When Beaumains heard this he lifted himself up with great effort and got upon his feet, and lightly he leaped to his sword and gripped it in his hand. And he smote so thick that he smote the sword out of the Red Knight's hand. Sir Beaumains fell upon him and unlaced his helm to have slain him. But at the request of the lords he saved his life and made him yield him to the lady. And so it was that Beaumains, or Sir Gareth, as his real name was, came into the presence of his lady and won her love through his meekness and gentleness and courtesy and courage, as every true knight should win the love of his lady. * * * * * So ends happily one of the charming stories of adventure and knighthood in one of the greatest Cycles of Romance the world has ever known. Indeed, in that Great Palace we have entered, and some of whose golden doors we have been opening, there is no door more loved by human beings than the one over which is written _Romance_, for boys and girls and their elders have always loved a romantic story, and always will. There are four great romantic stories in the Palace of English Literature. The first is _King Arthur and the Round Table_, which Geoffrey of Monmouth discovered for us by his golden window. The second great romance is the story of Charlemagne. This was in the twelfth century, and the most valiant story which grew out of the Charlemagne Cycle was that of Roland. Every one should know the story of Roland and his famous sword, Durendal. The third is the _Life_ _of Alexander_, which came to England from the east. And the fourth is the _Siege of Troy_, composed in the thirteenth century and written in Latin. It takes many, many stories to satisfy our love of Romance. As we pass through the golden door over which is written _Romance_, one whole wall is filled with the names of lesser romances forgotten long, long ago. But the stories which Sir Thomas Malory gave us in his _Morte d'Arthur_, written in 1469, will never be forgotten as long as the English language is spoken. CHRONOLOGY