Le Morte Darthur
CHAP. XVI.
_How Sir Launcelot at the request of a lady recovered a falcon, by
which he was deceived._
And so Sir Launcelot rode through many strange countries, over marshes
and valleys, till by fortune he came to a fair castle, and as he passed
beyond the castle him thought he heard two bells ring. And then was he
ware of a falcon came flying over his head toward an high elm, and long
lines about her feet, and as she flew unto the elm to take her perch,
the lines overcast about a bough. And when she would have taken her
flight she hung by the legs fast, and Sir Launcelot saw how she hung,
and beheld the fair falcon perigot, and he was sorry for her. The
meanwhile came a lady out of the castle, and cried on high, O
Launcelot, Launcelot, as thou art flower of all knights help me to get
my hawk, for and my hawk be lost my lord will destroy me; for I kept
the hawk and she slipt from me, and if my lord my husband wit it, he is
so hasty that he will slay me. What is your lord’s name? said Sir
Launcelot. Sir, she said, his name is Sir Phelot, a knight that longeth
unto the king of Northgalis. Well, fair lady, since that ye know my
name, and require me of knighthood to help you, I will do what I may to
get your hawk, and yet truly I am an ill climber, and the tree is
passing high, and few boughs to help me withal. And therewith Sir
Launcelot alight, and tied his horse to the same tree, and prayed the
lady to unarm him. And so when he was unarmed, he put off all his
clothes unto his shirt and breeches, and with might and force he
climbed up to the falcon, and tied the lines to a great rotten branch,
and threw the hawk down and it withal. Anon the lady gat the hawk in
her hand, and therewithal came out Sir Phelot out of the groves
suddenly, that was her husband, all armed, and with his naked sword in
his hand, and said, O knight, Launcelot, now have I found thee as I
would: and stood at the bole of the tree to slay him. Ah lady, said Sir
Launcelot, why have ye betrayed me? She hath done, said Sir Phelot, but
as I commanded her, and therefore there is none other boot but thine
hour is come that thou must die. That were shame unto thee, said Sir
Launcelot, thou an armed knight to slay a naked man by treason. Thou
gettest none other grace, said Sir Phelot, and therefore help thyself
and thou canst. Truly, said Sir Launcelot, that shall be thy shame, but
since thou wilt do none other, take mine harness with thee, and hang my
sword upon a bough that I may get it, and then do thy best to slay me
and thou canst. Nay, nay, said Sir Phelot, for I know thee better than
thou weenest, therefore thou gettest no weapon and I may keep you
therefro. Alas, said Sir Launcelot, that ever knight should die
weaponless. And therewith he awaited above him and under him, and over
his head he saw a rounspik, a big bough leafless, and therewith he
brake it off by the body; and then he came lower, and awaited how his
own horse stood, and suddenly he lept on the farther side of the horse
from the knight. And then Sir Phelot lashed at him eagerly, weening to
have slain him; but Sir Launcelot put away the stroke with the
rounspik, and therewith he smote him on the one side of the head, that
he fell down in a swoon to the ground. So then Sir Launcelot took his
sword out of his hand, and struck his neck from the body. Then cried
the lady, Alas, why hast thou slain my husband? I am not causer, said
Sir Launcelot, for with falsehood ye would have had slain me with
treason, and now it is fallen on you both. And then she swooned as
though she would die. And therewithal Sir Launcelot gat all his armour
as well as he might, and put it upon him, for dread of more resort, for
he dread that the knight’s castle was so nigh. And so soon as he might
he took his horse and departed, and thanked God that he had escaped
that adventure.
CHAP. XVII.
_How Sir Launcelot overtook a knight which chased his wife to have
slain her, and how he said to him._
So Sir Launcelot rode many wild ways, throughout marshes and many wild
ways. And as he rode in a valley he saw a knight chasing a lady with a
naked sword to have slain her. And by fortune, as this knight should
have slain this lady, she cried on Sir Launcelot and prayed him to
rescue her. When Sir Launcelot saw that mischief he took his horse and
rode between them, saying, Knight, fie for shame, why wilt thou slay
this lady? thou dost shame unto thee and all knights. What hast thou to
do betwixt me and my wife? said the knight; I will slay her, maugre thy
head. That shall ye not, said Sir Launcelot, for rather we two will
have ado together. Sir Launcelot, said the knight, thou doest not thy
part, for this lady hath betrayed me. It is not so, said the lady,
truly he saith wrong on me, and because I love and cherish my cousin
german, he is jealous betwixt him and me, and as I shall answer to God,
there was never sin betwixt us. But, sir, said the lady, as thou art
called the worshipfullest knight of the world, I require thee of true
knighthood keep me and save me, for whatsoever ye say he will slay me,
for he is without mercy. Have ye no doubt, said Launcelot, it shall not
lie in his power. Sir, said the knight, in your sight I will be ruled
as ye will have me. And so Sir Launcelot rode on the one side and she
on the other: he had not ridden but a while but the knight bad Sir
Launcelot turn him and look behind him and said, Sir, yonder come men
of arms after us riding. And so Sir Launcelot turned him, and thought
no treason. And therewith was the knight and the lady on one side, and
suddenly he swapped off his lady’s head. And when Sir Launcelot had
espied him what he had done, he said, and called him, Traitor thou hast
shamed me for ever. And suddenly Sir Launcelot alight off his horse,
and pulled out his sword to slay him. And therewithal he fell flat to
the earth, and gripped Sir Launcelot by the thighs, and cried mercy.
Fie on thee said Sir Launcelot, thou shameful knight, thou mayest have
no mercy, and therefore arise and fight with me. Nay, said the knight,
I will never arise till ye grant me mercy. Now will I proffer thee
fair, said Launcelot: I will unarm me unto my shirt, and will have
nothing upon me but my shirt, and my sword in my hand, and if thou
canst slay me quit be thou for ever. Nay, sir, said Pedivere, that will
I never. Well, said Sir Launcelot, take this lady and the head, and
bear it upon thee, and here shalt thou swear upon my sword to bear it
alway upon thy back, and never to rest till thou come to queen
Guenever. Sir, said he, that will I do, by the faith of my body. Now,
said Launcelot, tell me what is your name. Sir, my name is Pedivere. In
a shameful hour wert thou born, said Launcelot. So Pedivere departed
with the dead lady and the head, and found the queen with king Arthur
at Winchester, and there he told all the truth. Sir knight, said the
queen, this is an horrible deed and a shameful, and a great rebuke unto
Sir Launcelot: but notwithstanding his worship is not known in divers
countries. But this shall I give you in penance: make ye as good skift
as ye can, ye shall bear this lady with you on horseback unto the Pope
of Rome, and of him receive your penance for your foul deeds, and ye
shall never rest one night there as ye do another, and if ye go to any
bed the dead body shall lie with you. This oath there he made, and so
departed, and as it telleth in the French book, when he came to Rome
the Pope bad him go again to queen Guenever, and in Rome was his lady
buried by the Pope’s commandment. And after this Sir Pedivere fell to
great goodness, and was an holy man and an hermit.
CHAP. XVIII.
_How Sir Launcelot came to king Arthur’s court, and how there were
recounted all his noble feats and acts._
Now turn we unto Sir Launcelot du Lake, that came home two days afore
the feast of Pentecost. And the king and all the court were passing
fain of his coming. And when Sir Gawaine, Sir Uwaine, Sir Sagramour,
Sir Ector de Maris, saw Sir Launcelot in Kay’s armour, then they wist
well it was he that smote them down all with one spear. Then there was
laughing and smiling among them. And ever now and now came all the
knights home that Sir Turquine had prisoners, and they all honoured and
worshipped Sir Launcelot. When Sir Gaheris heard them speak, he said, I
saw all the battle from the beginning to the ending, and there he told
king Arthur all how it was, and how Sir Turquine was the strongest
knight that ever he saw except Sir Launcelot: there were many knights
bear him record, nigh threescore. Then Sir Kay told the king how Sir
Launcelot had rescued him when he should have been slain, and how he
made the knights yield them to me, and not to him. And there they were,
all three, and bare record. And by my faith, said Sir Kay, because Sir
Launcelot took my harness and left me his I rode in good peace, and no
man would have ado with me. Anon therewithal came the three knights
that fought with Sir Launcelot at the long bridge, and there they
yielded them unto Sir Kay, and Sir Kay forsook them and said he fought
never with them: But I shall ease your hearts, said Sir Kay, yonder is
Sir Launcelot that overcame you. When they wist that, they were glad.
And then Sir Meliot de Logres came home, and told king Arthur how Sir
Launcelot had saved him from the death. And all his deeds were known,
how four queens, sorceresses, had him in prison, and how he was
delivered by king Bagdemagus’s daughter. Also there were told all the
great deeds of arms that Sir Launcelot did betwixt the two kings, that
is to say, the king of Northgalis and king Bagdemagus. All the truth
Sir Gahalantine did tell, and Sir Mador de la Porte, and Sir Mordred,
for they were at that same tournament. Then came in the lady that knew
Sir Launcelot when that he wounded Sir Belleus at the pavilion. And
there, at the request of Sir Launcelot, Sir Belleus was made knight of
the Round Table.
And so at that time Sir Launcelot had the greatest name of any knight
of the world, and most he was honoured of high and low.
Explicit the noble tale of syr Launcelot du lake, whiche is the vi.
book. Here foloweth the tale of syr Gareth of Orkeney, that was
called Beaumayns by syr kay, and is the seventh book.
The Seventh Book.
CHAP. I.
_How Beaumains came to king Arthur’s court and demanded three petitions
of king Arthur._
When Arthur held his Round Table most fully, it fortuned that he
commanded that the high feast of Pentecost should be holden at a city
and a castle, the which in those days was called Kink-Kenadon, upon the
sands that marched nigh Wales. So ever the king had a custom that at
the feast of Pentecost, in especial afore other feasts in the year, he
would not go that day to meat until he had heard or seen of a great
marvel. And for that custom all manner of strange adventures came
before Arthur as at that feast before all other feasts. And so Sir
Gawaine, a little tofore noon of the day of Pentecost, espied at a
window three men upon horseback, and a dwarf on foot. And so the three
men alight and the dwarf kept their horses, and one of the three men
was higher than the other twain by a foot and a half. Then Sir Gawaine
went unto the king and said, Sir, go to your meat, for here at the hand
come strange adventures. So Arthur went unto his meat with many other
kings. And there were all the knights of the Round Table, save those
that were prisoners or slain at a recounter. Then at the high feast
evermore they should be fulfilled the whole number of an hundred and
fifty, for then was the Round Table fully complished. Right so came