Thereupon he taketh his leave and goeth his way, and the hermit commendeth him to God. And Messire Gawain rideth on his journeys until he hath left far behind the forest of the hermitage, and findeth the fairest land in the world and the fairest meadowlands that ever had he seen, and it lasted a good couple of great leagues Welsh. And he seeth a high forest before him, and meeteth a squire that came from that quarter, and seeth that he is sore downcast and right simple. "Fair friend," saith Messire Gawain, "Whence come you?" "Sir," saith he, "I come from yonder forest down below." "Whose man are you?" saith Messire Gawain. "I belong to the worshipful man that owneth the forest." "You seem not over joyful," saith Messire Gawain. "Sir, I have right to be otherwise," saith the squire, "For he that loseth his good lord ought not to be joyful." "And who is your lord?" "The best in the world." "Is he dead?" saith Messire Gawain. "Nay, of a truth, for that would be right sore grief to the world, but in joy hath he not been this long time past." "And what name hath he?" "They call him Parlui there where he is." "And where then, is he, may I know?" "In no wise, Sir, of me; but so much may I well tell you that he is in this forest, but I ought not to learn you of the place more at large, nor ought I to do any one thing that may be against my master's will." Messire Gawain seeth that the squire is of passing comeliness and seeth him forthwith bow his head toward the ground and the tears fall from his eyes. Thereupon he asketh what aileth him. "Sir," saith he, "Never may I have joy until such time as I be entered into a hermitage to save my soul. For the greatest sin that any man may do have I wrought; for I have slain my mother that was a Queen, for this only that she told me I should not be King after my father's death, for that she would make me monk or clerk, and that my other brother, who is younger-born than I, should have the kingdom. When my father knew that I had slain my mother, he withdrew himself into this forest, and made a hermitage and renounced his kingdom. I have no will to hold the land for the great disloyalty that I have wrought, and therefore am I resolved that it is meeter I should set my body in banishment than my father." "And what is your name?" saith Messire Gawain. "Sir, my name is Joseus, and I am of the lineage of Joseph of Abarimacie. King Pelles is my father, that is in this forest, and King Fisherman mine uncle, and the King of Castle Mortal, and the Widow Lady of Camelot my aunt, and the Good Knight Par-lui-fet is of this lineage as near akin as I." IV.