الفصل الفصل 434 · How the queen required Sir Bors to fight for her, and how he

. How the queen required Sir Bors to fight for her, and how he

granted upon condition; and how he warned Sir Launcelot thereof.

So the queen departed from the king, and sent for Sir Bors into her

chamber. And when he was come she besought him of succour. Madam, said

he, what would ye that I did? for I may not with my worship have ado in

this matter, because I was at the same dinner, for dread that any of

those knights would have me in suspicion. Also, madam, said Sir Bors,

now miss ye Sir Launcelot, for he would not have failed you neither in

right nor in wrong, as ye have well proved when ye have been in danger;

and now ye have driven him out of this country, by whom ye and all we

were daily worshipped by; therefore, madam, I marvel how ye dare for

shame require me to do any thing for you, in so much ye have chased him

out of your country by whom we were borne up and honoured. Alas, fair

knight, said the queen, I put me wholly in your grace, and all that is

done amiss I will amend as ye will counsel me. And therewith she

kneeled down upon both her knees, and besought Sir Bors to have mercy

upon her: Outher I shall have a shameful death, and thereto I never

offended.

Right so came King Arthur, and found the queen kneeling afore Sir Bors;

then Sir Bors pulled her up, and said: Madam, ye do me great dishonour.

Ah, gentle knight, said the king, have mercy upon my queen, courteous

knight, for I am now in certain she is untruly defamed. And therefore,

courteous knight, said the king, promise her to do battle for her, I

require you for the love of Sir Launcelot. My lord, said Sir Bors, ye

require me the greatest thing that any man may require me; and wit ye

well if I grant to do battle for the queen I shall wrath many of my

fellowship of the Table Round. But as for that, said Bors, I will grant

my lord that for my lord Sir Launcelot’s sake, and for your sake I will

at that day be the queen’s champion unless that there come by adventure

a better knight than I am to do battle for her. Will ye promise me

this, said the king, by your faith? Yea sir, said Sir Bors, of that I

will not fail you, nor her both, but if there come a better knight than

I am, and then shall he have the battle. Then was the king and the

queen passing glad, and so departed, and thanked him heartily.

So then Sir Bors departed secretly upon a day, and rode unto Sir

Launcelot thereas he was with the hermit, Sir Brasias, and told him of

all their adventure. Ah Jesu, said Sir Launcelot, this is come happily

as I would have it, and therefore I pray you make you ready to do

battle, but look that ye tarry till ye see me come, as long as ye may.

For I am sure Mador is an hot knight when he is enchafed, for the more

ye suffer him the hastier will he be to battle. Sir, said Bors, let me

deal with him, doubt ye not ye shall have all your will. Then departed

Sir Bors from him and came to the court again. Then was it noised in

all the court that Sir Bors should do battle for the queen; wherefore

many knights were displeased with him, that he would take upon him to

do battle in the queen’s quarrel; for there were but few knights in all

the court but they deemed the queen was in the wrong, and that she had

done that treason.

So Sir Bors answered thus to his fellows of the Table Round: Wit ye

well, my fair lords, it were shame to us all an we suffered to see the

most noble queen of the world to be shamed openly, considering her lord

and our lord is the man of most worship in the world, and most

christened, and he hath ever worshipped us all in all places. Many

answered him again: As for our most noble King Arthur, we love him and

honour him as well as ye do, but as for Queen Guenever we love her not,

because she is a destroyer of good knights. Fair lords, said Sir Bors,

meseemeth ye say not as ye should say, for never yet in my days knew I

never nor heard say that ever she was a destroyer of any good knight.

But at all times as far as ever I could know she was a maintainer of

good knights; and ever she hath been large and free of her goods to all

good knights, and the most bounteous lady of her gifts and her good

grace, that ever I saw or heard speak of. And therefore it were shame,

said Sir Bors, to us all to our most noble king’s wife, an we suffered

her to be shamefully slain. And wit ye well, said Sir Bors, I will not

suffer it, for I dare say so much, the queen is not guilty of Sir

Patrise’s death, for she owed him never none ill will, nor none of the

four-and-twenty knights that were at that dinner; for I dare say for

good love she bade us to dinner, and not for no mal engine, and that I

doubt not shall be proved hereafter, for howsomever the game goeth,

there was treason among us. Then some said to Sir Bors: We may well

believe your words. And so some of them were well pleased, and some

were not so.