t Sir Bors said to
Lionel he rought not, for the fiend had brought him in such a will that
he should slay him. Then when Lionel saw he would none other, and that
he would not have risen to give him battle, he rashed over him so that
he smote Bors with his horse, feet upward, to the earth, and hurt him so
sore that he swooned of distress, the which he felt in himself to have
died without confession. So when Lionel saw this, he alighted off his
horse to have smitten off his head. And so he took him by the helm, and
would have rent it from his head. Then came the hermit running unto him,
which was a good man and of great age, and well had heard all the words
that were between them, and so fell down upon Sir Bors.

CHAPTER XV. How Sir Colgrevance fought against Sir Lionel for to save
Sir Bors, and how the hermit was slain.

THEN he said to Lionel: Ah gentle knight, have mercy upon me and on thy
brother, for if thou slay him thou shalt be dead of sin, and that were
sorrowful, for he is one of the worthiest knights of the world, and of
the best conditions. So God help me, said Lionel, sir priest, but if ye
flee from him I shall slay you, and he shall never the sooner be quit.
Certes, said the good man, I have liefer ye slay me than him, for my
death shall not be great harm, not half so much as of his. Well, said
Lionel, I am greed; and set his hand to his sword and smote him so hard
that his head yede backward. Not for that he restrained him of his evil
will, but took his brother by the helm, and unlaced it to have stricken
off his head, and had slain him without fail. But so it happed,
Colgrevance a fellow of the Round Table, came at that time thither as
Our Lord's will was. And when he saw the good man slain he marvelled
much what it might be. And then he beheld Lionel would have slain his
brother, and knew Sir Bors which he loved right well. Then stert he down
and took Lionel by the shoulders, and drew him strongly aback from Bors,
and said: Lionel, will ye slay your brother, the worthiest knight of the
world one? and that should no good man suffer. Why, said Lionel, will ye
let me? therefore if ye entermete you in this I shall slay you, and him
after. Why, said Colgrevance, is this sooth that ye will slay him? Slay
him will I, said he, whoso say the contrary, for he hath done so much
against me that he hath well deserved it. And so ran upon him, and would
have smitten him through the head, and Sir Colgrevance ran be