CHAPTER V
 
 How the queen required Sir Bors to fight for her, and how
 he granted upon condition; and how he warned Sir
 Launcelot thereof.
 
 
 SO the queen departed from the king, and sent for Sir
 Bors into her chamber.  And when he was come she
 besought him of succour.  Madam, said he, what would
 ye that I did? for I may not with my worship have ado
 in this matter, because I was at the same dinner, for dread
 that any of those knights would have me in suspicion.
 Also, madam, said Sir Bors, now miss ye Sir Launcelot,
 for he would not have failed you neither in right nor in
 wrong, as ye have well proved when ye have been in
 danger; and now ye have driven him out of this country,
 by whom ye and all we were daily worshipped by; therefore,
 madam, I marvel how ye dare for shame require
 me to do any thing for you, in so much ye have chased
 him out of your country by whom we were borne up and
 honoured.  Alas, fair knight, said the queen, I put me
 wholly in your grace, and all that is done amiss I will
 amend as ye will counsel me.  And therewith she kneeled
 down upon both her knees, and besought Sir Bors to have
 mercy upon her:  Outher I shall have a shameful death,
 and thereto I never offended.
 
 Right so came King Arthur, and found the queen
 kneeling afore Sir Bors; then Sir Bors pulled her up, and
 said:  Madam, ye do me great dishonour.  Ah, gentle
 knight, said the king, have mercy upon my queen, courteous
 knight, for I am now in certain she is untruly
 defamed.  And therefore, courteous knight, said the king,
 promise her to do battle for her, I require you for the
 love of Sir Launcelot.  My lord, said Sir Bors, ye require
 me the greatest thing that any man may require me; and
 wit ye well if I grant to do battle for the queen I shall
 wrath many of my fellowship of the Table Round.  But
 as for that, said Bors, I will grant my lord that for my
 lord Sir Launcelot's sake, and for your sake I will at that
 day be the queen's champion unless that there come by
 adventure a better knight than I am to do battle for her.
 Will ye promise me this, said the king, by your faith?
 Yea sir, said Sir Bors, of that I will not fail you, nor her
 both, but if there come a better knight than I am, and
 then shall he have the battle.  Then was the king and the
 queen passing glad, and so departed, and thanked him
 heartily.
 
 So then Sir Bors departed secretly upon a day, and
 rode unto Sir Launcelot thereas he was with the hermit,
 Sir Brasias, and told him of all their adventure.  Ah Jesu,
 said Sir Launcelot, this is come happily as I would have
 it, and therefore I pray you make you ready to do battle,
 but look that ye tarry till ye see me come, as long as ye
 may.  For I am sure Mador is an hot knight when he is
 enchafed, for the more ye suffer him the hastier will he
 be to battle.  Sir, said Bors, let me deal with him, doubt
 ye not ye shall have all your will.  Then departed Sir
 Bors from him and came to the court again.  Then was
 it noised in all the court that Sir Bors should do battle
 for the queen; wherefore many knights were displeased
 with him, that he would take upon him to do battle in
 the queen's quarrel; for there were but few knights in
 all the court but they deemed the queen was in the
 wrong, and that she had done that treason.
 
 So Sir Bors answered thus to his fellows of the Table
 Round:  Wit ye well, my fair lords, it were shame to us
 all an we suffered to see the most noble queen of the
 world to be shamed openly, considering her lord and our
 lord is the man of most worship in the world, and most
 christened, and he hath ever worshipped us all in all
 places.  Many answered him again:  As for our most
 noble King Arthur, we love him and honour him as well
 as ye do, but as for Queen Guenever we love her not,
 because she is a destroyer of good knights.  Fair lords,
 said Sir Bors, meseemeth ye say not as ye should say, for
 never yet in my days knew I never nor heard say that
 ever she was a destroyer of any good knight.  But at all
 times as far as ever I could know she was a maintainer of
 good knights; and ever she hath been large and free of
 her goods to all good knights, and the most bounteous
 lady of her gifts and her good grace, that ever I saw or
 heard speak of.  And therefore it were shame, said Sir
 Bors, to us all to our most noble king's wife, an we
 suffered her to be shamefully slain.  And wit ye well,
 said Sir Bors, I will not suffer it, for I dare say so much,
 the queen is not guilty of Sir Patrise's death, for she owed
 him never none ill will, nor none of the four-and-twenty
 knights that were at that dinner; for I dare say for good
 love she bade us to dinner, and not for no mal engine,
 and that I doubt not shall be proved hereafter, for
 howsomever the game goeth, there was treason among us.
 Then some said to Sir Bors:  We may well believe your
 words.  And so some of them were well pleased, and
 some were not so.