The Story of King Arthur and his Knights
“I will accept thy gage, Sir Unknown Knight,” quoth Sir Geraint, “and
when I have overthrown thee, I will yield thee unto those fair ladies
yonder for to be their servant for seven days. And I do tell thee that
there are a great many knights who would certainly regard that as being
both a pleasant and an honorable task.”
“And should I so chance as to overthrow thee,” said King Arthur, “I will
send thee for to serve my lady for that same period of time, and that
will be even a pleasanter and a more honorable task than that which thou
hast a mind for me to perform.”
[Sidenote: _King Arthur overthrows Sir Geraint._]
So each knight saluted the other, and thereupon each took such a stand
as should cast the encounter immediately beneath where those three fair
demoiselles looked down from the balcony. Then each knight dressed his
spear and his shield, and, having made ready for the encounter, each sat
for a small space entirely prepared. Then each shouted to his war-horse,
and drave spur into its flank, and launched forth with wonderful speed
to the assault. So they met in the very midst of the course with a force
so vehement that the noise thereof was wonderfully appalling for to
hear. And each knight smote the other in the very centre of his
defences. And, lo! the spear of Sir Geraint burst into small pieces,
even to the truncheon thereof; but the spear of King Arthur held, and
Sir Geraint was cast so violently backward that both he and his horse
were overthrown into the dust with a tumult like to a monstrous roaring
of thunder.
And when Sir Geraint had recovered his footing, he was, for awhile, so
astonished that he wist not where he stood, for never had he been so
overthrown in all of his life before. Then, coming quickly unto himself
again, he straightway drew forth his sword and called upon King Arthur
with exceeding vehemence for to come down from out of his saddle, and to
fight him afoot.
“Nay, not so, Sir Knight,” said King Arthur, “I will not have to do with
thee in that way. Moreover, thou art not to forget that thou hast
promised to give thyself unto me as my servant for seven days, for,
assuredly, I have entirely overcome thee in this encounter, and now thou
art pledged unto me to be my servant.”
Then Sir Geraint knew not what to say, being altogether abashed with
shame and vexation at his overthrow. Ne’theless, he perceived that he
must uphold his knightly word unto that which he had pledged himself to
do; wherefore, he put up his sword again, though with exceeding
discontent. “Sir Knight,” said he, “I do acknowledge myself to have been
overcome in this encounter, wherefore I yield myself now unto thy
commands, according to my plighted word.”
[Sidenote: _King Arthur sendeth Sir Geraint to the Lady Guinevere._]
“Then I do place my commands upon thee in this wise,” quoth King Arthur.
“My command is, that thou goest straightway unto the Lady Guinevere at
Cameliard, and that thou tellest her that thou hast been overthrown by
that knight to whom she gave her necklace as a token. Moreover, I do
desire that thou shalt obey her in everything that she may command thee
to do, and that for the space of seven days to come.”
“Sir Knight,” quoth Sir Geraint, “that which thou biddest me to do, I
will perform according to thy commands.”
Thereupon he mounted his horse and went his way. And King Arthur went
his way. And those three ladies who stood upon the balcony of the castle
were exceedingly glad that they had beheld so noble an assay-at-arms as
that which they had looked down upon.
Now, after King Arthur had travelled forward for the distance of two or
three leagues or more, he came to a certain place of moorlands, where
were many ditches of water, and where the heron and the marsh-hen sought
harborage in the sedge. And here, at sundry points, were several
windmills, with their sails all turning slowly in the sunlight before a
wind which blew across the level plains of ooze. And at this place there
was a long, straight causeway, with two long rows of pollard willows,
one upon either hand. Now, when he had come nigh the middle of this
causeway, King Arthur perceived two knights, who sat their horses in the
shade of a great windmill that stood upon one side of the roadway. And
a large shadow of the sails moved ever and anon across the roadway as
the wheel of the mill turned slowly afore the wind. And all about the
mill, and everywhere about, were great quantities of swallows that
darted hither and thither like bees about a hive in midsummer. And King
Arthur saw that those two knights, as they sat in the shadow of the
mill, were eating of a great loaf of rye bread, fresh baked and of
brittle crust; and they ate fair white cheese, which things the miller,
all white with dust, served to them. But when these two knights
perceived King Arthur, they immediately ceased eating that bread and
cheese, and straightway closed their helmets. As for the miller, when he
saw them thus prepare themselves, he went quickly back into the mill and
shut the door thereof, and then went and looked out of a window which
was over above where the knights were standing.
[Sidenote: _King Arthur cometh upon two knights at the windmill._]
But King Arthur made very merry unto himself when he perceived that
those two knights were Sir Gawaine and Sir Ewaine. For he knew that the
one was Sir Gawaine because that the crest of his helmet was a leopard
rampant, and because he bore upon his shield the device of a leopard
rampant upon a field gules; and he knew that the other was Sir Ewaine,
because he bore upon his crest an unicorn, and because the device upon
his shield was that of a lady holding a naked sword in her hand, which
same was upon a field or. Accordingly, whiles he was yet at some
distance, King Arthur closed his helmet so that those two young knights
might not know who he was.
So, when he had come anear to the two knights, Sir Gawaine rode forward
for a little distance for to meet him. “Sir Knight,” quoth he, “thou
must know that this is soothly parlous ground whereon thou hast
ventured; for there is no byway hence across the morass, and thou mayst
not go forward without trying a tilt with me.”
“Sir Knight,” said King Arthur, “and I am very willing to run a tilt
with thee. Ne’theless, I will only encounter thee upon one condition,
and that is this: that he who is overthrown shall serve the other
entirely for the space of seven full days.”
“I do accept thy gage, Sir Knight,” quoth Sir Gawaine. For he said unto
himself, “Of a surety, so exceedingly strong and skilful a knight as I
shall easily encompass the overthrow of this unknown knight.”
[Sidenote: _King Arthur overthrows Sir Gawaine._]
So each knight immediately took his appointed station, and having
dressed his spear and his shield, and having fully prepared himself in
every manner, and having rested for a little space, each suddenly
shouted to his horse, and drave spur into the flanks thereof, and so
rushed to the encounter. And each knight smote the other in the midst
of his defence, and lo! the spear of Sir Gawaine burst into fragments.
But the spear of King Arthur held, so that Sir Gawaine was lifted
entirely out of his saddle and over the crupper of his horse. And indeed
he fell with wonderful violence into the dust. Nor could he immediately
rise from that fall, but lay all bedazed for a little while. And when he
did arise, he perceived that the white knight who had overthrown him sat
nigh to him upon his horse.
Then King Arthur spake and said: “Sir Knight, I have altogether
overthrown thee, and so thou must now serve me according to thy knightly
word.”
Then up spake Sir Ewaine, who sat nearby upon his horse. “Not so, Sir
Knight,” he said; “not so, nor until thou hast had to do with me. For I
do make demand of thee that thou shalt straightway joust with me. And if
I overthrow thee I will claim of thee that thou shalt release my cousin
from that servitude unto which he hath pledged himself. But if thou
overthrowst me, then will I serve thee even as he hath pledged himself
to serve thee.”
“Sir Knight,” said King Arthur, “I do accept thy gage with all readiness
of spirit!”
[Sidenote: _King Arthur overthrows Sir Ewaine._]
So each knight took his assigned place and dressed himself for the
encounter. Then they shouted, and drave together, rushing the one upon
the other like unto two rams upon the hillside. And the spear of Sir
Ewaine was also shivered into pieces. But King Arthur’s spear held, so
that the girths of Sir Ewaine’s saddle were burst apart, and both the
saddle and the knight were swept off the horse’s back with such violence
that a tower falling could not have made a greater noise than did Sir
Ewaine when he smote the dust of that causeway.
[Sidenote: _King Arthur sendeth the two knights to the Lady Guinevere._]
Then Sir Ewaine arose to his feet and gazed upon him, all filled with
entire amazement. To him came King Arthur, and bespake him thus: “Ha,
Sir Knight, meseems that thou hast been fairly overcome this day. And
so, according to your promises, both thou and yonder other knight must
fulfil all my commands for the space of full seven days to come. Now
this is the command that I set upon ye both: that ye shall straightway
go unto the Lady Guinevere at Cameliard and shall take her greeting from
her knight. And ye shall say to her that her knight unto whom she gave
her necklace, hath sent ye, who are King’s sons, for to do obedience
unto her. And all that she shall command ye to do in the space of these
seven days that are to come, that shall ye perform even unto the
smallest grain.”
“Sir Knight,” said Sir Gawaine, “so we will do according to thy
commands, having pledged ourselves thereunto. But when these seven days
are passed, I do make my vow that I shall seek thee out and shall carry
this combat unto its entire extremity. For it may happen to any knight
to be unhorsed as I have been, yet I do believe that I may have a better
success with thee an I battle with thee to the extremity of my
endeavor.”
“Sir Knight,” said King Arthur, “it shall be even as thou desirest. Yet
I do verily believe that when these seven days are passed thou wilt not
have such a great desire for to fight with me as thou now hast.”
Having so spoken, King Arthur saluted those two knights and they saluted
him. And then he turned his horse and went his way. And whenever he
bethought him of how those two good knights had fallen before his
assault, and when he thought of how astonished and abashed they had been
at their overthrow, he laughed aloud for pure mirth, and vowed unto
himself that he had never in all of his life engaged in so joyous an
adventure as this.
So when Sir Ewaine had mended the girths of his saddle then he and Sir
Gawaine mounted their horses and betook their way toward Cameliard much
cast down in spirits.
Then the miller came forth from the mill once more, greatly rejoiced at
having beheld such a wonderfully knightly encounter from so safe a place
as that from which he had beheld it.
And so King Arthur rode onward with great content of mind until the
slanting of the afternoon had come, and by that time he had come nigh to
that arm of the forest-land which he had in mind as the proper place
where he might leave his horse and his armor.
Now as he drew nigh to this part of the forest skirts, he perceived
before him at the roadside a gnarled and stunted oak-tree. And he
perceived that upon the oak-tree there hung a shield, and that
underneath the shield were written these words in fair large letters:
=“Whoso smiteth upon this shield
Doeth so at the peril of his body.”=
Then King Arthur was filled with a great spirit, and, uplifting his