Then Sir Gawaine kneeled down before King Arthur, and he said, “Sovereign and lawful Lord and Master, I pray you to spare me from this.” King Arthur said, “Why should I spare thee?” Sir Gawaine said, “For these two causes: firstly, I am sworn brother in arms to Sir Launcelot; secondly, I am not friendly with my lady the Queen and so am not fit to serve her as her escort.” Then King Arthur said, “I do not understand your refusal, Messire. Was not Sir Agravaine your brother? And was not he a strong and noble knight? And were not Sir Florence and Sir Lovel your sons?” “Yea, Lord,” said Sir Gawaine. “All this is true; but I suspected evil in this affair, and I strongly advised them to refrain therefrom. This they have refused to hearken to and so they have perished, armed and in fair conflict with Sir Launcelot--he one against many.” Then King Arthur’s face flushed very red with anger, and he turned to Sir Geharis and Sir Gareth. “And you, Messires,” said he, “do you also refuse me this duty?” “Sir,” said Sir Gareth, “if you bid us upon our duty to undertake this commission, we will do so. Yet wit you that Sir Launcelot was he who made me a knight; wherefore I will not go in arms to escort the Queen. But if thou commandest me to go, then will I go without armor or defence of any sort to protect me. For I will not stand in arms before the avowed lady of him who made me a knight.” King Arthur said, “I do command you both to go, so let there be an end to this argument. But see to it that the Queen shall be brought to her trial in a plain white robe without a girdle and that she come in her bare feet like to any criminal. For I shall not believe her to be innocent until she be proved so.” [Sidenote: _Sir Gareth and Sir Geharis go unarmed to arrest Sir Launcelot._] Now when the next day was come, it being then about the tenth hour of the morning, Sir Geharis and Sir Gareth took those five score knights and they rode to the lodgings of the Queen. Meantime, word had been sent to the Queen that she was to clothe her in such a guise as the King had said; to wit, ungirdled and in white, and in her bare feet. And it was said to her that she was to come to her trial like to a criminal--barefoot in that wise, and without a girdle about her waist. [Sidenote: _The Queen weepeth._] Then the Queen wept very many bitter tears, and said, “Alas, my lord, the King, hath already condemned me in his heart, so that my trial will mean my death.” And the ladies of the Queen wept with her and they said, “Lady, alas for thy happiness! For this is certes the end.” Then the Queen dried her tears and she said to them, “Comfort ye! For I have done many evil deeds in my life, but ye know that I am innocent of this deed.” They say, “Yea, we know it and will avouch for it.”