Thou shalt not go with me,said the carter.Then Sir Launcelot leapt to him,and gave him such a buffet that he fell to the earth stark dead.Then the other carter,his fellow,was afeard,and weened to have gone the same way;and then he cried:Fair lord,save my life,and Ishall bring you where ye will.Then I charge thee,said Sir Launcelot,that thou drive me and this chariot even unto Sir Meliagrance's gate.Leap up into the chariot,said the carter,and ye shall be there anon.So the carter drove on a great wallop,and Sir Launcelot's horse followed the chariot,with more than a forty arrows broad and rough in him.
And more than an hour and an half Dame Guenever was awaiting in a bay window with her ladies,and espied an armed knight standing in a chariot.See,madam,said a lady,where rideth in a chariot a goodly armed knight;I suppose he rideth unto hanging.Where?said the queen.Then she espied by his shield that he was there himself,Sir Launcelot du Lake.And then she was ware where came his horse ever after that chariot,and ever he trod his guts and his paunch under his feet.Alas,said the queen,now I see well and prove,that well is him that hath a trusty friend.Ha,ha,most noble knight,said Queen Guenever,I see well thou art hard bestead when thou ridest in a chariot.Then she rebuked that lady that likened Sir Launcelot to ride in a chariot to hanging.It was foul mouthed,said the queen,and evil likened,so for to liken the most noble knight of the world unto such a shameful death.
O Jesu defend him and keep him,said the queen,from all mischievous end.By this was Sir Launcelot come to the gates of that castle,and there he descended down,and cried,that all the castle rang of it:Where art thou,false traitor,Sir Meliagrance,and knight of the Table Round?
now come forth here,thou traitor knight,thou and thy fellowship with thee;for here I am,Sir Launcelot du Lake,that shall fight with you.And therewithal he bare the gate wide open upon the porter,and smote him under his ear with his gauntlet,that his neck brast a-sunder.
CHAPTER V
How Sir Meliagrance required forgiveness of the queen,and how she appeased Sir Launcelot;and other matters WHEN Sir Meliagrance heard that Sir Launcelot was there he ran unto Queen Guenever,and fell upon his knee,and said:Mercy,madam,now I put me wholly into your grace.What aileth you now?said Queen Guenever;forsooth I might well wit some good knight would revenge me,though my lord Arthur wist not of this your work.
Madam,said Sir Meliagrance,all this that is amiss on my part shall be amended right as yourself will devise,and wholly I put me in your grace.What would ye that Idid?said the queen.I would no more,said Meliagrance,but that ye would take all in your own hands,and that ye will rule my lord Sir Launcelot;and such cheer as may be made him in this poor castle ye and he shall have until to-morn,and then may ye and all they return unto Westminster;and my body and all that I have I shall put in your rule.Ye say well,said the queen,and better is peace than ever war,and the less noise the more is my worship.
Then the queen and her ladies went down unto the knight,Sir Launcelot,that stood wroth out of measure in the inner court,to abide battle;and ever he bade:Thou traitor knight come forth.Then the queen came to him and said:Sir Launcelot,why be ye so moved?Ha,madam,said Sir Launcelot,why ask ye me that question?
Meseemeth,said Sir Launcelot,ye ought to be more wroth than I am,for ye have the hurt and the dishonour,for wit ye well,madam,my hurt is but little for the killing of a mare's son,but the despite grieveth me much more than all my hurt.Truly,said the queen,ye say truth;but heartily I thank you,said the queen,but ye must come in with me peaceably,for all thing is put in my hand,and all that is evil shall be for the best,for the knight full sore repenteth him of the misadventure that is befallen him.
Madam,said Sir Launcelot,sith it is so that ye been accorded with him,as for me I may not be again it,howbeit Sir Meliagrance hath done full shamefully to me,and cowardly.Ah madam,said Sir Launcelot,an I had wist ye would have been so soon accorded with him Iwould not have made such haste unto you.Why say ye so,said the queen,do ye forthink yourself of your good deeds?Wit you well,said the queen,I accorded never unto him for favour nor love that I had unto him,but for to lay down every shameful noise.Madam,said Sir Launcelot,ye understand full well I was never willing nor glad of shameful slander nor noise;and there is neither king,queen,nor knight,that beareth the life,except my lord King Arthur,and you,madam,should let me,but Ishould make Sir Meliagrance's heart full cold or ever Ideparted from hence.That wot I well,said the queen,but what will ye more?Ye shall have all thing ruled as ye list to have it.Madam,said Sir Launcelot,so ye be pleased I care not,as for my part ye shall soon please.
Right so the queen took Sir Launcelot by the bare hand,for he had put off his gauntlet,and so she went with him till her chamber;and then she commanded him to be unarmed.And then Sir Launcelot asked where were the ten knights that were wounded sore;so she showed them unto Sir Launcelot,and there they made great joy of the coming of him,and Sir Launcelot made great dole of their hurts,and bewailed them greatly.And there Sir Launcelot told them how cowardly and traitorly Meliagrance set archers to slay his horse,and how he was fain to put himself in a chariot.Thus they complained everych to other;and full fain they would have been revenged,but they peaced themselves because of the queen.
Then,as the French book saith,Sir Launcelot was called many a day after le Chevaler du Chariot,and did many deeds,and great adventures he had.And so leave we of this tale le Chevaler du Chariot,and turn we to this tale.