "and that high 
 order, by the grace of God, shall be well set upon me." And Sir 
 Galahad granted him, and then they returned again unto the 
 abbey that they came from. And there men made full great 
 joy of Sir Galahad : and anon as he was alighted, there was a 
 monk brought him unto a tomb in a churchyard, whereas 
 was such a noise that who heard it should very nigh be made 
 to lose his strength. " And, sir," said he, " I deem it is a 
 fiend." 
 
 XII. 
 
 " Now lead me thither," said Sir Galahad. And so they did, 
 all armed save his helm. " Now," said the good man, " go to 
 the tomb, and lift it up." And so he did, and heard a great 
 noise, and piteously he said, that all men might hear it, " Sir 
 Galahad, the servant of God, come thou not near me, for thou 
 shall make me go again there where I have been so long." 
 But Sir Galahad was nothing afraid, but quickly lift up the 
 stone, and there came out a foul smoke, and after he saw the 
 foulest figure leap out thereof that ever he saw in the likeness
 
 154 THE BOOK OF SIR GALAHAD. 
 
 of a man, and then he blest him, and wist well that it was 
 a fiend of hell. Then heard he a voice that said, " Galahad, I 
 see thereabout thee so many angels, that my power may not 
 hurt thee." Right so Sir Galahad saw a body, all armed, lie in 
 the tomb, and beside him there lay a sword. " Now, fair 
 brother," said Sir Galahad, " let us remove this cursed body ; 
 for it is not worthy to lie in the churchyard, for he was a false 
 Christian man." And therewith they all departed and went to 
 the abbey. And anon as he was unarmed, a good man came 
 and set him down by him, and said, " Sir, I shall tell you what 
 betokeneth all that ye saw. That covered body betokeneth the 
 hardness of the world, and the great sin that our Lord found in 
 the world ; for there was such wretchedness, that the father 
 loved not the son, nor the son loved not the father, and that was 
 one of the causes that our Lord took flesh and blood of a clean 
 maiden ; for our sins were so great at that time, that well 
 nigh all was but wickedness." " Truly," said Sir Galahad, " I 
 believe you right well." So Sir Galahad rested him there 
 all that night, and on the morrow he made the squire a knight, 
 and asked him his name, and of what kindred he was come. 
 "Sir," said he, " men call me Melias de Lile, and I am the son 
 of the King of Denmark." " Now, fair sir," said Sir Galahad, 
 " sith ye be come of kings and queens, now look that knight- 
 hood be well set upon you, for ye ought to be a mirror unto all 
 chivalry." "Sir," said Melias, "ye say sooth; but, sir, sith ye 
 have made me a knight, ye must of right grant me my first desire 
 that is reasonable." " Ye say sooth," said Sir Galahad. 
 "Then," said Sir Melias, "that ye will suffer me to ride with 
 you in this Quest of the Sancgreal, till some adventure do 
 part us." " I grant you," said Sir Galahad. 
 
 Then men brought Sir Melias his armour, and his spear, and 
 his horse ; and so Sir Galahad and he rode forth all that week 
 ere they found any adventure. And then upon a Monday, in 
 the morning, as they were departed from an abbey, they came 
 unto a cross which departed two ways ; and on that cross were 
 letters written, that said thus : " Now ye knights-errant, the 
 which goeth for to seek adventures, see here two ways, that 
 one way defendeth thee, that thou go not that way, for he shall 
 not go out of that way again, but if he be a good man, and a 
 worthy knight ; and if thou go on the left hand, thou shalt not 
 there lightly win prowess, for thou shalt in this way be soon 
 assayed." " Sir," said Sir Melias unto Sir Galahad, " if liketh 
 you to suffer me for to take the way on the left hand, tell it me, 
 for there I shall well prove my strength." " It were better,"
 
 THE BOOK OF SIR GALAHAD. 155 
 
 said Sir Galahad, "that ye rode not that way, for I deem I 
 should better escape in that way than ye." " Nay, I pray you, 
 my lord, let me have that adventure." " Take it in God's 
 name," said Sir Galahad. 
 
 XIII. 
 
 AND then Sir Melias rode into an old forest, and therein he 
 rode two days and more, and then he came into a fair meadow, 
 and there was a fair lodge of boughs, and then he espied in that 
 lodge a chair, wherein was a crown cf gold, subtly wrought ; 
 also there were cloths covered upon the earth, and many 
 delicious meats were set thereon. Sir Melias beheld this 
 adventure, and thought it marvellous, but he had no hunger ; 
 but of the crown of gold he took much keep, and therewith he 
 stooped down and took it up, and rode his way with it. And 
 anon he saw a knight come riding after him, that said, " Knight, 
 set down that crown which is not yours, and therefore defend 
 you." Then Sir Melias blessed him, and said, " Fair Lord of 
 heaven, help and save thy new-made knight." And then they 
 let their horses run as fast as they might, so that the other 
 knight smote Sir Melias through the hawberk and through the 
 left side, that he fell to the earth nigh dead ; and then he took 
 the crown and went his way, and Sir Melias lay still, and had 
 no power to stir. 
 
 In the meanwhile, by fortune, there came Sir Galahad, and 
 found him there in peril of death, and then he said, "Ah ! Sir 
 Melias, who hath wounded you? therefore it had been better to 
 have ridden that other way." And when Sir Melias heard him 
 speak, he said, " Sir, for God's love, let me not die in this 
 forest, but bear me unto the abbey here beside, that I may be 
 confessed and have my rites." " It shall be done," said Sir 
 Galahad, "but where is he that hath wounded you?" With 
 that Sir Galahad heard in the leaves cry on high, " Knight, 
 keep thee from me." " Ah ! sir," said Sir Melias, " beware, for 
 that is he that hath slain me." Sir Galahad answered, " Sir 
 knight, come on at your peril." Then either dressed them to 
 other, and came together as fast as their horses might run ; and 
 Sir Galahad smote him so that his spear went through his 
 shoulder, and smote him down off his horse, and in the falling 
 Sir Galahad's spear broke. With that came out of the leaves 
 another knight, and broke a spear upon bir Galahad, or he 
 might turn him ; and then Sir Galahad drew out his sword, and 
 smote off the left arm of him, so that it fell unto the ground, 
 and then he fled, and Sir Galahad followed fast after him. And
 
 156 THE BOOK OF SIR GALAHAD. 
 
 then he returned again unto Sir Melias, and there he alighted 
 and dressed him softly upon his horse before him ; for the 
 truncheon of the spear was in this body, and Sir Galahad 
 started up behind him, and held him in his armour, and so 
 brought him to an abbey, and there he unarmed him, and 
 brought him to his chamber, and then he asked for the 
 Sacrament of his Saviour. And when he had received him, 
 he said unto Sir Galahad, " Sir, let death come when it pleaseth 
 God." And therewith he drew out the truncheon of the spear 
 out of his body, and then he swooned. Then came there an 
 old monk, which had been sometime a knight, and beheld Sir 
 Melias, and anon he ransacked him, and he said unto Sir 
 Galahad, " I shall heal him of his wound, by the grace of God, 
 within the space of seven weeks." Then was Sir Galahad glad, 
 and unarmed him, and said, " He should abide there three 
 days." And he asked Sir Melias "how it stood with him?" 
 Then he said he was turned unto healing, God be thanked. 
 
 XIV. 
 
 "Now will I depart," said Sir Galahad, "for I have much 
 in hand ; for many good knights be full busy about it ; and this 
 knight and I were in the same quest of the Sancgreal." " Sir," 
 said a good man, "for his sin he was thus wounded; and I 
 marvel," said the good man to Sir Melias, " how ye durst take 
 upon you so rich a thing as the high order of knighthood without 
 clean confession, and that was the cause ye were so bitterly 
 wounded : for the way on the right hand betokeneth the high 
 way of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the way of a true and good 
 liver ; and the other way betokeneth the way of sinners and 
 misbelievers : and, when the devil saw your pride and presump- 
 tion for to take you in the quest of the Holy Sancgreal, that 
 made you for to be overthrown ; for it may not be achieved but 
 by virtuous living : also, the writing on the cross was a significa- 
 tion of heavenly deeds, and of knightly deeds in God's works ; 
 and pride is the head of all deadly sins, that caused this knight 
 to depart, Sir Galahad ; and where thou tookest the crown of 
 gold thou sinned in covetousness and in theft, and these were 
 no knight's deeds : and the two knights which fought with this 
 holy knight, Sir Galahad, doth signify the two deadly sins which 
 were entirely in you, but they might not withstand Sir Galahad, 
 for he is without deadly sin." Now departed Sir Galahad from 
 thence, and commended them all unto God. Sir Melias said, 
 "My lord, Sir Galahad, as soon as I may ride I shall see you."
 
 THE BOOK OF SIR GALAHAD. 157 
 
 " God send you good help," said Sir Galahad. And so he took 
 his horse and departed, and rode many journeys forward and 
 backward, as adventure would lead him ; and at the last it hap- 
 pened him to depart from a place or a castle, that was named 
 Abblasour, and he had not heard no mass, the which he was 
 always wont to hear or that he depart out of any castle or place, 
 and kept that for a custom. Then Sir Galahad came unto a 
 mountain, where he found an old chapel, and found there 
 nobody ; for all was desolate. And there he kneeled before the 
 altar, and besought God of wholesome counsel. So as he 
 prayed he heard a voice that said thus : " Go now, thou adven- 
 turous knight, unto the Castle of Maidens, and there do thou 
 away all the wicked customs." 
 
 XV. 
 
 THEN as Sir Galahad heard this he thanked God, and took 
 his horse, and he had not ridden but half-a-mile, when he saw 
 in a valley before him a strong castle with deep ditches ; and 
 there ran beside a fair river, the which hight Severn, and there 
 he met with a man of great age, and either saluted other, and 
 Sir Galahad asked him what was the castle's name. " Fair sir," 
 said he, " it is the Castle of Maidens." " That is a cursed 
 castle," said Sir Galahad, " and all they that have been conver- 
 sant therein ; for all pity is out thereof, and all hardiness and 
 mischief is therein." " Therefore I counsel you, sir knight," said 
 the old man, " to return again." " Sir," said Sir Galahad, " wit 
 ye well I shall not return again." Then looked Sir Galahad on 
 his armour that nothing failed him, and then he put his shield 
 afore him, and anon there met him seven maidens, that said 
 unto him, " Sir knight, ye ride herein a great folly, for ye have 
 the waters for to pass over." " Why should I not pass here 
 over this water?" said Sir Galahad., And so he departed away 
 from them, and then he met with a squire that said, " Sir knight, 
 those knights in the castle defy you, and forbid you that ye go 
 no farther, till that they wit what ye would." " Fair fellow," 
 said Sir Galahad, " I am come to destroy the wicked custom of 
 this castle." " Sir," said the squire, " and ye will abide by that, 
 ye shall have enough to do." " Go ye now," said Sir Galahad, 
 " and haste my matters." 
 
 Then the squire entered into the castle. And anon after 
 there came out of the castle seven knights, and all were breth- 
 ren ; and, when they saw Sir Galahad, they cried, " Knight 
 keep thce ; for we assure thee nothing but death." " Why>" said
 
 IS3 THE BOOK OF SIR GALAHAD. 
 
 Sir Galahad, "will ye all have to do with me at once?" 
 " Yea," said they all ; " for thereto mayest thou trust." Then Sir 
 Galahad put forth his spear, and smote the foremost to the 
 earth, that almost he had broken his neck ; and therewith all 
 the others smote on his shield great strokes, so that all their 
 spears break. Then Sir Galahad drew out his sword, and set 
 upon them so hard, that it was a marvel to see it ; and so 
 through great force, he made them to forsake the field : and Sir 
 Galahad chased them until they entered into the castle, and so 
 passed through the castle at another gate. And there met Sir 
 Galahad an old man, clothed in religious clothing, the which 
 said to him, " Sir, have here the keys of the castle." Then Sir 
 Galahad opened the gates, and saw so much people in the street, 
 that he might not number them ; and they said, " Sir, ye be wel- 
 come ; for long have we been forbidden our deliverance." And 
 then there came unto him a gentlewoman, and said, " These 
 knights be fled ; but they will come again this night, and here 
 begin again their evil and wicked custom." " What will ye that I 
 shall do?" said Sir Galahad. "Sir," said the gentlewoman, "that 
 ye send after all those knights hither, that hold their lands of 
 this castle, and make them swear for to use the customs that 
 were used heretofore of old time." " I will well," said Sir 
 Galahad. And then the gentlewoman brought him a horn of 
 ivory, richly bound with gold, and said, " Sir, blow ye this horn, 
 which will be heard two miles about this castle." And when 
 Sir Galahad had blown the horn, he set him down upon a bed. 
 Then came there a priest unto Sir Galahad, and said, " Sir, 
 it is past a seven year since that these seven brethren came into 
 this castle, and harboured with the lord of this castle, which 
 hight the Duke Lianour ; and he was lord of all this country. 
 And, so, when they espied the duke's daughter, that was a fair 
 woman, then by their false cunning they made debate between 
 themselves, and the duke of his goodness would have departed 
 them. And there they slew him and his eldest son ; and then 
 they took the maiden, and the treasure of the castle. And then, 
 by great force, they held all the knights of this castle, against 
 their will, under their obeisance, and in great servage and 
 truage, robbing and pillaging the poor common-people of all 
 that they had. So it happened upon a day that the duke's 
 daughter said, " Ye have done to me great wrong, to slay mine 
 own father and my brother, and thus to hold our lands. For 
 them," said she, " ye shall not hold this castle for many years ; 
 for by one knight ye shall be overcome." Thus she prophesied 
 seven years before. " Well," said the seven knights, " since ye
 
 THE BOOK OF SIR GALAHAD. 159 
 
 say so, there shall never lady nor knight pass this castle, but 
 they shall abide, maugre their heads : die, therefore, till that 
 knight be come by whom we shall lose this castle." And, there- 
 fore, it is called the Maidens' Castle ; for they have devoured 
 many maidens." " Now," said Sir Galahad, " is she here for 
 whom this castle was lost 1 " " Nay," said the priest, " she died 
 within three nights after she was thus enforced ; and since they 
 have kept her young sister, which endureth great pains with 
 more other ladies." By this were the knights of the country 
 come ; and then he made them to do homage and fealty to the 
 duke's daughter, and set them in great ease of heart. And, on 
 the morrow, there came one unto Sir Galahad, and told him how 
 Sir Gawaine and Sir Gareth and Sir Uwaine had slain the 
 seven brethren. " I suppose well," said Sir Galahad. And then 
 he took his armour and his horse, and commended them to God. 
 
 XVI. 
 
 Now (saith the story) after that Sir Gawaine was departed, 
 he rode many divers journeys, both toward and froward ; and so, 
 at the last, he came unto the abbey whereas Sir Galahad had the 
 white shield : and there Sir Gawaine learned the very way for 
 to follow after Sir Galahad. And so he rode unto the abbey 
 whereas Sir Melias lay sick : and there Sir Melias told Sir 
 Gawaine of the marvellous adventure that Sir Galahad had 
 done. " Truly," said Sir Gawaine, " I am not happy that I took 
 not the way that he went ; for and I may meet with him, I 
 will not depart from him lightly : for all the marvellous adven- 
 tures Sir Galahad achieveth." " Sir," said one of the monks, 
 " he will not be of your fellowship." " Why 1 " said Sir 
 Gawaine. " Sir," said he, "for ye be wicked and sinful, and he 
 is blissful." Right, as they stood thus talking together, there 
 came in riding Sir Gareth ; and then they made great joy 
 either of other. And on the morrow they heard mass, and so 
 departed ; and, by the way, they met with Sir Uwaine le 
 Avoutres ; and there Sir Uwaine told Sir Gawaine how he had 
 met with no adventure sithence he departed from the court. 
 " Nor we," said Sir Gawaine. And either promised other of 
 these three knights not to depart, while that they were 
 in the quest, but if fortune caused it. So they departed and 
 rode by fortune 'till that they came unto the Castle of 
 Maidens ; and there the seven brethren espied the three 
 knights. And then they said, " Sithence we be banished by 
 one knight from this castle, we shall destroy all the knights of
 
 i6o THE BOOK OF SIR GALAHAD. 
 
 King Arthur's, that we may overcome, for the love of Sir 
 Galahad." And therewith the seven knights set upon the three 
 knights. And by fortune Sir Gawaine slew one of the seven 
 brethren, and each of his fellows slew another, and so slew the 
 remnant. And then they took their way unto the castle ; and 
 there they lost the way that Sir Galahad rode, and every one of 
 them departed from the other. And Sir Gawaine rode till he 
 came to a hermitage ; and there he found the good man saying 
 his even-song of our Lady. And there Sir Gawaine asked har- 
 bour for charity ; and the good man granted it him gladly. Then 
 the good man asked him what he was, and from whence he 
 came ? " Sir," said he, " I am a knight of King Arthur's court, 
 that am in the quest of the Sancgreal, and my name is Sir 
 Gawaine." " Sir," said the good man, " I will wit how it 
 standeth between God and you." " Sir," said Sir Gawaine, " I 
 will with a good will show you my life, and it please you." And 
 there he told him how the monk of an abbey called him a 
 wicked knight. " He might well say it," said the good man ; 
 " for, when ye were first made knight, ye should have taken you 
 unto knightly deeds and virtuous living ; and ye have done the 
 contrary, for ye have lived mischievously many winters. And 
 the noble knight, Sir Galahad, is a maiden, and never sinned ; 
 and that is the cause he shall achieve whersoever he goeth, 
 that ye nor none such shall ever attain, nor any of your fellow- 
 ship : for ye have used the most untruest life that ever I heard 
 knight live. For, truly, had ye not been so wicked as ye are, 
 never had the seven brethren been slain by you, and by your two 
 fellows ; for Sir Galahad himself, all alone, bet them all seven 
 that day before : but his living is such, that he shall slay no 
 man lightly. Also I may say to you, the Castle of Maidens 
 betoken the good souls that were in prison before the incar- 
 nation of Christ ; and the seven knights betoken the seven 
 deadly sins which reigned that time in the world. And I may 
 liken the good knight, Sir Galahad, unto the Son of the high 
 Father, that light within a maiden, and brought all the souls 
 out of thraldom ; so did Sir Galahad deliver all the maidens 
 out of the woeful castle. Now, Sir Gawaine," said the good 
 man, " thou must do penance for thy sins." " Sir, what pen- 
 ance shall I do 1 " " Such as I will give," said the good man. 
 " Nay," said Sir Gawaine, " I may do no penance ; for we 
 knights adventurous often suffer great woe and pain." " Well," 
 said the good man ; and then he held his peace, and com- 
 mended him unto God. And by adventure he met with Sir 
 Aglovale and Sir Griflet, two knights of the Round Table ; and
 
 THE BOOK OF SIR GALAHAD. 161 
 
 they two had ridden four days without finding of any adventure. 
 And at the fifth day they departed, and every each held as fell 
 them by adventure. 
 
 XVII. 
 
 So when Sir Galahad was departed from the Castle- of 
 Maidens, he rode till he came unto a vast forest, and there he 
 met with Sir Launcelot and Sir Percivale ; but either of them 
 knew him not, for he was new disguised. Right so Sir 
 Launcelot, his father, dressed his spear, and break it upon his 
 son, Sir Galahad ; and Sir Galahad smote him so hard again, 
 that he smote down both horse and man. And then he drew 
 his sword, and dressed him unto Sir Percivale, and smote him 
 so on his helm, that it rove the coif of steel, and, if the sword 
 had not swerved, Sir Percivale had been slain ; and, with the 
 stroke, he fell out of his saddle. These jousts were done before 
 the hermitage, where a recluse dwelled ; and, when she saw 
 Sir Galahad ride, she said, " God be with thee, the best knight 
 of the world. Ah ! certainly," said she all aloud, that Sir 
 Launcelot and Sir Percivale might hear it, "and yonder two 
 knights had known thee as well as I do, they would not have 
 encountered with thee." When Sir Galahad heard her say so, 
 he was sore adread to be known : therewithal he smote his 
 horse with his spurs, and rode a great pace froward them. 
 Then perceived they both that it was Sir Galahad, and up they 
 gat on their horses, and rode fast after him ; but, within a 
 while, he was out of their sight, and then they turned again with 
 a heavy cheer. " Let us ask some tidings," said Sir Percivale, 
 " at yonder recluse." " Do as ye list," said Sir Launcelot. 
 When Sir Percivale came unto the recluse, she knew him well 
 enough, and in likewise she knew Sir Launcelot. But Sir 
 Launcelot rode overthwart and endlong in a wild forest, and held 
 no path, but as wild adventure led him. And at the last he 
 came unto a stone cross, which departed two ways in waste 
 land ; and by the cross was a stone that was of marble ; but it 
 was so dark, that Sir Launcelot might not well know what it 
 was. Then Sir Launcelot looked by him, and saw an old 
 chapel, and there he weened to have found much people. And 
 so Sir Launcelot tied his horse to a tree, and there he put off 
 his shield, and hung it upon a tree ; and then he went unto the 
 chapel door, and found it wasted and broken : and within he 
 found a fair altar, full richly arrayed with cloth of silk ; and 
 their stood a fair candlestick, which bare six great candles, and 
 
 li
 
 162 THE BOOK OF SIR GALAHAD. 
 
 the candlestick was of silver. And when Sir Launcelot saw 
 this light, he had a great will for to enter into the chapel, but he 
 could find no place where he might enter. Then was he 
 passing heavy and dismayed ; then he returned and came again 
 to his horse, and took off his saddle and his bridle, and let him 
 pasture ; and unlaced his helm, and ungirded his sword, and 
 laid him down to sleep upon his shield before the cross. 
 
 XVIII. 
 
 AND so he fell on sleep, and, half waking and half sleeping, 
 he saw come by him two palfreys, both fair and white, the which 
 bear a litter, therein lying a sick knight ; and, when he was 
 nigh the cross, he there abode still. All this Sir Launcelot saw 
 and beheld, for he slept not verily, and he heard him say, " Oh, 
 sweet Lord, when shall this sorrow leave me, and when shall 
 the holy vessel come by me, wherethrough I shall be blessed ? 
 for I have endured thus long for little trespass ; " and thus 
 a great while complained the knight, and always Sir 
 Launcelot heard it. With that Sir Launcelot saw the candle- 
 stick with the fire tapers come before the cross, but he could 
 see nobody that brought it ; also there came a table of silver, 
 and the holy vessel of the Sancgreal, the which Sir Launcelot 
 had seen before that time in King Petchour's house. And 
 therewithal the sick knight sat him upright, and held up both 
 his hands, and said, " Fair sweet Lord, which is here within 
 the holy vessel, take heed to me that I may be whole of this 
 great malady ; " and therewith, upon his hands and upon his 
 knees, he went so nigh that he touched the holy vessel, and 
 kissed it : and anon he was whole ; and then he said, " Lord 
 God I thank thee, for I am healed of this malady." So when 
 the holy vessel had been there a great while, it went unto 
 the chapel again, with the candlestick and the light ; so 
 that Sir Launcelot wist not where it became, for he was over- 
 taken with sin, that he had no power to arise against the holy 
 vessel ; wherefore afterward many men said of him shame : but 
 he took repentance afterward. Then the sick knight dressed 
 him upright, and kissed the cross. Then anon his squire 
 brought him his arms, and asked his lord how he did. 
 " Certainly," said he, " I thank God right heartily, for through 
 the holy vessel I am healed. But I have right great marvel of 
 this sleeping knight, which hath had neither grace nor power to 
 awake during the time that this holy vessel hath been here 
 present." " I dare it right well say," said the squire, " that this
 
 THE BOOK OF SIR GALAHAD. 163 
 
 same knight is befouled with some manner of deadly sin, whereof 
 he was never confessed." " By my faith," said the knight, 
 "whatsoever he be, he is unhappy ; for, as I deem, he is of the 
 fellowship of the Round Table, the which is entered into the 
 quest of the Sancgreal." " Sir," said the squire, " here I have 
 brought you all your arms, save your helm and your sword ; and 
 therefore, by mine assent, now may ye take this knight's helm 
 and his sword ; " and so he did. And when he was clean 
 armed, he took Sir Launcelot's horse, for he was better than his 
 own : and so they departed from the cross. 
 
 XIX. 
 
 THEN anon Sir Launcelot awaked, and set himself upright, 
 and bethought him what he had there seen, and whether it 
 were dreams, or not right so, he heard a voice that said, " Sir 
 Launcelot, more hardy than is the stone, and more bitter than 
 is the wood, and more naked and bare than is the leaf of 
 the fig-tree, therefore go thou from hence, and withdraw thee 
 from this holy place." And when Sir Launcelot heard this, he 
 was passing heavy, and wist not what to do ; and so he 
 departed, sore weeping, and cursed the time that he was born. 
 For then he deemed never to have had more worship : for the 
 words went unto his heart, till that he knew wherefore that 
 he was so called. Then Sir Launcelot went to the cross, 
 and found that his helm, his sword, and his horse, were taken 
 away ; and then he called himself a very wretch, and most 
 unhappy of all knights. And there he said, " My sin and 
 my wretchedness hath brought me unto great dishonour : for 
 when I sought worldly adventures, and worldly desires, I ever 
 achieved them, and had the better in every place, and never was 
 I discomfited in any quarrel, were it right or wrong ; and now I 
 take upon me the adventures of holy things : and now I see and 
 understand that mine old sin hindereth me, and also shamed 
 me, so that I had no power to stir, nor to speak, when the 
 holy blood appeared before me." So thus he sorrowed till 
 it was day, and heard the fowls of the air sing ; then was 
 he somewhat comforted. But when Sir Launcelot missed 
 his horse and his harness, then wist ye well that God was 
 displeased with him. Then he departed from the cross on 
 foot, into a wild forest, and so by prime he came unto a 
 high mountain, and there he found a hermitage, and a hermit 
 therein, which was going to mass. And then Sir Launcelot 
 kneeled down upon both his knees, and cried our Lord mercy,
 
 164 THE BOOK OF SIR GALAHAD. 
 
 for his wicked works that he had done. So when mass was 
 done, Sir Launcelot called the hermit to him, and prayed him 
 for charity to hear his confession. "With a good will," said 
 the good man. "Sir," said he, "be ye of King Arthur's court, 
 and of the noble fellowship of the Round Table ? " " Yea, for- 
 sooth, and my name is Sir Launcelot du Lake, which hath been 
 right well said of, and greatly magnified ; and now it is so, my 
 good fortune is changed, for I am the most wretch and captive 
 of the world." Then the hermit beheld him, and had great 
 marvel how he was so sore abashed. " Sir," said the hermit, 
 "ye ought to thank God more than any knight living ; for he 
 Jiath caused you to have more worldly worship than any knight 
 that now liveth. And, for your presumption to take upon you, 
 in deadly sin, for to be in his presence, where his flesh and his 
 blood was, that caused you ye might not see it with your worldly 
 eye : for he will not appear where such sinners be, but if it be 
 unto their great hurt, and unto their great shame. And there is 
 no knight living that ought for to give unto God so great thanks 
 as ye : for he hath given unto you beauty, seemliness, and great 
 strength, above all other knights, and therefore ye are the more 
 beholding unto God than any other man, to love him, and to 
 dread him, for your strength and manhood will little avail you, 
 and God be against you." 
 
 XX. 
 
 THEN Sir Launcelot wept, and made full heavy cheer, and 
 said, " Now I know well, ye tell me truth." " Sir," said the 
 good man, "hide none old sin from me." "Then," said Sir 
 Launcelot, "that were me full loth to discover : for this fourteen 
 years I never discovered any thing which I have used, and that 
 may I now wit my shame, and my misadventure." And then he 
 told there that good man all his life, and how he had loved a 
 Queen unmeasurably many years ; "and all my great deeds of 
 arms that I have done, I did for the most part for the Queen's 
 sake ; and for her sake would I do battle, were it right or 
 wrong ; and never did I battle at all only for God's sake, but for 
 to win worship, and to cause me to be the better beloved, and 
 little or nought I thanked God of it." Then Sir Launcelot said, 
 " I pray you counsel me." " I will counsel you," said the 
 hermit, "if ye will ensure me that ye will never come into that 
 Queen's fellowship as much as ye may forbear." And then Sir 
 Launcelot promised the hermit, by his faith, that he would no 
 more come into her company. " Look that your heart and your 
 mouth accord," said the good old man, "and I shall ensure you 
 that ye shall have more worship than ever ye had." " Holy
 
 THE BOOK OF SIR GALAHAD. 165 
 
 father," said Sir Launcelot, "I marvel of the voice that said to me 
 marvellous words, and ye have heard here before." " Have ye 
 no marvel thereof," said the good man, "for it seemeth well 
 that God loveth you, for men may understand that a stone is 
 hard of kind, and namely one more than another ; and that 
 is to understand, by Sir Launcelot, for thou wilt not leave thy 
 sin for no goodness that God hath sent thee, therefore thou art 
 more harder than any stone ; and never would thou be made 
 soft, neither by water nor by fire, and that is the heat of the 
 Holy Ghost may not enter into thee. Now take heed in all 
 the world, men shall not find one knight to whom our Lord 
 hath given so much grace, as our Lord hath given you : for he 
 hath given you fairness with seemliness ; he hath given you wit 
 and discretion, for to know good from evil ; he hath given you 
 prowess and hardiness, and hath given you to work so largely, 
 that ye have had at all times the better, wheresoever ye came. 
 And now our Lord will suffer you no longer, but that ye shall know 
 him whether ye will or not ; and why the voice called thee bitterer 
 than wood ; for where overmuch sin dwelleth there may be but 
 little sweetness, wherefore thou art likened to an old rotten tree. 
 Now I have showed thee why thou art harder than the stone, 
 and bitterer than the tree ; now I shall show thee why thou art 
 more naked and bare than the fig tree. It befell that our Lord 
 Jesus Christ preached on Palm Sunday in Jerusalem, and there 
 he found in the people that all hardness was harboured in them, 
 and there he could not find one in all the town that would 
 harbour him, and then he went without the town, and found in 
 the midst of the way a fig tree, the which was right fair and well- 
 garnished with leaves, but fruit had it none ; then our Lord 
 cursed the tree that bare no fruit, that betokeneth the fig tree 
 unto Jerusalem, that had leaves and no fruit. So thou, Sir 
 Launcelot, when the Holy Grail was brought before thee, he 
 found in thee no fruit, neither good thought, nor good will, and 
 defouled with lechery." " Certainly," said Sir Launcelot, " all 
 that ye have said is true, and from henceforward, I cast me, by 
 the grace of God, never to be so wicked as I have been, but 
 as to follow knighthood, and to do feats of arms." Then the 
 good man enjoined Sir Launcelot such penance as he might do, 
 and to show knighthood ; and so he assailed Sir Launcelot, and 
 prayed him to abide with him all that day. " I will well," said 
 Sir Launcelot, "for I have neither helm, nor horse, nor sword." 
 "As for that," said the good man, "I shall help you or to-morrow 
 at even of a horse, and all that belongeth unto you." And then 
 Sir Launcelot repented him greatly.
 
 166 THE BOOK OF SIR GALAHAD. 
 
 XXI. 
 
 Now when the hermit had kept Sir Launcelot three days, 
 the hermit got him a horse, a helm, and a sword, and then he 
 departed, about the hour of noon, and then he saw a little house ; 
 and when he came near he saw a chapel, and there beside he 
 saw an old man, that was clothed all in white, full richly : then 
 Sir Launcelot said, " God save you." " God keep you well," 
 said the good man, " and make you a good knight." Then Sir 
 Launcelot alighted, and entered into, a chapel, and there he saw 
 an old man dead, in a white shirt, of passing fine cloth. " Sir," 
 said he, " this good man, that is here dead, ought not to be in 
 such clothing as ye see him in, for that he break the oath of his 
 order ; for he hath been more than a hundred winters a religious 
 man." And then the good man and Sir Launcelot went into the 
 chapel, and the good man took a stole about his neck, and a 
 book, and then he conjured on that book, and with that they 
 saw a hideous figure, and a horrible, that there was no man so 
 hard-hearted, nor so hardy, but that he would have been afraid. 
 Then said the fiend, " Thou hast travailed me greatly ; now tell 
 me what thou wilt with me." " I will," said the good man, 
 "that thou tell me how my fellow became dead, and whether he 
 be saved or damned." Then he said, with a horrible voice, "He 
 is not lost, but saved." " How may that be," said the good man, 
 " it seemed to me that he lived not well, for he break his order, 
 for to wear a shirt, whereas he ought to wear none : and who 
 that trespasseth against our order doth not well." " Not so," 
 said the fiend, "this man, that lieth here dead, was come of 
 great lineage; and there was a lord, that hight the Earl de Vale, 
 that held great war against this man's nephew, which hight 
 Aguarus. And so this Aguarus saw that earl was bigger than he, 
 then went he for to take counsel of his uncle, which lieth now 
 dead, as ye may see ; and then he asked leave, and went out of 
 his hermitage, for to maintain his nephew, the mighty earl ; and 
 so it happened, that this man, that lieth here dead, did so much 
 by his wisdom and hardiness, that the earl was taken, and three 
 of his lords, by force of this dead man. 
 
 XXII. 
 
 " THEN was there peace between the earl and this Aguarus, 
 and great surety, that the earl should never war against him. 
 Then this dead man, that there lieth, came to this hermitage 
 again : and then the earl made two of his nephews tobs avenged
 
 THE BOOK OF SIR GALAHAD. 167 
 
 upon this man. So they came upon a day, and found this dead 
 man at the sacring of the mass, and they abode till he had 
 said his mass, and then they set upon him, and drew out their 
 swords for to have slain him. But there would no sword bite 
 on him, no more than upon a gad of steel ; for the high Lord, 
 which he served, preserved him. Then made they a great fire, 
 and did off his clothes, and the hair of his back : and then this 
 dead man, the hermit, said unto them, "Ween ye to burn me, it 
 shall not lie in your power, nor to perish me as much as a thread, 
 and there were any upon my body." "No," said one of them, 
 " it shall be essayed." And then they spoiled him, and put 
 upon him this shirt, and threw him in the fire, and he lay all 
 that night, till it was day, in that fire, and yet was he not dead. 
 And so on the morrow I came and found him dead, but I found 
 neither thread nor skin perished, and so took him out of the fire 
 with great fear, and laid him here, as you may see : and now ye 
 may suffer me to go my way, for I have told you the truth." 
 And then he departed, with a horrible tempest. Then was the 
 good man and Sir Launcelot more gladder than they were 
 before, and then Sir Launcelot dwelled with the good man that 
 night. " Sir," said the good man, " be ye not Sir Launcelot du 
 Lake ?" " Yea, sir," said he. " What seek ye in this country?" 
 said the good man. " Sir," said Sir Launcelot, " I go to seek 
 the adventures of the Sancgreal." " Well," said he, " seek it 
 may ye well ; but, though it were here, ye shall have no power 
 to see it, no more than a blind man should see a bright sword, 
 and that is long of your sin, and else were ye more abler than 
 any man living.'' And then Sir Launcelot began to weep. 
 Then said the good man, " Were ye confessed sith ye entered 
 into the quest of the Sancgreal?" "Yea," said Sir Launcelot. 
 Then on the morrow, when the good man had sung his mass, 
 they buried the dead man. Then said Sir Launcelot, " Father, 
 what shall I do?" " Now," said the good man, " I require you 
 to take this hair, that was this holy man's, and put it next your 
 skin, and greatly shall it prevail you." " Sir, and I will do it," 
 said Sir Launcelot. "And I charge you," said the good man, 
 " that ye eat no flesh as long as ye be in the quest of the Holy 
 Sancgreal, nor ye shall drink no wine, and that ye hear mass 
 daily ; and he may do it." So he took the hair and put it upon 
 him, and so he departed at even-song time ; and so he rode 
 into a forest, and there he met with a gentlewoman riding upon 
 a white palfrey, and she asked him, " Sir knight, whither ride 
 ye?" "Certainly, damsel," said Sir Launcelot, "I wot not 
 whither I ride but as fortune leadeth me." " Ah ! Sir Launcelot,"
 
 168 . THE BOOK OF SIR GALAHAD. 
 
 said she, " I wot not what adventure ye seek, for ye were 
 aforetime more nearer than ye be now ; and yet shall ye see it 
 more openly than ever ye did, and that shall ye understand in 
 short time." Then Sir Launcelot asked her where he might be 
 harboured that night. " Ye shall none find this day nor night, 
 but to-morrow ye shall find good harbour, and ease you of that 
 ye be in doubt of." And then he commended her unto God. 
 Then he rode till that he came to a cross, and took that for his 
 host, as for that night. 
 
 XXIII. 
 
 AND he put his horse to pasture, and took off his helm and his 
 shield, and made his prayers to the cross, that he might never 
 again fall in deadly sin. And so he laid him down to sleep : 
 and anon as he was asleep it befell him that he had a vision. 
 That him thought there came a man before him all encompassed 
 of stars, and that man had a crown of gold on his head, and that 
 man led in his fellowship seven kings and two knights, and all 
 these worshipped the cross, kneeling upon their knees, holding 
 up their hands toward heaven, and all they said, " Fair, sweet 
 father of heaven, come and visit us, and yield unto us every one 
 as we have deserved." Then Sir Launcelot looked up to 
 heaven, and him seemed that the clouds opened, and that an 
 old man came down with a company of angels and alight among 
 them, and gave unto every each his blessing, and called them 
 his servants, and good and true knights. And when this old 
 man had said thus, he came to one of those knights and said, 
 " I have lost all that I have set in thee ; for thou hast ruled thee 
 against me as a warrior, and used wrong wars with vain glory, 
 more for the pleasure of the world than to please me ; therefore 
 thou shall be confounded without thou yield me my treasure." 
 All this vision saw Sir Launcelot at the cross. And on the 
 morrow he took his horse and rode till mid-day, and there by 
 adventure he met with the same knight that took his horse, his 
 helm, and his sword, when he slept, when the Sancgreal 
 appeared afore the cross. And when Sir Launcelot saw him, he 
 saluted him not fair, but cried on high, " Knight, keep thee ; 
 for thou hast done to me great unkindness." And then they 
 put before them their spears, and Sir Launcelot came so fiercely 
 upon him, that he smote him and his horse down to the earth, 
 that he had almost broken his neck. Then Sir Launcelot took 
 the knight's horse, that was his own beforehand, and descended 
 from the horse that he sat upon, took his horse, and then tied the 
 knight's own horse to a tree, that he might find that horse when
 
 THE BOOK OF SIR GALAHAD. 169 
 
 he was risen. Then Sir Launcelot rode till night, and by 
 adventure he met a hermit, and each of them saluted other ; and 
 there he rested with that good man all night, and gave his horse 
 such as he might get. Then said the good man unto Sir 
 Launcelot, "Of whence be ye?" "Sir," said he, "I am of 
 King Arthur's court, and my name is Sir Launcelot du Lake, 
 that am in quest of the Sancgreal ; and, therefore, I pray you to 
 counsel me of a vision, the which I had at a cross." And so he 
 told him all. 
 
 XXIV. 
 
 "Now, Sir Launcelot," said the good man, "there thou 
 mightest have understood the high lineage that thou art come 
 of, and thy vision betokeneth this : after the passion of Jesu 
 Christ forty years, Joseph of Arimathy preached the victory of 
 King Everlake, that he had in the battle the better of his 
 enemies, and of the seven kings and the two knights. The first 
 of them it called Napus, a right holy man, and the second hight 
 Nacien, in remembrance of his grandsire, and in him dwelled 
 our Lord Jesu Christ ; and the third was called Pelias le Grose, 
 and the fourth hight Licias, and the fifth hight lonas, he 
 departed out his country and went into Wales, and took the 
 daughter of Manuel, whereby he had the land of Gaul, and 
 he came to dwell in this country, and of him came King 
 Launcelot thy grandsire, which there wedded the king's daughter 
 of Ireland, and he was as worthy a man as thou art, and of him 
 came King Ban thy father, the which was the last of the seven 
 kings. And by thee, Sir Launcelot, it signifieth that the angels 
 said, that thou were none of the seven fellowships : and the last 
 was the ninth knight, he was signified to a lion, for he should 
 pass all manner of earthly knights, that is Sir Galahad, which 
 thou begat upon King Pelleas' daughter, and thou ought to 
 thank God more than any man living, for an earthly sinner thou 
 hast no peer in knighthood, nor never shall be ; but little thanks 
 hast thou given unto God for all the great virtues that God hath 
 lent thee." " Sir," said Sir Launcelot, " ye say that the good 
 knight is my son." "That oughtest thou to know," said the 
 good man, " and no man better, for thou knewest the daughter 
 of King Pelleas, and begattest Galahad, and that was he that at 
 the feast of Pentecost sat in the Perilous Siege ; and, therefore, 
 make thou it known openly that he is one of thy begetting on 
 King Pelleas' daughter, for that will be thy worship and honour 
 unto thy kindred : and I counsel you in no place press not upon 
 him to have to do with him." "Well," said Sir Launcelot,
 
 170 THE BOOK OF SIR GALAHAD. 
 
 " me seemeth that good knight should pray for me to the high 
 Father, that I fall not to sin again." " Trust thou well," said 
 the good man, " that thou farest much the better for his prayer, 
 but the son shall not bear the wickedness of the father, nor the 
 father shall not bear the wickedness of the son, but every one 
 shall bear his own burthen ; and, therefore, pray you only unto 
 God, and he will help thee in all thy deeds." And then Sir 
 Launcelot and he went to supper and laid him to rest, and the 
 hair pricked so Sir Launcelot's skin, that it grieved him full sore, 
 but he took it meekly, and suffered the pain. And so on the 
 morrow he heard his mass, and took his arms, and so took 
 his leave. 
 
 XXV. 
 
 AND then he mounted upon his horse and rode into a forest, 
 and held no highway ; and as he looked before him he saw a 
 fair plain, and beside that plain stood a fair castle, and before 
 that castle were many pavilions of silk, and of divers hue. And 
 him seemed that he saw there five hundred knights riding on 
 horseback, and there were two parties : they that were of the 
 castle were all in black, their horses and their trappings black : 
 and they that were without were all upon white horses with 
 white trappings. And every each hurled to other, whereas Sir 
 Launcelot marvelled greatly : and, at last, he thought that they 
 of the castle were put unto the worst : and then thought Sir 
 Launcelot to help the weaker party, in increasing of his 
 chivalry. And so Sir Launcelot thrust in among the parties of 
 the castle, and smote down a knight, both horse and man to the 
 earth ; and then he rushed here and there, and did marvellous 
 deeds of arms. And then he drew out his sword, and struck 
 many knights to the earth, so that all those that saw him 
 marvelled that ever one knight might do such deeds of arms. 
 But always the white knights held them nigh about Sir 
 Launcelot, for to weary him and wind him. 
 
 And, at the last, as a man might not ever endure, Sir Launce- 
 lot waxed so faint of fighting and of travelling, and was so weary 
 of great deeds, that he might not lift up his arms for to give one 
 stroke, so that he weened never to have borne arms. And then 
 all they took him and led him away into a forest, and there they 
 made him to alight and to rest him. And then all the fellowship 
 of the castle were overcome for the default of him : and then all 
 they said unto Sir Launcelot, " Blessed be God that he be 
 now of our fellowship, for we shall hold you in our prison." 
 And so they left him with few words ; and then Sir Launcelot
 
 THE BOOK OF SIR GALAHAD. 171 
 
 made great sorrow and said, " Never till now was I at tourna- 
 ment nor jousts but that I had the better, and now I am 
 shamed ; " and then he said, " Now I am sure that I am more 
 sinful than ever I was." Thus he rode sorrowing, and half 
 a day he was in despair, till that he came into a deep valley ; 
 and when Sir Launcelot saw he might not ride up into the 
 mountain, he alighted there under an apple-tree, and there 
 he left his helm and his shield, and put his horse to pasture, and 
 then he laid him down to sleep, and then he thought there came 
 an old man before him which said, " Ah, Sir Launcelot, of evil 
 faith and poor belief, wherefore is thy will turned toward 
 thy deadly sin." And when he had thus said, he vanished 
 away, and Sir Launcelot wist not where he became. Then he 
 armed him, and took his horse, and as he rode that way, he saw 
 a chapel where was a recluse, which had a window that she 
 might see up to the altar, and all aloud she called Sir Launcelot, 
 because he seemed a knight-errant. And then he came, 
 and she asked him what he was, and of what place, and what 
 he seeked. 
 
 XXVI. 
 
 AND then he told her altogether, word by word, and the truth 
 how it befell him at the tournament, and after he told her his 
 vision that he had that night in his sleep, and prayed her for to 
 tell him what it might mean, for he was not well content with it. 
 " Ah, Sir Launcelot," said she, " as long as ye were knight of 
 earthly knighthood, ye were the most marvellous man of the 
 world, and the most adventurous. Now," said the lady, " since 
 that ye be set among the knights of heavenly adventures, if 
 adventure fell the contrary of that tournament, have thou no 
 marvel, for that tournament yesterday was but a tokening of 
 our Lord Jesus Christ, and not for then there was none enchant- 
 ment, for they at the tournament were earthly knights. The 
 tournament was a token far to see who should have most 
 knights, either Eliazar, the son of good King Pelleas, or 
 Augustus, the son of King Harlon. But Eliazar was all clothed 
 in white, and Augustus was clothed in black, the which were 
 come : all what this betokeneth I shall tell thee. On the day of 
 Pentecost, when King Arthur held his court, it befell that 
 earthly kings and knights took a tournament together, that is to 
 say, the quest of the Sancgreal. The earthly knights were 
 they the which were clothed all in black, and the covering 
 betokeneth the sins, whereof they be not confessed ; and they 
 with the covering of white betokeneth virginity, and they that
 
 172 THE BOOK OF SIR GALAHAD. 
 
 choose chastity, and thus was the quest began in them. Then 
 thou beholdest the sinners and the good men ; and when thou 
 sawest the sinners overcome, thou inclinest unto that part, 
 for pomp and pride of the world, and all that must be left in the 
 quest ; for in this quest thou shall have many fellows, and thy 
 betters, for thou art so feeble of evil trust and good belief. 
 This made it when thou were there where they took thee 
 and led thee into the forest. And anon there appeared the 
 Sancgreal unto the white knights, but thou wert so feeble of 
 good belief and faith, that thou might not abide it, for all the 
 teaching of the good man, but anon thou turned unto the 
 sinners ; and thou caused thy misadventure that thou shouldst 
 know good from evil, and the vain glory of the world, the which 
 is not worth a pear. And for great pride thou madest great 
 sorrow thou hadst not overcome all the white knights with 
 the covering of white, by whom was betokened virginity and 
 chastity ; and, therefore, God was wrath with thee, for God 
 loveth not such deeds in his quest. And this vision signifieth 
 that thou were of evil faith, and of poor belief, the which will 
 make thee to fall into the deep pit of hell, if thou keep thee 
 not. Now have I warned thee of thy vain glory, and of 
 thy pride, that thou hast many times erred against thy Maker. 
 Beware of everlasting pain, for of all earthly knights I have 
 most pity of thee ; for I know well thou hast not thy peer 
 of any earthly sinful man." And so she commanded Sir 
 Launcelot to dinner : and after dinner he commended her 
 unto God, and took his horse, and so rode into a deep valley, 
 and there he saw a river and a high mountain, and through 
 the water he must needs pass, the which was full hideous ; 
 and then, in the name of God, he took the water with a good 
 heart : and when he came over he saw an armed knight, horse 
 and man as black as any deer, and without any word speaking, 
 he smote Sir Launcelot's horse to the earth ; and so he passed 
 forth, and wist not where he became. And then he took 
 his helm and his shield, and thanked God of his adventure.
 
 THE BOOK OF SIR PERCIVALE. 173 
 
 THE BOOK OF SIR PERCIVALE. 
 
 I. 
 
 OW, saith the tale, that when Sir Launcelot was ridden 
 after Sir Galahad, his son, the which had all these 
 adventures here above rehearsed, Sir Percivale 
 returned again unto the recluse, where he deemed 
 to have tidings of that knight which Sir Launcelot 
 followed : and so he kneeled at her window, and anon the 
 recluse opened it, and asked Sir Percivale what he would. 
 " Madam," said he, " I am a knight of King Arthur's court, and 
 my name is Sir Percivale de Galis." So when the recluse heard 
 his name, she made passing great joy of him, for greatly she 
 loved him before all other knights of the world ; for so of right 
 she ought to do, for she was his aunt. And then she com- 
 manded that the gates should be opened to him, and there Sir 
 Percivale had all the cheer that she might make him, and all that 
 was in her power was at his commandment. So on the morrow 
 Sir Percivale went unto the recluse, and asked her if she knew 
 that knight with the white shield. "Sir," said she, " why would 
 ye wit?" "Truly, madam," said Sir Percivale, "I shall never be 
 well at ease till that I know of that knight's fellowship, and that 
 I may fight with him ; for I may not leave him so lightly, for I 
 have the shame yet." " Ah ! Sir Percivale," said she, " would 
 ye fight with him ? I see well ye have great will to be slain, as 
 your father was through outrageousness." " Madam," said Sir 
 Percivale, " it seemeth by your words that ye know me." 
 "Yea," said she, "I well ought to know you, for I am your aunt, 
 although I be in a priory place : for I was sometime called the 
 Queen of the Waste Lands, and I was called the Queen of most 
 riches in the world ; and it pleased me never so much my riches 
 as doth my poverty." Then Sir Percivale wept for very great 
 pity, when he knew she was his aunt. " Ah ! fair nephew," 
 said she, "when heard you any tidings from your mother?" 
 " Truly," said he, " I heard not of her in a great while, but I 
 have dreamed of her much in my sleep, and therefore I wot not 
 whether she be dead or alive." " Certainly, fair nephew," said 
 she, "your mother is dead ; for after your departing from her 
 she took such a sorrow, that anon, after she was confessed, she 
 died." " Now God have mercy upon her soul," said Sir Perci- 
 vale, " it sore forethinketh me : but all we must change our life.
 
 174 THE BOOK OF SIR PERCIVALE. 
 
 Now, fair aunt, tell me what is the knight ? I deem it be he 
 that bear the red arms on Whit Sunday." " Wit ye well," said 
 his aunt, " that is he ; for otherwise he ought not to do but to 
 go in red arms, and that same knight hath no peer, for he 
 worketh all by miracle : and he shall never be overcome of no 
 earthly man's hands. 
 
 II. 
 
 "ALSO," said his aunt, "Merlin made the Round Table in 
 token of the roundness of the world : for by the Round Table 
 is the world signified by right. For all the world, Christian and 
 heathen, resort unto the Round Table ; and when they are 
 chosen to be of the fellowship of the Round Table, they think 
 them more blessed, and more in worship, than if they had gotten 
 half the world, and ye have seen that they have lost their fathers 
 and their mothers, and all their kin, and their wives and their 
 children, for to be of your fellowship, it is well seen by you ; for 
 sith ye departed from your mother, ye would never see her, ye 
 found such a fellowship at the Round Table. When Merlin had 
 ordained the Round Table, he said, by them that should be 
 fellows of the Round Table the truth of the Sancgreal shall 
 be well known. And men asked him how men might know 
 them that should best do to the achieving of the Sancgreal. 
 Then said he, there should be three white bulls that should 
 achieve it : and the two should be maidens, and the third 
 should be chaste ; and that one of the three should pass the 
 father, as much as the lion passeth his leopard, both of strength 
 and of hardiness. They which heard Merlin say so, said thus 
 unto Merlin : Since there shall be such a knight, thou shouldst 
 ordain by thy craft a siege that no man should sit thereto, but 
 he only which shall pass all other knights. And then Merlin 
 answered that he would do so ; and then he made the Siege 
 Perilous, in which Sir Galahad sat at his meat upon Whit 
 Sunday last past." " Now, madam," said Sir Percivale, " so 
 much have I heard of you, that by my good will I will never 
 have to do with Sir Galahad, but by way of kindness. And for 
 God's love, fair aunt, can ye teach me some way where I may 
 find him, for much would I love the fellowship of him?" 
 " Fair nephew," said she, " ye must ride unto a castle the which 
 is called Goothe, where he hath a cousin-german, and there may 
 ye be lodged this night. And as he teacheth you, sue after as 
 fast as ye can, and if he can tell you no tidings of him, ride 
 straight unto the castle of Carbonek, where the maimed King is 
 there lying, for there shall ye hear true tidings of him."
 
 THE BOOK OF SIR PERCIVALE. 175 
 
 III. 
 
 THEN departed Sir Percivale from his aunt, either making 
 great sorrow. And so he rode till even-song time. And then 
 he heard a clock smite. And then he was ware of a house 
 closed well with walls and deep ditches, and there he knocked 
 at the gate, and was let in, and he alight, and was led unto a 
 chamber, and soon he was unarmed. And there he had right 
 good cheer all that night, and on the morn he heard his mass, 
 and in the monastery he found a priest ready at the altar. And 
 on the right side he saw a pew closed with iron, and behind the 
 altar he saw a rich bed and a fair, as of cloth of silk and gold. 
 Then Sir Percivale espied that therein was a man or a woman, 
 for the visage was covered. Then he left off his looking, and 
 heard his service. And when it came to the sacring, he that lay 
 within that perclose dressed him up, and uncovered his head, 
 and then him beseemed a passing old man, and he had a crown 
 of gold upon his head, and his shoulders were naked and 
 uncovered unto his middle. And then Sir Percivale espied his 
 body was full of great wounds, both on the shoulders, arms, and 
 visage. And ever he held up his hands unto our Lord's body, 
 and cried, " Fair sweet Father Jesu Christ, forget not me," and 
 so he lay down, but always he was in his prayers and orisons : 
 and him seemed to be of the age of three hundred winters. And 
 when the mass was done, the priest took our Lord's body, and 
 bare it to the sick King, And when he had used it, he did off 
 his crown, and commanded the crown to be set on the altar. 
 Then Sir Percivale asked one of the brethren, what he was. 
 "Sir," said the good man, "ye have heard much of Joseph of 
 Arimathy, how he was sent by Jesu Christ into this land, for to 
 teach and preach the holy Christian faith, and therefore he 
 suffered many persecutions, the which the enemies of Christ 
 did unto him. And in the city of Sarras he converted a King 
 whose name was Evelake. And so this King came with Joseph 
 into this land : and always he was busy to be there as the 
 Sancgreal was, and on a time he nighed it so nigh that our Lord 
 was displeased with him, but ever he followed it more and more, 
 till God struck him almost blind. Then this King cried mercy, 
 and said, ' Fair Lord, let me never die till the good knight of 
 my blood of the ninth degree be come, that I may see him 
 openly that he shall achieve the Sancgreal, that I may kiss 
 him.'
 
 176 THE BOOK OF SIR PERCIVALE. 
 
 IV. 
 
 " WHEN the King had thus made his prayers, he heard a voice 
 that said, ' Heard be thy prayers, for thou shalt not die till he 
 have kissed thee : and when that knight shall come, the clear- 
 ness of your eyes shall come again, and thou shalt see openly, 
 and thy wounds shall be healed, and erst shall they never close.' 
 And this befell of King Evelake : and this same King hath 
 lived this three hundred winters this holy life. And men say 
 the knight is in the court that shall heal him." " Sir," said the 
 good man, " I pray you tell me what knight that ye be, and if 
 ye be of King Arthur's court and of the Table Round ? " " Yea, 
 forsooth," said he, "and my name is Sir Percivale de Galis." 
 And when the good man understood his name, he made great 
 joy of him. And then Sir Percivale departed, and rode till the 
 hour of noon. And he met in a valley about twenty men of 
 arms, which bear in a bier a knight deadly slain. And when 
 they saw Sir Percivale, they asked him of whence he was ? and 
 he answered, " Of the court of King Arthur." Then they cried 
 all at once, " Slay him." Then Sir Percivale smote the first to 
 the earth, and his horse upon him. And then seven of the 
 knights smote upon his shield all at once, and the remnant slew 
 his horse, so that he fell to the earth. So had they slain him or 
 taken him, had not the good knight, Sir Galahad, with the red 
 arms, come there by adventure into those parts. And when he 
 saw all those knights upon one knight, he cried, " Save me that 
 knight's life." And then he dressed him toward the twenty men 
 of arms as fast as his horse might drive, with his spear in the 
 rest, and smote the foremost horse and man to the earth. And 
 when his spear was broken, he set his hand to his sword, and 
 smote on the right hand and on the left hand, that it was marvel 
 to see. And at every stroke he smote one down, or put him to 
 a rebuke, so that they would fight no more, but fled to a thick 
 forest, and Sir Galahad followed them. And when Sir Percivale 
 saw him chase them so, he made great sorrow that his horse 
 was away. And then he wist well it was Sir Galahad. And 
 then he cried aloud, "Ah, fair knight, abide and suffer me to 
 do thankings unto thee, for much have ye done for me ! " But 
 ever Sir Galahad rode so fast, that at the last he passed out of 
 his sight. And as fast as Sir Percivale might he went after him 
 on foot, crying. And then he met with a yeoman riding upon 
 an hackney, the which led in his hand a great black steed, 
 blacker than any bier. "Ah, fair friend," said Sir Percivate, 
 " as ever I may do for you, and to be your true knight in the
 
 THE BOOK OF SIR PERC1VALE. 177 
 
 first place ye will require me, that ye will lend me that black 
 steed, that I might overtake a knight, the which rideth afore 
 me." " Sir knight," said the yeoman, " I pray you hold me 
 excused of that, for that I may not do. For wit ye well, the 
 horse is such a man's horse, that, and I lent it you or any other 
 man, that he would slay me." "Alas," said Sir Percivale, "I 
 had never so great sorrow as I have had for losing of yonder 
 knight." " Sir," said the yeoman, " I am right heavy for you, 
 for a good horse would beseem you well, but I dare not deliver 
 you this horse, but if ye would take him from me." " That will 
 I not do," said Sir Percivale, and so they parted. And Sir 
 Percivale sat him down under a tree, and made sorrow out 
 of measure ; and, as he was there, there came a knight riding 
 on the horse that the yeoman led, and he was clean armed. 
 
 V. 
 
 AND anon the yeoman came riding after as fast as ever he 
 might, and asked Sir Percivale " if he saw any knight riding on 
 his black steed ? " " Yea, forsooth," said he, " why ask ye that 
 of me ? " " Ah ! sir," said the yeoman, " that steed he hath 
 taken from me by strength, wherefore my lord will slay me 
 in what place soever he findeth me." "Well," said Sir 
 Percivale, " what wouldst thou that I should do ? thou seest well 
 that I am on foot : but, and 1 had a good horse, I should bring 
 him soon again." " Sir," said the yeoman, " take mine hackney, 
 and do the best ye can, and I shall follow you on foot, to wit 
 how ye shall speed." Then Sir Percivale mounted upon that 
 hackney, and rode as fast as he might ; and at the last he saw 
 that knight, and then he cried, " Knight, turn again." And 
 he turned and set his spear against Sir Percivale, and he 
 smote the hackney in the midst of the breast, that he fell 
 down dead to the earth, and there he had a great fall ; 
 and the other rode his way. And then Sir Percivale was waxed 
 wrath, and cried, " Abide thou wicked knight, coward, and 
 false-hearted knight, turn again and fight with me on foot." 
 But he answered not, but passed forth his way. When Sir 
 Percivale saw he would not turn, he cast away his helm and his 
 sword, and said, " Now am I a very wretch ; cursed and most 
 unhappy above all other knights." So in this sorrow he abode 
 all that day till it was night, and then he was faint, and laid 
 him down and slept till it was midnight ; and then he awaked, 
 and saw before him a woman, that said unto him right fiercely, 
 "Sir Percivale, what doest thou here?" He answered and 
 
 12
 
 178 THE BOOK OF SIR PERCIVALE. 
 
 said, " I do neither good nor evil." "If thou wilt ensure me," 
 said she, " that thou wilt fulfil my will when I shall summon 
 thee, I shall lend thee mine own horse, which shall bear thee 
 whither thou wilt." Sir Percivale was glad of her proffer, and 
 ensured her to fulfil all her desire. " Then abide ye here," said 
 she, " and I shall go and fetch you a horse." And so she came 
 soon again and brought a horse with her that was black. 
 When Sir Percivale beheld that horse, he marvelled that he 
 was so great and so well apparelled, and then he was so hardy 
 that he leapt upon him, and took no heed to himself. And so 
 anon as he was upon him, he thrust to him with his spurs, and 
 so rode by a forest, and the moon shone clear, and within an 
 hour and less he bore him four days' journey thence, till he came 
 to a rough water that roared, and his horse would have borne 
 him into it. 
 
 VI. 
 
 AND when Sir Percivale came nigh the brim, and saw the 
 water so boisterous, he doubted to pass over it ; and then he 
 made the sign of the cross on his forehead. When the fiend 
 felt him so charged, he shook off Sir Percivale, and he went 
 into the water crying and roaring, and making great sorrow, 
 and it seemed to him that the water burnt. Then Sir Percivale 
 perceived that it was a fiend, which would have brought him 
 unto his perdition. Then he commended himself unto God, 
 and prayed our Lord to keep him from all such temptations ; 
 and so he prayed all that night, till on the morrow that it was 
 day. Then saw he that he was on a wild mountain, which 
 was closed with the sea nigh all about, that he might see no 
 land about him which might relieve him, but wild beasts. And 
 then he went in a valley, and there he saw a young serpent 
 bring a young lion by the neck, and so he came by Sir 
 Percivale : with that there came a lion crying and roaring 
 after the serpent ; and as soon as Sir Percivale saw this, he 
 marvelled and hied him thither. But anon the lion had over- 
 taken the serpent, and began battle with him ; and then Sir 
 Percivale thought to help the lion, for he was the most natural 
 beast of the two, and there gave the serpent such a buffet, that 
 he had a deadly wound. When the lion saw that, he made no 
 semblance to fight with him, but made him all the cheer that a 
 beast might make a man. When Sir Percivale" perceived 
 that, he cast down his shield, the which was broken, and then 
 he put off his helm for to gather wind, for he was greatly chafed 
 with the serpent, and the lion went ahvay about him fawning
 
 THE BOOK OF StR PERCIVALE. 179 
 
 like a spaniel ; and then he stroked him with his hand upon 
 the neck, and upon the shoulders, and gave thanks unto God 
 of the fellowship of the beast. And, about noon, the lion took 
 his little whelp and trussed him, and bear him unto the place 
 that he came from. And then was Sir Percivale alone ; and, 
 as the story telleth, he was one of the men of the world, at that 
 time, that most believed in our Lord Jesu Christ. For in 
 those days there were but few folk that believed perfectly in 
 Almighty God, our Saviour and Redeemer Jesus Christ : for in 
 those clays the son spared not the father, no more in con- 
 sideration than a stranger. And so the noble knight Sir 
 Percivale comforted himself in our Lord Jesus Christ, and 
 besought God that no temptation should bring him, nor 
 pervert him out of God's service, but for to endure and persevere 
 as his true champion. Thus, when Sir Percivale had prayed, 
 he saw the lion come toward him, and then he couched down at 
 his feet ; and all that night the lion and he slept together. And 
 when Sir Percivale slept, he dreamed a marvellous dream : that 
 there met with him two ladies, and the one sat upon a lion, and 
 that other sat upon a serpent ; and the one of them was young, 
 and the other was old, and the youngest he thought said, " Sir 
 Percivale, my lord saluteth thee, and sendeth thee word that 
 thou array thee and make thee ready, for to-morrow thou must 
 fight with the strongest champion of the world ; and if thou be 
 overcome, thou shalt not be quit for losing of any of thy members, 
 but thou shalt be ashamed to the world's end." And then he 
 asked her who was her lord ? and she said, " The greatest lord 
 of the world." And so she departed suddenly, and wist not 
 where she became. 
 
 VII. 
 
 THEN came forth the other lady that rode upon the serpent, 
 and she said, " Sir Percivale, I complain me of you that ye have 
 done to me, that have not offended you." " Certainly, madam," 
 said he, " unto you, nor no lady I never offended." " Yes," 
 said she, " I will tell you why : I have nourished in this place a 
 great while a serpent, which served me a great while, and 
 yesterday ye slew him, for the lion was not yours." " Madam," 
 said Sir Percivale, " I know well that the lion is not mine ; but 
 I did it, for the lion is of a more gentler nature than the serpent, 
 and therefore I slew him ; me seemeth I did not amiss against 
 you. Madam," said he, "what would ye that I did?" "I 
 would," said she, " that for the amends of my beast, that ye 
 become my man." And then he answered, " That will I not
 
 l8o THE BOOK OF SIR PERCIVALE. 
 
 grant you." " No," said she, " truly ye were never but my 
 servant, save since ye received the homage of our Lord Jesu 
 Christ ; and therefore I ensure you that, in what place soever I 
 may find you without keeping, I shall take you as he that some- 
 time was my man." And so she departed from Sir Percivale, 
 and left him sleeping, the which was sore travailed of his vision ; 
 and on the morrow he rose and blessed him, and he was passing 
 feeble. Then was Sir Percivale ware in the sea, and saw a ship 
 come sailing toward him ; and Sir Percivale went unto the ship, 
 and found it covered within and without with white samite, and 
 at the border stood an old man clothed in a surplice, in the like- 
 ness of a priest. " Sir," said Sir Percivale, " ye be welcome." 
 " God keep you," said the good man. " Sir," said the old man, 
 " of whence be ye ? " " Sir," said Sir Percivale, " I am of 
 King Arthur's court, and a knight of the Round Table, the 
 which am in the quest of the Sancgreal ; and here I am in 
 great duress and misery, and never am I like to escape out of 
 this wilderness." " Doubt ye not," said the good man, " and if 
 ye be so true a knight as the high order of knighthood requireth, 
 and also of heart as ye ought and should be, ye should not 
 doubt nor mistrust that none enemy should hurt nor fear you." 
 " What are ye ? " said Sir Percivale. " Sir," said the old man, 
 " I am of a strange country, and hither I come to comfort you." 
 " Sir," said Sir Percivale, " what signifieth my dreams that I 
 dreamed this night?" And there he told him altogether. 
 " She that rode upon the lion," said the good man, " betokeneth 
 the new law of Holy Church, that is to understand faith, good 
 hope, belief, and baptism : for she seemed younger than the 
 other, it is great reason, for she was born in the resurrection 
 and the passion of our Lord Jesu Christ ; and for great love she 
 came to thee to warn thee of the great battle that shall 
 befall thee." " With whom shall I fight ? " said Sir Percivale. 
 "With the most champion of the world," said the old 
 man : " for as the lady said, but if thou quit thee well thou 
 shall not be quit by losing of one member, but yet thou 
 shalt be ashamed to the world's end. And she that rode 
 upon the serpent signifieth the old law, and that serpent 
 betokeneth a fiend, and why she blamed thee that thou slewest 
 her servant, it betokeneth nothing. The serpent that thou 
 slewest betokeneth the devil that thou rodest upon to the rock ; 
 and when thou madest the sign of the cross, there thou slewest 
 him, and put away his power. And then she asked thee 
 amends, and to become her man, and thou saidest thou 
 wouldest not, that was to make thee to believe on her, and leave
 
 THE BOOK OF SIR PERCIVALE. 181 
 
 thy baptism." So he commanded Sir Percivale to depart ; and 
 so he leapt over the board, and the ship and all went away he 
 wist not whither. Then he went up unto the rock, and found 
 the lion that alway kept him fellowship, and had great joy 
 of him. 
 
 VIII. 
 
 BY that Sir Percivale had abidden there till mid-day, he saw 
 a ship come rowing in the sea, as all the wind of the world had 
 driven it. And so it drove under that rock ; and when Sir 
 Percivale saw this, he hied him thither, and found the ship 
 covered with silk more blacker than any bier ; and therein was 
 a gentlewoman of great beauty, and she was richly beseen, that 
 none might be better. And when she saw Sir Percivale, she 
 said, " Who brought you into this wilderness, where ye be 
 never like to pass hence, for ye shall die here for hunger and 
 mischief." " Damsel," said Sir Percivale, " I serve the best 
 man in the world, and in his service he shall not suffer me to 
 die ; for who that knocketh shall enter, and who that asketh 
 shall have, and who that seeketh him he hideth him not." And 
 then she said, " Sir Percivale, wot ye what I am." " Yea," said 
 Sir Percivale. " Now, who told ye my name ? " said she. 
 " Damsel," said Sir Percivale, " I know you better than ye 
 ween." "And I come out of the vast forest where I found the 
 red knight with the white shield," said the damsel. " Ah ! 
 damsel," said he, " with that knight would I meet passing fair." 
 " Sir," said she, " and ye will ensure me, by the faith ye owe 
 unto knighthood, that ye shall do my will what time I shall 
 summon you, I bring you to that knight." " Yea," said he, " I 
 shall promise you your desire." " Well," said she, " I shall 
 tell you : I saw him in the forest chasing two knights to a 
 water, the which is called Mortraise, and he drove them into 
 the water for dread of death. And the two knights passed 
 over, and the red knight passed after, and there was his horse 
 drowned, and he with great strength escaped unto the land." 
 Thus she told him, and Sir Percivale was passing glad thereof. 
 Then she asked him if he had eaten any meat lately : " Nay, 
 truly madam," said he ; "I have eaten no meat nigh these three 
 days, but late here I spake with a good man that fed me 
 with his good and holy words, and refreshed me greatly." 
 " Ah ! sir knight," said she, " that same man is an enchanter 
 and a multiplier of words, for and ye believe him ye shall 
 plainly be ashamed, and die in this rock for pure hunger, and 
 be eaten by wild beasts : and ye be a young man and a goodly
 
 182 THE BOOK OF SIR PERCIVALE. 
 
 knight, and I shall help you, and ye will." " What are ye," 
 said Sir Percivale, " that proffereth me this great kindness ? " 
 " I am," said she, " a gentlewoman that am disinherited, which 
 was sometime the richest woman of the world." " Damsel," 
 said Sir Percivale, "who hath disinherited you? for I have 
 great pity of you." " Sir," said she, " I dwelled with the 
 greatest man of the world, and he made me so fair and so clean, 
 that there was none like me ; of that great beauty I had a little 
 pride, more than I ought to have had. Also, I said a word that 
 pleased him not, and then he would not suffer me to be any 
 longer in his company, and so drove me from mine heritage, 
 and so disinherited me ; and he had never no pity of me, nor 
 of none of my counsel, nor of my court ; and since, sir knight, it 
 hath befallen me so, through me and mine I have taken from 
 him many of his men, and made them become my men, for 
 they ask never nothing of me but I give it them, that and much 
 more. Thus I and all my servants war against him night and 
 day ; therefore I know now no good knight, nor no good man, 
 but I get them on my side and I may : and, because I know 
 that thou art a good knight, I beseech thee to help me, and for 
 ye be a fellow of the Round Table, wherefore ye ought not to 
 fail no gentlewoman that is disinherited, and if she besought 
 you of help." 
 
 IX. 
 
 THEN Sir Percivale promised her all the help that he might, 
 and then she thanked him : and at that time the weather was 
 hot, and then she called unto her a gentlewoman, and bade her 
 to bring forth a pavilion ; and so she did, and pitched it upon 
 the gravel. " Sir," said she, "now may ye rest you in this heat 
 of the day." Then he thanked her, and she put off his helm 
 and his shield, and there he slept a great while. And then he 
 awoke, and asked her if she had any meat ; and she said, " Yea, 
 ye shall have meat enough." And so there was set upon the 
 table much meat ; and there was so great plenty, that Sir Per- 
 civale had great marvel thereof, for there was all manner of 
 meats that he could think on ; also, he drank there the strangest 
 wine that ever he drank, as him thought, and therewithal" he 
 was a little chafed more than he ought to be : with that he 
 beheld the gentlewoman, and him thought that she was the fairest 
 creature that ever he saw. And then Sir Percivale proffered 
 her love, and prayed her that she would be his love ; and then 
 she refused him in a manner when he required her, for because 
 he should be the more ardent on her ; and he ceased not to
 
 THE BOOK OF SIR PERCIVALE. 183 
 
 pray her of love. And when she saw him well chafed, then she 
 said, " Sir Percivale, wit ye well that I shall not fulfil your will, 
 but if ye swear from henceforth ye shall be my true servant, and 
 to do nothing but that I shall command you : will ye ensure me 
 this, as ye be a true knight?" "Yea, fair lady," said he, "by 
 the faith of my body." " Well," said she, " now shall ye do with 
 me whatsoever shall please you : and now wit ye well that ye 
 are the knight in the world that I most desired." But then by 
 adventure and grace Sir Percivale saw his -sword lie upon the 
 ground all naked, in whose pommel was a red cross, and the 
 sign of the cross therein, and he bethought him of his knight- 
 hood, and on his promise made beforehand unto the good man. 
 Then he made a sign of the cross on his forehead, and there- 
 withal the pavilion turned upside down ; and then it changed 
 unto a smoke and a black cloud, and then he was dread, and 
 cried out aloud, 
 
 X. 
 
 " FAIR sweet Father, Jesu Christ, let me not be shamed, that 
 was near lost, had not thy grace been." And then he looked 
 into the ship, and saw her enter therein, which said, " Sir Per- 
 civale, ye have betrayed me." And so she went, with the wind 
 roaring and crying, that it seemed that all the water burnt after 
 her. Then Sir Percivale made great sorrow, and drew his sword 
 unto him, saying, " Since my flesh will be my master, I shall 
 punish it," and therewith he rove himself through the thigh, that 
 the blood started about him, and he sajd, " Oh, good Lord, take 
 this in compensation of that I have done against thee, my good 
 Lord." So then he clothed him, and armed him, and called 
 himself wretch, saying, " How nigh I had lost that which I 
 should never have gotten again, which is my virginity ; for that 
 may never be recovered after it be once lost." And then he 
 stopped his bleeding wound with a piece of his shirt. And thus, 
 as he made his moan, he saw the same ship from the Orient 
 come, that the good man was in the day before ; and then was 
 the noble knight ashamed with himself, and therewith he fell 
 into a swoon ; and when he awoke he went unto him weakly, 
 and there he saluted this good man. And then he asked Sir 
 Percivale how he had done since he departed from him. " Sir," 
 said he, " here was a gentlewoman, that led me into deadly 
 sin," and told him all. " Know ye not her ? " said the old man. 
 " Nay," said he, " but well I wot the fiend sent her hither, to 
 shame me." " Oh, good knight," said he, "thou art a fool ; for
 
 184 THE BOOK OF THE HOLY GRAIL. 
 
 that gentlewoman was the master fiend of hell ; the which hath 
 power over all devils, and that was the old lady that thou sawest 
 in thy vision, riding upon a serpent." Then he told Sir Perci- 
 vale how our Lord Jesu Christ beat him out of heaven for his 
 sin, the which was the most brightest angel of heaven ; and 
 therefore he lost his heritage, " and that was the champion that 
 thou foughtest withal, the which had overcome thee, had not 
 the grace of God been. Now beware, Sir Percivale, and take 
 this for an ensample." And then the good man vanished away. 
 Then Sir Percivale took his armour, and entered into the ship, 
 and so departed from thence. 
 
 THE BOOK OF THE ACHIEVEMENT OF THE 
 HOLY GRAIL. 
 
 I. 
 
 [ S, saith the history, that when Sir Galahad had rescued 
 Sir Percivale from the twenty knights, he rode unto a 
 waste forest, wherein he rode many journeys, and 
 found there many adventures, which he brought to 
 an end. Then he took his way to sea on a day ; and 
 it befell that he passed by a castle where was a tournament ; but 
 they without had done so much, that they within were put to the 
 worst, yet they within were knights good enough. And when 
 Sir Galahad saw that those within were at so great a mischief, 
 that men slew them at the entry of the castle, then he thought 
 to help them, and put forth his spear, and smote the first that he 
 fell to the earth, and the spear brake all to pieces: then he drew 
 his sword, and smote there as they were thickest ; and' so he 
 did there wonderful deeds of arms, that they all marvelled 
 thereof. Then it happened that Sir Gawaine and Sir Ector de 
 Maris were with the knights without ; but when he espied the 
 white shield with the red cross, the one said to the other, 
 " Yonder is the good knight, Sir Galahad : now he should be a 
 great fool that would meet with him to fight." So, by adventure, 
 he came by Sir Gawaine, and he smote him so hard, that he 
 cleave his helm, and the coif of the iron unto his head, so that 
 Sir Gawaine fell to the earth ; but the stroke was great, that it 
 slanted down to the earth, and carved the horse's shoulder in
 
 THE BOOK OF THE HOLY GRAIL. 185 
 
 two. When Sir Ector saw Sir Gawaine down, he drew him 
 aside, and thought it no wisdom for to abide him, and also for 
 natural love, because he was his uncle. Thus, through his great 
 hardiness, he beat back all the knights without ; and then they 
 within came out and chased them all about. But when Sir 
 Galahad saw that there would none turn again, he stole away 
 privily, so that no man wist where he became. " Now, by my 
 head," said Sir Gawaine unto Sir Ector, " the words are true 
 that were said of Sir Launcelot du Lake, that the sword which 
 stuck in the stone should give me such a buffet, that I would 
 not have it for the best castle that is in the world ; and, 
 certainly, now it is proved true, for never before had I such a 
 stroke of man's hand." " Sir," said Sir Ector, " me seemeth 
 your quest is done." "And yours is not," said Sir Gawaine, 
 " but mine is done, I shall seek no further." Then Sir Gawaine 
 was borne into a castle and unarmed him, and laid him in a rich 
 bed, and a leech found, that he might live, and be whole within 
 a month. Thus Sir Gawaine and Sir Ector abode together, for 
 Sir Ector would not away till Sir Gawaine were whole. And 
 the good knight Sir Galahad rode so long till that he came that 
 night to the castle of Carbnecke, and it befell him that he was 
 benighted in a hermitage ; and so the good knight was full glad 
 when he saw that it was a knight-errant. So when they were 
 at rest, there came a gentlewoman knocking at the door, and 
 called Sir Galahad. And so the good man came to the door to 
 wit what she would. Then she called the hermit Sir Ulfin : " I 
 am a gentlewoman that would speak with the knight that is with 
 you." Then the good man awaked Sir Galahad, and bid him 
 arise and speak with a gentlewoman, which seemeth hath great 
 need of you. Then Sir Galahad went to her, and asked her 
 what she would. " Sir Galahad," said she, " I will that ye arm 
 you, and mount upon your horse and follow me, for I will show 
 you within these three days the highest adventure that ever any 
 knight saw." Anon Sir Galahad armed him, and took his horse 
 and commended him to God, and bid the gentlewoman go, and 
 he would follow there as she liked 
 
 II. 
 
 So the damsel rode as fast as her palfry might gallop, till 
 that she came to the sea that was called Collibe : and at night 
 they came unto a castle in a valley, that was closed with running 
 water, and with high and strong walls : and she entered into
 
 1 86 THE BOOK OF THE HOLY GRAIL. 
 
 the castle with Sir Galahad, and there had he great cheer, for 
 the lady of that castle was the damsel's lady. So when he was 
 unarmed, the damsel said to the lady, " Madam, shall we abide 
 here this night ? " " Nay," said she, " but till he hath dined 
 and slept a little." So he eat, and slept till the maid called him, 
 and armed him by torch-light. And when the maid and he were 
 both horsed, the lady took Sir Galahad a fair shield and a rich. 
 And so they departed from the castle, and rode till they came to 
 the sea-side ; and there they found a ship where Sir Bors and Sir 
 Percivale were in, the which cried on the ship-board, " Sir 
 Galahad, ye be welcome, we have abidden you long." And 
 when he heard them, he asked them what they were. " Sir," said 
 the damsel, " leave your horse here, and I shall leave mine ; " 
 and took their saddles and their bridles with them, and made a 
 cross on them, and so entered into the ship ; and the two 
 knights received him with great joy, and every one knew 
 the other. And so the wind arose and drove them through the 
 sea unto a marvellous place, and within a while it dawned ; 
 then Sir Galahad took off his helm and his sword, and asked of 
 his fellows from whence the fair ship came. " Truly," said 
 they, " ye wot as well as we, but of God's grace." And then they 
 told every one to other of their adventures, and of their great 
 temptation. " Truly," said Sir Galahad, " ye are much bounden 
 to God, for ye have escaped great adventures ; and had not the 
 gentlewoman been, I had not come hither ; for as for you, I 
 weened never to h'ave found in this strange country." " Ah, 
 Sir Galahad," said Sir Bors, " if that Sir Launcelot, your father, 
 were here, then were we well at ease, for then me seemeth 
 we should lack nothing." " That may not be," said Sir 
 Galahad, "but if it please our Lord." And by then the ship 
 went from the land of Logris, and, by adventure, it arrived 
 between two rocks, passing great and marvellous, but there 
 they might not land, for there was a whirlpool of the sea, but 
 there was another ship, and upon it they might go without 
 danger. " Go we thither," said the gentlewoman, " and there 
 shall we see adventures ; for so it is our Lord's will." And 
 when they came thither, they found the ship rich enough, but 
 they found neither man nor woman therein, but they found in the 
 end of the ship two fair letters written, which said a dreadful word 
 and a marvellous. " Thou man which shall enter into this ship, 
 beware thou be in steadfast belief, for I am faith ; and, there- 
 fore, beware how thou enterest, for and thou fail, I shall not 
 help thee." " Then," said the gentlewoman, " wot ye what I 
 am." " Certainly," said he, " not of my witting." " Wit ye
 
 THE BOOK OF THE HOLY GRAIL. 187 
 
 well," said she, " I am thy sister, that am daughter to King 
 Pellinore ; and, therefore, wit ye well that ye are the man in 
 the world that I most like : and, if ye be not in perfect belief of 
 Jesu Christ, and enter not to no manner of wise, for then should 
 ye perish in the ship, for it is so perfect it will suffer no sin in 
 it." And when Sir Percivale knew that she was his sister, he 
 was inwardly glad, and said, " Fair sister, I shall enter therein, 
 for if I be a miscreature, or an untrue knight, there shall I 
 perish." 
 
 III. 
 
 IN the meanwhile Sir Galahad blessed him and entered 
 therein, and then next the gentlewoman, and then Sir Bors and 
 Sir Percivale. And when they were therein, they found it so 
 marvellous fair and rich, that they had great marvel thereof ; 
 and in the midst of the ship was a fair bed, and Sir Galahad 
 went thereto, and found there a crown of silk, and at the feet 
 was a sword, fair and rich, and it was drawn out of the scabbard 
 half-a-foot and more, and the sword was of divers fashions, and 
 the pommel was of stone, and there was in it all manner of 
 colours, that any man might find, and every one of the colours 
 had divers virtues ; and the scales of the haft were of two ribs 
 of divers beasts ; the one beast was a serpent, which was con- 
 versant in Calidone, and is called the serpent of the fiend ; and 
 the bone of him is of such a virtue, that there is no hand that 
 handled it shall never be weary or hurt ; and the other beast is 
 a fish, which is not right great, and haunteth the flood of 
 Ousrates ; and that fish is called Ortanar : and his bones be of 
 such a manner of kind, that who that handleth them he shall 
 have so much courage, that he shall never be weary, and he 
 shall not think on joy nor sorrow that he hath had, but only the 
 thing which he beholdeth before him. And as for this sword, 
 there shall never no man begripe it to the handle but one, but 
 he shall pass all other. " In the name of God," said Sir 
 Percivale, " I shall essay to handle it." So he set his hand to the 
 sword, but he might not begripe it. "By my faith," said he, 
 " now have I failed." Sir Bors set his hand to it and failed. 
 Then Sir Galahad beheld the sword, and saw the letters as red 
 as blood, that said, " Let see who shall essay to draw me out of 
 my scabbard ; but if he be more hardier than other ; and who 
 that draweth me, wit ye well that he shall never fail of shame of 
 his body, or be wounded unto the death." " By my faith," said 
 Sir Galahad, " I would draw this sword out of the scabbard, but
 
 188 THE BOOK OF THE HOL Y GRAIL. 
 
 the offending is so great that I shall not send my hand thereto." 
 " Now, sir," said the gentlewoman, " wit ye well that the draw- 
 ing of this sword is warned unto all men, save unto you." And 
 then beheld they the scabbard, which seemed to be of a serpent's 
 skin, and thereon were letters of gold and silver ; and the girdle 
 was but poorly to account, and not able to sustain such a rich 
 sword, and the letters said, " He that shall wield me ought to 
 be more hardier than any other, if that he bear me as truly as I 
 ought to be borne ; for the body of him which I ought to hang 
 by, he shall not be shamed in no place while he is girded with 
 this girdle, nor never none shall be so hardy to do away this 
 girdle, for it ought not be done away but by the hands of a 
 maid, and that she be a King and Queen's daughter, and she 
 must be a maid all the days of her life, both in will and in deed ; 
 and, if she break her virginity, she shall die the most villainous 
 death that ever did any woman." " Sir," said Sir Percivale, 
 " turn this sword, that we may see what is on the other side." 
 And it was as red as blood, with black letters as any coal, which 
 said, " He that shall praise me most, most shall he find me to 
 blame at a great necessity, and to whom I shall be most 
 debonair, shall I be most felon, and that shall be at one time." 
 
 IV. 
 
 " SIR," said she, " there was a King, that hight Pelleas, the 
 maimed King ; and, while he might ride, he supported much 
 Christendom, and the holy church. So upon a day he hunted 
 in a wood of his, which lasted unto the sea, and at the last he 
 lost his hounds and his knights, save only one, and there he and 
 his knight went till that they come towards Ireland, and there he 
 found the ship. And when he saw the letters, and understood 
 them, yet he entered, for he was right perfect of his life. But 
 his knight had no hardiness to enter, and there he found this 
 sword, and drew it out as much as ye may see ; so therewithal 
 entered a spear, wherewith he was smitten through both his 
 thighs, and never sith might he be healed, nor nought shall 
 before we come to him. Thus," said she, " was not King 
 Pelleas, your grandsire, maimed for his hardiness." " In the 
 name of God, damsel," said Sir Galahad. So they went toward 
 the bed to behold all about it, and above the bed's head there 
 hung two fair swords ; also there were two spindles which were 
 as white as any snow ; and there were other that were as red 
 as any blood, and other above as green as any emerald : of
 
 THE BOOK OF THE HOLY GRAIL. 189 
 
 these colours were the spindles, and of natural colour within, 
 and without any painting. "These spindles," said the damsel, 
 " were when sinful Eve came to gather fruit, for which Adam 
 and she were put out of paradise, she took with her the bough 
 on which the apple hung : then perceived she that the branch 
 was fair and green, and she remembered her of the loss that 
 came from the tree ; then she thought to keep the branch as 
 long as she might, and because she had no coffer to keep it in, 
 she put it into the ground ; so by the will of our Lord, the 
 branch grew to a great tree, within a little while, and was as 
 white as any snow, branches, boughs, and leaves, that it was a 
 token a maid planted it. But after God came unto Adam, and 
 bade him know his wife. So was Adam with his wife under the 
 same tree ; and anon the tree that was white became as green 
 as any grass, and all that came of it. And in the same time 
 was Abel begotten. Thus was the tree long of green colour. 
 And so it befell, a long time after, under the same tree Cain slew 
 his brother Abel, whereof befell full great marvel ; for anon as 
 Abel had received the death under the green tree, it lost the 
 green colour and became red, and that was in tokening of the 
 blood. And anon all the plants died thereof; but the tree 
 grew, and waxed marvellous fair, and it was the fairest tree, and 
 the most delectable that any man might behold ; and so died 
 the plants that grew out of it before the time that Abel was 
 slain under it. So long endured the tree till that Solomon, 
 King David's son, reigned, aed held the land after his 
 father. This Solomon was wise, and knew the virtues of 
 stones and of trees : and so he knew the course of the stars, 
 and many other things. This Solomon had an evil wife, where- 
 through he weened that there had never been no good woman ; 
 and so he despised them in his books. So a voice answered 
 him once, ' Solomon, if heaviness come unto a man by a 
 woman, yet reck thou never ; for there shall come a woman, 
 whereof there shall come greater joy unto man a hundred times 
 more than the heaviness giveth sorrow or heaviness ; and the 
 same woman shall be born of thy lineage.' 
 
 " Then when King Solomon heard these words, he held him- 
 self but a fool, and the truth he perceived by old books ; also 
 the Holy Ghost showed him the coming of the glorious Virgin 
 Mary. Then asked he of the voice, ' If it should be in the line 
 of his lineage. " Nay,' said the voice ; ' but there shall come a 
 man which shall be of a pure maid, and the last of your blood, 
 and he shall be as good a knight as was Duke Josue, thy 
 brother-in-law.'
 
 V. 
 
 "'Now have I certified thee of that thou stoodest in doubt.' 
 Then was Solomon glad that there should come such a one of 
 his lineage, but ever he marvelled and studied who that should 
 be, and what his name might be. His wife perceived that he 
 studied, and thought that she would know it at some season ; 
 and so she awaited her time, and asked of him the cause of his 
 studying ; and there he told her all together how the voice told 
 him. 'Well,' said she, ' I shall let a ship be made of the best 
 wood, and most durable that men may find.' So Solomon sent 
 for all the best carpenters of the land. And when they had 
 made the ship, the lady said unto Solomon, ' Sir,' said she, 
 'since it is so that this knight ought to pass all other knights of 
 chivalry, which have been before him, and also that shall come 
 after him, moreover I shall tell you,' said she, ' ye shall go into 
 our Lord's temple, whereas is King David's sword, your father, 
 the which is the marvellest and the sharpest that ever was taken 
 in any knight's hand : therefore take that, and take ye off the 
 pommel, and thereto make ye a pommel of precious stones, that 
 it be so subtly made that no man perceive it, but that they be 
 all one ; and after make a hilt so marvellously and wondrously, 
 that no man may know it, and after make a marvellous sheath. 
 And when you have made all this, I shall let a girdle be made 
 thereto, such as shall please you.' And this King Solomon 
 made it as she devised, both the ship and all the remnant. 
 And when the ship was ready in the sea for to sail, the lady let 
 make a great bed, and marvellous rich, and set herself upon the 
 bed's head, covered with silk, and laid the sword at the bed's feet ; 
 and the girdles were of hemp. And therewith was the King 
 angry. ' Sir, wit ye well,' said she, ' that I have none so high a 
 thing that were worthy to sustain so big a sword, and a maid 
 shall bring other knights thereto ; but I wot not when it shall 
 be, nor what time.' And there she let a covering be made to 
 the ship of cloth, that shall never rot for no manner of weather. 
 Yet went that lady and made a carpenter to come to that tree 
 which Abel was slain under. ' Now,' said she, ' carve me out 
 of this tree as much wood as will make me a spindle.' ' Ah ! 
 madam,' said the carpenter, ' this is the tree, the which our first 
 mother planted.' ' Do it,' said she, ' or else I shall destroy 
 thee.' Anon as the carpenter began to work, there came out 
 drops of blood, and then would he have left ; but she would not 
 suffer him. And so he took away as much wood as might well 
 make a spindle ; and so she made him take as much of the
 
 THE BOOK OF THE HOLY GRAIL. 191 
 
 green tree, and of the white tree. And when these three spindles 
 were shapen, she made them to be fastened on the canopy of 
 the bed. When Solomon saw this, he said to his wife, ' Ye 
 have done marvellously ; for, though all the world were here 
 now, they could not tell wherefore all this was made, but our 
 Lord himself, and thou that hast done it, wottest not what it 
 shall betoken.' 'Now let it be,' said she, 'for ye shall hear 
 tidings sooner than ye ween.' 
 
 VI. 
 
 " THAT night lay King Solomon before the ship with a small 
 fellowship. And when King Solomon was asleep, he thought 
 there came from heaven a great company of angels and alighted 
 into the ship, and took water which was brought by an angel in 
 a vessel of silver, and besprent all the ship ; and after he came 
 to the sword, and drew letters in the hilts ; and after went to 
 the ship-board, and wrote there other letters which said, ' Thou 
 man that wilt enter within me, beware that thou be full within 
 of faith, for I am but faith and belief.' When King Solomon 
 espied these letters, he was sore abashed, so that he durst not 
 enter, and so drew him back ; and anon the ship was shoven 
 into the sea, and it went so fast that he lost the sight of it 
 within a little while. And then a little voice said, ' Solomon, 
 the last knight of thy lineage shall rest in this bed.' Then went 
 King Solomon and awaked his wife, and told her the adventures 
 of the ship." 
 
 Now saith the history, that a great while the three fellows 
 beheld the bed and the three spindles ; then they were of 
 natural colours, without any manner of painting. Then they 
 lift up a cloth which was above the ground, and there they 
 found a rich purse by seeming ; and Sir Percivale took it, and 
 therein he found a writing, and so he read it, and spake of the 
 manner of the spindles, and of the ship from whence it came, 
 and by whom it was made. " Now," said Sir Galahad, " where 
 shall we find the gentlewoman that shall make new girdles to 
 the sword ? " " Fair sir," said Sir Percivale's sister, " dismay 
 you not, for by the leave of God I shall let a girdle be made to 
 the sword, such a one as shall belong thereto." And then she 
 opened a box and took out girdles, which were seemly wrought 
 with golden threads ; and thereupon were set full of precious 
 stones, and a rich buckle of gold. " Lo ! lords," said the 
 gentlewoman, " here is a girdle that ought to be set about the
 
 IQ2 THE BOOK OF THE HOL Y GRAIL. 
 
 sword ; and wit ye well that the greatest part of this girdle was 
 made of my hair, the which I loved full well while I was a 
 woman of the world ; but as soon as I wist that this adventure 
 was ordained me, I clipped off my hair, and made this girdle in 
 the name of God." " Ye are well found," said Sir Bors, " for 
 truly ye have put us out of a great pain, wherein we should have 
 entered, nor had your teaching been." Then went the gentle- 
 woman, and set it up on the girdle of the sword. " Now," said 
 the three fellows, " what is the right name of the sword, and 
 what shall we call it?" "Truly," said she, "the name of 
 the sword is, the Sword with the Strange Girdles, and the 
 scabbard, Mover of Blood ; for no man that hath blood in 
 him shall never see the one part of the scabbard which was 
 made of the Tree of Life." Then they said unto Sir Galahad, 
 " In the name of Jesu Christ we pray you that ye gird you with 
 this sword, which hath been so much desired in the realm 
 of Logris." " Now let me begin," said Sir Galahad, " to gripe 
 this sword for to give you courage ; but wit ye well that it 
 belongeth no more to me than it doth to you." And then 
 he griped about it with his fingers a great deal : and then she 
 girded him about the middle with the sword. " Now reck I not, 
 though I die ; for now I hold me one of the blessed maidens of 
 the world, which hath made thee now the worthiest knight 
 of the world." "Fair damsel," said Sir Galahad, "ye have 
 done so much, that I shall be your knight all the days of 
 my life." Then they went from that ship, and went into the 
 other ship. And anon the wind drove them into the sea a great 
 pace, but they had no victuals. But it happened that they 
 came on the morrow to a castle that men call Carteloise, that 
 was in the marshes of Scotland ; and, when they had passed 
 the port, the gentlewoman said, " Lords here be arriven, that 
 and they wist that ye were of King Arthur's court, ye should 
 anon be essayed." "Damsel," said Sir Galahad, "he that cast 
 us out of the rock shall deliver us from them." 
 
 VII. 
 
 So it befell, as they spake thus, there came a squire by them, 
 and asked what they were ; and they said they were of King 
 Arthur's court. " Is that sooth 1 " said he. " Now, by my head," 
 said he, "ye are evil arrived." And then returned he again 
 unto the chief fortress ; and within a while they heard a horn 
 blow. Then a gentlewoman came to them and asked them, of
 
 THE BOOK OF THE HOLY GRAIL. 193 
 
 whence they came? and they told her. "Fair lords," said she, 
 "return again if ye may, for God's love ! for ye be come to your 
 death." '' Now," said they, " we will not turn again ; for he 
 shall help us in whose service we be entered." Then, as they 
 stood thus talking, there came knights well armed, and bid 
 them yield them, or else they would die. " That yielding," said 
 they, " shall be evil to you." And therewithal they let their horses 
 run together ; and Sir Percivale smote the foremost to the 
 earth, and took his horse and mounted upon him ; and in like- 
 wise did Sir Galahad. Also Sir Bors served another so ; for 
 they had no horses in the country ; for they had left their horses, 
 when they took their ship, in other countries. And so, when 
 they were horsed, then they began to set upon them. And the 
 knights of the castle fled into the strongest fortress, and the 
 three knights followed after them into the cas,tle ; and so they 
 alighted on foot, and with their swords slew them downright, 
 and gat them into the hall. So, when they beheld the great 
 multitude of people which they had slain, they held themselves 
 great sinners. " Certainly," said Sir Bors, " I ween and God 
 had loved them, we should not have had power to have slain 
 them thus ; but they have done so much against our Lord, that 
 he will not suffer them to reign any longer." " Say ye not so," 
 said Sir Galahad, " for, if they misdid against God, the ven- 
 geance is not ours, but to him which hath power thereof." So 
 came there out of a chamber a good man, which was a priest, 
 and bare God's body in a cup ; and, when he saw the which lay 
 dead in the hall, he was all abashed. And Sir Galahad put off 
 his helm, and kneeled down, and so did his two fellows. " Sir," 
 said they, " have ye no dread of us ; for we be of the court of 
 King Arthur ? " Then asked the good man, how they were slain 
 so suddenly ? and they told him. " Truly," said the good man, 
 " if ye might live as long as the world shall endure, nor might 
 ye never have done so great an alms-deed as this." " Sir," said 
 Sir Galahad, " I repent me much, inasmuch as they were 
 christened." " Nay, repent ye not," said he, " for they were 
 not christened : and I shall tell you how I wot of this castle. 
 Here was the Earl Hernox but one year, and he had three sons, 
 good knights of arms, and a daughter, the fairest gentlewoman 
 that men knew. So those three knights loved their sister so 
 sore, that they grew full fain, and dishonoured her ; and because 
 she cried to her father they slew her, and took their father and 
 put him in prison, and wounded him nigh unto the death. But a 
 cousin of her's rescued him. And then did they great untruth ; 
 for they slew priests and clerks, and made to beat down chapels, 
 
 13
 
 194 THE BOOK OF THE HOLY GRAIL. 
 
 that our Lord's service might not be served nor said : and this 
 same day their father sent to me for to be confessed and 
 houseled. But such shame had never man as I had this day 
 with the three brethren. But the earl bade me suffer ; for he 
 said that they should no longer endure : for three servants of 
 our Lord God should destroy them. And now it is brought to 
 an end : and by this may ye wit, that our Lord is not displeased 
 with your deeds." " Certainly," said Sir Galahad, " and it had 
 not pleased our Lord, never would we have killed so many men 
 in so little a while." And then they brought the Earl Hernox 
 out of prison into the midst of the hall, which knew Sir Galahad 
 anon ; and yet he never seen him before, but by revelation of 
 our Lord. 
 
 VIII. 
 
 THEN began he to weep full tenderly, and said, " Long have 
 I abidden your coming ; but, for God's love, hold me in your 
 arms, that my soul may depart out of my body in so good a 
 man's arms as ye be." " Gladly," said Sir Galahad. And then 
 one said on high that all heard it, " Sir Galahad, well hast 
 thou avenged me on God's enemies. Now behoveth thee to 
 go to the maimed King, as soon as thou mayest ; for he shall 
 receive by thee his health, the which had bidden so long," 
 And therewith the soul departed from the body ; and Sir 
 Galahad made him to be buried as he ought to be. So 
 departed the three knights, and Sir Percivale's sister with 
 them ; and so they came into a waste forest, and there they 
 saw before them a white hart, which four lions led. Then they 
 took them to assent for to follow after, for to know whether 
 they repaired. And so they rode after a great pace, till that 
 they came to a valley, and thereby was a hermitage, whereas a 
 good man dwelled ; and the hart and the lions entered in also. 
 So, when they saw all this, they turned unto the chapel, and 
 saw the good man in a religious mood, and in the armour of 
 our Lord ; for he would sing mass of the Holy Ghost : and 
 so they entered and heard mass ; and, at the secrets of that 
 mass, they three saw the hart become a man, the which 
 marvelled them, and set upon the altar in a rich seat ; and 
 saw the four lions changed, the one to the form of a man, and 
 the other unto the form of a lion, and the third unto an eagle, 
 and the fourth was changed unto an ox. Then took they their 
 seat where the hart sat, which went out through a glass 
 window, and there was nothing perished nor broken. And they
 
 THE BOOK OF THE HOL Y GRAIL. 195 
 
 heard a voice that said thus : " In such a manner entered the 
 Son of God into the womb of the maid Mary, whose virginity 
 was not perished nor hurt." And, when they heard these 
 words, they fell down to the ground, and were astonished ; 
 and therewith was a great clearness : and, when they were 
 come to themselves again, they went to the good man, and 
 prayed him that he would tell them the truth. "What thing 
 have ye seen?" said he. And they told him all that they had 
 seen. " Ah ! lords," said he, " ye are welcome. Now wot I 
 well ye be the good knight, the which shall bring the Sancgreal 
 to an end ; for ye be they to whom our Lord shall show great 
 secrets. And well ought our Lord to be signified unto a hart ; 
 for the hart, when he is old, weareth young again into his 
 white skin : right so cometh again our Lord from death to 
 life ; for he lost earthly flesh, that was the deadly flesh, which 
 he had taken in the womb of the blessed Virgin Mary : and 
 for that cause appeared our Lord as a white hart, without a 
 spot. And the four that were with him is to understand the 
 four evangelists, which set in writing part of Jesu Christ's 
 deeds, that he did sometimes when he was among you an 
 earthly man. For wit ye well, that never erst nor might no 
 knight know the truth ; for oftentimes or this our Lord showed 
 him unto good men, and unto good knights, in likeness of a 
 hart : but, I suppose that, from henceforth, ye shall see him 
 no more." And then they joyed much, and dwelled there all 
 that day ; and, on the morrow, when they had heard mass, 
 they departed, and commended the good man unto God. 
 And so they came unto a castle, and passed by ; so there 
 came a knight armed, and said, " Lords, hearken what I shall 
 say unto you. 
 
 IX. 
 
 "THIS gentlewoman that ye lead with you is a maid." "Sir," 
 said she, " a maid I am." Then he took her by the bridle and 
 said, " By the holy cross, ye shall not escape me, before ye have 
 yielded the custom of the castle." " Let her go," said Sir 
 Percivale, " ye be not wise : for a maid, in what place soever 
 she cometh, she is free." So, in the meanwhile, there came out 
 of the castle a ten or twelve knights, armed ; and with them 
 came a gentlewoman which held a dish of silver. And then, 
 "This gentlewoman must yield us the custom of this castle." 
 " Sir," said a knight, " what maid that passeth hereby shall give 
 this dish full of blood of her right arm." "Blame have ye," said
 
 196 THE BOOK OF THE HOLY GRAIL. 
 
 Sir Galahad, "that brought up such customs : and, so God me 
 save, I ensure you, that of this gentlewoman ye shall fail as long 
 as I live." " So God me help," said Sir Percivale, " I had 
 rather be slain." "And I also," said Sir Bors. "By my 
 faith," said the knight, " then shall ye die ; for ye may not 
 endure against us, though ye were the best knights of the 
 world." Then let they run each to other ; and the three fellows 
 beat the ten knights, and then set their hands unto their swords, 
 and beat them down, and slew them. Then there came out of 
 the castle well a threescore knights all armed. " Fair lords," 
 said the three fellows, " have mercy upon yourselves, and have 
 not to do with us." " Nay, fair lords," said the knights of the 
 castle, " we counsel you to withdraw you ; for ye are the best 
 knights of the world ; and, therefore, do ye no more. We will 
 let you with this harm ; but we must needs have the custom." 
 " Certainly," said Sir Galahad ; " for nought speak ye well." 
 Said they, " Will ye die ? " " We be not come thereto," said 
 Sir Galahad. Then began they to meddle together ; and Sir 
 Galahad, with the strange girdles, drew his sword, and smote 
 on the right hand and on the left hand, and slew whom that 
 would abide him, and did such marvel, that there was none 
 that saw him but that they weened he had been none earthly 
 knight, but a monster. And his two fellows helped him passing 
 well : and so they held their journey every each in like hard, 
 till that it was night. Then must they needs depart. So there 
 came a good knight, and said to the three fellows, " If ye will 
 come in to-night, and take such harbour as here is, ye shall be 
 right welcome ; and we shall ensure you, by the faith of em- 
 bodies, as we are true knights, to leave you in such estate 
 to-morrow as we find you, without any falsehood: and, as soon as 
 ye know of the custom, we dare say that ye will accord thereto." 
 "Therefore, for God's love," said the gentlewoman, "go thither, 
 and spare not for me." " Go we," said Sir Galahad. And so 
 they entered into the castle ; and, when they were alighted, they 
 made of them great joy. So, within a while, the three knights 
 asked the custom of the castle, and wherefore it was. " What 
 it is," said they, "we will say you the truth. 
 
 X. 
 
 "THERE is in this castle a gentlewoman, which we have; 
 and this castle is hers, and many other more. So it befell, 
 many years ago, there fell upon her a malady ; and, when she
 
 THE BOOK OF THE HOLY GRAIL. 197 
 
 had lain a great while, she fell into a leprosy, and of no leech 
 she could have no remedy. But at the last an old man said, 
 'And she might have a dish full of the blood of a maid and a 
 clean virgin, in will and in work, and a king's daughter, that 
 blood would be her health, and for to anoint her therewith.' 
 And for this thing was this custom made." " Now," said Sir 
 Percivale's sister, "fair knights, I see well that this gentlewoman 
 is but dead, but if she have so much of my blood." " Certainly," 
 said Sir Galahad, " and if ye bleed so much as ye may die." 
 " Truly," said she, " and I die for to heal her, then shall I get 
 me great worship and soul's health, and worship unto my 
 lineage. And better is one harm than twain ; and, therefore, 
 there shall be no more battle : but, to-morrow, I shall yield you 
 the custom of the castle." 
 
 And then there was great joy, more than ever there was afore : 
 for else had there been mortal war on the morrow, notwithstand- 
 ing she would none other, whether they would or not. All that 
 night were the three fellows eased with the best ; and, on the 
 morrow, they heard mass. And Sir Percivale's sister bid bring 
 forth the sick lady : so she was brought forth before her, which 
 was full evil at ease. Then said she, " Who shall let me blood ? " 
 So anon there came one forth to let her blood ; and she bled so 
 much, that the dish was full. Then she lift up her hand and 
 blessed her, And then she said unto the lady, " Madam. I am 
 come by my death to make you whole ; for God's love, pray for 
 me." With that she fell into a swoon. Then Sir Galahad, Sir 
 Percivale, and Sir Bors started up to her, and lift her up, and 
 staunched her blood : but she had bled so much, that she might 
 not live. Then, when she was awake, she said, " Fair brother, 
 Sir Percivale, I must die for the healing of this lady ; so I 
 require you that ye bury not me in this country ; but, as soon 
 as I am dead, put me in a boat at the next haven, and let me go 
 as adventure will lead me ; and as soon as ye three come to the 
 city of Sarras, there to achieve the Holy Grail, ye shall find me 
 under a tower arrived, and there bury me in the spiritual place. 
 For, I say you so much, there shall Sir Galahad be buried, and 
 ye also in the same place." So when Sir Percivale understood 
 these words, he granted it her, weeping. And then said a 
 voice : " Lords and fellows, to-morrow at prime ye three shall 
 depart from other, till the adventure bring you unto the maimed 
 King." Then asked she her Saviour, and, as soon as she had 
 received him, the soul departed from the body. So the same 
 day was the lady healed, when she was enjointed with all. 
 Then Sir Percivale made a letter, of all that she had holpen
 
 198 THE BOOK OF THE HOLY GRAIL. 
 
 them, as in strange adventures, and put it in her right hand, and 
 so laid her in a barge, and covered it with silk ; and so the 
 wind arose, and drove the barge from the land, and all knights 
 beheld it, till it was out of their sight. Then they drew all unto 
 the castle ; and so forthwith there fell a sudden tempest of 
 thunder, lightning, and rain, as all the earth would have broken. 
 So half the castle turned upside down ; so it passed even-song 
 or the tempest was ceased. Then they saw before them a 
 knight armed, and wounded hard in the body and in the head, 
 that said, " O, Lord God, succour me, for now it is need." 
 After this knight came another knight and a dwarf, which cried 
 to him afar, " Stand, ye may not escape." Then the wounded 
 knight held up his hands unto God, that he should not die in 
 such tribulation. " Truly," said Sir Galahad, " I shall succour 
 him, for his sake that he calleth upon." " Sir," said Sir Bors, 
 " I shall do it ; for it is not for you : for he is but one knight." 
 " Sir," said he, " I grant." So Sir Bors took his horse, and 
 commended him to God, and rode after to rescue the wounded 
 knight. 
 
 XI. 
 
 THE story saith, that all night Sir Galahad and Sir Perch-ale 
 were in a chapel, in their prayers, for to save Sir Bors. So on 
 the morrow they dressed them in their harness, toward the 
 castle, for to wit what was betide of them therein ; and, when 
 they came there, they found neither man nor woman but what 
 they were dead, by the vengeance of the Lord. With that they 
 heard a voice, which said, " This vengeance is for bloodshedding 
 of maidens." Also they found, at the end of the chapel and 
 churchyard, and therein they might see forty fair tombs. And 
 that place was so fair, and so delectable, that it seemed them 
 there had been no tempest : for there lay the bodies of all the 
 dead maidens, which were martyred for the sick ; also they 
 found the name of every each of them, and of what blood they 
 were come. And were all of kings' blood ; and twelve of them 
 were knights' daughters. Then they departed, and went into a 
 forest. " Now," said Sir Percivale unto Sir Galahad, " we must 
 depart ; so pray we our Lord that we may meet together in 
 short time." Then took they off their helms, and kissed together, 
 and wept at their departing.
 
 THE BOOK OF THE HOLY GRAIL. 199 
 
 XII. 
 
 THE story saith, that when Sir Launcelot was come to the 
 water of Morteise, as it is rehearsed before, he was in great 
 peril, and so he laid him down and slept, and took his adventure 
 that God would send him. So when he was asleep, there came 
 a vision unto him, and said, " Launcelot, arise up, and take thine 
 armour, and enter into the first ship that thou shall find." And 
 when he had heard these words he started up, and saw a great 
 clearness about him, and then he lift up his hand, and blessed 
 him ; and so took his armour, and made him ready. And by 
 adventure he came by a strand, and found a ship, the which was 
 without sail and oars ; and, as soon as he was within the ship, 
 there he felt the most sweetest savour that ever he felt, and he 
 was filled with all things that he thought on or desired. Then 
 he said, " Fair Father, Jesu Christ, I wot not in what joy I am, 
 for this joy passeth all earthly joys that ever I was in ;" and so 
 in this joy he laid him down on the ship-board, and slept till 
 daylight. And when he awoke, he found there a fair bed, and 
 therein lying a gentlewoman dead, the which was Sir Percivale's 
 sister. And as Sir Launcelot beheld her, he espied in her right 
 hand a writing, the which he read, wherein he found all the 
 adventures as ye have heard before, and of what lineage she was 
 come. So with this gentlewoman Sir Launcelot was a month 
 and more. If ye would ask me how he lived, he that fed the 
 people of Israel with manna in the desert in likewise fed him. 
 For every day, when he had said his prayers, he was sustained 
 with the grace of the Holy Ghost. 
 
 So upon a night he went to play him by the water's side, for 
 he was somewhat weary of the ship, and then he listened, and 
 heard a horse come, and one riding upon him ; and, when he 
 came nigh, he seemed a knight, and so he let him pass, and 
 went there as the ship was ; and there he alighted, and took the 
 saddle and bridle, and put the horse from him, and went into 
 the ship. And then Sir Launcelot went toward him, and said, 
 " Sir, ye be welcome." And he answered and saluted him 
 again, and asked him his name, "for much my heart giveth unto 
 you." " Truly," said he, "my name is Sir Launcelot du Lake." 
 " Sir," said he, " then ye be welcome ; for ye were the beginning 
 of me in this world." "Ah !" said Sir Launcelot, "are ye Sir 
 Galahad?" "Yea, forsooth," said he. And so he kneeled 
 down and asked him his blessing, and after took off his helm, 
 and kissed him. And so there was great joy between them; 
 for there is no tongue can tell the joy that they made either of
 
 200 THE BOOK OF THE HOL Y GRAIL. 
 
 other, and many a friendly word was spoken between them, as 
 kind would, the which is no need here to be rehearsed ; and 
 there each one told other of their adventures and marvels that 
 were befallen them in many journeys, since they departed from 
 the court. And anon as Sir Galahad saw the gentlewoman 
 dead in the bed, he knew her well enough, and told great 
 worship of her, and that she was the best maid living, and it 
 was great pity of her death. But when Sir Launcelot heard 
 how the marvellous sword was gotten, and who made it, and all 
 the marvels rehearsed before, then he prayed Sir Galahad, his 
 son, that he would show him the sword ; and so he did. And 
 anon he kissed the pommel, the hilts, and the scabbard. 
 " Truly," said Sir Launcelot, "never till now knew I of so high 
 adventures done, and so marvellous and strange." So dwelled 
 Sir Launcelot and Sir Galahad within that ship half-a-year, 
 and served God daily and nightly, with all their power. And 
 oft they arrived in isles, far from folk, where were but wild 
 beasts ; and there they found many strange, adventures, and 
 perilous, which they brought to an end. But because those 
 adventures were with wild beasts, and not in the quest of the 
 Sancgreal, therefore the tale maketh here no mention, for it 
 would be long to tell that befell them. 
 
 XIII. 
 
 So after, upon a Monday, it befell that they arrived in the 
 edge of a forest, before a cross of stone, and then saw they a 
 knight armed all in white, and was richly horsed, and led in his 
 right hand a white horse, and so he came to the ship, and 
 saluted the two knights upon the high Lord's high behalf, and 
 said, " Sir Galahad, ye have been long enough with your father ; 
 come out of the ship, and leap upon this horse, and ride where 
 adventures shall lead thee in the quest of the Sancgreal." Then 
 he went unto his father, and kissed him full courteously, and 
 said unto him, " Fair father, I wot not when I shall see you any 
 more, till that I see the body of our Lord Jesu Christ." " I pray 
 you," said Sir Launcelot, "pray you unto the high Father, that 
 he hold me in his service." And so he took his horse, and there 
 they heard a voice, that said, " Think for to do well, for the one 
 shall never see the other till the dreadful day of doom." " Now 
 my son, Sir Galahad," said Sir Launcelot, " sith we shall depart, 
 and never see other more, I pray unto the high Father of heaven 
 for to preserve both you and me." " Sir," said Sir Galahad,
 
 THE BOOK OF THE HOLY GRAIL. 201 
 
 "no prayer availeth so much as yours." And therewith Sir 
 Galahad entered into the forest ; and the wind arose, and drove 
 Sir Launcelot more than a month throughout the sea, where he 
 slept but little, and prayed unto God that he might have a sight 
 of the Holy Sancgreal. So it befell, upon anight, at midnight, 
 he arrived afore a castle, on the back side, which was rich and 
 fair ; and there was a postern that opened toward the sea, and 
 was open without any keeping, save two lions kept the entry ; 
 and the moon shined clear. Anon Sir Launcelot heard a voice, 
 that said, " Launcelot, go out of this ship, and enter into the 
 castle, where thou shall see a great part of thy desire." Then 
 he ran to his arms, and armed him, and so he went unto the 
 gate, and saw the two lions ; then he set hands to his sword, 
 and drew it. Then came there suddenly a dwarf, that smote 
 him upon the arm so sore, that the sword fell out of his hand. 
 Then he heard a voice, that said, " Oh, man of evil faith and 
 poor belief, wherefore believest thou more in thy harness than 
 in thy Maker ; for he might more avail thee than thine armour, 
 in whose service thou art set." Then said Sir Launcelot, " Fair 
 Father, Jesu Christ, I thank thee, of thy great mercy, that thou 
 reprovest me of my misdeed. Now see I well that thou boldest 
 me for thy servant." Then took he again his sword, and put it 
 upon his shield, and made a cross on his forehead, and came to 
 the lions ; and they made attempt to do him harm ; notwith- 
 standing, he passed by them without hurt, and entered into the 
 castle, to the chief fortress, and there were they all at rest. 
 Then Sir Launcelot entered in so armed, and he found no gate, 
 nor door, but it was opened ; and so at the last he found a 
 chamber, whereof the door was shut, and he set his hand 
 thereto, for to have opened it, but he might not. 
 
 XIV. 
 
 THEN he enforced him much for to undo the door. Then he 
 listened, and heard a voice, which sung so sweetly, that it 
 seemed none earthly thing ; and thought that the voice said, 
 " Joy and honour be to the Father of heaven." Then Sir 
 Launcelot kneeled down before the chamber, for well he wist 
 that there was the Sancgreal in that chamber. Then said he, 
 " Fair sweet Father, Jesu Christ, if ever I did thing that pleased 
 the Lord, for thy pity, nor have me not in despite for my foul 
 sins done here before time, and that thou show me something 
 of that which I seek." And with that he saw the chamber- 
 door open, and with that there came out a great clearness, that
 
 202 THE BOOK OF THE HOLY GRAIL. 
 
 the house was as bright as though all the torches of the world 
 had been there. So came he to the chamber-door, and would 
 have entered, and anon a voice said unto him, " Flee, Sir 
 Launcelot, and enter not, for thou oughtest not to do it ; and, if 
 thou enter, thou shalt forethink it." And he withdrew him 
 back, and was right heavy in his mind. Then he looked up in 
 the midst of the chamber, and saw a table of silver, and the holy 
 vessel covered with red samite, and many angels about it, 
 whereof one of them held a candle of wax burning, and the 
 other held a cross, and the ornaments of the altar. And before 
 the holy vessel he saw a good man, clothed like a priest ; and 
 it seemed that he was at the consecrating of the mass. And it 
 seemed unto Sir "Launcelot that above the priest's hands there 
 were three men, whereof the two put the youngest, by likeness, 
 between the priest's hands, and so he lift it up on high : and it 
 seemed to show so to the people. And then Sir Launcelot 
 marvelled not a little ; for him thought that the priest was so 
 greatly changed of the figure, that him seemed that he should 
 have fallen to the ground. And when he saw none about him 
 that would help him, then he came to the door a great pace, 
 and said, "Fair Father, Jesu Christ, nor take it for no sin, 
 though I help the good man, which hath great need of help." 
 Right so he entered into the chamber, and came toward the 
 table of silver. And when he came nigh he felt a breath, that 
 him thought was intermeddled with fire, which smote him so 
 sore in the visage, that him thought it all to break his visage ; 
 and therewith he fell to the ground, and had no power to arise. 
 As he was so enraged, that he had lost the power of his body, 
 and his hearing, and his saying, then he felt many hands about 
 him, which took him up, and bear him out of the chamber, with- 
 out any amendment of his swoon, and left him there, seeming 
 dead, to ail the people. So on the morrow, when it was fair 
 daylight, they within were arisen, and found Sir Launcelot 
 lying before the chamber-door ; and they marvelled how he 
 came in. And so they looked upon him, and felt his pulse, to 
 wit whether there were any life in him ; and so they found life 
 in him, but he might neither stand nor stir no member that he 
 had ; and so they took him by every part of the body, and 
 bear him into a chamber, and laid him in a rich bed, far from 
 all folk : and so he lay four days. Then the one said he was 
 alive, and the other said nay. " In the name of God," said an old 
 man, " for I do verily to wit he is not dead, but he is so full of 
 life as the mightiest of you all, and therefore I counsel you that 
 he be well kept, till God send him life again."
 
 THE BOOK OF THE HOL Y GRAIL. 203 
 
 XV. 
 
 IN such a manner they kept Sir Launcelot twenty-four days, 
 and as many nights, which lay still like a dead man, and at the 
 twenty-fifth day befell him, after midnight, that he opened his 
 eyes, and when he saw folk, he made great sorrow, and said, 
 "Why have ye wakened me ; for I was better at ease than I 
 am now. Oh, Jesu Christ, who might be so blessed, that might 
 see openly the great marvels of secretness there, where no sinner 
 may be." "What have ye seen?" said they about him. "I 
 have seen," said he, " great marvels, that no tongue can tell, and 
 more than any heart can think ; and if my son had not been 
 here before me, I had seen much more." Then they told him 
 how he had lain there twenty-four days, and as many nights. 
 Then him thought how it was a punishment for the twenty-four 
 years he had been a sinner ; wherefore our Lord put him in 
 penance twenty-four days and nights. Then looked Sir Launce- 
 lot before him, and saw the hair, which he had borne nigh a 
 year ; for that he forethought him right much that he had 
 broken his promise unto the hermit, which he had vowed to do. 
 Then they asked him how it stood with him. " Forsooth," said 
 he, " I am whole of my body, thanked be our Lord ; therefore, 
 sirs, for God's love, tell me where I am." Then said they all, 
 he was in the castle of Garboneck. Therewith came a gentle- 
 woman, and brought him a shirt of fine linen cloth ; but he 
 changed not there, but took the hair to him again. " Sir," said 
 they, " the quest of the Sancgreal is achieved right now in you; 
 that never shall ye see more of the Sancgreal than ye have 
 seen." " Now, I thank God," said Sir Launcelot, " of his great 
 mercy, of that I have seen, for it sufficeth me : for, as I suppose, 
 no man in this world hath lived better than I have done, to 
 achieve that I have done." And therewith he took the hair, 
 and clothed him in it, and above that he put a linen shirt, and 
 after a robe of scarlet, fresh and new ; and when he was so 
 arrayed, they marvelled all ; for they knew that he was Sir 
 Launcelot, the good knight. And then they said all, " O Lord, 
 Sir Launcelot, be that ye?" And then he said, "Truly, I am 
 he." Then came word to King Pelleas, that the knight which 
 had lain so long dead was Sir Launcelot. Then was King 
 Pelleas wondrous glad, and went to see him. And when Sir 
 Launcelot saw him come, he dressed him against him. And 
 there the King made great joy of him : and there the King told 
 him tidings that his fair daughter was dead. Then was Sir 
 Launcelot right heavy of it, and said, " Sir, it forethinketh me
 
 204 THE BOOK OF THE HOL Y GRAIL. 
 
 thy daughter, for she was a full fair lady, fresh and young ; and 
 well I wot she bare the best knight that is now on the earth, or 
 that ever was since God was born." So King Pelleas held Sir 
 Launcelot there four days, and on the morrow he took his leave 
 of King Pelleas, and of all the fellowship that were there, and 
 thanked them of their great labour. Right so, they sat at their 
 dinner in the chief hall ; then it was so that the Sancgreal had 
 filled the table with all manner of meats, that the heart might 
 think. So, as they sat, they saw all the doors and windows of 
 the place were shut without man's hand, whereof they were all 
 abashed, and none wist what to do. And then it happened, 
 suddenly, that a knight came unto the chief door, and knocked 
 mightily, and cried, "Undo the door!" But they would not. 
 And ever he cried, " Undo ;" but they would not. And, at the 
 last, it annoyed him so much, that the King himself arose, and 
 came to a window, where the knight called ; then he said, " Sir 
 knight, ye shall not enter at this time, while the Sancgreal is 
 here, and therefore go into another ; for certainly ye be none of 
 the knight of the quest, but one of them that hath served the 
 fiend, and hath left the service of our Lord." Then was he 
 wondrous wrath at the King's words. " Sir knight," said the 
 King, " since ye would so fain enter, tell me of what country ye 
 be." " Sir," said he, " I am of the country and realm of 
 Logris, and my name is Sir Ector de Maris, and brother unto 
 the noble knight Sir Launcelot." " In the name of God," said 
 King Pelleas, " me forethinketh that I have, for your brother is 
 here within." And when Sir Ector de Maris understood that 
 his brother was there, for he was the man in the world that he 
 most dread and loved, and then he said, " Ah ! Lord God, now 
 doubleth my sorrow and shame. Full truly said the good man 
 of the hill unto Sir Gawaine and me of our dreams." Then 
 went he out of the court as fast as his courser might run, and so 
 throughout the castle. 
 
 XVI. 
 
 AND then King Pelleas came to Sir Launcelot, and told him 
 tidings of his brother, whereof he was sorry, that he wist not 
 what to do. So Sir Launcelot departed, and took his armour, 
 and said "That he would go to see the realm of Logris, which I 
 have not seen these twelve months." And therewith he com- 
 mended the King unto God, and so rode through many realms ; 
 and at the last he came unto an abbey, and there he had great 
 cheer. And on the morrow he arose and heard mass, and afore
 
 THE BOOK OF THE HOLY GRAIL. 205 
 
 an altar he found a rich tomb which was newly made, and then 
 he took heed and saw the sides written with letters of gold, 
 which said "Here lieth King Bagdemagus, of Gore, the which 
 King Arthur's nephew slew, and named him Sir Gawaine." 
 Then was he not a little sorry, for Sir Launcelot loved him 
 more than any other ; and if it had been any other than Sir 
 Gawaine, he should not have escaped from death, and said to 
 himself, "Ah ! Lord God, this is a full great damage to King 
 Arthur's court, the loss of such a man." And then he departed, 
 and came unto the abbey, whereas Sir Galahad did the adven- 
 ture of the tombs, and won the white shield with the red cross, 
 and there had he great cheer all that night. And on the 
 morrow he turned to Camelot, whereas he found King Arthur 
 and Queen Guenever : but many of the knights of the Round 
 Table were slain and destroyed more than half. And so three 
 of them were come home again ; that were Sir Gawaine, Sir 
 Ector, and Sir Lionel, and many other which needeth not to 
 be rehearsed. Then all the court was passing glad of Sir 
 Launcelot, and King Arthur asked him what tidings of his son 
 Sir Galahad. And there Sir Launcelot told the King of his 
 adventures that had befallen him sithence he departed ; and 
 also he told him of the adventures of Sir Galahad, Sir Percivale, 
 and Sir Bors, which he knew by the letter of the dead damsel, 
 and as Sir Galahad had told him. " Now would God," said the 
 King, " that they were all three here." "Thut shall never be," 
 said Sir Launcelot ; "for two of them shall ye never see, but one 
 of them shall come again." 
 
 XVII. 
 
 Now that Sir Galahad rode many journeys in vain ; and at 
 the last he came unto the abbey where King Mord rains was, 
 and when he heard that, he thought he would abide to see him. 
 And on the morrow, when he had heard mass, Sir Galahad 
 came unto King Mordrains, and anon the King saw him, which 
 had lain blind a long time. And then he dressed him against 
 him, and said, "Sir Galahad, the servant of Jesu Christ, whose 
 coming I have abidden long, now embrace me, and let me rest 
 on thy breast, so that I may rest between thine arms ; for thou 
 art a clean virgin above all knights, as the flower of the lily, in 
 whose virginity is signified, and thou art the rose, the which is 
 the flower of all good virtues, and in the colour of fire ; for the 
 fire of the Holy Ghost is so taken in thee that the flesh which 
 was of dead oldness is become young again." When Sir
 
 206 THE BOOK OF THE HOLY GRAIL. 
 
 Galahad heard his words, he embraced him in his arms. Then 
 said King Mordrains, " Fair Lord Jesu Christ, now I have my 
 will ; now I require thee in this point that I am in, that thou 
 come and visit me." And anon our Lord heard his prayer ; 
 therewith the soul departed from the body. And then Sir 
 Galahad put him in the earth as a king ought to be, and 
 so departed and came into a perilous forest ; whereas he found 
 the well that boiled with great waves, as the tale telleth before. 
 And so soon as Sir Galahad set his hand thereto it ceased ; so 
 that it burnt no more, and the heat departed. For that it burnt, 
 it was a sign of lechery, the which was at that time much used : 
 but that heat might not abide his pure virginity. And this was 
 taken in the country for a miracle, and so ever after was it 
 called Sir Galahad's Well. Then by adventure he came into 
 the country of Gore, and into the abbey where Sir Launcelot 
 had been beforehand, and found the tomb of King Bagdemagus, 
 but Joseph of Arimathy's son was the founder thereof ; and 
 there he found the tomb of Simeon, where Sir Launcelot had 
 failed. Then he looked into a cross under the minster, and 
 there he saw a tomb, the which burned full marvellously. Then 
 asked he the doctor what it was : " Sir," said he, " it is a 
 marvellous adventure that may not be brought to an end, but 
 by him that passeth of bounty and of knighthood all the knights 
 of the Round Table." "I would," said Sir Galahad, "that ye 
 would lead me thereto." " Gladly," said they. And so they 
 led him unto a cave, and he went down upon a pair of stairs, 
 and came nigh the tomb, and then the flaming failed, and 
 the fire staunched, the which many a day had been great. 
 Then came there a voice that said, " Much are ye beholden to 
 thank our Lord, that hath given you a good hour, that ye may 
 draw your souls out of earthly pain, and put them into the joys 
 of paradise. I am of your kindrgi, the which hath dwelled 
 in this heat these three hundred and four and fifty years, for 
 to be purged of the sin that I did to Joseph of Arimathy." 
 Then Sir Galahad took the body in his arms and bear it to the 
 minster, and that night lay Sir Galahad in the abbey. And 
 on the morrow he gave him service, and put him in the earth, 
 before the high altar. 
 
 XVIII. 
 
 So departed he from thence, and commended the brethren to 
 God. And so he rode five days, till that he came to the 
 maimed King ; and ever followed Sir Percivale the five days,
 
 THE BOOK OF THE HOL Y GRAIL. 207 
 
 asking where he had been, and so one told him how the 
 adventures of Logris were achieved. So upon a day it befell 
 that there came out of a great forest, and there they met at 
 a travers with Sir Bors that rode alone. It is no need to tell if 
 they minded. And then he saluted, and they yielded him 
 honour and good adventure, and they told each other their 
 adventures. Then said Sir Bors, " It is more than a year and 
 a-half, that I never lay ten times where men dwelled, but in 
 wild forests and in mountains, but God was ever my comfort." 
 Then rode they a great while, till they came to the castle of 
 Corbonek, and when they were entered within the castle, King 
 Pelleas knew them all. Then was there made great joy, for 
 he knew well by their coming that they had fulfilled the quest 
 of the Sancgreal. Then Eliazar, King Pelleas' son, brought 
 before them the broken sword, wherewith Joseph was smitten 
 through the thigh. Then Sir Bors set his hand thereto, if 
 he might have forced it again together, but it would not be. 
 Then he took it to Sir Percivale, but he had no more power 
 thereto than he. " Now have ye it," said Sir Percivale unto Sir 
 Galahad, "for and it be ever achieved by one bodily man, ye 
 must do it." And then took he the pieces and set them 
 together, and they seemed that they had never been broken, 
 and as well as it had been first forged. And then they within 
 espied that the adventure of the sword was achieved ; then 
 they gave the sword unto Sir Bors, for he might not be better 
 set, for he was a full good knight and a worthy man : and a 
 little before even the sword arose great and marvellous, and 
 was full of great heat, that many men fell for dead. And anon 
 light a voice among them said, " They that ought not to sit at 
 the table of our Lord Jesu Christ arise ; for now shall very 
 knights be fed." So they went thence all, save King Pelleas 
 and Eliazar his son, the which were holy men, and a maid 
 which was his niece : and so these three fellows and they three 
 were there, and no more. Anon they saw knights all armed 
 come in at the hall door, and did off their helms and their 
 harness, and said unto Sir Galahad, " Sir, we have hied sore to 
 be with you at this table, where the holy meat shall be parted." 
 "Then," said he, "ye be welcome, but of whence be ye?" So 
 three of them said they were of Gaul, and other three said they 
 were of Ireland, and other three said they were of Denmark. 
 So as they sate thus, there came a bed of wood out of a 
 chamber, the which four gentlewomen brought ; and in that 
 bed lay a good man sick, and a crown of gold upon his head, 
 and there in the midst of the place they sat them down and
 
 208 THE BOOK OF THE HOLY GRAIL. 
 
 went their way again. Then he lift up his head and said, " Sir 
 Galahad, knight, ye be welcome, for much have I desired your 
 coming, for in such pain and anguish as ye see have I been 
 long ; but now I trust to God the time is come that my pain 
 shall be allayed, that I shall pass out of this world, so as it was 
 promised me long ago." Therewith a voice said, " There be 
 two among you that be not in the quest of the Sancgreal, and 
 therefore depart ye." 
 
 XIX. 
 
 THEN King Pelleas and his son departed ; and therewith it 
 seemed them that there came a man and four angels from 
 heaven, clothed in the likeness of bishops, and had a cross in 
 his hand ; and the four angels bear him up in a chair, and set 
 him down before the table of silver, whereupon the Sancgreal 
 was, and it seemed that he had in the midst of his forehead 
 letters that said, " See ye here, Joseph, the first bishop of 
 Christendom, the same which our Lord succoured in the city 
 of Sarras, in the spiritual place." Then the knights marvelled, 
 for that bishop was dead more than three hundred years before. 
 " Oh, knights ! " said he, " marvel not, for I was sometime an 
 earthly man." With that they heard the chamber-door open, 
 and there they saw angels, and two bear candles of wax, and 
 the third a towel, and the fourth a spear, which bled marvel- 
 lously, that the drops fell within a bier, the which he held with 
 his other hand. And then they set their candles upon the 
 table, and the third put the towel upon the vessel, and the 
 fourth set the holy spear even upright upon the vessel. And 
 then the bishop made semblance as though he would have gone 
 to the consecrating of the mass ; and then he took a wafer, 
 which was made in the likeness of bread, and at the lifting up 
 there came a figure in the likeness of a child, and the visage 
 was as red and as bright as any fire, and smote himself into 
 that bread, so that they all saw that the bread was formed of a 
 fleshy man. And then he put it into the holy vessel again ; 
 and then he did that belonged unto a priest to do at mass. 
 And then he went unto Sir Galahad and kissed him, and 
 then went and bade him go and kiss his fellows ; and as he 
 was bidden so he did. "Now," said he, "ye servants of Jesu 
 Christ, ye shall be fed before this table with sweet meats, which 
 never no knights tasted." And when he had said, he vanished 
 away, and they set them in great dread, and made their 
 prayers. Then looked they and saw a man come out of the holy
 
 THE BOOK OF THE HOL Y GRAIL. 209 
 
 vessel, that had all the signs of the passion of Jesus Christ, 
 bleeding all openly, and said, " My knights and my servants, 
 and my true children, which be come out of deadly life, I will 
 now no longer hide me from you ; but ye shall see now a part 
 of my secrets and of my hidings. Now hold and receive the 
 high meat which ye have so much desired." Then took he him- 
 self the holy vessel, and came to Sir Galahad, and he kneeled 
 down, and there he received his Saviour ; and so after him 
 received all his fellows, and they thought it so sweet that it was 
 marvel to tell. Then he said, " Galahad, son, wottest thou 
 what I hold between my hands?" "Nay," said Sir Galahad, 
 " but if ye tell me." " This is," said he, "the holy dish wherein 
 I eat the lamb on Shrove-Thursday, and now hast thou seen that 
 thou desirest most to see ; but yet hast thou not seen it openly 
 as thou shalt see it in the city of Sarras, in the spiritual place. 
 Therefore thou must go hence, and bear with thee this holy 
 vessel : for this night it shall depart from the realm of Logris, 
 that it shall never be seen more here, and wottest thou there- 
 fore, for it is not served nor worshipped to his right, by them of 
 this land, for they be turned unto evil living. Therefore I shall 
 disinherit them ; and therefore go ye three to-morrow unto the 
 sea, whereas ye shall find your ship ready, and with you take 
 the sword with the strange girdles, and no more with you but 
 Sir Percivale and Sir Bors. And also I will ye take with you 
 of the blood of this spear for to anoint the maimed King, both his 
 legs and all his body, and he shall have his health." " Sir," 
 said Sir Galahad, " why shall not these other fellows go with 
 us?" "For this cause; for right as I parted mine apostles, 
 one here and another there, so will I that ye part ; and two of 
 you shall die in my service, but one of you shall come again, 
 and tell tidings." Then gave he them his blessing, and 
 vanished away. 
 
 XX. 
 
 THEN Sir Galahad went anon to the spear which lay upon the 
 table, and touched the blood with his fingers, and came to the 
 maimed King, and anointed his legs. And therewith he clothed 
 him anon, and started upon his feet, out of his bed, as a whole 
 man, and thanked our Lord that he had healed him, and that 
 was not to the world ward ; for anon he yielded him unto a 
 place of religion of white monks, and was a full holy man. 
 That same night, about midnight, there came a voice among 
 
 14
 
 2io THE BOOK OF THE HOLY GRAIL. 
 
 them, that said thus : " Mine own sons, and not my chief sons, 
 my friends, and not my warriors, go ye hence whither ye hope 
 best to do, and as I bade you." "Ah ! thanked be thou, Lord," 
 said they, " that thou wilt vouchsafe to call us so ; now may 
 we prove that we have not lost our pain." And anon in all 
 haste they took their harness and departed ; but the three 
 knights of Gaul, one of them hight Claudine, King Claudas' son, 
 and the other two were great gentlemen. Then prayed Sir 
 Galahad unto every each of them, " If ye come unto King 
 Arthur's court, that ye will salute my lord, Sir Launcelot, my 
 father, and all the fellowship of the Round Table ; and pray 
 them that if they come in these parts that they should not 
 forget it." Right so departed Sir Galahad, and Sir Percivale 
 and Sir Bors with him. And so they rode three days, and then 
 they came to a strand, and found the ship, whereof the tale 
 speaketh before. And when they came within board, they 
 found in the midst the table of silver which they had left with 
 the maimed King, and the Sancgreal, which was covered with 
 red samite. Then they were passing glad for to have such 
 things in their fellowship : and so they entered and made great 
 reverence thereto. And Sir Galahad fell in his prayers a long 
 time unto our Lord, that at what time he asked he might pass 
 out of this world ; and so much he prayed, till at the last a voice 
 said to him, " Galahad, thou shall have thy request, and when 
 thou askest the death of thy body, thou shall have it, and then 
 shall thou find the life of thy soul." Sir Percivale heard ihis, 
 and prayed him of fellowship lhal was between them, for to tell 
 him wherefore he asked such things. " That shall I tell you," 
 said Sir Galahad. " The other day when we saw the part of 
 Ihe adventures of the Sancgreal, I was in such a joy of heart, 
 that I trow never man was that was earthly ; and, therefore, I 
 wot well lhal when my body is dead my soul shall be in greal 
 joy for to see the blessed Trinity every day, and the majesly of 
 our Lord Jesus Christ." So long were they in the ship, that 
 they said unto Sir Galahad, " Sir, in this bed ought ye to lie ; 
 for so sailh ihe Scripture." And then he laid him down, and 
 slept a great while ; and when he awoked, he looked afore him, 
 and saw the city of Sarras ; and as they would have landed, 
 they saw the ship wherein Sir Percivale had put his sister. 
 " Truly," said Sir Percivale, " in the name of God well hath my 
 sister held us covenant." Then took ihey out of the ship the table 
 of silver ; and he took it to Sir Percivale and to Sir Bors to go 
 before, and Sir Galahad came behind. Right so they went into 
 the city ; and at the gate of the city they saw an old man sit
 
 THE BOOK OF THE HOLY GRAIL. 211 
 
 crooked. Then Sir Galahad called him, and bade him help to 
 bear this heavy thing. " Truly," said the old man, " it is ten 
 years ago that I might not go but with crutches." " Care thou 
 not," said Sir Galahad, " arise up, and show thy good-will." 
 And so he essayed and found himself as whole as ever he was ; 
 then he ran to the table, and took one part against Sir Galahad. 
 And anon there arose a great noise in the city, that a cripple 
 was made whole by a knight's marvellous, that were entered 
 into the city. Then anon after they three knights went to the 
 water, and brought up into the palace Sir Percivale's sister, and 
 buried her as richly as a king's daughter ought to be. And 
 when the king of the city, which was called Estourause, saw the 
 fellowship, he asked them of whence they were, and what thing 
 it was that they had brought upon the table of silver ; and they 
 told him the truth of the Sancgreal, and the power that God 
 had set there. Then the king was a tyrant, and was come of 
 the lineage of Paynims, and took them and put them in prison 
 in a deep hole. 
 
 XXI. 
 
 BUT as soon as they were there, our Lord sent them the 
 Sancgreal, through whose grace they were always filled while 
 they were in prison. So at the year's end, it befell that this 
 King Estourause lay sick, and felt that he should die ; then he 
 sent for the three knights, and they came before him, and he 
 cried them mercy of that he had done to them : and he forgave 
 him goodly, and he died anon. When the king was dead, all 
 the city was dismayed, and wist not who might be their king. 
 Right so, as they were in counsel together, there came a voice 
 among them, and bid them choose the youngest knight of the 
 three to be their king, for he shall maintain you and all yours. 
 So they made Sir Galahad king by all the assent of the holy city, 
 and else they would have slain him. And when he was come for 
 to behold the land, he let make about the table of silver a chest 
 of gold and of precious stones, that covered the holy vessel ; 
 and every day in the morning the three fellows would come 
 before it, and said their devotions. Now, at the year's end, and 
 the same day after that Sir Galahad had borne the crown of gold, 
 he arose up early, and his fellows, and came unto the palace, and 
 saw before them the holy vessel, and a man kneeling upon his 
 knees in the likeness of the bishop, which had about him a great 
 fellowship of angels, as it had been Jesu Christ himself : and 
 then he arose and began a mass of our Lady. And when he
 
 212 THE BOOK OF THE HOLY GRAIL. 
 
 came to the consecrating of the mass, and had done, anon he 
 called Sir Galahad, and said unto him, " Come forth, the servant 
 of Jesu Christ, and thou shalt see that which thou hast much 
 desired to see." And then Sir Galahad began to tremble right 
 sore when the deadly flesh began to behold the spiritual things. 
 Then he held up both his hands towards heaven and said, 
 "Lord, I thank thee, for now I see that which hath been my 
 desire many a day : now, blessed Lord, would I no longer live, if 
 it might please thee, good Lord." And therewith the good man 
 took our Lord's body between his hands, and proffered it unto 
 Sir Galahad ; and he received it right gladly and meekly. 
 " Now," said the good man, " wottest thou whom I am ? " 
 " Nay," said Sir Galahad. " I am Joseph of Arimathy, which 
 our Lord hath sent here to thee to bear thee fellowship. And 
 wottest thou wherefore he hath sent me more than any other ? for 
 thou hast resembled me in two things : one is, that thou hast 
 seen the Sancgreal, and the other is, in that thou hast been a 
 clean maiden as I am." And when he had said these words, 
 Sir Galahad went to Sir Percivale and kissed him, and com- 
 mended him to God, and said, " Fair lord, salute me to my 
 lord, Sir Launcelot, my father ; and soon as ye see him, bid him 
 remember this unstable world." And therewith he kneeled 
 down before the table and made his prayers ; and then suddenly 
 his soul departed unto Jesus Christ, and a great multitude of 
 angels bear his soul up to heaven that his two fellows might 
 behold it : also, his two fellows saw come from heaven a hand, 
 but they saw not the body, and then it came right to the vessel 
 and took it, and the spear, and so bear it up to heaven. Since 
 then was there never no man so hardy for to say that he had 
 seen the Sancgreal. 
 
 XXII. 
 
 WHEN Sir Percivale and Sir Bors saw Sir Galahad dead, 
 they made as much sorrow as ever did two men, and if they had 
 not been good men, they might lightly have fallen in despair ; 
 and the people of the country and of the city were right heavy. 
 And as soon as he was buried, Sir Percivale yielded him to a 
 hermitage out of the city, and took a religious clothing, and Sir 
 Bors was always with him, but he never changed his secular 
 clothing, because he purposed him to go again into the realm of 
 Logris. Thus a year and two months lived Sir Percivale in the 
 hermitage a full holy life, and then passed out of this world ; 
 and Sir Bors let bury him by his sister and by Sir Galahad in
 
 THE BOOK OF SIR MADOR. 213 
 
 the spiritualities. When Sir Bors saw that he was in so far 
 countries, as in the parts of Babylon, he departed from Sarras, 
 and armed him, and came to the sea and entered into a ship ; 
 and so it befell him by adventure to come into the realm of 
 Logris, and then he rode fast till he came to Camelot, where 
 King Arthur was. And then was there made great joy of him in 
 the court ; for they deemed all that he had been dead, forasmuch 
 as he had been so long out of the country. And when they 
 had eaten, King Arthur made great clerks to come before him, 
 that they should chronicle the high adventures of the good 
 knights. When Sir Bors had told him of the adventures of the 
 Sancgreal, such as had befallen him and his two fellows, that 
 was Sir Galahad and Sir Percivale. Then Sir Launcelot told 
 the adventures of the Sancgreal that he had seen : all this was 
 made in great books, and put in the armoury at Salisbury. And 
 anon Sir Bors said unto Sir Launcelot, " Sir Galahad, your son, 
 saluted you by me, and after you, King Arthur and all the court, 
 so did Sir Percivale ; for I buried them with mine own hands in 
 the city of Sarras. Also, Sir Launcelot, Sir Galahad prayeth 
 you for to remember this unsteadfast world, as ye behight him 
 when ye were together more than half-a-year." " This is full 
 true,'"' said Sir Launcelot ; " now I trust to God his prayer shall 
 avail me." Then Sir Launcelot took Sir Bors in his arms and 
 said, " Gentle cousin, ye are welcome to me, and all that 
 ever I may do for you and yours, ye shall find me ready at 
 all times, while I have life, and that I promise you faithfully, 
 and never to fail you : and wit ye well, gentle cousin, Sir Bors, 
 that you and I will never depart in sunder whilst that our lives 
 may last." " Sir," said he, " I will as ye will." 
 
 THE BOOK OF SIR MADOR. 
 I. 
 
 'OW after that the quest of the Sancgreal was fulfilled, 
 and that all the knights that were left alive were 
 come again to the Round Table, as the book of the 
 Sancgreal maketh mention, then was there great 
 joy in the court, and especially King Arthur and 
 Queen Guenever made great joy of the remnant that were 
 come home : and passing glad was the King and the Queen of
 
 214 THE BOOK OF SIR MADOR. 
 
 Sir Launcelot and of Sir Bors, for they had been passing long 
 away in the quest of the Sancgreal. Then Sir Launcelot began 
 to resort unto Queen Guenever again, and forgot the promise 
 and the profession that he made in the quest ; had not Sir 
 Launcelot been in his privy thoughts and in his mind set 
 inwardly to the Queen, as he was in seeming outward unto God, 
 there had no knight passed him in the quest of the Sancgreal, 
 but ever his thoughts were privily upon the Queen. And so 
 they loved together more hotter than they had done before, and 
 had such privy meetings together ; and many in the court 
 spake of it, and most especially Sir Agravaine, and Sir 
 Gawaine's brother, for he was ever open-mouthed. So it befell 
 that Sir Launcelot had many resorts of ladies and damsels, 
 that daily resorted unto him, which besought him to be their 
 champion. And in all such manners of right Sir Launcelot 
 appealed him daily to do for the pleasure of our Lord Jesu 
 Christ ; and always as much as he might he withdrew him 
 from the company and fellowship of Queen Guenever, for to 
 eschew the slander and the noise. Wherefore, the Queen 
 waxed wroth and angry with Sir Launcelot ; and, upon a day, 
 she called Sir Launcelot unto her chamber, and said to him 
 thus : " Sir Launcelot, I see and feel daily that thy love 
 beginneth for to slack, thou hast no joy to be in my presence, 
 but ever thou art out of this court, and quarrels and matters 
 thou hast now-a-days for ladies and gentlewomen, more than ever 
 they were wont to have in time past." "Ah, madam," said Sir 
 Launcelot, "in this ye must have me excused for divers causes ; 
 one is, that I was but late in the quest of the Sancgreal, and I 
 thank God of his great mercy, and never of my deserving, that 
 I saw in my quest as much as ever saw any sinful man, and so 
 was it told me : and if I had not had my privy thoughts to 
 return to your love again as I do, I had seen as great mysteries 
 as ever saw my son, Sir Galahad, Sir Percivale, or Sir Bors ; 
 and therefore, madam, I was but late in that quest. Wit ye 
 well, madam, it may not be yet lightly forgotten the high service 
 in whom I did my diligent labour : also, madam, wit ye well 
 that there be many men that speak of our love in this place, and 
 have you and me greatly in await, as Sir Agravaine and Sir 
 Mordred ; and wit ye well, madam, I dread them more for your 
 sake than for any fear that I have of them myself, for I may 
 happen to escape and rid myself in a great need, whereas 
 ye must abide all that will be said to you. And then, if that ye 
 fall in any distress through wilful folly, then is there none other 
 remedy or help but by me and my blood. And wit ye well,
 
 THE BOOK OF SIR MADOR. 215 
 
 madam, the boldness of you and me will bring us unto great 
 shame and slander, and that were me loth to see you dis- 
 honoured ; and that is the cause that I take upon me more 
 for to do for damsels and maidens than ever I did before. Men 
 should understand my joy and my delight is to have to do 
 for damsels and maidens." 
 
 II. 
 
 ALL this while the Queen stood still, and let Sir Launcelot say 
 what he would ; and, when he had all said, she break out on 
 weeping, and she sobbed and wept a great while : and when she 
 might speak she said, " Sir Launcelot, now I understand that 
 thou art a false, recreant knight, and lovest and holdest other 
 ladies, and of me thou hast disdain and scorn. For wit thou 
 well," said she, " now I understand thy falsehood ; and, there- 
 fore, I shall never love thee any more, and never be thou so 
 hardy to come in my sight. And right here I charge thee, that 
 thou never come more within this court ; and I forbid thee my 
 fellowship, and, upon pain of thy head, that thou see me no 
 more." Right so Sir Launcelot departed with great heaviness, 
 that unless he might sustain himself for great dole-making. 
 Then he called Sir Bors, Sir Ector de Maris, and Sir Lionel, 
 and told them how the Queen had forbidden him the court ; and 
 so he was in will to depart into his own country. " Fair 
 knight," said Sir Bors de Ganis, " ye shall not depart out of this 
 land by mine advice. Ye must remember in what honour ye 
 are renowned, and called the most noble knight of the world, 
 and many great matters ye have in hand ; and women, in their 
 hastiness, will do oftentimes that which sore repent them. 
 And, therefore, by my advice, ye shall take your horses, and 
 ride to the hermitage beside Windsor, which sometime was a 
 good knight, whose name is Sir Brastias ; and there shall ye 
 abide, till I send you word of better tidings." " Fair cousin," 
 said Sir Launcelot, " wit ye well that I am full loth to depart 
 out of this realm ; but the Queen hath forbidden me so highly, 
 that me seemeth she will never be my good lady as she hath 
 been in times past." "Say ye never so," said Sir Bors ; "for 
 many times beforetime she hath been wrath with you, and, after 
 it, she was the first that repented it." " Ye say well," said Sir 
 Launcelot ; " for now will I do by your counsel, and take my 
 horse and my harness, and ride to the hermit, Sir Brastias ; and 
 there will I rest me, until I hear some manner of tidings from 
 you. But, fair cousin, I pray you, get me the love of my lady,
 
 216 THE BOOK OF SIR MADOR. 
 
 Queen Guenever, and ye may." " Sir," said Sir Bors, " ye need 
 not to move me of such matters ; for well ye wot I will do what 
 I may please to you." And then the noble knight, Sir Launce- 
 lot, departed suddenly with a right heavy cheer, that none 
 earthly creature wist of him where he was become, but only 
 Sir Bors. So, when Sir Launcelot was departed, the Queen 
 made no manner of outward sorrow in showing to any of 
 his blood, nor yet to none other ; but wit ye well that inwardly 
 she took great thought : but she bore it out with a proud 
 countenance, as though she felt no thought nor danger. 
 
 III. 
 
 AND then the Queen let make a privy dinner in the city of 
 London, unto the knights of the Round Table ; and all was to 
 show outward that she had a great joy in all other knights of 
 the Round Table, as she had in Sir Launcelot. All only at that 
 dinner she had Sir Gawaine and his brethren ; that is to say, Sir 
 Agravaine, Sir Gaheris, Sir Gareth, and Sir Mordred. Also 
 there was Sir Bors de Ganis, Sir Blamor de Ganis, Sir 
 Bleoberis de Ganis, Sir Galihud, Sir Galihodin, Sir Ector de 
 Maris, Sir Lionel, Sir Palomides, and his brother, Sir Safre ; 
 la Cote mal Tail, Sir Persuant, Sir Ironside, Sir Brandiles, Sir 
 Kaye the seneschal, Sir Mador de la Port, Sir Patrice a knight of 
 Ireland, Sir Aliducke, Sir Astomore, and Sir Pinell le Savage, 
 the which was cousin unto Sir Lamoracke de Galis, the good 
 knight, the which Sir Gawaine and brethren slew by treason. 
 And so these knights should dine with the Queen in a privy 
 place by themselves ; and there was made a great feast of all 
 manner of dainty meats and drinks. But Sir Gawaine had a 
 custom that he used daily at dinner and at supper, that he loved 
 well all manner of fruits, and in especial apples and pears ; and, 
 therefore, whosoever dined or feasted, Sir Gawaine would com- 
 monly purvey for good fruit for him : and so did the Queen ; 
 for, to please Sir Gawaine, she let purvey for him of all manner 
 of fruits. For Sir Gawaine was a passing hot knight of nature ; 
 and this Sir Pinell hated Sir Gawaine, because of his kinsman, 
 Sir Lamoracke de Galis : and, therefore, for pure envy and 
 hate, Sir Pinell poisoned certain apples for to poison Sir 
 Gawaine withal. And so this was well unto the end of the 
 meat ; and so it befell, by misfortune, that a good knight, 
 named Sir Patrice, cousin unto Sir Mador de la Port, took one 
 of the poisoned apples : and, when he had eaten it, he swelled
 
 THE BOOK OF SIR MADOR. 217 
 
 till he burst ; and there Sir Patrice fell down dead suddenly 
 among them. Then every knight leaped from the board, 
 ashamed, and enraged for wrath nigh out of their wits ; for 
 they wist not what to say, considering that Queen Guenever 
 made the feast and dinner, they all had suspicion upon her. "My 
 lady, the Queen," said Sir Gavvaine, " wit ye well, madam, that 
 this dinner was made for me : for all folks, that know my con- 
 ditions, understand well that I love fruit ; and now I see well I 
 had been near slain : therefore, madam, I dread me least ye 
 will be shamed." Then the Queen stood still, and was right 
 sore abashed, that she wist not what to say. " This shall not 
 be ended so," said Sir Mador de la Port ; "for here have I lost 
 a full noble knight of my blood : and, therefore, upon this 
 shame and despite I will be revenged to the uttermost." And 
 thereupon Sir Mador appealed Queen Guenever of the death of 
 his cousin, Sir Patrice. Then stood they all still, that none 
 of them would speak a word against him ; for they had a great 
 suspection unto Queen Guenever, because she let make the 
 dinner. And the Queen was so sore abashed, that she could 
 none otherwise do, but wept so heartily, that she fell in a swoon. 
 With this noise and sudden cry came unto them King Arthur, 
 and marvelled greatly what it might be ; and, when he wist of 
 their trouble, and the sudden death of that good knight, Sir 
 Patrice, he was a passing heavy man. 
 
 IV. 
 
 AND ever Sir Mador stood still before King Arthur, and ever 
 he appealed Queen Guenever of treason. For the custom was 
 such at that time, that all manner of shameful death was called 
 treason. " Fair lords," said King Arthur, " me repenteth sore 
 of this trouble, but the cause is so, we may not have to do in 
 this matter ; for I must be a rightful judge, and that repenteth me 
 that I may not do battle for my wife ; for, as I deem, this deed 
 came never of her, and therefore I suppose we shall not be all 
 destitute, but that some good knight shall put his body in 
 jeopardy, rather than she should be burnt in a wrong 
 quarrel. And, therefore, Sir Mador, be not so hasty ; for 
 it may happen she shall not be all friendless: and, therefore, 
 desire thou the day of battle, and she shall purvey her of 
 some good knight, which shall answer you, or else it were 
 to me great shame, and unto all my court." " My gracious 
 lord," said Sir Mador, " ye must hold me excused : for, though
 
 2i8 THE LOOK OF SIR MADOR. 
 
 ye be our King in that degree, ye are but a knight as we are, 
 and ye are sworn unto knighthood as we are : and, therefore, I 
 pray you, that ye will not be displeased ; for there is none of the 
 twenty knights that were bidden for to come unto this dinner, 
 but all they have great suspection unto the Queen. What say 
 ye all, my lords?" said Sir Mador. Then they answered by- 
 and-by, and said, that they " could not excuse the Queen ; for 
 why she made the dinner : and either it must come by her, or 
 by her servants." "Alas!" said the Queen, "I made this 
 dinner for a good intent, and never for any evil (so God help me 
 in my right !) as I was never purposed to do such evil deeds, 
 and that I report me unto God." " My lord, the King," said 
 Sir Mador, " I require you heartily, as ye be a righteous king, 
 give me a day that I may have justice." "Well," said King 
 Arthur, " I give you a day this day fifteen days, that ye be 
 ready armed on horseback in the meadow beside Westminster ; 
 and, if it so fall that there be any knight to encounter with you, 
 there may ye do your best, and God speed the right : and, if it 
 so fall that there be no knight at that day, then must my Queen 
 be burnt, and there shall ye be ready to have her judgment." 
 " Well, I am answered," said Sir Mador ; and every knight 
 went where it liked him. So, when the King and the Queen 
 were together, the King asked the Queen how this case befell. 
 Then answered the Queen, " So God me help, I wot not how, 
 or in what manner." "Where is Sir Launcelot?" said King 
 Arthur ; " and he were here, he would not grudge to do battle 
 for you." " Sir," said the Queen, " I cannot tell you where he 
 is ; but his brother, and all his kinsmen, deem that he is not 
 within this realm." " That sore repenteth me," said King 
 Arthur ; " for and he were here, he would full soon stint this 
 strife. Then I will counsel you," said the King, " that ye go 
 unto Sir Bors, and pray him to do that battle for you for Sir 
 Launcelot's sake : and, upon my life, he will not refuse you. 
 For right well I perceive," said King Arthur, " that none of all 
 those twenty knights, without more, that were with you in 
 fellowship together at your dinner, where Sir Patrice was so 
 traitorously slain, that will do battle for you, nor none of them 
 will say well of you ; and that shall be great slander for you in 
 this court." " Alas ! " said the queen, " I cannot do withal : 
 but now I miss Sir Launcelot ; for, and he were here, he would 
 put me full soon unto my heart's ease." " What aileth you," 
 said King Arthur, "that ye cannot keep Sir Launcelot on your 
 side? For wit ye well," said King Arthur, "whosoever hath 
 the noble knight, Sir Launcelot, on his part, hath the most man
 
 THE BOOK OF SIR MA DOR. 219 
 
 of worship in the world on his side. Now, go your way," said 
 the King unto the Queen, " and require Sir Bors to do battle 
 for you for Sir Launcelot's sake." 
 
 V. 
 
 So the Queen departed from the King, and sent for Sir Bors 
 into her chamber ; and when he was come, she besought him of 
 succour. " Madam," said he, " what would ye that I do ? for I 
 may not with my worship have to do in this matter, because I 
 was at the same dinner, for dread that any of those knights 
 would have me in suspection. Also, madam," said Sir Bors, 
 "now miss ye Sir Launcelot ; for he would not have failed you, 
 neither in right, nor yet in wrong, as ye have well proved when 
 ye have been in danger ; and now have ye driven him out of 
 this country, by whom ye and we all were daily worshipped. 
 Therefore, madam, I greatly marvel me how ye dare for shame 
 require me to do any thing for you, insomuch as ye have chased 
 him out of your country, by whom I was borne up and honoured." 
 " Alas ! fair knight," said the Queen, " I put me wholly in your 
 grace ; and all that is done amiss I will amend, as ye will 
 counsel me." And therewith she kneeled down upon both 
 her knees, and besought Sir Bors to have mercy upon her, " for 
 I shall have a shameful death, and thereto I never offended." 
 Right so came King Arthur, and found the Queen kneeling 
 before Sir Bors. Then Sir Bors took her up, and said, "Madam, 
 ye do to me great dishonour." " Ah ! gentle knight," said King 
 Arthur, " have mercy upon my Queen, for I am now in a certain 
 that she is now untruly defamed ; and, therefore, courteous 
 knight," said the King, " promise her to do battle for her : I 
 require you for the love of Sir Launcelot." " My lord," said Sir 
 Bors, " ye require me of the greatest thing that any man may 
 require me ; and wit ye well if I grant to do battle for the Queen, 
 I shall wrath many of my fellowship of the Round Table ; but, 
 as for that," said Sir Bors, " I will grant my lord, for my lord 
 Sir Launcelot's sake, and for your sake, I will at that day be the 
 Queen's champion, unless that there come by adventure a better 
 knight than I am to do battle for her." " Will ye promise 
 this," said the King, " by your faith ? " " Yes, sir," said Sir 
 Bors, " of that will I not fail you, nor her both : but if that there 
 come a better knight than I am,, then shall he have the battle." 
 Then was the King and the Queen passing glad, thanked him 
 heartily, and so departed.
 
 220 THE BOOK OF SIR MADOR. 
 
 So then Sir Bors departed secretly upon a day, and rode unto 
 Sir Launcelot there as he was with the hermit by Sir Brastias. 
 and told him of all his adventures. " Ah ! Jesu," said Sir 
 Launcelot, "this is happily come as I would have it, and there- 
 fore I pray you make you ready to do battle ; but look that ye 
 tarry till ye see me come as long as ye may, for I am sure Sir 
 Mador is a hot knight, if he be chafed, for the more ye suffer 
 him, the hastier will he be to do battle." " Sir," said Sir Bors, 
 " let me deal with him ; doubt ye not ye shall have all your 
 will." Then departed Sir Bors from him, and came unto the 
 court again. Then was it noised in all the court that Sir Bors 
 should do battle for the Queen ; wherefore many knights were 
 greatly displeased with him, that he should take upon him to do 
 battle in the Queen's quarrel ; for there were but few knights in 
 the court but that they deemed the Queen was in the wrong, 
 and that she had done that treason. So Sir Bors answered 
 thus unto his fellows of the Round Table, " Wit ye well, my 
 fair lords, it were shame unto us all, and we suffered to see the 
 most noble queen of the world for to be shamed openly, con- 
 sidering that her lord and our lord is the man of most worship 
 of the world, and the most christened ; and he hath always 
 worshipped us all in all places." Many knights answered him 
 again, and said, " As for our most noble King Arthur, we love 
 him and honour him as well as ye do ; but as for Queen 
 Guenever, we love her not, for because she is a destroyer of 
 good knights." "Fair lords," said Sir Bors, "me seemeth, ye 
 say, not as ye should say, for never yet in all my days knew I, 
 nor heard say, that ever she was a destroyer of any good knight ; 
 but at all times, as far as I ever could know, she was always a 
 maintainer of good knights ; and always she hath been large 
 and free of her goods to all good knights, and the most boun- 
 teous lady of her gifts and her good grace that ever I saw, or 
 heard speak of; and therefore it were great shame (said Sir 
 Bors) unto us all to our most noble King's wife, if we suffer her 
 to be shamefully slain : and wit ye well (said Sir Bors) I will 
 not suffer it ; for I dare say so much the Queen is not guilty of 
 Sir Patrice's death, for she ought him never none evil will, nor 
 none of the twenty knights that were at that dinner ; for I dare 
 well say that it was for good love she had us to dinner, and not 
 for no malice, and that I doubt not shall be proved hereafter ; 
 for howsoever the game goeth, there was treason among some 
 of us." Then some said to Sir Bors, " We may well believe 
 your words." And so some of them were well pleased, and some 
 were not pleased.
 
 THE BOOK OF SIR MA DOR. 221 
 
 VI. 
 
 THE day came on fast until the even that the battle should 
 be. Then the Queen sent for Sir Bors, and asked him " how- 
 he was disposed." " Truly, madam," said he, "I am disposed 
 in likewise as I promised you ; that is to say, I shall not fail 
 you, unless by adventure there come a better knight than I to 
 do battle for you ; then, madam, am I discharged of my 
 promise." "Will ye," said the Queen, "that I tell my lord, 
 King Arthur, thus?" "Do as it shall please you, madam," 
 said Sir Bors. Then the Queen went unto the King, and told 
 him the answer of Sir Bors. " Have ye no doubt," said the 
 King, "of Sir Bors, for I call him now one of the best knights 
 of the world, and the most profitablest man ; and this is past 
 forth until the morrow." And the King and the Queen, and all 
 the knights that were there at that time, drew them to the 
 meadow beside Winchester, whereas the battle should be. 
 And so when the King was come with the Queen, and many 
 knights of the Round Table, then the Queen was put there in 
 the constable's ward, and there was made a great fire about the 
 iron stake, that and Sir Mador de la Port had the better she 
 should be burnt ; such a custom was used in those days, that 
 neither for favour, nor for love, nor for affinity, there should be 
 none other but right wise judgment as well upon a King as 
 upon a knight, as well upon a Queen as upon another poor lady. 
 
 So in the meanwhile came in Sir Mador de la Port, and took 
 the oath before the King, that Queen Guenever did this treason 
 unto his cousin, Sir Patrice, and unto his oath he would prove 
 it with his body, hand for hand, who that would say the 
 contrary thereto. Right so came Sir Bors de Ganis, and said, 
 "that as for Queen Guenever she is in the right, and that will 
 I make good with my hands, that she is not culpable of this 
 treason that is put upon her." " Then make thee ready," said 
 Sir Mador, " and we shall soon prove whether thou be in the 
 right or I." " Sir," said Sir Bors, " wit ye well I know thee for 
 a good knight, not for then I shall not fear thee so greatly, but 
 I trust unto Almighty God, my Maker, I shall be able enough 
 to withstand thy malice ; . but thus much have I promised my 
 lord, King Arthur, and my lady, the Queen, that I shall do 
 battle for her in this case to the uttermost, only that there 
 came a better knight than I am, and discharged me." " Is 
 that all," said Sir Mador ; "either come thou off and do battle 
 with me, or else say nay." "Take your horse," said Sir Bors, 
 " and as I suppose ye shall not tarry long, but that ye shall be
 
 222 THE BOOK OF SIR MADOR. 
 
 answered." Then either departed to their tents, and made 
 them ready to mount upon horseback as they thought best. 
 And anon Sir Mador de la Port came into the field with his 
 shield on his shoulder, and a spear in his hand, and so rode 
 about the place, crying unto King Arthur, " Bid your champion 
 come forth and he dare." Then was Sir Bors ashamed, and 
 took his horse, and came to the list end ; and then was he 
 ware whereas came out of a wood there fast by, a knight, all 
 armed at all points, upon a white horse, with a strong shield 
 and of strange arms ; and he came riding all that he might 
 run. And so he came to Sir Bors, and said, " Fair knight, 
 I pray you, be not displeased, for here must a better knight 
 than ye are have this battle ; therefore I pray you to withdraw 
 you ; for I would ye knew I have had this day a right great 
 journey, and this battle ought to be mine, and so I promised 
 you when I spake with you last, and with all my heart I thank 
 you for your good will." Then Sir Bors rode unto King Arthur, 
 and told him how there was a knight come that would have the 
 battle for to fight for the Queen. "What knight is he?" said 
 King Arthur. " I cannot show you," said Sir Bors, "but such a 
 covenant made he with me for to be here this day. Now, my 
 lord," said Sir Bors, " here am I discharged." 
 
 VII. 
 
 THEN the King called unto the knight, and asked him " if he 
 would fight for the Queen ? " Then he answered unto the 
 King, " Therefore came I hither ; and, therefore, Sir King," he 
 said, "tarry me no longer, for I may not tarry ; for anon as I have 
 finished this battle, I must depart hence, for I have to do many 
 matters elsewhere : for wit ye well," said that knight, "this is 
 dishonour unto you, all knights of the Found Table, to see and 
 know so noble a lady and so courteous a Queen, as Queen 
 Guenever is, thus to be rebuked and shamed among you." 
 Then marvelled they all what knight that might be, that so took 
 the battle upon him ; but there was not one that knew him 
 but if it were Sir Bors. " Then," said Sir Mador de la Port 
 unto the King, " now let me wit with whom I shall have to do 
 withal." And then they rode to the list's end, and there they 
 couched their spears, and ran the one against the other with all 
 their mights : and Sir Mador's spear break all to pieces : but 
 Sir Launcelot's spear held, and bear Sir Mador's horse and all 
 backward to the ground, and had a great fall ; but mightily and
 
 THE BOOK OF SIR MADOR. 223 
 
 suddenly he avoided his horse, and dressed his shield before 
 him, and then drew his sword, and bade that other knight alight 
 and do battle with him on foot. Then that knight descended 
 lightly from his horse like a valiant man, and put his shield 
 afore him, and drew out his sword. And so they came eagerly 
 to battle, and either gave other many sad strokes, tracing and 
 traversing, racing and foyning, and hurtling together with their 
 swords, as they had been two wild boars. 
 
 Thus were they fighting nigh an hour ; for this Sir Mador 
 was a full strong knight, and mightily proved in many strong 
 battles. But, at the last, the knight smote Sir Mador grovelling 
 upon the ground, and the knight stepped near him for to have 
 pulled Sir Mador flat-long upon the ground. And therewith, all 
 suddenly, Sir Mador arose ; and, in his arising, he smote that 
 knight through the thigh, that the blood ran out right fiercely. 
 And when he felt himself so wounded, and saw his blood, he let 
 him arise upon his feet, and then he gave him such a buffet upon 
 the helm that he fell flat-long to the ground. And therewith he 
 strode to him, for to have pulled off his helm from his head : and 
 then Sir Mador prayed that knight to save his life ; and so he 
 yielded him as an overcome knight, and released the Queen of 
 his quarrel. " I will not grant thee life," said the knight, " but 
 only that you freely release the Queen for ever, and that no 
 manner of mention be made upon Sir Patrice's tomb that ever 
 Queen Guenever consented to that treason." "All this shall be 
 done," said Sir Mador ; " and clearly I discharge my quarrel for 
 ever." Then the knights' porters of the list took up Sir Mador, 
 and led him to his tent ; and the other knight went straight to 
 the stair-foot, whereas King Arthur sat. And by that time was 
 the Queen come unto the King, and either kissed other lovingly. 
 And, when the King saw that knight, he stooped unto him, and 
 thanked him ; and in likewise did the Queen : and then the King 
 prayed him to put off his helm, and to rest him, and to take a 
 sup of wine. And then he put off his helm to drink, and then 
 every knight knew that he was the noble knight, Sir Launcelot. 
 As soon as the King wist that, he took the Queen by the 
 hand, and went unto Sir Launcelot, and said, " Gramercy ! of 
 your great travail that ye have had this day for me, and for my 
 Queen." " My lord," said Sir Launcelot, " wit ye well that I 
 ought of right ever to be in your quarrel, and in my lady the 
 Queen's quarrel, to do battle ; for ye are the man that gave me 
 the high order of knighthood ; and that day my lady, your 
 Queen, did me great worship, or else I had been shamed. For 
 that same day ye made me knight, through my hastiness I lost
 
 224 THE BOOK OF SIR MADOR. 
 
 my sword, and my lady, your Queen, found it, and lapped it in 
 her train, and gave me my sword when I had need thereof, or 
 else had I been shamed among all knights. And, therefore, my 
 lord, King Arthur, I promised her at that day ever to be her 
 knight in right or in wrong." " Gramercy," said King Arthur, 
 "for this journey: and wit you well," said King Arthur, "I 
 shall acquit you of your goodness." And ever the Queen 
 beheld SirLauncelot, and wept so tenderly that she sank almost 
 down upon the ground for sorrow that he had done to her so 
 great goodness, whereas she had showed him great unkindness. 
 Then the knights of his blood drew unto him, and there 
 either of them made great joy of other ; and so came all the 
 knights of the Round Table that were there at the time, and he 
 welcomed them ; and then Sir Mador was had to leechcraft, 
 and Sir Launcelot was healed of his wound : and then was there 
 made great joy and mirth in the court. 
 
 VIII. 
 
 AND so it befell that the Damsel of the Lake, which was 
 called Nimue, the which wedded the good knight, Sir Pelleas ; 
 and so she came to the court, for ever she did great goodness 
 unto King Arthur, and to all his knights, through her sorcery 
 and enchantments. And so when she heard how the King was 
 angry for the death of Sir Patrice, then she told it openly that 
 she was never guilty ; and there she disclosed by whom it was 
 done, and named him Sir Pinell, and for what cause he did it, 
 there it was openly disclosed : and so the Queen was excused, 
 and the knight, Sir Pinell, fled into his country. Then was 
 it openly known that Sir Pinell empoisoned the apples of the 
 feast, to the intent to have destroyed Sir Gawaine, because 
 Sir Gawaine and his brethren destroyed Sir Lamoracke de 
 Galis, to whom Sir Pinell was cousin unto. Then was Sir 
 Patrice buried in the church of Winchester, in a tomb, and 
 thereupon written, " Here lieth Sir Patrice of Ireland, slain by 
 Sir Pinell le Sauvage, that empoisoned apples to have slain Sir 
 Gawaine ; and, by misfortune, Sir Patrice eat one of those 
 apples, and then suddenly he burst." Also there was written 
 upon the tomb, that Queen Guenever was appealed of treason of 
 the death of Sir Patrice by Sir Mador de la Port : and there was 
 made mention how Sir Lnuncelot fought with him for Queen 
 Guenever, and overcame him in plain battle : and this was writ
 
 THE BOOK OF ELAINE. 225 
 
 upon the tomb of Sir Patrice in excusing of the Queen. And 
 then Sir Mador sued daily and long to have the Queen's good 
 grace : and so, by the means of Sir Launcelot, he caused him to 
 stand in the Queen's grace, and all was forgiven. 
 
 THE BOOK OF ELAINE. 
 I. 
 
 [;HUS it passed forth until our Lady-day, the assumption, 
 and within fifteen days of that feast, King Arthur let 
 cry a great joust and tournament that should be 
 at that day at Camelot, that is, Winchester : and the 
 King let cry that he, and the King of Scotland, would 
 joust against all that would come against them. And when 
 this cry was made, thither came many knights : so there came 
 thither the King of Northgalis, and King Anguish of Ireland, 
 and the king with the hundred knights, and Sir Galihud, the 
 haughty prince, and the King of Northumberland, and many 
 other noble dukes and earls of divers countries. So King 
 Arthur made him ready to depart to these jousts, and would 
 have had the Queen with him, but at that time she would 
 not go, she said, for she was sick, and might not ride at that 
 time. " Then me repenteth," said the King, " for these seven 
 years ye saw not such a fellowship together, except at Whit- 
 suntide, when Sir Galahad departed from the court." " Truly," 
 said the Queen unto the King, " ye must hold me excused ; 
 I may not be there, and that me repenteth.'' And many 
 deemed that the Queen would be there, because of Sir Launce- 
 lot du Lake, for Sir Launcelot would not ride with the King, for 
 he said that he was not whole of the wound the which Sir Mador 
 had given him ; wherefore the King was passing heavy and 
 wrath, and so departed toward Winchester with his fellowship. 
 And so, by way, the King lodged in a town called Astolat, which 
 is now, in English, called Guildford ; and there the King lay in 
 the castle. So, when the King was departed, the Queen called 
 Sir Launcelot unto her, and thus she said, " Sir Launcelot, ye 
 are greatly to blame, thus to hold you behind my lord ; what 
 trow ye what your enemies and mine will say and deem 1 nought 
 else but, See how Sir Launcelot holdeth him ever behind the
 
 226 THE BOOK OF ELAINE. 
 
 King, and so doth the Queen, for that they would have their 
 pleasure together, and thus will they say," said the Queen unto 
 Sir Launcelot, "have ye no doubt thereof." "Madam," said 
 Sir Launcelot to the Queen, " I allow your wit, it is of late come 
 since ye were wise ; and, therefore, as at this time I will be 
 ruled by your counsel, and this night I will take my rest, and 
 to-morrow betimes will I take my way towards Winchester : 
 but, wit ye well," said Sir Launcelot unto Queen Guenever, 
 "that at those jousts I will be against the King and all his 
 fellowship." " Ye may there do as ye list," said Queen Guenever, 
 " but by my counsel ye shall not be against your King and your 
 fellowship, for therein are many hardy knights of your blood, 
 as ye wot well enough it needeth not for to rehearse them." 
 " Madam," said Sir Launcelot, " I pray you that ye be not dis- 
 pleased with me, for I will take the adventure that God will send 
 me." And so, on the morrow, Sir Launcelot went to the church 
 and heard mass, and after broke his fast, and took his leave of 
 the Queen, and so departed ; and then he rode so long till he 
 came to Astolat, that now is called Guildford. And there it 
 happened him in the eventide he came unto a baron's place 
 which hight Sir Bernard of Astolat ; and as Sir Launcelot 
 entered into his lodging, King Arthur espied him as he walked in 
 a garden beside the castle how he took his lodging, and knew him 
 full well. " It is well said," quoth King Arthur to all the knights 
 that were there with him, "in yonder garden, beside the castle, 
 I have espied a knight which will full well play his play at the 
 jousts, towards which we go : I understand he will do many 
 deeds of arms." " Who is that, we pray you tell us ? " said the 
 knights that were there at that time. " Ye shall not know for 
 me," said the King, "at this time:" so the King smiled, and 
 went to his lodging. So as Sir Launcelot was in his lodging 
 and his chamber unarming him, the old baron and the hermit 
 came unto him, making him reverence, and welcomed him in the 
 best manner that they could ; but the old knight knew not Sir 
 Launcelot. " Fair sir," said Sir Launcelot to his host, " I 
 would pray you to lend me a shield that were not openly known, 
 for mine is too much known." "Sir," said his host, "ye shall 
 have your desire, for me seemeth ye be one of the likeliest 
 knights of the world ; and, therefore, I shall show you friendship. 
 Sir, wit ye well, I have two sons, which were but late made 
 knights, and the eldest hight Sir Tirre, and he was hurt the 
 same day that he was made knight, that he may not ride ; and 
 his shield ye shall have, for that is not known, I dare say, 
 but here, and in no place else : and my youngest son hight Sir
 
 THE BOOK OF ELAINE. 227 
 
 Lavaine, and if it please you, he shall ride with you unto these 
 jousts : and he is of his age strong and mighty for much my 
 heart giveth unto you that ye should be a noble knight ; 
 therefore, I beseech you, tell me your name," said Sir Ber- 
 nard. "As for that," said Sir Launcelot, "ye must hold me 
 excused as at this time, and if God give me grace to speed 
 well at the jousts, I shall come again and tell you : but I 
 pray you heartily," said Sir Launcelot, " in anywise let me 
 have your son, Sir Lavaine, with me, and that I may have 
 his brother's shield." " Also this shall be done," said Sir 
 Bernard. This old baron had a daughter at that time, that was 
 called the fair maid of Astolat, and ever she beheld Sir Launce- 
 lot wonderfully ; and she cast such a love unto Sir Launcelot, 
 that she could not withdraw her love, wherefore she died ; and 
 her name was Elaine le Blaunch. So thus as she came to and 
 fro, she was so hot in her love, that she thought Sir Launcelot 
 should wear upon him at the jousts a token of hers. " Fair 
 damsel," said Sir Launcelot, " and if I grant you that, ye may 
 say I do more for your love than ever I did for lady or damsel." 
 Then he remembered him that he would ride unto the jousts 
 disguised, and for because he had never before that time borne 
 no manner of token of no damsel ; then he bethought him that 
 he would bear one of hers, that none of his blood thereby might 
 know him. And then he said, " Fair damsel, I will grant you to 
 wear a token of yours upon my helmet ; and, therefore, what it 
 is, show me." "Sir," said she, "it is a red sleeve of mine, of 
 scarlet, well embroidered with great pearls ; " and so she brought 
 it him. So Sir Launcelot received it, and said, " Never or this 
 time did I so much for no damsel." And then Sir Launcelot 
 betook the fair damsel his shield in keeping, and prayed her to 
 keep it until he came again. And so that night he had merry 
 rest and great cheer, for ever the fair damsel Elaine was about 
 Sir Launcelot all the while that she might be suffered. 
 
 II. 
 
 So upon a day, in the morning, King Arthur and all his 
 knights departed ; for the King had tarried there three days to 
 abide his knights. And so when the King was ridden, Sir 
 Launcelot and Sir Lavaine made them ready for to ride, and 
 either of them had white shields, and the red sleeve Sir Launce- 
 lot let carry with him. And so they took their leave of Sir 
 Bernard, the old baron, and of his daughter, the fair maid of
 
 228 THE BOOK OF ELAINE. 
 
 Astolat ; and then they rode so long till that they came to 
 Camelot, which is now called Winchester. And there was great 
 press of knights, dukes, earls, and barons, and many noble 
 knights. But there was Sir Launcelot privily lodged, by the 
 means of Sir Lavaine, with a rich burgess, that no man was 
 aware what they were. And so they sojourned there till our 
 Lady-day, the assumption, as the great feast should be. So 
 then trumpets began to blow unto the field, and King Arthur 
 was set on high upon a scaffold, to behold who did best : but 
 King Arthur would not suffer Sir Gawaine to go from him, for 
 never had Sir Gawaine the better if Sir Launcelot were in the 
 field ; and many times was Sir Gawaine rebuked when Sir 
 Launcelot came into any jousts disguised. Then some of the 
 kings, as King Anguish of Ireland, and the King of Scotland, 
 were that time turned upon King Arthur's side. And then upon 
 the other part was the King of Northgalis, and the King with 
 the hundred knights, and the King of Northumberland, and Sir 
 Galahalt, the haughty prince. But these three kings, and this 
 one duke, were passing weak to hold against King Arthur's part, 
 for with him were the most noble knights of the world. So 
 then they withdrew them either party from other, and every man 
 made him ready in his best manner to do what he might. Then 
 Sir Launcelot made him ready, and put on his red sleeve upon 
 his head, and fastened it : and Sir Launcelot and Sir Lavaine 
 departed out of Winchester privily, and rode unto a little leaved 
 wood behind the party that held against King Arthur's part, and 
 there they held them still till the parties smote together : 
 and then came the King of Scotland, and the King of Ireland, 
 on King Arthur's part. And against them came the King 
 of Northumberland ; and the King with the hundred knights 
 smote down the King of Northumberland, and also the King 
 with the hundred knights smote down King Anguish of 
 Ireland. Then Sir Palomides, that was on King Arthur's part, 
 encountered with Sir Galahalt, and either of them smote down 
 other, and either party helped their lords on horseback again. 
 So there began a strong assail on both parties ; and there came 
 in Sir Brandiles, Sir Sagramore le Desirous, Sir Dodinas le 
 Sauvage, Sir Kaye, the seneschal ; Sir Griflet le fife de Dieu, 
 Sir Mordred, Sir Meliot de Logris, Sir Ozanna le ever Hardy, 
 Sir Safre, Sir Epinogris, and Sir Galleron of Galway : all these 
 fifteen knights of the Round Table. So these, with other more, 
 came in together, and beat back the King of Northumberland 
 and the King of Wales. When Sir Launcelot saw this, as he 
 halted in a little wood, he said unto Sir Lavaine, " See yonder
 
 THE BOOK OF ELAINE. 229 
 
 is a company of good knights, and they hold them together as 
 boars that were chased with dogs." " That is truth," said Sir 
 Lavaine. 
 
 III. 
 
 " Now," said Sir Launcelot, " and ye will help me a little, ye 
 shall see yonder fellowship, which chased now these men of our 
 side, that they shall go as fast backward as they went forward." 
 " Sir, spare not," said Sir Lavaine, " for I shall do what I may." 
 Then Sir Launcelot and Sir Lavaine came in at the thickest of 
 the press, and there Sir Launcelot smote down Sir Brandiles, 
 Sir Sagramore, Sir Dodinas, Sir Kaye, and Sir Griflet, and all 
 this he did with one spear. And Sir Lavaine smote down Sir 
 Lucas the butler, and Sir Bediver. And then Sir Launcelot got 
 another great spear, and there he smote down Sir Agravaine, Sir 
 Gaheris, Sir Mordred, and Sir Meliot de Logris. And Sir 
 Lavaine smote down Ozanna le ever Hardy. And then Sir 
 Launcelot drew out his sword, and then he smote on the right 
 hand and on the left ; and by great force he unhorsed Sir Safre, 
 Sir Epinogris, and Sir Galleron. And the knights of the Round 
 Table withdrew them back, after they had gotten their horses 
 as well as they might. " O mercy, Jesu," said Sir Gawaine, 
 "what knight is that I see yonder, that doth so marvellous 
 deeds of arms in the fields ? " "I wot well who is that," said 
 King Arthur, " but all this time I will not name him." " Sir," 
 said Sir Gawaine, " I would say it were Sir Launcelot, by the 
 riding, and by his buffets that I see him deal. But always me 
 seemeth it should not be he, because he beareth the red sleeve 
 upon the helm, for I wist him never yet bear token at no jousts 
 of lady or gentlewoman." " Let him be," said King Arthur, 
 "for he will be better known, and do more, or he depart." 
 Then the party that were against King Arthur were well com- 
 forted, and they held them together, which beforehand were 
 sore rebuked. Then Sir Bors, Sir Ector de Maris, and Sir 
 Lionel called unto them the knights of their blood, as Sir 
 Blamore de Ganis, Sir Bleoberis, Sir Aliduke, Sir Galihud, Sir 
 Galihodin, and Sir Bellangere le Beuse : so these nine knights 
 of Sir Launcelot's kin thrust in mightily, for they were all noble 
 knights ; and they, of great hate and despite that they had to 
 him, thought to rebuke those noble knights, Sir Launcelot and 
 Sir Lavaine, for they knew them not. And so they came hurtling 
 together, and smote down many knights of Northgalis and 
 of Northumberland. And when Sir Launcelot saw them fare so 
 he got a spear in his hand, and there encountered with them all
 
 230 THE BOOK OF ELAINE. 
 
 at once ; Sir Bors, Sir Ector de Maris, and Sir Lionet smote 
 him all at once with their spears. 
 
 And with force of themselves they smote Sir Launcelot's 
 horse unto the ground, and by misfortune Sir Eors smote Sir 
 Launcelot through the shield into the side, and the spear break, 
 and the head abode still inside. When Sir Lavaine saw his 
 master lie upon the ground, he ran to the King of Scotland, and 
 smote him to the ground ; and by great force he took his horse, 
 and, maugre them all, he made him to mount upon that horse. 
 And then Sir Launcelot did maugre them all, he made him to 
 mount upon that horse ; and then Sir Launcelot got him a great 
 spear in his hand, and there he smote Sir Bors, both horse and 
 man, to the ground : and in the same wise he served Sir Ector 
 and Sir Lionel. And Sir Lavaine smote down Sir Blamore de 
 Ganis ; and then Sir Launcelot began to draw his sword, for he 
 felt himself so sore hurt, that he weened there to have had his 
 death ; and then he smote Sir Bleoberis such a buffet upon the 
 helm, that he fell down to the ground in a swoon ; and in the 
 same wise he served Sir Aliduke and Sir Galihud. And Sir 
 Lavaine smote down Sir Bellangere, that was the son of Sir 
 Alisaunder Lorphelin. And by that time Sir Bors was horsed, 
 and then he came with Sir Ector and Sir Lionel, and they three 
 smote with their swords upon Sir Launcelot's helmet ; and when 
 he felt their buffets, and his wound, that was grievous, then he 
 thought to do what he might while he might endure ; and then 
 he gave Sir Bors such a buffet, that he made him to bow his 
 head passing low, and therewithal he raised his helm, and mjght 
 have slain him, and so pulled him down. And in the same 
 manner of wise he served Sir Ector and Sir Lionel : for he 
 might have slain them ; but, when he saw their visages, his 
 heart might not serve him thereto, but left them there lying. 
 And then after he hurtled in among the thickest press of them 
 all, and did there marvellous deeds of arms that ever any man 
 saw or heard speak of ; and alway the good knight, Sir Lavaine, 
 was with him. And then Sir Launcelot, with his sword, smote 
 and pulled down more knights, and the most part were of the 
 Round Table. And Sir Lavaine did full well that day, for he 
 smote down ten knights of the Round Table. 
 
 IV. 
 
 " AH ! mercy Jesu,'' said Sir Gawaine unto King Arthur, " I 
 marvel what knight he is with the red sleeve?" "Sir," said 
 King Arthur, " he will be known or he depart." And then the
 
 THE BOOK OF ELAINE. 231 
 
 King let blow unto lodging, and the prize was given by heralds 
 to the knight with the white shield, and that bear the red sleeve. 
 Then came the King with the hundred knights, the King of 
 Northgalis, and the King of Northumberland, and Sir Galahalt, 
 the haughty prince, and said unto Sir Launcelot, " Fair knight, 
 God thee bless, for much have ye done this day for us ; there- 
 fore, we pray you, that ye will come with us, that ye may receive 
 the honour and the prize, as ye have worshipfully deserved it." 
 " My fair lords," said Sir Launcelot, " wit ye well, if I have 
 deserved thanks, I have sore bought it, and that me repenteth, 
 for I am like never to escape with my life ; therefore, fair lords, 
 I pray you that ye will suffer me to depart where me liketh, for 
 I am sore hurt, I take no force of none honour ; for I had liefer 
 to rest me than to be lord of all the world." And therewith he 
 groaned piteously, and rode a great gallop away from them, 
 until he came under a wood's side ; and when he saw that he 
 was from the field nigh a mile, that he was sure he might not be 
 seen, then he said, with a high voice, " O gentle knight, Sir 
 Lavaine, help me, that this truncheon were out of my side, for it 
 sticketh so sore, that it almost slayeth me." "O, mine own 
 lord," said Sir Lavaine, " I would fain help you, but it dreads 
 me sore, and I draw out the truncheon, that ye shall be in 
 peril of death." " I charge you," said Sir Launcelot, " as ye 
 love me, draw it out." And therewith he descended from his 
 horse, and so did Sir Lavaine ; and forthwith Sir Lavaine drew 
 the truncheon out of his side : and Sir Launcelot gave a great 
 shriek, and a marvellous ghastly groan, and his blood burst out 
 nigh a pint at once, that at the last he sunk down upon his 
 buttocks and swooned, pale and deadly. " Alas," said Sir 
 Lavaine, "what shall I do now?" And then he turned Sir 
 Launcelot into the wind, but so he lay there nigh half-an-hour, 
 as he had been dead. And so at last Sir Launcelot cast up his 
 eyes, and said, " O, Sir Lavaine, help me, that I were upon my 
 horse ; for here, fast by, within these two miles, is a gentle 
 hermit, which sometime was a noble knight, and a great lord 
 of possessions, and for great goodness he hath taken him unto 
 wilful poverty, and hath forsaken his possessions, and his name 
 is Sir Bawdewine of Britain, and he is a full noble surgeon, and 
 a right good leech. Now, let see, help me up, that I were 
 there ; for always my heart giveth me that I shall not die of my 
 cousin-german's hands." And then with great pain Sir Lavaine 
 helped him upon his horse, and then they, rode a great gallop 
 together ; and ever Sir Launcelot bled, that it ran down to 
 the earth. And so, by fortune, they came unto that hermitage,
 
 232 THE BOOK OF ELAINE. 
 
 the which was under a wood, and a great cliff on the other side, 
 and a fair water running under it. And then Sir Lavaine beat 
 on the gate with the end of his spear, and cried, " Let me in, 
 for Christ's sake." And then came a fair child to them, and 
 asked them what they would. " Fair son," said Sir Lavaine, 
 " go and pray thy lord, the hermit, for God's sake, to let in 
 a knight which is right sore wounded ; and this day, tell 
 thy lord, that I saw him do more deeds of arms than ever 
 I heard say that any man did." So the child went in lightly, 
 and then he brought the hermit, that was a passing good man. 
 So when Sir Lavaine saw him, he prayed him, for God's sake, 
 of succour. "What knight is he?" said the hermit, "is he 
 of the house of King Arthur or not?" "I wot not," said Sir 
 Lavaine, " what he is, nor what is his name ; but well I wot I 
 saw him do marvellously this day, as of deeds of arms." " On 
 whose part was he ?" said the hermit. " Sir," said Sir Lavaine, 
 " he was this day against King Arthur, and there he won 
 the prize of all the knights of the Round Table." " I have seen 
 the day," said the hermit, " I would have loved him the worse, 
 because he was against my lord King Arthur ; for I was some- 
 time one of the fellowship of the Round Table : but now, 
 I thank God, I am otherwise disposed. But where is he ? 
 Let me see him." Then Sir Lavaine brought the hermit where 
 the most noble knight, Sir Launcelot, was. 
 
 V. 
 
 AND when the hermit beheld him, as he sat leaning upon his 
 saddle-bow, ever bleeding piteously ; and alway the knight 
 hermit thought that he should know him, but he could not 
 bring him to knowledge, because he was so pale for bleeding. 
 " What knight are ye ?" said the hermit, "and where were ye 
 born 1 " " Fair lord," said Sir Launcelot, " I am a stranger, 
 and a knight adventurous, that laboureth throughout many 
 realms, for to win worship." Then the hermit advised him 
 better, and saw, by a wound on the cheek, that he was Sir 
 Launcelot. " Alas ! " said the hermit, " mine own lord, why 
 hide ye your name from me ; forsooth, I ought to know you 
 of right, for ye are the most noble knight of the world. For 
 well I know you for Sir Launcelot." " Sir," said he, " sith ye 
 know me, help me and ye may, for Christ's sake ; for I would 
 be out of this pain at once, either to death or to life." " Have 
 ye no doubt," said the hermit, "ye shall live, and fare right
 
 THE BOOK OF ELAINE. 233 
 
 well." And so the hermit called to him two of his servants : 
 and so he and his servants bear him into the hermitage, and 
 lightly unarmed him, and laid him in his bed. And then anon the 
 hermit stenched the blood, and then he made him to drink good 
 wine ; so by that Sir Launcelot was right well refreshed, and 
 came to himself again. For, in those days, it was not the guise 
 of hermits, as it now is in these days : for there were no hermits 
 in those days, but that they had been men of worship and of 
 prowess ; and those hermits held great households, and refreshed 
 people that were in distress. Now turn we unto King Arthur, 
 and leave we Sir Launcelot in the hermitage. So when the 
 Kings were together, on both parties, and the great feast should 
 be holden, King Arthur asked the King of Northgalis, and his 
 fellowship, where was the knight that bare the red sleeve, " bring 
 him before me, that he may have his land and honour, and the 
 prize, as it is right." Then spake Sir Galahalt, the haughty 
 prince, and the King with the hundred knights, " We suppose 
 that knight is mischieved, and that he is never like to see you, 
 hor none of us all ; and that is the most greatest pity that ever 
 we wist of any knight." "Alas!" said King Arthur, "how 
 may this be, is he so hurt? What is his name?" said King 
 Arthur. "Truly," said they all, "we know not his name, nor 
 from whence he came, nor whither he would." " Alas ! " said 
 King Arthur, " these be to me the worst tidings that ever came 
 to me these seven years ; for I would not, for all the lands I 
 have, to know, and wit it were so, that noble knight were slain." 
 "Know ye him?" said they all. "As for that," said King 
 Arthur, " whether I know him or not, ye shall not wit for me 
 what he is ; but Almighty Jesu send me good tidings of him." 
 And so they said all. " By my head," said Sir Gawaine, " if it 
 be so that the good knight be so hurt, it is great damage and 
 pity to all this land, for he is one of the noblest knights that 
 ever I saw in a field handle a spear or a sword ; and, if he may 
 be found, I shall find him, for I am sure that he is not far from 
 this town." " Bear you well," said King Arthur, "and ye may 
 find him ; without that he be in such a plight that he may not 
 bestir himself." " Jesu defend," said Sir Gawaine, " but I shall 
 know what he is and if I may find him." Right so, Sir Gawaine 
 took a squire with him, and rode upon two hackneys, all about 
 Camelot, within six or seven miles. But as he went, so he came 
 again, and could hear no word of him. Then within two days 
 King Arthur, and all the fellowship, returned to London again ; 
 and so, as they rode by the way, it happened Sir Gawaine, at 
 Astolat, to lodge with Sir Bernard, where Sir Launcelot was
 
 234 THE BOOK OF ELAINE. 
 
 lodged. And so, as Sir Gawaine was in his chamber, for to take 
 his rest, Sir Bernard, the old baron, came to him, and also his 
 fair daughter, Elaine, for to cheer him, and to ask him what 
 tidings he knew, and who did best at the tournament at Win- 
 chester. " So God help me," said Sir Gawaine, " there were two 
 knights, which bear two white shields, but the one of them bear 
 a red sleeve upon his head, and certainly he was one of the best 
 .knights that ever I saw joust in the field. For, I dare make it 
 good," said Sir Gawaine, "that one knight with the red sleeve 
 smote down forty valiant knights of the Round Table, and his 
 fellow did right well and worshipfully." " Now, blessed be 
 God," said the fair maid of Astolat, "that the good knight sped 
 so well ; for he is the man in the world the which I first loved, 
 and truly he shall be the last man that ever after I shall love." 
 " Now, fair maid," said Sir Gawaine, " is that good knight your 
 love ? " " Certainly," said she, " wit ye well he is my love." 
 " Then know ye his name ? " said Sir Gawaine, " Naturally," 
 said the maid, " I know not his name, nor from whence he 
 came : but, to say that I love him, I promise God and you that 
 I love him." "How had ye knowledge of him first?" said 
 Sir Gawaine. 
 
 VI. 
 
 THEN she told him, as ye have heard before, and how her 
 father betook him her brother to do him service, and how her 
 father lent him her brother Sir Tirre's shield, and here with her 
 he left his own shield. " For what cause did he so ? " said Sir 
 Gawaine. "For this cause," said the damsel; "for his shield 
 was too well known among many noble knights." "Ah, fair 
 damsel," said Sir Gawaine, "please it you for to let me have a 
 sight of that shield." " Sir," said she, " it is in my chamber, 
 covered with a case, and if it will please you to come in with me 
 ye shall see it." " Not so," said Sir Bernard unto his daughter, 
 " let send for it." So when the shield was come Sir Gawaine 
 took off the case ; and, when he beheld that shield, he knew 
 anon that it was Sir Launcelot's shield, and his own arms. 
 "Ah ! Jesu mercy," said Sir Gawaine, " now is my heart more 
 heavier than ever it was before." "Why?" said the damsel, 
 Elaine. " For I have a great cause," said Sir Gawaine ; " is 
 that knight that owneth that shield your love?" "Yes, truly," 
 said she, " my love he is : God would that I were his love." 
 11 So God me speed ! " said Sir Gawaine, " fair damsel, ye love 
 the most honourable knight of the world, and the man of most
 
 THE BOOK OF ELAINE. 235 
 
 worship." "So me thought ever," said the damsel, "for never 
 or that time, for no knight that ever I saw, loved I never none 
 erst." " God grant," said Sir Gawaine, " that either of you may 
 rejoice other, but that is in a great adventure. But truly," said 
 Sir Gawaine unto the damsel, "ye may say ye have a fair grace; 
 for why? I have known that noble knight this fourteen years, 
 and never or that day, I or none other knight, I dare make it 
 good, saw nor heard that ever he bear token or sign of no lady 
 nor gentlewoman, nor maid at any jousts nor tournament ; and 
 therefore, fair maid," said Sir Gawaine, "ye are much beholden 
 to give him thanks. But I dread me," said Sir Gawaine, "ye 
 shall never see him in this world, and that is great pity as ever 
 was of earthly knight." "Alas !" said she, "how may this be ; 
 is he slain?" " I say not so," said Sir Gawaine ; "but wit ye 
 well that he is grievously wounded by all manner of signs, and 
 by men's sight more likelier to be dead than to be alive, and wit 
 ye well, he is the noble knight, Sir Launcelot ; for by his shield 
 I know him." "Alas!" said the fair maid. Elaine, "how may it 
 be ? what was his hurt?" "Truly," said Sir Gawaine, "the man 
 in the world that loveth him best hurt him so, and I dare say," 
 said Sir Gawaine, "and that knight that hurt him knew the very 
 certain that he had hurt Sir Launcelot, it would be the most 
 sorrow that ever came to his heart." " Now, fair father," said 
 Elaine, "I require you give me leave to ride and to seek him, or 
 else I wot well I shall go out of my mind, for I shall never stint 
 till that I have found him and my brother, Sir Lavaine." " Do 
 as ye think best," said her father, " for me right sore repenteth 
 of the hurt of that noble knight." So the maid made her ready 
 before Sir Gawaine, making great dole. Then on the morrow 
 Sir Gawaine came unto King Arthur, and told him how he had 
 found Sir Launcelot's shield in the keeping of the fair maid of 
 Astolat. "All that I knew," said King Arthur, "and that 
 caused me I would not suffer you to have to do at the great 
 jousts. For 1 espied him," said King Arthur, " when he came 
 into his lodging, full late in the evening, in Astolat ; but marvel 
 have I," said King Arthur, " that ever he would bear any sign of 
 any damsel, for or now I never heard say nor knew that ever he 
 bear any token of no earthly woman." " By my head," said Sir 
 Gawaine, "the fair maid of Astolat loveth Sir Launcelot marvel- 
 lously well, but what it meaneth I cannot say; and she is ridden 
 after him for to seek him." 
 
 So King Arthur and all his court came to London, and there 
 Sir Gawaine openly disclosed unto all the court that it was the 
 noble knight, Sir Launcelot, that jousted best.
 
 236 THE BOOK OF ELAINE. 
 
 VII. 
 
 AND when Sir Bors heard that, wit ye well he was a heavy 
 and a sorrowful man, and so were all his kinsmen. But when 
 Queen Guenever wist that Sir Launcelot bear the red sleeve of 
 the fair maid of Astolat, she was nigh out of her mind for 
 anger and wrath : and then she sent for Sir Bors de Ganis, in 
 all the haste that might be. So when Sir Bors came afore the 
 Queen, she said unto him, "Ah ! Sir Bors, have ye heard say 
 how falsely Sir Launcelot hath betrayed me?" "Alas! 
 madam," said Sir Bors, " I am afraid he hath betrayed him- 
 self and us all." "No force," said the Queen, "though that 
 he be destroyed, for he is but a false, traitorous knight." 
 M Madam," said Sir Bors, " I beseech you say not so, for wit 
 ye well I may not hear such language of him." " Why, Sir 
 Bors," said the Queen, " should I not call him a traitor, when 
 he bear the red sleeve upon is head at Winchester, at the 
 great tournament?" "Madam," said Sir Bors, "that red 
 sleeve-bearing repenteth me sore ; but I dare say he did it to 
 none evil intent, but for this cause he bear the red sleeve, that 
 none of us that be of his blood should know him. For or then 
 he nor one of us all, never knew that ever he bear token or sign 
 of maid, lady, or gentlewoman." " Fie on him," said the Queen, 
 "notwithstanding for all his pride and boldness, yet there ye 
 proved yourself his better." " Nay, madam," said Sir Bors, 
 "say ye never more so, for he beat me and my fellows, and 
 might have slain us, if he had liked." " Fie on him," said 
 Queen Guenever, " for I heard Sir Gawaine say, before my 
 lord Arthur, that marvel it were to tell the great love that is 
 between the fair maid of Astolat and him." " Madam," said 
 Sir Bors, " I may not warn Sir Gawaine to say what it pleased 
 him ; but I dare say, as for my lord, Sir Launcelot, that he 
 loveth no lady, gentlewoman, nor maid, but all he loveth in like 
 much; and therefore, madam," said Sir Bors, "ye may say 
 what ye will that I will haste me to seek him and find him 
 wheresoever he be, and God send me good tidings of him." 
 
 And so leave we them there, and speak we of Sir Launcelot, 
 that lay in great peril. So as the fair maid Elaine came to 
 Winchester, she sought there all about, and by fortune Sir 
 Lavaine was ridden to play him and to enchase his horse. 
 And anon as fair Elaine saw him, she knew him, and then she 
 cried aloud unto him : and when he heard her, anon he 
 came unto her, and then she asked her brother, " How fareth 
 my lord, Sir Launcelot?" "Who told you, sister, that my
 
 THE BOOK OF ELAINE. 237 
 
 lord's name was Sir Launcelot?" Then she told him how Sir 
 Gawaine by his shield knew him. So they rode together till 
 they came unto the hermitage, and anon she alighted : so Sir 
 Lavaine brought her unto Sir Launcelot, and when she saw 
 him lie so sick and pale in his bed, she might not speak, but 
 suddenly she fell unto the ground in a swoon, and there she lay 
 a great while. And when she was relieved, she sighed, and said, 
 " My lord, Sir Launcelot, alas ! why go ye in this plight ? " and 
 then she swooned again. Then Sir Launcelot prayed Sir 
 Lavaine to take her up, and to bring her to him. And when 
 she came to herself again, Sir Launcelot kissed her, and said, 
 " Fair maid, why fare ye thus, ye put me to pain ; wherefore 
 make ye no more such cheer, for and ye be come to comfort 
 me, ye be right welcome, and of this little hurt that I have, I 
 shall be full hastily whole by the grace of God. But I marvel," 
 said Sir Launcelot, "who told you my name?" Then the fair 
 maid told him all how Sir Gawaine was lodged with her father, 
 " and there by your shield he discovered your name." " Alas ! " 
 said Sir Launcelot, " me sore repenteth that my name is known, 
 for I am sure that it will turn to anger." And then Sir Launce- 
 lot compassed in his mind that Sir Gawaine would tell Queen 
 Guenever how he bear the red sleeve, and for whom, that he 
 wist well that it would turn to great anger. So this maid, 
 Elaine, never went from Sir Launcelot, but watched him day 
 and night, and gave such attendance upon him, there was 
 never woman did more kindlier for man than she did. Then 
 Sir Launcelot prayed Sir Lavaine to make espies in Winchester 
 for Sir Bors, if he came there, and told him by what token he 
 should know him, by a wound in his forehead. " For well I 
 am sure," said Sir Launcelot, " that Sir Bors will seek me, for 
 he is the good knight that hurt me." 
 
 VIII. 
 
 Now turn we unto Sir Bors de Ganis, that came to Win- 
 chester to seek after his cousin, Sir Launcelot : and so when he 
 came to Winchester, anon there were men that Sir Lavaine had 
 made to lie in watch for such a man, and anon Sir Lavaine had 
 warning thereof. And then Sir Lavaine came to Winchester 
 and found Sir Bors, and there he told him what he was, and 
 what his name was. " Now, courteous knight," said Sir Bors, 
 " I require you that ye will bring me unto my lord, Sir Launcelot." 
 " Sir," said Sir Lavaine, " take your horse, and within this hour
 
 238 THE BOOK OF ELAINE. 
 
 ye shall see him." And so they departed and came unto the 
 hermitage, where Sir Launcelot was ; and when Sir Bors saw 
 Sir Launcelot lie in his bed all pale and discoloured, anon Sir 
 Bors lost his countenance, and for kindness and for pity he 
 might not speak, but wept full tenderly a great while. And then 
 when he might speak, he said unto him thus : " O, my lord, Sir 
 Launcelot ! God bless you, and send you hasty recovery ; and 
 full heavy am I of my misfortune, and of mine unhappiness, for 
 now I may call myself unhappy, and I dread and fear me that 
 God is greatly displeased with me, that he would suffer me to 
 have such a shame for to hurt you, that are all our leader and 
 all our worship, and therefore I call myself unhappy. Alas ! 
 that ever such a captive knight as I am should have power, by 
 unhappiness, to hurt the most noble knight of all the world, 
 where I so shamefully set upon you, and overcharged you ; and 
 whereas ye might have slain me, ye saved me, and so did not I, 
 for I and my blood did to you our uttermost. I marvel," said 
 Sir Bors, "that my heart or blood would serve me, wherefore 
 my lord, Sir Launcelot, I ask you mercy." " Fair cousin," said 
 Sir Launcelot, " ye are right heartily welcome, and wit ye well 
 ye say overmuch to please me, which pleaseth me not ; for why 
 I have the same I sought, for I would with pride have overcome 
 you every each one, and there in my pride I was nigh slain, and 
 that was through mine own default, for I might have given you 
 warning of my being there, and then had I not been hurt : for it 
 is an old saying, 'There is a hard battle whereas kin and 
 friendship do battle either against other, there may be no 
 mercy, but mortal war.' Therefore, fair cousin," said Sir 
 Launcelot, " let this speech overpass, and all shall be welcome 
 that God sendeth ; and let us leave of this matter, and let us 
 speak of some rejoicing. For this that is done may not be 
 undone, and let us find some remedy how soon that I may 
 be whole." Then Sir Bors leaned upon his bed's side, and there 
 he told Sir Launcelot how the Queen was passing wrath with 
 him, because he wore the red sleeve at the great jousts. And 
 there Sir Bors told him all how Sir Gawaine discovered it by 
 his shield, which he left with the fair maid of Astolat. " Then 
 is the Queen wroth," said Sir Launcelot, " and therefore am I 
 right heavy, for I deserved no wrath ; for all that I did was 
 because that I would not be known." " Knight, so excused I 
 you," said Sir Bors ; " but all was in vain : for she said more 
 largelier to me than I to you now. But is this she," said Sir 
 Bors, " that is so busy about you, that men call the Fair Maid 
 of Astolat ? " " She it is," said Sir Launcelot, " which, by no
 
 THE BOOK OF ELAINE. 239 
 
 manner of means, I can put from me." " Why should ye put 
 her from you?" said Sir Bors, "she is a passing fair damsel, 
 and well beseen, and well taught ; and, would to God, fair 
 cousin," said Sir Bors, "that ye could love her. But, as to 
 that, I may not, nor dare not, counsel you ; but I see well," 
 said Sir Bors, "by her diligence about you, that she loveth you 
 entirely." " That me repenteth," said Sir Launcelot. " Sir," 
 said Sir Bors, " she is not the first that hath lost her pain 
 upon you, and that is the more pity." And so they talked of 
 many other things more ; and so, within four or five days, Sir 
 Launcelot was big and strong again. 
 
 IX. 
 
 THEN Sir Bors told Sir Launcelot how that there was sworn 
 a great tournament and jousts between King Arthur and the 
 King of Northgalis, that should be upon Allhallowmas-day, 
 beside Winchester. " Is that truth ? " said Sir Launcelot ; 
 " then shall ye abide still with me a little while, until that I be 
 whole ; for I feel myself right big and strong." " Blessed be 
 God," said Sir Bors. Then they abode there almost a month 
 together ; and ever this fair maid, Elaine, did her diligence and 
 labour night and day unto Sir Launcelot, that there was never 
 child more meeker unto the father, nor wife unto her husband, 
 than was that fair maid of Astolat ; wherefore, Sir Bors was 
 greatly pleased with her. So upon a day, by the assent of Sir 
 Launcelot, Sir Bors and Sir Lavaine made the hermit to go 
 seek in woods for diver herbs ; and so Sir Launcelot made fair 
 Elaine for to gather herbs for him to make him a bane. In the 
 meanwhile Sir Launcelot made him to arm him at all points, 
 and there he thought for to assay his armour and his spear for 
 his hurt or not. And, when he was upon his horse, he spurred 
 him fiercely ; and the horse was passing lusty and fresh, 
 because he was not laboured a month before : and then Sir 
 Launcelot couched his spear in the rest. So that courser leapt 
 mightily, when he felt the spurs, and him that was upon him, 
 the which was the noblest knight in the world ; he steered him 
 rigorously, and he stiffly and stably kept still the spear in 
 the rest. And therewith Sir Launcelot strained himself so 
 straightly with so great a force to get his horse forward, that 
 the bottom of the wound broke, both within and without ; and 
 therewith the blood came out so fiercely, that he felt himself so 
 feeble that he might not sit upon his horse. And then Sir 
 Launcelot cried unto Sir Bors, " Ah ! Sir Bors, and Sir
 
 240 THE BOOK OF ELAINE. 
 
 Lavaine, help me ; for I come unto mine end." And there- 
 with he fell down on the one side unto the ground, like a 
 dead corpse. And then Sir Bors and Sir Lavaine came to him, 
 making out of measure great sorrow ; and so, by fortune, the 
 maid Elaine heard their sorrow and dole, and then she came 
 thither. And, when she found Sir Launcelot there armed in 
 that place, she cried and wept as she had been mad ; and then 
 she kissed him, and did what she might to awake him. And 
 then she rebuked her brother and Sir Bors, and called them 
 both false traitors, and why they would take him out of his 
 bed ? There she cried, and said she would appeal them of his 
 death. With this came the holy hermit, Sir Bawdewine of 
 Britain ; and, when he found Sir Launcelot in that plight, he 
 said but little ; but wit ye well he was right wrath. And then 
 he said to them, " Let us have him in." And so they all bear 
 him into the hermitage, and unarmed him, and laid him in his 
 bed ; and evermore his wound bled piteously, but he stirred no 
 limb of his body. Then the knight-hermit put a thing in his 
 nose, and a little deal of water in his mouth ; and then Sir 
 Launcelot awakened out of his swoon. And then the hermit 
 staunched his bleeding ; and, when he might speak, he asked 
 Sir Launcelot why he put his life in jeopardy. " Sir," said Sir 
 Launcelot, " for because I weened I had been strong enough ; 
 and also Sir Bors told me that there should be at Allhallowmas 
 a great joust between King Arthur and the King of Northgalis : 
 and, therefore, I thought to assay myself, if I might be there 
 or not." " Ah ! Sir Launcelot," said the hermit, " your heart 
 and your courage will never be done, until your last day. 
 But ye shall do now by my counsel. Let Sir Bors depart 
 from you, and let him do at that tournament what he may. 
 And, by the grace of God," said the knight-hermit, " by that the 
 tournament be done, and ye come hither again, Sir Launcelot 
 shall be as whole as ye, so that he will be ruled by me," 
 
 X. 
 
 AND then Sir Bors made him ready to depart from Sir 
 Launcelot ; and then Sir Launcelot said, " Fair cousin, Sir 
 Bors, recommend me unto all them unto whom I ought to 
 recommend me unto ; and I pray you enforce yourself at that 
 joust, that ye may be best for my love ; and here shall I abide 
 you, at the mercy of God, till ye come again." And so Sir Bors 
 departed, and came to the court of King Arthur, and told them
 
 THE BOOK OF ELAINE. 241 
 
 in what place he had left Sir Launcelot. " That me repenteth," 
 said the King ; "but, sith he shall have his life, we all may 
 thank God." And there Sir Bors told the Queen in what great 
 jeopardy Sir Launcelot was, when he would assay his horse. 
 " And all that he did, madam, was for the love of you, because 
 he would have been at this tournament." " Fie on him, recreant 
 knight ! " said the Queen ; "for wit ye well I am right sorry and 
 he shall have his life." " His life shall he have," said Sir Bors ; 
 " and who that would otherwise (except you, madam), we that 
 be of his blood should help to shorten their lives. But, madam," 
 said Sir Bors, " ye have been oftentimes displeased with my 
 lord, Sir Launcelot ; but at all times, at the end, ye find him a 
 true knight." And so he departed ; and then every knight of 
 the Round Table that was there present at that time made them 
 ready to be at the jousts of Allhallowmas and thither drew 
 many knights of many countries. And, as Allhallowmas drew 
 near, thither came the King of Northgalis, and the King with 
 the hundred knights, and Sir Galahalt, the haughty prince of 
 Surluse ; and thither came King Anguish of Ireland, and the 
 King of Scotland. So these three knights came on King 
 Arthur's part. And so that day Sir Gawaine did great deeds of 
 arms, and began first ; and the heralds numbered that Sir 
 Gawaine smote down twenty knights. Then came in at that 
 same time Sir Bors de Ganis, and he was numbered that he had 
 smitten down twenty knights ; and, therefore, the prize was 
 given between them both : for they began first, and longest 
 endured. Also Sir Gareth did that day great deeds of arms : 
 for he smote down and pulled down thirty knights : but, when 
 he had done these deeds, he tarried not, but so departed ; and, 
 therefore, he lost his prize. And Sir Palomides did great deeds 
 of arms that day ; for he smote down twenty knights. But he 
 departed suddenly ; and men deemed that Sir Gareth and he 
 rode together on some adventure. 
 
 So when this tournament was done, Sir Bors departed, and 
 rode till he came to Sir Launcelot, his cousin, and then he 
 found him walking on his feet ; and there either made great joy 
 of other. And so Sir Bors told Sir Launcelot of all the 'ousts, 
 like as ye have heard. " I marvel," said Sir Launcelot, " that 
 Sir Gareth, when he had done such deeds of arms, that he 
 would not tarry." " Thereof we marvelled all," said Sir Bors ; 
 " for, but if it were you, or Sir Tristram, or Sir Lamoracke de 
 Galis, I saw never knight bear down so many in so little a while 
 as did Sir Gareth ; and anon he was gone we wist not where." 
 "By my head," said Sir Launcelot, "he is a noble knight and a 
 
 16
 
 242 THE BOOK OF ELAINE. 
 
 mighty man, and well breathed. And if that he were strongly 
 assayed," said Sir Launcelot, " I would deem that he were good 
 enough for any man that beareth life. And he is a gentle 
 knight, courteous, true, and bounteous, meek and mild ; and in 
 him is no manner of malice, but plain, faithful, and true." So 
 then they made them ready to depart from the hermit. And so, 
 upon a day, they took their horses, and took Elaine le Blaunch 
 with them ; and, when they came to Astolat, there they were 
 well lodged, and had great cheer of Sir Bernard, the old baron, 
 and of Sir Tirre, his son. And so, on the morrow, when Sir 
 Launcelot should depart, fair Elaine brought her father with her, 
 and her two brethren, Sir Tirre and Sir Lavaine, and thus she 
 said : 
 
 XI. 
 
 " MY lord, Sir Launcelot, now I see that ye will depart, fair 
 and courteous knight, have mercy upon me, and suffer me not 
 to die for your love." " What would you that I did ? " said Sir 
 Launcelot. " I would have you unto my husband," said the 
 maid Elaine. " Fair damsel, I thank you," said Sir Launcelot ; 
 " but certainly," said he, " I cast me never to be married." 
 " Then, fair knight," said she, " will ye be my love ? " " Jesu 
 defend me ! " said Sir Launcelot ; " for then should I reward 
 your father and your brother full evil for their great goodness." 
 " Alas! " said she, "then must I needs die for your love." " Ye 
 shall not," said Sir Launcelot; "for wit ye well, fair damsel, 
 that I might have been married and I had would ; but I never 
 applied me to be married. But because, fair damsel, that 
 ye will love me as ye say ye do, I will, for your good love and 
 kindness, show you some goodness ; and that is this : That 
 wheresoever ye will set your heart upon some good knight that 
 will wed you, I shall give you together a thousand pounds 
 yearly to you and to your heirs. Thus much will I give you, fair 
 maid, for your kindness, and always while I live to be your own 
 knight." " Of all this," said the damsel, " I will none ; for but 
 if ye will wed me, or else be my love at the least, wit ye well, Sir 
 Launcelot, my good days are done." " Fair damsel," said 
 Sir Launcelot, " of these two things ye must pardon me." 
 Then she shrieked shrilly, and fell down to the ground in a 
 swoon ; and that gentlewoman bear her into her chamber, and 
 there she made ever much sorrow. And then Sir Launcelot 
 would depart ; and there he asked Sir Lavaine what he would 
 do ? " What should I do," said Sir Lavaine, " but follow you,
 
 THE BOOK OF ELAINE. 243 
 
 but if ye drive me from you." Then came Sir Bernard unto 
 Sir Launcelot, and said unto him thus : " I cannot see but that 
 my daughter, Elaine, will die for your sake." " I may not 
 do thereto," said Sir Launcelot, " for that me sore repenteth. 
 For I report me unto yourself, that my proffer is fair ; and me 
 repenteth," said Sir Launcelot, " that she loveth me as she 
 doth. I was never the causer of it : for I report me unto your 
 son, I early nor late proffered her bounty nor fair behests. 
 And as for me," said Sir Launcelot, " I dare do all that a good 
 knight should do, that she is a clean maid for me, both for deed 
 and for will ; and I am right heavy of her distress ; for she 
 is a full fair maid, good and gentle, and right well taught." 
 " Father," said Sir Lavaine, " I dare make it good that she is a 
 clean maid as for my lord, Sir Launcelot ; but she doth as I do. 
 For, sithence that I first saw my lord, Sir Launcelot, I could 
 never depart from him ; nor nought I will, and I may follow 
 him." Then Sir Launcelot took his leave ; and so they 
 departed, and came to Winchester. And when King Arthur wist 
 that Sir Launcelot was come whole and sound, the King made 
 great joy of him ; and so did Sir Gawaine and all the knights of 
 the Round Table, except Sir Agravaine and Sir Mordred. And 
 also Queen Guenever was waxed wrath with Sir Launcelot, and 
 would by no means speak with him, but estranged herself 
 from him : and Sir Launcelot made all the means that he might 
 to speak with the Queen, but it would not be. 
 
 Now speak we of the fair maid of Astolat, which made such 
 sorrow day and night, that she never slept, eat, nor drank ; and 
 always she made her complaint unto Sir Launcelot. So when 
 she had thus endured about ten days, that she felt that she must 
 needs pass out of this world. Then she shrove her clean, and 
 received her Creator ; and ever she complained still upon Sir 
 Launcelot. Then her ghostly father bade her leave such 
 thoughts. Then said she, "Why should I leave such thoughts ? 
 am I not an earthly woman ? and all the while the breath is in 
 my body, I may complain. For my belief is, that I do none 
 offence, though I love an earthly man ; and I take God unto 
 record, I never loved any but Sir Launcelot du Lake, nor never 
 shall : and a maiden I am, for him and for all other. And sith 
 it is the sufferance of God that I shall die for the love of so 
 noble a knight, I beseech the high Father of heaven for to have 
 mercy upon my soul ; and that mine innumerable pains which I 
 suffer may be allegiance of part of my sins. For our sweet 
 Saviour, Jesu Christ," said the maiden, " I take thee to record, 
 I was never greater offender against thy laws, but that I loved
 
 244 THE BOOK OF ELAINE. 
 
 this noble knight, Sir Launcelot, out of all measure : and of 
 myself, good Lord ! I might not withstand the fervent love, 
 wherefore I have my death." And then she called her father, 
 Sir Bernard, and her brother, Sir Tirre ; and heartily she 
 prayed her father that her brother might write a letter like as 
 she would indite it. And so her father granted it her. And, 
 when the letter was written, word by word, as she had devised, 
 then she prayed her father that she might be watched until she 
 were dead. "And while my body is whole let this letter be put 
 into my right hand, and my hand bound fast with the letter until 
 that I be cold ; and let me be put in a fair bed, with all the richest 
 clothes that I have about me. And so let my bed, with all my rich 
 clothes, be laid with me in a chariot to the next place whereas 
 the Thames is ; and there let me be put in a barge, and but 
 one man with me, such as ye trust, to steer me thither, and that 
 my barge be covered with black samite over and over. Thus, 
 father, I beseech you let be done." So her father granted her 
 faithfully that all this thing should be done like as she had 
 devised. Then her father and her brother made great dole ; 
 for, when this was done, anon she died. And so, when she was 
 dead, the corpse, and the bed, and all, were led the next way 
 unto the Thames ; and there a man, and the corpse and all, 
 were put in a barge on the Thames : and so the man steered the 
 barge to Westminster, and there he rode a great while to and fro 
 or any man discovered it. 
 
 XII. 
 
 So, by fortune, King Arthur and Queen Guenever were 
 speaking together at a window : and so as they looked into the 
 Thames, they espied the black barge, and had marvel what 
 it might mean. Then the King called Sir Kaye, and showed 
 him it. " Sir," said Sir Kaye, " wit ye well that there is some 
 new tidings." " Go ye thither," said the King unto Sir Kaye, 
 " and take with you Sir Brandiles and Sir Agravaine, and bring 
 me ready word what is there." Then these three knights 
 departed and came to the barge, and went in ; and there they 
 found the fairest corpse, lying in a rich bed, that ever they saw, 
 and a poor man sitting in the end of the barge, and no word 
 would he speak. So these three knights returned unto the 
 King again, and told him what they had found. " That fair 
 corpse will I see," said King Arthur. And then the King took 
 the Queen by the hand, and went thither. Then the King 
 made the barge to be holden fast ; and then the King and the
 
 THE BOOK OF ELAINE. 245 
 
 Queen went in with certain knights with them ; and there they 
 saw a fair gentlewoman, lying in a rich bed, covered unto her 
 middle with many rich clothes, and all was cloth of gold : and 
 she lay as though she had smiled. Then the Queen espied the 
 letter in the right hand, and told the King thereof. Then the 
 King took it in his hand, and said, " Now I am sure this letter 
 will tell what she was, and why she is come hither." Then 
 the King and the Queen went out of the barge ; and the King 
 commanded certain men to wait upon the barge. And so when 
 the King was come within his chamber, he called many knights 
 about him, and said " that he would wit openly what was written 
 within that letter." Then the King broke it open, and made a 
 clerk to read it. And this was the intent of the letter : 
 
 " Most noble knight, my lord, Sir Launcelot. du Lake, now 
 hath death made us two at debate for your love. I was your 
 love, that men called the Fair Maiden of Astolat ; therefore 
 unto all ladies I make my moan. Yet for my soul that ye pray, 
 and bury me at the least, and offer me my mass penny. This is 
 my last request : and a clean maid I died, I take God to my 
 witness. Pray for my soul, Sir Launcelot, as thou art a knight 
 peerless." This was all the substance of the letter. And when 
 it was read, the Queen and all the knights wept for pity of the 
 doleful complaints. Then was Sir Launcelot sent for ; and 
 when he was come King Arthur made the letter to be read to 
 him. And when Sir Launcelot had heard it, word by word, he 
 said, " My lord, King Arthur, wit you well that I am right heavy 
 of the death of this fair damsel. God knoweth I was never 
 causer of her death by my will ; and that I will report me unto 
 her own brother here, he is Sir Lavaine. I will not say nay," 
 said Sir Launcelot, "but that she was both fair and good ; and 
 much was I beholden unto her : but she loved me out of 
 measure." " Ye might have showed her," said the Queen, 
 " some bounty and gentleness, that ye might have preserved her 
 life." " Madam," said Sir Launcelot, " she would none other 
 way be answered, but that she would be my wife, or else my 
 love ; and of these two I would not grant her ; but I proffered 
 her for her good love, which she showed me, a thousand pounds 
 yearly to her and her heirs, and to wed any manner of knight 
 that she could find best to love in her heart For, madam," 
 said Sir Launcelot, " I love not to be constrained to love ; for 
 love must arise of the heart, and not by constraint." "That is 
 truth," said King Arthur and many knights ; " love is free in 
 himself, and never will be bound ; for where he is bound, he 
 loseth himself. Then," said the King unto Sir Launcelot,
 
 246 THE BOOK OF ELAINE. 
 
 "it will be your worship that ye oversee that she be buried 
 worshipfully." " Sir," said Sir Launcelot, " that shall be done 
 as I can best devise." And so many knights went thither to 
 behold the fair dead maid. And on the morrow she was richly 
 buried, and Sir Launcelot offered her mass penny ; and all the 
 knights of the Round Table that were there, at that time, offered 
 with Sir Launcelot. And then, when all was done, the poor 
 man went again with the barge. Then the Queen sent for Sir 
 Launcelot, and prayed him of mercy, for because she had been 
 wrath with him causeless. "This is not the first time," said 
 Sir Launcelot, "that ye have been displeased with my counsels ; 
 but, madam, ever I must suffer you, but what sorrow that I 
 endure, ye take no force." So this passed forth all that winter, 
 with all manner of hunting and hawking, and jousts and 
 tourneys were many between many great lords. And ever, 
 in all manner of places, Sir Lavaine got great worship, that he 
 was nobly renowned among many of the knights of the Round 
 Table. Thus it passed on until Christmas, and every day there 
 were jousts made for a diamond, that whosoever joust best 
 should have a diamond. But Sir Launcelot would not joust, 
 but if it were a great joust cried : but Sir Lavaine jousted there 
 all the Christmas passing well, and most was praised ; for 
 there were but few that did so well as he ; wherefore all manner 
 of knights deemed that Sir Lavaine should be made a knight of 
 the Round Table, at the next high feast of Pentecost. 
 
 So after Christmas King Arthur let call to him many of his 
 knights, and there they advised them together to make a part, 
 and a great tournament and jousts. And the King of Northgalis 
 said unto King Arthur, "that he should have on his part King 
 Anguish of Ireland, and the King with the hundred knights, 
 and the King of Northumberland, and Sir Galahalt, the 
 haughty prince." So these four Kings, and this mighty duke, 
 took a part against King Arthur and the knights of the Round 
 Table. And the cry was made of the day, and jousts should be 
 beside Westminster on Candlemas-day ; whereof many knights 
 were full glad, and made them ready to be at that joust in the 
 freshest manner that they could. Then Queen Guenever sent 
 for Sir Launcelot ; and, when he was come, she said to him in 
 this manner : " I warn you that ye ride no more in no jousts 
 nor tournament, but that your kinsmen may know you ; for at 
 these jousts that shall be, ye shall have of me a sleeve of cloth 
 of gold ; and I pray you, for my sake, enforce yourself so there, 
 that men may speak of your worship : but I charge you, as ye 
 will have my love, that ye warn your kinsmen, that ye will bear
 
 THE BOOK OF ELAINE. 247 
 
 that day the sleeve of cloth of gold upon your helmet." 
 " Madam," said Sir Launcelot, " your desire shall be done." 
 And so either made of other great joy. And when Sir Launce- 
 lot saw his time, he told Sir Bors, "that he should depart, and 
 no more with him but Sir Lavaine, unto the good hermit that 
 dwelled in the forest of Windsor, whose name was Sir Brastias, 
 and there he thought to rest him, and to take all the ease that 
 he might, because he would be fresh at that day of jousts." 
 When Sir Launcelot and Sir Lavaine were ready, they departed, 
 that no creature wist where he was become, but the noble men 
 of his blood. And so when he was come unto the hermitage, 
 wit you well he had good cheer ; and so daily Sir Launcelot 
 would go to a well, fast by the hermitage, and there he would 
 lie down and see the well spring and bubble, and sometimes he 
 slept there. So at that time there was a lady dwelled in that 
 forest, and she was a great huntress, and daily she used to hunt ; 
 and always she bear her bow with her ; and no men went never 
 with her, but always women, and they were shooters, and could 
 well kill a deer, but at the stalk and at the trest ; and they daily 
 bear bows and arrows, horns, and wood knives, and many good 
 hounds they had, both for the string and for a bait. So it 
 happened that this lady, the huntress, had baited her hounds 
 for the bow, at a barren hind ; and this barren hind took her 
 flight over heaths and woods. And ever this lady and part of 
 her gentlewomen coursed the hind, and checked it by the noise 
 of the hound, for to have met with the hind at some water. 
 And so it happened that the said hind came to the well, whereas 
 Sir Launcelot was sleeping and slumbering. And so the hind, 
 when she came to the well, for heat she went to the soil, and 
 there she lay a great while ; and the hound came fast after, and 
 made a cast about, for she had lost the perfect scent of the hind. 
 Right so there came the lady huntress, which knew by her 
 hound that the hind was at the soil in that well : and there 
 she came stiffly, and found the hind. And anon she put a 
 broad arrow in her bow, and shot at the hind, and overshot the 
 hind, and, by misfortune, the broad arrow smote Sir Launcelot 
 in the thick of the buttock over the barbs. When Sir Launcelot 
 felt himself so hurt, he hurtled up woodly, and saw the lady 
 which had smitten him. And then when he saw she was a 
 woman, he said thus : " Lady, or damsel, what that thou be, in 
 an evil time bear thou a bow, the devil made thee a shooter."
 
 248 THE BOOK OF ELAINE. 
 
 XIII. 
 
 " Now mercy, fair sir," said the lady, " I am a gentlewoman 
 that used here in this forest hunting, and our Lord knoweth I 
 saw you not ; but as here is a barren hind at the soil in the well, 
 and I weened to have done well, but my hand swerved." "Alas !" 
 said Sir Launcelot, " now have ye mischieved me." And so the 
 lady departed. And Sir Launcelot as well as he might drew 
 out the arrow, and the head abode still in his buttock, and so 
 went weakly unto the hermitage, ever bleeding as he went. And 
 when Sir Lavaine and the hermit espied that Sir Launcelot was 
 hurt, wit ye well they were passing heavy ; but Sir Launcelot 
 nor the hermit wist not how he was hurt, nor by whom : and 
 then were they wrath out of measure. Then, with great pain, 
 the hermit got out the arrow-head out of Sir Launcelot's but- 
 tock, and much of his blood he shed at that time, and the 
 wound was passing sore, and right unhappily smitten ; for the 
 wound was in such a place that Sir Launcelot might not sit in 
 a saddle. " Ah ! mercy, Jesu," said Sir Launcelot, I call 
 myself the most unhappiest knight that liveth ; for ever when I 
 would fainest have worship, there befalleth me ever some 
 unhappy thing. Now, so Jesu me help," said Sir Launcelot, 
 " and if no man would but God, I shall be in the field upon 
 Candlemas-day at the joists, whatsoever fall of it." So all that 
 might be gotten to heal Sir Launcelot was had. So when the 
 day was come, Sir Launcelot let devise that he was arrayed, and 
 Sir Lavaine and their horses, as though they had been Saracens, 
 
 And so they departed, and came nigh to the field. The King 
 of Northgalis, with a hundred knights with him ; and the King 
 of Northumberland also brought with him a hundred good 
 knights ; and King Anguish, of Ireland, brought with him a 
 hundred good knights, ready to joust ; and Sir Galahalt, the 
 haut prince, brought with him a hundred good knights ; and the 
 King with the hundred knights brought with him as many ; and 
 all these were proved knights. And then came in King Arthur's 
 part : and there came in the King of Scotland, with a hundred 
 knights ; and King Urience, of Core, brought with him a 
 hundred good knights ; and King Howel, of Britain, brought 
 with him a hundred knights ; and King Chalaunce, of Clarence, 
 brought with him a hundred knights ; and King Arthur himself 
 came into the field with two hundred knights, and the most part 
 were knights of the Round Table, which were proved noble 
 knights. And there were old knights set upon scaffolds, to 
 judge with the Queen who did best.
 
 THE BOOK OF ELAINE. 249 
 
 XIV. 
 
 THEN they blew unto the field, and there the King of 
 Northgalis encountered with the King of Scotland, and there the 
 King of Scotland had a fall. And the King of Ireland smote 
 down King Urience, and the King of Northumberland smote 
 down King Howel, of Britain ; and Sir Galahalt, the haut 
 prince, smote down King Chalaunce, of Clarence. And at 
 that King Arthur was waxed wrath, and ran to the King with 
 the hundred knights, and there King Arthur smote him down ; 
 and after, with that same spear, King Arthur smote down three 
 other knights ; and then, when his spear was broken, King 
 Arthur did passing well. And so therewithal came Sir 
 Gawaine and Sir Gaheris, Sir Agravaine and Sir Mordred, 
 and there every each of them smote down a knight. And 
 Sir Gawaine smote down four knights. And then there began a 
 full strong meddle : for then there came in the knights of Sir 
 Launcelot's blood, and Sir Gareth, and Sir Palomides with 
 them, and many knights of the Round Table : and they began 
 to hold the four kings and the mighty duke so hard, that they 
 were discomfited. But their duke, Sir Galahalt, the haut 
 prince, was a noble knight, and by his mighty prowess of arms 
 he held the knights of the Round Table straight enough. All 
 these doings saw Sir Launcelot, and then he came into the field 
 with Sir Lavaine, as it had been thunder. And then Sir Bors, 
 and the knights of his blood, espied Sir Launcelot, and said 
 unto them all, " I warn you, beware of him with the sleeve of 
 gold upon his head, for he himself is Sir Launcelot du Lake." 
 And for great goodness Sir Bors warned Sir Gareth. " I am 
 well assayed," said Sir Gareth, " that I may know him in the 
 same array." "That is the good and gentle knight, Sir Lavaine," 
 said Sir Bors. So Sir Launcelot encountered with Sir Gawaine, 
 and there, by force, Sir Launcelot smote down Sir Gawaine and 
 his horse to the ground ; and likewise he smote down Sir Agra- 
 vaine and Sir Gaheris, and also he smote down Sir Mordred, 
 and all this was done with one spear. Then Sir Lavaine met 
 with Sir Palomides, and either met other so hard and so fiercely, 
 that both their horses fell to the ground, and then they were 
 horsed again. And then met Sir Launcelot with Sir Palomides, 
 and there Sir Palomides had a fall. So Sir Launcelot, or ever 
 he stinted, as fast as he might get spears, he smote down thirty 
 knights, and the most of them were knights of the Round Table. 
 And ever the knights of his blood withdrew them, and made 
 them to do in other places where Sir Launcelot came not. 
 And then King Arthur was wrath, when he saw Sir Launcelot
 
 250 THE BOOK OF ELAINE. 
 
 do such deeds. Then the King called unto Sir Gawaine, Sir 
 Mordred, Sir Kaye, Sir Griflet, Sir Lucas, the butler ; Sir Pedi- 
 vere, Sir Palomides, and Sir Safre, his brother, and so King 
 Arthur, with these nine knights, made them ready for to set 
 upon Sir Launcelot and upon Sir Lavaine. All this espied Sir 
 Bors de Galis, and Sir Gareth of Orkney. " Now I dread me 
 sore," said Sir Bors, " that my lord Sir Launcelot will be hard 
 matched." " By my head," said Sir Gareth, " I will ride unto 
 my lord Sir Launcelot for to help him, befall of me what may, 
 for he is the same man that made me knight." " Ye shall not 
 do so," said Sir Bors, "by my counsel, unless that ye were dis- 
 guised." " Ye shall see me disguised," said Sir Gareth, " and 
 that anon." 
 
 And therewith he espied a Welsh knight where he was to rest 
 himself; and he was sore hurt before by Sir Gawaine, and to 
 him Sir Gareth rode, prayed him of his knighthood for to lend 
 him his shield for his. " I will well," said the Welsh knight. 
 And when Sir Gareth had his shield, it was green, with a maiden 
 that seemed in it. Then Sir Gareth came driving as fast as he 
 might unto Sir Launcelot, and said thus unto him, " Sir knight, 
 keep thyself, for yonder cometh King Arthur, with nine noble 
 knights with him, to put you to rebuke ; and so am I come to 
 bear you fellowship for old love ye have shown me." " Gra- 
 mercy," said Sir Launcelot. " Sir," said Sir Gareth, "encounter 
 with Sir Gawaine, and I shall encounter with Sir Palomides, 
 and let Sir Lavaine match with King Arthur ; and when we 
 have delivered them, let us three hold us steadily together." 
 Then came King Arthur with his nine knights with him, and 
 Sir Launcelot encountered with Sir Gawaine, and gave him such 
 a buffet, that the arson of his saddle broke, and Sir Gawaine 
 fell to the earth. Then Sir Gareth encountered with the good 
 knight, Sir Palomides, and he gave him such a buffet, that both 
 his horse and he dashed to the earth. Then encountered King 
 Arthur with Sir Lavaine, and there either of them smote other 
 to the earth, horse and all, that they lay a great while. 
 
 Then Sir Launcelot smote down Sir Agravaine, Sir Gaheris, 
 and Sir Mordred. And then Sir Gareth smote down Sir Kaye, 
 Sir Safre, and Sir Griflet ; and when Sir Lavaine was horsed 
 again, he smote down Sir Lucas, the butler, and Sir Pedivere ; 
 and then there began a great throng of good knights. Then Sir 
 Launcelot hurtled and pulled off helms, so that at that time there 
 might none sit him a buffet with his spear nor his sword. And 
 Sir Gareth did such deeds of arms, that all men marvelled what 
 knight he was with the green shield, for he smote down that
 
 THE BOOK OF ELAINE. 251 
 
 day and pulled down more than thirty knights. And Sir 
 Launcelot marvelled greatly when he beheld Sir Gareth do 
 such deeds what knight he might be ; and Sir Lavaine pulled 
 down and smote down twenty knights. Also Sir Launcelot 
 knew not Sir Gareth, for and Sir Tristram de Lyons or Sir 
 Lamoracke de Galis had been alive, Sir Launcelot would have 
 deemed that he had been one of them twain. 
 
 So ever as Sir Launcelot, Sir Gareth, and Sir Lavaine fought ; 
 and, on the other side, Sir Bors, Sir Ector de Maris, Sir Lionel, 
 Sir Bleoberis, and Sir Galihud, Sir Galihodin, Sir Pelleas, with 
 more others of King Ben's blood, fought on another part, and 
 held the King with the hundred knights, and also the King 
 of Northumberland, right straight and right hardy. 
 
 XV. 
 
 So this jousting and the tournament endured long, till it was 
 almost night ; for the knights of the Round Table relieved ever 
 unto King Arthur, for the King was wrath out of measure, but 
 he and his knights might not prevail this day. Then Sir 
 Gawaine said unto King Arthur, " I marvel where all this day 
 Sir Bors de Galis, and his fellows of Sir Launcelot's blood be ; 
 I marvel me all this day greatly that they be not about you ; it 
 is for some cause," said Sir Gawaine. " By my head," said Sir 
 Kaye, " Sir Bors is yonder all this day upon the right hand of 
 the field, and there he and his blood done more worshipfully 
 than we do." " It may well be," said Sir Gawaine, " but I 
 dread me always of guile ; for, upon pain of my life," said Sir 
 Gawaine, " this knight with the red sleeve of gold is Sir 
 Launcelot himself, I see well by his riding, and by his great 
 strokes given ; and the other knight in the same colour is 
 the good young knight, Sir Lavaine. Also, that knight with the 
 green shield is my brother, Sir Gareth, and yet he hath 
 disguised himself, for no man can make him to be against Sir 
 Launcelot, because he made him knight." " By my head," 
 said King Arthur, " nephew, I believe you, therefore tell me 
 now what is your best counsel." " Sir," said Sir Gawaine, " ye 
 shall have my best counsel : let blow unto lodging, for and if he 
 be Sir Launcelot, and my brother, Sir Gareth, with him, with 
 the help of that good young knight, Sir Lavaine, trust me 
 truly it will be no boot to strive with them, but if we should 
 fall ten or twelve upon one knight, and that were no worship, 
 but shame." " Ye say truth," said the King, " and for to say 
 sooth," said the King, " it were shame to us, so many as
 
 252 THE BOOK OF ELAINE. 
 
 we be, to set upon them any more ; for, wit ye well," said 
 King Arthur, "they be three good knights, and, namely, that 
 knight with the red sleeve of gold ; " so then they blew unto 
 lodging. But forth withal King Arthur let send unto the four 
 kings, and unto the mighty duke, that the knight with the sleeve 
 of cloth of gold depart not from them, but that the King 
 may speak with him. Then forthwithal King Arthur alighted 
 and unarmed him, and gat him a little hackney, and rode after 
 Sir Launcelot, for ever he had an eye upon him. And so they 
 found him among the four kings and the duke. And there 
 King Arthur prayed them all unto supper, and they answered 
 with a good will. And so when they were all unarmed, King 
 Arthur knew Sir Launcelot, .Sir Lavaine, and Sir Gareth. 
 " Ah, Sir Launcelot," said King Arthur, " this day ye have hated 
 me and my knights." So they went unto King Arthur's lodging 
 altogether ; and the prize was given unto Sir Launcelot ; and by 
 heralds they named him that he had smitten down fifty knights, 
 and Sir Gareth thirty-five, and Sir Lavaine twenty-four knights. 
 Then Sir Launcelot told the King and the Queen how the 
 lady huntress shot him in the forest of Windsor, in the buttock, 
 with a broad arrow, and how the wound thereof was that 
 time six inches deep, and also in like long. And King Arthur 
 blamed Sir Gareth, because he left his fellowship and held with 
 Sir Launcelot. " My lord," said Sir Gareth, " he made me a 
 knight, and when I saw him so hard bestead, me thought it was 
 my worship to help him, because I saw him do so much, and 
 so many noble knights against him. And when I understood 
 that he was Sir Launcelot du Lake, I shamed me to see so 
 many knights against him alone." "Truly," said King Arthur 
 unto Sir Gareth, " ye say well, and worshipfully have ye done, 
 and to yourself great worship ; and all the days of my life," 
 said King Arthur unto Sir Gareth, "wit ye well, I shall love 
 you and trust you the better : for ever," said King Arthur, " it 
 is a worshipful knight's deed for to help another worshipful 
 knight, when he seeth him in great danger ; for, ever a worship- 
 ful man will be loth to see a worshipful man shamed : and he 
 that is of no worship, and fareth with cowardice, never shall he 
 show gentleness, nor no manner of goodness, whereas he seeth 
 a man in any danger ; for then ever a coward will show no 
 mercy, and always a good knight will do ever to another knight 
 as he would be done unto himself." So then there were made 
 great feasts to kings and dukes, and revel, game, and play, and 
 all manner of nobleness was used : and he that was courteous, 
 true, and faithful unto his friend, was that time cherished.
 
 THE BOOK OF THE QUEEN'S MAYING. 253 
 
 THE BOOK OF THE QUEEN'S MAYING. 
 I. 
 
 |ND thus it passed on from Candlemas until after 
 Easter, that the month of May was come, when 
 every lusty heart beginneth to blossom, and to 
 bring forth fruit. For, like as herbs and trees bring 
 forth fruit, and flourish in May, in likewise every 
 lusty heart, that is in any manner a lover, springeth and 
 flourisheth in lusty deeds ; for it giveth unto all lovers courage 
 that lusty month of May in some thing, for to constrain him in 
 some manner of thing, more in that month than in any other 
 month, for divers causes ; for then all herbs and trees renew a 
 man and woman. And, in likewise, lovers call again to their 
 mind old gentleness and old service, and many kind deeds that 
 were forgotten by negligence. For, like as winter rasure doth 
 always rase and deface green summer ; so fareth it by unstable 
 love in a man, and in woman, for in many persons there is no 
 stability. For we may see all day a little blast of winter's 
 rasure, anon we shall deface and put away true love for little or 
 naught, that cost much thing ; this is no wisdom nor stability, 
 but is feebleness of nature, and great disworship, whosoever 
 useth this. Therefore, like as May month flowereth and 
 flourisheth in many gardens, so in likewise let every man of 
 worship flourish his heart in this world ; first unto God, and 
 next unto the joy of them that he promiseth his faith unto. 
 For there was never worshipful woman, but they loved one 
 better than another. And worship in arms may never be 
 defiled. But first, reserve the honour unto God ; and secondly, 
 the quarrel must come of thy lady ; and such love I call virtuous 
 love. But now-a-days men cannot love, may not endure by 
 reason ; for where they be soon accorded, and hasty heat soon 
 cooleth ; right so fareth love now-a-days, soon hot, soon cold. 
 This is no stability, but the old love was not so. Men and 
 women could love together seven years, and no lusts were 
 between them ; and then was love truth and faithfulness. And 
 so in likewise was love used in King Arthur's days ; wherefore, 
 I liken love now-a-days unto summer and winter : for, like as 
 the one is hot and the other cold, so fareth love now-a-days. 
 Therefore, all ye that be lovers, call unto your remembrance 
 the month of May, like as did Queen Guenever, for whom I 
 make here a little mention, that while she lived she was a true 
 lover, and there she had a good end.
 
 254 THE BOOK OF THE QUEEN'S MA YING. 
 
 II. 
 
 Now it befell in the month of lusty May that Queen Guen- 
 ever called unto her knights of the Round Table, and she gave 
 them warning, that early in the morning she should ride 
 a-maying into woods and fields beside Westminster; "And I 
 warn you that there be none of you but that he be well horsed, 
 and that ye all be clothed in green ; and I shall bring with me 
 ten ladies, and every knight shall have a lady behind him, and 
 every knight shall have a squire and two yeomen, and I will that 
 ye and all be well horsed." So they made them ready in the 
 freshest manner, and these were the names of the knights : 
 Sir Kaye, Sir Agravaine, Sir Brandiles, Sir Sagramore, Sir 
 Donidas, Sir Ozanna, Sir Ladinas, Sir Persuant, Sir Ironside, 
 and Sir Pelleas. And those ten knights made them ready in 
 the most freshest manner to ride with the Queen. So on the 
 morrow they took their horses and rode a-maying with the 
 Queen in great joy and delight ; and the Queen purposed to 
 have been again with the King at the furthest by ten of the 
 clock, and so was her purpose at that time. Then there was a 
 knight, the which hight Sir Meliagraunce, and he was son unto 
 King Bagdemagus ; and this knight had at that time a castle of 
 the gift of King Arthur, within seven miles of Westminster. 
 And this knight, Sir Meliagraunce, loved passing well Queen 
 Guenever, and so he had done long and many years ; and he 
 had laid long in wait for to steal away the Queen, but evermore 
 he forbear, because of Sir Launcelot du Lake, for in nowise he 
 would meddle with the Queen if Sir Launcelot were in her 
 company, or else and he were near hand her ; and that time 
 there was such a custom, that the Queen rode never without a 
 great fellowship of men of arms about her ; and there were 
 many good knights, and the most part were young men that 
 would have worship, and they were called the Queen's knights, 
 and never in no battle, tournament, or jousts, they never bear 
 none of them no manner of knowledge of their own arms, but 
 plain white shields, and thereby they were called the Queen's 
 knights. And then when it happened any of them to be of 
 great worship by his noble deeds, then at the next high feast of 
 Pentecost, if there were any slain or dead, as there was no year 
 that failed but some were dead, then was there chosen in their 
 stead that were dead the most men of worship, that were called 
 the Queen's knights. And thus they came up all first, or they 
 were renowned men of worship, both Sir Launcelot and all the 
 remnant of them. But this knight, Sir Meliagraunce, had full
 
 THE BOOK OF THE QUEEN'S MAYING. 255 
 
 well espied the Queen and her purpose, and how Sir Launcelot 
 was not with her, and how she had no men of arms with her, 
 but the ten knights all arrayed in green for maying. Then he 
 purveyed him twenty men of arms, and a hundred archers to 
 destroy the Queen and her knights, for he thought that time was 
 the best season to take the Queen. 
 
 III. 
 
 So as the Queen had mayed and all her knights, all were 
 bedecked with herbs and flowers, in the best manner and 
 freshest. Right so came out of a wood Sir Meliagraunce, with 
 eight score men well armed, as they should fight in battle of arrest, 
 and bade the Queen and her knights abide, for maugre there 
 heads they should abide. " Traitor knight," said Queen Guen- 
 ever, "what thinkest thou to do? wilt thou shame thyself? 
 Bethink thee how thou art a king's son, and knight of the Round 
 Table, and thou to be about for to dishonour the noble king that 
 made thee knight; thou shamest the high order of knighthood 
 and thyself! And me, I let thee wit, shalt thou never shame, for 
 I had rather cut my throat in twain, rather than thou shouldest 
 dishonour me." "As for all this language," said Sir Melia- 
 graunce, " be it as it may, for wit ye well, madam, that I have 
 loved you many years, and never or now could I get you at 
 such advantage as I do now, and therefore I will take you as I 
 find you." Then spake the ten knights all with one voice, and 
 said, " Sir Meliagraunce, wit ye well ye are about to jeopard 
 your worship to dishonour, also ye cast for to jeopard our 
 persons ; howbeit we be unarmed, ye have us at a great advan- 
 tage, for it seemeth by you that ye have laid watch on us ; but 
 rather than ye should put the Queen to shame and us all, we 
 had as leave to depart from our lives, for and if we otherwise 
 did we were shamed for ever." Then Sir Meliagrance said, 
 " Dress you as well as ye can, and keep the Queen." Then 
 the ten knights of the Round Table drew their swords, and the 
 others let run at them with their spears ; and the ten knights 
 manly abode them, and smote away their spears, that no spear 
 did them harm. Then they lashed together with their swords, 
 and anon Sir Kaye, Sir Griflet, Sir Agravaine, Sir Dodinas, and 
 Sir Ozanna were smitten to the earth with grimly wounds. 
 Then Sir Brandiles and Sir Persaunt, Sir Ironside and Sir 
 Pelleas, fought long, and they were full sore wounded ; for these 
 knights, or ever they were laid to the ground, slew forty men of
 
 256 THE BOOK OF THE QUEEWS MA YING. 
 
 the best of them. So when the Queen saw her knights thus 
 dolefully wounded, and needs must be slain at the last, then for 
 pity and sorrow she cried and said, " Sir Meliagraunce, slay not 
 my knights, and I will go with thee upon this covenant, that 
 thou save them, and suffer them to be no more hurt ; with this, 
 that they be led with me wheresoever thou leadest me, for I 
 will rather slay myself than I will go with thee, unless that these, 
 my noble knights, may be in presence." " Madam," said Sir 
 Meliagraunce, " for your sake they shall be led with you into my 
 castle, with that ye will be ruled and ride with me." 
 
 Then Queen Guenever prayed the four knights to leave their 
 fight, and she and they would not depart. " Madam," said Sir 
 Pelleas, " we will do as ye do ; for as for me, I take no force of 
 my life nor death." For Sir Pelleas gave such buffets there, 
 that no armour might hold them. 
 
 IV. 
 
 THEN by the Queen's command they left battle, and dressed 
 the wounded knights on horseback, some sitting and some 
 athward, that it was pity to behold them. And then Sir 
 Meliagraunce charged the Queen and all the kr ights, that none 
 of her fellowship should depart from her ; lor full sore he 
 dreaded Sir Launcelot du Lake, lest he should have any 
 knowledge. All this espied the Queen, and privily she called 
 unto her a child of her chamber, which was swiftly horsed, to 
 whom she said, " Go thou, when thou seest thy time, and bear 
 this ring unto Sir Launcelot du Lake, and pray him as he 
 loveth me that he will come and see me, and that he rescue me 
 if ever he will have joy of me, and spare not thou thy horse," 
 said the Queen, "neither for water nor yet for land." And so 
 the child espied his time, and lightly he mounted upon his 
 horse, and smote him with his spurs, and so departed from 
 them as fast as ever his horse might run. And when Sir 
 Meliagraunce saw the child so flee, he understood well it was 
 by the Queen's command, for to warn Sir Launcelot. Then 
 they that were best horsed chased him, and shot at him ; but 
 the child went from them all. And then Sir Meliagraunce said 
 unto Queen Guenever, " Madam, ye be about to betray me ; 
 but I shall ordain for Sir Launcelot, that he shall not lightly come 
 at you." And then he rode with her and they all to his castle, in 
 all the haste that they might ; and by the way Sir Meliagraunce 
 laid in an ambushment the best archers that he might get in his
 
 THE BOOK OF THE QUEEN'S MAYING. 257 
 
 country, to the number of thirty, for to wait upon Sir Launcelot, 
 charging them, that if they saw such a manner of knight come 
 by the way upon a white horse, in anywise to slay his horse ; 
 but in no manner of wise not to have to do with him bodily, for 
 he is overhard to be overcome. So this was done, and they 
 were come to his castle ; but in nowise the Queen would never 
 let none of the ten knights and her ladies be out of her sight, 
 but alway they were in her presence : for that Sir Meliagraunce 
 durst make no masteries for dread of Sir Launcelot, insomuch 
 as he deemed that he had warning. So when the child was 
 departed from the fellowship of Sir Meliagraunce, within a 
 while he came to Westminster, and anon he found Sir Launcelot ; 
 and when he had told his message, and delivered him the 
 Queen's ring, " Alas ! " said Sir Launcelot, " now am I shamed 
 for ever only that I may rescue that noble lady from dishonour." 
 Then eagerly he asked his armour, and ever the child told Sir 
 Launcelot how the ten knights fought marvellously, and how 
 Sir Pelleas, Sir Ironside, Sir Brandiles, and Sir Persaunt of Inde 
 fought strongly, but mainly Sir Pelleas ; for there was none might 
 withstand him, and how they all fought till at the last they were 
 laid to the earth. And then the Queen made appointment for 
 to save their lives, and went with Sir Meligraunce. "Alas!" 
 said Sir Launcelot, "that that most noble knight should be 
 destroyed ; I had rather," said Sir Launcelot, " than all the 
 realm of France, that I had been there well armed." So when 
 Sir Launcelot was all armed and upon his horse, he prayed the 
 child of the Queen's chamber for to warn Sir Lavaine how sud- 
 denly he was departed, and for what cause ; and pray him that, 
 as he loveth me, that he will hie him fast after me, and that he 
 stint not till that he come to me unto the castle whereas Sir 
 Meliagraunce abideth or dwelleth. "For there," said Sir 
 Launcelot, " shall he hear of me, if I be a man living ; and 
 rescue the queen, and the ten knights, the which full traitorously 
 have been taken, that shall I prove upon his head, and all them 
 that holdeth with him." 
 
 V. 
 
 THEN Sir Launcelot rode as fast as he might, and then he 
 took the water at Westminster bridge, and made his horse for to 
 swim over the Thames to Lambeth. And then within a while 
 he came to the place whereas the ten knights had fought with 
 Sir Meliagraunce. And then Sir Launcelot followed the trace 
 until he came unto a wood, and there was a straight way, and
 
 258 THE BOOK OF THE QUEEN'S MAYING. 
 
 therein the thirty archers bade Sir Launcelot to turn again and 
 follow no longer the trace. " What command have ye thereto," 
 said Sir Launcelot, "to cause me, that am a knight of the Round 
 Table, to leave my right way ? " " This way shalt thou leave, or 
 else thou shalt go it upon thy feet ; for wit thou well, thy horse 
 shall be slain." " That is little mastery," said Sir Launcelot, 
 "for to slay my horse; but as for myself, when my horse is 
 slain, I give right nought for you, not and ye were five hundred 
 more." So then they shot Sir Launcelot's horse, and smote him 
 with many arrows. And then Sir Launcelot avoided his horse 
 and went on foot ; but there were so many ditches and hedges 
 between them and him, that he might not meddle with one of 
 them. " Alas ! for shame," said Sir Launcelot, " that ever 
 one knight should betray another knight ; but it is an old 
 saying, ' A good man is never in danger but when he is in 
 danger of a coward.' " Then Sir Launcelot went awhile on foot, 
 and then was he foul cumbered with his armour, shield, 
 and spear, and all that belonged to him ; wit ye well he 
 was full sore annoyed, and full loth he was to leave any 
 thing that belonged unto him, for he dread right sore the 
 treason of Sir Meliagraunce. And then by fortune there 
 came by a chariot, the which came thither for to fetch wood. 
 " Tell me, carter," said Sir Launcelot, " what I shall give thee 
 for to suffer me to leap into the chariot, and that thou bring me 
 unto a castle within these two miles." " Thou shalt not come 
 within my chariot," said the carter ; " for I am sent for to 
 fetch wood for my lord, Sir Meliagraunce." " With him would 
 I fain speak," said Sir Launcelot. " Thou shalt not go with 
 me," said the carter. Then Sir Launcelot leapt to him, and 
 gave him such a buffet, that he fell to the ground stark dead. 
 Then the other carter, his fellow, was afraid, and thought to have 
 gone the same way, and then he cried and said, " Fair lord, 
 save my life, and I will bring you where you will." " Then 
 I charge thee," said Sir Launcelot, "that thou drive me and 
 this chariot even unto Sir Meliagraunce Castle." " Leap up 
 into the chariot," said the carter, "and ye shall be there anon." 
 So the carter drove forth as fast as he could ; and Sir Launce- 
 lot's horse followed the chariot with more than forty arrows 
 broad and rough in him. And more than an hour and a-half 
 Queen Guenever was in a bye window waiting with her ladies, 
 and espied an armed knight standing in a chariot, " See, 
 madam," said a lady, " whereas rideth in a chariot a goodly 
 armed knight ; I suppose that he rideth to hanging." " Where ? " 
 said the Queen. And then the Queen espied by his shield
 
 THE BOOK OF THE QUEEN'S MAYING. 259 
 
 that he was there himself, Sir Launcelot du Lake. And then 
 she was aware where came his horse after that chariot. 
 "Alas ! " said the Queen, "now I see well and prove, that well 
 is him that hath a trusty friend. Ah ! most noble knight," 
 said Queen Guenever, " I see well that thou hast been hard 
 bestead, when thou ridest in a cart." Then she rebuked that 
 lady that likened him to ride in a chariot to hanging. " It was 
 foul mouthed," said the Queen, "and evil likened, so for 
 to liken the most noble knight in the world in such a shameful 
 death. Oh ! Jesu, defend him and keep him," said the Queen, 
 " from all mischievous end." By this was Sir Launcelot come 
 unto the gate of the castle, and he descended down, and cried, 
 that all the castle rang of it : " Where art thou, false traitor, Sir 
 Meliagraunce, and knight of the Round Table? Now come 
 forth here, thou false traitor knight, thou and thy fellowship 
 with thee, for here I am, Sir Launcelot du Lake ; I shall fight 
 with thee." And therewithal he bear the gate wide open upon 
 the porter, and smote him under his ear with his gauntlet, 
 that his neck brake asunder. 
 
 VI. 
 
 So when Sir Meliagraunce heard that Sir Launcelot was 
 come, he ran to the Queen, and fell upon his knees, and said, 
 " Mercy, madam ! now I put me wholly in your grace." 
 " What aileth you now?" said Queen Guenever : " forsooth, ye 
 might well wit that some good knight would revenge me, 
 though my lord King Arthur wist not of this your work." 
 " Madam," said Sir Meliagraunce, " all that is done amiss on 
 my part shall be amended, right as yourself will devise, and 
 wholly I put me in your grace." " What would ye that I did ? " 
 said the Queen. " I would no more," said Sir Meliagraunce, 
 " but that ye would take into your own hands, and that ye will 
 rule my lord, Sir Launcelot ; and such cheer as may be made 
 him in this poor castle ye and he shall have until to-morrow. 
 And then may ye and all your knights and ladies return to 
 Westminster, and my body, and all that I have, shall I put into 
 your rule." " Ye say well," said the Queen ; " and better is peace 
 than always war ; and the less strife is made, the more is my 
 worship." Then the Queen and her ladies went down unto the 
 knight, Sir Launcelot, which stood wroth out of measure in the 
 inner court for to abide battle, and ever he said, " Thou traitor 
 knight, come forth here ! " Then the Queen came unto him, and
 
 260 THE BOOK OF THE QUEERS MA YING. 
 
 said, " Sir Launcelot, why be ye so moved ? " " Ah ! madam," 
 said Sir Launcelot, " wherefore ask ye me that question ? Me 
 seemeth," said Sir Launcelot, " ye ought to be more displeased 
 than I am, for ye have the hurt and the dishonour ; for wit ye 
 well, madam, my hurt is but little for the killing of a mare's son, 
 but the despite grieveth me much more than all my hurt." 
 "Truly," said Queen Guenever, "ye say truth : but heartily I 
 thank you," said the Queen, " but ye must come in with me 
 peaceably, for all things is put in my hands, and all that is evil 
 shall be for the best, for the knight full sore repenteth him for 
 the misadventure that is befallen him." " Madam," said Sir 
 Launcelot, " sith it is so that ye are accorded with him ; as for 
 me, I may not be against it, howbeit Sir Meliagraunce hath 
 done full shamefully to me and full cowardly. Madam," said 
 Sir Launcelot, " if I had wist that ye would have been so soon 
 accorded with him, I would not have made such haste to you." 
 "Why say you so?" said the Queen : "do you forethink your- 
 self of your good deeds? Wit ye well," said the Queen, "I 
 accorded never unto him for favour, nor love that I have unto 
 him, but for to lay down every shameful noise." " Madam," 
 said Sir Launcelot, "ye understand full well that I was never 
 willing nor glad of shameful slander nor noise ; and there is 
 neither king, queen, nor knight that beareth life, except my 
 lord King Arthur and you, madam, that should let me, but that 
 I should make Sir Meliagraunce's heart full cold or I depart from 
 hence." " That wot I well," said the Queen, " but what will ye 
 more ; ye shall have all things ruled as ye like to have it." 
 " Madam," said Sir Launcelot, " so that ye be pleased, I care 
 not ; as for my part, ye shall full soon please." Right so the 
 Queen took Sir Launcelot by the bare hand, for he had put off 
 his gauntlet, and so she went with him to her chamber. And 
 then she commanded him to be unarmed ; and then Sir 
 Launcelot asked where the ten knights were, that were sore 
 wounded. So she showed them unto Sir Launcelot, and there 
 they made great joy of his coming ; and Sir Launcelot made 
 great dole for their hurts, and bewailed them greatly. And 
 there Sir Launcelot told them how cowardly and traitorously 
 Sir Meliagraunce had set archers to slay his horse, and how he 
 was fain to put himself in a chariot. Thus they complained the 
 one unto the other : and full fain they would have been revenged, 
 but they appeased themselves because of the Queen. Then Sir 
 Launcelot was called many a day after Le Chevalier du Chariot, 
 and did many deeds, and great adventures he had. 
 And so leave we off this tale of Chevalier du Chariot, and
 
 THE BOOK OF THE QUEEN'S MA YING. 261 
 
 return we unto our tale. So Sir Launcelot had great cheer with 
 the Queen ; and then Sir Launcelot made a promise with the 
 Queen, that the same night he should come into a window, 
 outward into a garden, and that window was barred with iron. 
 And there Sir Launcelot promised for to meet her, when all 
 folks were asleep. So then came Sir Lavaine driving to the 
 gate, crying, " Where is my lord, Sir Launcelot du Lake ? " 
 Then was he forthwith sent for, and when Sir Lavaine saw Sir 
 Launcelot he said, " My lord, I found well how ye were hard 
 bestead, for I have found your horse, the which was slain with 
 arrows." "As for that," said Sir Launcelot, "I pray you, Sir 
 Lavaine, speak ye of other matters, and let this pass ; and we 
 shall right it another time, when we best may." 
 
 VII. 
 
 THEN the knights that were wounded were searched, and 
 soft salves were laid to their wounds, and so it passed on till 
 supper time ; and all the cheer that might be made them, there it 
 was showed unto the Queen and her knights. Then, when season 
 was, they went to their chamber : but in no wise the Queen 
 would not suffer the wounded knights to be from her, but that 
 they were laid within draughts, upon beds and pillows, that she 
 herself might see to them, that they lacked nothing. So when Sir 
 Launcelot was in his chamber, that was assigned unto him, he 
 called unto him Sir Lavaine, and told him, that that night he must 
 go speak with his lady, Dame Guenever. "Sir," said Sir Lavaine, 
 " let me go with you, and it please you ; for I dread me sore of the 
 treason of Sir Meliagraunce." " Nay," said Sir Launcelot, " I 
 thank you ; I will have no person with me at this time." And 
 then Sir Launcelot took his sword in his hand, and privily went 
 unto a place whereas he had espied a ladder beforehand, and 
 that he took under his arm, and bear it through the garden, 
 and set it up in a window, and there anon the Queen was ready 
 to meet him ; and then they made either to other their com- 
 plaints of divers things : and then Sir Launcelot wished that he 
 might come in. " Wit ye well," said the Queen, " I would as 
 fain as ye that ye might come in." "Would ye, madam," said 
 Sir Launcelot, "with your heart that I were with you?" "Yea, 
 truly," said the Queen. " Now shall I prove my might," said 
 Sir Launcelot, " for the love of you." And then he set his hand 
 upon the bars of iron, and pulled at them with such a great 
 might, that he break them clean out of the stone walls ; and 
 therewithal one of the bars of iron cut the brawn of Sir
 
 262 THE BOOK OF THE QUEEN'S MAYING. 
 
 Launcelot's hand throughout to the bone, and then he leapt 
 into the chamber to the Queen. " Make ye no noise," said the 
 Queen, " for my wounded knights lie here fast by me." And 
 so, to pass forth upon this tale, Sir Launcelot took no force of 
 his hurt hand, but took his pleasure and his liking until it was 
 in the dawning of the day ; and wit ye well he slept not, but 
 watched. And when he saw the time that he might tarry no 
 longer, he took his leave, and departed at the window, and put 
 it together again as well as he might, and so departed and came 
 to his own chamber. And there he told Sir Lavaine how he 
 was hurt. Then Sir Lavaine dressed his hand, and staunched 
 it, and put upon it a glove, that it should not be espied. And 
 so the Queen lay long in her bed, until it was nine of the clock. 
 Then Sir Meliagraunce went to the Queen's chamber, and 
 found her ladies there ready clothed. "Jesu, mercy !" said Sir 
 Meliagraunce, " what aileth you, madam, that ye sleep thus 
 long?" And so forthwithal he opened the curtains for to 
 behold her ; and then was he ware where she lay, and all the 
 sheet and pillow was all bloody, with the blood of Sir Launcelot's 
 hurt hand : and when Sir Meliagraunce espied that blood, then 
 he deemed in himself that she was false unto the King, and 
 that some of the wounded knights had been with her all that 
 night. "Ah! madam," said Sir Meliagraunce, "now I have 
 found you false traitoress unto my lord, King Arthur ; for now I 
 prove it well, that it was not for nought that ye laid these 
 wounded knights within the bounds of your chamber. There- 
 fore I will accuse you of treason before my liege lord, King 
 Arthur, and now I have proved you, madam, with a shameful 
 deed, and that they be all false, or some of them, and that I will 
 make good ; for a wounded knight this night hath been with 
 you." "That is false," said the Queen, "and that I report me 
 to them all." Then, when the ten knights heard Sir Mclia- 
 graunce's words, they spake all with one voice, and said to Sir 
 Meliagraunce, "Thou ,sayest falsely, and wrongfully puttest 
 upon us such a deed ; and that we will make good, any of us, 
 choose which thou list of us, when we are whole of our wounds." 
 " Ye shall not," said Sir Meliagraunce, " say nay, with proud 
 language : for here ye may all see," said Sir Meliagraunce, 
 "that by the Queen this night a wounded knight hath lain." 
 Then were they all ashamed when they saw that blood. And 
 wit ye well that Sir Meliagraunce was passing glad that he had 
 the Queen at such advantage, for he deemed that should hide 
 his treason. So in this rumour came in Sir Launcelot, and 
 found them all at a great array.
 
 THE BOOK OF THE QUEEN'S MA YING. 263 
 
 VIII. 
 
 " AHA ! what array is this ? " said Sir Launcelot. Then Sir 
 Meliagraunce told him what he had found, and showed him the 
 Queen's bed. "Truly," said Sir Launcelot, "ye did not your 
 part, nor knightly, to touch a queen's bed, the while it was 
 drawn, and she lying therein. For I dare say, and make good, 
 that my lord King Arthur himself would not have displaced her 
 curtains, she being within her bed, unless that it had pleased 
 him to have' lain down by her ; and therefore have ye done 
 umvorshipfully and shamefully to yourself." "I wot not what 
 you mean," said Sir Meliagraunce : "but well I am sure there 
 hath one of her wounded knights lain with her this night ; and 
 therefore I will prove it, by my hands, that she is a traitoress 
 unto my lord, King Arthur." " Beware what ye do," said Sir 
 Launcelot, " for and ye say so, and that he will prove it, it shall 
 be taken at your hands." " My lord, Sir Launcelot," said Sir 
 Meliagraunce, " be you aware also what ye do ; for though ye 
 are never so good a knight, as wot ye well that ye are renowned 
 the best knight of the world, yet should ye be advised to do 
 battle in a wrong quarrel. For God will have a stroke in every 
 battle that is done." " As for that," said Sir Launcelot, " God 
 is to be dreaded. But as to that I say nay plainly, that this 
 night there was none of these ten wounded knights with my lady, 
 Queen Guenever, and that will I prove with my hands, that ye 
 say untruly in that now." . " Hold ! " said Sir Meliagraunce, 
 " here is my glove, that she is a traitoress unto my lord, King 
 Arthur." "And I receive your glove," said Sir Launcelot. And 
 so they were sealed with their signets, and delivered to the ten 
 knights. " Upon what day shall we do battle together ? " said 
 Sir Launcelot. " This day eight days," said Sir Meliagraunce, 
 " in the field beside Westminster." " I am agreed," said Sir 
 Launcelot. " But now," said Meliagraunce, " sith it is that we 
 must do battle together, I beseech you, as ye are a noble knight, 
 await me with no treason, nor no villainy, in the meanwhile." 
 "Nor none for you, so God me help," said Sir Launcelot : "ye 
 shall right well wit I was never of these conditions, for I report 
 me unto all knights that ever knew me, I used never no treason ; 
 nor I loved never to be in the fellowship of no man that used 
 treason." " Then let us go to dinner," said Sir Meliagraunce, 
 " and after dinner ye and the Queen, and ye all, may ride unto 
 Westminster." " I will well," said Sir Launcelot. And then 
 Sir Meliagraunce said unto Sir Launcelot, "Please it you to see 
 the features of this castle?" "With a good will," said Sir
 
 264 THE BOOK OF THE QUEEN* S MAYING. 
 
 Launcelot. And then they went together from chamber to 
 chamber : for Sir Launcelot dreaded no perils. For ever a man 
 of worship and of prowess dreadeth always perils least ; for 
 they ween that every man is as they be ; but always he that 
 dealeth with treason putteth a man oft in great danger. So it 
 befell upon Sir Launcelot that no peril dreaded. And, as he 
 went with Sir Meliagraunce, he trod on a trap, and the board 
 rolled, and therewith Sir Launcelot fell down more than ten 
 fathom into a cave, upon straw. And then Sir Meliagraunce 
 departed, and made semblance as though he had not wist 
 where he was. And when Sir Launcelot was thus missed, 
 they marvelled where he was become ; and then Queen Guen- 
 ever, and many of them, deemed that he was departed, as he 
 was wont to do suddenly. For Sir Meliagraunce made sud- 
 denly to put out of the way Sir Launcelot's horse, that they 
 might all understand that Sir Launcelot was departed suddenly. 
 So it past forth until after dinner, and then Sir Lavaine would 
 not stint until that he had ordained horse-litters for the 
 wounded knights, that they might be laid in them ; and so with 
 the Queen, and them all, both ladies and gentlewomen, and many 
 other went to Westminster. And the knights told unto King 
 Arthur how Sir Meliagraunce had appealed the Queen of high 
 treason ; and how Sir Launcelot had received the glove of him, 
 and this day eight days they shall do battle together afore you. 
 " By my head," said King Arthur, " I am afraid that Sir 
 Meliagraunce hath taken upon him a great charge : but where 
 is Sir Launcelot ?" said the King. " Sir," said they all, " we wit 
 not where he is ; but we deem he is ridden to some adventures, 
 as he is oftentimes wont to do, for he hath Sir Lavaine's horse." 
 " Let him be," said the king ; " he will be found, but if he 
 be trapped with some treason." 
 
 IX. 
 
 Now return we unto Sir Launcelot, lying within that cave, in 
 great pain. And every day there came a lady and brought him 
 his meat and his drink, and wooed him to have his love ; and 
 ever the noble knight, Sir Launcelot, said her nay. "Sir 
 Launcelot," said she, " ye are not wise, for ye may never come 
 out of this prison, but if ye have my help ; and also your lady, 
 Queen Guenever, shall be burnt in your default, unless that you 
 be there at the day of battle." " God defend it," said Sir 
 Launcelot, "that she should be burnt in my default ; and if
 
 THE BOOK OF THE QUEEN'S MA YING. 265 
 
 that be so," said Sir Launcelot, "that I may not be there, it 
 shall be well understood, of both the King and of the Queen, 
 and with all men of worship, that I am dead, or sick, or else in 
 prison ; for all men that know me will say for me, that I am in 
 some evil case, if I be not there that day : and well I wot there 
 is some good knight, either of my blood, or else some other that 
 loveth me, that will take my quarrel in hand ; and, therefore," 
 said Sir Launcelot, " wit ye well that ye shall not fear me : and 
 if there were no more women in this land but you, I would not 
 have your love." " Then art thou shamed and destroyed for 
 ever," said the lady. " As for world's shame," said Sir Launce- 
 lot, " Jesu defend me ; and as for my distress, it is welcome 
 whatsoever it be that God sendeth me." So she came unto Sir 
 Launcelot that same day that the battle should be, and said to 
 him, " Sir Launcelot, me thinketh ye are too strong hearted ; 
 but wouldest thou kiss me once, I would deliver thee and thine 
 armour, and the best horse that is within Sir Meligraunce's 
 stable." " As for to kiss you," said Sir Launcelot, " I may do 
 that and loose no worship ; and wit you well, and I understand 
 there was any disworship for to kiss you, I would not do it " 
 Then he kissed her, and then she gat him, and brought him to 
 his armour. And when he was armed she brought him to a 
 stable, whereas stood twelve good coursers, and bade him choose 
 the best. Then Sir Launcelot looked upon a white courser 
 which liked him best ; and anon he commanded the keeper fast 
 to saddle him with the best saddle of war that was there : and 
 so it was done as he commanded. Then gat he his spear in his 
 hand, and his sword by his side, and commended the lady to 
 God, and said, " Lady, for this good deed I shall do you service, 
 if ever it be in my power." 
 
 X. 
 
 Now leave we Sir Launcelot galloping all that he might, and 
 speak we of Queen Guenever that was brought to a fire to have 
 been burnt ; for Sir Meliagraunce was sure him thought that 
 Sir Launcelot should not be at that battle ; and, therefore, he 
 ever cried upon King Arthur for to do him justice, or else for to 
 bring forth Sir Launcelot. Then was the King and all the 
 court full sore abashed and shamed, that the Queen should be 
 burnt in the default of Sir Launcelot. " My good lord, King 
 Arthur," said Sir Lavaine, " ye may right well understand that 
 it is not well with my lord, Sir Launcelot, for and he were alive, 
 so that he be not sick or in prison, wit ye well that he would be
 
 266 THE BOOK OF THE QUEEN'S MAYING. 
 
 here, for never heard ye that ever he failed his part for whom he 
 should do battle for ; and, therefore, now," said Sir Lavaine, 
 " my lord, King Arthur, I beseech you give me license to 
 do battle here this day for my lord and master, and for to save 
 my lady, the Queen." " Gramercy, gentle knight, Sir Lavaine," 
 said King Arthur, " for I dare say that that Sir Meliagraunce 
 putteth upon my lady, Queen Guenever, is wrong ; for I have 
 spoken with all the ten wounded knights, and there is not 
 one of them, and he were whole, and able to do battle, but 
 that he would prove upon Sir Meliagraunce's body that it 
 is false that he putteth upon the Queen." " So shall I," said 
 Sir Lavaine, " in defending of my lord, Sir Launcelot, and 
 ye will give me leave." " Now I give you leave," said King 
 Arthur, " and do your best ; for I dare well say there is some 
 treason done to Sir Launcelot." Then was Sir Lavaine horsed, 
 and suddenly at the list's end he rode to perform this battle. 
 And right as the heralds should cry, " Laissez les aller" right 
 so came in Sir Launcelot, driving with all the force of his 
 horse. And so King Arthur cried, " Go and abide." Then was 
 Sir Launcelot called before King Arthur on horseback, and 
 there he told openly before the King, and all them that were 
 present, how Sir Meliagraunce had served him first and last. 
 And when the King and the Queen and all the lords knew of 
 the treason of Sir Meliagraunce, they were all ashamed on 
 his behalf. And then was Queen Guenever sent for, and set 
 by the King in great trust of her champion. And so then there 
 was no more to say, but Sir Launcelot and Sir Meligraunce 
 dressed them unto battle, and took their spears, and so they 
 came together as thunder, and there Sir Launcelot bore him 
 down quite over his horse's croup : and then Sir Launcelot 
 alighted and dressed his shield on his shoulder, with his sword 
 in his hand : and Sir Meligraunce in the same wise dressed 
 him unto Sir Launcelot. And there they smote many strokes 
 together ; and at the last Sir Launcelot smote him such a 
 buffet upon the helm, that he fell on the one side to the ground, 
 and then he cried upon him aloud, " Most noble knight, Sir 
 Launcelot du Lake, I pray you save my life, for I yield me unto 
 you ; and I beseech you, as ye be a knight and fellow of the 
 Round Table, slay me not, for I yield me as an overcome 
 knight ; and, whether I shall live or die, I put me in the King's 
 hands and yours." Then Sir Launcelot wist not what to 
 do, for he had rather than all the good of the world he might 
 have been revenged upon Sir Meliagraunce. And then Sir 
 Launcelot looked towards Queen Guenever if he might espy,
 
 THE BOOK OF THE QUEENS MA YIA'G. 267 
 
 by any sign or countenance, what he should have done : and 
 then the Queen wagged her head upon Sir Launcelot, as though 
 she should say, Slay him. Full well knew Sir Launcelot, by the 
 wagging of the head, that she would have had him dead. Then 
 Sir Launcelot bade him " arise for shame, and perform that 
 battle to the uttermost." " Nay," said Sir Meliagraunce, " I 
 will never arise until that ye take me as yielden and recreant." 
 " I shall proffer you large proffers," said Sir Launcelot ; u that 
 is to say, I shall unarm my head, and the left quarter of my 
 body, all that may be unarmed, and I shall let bind my left 
 hand behind me, so that it shall not help me ; and right so 
 I shall do battle with you." When Sir Meliagraunce heard 
 that, he started up on his legs, and said on high, " My lord, 
 King Arthur, take heed to this proffer, for I will take it, and let 
 him be disarmed and bound according unto his proffer." 
 " What say ye," said King Arthur unto Sir Launcelot ; " will ye 
 abide by your proffer ? " " Yea, my lord," said Sir Launcelot, 
 " I will never go from that I have once said." Then the 
 knights' porters of the field disarmed Sir Launcelot, first his 
 head, and after his left arm, and his left side ; and then they 
 bound his left arm behind his back, without shield or any thing, 
 and then were they put together. Wit ye well, there was many 
 a lady and knight marvelled that Sir Launcelot would jeopard 
 himself in such wise. Then Sir Meliagraunce came with his 
 sword all on high, and Sir Launcelot showed him openly his 
 bare head, and the bare left side ; and when he weened to have 
 smitten him upon the head, then lightly he avoided the left leg and 
 the left side, and put his right hand and his sword to that stroke, 
 and so put it aside with great sleight ; then, with great force, Sir 
 Launcelot smote him upon the helmet such a buffet, that the 
 stroke carved the head in two parts. Then there was no more to 
 do, but he was drawn out of the field ; and, at the instance of the 
 knights of the Round Table, the King suffered him to be buried, 
 and the mention made upon him, and for what cause he was 
 slain. And then the King and the Queen made much of Sir 
 Launcelot, and more he was cherished than ever he was before. 
 And so leave I here off this tale, and overskip great books of 
 Sir Launcelot du Lake, what great adventures he did when he 
 was called Le Chevalier du Chariot : for because of despite 
 of those knights and ladies that called him the- knight that rode 
 in the chariot, like as he had been judged to the gallows. 
 Therefore, in despite of all them that named him so, he was 
 carried in a chariot twelve months ; for, but little after he had 
 slain Sir Meliagraunce in the Queen's quarrel, he never in
 
 268 SIX LAUNCELOT AND THE KING. 
 
 twelve months came on horseback ; and he did, in those twelve 
 months, more than forty battles : and, because I have lost the 
 very matter of Le Chevalier du Chariot, I depart from the tale of 
 Sir Launcelot, and here I go unto the death of King Arthur, 
 and that caused by Sir Agravaine. 
 
 THE BOOK OF SIR LAUNCELOT AND THE KING. 
 I. 
 
 j,T that season of the merry month of May, when every 
 heart flourisheth and rejoiceth ; for, as the season is 
 lusty to behold and comfortable, so man and woman 
 rejoice, and be glad of summer coming with her fresh 
 flowers : for winter, with his rough winds and blasts, 
 causeth a lusty man and woman to cower, and sit by the fire. 
 So in this season, as the month of May, it happened there befell 
 a great misfortune, the which stinted not till the flower of 
 chivalry of all the world was destroyed and slain : and all was 
 long of two unhappy knights, the which were named Sir Agra- 
 vaine and Sir Mordred, that were brethren unto Sir Gawaine ; 
 for these two knights, Sir Agravaine and Sir Mordred, had ever 
 a privy hate unto the Queen, Dame Guenever, and unto Sir 
 Launcelot ; and, daily and nightly, they ever watched upon Sir 
 Launcelot. So it mishappened Sir Gawaine and his brethren 
 were in King Arthur's court ; and then Sir Agravaine said thus 
 openly, and not in counsel, that many knights might hear it, " I 
 marvel that we all be not ashamed both to see and know how 
 Sir Launcelot cometh daily and nightly to the Queen, and all 
 we know it so ; and it is shamefully suffered of us all, that we 
 all should suffer so noble a King, as King Arthur is, so to be 
 ashamed." Then spake Sir Gawaine, and said, " Brother, Sir 
 Agravaine, I pray you and charge you, have no such matter any 
 more before me ; for wit you well," said Sir Gawaine, " I will 
 not be of your counsel." " So God me help," said Sir Gaheris 
 and Sir Gareth, "we will not be known, brother Sir Agravaine, 
 of your deeds." " Then will I," said Sir Mordred. " I believe 
 that well," said Sir Gawaine ; "for ever unto all unhappiness, 
 brother Sir Mordred, thereto will ye grant : and I would that ye 
 left all this, and made you not so busy ; for I know well enough,"
 
 SIR LAUNCELOT AND THE KING. 269 
 
 said Sir Gawaine, " what will befall of it." " Fall of it what fall 
 may," said Sir Agravaine, " I will disclose it unto the King." 
 " Ye shall not do it by my counsel," said Sir Gawaine ; "for, if 
 there arise any war and wrath between Sir Launcelot and us, 
 wit you well, brother, there will many kings and great lords hold 
 with Sir Launcelot. Also, brother Sir Agravaine," said Sir 
 Gawaine, "ye must remember how oftentimes Sir Launcelot 
 hath rescued the King and the Queen ; and the best of us all 
 had been full cold at the heart-root, had not Sir Launcelot been 
 a better knight than we, and that hath he proved himself so oft : 
 and, as for my part," said Sir Gawaine, " I will never be against 
 Sir Launcelot for one day's deed, as when he rescued me from 
 King Carados, of the Dolorous Tower, and slew him, and saved 
 my life. Also, brothers Sir Agravaine and Sir Mordred, in 
 likewise Sir Launcelot rescued you both, and threescore and 
 two, from Sir Torquine. Me thinketh, brother, such kind deeds 
 and kindness should be remembered." "Do as ye list," said 
 Sir Agravaine ; "for I will hide it no longer." With these words 
 came to them King Arthur. " Now, brother, stint your noise," 
 said Sir Gawaine. "We will not," said Sir Agravaine and Sir 
 Mordred. "Will ye so?" said Sir Gawaine ; "then God speed 
 you ; for I will not hear your tales, nor be of your counsel." 
 " Nor more will I," said Sir Gareth and Sir Gaheris : " for we 
 will never say evil of that man ; for because," said Sir Gareth, 
 " Sir Launcelot made me knight, by no manner ought I to say 
 evil of him." And therewith they three departed, making great 
 dole. "Alas!" said Sir Gawaine and Sir Gareth, "now is the 
 realm whole mischief, and the noble fellowship of the Round 
 Table shall be dispersed." So they departed. 
 
 II. 
 
 AND then King Arthur asked them what noise they made ? 
 " My lord," said Sir Agravaine, " I shall tell you which I may 
 keep no longer. Here is I and my brother, Sir Mordred, brake 
 unto my brother, Sir Gawaine, Sir Gaheris, and Sir Gareth. 
 Now this we know all, that Sir Launcelot holdeth your Queen, 
 and hath done long ; and we be your sister's sons, and we may 
 suffer it no longer : and we know all, that ye are the King that 
 made him knight ; and, therefore, we will prove it that he is 
 traitor to your person." " If it be so," said King Arthur, " wit 
 ye well he is none other ; but I would be loth to begin such a 
 thing but if I might have proofs upon it : for I tell you Sir
 
 270 SfR LAUNCELOT AND THE KING. 
 
 Launcelot is a hardy knight, and all ye know he is the best 
 knight among us all. And but, if he be taken with the deed, 
 he will fight with him that bringeth up the noise, and I 
 know no knight that is able to match with him : therefore, 
 and it be sooth as ye say, I would he were taken with the 
 deed." For King Arthur was loth thereto, that any noise 
 should be upon Sir Launcelot and his Queen ; for the King- 
 had a deeming, but he would nut hear of it, for Sir Launcelot 
 had done so much for him and for his Queen so many 
 times, that wit ye well King Arthur loved him passingly 
 well. " My lord," said Sir Agravaine, " ye shall ride to-morrow 
 on hunting, and doubt not Sir Launcelot will not go with you ; 
 then when it draweth towards night, ye may send the Queen 
 word that ye will lie out all that night : and so may ye send for 
 your cooks, and then upon pain of death we shall take him that 
 night with the Queen, and either we shall bring him to you dead 
 or quick." " I will well," said the King : " then I counsel you," 
 said the King, " take with you sure fellowship." " Sir," said 
 Sir Agravaine, " my brother Sir Mordred and I will take with 
 us twelve knights of the Round Table." " Be well ware," said 
 King Arthur, " for I warn you ye shall find him full weighty." 
 " Let us deal," said Sir Agravaine. 
 
 So on the morrow King Arthur rode on hunting, and sent 
 word unto the Queen that he would lie out all that night. Then 
 Sir Agravaine and Sir Mordred gat unto them twelve knights, 
 and hid themselves in a chamber in the castle of Carlisle, and 
 thus were their names ; first, Sir Colgrevaunce, Sir Mador de 
 la Port, Sir Gingaline, Sir Melior de Logris, Sir Petipace, of 
 Winchelsea ; Sir Galleron, of Galway ; Sir Melion, of the 
 Mountain ; Sir Astamore, Sir Gromore Somor Jour, Sir 
 Curselaine, Sir Florence, Sir Lovell. So these twelve knights 
 were with Sir Mordred and Agravaine ; and all they were of 
 Scotland, either of Sir Gawaine's kin, either well-willers of his 
 brethren. So when the night came, Sir Launcelot told Sir 
 Bors how he would go that night and speak with Queen 
 Guenever. " Sir," said Sir Bors, " ye shall not go this night by 
 my counsel." "Why?" said Sir Launcelot. "Sir," said Sir 
 Bors, " I always dread me much of Sir Agravaine, which 
 waiteth you daily for to do you shame and us all, and never 
 gave my heart against you going that ever ye went to the Queen 
 so much as now ; for I mistrust that the King is out this night 
 from the Queen, because peradventure he hath lain some watch 
 for you and the Queen, and therefore I dread me sore of treason." 
 "Have ye no doubt," said Sir Launcelot, "for I shall go, and
 
 S/R LAUNCELOT AND THE KING. 271 
 
 come again, and make no tarrying." " Sir," said Sir Bors, 
 " that me sore repenteth, for I dread me greatly that your going 
 out this night shall wrath us all." " Fair nephew," said Sir 
 Launcelot, " I marvel me much why ye say thus, sithence the 
 Queen hath sent for me ; and wit ye well that I will not be such 
 a coward, but that she shall understand I will see her good grace." 
 " God speed you well," said Sir Bors, " and send you safe and 
 sound again." 
 
 III. 
 
 So Sir Launcelot departed, and took his sword underneath his 
 arm ; and so that noble knight went forth in his mantle, and 
 put himself in great jeopardy : and so he passed till he came 
 unto the Queen's chamber. And then Sir Launcelot was 
 lightly put into the chamber ; and thus as the Queen and Sir 
 Launcelot were together, there came Sir Agravaine and Sir 
 Mordred, with twelve knights with them of the Round Table, 
 and with a crying voice they said thus : " Traitor knight, Sir 
 Launcelot du Lake, now art thou taken ; " and thus they cried 
 with a loud voice, that all the court might hear it : and they 
 all were fourteen, armed at all points, as they should fight 
 in a battle. "Alas!" said Queen Guenever, "now are we 
 mischieved both." " Madam," said Sir Launcelot, " is here 
 any armour within your chamber that I might cover my body 
 withal, and if there be any, I pray you heartily let me have 
 it, and I shall soon stint their malice by the grace of God." 
 " Truly," said the Queen, " I have none armour, shield, 
 sword, or spear, where, I dread me sore our long love is 
 come to a mischievous end ; for I hear by their noise there be 
 many valiant knights, and well I wot they be surely armed, 
 against them ye may not resist, wherefore ye are like to be 
 slain, and then shall I be burnt ; for, and ye might escape 
 them," said the Queen, " I would not doubt but that ye would 
 rescue me in what danger soever I stand in." " Alas ! " said 
 Sir Launcelot, " in all my life was I never thus bestood, that I 
 should be thus shamefully slain for lack of mine armour." But 
 always Sir Agravaine and Sir Mordred cried, " Traitor knight, 
 come out of the Queen's chamber ; for, wit thou well, thou art 
 so beset, that thou shalt not escape." " O Jesu mercy," said 
 Sir Launcelot, "this shameful cry and noise we might not suffer; 
 for better were death at once than thus to endure this pain." 
 Then he took the Queen in his arms and kissed her, and said, 
 " Most noble Christian Queen, I beseech you, as ye have ever
 
 272 //? LAUNCELOT AND THE KING. 
 
 been my special good lady, and I at all times your true and poor 
 knight to my power, and as I never yet failed you in right, nor 
 yet in wrong, since the first day that King Arthur made me 
 knight, that ye will pray for my soul if that I be slain ; for well 
 I am assured, that Sir Bors, my nephew, and all the remnant of 
 my kin, with Sir Lavaine and Sir Urre, that they will not fail 
 you for to rescue you from the fire ; and, therefore, mine own 
 lady, recomfort yourself whatsoever come of me, that ye go with 
 Sir Bors, my nephew, and Sir Urre, and they will do you all the 
 pleasure they can or may, that ye shall live like a queen upon 
 my lands." " Nay, Sir Launcelot," said the Queen, " wit thou 
 well I will never live a day after thy days ; but, and thou be 
 slain, I will take my death as meekly, for Jesu Christ's sake, as 
 ever did any Christian Queen." " Well, madam," said Sir 
 Launcelot, " since it is so that the day is come that our love 
 must depart, wit you well that I shall sell my life as dear as I 
 may ; and a thousandfold," said Sir Launcelot, " I am more 
 heavier for you than for myself. And now I had rather than to 
 be lord of all Christendom, that I had sure armour upon me, 
 that men might speak of my deeds or I were slain." " Truly," 
 said Queen Guenever, " I would, and it might please God, that 
 they would take me and slay me, and suffer you to escape." 
 " That shall never be," said Sir Launcelot : " God defend me 
 from such a shame, but Lord Jesu be thou my shield and mine 
 armour." 
 
 IV. 
 
 AND therewithal Sir Launcelot wrapped his mantle round 
 about his arm well and surely ; and by then they had gotten 
 a great form out of the hall, and therewithal they dashed at the 
 chamber door. " Fair lords," said Sir Launcelot, " leave your 
 noise and your dashing, and I shall set open the door, and then 
 may ye do with me what it liketh you to do." " Come off then," 
 said they all, " and do it, for it availeth thee not to strive against 
 us all, and therefore let us into the chamber, and we shall save 
 thy life until thou come to King Arthur." Then Sir Launcelot 
 unbarred the door, and with his left hand he held it open a 
 little, so that but one man might enter at once. And so anon 
 there came in a striding good knight, and a big man, and a 
 large, which was called Sir Colgrevaunce, of Gore ; and he, with 
 a sword, struck at Sir Launcelot mightily, and he put aside the 
 stroke, and gave him such a buffet upon the helm, that he 
 fell down dead, grovelling within the chamber door ; and
 
 5/7? LAUNCELOT AND THE KING. 273 
 
 then Sir Launcelot, with his great might, drew that dead 
 knight within the chamber door ; and then Sir Launcelot, with 
 the help of the Queen and her ladies, was lightly armed in Sir 
 Colgrevaunce's armour. And ever stood Sir Agravaine and 
 Sir Mordred crying, "Traitor knight, come out of the Queen's 
 chamber." " Let be your noise," said Sir Launcelot unto Sir 
 Agravaine, " ye shall not prison me this night ; and, therefore, 
 do ye by my counsel ; go ye all from this chamber door, and 
 make no such crying, and such manner of slander as ye do ; 
 for I promise -'ou by my knighthood, and ye will depart and 
 make no more noise, I shall, as to-morrow, appear before you 
 all, and before the King, and then let it be seen which of you 
 will accuse me of treason : and there I shall answer you as 
 a knight ought to do, that hither I came for no manner of evil, 
 and that I will prove and make good with mine own hands." 
 " Fie on thee, false traitor," said Sir Agravaine and Sir Mordred, 
 " we will have thee maugre thy head, and slay thee if we list, 
 for we will let thee to wit that we have the choice of King 
 Arthur to save thee or to slay thee." "Ah, sirs," said Sir 
 Launcelot, " is there none other grace with you, then keep your- 
 self." So then Sir Launcelot set the chamber door wide 
 open, and mightily and knightly he strode among them ; 
 and anon, at the first buffet, he slew Sir Agravaine, and 
 twelve of his fellows, within a little while after, he had laid 
 them to the cold earth ; and there was none of all the twelve 
 that might stand with Sir Launcelot a buffet. Also, Sir Launce- 
 lot wounded Sir Mordred, and he fled with all his might. And 
 then Sir Launcelot returned again unto the Queen and said, 
 " Madam, now wit ye well that all our true love is brought unto 
 end ; for now will King Arthur ever be my foe ; and therefore, 
 madam, and if it like you that I may have you with me, and I 
 shall save you from all manner of ill adventures and danger." 
 " That is not best," said the Queen ; " me seemeth now ye have 
 done so much harm, it will be best ye hold you still with this ; 
 and if ye see that as to-morrow they will put me unto the death, 
 then may ye rescue me as ye think best." " I will well," said 
 Sir Launcelot, " for have ye no doubt while I am living I shall 
 rescue you." And then he kissed her, and either gave other a 
 ring ; and so there he left the Queen, and went to his lodging. 
 
 18
 
 274 SIR LAUNCELOT AND THE KING. 
 
 V. 
 
 So, when Sir Bors saw Sir Launcelot, he was never so glad 
 of his home-coming as he was at that time. "Jesu, mercy," 
 said Sir Launcelot, "what may this mean?" "Sir," said 
 Sir Bors, " after that ye were departed from us, we all, that 
 be of your blood and your well-willers, were so dreaming, that 
 some of us leapt out of our beds naked ; and some, in their 
 dreams, caught naked swords in their hands ; therefore," said 
 Sir Bors, " we deem there is some great strife at hand. And 
 then we all deemed that ye were betrayed with some treason : 
 and, therefore, we made us thus ready, what need soever ye 
 had been in." " My fair nephew," said Sir Launcelot unto 
 Sir Bors, " now shall ye wit all, that this night I was more 
 harder bestead than ever I was in my life, and yet I escaped." 
 And so he told them all how, and in what manner, as ye have 
 heard before. " And therefore, my fellows," said Sir Launcelot, 
 " I beseech you all that ye will be of good heart, in what need 
 soever that I stand in, for now is war come to us all." " Sir," 
 said Sir Bors, " all is welcome that God sendeth us, and 
 we all have had much wealth with you and much worship, 
 and therefore we will take the woe with you as we have 
 taken the wealth." And therefore they said all, which were 
 many knights, " Look that ye take no discomfort, for there 
 is no band of knights under heaven but that we shall be able to 
 grieve them as much as they may us ; and, therefore, discomfort 
 not yourself by no means, and ye shall gather together those 
 that we love, and that loveth us, and what ye will have done 
 shall be done ; and therefore, Sir Launcelot," said they, " we will 
 take the woe with the wealth." "Gramercy," said Sir Launcelot, 
 " of your good comfort ; for in my great distress, my fair nephew, 
 ye comfort me greatly, and much I am beholden unto you ; but 
 this, my fair nephew, I would that ye did in all haste that ye 
 may, or it be four days, that ye will look in their lodgings, that 
 been lodged here nigh about the King, which will hold with me, 
 and which will not, for now I would fain know which were my 
 friends from my foes." " Sir," said Sir Bors, " I shall do what 
 I may ; and, or it be seven of the clock, I shall wit of such as ye 
 have said before, who will hold with you or not." Then Sir 
 Bors called to him Sir Lionel, Sir Ector de Maris, Sir Blamor 
 de Ganis, Sir Bleoberis de Ganis, Sir Galahautine, Sir Gali- 
 hodine, Sir Galihud, Sir Menadewke, with Sir Villiers the 
 Valiant, Sir Hebes le Renomes, Sir Lavaine, Sir Urre of 
 Hungary, Sir Neroveus, and Sir Plenorius, these two Sir
 
 LAUNCELOT AND THE KING. 275 
 
 Launcelot made knights, and the one of them he won upon 
 a bridge, and therefore they would never be against him. And 
 Sir Harry le Fife de Lake, and Sir Selises of the Dolorous 
 Tower, and Sir Melias de Lile, and Sir Bellangere le Beuse, 
 which was Sir Alisaunder, Lorphelin's son, because his mother, 
 Dame Alis la Beale Pilgrim, was of kin unto Sir Launcelot, he 
 held with him. So there came Sir Palomides, and Sir Safre, 
 his brother, to hold with Sir Launcelot, and Sir Clegis of 
 Sadocke, and Sir Dinas, and Sir Clarius of Claremount. So 
 these two-and-twenty knights drew them together, and anon 
 they were armed and on horseback, and promised Sir Launcelot 
 to do what he would. Then there fell to them what of North 
 Wales, and what of Cornwall, for Sir Lamoracke's sake, and for 
 Sir Tristram's sake, to the number of fourscore good and valiant 
 knights. "My lords," said Sir Launcelot, "wit ye well that I 
 have been ever, sithence I came into this country, well witling 
 unto my lord, King Arthur, and unto my lady, Queen Guenever, 
 unto my power ; and this night, because my lady, the Queen, 
 sent for me to speak with her, I suppose it was by treason ; 
 howbeit I dare largely excuse her person, notwithstanding I was 
 thereby aforecast nigh slain, but as Jesu provided me, I escaped 
 all their malice : " and then that noble knight, Sir Launcelot, told 
 them all how he was hard bestead in the Queen's chamber, and 
 how and in what manner he escaped from them. "And there- 
 fore," said Sir Launcelot, " wit ye well, my fair lords, I am sure 
 there is naught but war unto me and mine ; and for because I 
 have slain this night these knights, as Sir Agravaine, Sir 
 Gawaine's brother, and at the least twelve of his fellows, and for 
 this cause now I am sure of mortal war. These knights were 
 sent and ordained by King Arthur to betray me, and therefore 
 the King will in his hate and malice judge the Queen to the fire, 
 and that may I not suffer, that she should be burnt for my sake. 
 For and I may be heard and suffered, and so taken, I will fight 
 for the Queen, that she is a true lady unto her lord ; but the 
 King in his heat, I dread me, will not take me as I ought to be 
 taken." 
 
 VI. 
 
 "MY lord Sir Launcelot," said Sir Bors, "by mine advice ye 
 shall take the woe with the wealth, and take it patiently, and 
 thank our Lord God for it. And sithence it is fallen as it is, I 
 counsel you to keep yourself ; for if ye will yourself, there is no 
 fellowship christened of knights that shall do you any wrong.
 
 276 SIX LAUNCELOT AND THE KING. 
 
 Also, I will counsel you, my lord Sir Launcelot, that and my 
 lady, Queen Guenever, be in distress, insomuch as she is in pain 
 for your sake, that ye knightly rescue her. And if ye did other- 
 wise, all the world will speak of your shame to the world's end, 
 insomuch as ye were taken with her Whether ye did right or 
 wrong, it is now your part to hold with the Queen, that she be 
 not slain and put to a mischievous death, for and the Queen 
 die so, the shame shall be yours." " Oh, good Lord Jesu ! 
 defend me from shame," said Sir Launcelot, " and keep and 
 save my lady the Queen from villainy and from shameful death, 
 and that she never be destroyed in my default. And therefore, 
 my fair lords, ye that be of my kin and my friends," said Sir 
 Launcelot, " what will ye do ? " Then they said all, " We will do 
 as ye will do yourself." " I put this to you," said Sir Launcelot, 
 " that if my lord, King Arthur, by evil counsel, will to-morrow 
 in his heat put my lady the Queen to the fire, there to be burnt, 
 now I pray you counsel me what is best to be done." Then 
 they said all at once, with one voice, " Sir, we think that the 
 best that ye may do is this : that ye knightly rescue the Queen, 
 inasmuch as she shall be burnt it is for your sake : and it is to 
 be supposed that if ye might be handled, ye should have the 
 same death, or else a more shamefuller death. And, sir, we 
 say all, that many times ye have rescued the Queen from death, 
 for other men's quarrels, us seemeth it is more your worship 
 that ye rescue the Queen from this peril, so much as she hath it 
 for your sake." Then Sir Launcelot stood still and said, " My 
 fair lords, wit ye well that I would be loth to do that thing that 
 should dishonour you or my blood. And wit ye well I would be 
 right loth that my lady the Queen should die a shameful death : 
 but and it be so that ye will counsel me for to rescue her, I 
 must do much harm or I rescue her ; and peradventure I shall 
 there destroy some of my best friends, which would repent 
 me much. And peradventure there be some, and they could 
 well bring it about, or disobey my lord, King Arthur, they 
 would full soon come to me, the which I were loth to hurt ; 
 and if so be that I should rescue her, where should I keep 
 her?" "That shall be the least care of us all," said Sir Bors. 
 " How did the noble knight, Sir Tristram, by your good will? 
 Did not he keep with him la beale Isoud nigh three years 
 in Joyous Card, the which was done by both your advices, 
 and that same place is your own. And in likewise may ye do 
 as ye list, and take the Queen lightly away, if it be so that the 
 King will judge her to be hurt ; and in Joyous Card ye may 
 keep her long enough, until the heat of the King be past, and
 
 SfK LA LANCELOT AND THE KING. 277 
 
 then shall ye bring again the Queen unto the King with great 
 worship ; and then, peradventure, ye shall have thanks for 
 her bringing home again, where other shall have maugre." 
 "That is hard to do," said Sir Launcelot ; "for by Sir Tristram 
 I may have a warning : for when by means of the treaty Sir 
 Tristram brought again la beale Isoud unto King Marke, from 
 Joyous Card, look what fell on the end, how shamefully that 
 false traitor (King Marke) slew that noble knight as he sat 
 harping before his lady, la beale Isoud, with a sharp grounded 
 lance-head thrust him behind to the heart. It grieveth me," 
 said Sir Launcelot, " to speak of his death, for all the world 
 may not find such a knight." "All this is truth," said Sir 
 Bors, " but there is one thing shall courage you and us all. 
 Ye know well that King Arthur and King Marke were never 
 like of conditions, for there was never yet man that could 
 prove King Arthur untrue of his promise." So, to make short 
 tale, they were all consented that for better or worse, if it were 
 so that the Queen were on the morrow brought to the fire, 
 shortly they all would rescue her. And so, by the advice of 
 Sir Launcelot, they put them all to an ambushment in a little 
 wood as nigh Carlisle as they might, and there they abode still 
 for to wit what the King would do. 
 
 VII. 
 
 Now turn we again unto Sir Mordred, which when he was 
 escaped from the noble knight, Sir Launcelot, he anon gat 
 his horse and mounted upon him, and rode straight to King 
 Arthur, sore wounded, and beaten, and all bebled. And there 
 he told the King all how it was, and how they were all slain but 
 he. "Jesus, mercy ! how may this be ?" said the King ; "did 
 ye take him in the Queen's chamber." " Yea, so God me help," 
 said Sir Mordred, " there we found him unarmed, and there he 
 slew Sir Colgrevaunce, and armed him in his armour ; and all 
 this he told the King from the beginning to the ending." 
 
 " Ah ! Jesus mercy," said the king, " he is a marvellous 
 knight of prowess. Alas ! me sore repenteth," said the King, 
 " that ever Sir Launcelot should be against me ; now I am sure 
 the noble fellowship of the Round Table is broken for ever, for 
 with him will hold many a noble knight : and now it is befallen 
 so," said King Arthur, "that I may not with my worship but 
 that the Queen must suffer death." So then there was made 
 great ordinance in this heat, that the Queen must be judged to 
 death. And the law was such in those days, that whatsoever
 
 278 SSR LA UNCELOT AND THE KING. 
 
 they were, of what estate or degree, if that they were found 
 guilty of treason, there should be none other remedy but death, 
 and either the men or the taking with the dead should be the 
 causer of their hasty judgment. And right so was it ordained 
 for Queen Guenever ; because Sir Mordred was escaped sore 
 wounded, and the death of twelve knights of the Round Table : 
 these proofs and experiences caused King Arthur to command 
 the Queen to the fire there to be burnt. Then spake Sir 
 Gawaine, and said, " My lord, King Arthur, I would counsel 
 you, and not to be overhasty, but that ye would put in respite 
 this judgment of my lady, the Queen, for many causes. One is, 
 though it were so that Sir Launcelot were found in the Queen's 
 chamber, yet it might be so that he came thither for none evil. 
 For ye know, my lord," said Sir Gawaine, "that the Queen is 
 much beholden to Sir Launcelot, more than to any other knight 
 alive : for oftentimes he hath saved her life, and done battle for 
 her, when all the court refused the Queen. And, peradventure, 
 she sent for him for goodness, and for none evil, to reward him 
 for the good deeds he had done to her in time past ; and, 
 peradventure, my lady, the Queen, sent for him to that intent, 
 that Sir Launcelot should come to her good grace privily and 
 secretly, weening to her that it was best so to do, in eschewing 
 and dreading of slander. For oftentimes we do many things 
 that we ween it is for the best, and yet peradventure it turneth 
 to the worst : for I dare say," said Sir Gawaine, " that my lady, 
 your Queen, is to you both good and true. And as for Sir 
 Launcelot," said Sir Gawaine, " he will make it good upon any 
 knight living, that will put upon himself any villainy or shame ; 
 and in likewise he will make good for my lady, Dame Guenever." 
 "That I believe well," said King Arthur, "but I will not that 
 way with Sir Launcelot, for he trusteth so much upon his hands 
 and his might, that he doubteth no man ; and therefore, for the 
 Queen, he shall never fight more, for she shall have the law. 
 And if that I may get Sir Launcelot, wit ye well he shall have a 
 shameful death." "Jesu defend," said Sir Gawaine, "that I 
 may never see it." " Wherefore say ye so ? " said King Arthur 
 unto Sir Gawaine : "for truly ye have no great cause to love Sir 
 Launcelot, for this night last past he slew your own brother, 
 Sir Agravaine, a full good knight ; and also he had almost slain 
 your other brother, Sir Mordred ; and also there he slew twelve 
 good knights ; and also, Sir Gawaine, remember you how he slew 
 two sons of yours, Sir Florence and Sir Lovel." " My lord," 
 said Sir Gawaine, " of all this I have knowledge, of whose 
 death I repent me sore : but insomuch as I gave them warning,
 
 LAUNCELOT AND THE KING. 279 
 
 and told my brethren and my sons beforehand what would fah 
 in the end, insomuch as they would not do by my counsel, I will 
 not meddle me thereof, nor revenge me nothing of their deaths , 
 for I told them it was no boot to strive with Sir Launcelot , 
 howbeit I am sorry of the death of my brother and of my sons, 
 for they were the causers of their own death. For oftentimes I 
 warned my brother, Sir Agravaine, and told him the perils the 
 which be now befallen." 
 
 VIII. 
 
 THEN said the noble King Arthur to Sir Gawaine, " My dear 
 nephew, I pray you that ye will make you ready in your best 
 array, with your brethren, Sir Gaheris and Sir Gareth, to bring 
 my Queen to the fire, there to have her judgment, and receive 
 her death." " Nay, my most noble lord," said Sir Gawaine, 
 " that will I never do in my life : for wit you well, that I 
 will never be in place where so noble a queen, as is my lady 
 Queen Guencver, shall take such a shameful ending. For 
 wit ye well," said Sir Gawaine, "that my heart will never 
 serve me to see her die ; and it shall never be said that ever 
 I was of your counsel of her death." " Then," said King 
 Arthur unto Sir Gawaine, " suffer your brothers, Sir Gaheris 
 and Sir Gareth, to be there." " My lord," said Sir Gawaine, 
 " wit you well that they will be loth to be there present, because 
 of many adventures which be like to fall there ; but they are 
 young, and full unable to say you nay." Then spake Sir 
 Gaheris, and the good knight, Sir Gareth, unto King Arthur, 
 " Sir, ye may well command us to be there, but wit ye well 
 it shall be sore against our will ; but and we be there by your 
 straight commandment, ye shall plainly hold us there excused : 
 we will be there in peaceable wise, and bear no harness of 
 war upon us." "In the name of God," said the King, "then 
 make you ready, for she shall soon have her judgment." 
 " Alas ! " said Sir Gawaine, " that ever I should endure to 
 see this woeful day." So Sir Gawaine turned him and wept 
 heartily, and so he went into his chamber. And then the 
 Queen was led forth without Carlisle, and there she was 
 despoiled unto her smock ; and so then her ghostly father 
 was brought to her, to be shriven of her misdeeds. Then there 
 was weeping and wailing, and wringing of hands, of many lords 
 and ladies. But there was but few, in comparison, that would 
 bear any armour, for to strengthen the death of the Queen.
 
 28o SfK LAUNCELOT AND THE KING. 
 
 Then was there one which Sir Launcelot had sent unto that 
 place, for to espy what time the Queen should go unto her 
 judgment ; and anon, as he saw that the Queen was despoiled 
 unto her smock, and also that she was shriven, then he gave Sir 
 Launcelot warning thereof. Then was there spurring and 
 plucking up of horses. And right so they came to the fire, 
 and who that stood against them there, they were slain ; there 
 might none withstand Sir Launcelot : so all that bear arms, and 
 withstood them, there were they slain many a noble knight. 
 For there was slain Sir Belias le Orgulous, Sir Sagwardes, Sir 
 Griflet, Sir Brandiles, Sir Aglouvaile, Sir Tor, Sir Gauter, Sir 
 Guillimere, Sir Reinolds, three brethren, Sir Damas, Sir Priamus, 
 Sir Kaye, the stranger, Sir Driaunt, Sir Lambegus, Sir Herminde, 
 Sir Pertelopoe, Sir. Perimone's two brethren, which were called 
 the green knight and the red knight. And at this rushing and 
 hurtling, as Sir Launcelot through here and there, it mishap- 
 pened him to slay Sir Gaheris, and the noble knight, Sir 
 Gareth, for they were unarmed and unaware. For Sir Launce- 
 lot smote Sir Gareth and Sir Gaheris upon the brain-pans, 
 wherethrough they were both slain in the field. Howbeit, 
 in very truth, Sir Launcelot saw them not ; and so were they 
 found dead among the thickest of the press. Then, when Sir 
 Launcelot had thus done, and had put them to flight all they 
 would withstand him, then he rode straight unto Queen 
 Guenever, and made a kirtle and a gown to be cast upon her, 
 and then he made her to be set behind him, and prayed her to 
 be of good cheer. Wit ye well that the Queen was glad that 
 she was escaped from death : and then she thanked God and 
 Sir Launcelot. And so he rode his way with the Queen 
 unto Joyous Gard, and there he kept her as a noble knight 
 should do. And many great lords and kings sent Sir Launcelot 
 many good knights ; and many noble knights drew unto Sir 
 Launcelot. When this was known openly, that King Arthur 
 and Sir Launcelot were at debate, many knights were glad of 
 their debate, and many knights were sorry of their debate. 
 
 IX. 
 
 Now turn we again to King Arthur, that, when it was told 
 him how and in what manner of wise the Queen was taken 
 away from the fire, and when he heard of the death of his noble 
 knights, and in special of Sir Gaheris and Sir Gareth's death, 
 then the King swooned for pure sorrow : and, when he was
 
 S/A' LAUNCELOT AND THE KING. 281 
 
 revived, he said, " Alas ! that ever I bare any crown upon my 
 head, for I have now lost the fairest fellowship of noble knights 
 that ever held Christian king together. Alas ! my good knights 
 be slain away from me : now, within these two days, have I 
 lost forty knights, and also the noble fellowship of Sir Launcelot 
 and his blood, for now I may never more hold them together 
 with my worship. Alas ! that ever this war began. Now, 
 fair fellows," said the King, " I charge you that no man tell Sir 
 Gawaine of the death of his two brethren ; for I am sure," said 
 the King, "when Sir Gawaine heareth that Sir Gareth, his 
 brother, is dead, he will nigh go out of his mind. Oh, merciful 
 Jesu ! " said the King, " why slew he Sir Gareth and Sir 
 Gaheris. For I dare say, as for Sir Gareth, he loved Sir 
 Launcelot above all earthly men." "That is truth," said some 
 knights ; "but they were slain in the hurtling, as Sir Launcelot 
 thrang in the thick of the press ; and, as they were unarmed, he 
 smote them, and wist not whom he smote, and so unhappily 
 they were slain." " The death of them," said King Arthur, 
 " will cause the greatest mortal war that ever was. I am sure, 
 wist Sir Gawaine that Sir Gareth were slain, I should never 
 have rest of him till that I had destroyed Sir Launcelot's kin and 
 himself both, or else he to destroy me, and therefore wit you 
 well that his heart was never so heavy as it is now ; and much 
 more greater sorrow for my good knights' loss than for the loss 
 of my Queen ; for queens might have enough, but such a fellow- 
 ship of good knights shall never be together in no company. 
 And now I dare say," said the King, "that there was never 
 Christian king that held such a fellowship together. Alas ! 
 that ever Sir Launcelot and I should be at debate. Ah ! 
 Agravaine ! Agravaine!" said the King, "Jesu forgive it thy 
 soul, for thine evil will that thou and thy brother, Sir Mordrecl, 
 had unto Sir Launcelot, hath caused all this sorrow." And ever, 
 among these complaints, King Arthur wept and swooned. 
 
 Then there came one unto Sir Gawaine, and told him 
 the Queen was laid away with Sir Launcelot, and nigh twenty- 
 four knights slain. " Oh, Jesu ! defend my brethren," said Sir 
 Gawaine, " for full well wist I that Sir Launcelot would rescue 
 her, or else he would die in the field : and so, for to say the 
 truth, he had not been a man of worship if he had not rescued 
 the Queen that day, insomuch as she should have been burnt 
 for his sake. And as in that," said Sir Gawaine, "he hath done 
 but knightly, and as I would have done myself, and I had stood 
 in like case. But where are my brethren ? " said Sir Gawaine ; 
 " I marvel that I hear not of them." " Truly,'' said the man,
 
 282 577? LAUNCELOT AND THE KING. 
 
 "your two brethren, Sir Gareth and Sir Gaheris, be slain." 
 " Jesu defend ! " said Sir Gawaine, " for all the good in the 
 world, I would not that they were slain, and in especial Sir 
 Gareth." " Sir," said the man, " he is slain, and that is great 
 pity." "Who slew him?" said Sir Gawaine. "Sir," said the 
 man, " Sir Launcelot slew them both." " That may I not 
 believe," said Sir Gawaine, "that he slew my brother, Sir Gareth ; 
 for I dare say my brother Sir Gareth loved him better than me, 
 and all his brethren, and the King both. Also, I dare say, and 
 if Sir Launcelot had desired my brother, Sir Gaheris, to have 
 been with him, he would have been with him against the King, 
 and us all, and therefore I may never believe that Sir Launcelot 
 slew my brother." " Sir," said the man, " it is noised that he 
 slew him." 
 
 X. 
 
 "ALAS!" said Sir Gawaine, "now is all my joy gone," and 
 then he fell down in a swoon, and long he lay there, as he had 
 been dead ; and then, when he arose out of his swoon, he cried 
 out so ruefully, and said, "Alas ! " And right so Sir Gawaine 
 ran unto the King, crying and weeping, " Oh, King Arthur, mine 
 uncle, my good brother, Sir Gaheris, is slain, and my brother, 
 Sir Gareth, also, the which were two noble knights." Then the 
 King wept, and he both, and they fell down in a swoon. And 
 when they were revived again, Sir Gawaine spake and said, 
 " Sir, I will go see my brother, Sir Gareth." " Ye may not see 
 him," said the King, " for I caused him to be buried, and Sir 
 Gaheris both. For I well understood that he would make over 
 much sorrow ; and the sight of Sir Gareth should have caused 
 you double sorrow." " Alas ! mine own lord," said Sir 
 Gawaine, " who slew my brother, Sir Gareth ? mine own good 
 lord, I pray you that you will tell me." " Truly," said the King, 
 " I shall tell you as it is told me : Sir Launcelot slew him and 
 Sir Gaheris both." " Alas ! " said Sir Gawaine, " neither of 
 them bear none arms against him." " I wot not how it was," 
 said the King, " but, as it is said, Sir Launcelot slew them both 
 in the thickest of the press, and knew them not, and therefore 
 let us make a remedy for to revenge their deaths." 
 
 " My most gracious lord, and my uncle," said Sir Gawaine, 
 " wit you well that now I shall make you a promise, the which 
 I shall hold by my knighthood, that from this day I shall never 
 fail Sir Launcelot, until the one of us has slain the other, and 
 therefore I require you, my lord and my King, dress you unto the
 
 SIR LAUNCELOT AND THE KING. 283 
 
 war : for, wit you well, I shall be revenged upon Sir Launcelot. 
 And, therefore, as ye will have my service and my love, now 
 haste you thereto, and assay your friends ; for I promise unto 
 God," said Sir Gawaine, " that for the death of my brother, Sir 
 Gareth, I shall seek Sir Launcelot throughout seven kings' 
 realms, but I shall slay him, or else he shall slay me." " Ye 
 shall not need to seek him so far," said the King ; " for, as I 
 heard say, Sir Launcelot will abide me and you in Joyous 
 Gard, and much people draweth unto him, as I hear say." 
 " That may I full well believe," said Sir Gawaine ; " but, my 
 lord, assay your friends, and I will assay mine." " It shall 
 be done," said the King ; " and, as I suppose, I shall be big 
 enough to draw him out of the highest tower of his castle." So 
 then King Arthur sent letters and writs throughout all England, 
 both in the length and in the breadth, for to assemble all his 
 knights. And so unto King Arthur drew many knights, dukes, 
 and earls, so that he had a great host. And, when they were 
 assembled, the King informed them all how Sir Launcelot had 
 bereft him of his Queen. Then the King and all his host made 
 them ready to lay siege about Sir Launcelot, where as he lay 
 within Joyous Gard. Thereof heard Sir Launcelot, and pursued 
 him of many a good knight ; for with him held many knights, 
 some for his own sake, and some for the Queen's sake. Thus 
 they were on both parties well furnished and garnished of all 
 manner of things that belonged to the war. But King Arthur's 
 host was so big, that Sir Launcelot would not abide him in the 
 field : for he was full loth to do battle against the King. But Sir 
 Launcelot drew him to his strong castle, with all manner of 
 victuals, and as many noblemen as might suffice, both within the 
 town and the castle. Then came King Arthur and Sir Gawaine, 
 with a huge host, and laid a siege about Joyous Gard, both at 
 the town and at the castle ; and there they made full strong 
 war on both parties. But in nowise Sir Launcelot would not 
 ride out nor go out of the castle of a long time, neither would he 
 suffer none of his good knights to issue out, neither none of the 
 town, nor of the castle, until fifteen weeks were past. 
 
 XI. 
 
 So it befell on a day in harvest that Sir Launcelot looked 
 over the walls, and spake on high to King Arthur and Sir 
 Gawaine : " My lords, both wit ye well it is in vain that ye 
 labour at this siege, for here win ye no worship, but dishonour
 
 284 SfH LAUNCELOT AND THE KING. 
 
 and maugre ; for, and it list me come out myself and my good 
 knights, I should full soon make an end of this war." " Come 
 forth," said King Arthur unto Sir Launcelot, " and thou darest, 
 and I promise thee I shall meet thee in the midst of the field." 
 "God defend me," said -Sir Launcelot, "that ever I should 
 encounter with the most noble King that made me a knight." 
 "Fie upon thy fair language," said the King; "for wit thou 
 well, and trust it, that I am thy mortal foe, and ever will be to 
 my dying day ; for thou hast slain my good knights and the 
 noble men of my blood, which I shall never recover again ; also 
 thou hast holden my Queen many winters, and since like a 
 traitor taken her from me by force." " My most noble King," 
 said Sir Launcelot, "ye may say what ye will ; for wit you well 
 that with yourself I will not strive : but whereas ye say that I 
 have slain your good knights, I wot well that I have done so, 
 and that me sore repenteth, but I was enforced to do battle with 
 them in saving of my life, or else I must have suffered them to 
 have slain me ; and as for my lady, Queen Guenever (except 
 your person of your highness, and my lord, Sir Gawaine), there 
 is no knight under heaven that dare make it good upon me, that 
 ever I was a traitor unto your person ; and where it pleaseth 
 you to say that I have holden my lady, your Queen, years and 
 winters, unto that I shall make answer, and prove it upon any 
 knight that beareth life (except your person, and Sir Gawaine), 
 that my lady, Queen Guenever, is a true lady unto your person, 
 and that will I make good with my hands ; howbeit it hath 
 liked her good grace to have me in charity, and to cherish me 
 more than any other knight ; and unto my power I have 
 deserved her love again : for oftentimes, my lord, ye have 
 consented that she should be burnt and destroyed in your heat, 
 and then it fortuned me to do battle for her, and, on that I 
 departed from her adversaries, they confessed their untruths, 
 and she full worshipfully excused. And at such times, my lord 
 Arthur," said Sir Launcelot, "ye loved me, and thanked me 
 when I saved your Queen from the fire, and then ye promised 
 me for ever to be rny gracious lord, and now me thinketh ye 
 reward me full evil for my good service. And, my good lord, 
 me seemeth that I had lost a part of my worship in my knight- 
 hood if I had suffered my lady, your Queen, to have been 
 burnt, insomuch as she should have been burnt for my sake : for 
 since I have done battles for your Queen in other quarrels than 
 in mine own, me seemeth now I had more right to do battle for 
 her in a right quarrel ; and, therefore, my good and gracious 
 lord," said Sir Launcelot, "take your Queen unto your good
 
 Sffi LAUNCELOT AND THE KING. 285 
 
 grace, for she is both fair, true, and good." " Fie on thee, false, 
 recreant knight," said Sir Gawaine ; " I let thee to wit that my 
 lord, mine uncle, King Arthur, shall have his Queen, and thee 
 maugre thy visage, and slay you both, where it shall please 
 him." "It may well be," said Sir Launcelot ; "but wit ye 
 well, my lord, Sir Gawaine, and me list to come out of 
 this castle, ye should win me and the Queen more harder 
 than ever ye won a strong battle." " Fie upon thy proud 
 words," said Sir Gawaine ; " as for my lady, the Queen, I 
 will never say of her shame. Ah ! thou false, recreant knight, 
 what cause hadst thou to slay my good brother, Sir Gareth, 
 that loved thee more than all thy kin ? Alas ! thou madest 
 him knight with thine hands ; why slewest thou him that 
 loved thee so well ?" " For to excuse me," said Sir Launcelot, 
 "it helpeth me not ; but, by Jesu," said Sir Launcelot, "and by 
 the faith that I owe unto the high order of knighthood, I 
 should, with as good a will, have slain my nephew, Sir Bors de 
 Ganis, at that time. But alas ! that ever I was so unhappy," 
 said Sir Launcelot, " that I had seen Sir Gareth and Sir 
 Gaheris." "Thou liest, false, recreant knight," said Sir Gawaine, 
 " thou slewest him in despite of me ; and, therefore, wit thou 
 well that I shall make war unto thee, all the while that I 
 may live." " That me sore repenteth," said Sir Launcelot, 
 "for well I understand that it helpeth me not to seek for none 
 accordment whiles that ye, Sir Gawaine, are so mischievously 
 set ; and if ye were not, I would not doubt to have the good 
 grace of my lord, King Arthur." " I believe it well, false, 
 recreant knight," said Sir Gawaine, " for thou hast many 
 long days overlaid me, and us all, and hast destroyed many 
 of our good knights." "Ye say as it pleased you," said Sir 
 Launcelot, " and yet may it never be said on me, and openly 
 proved, that ever I before cast of reason slew a good knight, 
 as ye, my lord, Sir Gawaine, have done ; and so did I never, but 
 in my own defence, and that I was driven thereto in saving of 
 my life." " Ah ! false knight," said Sir Gawaine, " that thou 
 meanest by Sir Lamoracke ; but wit thou well that I slew him." 
 " Ye slew him not yourself," said Sir Launcelot, " for it had 
 been overmuch for you to have slain him, for he was one of the 
 best knights christened of his age, and it was great pity of his 
 death."
 
 286 SSI? LAUNCELOT AND THE KING. 
 
 XII. 
 
 THEN said Sir Gawaine unto Sir Launcelot, " Sith them 
 upbraidest me of Sir Lamoracke, wit thou well I shall never 
 leave thee till I have thee at such advantage, that thou shalt 
 not escape my hands." " I trust you well enough," said Sir 
 Launcelot, "that if ye may get me, I shall have but little 
 mercy." But King Arthur would have taken his Queen again, 
 and would have been accorded with Sir Launcelot, but Sir 
 Gawaine would not suffer him by no manner of means. And 
 then Sir Gawaine made many men to blow upon Sir Launcelot, 
 and all at once they called him " False, recreant knight." 
 Then when Sir Bors de Ganis, Sir Ector de Maris, and Sir 
 Lionel heard this outcry, they called unto them Sir Palomides, 
 and Sir Safre, his brother, and Sir Lavaine. with many other 
 more of their blood ; and all they went unto Sir Launcelot, and 
 to him they said thus : " My lord, Sir Launcelot, wit ye well 
 that we have great scorn of the great rebukes that we heard Sir 
 Gawaine say unto you, wherefore we beseech you, and charge 
 you as ye will have our service, keep us no longer within these 
 walls ; wit you well, we will ride into the field, and do battle 
 with them ; for ye fare as a man that was afraid : and for all 
 your fair speech, it will not avail you ; for wit ye well, Sir 
 Gawaine will not suffer you to be accorded with King Arthur : 
 and, therefore, fight for your life and your right, and ye dare." 
 " Alas ! " said Sir Launcelot, " for to ride out of this castle, and 
 do battle, I am full loth to do it." Then Sir Launcelot spake 
 on high unto King Arthur and Sir Gawaine : " My lords, I 
 require you and beseech you, since I am thus required and con- 
 jured to ride into the field, that neither you, nor my lord, King 
 Arthur, nor you, Sir Gawaine, come not into the field." "What 
 shall we do then?" said Sir Gawaine ; "is not this the King's quar- 
 rels with thee to fight, and it is my quarrel to fight with thee, Sir 
 Launcelot : because of the death of my brother, Sir Gareth." 
 " Then must I needs unto battle," said Sir Launcelot : " now 
 wit ye well, my lord, King Arthur, and Sir Gawaine, ye will 
 repent it, whensoever I do battle with yoft." And so then they 
 departed either from the other ; and then on the morrow either 
 party made them ready for to do battle, and great purveyance 
 was made on both sides ; and Sir Gawaine let purvey many 
 knights for to wait upon Sir Launcelot, for to overset him, and 
 to slay him. And on the morrow, at nine in the morning, King 
 Arthur was ready in the field with three great hosts ; and then 
 Sir Launcelot's fellowship came out at three gates, in full good
 
 LAUNCELOT AND THE KING. 287 
 
 array : and Sir Lionel came in the foremost battle, and Sir 
 Launcelot came in the middle battle, and Sir Bors came out at 
 the third gate. Thus they came in order and rule as valiant 
 knights ; and always Sir Launcelot charged all his knights in 
 any wise to save King Arthur and Sir Gawaine. 
 
 XIII. 
 
 THEN came forth Sir Gawaine from the knights' host, and he 
 came before and proffered to joust ; and Sir Lionel was a fiery 
 knight, and lightly he encountered with Sir Gawaine, and there 
 Sir Gawaine smote Sir Lionel throughout the body, that he 
 dashed unto the earth as he had been dead : and then Sir Ector 
 de Maris, and many others, bear him unto the castle. Then 
 began a great stir, and much people was there slain. And ever 
 Sir Launcelot did what he might to save the people on King 
 Arthur's part ; for Sir Palomides, and Sir Bors, and Sir Safre 
 overthrew many knights, for they were deadly knights ; and Sir 
 Blamor de Ganis, and Sir Bleoberis de Ganis, with Sir Bellan- 
 gere le Breuse, these six knights did much damage and hurt. 
 And ever King Arthur was nigh about Sir Launcelot for to have 
 slain him ; and Sir Launcelot suffered him, and would not strike 
 again. So Sir Bors encountered with King Arthur, and there 
 with a spear Sir Bors smote him down to the ground ; and so he 
 alighted and drew his sword, and said \into Sir Launcelot, 
 "Shall I make an end of this war." And he meant for to have 
 slain King Arthur. " Not so hardy," said Sir Launcelot, " upon 
 pain of thy head that thou touch him no more ; for I will see 
 that most noble King that made me a knight neither slain nor 
 shamed." And therewithal Sir Launcelot alighted from his 
 horse, and took up the King, and horsed him again, and said 
 unto him thus : " My lord, Arthur, for God's love stint this 
 strife, for ye may get here no worship, and I would do mine 
 uttermost, but ever I forbear you ; and ye nor none of yours 
 forbeareth me. My lord, remember what I have done in many 
 places, and now I am evil rewarded." When King Arthur was 
 again on horseback, he looked upon Sir Launcelot, and then the 
 tears burst out of his eyes, thinking on the great courtesy that 
 was in Sir Launcelot, more than in any other man : and there- 
 with the King rode forth his way, and might no longer behold 
 him, and said to himself, " Alas ! that ever this war began." 
 And then either parties of the battles withdrew them for to rest 
 them, and buried the dead bodies, and to the wounded men
 
 288 SIR LAUNC&LOT AND THE KING. 
 
 they laid soft salves. And thus they endured that night till on 
 the morrow ; and, on the morrow, by undern, they made them 
 ready to do battle : and then Sir Bors led them forward. So 
 on the morrow came Sir Gawaine, as grim as any bear, with a 
 spear in his hand. And when Sir Bors saw him, he thought to 
 revenge his brother, Sir Lionel, of the despite that Sir Gawaine 
 had done him the other day : and so they that knew either other 
 feutred their spears, and, with all the might of their horses and 
 themselves, they met together so furiously, that either bear other 
 through, and so they fell both to the ground : and then the battles 
 joined together, and there was great slaughter on both sides. 
 Then Sir Launcelot rescued Sir Bors, and sent him into the castle. 
 But neither Sir Gawaine nor Sir Bors died not of their wounds, for 
 they were both holpen. Then Sir Lavaine and Sir Urre prayed 
 Sir Launcelot to do his pain, and fight as they done, "for we see 
 that ye forbear and spare, and that doth much harm ; there- 
 fore, we pray you, spare not your enemies, no more than they 
 do you." " Alas ! " said Sir Launcelot, " I have no heart to 
 fight against my lord, King Arthur, for always me seemeth I do 
 not as I ought to do." " My lord," said Sir Palomides, " though 
 ye spare them all this day, they will never give you thanks ; and 
 if they may get you at any vantage, ye are but dead." So then 
 Sir Launcelot understood well that they told him truth, and then 
 he strained himself more than he did aforehand, and because 
 that his nephew, Sir Bors, was sore wounded. And then, within 
 a little while, by even-song time, Sir Launcelot and his party 
 better stood : for their horses went in blood above their foot- 
 locks, there was so much people slain on both parties : and then, 
 for pity, Sir Launcelot withdrew his knights, and so did King 
 Arthur's part ; and then Sir Launcelot and his party entered 
 into their castle, and either party buried the dead bodies, and 
 put salve to the wounded men. 
 
 So when Sir Gawaine was hurt, they, on King Arthur's party, 
 were not half so orgulous and proud as they were before to do 
 battle. Of this war was noised through all Christendom; and, 
 at the last, it was noised before the Pope ; and he considering 
 the great goodness of King Arthur and Sir Launcelot, which 
 was called the most noble knight of the world, wherefore the 
 Pope called unto him a noble clerk, that at that time was there 
 present, which was the Bishop of Rochester. And the Pope 
 gave him bulls, under lead, unto King Arthur of England, 
 charging him, upon pain of interdicting of all England, that he 
 take his Queen, Dame Guenever, to him again, and accord with 
 Sir Launcelot.
 
 SIX LAUNCELOT AND THE KING. 289 
 
 XIV. 
 
 So when this Bishop was come to Carlisle he showed the King 
 these bulls ; and when the King understood the bulls, he wist 
 not what to do : gladly he would accord with Sir Launcelot, but 
 Sir Gawaine would not suffer him : but as for to have the Queen 
 again, thereto he agreed, but in no wise Sir Gawaine would not 
 suffer the King to accord with Sir Launcelot ; but as for the 
 Queen she consented. And then the Bishop had of the King 
 his great seal, and his assurance, as he was a true anointed 
 King, that Sir Launcelot should come and go safe, and that the 
 Queen should not be reproved of the King, nor of none other, 
 for nothing done before time past : and of all these appoint- 
 ments the Bishop brought with him assurance and writing to 
 show Sir Launcelot. So when the Bishop came to Joyous 
 Gard, there he showed Sir Launcelot how the Pope had written 
 unto King Arthur, and unto him ; and there he told him of the 
 perils, if he withheld the Queen from the King. " It was never 
 my thought," said Sir Launcelot, "for to withhold the Queen 
 from my lord, King Arthur ; but insomuch as she would have 
 been dead for my sake, me seemcth it was my part to save her 
 life, and put her from that danger till better recover might come ; 
 and now I thank God that the Pope hath made her peace : 
 for God knoweth," said Sir Launcelot, " I would be a thousand- 
 fold more gladder to bring her again than I was of her taking 
 away ; with this that I may be sure for me and mine to 
 come safe, and go safe, and that the Queen shall have her 
 liberties as she had before, and never for nothing that hath 
 been surmised before this time, that she never from this 
 day stand in no peril : for else," said Sir Launcelot, " I dare 
 adventure me for to keep her from a harder shower than 
 ever I kept her." " That shall not need," said the Bishop, 
 " for to dread you so much ; for wit you well the Pope 
 must be obeyed : and if it were not the Pope's worship, and my 
 poor honesty, ye were distressed, neither the Queen, neither in 
 peril, nor shamed." And then he showed Sir Launcelot all his 
 writings, both from the Pope and from King Arthur. " This is 
 sure enough," said Sir Launcelot ; "for full well I dare trust my 
 lord's own writing, and his seal ; for he was never yet shamed 
 of his promise : therefore," said Sir Launcelot unto the Bishop, 
 " ye shall ride unto the King before me, and recommend me 
 unto his good grace, and let him have knowledge that this same 
 day eight days, by the grace of God, I myself shall bring my 
 lady, Queen Gucnevcr, unto him. And ye may say unto my
 
 2od S7ti LAUNCELOT AND THE KING. 
 
 most redoubted lord, King Arthur, that I will say largely for my 
 lady, the Queen, that I shall expect none for dread, nor fear, 
 but the King himself, and my lord, Sir Gawaine, and that is 
 more for King Arthur's love than for himself." So the Bishop 
 departed, and came to the King at Carlisle, and told him 
 all how Sir Launcelot had answered him ; and then the tears 
 burst out of King Arthur's eyes. Then Sir Launcelot purveyed 
 him a hundred knights, and they all were clothed in green 
 velvet, and their horses trapped to the heels ; and every knight 
 held a branch of olive in his hand, in token of peace ; and the 
 Queen had with her twenty gentlewomen following her in 
 the same wise, and Sir Launcelot had twelve coursers following 
 him : and upon every courser sat a young gentleman, and they 
 all were arrayed in green velvet, with girdles of gold about their 
 quarters, and their horses trapped in the same wise down to the 
 heels, with many clasps, and set with stones and pearls in gold, 
 to the number of a thousand ; and Queen Guenever and Sir 
 Launcelot were clothed in white cloth of gold tissue. And 
 right so as ye have heard, he rode with the Queen from Joyous 
 Gard unto Carlisle ; and so Sir Launcelot rode throughout 
 Carlisle, and so into the castle, that every man might behold : 
 and wit you well there was many a weeping eye : and then 
 Sir Launcelot alighted and avoided his horse, and took the 
 Queen, and led her whereas King Arthur sat in his seat, and 
 Sir Gawaine sat before him, and many other great lords. So, 
 when Sir Launcelot saw the King and Sir Gawaine, then he 
 led the Queen by the arm, and then he kneeled down and 
 the Queen both. Wit you well then there was many a bold 
 knight with King Arthur that wept as tenderly as though they 
 had seen all their kin before them. So King Arthur sat still, 
 and said not a word ; and, when Sir Launcelot saw his 
 countenance, he arose and took up the Queen with him : and 
 thus spake he unto the most noble King Arthur full knightly, 
 and like a man of great honour. 
 
 XV. 
 
 " MY most redoubted lord, ye shall understand that, by the 
 Pope's commandment and yours, I have brought unto you my 
 lady, the Queen, as right requireth ; and if there be any knight, 
 of whatsoever degree he be (except your person), that will say, or 
 dare to say, but that she is true and clean unto you, I here 
 myself, Sir Launcelot, will make it good upon his body, that she
 
 S7R LAUNCELOT AND THE KING. 29 1 
 
 is a true lady unto you. But liars ye have listened unto, and 
 that has caused great hate between you and me ; for the time 
 hath been, my lord, King Arthur, that ye had been greatly 
 pleased with me, when I did battle for my lady, your Queen ; 
 and full well ye know, my most noble lord and King, that 
 she has been put unto great wrong or this time. And sith 
 it pleased you, at many times, that I should fight for her, me 
 seemeth, my good lord, I had more cause to rescue her from the 
 fire, insomuch as she should have been burnt for my sake : 
 for they that told you those tales were liars, and so it fell upon 
 them. For by likelihood, had not the might of God been 
 with me, I might never have endured against fourteen knights, 
 and they armed and before purposed, and I unarmed and not 
 purposed. For I was sent for unto my lady, your Queen, I wot 
 not for what cause ; but I was not so soon within the chamber 
 door, but anon Sir Agravaine and Sir Mordred called me false 
 traitor and recreant knight." "They called thee right," said 
 Sir Gawaine. " My lord, Sir Gawaine," said Sir Launcelot, 
 "in their quarrel they proved themselves not in the right." 
 " Well, well, Sir Launcelot," said King Arthur, " I have given 
 thee no cause to do me as thou hast done ; for I have worshipped 
 thee and thine more than all my knights." " My good lord and 
 King," said Sir Launcelot, " so ye be not displeased, ye shall 
 understand that I and mine have often done better service than 
 any other knights in divers places ; and, where ye have been 
 full hard bestead, divers times I have myself rescued you from 
 many dangers ; and even unto my power I was glad for to 
 please you and my lord, Sir Gawaine, both in jousts and in 
 tournaments, and in battles set both on horseback and on foot 
 I have often rescued you and my lord, Sir Gawaine, and more 
 of your knights, in divers places. For now I will make my 
 avaunt," said Sir Launcelot, " I will that ye all wit that yet I 
 found never any manner of knight, but that I was overhard for 
 him ; and I had done mine uttermost, thanked be God. Howbeit, 
 I have been matched with good knights, as Sir Tristram and Sir 
 Lamoracke ; but ever I had a favour to them, and a deeming 
 what they were. And I take God to record," said Sir Launcelot, 
 " I was never wrath nor greatly heavy with any knight, and I 
 saw him busy about to win worship ; and full glad I was ever 
 when I found any knight that might endure me on horseback 
 and on foot. Howbeit, Sir Carados, of the Dolorous Tower, 
 was a full noble knight, and a passing strong man, and that ye 
 know, my lord, Sir Gawaine : for he might full well be called a 
 noble knight, when he by fine force pulled you out of your
 
 2Q2 SIT? LAUNCELOT AND THE KING. 
 
 saddle, and bound overthwart his horse before him to his saddle- 
 bow. And there, my lord, Sir Gawaine, I rescued you, and slew 
 him before your face : and I found his brother, Sir Torquine, 
 in likewise leading Sir Gaheris, your brother, bound before him ; 
 and there I rescued your brother, and slew that Sir Torquine, 
 and delivered forty-four of my lord Arthur's knights out of 
 prison. And now, I dare say," said Sir Launcelot, " I met 
 never with so strong knights, nor so well fighting, as was Sir 
 Carados and Sir Torquine ; for I fought with them to the utter- 
 most. And, therefore," said Sir Launcelot unto Sir Gawaine, 
 " me seemeth that ye ought of right for to remember this ; for, 
 and I might have your good will, I would trust to God to have 
 my lord King Arthur's good grace." 
 
 XVI. 
 
 "THE King may do as he will," said Sir Gawaine ; "but wit 
 thou well, Sir Launcelot, thou and I shall never be accorded 
 while we live :. for thou hast slain three of my brethren, and 
 twain of them thou slewest traitorously and piteously ; for they 
 bore no harness against thee, nor none would bear." " God 
 would they had been armed," said Sir Launcelot; "for then 
 had they been alive. And wit ye well, Sir Gawaine, as for Sir 
 Gareth, I love none of my kinsmen so much as I do him ; 
 and ever while I live," said Sir Launcelot, " I will bewail Sir 
 Gareth's death. Not all only for the great fear that I have of 
 you, but many causes causeth me to be sorrowful : one is, for I 
 made him knight ; another is, I wot well he loved me above ail 
 earthly knights ; and the third is, he was passing noble, true, 
 virtuous, and gentle, and well-conditioned ; the fourth is, I 
 wist well anon, as I heard that Sir Gaheris was dead, that I 
 should never after have your love, but everlasting war between us. 
 And also I wist well that ye would cause my lord, King Arthur, 
 for ever to be my mortal foe : and, as Jesu be my help," said 
 Sir Launcelot, " I slew never Sir Gareth nor Sir Gaheris by my 
 will. But alas ! that they were unarmed that unhappy day ! 
 But this much I offer you," said Sir Launcelot, " if it may 
 please the King's good grace, and you, my lord, Sir Gawaine : 
 and first I shall begin at Sandwich, and there shall I go in my 
 shirt and barefoot ; and, at every ten miles' end, I will found 
 and cause to make a house of religion, of what order ye will 
 assign me, with a holy convent to sing and to read day and 
 night in especial, for Sir Gareth and Sir Gaheris' sake, and
 
 SIR LAUNCELOT AND THE KING. 293 
 
 this shall I perform from Sandwich unto Carlisle, and every 
 house shall have sufficent livelihood ; and this shall I perform 
 while I have any livelihood in Christendom : and there is none 
 of ail these religious places but they shall be performed, 
 furnished, and garnished, in all things as a holy place ought to 
 be, I promise you faithfully. And this, Sir Gawaine, me 
 thinketh were more fair, and better unto their souls, than that 
 my most noble lord Arthur and you should war on me ; for 
 thereby shall ye get none avail." Then all the knights and 
 ladies that were there wept as they had been mad ; and the 
 tears fell upon King Arthur's cheeks. " Sir Launcelot," said 
 Sir Gawaine, " I have well heard thy speech and thy great 
 proffers ; but wit thou well (let the King do as it shall please 
 him), I will never forgive thee my brethren's death, and in 
 especial the death of my brother, Sir Gareth : and, if mine 
 uncle, King Arthur, will accord with thee, he shall lose my 
 service ; for wit thou well, that thou art both false to the King 
 and to me." " Sir," said Sir Launcelot, " he beareth not the 
 life that may make that good ; and if that ye, Sir Gawaine, will 
 charge me with so high a thing, ye must pardon me ; for then 
 needs must I answer you." " Nay," said Sir Gawaine, " we are 
 past that as at this time, and that caused the Pope ; for he hath 
 charged mine uncle, the King, that he shall take the Queen 
 again, and for to accord with thee, Sir Launcelot, as for this 
 season ; and, therefore, thou shall go safe, Sir Launcelot, as 
 thou earnest : but in this land thou shall not abide past fifteen 
 days such warning I give thee. So the King and we were 
 consented and accorded or thou earnest hither ; and else," said 
 Sir Gawaine, " wit thou well that thou shouldest not have come 
 hither, but if it were maugre thy head : and, if that it were not 
 for the Pope's commandment, I should do battle with my body 
 against thy body, and prove it unto thee that thou hast been 
 false unto mine uncle, King Arthur, and to me both ; and that 
 shall I prove upon thy body, when thou art departed from hence, 
 wheresoever I find thee." 
 
 XVII. 
 
 THEN Sir Launcelot sighed, and therewith the tears fell on 
 his cheeks, and then he said these words : " Alas ! most noble 
 Christian realm, whom I have loved above all other realms, and 
 in thee have I gotten a great part of my worship, and now I 
 shall depart in this wise. Truly me repenteth that ever I came 
 into this realm, that I should be thus shamefully banished
 
 294 SIR LAUNCELOT AND THE KING. 
 
 undeserved and causeless. But fortune is so variable, and the 
 wheel so mutable, that there is no constant abiding ; and that 
 may be proved by many old chronicles of noble Hector, and 
 Troylus, and Alisaunder, the mighty conqueror, and many 
 other more, when they were most in their royalty they alighted 
 lowest : and so it fareth by me," said Sir Launcelot ; " for in 
 this realm I have had worship, and by me and mine all the 
 whole Round Table hath been increased more in worship by 
 me and my blood than by any other. And, therefore, wit 
 thou well, Sir Gawaine, I may live as well upon my lands 
 as any knight that is here ; and if ye, my most renowned 
 King, will come upon my lands with your nephew, Sir 
 Gawaine, for to war upon me, I must endure you as well as I 
 may. But as for you, Sir Gawaine, if that ye come there, I 
 beseech you and require you, charge me not with treason nor 
 felony ; for, and ye do, I must answer you." " Do thou thy 
 best," said Sir Gawaine ; " therefore, hie thee fast that thou 
 were gone : and wit thou well, we shall soon come after, and 
 break the strongest castle that thou hast upon thy head." 
 " That shall not need," said Sir Launcelot, " for, and I were as 
 orgulous proudly and set as ye are, wit ye well I should meet 
 with you in the midst of the field." " Make ye no more ado," 
 said Sir Gawaine, " but deliver the Queen from thee, and 
 get thee lightly out of this court." "Well," said Sir Launcelot, 
 " and I had wist of this short answer, I would have advised me 
 twice or I had come hither ; for, and the Queen had been so 
 dear to me as ye noise her, I durst have kept her from the 
 fellowship of the best knights under heaven." And then Sir 
 Launcelot said unto Queen Guenever, in hearing of the King 
 and all the knights, " Madam, now I must depart from you and 
 this noble fellowship for ever ; and sithence it is so, I beseech 
 you pray for me, and send me word if ye be noised with any 
 false tongues ; lightly, my lady, let me have knowledge ; and, 
 if any knight's hands may deliver you by battle, I shall deliver 
 you." And so therewith Sir Launcelot kissed the Queen ; and 
 then he^ said openly, that all they that were there might hear 
 him, " Now let me see what he be in this, that dare say the 
 Queen is not true unto my lord, King Arthur ; let see who will 
 speak, and he dare speak." And therewith he brought the 
 Queen unto the King, and then Sir Launcelot took his leave 
 and departed ; and there was neither King, duke, nor earl, 
 baron nor knight, lady nor gentlewoman, but that they all wept 
 as people out of their wits, except Sir Gawaine. And so, 
 when the noble knight, Sir Launcelot, took his horse for to ride
 
 5/7? LAUNCELOT AND THE KING. 295 
 
 out of Carlisle, there was sobbing and weeping for pure dole 
 of his departing; and so he took his way to Joyous Card, and 
 afterwards he called it the Dolorous Card ; and thus Sir 
 Launcelot departed from the court for ever. And so, when he 
 came to Joyous Card, he called of his fellowship unto him, and 
 asked them what they would do? Then they answered altogether 
 with one voice, that they would do as he would do. " My fair 
 fellows," said Sir Launcelot, " I must depart out of this most 
 noble realm ; and now I shall depart it grieveth me sore at my 
 heart, for I shall depart with no worship ; for a banished man 
 departeth never out of any realm with worship. And that 
 is my heaviness ; for ever I fear, after my days, that they shall 
 chronicle upon me that I was banished out of this realm ; and 
 else, my fair lords, be ye sure, and I had not dread shame, my 
 lady, Dame Guenever, and I should never have parted asunder." 
 Then spake many noble knights -as Sir Palomides, Sir Safre, 
 his brother ; and Sir Bellanger le Breuse, and Sir Urre, with 
 Sir Lavaine, and with many others : " Sir, and ye be so dis- 
 posed for to abide in this country, we will never fail you ; and, 
 if ye list not to abide in this country, there is none of the good 
 knights that be here will fail you for divers causes. One is 
 this : All we that be not of your blood shall never be welcome 
 to the court of King Arthur ; and, since it liketh us to take 
 part with you in your distress and heaviness in the realm, wit 
 you well it shall like us all well for to go in other countries with 
 you, and there to take such part as ye do." " My fair lords," 
 said Sir Launcelot, " I well understand you, and as I can 
 I thank you ; and ye shall understand as to such livelihood 
 as I am born unto : I shall depart it with you in this manner 
 of wise ; that is to say, that I shall depart all my livelihood 
 and all my lands freely among you : and I myself will have as 
 little as any of you ; for I have sufficient that may belong to 
 my person : I will ask none other rich array, and I trust 
 to God to maintain you on my lands as well as ever were 
 maintained any knights." Then spake all the knights at once, 
 " He have shame that will leave you ; for we all understand in 
 this realm will be now no quiet, but ever strife and debate, now 
 the fellowship of the Round Table is broken : for by the noble 
 fellowship of the Round Table was King Arthur borne up, and 
 by their nobleness the King and all his realm was in quietness 
 and in rest : and a great part," said they all, "was because of 
 your great nobleness."
 
 296 SIX LAUNCELOT AND THE KING, 
 
 XVIII. 
 
 "TRULY," said Sir Launcelot, "I thank you for your good 
 saying, howbeit I wot well in me was not all the stability of this 
 realm ; but in that I might I did my endeavours ; and well I am 
 sure I knew many rebellious in my days, which by me were 
 peaced. I trow we all shall hear of them in short space, and that 
 me sore repenteth. For ever I dread me," said Sir Launcelot, 
 "that Sir Mordred will make republic, for he is passing envious, 
 and applieth him to trouble." So they were accorded to go 
 with Sir Launcelot unto his lands : and, for to make short tale, 
 they made ready and payed all that would ask them. And well 
 a hundred knights departed with Sir Launcelot at once, and 
 made their vows, that they would never depart from him for 
 weal nor for woe : and so they shipped at Cardiff, and sailed 
 unto Benwicke (some men call it Beyon, and some men call it 
 Beaund, whereas the wine of Beaune is). 
 
 But, for to say the truth, Sir Launcelot and his nephews were 
 lords of the realm of France, and of all the lands that belonged 
 unto France, he and his kindred rejoiced it through Sir Launce- 
 lot's noble prowess : and then Sir Launcelot stuffed and 
 furnished and garnished all his good towns and castles. Then 
 all the people of those lands came unto Sir Launcelot on feet 
 and hands : and so when he had established all these countries, 
 he shortly called a parliament ; and there he crowned Sir 
 Lionel King of France ; and he made Sir Bors to be crowned 
 King of all King Claudas's lands ; and Sir Ector de Maris, 
 which was Sir Launcelot's youngest brother, he crowned him 
 King of Benwicke, and also King of all Guian, which was Sir 
 Launcelot's own land ; and he made Sir Ector prince of them 
 all : and thus he parted his honour. Then Sir Launcelot 
 rewarded his noble knights, and many more, that me seemeth 
 it were too long to rehearse. 
 
 XIX 
 
 So leave we Sir Launcelot in his lands, and his noble knights 
 with him, and return we again unto King Arthur and Sir Gawaine, 
 that made a great host ready, to the number of threescore 
 thousand, and all things was ready for their shipping to pass 
 over the sea ; and so they shipped at Cardiff. And there King 
 Arthur made Sir Mordred chief ruler of all England ; and also 
 he put Queen Guenever under his governance, for because Sir 
 Mordred was King Arthur's son, he gave him the rule of all
 
 SIX LAUNCELOT AND THE KING. 297 
 
 his land, and of his Queen. And so King Arthur passed over 
 the sea, and landed upon Sir Launcelot's land ; and there he 
 burnt and wasted, through the vengeance of Sir Gawaine, all 
 that they might overrun. When these tidings came unto Sir 
 Launcelot, that King Arthur and Sir Gawaine were landed upon 
 his lands, and that they made great destruction and waste, then 
 spake Sir Bors and said, " My lord, Sir Launcelot, it is great 
 shame that we suffer them thus to ride over our lands ; for wit 
 ye well, suffer ye them as long as ye will, they will do you no 
 favour, and they may handle you." Then said Sir Lionel, which 
 was ware and wise, " My lord, Sir Launcelot, I will give you 
 this counsel let us keep our strong walled town until they have 
 hunger and cold, and blow on their nails, and then let us freshly 
 set upon them, and cut them down as sheep in the field, that all 
 aliens may take example for ever how they land upon our lands." 
 Then spake King Bagdemagus unto Sir Launcelot : " Sir, your 
 courtesy will hurt us all, and your courtesy hath caused all this 
 sorrow ; for and they thus override our lands, they shall, by 
 process of time, bring us all to nought, whilst we thus hide us 
 in holes." Then said the good knight, Sir Galihud, to Sir 
 Launcelot, " Sir, here be knights come of kings' blood that will 
 not long droop, and they were without the walls ; and therefore 
 give us leave, as we are knights, to meet them in the field, and 
 we shall slay them, that they shall curse the time that ever they 
 came into this country.'' Then spake the seven brethren of 
 North Wales, and they were seven noble knights, as a man 
 might seek in seven lands or he might find such noble knights ; 
 then they spake all with one voice, " Sir Launcelot, for Christ's 
 sake let us ride out with Sir Galihud, for we have been never 
 wont to cower in castles nor in towns." Then spake Sir 
 Launcelot, which was master and governor of them all, " My 
 fair lords, wit you well I am full loth to ride out with my knights, 
 for shedding of Christian men's blood ; and yet, my lords, I 
 understand we are full bare to sustain any boast a while : for 
 the mighty warriors that other whiles made King Claudas and 
 my father, King Ban, and mine uncle, King Bors, for to obey. 
 Howbeic we will keep our strong walls, and I shall send a 
 messenger unto my lord, King Arthur, desiring him to take 
 a treaty ; for better is peace than always war." So Sir Launce- 
 lot sent forth a damsel, and a dwarf with her, requiring King 
 Arthur to leave his war upon his lands ; and so she start upon 
 a palfrey, and the dwarf ran by her side. And when she came 
 unto the pavilion of King Arthur, there she alighted ; and there 
 met her a knight, whose name was Sir Lucan, the butler, that
 
 2 g3 SIR LAUNCELOT AND THE KING. 
 
 said, "Fair damsel, come ye from Sir Launcelot du Lake?" 
 " Yea," said she, " therefore come I hither to speak with my 
 lord, King Arthur." "Alas!" said Sir Lucan, "my lord. King 
 Arthur, would love Sir Launcelot, but Sir Gawaine will not 
 suffer him." And then he said, "I pray to God, damsel, ye 
 may speed well, for all we that are about the King would that 
 Sir Launcelot did best of any knight living." And so with this 
 Lucan led the damsel unto King Arthur, where he sat with Sir 
 Gawaine, for to hear what she would say. So when she had told 
 her tale, the water began to run out of King Arthur's eyes ; and 
 all the lords were right glad to advise the King to be accorded 
 with Sir Launcelot, save all only Sir Gawaine, and he said, " My 
 lord, mine uncle, what will ye do? will ye now turn again, now 
 ye are past thus far upon this journey? all the world will speak 
 of your villainy." " Nay," said King Arthur, " wit ye well, Sir 
 Gawaine, I will do as ye will advise me, and yet me seemeth," 
 said King Arthur, " his fair proffers were not good to be 
 refused ; but since that I am come so far upon this journey, I 
 will that ye give the damsel her answer, for I may not speak to 
 her for pity." 
 
 XX. 
 
 THEN Sir Gawaine said unto the damsel thus : " Damsel, ye 
 shall say unto Sir Launcelot, that it was but idle labour now to 
 send to mine uncle ; for tell him, and he would have made any 
 labour for peace, he should have made it or this time, for tell 
 him that now it is too late : and say that Sir Gawaine sendeth 
 him word, and that I promise him by the faith I owe to God, 
 and unto the order of knighthood, that I shall never leave him 
 till he hath slain me or I him." So the damsel wept and 
 departed, and there were many weeping eyes ; and so Sir Lucan 
 brought the damsel unto her palfrey. And so she came unto 
 Sir Launcelot, whereas he was among all his knights ; and, 
 when Sir Launcelot had heard this answer, then the tears ran 
 down by his cheeks : and then his noble knights that stood 
 about him said, " Sir Launcelot, wherefore make ye such cheer ? 
 think what ye are, and what men we are, and let us noble 
 knights match them in the midst of the field." " That may 
 lightly be done," said Sir Launcelot, "but I was never so loth 
 to do battle ; there, I pray you fair sirs, as ye love me, be ruled 
 as I will have you, for I will always flee that noble King that 
 made me knight : and, when I may no farther, I must needs 
 defend me, and that will be the more worship for me, and every
 
 SSX LAUNCELOT AND THE KING. 299 
 
 one of us, than to compare with the noble King, whom we all 
 have served." Then they held their language, and as at that 
 night they took their rest ; and on the morrow, early in the 
 dawning of the day, as the knights looked out, they saw how 
 the city of Benwicke was besieged round about, and fast they 
 began to set up ladders ; and then they defied them out of the 
 town, and beat them mightily from the walls. Then went forth 
 Sir Gawaine, well armed at all points, upon a stiff steed, and he 
 came before the chief gate, crying on high, " Sir Launcelot ! 
 where art thou ? Is there not one of you proud knights that 
 dare break a spear with me ? " Then Sir Bors made him ready, 
 and came forth out of the town : and there Sir Gawaine 
 encountered with Sir Bors, and so he smote Sir Bors down 
 from his horse, and almost he had slain him, and anon Sir Bors 
 was rescued and borne into the town. Then there came forth 
 Sir Lionel, brother unto Sir Bors, and thought to revenge him, 
 and either feutred their spears and ran together, and there they 
 met right spitefully : but Sir Gawaine was so fiery, that he 
 smote Sir Lionel down, and wounded him there passing sore ; 
 and then Sir Lionel was rescued and borne into the town. 
 And thus Sir Gawaine came every day, and failed not but that 
 he smote down one knight or other. So thus they endured well 
 half a-year, and much slaughter of people there was on both 
 parties. Then it befell upon a day that Sir Gawaine came before 
 the gates armed at all pieces, upon a great courser, with a great 
 spear in his hand : and then he cried with a loud voice, " Where 
 art thou now, thou false traitor, Sir Launcelot ! why dost thou 
 hide thyself within holes and walls like a coward ? Look out now, 
 thou false traitor knight, and here I shall revenge upon my body 
 the death of my three brethren." All this language heard Sir 
 Launcelot, and his kin, every deal, and then his knights drew 
 about him, and they said all at once unto Sir Launcelot, " Sir 
 Launcelot, now ye must defend you like a knight, or else ye be 
 shamed for ever ; for now ye be called upon treason, it is time 
 for you to stir, for ye have slept over long, and slept over- 
 much." " So God me help," said Sir Launcelot, " I am 
 right heavy of Sir Gawaine's words, for now he chargeth me 
 with a great charge ; and, therefore, I wot it as well as ye, that 
 I must defend me, or else to be a recreant knight." Then Sir 
 Launcelot commanded to saddle his strongest horse, and bid fetch 
 his armour, and bring all unto the gate of the tower : and then 
 Sir Launcelot spake on high unto King Arthur, and said, "My 
 lord, and noble King, which made me knight, wit you well that I 
 am right heavy for your sake, that ye thus sue upon me, and always
 
 300 SfK LAUNCELOT AND THE KING. 
 
 I forbear you ; for, and I would have been revengeful, might 
 I have met you in the midst of the field, and there to have 
 made your boldest knights full tame : and now I have forborne 
 you half a-year, and have suffered you and Sir Gawaine to do 
 what ye would, and now must I needs defend myself, insomuch 
 as Sir Gawaine hath appealed me of treason, the which is 
 greatly against my will, that ever I should fight against any of 
 your blood : but now I may not forsake it, I am driven thereto 
 as best to obey." Then Sir Gawaine said unto Sir Launcelot, 
 " Sir Launcelot, and thou darest do battle, leave thy babbling, 
 and come off, and let us ease our hearts." Then Sir Launcelot 
 began to arm him lightly, and mounted upon his horse ; and 
 either of the knights gat great spears in their hands, and the 
 host without stood still apart, and the noble knights came out 
 of the city by a great number, insomuch, that when King Arthur 
 saw the number of men and knights, he marvelled, and said to 
 himself, "Alas ! that ever Sir Launcelot was against me, for now 
 I see that he hath forborne me." And so the covenant was 
 made, there should no man come nigh them, nor deal with 
 them, till that one were dead or yielden. 
 
 XXI. 
 
 THEN Sir Gawaine and Sir Launcelot departed a great way 
 in sunder, and then they came together with all their horses' 
 might, as fast they might run, and either smote other in the 
 midst of their shields ; but the knights were so strong, and 
 their spears so big, that their horses might not endure their 
 buffets : and so their horses fell to the earth. Then they 
 avoided their horses, and dressed their shields before them ; 
 then they strode together, and gave many sad strokes upon 
 divers places of their bodies, that the blood burst out of many 
 places. Then had Sir Gawaine such a grace and gift, which a 
 holy man had given him, that every day in the year, from nine 
 in the morning till high noon, his might increased those three 
 hours as much as thrice his own strength, and that caused Sir 
 Gawaine to win great honour : and for his sake, King Arthur 
 made an ordinance, that all manner of battles, for any quarrels 
 that should be done before King Arthur, they should begin at 
 nine in the morning. And all this was done for Sir Gawaine's 
 sake, that by likelihood, if that Sir Gawaine were on the one 
 party, he should have the better hand in battle, while that 
 his strength endured three hours ; but there were but few 
 knights that time living that knew this vantage that Sir
 
 SIR LAUNCELOT AND THE KING. 301 
 
 Gawaine had, but King Arthur all only. Then Sir Launceloi 
 fought with Sir Gawaine ; and when Sir Launcelot felt his 
 might evermore increase, Sir Launcelot had of him great 
 wonder, and dread him sore to be shamed ; for he weened, 
 when he felt Sir Gawaine double his strength, that he had been 
 fiend, and none earthly man ; wherefore, Sir Launcelot traced, 
 and traversed, and covered himself with his shield, and kept 
 his might and his breath during three hours ; and that while 
 Sir Gawaine gave him many sad brunts, and many strokes, 
 that all knights that beheld Sir Launcelot marvelled how 
 he might endure him. But full little understood they the 
 travail that Sir Launcelot had for to endure him. And then 
 when it was past noon, Sir Gawaine had no more but his 
 own might. Then, when Sir Launcelot felt him so come 
 down, then began he to stretch himself up, and stood near Sir 
 Gawaine, and said to him these words : " My lord, Sir Gawaine, 
 now I feel that ye have done, now my lord, Sir Gawaine, I must 
 do my part, for many great and grievous strokes I have 
 endured you this day with pain." Then Sir Launcelot began 
 to double his strokes, and gave Sir Gawaine many a buffet upon 
 the helmet, that he fell down on his side, and then Sir Launcelot 
 withdrew him from him. "Why withdrawest thou thyself?" 
 said Sir Gawaine, " now turn again, traitor knight, and slay 
 me ; for, and thou leave me thus, when I am whole I shall do 
 battle with thee again." " Sir, I shall endure you by the grace of 
 God," said Sir Launcelot ; " but wit you well, Sir Gawaine, 
 I will never smite a felled knight." And so Sir Launcelot 
 went into the city, and Sir Gawaine was borne into one of King 
 Arthur's pavilions : and anon there was leeches brought to him, 
 which searched his wound, and salved it with soft ointments. 
 And then Sir Launcelot said, " Now have good day my lord, the 
 King, for wit ye well ye shall win no worship at these walls ; 
 and, if I would bring out my knights, there should many a man 
 die. Therefore, my lord, King Arthur, remember you of old 
 kindness, and, howsoever I fare, Jesu be your guide in all places." 
 
 XXII. 
 
 " ALAS!" said the King, " that ever this unhappy war began ; 
 for ever Sir Launcelot forbeareth me in all places, and in like- 
 wise my kin, and that is seen this day by my nephew, Sir 
 Gawaine." Then King Arthur fell sick, for sorrow of Sir 
 Gawaine, that was so sore hurt, and because of the war between 
 Mm and Sir Launcelot. So then they of King Arthur's part
 
 302 SIR LAUNCELOT AND THE KING. 
 
 kept the siege with little war and small force, and they within 
 kept their walls, and defended them when need was. Thus Sir 
 Gawaine lay sick about three weeks in his tent, with all manner 
 of leech-craft that might be had ; and, as soon as Sir Gawaine 
 might go and ride, he armed him all points, and start upon a 
 courser, and got a spear in his hand. And so he came riding 
 before the chief gate of Benwicke, and there he cried on high, 
 "Where art thou, Sir Launcelot? come forth, thou false traitor 
 knight, and recreant, for I am here : Sir Gawaine will prove 
 this that I say on thee." All this language Sir Launcelot heard, 
 and then he said thus: "Sir Gawaine, me repenteth of your foul 
 saying, that ye will not cease of yo'ir language. For wit ye well, 
 Sir Gawaine, I know your might, and all that ye may do." 
 " And well ye wot," said Sir Gawaine, " that ye may not greatly 
 hurt me. Come down, thou traitor knight, and make it good, 
 contrary with thy hands, for it mishappened me, the last battle, 
 to be hurt of thy hands, therefore wit thou well that I am come 
 this day to make amends. For I ween this day to lay thee as 
 low as thou laidest me." " Jesu defend me," said Sir Launcelot, 
 " that ever I should be so far in your danger as ye have been in 
 mine : for then my days were at an end. But, Sir Gawaine," 
 said Sir Launcelot, " ye shall not think that I tarry long ; but 
 since that ye so unknightly call me of treason, ye shall have 
 both your hands full of me." And then Sir Launcelot armed 
 him at all points, and mounted upon his horse, and gat him a 
 great spear in his hand, and rode out at the gate ; and both the 
 hosts were assembled, of them without and of them within, and 
 stood in array full manly ; and both parties were charged for to 
 hold them still, to see and behold the battle of these two noble 
 knights : and then they laid their spears in their rests, and they 
 ran together as thunder, and Sir Gawaine break his spear upon 
 Sir Launcelot in a hundred pieces unto his hand ; and Sir 
 Launcelot smote him with a greater might, that Sir Gawaine's 
 horse's feet raised, and so the horse and he fell to the earth. 
 Then Sir Gawaine full quickly avoided his horse, and put his 
 shield before him, and eagerly drew his sword, and bid Sir 
 Launcelot alight, " traitor knight, for though this mare's son 
 hath failed me, wit thou well, that a king's son, and a queen's 
 son, shall not fail thee." Then Sir Launcelot avoided his horse, 
 and dressed his shield before him, and drew his sword, and so 
 they stood together, and gave many sad strokes, that all men on 
 both parties had thereof passing great wonder. But when Sir 
 Launcelot felt Sir Gawaine's might so marvellously increase, he 
 then withheld his courage and his wind, and kept himself
 
 SIR LAUNCELOT AND THE KING. 303 
 
 wondrous covered from his might ; and under his shield he 
 traced, traversed, here and there, for to break Sir Gawaine's 
 strokes and his courage. And Sir Gawaine enforced him 
 with all his might and power to destroy Sir Launcelot ; for ever 
 as Sir Gawaine's might increased, right so increased his wind 
 and his evil will. Thus Sir Gawaine did great pain unto Sir 
 Launcelot three hours continually, that Sir Launcelot had great 
 pain to defend himself; and after that the three hours were 
 passed, then Sir Launcelot felt verily that Sir Gawaine was 
 come to his own proper might and strength, and that his great 
 power was done. Then Sir Launcelot said unto Sir Gawaine, 
 " Now have I well proved you twice, that ye are a full dangerous 
 knight, and a wonderful man of your might, and many wonder- 
 ful deeds have you done in your days ; for by your might 
 increasing ye have deceived many a noble and valiant knight ; 
 and now I feel that ye have done your mighty deed. Now, wit 
 you well, I must do my deeds : " and then Sir Launcelot stood 
 near Sir Gawaine, and doubled his strokes, and Sir Gawaine 
 defended him mightily. But, nevertheless, Sir Launcelot smote 
 such a stroke upon Sir Gawaine's helm, and upon the old 
 wound, that Sir Gawaine sunk down upon his one side in a 
 swoon : and anon, as he was awake, he raved and foamed at 
 Sir Launcelot there, as he lay, and said, " Traitor knight, wit 
 thou well that I am not yet slain ; come thou near, and perform 
 this battle to the uttermost." " I will no more do than I have 
 done," said Sir Launcelot ; " for when I see you on foot, I will 
 do battle with you all the while I see you stand on your feet ; 
 but, for to smite a wounded man that may not stand, God 
 defend me from such a shame." And then he turned him and 
 went his way toward the town ; and Sir Gawaine evermore 
 calling him traitor knight, and said, "Wit thou well, Sir 
 Launcelot, when I am whole, I shall do battle with thee again, 
 for I shall never leave thee till that one of us be slain." 
 
 Thus, as this siege endured, and as Sir Gawaine lay sick 
 near a month, and when he was well recovered, and ready 
 within three days to do battle again with Sir Launcelot, right 
 so came tidings unto King Arthur from England, that made 
 King Arthur and all his host to remove.
 
 304 THE BOOK OP THE MORTE Z>' ARTHUR. 
 
 THE BOOK OF THE MORTE D' ARTHUR. 
 I. 
 
 |S Sir Mordred was ruler of all England, he caused 
 letters to be made, as though they came from beyond 
 the sea, and the letters specified that King Arthur 
 was slain in battle with Sir Launcelot ; wherefore Sir 
 Mordred made a parliament, and called the lords to- 
 gether, and there he made them to chuse him King, and so he was 
 crowned at Canterbury, and held a feast there fifteen days. And 
 afterward he drew him to Winchester, and there he took Queen 
 Guenever, and said plainly that he would wed her, which was his 
 uncle's wife, and his father's wife : and so he made ready for 
 the feast, and a day prefixed that they should be wedded. 
 Wherefore Queen Guenever was passing heavy, but she durst 
 not discover her heart ; but speak fair, and agreed to Sir 
 Mordred's will. Then she desired of Sir Mordred for to go to 
 London, for to buy all manner of things that belonged unto the 
 wedding : and, because of her fair speech, Sir Mordred trusted 
 her well enough, and gave her leave to go ; and, when she came 
 to London, suddenly, in all haste possible, she stuffed it with 
 all manner of victuals, and well garnished it with men, and so 
 kept it. Then, when Sir Mordred wist and understood how he 
 was deceived, he was passing wrath out of measure. And, to 
 make short tale, he went and laid a mighty siege about the 
 Tower of London, and made many great assaults thereat, and 
 threw many great engines unto them, and shot great guns. But" 
 all might not prevail Sir Mordred. For Queen Guenever would 
 never, for fair speech, nor for foul, trust to come in his hands 
 again. And then came the Bishop of Canterbury, the which was 
 a noble clerk, and a holy man, and thus he said to Sir Mordred, 
 " Sir, what will ye do? will ye first displease God, and after shame 
 yourself, and all knighthood ? Is not King Arthur your uncle, 
 no further but your mother's brother, and on her himself King 
 Arthur begat you upon his own sister, therefore how may ye 
 wed your father's wife ? Sir," said the noble clerk, "leave this 
 opinion, or else I shall curse you with book, bell, and candle." 
 " Do thy worst," said Sir Mordred, " wit thou well that I utterly 
 defy thee." " Sir," said the bishop, " I shall not fear me to do 
 that I ought to do. Also, whereas ye noise that my lord King 
 Arthur is slain, it is not so ; and therefore ye will make an
 
 THE BOOK OF THE MORTE D' ARTHUR. 305 
 
 abominable work in this land." " Peace ! thou false priest," said 
 Sir Mordred, "for and thou chafe me any more, I shall make 
 thy head to be stricken off." So the bishop departed, and did 
 the curse in the most orgulous wise that might be done. And 
 then Sir Mordred sought the Bishop of Canterbury, for to have 
 slain him. And when the bishop heard that, he fled, and took 
 part of his goods with him, and went nigh unto Glaston- 
 bury, and there he was a religious hermit in a chapel, and lived 
 in poverty, and in holy prayers. For well he understood that a 
 mischievous war was near at hand. Then Sir Mordred sought 
 upon Queen Guenever, by letters and messages, and by fair 
 means and foul, for to have her come out of the Tower of London. 
 But all this availed him not, for she answered him shortly, 
 openly and privily, that she had lever slay herself than to be 
 married with him. Then came word to Sir Mordred, that King 
 Arthur had raised the siege from Sir Launcelot, and that he 
 was coming homeward with a great host, for to be avenged 
 upon Sir Mordred. Wherefore Sir Mordred made to write 
 letters unto all the barony of this land, and much people drew 
 unto him ; for then was the common voice among them, that 
 with King Arthur was none other life but war and strife, and 
 with Sir Mordred was great joy and bliss. Thus was King 
 Arthur deprived, and evil said of ; and many there were that 
 King Arthur had made up of nought, and had given them lands, 
 might not say of him then a good word. 
 
 Lo ! we all Englishmen see what a mischief here was : for he 
 that was the noblest knight and king of the world, and most 
 loved the fellowship of noble knights and men of worship, and 
 by him they were all upholden. Now, might not we English- 
 men hold us content with him ; lo ! this was the old custom 
 and usage of this land. And also men say, that we of this land 
 have not yet lost nor forgotten the custom and usage. Alas ! 
 alas ! this is a great default of us Englishmen, for there may 
 nothing please us no term. And so fared the people at that 
 time. For they were better pleased with Sir Mordred than 
 they were with King Arthur ; and much people drew unto Sir 
 Mordred, and said they would abide with him, for better and 
 for worse. And so Sir Mordred drew with great haste toward 
 Dover, for there he heard say that King Arthur would arrive ; 
 and so he thought to beat his own father from his lands : and 
 the most part of all England held with Sir Mordred, the people 
 were so new-fangled. 
 
 20
 
 306 THE BOOK OF THE MORTE D' ARTHUR. 
 
 II. 
 
 AND so, as Sir Mordred was at Dover, with his host, there 
 came King Arthur, with a great many ships, galleys, and 
 carracks ; and there was Sir Mordred ready, waiting upon his 
 landing, to hinder his own father to land upon the land that he 
 was king of. Then was there launching of great boats and 
 small, and all were full of noble men of arms ; and there was 
 much slaughter of gentle knights, and many a full bold baron 
 was laid full low, on both parties. But King Arthur was so 
 courageous, that there might no manner of knight let him to 
 land, and his knights fiercely followed him ; and so they landed, 
 maugre Sir Mordred and all his power : and put Sir Mordred 
 back, that he fled, and all his people. So when this battle was 
 done, King Arthur let bury his people that were dead : and 
 then was the noble knight, Sir Gawaine, found in a great boat, 
 lying more than half dead. When King Arthur wist that Sir 
 Gawaine was laid so low, he went unto him, and there the King 
 made sorrow out of measure, and took Sir Gawaine in his 
 arms, and thrice he swooned : and then he came to himself 
 again, and said, " Alas ! my sister's son, here now thou liest, 
 the man in the world that I loved most ; and now is my joy 
 gone. For now, my nephew, Sir Gawaine, I will discover me 
 unto your person : in Sir Launcelot and you I most had my joy 
 and mine affiance, and now have I lost my joy of you both, 
 wherefore all mine earthly joy is gone from me." " My uncle, 
 King Arthur," said Sir Gawaine, " wit you well, that my 
 death's-day is come, and all is through mine own hastiness 
 and wilfulness ; for I am smitten upon the old wound that 
 Sir Launcelot du Lake gave me, of the which I feel that I 
 must die ; and if Sir Launcelot had been with you as he was, 
 this unhappy war had never begun, and of all this I myself 
 am causer : for Sir Launcelot and his blood, through their 
 prowess, held all your cankered enemies in subjection and 
 danger. And now," said Sir Gawaine, " ye shall miss Sir 
 Launcelot : but, alas ! I would not accord with him, and there- 
 fore," said Sir Gawaine, " I pray you, fair uncle, that I may 
 have paper, pen, and ink, that I may write unto Sir Launcelot a 
 letter with mine own hands." And when paper and ink was 
 brought, Sir Gawaine was set up, weakly, by King Arthur, for 
 he had been shriven a little before, and he wrote thus : 
 
 " UNTO SIR LAUNCELOT, flower of all noble knights that 
 ever I heard of or saw in my days. 
 
 " I, Sir Gawaine, King Lot's son, of Orkney, sister's son unto
 
 THE BOOK OF THE MORTE D' ARTHUR. 307 
 
 the noble King Arthur, send unto thee, greeting, and let thee 
 have knowledge, that the tenth day of May I was smitten upon 
 the old wound which thou gavest me before the city of 
 Benwicke ; and through the same wound thou gavest me I 
 am come unto my death-day, and I will that all the world 
 wit that I, Sir Gawaine, knight of the Round Table, sought my 
 death, and not through thy deserving, but it was mine own 
 seeking ; wherefore I beseech thee, Sir Launcelot, for to return 
 again unto this realm, and see my tomb, and pray some prayer, 
 more or less, for my soul. And that same day that I wrote this 
 letter I was hurt to the death in the same wound, the which I 
 had of thy hands, Sir Launcelot. For of a nobler man might I 
 not be slain. Also, Sir Launcelot, for all the love that ever was 
 between us, make no tarrying, but come over the sea in all the 
 haste that thou mayest, with thy noble knights, and rescue 
 that noble King that made thee knight, that is my lord and 
 uncle, King Arthur, for he is full straitly bestood with a false 
 traitor, which is my false brother, Sir Mordred, and he hath let 
 crown himself king, and he would have wedded my lady, 
 Queen Guenever ; and so had he done, if she had not put 
 herself in the Tower of London. And so the tenth day of May 
 last past, my lord and uncle, King Arthur, and we, all landed 
 upon them at Dover, and there we put that false traitor, Sir 
 Mordred, to flight ; and there it misfortuned me for to be 
 stricken upon thy stroke. And, at the date of this letter was 
 written, but two hours and a-half before my death, written with 
 mine own hand, and so subscribed with part of my heart's 
 blood, and I require thee, as thou art the most famous knight of 
 the world, that thou wilt see my tomb." 
 
 And then Sir Gawaine wept, and also King Arthur wept, and 
 then they swooned both ; and when they awaked both, the 
 King made Sir Gawaine to receive his Saviour. And then 
 Sir Gawaine prayed the King to send for Sir Launcelot, and to 
 cherish him above all other knights. And so, at the hour of 
 noon, Sir Gawaine betook his soul into the hands of our Lord 
 God. And there the King let bury him in a chapel within 
 the castle of Dover : and there, yet unto this day, all men may 
 see the skull of Sir Gawaine, and the same wound is seen that 
 Sir Launcelot gave him in battle. Then was it told to King 
 Arthur that Sir Mordred had pitched a new field upon Baren- 
 down, and on the morrow the King rode thither to him, and 
 there was a great battle between them, and much people were 
 slain on both parts ; but at the last King Arthur's party stood 
 best, and Sir Mordred and his party fled unto Canterbury.
 
 308 THE BOOK OF THE MORTE D> ARTHUR. 
 
 III. 
 
 AND then the King searched all towns for his knights that 
 were slain, and made to bury them ; and those that were sore 
 wounded he caused them to be salved with soft salves. Then 
 much people drew unto King Arthur, and said that Sir Mordred 
 warred on King Arthur wrongfully. And then the King drew 
 him and with his host down unto the sea-side, westward, unto 
 Salisbury, and there was a day assigned between King Arthur 
 and Sir Mordred, and they should meet upon a down beside 
 Salisbury, and not far from the sea-side ; and this day was 
 assigned upon a Monday after Trinity Sunday, whereof King 
 Arthur was passing glad, that he might be avenged upon that 
 traitor, Sir Mordred. Then Sir Mordred raised much people 
 about London, for they of Kent, Sussex, and Surrey, Essex, and 
 Suffolk, and of Norfolk, held for the most part with Sir Mordred, 
 and many a noble knight drew unto Sir Mordred, and unto 
 King Arthur ; but they that loved Sir Launcelot drew unto Sir 
 Mordred. 
 
 And so, upon Trinity Sunday, at night, King Arthur dreamed 
 a right wonderful dream, and that was this : that him thought 
 he sat upon a scaffold in a chair, and the chair was fast unto a 
 wheel, and thereupon sat King Arthur, in the richest cloth of 
 gold that might be made ; and the King thought there was 
 under him, far from him, a hideous and a deep black water, and 
 therein was all manner of serpents and worms, and wild beasts, 
 foul and horrible ; and suddenly the King thought that the 
 wheel turned upside down, and that he fell among the serpents 
 and wild beasts, and every beast took him by a limb : and then 
 the King cried, as he lay in his bed and slept, " Help ! " 
 
 And then knights, squires, and yeomen awaked the King, 
 and then he was so amazed, that he wist not where he was ; 
 and then he fell in a slumbering again, not sleeping, nor through 
 waking. So King Arthur thought there came Sir Gawaine unto 
 him verily, with a number of fair ladies with him ; and so, when 
 King Arthur saw him, he said, " Welcome, my sister's son, I 
 weened thou hast been dead, and now I spe thee alive ; much 
 am I beholden unto Almighty Jesu. Oh ! fair nephew, and my 
 sister's son, what be these ladies that be come hither with you?" 
 " Sir," said Sir Gawaine, " all these be the ladies for whom I 
 have fought when I was a man living ; and all these are those 
 that I did battle for in a rightwise quarrel, and God hath given 
 them that grace at their great prayer, because I did battle for 
 them, that they should bring me hither to you ; thus much hath
 
 THE BOOK OF THE MORIE D> ARTHUR. 309 
 
 God given me leave for to warn you of your death ; for and ye 
 fight as to-morrow with Sir Mordred, as both ye have assigned, 
 doubt ye not ye must be slain, and the most part of your people, 
 on both parties : and for the great grace and goodness that 
 Almighty Jesu hath unto you, and for pity of you, and many 
 more other good men, that there should be slain, God hath sent 
 me unto you, of His most special grace, for to give you warning, 
 that in no wise ye do battle as to-morrow, but that ye take a 
 treaty for a month's day, and proffer him largely, so as to- 
 morrow to be put in a delay ; for within a month shall come 
 Sir Launcelot, with all his noble knights, and shall rescue you 
 worshipfully, and slay Sir Mordred and all that ever will hold 
 him." Then Sir Gawaine and all the ladies vanished. And 
 anon the King called upon his knights, squires, and yeomen, 
 and charged them lightly to fetch his noble lords and wise 
 bishops unto him ; and when they were come, the King told 
 them his vision, what Sir Gawaine told him, and warned him, 
 that if he fought on the morrow he should be slain. Then the 
 King commanded Sir Lucan, the butler ; and his brother, Sir 
 Bedivere ; and two bishops with them, and charged them in 
 any wise if they might take a treaty for a month with Sir 
 Mordred ; and spare not to proffer him lands and goods, as 
 much as ye think best. So then they departed and came to Sir 
 Mordred, where he had a grimly host of a hundred thousand 
 men, and thereby entreated Sir Mordred long time ; and, at 
 the last, Sir Mordred was agreed to have Cornwall and Kent 
 by King Arthur's days, and after the days of King Arthur to 
 have all England to his obeisance. 
 
 IV. 
 
 So then were they condescended that King Arthur and Sir 
 Mordred should meet between both their hosts, and every each of 
 them should bring fourteen persons ; and then came this word 
 unto King Arthur. "And then," said he, " I am glad that this 
 is done." And so he went into the field ; and when King 
 Arthur should depart, he warned all his host, " that and they 
 saw any sword drawn, look that ye come on fiercely, and slay 
 that traitor, Sir Mordred, for in nowise trust him." In likewise 
 Sir Mordred did warn his host, "that if ye see any manner of 
 sword drawn, look that ye come on fiercely, and so slay all that 
 ever standeth before you ; for in nowise I will not trust for this 
 treaty, for I know well that my father will be avenged upon me."
 
 310 THE BOOK OF THE MORTE D' ARTHUR. 
 
 And so they were agreed and accorded thoroughly, and wine 
 was set, and they drank. Right so came an adder out of a 
 little heath bush, and stung a knight on the foot. And when 
 the knight felt him stung, he looked down and saw the adder, 
 and then he drew his sword to slay the adder, and thought of 
 none other harm. And when the hosts on both parties 
 saw that sword drawn, they blew beames, trumpets, and 
 horns, and shouted grimly. And so both hosts dressed them 
 together, and King Arthur took his horse, and said, "Alas! 
 this unhappy day:" and so rode he to his part. And so Sir 
 Mordred did in likewise, and never was there seen a more 
 dolefuller battle in no Christian land : for there was but rushing 
 and riding, foining and striking, and many a grim word was 
 there spoken either to other, and many a deadly stroke. But 
 alway King Arthur rode throughout the battle of Sir Mordred 
 many times, and did there right nobly as a noble King should 
 do ; and at all times he never fainted. And Sir Mordred that 
 day put him in devoir and in great peril, and thus they fought 
 all the long day, and never stinted till the noble knights were 
 laid to the cold ground. And ever they fought still till it was 
 nigh night, and by that time was there a hundred thousand laid 
 dead upon the down. Then was King Arthur wrath out of 
 measure, when he saw his people so slain from him. Then the 
 King looked about him, and then was he ware that of all his 
 host, and of his good knights, were left no more alive but two 
 knights ; that were Sir Lucan, the butler, and Sir Bedivere, his 
 brother, and they were right sore wounded. " Jesu mercy," 
 said King Arthur, " where are all my noble knights become ? 
 Alas ! that ever I should see this doleful day : for now," said 
 King Arthur, " I am come unto mine end. But would to God 
 that I wist where that traitor, Sir Mordred, is, which hath caused 
 all this mischief?" Then was King Arthur aware where Sir 
 Mordred leaned upon his sword among a great heap of dead 
 men. " Now give me my spear," said King Arthur to Sir 
 Lucan, " for yonder I have espied the traitor which hath 
 wrought all this woe." " Sir, let him be," said Sir Lucan, " for 
 he is unhappy ; and if ye pass this unhappy day, ye shall be 
 right well revenged upon him. My good lord, remember well 
 your dream that ye had this night, and what the spirit of Sir 
 Gawaine told you this night ; yet God of his great goodness 
 hath preserved you hither, therefore, for God's sake, my lord, 
 leave off by this ; for, blessed be God, ye have won the field, 
 for here we be three alive, and with Sir Mordred is none alive, 
 and if ye leave off now this wicked day of destiny is done."
 
 THE BOOK OF THE MORTE D' ARTHUR. 311 
 
 " Betide me death, betide me life," said the King ; " now I see 
 him yonder alone, he shall never escape my hands, for at better 
 advantage shall I never have him." " God speed you well," 
 said Sir Bedivere. Then King Arthur gat his spear in both his 
 hands, and ran toward Sir Mordred, crying, " Traitor, now is 
 thy death-day come." And when Sir Mordred heard King 
 Arthur, he ran unto him with his sword drawn in his hand, 
 and there King Arthur smote Sir Mordred under the shield, 
 with a foin of his spear, throughout the body more than a fathom. 
 And when Sir Mordred felt that he had his death wound, he 
 thrust himself with all the might that he had up to the end of 
 King Arthur's spear with his sword, that he held in both his 
 hands, on the side of the head, that the sword pierced the 
 helmet and the brain-pan. And therewith Sir Mordred fell 
 down stark dead to the earth, and the noble King Arthur fell 
 in a swoon to the earth, and there he swooned oftentimes. 
 And Sir Lucan and Sir Bedivere oftentimes heaved him up, and 
 so weakly they laid him between them both unto a little chapel, 
 not far from the sea-side. And when the King was there, he 
 thought him well eased. Then heard they people cry in the 
 field. " Now go thou, Sir Lucan," said the King, "and do me 
 to write what betokeneth that noise in the field." So Sir Lucan 
 departed, and he was grievously wounded in many places ; 
 and so, as he went, he saw and hearkened by the moonlight, 
 how the pilfers and robbers were come into the field, for to 
 pilfer and rob many a noble knight of broaches and beads, 
 of many a good ring, and of many a rich jewel. And who that 
 were not dead all out, there they slew them for to have their 
 harness, and their riches. And when Sir Lucan understood this 
 work, he came unto the King as soon as he might, and told him 
 all that he had heard and seen. " Therefore, by mine advice," 
 said Sir Lucan, " it is best that we bring you unto some town." 
 " I would it were so," said the King. 
 
 V. 
 
 " BUT I may not stand, my head acheth so. Ah ! Sir 
 Launcelot," said King Arthur, " this same day have I sore 
 missed thee ; alas ! that ever I was against thee, for now have 
 I my death, whereof Sir Gawaine warned me in my dream." 
 Then Sir Lucan took up King Arthur on the one part, and Sir 
 Bedivere on the other part, and in the lifting the King swooned. 
 And Sir Lucan fell in a swoon with that lift, that therewith the 
 noble knight's heart burst. And when King Arthur came to
 
 312 THE BOOK OF THE MORTE > ARTHUR. 
 
 himself again, he beheld Sir Lucan how he lay foaming at the 
 mouth. " Alas ! " said King Arthur, " this is unto me a full 
 heavy sight for to see this noble duke so to die for my sake ; for 
 he would have holpen me, that had more need of help than I 
 have. Alas ! he would not complain him, his heart was so 
 set for to help me. Now, Jesu, have mercy upon his soul." 
 Then Sir Bedivere wept for the death of his brother. " Leave 
 this weeping and mourning," said King Arthur, " for all this 
 will not avail me ; for wit thou well I might live myself, the 
 death of Sir Lucan would grieve me evermore. But my 
 time hieth fast," said King Arthur unto Sir Bedivere, " therefore 
 take thou Excalibur, my good sword, and go with it unto 
 yonder water-side ; and when thou comest there, I charge thee, 
 throw my sword into that water, and come again and tell me 
 what thou shalt see there." " My lord," said Sir Bedivere, 
 "your command shall be done, and lightly bring you word 
 again." And so Sir Bedivere departed^ and by the way he 
 beheld that noble sword, where the pommel and the haft were 
 all of precious stones. And then he said to himself, "If I 
 throw this rich sword into the water, thereof shall never come 
 good, but harm and loss." And then Sir Bedivere hid 
 Excalibur under a tree, and as soon as he might, he came 
 again unto King Arthur, and said he had been at the water, 
 and had thrown the sword into the water. "What sawest 
 thou there ? " said the King. " Sir," said he, " I saw nothing 
 but waves and wind." "That is untruly said of thee," said 
 King Arthur, " therefore go thou lightly and do my command, 
 as thou art to me life and dear, spare not but throw it in." 
 Then Sir Bedivere returned again, and took the sword 
 in his hand ; and then he thought it sin and shame 
 to throw away that noble sword : and so after he hid 
 the sword, and returned again, and told to the King that he 
 had been at the water and done his command. " What saw 
 ye there?" said the King. "Sir," said he, "I saw nothing 
 but the water lap and waves wan." " Ah ! traitor, untrue," 
 said King Arthur, "now hast thou betrayed me two times, 
 who would have weened that thou that hast been unto me so 
 self and dear, and thou art named a noble knight, and wouldest 
 betray me for the rich sword. But now go again lightly, for thy 
 long tarrying putteth me in great jeopardy of my life, for I have 
 taken cold ; and but if thou do as I command thee, and if ever 
 I may see thee, I shall slay thee with mine own hands, for thou 
 wouldest for my rich sword see me dead." Then Sir Bedivere 
 departed, and went to the sword, and lightly took it up and
 
 THE BOOK OF THE MORTE D> ARTHUR. 313 
 
 went to the water's side, and there he bound the girdle about 
 the belts. And then he threw the sword into the water as far 
 as he might, and there came an arm and a hand above the 
 water, and met it and caught it, and so shook it thrice and 
 brandished. And then the hand vanished away with the sword 
 in the water. 
 
 So Sir Bedivere came again to the King, and told him what 
 he had seen. "Alas !" said the King, "help me from hence ; 
 for I dread me I have tarried over long." Then Sir Bedivere 
 took King Arthur upon his back, and so went with him to the 
 water's side ; and, when they were at the water's side, even fast 
 by the bank hovered a little barge, with many fair ladies in it : 
 and among them all was a queen, and all they had black hoods ; 
 and they wept and shrieked when they saw King Arthur. 
 
 " Now put me into the barge," said the King. And so he did 
 softly, and there received him three queens with great mourn- 
 ing ; and so these three queens sat them down, and in one of 
 their laps King Arthur laid his head. And then that queen 
 said, "Ah ! dear brother, why have ye tarried so long from me? 
 Alas! this wound on your head hath taken overmuch cold." And 
 so then they rowed from the land ; and Sir Bedivere beheld all 
 those ladies go from him. Then Sir Bedivere cried, "Ah ! my 
 lord Arthur, what shall become of me now ye go from me, and 
 leave me here alone among mine enemies ? " " Comfort thy- 
 self," said King Arthur, " and do as well as thou mayest ; for in 
 me is no trust for to trust in : for I will into the vale of Avilion, 
 for to heal me of my grievous wound ; and, if thou never hear 
 more of me, pray for my soul." But evermore the queens and 
 the ladies wept and shrieked, that it was pitiful for to hear 
 them : and, as soon as Sir Bedivere had lost the sight of the 
 barge, he wept and wailed, and so took the forest, and so he 
 went all the night ; and, in the morning, he was aware, 
 between two hills, of a chapel and a hermitage. 
 
 VI. 
 
 THEN was Sir Bedivere glad, and thither he went ; and, 
 when he came into the chapel, he saw where lay a hermit 
 grovelling upon all fours there, fast by a tomb newly graven. 
 When the hermit saw Sir Bedivere he knew him well ; for he 
 was, but a little before, Bishop of Canterbury, that Sir Mordred 
 had banished away. "Sir," said Sir Bedivere, "what man is 
 there buried that ye pray so fast for ?" " My fair son," said the 
 hermit, " I wot not verily but by deeming ; but this night, at
 
 314 THE BOOK OF THE MORTE Z>> ARTHUR. 
 
 midnight, here came a great number of ladies, which brought 
 this dead corpse, and prayed me to bury him ; and here they 
 offered a hundred tapers, and gave me a hundred besants." 
 "Alas !" said Sir Bedivere, "that was my lord, King Arthur, 
 that here lieth buried in this chapel." Then Sir Bedivere 
 swooned ; and, when he awoke, he prayed the hermit that he 
 might abide with him here still, to live with fasting and prayers ; 
 " For from hence will I never go," said Sir Bedivere, " by my 
 will ; but all the days of my life here to pray for my lord, King 
 Arthur." " Ye are welcome to me," said the hermit ; " for I 
 know you belter than ye ween that I do : for ye are that bold 
 Bedivere, and the noble duke Sir Lucan, the butler, was your 
 own brother." 
 
 Then Sir Bedivere told the hermit all as ye beard before. 
 So Sir Bedivere abode there still with the hermit, which 
 had been before the Bishop of Canterbury : and there Sir 
 Bedivere put upon him poor clothes, and served the hermit 
 full lowly in fasting and in prayers. This of King Arthur I find 
 no more written in my copy of the certainty of his death : but 
 thus was he led away in a barge, wherein were three queens : 
 that one was King Arthur's sister, Morgan le Fay ; the other 
 was the Queen of Northgalis ; and the third was the Queen of 
 the Waste Lands. And there was Nimue, the chief Lady of 
 the Lake, which had wedded Sir Pelleas, the good knight. And 
 this lady had done much for King Arthur ; for she would never 
 suffer Sir Pelleas to be in any place whereas he should be in 
 danger of his life : and so he lived to the uttermost of his days 
 with her in great rest. More of the death of King Arthur could 
 I never find, but that ladies brought him unto the burials. 
 And such one was buried here, that the hermit bare witness, 
 that sometimes was Bishop of Canterbury : but yet the hermit 
 knew not of a certain that it was verily the body of King 
 Arthur. For this tale Sir Bedivere, knight of the Round Table, 
 made it plainly to be written. 
 
 VII. 
 
 SOME men yet say, in many parts of England, that King 
 Arthur is not dead ; but had by the will of our Lord Jesu Christ 
 into another place : and men say that he will come again, and 
 he shall win the holy cross. I will not say that it shall be so ; 
 but rather I will say, that here in this world he changed his 
 life. But many men say that there is written upon his tomb 
 this verse : 
 
 Hie jacet Arthurus rex quondam^ rexque futurus.
 
 THE BOOK OF THE MORTE D> ARTHUR. 315 
 
 Thus leave we here Sir Bedivere with the hermit, that dwelled 
 that time in a chapel beside Glastonbury, and there was his 
 hermitage ; and so they lived in prayers, and fastings, and 
 great abstinence. And when Queen Guenever understood that 
 her lord, King Arthur, was slain, and all the noble knights, Sir 
 Mordred and all the remnant, then she stole away, and five 
 ladies with her : and so she went to Almesbury, and there she 
 let make herself a nun, and wore white clothes and black : and 
 great penance she took, as ever did sinful lady in this land, and 
 never creature could make her merry, but lived in fastings, 
 prayers, and alms deeds, that all manner of people marvelled 
 how virtuously she was changed. Now leave we Queen Guenever 
 in Almesbury, that was a nun in white clothes and in black, and 
 there she was abbess and ruler as reason would : and turn we 
 from her, and speak we of Sir Launcelot du Lake. 
 
 VIII. 
 
 AND when he heard in his country that Sir Mordred was 
 crowned king in England; and made war against King Arthur, 
 his own father, and would not let him to land in his own land. 
 Also it was told Sir Launcelot how that Sir Mordred had laid 
 siege about the Tower of London, because the Queen would not 
 wed him. Then was Sir Launcelot wondrous wrath, and said 
 to his kinsmen, " Alas ! that double traitor, Sir Mordred ! now 
 I repent me that he escaped my hands ; for much shame hath 
 he done to my lord, King Arthur : for I feel, by the letter of Sir 
 Gawaine, that my lord, King Arthur, is right hard bestead. 
 Alasl" said Sir Launcelot, "that ever I should live to hear that 
 most noble King, that made me knight, thus to be overset with 
 his subjects in his own realm : and this doleful letter, that my 
 lord, Sir Gawaine, hath sent me before his death, praying me to 
 see his tomb, wit ye well his doleful words shall never go from 
 my heart. For he was a full noble knight that ever was born ; 
 and in an unhappy hour was I born, that ever a wretch should 
 have that mishap to slay Sir Gawaine, and Sir Gaheris, the good 
 knight, and mine own friend, Sir Gareth, that noble knight. 
 
 " Alas ! may 1 say, that I am unhappy," said Sir Launcelot, 
 " that ever I should do thus unhappily ! Alas ! might I never 
 have hap to slay that traitor, Sir Mordred ? " " Leave your 
 complaints," said Sir Bors, " and first revenge you of the death 
 of Sir Gawaine, and it will be well done that ye go to see Sir 
 Gawaine's tomb ; and, secondly, that ye revenge my lord, King 
 Arthur, and Queen Guenever." " I thank you," said Sir 
 Launcelot, " for ever ye will my worship."
 
 3i6 THE BOOK OF THE MORTE >' ARTHUR. 
 
 Then they made them ready in all the haste that might be, 
 with ships and galleys, with Sir Launcelot and his host, for to 
 pass into England : and so he passed over the sea, and arrived 
 at Dover ; and there he landed with seven kings, and the 
 number of their men of arms was hideous to behold. Then Sir 
 Launcelot inquired of the men of Dover where King Arthur 
 was become ? 
 
 Then the people told him how that he was slain with Sir 
 Mordred, and a hundred thousand died upon a day ; and how 
 Sir Mordred gave King Arthur there the first battle at his land- 
 ing, and there was the good knight, Sir Gawaine, slain ; and, 
 on the morrow, Sir Mordred fought with King Arthur upon 
 Barendown, and there King Arthur put Sir Mordred to the 
 worst. " Alas ! " said Sir Launcelot, " this is the heaviest 
 tidings that ever came to me. Now, fair sir," said Sir Launcelot, 
 " I beseech you show me the tomb of Sir Gawaine." 
 
 And then certain people of the town brought him to the 
 castle of Dover, and showed him the tomb of Sir Gawaine. 
 Then Sir Launcelot kneeled down and wept, and prayed full 
 heartily for his soul ; and that night he made a dole. And all 
 they that would come had as much flesh and fish, wine and ale, 
 as they might eat and drink ; and every man and woman had 
 twelvepence, come who would. Thus, with his own hands, 
 dealed he his money in a mourning gown ; and ever he wept, 
 and prayed them to pray for the soul of Sir Gawaine. And, on 
 the morrow, all the priests and clerks that might be gotten in 
 the country were there, and sung mass of requiem. And there 
 Sir Launcelot offered first, and he offered a hundred pounds : 
 and then the seven kings offered forty pounds each ; and the 
 offering endured from the morning to night : and Sir Launcelot 
 lay two nights upon his tomb in prayers and in weeping ; then, 
 on the third day, Sir Launcelot called unto him the kings, 
 dukes, earls, barons, and knights, and thus he said " My fair 
 lords, I thank you all of your coming hither into this country 
 with me : but we come too lale, and that shall repent men 
 while I live ; but against death there may no man rebel. But 
 sith it is so," said Sir Launcelot, " I will myself ride and seek 
 my lady, Queen Guenever ; for, as I heard say, she hath had 
 much pain and great disease : and I have heard say, that she is 
 fled to the west country. Therefore, ye all shall abide me here ; 
 and, but if I come again within fifteen days, then take your 
 ships, and depart into your countries ; for I will do as I have 
 said to you."
 
 THE BOOK OF THE MORTE D' ARTHUR. 317 
 
 IX. 
 
 Then came Sir Bors de Ganis, and said, " My lord, Sir 
 Launcelot, what think ye to do ? Now to ride in this realm, 
 wit thou well ye shall find few friends." " Be as it may," said 
 Sir Launcelot, "keep you still here ; for I will forth on my 
 journey, and neither man nor child go with me." So it was no 
 boot to strive ; but he departed and rode westward, and there 
 he sought seven or eight days, and at the last he came upon a 
 nunnery. And then was Queen Guenever aware of Sir Launce- 
 lot as he walked in the cloister ; and, when she saw him there, 
 she swooned three times, that all the ladies and gentlewomen 
 had work enough for to hold the Queen up. So, when she 
 might speak, she called the ladies and gentlewomen unto her : 
 "Ye marvel, fair ladies, why I make this cheer. Truly," said 
 she, " it is for the sight of yonder knight which is yonder ; 
 wherefore, I pray you all to call him unto me." And when Sir 
 Launcelot was brought unto her, then she said, " Through this 
 knight and me all the wars were wrought, and the death of the 
 most noble knights of the world ; for through our love that we 
 have loved together is my most noble lord slain : therefore, wit 
 thou well, Sir Launcelot, I am set in such a plight to get my 
 soul's health ; and yet I trust, through God's grace, that after 
 my death for to have the sight of the blessed face of Jesu 
 Christ, and at the dreadful day of doom to sit on his right side : 
 for as sinful creatures as ever was I are saints in heaven. 
 
 " Therefore, Sir Launcelot, I require thee, and beseech thee 
 heartily, for all the love that ever was between us two, that thou 
 never look me more in the visage ; and furthermore I command 
 thee, on God's behalf, right straightly that thou forsake my 
 company, and that unto thy kingdom shortly thou return again, 
 and keep well thy realm from war and wreck. For as well as I 
 have loved thee, Sir Launcelot, now mine heart will not once 
 serve me to see thee ; for through me and thee are the flower 
 of kings and knights destroyed, therefore, Sir Launcelot, go 
 thou unto thy realm, and there take thee a wife, and live with 
 her in joy and bliss ; and I beseech you heartily pray for me 
 unto our Lord God, that I may amend my misliving." 
 
 " Now, sweet madam," said Sir Launcelot, " would ye that I 
 should now return again into my country, and there to wed a 
 lady ? Nay, madam, wit ye well that I will never while I live ; 
 for I shall never be so false to you of that I have promised, but 
 the same destiny that ye have taken you unto I will take me 
 unto, for to please God, and especially to pray for you."
 
 3i 8 THE BOOK OF THE MORTE D' ARTHUR. 
 
 " If thou wilt do so," said the Queen, " hold thy promise ; 
 but I may not believe but that thou wilt return to the world 
 again." " Ye say well," said he ; " yet wist me never false of 
 my promise, and God defend but that I should forsake the 
 world like as ye have done ; for in the quest of the Sancgreal I 
 had forsaken the vanities of the world, had not your lord been : 
 and if I had done so at that time with my heart, will, and thought, 
 I had passed all the knights that were in the quest of the 
 Sancgreal, except Sir Galahad, my son. And, therefore, my 
 lady, Dame Guenever, since ye have taken you unto perfection, 
 I must needs take me unto perfection of right. For I take 
 record of God in you have I had mine earthly joy ; and if I had 
 found you so disposed now, I had cast me for to have had you 
 into mine own realm and country. 
 
 X. 
 
 " BUT since I find you thus disposed, I endure you faithfully 
 that I will take me to penance, and pray, while my life lasteth, 
 if I may find any good hermit, either grey or white, that will 
 receive me ; wherefore, madam, I pray you kiss me once, and 
 never more." " Nay," said the Queen, " that shall I never do ; 
 but abstain you from such things." And so they departed ; but 
 there was never so hard-hearted a man but he would have wept 
 to see the sorrow that they made : for there was a lamentation 
 as though they had been stung with spears, and many times 
 they swooned. And the ladies bare the Queen to her chamber, 
 and Sir Launcelot awoke, and went and took his horse, and rode 
 all day and all that night in a forest, weeping ; and at the last he 
 was aware of a hermitage, and a chapel that stood between two 
 cliffs, and then he heard a little bell ring to mass, and thither he 
 rode, and alighted, and tied his horse to the gate, and heard 
 mass. And he that sung the mass was the Bishop of Canter- 
 bury ; both the bishop and Sir Bedivere knew Sir Launcelot, 
 and they spake together after mass. But when Sir Bedivere 
 had told him his tale all whole, Sir Launcelot's heart almost burst 
 for sorrow ; and Sir Launcelot threw away his armour, and 
 said, "Alas ! who may trust this world." 
 
 And then he kneeled down on his knees, and prayed the 
 bishop for to shrive him and assoil him : and then he besought 
 the bishop that he might be his brother. Then the bishop said, 
 " I will gladly." And then he put a habit upon Sir Launcelot ; 
 and there he served God, day and night, with prayers and 
 fastings.
 
 THE BOOK OF THE MORTE D' ARTHUR. 319 
 
 Thus the great host abode at Dover ; and then Sir Lionel 
 took fifteen lords with him, and rode to London to seek Sir 
 Launcelot ; and there Sir Lionel was slain, and many of his 
 lords. Then Sir Bors de Ganis made the great host to go home 
 again unto their own country; and Sir Bors, Sir Ector de Maris, 
 Sir Blamor, Sir Bleoberis, and with more other of Sir Launce- 
 lot's kin, took on them to ride through all England to seek Sir 
 Launcelot. 
 
 So Sir Bors rode so long till he came unto the same chapel 
 where Sir Launcelot was ; and so Sir Bors heard a little bell 
 that rung to mass, and there he alighted, and heard mass. And 
 when mass was done, the bishop, Sir Launcelot, and Sir 
 Bedivere came unto Sir Bors ; and when he saw Sir Launcelot 
 in that manner of clothing, then he prayed the bishop that he 
 might be in the same suit : and so there was a habit put upon 
 him, and there he lived in prayers and fasting. And within 
 half-a-year there was come Sir Galihud, Sir Galihodin, Sir 
 Bleoberis, Sir Villiers, Sir Clarrus, and Sir Galahautine: so these 
 seven noble knights abode there still. And when they saw that 
 Sir Launcelot had taken him unto such perfection, they had no 
 list to depart, but took such a habit as he had. Thus they 
 endured in great penance five years, and then Sir Launcelot 
 took the habit of priesthood, and twelve months he sung the 
 mass. And there was none of these other knights but that they 
 read in books, and helped for to sing mass, and ring bells, and 
 did lowly all manner of service. And so their horses went 
 where they would ; for they took no regard in worldly riches : 
 for when they saw Sir Launcelot endure such penance, in 
 prayer and fasting, they took no force what pain they endured, 
 for to see the noblest knight of the world take such abstinence, 
 so that he waxed full lean. And thus upon a night there came 
 a vision unto Sir Launcelot, and charged him, in remission of 
 all his sins, to haste him toward Almesbury, " and by that time 
 thou come there thou shall find Queen Guenever dead ; and, 
 therefore, take thy fellows with thee, and also purvey thee a 
 horse-bier, and bring you the corpse of her, and bury it by her 
 lord and husband, the noble King Arthur." So this vision came 
 thrice unto Sir Launcelot in one night. 
 
 XI. 
 
 THEN Sir Launcelot rose up ere it was day, and told the 
 hermit thereof. "It is well done," said the hermit; "look that 
 ye disobey not this vision." Then Sir Launcelot took his seven
 
 320 THE BOOK OF THE MORTE D> ARTHUR. 
 
 fellows with him, and on foot they went from Glastonbury, the 
 which is little more than thirty miles : and thither they came 
 within two days, for they were weak and feeble to go. And 
 when Sir Launcelot was come to Almesbury, within the nunnery, 
 Queen Guenever died but half-an-hour before ; and the ladies 
 told Sir Launcelot, that Queen Guenever had told all ere she 
 died, " that Sir Launcelot had been a priest near twelve 
 months, and hither he cometh, as fast as he may, for to fetch my 
 corpse ; and beside my lord, King Arthur, he shall bury me." 
 Wherefore the Queen said, in hearing of them all, " I beseech 
 Almighty God, that I may never have power to see Sir Launcelot 
 with my worldly eyes." "And this," said all the ladies, "was 
 ever her prayer all those two days, until she was dead." Then 
 Sir Launcelot saw her visage ; but he wept not greatly, but 
 sighed. And so he did all the observance of the service him- 
 self, both the dirge at night, and the mass on the morrow ; 
 and there was ordained a horse-bier : and so with a hundred 
 torches ever burning about the corpse of the Queen. And 
 ever Sir Launcelot with his seven fellows went about the 
 bier, singing and reading many a holy and devout orision, 
 and frankincense upon the corpse incensed. Thus Sir Launcelot 
 and his seven fellows went on foot from Almesbury until they 
 came to Glastonbury ; and when they were come to the chapel 
 and the hermitage, there she had a dirge with great devotion ; 
 and on the morrow the hermit, that was sometime Bishop of 
 Canterbury, sung the mass of requiem, with great devotion ; 
 and Sir Lctuncelot was the first that offered, and then offered all 
 his seven fellows : and then she was wrapped in seared cloths 
 of reins, from the top to the toe, in thirty fold, and then she 
 was put in a web of lead, and after in a coffin of marble. And 
 when she was put into the earth, Sir Launcelot swooned, and 
 lay long upon the ground, while the hermit came and awaked 
 him, and said, " Ye are to blame, for ye displease God with 
 such manner of sorrow-making." " Truly," said Sir Launcelot, 
 " I trust I do not displease God, for he knoweth well mine 
 intent, for my sorrow was not, nor is not for any rejoicing of 
 sin ; but my sorrow may fiever have an end. For when I 
 remember and call to mind her beauty, her bounty, and her 
 nobleness, that was as well with her King, my lord Arthur, as 
 with her ; and also when I saw the corpse of that noble King, 
 and noble Queen, so lie together in that cold grave, made of 
 earth, that sometime were so highly set in most honourable 
 places, truly mine heart would not serve me to sustain my 
 wretched and careful body also. And when I remember me
 
 THE BOOK OF THE MORTE D> ARTHUR. 321 
 
 how I, through my default, and through my presumption and 
 pride, that they were both laid full low, the which were peerless 
 that ever were living of Christian people. Wit ye well," said 
 .Sir Launcelot, "this remembered of their kindness, and of mine 
 unkindness, sunk and impressed so in my heart, that all my 
 natural strength failed me, so that I might not sustain myself." 
 
 XII. 
 
 THEN Sir Launcelot, ever after, eat but little meat, nor drank, 
 but continually mourned until he was dead ; and then he 
 sickened more and more, and dried and dwindled away. For 
 the bishop, nor none of his fellows, might not make him to eat, 
 and little he drank, that he was soon waxed shorter by a cubit 
 than he was, that the people could not know him. For ever- 
 more, day and night, he prayed, but needfully, as nature 
 required ; sometimes he slumbered a broken sleep, and always 
 he was lying grovelling upon King Arthur's and Queen 
 Guenever's tomb ; and there was no comfort that the bishop, 
 nor Sir Bors, nor none of all his fellows, could make him ; it 
 availed nothing. 
 
 Oh ! ye mighty and pompous lords, shining in the glory 
 transitory of this unstable life, as in reigning over great realms 
 and mighty great countries, fortified with strong castles and 
 towers, edified with many a rich city ; yea also, ye fierce and 
 mighty knights, so valiant in adventurous deeds of arms ; 
 behold ! behold ! see how this mighty conqueror, King Arthur, 
 whom in his human life all the world doubted ; see also, the 
 noble Queen Guenever, which sometime sat in her chair, 
 adorned with gold, pearls, and precious stones, now lie full low 
 in obscure foss, or pit, covered with clods of earth and clay. 
 Behold also this mighty champion, Sir Launcelot, peerless of all 
 knighthood ; see now, how he lieth grovelling upon the cold 
 mould ; now being so feeble and faint, that sometime was so 
 terrible. How, and in what manner, ought ye to be so desirous 
 of worldly honour so dangerous. Therefore methinketh this 
 present book is right necessary often to be read ; for in it shall 
 ye find the most gracious, knightly, and virtuous war, of the most 
 noble knights of the world, whereby they gat a praising continu- 
 ally. Also me seemeth, by the oft reading thereof, ye shall 
 greatly desire to accustom yourself in following of those gracious 
 knightly deeds ; that is to say, to dread God and to love righteous- 
 ness, faithfully and courageously to serve your sovereign prince ; 
 and the more that God hath given you the triumphal honour, 
 
 21
 
 322 THE BOOK OF THE MORTE D> ARTHUR. 
 
 the meeker ought ye to be, ever fearing the unstableness of this 
 deceitful world. And so I pass over and turn again unto my 
 matter. 
 
 So within six weeks after, Sir Launcelot fell sick, and lay in 
 his bed, and then he sent for the bishop, that there was hermit, 
 and all his true fellows. Then Sir Launcelot said, in dreary tone, 
 " Sir Bishop, I pray you that ye will give me all my rights that 
 belongeth unto a Christian man." " It shall not need you," said 
 the hermit and his fellows ; "it is but a heaviness of your blood 
 ye shall be well amended by the grace of God to-morrow." 
 
 " My fair lords," said Sir Launcelot, " wit ye well, my careful 
 body will into the earth ; I have warning more than I will now 
 say ; therefore, I pray you, give me my rights." So when he 
 was houseled and eneled, and had all that a Christian man 
 ought to have, he prayed the bishop that his fellows might bear 
 his body unto Joyous Card. 
 
 " Some men say Alnwick, and some men say to Bamborow ; 
 howbeit," said Sir Launcelot " me repenteth sore ; but I made 
 mine avow afore time, that in Toyous Card I would be buried ; 
 and, because of breaking of mine vow, I pray you all lead 
 rne thither." Then was there weeping and wringing of hands 
 among all his fellows. So, at the season of the night, they 
 went all to their beds ; for they all lay in one chamber. So 
 after midnight, against day, the bishop that was hermit, as he 
 lay in his bed asleep, he fell on a great laughter and therewith 
 the fellowship awoke, and came unto the bishop, and asked him 
 what he ailed ? " Ah ! Jesu, mercy," said the bishop," " why 
 did ye awake me ? I was never in all my life so merry, and so 
 well at ease." " Why, wherefore ? " said Sir Bors. " Truly," 
 said the bishop, " here was Sir Launcelot with me, with more 
 angels than ever I saw men upon one day ; and I saw the angels 
 heave up Sir Launcelot towards heaven, and the gates of 
 heaven opened against him." " It is but the troubling of 
 dreams," said Sir Bors ; " for I doubt not Sir Launcelot aileth 
 nothing but good." " It may well be," said the bishop ; " go 
 ye to his bed, and then shall ye prove the truth." 
 
 j> when Sir Bors and his fellows came to his bed, they found 
 him stark dead, and he lay as he had smiled ; and the sweetest 
 savour about him that ever they smelled. Then was there 
 weeping and wringing of hands, and the greatest dole they 
 made that ever made men. And on the morrow the bishop 
 sung his mass of requiem, and after, the bishop and all those 
 knights put Sir Launcelot in the same horse-bier that Queen 
 Guenever was laid in, before that she was buried.
 
 THE BOOK OF THE MORTE D' ARTHUR. 323 
 
 And so the bishop and they altogether went with the corpse 
 of Sir Launcelot daily, till they came unto Joyous Card, and 
 ever they had a hundred torches burning about him. 
 
 And so, within fifteen days, they came to Joyous Card, and 
 there they laid his corpse in the body of the quire, and sung 
 and read many psalters and prayers over him, and about him ; 
 and ever his visage was laid open and naked, that all folk 
 might behold him. For such was the custom in those days, 
 that all men of worship should so lie with open visage, till that 
 they were buried. And right thus, as they were at their 
 service, there came Sir Ector de Maris, that had sought seven 
 years all England Scotland, and Wales, seeking his brother 
 Sir Launcelot. 
 
 XIII. 
 
 AND when Sir Ector de Maris heard such noise and light 
 in the quire of Joyous Card, he alighted, and put his horse 
 away from him, and came into the quire, and there he saw 
 men sing the service lamentably. And all they knew Sir Ector, 
 but he knew not them. Then went Sir Bors unto sir Ector, and 
 told him how there lay his brother Sir Launcelot dead. 
 
 And then Sir Ector threw his shield, his sword, and his 
 helm from him ; and when he beheld Sir Launcelot's visage, 
 he fell dosvn in a swoon ; and when he awoke, it were hard 
 for any tongue to tell the doleful complaints that he made 
 for his brother. "Ah! Sir Launcelot," said he, "thou wert 
 head of all Christian knights. And now, I dare say," said Sir 
 Ector, " that Sir Launcelot, there thou liest, thou were never 
 matched of none earthly knight's hands ; and thou wert the 
 courtliest knight that ever bear shield : and thou wert the 
 truest friend to thy lover that ever bestrode horse ; and thou 
 wert the truest lover of a sinful man that ever loved woman ; 
 and thou wert the kindest man that ever struck with sword ; 
 and thou wert the goodliest person that ever came among press 
 of knights ; and thou wert the meekest man, and the gentlest, 
 that ever eat in hall among ladies ; and thou wert the sternest 
 knight to thy mortal foe that ever put spear in the rest. 
 
 Then there was weeping and dolor out of measure. Thus 
 they kept Sir Launcelot's corpse above the ground fifteen days, 
 and then they buried it with great devotion. And then at 
 leisure they went all with the Bishop of Canterbury unto his 
 hermitage, and there they were together more than a month. 
 Then Sir Constantine (which was Sir Cador's son, of Cornwall) 
 was chosen King of England ; and he was a full noble knight,
 
 324 THE BOOK OF THE MORTE >' ARTHUR. 
 
 and worshipfully he ruled this realm. And then this King Con- 
 stantine sent for the Bishop of Canterbury, for he heard say 
 where he was, and so he was restored unto his bishopric, and 
 left that hermitage. And Sir Bedivere was there ever still a 
 hermit unto his life's end. Then Sir Bors de Ganis, Sir Ector 
 de Maris, Sir Galahautine, Sir Galihud, Sir Galihodin, Sir 
 Blamor, Sir Bleoberis, Sir Villiers le Valiaunt, Sir Clarrus of 
 Claremount, all these knights drew them to their countries : 
 howbeit King Constantine would have had them with him, but 
 they would not abide in this realm, and there they lived in their 
 countries as holy men. And some English books make men- 
 tion, that they never went out of England after the death of Sir 
 Launcelot, but that was favour of poets. 
 
 For Sir Bors, Sir Ector, Sir Blamor, and Sir Bleoberis went 
 into the Holy Land, thereas Jesu Christ was both quick and 
 dead, anon as they had established their lands. For Sir 
 Launcelot commanded them so to do, or ever he passed out of 
 this world. And these four knights did many battles upon the 
 miscreants and Turks and there they died upon Good Friday 
 for God's sake. 
 
 Here is the end of the whole book or King Arthur, and of his 
 Noble Knights of the Round Table : that, when they were 
 whole together, there was ever a hundred and forty ; also here 
 is the end of the death of King Arthur. I pray you all, gentle- 
 men and gentlewomen, that read this book of King Arthur and 
 his knights, from the beginning to the ending, pray for me, 
 while I am alive, that God send me good deliverance. And, 
 when I am dead, I pray you all pray for my soul. For this 
 book was finished the ninth year of the reign of King Edward 
 the Fourth, by Sir Thomas Malory, Knight, as Jesu help me, 
 for his great might, as he is the servant of Jesu, both day and 
 night. 
 
 Thus endeth this noble and joyous book, entitled La Mori 
 H Arthur, notwithstanding it treateth of the birth, life, and 
 acts of the said King Arthur, and of his Noble Knights of the 
 Round Table, and their marvellous conquests and adventures, 
 the achieving of the Holy Sancgreal, and, in the end, the 
 dolorous death and departing out of this world of them all.
 
 NOTES. 
 
 A NOTE upon the more readily available works which the reader of 
 "King Arthur" will find useful may fitly be given here. We 
 omit the early editions of the Morte D' Arthur, confining ourselves to 
 the more important later reprints, beginning with Southey's edition, 
 which may have been suggested by the issue of two separate popular 
 versions, each issued in a couple of little volumes in painfully small 
 type, published in 1816. 
 
 1. La Mart D' Arlhure. Edited, with an Introduction, by Southey. 
 
 2 vols. , 4to, 1817. Longmans. [This is an exact reprint from a copy 
 of the first edition by Caxton, in Earl Spencer's library, an omission 
 of eleven leaves in that copy being unwittingly repeated.] 
 
 2. The History of King Arthur. Edited from the text of the edition of 
 
 1634, with Introduction and Notes by Thomas Wright, M. A., F.S.A. 
 Second Edition, 3 vols., 8vo. Smith. 1866. 
 
 3. Morte Darthur. The original edition of Caxton revised for modem 
 
 us?, with an Introduction by Sir Edward Strachey, Bart. The 
 Globe Edition. Macmillan & Co. 1883. [The Introduction to 
 this edition is admirable, and contains a great deal of most 
 valuable information, together with a delightful " Essay on 
 Chivalry."] 
 
 4. Le Morte Arthur. (An early Fifteenth Century Poem). Editei from 
 
 the Harleian MS. by F. J. Furnivall, M.A. Macmillan & Co. 
 1864. [In addition to Mr. Furnivall's Introduction, this volume con- 
 tains a very suggestive essay on " Arthur," by Herbert Coleridge.]
 
 326 NOTES. 
 
 The reader may bo also referred generally to the reprints of the 
 Eai-ly English Text Society, in which will be found most interesting 
 matter in prose and verse relating to Arthur, Merlin, and certain of 
 the Arthurian Knights. Special attention may be drawn to Sir 
 Gawayne and The Green Knight, an alliterative romance-poem of the 
 Fourteenth Century, of a most fascinating character. For purposes of 
 further investigation, it is only necessary to mention the Reading 
 Room at the British Museum, where an invaluable treasury of the 
 Arthurian and allied romances in old French and other versions is free 
 to the student. 
 
 THE TEXT of the present volume is taken from the second work in 
 the foregoing list, Mr. Wright's edition, the notes of which have also 
 been largely used. The spelling has of course been revised throughout, 
 and where there has seemed any doubt of the easy apprehension of 
 old words, modern equivalents have been used. In a few instances 
 also phrases which the squeamishness of these days might object to 
 have been slightly altered, but on the whole the text may be taken as 
 virtually that of the 1634 edition from which Mr. Wright printed. 
 The main purpose of the revision has been to facilitate the reading of 
 the book with pleasure. 
 
 Of the Morte D' Arthur as prepared by Malory, seven out of the 
 twenty-one Books have been here omitted, in order, as was explained 
 in the Introduction, to throw the Arthurian history proper into clearer 
 and more coherent form the history, that is, as complemented by the 
 Quest of the Grail. The omitted books, dealing chiefly with pure 
 knight-errantry, as in the romances of Sir Launcelot, Sir Beaumains, 
 Sir Tristram, and other of the knights, it is intended to publish shortly 
 as a companion volume of the CAMELOT CLASSICS. One book, how- 
 ever, dealing with Arthur's Roman War, being neither history nor 
 good romance, is cast aside altogether ; and the Book of Sir Bors in 
 the portion dealing with the Quest of the Holy Grail, though interest- 
 ing in itself, being largely a repetition of adventures chronicled of 
 other knights also, is reserved for a still further use in the series.
 
 NOTES. 
 REFERENCE LIST OF NAMES, ETC. 
 
 AND. Used constantly in the book in 
 the sense of " if." 
 
 ARETTED. Reckoned. 
 
 ARTHUR. Reference is made in the In- 
 troduction to the supposed mythical 
 origins of the story of Arthur, and it 
 is impossible to do more than remind 
 the reader here of the vast and antique 
 horizon which surrounds the romance 
 centre of " many-towered Camelot." 
 Of the historical Arthur it is diffi- 
 cult to speak exactly. He has been 
 claimed for at least six different 
 birth-places, and his bones lie pretty 
 much at the mercy of the same local- 
 ising imaginativeness. As to his sup- 
 posed relationship to his mentor 
 Merlin, the reader can turn to the note 
 on that first of all the magicians. The 
 note upon Excalibur may also be 
 turned to for Arthur's possible proto- 
 type in the Sanskrit Mahabharata, the 
 Prince Arjuna. 
 
 A SSOIL. Absolve. 
 
 A SHOTTED. Besotted : An old man's 
 love dotage. 
 
 AVELYON. Avallon, Avelon ; the fa- 
 mous Isle of Apples, on which Glas- 
 tonbury was built, 
 
 AVKMRED. To aventer, to conch 
 spears. 
 
 BAMBOROUGH. See JOYOUS CARD. 
 
 BARENDOWNE. This is, no doubt,meant 
 for Barbara Down, near Canterbury : 
 a place well known to antiquaries on 
 account of its early Anglo-Saxon ceme- 
 tery, the existence of which, doubt- 
 less, gave rise to the notion of a battle 
 having been fought there. (Wright.) 
 
 BEAMES. Beume : a sort of trumpet. 
 
 BENWICKE. A French town, not to be 
 confused, of course, with Berwick in 
 Northumberland. It has been ex- 
 plained variously in the text itself 
 and elsewhere to be Beyon Bayonne, 
 Beaune, etc. 
 
 BESAUNT. A gold coin, named from 
 Byzantium, or Constantinople, of 
 which it is understood to have been 
 the coinage. Its value varied at 
 different times. (Wright.) 
 
 BESEEN. Adorned, arrayed. 
 
 BLEISE. Blaise, according to the le- 
 gend of Merlin, was a hermit who had 
 protected Merlin's mother from the 
 fiend, and had undertaken his educa- 
 tion. Merlin is afterwards supposed 
 to have made Blaise his chronicler and 
 father-confessor, reporting his feats of 
 enchantment and the events in general 
 of the time for purposes of record by 
 Blaise. 
 
 BOOT. Help. 
 
 BRACKET. A kind of small hound, that 
 hunted by scent. 
 
 BRAST. Broke. 
 
 BRAWN. The muscular, fleshy part of 
 the limbs and extremities, as the palm 
 of the hand. 
 
 BURGENETH. Burgeon; bud, blossom. 
 
 AMELOT. In the " Globe Edition " of 
 the Itorte D' Arthur, the Introduc- 
 tion explains Camelot to be in Somer- 
 setshire, where the village of Queen- 
 Camel (East Camel and \S'est Camel), 
 lies near the grass-grown remains of a 
 castle, supposed to be Camelot, on tho
 
 328 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 neighbouring hill, with the river 
 Camel, crossed by Arthur's Bridge, 
 running below. "Arthur's Well," 
 writes Sir Edward Strachey, " still 
 springs from the hill-side, and if 
 Arthur's Hunting Causeway in the 
 field below, Arthur's Bound Table 
 and Arthur's Palace within the camp, 
 cannot still, as of old, be pointed out 
 to the visitor, the peasant girl will 
 still tell him that within that charmed 
 circle they who look may see through 
 golden gates a King sitting in the 
 midst of his court." The name of the 
 castle itself was gradually changed 
 from Camelot successively to Carnal- 
 late (Leland), Camellek, and at last 
 Cadbury. Camelot has been identi- 
 fied with various other places, as with 
 Winchester by Malory in the Book 
 of Balin le Savage, and Caxton in his 
 Prologue places it in Wales ; but there 
 can be little doubt that Queen-Camel, 
 near South Cadbury, must be the 
 shrine of the latter-day pilgrim who 
 wishes to materially approach old-time 
 Camelot. 
 
 CANDLEMAS. The feast of Candles ; a 
 festival of the Roman Catholic Church 
 in honour of the purification of the 
 Virgin Mary, on the 2nd of February, 
 and so called from the number of 
 candles used. 
 
 CARBONEK. It is difficult to localise 
 the Castle of Carbonek at all. It has 
 been identified by some writers with 
 Monsalvat, but even this is mere 
 conjecture. 
 
 CARDOILE. The old form of Carh'sle. 
 
 CARLION. Caerleon-upon-Usk, the Isca 
 Silurum of the Romans, the extensive 
 ruins of which were celebrated at the 
 time when the Arthurian romances 
 were written. It was imagined to be 
 the chief city of Arthur and the 
 legendary British Kings of that time. 
 (Wright.) 
 
 CARRACK. A sort of small ship. 
 
 CERJSD CLOTHES. Cerements ; cered, 
 i.e., waxed, burial clothes. 
 
 CHILD. Squire, or Young Knight. 
 CLEPED. Yclept, called. 
 COUIITELAGE. Courtyard. 
 
 : DEUONAIR. Courteous. 
 | DROMON. A vessel of war. 
 DURESSE. Bondage. 
 
 ELAINE. Care must be taken not to 
 confuse the various Elaines in the 
 book Elaine, King Pelleas's daughter 
 and the mother of Sir Galahad ; 
 Elaine, the fair Maid of Astolat ; 
 Elaine, King Ban's wife, and Elaine, 
 King Nentres's wife. 
 
 ENELED. Anointed, with extreme unc- 
 tion. See " Hamlet." 
 "Unhousl'd, disappointed, unanul'd." 
 Act 1. Sc. 1. 
 
 ERST. Before. 
 
 EXCALIBUR. King Arthur's celebrated 
 magic sword may be indentified with 
 certain other enchanted weapons of 
 old-world myths, as perhaps with the 
 holy bow, Gamliva, in the Mahabha- 
 rata, versified by Mr. Edwin Arnold in 
 his Indian Idylls, which a lady, Mrs. 
 William Sharp, has pointed out to me. 
 The whole episode of Arjuna's journey 
 with his brother " to the far Lauchi- 
 tyan Sea," into which he casts the 
 holy bow, Gandiva, has a curious 
 parallelism to the casting into the 
 water of Excalibur by Arthur's com- 
 mand at his death. " In the old 
 metrical romance of Merlin," ex- 
 plains Mr. Wright, " this celebrated 
 sword bore the following inscrip- 
 tion : " 
 
 Ich ana y-hote Escalibore : 
 Unto a King fair tresore. 
 
 And it is added in explanation, 
 
 On Inglis is this writing ; 
 
 " Kerve steel and yren and al thing." 
 
 Carve steel, and iron, and all things : 
 this seems to be the free interpretation 
 of the name Excalibur. 
 
 FEWTER. Put spear in rest. 
 FOINING. Thrusting while fencing. 
 FORTHINK. Repent, grieve. 
 
 GAD. Spike or nob of iron or steel.
 
 NOTES. 
 
 329 
 
 the knights would make a delightful 
 book by itself, excerpted from the 
 Morte D' Arthur. It will be remem- 
 bered that Sir Galahad took his name 
 from his father Sir Launcelot, who was 
 christened Galahad too. 
 
 GALFRIDUS. Geoffrey of Monmouth. 
 
 GERFALCON. Jer-falcon ; the finest 
 kind of falcon. 
 
 GISARM. Two-edged battle-axe. 
 
 GLAIVE. A long blade at the end of a 
 lance, 
 
 GRAIL, THE HOLY, The Sancgreall, or 
 Saint Graal, was supposed to be the 
 dish upon which the paschal lamb 
 was served at the Last Supper, and in 
 which Joseph of Arimathcea after- 
 ward received the blood from the 
 wounds of Jesus at the Crucifixion. 
 It was then, according to the legend, 
 brought by Joseph to England ; but 
 like many other relics of the Roman 
 Catholic Church, has a divided report 
 as to its ultimate resting-place. The 
 original vessel is said now to be in the 
 cathedral of Genoa, an emerald dish 
 of hexagonal shape. Whatever its out- 
 ward form and ultimate destination, 
 however, this symbol of the knightly 
 quest of the ideal has become one of 
 the poet's special belongings, which 
 will never cease to be religiously 
 potent, let us hope, in his hands. 
 
 GRAMERCY. Grand merci, great 
 thanks ! 
 
 GUENEVER. Queen Guenever, known 
 in the Idylls of the King as Guinevere, 
 was called by'Geoffrey of Monmouth, 
 in whose History the first beginnings 
 of most of the Arthurian legends 
 are to be found, Guanhumara. In 
 Geoffrey's History she is said to be 
 of a noble Roman family, and the most 
 beautiful woman of her time. 
 
 HANDSEL. Earnest-money. 
 HARNESS. Armour. 
 HAUBERK. Coat of mail. 
 
 HAUT. High, noble, as in " Haut 
 Prince." 
 
 HIGHT. Was called. 
 
 HOLT. A wooded hill ; sometimes a 
 cliff. 
 
 HOUSLED. To be houseled was to re- 
 ceive the sacrament. 
 
 HURTLE. Dash, 
 
 JESSERAUNT. The jesseraunt was a 
 light coat of armour, usually made of 
 small plates of metal overlapping each 
 other, and having no sleeves. 
 
 JOURNEY. Day's work. 
 
 JOYOUS GARD. Various conjectures 
 have been made about the site of 
 Joyous Gard, Sir Launcelot's chief 
 English castle, taking it to be Ber- 
 wick, Alnwick, and Bamborongh. So 
 far as the evidence goes, Bamborough 
 is perhaps the most likely situation "of 
 the three. 
 
 LARGESSE. Bounty. 
 
 LATON. A sort of amalgam, somewhat 
 similar to brass. 
 
 LAUNCELOT. Sir Launcelot was the 
 favourite hero, above all the other 
 knights, of the old romances. The 
 Roman de Lancelot du Lac was told 
 and re-told a hundred times in one 
 way or another, in verse and prose. 
 Malory seems to have followed closely 
 an interesting copy in old JFrench 
 prose which can be seen at the British 
 Museum. 
 
 LEACH. Physician or Surgeon. 
 LET. Hinder. 
 LEVER. Rather. 
 LIEF. Deai\ 
 
 MAUGRE. In spite of; sometimes also 
 used to mean " misfortunate." 
 
 MERLIN. Merlin, magician and prime 
 minister, the leading genius of the 
 kingdom's destinies before and during 
 part of King Arthur's reign, has never 
 ceased to fascinate the popular im- 
 agination from the earliest times. 
 His origin was said to be diabolical, 
 but birth and death have been 
 shrouded with infinite ingenuity of 
 mystery. According to Geoffrey of 
 Monmouth, Merlin had been court- 
 magician from the time of Vortigern, 
 whom he assisted with his magic in 
 22
 
 33 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 raising a castle in Salisbury Plain. 
 As accounting for his extraordinary 
 interest in the fortunes of a mere boy 
 like the young King Arthur, a curious 
 theory has been stated, making 
 Arthur to be his illegitmate son by 
 Igraine. The local traditions and 
 legends of Merlin in certain parts of 
 England and Wales are legion, and 
 can only be thus referred to here. 
 
 MORGAN LE FAY. The celebrated 
 Queen-witch of the Morte D' Arthur, 
 was, according to the old prose romance 
 of Merlin, an illegitimate daughter of 
 Igraine. On her mother's marriage 
 with King Utherpendragon she was 
 sent to a nunnery, which may account 
 for her ill-will to her half-brother 
 Arthur. At the nunnery she em- 
 ployed herself in studying evil 
 spirits instead of good, out of sheer 
 perversity apparently, thus through 
 a girlish spite becoming an adept in 
 witchcraft. 
 
 NE. Ne is used constantly by Malory 
 in the sense of nor, 
 
 ORGULE. Pride. ORGULOUS. Proud, 
 haughty. 
 
 PAYNIMS. Pagans. 
 
 PERDY. Per Dieu, Truly ; 'i faith 1 
 
 PRICKER. Alight rider. PRICKING. 
 Light riding. 
 
 PRISE. The note blown on the horn at 
 the stag's death. 
 
 QUESTING_. Baying, as hounds give 
 tongue in hunting. 
 
 RASURE. A cutting wind. 
 RECHATE. Recheat ; recall. 
 REDE. Counsel, advise 
 
 SAMITE. A rich silk, often interwoven 
 with gold or silver thread. 
 
 SANCGREAL. See GRAIL, HOLY ! 
 
 SENDAL. Cloth of Sendal wns a fine 
 sort of silk. 
 
 SIEGE. Seat. 
 SITH, SITHEN. Since. 
 SPERE. Ask. 
 TEEN. Grief. 
 
 WEREWOLF. A man changed into a 
 wolf by sorcery a well known super- 
 stition, not yet extinct in some parts 
 of Europe. 
 
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