sent for Sir Launcelot to speak with him
in her bower. Then Agravaine and Mordred got together twelve
knights, friends of Sir Gawain, their brother, and persuaded them
to come with them for they should do the King a service. So with
the twelve knights they watched and waited in a little room until
they saw Sir Launcelot, all unarmed, pass into the Queen's chamber;
and when the door was closed upon him, they came forth, and Sir
Agravaine and Sir Mordred thundered on the door, crying so that all
the court might hear: "Thou traitor, Sir Launcelot, come forth from
the Queen's chamber. Come forth, for thy treason against the King
is known to all!"

Then Sir Launcelot and the Queen were amazed and filled with shame
that such a clamour should be raised where the Queen was. While
they waited and listened in dismay, Sir Mordred and Sir Agravaine
took up the cry again, the twelve knights echoing it: "Traitor
Launcelot, come forth and meet thy doom; for thy last hour is
come." Then Sir Launcelot, wroth more for the Queen than for
himself, exclaimed: "This shameful cry will kill me; better death
than such dishonour. Lady, as I have ever been your true knight,
since the day when my lord, King Arthur, knighted me, pray for me
if now I meet my death." Then he went to the door and cried to
those without: "Fair lords, cease this outcry. I will open the
door, and then ye shall do with me as ye will." With the word, he
set open the door, but only by so much that one knight could enter
at a time. So a certain Sir Colgrevance of Gore, a knight of great
stature, pushed into the room and thrust at Sir Launcelot with all
his might; but Sir Launcelot, with the arm round which he had
wrapped his cloak, turned aside the sword and, with his bare hand,
dealt Colgrevance such a blow on the helmet that he fell grovelling
to the earth. Then Sir Launcelot thrust to and barred the door, and
stripping the fallen knight of his armour, armed himself in haste
with the aid of the Queen and her ladies.

All this while, Sir Agravaine and Sir Mordred continued their
outcry; so when he was armed, Sir Launcelot called to them to cease
their vile cries and the next day he would meet any or all of them
in arms and knightly disprove their vile slander. Now there was not
one among those knights who dared meet Sir Launcelot in the open
field, so they were resolved to slay him while they had the
advantage over him. When Sir Launcelot understood their evil
purpose,