haped it to a club of some sort.
Then he came lower, and the knight waited to strike him with his sword,
when he was low enough; but Sir Launcelot did not come low enough for that.

Then Sir Launcelot perceived that his horse stood below him and a little to
one side, so of a sudden he ran out along the branch whereon he stood and
he leaped quickly down to the earth upon the farther side of his horse from
where the knight stood.

[Sidenote: Sir Launcelot overcomes Sir Phelot with a strange weapon] At
this Sir Phelot ran at him and lashed at him with his sword, thinking to
slay him before he had recovered from his leap. But Sir Launcelot was
quicker than he, for he recovered his feet and put away the blow of Sir
Phelot with his club which he held. Then he ran in upon Sir Phelot under
his sword arm, and before he could use his sword he struck Sir Phelot with
all his might upon the side of his head. And he struck him very quickly
again, and he struck him the third time, all in the space whilst one might
count two. And those blows he struck were so direful that Sir Phelot fell
down upon his knees, all stunned and bedazed, and the strength went out of
his thews because of faintness. Then Sir Launcelot took the sword out of
the hand of Sir Phelot and Sir Phelot did not have strength to deny him.
And Sir Launcelot plucked off Sir Phelot's helm and catched him by the hair
and dragged his neck forward so as to have ease to strike his head from off
his body.

Now all this while the lady had been weeping and watching what befell. But
when she saw the great danger Sir Phelot was in, she ran and clasped her
arms about him, and cried out in a very loud and piercing voice upon Sir
Launcelot to spare Sir Phelot and to slay him not. But Sir Launcelot, still
holding him by the hair of the head, said: "Lady, I cannot spare him, for
he has treated me more treacherously than any other knight with whom I ever
had dealings." But the lady cried out all the more vehemently, "Sir
Launcelot, thou good knight, I beseech thee, of thy knighthood, to spare
him."

[Sidenote: Sir Launcelot spares Sir Phelot's life] "Well," said Sir
Launcelot, "it hath yet to be said of me that I have denied anything that I
was able to grant unto any lady that hath asked it of me upon my
knighthood. And yet I know not how to trust either of ye. For thou didst
not say one word in my behalf when I was in danger of being slain so
treacherously just now. As for this knigh