s strife.
I cannot strike you, so you will gain no fame by it, though your
friends never cease from trying to slay me. My lord, remember what I
have done in many places and how evil is now my reward.' Then when
King Arthur was on his horse again he looked on Sir Lancelot, and
tears burst from his eyes, thinking of the great courtesy that was in
Sir Lancelot more than in any other man. He sighed to himself, saying
softly, 'Alas! that ever this war began,' and rode away, while the
battle ended for that time and the dead were buried.

But Sir Gawaine would not suffer the King to make peace, and they
fought on, now in one place, and now in another, till the Pope heard
of the strife and sent a noble clerk, the Bishop of Rochester, to
charge the King to make peace with Sir Lancelot, and to take back unto
him his Queen, the Lady Guenevere. Now the King, as has been said,
would fain have followed the Pope's counsel and have accorded with Sir
Lancelot, but Sir Gawaine would not suffer him. However, as to the
Queen Sir Gawaine said nothing; and King Arthur gave audience to the
Bishop, and swore on his great seal that he would take back the Queen
as the Pope desired, and that if Sir Lancelot brought her he should
come safe and go safe. So the Bishop rode to Joyous Gard and showed
Sir Lancelot what the Pope had written and King Arthur had answered,
and told him of the perils which would befall him if he withheld the
Queen. 'It was never in my thought,' answered Sir Lancelot, 'to
withhold the Queen from King Arthur, but as she would have been dead
for my sake it was my part to save her life, and to keep her from
danger till better times came. And I thank God that the Pope has made
peace, and I shall be a thousand times gladder to bring her back than
I was to take her away. Therefore ride to the King, and say that in
eight days I myself will bring the Lady Guenevere unto him.' So the
Bishop departed, and came to the King at Carlisle, and told him what
Sir Lancelot had answered, and tears burst from the King's eyes once
more.

A goodly host of a hundred Knights rode eight days later from the
Castle of Joyous Gard; every Knight was clothed in green velvet, and
held in his hand a branch of olive, and bestrode a horse with
trappings down to his heels. And behind the Queen were four and twenty
gentlewomen clad in green likewise, while twelve esquires attended on
Sir Lancelot. He and the Queen wore dresses of white and gold tissue,
and