among the knights at king arthur's court were his nephews, the sons of his sister, queen bellicent, and of that king lot of orkney, who had joined the league against arthur in the first years of his reign.

of each, many tales are told; of sir gawain and sir gareth to their great renown, but of sir mordred to his shame. for sir gawain and sir gareth were knights of great prowess; but sir mordred was a coward and a traitor, envious of other men's fame, and a tale-bearer.

now sir gawain was known as the ladies' knight, and this is how he came by the name. it was at arthur's marriage-feast, when gawain had just been made knight, that a strange thing befell. there entered the hall a white hart, chased by a hound, and when it had run round the hall, it fled through the doorway again, still followed by the hound. then, by merlin's advice, the quest of the hart was given to gawain as a new-made knight, to follow it and see what adventures it would bring him. so sir gawain rode away, taking with him three couples of greyhounds for the pursuit. at the last, the hounds caught the hart, and killed it just as it reached the court-yard of a castle. then there came forth from the castle a knight, and he was grieved and wroth to see the hart slain, for it was given him by his lady; so, in his anger, he killed two of the hounds. at that moment sir gawain entered the court-yard, and an angry man was he when he saw his greyhounds slain. "sir knight," said he, "ye would have done better to have taken your vengeance on me rather than on dumb animals which but acted after their kind." "i will be avenged on you also," cried the knight; and the two rushed together, cutting and thrusting that it was wonderful they might so long endure. but at the last the knight grew faint, and crying for mercy, offered to yield to sir gawain. "ye had no mercy on my hounds," said sir gawain. "i will make you all the amends in my power," answered the knight. but sir gawain would not be turned from his purpose, and unlacing the vanquished knight's helmet, was about to cut off his head, when a lady rushed out from the castle and flung herself on the body of the fallen knight. so it chanced that sir gawain's sword descending smote off the lady's head. then was sir gawain grieved and sore ashamed for what he had done, and said to the knight: "i repent for what i have done; and here i give you your life. go only to camelot, to king arthur's court, and tell him ye are sent by the knight who follows the quest of the white hart." "ye have slain my lady," said the other, "and now i care not what befalls me." so he arose and went to king arthur's court.

then sir gawain prepared to rest him there for the night; but scarcely had he lain down when there fell upon him four knights, crying: "new-made knight, ye have shamed your knighthood, for a knight without mercy is without honour." then was sir gawain borne to the earth, and would have been slain, but that there came forth from the castle four ladies who besought the knights to spare his life; so they consented and bound him prisoner.

the next morning sir gawain was brought again before the knights and their dames; and because he was king arthur's nephew, the ladies desired that he should be set free, only they required that he should ride again to camelot, the murdered lady's head hanging from his neck, and her dead body across his saddle-bow; and that when he arrived at the court he should confess his misdeeds.

so sir gawain rode sadly back to camelot, and when he had told his tale, king arthur was sore displeased. and queen guenevere held a court of her ladies to pass sentence on sir gawain for his ungentleness. these then decreed that, his life long, he must never refuse to fight for any lady who desired his services, and that ever he should be gentle and courteous and show mercy to all. from that time forth, sir gawain never failed in aught that dame or damsel asked of him, and so he won and kept the title of the ladies' knight.