The Story of King Arthur and his Knights
them why he should have been obliged to fulfil such a pledge. So Sir
Marhaus said, “I will tell ye. The case was this: Some whiles ago I was
travelling in these parts with a hawk upon my wrist. At that time I was
clad very lightly in holiday attire, to wit: I wore a tunic of green
silk, and hosen one of green and one of white. And I had nothing upon me
by way of defence but a light buckler and a short sword. Now, coming
unto a certain stream of water, very deep and rapid, I perceived before
me a bridge of stone crossing that stream, but so narrow that only one
horseman might cross the bridge at a time. So I entered upon that bridge
and was part way across it, when I perceived a knight in armor coming
the other way. And behind the knight there sat upon a pillion a very
fair lady with golden hair and very proud of demeanor. Now, when that
knight perceived me upon the bridge, he cried aloud, ‘Get back! get
back! and suffer me to pass!’ But this I would not do, but said, ‘Not
so, Sir Knight, for, having advanced so far upon this bridge, I have
certes the right of way to complete my passage, and it is for you to
wait and to permit me to cross.’ But the knight would not do so, but
immediately put himself in posture of offence and straightway came
against me upon the bridge with intent either to slay me or to drive me
back unto the other extremity of the bridge. But this he was not able to
do, for I defended myself very well with my light weapons. And I so
pushed my horse against his horse that I drave him backward from off the
bridge and into the water, whereinto the horse and the knight and the
lady all of them fell with a terrible uproar.
“At this the lady shrieked in great measure and both she and the knight
were like to drown in the water, the knight being altogether clad in
armor, so that he could not uplift himself above the flood. Wherefore,
beholding their extremity, I leaped from off my horse and into the
water, and with great ado and with much danger unto myself, I was able
to bring them both unto the land.
“But that lady was very greatly offended with me, for her fair raiment
was altogether wet and spoiled by the water, wherefore she upbraided me
with great vehemence. So I kneeled down before her and besought her
pardon with all humility, but she still continued to upbraid me. Then I
offered unto her for to perform any penance that she might set upon me.
At this the lady appeared to be greatly mollified, for she said, ‘Very
well, I will set thee a penance,’ and when her knight had recovered she
said, ‘Come with us,’ and so I mounted my horse and followed them. So
after we had gone a considerable distance we came to this place and here
she commanded me as follows: ‘Sir Knight,’ quoth she, ‘this castle
belongeth unto me and unto this knight who is my lord. Now, this shall
be the penance for the affront thou hast given me: thou shalt take thy
shield and hang it up in yonder sycamore-tree and every day I will send
certain damsels of mine own out from the castle. And they shall offend
against that shield and thou shalt not only suffer whatever offence they
may offer, but thou shalt defend them against all comers until thou hast
overcome seven knights.’
“So I have done until this morning, when thou, Sir Gawaine, camest
hither. Thou art the seventh knight against whom I have contended, and
as I have overcome thee, my penance is now ended and I am free.”
Then Sir Gawaine and Sir Ewaine gave Sir Marhaus great joy that his
penance was completed, and they were very well satisfied each party with
the others. So Sir Gawaine and Sir Ewaine abided that night in the
pavilion of Sir Marhaus and the next morning they arose and, having
laved themselves in a forest stream, they departed from that place where
they were.
So they entered the forest land once more and made their way by certain
paths, they knew not whitherward; and they travelled all that morning
and until the afternoon was come.
[Sidenote: _The three knights enter the Forest of Adventure._]
Now, as they travelled thus Sir Marhaus said of a sudden, “Messires,
know ye where we are come to?” “Nay,” they said, “we know not.” Then Sir
Marhaus said, “This part of the forest is called Arroy and it is further
called ‘The Forest of Adventure.’ For it is very well known that when a
knight, or a party of knights enter this forest, they will assuredly
meet with an adventure of some sort, from which some come forth with
credit while others fail therein.” And Sir Ewaine said, “I am glad that
we have come hither. Now let us go forward into this forest.”
So those three knights and their esquires continued onward in that
woodland where was silence so deep that even the tread of their horses
upon the earth was scarcely to be heard. And there was no note of bird
and no sound of voice and hardly did any light penetrate into the gloom
of that woodland. Wherefore those knights said unto one another, “This
is soothly a very strange place and one, maybe, of enchantment.”
[Sidenote: _They behold a white fawn in the forest._]
[Sidenote: _They behold a beautiful lady in the forest._]
Now when they had come into the very midst of these dark woodlands, they
perceived of a sudden, in the pathway before them, a fawn as white as
milk. And round the neck of the fawn was a collar of pure gold. And the
fawn stood and looked at them, but when they had come nigh to it, it
turned and ran along a very narrow path. Then Sir Gawaine said, “Let us
follow that fawn and see where it goeth.” And the others said, “We are
content.” So they followed that narrow path until of a sudden they came
to where was a little open lawn very bright with sunlight. In the midst
of the lawn was a fountain of water, and there was no fawn to be seen,
but, lo! beside the fountain there sat a wonderfully beautiful lady,
clad all in garments of green. And the lady combed her hair with a
golden comb, and her hair was like to the wing of a raven for blackness.
And upon her arms she wore very wonderful bracelets of emeralds and of
opal stones inset into cunningly wrought gold. Moreover, the face of
the lady was like ivory for whiteness and her eyes were bright like
jewels set in ivory. Now, when this lady perceived the knights she arose
and laid aside her golden comb and bound up the locks of her hair with
ribbons of scarlet silk, and thereupon, she came to those knights and
gave them greeting.
Then those three knights gat them down straightway from off their
horses, and Sir Gawaine said, “Lady, I believe that thou art not of
mortal sort, but that thou art of faërie.” Unto this the lady said, “Sir
Gawaine, thou art right,” and Sir Gawaine marvelled that she should know
his name so well. Then he said to her, “Lady, who art thou?” and she
made answer, “My name is Nymue and I am the chiefest of those Ladies of
the Lake of whom thou mayst have heard. For it was I who gave unto King
Arthur his sword Excalibur; for I am very friendly unto King Arthur and
to all the noble Knights of his Court. So it is that I know ye all. And
I know that thou, Sir Marhaus, shall become one of the most famous
Knights of the Round Table.” And all they three marvelled at the lady’s
words. Then she said, “I prithee tell me what it is that ye seek in
these parts?” And they say, “We seek adventure.” “Well,” said she, “I
will bring you unto adventure, but it is Sir Gawaine who must undertake
it.” And Sir Gawaine said, “That is very glad news.” Then the lady said,
“Take me behind you upon your saddle, Sir Gawaine, and I will show unto
you that adventure.” So Sir Gawaine took the lady up behind him upon the
saddle, and lo! she brought with her a fragrance such as he had never
known before; for that fragrance was so subtle that it seemed to Sir
Gawaine that the forest gave forth that perfume which the Lady of the
Lake brought with her.
So the Lady of the Lake brought them by many devious ways out from that
part of the forest; and she brought them by sundry roads and paths until
they came out into an open country, very fruitful and pleasant to
behold; and she brought them up a very high hill, and from the top of
the hill they looked down upon a fruitful and level plain as upon a
table spread out before them. And they beheld that in the midst of the
plain was a noble castle built all of red stone and of red bricks; and
they beheld that there was a small town built also of red bricks.
[Sidenote: _The three knights behold a very singular assault-at-arms._]
Now as they sat their horses there on top of the hill they perceived of
a sudden a knight clad all in red armor who came forth from a glade of
trees. And they saw that the knight paraded the meadow that lay in front
of the castle, and they saw that he gave challenge to those within the
castle. Then they perceived that the drawbridge of the castle was
let fall of a sudden and that there issued from thence ten knights clad in
complete armor. And they beheld those ten knights assail the one knight
in red armor, and they beheld the one knight assail the ten. And they
beheld that for a while those ten withstood the one, but that he
assailed them so terribly that he smote down four of them very quickly.
Then they beheld that the rest brake and fled from before that one, and
that the Red Knight pursued the others about the meadow with great fury.
And they saw that he smote down one from out his saddle and another and
another until but two of those knights were left.
Then Sir Gawaine said, “That is certainly a very wonderful sight for to
see.” But the Lady of the Lake only smiled and said, “Wait a little.”
So they waited and they saw that when the Red Knight had smitten down
all of his enemies but those two, and that when he had put those two in
great peril of their lives, he of a sudden sheathed his sword and
surrendered himself unto them. And they saw that those two knights
brought the Red Knight to the castle, and that when they had brought him
there a lady upon the wall thereof bespake that Red Knight as with great
violence of language. And they beheld that those two knights took the
Red Knight and bound his hands behind his back, and that they bound his
feet beneath his horse’s belly, and that they drave him away from that
place.
All this they beheld from the top of that hill, and the Lady of the Lake
said unto Sir Gawaine, “There thou shalt find thy adventure, Sir
Gawaine.” And Sir Gawaine said, “I will go,” and the Lady of the Lake
said, “Do so.”
Thereupon, lo! she vanished from their sight and they were greatly
amazed.
[Illustration] Chapter Fifth.
_How Sir Gawaine Met Sir Pellias and How He Promised to Aid Him With the
Lady Ettard._
Now, after that wonderful lady had disappeared from their sight in that
manner, those three knights stood for a little while altogether
astonished, for they wist not how to believe what their eyes had beheld.
Then, by and by, Sir Gawaine spake, saying, “Certes, that was a very
wonderful thing that happened to us, for in all my life I never knew so
strange a miracle to befall. Now, it is very plain that some excellent
adventure lieth in what we have seen, wherefore let us descend into
yonder valley, for there we shall doubtless discover what that signifies
which we have just now beheld. For I make my vow that I have hardly ever
seen so terribly powerful a knight as he who has just now fought yonder
battle, wherefore I can in no wise understand why, when he should so
nearly have obtained a victory over his enemies, he should have
surrendered himself to them as he did.”
And Sir Ewaine and Sir Marhaus agreed that it would be well to go down
and inquire what was the meaning of that which they had beheld.