When the king had well rested him at the abbey, he rode unto Camelot,
and found his queen and his barons right glad of his coming. And when
they heard of his strange adventures as is afore rehearsed, then all
had marvel of the falsehood of Morgan le Fay; many knights wished her
burnt. Then came Manassen to court and told the king of his adventure.
Well, said the king, she is a kind sister; I shall so be avenged on her
an I live, that all Christendom shall speak of it. So on the morn there
came a damosel from Morgan to the king, and she brought with her the
richest mantle that ever was seen in that court, for it was set as full
of precious stones as one might stand by another, and there were the
richest stones that ever the king saw. And the damosel said, Your
sister sendeth you this mantle, and desireth that ye should take this
gift of her; and in what thing she hath offended you, she will amend it
at your own pleasure. When the king beheld this mantle it pleased him
much, but he said but little.
CHAPTER XVI. How the Damosel of the Lake saved King Arthur from mantle
that should have burnt him.
With that came the Damosel of the Lake unto the king, and said, Sir, I
must speak with you in privity. Say on, said the king, what ye will.
Sir, said the damosel, put not on you this mantle till ye have seen
more, and in no wise let it not come on you, nor on no knight of yours,
till ye command the bringer thereof to put it upon her. Well, said King
Arthur, it shall be done as ye counsel me. And then he said unto the
damosel that came from his sister, Damosel, this mantle that ye have
brought me, I will see it upon you. Sir, she said, It will not beseem
me to wear a king’s garment. By my head, said Arthur, ye shall wear it
or it come on my back, or any man’s that here is. And so the king made
it to be put upon her, and forth withal she fell down dead, and never
more spake word after and burnt to coals. Then was the king wonderly
wroth, more than he was to-forehand, and said unto King Uriens, My
sister, your wife, is alway about to betray me, and well I wot either
ye, or my nephew, your son, is of counsel with her to have me
destroyed; but as for you, said the king to King Uriens, I deem not
greatly that ye be of her counsel, for Accolon confessed to me by his
own mouth, that she would have destroyed you as well as me, therefore I
hold you excused; but as for your son, Sir Uwaine, I hold him suspect,
therefore I charge you put him out of my court. So Sir Uwaine was
discharged. And when Sir Gawaine wist that, he made him ready to go
with him; and said, Whoso banisheth my cousin-germain shall banish me.
So they two departed, and rode into a great forest, and so they came to
an abbey of monks, and there were well lodged. But when the king wist
that Sir Gawaine was departed from the court, there was made great
sorrow among all the estates. Now, said Gaheris, Gawaine’s brother, we
have lost two good knights for the love of one. So on the morn they
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