she commanded, taking his place upon a couch spread with purple cloth
embroidered with silver lions whereon the Queen was sitting at that
time. Then Queen Margaise gazed long upon her beautiful son, and her
heart yearned over him with pride and glory because of his strength and
grace. And by and by she said: "My son, now that thou hast reached to
the fulness of thy stature and girth and art come to the threshold of
thy manhood, it is time for thee to win for thyself the glory of
knighthood such as shall become thee, earning it by such deeds as shall
be worthy of the royal race from which thou hast sprung. Accordingly, I
would now have it that thou shouldst go to the court of my brother, King
Arthur, and that thou shouldst there take thy stand with that noble and
worthy companionship of the Champions of the Round Table, of whom thy
brothers shine forth like bright planets in the midst of a galaxy of
stars. So I would have it that thou shouldst go to the court of the
great King, my brother, a week from to-day, and to that end I would have
it that thou shouldst go in charge of three of the noblest lords of this
court and in such a state of pomp and circumstance as may befit one who
is, as thou art, the son of a royal father and mother and the nephew of
that great King who is the overlord of this entire realm."

[Sidenote: _Gareth departeth for the court of King Arthur._]

Thus spake Queen Margaise, and in accordance with that saying Gareth set
forth a sennight from that time for the court of King Arthur. With him
there rode three very noble haughty lords of the court as the Queen had
ordained, and with these went esquires and attendants to the number of
threescore ten and four. In the midst of that company young Gareth rode
upon a cream white horse, and all the harness and furnishings of the
horse upon which he rode were of gold, and the saddle upon which he sat
was stamped with gold and riveted with rivets of gold, and Gareth
himself was clad all in cloth of gold, so, what with all of these and
his fair beautiful face in the bright sunlight (the day being
wonderfully clear and fair) the royal youth appeared to shine with such
a glistering splendor that it was as though a star of remarkable glory
had fallen from the heavens and had found lodgment in his person upon
the earth.

So it was that the young Gareth rode forth upon his way to the court of
his uncle, the King.

That evening, he and his company rested for the nig