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THere at was sir Gawayn wroth / & in especyal sir launcelot bad sir kay leue his mockyng / for I dare laye my hede he shall preue a man of grete worship / lete be / said sir kay / it may not be by no reason / for as he is / so he hath asked / Beware said syre Launcelot / so ye gafe the good knyȝt Brewnor syre Dynadamys broder a name / and ye called hym la cote male tayle / and that tourned you to anger after-
[leaf 108r] ward / As for that sayd syr kay this shall neuer preue none suche / For syr Brewnor desyred euer worship and thys desyreth breed & drynke / & brothe vpon payne of my lyf he was fostred vp in some abbay / and how someuer it was they fayled mete and drynke / and soo hyther he is come for his sustenaunce
¶ And soo syre kay badde gete hym a place and sytte doune to mete / soo Beaumayns wente to the halle dore / and sette hym doune amonge boyes and laddys / & there he ete sadly / And thenne syre launcelot after mete badde hym come to his chamber / And there he shold haue mete and drynke ynough / And soo dyd syre Gawayne / but he reffused hem al / he wold doo none other / but as syr kay commaunded hym for no profer / But as touchynge syre Gawayn he hadde reson to profer hym lodgyng mete and drynke / for that profer came of his blood / for he was nere kynne to hym than he wyst But that as syre launcelot dyd was of his grete gentylnes and curtosye
¶ Soo thus he was putte in to the kechyn and laye nyghtly as the boyes of the kechen dyd / And soo he endured alle that twelue moneth / and neuer displeasyd man nor chylde / but alweyes he was meke & mylde / But euer whanne that he sawe ony Iustynge of knyghtes / that wold he see and he myght / And euer syre launcelot wold gyue hym gold to spende and clothes / and soo dyd syre Gawayne / and where there were ony maystryes done / there atte wold he be / and there myghte none cast barre nor stone to hym by two yerdys / Thenne wold syre kay saye how lyketh yow my boye of the kechyn / soo it past on tyl the feest of Whytsontyde / And at that tyme the kynge helde hit att Carlyon in the moost royallest wyse that myghte be / lyke as he dyd yerly / But the Kynge wold no mete ete vpon the whyysonday vntyl he herd some aduentures / Thenne cam ther a squyer to the Kyng / and said / syre ye maye goo to your mete / for here cometh a damoysel with somme straunge aduentures / thenne was the Kynge gladde and sette hym doune /
¶ Ryghte soo ther came a damoysel in to the halle and salewed the Kynge and prayd hym of socour / for whome sayd the Kynge what is the aduenture /
¶ Syre she sayd I haue a lady of grete worship and renomme / and she is byseged with a tyraunte so that she may
[leaf 108v] not oute of her castel / And by cause here are callyd the noblest knyghtes of the world / I come to you to praye you of socour / What heteth your lady and where dwelleth she / & who is he / & what is his name that hath byseged her / syre kyng she saide / as for my ladyes name that shall not ye knowe for me as at this tyme / but I lete you wete she is a lady of grete worship and of grete landes / And as for the tyraunt that bysyegeth her and destroyeth her landes he is called the rede knyght of the reed laundes / I knowe hym not sayd the kynge / Syre said syre Gawayne / I knowe hym wel for he is one of the perilloust knyghtes of the world / men saye that he hath seuen mennys strengthe / and from hym I escaped ones ful hard / with my lyf / Fayre damoysel sayd the kynge there ben knyȝtes here wolde doo her power for to rescowe your lady / but by cause ye wylle not telle her name nor where she dwelleth / therfor none of my knyghtes that here be now shal goo with yow by my wylle / thenne must I speke further sayd the damoysel