Le Morte d'Arthur BOOK XII CHAPTER III

CHAPTER III

How Sir Launcelot fought against a boar and slew him, and
how he was hurt, and brought unto an hermitage.

SO came Sir Launcelot and found the horse bounden till a
tree, and a spear leaning against a tree, and a sword tied
to the saddle bow; and then Sir Launcelot leapt into the
saddle and gat that spear in his hand, and then he rode
after the boar; and then Sir Launcelot was ware where
the boar set his arse to a tree fast by an hermitage.
Then Sir Launcelot ran at the boar with his spear, and
therewith the boar turned him nimbly, and rove out the
lungs and the heart of the horse, so that Launcelot fell to
the earth; and, or ever Sir Launcelot might get from the
horse, the boar rove him on the brawn of the thigh up to
the hough bone.  And then Sir Launcelot was wroth, and
up he gat upon his feet, and drew his sword, and he smote
off the boar's head at one stroke.  And therewithal came
out the hermit, and saw him have such a wound.  Then
the hermit came to Sir Launcelot and bemoaned him, and
would have had him home unto his hermitage; but when
Sir Launcelot heard him speak, he was so wroth with his
wound that he ran upon the hermit to have slain him,
and the hermit ran away.  And when Sir Launcelot might
not overget him, he threw his sword after him, for Sir
Launcelot might go no further for bleeding; then the
hermit turned again, and asked Sir Launcelot how he was
hurt.  Fellow, said Sir Launcelot, this boar hath bitten
me sore.  Then come with me, said the hermit, and I
shall heal you.  Go thy way, said Sir Launcelot, and deal
not with me.

Then the hermit ran his way, and there he met with a
good knight with many men.  Sir, said the hermit, here
is fast by my place the goodliest man that ever I saw, and
he is sore wounded with a boar, and yet he hath slain the
boar.  But well I wot, said the hermit, and he be not
holpen, that goodly man shall die of that wound, and that
were great pity.  Then that knight at the desire of the
hermit gat a cart, and in that cart that knight put the boar
and Sir Launcelot, for Sir Launcelot was so feeble that
they might right easily deal with him; and so Sir Launcelot
was brought unto the hermitage, and there the hermit
healed him of his wound.  But the hermit might not find
Sir Launcelot's sustenance, and so he impaired and waxed
feeble, both of his body and of his wit: for the default of
his sustenance he waxed more wooder than he was aforehand.

And then upon a day Sir Launcelot ran his way into
the forest; and by adventure he came to the city of
Corbin, where Dame Elaine was, that bare Galahad, Sir
Launcelot's son.  And so when he was entered into the
town he ran through the town to the castle; and then all
the young men of that city ran after Sir Launcelot, and
there they threw turves at him, and gave him many sad
strokes.  And ever as Sir Launcelot might overreach any
of them, he threw them so that they would never come in
his hands no more; for of some he brake the legs and
the arms, and so fled into the castle; and then came out
knights and squires and rescued Sir Launcelot.  And
when they beheld him and looked upon his person, they
thought they saw never so goodly a man.  And when
they saw so many wounds upon him, all they deemed that
he had been a man of worship.  And then they ordained
him clothes to his body, and straw underneath him, and a
little house.  And then every day they would throw him
meat, and set him drink, but there was but few would
bring him meat to his hands.