Never did a knight with so fair a name commit such iniquities as
this, and yours is the shame for it." "Sire, sire," says Kay to
the king, "I will defend the Queen and myself against the
accusation of your son. He harasses and distresses me, though he
has no ground to treat me so." "You cannot fight," the king
replies, "you are too ill." "Sire, if you will allow it, I will
fight with him, ill as I am, and will show him that I am not
guilty of the crime which he imputes to me." But the Queen,
having secretly sent word to Lancelot, tells the king that she
will present a knight who will defend the seneschal, if Meleagant
dares to urge this charge. Then Meleagant said at once: "There
is no knight without exception, even were he a giant, whom I will
not fight until one of us is defeated." Then Lancelot came in,
and with him such a rout of knights that the whole hall was
filled with them. As soon as he had entered, in the hearing of
all, both young and old, the Queen told what had happened, and
said: "Lancelot, this insult has been done me by Meleagant. In
the presence of all who hear his words he says I have lied, if
you do not make him take it back. Last night, he asserted, Kay
lay with me, because he found my sheets, like his, all stained
with blood; and he says that he stands convicted, unless he will
undertake his own defence, or unless some one else will fight the
battle on his behalf.
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