e battle. Then King Arthur stepped forward to
separate them and establish peace. But before the truce was sworn, the
white hauberks were badly torn and rent apart, the shields were cracked
and hewed to bits, and the helmets crushed.

(Vv. 4951-5040.) The King viewed them with pleasure for a while, as did
many others who said that they esteemed the white knight's deeds of arms
no less than those of my lord Gawain, and they were not ready yet to say
which was the better and which the worse, nor which was likely to win,
if they had been allowed to fight to a finish; but it did not please the
King to let them do more than they had done. So he stepped forward to
separate them, saying: "Stop now! Woe if another blow be struck! Make
peace now, and be good friends. Fair nephew Gawain, I make this request
of you; for without resentment and hate it is not becoming for a
gentleman to continue to fight and defy his foe. But if this knight
would consent to come to my court and join our sport it would not be
to his sorrow or hurt. Nephew, make this request of him." "Gladly, my
lord." Cliges has no desire to refuse, and gladly consents to go when
the tourney is concluded. For now he has more than sufficiently carried
out the injunction of his father. And the King says he has no desire
that the tournament shall last too long, and that they can afford to
stop at once. So the knights drew off, according to the wish and order
of the King. Now that he is to follow in the royal suite, Cliges sends
for all his armour. As soon as he can, he comes to court; but first,
he completely changed his gear, and came dressed in the style of the
French. As soon as he arrived at court, all ran to meet him without
delay, making such joy and festival that never was there greater seen,
and all those call him lord whom he had captured in the joust; but he
would hear none of this, and said they might all go free, if they were
quite sure and satisfied that it was he who had captured them. And there
was not one who did not cry: "You were the man; we are sure of that! We
value highly your acquaintance, and we ought to love and esteem you
and call you our lord, for none of us can equal you. Just as the sun
outshines the little stars, so that their light cannot be seen in the
sky when the sun's rays appear, so is our prowess extinguished and
abased in the presence of yours, though ours too was once famous in
the world." Cliges knows not what to reply, for in his op