Then this one knight aventred a great spear, and one of the ten knights
encountered with him, but this woful knight smote him so hard that he
fell over his horse’s tail. So this same dolorous knight served them
all, that at the leastway he smote down horse and man, and all he did
with one spear; and so when they were all ten on foot, they went to
that one knight, and he stood stone still, and suffered them to pull
him down off his horse, and bound him hand and foot, and tied him under
the horse’s belly, and so led him with them. O Jesu! said Sir Gawaine,
this is a doleful sight, to see the yonder knight so to be entreated,
and it seemeth by the knight that he suffereth them to bind him so, for
he maketh no resistance. No, said his host, that is truth, for an he
would they all were too weak so to do him. Sir, said the damosel unto
Sir Gawaine, meseemeth it were your worship to help that dolorous
knight, for methinketh he is one of the best knights that ever I saw. I
would do for him, said Sir Gawaine, but it seemeth he will have no
help. Then, said the damosel, methinketh ye have no lust to help him.
Thus as they talked they saw a knight on the other side of the laund
all armed save the head. And on the other side there came a dwarf on
horseback all armed save the head, with a great mouth and a short nose;
and when the dwarf came nigh he said, Where is the lady should meet us
here? and therewithal she came forth out of the wood. And then they
began to strive for the lady; for the knight said he would have her,
and the dwarf said he would have her. Will we do well? said the dwarf;
yonder is a knight at the cross, let us put it both upon him, and as he
deemeth so shall it be. I will well, said the knight, and so they went
all three unto Sir Gawaine and told him wherefore they strove. Well,
sirs, said he, will ye put the matter in my hand? Yea, they said both.
Now damosel, said Sir Gawaine, ye shall stand betwixt them both, and
whether ye list better to go to, he shall have you. And when she was
set between them both, she left the knight and went to the dwarf, and
the dwarf took her and went his way singing, and the knight went his
way with great mourning.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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