When Sir Launcelot was brought to her,then she said to all the ladies:Through this man and me hath all this war been wrought,and the death of the most noblest knights of the world;for through our love that we have loved together is my most noble lord slain.Therefore,Sir Launcelot,wit thou well I am set in such a plight to get my soul-heal;and yet I trust through God's grace that after my death to have a sight of the blessed face of Christ,and at domesday to sit on his right side,for as sinful as ever I was are saints in heaven.Therefore,Sir Launcelot,I require thee and beseech thee heartily,for all the love that ever was betwixt us,that thou never see me more in the visage;and I command thee,on God's behalf,that thou forsake my company,and to thy kingdom thou turn again,and keep well thy realm from war and wrack;for as well as I have loved thee,mine heart will not serve me to see thee,for through thee and me is the flower of kings and knights destroyed;therefore,Sir Launcelot,go to thy realm,and there take thee a wife,and live with her with joy and bliss;and I pray thee heartily,pray for me to our Lord that I may amend my misliving.Now,sweet madam,said Sir Launcelot,would ye that I should now return again unto my country,and there to wed a lady?Nay,madam,wit you well that shall I never do,for I shall never be so false to you of that I have promised;but the same destiny that ye have taken you to,I will take me unto,for to please Jesu,and ever for you I cast me specially to pray.If thou wilt do so,said the queen,hold thy promise,but I may never believe but that thou wilt turn to the world again.Well,madam,said he,ye say as pleaseth you,yet wist you me never false of my promise,and God defend but I should forsake the world as ye have done.For in the quest of the Sangreal I had forsaken the vanities of the world had not your lord been.And if I had done so at that time,with my heart,will,and thought,I had passed all the knights that were in the Sangreal except Sir Galahad,my son.And therefore,lady,sithen ye have taken you to perfection,I must needs take me to perfection,of right.
For I take record of God,in you I have had mine earthly joy;and if I had found you now so disposed,I had cast me to have had you into mine own realm.
CHAPTER X
How Sir Launcelot came to the hermitage where the Archbishop of Canterbury was,and how he took the habit on him BUT sithen I find you thus disposed,I ensure you faithfully,I will ever take me to penance,and pray while my life lasteth,if I may find any hermit,either gray or white,that will receive me.Wherefore,madam,I pray you kiss me and never no more.Nay,said the queen,that shall Inever do,but abstain you from such works:and they departed.But there was never so hard an hearted man but he would have wept to see the dolour that they made;for there was lamentation as they had been stung with spears;and many times they swooned,and the ladies bare the queen to her chamber.
And Sir Launcelot awoke,and went and took his horse,and rode all that day and all night in a forest,weeping.
And at the last he was ware of an hermitage and a chapel stood betwixt two cliffs;and then he heard a little bell ring to mass,and thither he rode and alighted,and tied his horse to the gate,and heard mass.And he that sang mass was the Bishop of Canterbury.Both the Bishop and Sir Bedivere knew Sir Launcelot,and they spake together after mass.But when Sir Bedivere had told his tale all whole,Sir Launcelot's heart almost brast for sorrow,and Sir Launcelot threw his arms abroad,and said:Alas,who may trust this world.And then he kneeled down on his knee,and prayed the Bishop to shrive him and assoil him.
And then he besought the Bishop that he might be his brother.Then the Bishop said:I will gladly;and there he put an habit upon Sir Launcelot,and there he served God day and night with prayers and fastings.
Thus the great host abode at Dover.And then Sir Lionel took fifteen lords with him,and rode to London to seek Sir Launcelot;and there Sir Lionel was slain and many of his lords.Then Sir Bors de Ganis made the great host for to go home again;and Sir Bors,Sir Ector de Maris,Sir Blamore,Sir Bleoberis,with more other of Sir Launcelot's kin,took on them to ride all England overthwart and endlong,to seek Sir Launcelot.So Sir Bors by fortune rode so long till he came to the same chapel where Sir Launcelot was;and so Sir Bors heard a little bell knell,that rang to mass;and there he alighted and heard mass.And when mass was done,the Bishop Sir Launcelot,and Sir Bedivere,came to Sir Bors.And when Sir Bors saw Sir Launcelot in that manner clothing,then he prayed the Bishop that he might be in the same suit.And so there was an habit put upon him,and there he lived in prayers and fasting.And within half a year,there was come Sir Galihud,Sir Galihodin,Sir Blamore,Sir Bleoberis,Sir Villiars,Sir Clarras,and Sir Gahalantine.So all these seven noble knights there abode still.And when they saw Sir Launcelot had taken him to such perfection,they had no lust to depart,but took such an habit as he had.
Thus they endured in great penance six year;and then Sir Launcelot took the habit of priesthood of the Bishop,and a twelvemonth he sang mass.And there was none of these other knights but they read in books,and holp for to sing mass,and rang bells,and did bodily all manner of service.And so their horses went where they would,for they took no regard of no worldly riches.For when they saw Sir Launcelot endure such penance,in prayers,and fastings,they took no force what pain they endured,for to see the noblest knight of the world take such abstinence that he waxed full lean.And thus upon a night,there came a vision to Sir Launcelot,and charged him,in remission of his sins,to haste him unto Almesbury:And by then thou come there,thou shalt find Queen Guenever dead.And therefore take thy fellows with thee,and purvey them of an horse bier,and fetch thou the corpse of her,and bury her by her husband,the noble King Arthur.