King Arthur's Knights
damsel at the chapel were the same, and all was caused by the witch
queens who had you in their tower; and the likeness of the wounded
knight to Sir Meliot was formed by wizardry. They that craved your
death did hope that ye would fail at the terrors of the Chapel
Perilous, and that your soul would be lost as have the souls of those
evil or weak knights whose ghosts assailed ye. But by your courage and
great heart ye won through all.'
'This is a great marvel,' said Sir Lancelot, 'and I thank God that He
hath shielded me of His mercy.'
When Sir Lancelot was returned to Camelot, and Merlin had told King
Arthur of the knight's adventures, the king made him one of the knights
of the Round Table.
'Ye do well,' said Merlin privily unto the king, 'for he shall prove
the most man of worship that is in the world, and all your court and
all your Round Table shall be by him made more famous than by any
knight now living. Yet shall he not be one of those three that shall
achieve the Holy Graal.'
IV
THE KNIGHT OF THE KITCHEN
It was the feast of Pentecost, and King Arthur was holding his court of
the Round Table at the city of Kin-Kenadon, hard by the sea in Wales.
In the high hall the tables were set for dinner, and the floor was
freshly strewn with rushes, flowers and fennel, so that the place
smelled as sweet as a field. The cook and his scullions came to and fro
through the door of the kitchen with anxious faces, for they feared
lest the meats should be overdone, but as yet King Arthur would not sit
to dinner. For it was his custom never to go to meat on that day until
he had heard or seen some great marvel or adventure.
Sir Gawaine stood looking from a window in the bower where the king sat
with the queen, and suddenly he turned with a laugh, and said:
'Sir, go to your meat, for here, I think, cometh a strange adventure.'
And even as the king took his seat on the high dais in the hall, and
his knights sat at the Round Table, through the great door of the hall
came two men, well beseen and richly dressed, and, leaning on their
shoulders, was a tall, fair, young man, as goodly to strength and
breadth as ever was seen, with hands large and fair. But he was either
lazy or ill-conditioned, for he leaned upon his fellows as if he were
unable to stand upright. And the three of them marched through the
hall, speaking no word, and they came to the foot of the dais, while
men sat silent and marvelling. Then the young man raised himself
upright, and it was seen that he was a foot and a half taller than
those beside him.
'God bless you, O king!' said the young man, 'and all your fair
fellowship, and in especial the fellowship of the Round Table. I come
to crave of your kindness three gifts, and they are such as ye may
worshipfully and honourably grant unto me. And the first I will ask
now, and the others will I ask at the same day twelvemonths,
wheresoever ye hold your feast of Pentecost.'
'Ask,' said the king, 'and ye shall be granted your petition.'
'The first is this,' said he, 'that ye give me meat and drink and
lodging here for a year.'
'Willingly,' said the king, 'but what is your name and whence come you?
Ye have the bearing of good lineage.'
'That is as may be,' was the reply, 'but I may tell you naught, if it
please you, lord.'
Then King Arthur called Sir Kay, his steward, and bade him tend the
young man for a year as if he were a lord's son.
'There is no need that he should have such care,' sneered Sir Kay, who
was a man of a sour mind. 'I dare swear that he is but a villein born.
If he were of good blood he would have craved a horse and harness. And
since he hath no name I will dub him Beaumains, or Fair Hands, for see
how soft are his hands! And he shall live in the kitchen, and become as
fat as any pig!'
But Sir Lancelot and Sir Gawaine reproached Sir Kay for his mocking of
the young man, 'for,' said Sir Lancelot, 'I dare lay my head he hath
the making of a man of great worship.'
'That cannot be,' said Sir Kay; 'he has asked as his nature prompted
him. He will make naught but fat, for he desires only meat and drink.
On my life I would swear he is only some lazy fellow from an abbey,
where food hath failed, and so he has come hither for sustenance.'
So Kay sat down to his meat laughing, and Beaumains went to the door of
the hall, where the varlets and boys ate the leavings from the table;
but he fared badly there, for they jeered at him as Sir Kay had done.
Afterwards Sir Lancelot, of his great gentleness and courtesy, bade him
come to his chamber, to be better fed and clothed; and Sir Gawaine,
because of a liking he felt in his heart for the young man, proffered
him good meat and drink and a soft bed. But then, and at all other
times, Beaumains refused, and would do nothing but what Sir Kay
commanded.
Thus he lived in the kitchen, eating broken scraps, and lying at night
where the scullions lay, except that he was given the chilliest spot
furthest from the fire. But he did what he was bidden to do with a
cheerful air and was ever willing to work. And if there was any
jousting of knights or any other sights of prowess, these would he see
with the greatest delight. In any sports or trials of strength or skill
among the serving-men, he was ever foremost, and none could overcome
him in wrestling or at quarterstaff, nor could any throw the bar or
cast the stone so far as he could, no, not by two yards.
Whenever Sir Kay met him about the hall or the kitchen he would laugh
mockingly, and to those about him he would say, 'Well, how like you my
huge boy of the kitchen?'
But to such sneers, and to all the scorns and insults of the varlets of
the kitchen, Beaumains would answer naught, and was ever quiet and mild
whatever he endured. And to all was he ever gentle, both man and child,
and he never put forth his great strength in anger.
Thus a year passed, until again it was the feast of Pentecost, and at
that time the king held it at his chief city in Wales, Caerleon-upon-Usk.
And again the feast was royally prepared in the great hall of the
court, but the king would not give the signal to sit to meat until he
should have heard or seen some strange adventure.
But about noon a squire came to where the king waited, and said, 'Lord,
I am bidden to say ye may go to your meat, for there cometh a damsel
with some strange adventure.'
Quickly the king sat on the high seat, and the cooks brought in the
smoking collops of meat and the dishes of savoury stews. And as they
began to eat, there came a maiden of a plain sharp visage, who made her
way to the step of the dais, and there kneeling, cried:
'Succour and help I crave of you, O king!'
'For whom?' said the king, 'and for what reason?'
'Sir,' said the maiden, 'my lady sister is of great beauty and renown,
and is besieged in her castle by a tyrant-knight, who will not let her
go forth from her castle; and because it is said that here in your
court are the noblest knights in all the world, I come to you praying
for aid.'
'What is your lady sister's name?' asked the king, 'and where doth she
dwell, and tell me who is he that doth besiege her?'
'Sir king,' said the lady, 'I may not tell you my sister's name, but
she is of great beauty and of wide lands. And the tyrant-knight who
besieges her is the Red Knight of Reedlands.'
'I know him not,' replied the king.
'Sir,' cried Sir Gawaine from his seat, 'I know him well. He is one of
the perilous knights of the world, for he hath the strength of seven
men, and from him I once escaped barely with my life.'
'Fair lady,' said the king, 'I would help you willingly, but as ye will
not tell me your lady's name, none of my knights here shall go with you
with my consent.'
The damsel looked about the hall with a quick angry glance, and the
knights that sat there liked not her sour looks. Then from the crowd of
scullions and kitchen lads that hung about the serving-tables at the
side of the hall came Beaumains, his dress smirched, but his handsome
face lit up and his eyes burning with eagerness.
'Sir king!' he cried, holding up his hand, 'a boon I crave!'
As he came to the step of the dais the damsel shrank from him as if he
had been something foul.
'Say on,' replied the king to the young man.
'God thank you, my king,' went on Beaumains. 'I have been these twelve
months in your kitchen, and have had my full living, as ye did
graciously order, and now I ask for the two further gifts ye promised.'
'Ye have but to ask,' replied the king.
'Sir, they are these,' said Beaumains. 'First, that you will grant me
this adventure of the damsel.'
'I grant it you,' said King Arthur.
'Then, sir, this is the other,--that ye shall bid Sir Lancelot du Lake
to follow me, and to make me a knight when I shall desire him.'
'All this shall be done if Sir Lancelot think it well,' said the king.
But the lady was exceedingly wroth, and her eyes flashed with scorn as
she turned to the king:
'Shame on thee!' she cried; 'will you give me a kitchen scullion to aid
me?'
With that she hastened from the hall, mounted her horse and rode away.
Even as she went forth, a dwarf in the dress of a page entered the hall
leading a great horse richly caparisoned, and on the saddle was piled a
splendid suit of armour. And the dwarf went up to Beaumains and began
to arm him, while men asked each other whence came all this fine gear.
When he was dressed in armour, all the knights marvelled to see how
goodly a man he looked. Then Beaumains took leave of King Arthur and of
Sir Gawaine, and asked Sir Lancelot to follow him.
Many people went to the door of the hall to see Beaumains mount his
horse and ride after the damsel, and the way he sat his steed, with its
trappings of gold and purple, excited their admiration. But all
wondered to see that Beaumains had neither shield nor spear, and some
laughed and said, 'The ignorant churl! Doth he think the mere sight of
him on horseback will affright his enemies, that he carries neither
shield nor lance.'
Sir Kay sneered with them, and suddenly getting up from his seat he
cried:
'By my faith! I will go after my kitchen boy and see whether he will
still know me for his better!'
'Ye had better bide at home,' said Sir Lancelot, and Sir Gawaine
agreed.
But Sir Kay laughed them aside, and having swiftly put on his armour,
he took his spear and shield and rode after Beaumains. He caught up
with the youth just as the latter reached the side of the damsel, and
Sir Kay cried out, with a scornful laugh:
'What! Beaumains, do ye not know me?'
'Ay,' replied Beaumains, 'I know ye for the most ungentle knight in all
King Arthur's court, and therefore keep you off from me.'
'Ah, churl!' cried Sir Kay, 'thou needst a lesson from me. A beggar,
though he be on horseback, is still a beggar.'
With that he put his lance in rest and dashed towards Beaumains,
expecting an easy victory. But the young man, putting the lance aside
with his sword just as it was about to strike him, rushed upon Sir Kay,
and with a deft thrust struck him through a joint of his armour, so
that Sir Kay fell backwards off his horse to the ground. Swiftly
leaping down, Beaumains took possession of his opponent's spear and
shield, and commanded his dwarf to mount upon Sir Kay's horse.
Then, after remounting, Beaumains rejoined the damsel, who had seen all
that had taken place, but said nothing.
At that moment they saw Sir Lancelot coming towards him. He had seen
Sir Kay's discomfiture, and wondered at the mastery which Beaumains had
shown.
'Fair sir,' cried Beaumains, turning and drawing rein as Sir Lancelot
approached, 'I would joust with you, if ye will.'
'Have at you, then!' replied Sir Lancelot with a laugh, and with spears