Le Morte d'Arthur BOOK XI CHAPTER VI

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 CHAPTER VI
 
 How Sir Bors departed; and how Sir Launcelot was
 rebuked of Queen Guenever, and of his excuse.
 
 
 NOW, said that old man to Sir Bors, go ye to your cousin,
 Sir Launcelot, and tell him of this adventure the which
 had been most convenient for him of all earthly knights;
 but sin is so foul in him he may not achieve such holy
 deeds, for had not been his sin he had passed all the
 knights that ever were in his days; and tell thou Sir
 Launcelot, of all worldly adventures he passeth in manhood
 and prowess all other, but in this spiritual matters he shall
 have many his better.  And then Sir Bors saw four gentlewomen
 come by him, purely beseen: and he saw where
 that they entered into a chamber where was great light as
 it were a summer light; and the women kneeled down
 afore an altar of silver with four pillars, and as it had been
 a bishop kneeled down afore that table of silver.  And as
 Sir Bors looked over his head he saw a sword like silver,
 naked, hoving over his head, and the clearness thereof
 smote so in his eyes that as at that time Sir Bors was blind;
 and there he heard a voice that said:  Go hence, thou Sir
 Bors, for as yet thou art not worthy for to be in this place.
 And then he yede backward to his bed till on the morn.
 And on the morn King Pelles made great joy of Sir Bors;
 and then he departed and rode to Camelot, and there he
 found Sir Launcelot du Lake, and told him of the adventures
 that he had seen with King Pelles at Corbin.
 
 So the noise sprang in Arthur's court that Launcelot
 had gotten a child upon Elaine, the daughter of King
 Pelles, wherefore Queen Guenever was wroth, and gave
 many rebukes to Sir Launcelot, and called him false knight.
 And then Sir Launcelot told the queen all, and how he
 was made to lie by her by enchantment in likeness of the
 queen.  So the queen held Sir Launcelot excused.  And
 as the book saith, King Arthur had been in France, and
 had made war upon the mighty King Claudas, and had
 won much of his lands.  And when the king was come
 again he let cry a great feast, that all lords and ladies of
 all England should be there, but if it were such as were
 rebellious against him.