Latest / Tales Of King Arthur And The Round Table / 14 - Part 2 Story 6 An Adventure Of Sir Lancelot

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14 - Part 2 Story 6 An Adventure Of Sir Lancelot · Tales Of King Arthur And The Round Table

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  Speaker 1: Part two, Story six of Tales of King Arthur in
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  Speaker 1: the Round Table by Andrew Lang. This LibriVox recording is
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  Speaker 1: in the public domain. Part two story six an adventure
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  Speaker 1: of Sir Launcelot. As Launcelot went his way through the forest,
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  Speaker 1: he met with many hermits who dwell therein, and had
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  Speaker 1: adventure with the knight who stole his horse and his
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  Speaker 1: helm and got them back again. And he learned from
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  Speaker 1: one of the hermits that Sir Galahad was his son,
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  Speaker 1: and that it was he who, at the feast of Pentecost,
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  Speaker 1: had sat in the siege perilous, which it was ordained
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  Speaker 1: by Merlin that none should sit in save the best
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  Speaker 1: knight in the world. All that night Sir Launcelot abode
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  Speaker 1: with the hermit and laid him to rest a hair
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  Speaker 1: shirt always on his body, and it pricked him sorely,
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  Speaker 1: but he bore it meekly and suffered the pain. When
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  Speaker 1: the day dawned, he bade the hermit farewell. As he
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  Speaker 1: rode he came to a fair plain, in which was
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  Speaker 1: a great castle set about with ten ens and pavilions
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  Speaker 1: of diverse hues. Here were full five hundred knights riding
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  Speaker 1: on horseback, and those near the castle were mounted on
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  Speaker 1: black horses with black trappings, and they that were without
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  Speaker 1: were on white horses, and their trappings white. And the
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  Speaker 1: two sides fought together, and Sir Launcelot looked on. At
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  Speaker 1: last it seemed to him that the black knights nearest
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  Speaker 1: the castle fared the worst. So as he ever took
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  Speaker 1: the part of the weaker, he rode to their help,
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  Speaker 1: and smote many of the white knights to the earth,
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  Speaker 1: and did marvelous deeds of arms. But always the white
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  Speaker 1: knights held round Sir Launcelot to tire him out, and
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  Speaker 1: as no man may endure forever, in the end, Sir
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  Speaker 1: Launcelot waxed so faint a fighting that his arms would
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  Speaker 1: not lift themselves to deal a stroke. Then they took
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  Speaker 1: him and led him away into the forest, and made
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  Speaker 1: him alight from his horse and rest. And when he
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  Speaker 1: was taken, the fellowship of the castle were overcome for
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  Speaker 1: want of him. Never ere now was I at tournament
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  Speaker 1: or jousts. But I had the best, moaned Sir Launcelot
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  Speaker 1: to himself, as soon as the knights had left him,
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  Speaker 1: and he was alone. But now am I shamed, and
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  Speaker 1: I am persuaded that I am more sinful than ever
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  Speaker 1: I was. Sorrowfully, he rode on till he passed a
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  Speaker 1: chapel where stood a nun, who called to him and
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  Speaker 1: asked him his name and what he was seeking. So
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  Speaker 1: he told her who he was, and what had befallen
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  Speaker 1: him at the tournament, and the vision that had come
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  Speaker 1: to him in a sleep. Ah Launcelot said she. As
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  Speaker 1: long as you were a knight of earthly knighthood, you
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  Speaker 1: were the most wonderful man in the world, and the
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  Speaker 1: most adventurous. But now, since you are set among knights
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  Speaker 1: of heavenly adventures, if you were worsted at that tournament,
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  Speaker 1: it is no marvel. For the tournament was meant for
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  Speaker 1: a sign. And the earthly knights were they who were
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  Speaker 1: clothed in black, in token of the sins of which
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  Speaker 1: they were not yet purged. And the white knights were
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  Speaker 1: they who had chosen the way of holiness, and in
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  Speaker 1: them the quest was already begun. Thus you beheld both
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  Speaker 1: the sinners and the good men. And when you saw
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  Speaker 1: the sinners overcome, you went to their help, as they
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  Speaker 1: were your fellows. In boasting and pride of the world,
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  Speaker 1: and all that must be left in that quest and
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  Speaker 1: that caused your misadventure. Now that I have warned you
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  Speaker 1: of your vainglory and your pride, beware of everlasting pain.
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  Speaker 1: For of all earthly knights, I have pity of you,
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  Speaker 1: for I know well that among earthly sinful knights, you
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  Speaker 1: are without peer. End of Part two, Story six