Le Morte d'Arthur BOOK XII CHAPTER III

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 CHAPTER III
 
 How Sir Launcelot fought against a boar and slew him, and
 how he was hurt, and brought unto an hermitage.
 
 
 SO came Sir Launcelot and found the horse bounden till a
 tree, and a spear leaning against a tree, and a sword tied
 to the saddle bow; and then Sir Launcelot leapt into the
 saddle and gat that spear in his hand, and then he rode
 after the boar; and then Sir Launcelot was ware where
 the boar set his arse to a tree fast by an hermitage.
 Then Sir Launcelot ran at the boar with his spear, and
 therewith the boar turned him nimbly, and rove out the
 lungs and the heart of the horse, so that Launcelot fell to
 the earth; and, or ever Sir Launcelot might get from the
 horse, the boar rove him on the brawn of the thigh up to
 the hough bone.  And then Sir Launcelot was wroth, and
 up he gat upon his feet, and drew his sword, and he smote
 off the boar's head at one stroke.  And therewithal came
 out the hermit, and saw him have such a wound.  Then
 the hermit came to Sir Launcelot and bemoaned him, and
 would have had him home unto his hermitage; but when
 Sir Launcelot heard him speak, he was so wroth with his
 wound that he ran upon the hermit to have slain him,
 and the hermit ran away.  And when Sir Launcelot might
 not overget him, he threw his sword after him, for Sir
 Launcelot might go no further for bleeding; then the
 hermit turned again, and asked Sir Launcelot how he was
 hurt.  Fellow, said Sir Launcelot, this boar hath bitten
 me sore.  Then come with me, said the hermit, and I
 shall heal you.  Go thy way, said Sir Launcelot, and deal
 not with me.
 
 Then the hermit ran his way, and there he met with a
 good knight with many men.  Sir, said the hermit, here
 is fast by my place the goodliest man that ever I saw, and
 he is sore wounded with a boar, and yet he hath slain the
 boar.  But well I wot, said the hermit, and he be not
 holpen, that goodly man shall die of that wound, and that
 were great pity.  Then that knight at the desire of the
 hermit gat a cart, and in that cart that knight put the boar
 and Sir Launcelot, for Sir Launcelot was so feeble that
 they might right easily deal with him; and so Sir Launcelot
 was brought unto the hermitage, and there the hermit
 healed him of his wound.  But the hermit might not find
 Sir Launcelot's sustenance, and so he impaired and waxed
 feeble, both of his body and of his wit: for the default of
 his sustenance he waxed more wooder than he was aforehand.
 
 And then upon a day Sir Launcelot ran his way into
 the forest; and by adventure he came to the city of
 Corbin, where Dame Elaine was, that bare Galahad, Sir
 Launcelot's son.  And so when he was entered into the
 town he ran through the town to the castle; and then all
 the young men of that city ran after Sir Launcelot, and
 there they threw turves at him, and gave him many sad
 strokes.  And ever as Sir Launcelot might overreach any
 of them, he threw them so that they would never come in
 his hands no more; for of some he brake the legs and
 the arms, and so fled into the castle; and then came out
 knights and squires and rescued Sir Launcelot.  And
 when they beheld him and looked upon his person, they
 thought they saw never so goodly a man.  And when
 they saw so many wounds upon him, all they deemed that
 he had been a man of worship.  And then they ordained
 him clothes to his body, and straw underneath him, and a
 little house.  And then every day they would throw him
 meat, and set him drink, but there was but few would
 bring him meat to his hands.