Le Morte Darthur
for any man that beareth the life; and he is a gentle knight,
courteous, true, and bounteous, meek and mild, and in him is no manner
of mal-engine, but plain, faithful, and true. So then they made them
ready to depart from the hermit. And so upon a morn they took their
horses, and Elaine le Blank 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 upon the morn, when Sir
Launcelot should depart, fair Elaine brought her father with her, and
Sir Tirre and Sir Lavaine, and thus she said:
CHAP. XIX.
_Of the great lamentation of the fair maid of Astolat when Launcelot
should depart, and how she died for his love._
My lord Sir Launcelot, now I see ye will depart, now, fair knight and
courteous knight, have mercy upon me, and suffer me not to die for thy
love. What would ye that I did? said Sir Launcelot. I would have you to
my husband, said Elaine. Fair damsel, I thank you, said Sir Launcelot,
but truly, said he, I cast me never to be wedded man. Then, fair
knight, said she, will ye be my love? Jesu defend me, said Sir
Launcelot, for then I rewarded to your father and your brother full
evil for their great goodness. Alas, said she, then must I die for your
love. Ye shall not so, said Sir Launcelot, for wit ye well, fair
maiden, I might have been married and I had would, but I never applied
me to be married yet. But because, fair damsel, that ye love me as ye
say ye do, I will, for your good will and kindness, shew you some
goodness, and that is this; that wheresoever ye will beset your heart
upon some good knight that will wed you, I shall give you together a
thousand pound yearly, to you and to your heirs. Thus much will I give
you, fair madam, for your kindness, and always while I live to be your
own knight. Of all this, said the maiden, I will none, for, but if ye
will wed me, or else be my lover, wit you 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 in a swoon;
and then women bare her into her chamber, and there she made overmuch
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, but if ye drive me from you, or command me to go from you?
Then came Sir Bernard to Sir Launcelot, and said to him, I cannot see
but that my daughter Elaine will die for your sake. I may not do
withal, said Sir Launcelot, for that me sore repenteth; for I report me
to 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 to 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 true maiden, both for deed and
for will; and I am right heavy of her distress, for she is a full fair
maiden, good, and gentle, and well taught. Father, said Sir Lavaine, I
dare make good she is pure and good as my lord Sir Launcelot hath said;
but she doth as I do, for since 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 unto
Winchester. And when 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.
Also queen Guenever was wood wroth 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 maiden of Astolat, that made such sorrow day
and night, that she never slept, eat, nor drank; and ever she made her
complaint unto Sir Launcelot. So when she had thus endured a ten days,
that she feebled so that she must needs pass out of this world, then
she shrived her clean, and received her Creator. And ever she
complained still upon Sir Launcelot. Then her ghostly father bade her
leave such thoughts. Then she said, 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 me, for my belief is I do none offence though I love an
earthly man, and I take God to my record I never loved none but Sir
Launcelot du Lake, nor never shall; and a pure maiden I am for him and
for all other. And since 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
to have mercy upon my soul, and upon mine innumerable pains that I
suffered may be allegiance of part of my sins. For sweet Lord Jesu,
said the fair maiden, I take thee to record, on thee I was never great
offender against thy laws, but that I loved this noble knight Sir
Launcelot out of 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
did endite it; and so her father granted her. And when the letter was
written word by word like as she devised, then she prayed her father
that she might be watched until she were dead,—And while my body is
hot, let this letter be put in 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,
and all my richest clothes, be laid with me in a chariot unto the next
place where Thames is, and there let me be put within a barget, and but
one man with me, such as ye trust to steer me thither, and that my
barget be covered with black samite, over and over. Thus, father, I
beseech you, let it be done. So her father granted it her faithfully,
all things 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, all was led the next
way unto Thames, and there a man, and the corpse, and all, were put
into Thames, and so the man steered the barget unto Westminster, and
there he rowed a great while to and fro or any espied it.
CHAP. XX.
_How the corpse of the maid of Astolat arrived tofore king Arthur, and
of the burying, and how Sir Launcelot offered the mass-penny._
So by fortune king Arthur and the queen Guenever were speaking together
at a window; and so as they looked into Thames, they espied this black
barget, and had marvel what it meant. Then the king called Sir Kay, and
shewed it him. Sir, said Sir Kay, wit you well there is some new
tidings. Go thither, said the king to Sir Kay, and take with you Sir
Brandiles and Agravaine, and bring me ready word what is there. Then
these three knights departed, and came to the barget, and went in; and
there they found the fairest corpse lying in a rich bed, and a poor man
sitting in the barget’s end, and no word would he speak. So these three
knights returned unto the king again, and told him what they found.
That fair corpse will I see, said the king. And so then the king took
the queen by the hand and went thither. Then the king made the barget
to be holden fast; and then the king and the queen entered, with
certain knights with them. And there he saw the fairest woman lie in a
rich bed, covered unto her middle with many rich clothes, and all was
of cloth of gold, and she lay as though she had smiled. Then the queen
espied a letter in her right hand, and told it to the king. Then the
king took it, 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 barget, and so commanded a certain man to wait upon the barget.
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 brake it, and made a clerk to read
it; and this was the intent of the letter:—Most noble knight, Sir
Launcelot, now hath death made us two at debate for your love; I was
your lover, that men called the fair maiden of Astolat; therefore unto
all ladies I make my moan; yet pray for my soul, and bury me at the
least, and offer ye my mass-penny. This is my last request. And a clean
maiden I died, I take God to witness. Pray for my soul, Sir Launcelot,
as thou art peerless.—This was all the substance in the letter. And
when it was read, the king, 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 heard it word by word, he said, My lord Arthur, wit
ye well I am right heavy of the death of this fair damsel. God knoweth
I was never causer of her death by my willing, and that will I report
me to 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 I was
beholden unto her, but she loved me out of measure. Ye might have
shewed her, said the queen, some bounty and gentleness, that 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
that she shewed me, a thousand pound yearly to her and to her heirs,
and to wed any manner 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 no constraint. That
is truth, said the king, and many knights: love is free in himself, and
never will be bounden; for where he is bounden he loseth himself. Then
said the king unto Sir Launcelot, It will be your worship that ye
oversee that she be interred worshipfully. Sir, said Sir Launcelot,
that shall be done as I can best devise. And so many knights went
thither to behold that fair maiden. And so upon the morn she was
interred richly, and Sir Launcelot offered her mass-penny, and all the
knights of the Table Round that were there at that time offered with
Sir Launcelot. And then the poor man went again with the barget. Then
the queen sent for Sir Launcelot, and prayed him of mercy, for why she
had been wroth with him causeless. This is not the first time, said Sir
Launcelot, that ye have been displeased with me causeless; but, madam,
ever I must suffer you, but what sorrow I endure I take no force. So
this passed on all that winter, with all manner of hunting and hawking,
and justs and tourneys were many betwixt many great lords; and ever in
all places Sir Lavaine gat great worship, so that he was nobly renowned
among many knights of the Table Round.
CHAP. XXI.
_Of great justs done all a Christmas, and of a great justs and tourney
ordained by king Arthur, and of Sir Launcelot._
Thus it passed on till Christmas, and every day there was justs made
for a diamond, who that justed best should have a diamond. But Sir
Launcelot would not just, but if it were at a great justs cried. But
Sir Lavaine justed there all that Christmas passing well, and best was
praised; for there were but few that did so well. Wherefore all manner
of knights deemed that Sir Lavaine should be made knight of the Round
Table at the next feast of Pentecost. So at after Christmas king Arthur
let call unto him many knights, and there they advised together to make