The Story of King Arthur and his Knights
But Parcenet replied, “Ne’theless, I myself beheld him lying in great
pain and dole, and, ere he swooned his death-swoon, he himself told me
that he had the iron of a spear in his side.”
Then Sir Mador de la Porte said, “Alas! alas! that is sorry news! Now,
damsel, by thy leave and grace, I will leave thee and hasten to my
companions to tell them this news.” And Parcenet said, “I prithee do
so.”
So Sir Mador de la Porte made haste to the pavilion where were his
companions, and he told them the news that he had heard.
Now at this time Sir Gawaine was altogether recovered from the violent
overthrow he had suffered that morning, wherefore when he heard the news
that Sir Mador de la Porte brought to him, he smote his hands together
and cried out aloud, “Woe is me! what have I done! For first I betrayed
my friend, and now I have slain him. Now I will go forth straightway to
find him and to crave his forgiveness ere he die.”
But Sir Ewaine said, “What is this that thou wouldst do? Thou art not
yet fit to undertake any journey.”
[Sidenote: _Sir Gawaine departeth to find Sir Pellias._]
Sir Gawaine said, “I care not, for I am determined to go and find my
friend.” Nor would he suffer any of his companions to accompany him; but
when he had summoned his esquire to bring him his horse, he mounted
thereon and rode away into the forest alone, betaking his way to the
westward, and lamenting with great sorrow as he journeyed forward.
Now when the afternoon had fallen very late, so that the sun was sloping
to its setting, and the light fell as red as fire through the forest
leaves, Sir Gawaine came to that hermit’s cell where it stood in the
silent and solitary part of the forest woodland. And he beheld that the
hermit was outside of his cell digging in a little garden of lentils. So
when the hermit saw the armed knight come into that lawn all in the red
light of the setting sun, he stopped digging and leaned upon his trowel.
Then Sir Gawaine drew nigh, and, as he sat upon his horse, he told the
holy man of the business whereon he had come.
To this the hermit said, “There came a lady hither several hours ago,
and she was clad all in green, and was of a very singular appearance, so
that it was easy to see that she was fay. And by means of certain charms
of magic that lady cured thy friend, and after she had healed him, the
two rode away into the forest together.”
Then Sir Gawaine was very much amazed, and he said, “This is a very
strange thing that thou tellest me, that a knight who is dying should be
brought back to life again in so short a time, and should so suddenly
ride forth from a bed of pain. Now, I prithee tell me whither they
went.” The hermit said, “They went to the westward.” Whereupon, when Sir
Gawaine heard this, he said, “I will follow them.”
[Sidenote: _Sir Gawaine follows a singular light._]
So he rode away and left the hermit gazing after him. And as he rode
forward upon his way, the twilight began to fall apace, so that the
woodlands after a while grew very dark and strange all around him. But
as the darkness descended a very singular miracle happened, for, lo!
there appeared before Sir Gawaine, a light of a pale blue color, and it
went before him and showed him the way, and he followed it, much
marvelling.
Now after he had followed the light for a very long time he came at
last, of a sudden, to where the woodland ceased, and where there was a
wide, open plain of very great extent. And this plain was all
illuminated by a singular radiance which was like that of a clear full
moonlight, albeit no moon was shining at that time. And in that pale and
silver light Sir Gawaine could see everything with wonderful
distinctness; wherefore he beheld that he was in a plain covered all
over with flowers of divers sorts, the odors whereof so filled the night
that it appeared to press upon the bosom with a great pleasure. And he
beheld that in front of him lay a great lake, very wide and still. And
all those things appeared so strange in that light that Sir Gawaine
wotted that he had come into a land of faëry. So he rode among tall
flowers toward that lake in a sort of fear, for he wist not what was to
befall him.
Now as he drew near the lake he perceived a knight and a lady
approaching him; and when they had come nigh he beheld that the knight
was Sir Pellias, and that his countenance was exceedingly strange. And
he beheld that the lady was she whom he had aforetime seen all clad in
green apparel when he had travelled in the Forest of Adventure with Sir
Ewaine and Sir Marhaus.
[Sidenote: _Sir Gawaine findeth Sir Pellias._]
Now when Sir Gawaine first beheld Sir Pellias he was filled with a great
fear, for he thought it was a spirit that he saw. But when he perceived
that Sir Pellias was alive, there came into his bosom a joy as great as
that fear had been; wherefore he made haste toward Sir Pellias. And when
he had come near to Sir Pellias, he leaped from off of his horse, crying
out, “Forgive! Forgive!” with great vehemence of passion. Then he would
have taken Sir Pellias into his arms, but Sir Pellias withdrew himself
from the contact of Sir Gawaine, though not with any violence of anger.
And Sir Pellias spake in a voice very thin and of a silvery clearness as
though it came from a considerable distance, and he said, “Touch me not,
for I am not as I was aforetime, being not all human, but part fay. But
concerning my forgiveness: I do forgive thee whatsoever injury I may
have suffered at thy hands. And more than this I give unto thee my love,
and I greatly hope for thy joy and happiness. But now I go away to leave
thee, dear friend, and haply I shall not behold thee again, wherefore I
do leave this with thee as my last behest; to wit, that thou dost go
back to King Arthur’s Court and make thy peace with the Queen. So thou
mayst bring them news of all that hath happened unto me.”
Then Sir Gawaine cried out in great sorrow, “Whither wouldst thou go?”
And Sir Pellias said, “I shall go to yonder wonderful city of gold and
azure which lieth in yonder valley of flowers.”
Then Sir Gawaine said, “I see no city but only a lake of water.”
Whereupon Sir Pellias replied, “Ne’theless, there is a city yonder and
thither I go, wherefore I do now bid thee farewell.”
Then Sir Gawaine looked into the face of Sir Pellias and beheld again
that strange light that it was of a very singular appearance, for, lo!
it was white like to ivory and his eyes shone like jewels set in ivory,
and a smile lay upon his lips and grew neither more nor less, but always
remained the same. (For those who were of that sort had always that
singular appearance and smiled in that manner--to wit, the Lady of the
Lake, and Sir Pellias, and Sir Launcelot of the Lake.)
[Sidenote: _Sir Pellias disappeareth into the lake._]
Then Sir Pellias and the Lady of the Lake turned and left Sir Gawaine
where he stood, and they went toward the lake, and they entered the
lake, and when the feet of the horse of Sir Pellias had touched the
water of the lake, lo! Sir Pellias was gone and Sir Gawaine beheld him
no more, although he stood there for a long time weeping with great
passion.
So endeth the story of Sir Pellias.
* * * * *
But Sir Gawaine returned unto the Court of King Arthur as he had
promised Sir Pellias to do, and he made his peace with Queen Guinevere
and, thereafter, though the Queen loved him not, yet there was a peace
betwixt them. And Sir Gawaine published these things to the Court of
King Arthur and all men marvelled at what he told.
And only twice thereafter was Sir Pellias ever seen of any of his
aforetime companions.
And Sir Marhaus was made a Companion of the Round Table and became one
of the foremost knights thereof.
And the Lady Ettard took Sir Engamore into favor again, and that summer
they were wedded and Sir Engamore became lord of Grantmesnle.
So endeth this story.
PART III
The Story of Sir Gawaine
_Here followeth the story of Sir Gawaine and of how he discovered such
wonderful faithfulness unto King Arthur, who was his lord, that I do not
believe that the like of such faithfulness was ever seen before.
For indeed, though Sir Gawaine was at times very rough and harsh in his
manner, and though he was always so plain-spoken that his words hid the
gentle nature that lay within him, yet, under this pride of manner, was
much courtesy; and at times he was so urbane of manner and so soft of
speech that he was called by many the Knight of the Silver Tongue.
So here ye shall read how his faithfulness unto King Arthur brought him
such high reward that almost anyone in all the world might envy him his
great good fortune._
[Illustration] Chapter First.
_How a White Hart Appeared Before King Arthur, and How Sir Gawaine and
Gaheris, His Brother, Went in Pursuit Thereof, and of What Befell Them
in That Quest._
Upon a certain time King Arthur, together with Queen Guinevere and all
of his Court, were making progression through that part of his kingdom
which was not very near to Camelot. At this time the King journeyed in
very great state, and Queen Guinevere had her Court about her, so there
were many esquires and pages; wherefore, what with knights, lords, and
ladies in attendance, more than six score of people were with the King
and Queen.
Now it chanced that at this time the season of the year was very warm,
so that when the middle of the day had come the King commanded that a
number of pavilions should be spread for their accommodation, wherein
that they might rest there until the heat of the day had passed. So the
attendants spread three pavilions in a pleasant glade upon the outskirts
of the forest.
When this had been done, the King gave command that the tables, whereat
they were to eat their mid-day meal, should be spread beneath the shadow
of that glade of trees; for there was a gentle wind blowing and there
were many birds singing, so that it was very pleasant to sit in the open
air.
Accordingly the attendants of the Court did as the King commanded, and
the tables were set upon the grass beneath the shade, and the King and
Queen and all the lords and ladies of their Courts sat down to that
cheerful repast.
[Sidenote: _A white hart and a white hound appear before King Arthur at
feast._]
Now whiles they sat there feasting with great content of spirit, and
with much mirth and goodly talk among themselves, there came of a sudden
a great outcry from the woodland that was near by, and therewith there
burst forth from the cover of that leafy wilderness a very beautiful
white hart pursued by a white brachet of equal beauty. And there was not
a hair upon either of these animals that was not as white as milk, and
each wore about its neck a collar of gold very beautiful to behold.
The hound pursued the white hart with a very great outcry and bellowing,
and the hart fled in the utmost terror. In this wise they ran thrice
around the table where King Arthur and his Court sat at meat, and twice
in that chase the hound caught the hart and pinched it on its haunch,
and therewith the hart leaped away, and all they who sat there observed
that there was blood at two places upon its haunch where the hound had
pinched it. But each time the hart escaped from the hound, and the hound
followed after it with much outcry of yelling so that King Arthur and
Queen Guinevere and all their Court were annoyed at the noise and tumult
that those two creatures made. Then the hart fled away into the forest
again by another path, and the hound pursued it and both were gone, and
the baying of the hound sounded more and more distant as it ran away
into the woodland.