ays
any knight of repute in all the court of Cornwall. Wherefore King Mark knew
not where he should find him a champion to meet that challenge from the
King of Ireland. Yet he must needs meet it, for he was ashamed to refuse
such a challenge as that, and so to acknowledge that Cornwall had no
knight-champion to defend it. So he said it should be as the King of
Ireland would have it, and that if the King of Ireland would choose a
champion, he also would do the same.

[Sidenote: The King of Ireland chooses Sir Marhaus for his champion]
Thereupon the King of Ireland chose for his champion Sir Marhaus of
Ireland, who was one of the greatest knights in the world. For in the Book
of King Arthur (which I wrote aforetime) you may there read in the story of
Sir Pellias how great and puissant a champion Sir Marhaus was, and how he
overthrew Sir Gawaine and others with the greatest ease. Wherefore at that
time he was believed by many to be the greatest knight in the world (it
being before the days of Sir Launcelot of the Lake), and even in the days
of Sir Launcelot it was doubted whether he or Sir Launcelot were the
greater champion.

So King Mark could not find any knight in Cornwall to stand against Sir
Marhaus. Nor could he easily find any knight outside of Cornwall to do
battle with him. For Sir Marhaus, being a knight of the Round Table, no
other knight of the Round Table would fight against him--and there were no
other knights so great as that famous brotherhood of the Table Round.

Accordingly, King Mark knew not where to turn to find him a champion to do
battle in his behalf.

In this strait, King Mark sent a letter by a messenger to Lyonesse, asking
if there was any knight at Lyonesse who would stand his champion against
Sir Marhaus, and he offered great reward if such a champion would undertake
his cause against Ireland.

[Sidenote: Tristram asks leave to go to Cornwall] Now when young Tristram
heard this letter of his uncle King Mark, he straightway went to his father
and said: "Sire, some whiles ago you desired that I should become a knight.
Now I would that you would let me go to Cornwall upon this occasion. For
when I come there I will beseech my uncle King Mark to make me a knight,
and then I will go out against Sir Marhaus. For I have a great mind to
undertake this adventure in behalf of King Mark, and to stand his champion
against Sir Marhaus. For though Sir Marhaus is so great a knight and so
famous a hero,