The Story of King Arthur and his KnightsPyle, Howard
General
The Story of King Arthur and his Knights
Pyle, Howard
Arthur, King -- Legends; Arthurian romances -- Adaptations; Folklore -- England; Knights and knighthood -- Folklore
Now when King Arthur had thus accomplished his purposes, and when he had
come into the town again, he went unto that merchant of whom he had
obtained the armor that he wore, and he delivered that armor back to him
again. And he said, “Tomorrow-day, Sir Merchant, I shall send thee two
bags of gold for the rent of that armor which thou didst let me have.”
To this the merchant said: “Lord, it is not needed that thou shouldst
recompense me for that armor, for thou hast done great honor unto
Cameliard by thy prowess.”
But King Arthur said: “Have done, Sir Merchant, nor must thou forbid
what I say. Wherefore take thou that which I shall send unto thee.”
Thereupon he went his way, and, having set his cap of disguise upon his
head, he came back into the Lady Guinevere’s gardens again.
Now when the next morning had come the people of Cameliard looked forth
and, lo! King Ryence had departed entirely away from before the castle.
For that night he had struck his pavilions, and had withdrawn his Court,
and had gone away from that place where he and his people had sat down
for five days past. And with him he had taken the body of the Duke of
North Umber, conveying it away in a litter surrounded by many lighted
candles and uplifted by a peculiar pomp of ceremony. But when the people
of Cameliard beheld that he was gone, they were exceedingly rejoiced,
and made merry, and shouted and sang and laughed. For they wist not how
deeply enraged King Ryence was against them; for his enmity aforetime
toward King Leodegrance was but as a small flame when compared unto the
anger that now possessed him.
* * * * *
Now that morning Lady Guinevere walked into her garden, and with her
walked Sir Gawaine and Sir Ewaine, and lo! there she beheld the
gardener’s boy again.
Then she laughed aloud, and she said unto those two knights, “Messires
behold! Yonder is the gardener’s boy, who weareth his cap continually
because he hath an ugly place upon his head.”
Then those two knights, knowing who that gardener’s boy was, were
exceedingly abashed at her speech, and wist not what to say or whither
to look. And Sir Gawaine spake, aside unto Sir Ewaine, and quoth he:
“‘Fore Heaven, that lady knoweth not what manner of man is yonder
gardener’s boy; for, an she did, she would be more sparing of her
speech.”
And the Lady Guinevere heard Sir Gawaine that he spoke, but she did not
hear his words. So she turned unto Sir Gawaine, and she said: “Sir
Gawaine, haply it doth affront thee that that gardener’s boy should wear
his cap before us, and maybe thou wilt go and take it off from his head
as thou didst offer to do two or three days since.”
And Sir Gawaine said: “Peace, Lady! Thou knowest not what thou sayest.
Yonder gardener’s boy could more easily take my head from off my
shoulders than I could take his cap from off his head.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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