The Legends of King Arthur and His Knights
and if it chance that ye shall ever wed some noble knight, right heartily
will I give ye such a dower as half my lands will bring."
"Alas! what shall that aid me?" answered she; "for I must die," and
therewith she fell to the earth in a deep swoon.
Then was Sir Lancelot passing heavy of heart, and said to Sir Bernard and
Sir Lavaine, "What shall I do for her?"
"Alas!" said Sir Bernard, "I know well that she will die for your sake."
And Sir Lavaine said, "I marvel not that she so sorely mourneth your
departure, for truly I do as she doth, and since I once have seen you,
lord, I cannot leave you."
So anon, with a full sorrowful heart, Sir Lancelot took his leave, and Sir
Lavaine rode with him to the court. And King Arthur and the Knights of the
Round Table joyed greatly to see him whole of his wound, but Queen
Guinevere was sorely wroth, and neither spake with him nor greeted him.
Now when Sir Lancelot had departed, the Maid of Astolat could neither eat,
nor drink, not sleep for sorrow; and having thus endured ten days, she
felt within herself that she must die.
Then sent she for a holy man, and was shriven and received the sacrament.
But when he told her she must leave her earthly thoughts, she answered,
"Am I not an earthly woman? What sin is it to love the noblest knight of
all the world? And, by my truth, I am not able to withstand the love
whereof I die; wherefore, I pray the High Father of Heaven to have mercy
on my soul."
Then she besought Sir Bernard to indite a letter as she should devise, and
said, "When I am dead put this within my hand, and dress me in my fairest
clothes, and lay me in a barge all covered with black samite, and steer it
down the river till it reach the court. Thus, father, I beseech thee let
it be."
Then, full of grief, he promised her it should be so. And anon she died,
and all the household made a bitter lamentation over her.
Then did they as she had desired, and laid her body, richly dressed, upon
a bed within the barge, and a trusty servant steered it down the river
towards the court.
Now King Arthur and Queen Guinevere sat at a window of the palace, and saw
the barge come floating with the tide, and marvelled what was laid
therein, and sent a messenger to see, who, soon returning, prayed them to
come forth.
When they came to the shore they marvelled greatly, and the king asked of
the serving-men who steered the barge what this might mean. But he made
signs that he was dumb, and pointed to the letter in the damsel's hands.
So King Arthur took the letter from the hand of the corpse, and found
thereon written, "To the noble knight, Sir Lancelot du Lake."
Then was Sir Lancelot sent for, and the letter read aloud by a clerk, and
thus it was written:--
"Most noble knight, my lord Sir Lancelot, now hath death for ever parted
us. I, whom men call the Maid of Astolat, set my love upon you, and have
died for your sake. This is my last request, that ye pray for my soul and
give me burial. Grant me this, Sir Lancelot, as thou art a peerless
knight."
At these words the queen and all the knights wept sore for pity.
Then said Sir Lancelot, "My lord, I am right heavy for the death of this
fair damsel; and God knoweth that right unwillingly I caused it, for she
was good as she was fair, and much was I beholden to her; but she loved me
beyond measure, and asked me that I could not give her."
"Ye might have shown her gentleness enough to save her life," answered the
queen.
"Madam," said he, "she would but be repaid by my taking her to wife, and
that I could not grant her, for love cometh of the heart and not by
constraint."
"That is true," said the king; "for love is free."
"I pray you," said Sir Lancelot, "let me now grant her last asking, to be
buried by me."
So on the morrow, he caused her body to be buried richly and solemnly, and
ordained masses for her soul, and made great sorrow over her.
Then the queen sent for Sir Lancelot, and prayed his pardon for her wrath
against him without cause. "This is not the first time it hath been so,"
answered he; "yet must I ever bear with ye, and so do I now forgive you."
So Queen Guinevere and Sir Lancelot were made friends again; but anon such
favour did she show him, as in the end brought many evils on them both and
all the realm.
CHAPTER XIV
_The War between King Arthur and Sir Lancelot and the Death of King
Arthur_
Within a while thereafter was a jousting at the court, wherein Sir
Lancelot won the prize. And two of those he smote down were Sir Agravaine,
the brother of Sir Gawain, and Sir Modred, his false brother--King
Arthur's son by Belisent. And because of his victory they hated Sir
Lancelot, and sought how they might injure him.
So on a night, when King Arthur was hunting in the forest, and the queen
sent for Sir Lancelot to her chamber, they two espied him; and thinking
now to make a scandal and a quarrel between Lancelot and the king, they
found twelve others, and said Sir Lancelot was ever now in the queen's
chamber, and King Arthur was dishonoured.
Then, all armed, they came suddenly round the queen's door, and cried,
"Traitor! now art thou taken."
"Madam, we be betrayed," said Sir Lancelot; "yet shall my life cost these
men dear."
Then did the queen weep sore, and dismally she cried, "Alas! there is no
armour here whereby ye might withstand so many; wherefore ye will be
slain, and I be burnt for the dread crime they will charge on me."
But while she spake the shouting of the knights was heard without,
"Traitor, come forth, for now thou art snared!"
"Better were twenty deaths at once than this vile outcry," said Sir
Lancelot.
Then he kissed her and said, "Most noble lady, I beseech ye, as I have
ever been your own true knight, take courage; pray for my soul if I be now
slain, and trust my faithful friends, Sir Bors and Sir Lavaine, to save
you from the fire."
But ever bitterly she wept and moaned, and cried, "Would God that they
would take and slay me, and that thou couldest escape."
"That shall never be," said he. And wrapping his mantle round his arm he
unbarred the door a little space, so that but one could enter.
Then first rushed in Sir Chalaunce, a full strong knight, and lifted up
his sword to smite Sir Lancelot; but lightly he avoided him, and struck
Sir Chalaunce, with his hand, such a sore buffet on the head as felled him
dead upon the floor.
Then Sir Lancelot pulled in his body and barred the door again, and
dressed himself in his armour, and took his drawn sword in his hand.
But still the knights cried mightily without the door, "Traitor, come
forth!"
"Be silent and depart," replied Sir Lancelot; "for be ye sure ye will not
take me, and to-morrow will I meet ye face to face before the king."
"Ye shall have no such grace," they cried; "but we will slay thee, or take
thee as we list."
"Then save yourselves who may," he thundered, and therewith suddenly
unbarred the door and rushed forth at them. And at the first blow he slew
Sir Agravaine, and after him twelve other knights, with twelve more mighty
buffets. And none of all escaped him save Sir Modred, who, sorely wounded,
fled away for life.
Then returned he to the queen, and said, "Now, madam, will I depart, and
if ye be in any danger I pray ye come to me."
"Surely will I stay here, for I am queen," she answered; "yet if to-morrow
any harm come to me I trust to thee for rescue."
"Have ye no doubt of me," said he, "for ever while I live am I your own
true knight."
Therewith he took his leave, and went and told Sir Bors and all his
kindred of this adventure. "We will be with thee in this quarrel," said
they all; "and if the queen be sentenced to the fire, we certainly will
save her."
Meanwhile Sir Modred, in great fear and pain, fled from the court, and
rode until he found King Arthur, and told him all that had befallen. But
the king would scarce believe him till he came and saw the bodies of Sir
Agravaine and all the other knights.
Then felt he in himself that all was true, and with his passing grief his
heart nigh broke. "Alas!" cried he, "now is the fellowship of the Round
Table for ever broken: yea, woe is me! I may not with my honour spare my
queen."
Anon it was ordained that Queen Guinevere should be burned to death,
because she had dishonoured King Arthur.
But when Sir Gawain heard thereof, he came before the king, and said, "My
lord, I counsel thee be not too hasty in this matter, but stay the
judgment of the queen a season, for it may well be that Sir Lancelot was
in her chamber for no evil, seeing she is greatly beholden to him for so
many deeds done for her sake, and peradventure she had sent to him to
thank him, and did it secretly that she might avoid slander."
But King Arthur answered, full of grief, "Alas! I may not help her; she is
judged as any other woman."
Then he required Sir Gawain and his brethren, Sir Gaheris and Sir Gareth,
to be ready to bear the queen to-morrow to the place of execution.
"Nay, noble lord," replied Sir Gawain, "that can I never do; for neither
will my heart suffer me to see the queen die, nor shall men ever say I was
of your counsel in this matter."
Then said his brothers, "Ye may command us to be there, but since it is
against our will, we will be without arms, that we may do no battle
against her."
So on the morrow was Queen Guinevere led forth to die by fire, and a
mighty crowd was there, of knights and nobles, armed and unarmed. And all
the lords and ladies wept sore at that piteous sight. Then was she shriven
by a priest, and the men came nigh to bind her to the stake and light the
fire.
At that Sir Lancelot's spies rode hastily and told him and his kindred,
who lay hidden in a wood hard by; and suddenly, with twenty knights, he
rushed into the midst of all the throng to rescue her.
But certain of King Arthur's knights rose up and fought with them, and
there was a full great battle and confusion. And Sir Lancelot drave
fiercely here and there among the press, and smote on every side, and at
every blow struck down a knight, so that many were slain by him and his
fellows.
Then was the queen set free, and caught up on Sir Lancelot's saddle and
fled away with him and all his company to the Castle of La Joyous Garde.
Now so it chanced that, in the turmoil of the fighting, Sir Lancelot had
unawares struck down and slain the two good knights Sir Gareth and Sir
Gaheris, knowing it not, for he fought wildly, and saw not that they were
unarmed.
When King Arthur heard thereof, and of all that battle, and the rescue of
the queen, he sorrowed heavily for those good knights, and was passing
wroth with Lancelot and the queen.
But when Sir Gawain heard of his brethren's death he swooned for sorrow
and wrath, for he wist that Sir Lancelot had killed them in malice. And as
soon as he recovered he ran in to the king, and said, "Lord king and
uncle, hear this oath which now I swear, that from this day I will not
fail Sir Lancelot till one of us hath slain the other. And now, unless ye
haste to war with him, that we may be avenged, will I myself alone go
after him."
Then the king, full of wrath and grief, agreed thereto, and sent letters
throughout the realm to summon all his knights, and went with a vast army
to besiege the Castle of La Joyous Garde. And Sir Lancelot, with his
knights, mightily defended it; but never would he suffer any to go forth
and attack one of the king's army, for he was right loth to fight against
him.
So when fifteen weeks were passed, and King Arthur's army wasted itself in