ve told you all the circumstances of that famous adventure of
the Worm of Corbin and there remaineth now only this to say: That Sir
Launcelot did not recover from his hurt as soon as he had supposed he
would. For the venom of the Dragon had got into his blood, wherefore
even after a twelvemonth had gone by, he still remained in the castle of
King Pelles at Corbin, albeit he was by that time quite healed in his
body.

And also there is this to tell--that at the end of the twelvemonth
aforesaid, King Pelles came to Sir Launcelot and said to him: "Messire,
I would that you would henceforth dwell with us at this court. For not
only would you be a great credit to any court in which you live, but
here we all love you as one loveth the apple of his eye."

[Sidenote: _Sir Launcelot remaineth at Corbin._]

"Lord," said Sir Launcelot, "ye cannot love me more than I love ye all
who have been so good to me in the days of my sickness and disease. So I
will be exceedingly rejoiced to remain with ye yet a while longer; for
this is indeed a pleasant haven in which to rest in the long and
toilsome journey of life, and I have nowhere else to go."

Then King Pelles took Sir Launcelot into his arms and kissed him upon
the brow and so they became plighted in friendship unto one another.

So Sir Launcelot remained at Corbin and went not any farther errant at
that time.

But meantime, and for all that while, there was great wonder at the
court of King Arthur whither Sir Launcelot had gone and what had become
of him that no one in all of the world heard tell aught of him.

[Illustration: Sir Launcelot confideth his Shield to Elaine the Fair]

[Illustration]

Chapter Third

_How King Arthur proclaimed a tournament at Astolat, and how King Pelles
of Corbin went with his court thither to that place. Also how Sir
Launcelot and Sir Lavaine had encounter with two knights in the highway
thitherward._

[Sidenote: _King Arthur proclaimeth a tournament._]

Now it fell upon a time that King Arthur proclaimed a great tournament
to be held at Astolat, upon Lady's Day Assumption. And the King sent
word of this tournament throughout all the land, both east and west and
north and south. So it came about that word of the tournament was
brought one day by herald to King Pelles at Corbin, and when this news
came to him he ordained that his court should make them ready to go to
Astolat to that passage of arms, in pursuance of the word that t