The Lay of Equitan is one of Marie's most famous tales. Equitan was
King of Nantes, in Brittany, and led the life of a pleasure-seeker. To
win approval from the eyes of fair ladies was more to him than
knightly fame or honour.

Equitan had as seneschal a trusty and faithful knight, who was to the
pleasure-loving seigneur as his right hand. This faithful servant was
also captain of Equitan's army, and sat as a judge in his courts. To
his undoing he had a wife, as fair a dame as any in the duchy of
Brittany. "Her eyes," says the old lay, "were blue, her face was warm
in colour, her mouth fragrant and her nose dainty." She was ever
tastefully dressed and courtly in demeanour, and soon attracted the
attention of such an admirer of the fair sex as Equitan, who desired
to speak with her more intimately. He therefore, as a subterfuge,
announced that a great hunt would take place in that part of his
domains in which his seneschal's castle was situated, and this gave
him the opportunity of sojourning at the castle and holding converse
with the lady, with whom he became so charmed that in a few days he
fell deeply in love with her. On the night of the day when he first
became aware that he loved her Equitan lay tossing on his bed, in a
torment of fiery emotion. He debated with himself in what manner he
should convey to his seneschal's wife the fact that he loved her, and
at length prepared a plot which he thought would be likely to
succeed.

Next day he rose as usual and made all arrangements to proceed with
the chase. But shortly after setting out he returned, pleading that he
had fallen sick, and took to his bed. The faithful seneschal could not
divine what had occurred to render his lord so seriously indisposed as
he appeared to be, and requested his wife to go to him to see if she
could minister to him and cheer his drooping spirits.

The lady went to Equitan, who received her dolefully enough. He told
her without reserve that the malady from which he suffered was none
other than love for herself, and that did she not consent to love him
in return he would surely die. The dame at first dissented, but,
carried away by the fiery eloquence of his words, she at last assured
him of her love, and they exchanged rings as a token of troth and
trust.

The love of Equitan and the seneschal's wife was discovered by none,
and when they desired to meet he arranged to go hunting in the
neighbourhood of the seneschal's castle. Short