Then this while came there three knights, that one hight Vains, and the
other hight Harvis de les Marches, and the third hight Perin de la
Montaine. And with one spear Sir Alisander smote them down all three,
and gave them such falls that they had no list to fight upon foot. So
he made them to swear to wear none arms in a twelvemonth. So when they
were departed Sir Alisander beheld his lady Alice on horseback as he
stood in her pavilion. And then was he so enamoured upon her that he
wist not whether he were on horseback or on foot.
Right so came the false knight Sir Mordred, and saw Sir Alisander was
assotted upon his lady; and therewithal he took his horse by the
bridle, and led him here and there, and had cast to have led him out of
that place to have shamed him. When the damosel that helped him out of
that castle saw how shamefully he was led, anon she let arm her, and
set a shield upon her shoulder; and therewith she mounted upon his
horse, and gat a naked sword in her hand, and she thrust unto Alisander
with all her might, and she gave him such a buffet that he thought the
fire flew out of his eyen. And when Alisander felt that stroke he
looked about him, and drew his sword. And when she saw that, she fled,
and so did Mordred into the forest, and the damosel fled into the
pavilion. So when Alisander understood himself how the false knight
would have shamed him had not the damosel been then was he wroth with
himself that Sir Mordred was so escaped his hands. But then Sir
Alisander and Alice had good game at the damosel, how sadly she hit him
upon the helm.
Then Sir Alisander jousted thus day by day, and on foot he did many
battles with many knights of King Arthur’s court, and with many knights
strangers. Therefore to tell all the battles that he did it were
overmuch to rehearse, for every day within that twelvemonth he had ado
with one knight or with other, and some day he had ado with three or
with four; and there was never knight that put him to the worse. And at
the twelvemonth’s end he departed with his lady, Alice la Beale
Pilgrim. And the damosel would never go from him, and so they went into
their country of Benoye, and lived there in great joy.
CHAPTER XL. How Sir Galahalt did do cry a jousts in Surluse, and Queen
Guenever’s knights should joust against all that would come.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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