第73章 BOOK VI(12)

And when Sir Launcelot had espied him what he had done,he said,and called him,Traitor,thou hast shamed me for ever.And suddenly Sir Launcelot alighted off his horse,and pulled out his sword to slay him,and therewithal he fell flat to the earth,and gripped Sir Launcelot by the thighs,and cried mercy.Fie on thee,said Sir Launcelot,thou shameful knight,thou mayest have no mercy,and therefore arise and fight with me.Nay,said the knight,I will never arise till ye grant me mercy.Now will Iproffer thee fair,said Launcelot,I will unarm me unto my shirt,and I will have nothing upon me but my shirt,and my sword and my hand.And if thou canst slay me,quit be thou for ever.Nay,sir,said Pedivere,that will I never.Well,said Sir Launcelot,take this lady and the head,and bear it upon thee,and here shalt thou swear upon my sword,to bear it always upon thy back,and never to rest till thou come to Queen Guenever.Sir,said he,that will I do,by the faith of my body.Now,said Launcelot,tell me what is your name?Sir,my name is Pedivere.

In a shameful hour wert thou born,said Launcelot.

So Pedivere departed with the dead lady and the head,and found the queen with King Arthur at Winchester,and there he told all the truth.Sir knight,said the queen,this is an horrible deed and a shameful,and a great rebuke unto Sir Launcelot;but notwithstanding his worship is not known in many divers countries;but this shall I give you in penance,make ye as good shift as ye can,ye shall bear this lady with you on horseback unto the Pope of Rome,and of him receive your penance for your foul deeds;and ye shall never rest one night whereas ye do another;an ye go to any bed the dead body shall lie with you.

This oath there he made,and so departed.And as it telleth in the French book,when he came to Rome,the Pope bade him go again unto Queen Guenever,and in Rome was his lady buried by the Pope's commandment.And after this Sir Pedivere fell to great goodness,and was an holy man and an hermit.

CHAPTER XVIII

How Sir Launcelot came to King Arthur's Court,and how there were recounted all his noble feats and acts.

NOW turn we unto Sir Launcelot du Lake,that came home two days afore the Feast of Pentecost;and the king and all the court were passing fain of his coming.And when Sir Gawaine,Sir Uwaine,Sir Sagramore,Sir Ector de Maris,saw Sir Launcelot in Kay's armour,then they wist well it was he that smote them down all with one spear.Then there was laughing and smiling among them.

And ever now and now came all the knights home that Sir Turquine had prisoners,and they all honoured and worshipped Sir Launcelot.

When Sir Gaheris heard them speak,he said,I saw all the battle from the beginning to the ending,and there he told King Arthur all how it was,and how Sir Turquine was the strongest knight that ever he saw except Sir Launcelot:there were many knights bare him record,nigh three score.Then Sir Kay told the king how Sir Launcelot had rescued him when he should have been slain,and how he made the knights yield them to me,and not to him.

And there they were all three,and bare record.And by Jesu,said Sir Kay,because Sir Launcelot took my harness and left me his I rode in good peace,and no man would have ado with me.

Anon therewithal there came the three knights that fought with Sir Launcelot at the long bridge.And there they yielded them unto Sir Kay,and Sir Kay forsook them and said he fought never with them.But I shall ease your heart,said Sir Kay,yonder is Sir Launcelot that overcame you.When they wist that they were glad.And then Sir Meliot de Logres came home,and told the king how Sir Launcelot had saved him from the death.And all his deeds were known,how four queens,sorceresses,had him in prison,and how he was delivered by King Bagdemagus'daughter.

Also there were told all the great deeds of arms that Sir Launcelot did betwixt the two kings,that is for to say the King of Northgalis and King Bagdemagus.All the truth Sir Gahalantine did tell,and Sir Mador de la Porte and Sir Mordred,for they were at that same tournament.Then came in the lady that knew Sir Launcelot when that he wounded Sir Belleus at the pavilion.

And there,at request of Sir Launcelot,Sir Belleus was made knight of the Round Table.And so at that time Sir Launcelot had the greatest name of any knight of the world,and most he was honoured of high and low.

Explicit the noble tale of Sir Launcelot du Lake,which is the vi.book.Here followeth the tale of Sir Gareth of Orkney that was called Beaumains by Sir Kay,and is the seventh book.