Arthurian Romances (80 page)

He went to speak with Tiebaut and said: ‘Sir, so help me God, I believe I've seen two knights coming this way, who are companions to King Arthur. Two brave knights are valuable to us, for either one of them could win a tourney. I would advise you for my part to enter confidently into this tournament, for you have good knights, good men-at-arms, and good
archers who'll kill their horses, and I am certain that they'll come to do battle before this gate. If their pride leads them here, the victory will be ours, and theirs the loss and suffering.'

Upon the advice of his aged counsellor, Tiebaut gave all his men permission to arm themselves and sally forth if they so desired. The knights were heartened by this; squires ran to fetch armour and to saddle and lead out the horses. The ladies and maidens went to sit in the highest places to observe the tournament, and below them in the plain they saw my lord Gawain's equipment: and they thought at first that there were two knights, because they saw the two shields hanging from the oak tree. And when they had taken their places, the ladies said they were fortunate because they could watch these two knights arming in front of them. Thus they talked among themselves, and there were several who said: ‘Dear God, this knight has so much equipment and so many horses that there's more than enough for two, yet he has no companion with him. What will he do with two shields? No knight's ever been seen to carry two shields at the same time, so it would be most surprising if this one knight were to carry both these shields.'

While the ladies were conversing the knights rode out, and Tiebaut's elder daughter, who was the cause of the tournament, had climbed to the top of the tower. With her was her younger sister, who dressed herself in such elegant sleeves that she was called The Maiden with the Small Sleeves, and this name was embroidered along her sleeves. With Tiebaut's two daughters, all the ladies and maidens had climbed to the top of the towers, and the tournament was just now assembling in front of the castle.

But there was no knight as handsome as Meliant de Liz, according to his sweetheart's words to the ladies all around her: ‘My ladies, truly no knight I've ever seen has pleased me more than Meliant de Liz – why should I he to you about this? Is it not a comfort and delight to behold such a splendid knight? So handsome a knight cannot help but sit well in his saddle and wield his lance and shield with the best.'

But her sister, who was seated beside her, said that there was a more handsome knight. Her elder sister became angry and rose to strike her; but the ladies pulled her away and restrained her and kept her from hitting her sister, which made her most upset.

Then the tournament began, where many a lance was broken, many a sword blow landed, and many a knight struck down. You can be sure that those who jousted with Meliant de Liz paid dearly, for every knight who faced his lance was thrown to the hard earth; and if his lance shattered, he
paid out heavily with his sword, and he did better than any other knight on either side. And his sweetheart was so delighted that she could not refrain from saying: ‘My ladies, his deeds are wondrous to behold! You've never seen or heard tell of any to equal them! Behold the best young knight you've ever laid eyes upon, for he is more handsome and a better fighter than anyone else at the tournament.'

Her little sister countered: ‘I see a more handsome and better knight, I think.'

Her sister, enflamed with anger, rushed upon her and said furiously: ‘You brat! How could you be so impertinent to dare criticize anyone whom I had praised? Let this blow teach you to keep silent in the future!'

Then she slapped her so hard that her fingers left their stamp upon her face, and the ladies who were there rebuked her strongly and pulled her away. Afterwards they too spoke of my lord Gawain among themselves. ‘Heavens,' said one of the damsels, ‘what's keeping that knight under the hornbeam
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from putting on his armour?'

Another, more unrestrained, answered: ‘He's sworn not to participate.'

And a third added afterwards: ‘He's a merchant, don't say any more about his participating in the tournament: he's brought all those horses to sell.'

‘No, he's a money-changer,' said the fourth. ‘He doesn't have any intention of sharing those goods he's brought with him among the poor knights today. Don't think I'm lying to you: it's money and dishes he's got in those chests and trunks.'

‘To be sure, you've got wicked tongues,' said the younger sister, ‘and you're all wrong. Do you think a merchant would carry as heavy a lance as he has? Indeed you make me die with shame by saying such evil things. By the faith I owe the Holy Spirit, he seems more like a champion than a merchant or money-changer: he's a knight, and looks the part!'

And unanimously all the ladies replied: ‘Dear friend, though he may seem to be a knight, he isn't; and he only pretends to be so he can avoid taxes and customs duties. He's a fool, though he thinks himself so clever, because he'll be caught for this like a thief and convicted of base and stupid larceny. He'll soon have a rope around his neck!'

My lord Gawain clearly heard their mockery and what the ladies were saying about him; he was very upset and ashamed. But he recalled, and rightly so, that he had been accused of treason and must go to defend his honour, for if he failed to join battle as he had sworn to do, he would shame himself first of all, and his family even more so. So since he was afraid of
being injured or captured he hesitated to enter the fray even though he was very eager to do so, because with each passing minute he saw the tournament getting bigger and more prestigious. And Meliant de Liz was asking for stouter lances to joust better.

All day long until evening the tournament continued in front of the gate: whoever won carried off his winnings to where he thought them to be safest. The ladies caught sight of a tall, bald squire who was holding a broken lance shaft and approaching with a bridle over his shoulders. One of the ladies called him a simpleton and shouted to him: ‘Sir squire, so help me God, you must be a crazy fool to enter this fray for the purpose of stealing lance heads and bridles and those shafts and cruppers. And you suppose you're a good squire! You can't think much of yourself to risk your life like that when I can see, right below us in this meadow, goods that are unprotected and unguarded. A man's a fool not to look to his own gain whenever he has a chance to do so. Here's the most easy-going knight ever born, for even if you plucked out each of the hairs in his moustache he wouldn't move! So don't settle for petty profits: you'd do better to take all those horses and that equipment, for he won't do a thing to stop you!'

So he went straight into the meadow and struck one of the horses with his broken lance and and said: ‘Vassal, aren't you hale and hardy? Why do you watch all day without doing anything – not even breaking a lance or splitting a shield?'

‘What concern is it of yours? Perhaps you'll yet learn why I've stood aside, but by my head it won't be now, for I wouldn't deign to tell you. So go from here, be on your way and see to your own affairs!'

Then the squire left him at once, and subsequently there was no one who dared say anything that might offend Gawain. The tournament ceased for the day; but many a knight had been captured and many a horse killed; the attackers had fought with the most bravery, but the defenders had won the most booty, and as they separated both sides swore to meet again on the following day in the field to continue the tournament.

And so they separated at night and all those who had emerged from the castle returned there. My lord Gawain went there too and entered the castle after the others; in front of the gate he met the gentleman vavasour who had advised his lord to commence the tournament, who courteously and politely invited Gawain to take lodgings there, saying: ‘Sir, your lodgings are all prepared in this castle. If you please, stay with us, for if you continued further you'd not find good lodgings this night. Therefore I urge you to stay.'

‘I'll stay, good sir, by your leave,' said my lord Gawain, ‘for I've heard many worse offers.'

The vavasour took him to his own house and asked him about one thing and another, and what was meant by his not bearing arms with them all that day in the tournament. And he told him everything: that he had been accused of treason and must keep from being captured, injured, or wounded until he could exculpate himself from the disgrace that had been cast upon him. And that he would dishonour himself and all his friends by his delay, if he was unable to come in time to the battle to which he had been challenged. The vavasour esteemed him more highly and said he was grateful to him: if this was his reason for avoiding the tournament, he had acted correctly. So the vavasour led him to his manor and they dismounted.

Meanwhile the people of the court continued to heap blame upon Gawain and spoke of how their lord was going to capture him; and his elder daughter did all she could to malign him, out of hatred for her sister. ‘Father,' she said, ‘I am well aware that you lost nothing today; on the contrary, I believe you've won rather more than you realize, and I'll tell you how: you'd be a fool not to have your men seize him. The man who brought him into the city won't dare try to defend him, for he's a most evil trickster: he's had shields and lances brought in and horses led in by their reins, thereby bypassing the customs duties because he looks like a knight. This is how he travels freely as he goes about his business. But give him what he deserves! He has taken lodgings with Garin, son of Berte. He passed by here not long ago and I saw him leading him off.'

And so she did her best to cause shame to my lord Gawain. The lord mounted his horse at once, for he wanted to go himself; he headed straight for the manor where my lord Gawain was staying. When his younger daughter saw him set off in this fashion, she stole away through a back door, not wishing to be seen, and went directly and swiftly to my lord Gawain's lodgings at the manor of Garin, son of Berte, who had two very beautiful daughters. When the maidens saw their young mistress coming, it was their duty to welcome her joyfully, which they did in all sincerity: each took her by a hand and led her in gaily, kissing her eyes and lips. Meanwhile Sir Garin, who was neither poor nor impoverished, had remounted and set off for the court with his son Bertran, as was their custom, for they wished to speak with their lord, whom they met along the way. The vavasour Garin greeted him and asked him where he was going, to which the lord replied that he wished to enjoy the festivities of his manor.

‘Indeed, this is no displeasure or pain to me,' said Sir Garin, ‘and while you're there you can see the most handsome knight in the world.'

‘By my faith, I'm not going there for that,' said the lord. ‘Instead, I'll have him seized: he's a merchant out to sell horses, yet he pretends he's a knight.'

‘What! This accusation I hear you making is most wicked!' said Sir Garin. ‘I am your liegeman and you're my lord, but I now renounce my homage and that of all my lineage. I defy you here and now rather than suffer this indignity to occur in my manor.'

‘I had no such intention,' said the lord, ‘so help me God. Your guest and your house will have only honour from me; but not, I swear to you, because I've been advised or counselled to do such a thing.'

‘I thank you sincerely,' said the vavasour, ‘and it will be a great honour for me to have you come to see my guest.'

And so they joined company and rode along together until they came to the manor where my lord Gawain was staying. As soon as my lord Gawain saw them, like the proper knight he was he arose and said: ‘Welcome!' They both returned his greeting and then sat down beside him. Then the gentleman who was lord of that land asked him why he had stood aside and had not entered the fray all day after coming to the tournament. My lord Gawain did not deny that it might be considered wrong and shameful, but explained at once that a knight had accused him of treason, and that he was going to defend his honour at a royal court.

‘You have an honourable excuse, sir, without any doubt,' said the lord. ‘Where will this combat be held?'

‘My lord,' he said, ‘I must go before the king of Escavalon, and I trust I'm headed straight in that direction.'

‘I'll give you an escort who'll take you there,' said the lord. ‘And since you must cross through very barren land, I'll give you provisions and horses to carry them.'

My lord Gawain replied that he had no need of the gift, for if he could find any for sale, he had money enough for food and good lodgings and whatever else he might need wherever he went. Therefore he sought nothing from him. At this the lord turned to leave, but as he was leaving he saw his younger daughter coming the other way. She immediately clasped my lord Gawain's leg and said: ‘Good my lord, listen to me! I have come before you to lay claim against my sister for having hit me: uphold my rights, if you please.'

My lord Gawain, who did not understand what this was about, remained
silent; but he placed his hand upon her head and the girl grasped it and said: ‘I tell you, dear sir, that I lay claim before you against my sister, for whom I bear no love or affection, because today she has caused me great shame on your account.'

‘And what is this to me, my pretty?' he answered. ‘What rights can I uphold for you?'

The lord, who had taken his leave, heard his daughter's request and said: ‘Daughter, who instructed you to come and make your claim before knights?'

And Gawain said: ‘My good sir, is she your daughter then?'

‘Yes, but don't pay any attention to what she says,' said the lord. ‘She's a child – a silly, foolish thing.'

‘Indeed,' said my lord Gawain, ‘then I'd be very ill-mannered not to do what she wants. Tell me at once, my sweet and noble child, what rights I can secure for you against your sister, and how?'