“Then Sir Lancelot rode straight unto the queen, and made a kirtle and a gown to be cast upon her, and then he made her to be set behind him, and rode with her unto his castle of joyous Garde, and there he kept her as a noble knight should, and many lords and kings send Sir Lancelot many good knights.  When it was known openly that King Arthur and Sir Lancelot were at debate, many knights were glad of their debate, and many knights were sorry.  But King Arthur sorrowed for pure sorrow, and said, Alas, that ever I bare any crown upon my head.”

Gawayn, mourning the death of his brothers, incites the king to besiege Lancelot in Joyous Garde, and at length, reluctantly, Arthur consents to make war.

“Of this war was noise throughout all Christendom.  And at last it was noised before the Pope, and he, considering the great goodness of King Arthur and Sir Lancelot, which was called the most noble knight of the world, wherefore the Pope called unto him a noble clerk that at that time there was present the French book saith it was the Bishop of Rochester.  And the Pope gave him Bulls under lead, unto King Arthur of England, charging him upon pain of interdiction of all England, that he take his queen, Dame Guinevere, to him again, and accord with Sir Lancelot.”

Arthur would have made peace at once, but at first Gawayn prevented him.  Then the bishop went to Lancelot and charged him to bring back the queen:—­

“And the bishop had of the king his great seal and assurance, as he was a true anointed king, that Sir Lancelot should go safe and come safe, and that the queen should not be reproved of the king nor of none other, for nothing done before time past.”

To Lancelot the bishop ended his exhortation in these words:—­

“Wit ye well, the Pope must be obeyed.”

And Lancelot answered that it was never in his thoughts to withhold the queen from his lord, King Arthur, “but in so much as she should have been dead for my sake, me seemeth it was my part to save her life, and put her from that danger till better recover might come.  And now I thank God that the Pope hath made her peace, for God knoweth I would be a thousandfold more gladder to bring her again than I was of her taking away.”

So he brought Guinevere to the king, and when they had both knelt before him, he said:—­

“My most redoubted lord ye shall understand that, by the Pope’s commandment and by yours, I have brought unto you my lady the queen, as right requireth.”  Then King Arthur and all the other kings kneeled down and gave thankings and louings (praises) to God and to his Blessed Mother.

But Gawayn would not be reconciled to Lancelot, who in vain offered to do penance for the death of Gahers and Gareth.  In vain he said:—­