wounded
of his own army and of his enemies, binding up their wounds and giving
comfort to those who were dying. The dead he buried with honors of war
whether they were his opponents or his friends.

As he went about among the boats he espied Sir Gawaine lying more dead
than alive, for in the battle he had received a blow which had reopened
the wound Launcelot had given him. When Arthur saw Gawaine he cried to
the stricken knight, "My sister's son, here you lie at the point of
death, the one man in the world I love most. Now is my joy all gone. Sir
Launcelot had all my friendship and you all my love, both of which are
gone utterly from me. Now indeed is my earthly joy all departed."

"My uncle, King Arthur," said Gawaine, "you know that this is my death
day, and that all has come through my own hastiness; for now am I
smitten on an old wound which Sir Launcelot gave me, and I know well I
must die. If Sir Launcelot had been with you, this unhappy war had never
begun. Now am I the cause of all this, for now I know it was Sir
Launcelot that kept his enemies in subjection. I could not join in
friendship with him while I lived, but now as I die I pray you give me
paper, pen and ink that I may write to Launcelot with mine own hand."

When the writing materials were brought Gawaine sat weakly up and wrote
this, "Unto Sir Launcelot, flower of all noble knights that I have heard
or saw by my days; I, Sir Gawaine, nephew of King Arthur, send you
greeting and let you know that I have been smitten upon the wound that
you gave me before the city of Benwick and that I have come to my death
day. I wish all the world to know that I, Sir Gawaine, knight of the
Round Table, came by my death by my own seeking and not through your
fault. So I beseech you, Sir Launcelot, return again to England and
sometime see my tomb and say a prayer or two for my soul. Alas, Sir
Launcelot, I beseech you by all the love that ever was between us, lose
no time but cross the sea in all haste that you may rescue the noble
king that made you knight, for he is in peril from that false traitor,
my half-brother, Sir Mordred.

"This letter was written but two hours and a half before my death with
my own hand and sealed with my heart's blood."

Then King Arthur wept, and sadness fell upon all who stood about. At the
hour of noon, after Sir Gawaine had received the sacrament and had
begged King Arthur to send for Launcelot, he yielded up the spirit.

After the