or his own
were worn and impaired and in bad state. He gladly accepted the arms
and had himself equipped with them in the hall. When he was armed, he
descends the steps and finds his horse saddled and the King who had
mounted. Every one in the castle and in the houses of the town hastened
to mount. In all the town there remained neither man nor woman, erect or
deformed, great or small, weak or strong, who is able to go and does not
do so. When they start, there is a great noise and clamour in all the
streets; for those of high and low degree alike cry out: "Alas, alas!
oh knight, the Joy that thou wishest to win has betrayed thee, and thou
goest to win but grief and death." And there is not one but says: "God
curse this joy! which has been the death of so many gentlemen. To-day it
will wreak the worst woe that it has ever yet wrought." Erec hears well
and notes that up and down they said of him: "Alas, alas, ill-starred
wert thou, fair, gentle, skilful knight! Surely it would not be just
that thy life should end so soon, or that harm should come to wound
and injure thee." He hears clearly the words and what they said; but
notwithstanding, he passes on without lowering his head, and without
the bearing of a craven. Whoever may speak, he longs to see and know and
understand why they are all in such distress, anxiety, and woe. The King
leads him without the town into a garden that stood near by; and all the
people follow after, praying that from this trial God may grant him a
happy issue. But it is not meet that I should pass on, from weariness
and exhaustion of tongue, without telling you the whole truth about the
garden, according as the story runs.

(Vv. 5739-5826.) [138] The garden had around it no wall or fence except
of air: yet, by a spell, the garden was on all sides so shut in by the
air that nothing could enter there any more than if the garden were
enclosed in iron, unless it flew in over the top. And all through the
summer and the winter, too, there were flowers and ripe fruits there;
and the fruit was of such a nature that it could be eaten inside; the
danger consisted in carrying it out; for whoever should wish to carry
out a little would never be able to find the gate, and never could issue
from the garden until he had restored the fruit to its place. And there
is no flying bird under heaven, pleasing to man, but it sings there to
delight and to gladden him, and can be heard there in numbers of every
kind. A