Chương Chương 72 · How Accolon confessed the treason of Morgan le Fay, King

. How Accolon confessed the treason of Morgan le Fay, King

Arthur’s sister, and how she would have done slay him.

Then Sir Accolon bethought him, and said, Woe worth this sword, for by

it have I got my death. It may well be, said the king. Now, sir, said

Accolon, I will tell you; this sword hath been in my keeping the most

part of this twelvemonth; and Morgan le Fay, King Uriens’ wife, sent it

me yesterday by a dwarf, to this intent, that I should slay King

Arthur, her brother. For ye shall understand King Arthur is the man in

the world that she most hateth, because he is most of worship and of

prowess of any of her blood; also she loveth me out of measure as

paramour, and I her again; and if she might bring about to slay Arthur

by her crafts, she would slay her husband King Uriens lightly, and then

had she me devised to be king in this land, and so to reign, and she to

be my queen; but that is now done, said Accolon, for I am sure of my

death. Well, said Sir Arthur, I feel by you ye would have been king in

this land. It had been great damage to have destroyed your lord, said

Arthur. It is truth, said Accolon, but now I have told you truth,

wherefore I pray you tell me of whence ye are, and of what court? O

Accolon, said King Arthur, now I let thee wit that I am King Arthur, to

whom thou hast done great damage. When Accolon heard that he cried

aloud, Fair, sweet lord, have mercy on me, for I knew not you. O Sir

Accolon, said King Arthur, mercy shalt thou have, because I feel by thy

words at this time thou knewest not my person; but I understand well by

thy words that thou hast agreed to the death of my person, and

therefore thou art a traitor; but I wite thee the less, for my sister

Morgan le Fay by her false crafts made thee to agree and consent to her

false lusts, but I shall be sore avenged upon her an I live, that all

Christendom shall speak of it; God knoweth I have honoured her and

worshipped her more than all my kin, and more have I trusted her than

mine own wife and all my kin after.

Then Sir Arthur called the keepers of the field, and said, Sirs, come

hither, for here are we two knights that have fought unto a great

damage unto us both, and like each one of us to have slain other, if it

had happed so; and had any of us known other, here had been no battle,

nor stroke stricken. Then all aloud cried Accolon unto all the knights

and men that were then there gathered together, and said to them in

this manner, O lords, this noble knight that I have fought withal, the

which me sore repenteth, is the most man of prowess, of manhood, and of

worship in the world, for it is himself King Arthur, our alther liege

lord, and with mishap and with misadventure have I done this battle

with the king and lord that I am holden withal.