ney to Geraint when he had followed Sir
Edern, now seemed too short, for he and the maid Enid passed it in much
pleasant converse.

Towards evening they arrived at Caerleon-upon-Usk, and Queen Gwenevere
received Sir Geraint with great welcome, calling him 'her glorious
knight and champion,' and telling him that Sir Edern had yielded
himself into her hands to do such atonement as seemed fitting, when he
should have recovered from his wounds.

At the beauty of the maid Enid all the court marvelled; and the queen
hastened to clothe her in robes of satin, rich and rare, with gold upon
her hair and about her throat. And when she was so dressed, all were
glad that one of so sweet a dignity and rare a beauty had come among
them.

King Arthur gave her to Sir Geraint with many rich gifts, and Enid and
Geraint were married in the abbey church, and the court gave itself up
to feasting and sport, and acclaimed her one of the three most lovely
ladies in all the isle of Britain.

When a year had passed in great happiness, ambassadors came from King
Erbin of Cornwall, with a request to King Arthur that he should let Sir
Geraint go home to his father.

'For,' said the messengers, 'King Erbin waxes old and feeble, and the
more he ageth the more insolent and daring are the barons and lords on
his marches, trying to wrest parts of his lands to add to their own.
Therefore,' said they, 'the king begs you to let his son Sir Geraint
return home, so that, knowing the fame of the strength of his arm and
his prowess, the turbulent lords would desist, and if they would not,
Sir Geraint would hurl them from his boundaries.'

King Arthur, though very reluctant to let so great an ornament of his
court depart, let him go, and Geraint and Enid went with a great party
of the best knights of the Round Table, and rode to the Severn Shore,
and there took ship to the shores of Cornwall.

When they reached there, all the people came from their villages
welcoming Sir Geraint and his lovely bride, for the fame of his
prowess, and the way in which he had won his wife, had spread over all
the land. And King Erbin welcomed his son and was glad of his coming,
and the next day all the chief subjects, the lords and barons holding
land or offices, and the chief tenants of common degree, came into the
hall, and, kneeling before Sir Geraint, did honour to him and swore
fealty.

Then, with a great company of his chief warriors, Sir Geraint visited
all the bo