Le Morte Darthur: Sir Thomas Malory's Book of King Arthur and his Noble; Knights of the Round TableMalory, Thomas, Sir
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Le Morte Darthur: Sir Thomas Malory's Book of King Arthur and his Noble; Knights of the Round Table
Malory, Thomas, Sir
Arthurian romances
therefore betray me not but help me, for I may never come by her but by
some good knight, for she is in a strong castle here fast by within
this four mile, and over all this country she is lady of. And so I may
never come to her presence but as I suffer her knights to take me, and
but if I did so that I might have a sight of her, I had been dead long
or this time, and yet fair word had I never of her, but when I am
brought tofore her she rebuketh me in the foulest manner. And then they
take my horse and harness, and put me out of the gates, and she will
not suffer me to eat nor drink, and always I offer me to be her
prisoner, but that she will not suffer me, for I would desire no more
what pains soever I had, so that I might have a sight of her daily.
Well, said Sir Gawaine, all this shall I amend, and ye will do as I
shall devise. I will have your horse and your armour, and so will I
ride to her castle, and tell her that I have slain you, and so shall I
come within her to cause her to cherish me, and then shall I do my true
part that ye shall not fail to have the love of her.
CHAP. XXII.
_How Sir Gawaine came to the lady Ettard, and how Sir Pelleas found
them sleeping._
And therewith Sir Gawaine plight his troth unto Sir Pelleas to be true
and faithful unto him. So each one plight their troth to other, and so
they changed horses and harness, and Sir Gawaine departed and came to
the castle whereas stood the pavilions of this lady without the gate.
And as soon as Ettard had espied Sir Gawaine she fled in toward the
castle. Sir Gawaine spake on high, and bad her abide, for he was not
Sir Pelleas: I am another knight that hath slain Sir Pelleas. Do off
your helm, said the lady Ettard, that I may see your visage. And so
when she saw that it was not Sir Pelleas she made him alight, and led
him unto her castle, and asked him faithfully whether he had slain Sir
Pelleas. And he said her yea, and told her his name was Sir Gawaine of
the court of king Arthur, and his sister’s son. Truly, said she, that
is great pity, for he was a passing good knight of his body, but of all
men on live I hated him most, for I could never be quit of him. And for
ye have slain him I shall be your lady, and to do anything that may
please you. So she made Sir Gawaine good cheer. Then Sir Gawaine said
that he loved a lady, and by no mean she would love him. She is to
blame, said Ettard, and she will not love you, for ye that be so well
born a man, and such a man of prowess, there is no lady in the world
too good for you. Will ye, said Sir Gawaine, promise me to do all that
ye may, by the faith of your body, to get me the love of my lady? Yea,
sir, said she, and that I promise you by the faith of my body. Now,
said Sir Gawaine, it is yourself that I love so well, therefore I pray
you hold your promise. I may not choose, said the lady Ettard, but if I
should be forsworn. And so she granted him to fulfil all his desire.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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