Kabanata Kabanata 448 · Of the great lamentation of the Fair Maid of Astolat when

. Of the great lamentation of the Fair Maid of Astolat when

Launcelot should depart, and how she died for his love.

My lord, Sir Launcelot, now I see ye will depart; now fair knight and

courteous knight, have mercy upon me, and suffer me not to die for thy

love. What would ye that I did? said Sir Launcelot. I would have you to

my husband, said Elaine. Fair damosel, I thank you, said Sir Launcelot,

but truly, said he, I cast me never to be wedded man. Then, fair

knight, said she, will ye be my paramour? Jesu defend me, said Sir

Launcelot, for then I rewarded your father and your brother full evil

for their great goodness. Alas, said she, then must I die for your

love. Ye shall not so, said Sir Launcelot, for wit ye well, fair

maiden, I might have been married an I had would, but I never applied

me to be married yet; but because, fair damosel, that ye love me as ye

say ye do, I will for your good will and kindness show you some

goodness, and that is this, that wheresomever ye will beset your heart

upon some good knight that will wed you, I shall give you together a

thousand pound yearly to you and to your heirs; thus much will I give

you, fair madam, for your kindness, and always while I live to be your

own knight. Of all this, said the maiden, I will none, for but if ye

will wed me, or else be my paramour at the least, wit you well, Sir

Launcelot, my good days are done. Fair damosel, said Sir Launcelot, of

these two things ye must pardon me.

Then she shrieked shrilly, and fell down in a swoon; and then women

bare her into her chamber, and there she made over much sorrow; and

then Sir Launcelot would depart, and there he asked Sir Lavaine what he

would do. What should I do, said Sir Lavaine, but follow you, but if ye

drive me from you, or command me to go from you. Then came Sir Bernard

to Sir Launcelot and said to him: I cannot see but that my daughter

Elaine will die for your sake. I may not do withal, said Sir Launcelot,

for that me sore repenteth, for I report me to yourself, that my

proffer is fair; and me repenteth, said Sir Launcelot, that she loveth

me as she doth; I was never the causer of it, for I report me to your

son I early ne late proffered her bounté nor fair behests; and as for

me, said Sir Launcelot, I dare do all that a knight should do that she

is a clean maiden for me, both for deed and for will. And I am right

heavy of her distress, for she is a full fair maiden, good and gentle,

and well taught. Father, said Sir Lavaine, I dare make good she is a

clean maiden as for my lord Sir Launcelot; but she doth as I do, for

sithen I first saw my lord Sir Launcelot, I could never depart from

him, nor nought I will an I may follow him.

Then Sir Launcelot took his leave, and so they departed, and came unto

Winchester. And when Arthur wist that Sir Launcelot was come whole and

sound the king made great joy of him, and so did Sir Gawaine and all

the knights of the Round Table except Sir Agravaine and Sir Mordred.

Also Queen Guenever was wood wroth with Sir Launcelot, and would by no

means speak with him, but estranged herself from him; and Sir Launcelot

made all the means that he might for to speak with the queen, but it

would not be.

Now speak we of the Fair Maiden of Astolat that made such sorrow day

and night that she never slept, ate, nor drank, and ever she made her

complaint unto Sir Launcelot. So when she had thus endured a ten days,

that she feebled so that she must needs pass out of this world, then

she shrived her clean, and received her Creator. And ever she

complained still upon Sir Launcelot. Then her ghostly father bade her

leave such thoughts. Then she said, why should I leave such thoughts?

Am I not an earthly woman? And all the while the breath is in my body I

may complain me, for my belief is I do none offence though I love an

earthly man; and I take God to my record I loved never none but Sir

Launcelot du Lake, nor never shall, and a clean maiden I am for him and

for all other; and sithen it is the sufferance of God that I shall die

for the love of so noble a knight, I beseech the High Father of Heaven

to have mercy upon my soul, and upon mine innumerable pains that I

suffered may be allegeance of part of my sins. For sweet Lord Jesu,

said the fair maiden, I take Thee to record, on Thee I was never great

offencer against thy laws; but that I loved this noble knight, Sir

Launcelot, out of measure, and of myself, good Lord, I might not

withstand the fervent love wherefore I have my death.

And then she called her father, Sir Bernard, and her brother, Sir

Tirre, and heartily she prayed her father that her brother might write

a letter like as she did indite it: and so her father granted her. And

when the letter was written word by word like as she devised, then she

prayed her father that she might be watched until she were dead. And

while my body is hot let this letter be put in my right hand, and my

hand bound fast with the letter until that I be cold; and let me be put

in a fair bed with all the richest clothes that I have about me, and so

let my bed and all my richest clothes be laid with me in a chariot unto

the next place where Thames is; and there let me be put within a

barget, and but one man with me, such as ye trust to steer me thither,

and that my barget be covered with black samite over and over: thus

father I beseech you let it be done. So her father granted it her

faithfully, all things should be done like as she had devised. Then her

father and her brother made great dole, for when this was done anon she

died. And so when she was dead the corpse and the bed all was led the

next way unto Thames, and there a man, and the corpse, and all, were

put into Thames; and so the man steered the barget unto Westminster,

and there he rowed a great while to and fro or any espied it.