eath the blow and would have fallen
had not the knight rider recovered him with rein and spur and voice.

[Sidenote: _Sir Gareth doeth battle with Sir Percevant._]

Then each knight leaped down from his horse and drew his sword and
rushed to the assault afoot with all the fierceness of two wild boars
engaged in battle. And thereupon they fell to lashing such blows at one
another that even they who looked on from a distance were affrighted at
the violence and the uproar of that assault. For the two champions
fought very fiercely, and the longer they fought the more fiercely they
did battle. And in a little while the armor of each was all stained red,
and the ground upon which they fought was all besprinkled with red, yet
neither knight had any thought of yielding to the other in any whit or
degree, but still each fought on with ever-increasing fury against the
other.

Now at this time neither knight had aught of advantage against the
other, and no man might have told how that battle would have gone, but
at the moment of the greatest doubt, Lynette uplifted her voice aloud,
as it were in terror, crying out very shrilly and vehemently: "Good
worthy knight Sir Percevant, will you then let a kitchen knave and a
scullion stay you thus in your battle?"

[Sidenote: _Sir Gareth overcometh Sir Percevant._]

Then it befell as it had befallen before when Sir Gareth fought with the
Black Knight, Sir Percevant's brother, for Sir Gareth heard the words
that Lynette cried out, and straightway it was as though the new
strength of several men had entered into his body because of his anger
at those words. And that anger consumed all else that was before it,
whether that other were of prudence or of temper. For straightway Sir
Gareth flung aside his shield and seized his sword in both hands and
rushed upon Sir Percevant and struck blow upon blow so fiercely and so
violently that nor skill nor strength might withstand his assault. Then
Sir Percevant fell back before that assault and could not do otherwise,
and he bore his shield full low; but ever Sir Gareth followed him and
smote him more and more violently so that Sir Percevant could no longer
hold up his shield against the assault of his enemy. And Sir Gareth
perceived that Sir Percevant waxed feeble in his defence and with that
he rushed in and smote Sir Percevant upon the helm so woeful a blow that
Sir Percevant could no longer stand upon his feet but sank slowly down
upon his kne