_How king Arthur sent for the lady Liones, and how she let cry a
tourney at her castle, where as came many knights._
Then said Sir Gawaine and his brethren unto Arthur, Sir, and ye will
give us leave we will go and seek our brother. Nay, said Sir Launcelot,
that shall ye not need, and so said Sir Baudwin of Britain: for as by
our advice the king shall send unto dame Liones a messager, and pray
her that she will come to the court in all the haste that she may, and
doubt ye not she will come, and then she may give you best counsel
where ye shall find him. This is well said of you, said the king. So
then goodly letters were made, and the messager sent forth, that night
and day he went till he came unto the castle perilous. And then the
lady dame Liones was sent for there as she was with Sir Gringamore her
brother and Sir Gareth. And when she understood this message, she bad
him ride on his way unto king Arthur, and she would come after in all
goodly haste. Then when she came to Sir Gringamore and to Sir Gareth,
she told them all how king Arthur had sent for her. That is because of
me, said Sir Gareth. Now advise me, said dame Liones, what shall I say,
and in what manner I shall rule me. My lady and my love, said Sir
Gareth, I pray you in no manner of wise be ye aknown where I am, but
well I wot my mother is there and all my brethren, and they will take
upon them to seek me; and I wot well that they do. But this, madam, I
would ye said and advised the king, when he questioneth with you of me:
then may ye say, this is your advice, that, and it like his good grace,
ye will do make a cry against the feast of the Assumption of our Lady,
that what knight there proveth him best, he shall weld you and all your
land. And if so be that he be a wedded man, that his wife shall have
the degree and a coronal of gold, beset with stones of virtue to the
value of a thousand pound, and a white jerfalcon.
So dame Liones departed and came to king Arthur, where she was nobly
received, and there she was sore questioned of the king, and of the
queen of Orkney. And she answered, where Sir Gareth was she could not
tell. But thus much she said unto Arthur; Sir, I will let cry a
tournament, that shall be done before my castle at the Assumption of
our Lady, and the cry shall be this, that you my lord Arthur shall be
there and your knights, and I will purvey that my knights shall be
against yours: and then I am sure ye shall hear of Sir Gareth. This is
well advised, said king Arthur: and so she departed. And the king and
she made great provision for that tournament. When dame Liones was come
to the Isle of Avilion, that was the same isle there as her brother Sir
Gringamore dwelt, then she told him all how she had done, and what
promise she had made to king Arthur. Alas, said Sir Gareth, I have been
so wounded by mishap sithen I came into this castle, that I shall not
be able to do at that tournament like a knight, for I was never
thoroughly whole since I was hurt. Be ye of good cheer, said the damsel
Linet, for I undertake within these fifteen days for to make you whole,
and as lusty as ever ye were. And then she laid an ointment and a salve
to him as it pleased her, that he was never so fresh nor so lusty. Then
said the damsel Linet: Send you unto Sir Persant of Inde, and summon
him and his knights to be here with you as they have promised. Also,
that ye send unto Sir Ironside, that is the red knight of the red
lawns, and charge him that he be ready with you with his whole sum of
knights, and then shall ye be able to match with king Arthur and his
knights. So this was done, and all knights were sent for unto the
castle perilous. And then the red knight answered and said unto dame
Liones, and to Sir Gareth, Madam, and my lord Sir Gareth, ye shall
understand that I have been at the court of king Arthur, and Sir
Persant of Inde and his brethren, and there we have done our homage as
ye commanded us. Also, Sir Ironside said, I have taken upon me with Sir
Persant of Inde and his brethren to hold party against my lord Sir
Launcelot and the knights of that court. And this have I done for the
love of my lady dame Liones, and you my lord Sir Gareth. Ye have well
done, said Sir Gareth. But wit you well ye shall be full sore matched
with the most noble knights of the world, therefore we must purvey us
of good knights, where we may get them. That is well said, said Sir
Persant, and worshipfully. And so the cry was made in England, Wales,
and Scotland, Ireland, and Cornwall, and in all the out isles, and in
Britany, and in many countries; that at the feast of the Assumption of
our Lady next coming, men should come to the castle perilous, beside
the Isle of Avilion, and there all the knights that there came should
have the choice whether them list to be on the one party with the
knights of the castle, or on the other party with king Arthur. And two
months was to the day that the tournament should be. And so there came
many good knights that were at large, and held them for the most part
against king Arthur and his knights of the Round Table, and came on the
side of them of the castle. For Sir Epinogrus was the first, and he was
the king’s son of Northumberland, and Sir Palamides the Saracen was
another, and Sir Safere his brother, and Sir Sagwarides his brother,
but they were christened, and Sir Malegrine another, and Sir Brian de
les Isles, a noble knight, and Sir Grummore Gummursum, a good knight of
Scotland, and Sir Carados of the dolorous tower, a noble knight, and
Sir Turquin his brother, and Sir Arnold and Sir Gauter, two brethren,
good knights of Cornwall: there came Sir Tristram de Liones, and with
him Sir Dinadan the seneschal and Sir Sadok; but this Sir Tristram was
not at that time knight of the Table Round, but he was one of the best
knights of the world. And so all these noble knights accompanied them
with the lady of the castle, and with the red knight of the red lawns,
but as for Sir Gareth, he would not take upon him more but as other
mean knights.