_How the queen required Sir Bors to fight for her, and how he granted
upon condition; and how he warned Sir Launcelot thereof._
So the queen departed from the king, and sent for Sir Bors into her
chamber. And when he was come, she besought him of succour. Madam, said
he, what would ye that I did, for I may not with my worship have ado in
this matter, because I was at the same dinner, for dread that any of
those knights would have me in suspicion. Also madam, said Sir Bors,
now miss ye Sir Launcelot, for he would not have failed you neither in
right nor in wrong, as ye have well proved when ye have been in danger,
and now ye have driven him out of this country, by whom ye and all we
were daily worshipped by. Therefore, madam, I marvel me how ye dare for
shame require me to do any thing for you, in so much ye have chased him
out of your country, by whom we were borne up and honoured. Alas, fair
knight, said the queen, I put me wholly in your grace, and all that is
done amiss I will amend as ye will counsel me. And therewith she
kneeled down upon both her knees, and besought Sir Bors to have mercy
upon her,—or I shall have a shameful death, and thereto I never
offended. Right so came king Arthur, and found the queen kneeling afore
Sir Bors. Then Sir Bors pulled her up, and said, Madam, ye do to me
great dishonour. Ah, gentle knight, said the king, have mercy upon my
queen, courteous knight, for I am now in certain she is untruly
defamed. And therefore, courteous knight, said the king, promise her to
do battle for her: I require you, for the love of Sir Launcelot. My
lord, said Sir Bors, ye require me the greatest thing that any man may
require me; and wit ye well, if I grant to do battle for the queen I
shall wrath many of my fellowship of the Table Round; but as for that,
said Bors, I will grant my lord, for my lord Sir Launcelot’s sake, and
for your sake, I will at that day be the queen’s champion, unless that
there come by adventure a better knight than I am to do battle for her.
Will ye promise me this, said the king, by your faith? Yea sir, said
Sir Bors, of that will I not fail you, nor her both, but if that there
come a better knight than I am, and then shall he have the battle. Then
was the king and the queen passing glad, and so departed, and thanked
him heartily. So then Sir Bors departed secretly upon a day, and rode
unto Sir Launcelot, there as he was with the hermit Sir Brasias, and
told him of all their adventure. Ah, said Sir Launcelot, this is come
happily as I would have it, and therefore I pray you make you ready to
do battle, but look that ye tarry till ye see me come, as long as ye
may. For I am sure Mador is an hot knight, when he is enchafed, for the
more ye suffer him, the hastier will he be to battle. Sir, said Bors,
let me deal with him; doubt ye not ye shall have all your will. Then
departed Sir Bors from him, and came to the court again. Then was it
noised in all the court that Sir Bors should do battle for the queen:
wherefore many knights were displeased with him, that he would take
upon him to do battle in the queen’s quarrel, for there were but few
knights in the court but they deemed the queen was in the wrong, and
that she had done that treason. So Sir Bors answered thus unto his
fellows of the Table Round: Wit ye well, my fair lords, it were shame
to us all, and we suffered to see the most noble queen of the world to
be shamed openly, considering her lord and our lord is the man of most
worship in the world, and most christened, and he hath ever worshipped
us all, in all places. Many answered him again:—As for our most noble
king Arthur, we love him and honour him as well as ye do; but as for
queen Guenever we love her not, because she is a destroyer of good
knights. Fair lords, said Sir Bors, me seemeth ye say not as ye should
say, for never yet in my days knew I never, nor heard say, that ever
she was a destroyer of any good knight: but at all times, as far as I
ever could know, she was always a maintainer of good knights, and
always she hath been large and free of her goods to all good knights,
and the most bounteous lady of her gifts and her good grace that ever I
saw or heard speak of. And therefore it were shame, said Sir Bors, to
us all to our most noble king’s wife, and we suffered her to be
shamefully slain. And wit ye well, said Sir Bors, I will not suffer it,
for I dare say so much, the queen is not guilty of Sir Patrise’s death,
for she owed him never none ill will, nor none of the four and twenty
knights that were at that dinner; for I dare say for good love she bad
us to dinner, and not for no mal-engine; and that I doubt not shall be
proved hereafter: for howsoever the game goeth, there was treason among
us. Then some said to Sir Bors, We may well believe your words. And so
some of them were well pleased, and some were not so.