That night the Queen also spoke to Sir Launcelot, and she said, “Launcelot, why do you suffer for me? Surrender me unto King Arthur and with that this war will cease. Else will there many worthy knights perish in this war. For there are a great many knights here foregathered of the Round Table, and there be many other famous and worthy knights and nobles and kings here foregathered. Is my one life then worth more than all their lives?” Then Sir Launcelot groaned, but he said, “Lady, I will not surrender you until I am sure that your safety is insured. Let first the King assure your safety and then we shall consider whether or not you shall return to him.” Then the Queen burst out weeping and she cried out, “Oh, woe is me that I should have brought so much trouble and sorrow upon this world!” * * * * * [Sidenote: _The King assaults Joyous Gard._] Now the army of King Arthur made assault upon Joyous Gard and they made assault upon assault. And somewhiles they made breaches in the walls; but ever those breaches were rebuilded at night so that they could not enter the castle. And the army of King Arthur lost many hundreds of men, both of knights and yeomen; but the defence of the castle lost many scores, and those scores were of greater loss to them than the hundreds that King Arthur lost. For those hundreds could be replaced by other hundreds, but the scores could not be replaced by other scores. [Sidenote: _The friends of Sir Launcelot advise with him._] So the knights who kept the castle held a council of defence, and there were at that council Sir Bors and Sir Lionel and Sir Ector and Sir Bleoberis and Sir Blamor de Ganis, and there were other knights and worthies of the blood of Sir Launcelot. Sir Lionel said, “Why remain we here within this castle? Ever we grow weaker and weaker, and by and by our enemies will break within the castle and then we shall all be put to the edge of the sword. Let us sally forth against those who thus surround us, for so haply we may cut our way through them and thus escape to the sea-shore and to France. There we shall be safe from those who could work for us our undoing.” Sir Launcelot said, “Sir, even if we could do this thing, what blood would be spilt in doing it, and what friends would we slay in that attempt!” Quoth Sir Ector, “What matters that? Are they not seeking our lives and our blood, and are we not defending ourselves? These men are no longer our friends; they are our enemies, and are seeking our lives. Let us then go forth and assail them.” All this Queen Guinevere heard, and she wept many and very bitter tears as she listened to that council. As for Sir Launcelot, he groaned very deeply but anon he said, “Let it then be so as you say, only first I must bespeak King Arthur.”