he overtook the damosel, and anon she missaid him in the foulest manner.

CHAPTER III. How La Cote Male Taile overthrew Sir Dagonet the king's
fool, and of the rebuke that he had of the damosel.

THEN Sir Kay ordained Sir Dagonet, King Arthur's fool, to follow after
La Cote Male Taile; and there Sir Kay ordained that Sir Dagonet was
horsed and armed, and bade him follow La Cote Male Taile and proffer him
to joust, and so he did; and when he saw La Cote Male Taile, he cried
and bade him make him ready to joust. So Sir La Cote Male Taile smote
Sir Dagonet over his horse's croup. Then the damosel mocked La Cote Male
Taile, and said: Fie for shame! now art thou shamed in Arthur's court,
when they send a fool to have ado with thee, and specially at thy first
jousts; thus she rode long, and chid. And within a while there came
Sir Bleoberis, the good knight, and there he jousted with La Cote Male
Taile, and there Sir Bleoberis smote him so sore, that horse and all
fell to the earth. Then La Cote Male Taile arose up lightly, and dressed
his shield, and drew his sword, and would have done battle to the
utterance, for he was wood wroth. Not so, said Sir Bleoberis de Ganis,
as at this time I will not fight upon foot. Then the damosel Maledisant
rebuked him in the foulest manner, and bade him: Turn again, coward. Ah,
damosel, he said, I pray you of mercy to missay me no more, my grief is
enough though ye give me no more; I call myself never the worse knight
when a mare's son faileth me, and also I count me never the worse knight
for a fall of Sir Bleoberis.

So thus he rode with her two days; and by fortune there came Sir
Palomides and encountered with him, and he in the same wise served him
as did Bleoberis to-forehand. What dost thou here in my fellowship? said
the damosel Maledisant, thou canst not sit no knight, nor withstand him
one buffet, but if it were Sir Dagonet. Ah, fair damosel, I am not the
worse to take a fall of Sir Palomides, and yet great disworship have I
none, for neither Bleoberis nor yet Palomides would not fight with me on
foot. As for that, said the damosel, wit thou well they have disdain and
scorn to light off their horses to fight with such a lewd knight as thou
art. So in the meanwhile there came Sir Mordred, Sir Gawaine's brother,
and so he fell in the fellowship with the damosel Maledisant. And then
they came afore the Castle Orgulous, and there was such a custom that
there might no knight come by