Kabanata Kabanata 400 · How Sir Bors told his dream to a priest, which he had

. How Sir Bors told his dream to a priest, which he had

dreamed, and of the counsel that the priest gave to him.

Now leave we him here, said the good man, and go we to our harbour till

to-morrow; we will come here again to do him service. Sir, said Bors,

be ye a priest? Yea forsooth, said he. Then I pray you tell me a dream

that befell to me the last night. Say on, said he. Then he began so

much to tell him of the great bird in the forest, and after told him of

his birds, one white, another black, and of the rotten tree, and of the

white flowers. Sir, I shall tell you a part now, and the other deal

to-morrow. The white fowl betokeneth a gentlewoman, fair and rich,

which loved thee paramours, and hath loved thee long; and if thou warn

her love she shall go die anon, if thou have no pity on her. That

signifieth the great bird, the which shall make thee to warn her. Now

for no fear that thou hast, ne for no dread that thou hast of God, thou

shalt not warn her, but thou wouldst not do it for to be holden chaste,

for to conquer the loos of the vain glory of the world; for that shall

befall thee now an thou warn her, that Launcelot, the good knight, thy

cousin, shall die. And therefore men shall now say that thou art a

manslayer, both of thy brother, Sir Lionel, and of thy cousin, Sir

Launcelot du Lake, the which thou mightest have saved and rescued

easily, but thou weenedst to rescue a maid which pertaineth nothing to

thee. Now look thou whether it had been greater harm of thy brother’s

death, or else to have suffered her to have lost her maidenhood. Then

asked he him: Hast thou heard the tokens of thy dream the which I have

told to you? Yea forsooth, said Sir Bors, all your exposition and

declaring of my dream I have well understood and heard. Then said the

man in this black clothing: Then is it in thy default if Sir Launcelot,

thy cousin, die. Sir, said Bors, that were me loath, for wit ye well

there is nothing in the world but I had liefer do it than to see my

lord, Sir Launcelot du Lake, to die in my default. Choose ye now the

one or the other, said the good man.

And then he led Sir Bors into an high tower, and there he found knights

and ladies: those ladies said he was welcome, and so they unarmed him.

And when he was in his doublet men brought him a mantle furred with

ermine, and put it about him; and then they made him such cheer that he

had forgotten all his sorrow and anguish, and only set his heart in

these delights and dainties, and took no thought more for his brother,

Sir Lionel, neither of Sir Launcelot du Lake, his cousin. And anon came

out of a chamber to him the fairest lady than ever he saw, and more

richer beseen than ever he saw Queen Guenever or any other estate. Lo,

said they, Sir Bors, here is the lady unto whom we owe all our service,

and I trow she be the richest lady and the fairest of all the world,

and the which loveth you best above all other knights, for she will

have no knight but you. And when he understood that language he was

abashed. Not for then she saluted him, and he her; and then they sat

down together and spake of many things, in so much that she besought

him to be her love, for she had loved him above all earthly men, and

she should make him richer than ever was man of his age. When Bors

understood her words he was right evil at ease, which in no manner

would not break chastity, so wist not he how to answer her.