Gramercy,sadSrMarhaus,ofyourgentlenessyeteachmecourtesy,fortsnotforoneknghttobeonfoot,andtheotheronhorseback。AndtherewthSrMarhaussethsspearaganstatreeandalghtedandtedhshorsetoatree,anddressedhssheld,andethercameuntoothereagerly,andsmotetogetherwththerswordsthatthersheldsflewncantels,andtheybrusedtherhelmsandtherhauberks,andwoundedetherother。ButSrGawanefromtpassednneoftheclockwaxedeverstrongerandstronger,forthentcametothehourofnoon,andthrcehsmghtwasncreased。AllthsespedSrMarhausandhadgreatwonderhowhsmghtncreased,andsotheywoundedotherpassngsore。Andthenwhentwaspastnoon,andwhentdrewtowardevensong,SrGawane’sstrengthfeebled,andwaxedpassngfantthatunnetheshemghtdureanylonger,andSrMarhauswasthenbggerandbgger。Srknght,sadSrMarhaus,havewellfeltthatyeareapassnggoodknghtandamarvellousmanofmghtaseverfeltany,whletlasteth,andourquarrelsarenotgreat,andthereforetwereptytodoyouhurt,forfeelyearepassngfeeble。Ah,sadSrGawane,gentleknght,yesaythewordthatshouldsay。Andtherewththeytookofftherhelms,andetherkssedother,andtheretheysworetogetherethertoloveotherasbrethren。AndSrMarhausprayedSrGawanetolodgewthhmthatnght。Andsotheytooktherhorses,androdetowardSrMarhaus’house。Andastheyrodebytheway,Srknght,sadSrGawane,havemarvelthatsovalantamanasyebelovenoladesnordamosels。Sr,sadSrMarhaus,theynamemewrongfullythosethatgvemethatname,butwellwottbethedamoselsoftheturretthatsonameme,andothersuchastheybe。Nowshall
tellyouforwhatcausehatethem:fortheybesorceressesandenchantersmanyofthem,andbeaknghtneversogoodofhsbodyandfullofprowessasmanmaybe,theywllmakehmastarkcowardtohavethebetterofhm,andthsstheprncpalcausethathatethem;andtoallgoodladesandgentlewomen
owemyservceasaknghtoughttodo。
AsthebookrehearsethnFrench,thereweremanyknghtsthatovermatchedSrGawane,forallthethrcemghtthathehad:
SrLauncelotdeLake,SrTrstram,SrBorsdeGans,SrPercvale,SrPelleas,andSrMarhaus,thesesknghtshadthebetterofSrGawane。ThenwthnalttlewhletheycametoSrMarhaus’place,whchwasnalttleprory,andtheretheyalghted,andladesanddamoselsunarmedthem,andhastlylookedtotherhurts,fortheywereallthreehurt。AndsotheyhadallthreegoodlodgngwthSrMarhaus,andgoodcheer;forwhenhewstthattheywereKngArthur’ssster’ssonshemadethemallthecheerthatlaynhspower,andsotheysojournedthereasennght,andwerewelleasedoftherwounds,andatthelastdeparted。Now,sadSrMarhaus,wewllnotdepartsolghtly,forwllbrngyouthroughtheforest;androdedaybydaywellasevendaysortheyfoundanyadventure。Atthelasttheycamentoagreatforest,thatwasnamedthecountryandforestofArroy,andthecountryofstrangeadventures。nthscountry,sadSrMarhaus,cameneverknghtsncetwaschrstenedbuthefoundstrangeadventures;andsotheyrode,andcamentoadeepvalleyfullofstones,andtherebytheysawafarstreamofwater;abovetherebywastheheadofthestreamafarfountan,andthreedamoselssttngthereby。Andthentheyrodetothem,andethersalutedother,andtheeldesthadagarlandofgoldaboutherhead,andshewasthreescorewnterofageormore,andherharwaswhteunderthegarland。Theseconddamoselwasofthrtywnterofage,wthacrcletofgoldaboutherhead。Thethrddamoselwasbutffteenyearofage,andagarlandofflowersaboutherhead。Whentheseknghtshadsobeheldthem,theyaskedthemthecausewhytheysatatthatfountan?Webehere,sadthedamosels,forthscause:fwemayseeanyerrantknghts,toteachthemuntostrangeadventures;andyebethreeknghtsthatseekadventures,andwebethreedamosels,andthereforeeachoneofyoumustchooseoneofus;andwhenyehavedonesowewllleadyouuntothreehghways,andthereeachofyoushallchooseawayandhsdamoselwthhm。Andthsdaytwelvemonthyemustmeethereagan,andGodsendyouyourlves,andtheretoyemustplghtyourtroth。Thsswellsad,sadSrMarhaus。
[*1]Msnumbered。byCaxton。
HowSrMarhaus,SrGawane,andSrUwanemetthreedamosels,andeachofthemtookone。
NOWshalleverychofuschooseadamosel。shalltellyou,sadSrUwane,amtheyoungestandmostweakestofyouboth,thereforewllhavetheeldestdamosel,forshehathseenmuch,andcanbesthelpmewhenhaveneed,forhavemostneedofhelpofyouboth。Now,sadSrMarhaus,wllhavethedamoselofthrtywnterage,forshefallethbesttome。Well,sadSrGawane,thankyou,foryehaveleftmetheyoungestandthefarest,andshesmostlefesttome。Theneverydamoseltookherknghtbytherensofhsbrdle,andbroughthmtothethreeways,andtherewastheroathmadetomeetatthefountanthatdaytwelvemonthantheywerelvng,andsotheykssedanddeparted,andeachknghtsethsladybehndhm。AndSrUwanetookthewaythatlaywest,andSrMarhaustookthewaythatlaysouth,andSrGawanetookthewaythatlaynorth。NowwllwebegnatSrGawane,thatheldthatwaytllthathecameuntoafarmanor,wheredwelledanoldknghtandagoodhouseholder,andthereSrGawaneaskedtheknghtfheknewanyadventuresnthatcountry。shallshowyousometo-morn,sadtheoldknght,andthatmarvellous。So,onthemorntheyrodentotheforestofadventurestoalaund,andtherebytheyfoundacross,andastheystoodandhovedtherecamebythemthefarestknghtandtheseemlestmanthatevertheysaw,makngthegreatestdolethatevermanmade。AndthenhewaswareofSrGawane,andsalutedhm,andprayedGodtosendhmmuchworshp。Astothat,sadSrGawane,gramercy;
alsopraytoGodthathesendyouhonourandworshp。Ah,sadtheknght,maylaythatasde,forsorrowandshamecomethtomeafterworshp。
Howaknghtandadwarfstroveforalady。
ANDtherewthhepasseduntotheonesdeofthelaund;andontheothersdesawSrGawanetenknghtsthathovedstllandmadethemreadywththersheldsandspearsaganstthatoneknghtthatcamebySrGawane。
Thenthsoneknghtaventredagreatspear,andoneofthetenknghtsencounteredwthhm,butthswofulknghtsmotehmsohardthathefelloverhshorse’stal。Sothssamedolorousknghtservedthemall,thatattheleastwayhesmotedownhorseandman,andallheddwthonespear;andsowhentheywerealltenonfoot,theywenttothatoneknght,andhestoodstonestll,andsufferedthemtopullhmdownoffhshorse,andboundhmhandandfoot,andtedhmunderthehorse’sbelly,andsoledhmwththem。OJesu!sadSrGawane,thssadolefulsght,toseetheyonderknghtsotobeentreated,andtseemethbytheknghtthathesuffereththemtobndhmso,forhemakethnoresstance。No,sadhshost,thatstruth,foranhewouldtheyallweretooweaksotodohm。Sr,sadthedamoseluntoSrGawane,meseemethtwereyourworshptohelpthatdolorousknght,formethnkethhesoneofthebestknghtsthateversaw。woulddoforhm,sadSrGawane,buttseemethhewllhavenohelp。Then,sadthedamosel,methnkethyehavenolusttohelphm。
Thusastheytalkedtheysawaknghtontheothersdeofthelaundallarmedsavethehead。Andontheothersdetherecameadwarfonhorsebackallarmedsavethehead,wthagreatmouthandashortnose;andwhenthedwarfcamenghhesad,Wherestheladyshouldmeetushere?andtherewthalshecameforthoutofthewood。Andthentheybegantostrveforthelady;fortheknghtsadhewouldhaveher,andthedwarfsadhewouldhaveher。Wllwedowell?sadthedwarf;yondersaknghtatthecross,letusputtbothuponhm,andashedeemethsoshalltbe。wllwell,sadtheknght,andsotheywentallthreeuntoSrGawaneandtoldhmwhereforetheystrove。Well,srs,sadhe,wllyeputthematternmyhand?Yea,theysadboth。
Nowdamosel,sadSrGawane,yeshallstandbetwxtthemboth,andwhetheryelstbettertogoto,heshallhaveyou。Andwhenshewassetbetweenthemboth,shelefttheknghtandwenttothedwarf,andthedwarftookherandwenthswaysngng,andtheknghtwenthswaywthgreatmournng。
Thencametheretwoknghtsallarmed,andcredonhgh,SrGawane!knghtofKngArthur’s,maketheereadynallhasteandjoustwthme。Sotheyrantogether,thatetherfelldown,andthenonfoottheydrewtherswords,andddfullactually。
Themeanwhletheotherknghtwenttothedamosel,andaskedherwhysheabodewththatknght,andfyewouldabdewthme,
wllbeyourfathfulknght。Andwthyouwllbe,sadthedamosel,forwthSrGawanemaynotfndnmnehearttobewthhm;fornowherewasoneknghtdscomftedtenknghts,andatthelasthewascowardlyledaway;andthereforeletustwogowhlsttheyfght。AndSrGawanefoughtwththatotherknghtlong,butatthelasttheyaccordedboth。AndthentheknghtprayedSrGawanetolodgewthhmthatnght。SoasSrGawanewentwththsknghtheaskedhm,Whatknghtshenthscountrythatsmotedownthetenknghts?Forwhenhehaddonesomanfullyhesufferedthemtobndhmhandandfoot,andsoledhmaway。Ah,sadtheknght,thatsthebestknght
trowntheworld,andthemostmanofprowess,andhehathbeenservedsoashewasevenmorethantentmes,andhsnamehghtSrPelleas,andhelovethagreatladynthscountryandhernamesEttard。Andsowhenhelovedhertherewascrednthscountryagreatjouststhreedays,andalltheknghtsofthscountrywerethereandgentlewomen,andwhothatprovedhmthebestknghtshouldhaveapassnggoodswordandacrcletofgold,andthecrclettheknghtshouldgvettothefarestladythatwasatthejousts。AndthsknghtSrPelleaswasthebestknghtthatwasthere,andtherewerefvehundredknghts,buttherewasnevermanthateverSrPelleasmetwthalbuthestruckhmdown,orelsefromhshorse;andeverydayofthreedayshestruckdowntwentyknghts,thereforetheygavehmtheprze,andforthwthalhewentthereastheLadyEttardwas,andgaveherthecrclet,andsadopenlyshewasthefarestladythattherewas,andthatwouldheproveuponanyknghtthatwouldsaynay。
HowKngPelleassufferedhmselftobetakenprsonerbecausehewouldhaveasghtofhslady,andhowSrGawanepromsedhmtogettohmtheloveofhslady。