_How Accolon confessed the treason of Morgan le Fay, king Arthur’s
sister, and how she would have done slay him._
Then Sir Accolon bethought him, and said, Woe worth this sword, for by
it have I gotten my death. It may well be, said the king. Now Sir, said
Sir Accolon, I will tell you: This sword hath been in my keeping the
most part of this twelvemonth, and Morgan le Fay, king Uriens’ wife,
sent it me yesterday by a dwarf, to this intent that I should slay king
Arthur her brother. For ye shall understand king Arthur is the man in
the world that she most hateth, because he is most of worship and of
prowess of any of her blood. Also, she loveth me out of measure as
paramour, and I her again. And if she might bring about to slay Arthur
by her crafts, she would slay her husband king Uriens lightly, and then
had she me devised to be king in this land, and so to reign, and she to
be my queen; but that is now done, said Sir Accolon, for I am sure of
my death. Well, said king Arthur, I feel by you ye would have been king
in this land. It had been great damage for to have destroyed your lord,
said Arthur. It is truth, said Sir Accolon, but now I have told you
truth, wherefore I pray you tell me of whence ye are, and of what
court? O Accolon, said king Arthur, now I let thee wit that I am king
Arthur to whom thou hast done great damage. When Accolon heard that he
cried aloud, Fair sweet lord, have mercy on me, for I knew you not. O
Sir Accolon, said king Arthur, mercy shalt thou have, because I feel by
thy words at this time thou knewest not my person. But I understand
well by thy words that thou hast agreed to the death of my person, and
therefore thou art a traitor; but I blame thee the less, for my sister
Morgan le Fay by her false crafts made thee to agree and consent to her
false lusts, but I shall be sore avenged upon her and I live, that all
Christendom shall speak of it. God knoweth I have honoured her and
worshipped her more than all my kin, and more have I trusted her than
mine own wife, and all my kin after. Then Sir Arthur called the keepers
of the field, and said, Sirs, come hither, for here are we two knights
that have fought unto a great damage unto us both, and like each one of
us to have slain other, if it had happed so; and had any of us known
other, here had been no battle, nor stroke stricken. Then all aloud
cried Sir Accolon unto all the knights and men that were then there
gathered together, and said to them in this manner: O lords, this noble
knight that I have fought withal, the which me sore repenteth, is the
most man of prowess, of manhood, and of worship in the world, for it is
himself king Arthur, our alther liege lord, and with mishap and with
misadventure have I done this battle with the king and lord that I am
holden withal.