And so he chose her for his sovereign lady, and never to love other but
her, but she was so proud that she had scorn of him, and said that she
would never love him though he would die for her. Wherefore all ladies
and gentlewomen had scorn of her that she was so proud, for there were
fairer than she, and there was none that was there but an Sir Pelleas
would have proffered them love, they would have loved him for his noble
prowess. And so this knight promised the Lady Ettard to follow her into
this country, and never to leave her till she loved him. And thus he is
here the most part nigh her, and lodged by a priory, and every week she
sendeth knights to fight with him. And when he hath put them to the
worse, then will he suffer them wilfully to take him prisoner, because
he would have a sight of this lady. And always she doth him great
despite, for sometime she maketh her knights to tie him to his horse’s
tail, and some to bind him under the horse’s belly; thus in the most
shamefullest ways that she can think he is brought to her. And all she
doth it for to cause him to leave this country, and to leave his
loving; but all this cannot make him to leave, for an he would have
fought on foot he might have had the better of the ten knights as well
on foot as on horseback. Alas, said Sir Gawaine, it is great pity of
him; and after this night I will seek him to-morrow, in this forest, to
do him all the help I can. So on the morn Sir Gawaine took his leave of
his host Sir Carados, and rode into the forest; and at the last he met
with Sir Pelleas, making great moan out of measure, so each of them
saluted other, and asked him why he made such sorrow. And as it is
above rehearsed, Sir Pelleas told Sir Gawaine: But always I suffer her
knights to fare so with me as ye saw yesterday, in trust at the last to
win her love, for she knoweth well all her knights should not lightly
win me, an me list to fight with them to the uttermost. Wherefore an I
loved her not so sore, I had liefer die an hundred times, an I might
die so oft, rather than I would suffer that despite; but I trust she
will have pity upon me at the last, for love causeth many a good knight
to suffer to have his entent, but alas I am unfortunate. And therewith
he made so great dole and sorrow that unnethe he might hold him on
horseback.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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