‘That may I ryght well belyve,’ seyde sir Gawayne; ‘but, my lorde,’ he sayde, ‘assay your fryndis and I woll assay myne.’
‘Hit shall be done,’ seyde the kyng, ‘and as I suppose I shall be bygge inowghe to dryve hym oute of the bygyst toure of hys castell.’
So than the kynge sente lettirs and wryttis thorowoute all Inglonde, both the lengthe and the brede, for to assomon all hys knyghtes. And so unto kynge Arthure drew many knyghtes, deukes, and erlis, that he had a grete oste, and whan they were assembeled the kynge enfourmed hem how sir Launcelot had beraffte hym hys quene. Than the kynge and all hys oste made hem redy to ley syege aboute sir Launcelot where he lay within Joyous Garde.
And anone sir Launcelot harde thereof and purveyde hym off many good knyghtes; for with hym helde many knyghtes, som for hys owne sake and som for the quenys sake. Thus they were on bothe partyes well furnysshed and garnysshed of all maner of thynge that longed unto the warre. But kynge Arthurs oste was so grete that sir Launcelottis oste wolde nat abyde hym in the fylde. For he was full lothe to do batayle ayenste the kynge; but sir Launcelot drew hym unto hys stronge castell with all maner of vytayle plenté, and as many noble men as he myght suffyse within the towne and the castell.
Than cam kynge Arthure with sir Gawayne wyth a grete oste and leyde syge all aboute Joyus Garde, both the towne and the castell. And there they made stronge warre on bothe partyes, but in no wyse sir Launcelot wolde ryde oute of the castell of longe tyme; and nother he wold nat suffir none of hys good knyghtes to issew oute, nother of the towne nother of the castell, untyll fiftene wykes were paste.
[11] So hit felle uppon a daye in hervest tyme that sir Launcelot loked over the wallys and spake on hyght unto kynge Arthure and to sir Gawayne:
‘My lordis bothe, wyte you well all thys ys in vayne that ye make at thys syge, for here wynne ye no worshyp, but magré and dishonoure. For and hit lyste me to com myselff oute and my good knyghtes, I shulde full sone make an ende of thys warre.’
‘Com forth,’ seyde kynge Arthur unto sir Launcelot, ‘and thou darste, and I promyse the I shall mete the in myddis of thys fylde.”God deffende me,’ seyde sir Launcelot, ‘that ever I shulde encounter wyth the moste noble kynge that made me knyght.’
‘Now, fye uppon thy fayre langayge!’ seyde the kynge, ‘for wyte thou well and truste hit, I am thy mortall foo and ever woll to my deth-day; for thou haste slayne my good knyghtes and full noble men of my blood, that shall I never recover agayne. Also thou haste layne be my quene and holdyn her many wynters, and sytthyn, lyke a traytoure, taken her away fro me by fors.’
‘My moste noble lorde and kynge,’ seyde sir Launcelot, ‘ye may sey what ye woll, for ye wote well wyth youreselff I woll nat stryve. But thereas ye say that I have slayne youre good knyghtes, I wote woll that I have done so, and that me sore repentith; but I was forced to do batayle with hem in savyng of my lyff, othir ellis I muste have suffirde hem to have slayne me. And as for my lady quene Gwenyver, excepte youre person of your hyghnes and my lorde sir Gawayne, there nys no knyght undir hevyn that dare make hit good uppon me that ever I was traytour unto youre person. And where hit please you to say that I have holdyn my lady, youre quene, yerys and wynters, unto that I shall ever make a large answere, and prove hit uppon ony knyght that beryth the lyff, excepte your person and sir Gawayne, that my lady, quene Gwenyver, ys as trew a lady unto youre person as ys ony lady lyvynge unto her lorde, and that woll I make good with my hondis. Howbehyt hit hath lyked her good grace to have me in favoure and cherysh me more than ony other knyght; and unto my power agayne I have deserved her love, for oftyntymes, my lorde, ye have concented that she sholde have be brente and destroyed in youre hete, and than hit fortuned me to do batayle for her, and or I departed from her adversary they confessed there untrouthe, and she full worsshypfully excused. And at suche tymes, my lorde Arthur,’ seyde sir Launcelot, ‘ye loved me and thanked me whan I saved your quene frome the fyre, and than ye promysed me for ever to be my good lorde. And now methynkith ye rewarde me evyll for my good servyse. And, my lorde, mesemyth I had loste a grete parte of my worshyp in my knyghthod and I had suffird my lady, youre quene, to have ben brente, and insomuche as she shulde have bene brente for my sake; for sytthyn I have done batayles for youre quene in other quarels than in myne owne quarell, mesemyth now I had more ryght to do batayle for her in her ryght quarell. And therefore, my good and gracious lorde,’ seyde sir Launcelot, ‘take your quene unto youre good grace, for she ys both tru and good.’
‘Fy on the, false recreayed knyght!’ seyde sir Gawayn. ‘For I lat the wyte: my lorde, myne uncle kynge Arthur shall have hys quene and the bothe magré thy vysayge, and sle you bothe and save you whether hit please hym.’
‘Hit may well be,’ seyde sir Launcelot, ‘but wyte thou well, my lorde sir Gawayne, and me lyste to com oute of thys castell ye shuld wyn me and the quene more harder than ever ye wan a stronge batayle.’
‘Now, fy on thy proude wordis!’ seyde sir Gawayne. ‘As for my lady the quene, wyte thou well I woll never say of her shame. But thou, false and recrayde knyght,’ seyde sir Gawayne, ‘what cause haddist thou to sle my good brother sir Gareth that loved the more than me and all my kynne? And alas, thou madist hym knyght thyne owne hondis! Why slewest thou hym that loved the so well?’
‘For to excuse me,’ seyde sir Launcelot, ‘hit boteneth me nat, but by Jesu, and by the feyth that I owghe unto the hyghe Order of Knyghthode, I wolde with as a good a wyll have slayne my nevew, sir Bors de Ganys, at that tyme. And alas, that ever I was so unhappy,’ seyde sir Launcelot, ‘that I had nat seyne sir Gareth and sir Gaherys!’
‘Thou lyest, recrayed knyght,’ seyde sir Gawayne, ‘thou slewyste hem in the despite of me. And therefore wyte thou well, sir Launcelot, I shall make warre uppon the, and all the whyle that I may lyve be thyne enemy!’
‘That me repentes,’ seyde sir Launcelot, ‘for well I undirstonde hit boteneth me nat to seke none accordemente whyle ye, sir Gawayne, ar so myschevously sett. And if ye were nat, I wolde nat doute to have the good grace of my lorde kynge Arthure.’
‘I leve well, false recrayed knyght, for thou haste many longe dayes overlad me and us all, and destroyed many of oure good knyghtes.’
‘Sir, ye say as hit pleasith you,’ seyde sir Launcelot, ‘yet may hit never be seyde on me and opynly preved that ever I be forecaste of treson slew no goode knyght as ye, my lorde sir Gawayne, have done; and so ded I never but in my deffence, that I was dryven thereto in savyng of my lyff.’
‘A, thou false knyght,’ seyde sir Gawayne, ‘that thou menyst by sir Lamorak. But wyte thou well, I slew hym!’
‘Sir, ye slew hym nat youreselff,’ seyde sir Launcelot, ‘for hit had ben overmuch for you, for he was one of the beste knyghtes crystynde of his ayge. And hit was grete pité of hys deth!’
[12] ‘Well, well, sir Launcelot,’ seyde sir Gawayne, ‘sythyn thou enbraydyst me of sir Lamorak, wyte thou well, I shall never leve the tyll I have the at suche avayle that thou shalt nat ascape my hondis.”I truste you well inowgh,’ seyde sir Launcelot, ‘and ye may gete me, I gett but lytyll mercy.’
But the Freynshe booke seyth kynge Arthur wolde have takyn hys quene agayne and to have bene accorded with sir Launcelot, but sir Gawayne wolde nat suffir hym by no maner of meane. And so sir Gawayne made many men to blow uppon sir Launcelot, and so all at onys they called hym ‘false recrayed knyght’. But whan sir Bors de Ganys, sir Ector de Marys and sir Lyonell harde thys outecry they called unto them sir Palomydes and sir Lavayne an sir Urré wyth many me knyghtes of their bloode, and all they wente unto sir Launcelot and seyde thus:
‘My lorde, wyte you well we have grete scorne of the grete rebukis that we have harde sir Gawayne sey unto you; wherefore we pray you, and charge you as ye woll have oure servyse, kepe us no lenger wythin thys wallis, for we lat you wete playnly we woll ryde into the fylde and do batayle wyth hem. For ye fare as a man that were aferde, and for all their fayre speche hit woll nat avayle you, for wyte
you well sir Gawayne woll nevir suffir you to accorde wyth kynge Arthur. And therefore fyght for youre lyff and ryght, and ye dare.’
‘Alas,’ seyde sir Launcelot, ‘for to ryde oute of thys castell and to do batayle I am full lothe.’
Than sir Launcelot spake on hyght unto kyng Arthur and sir Gawayne:
‘My lorde, I requyre you and beseche you, sytthyn that I am thus requyred and conjoured to ryde into the fylde, that neyther you, my lorde kyng Arthur, nother you, sir Gawayne, com nat into the fylde.”What shall we do?’ than seyde sir Gawayne. ‘Is nat thys the kynges quarell to fyght wyth the? And also hit ys my quarell to fyght wyth the because of the dethe of my brothir, sir Gareth.”Than muste I nedys unto batayle,’ seyde sir Launcelot. ‘Now wyte you well, my lorde Arthur and sir Gawayne, ye woll repent hit whansomever I do batayle wyth you.’
And so than they departed eythir frome othir; and than aythir party made hem redy on the morne for to do batayle, and grete purveyaunce was made on bothe sydys. And sir Gawayne lat purvey many knyghtes for to wayte uppon sir Launcelot for to oversette hym and to sle hym. And on the morn at underne kynge Arthure was redy in the fylde with three grete ostys.
And than sir Launcelottis felyshyp com oute at the three gatis in full good aray; and sir Lyonell cam in the formyst batayle, and sir Launcelot cam in the myddyll, and sir Bors com oute at the thirde gate. And thus they cam in order and rule as full noble knyghtes. And ever sir Launcelot charged all hys knyghtes in ony wyse to save kynge Arthure and sir Gawayne.
[13] Than cam forth sir Gawayne frome the kyngis oste and profirde to juste. And sir Lyonel was a fyers knyght, and lyghtly he encountred with hym, and there sir Gawayne smote sir Lyonell thorowoute the body, that he daysshed to the erth lyke as he had ben dede. And than sir Ector de Marys and other me bare hym into the castell.
And anone there began a grete stowre and much people were slayne; and ever sir Launcelot ded what he myght to save the people on kynge Arthurs party. For sir Bors and sir Palomydes and sir Saffir overthrew many knyghtes, for they were dedely knyghtes, and sir Blamour de Ganys and sir Bleoberys, wyth sir Bellyngere le Bewse, thes six knyghtes ded much harme. And ever was kynge Arthur aboute sir Launcelot to have slayne hym, and ever sir Launcelot suffird hym and wolde nat stryke agayne. So sir Bors encountirde wyth kynge Arthur, and sir Bors smote hym, and so he alyght and drew hys swerde and seyd to sir Launcelot, ‘Sir, shall I make an ende of thys warre?’ For he mente to have slayne hym.
‘Nat so hardy,’ seyde sir Launcelot, ‘uppon payne of thy hede, that thou touch hym no more! For I woll never se that moste noble kynge that made me knyght nother slayne nor shamed.’
And therewithall sir Launcelot alyght of hys horse and toke up the kynge and horsed hym agayne, and seyd thus:
‘My lorde the kynge, for Goddis love, stynte thys stryff, for ye gette here no worshyp and I wolde do myne utteraunce. But allwayes I forbeare you, and ye nor none off youres forberyth nat me. And therefore, my lorde, I pray you remembir what I have done in many placis, and now am I evyll rewarded.’
So whan kynge Arthur was on horsebak he loked on sir Launcelot; than the teerys braste oute of hys yen, thynkyng of the grete curtesy that was in sir Launcelot more than in ony other man. And therewith the kynge rod hys way and myght no lenger beholde hym, saiyng to hymselff, ‘Alas, alas, that ever yet thys warre began!’
And than aythir party of the batayles wythdrew them to repose them, and buryed the dede and serched the wounded men, and leyde to their woundes soffte salves; and thus they endured that nyght tylle on the morne. And on the morne by undirn they made them redy to do batayle, and than sir Bors lad the vawarde.
So uppon the morn there cam sir Gawayne, as brym as ony boore, wyth a grete speare in hys honde. And whan sir Bors saw hym he thought to revenge hys brother, sir Lyonell, of the despite sir Gawayne gaff hym the other day. And so, as they that knew aythir other, feautred their spearis, and with all their myght of their horsis and themselff so fyersly they mette togydirs and so felonsly that aythir bare other thorow, and so they felle bothe to the bare erthe.
And than the batayle joyned, and there was much slaughter on bothe partyes. Than sir Launcelot rescowed sir Bors and sent hym into the castell, but neyther sir Gawayne nother sir Bors dyed nat of their woundis, for they were well holpyn.
Than sir Lavayne and sir Urré prayde sir Launcelot to do hys payne and feyght as they do:
‘For we se that ye forbeare and spare, and that doth us much harme. And therefore we pray you spare nat youre enemyes no more than they do you.’
‘Alas,’ seyde sir Launcelot, ‘I have no harte to fyght ayenste my lorde Arthur, for ever mesemyth I do nat as me ought to do.’
‘My lorde,’ seyde sir Palomydes, ‘thoughe ye spare them, never so much all thys day they woll can you thanke; and yf they may gete you at avayle ye ar but a dede man.’
So than sir Launcelot undirstoode that they seyde hym trouthe. Than he strayned hymselff more than he ded toforehonde, and bycause of hys nevew, sir Bors, was sore wounded he payned hymselff the more. And so within a lytyll whyle, by evynsong tyme, sir Launcelottis party the bettir stood, for their horsis wente in blood paste the fyttlokkes, there were so many people slayne.
And than for verry pité sir Launcelot withhylde hys knyghtes and suffird kynge Arthurs party to withdraw them insyde. And so he withdrew hys meyny into the castell, and aythir partyes buryed the dede and put salve unto the wounded men. So whan sir Gawayne was hurte, they on kynge Arthurs party were nat so orgulus as they were toforehonde to do batayle.
So of thys warre that was betwene kynge Arthure and sir Launcelot hit was noysed thorow all Crystyn realmys, and so hit cam at the laste by relacion unto the Pope. And than the Pope toke a consideracion of the grete goodnes of kynge Arthur and of the hyghe proues off sir Launcelot, that was called the moste nobelyst knyght of the worlde. Wherefore the Pope called unto hym a noble clerke that at that tyme was there presente the Freynshe boke seyth hit was the Bysshop of Rochester, and the Pope gaff hym bulles undir leade, and sente hem unto the kynge, chargyng hym uppon payne of entirdytynge of all Inglonde that he take hys quene agayne and accorde with sir Launcelot.
[14] So whan thys Bysshop was com unto Carlyle he shewed the kynge hys bullys, and whan the kynge undirstode them he wyste nat what to do: but full fayne he wolde have bene acorded with sir Launcelot, but sir Gawayn wolde nat suffir hym. But to have the quene he thereto agreed, but in no wyse he wolde suffir the kynge to accorde with sir Launcelot; but as for the quene, he consented. So the Bysshop had of the kynge hys grete seale and hys assuraunce, as he was a trew and anoynted kynge, that sir Launcelot shulde go sauff and com sauff, and that the quene shulde nat be seyde unto of the kynge, nother of none other, for nothynge done of tyme paste. And of all thes appoyntementes the Bysshop brought with hym sure wrytynge to shew unto sir Launcelot.
So whan the Bysshop was com to Joyous Garde, there he shewed sir Launcelot how he cam frome the Pope with wrytynge unto kyng Arthur and unto hym. And there he tolde hym the perelis, gyff he wythhelde the quene frome the kynge.
‘Sir, hit was never in my thought,’ seyde sir Launcelot, ‘to withholde the quene frome my lorde Arthur, but I kepe her for thys cause: insomuche as she shulde have be brente for my sake, mesemed hit was my parte to save her lyff and put her from that daunger tyll bettir recover myght com. And now I thanke God,’ seyde sir Launcelot, ‘that the Pope hathe made her pease. For God knowyth,’ seyde sir Launcelot, ‘I woll be a thousandefolde more gladder to brynge her agayne than ever I was of her takyng away, wyth thys I may be sure to com sauff and go sauff, and that the quene shall have her lyberté as she had before, and never for nothyng that hath be surmysed afore thys tyme that she never frome thys stonde in no perell. For ellis,’ seyde sir Launcelot, ‘I dare adventure me to kepe her frome an harder showre than ever yet I had.’
‘Sir, hit shall nat nede you,’ seyde the Bysshop, ‘to drede thus muche, for wyte yow well, the Pope muste be obeyed, and hit were nat the
Popis worshyp nother my poure honesté to know you distressed nother the quene, nother in perell nother shamed.’
And than he shewed sir Launcelot all hys wrytynge bothe frome the Pope and kynge Arthur.
‘Thys ys sure ynow,’ seyde sir Launcelot, ‘for full well I dare truste my lordys owne wrytyng and hys seale, for he was never shamed of hys promyse. Therefore,’ seyde sir Launcelot unto the Bysshop, ‘ye shall ryde unto the kynge afore and recommaunde me unto hys good grace, and lat hym have knowlecchynge that the same day eyght dayes, by the grace of God, I myselff shall brynge the quene unto hym. And than sey ye to my moste redouted kynge that I woll sey largely for the quene, that I shall none excepte for drede nother for feare but the kynge hymselff and my lorde sir Gawayne; and that ys for the kyngis love more than for hymselff.’
So the Bysshop departed and cam to the kynge to Carlehyll, and tolde hym all how sir Launcelot answerd hym; so that made the teares falle oute at the kyngis yen. Than sir Launcelot purveyed hym an hondred knyghtes, and all well clothed in grene velvet, and their horsis trapped in the same to the heelys, and every knyght hylde a braunche of olyff in hys honde in tokenyng of pees. And the quene had four-and-twenty jantillwomen folowyng her in the same wyse. And sir Launcelot had twelve coursers folowyng hym, and on every courser sate a yonge jantylman; and all they were arayed in whyght velvet with sarpis of golde aboute their quarters, and the horse trapped in the same wyse down to the helys, wyth many owchys, isette with stonys and perelys in golde, to the numbir of a thousande. And in the same wyse was the quene arayed, and sir Launcelot in the same, of whyght clothe of golde tyssew.
And ryght so as ye have herde, as the Freynshe booke makyth mencion, he rode with the quene frome Joyous Garde to Carlehyll. And so sir Launcelot rode thorowoute Carlehylle, and so into the castell, that all men myght beholde hem. And there was many a wepyng ien. And than sir Launcelot hymselff alyght and voyded hys horse, and toke adowne the quene, and so lad her where kyng Arthur was in hys seate; and sir Gawayne sate afore hym, and many other grete lordys.
Complete Works of Sir Thomas Malory Page 95