Le Morte d'Arthur BOOK IV CHAPTER XXII

CHAPTER XXII

How Sir Gawaine came to the Lady Ettard, and how
Sir Pelleas found them sleeping.

AND therewith Sir Gawaine plight his troth unto Sir Pelleas to be
true and faithful unto him; so each one plight their troth to
other, and so they changed horses and harness, and Sir Gawaine
departed, and came to the castle whereas stood the pavilions of
this lady without the gate.  And as soon as Ettard had espied Sir
Gawaine she fled in toward the castle.  Sir Gawaine spake on
high, and bade her abide, for he was not Sir Pelleas; I am
another knight that have slain Sir Pelleas.  Do off your helm,
said the Lady Ettard, that I may see your visage.  And so when
she saw that it was not Sir Pelleas, she bade him alight and led
him unto her castle, and asked him faithfully whether he had
slain Sir Pelleas.  And he said her yea, and told her his name
was Sir Gawaine of the court of King Arthur, and his sister's
son.  Truly, said she, that is great pity, for he was a passing
good knight of his body, but of all men alive I hated him most,
for I could never be quit of him; and for ye have slain him I
shall be your woman, and to do anything that might please you. 
So she made Sir Gawaine good cheer.  Then Sir Gawaine said that
he loved a lady and by no means she would love him.  She is to
blame, said Ettard, an she will not love you, for ye that be so
well born a man, and such a man of prowess, there is no lady in
the world too good for you.  Will ye, said Sir Gawaine, promise
me to do all that ye may, by the faith of your body, to get me
the love of my lady?  Yea, sir, said she, and that I promise you
by the <138>faith of my body.  Now, said Sir Gawaine, it is
yourself that I love so well, therefore I pray you hold your
promise.  I may not choose, said the Lady Ettard, but if I should
be forsworn; and so she granted him to fulfil all his desire.

So it was then in the month of May that she and Sir Gawaine went
out of the castle and supped in a pavilion, and there was made a
bed, and there Sir Gawaine and the Lady Ettard went to bed
together, and in another pavilion she laid her damosels, and in
the third pavilion she laid part of her knights, for then she had
no dread of Sir Pelleas.  And there Sir Gawaine lay with her in
that pavilion two days and two nights.  And on the third day, in
the morning early, Sir Pelleas armed him, for he had never slept
since Sir Gawaine departed from him; for Sir Gawaine had promised
him by the faith of his body, to come to him unto his pavilion by
that priory within the space of a day and a night.

Then Sir Pelleas mounted upon horseback, and came to the
pavilions that stood without the castle, and found in the first
pavilion three knights in three beds, and three squires lying at
their feet.  Then went he to the second pavilion and found four
gentlewomen lying in four beds.  And then he yede to the third
pavilion and found Sir Gawaine lying in bed with his Lady Ettard,
and either clipping other in arms, and when he saw that his heart
well-nigh brast for sorrow, and said:  Alas! that ever a knight
should be found so false; and then he took his horse and might
not abide no longer for pure sorrow.  And when he had ridden nigh
half a mile he turned again and thought to slay them both; and
when he saw them both so lie sleeping fast, unnethe he might hold
him on horseback for sorrow, and said thus to himself, Though
this knight be never so false, I will never slay him sleeping,
for I will never destroy the high order of knighthood; and
therewith he departed again.  And or he had ridden half a mile he
returned again, and thought then to slay them both, making the
greatest sorrow that ever man made.  And when he came to the
pavilions, he tied his <139>horse unto a tree, and pulled out his
sword naked in his hand, and went to them thereas they lay, and
yet he thought it were shame to slay them sleeping, and laid the
naked sword overthwart both their throats, and so took his horse
and rode his way.

And when Sir Pelleas came to his pavilions he told his knights
and his squires how he had sped, and said thus to them, For your
true and good service ye have done me I shall give you all my
goods, for I will go unto my bed and never arise until I am dead. 
And when that I am dead I charge you that ye take the heart out
of my body and bear it her betwixt two silver dishes, and tell
her how I saw her lie with the false knight Sir Gawaine.  Right
so Sir Pelleas unarmed himself, and went unto his bed making
marvellous dole and sorrow.

When Sir Gawaine and Ettard awoke of their sleep, and found the
naked sword overthwart their throats, then she knew well it was
Sir Pelleas' sword.  Alas! said she to Sir Gawaine, ye have
betrayed me and Sir Pelleas both, for ye told me ye had slain
him, and now I know well it is not so, he is alive.  And if Sir
Pelleas had been as uncourteous to you as ye have been to him ye
had been a dead knight; but ye have deceived me and betrayed me
falsely, that all ladies and damosels may beware by you and me. 
And therewith Sir Gawaine made him ready, and went into the
forest.  So it happed then that the Damosel of the Lake, Nimue,
met with a knight of Sir Pelleas, that went on his foot in the
forest making great dole, and she asked him the cause.  And so
the woful knight told her how his master and lord was betrayed
through a knight and lady, and how he will never arise out of his
bed till he be dead.  Bring me to him, said she anon, and I will
warrant his life he shall not die for love, and she that hath
caused him so to love, she shall be in as evil plight as he is or
it be long to, for it is no joy of such a proud lady that will
have no mercy of such a valiant knight.  Anon that knight brought
her unto him, and when she saw him lie in his bed, she thought
she saw never so likely a knight; and therewith she threw an
enchantment upon <140>him, and he fell asleep.  And therewhile
she rode unto the Lady Ettard, and charged no man to awake him
till she came again.  So within two hours she brought the Lady
Ettard thither, and both ladies found him asleep:  Lo, said the
Damosel of the Lake, ye ought to be ashamed for to murder such a
knight.  And therewith she threw such an enchantment upon her
that she loved him sore, that well-nigh she was out of her mind. 
O Lord Jesu, said the Lady Ettard, how is it befallen unto me
that I love now him that I have most hated of any man alive? 
That is the righteous judgment of God, said the damosel.  And
then anon Sir Pelleas awaked and looked upon Ettard; and when he
saw her he knew her, and then he hated her more than any woman
alive, and said:  Away, traitress, come never in my sight.  And
when she heard him say so, she wept and made great sorrow out of
measure.