rewith. Then, what with the heat of the wine and the noise and
tumult of the feast, Sir Bleoberis waxed very hot-headed, and boastful. So,
being in that condition and not knowing very well how he spake, he made
great boast of the prowess of the knights of King Arthur's court above
those of Cornwall. And in this boastful humor he said: "It is perfectly
true that one single knight of the Round Table is the peer of twenty
knights of Cornwall, for so it is said and so I maintain it to be."

Upon that there fell a silence over all that part of the feast, for all the
knights and lords who were there heard what Sir Bleoberis said, and yet no
one knew how to reply to him. As for King Mark, he looked upon Sir
Bleoberis, smiling very sourly, and as though with great distaste of his
words, and he said: "Messire, inasmuch as thou art our guest, and sitting
here at feast with us, it is not fit that we should take thy words
seriously; else what thou sayst might be very easily disproved."

Upon this the blood rushed with great violence into the face and head of
Sir Bleoberis, and he laughed very loud. Then he said: "Well, Lord, it need
not be that I should be a guest here very long. And as for what I say, you
may easily put the truth thereof to the proof."

[Sidenote: Sir Bleoberis challenges the knights of Cornwall] Therewith Sir
Bleoberis arose and looked about him, and he perceived that there was near
by where he stood a goblet of gold very beautifully chased and cunningly
carved. This Sir Bleoberis took into his hand, and it was half full of red
wine. So he stood up before them all, and he cried in a very loud voice:
"Messires, and all you knights of Cornwall, here I drink to your more
excellent courage and prowess, and wish that you may have better fortune in
arms than you have heretofore proved yourselves to have?" And therewith he
drank all the wine that was in the goblet. Then he said: "Now I go away
from here and take this goblet with me; and if any knight of Cornwall may
take it away from me and bring it back again to the King, then I am very
willing to own that there are better knights in this country than I
supposed there to be." Therewith he turned and went out from that place
very haughtily and scornfully, taking that goblet with him, and not one of
all those knights who were there made any move to stay him, or to reprove
him for his discourteous speech.

Now after he had come out of the hall and into the cool of the ai