Then the Romans gathered more people, and also footmen came on, and
there was a new battle, and so much people that Sir Bors and Sir Berel
were taken. But when Sir Gawaine saw that, he took with him Sir Idrus
the good knight, and said he would never see King Arthur but if he
rescued them, and pulled out Galatine his good sword, and followed them
that led those two knights away; and he smote him that led Sir Bors,
and took Sir Bors from him and delivered him to his fellows. And Sir
Idrus in likewise rescued Sir Berel. Then began the battle to be great,
that our knights were in great jeopardy, wherefore Sir Gawaine sent to
King Arthur for succour, and that he hie him, for I am sore wounded,
and that our prisoners may pay goods out of number. And the messenger
came to the king and told him his message. And anon the king did do
assemble his army, but anon, or he departed the prisoners were come,
and Sir Gawaine and his fellows gat the field and put the Romans to
flight, and after returned and came with their fellowship in such wise
that no man of worship was lost of them, save that Sir Gawaine was sore
hurt. Then the king did do ransack his wounds and comforted him. And
thus was the beginning of the first journey of the Britons and Romans,
and there were slain of the Romans more than ten thousand, and great
joy and mirth was made that night in the host of King Arthur. And on
the morn he sent all the prisoners into Paris under the guard of Sir
Launcelot, with many knights, and of Sir Cador.
CHAPTER VII. How Lucius sent certain spies in a bushment for to have
taken his knights being prisoners, and how they were letted.
Now turn we to the Emperor of Rome, which espied that these prisoners
should be sent to Paris, and anon he sent to lie in a bushment certain
knights and princes with sixty thousand men, for to rescue his knights
and lords that were prisoners. And so on the morn as Launcelot and Sir
Cador, chieftains and governors of all them that conveyed the
prisoners, as they should pass through a wood, Sir Launcelot sent
certain knights to espy if any were in the woods to let them. And when
the said knights came into the wood, anon they espied and saw the great
embushment, and returned and told Sir Launcelot that there lay in await
for them three score thousand Romans. And then Sir Launcelot with such
knights as he had, and men of war to the number of ten thousand, put
them in array, and met with them and fought with them manly, and slew
and detrenched many of the Romans, and slew many knights and admirals
of the party of the Romans and Saracens; there was slain the king of
Lyly and three great lords, Aladuke, Herawd, and Heringdale. But Sir
Launcelot fought so nobly that no man might endure a stroke of his
hand, but where he came he showed his prowess and might, for he slew
down right on every side; and the Romans and Saracens fled from him as
the sheep from the wolf or from the lion, and put them, all that abode
alive, to flight.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account