was as though even the blue sky had turned to
sackcloth to his eyes, so that he beheld nothing bright in all the world.

[Sidenote: Sir Tristram tells of the Lady Bell Isoult] But though he had
no great pleasure in life, yet Sir Tristram made many very good songs about
Belle Isoult; about her beauty and her graciousness; about how he was her
sad, loving knight; about how he was pledged unto her to be true to her all
of his life even though he might never hope to see her again.

These like words he would sing to the music of his shining, golden harp,
and King Mark loved to listen to him. And sometimes King Mark would sigh
very deeply and maybe say: "Messire, that lady of thine must in sooth be a
very wonderful, beautiful, gracious lady." And Sir Tristram would say,
"Yea, she is all that."

So it was at that time that King Mark had great love for Sir Tristram; in a
little while all that was very different, and his love was turned to bitter
hate, as you shall presently hear tell.

Now in those days the knights of Cornwall were considered to be the least
worthy of all knights in that part of the world, for they had so little
skill and prowess at arms that they were a jest and a laughing-stock to
many courts of chivalry. It was said of them that a knight-champion of
Cornwall was maybe a knight, but certes was no champion at all; and this
was great shame to all those of Cornwall, more especially as that saying
was in a great measure true.

[Sidenote: Sir Bleoberis comes to Cornwall] One day there came to the
court of Cornwall a very noble, haughty knight, hight Sir Bleoberis de
Ganys, who was brother to Sir Blamor de Ganys and right cousin to Sir
Launcelot of the Lake. This knight was a fellow of King Arthur's Round
Table, and so he was received with great honor at Cornwall, and much joy
was taken of his being there; for it was not often that knights of such
repute as he came to those parts. At that time Sir Tristram was not present
at the court, having gone hunting into the forest, but a messenger was sent
to him with news that Sir Bleoberis was present at the court of the King
and that King Mark wished him to be at court also.

Now whilst Sir Tristram was upon his way to return to the court in
obedience to these commands, there was held a feast at the castle of the
King in honor of Sir Bleoberis. There was much strong wine drunk at that
feast, so that the brains of Sir Bleoberis and of others grew very much
heated the