Page:The Garden of Romance - 1897.djvu/67

Rh whether ye will or will not; and the shield that is before you shall not help you." When Balin heard that noise, he turned his horse fiercely, and said, "Fair knight, what will you with me; will ye joust with me?" "Yes," said the Irish knight, "therefore am I come after you." "Peradventure," said Balin, "it had been better to have holden you at home; for many a man weeneth to put his enemy to rebuke, and often it falleth to himself. Of what court be ye sent from?" "I am come from the court of King Arthur," said the knight of Ireland, "that am come hither for to revenge the despite that ye have done this day to King Arthur and to his court."

"Well," said Balin, "I see well I must have ado with you, which me forethinketh for to grieve King Arthur or any of his knights, and your quarrel is full simple to me," said Balin; "for the lady that is dead did great damage, and else I would have been as loth as any knight that liveth for to slay a lady." "Make you ready," said the knight Lanceor, "and dress you to me; for one of us shall abide in the field." Then they took their spears in all the haste they might, and came together as fast as their horses might drive, and the king's son of Ireland smote Balin upon his shield, that his spear went all to shivers. And Balin smote him with such a might, that it went through his shield and perished the hawberk, and so pierced through his body and the horse croup; and Balin anon turned his horse fiercely, and drew out his sword, and wist not that he had slain him, and then he saw him lie as a dead corpse.

Then he looked by him, and was ware of a damsel that came riding as fast as her horse might gallop upon a fair palfrey. And when she espied that Sir Lanceor