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.