"Gawain," saith the King, "Sore blame have you had this day, and I
myself have been all shamed for your sake. Never thought I that so
good a knight as you might ever have known how to counterfeit a bad
knight as you did. You have done much for the love of the damsel, and
right well had she avenged herself of you and you had done her great
annoy. Howbeit, and to-morrow your cowardize be such as it hath been
to-day, never will the day be when you shall not have blame thereof."
XII.
"By my faith." saith Messire Gawain, "Behoveth me do the damsel's
pleasure sith that we have fallen by ill-chance into her power."
They went to bed at night and took their rest as soon as they had
eaten, and on the morrow the damsel came to Messire Gawain.
"I will," saith she, "that you be clad in the same arms as was your
comrade on the first day, right rich, that I will lend you, and I will,
moreover, that you be knight so good as that never on any day were you
better. But I command you, by the faith you pledged me the other day,
to obey this caution, that you make yourself known to none, and so any
man in the world shall ask your name, you shall say that you are the
knight of the Golden Arms."
"Damsel," saith Gawain, "Gramercy, I will do your pleasure."
The younger damsel cometh back to the King: "Sir," saith she, "I will
that you wear new arms: You shall bear them red, the same as Messire
Gawain bore the first day, and I pray you be such as you were the first
day, or better."
XIII.
"Damsel, I will do my best to amend myself and my doings, and right
well pleased am I of that it pleaseth you to say."
Their horses were caparisoned and the knights mounted, all armed. They
come together to the tournament with such an onset as that they pass
through the thickest of the press and overthrew knights and horses as
many as they encountered. King Arthur espieth Nabigant that came right
gaily caparisoned, and smiteth him so passing strong a buffet in the
midst of his breast that he beareth him down from his horse, in such
sort that he breaketh his collar-bone, and presenteth the destrier, by
his squire, to the younger damsel, that maketh great joy thereof. And
Messire Gawain searcheth the fellowships on all sides, and so well did
he search that scarce was one might endure his blows. King Arthur is
not idle, but pierceth shields and beateth in helms, the while all look
on in wonderment at him and Messire Gawain. The story saith that the
King would have done still better, but that he put not forth his full
strength in deeds of arms, for that Messire Gawain had done so ill the
day before, and now he would fain that he should have the prize.
XIV.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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