_Of the counsel and advice which was taken by Sir Launcelot and by his
friends for to save the queen._
My lord Sir Launcelot, said Sir Bors, by mine advice ye shall take the
woe with the weal, and take it in patience, and thank God of it. And
sithen it is fallen as it is, I counsel you keep yourself, for, and ye
will yourself, there is no fellowship of knights christened that shall
do you wrong. Also I will counsel you, my lord Sir Launcelot, that and
my lady queen Guenever be in distress, insomuch as she is in pain for
your sake, that ye knightly rescue her: and ye did other ways, all the
world will speak of you shame to the world’s end, insomuch as ye were
taken with her, whether ye did right or wrong. It is now your part to
hold with the queen, that she be not slain and put to a mischievous
death, for, and she so die, the shame shall be yours. Jesu defend me
from shame, said Sir Launcelot, and keep and save my lady the queen
from villainy and shameful death, and that she never be destroyed in my
default: wherefore, my fair lords, my kin and my friends, what will ye
do? Then they said all, We will do as ye will do. I put this to you,
said Sir Launcelot, that if my lord Arthur by evil counsel will to-morn
in his heat put my lady the queen to the fire, there to be burnt,—now,
I pray you, counsel me what is best to do? Then they said all at once
with one voice, Sir, us thinketh best, that ye knightly rescue the
queen; insomuch as she shall be burnt, it is for your sake, and it is
to suppose, and ye might be handled, ye should have the same death, or
a more shamefuller death; and, sir, we say all, that ye have many times
rescued her from death for other men’s quarrels, us seemeth it is more
your worship that ye rescue the queen from this peril, insomuch she
hath it for your sake.
Then Sir Launcelot stood still, and said, My fair lords, wit you well,
I would be loth to do that thing that should dishonour you or my blood,
and wit you well, I would be loth that my lady the queen should die a
shameful death, but and it be so that ye will counsel me to rescue her,
I must do much harm or I rescue her, and peradventure I shall there
destroy some of my best friends, that should much repent me: and
peradventure there be some, and they could well bring it about, or
disobey my lord king Arthur, they would soon come to me, the which I
were loth to hurt: and if so be that I rescue her, where shall I keep
her? That shall be the least care of us all, said Sir Bors: how did the
noble knight Sir Tristram by your good will? Kept not he with him La
Beale Isoud near three year in Joyous Gard, the which was done by your
elders’ device, and that same place is your own, and in likewise may ye
do, and ye list, and take the queen lightly away, if it so be the king
will judge her to be burnt, and in Joyous Gard ye may keep her long
enough, until the heat of the king be past. And then shall ye bring
again the queen to the king with great worship, and then, peradventure,
ye shall have thank for her bringing home, and love and thank where
other shall have maugre. That is hard to do, said Sir Launcelot, for by
Sir Tristram I may have a warning. For when by means of treaties Sir
Tristram brought again La Beale Isoud unto king Mark from Joyous Gard,
look what befell on the end, how shamefully that false traitor king
Mark slew him as he sat harping afore his lady La Beale Isoud, with a
grounden glaive he thrust him in behind to the heart. It grieveth me,
said Sir Launcelot, to speak of his death, for all the world may not
find such a knight. All this is truth, said Sir Bors, but there is one
thing shall courage you and us all: ye know well that king Arthur and
king Mark were never like of conditions, for there was never yet man
that could prove king Arthur untrue of his promise. So, to make short
tale, they were all consented that for better or for worse, if so were
that the queen were on that morn brought to the fire, shortly they all
would rescue her. And so by the advice of Sir Launcelot they put them
all in an enbushment in a wood as nigh Carlisle as they might. And
there they abode still to wit what the king would do.