Then anon Sir Ector beat on the basin as he were wood, and then he gave
his horse drink at the ford, and there came a knight behind him and
bade him come out of the water and make him ready; and Sir Ector anon
turned him shortly, and in feuter cast his spear, and smote the other
knight a great buffet that his horse turned twice about. This was well
done, said the strong knight, and knightly thou hast stricken me; and
therewith he rushed his horse on Sir Ector, and cleight him under his
right arm, and bare him clean out of the saddle, and rode with him away
into his own hall, and threw him down in midst of the floor. The name
of this knight was Sir Turquine. Then he said unto Sir Ector, For thou
hast done this day more unto me than any knight did these twelve years,
now will I grant thee thy life, so thou wilt be sworn to be my prisoner
all thy life days. Nay, said Sir Ector, that will I never promise thee,
but that I will do mine advantage. That me repenteth, said Sir
Turquine. And then he gart to unarm him, and beat him with thorns all
naked, and sithen put him down in a deep dungeon, where he knew many of
his fellows. But when Sir Ector saw Sir Lionel, then made he great
sorrow. Alas, brother, said Sir Ector, where is my brother Sir
Launcelot? Fair brother, I left him asleep when that I from him yode,
under an apple-tree, and what is become of him I cannot tell you. Alas,
said the knights, but Sir Launcelot help us we may never be delivered,
for we know now no knight that is able to match our master Turquine.
CHAPTER III. How four queens found Launcelot sleeping, and how by
enchantment he was taken and led into a castle.
Now leave we these knights prisoners, and speak we of Sir Launcelot du
Lake that lieth under the apple-tree sleeping. Even about the noon
there came by him four queens of great estate; and, for the heat should
not annoy them, there rode four knights about them, and bare a cloth of
green silk on four spears, betwixt them and the sun, and the queens
rode on four white mules. Thus as they rode they heard by them a great
horse grimly neigh, then were they ware of a sleeping knight, that lay
all armed under an apple-tree; anon as these queens looked on his face,
they knew it was Sir Launcelot. Then they began for to strive for that
knight, everych one said they would have him to her love. We shall not
strive, said Morgan le Fay, that was King Arthur’s sister, I shall put
an enchantment upon him that he shall not awake in six hours, and then
I will lead him away unto my castle, and when he is surely within my
hold, I shall take the enchantment from him, and then let him choose
which of us he will have unto paramour.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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