'Any Knight will bear me witness,' answered Sir Lancelot, 'that never
have I broken faith with any man, nor borne fellowship with those that
have done so.' 'Then let us go to dinner,' said Sir Meliagraunce, 'and
afterwards you may all ride to Westminster. Meanwhile would it please
you to see the inside of this castle?' 'That I will gladly,' said Sir
Lancelot, and they went from chamber to chamber, till they reached the
floor of the castle, and as he went Sir Lancelot trod on a trap, and
the board rolled, and he fell down in a cave which was filled with
straw, and Sir Meliagraunce departed and no man knew where Sir
Lancelot might be. The Queen bethought herself that he was wont to
disappear suddenly, and as Sir Meliagraunce had first removed Sir
Lavaine's horse from the place where it had been tethered, the Knights
agreed with her. So time passed till dinner had been eaten, and then
Sir Lavaine demanded litters for the wounded Knights, that they might
be carried to Westminster with as little hurt as might be. And the
Queen and her ladies followed. When they arrived, the Knights told of
their adventure, and how Sir Meliagraunce had accused the Queen of
treason, and how he and Sir Lancelot were to fight for her good name
in eight days.
'Sir Meliagraunce has taken a great deal upon him,' said the King,
'but where is Sir Lancelot?'
'Sir,' answered they all, 'we know not, but we think he has ridden to
some adventure.' 'Well, leave him alone,' said the King. 'He will be
here when the day comes, unless some treason has befallen him.'
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