第 九十六 章 · How Lucius sent certain spies in a bushment for to have

. How Lucius sent certain spies in a bushment for to have

taken his knights being prisoners, and how they were letted.

Now turn we to the Emperor of Rome, which espied that these prisoners

should be sent to Paris, and anon he sent to lie in a bushment certain

knights and princes with sixty thousand men, for to rescue his knights

and lords that were prisoners. And so on the morn as Launcelot and Sir

Cador, chieftains and governors of all them that conveyed the

prisoners, as they should pass through a wood, Sir Launcelot sent

certain knights to espy if any were in the woods to let them. And when

the said knights came into the wood, anon they espied and saw the great

embushment, and returned and told Sir Launcelot that there lay in await

for them three score thousand Romans. And then Sir Launcelot with such

knights as he had, and men of war to the number of ten thousand, put

them in array, and met with them and fought with them manly, and slew

and detrenched many of the Romans, and slew many knights and admirals

of the party of the Romans and Saracens; there was slain the king of

Lyly and three great lords, Aladuke, Herawd, and Heringdale. But Sir

Launcelot fought so nobly that no man might endure a stroke of his

hand, but where he came he showed his prowess and might, for he slew

down right on every side; and the Romans and Saracens fled from him as

the sheep from the wolf or from the lion, and put them, all that abode

alive, to flight.

And so long they fought that tidings came to King Arthur, and anon he

graithed him and came to the battle, and saw his knights how they had

vanquished the battle, he embraced them knight by knight in his arms,

and said, Ye be worthy to wield all your honour and worship; there was

never king save myself that had so noble knights. Sir, said Cador,

there was none of us failed other, but of the prowess and manhood of

Sir Launcelot were more than wonder to tell, and also of his cousins

which did that day many noble feats of war. And also Sir Cador told who

of his knights were slain, as Sir Berel, and other Sir Moris and Sir

Maurel, two good knights. Then the king wept, and dried his eyes with a

kerchief, and said, Your courage had near-hand destroyed you, for

though ye had returned again, ye had lost no worship; for I call it

folly, knights to abide when they be overmatched. Nay, said Launcelot

and the other, for once shamed may never be recovered.