[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
stake."
But therein was Sir Lancelot in great error, as in much grief and remorse he
came later to see; for if instantly he had taken the queen to the king, and
had dared his enemies to prove his treason and the queen's, they would have
been instantly discountenanced, and King Arthur would have known and loved him
as he had ever done, for a true knight and a peerless one.
Nevertheless, Sir Lancelot would ever have had the hatred of Sir Gawaine,
which was caused by his slaying, though unwittingly, the two good knights, Sir
Gaheris and Sir Gareth; whereof came great bale and sorrow.
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XI. OF SIR GAWAINE'S HATRED, AND THE WAR WITH SIR LANCELOT
King Arthur, in the hall of his palace in London, walked quickly up and down,
thinking in great grief of the death of his queen. A group of pages stood
quietly in the shadow by the door, and two or three knights gazed silently at
the moody king.
Suddenly there came the sound of running footsteps; a man dashed into the
hall, and threw himself at the feet of the king. It was a squire of Sir
Mordred's, and he craved leave to speak. "Say on," said the king.
"My lord," said the man, "Sir Lancelot hath rescued the queen from the fire
and hath slain some thirty of your knights, and he and his kin have taken the
queen among them away to some hidingplace."
KING ARTHUR'S KNIGHTS. THE TALES RETOLD FOR BOYS AND GIRLS
XI. OF SIR GAWAINE'S HATRED, AND THE WAR WITH SIR LANCELOT
141
King Arthur stood for a little while dumb for pure sorrow; then, turning away,
he wrung his hands and cried with a voice whose sadness pierced every heart:
"Alas, that ever I bare a crown, for now is the fairest fellowship of knights
that ever the world held, scattered and broken."
"Further, my lord," went on the man, as others came into the hall, "Sir
Lancelot hath slain the brethren of Sir
Gawaine, and they are Sir Gaheris and Sir Gareth."
The king looked from the man to the knights that now surrounded him, as if
that which he heard was past all belief.
"Is this truth?" he asked them, and all were moved at the sorrow on his face
and in his voice.
"Yea, lord," said they.
"Then, fair fellows," he said, very heavily, "I charge you that no man tell
Sir Gawaine of the death of his two brothers; for I am sure that when he
heareth that his loved younger brother, Sir Gareth, is slain, he will nigh go
out of his mind for sorrow and anger."
The king strode up and down the chamber, wringing his hands in the grief he
could not utter.
"Why, oh why, did he slay them?" he cried out at length. "He himself knighted
Sir Gareth when he went to fight the oppressor of the Lady Lyones, and Sir
Gareth loved him above all others."
"That is truth," said some of the knights, and could not keep from tears to
see the king's grief, "but they were slain in the hurtling together of the
knights, as Sir Lancelot dashed in the thick of the press. He wist not whom he
smote, so blind was his rage to get to the queen at the stake."
"Alas! Alas!" said the king. "The death of them will cause the greatest woful
war that ever was in this fair realm. I see ruin before us allrent and ruined
shall we be, and all peace for ever at an end."
Though the king had forbidden any of his knights to tell Sir Gawaine of the
death of his two brothers, Sir
Mordred called his squire aside, and bade him go and let Sir Gawaine know all
that had happened.
"Do you see to it," he told the man, "that thou dost inflame his mind against
Sir Lancelot."
The knave went to Sir Gawaine, and found him walking on the terrace of the
palace overlooking the broad quiet Thames, where the small trading ships
sailed up and down the river on their ways to and from Gaul and the ports of
the Kentish coast.
"Sir," said the squire, doffing his cap and bowing, "great and woful deeds
have been toward this day. The queen hath been rescued by Sir Lancelot and his
kin, and some thirty knights were slain in the melee about the stake."
"Heaven defend my brethren," said Sir Gawaine, "they went unarmed. But as for
Sir Lancelot, I guessed he would try a rescue, and I had deemed him no man of
knightly worship if he had not. But, tell me, how are my brethren. Where be
Page 130
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
they?"
"Alas, sir," said the man, "they be slain."
KING ARTHUR'S KNIGHTS. THE TALES RETOLD FOR BOYS AND GIRLS
XI. OF SIR GAWAINE'S HATRED, AND THE WAR WITH SIR LANCELOT
142
The grim face of Sir Gawaine went pale, and with an iron hand he seized the
shoulder of the squire and shook him in his rage.
"Have a care, thou limb of Mordred's, if thou speakest lies," he said. "I
would not have them dead for all this realm and its riches. Where is my young
brother, Sir Gareth?"
"Sir, I tell ye truth," said the man, "for I know how heavy would be your
anger if I lied in this. Sir Gareth and
Sir Gaheris are slain, and all good knights are mourning them, and in especial
the king our master."
Sir Gawaine took a step backwards and his face went pale and then it darkened
with rage.
"Tell me who slew them?" he thundered.
"Sir," replied the man, "Sir Lancelot slew them both."
"False knave!" cried Sir Gawaine, "I knew thou didst lie."
He struck the man a great buffet on the head, so that he fell halfdazed to the
ground.
"Ha! Ha! thou lying talebearer!" laughed Sir Gawaine halfrelieved of his
fears, yet still halfdoubtful. "To tell me that Sir Lancelot slew them! Why,
man, knowest thou of whom thou pratest? Sir Lancelot to slay my dear young
brother Gareth! Why, man, Gareth loved Sir Lancelot as he loved menot more
than he loved me, but near as much; and Sir Lancelot was ever proud of him.
'Twas he that knighted my young brother Gareth, brave and hearty, noble of
mind and goodly of look! He would have stood with Lancelot against the king
himself, so greatly he loved him. And thou thou foulmouth!thou tellest me that [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl akte20.pev.pl
stake."
But therein was Sir Lancelot in great error, as in much grief and remorse he
came later to see; for if instantly he had taken the queen to the king, and
had dared his enemies to prove his treason and the queen's, they would have
been instantly discountenanced, and King Arthur would have known and loved him
as he had ever done, for a true knight and a peerless one.
Nevertheless, Sir Lancelot would ever have had the hatred of Sir Gawaine,
which was caused by his slaying, though unwittingly, the two good knights, Sir
Gaheris and Sir Gareth; whereof came great bale and sorrow.
Page 129
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
XI. OF SIR GAWAINE'S HATRED, AND THE WAR WITH SIR LANCELOT
King Arthur, in the hall of his palace in London, walked quickly up and down,
thinking in great grief of the death of his queen. A group of pages stood
quietly in the shadow by the door, and two or three knights gazed silently at
the moody king.
Suddenly there came the sound of running footsteps; a man dashed into the
hall, and threw himself at the feet of the king. It was a squire of Sir
Mordred's, and he craved leave to speak. "Say on," said the king.
"My lord," said the man, "Sir Lancelot hath rescued the queen from the fire
and hath slain some thirty of your knights, and he and his kin have taken the
queen among them away to some hidingplace."
KING ARTHUR'S KNIGHTS. THE TALES RETOLD FOR BOYS AND GIRLS
XI. OF SIR GAWAINE'S HATRED, AND THE WAR WITH SIR LANCELOT
141
King Arthur stood for a little while dumb for pure sorrow; then, turning away,
he wrung his hands and cried with a voice whose sadness pierced every heart:
"Alas, that ever I bare a crown, for now is the fairest fellowship of knights
that ever the world held, scattered and broken."
"Further, my lord," went on the man, as others came into the hall, "Sir
Lancelot hath slain the brethren of Sir
Gawaine, and they are Sir Gaheris and Sir Gareth."
The king looked from the man to the knights that now surrounded him, as if
that which he heard was past all belief.
"Is this truth?" he asked them, and all were moved at the sorrow on his face
and in his voice.
"Yea, lord," said they.
"Then, fair fellows," he said, very heavily, "I charge you that no man tell
Sir Gawaine of the death of his two brothers; for I am sure that when he
heareth that his loved younger brother, Sir Gareth, is slain, he will nigh go
out of his mind for sorrow and anger."
The king strode up and down the chamber, wringing his hands in the grief he
could not utter.
"Why, oh why, did he slay them?" he cried out at length. "He himself knighted
Sir Gareth when he went to fight the oppressor of the Lady Lyones, and Sir
Gareth loved him above all others."
"That is truth," said some of the knights, and could not keep from tears to
see the king's grief, "but they were slain in the hurtling together of the
knights, as Sir Lancelot dashed in the thick of the press. He wist not whom he
smote, so blind was his rage to get to the queen at the stake."
"Alas! Alas!" said the king. "The death of them will cause the greatest woful
war that ever was in this fair realm. I see ruin before us allrent and ruined
shall we be, and all peace for ever at an end."
Though the king had forbidden any of his knights to tell Sir Gawaine of the
death of his two brothers, Sir
Mordred called his squire aside, and bade him go and let Sir Gawaine know all
that had happened.
"Do you see to it," he told the man, "that thou dost inflame his mind against
Sir Lancelot."
The knave went to Sir Gawaine, and found him walking on the terrace of the
palace overlooking the broad quiet Thames, where the small trading ships
sailed up and down the river on their ways to and from Gaul and the ports of
the Kentish coast.
"Sir," said the squire, doffing his cap and bowing, "great and woful deeds
have been toward this day. The queen hath been rescued by Sir Lancelot and his
kin, and some thirty knights were slain in the melee about the stake."
"Heaven defend my brethren," said Sir Gawaine, "they went unarmed. But as for
Sir Lancelot, I guessed he would try a rescue, and I had deemed him no man of
knightly worship if he had not. But, tell me, how are my brethren. Where be
Page 130
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
they?"
"Alas, sir," said the man, "they be slain."
KING ARTHUR'S KNIGHTS. THE TALES RETOLD FOR BOYS AND GIRLS
XI. OF SIR GAWAINE'S HATRED, AND THE WAR WITH SIR LANCELOT
142
The grim face of Sir Gawaine went pale, and with an iron hand he seized the
shoulder of the squire and shook him in his rage.
"Have a care, thou limb of Mordred's, if thou speakest lies," he said. "I
would not have them dead for all this realm and its riches. Where is my young
brother, Sir Gareth?"
"Sir, I tell ye truth," said the man, "for I know how heavy would be your
anger if I lied in this. Sir Gareth and
Sir Gaheris are slain, and all good knights are mourning them, and in especial
the king our master."
Sir Gawaine took a step backwards and his face went pale and then it darkened
with rage.
"Tell me who slew them?" he thundered.
"Sir," replied the man, "Sir Lancelot slew them both."
"False knave!" cried Sir Gawaine, "I knew thou didst lie."
He struck the man a great buffet on the head, so that he fell halfdazed to the
ground.
"Ha! Ha! thou lying talebearer!" laughed Sir Gawaine halfrelieved of his
fears, yet still halfdoubtful. "To tell me that Sir Lancelot slew them! Why,
man, knowest thou of whom thou pratest? Sir Lancelot to slay my dear young
brother Gareth! Why, man, Gareth loved Sir Lancelot as he loved menot more
than he loved me, but near as much; and Sir Lancelot was ever proud of him.
'Twas he that knighted my young brother Gareth, brave and hearty, noble of
mind and goodly of look! He would have stood with Lancelot against the king
himself, so greatly he loved him. And thou thou foulmouth!thou tellest me that [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]