The Story of King Arthur and his Knights
point of the dagger.
So when the Red Knight perceived how near death was to him he besought
Sir Pellias for mercy, saying, “Spare my life unto me!” Whereunto Sir
Pellias said, “Who art thou?” And the knight said, “I am hight Sir
Adresack, surnamed of the Seven Towers.” Then Sir Pellias said to him,
“What hast thou done unto Sir Brandemere and how doth it fare with that
good knight?” And the Red Knight replied, “He is not so seriously
wounded as you suppose.”
Now when Sir Brandemere’s lady heard this speech she was greatly exalted
with joy, so that she smote her hands together, making great cry of
thanksgiving.
But Sir Pellias said, “Now tell me, Sir Adresack, hast thou other
captives beside that knight, Sir Brandemere, at thy castle?” To which
Sir Adresack replied, “Sir Knight, I will tell thee truly; there are in
my castle one and twenty other captives besides him: to wit, eighteen
knights and esquires of degree and three ladies. For I have defended
this bridge for a long time and all who have undertaken to cross it,
those have I taken captive and held for ransom. Wherefore I have taken
great wealth and gained great estate thereby.”
[Sidenote: _Sir Pellias layeth his injunctions upon the Red Knight._]
Then Sir Pellias said, “Thou art soothly a wicked and discourteous
knight so to serve travellers that come thy way, and I would do well for
to slay thee where thou liest. But since thou hast besought mercy of me
I will grant it unto thee, though I will do so only with great shame
unto thy knighthood. Moreover, if I spare to thee thy life there are
several things which thou must perform. First thou must go unto Queen
Guinevere at Camelot, and there must thou say unto her that the knight
who left her unarmed hath taken thine armor from thee and hath armed
himself therewith for to defend her honor. Secondly, thou must confess
thy faults unto King Arthur as thou hast confessed them unto me and thou
must beg his pardon for the same, craving that he, in his mercy, shall
spare thy life unto thee. These are the things that thou must perform.”
To this Sir Adresack said, “Very well, these things do I promise to
perform if thou wilt spare my life.”
[Sidenote: _Sir Pellias assumes the armor of Sir Adresack._]
Then Sir Pellias permitted him to arise and he came and stood before Sir
Pellias. And Sir Pellias summoned the esquire, Ponteferet, unto him, and
he said, “Take thou this knight’s armor from off of his body and put it
upon my body as thou knowest how to do.” And Ponteferet did as Sir
Pellias bade him. For he unarmed Sir Adresack and he clothed Sir Pellias
in Sir Adresack’s armor, and Sir Adresack stood ashamed before them all.
Then Sir Pellias said unto him, “Now take me into thy castle that I may
there liberate those captives that thou so wickedly holdest as
prisoners.” And Sir Adresack said, “It shall be done as thou dost
command.”
Thereupon they all went together unto the castle and into the castle,
which was an exceedingly stately place. And there they beheld a great
many servants and attendants, and these came at the command of Sir
Adresack and bowed themselves down before Sir Pellias. Then Sir Pellias
bade Sir Adresack for to summon the keeper of the dungeon, and Sir
Adresack did so. And Sir Pellias commanded the keeper that he should
conduct them unto the dungeon, and the keeper bowed down before him in
obedience.
Now when they had come to that dungeon they beheld it to be a very lofty
place and exceedingly strong. And there they found Sir Brandemere and
those others of whom Sir Adresack had spoken.
[Sidenote: _Sir Pellias liberates the captives._]
But when that sorrowful lady perceived Sir Brandemere, she ran unto him
with great voice of rejoicing and embraced him and wept over him. And he
embraced her and wept and altogether forgot his hurt in the joy of
beholding her again.
And in the several apartments of that part of the castle, there were in
all eighteen knights and esquires, and three ladies besides Sir
Brandemere. Moreover, amongst those knights were two from King Arthur’s
Court: to wit, Sir Brandiles and Sir Mador de la Porte. Whereupon these
beholding that it was Sir Pellias who had liberated them, came to him
and embraced him with great joy and kissed him upon either cheek.
And all those who were liberated made great rejoicing and gave Sir
Pellias such praise and acclaim that he was greatly contented therewith.
Then when Sir Pellias beheld all those captives who were in the dungeon
he was very wroth with Sir Adresack, wherefore he turned unto him and
said, “Begone, Sir Knight, for to do that penance which I imposed upon
thee to perform, for I am very greatly displeased with thee, and fear me
lest I should repent me of my mercy to thee.”
Thereupon Sir Adresack turned him away and he immediately departed from
that place. And he called to him his esquire and he took him and rode
away to Camelot for to do that penance which he had promised Sir Pellias
to do.
Then, after he was gone, Sir Pellias and those captives whom he had
liberated, went through the divers parts of the castle. And there they
found thirteen chests of gold and silver money and four caskets of
jewels--very fine and of great brilliancy--all of which treasure had
been paid in ransom by those captives who had aforetime been violently
held prisoners at that place.
And Sir Pellias ordained that all those chests and caskets should be
opened, and when those who were there looked therein, the hearts of all
were wonderfully exalted with joy at the sight of that great treasure.
[Sidenote: _Sir Pellias divideth the treasures of Sir Adresack among the
captives._]
Then Sir Pellias commanded that all that treasure of gold and silver
should be divided into nineteen equal parts, and when it had been so
divided, he said, “Now let each of you who have been held captive in
this place, take for his own one part of that treasure as a recompense
for those sorrows which he hath endured.” Moreover, to each of the
ladies who had been held as captives in that place, he gave a casket of
jewels, saying unto her, “Take thou this casket of jewels as a
recompense for that sorrow which thou hast suffered. And unto Sir
Brandemere’s lady he gave a casket of the jewels for that which she had
endured.
But then those who were there beheld that Sir Pellias reserved no part
of that great treasure for himself, they all cried out upon him: “Sir
Knight! Sir Knight! How is this? Behold, thou hast set aside no part of
this treasure for thyself.”
Then Sir Pellias made answer: “You are right, I have not so. For it
needs not that I take any of this gold and silver, or any of these
jewels, for myself. For, behold! ye have suffered much at the hands of
Sir Adresack, wherefore ye should receive recompense therefore, but I
have suffered naught at his hands, wherefore I need no such recompense.”
Then were they all astonished at his generosity and gave him great
praise for his largeness of heart. And all those knights vowed unto him
fidelity unto death.
[Sidenote: _They abide at the castle of Sir Brandemere._]
Then, when all these things were accomplished, Sir Brandemere implored
all who were there that they would come with him unto his castle, so
that they might refresh themselves with a season of mirth and good
faring. And they all said that they would go with him, and they did go.
And at the castle of Sir Brandemere there was great rejoicing with
feasting and jousting for three days.
And all who were there loved Sir Pellias with an astonishing love
because of that collar of emeralds and opals and of gold. Yet no one
knew of the virtue of that collar, nor did Sir Pellias know of it.
So Sir Pellias abided at that place for three days. And when the fourth
day was come he arose betimes in the morning and bade saddle his horse,
and the palfrey of the damsel Parcenet, and the horses of their pages.
Then when all those who were there saw that he was minded to depart,
they besought him not to go, but Sir Pellias said, “Stay me not, for I
must go.”
Then came to him those two knights of Arthur’s Court, Sir Brandiles and
Sir Mador de la Porte, and they besought him that he would let them go
with him upon that adventure. And at first Sir Pellias forbade them but
they besought him the more, so that at last he was fain to say, “Ye
shall go with me.”
So he departed from that place with his company, and all those who
remained gave great sorrow that he had gone away.
[Illustration] Chapter Third.
_How Sir Pellias Did Battle With Sir Engamore, Otherwise the Knight of
the Green Sleeves, and of What Befell the Lady Ettard._
Now, Sir Pellias and his party and the damsel Parcenet and her party
travelled onward until after awhile in the afternoon they came unto the
utmost boundaries of the forest, where the woodlands ceased altogether
and many fields and meadows, with farms and crofts and plantations of
trees all a-bloom with tender leaves and fragrant blossoms, lay spread
out beneath the sky.
And Sir Pellias said, “This is indeed a very beautiful land into which
we have come.” Whereat the damsel Parcenet was right well pleased, for
she said, “Sir, I am very glad that that which thou seest belikes thee;
for all this region belongeth unto the Lady Ettard, and it is my home.
Moreover, from the top of yonder hill one mayst behold the castle of
Grantmesnle which lieth in the valley beneath.” Then Sir Pellias said,
“Let us make haste! For I am wonderfully desirous of beholding that
place.”
[Sidenote: _They reach Grantmesnle._]
So they set spurs to their horses and rode up that hill at a hand
gallop. And when they had reached the top thereof, lo! beneath them lay
the Castle of Grantmesnle in such a wise that it was as though upon the
palm of a hand. And Sir Pellias beheld that it was an exceedingly fair
castle, built altogether without of a red stone, and containing many
buildings of red brick within the wall. And behind the walls there lay a
little town, and from where they stood they could behold the streets
thereof, and the people coming and going upon their businesses. So Sir
Pellias, beholding the excellence of that castle, said, “Certes, maiden,
yonder is a very fair estate.”
“Yea,” said Parcenet; “we who dwell there do hold it to be a very
excellent estate.”
Then Sir Pellias said to Parcenet: “Maiden, yonder glade of young trees
nigh unto the castle appeareth to be a very cheerful spot. Wherefore at
that place I and my companions in arms will take up our inn. There,
likewise, we will cause to be set up three pavilions for to shelter us
by day and by night. Meantime, I beseech of thee, that thou wilt go unto
the lady, thy mistress, and say unto her that a knight hath come unto
this place, who, albeit he knoweth her not, holdeth that the Lady
Guinevere of Camelot is the fairest lady in all of the world. And I
beseech thee to tell the lady that I am here to maintain that saying
against all comers at the peril of my body. Wherefore, if the lady have
any champion for to undertake battle in her behalf, him will I meet in
yonder field to-morrow at mid-day a little before I eat my mid-day meal.
For at that time I do propose for to enter into yonder field, and to
make parade therein until my friends bid me for to come in to my dinner;
and I shall take my stand in that place in honor of the Lady Guinevere
of Camelot.”
“Sir Pellias,” said the damsel, “I will even do as thou desirest of me.
And, though I may not wish that thou mayst be the victor in that
encounter, yet am I soothly sorry for to depart from thee. For thou art
both a very valiant and a very gentle knight, and I find that I have a
great friendship for thee.”