Thereupon the burgess alighteth and mounteth upon Messire Gawain's
horse, and Messire Gawain upon his, and taketh leave of the burgess and
goeth his way and entereth into a right great forest beyond the city,
and rideth until sundown and findeth neither castle nor city. And he
findeth a meadow in the midst of the forest, right broad, and it ran on
beyond, like as there were the stream of a spring in the midst. He
looketh toward the foot of the meadow close by the forest, and seeth a
right large tent, whereof the cords were of silk and the pegs of ivory
fixed in the ground, and the tops of the poles of gold and upon each
was a golden eagle. The tent was white round about, and the hanging
above was of the richest silk, the same as red samite. Thitherward
goeth Messire Gawain and alighteth before the door of the tent, and
smiteth off the bridle of his horse, and letteth him feed on the grass,
and leaneth his spear and his shield without the tent, and looketh
narrowly within and seeth a right rich couch of silk and gold, and
below was a cloth unfolded as it were a feather-bed, and above a
coverlid of ermine and vair without any gold, and at the head of the
couch two pillows so rich that fairer none ever saw, and such sweet
smell gave they forth that it seemed the tent was sprinkled of balm.
And round about the couch were rich silken cloths spread on the ground.
And at the head of the couch on the one side and the other were two
seats of ivory, and upon them were two cushions stuffed with straw,
right rich, and at the foot of the couch, above the bed, two
candlesticks of gold wherein were two tall waxen tapers. A table was
set in the midst of the tent, that was all of ivory banded of gold,
with rich precious stones, and upon the table was the napkin spread and
the basin of silver and the knife with an ivory handle and the rich set
of golden vessels. Messire Gawain seeth the rich couch and setteth him
down thereon all armed in the midst, and marvelleth him wherefore the
tent is so richly apparelled and yet more that therein he seeth not a
soul. Howbeit, he was minded to disarm him.