who shall dare say she has been
untrue to you, I, Lancelot du Lake, stand ready to make her honor good
with my body. To liars you have listened, and that has caused all the
trouble between you and me. Time has been, my lord Arthur, when you have
been greatly pleased with me in that I did battle for my lady your
queen. Full well you know, my most royal sir, that she has been put to
great wrong before this time; and since it pleased you then that I
should fight for her, it seems to me that I had still more cause this
last time to rescue her from the fire, since she was to have been burnt
for my sake. Had not the might of God been with me, think you that I
could, unarmed, have prevailed over fourteen armed knights? I was sent
for by the queen, who wished to confer with me, but had barely stepped
within her chamber, when out burst Mordred and Agravaine, calling me
traitor and recreant knight."

"They called you truly," said Gawaine.

"Did they so, Gawaine? By heaven, in their quarrel they failed to prove
themselves in the right."

"I have given you no cause to do evil to me, Lancelot," said the king.
"For I have loved you and yours more than all my other knights."

"My good lord and liege," answered Lancelot, "I beg it may not displease
you if I answer that you have better cause to love me and mine than most
knights, for none have done you such service as we have at many times
and in many places. Often have I myself rescued you from deadly peril,
when you were hard pressed by your foes; and it has ever been my joy to
please you, and my lord Gawaine as well, in jousts and tournaments, and
in set battles, both on horse and on foot. I wish not to boast of my
deeds, yet you all know well that I never met a knight but that I was
able to stand against him, and have always done my duty like a man. I
have been matched with good knights, such as Sir Tristram and Sir
Lamorak, whom I loved for their valor and honesty. And I take God to
witness, that I was never angry with or jealous of any good knight whom
I saw active to win honor, and was ever glad at heart when I found a
knight who was able to endure me on horseback or on foot. Sir Carados of
the dolorous tower was a noble knight and a man of mighty strength, and
this you know full well, Sir Gawaine, since he pulled you from your
horse, and bound you before him on his saddle. Yet I rescued you from
him, and slew him before your eyes. In like manner I found his brother,
Sir Tur