The Story of the Champions of the Round Table | Page 3

Fared Therein after Several Excellent
Adventures
* Chapter Fifth
How Sir Percival Repaid Sir Kay the Buffet he one time gave Yelande
the Dumb Maiden, and how, Thereafter, he went Forth to Seek his own
Lady of Love
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Head Piece--Table of Contents Tail Piece--Table of Contents Head
Piece--List of Illustrations Tail Piece--List of Illustrations
The Lady Nymue beareth away Launcelot into the Lake Head
Piece--Prologue Tail Piece--Prologue Sir Launcelot greets Queen
Guinevere Head Piece--The Story of Launcelot Sir Lionel of Britain
Queen Morgana appears unto Sir Launcelot Sir Launcelot doeth battle
with Sir Turquine Sir Launcelot sits with Sir Hilaire and Croisette Sir
Launcelot and Elouise the Fair Sir Launcelot climbs to catch the lady's
falcon Sir Launcelot takes the armor of Sir Kay Tail Piece--The Story
of Launcelot

Sir Tristram of Lyonesse Head Piece--Prologue Tail Piece--Prologue
Tristram succors the Lady Moeya Head Piece--The Story of Sir
Tristram and the Lady Belle Isoult King Mark of Cornwall The Lady
Belle Isoult The Queen of Ireland seeks to slay Sir Tristram Sir
Tristram harpeth before King Mark Sir Tristram sits with Sir Launcelot
Tail Piece Belle Isoult and Sir Tristram drink the love draught Tail
Piece--The Story of Sir Tristram and the Lady Belle Isoult Sir
Lamorack of Gales Head Piece--The Story of Sir Tristram and Sir
Lamorack Sir Tristram cometh to ye castle of Sir Nabon Sir Lamorack
herds the swine of Sir Nabon Tail Piece--The Story of Sir Tristram and
Sir Lamorack Sir Tristram assaults King Mark Head Piece--The
Madness of Sir Tristram Sir Kay and the Forest Madman Sir Tristram
leaps into ye Sea King Mark broods mischief Tail Piece--The Madness
of Sir Tristram
Sir Percival of Gales Head Piece--Prologue The Lady Yvette the Fair
Sir Percival and Sir Lamorack ride together Sir Percival overcometh ye
Enchantress Vivien The Demoiselle Blanchefleur Sir Kay interrupts ye
meditations of Sir Percival Tail Piece--The Book of Sir Percival
[Illustration: The Lady Nymue beareth away Launcelot into the Lake]

Prologue.
It hath already been set forth in print in a volume written by me
concerning the adventures of King Arthur when he first became king,
how there were certain lesser kings who favored him and were friendly
allies with him, and how there were certain others of the same sort who
were his enemies.
Among those who were his friends was King Ban of Benwick, who
was an exceedingly noble lord of high estate and great honor, and who
was of a lineage so exalted that it is not likely that there was anyone in
the world who was of a higher strain.
[Sidenote: Of King Ban and his misfortunes] Now, upon a certain time,

King Ban of Benwick fell into great trouble; for there came against him
a very powerful enemy, to wit, King Claudas of Scotland. King
Claudas brought unto Benwick a huge army of knights and lords, and
these sat down before the Castle of Trible with intent to take that strong
fortress and destroy it.
This noble Castle of Trible was the chiefest and the strongest place of
defence in all King Ban's dominions, wherefore he had intrenched
himself there with all of his knights and with his Queen, hight Helen,
and his youngest son, hight Launcelot.
Now this child, Launcelot, was dearer to Queen Helen than all the
world besides, for he was not only large of limb but so extraordinarily
beautiful of face that I do not believe an angel from Paradise could
have been more beautiful than he. He had been born with a singular
birth-mark upon his shoulder, which birth-mark had the appearance as
of a golden star enstamped upon the skin; wherefore, because of this,
the Queen would say: "Launcelot, by reason of that star upon thy
shoulder I believe that thou shalt be the star of our house and that thou
shalt shine with such remarkable glory that all the world shall behold
thy lustre and shall marvel thereat for all time to come." So the Queen
took extraordinary delight in Launcelot and loved him to the very core
of her heart--albeit she knew not, at the time she spake, how that
prophecy of hers concerning the star was to fall so perfectly true.
Now, though King Ban thought himself very well defended at his
Castle of Trible, yet King Claudas brought so terribly big an army
against that place that it covered the entire plain. A great many battles
were fought under the walls of the castle, but ever King Claudas waxed
greater and stronger, and King Ban's party grew weaker and more
fearful.
[Sidenote: King Ban bethinks him of King Arthur] So by and by things
came to such a pass that King Ban bethought him of King Arthur, and
he said to himself: "I will go to