Chương Chương 83 · How Sir Gawaine came to the Lady Ettard, and how Sir

. How Sir Gawaine came to the Lady Ettard, and how Sir

Pelleas found them sleeping.

And therewith Sir Gawaine plight his troth unto Sir Pelleas to be true

and faithful unto him; so each one plight their troth to other, and so

they changed horses and harness, and Sir Gawaine departed, and came to

the castle whereas stood the pavilions of this lady without the gate.

And as soon as Ettard had espied Sir Gawaine she fled in toward the

castle. Sir Gawaine spake on high, and bade her abide, for he was not

Sir Pelleas; I am another knight that have slain Sir Pelleas. Do off

your helm, said the Lady Ettard, that I may see your visage. And so

when she saw that it was not Sir Pelleas, she bade him alight and led

him unto her castle, and asked him faithfully whether he had slain Sir

Pelleas. And he said her yea, and told her his name was Sir Gawaine of

the court of King Arthur, and his sister’s son. Truly, said she, that

is great pity, for he was a passing good knight of his body, but of all

men alive I hated him most, for I could never be quit of him; and for

ye have slain him I shall be your woman, and to do anything that might

please you. So she made Sir Gawaine good cheer. Then Sir Gawaine said

that he loved a lady and by no means she would love him. She is to

blame, said Ettard, an she will not love you, for ye that be so well

born a man, and such a man of prowess, there is no lady in the world

too good for you. Will ye, said Sir Gawaine, promise me to do all that

ye may, by the faith of your body, to get me the love of my lady? Yea,

sir, said she, and that I promise you by the faith of my body. Now,

said Sir Gawaine, it is yourself that I love so well, therefore I pray

you hold your promise. I may not choose, said the Lady Ettard, but if I

should be forsworn; and so she granted him to fulfil all his desire.

So it was then in the month of May that she and Sir Gawaine went out of

the castle and supped in a pavilion, and there was made a bed, and

there Sir Gawaine and the Lady Ettard went to bed together, and in

another pavilion she laid her damosels, and in the third pavilion she

laid part of her knights, for then she had no dread of Sir Pelleas. And

there Sir Gawaine lay with her in that pavilion two days and two

nights. And on the third day, in the morning early, Sir Pelleas armed

him, for he had never slept since Sir Gawaine departed from him; for

Sir Gawaine had promised him by the faith of his body, to come to him

unto his pavilion by that priory within the space of a day and a night.

Then Sir Pelleas mounted upon horseback, and came to the pavilions that

stood without the castle, and found in the first pavilion three knights

in three beds, and three squires lying at their feet. Then went he to

the second pavilion and found four gentlewomen lying in four beds. And

then he yede to the third pavilion and found Sir Gawaine lying in bed

with his Lady Ettard, and either clipping other in arms, and when he

saw that his heart well-nigh brast for sorrow, and said: Alas! that

ever a knight should be found so false; and then he took his horse and

might not abide no longer for pure sorrow. And when he had ridden nigh

half a mile he turned again and thought to slay them both; and when he

saw them both so lie sleeping fast, unnethe he might hold him on

horseback for sorrow, and said thus to himself, Though this knight be

never so false, I will never slay him sleeping, for I will never

destroy the high order of knighthood; and therewith he departed again.

And or he had ridden half a mile he returned again, and thought then to

slay them both, making the greatest sorrow that ever man made. And when

he came to the pavilions, he tied his horse unto a tree, and pulled out

his sword naked in his hand, and went to them thereas they lay, and yet

he thought it were shame to slay them sleeping, and laid the naked

sword overthwart both their throats, and so took his horse and rode his

way.

And when Sir Pelleas came to his pavilions he told his knights and his

squires how he had sped, and said thus to them, For your true and good

service ye have done me I shall give you all my goods, for I will go

unto my bed and never arise until I am dead. And when that I am dead I

charge you that ye take the heart out of my body and bear it her

betwixt two silver dishes, and tell her how I saw her lie with the

false knight Sir Gawaine. Right so Sir Pelleas unarmed himself, and

went unto his bed making marvellous dole and sorrow.

When Sir Gawaine and Ettard awoke of their sleep, and found the naked

sword overthwart their throats, then she knew well it was Sir Pelleas’

sword. Alas! said she to Sir Gawaine, ye have betrayed me and Sir

Pelleas both, for ye told me ye had slain him, and now I know well it

is not so, he is alive. And if Sir Pelleas had been as uncourteous to

you as ye have been to him ye had been a dead knight; but ye have

deceived me and betrayed me falsely, that all ladies and damosels may

beware by you and me. And therewith Sir Gawaine made him ready, and

went into the forest. So it happed then that the Damosel of the Lake,

Nimue, met with a knight of Sir Pelleas, that went on his foot in the

forest making great dole, and she asked him the cause. And so the woful

knight told her how his master and lord was betrayed through a knight

and lady, and how he will never arise out of his bed till he be dead.

Bring me to him, said she anon, and I will warrant his life he shall

not die for love, and she that hath caused him so to love, she shall be

in as evil plight as he is or it be long to, for it is no joy of such a

proud lady that will have no mercy of such a valiant knight. Anon that

knight brought her unto him, and when she saw him lie in his bed, she

thought she saw never so likely a knight; and therewith she threw an

enchantment upon him, and he fell asleep. And therewhile she rode unto

the Lady Ettard, and charged no man to awake him till she came again.

So within two hours she brought the Lady Ettard thither, and both

ladies found him asleep: Lo, said the Damosel of the Lake, ye ought to

be ashamed for to murder such a knight. And therewith she threw such an

enchantment upon her that she loved him sore, that well-nigh she was

out of her mind. O Lord Jesu, said the Lady Ettard, how is it befallen

unto me that I love now him that I have most hated of any man alive?

That is the righteous judgment of God, said the damosel. And then anon

Sir Pelleas awaked and looked upon Ettard; and when he saw her he knew

her, and then he hated her more than any woman alive, and said: Away,

traitress, come never in my sight. And when she heard him say so, she

wept and made great sorrow out of measure.