But Sir Kay was angry, and said: "An he had come of gentlemen, he would
have asked of you horse and armor, but such as he is, so he asketh.
And since he hath no name, I shall give him a name that shall be
Beaumains, that is Fair-hands, and into the kitchen shall I bring him,
and there he shall have fat brose every day, that he shall be as fat by
the twelvemonth's end as a pork hog."
And Sir Kay scorned him and mocked at him. On hearing this both Sir
Launcelot, the greatest of the Knights of the Round Table, and Sir
Gawaine were wroth and bade Sir Kay leave his mocking.
"I dare lay my head," said Sir Launcelot, "he shall prove a man of
great worship."
"It may not be by no reason," replied Sir Kay, "for as he is so hath he
asked."
Beaumains, or Fair-hands, was put into the kitchen, and lay there
nightly as the boys of the kitchen did. The old book says: "He endured
all that twelvemonth, and never displeased man nor child, but always he
was meek and mild. But ever when he saw any jousting of knights, that
would he see an he might."
Sir Launcelot gave him gold to spend, and clothes, and whenever the boy
went where there were games or feats of strength he excelled in them
all.
But always Sir Kay would taunt him with these words spoken to others,
"How like you my boy of the kitchen?"
And so Fair-hands, the kitchen boy, continued in service for a year.
At the close of the year came a lady to the court and told about her
sister who was besieged in a castle by a tyrant who was called the
Red Knight of the Red Laundes. But she would not tell her name, and
therefore the King would not permit any of his knights to go with her
to rescue her sister from the Red Knight, who was one of the worst
knights in the world.
But at the King's refusal, Beaumains, or Fair-hands, as he was called,
spoke, "Sir King, God thank you, I have been this twelvemonth in your
kitchen, and have had my full sustenance, and now I will ask my two
gifts that be behind."
"Ask, upon my peril," said the King.
"Sir, this shall be my two gifts: first, that you will permit me to go
with this maiden that I may rescue her sister. And second, that Sir
Launcelot shall ride after me and make me knight when I require it of
him."
And both these requests the King granted. But the maiden was angry
because, she said, he had given her naught but his kitchen page.
Then came one to Fair-hands and told him that his horse and armor were
come for him. And there was a dwarf with everything that Beaumains
needed, and all of it the richest and best it was possible for man to
have. But though he was horsed and trapped in cloth of gold, he had
neither shield nor spear.
Then said Sir Kay openly before all, "I will ride after my boy of the
kitchen."
Just as Beaumains overtook the maiden, so did Sir Kay overtake his
former kitchen page.
"Sir, know you not me?" he demanded.
"Yea," said Beaumains, "I know you for an ungentle knight of the court.
Therefore beware of me."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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