knight never so good of his body and full of prowess
as man may be, they will make him a stark coward to have the better of
him, and this is the principal cause that I hate them; and to all good
ladies and gentlewomen I owe my service as a knight ought to do.

As the book rehearseth in French, there were many knights that
overmatched Sir Gawaine, for all the thrice might that he had: Sir
Launcelot de Lake, Sir Tristram, Sir Bors de Ganis, Sir Percivale,
Sir Pelleas, and Sir Marhaus, these six knights had the better of Sir
Gawaine. Then within a little while they came to Sir Marhaus' place,
which was in a little priory, and there they alighted, and ladies and
damosels unarmed them, and hastily looked to their hurts, for they were
all three hurt. And so they had all three good lodging with Sir Marhaus,
and good cheer; for when he wist that they were King Arthur's sister's
sons he made them all the cheer that lay in his power, and so they
sojourned there a sennight, and were well eased of their wounds, and at
the last departed. Now, said Sir Marhaus, we will not depart so lightly,
for I will bring you through the forest; and rode day by day well a
seven days or they found any adventure. At the last they came into a
great forest, that was named the country and forest of Arroy, and the
country of strange adventures. In this country, said Sir Marhaus, came
never knight since it was christened but he found strange adventures;
and so they rode, and came into a deep valley full of stones, and
thereby they saw a fair stream of water; above thereby was the head of
the stream a fair fountain, and three damosels sitting thereby. And
then they rode to them, and either saluted other, and the eldest had a
garland of gold about her head, and she was three score winter of age or
more, and her hair was white under the garland. The second damosel was
of thirty winter of age, with a circlet of gold about her head. The
third damosel was but fifteen year of age, and a garland of flowers
about her head. When these knights had so beheld them, they asked them
the cause why they sat at that fountain? We be here, said the damosels,
for this cause: if we may see any errant knights, to teach them unto
strange adventures; and ye be three knights that seek adventures, and we
be three damosels, and therefore each one of you must choose one of us;
and when ye have done so we will lead you unto three highways, and there
each of you shall choose a way and