knight comes tearing down over the top of the hill, mounted
upon a powerful steed which tore along at such a pace that he crushed
the stones beneath his hoofs finer than a millstone grinds the corn; and
bright gleaming sparks flew off in all directions, so that it seemed as
if his four feet were all ablaze with fire. Enide heard the noise and
commotion, and almost fell from her palfrey, helpless and in a faint.
There was no vein in her body in which the blood did not turn, and her
face became all pale and white as if she were a corpse. Great is her
despair and dismay, for she does not dare to address her lord, who often
threatens and chides at her and charges her to hold her peace. She is
distracted between two courses to pursue, whether to speak or to hold
her peace. She takes counsel with herself, and often she prepares to
speak, so that her tongue already moves, but the voice cannot issue
forth; for her teeth are clenched with fear, and thus shut up her speech
within. Thus she admonishes and reproaches herself, but she closes her
mouth and grits her teeth so that her speech cannot issue forth. At
strife with herself, she said: "I am sure and certain that I shall incur
a grievous loss, if here I lose my lord. Shall I tell him all, then,
openly? Not I. Why not? I would not dare, for thus I should enrage my
lord. And if my lord's ire is once aroused, he will leave me in this
wild place alone, wretched and forlorn. Then I shall be worse off than
now. Worse off? What care I? May grief and sorrow always be mine as long
as I live, if my lord does not promptly escape from here without being
delivered to a violent death. But if I do not quickly inform him, this
knight who is spurring hither will have killed him before he is aware;
for he seems of very evil intent. I think I have waited too long from
fear of his vigorous prohibition. But I will no longer hesitate because
of his restraint. I see plainly that my lord is so deep in thought that
he forgets himself; so it is fight that I should address him." She
spoke to him. He threatens her, but has no desire to do her harm, for he
realises and knows full well that she loves him above all else, and
he loves her, too, to the utmost. He rides toward the knight, who
challenges him to battle, and they meet at the foot of the hill, where
they attack and defy each other. Both smite each other with their
iron-tipped lances with all their strength. The shields that hang about
their necks