nd, full of a cold
wrath, he ordered his arms to be brought and his horse to be saddled.
And to the gentle persuasions of the nuns he said he must be gone, 'for
he must stay a wrong that, if suffered, would sink the kingdom in
unquenchable shame and ruin.'

Then with Sir Bors he rode southwards, full fiercely, and never resting
to eat, but taking food as he rode. At night he would not doff his
armour, but slept beside his horse; and seldom spoke, but was consumed
as by a great fire of anger.

And on the fourteenth day they rode into London.

'Go beg the queen to see me,' he said to Sir Bors.

Sir Bors went, and Sir Lancelot strode unto an hostelry to wash from
himself the stains of travel, and to don a fitting robe in which to
appear before the queen.

Now it had befallen, while Sir Bors had been absent from the court
seeking for Sir Lancelot, that Sir Mordred and Sir Agravaine had made a
plot with each other against him and against Sir Lancelot. And they
caused it to be noised in all the court that Sir Bors had gone to seek
Sir Lancelot, and that Sir Bors was privy to the plots which Sir
Lancelot and the queen had made to wrest the kingdom from King Arthur
and to reign together in his stead. They said that Sir Bors had gone to
warn Sir Lancelot that the time was ripe to strike.

Wherefore many knights were greatly displeased to hear this news, but
some would not believe it, and said that Sir Bors had gone to tell Sir
Lancelot of the jeopardy in which the queen's life was placed, and to
ask him to do battle for her.

'But,' said some, 'if he do not find Sir Lancelot, it is his intention
to do combat for the queen himself, and that is great wrong in Sir
Bors, for he was with us at the feast, and none but she could have
caused that poison.'

Daily the party which inclined to Sir Mordred and Sir Agravaine gained
power, and some were for going to tell the king of the evil designs
which Sir Lancelot and Sir Bors and the queen had against his person
and the kingdom. But Sir Mordred said, 'No, the time is not yet ripe.
Wait a while.'

The guard that was set about the queen's chamber was doubled, and all
were knights that were well-willers to the plots of Sir Mordred and Sir
Agravaine.

When, therefore, Sir Bors came and asked to see the queen, they let him
go to her; but Sir Agravaine hid himself and listened to all that
passed between Sir Bors and the queen. Then he went and told the others
that Sir Lancelot was