Le Morte d'Arthur BOOK VII CHAPTER XXVI

CHAPTER XXVI

How King Arthur sent for the Lady Lionesse, and how she
let cry a tourney at her castle, whereas came many knights.

THEN said Sir Gawaine and his brethren unto Arthur, Sir, an ye
will give us leave, we will go and seek our brother.  Nay, said
Sir Launcelot, that shall ye not need; and so said Sir Baudwin of
Britain: for as by our advice the king shall send unto Dame
Lionesse a messenger, and pray her that she will come to the
court in all the haste that she may, and doubt ye not she will
come; and then she may give you best counsel where ye shall find
him.  This is well said of you, said the king.  So then goodly
letters were made, and the messenger sent forth, that night and
day he went till he came unto the Castle Perilous.  And then the
lady Dame Lionesse was sent for, thereas she was with Sir
Gringamore her brother and Sir Gareth.  And when she understood
this message, she bade him ride on his way unto King Arthur, and
she would come after in all goodly haste.  Then when she came to
Sir Gringamore and to Sir Gareth, she told them all how King
Arthur had sent for her.  That is because of me, said Sir Gareth. 
Now advise me, said Dame Lionesse, <257>what shall I say, and in
what manner I shall rule me.  My lady and my love, said Sir
Gareth, I pray you in no wise be ye aknowen where I am; but well
I wot my mother is there and all my brethren, and they will take
upon them to seek me, I wot well that they do.  But this, madam,
I would ye said and advised the king when he questioned with you
of me.  Then may ye say, this is your advice that, an it like his
good grace, ye will do make a cry against the feast of the
Assumption of our Lady, that what knight there proveth him best
he shall wield you and all your land.  And if so be that he be a
wedded man, that his wife shall have the degree, and a coronal of
gold beset with stones of virtue to the value of a thousand
pound, and a white gerfalcon.

So Dame Lionesse departed and came to King Arthur, where she was
nobly received, and there she was sore questioned of the king and
of the Queen of Orkney.  And she answered, where Sir Gareth was
she could not tell.  But thus much she said unto Arthur:  Sir, I
will let cry a tournament that shall be done before my castle at
the Assumption of our Lady, and the cry shall be this: that you,
my lord Arthur, shall be there, and your knights, and I will
purvey that my knights shall be against yours; and then I am sure
ye shall hear of Sir Gareth.  This is well advised, said King
Arthur; and so she departed.  And the king and she made great
provision to that tournament.

When Dame Lionesse was come to the Isle of Avilion, that was the
same isle thereas her brother Sir Gringamore dwelt, then she told
them all how she had done, and what promise she had made to King
Arthur.  Alas, said Sir Gareth, I have been so wounded with
unhappiness sithen I came into this castle that I shall not be
able to do at that tournament like a knight; for I was never
thoroughly whole since I was hurt.  Be ye of good cheer, said the
damosel Linet, for I undertake within these fifteen days to make
ye whole, and as lusty as ever ye were.  And then she laid an
ointment and a salve to him as it pleased to her, that he was
never so fresh nor so lusty.  Then said <258>the damosel Linet: 
Send you unto Sir Persant of Inde, and assummon him and his
knights to be here with you as they have promised.  Also, that ye
send unto Sir Ironside, that is the Red Knight of the Red Launds,
and charge him that he be ready with you with his whole sum of
knights, and then shall ye be able to match with King Arthur and
his knights.  So this was done, and all knights were sent for
unto the Castle Perilous; and then the Red Knight answered and
said unto Dame Lionesse, and to Sir Gareth, Madam, and my lord
Sir Gareth, ye shall understand that I have been at the court of
King Arthur, and Sir Persant of Inde and his brethren, and there
we have done our homage as ye commanded us.  Also Sir Ironside
said, I have taken upon me with Sir Persant of Inde and his
brethren to hold part against my lord Sir Launcelot and the
knights of that court.  And this have I done for the love of my
lady Dame Lionesse, and you my lord Sir Gareth.  Ye have well
done, said Sir Gareth; but wit you well ye shall be full sore
matched with the most noble knights of the world; therefore we
must purvey us of good knights, where we may get them.  That is
well said, said Sir Persant, and worshipfully.

And so the cry was made in England, Wales, and Scotland, Ireland,
Cornwall, and in all the Out Isles, and in Brittany and in many
countries; that at the feast of our Lady the Assumption next
coming, men should come to the Castle Perilous beside the Isle of
Avilion; and there all the knights that there came should have
the choice whether them list to be on the one party with the
knights of the castle, or on the other party with King Arthur. 
And two months was to the day that the tournament should be.  And
so there came many good knights that were at their large, and
held them for the most part against King Arthur and his knights
of the Round Table and came in the side of them of the castle. 
For Sir Epinogrus was the first, and he was the king's son of
Northumberland, and Sir Palamides the Saracen was another, and
Sir Safere his brother, and Sir Segwarides his brother, but they
were christened, and Sir Malegrine <259>another, and Sir Brian de
les Isles, a noble knight, and Sir Grummore Grummursum, a good
knight of Scotland, and Sir Carados of the dolorous tower, a
noble knight, and Sir Turquine his brother, and Sir Arnold and
Sir Gauter, two brethren, good knights of Cornwall.  There came
Sir Tristram de Liones, and with him Sir Dinas, the Seneschal,
and Sir Sadok; but this Sir Tristram was not at that time knight
of the Table Round, but he was one of the best knights of the
world.  And so all these noble knights accompanied them with the
lady of the castle, and with the Red Knight of the Red Launds;
but as for Sir Gareth, he would not take upon him more but as
other mean knights.