ir Bors;
then Sir Bors pulled her up, and said: Madam, ye do me great dishonour.
Ah, gentle knight, said the king, have mercy upon my queen, courteous
knight, for I am now in certain she is untruly defamed. And therefore,
courteous knight, said the king, promise her to do battle for her, I
require you for the love of Sir Launcelot. My lord, said Sir Bors, ye
require me the greatest thing that any man may require me; and wit ye
well if I grant to do battle for the queen I shall wrath many of my
fellowship of the Table Round. But as for that, said Bors, I will grant
my lord that for my lord Sir Launcelot's sake, and for your sake I will
at that day be the queen's champion unless that there come by adventure
a better knight than I am to do battle for her. Will ye promise me this,
said the king, by your faith? Yea sir, said Sir Bors, of that I will not
fail you, nor her both, but if there come a better knight than I am, and
then shall he have the battle. Then was the king and the queen passing
glad, and so departed, and thanked him heartily.

So then Sir Bors departed secretly upon a day, and rode unto Sir
Launcelot thereas he was with the hermit, Sir Brasias, and told him of
all their adventure. Ah Jesu, said Sir Launcelot, this is come happily
as I would have it, and therefore I pray you make you ready to do
battle, but look that ye tarry till ye see me come, as long as ye may.
For I am sure Mador is an hot knight when he is enchafed, for the more
ye suffer him the hastier will he be to battle. Sir, said Bors, let me
deal with him, doubt ye not ye shall have all your will. Then departed
Sir Bors from him and came to the court again. Then was it noised in all
the court that Sir Bors should do battle for the queen; wherefore many
knights were displeased with him, that he would take upon him to do
battle in the queen's quarrel; for there were but few knights in all the
court but they deemed the queen was in the wrong, and that she had done
that treason.

So Sir Bors answered thus to his fellows of the Table Round: Wit ye
well, my fair lords, it were shame to us all an we suffered to see the
most noble queen of the world to be shamed openly, considering her
lord and our lord is the man of most worship in the world, and most
christened, and he hath ever worshipped us all in all places. Many
answered him again: As for our most noble King Arthur, we love him and
honour him as well as ye do, but as for Queen Guenever we love her