The Story of King Arthur and his Knights
time, for then we are together at our own inn; and since thou art of
this sort that I now see thee, I do not at all reckon how the world may
regard thee.”
Upon this the lady spake with great animation, saying, “No, sir, I would
not have it in that wise, for every woman loveth the regard of the
world, and I would fain enjoy such beauty as is mine before the world,
and not endure the scorn and contempt of men and women.”
To this Sir Gawaine said, “Lady, I would have it the other way.”
And she said, “Nay, I would have it my way.”
[Sidenote: _Sir Gawaine giveth the lady her will._]
Then Sir Gawaine said, “So be it. For since I have taken thee for my
wife, so must I show thee respect in all matters; wherefore thou shalt
have thy will in this and in all other things.”
Then that lady fell a-laughing beyond all measure and she said, “Sir, I
did but put this as a last trial upon thee, for as I am now, so shall I
always be.”
Upon this Sir Gawaine was so filled with joy that he knew not how to
contain himself.
So they sat together for a long time, hand in hand. Then after a while
Sir Gawaine said, “Lady, who art thou?” Unto which she made reply, “I am
one of the Ladies of the Lake; but for thy sake I have become mortal
like to other women and have quit that very beautiful home where I one
time dwelt. I have kept thee in my heart for a considerable while, for I
was not very far distant at that time when thou didst bid adieu to Sir
Pellias beside the lake. There I beheld how thou didst weep and bewail
thyself when Sir Pellias left thee, wherefore my heart went out to thee
with great pity. So, after a while, I quitted that lake and became
mortal for thy sake. Now, when I found the trouble into which King
Arthur had fallen I took that occasion to have him fetch me unto thee so
that I might test the entire nobility of thy knighthood; and, lo! I have
found it all that I deemed it possible to be. For though I appeared to
thee so aged, so ugly, and so foul, yet hast thou treated me with such
kind regard that I do not believe that thou couldst have behaved with
more courtesy to me had I been the daughter of a king. Wherefore it doth
now afford me such pleasure for to possess thee for my knight and my
true lord, that I cannot very well tell thee how great is my joy
therein.”
[Sidenote:_Sir Gawaine lets make great rejoicing._]
Then Sir Gawaine said, “Lady, I do not think it can be so great as my
joy in possessing thee.” And thereupon he came to her and laid his hand
upon her shoulder and kissed her upon the lips.
Then, after that, he went forth and called with a great voice all
through that house, and the people of the house came running from
everywhere. And he commanded that the people should bring lights and
refreshments, and they brought the lights, and when they had brought
them and beheld that beautiful lady instead of the aged dame, they were
filled with great wonder and joy; wherefore they cried out aloud and
clapped their hands together and made much sound of rejoicing. And they
set a great feast for Sir Gawaine and his lady, and in place of the
sorrow and darkness that had been, there was joy and light, and music
and singing; wherefore those of the King’s Court, beholding this from a
distance, said, “It is very strange that Sir Gawaine should have taken
so much joy of having wedded that old beldame.”
But when the next morning had come, that lady clad herself in raiment of
yellow silk, and she hung about her many strands of precious stones of
several colors, and she set a golden crown upon her head. And Sir
Gawaine let call his horse, and he let call a snow-white palfrey for the
lady, and thereupon they rode out from that place and entered the Court
of the King. But when the King and the Queen and their several Courts
beheld that lady, they were filled with such great astonishment that
they wist not what to say for pure wonder. And when they heard all that
had happened, they gave great joy and loud acclaim so that all their
mourning was changed into rejoicing. And, indeed, there was not one
knight there of all that Court who would not have given half his life to
have been so fortunate in that matter as was Sir Gawaine, the son of
King Lot of Orkney.
* * * * *
Such is the story of Sir Gawaine, and from it I draw this significance:
as that poor ugly beldame appeared unto the eyes of Sir Gawaine, so doth
a man’s duty sometimes appear to him to be ugly and exceedingly
ill-favored unto his desires. But when he shall have wedded himself unto
that duty so that he hath made it one with him as a bridegroom maketh
himself one with his bride, then doth that duty become of a sudden very
beautiful unto him and unto others.
So may it be with ye that you shall take duty unto yourselves no matter
how much it may mislike ye to do so. For indeed a man shall hardly have
any real pleasure in his life unless his inclination becometh wedded
unto his duty and cleaveth unto it as a husband cleaveth unto his wife.
For when inclination is thus wedded unto duty, then doth the soul take
great joy unto itself as though a wedding had taken place betwixt a
bridegroom and a bride within its tabernacle.
Likewise, when you shall have become entirely wedded unto your duty,
then shall you become equally worthy with that good knight and gentleman
Sir Gawaine; for it needs not that a man shall wear armor for to be a
true knight, but only that he shall do his best endeavor with all
patience and humility as it hath been ordained for him to do. Wherefore,
when your time cometh unto you to display your knightness by assuming
your duty, I do pray that you also may approve yourself as worthy as Sir
Gawaine approved himself in this story which I have told you of as above
written.
[Illustration] CONCLUSION
_So endeth this volume wherein hath been told, with every circumstance
of narration, the history of those Three Worthies who were of the Court
of King Arthur.
And now, if God will give me the grace to do so, I will some time, at no
very great time from this, write the further history of sundry other
knights and worthies of whom I have not yet spoken.
And among the first of these shall be Sir Launcelot, whom all the world
knoweth to have been the greatest knight in prowess of arms of any who
has lived, excepting Sir Galahad, who was his son. And I shall tell you
the story of Sir Ewaine and Sir Geraint, and of Sir Percival and of
sundry others.
But of this another time. For now, with great regret I bid you adieu and
bring this history unto a close.
So may God grant us to come together at another time with such happiness
and prosperity that you may have a free and untroubled heart to enjoy
the narrated history of those excellent men which I shall then set
before you. Amen._