Version 1

Notes de lecture
137

Le texte de base est celui de ldition de Janet Cowen, Penguin Classics (2 vol.).

BOOK VII
CHAPTER 18. How the knight yielded him, and how Beaumains made him to go
unto King Arthurs court, and to cry Sir Launcelot mercy
1
Then came there many earls, and barons, and noble knights, and prayed that knight to save his
life, and take him to your prisoner. And all they fell upon their knees, and prayed him of mercy, and that
he would save his life; and, Sir, they all said, it were fairer of him to take homage and fealty, and let him hold
his lands of you than for to slay him; by his death ye shall have none advantage, and his misdeeds that be done
may not be undone; and therefore he shall make amends to all parties, and we all will become your men and do you
homage and fealty.
Fair lords, said Beaumains, wit you well I am full loth to slay this knight, nevertheless he hath done
passing ill and shamefully; but insomuch all that he did was at a ladys request I blame him the less; and so for your
sake I will release him that he shall have his life upon this covenant, that he go within the castle, and yield him
there to the lady, and if she will forgive and quit him, I will well; with this he make her amends of all the trespass he
hath done against her and her lands. And also, when that is done, that ye go unto the court of King Arthur, and
there that ye ask Sir Launcelot mercy, and Sir Gawain, for the evil will ye have had against them.
Sir, said the Red Knight of the Red Launds, all this will I do as ye command, and siker assurance and
borows ye shall have.
And so then when the assurance was made, he made his homage and fealty, and all those earls
and barons with him.
2
And then the maiden Lynet came to Sir Beaumains, and unarmed him and searched his wounds,
and stinted his blood, and in likewise she did to the Red Knight of the Red Launds. And there they
sojourned ten days in their tents; and the Red Knight made his lords and servants to do all the pleasure
that they might unto Sir Beaumains.
And so within a while the Red Knight of the Red Launds yede unto the castle, and put him in her
grace. And so she received him upon sucient surety, so all her hurts were well restored of all that she
could complain. And then he departed unto the court of King Arthur, and there openly the Red Knight
of the Red Launds put him in the mercy of Sir Launcelot and Sir Gawain, and there he told openly how
he was overcome and by whom, and also he told all the battles from the beginning unto the ending.

Jesu mercy, said King Arthur and Sir Gawain, we marvel much of what blood he is come, for he is a
noble knight.
Have ye no marvel, said Sir Launcelot, for ye shall right well wit that he is comen of a full noble blood;
and as for his might and hardiness, there be but few now living that is so mighty as he is, and so noble of prowess.
It seemeth by you, said King Arthur, that ye know his name, and from whence he is come, and of what
blood he is.
I suppose I do so, said Launcelot, or else I would not have given him the order of knighthood; but he
gave me such charge at that time that I should never discover him until he required me, or else it be known openly
by some other.

Le chevalier savouant vaincu, Beaumains lenvoie la cour du roi Arthur

implorer la grce de sire Lancelot
1
Alurent comtes, barons et preux chevaliers, venus supplier le vainqueur dpargner le vaincu,
et faites-le prisonnier . Tous sagenouillrent, implorant sa clmence et la vie sauve pour leur seigneur ;
et messire, dirent-ils unanimes, il serait plus juste son gard quil vous fasse hommage et allgeance et tienne
ses terres de vous que de prir de votre main ; sa mort ne vous apportera rien, les mfaits quil a commis ne peuvent
tre bis dun trait de plume, il devra donc ddommager toutes ses victimes ; quant nous, nous nous mettrons
votre service et vous ferons hommage et allgeance.
Mes bons seigneurs, leur dclara Beaumains, sachez bien que si mettre mort ce chevalier me rpugne, il
ne sen est pas moins rendu coupable de faits graves et abominables. Cependant, il a agi linstigation dune dame, ce
qui attnue sa culpabilit mes yeux : donc, pour vous complaire, je lui rends sa libert et lui laisse la vie sauve,
condition quil aille au chteau faire sa soumission la dame ; si elle lui pardonne et le tient quitte, jy consens. De
surcrot, il doit la ddommager des torts et prjudices causs sa personne et ses terres. En outre, aprs ces formalits, vous tes tenus de vous rendre la cour du roi Arthur et dy demander grce sire Lancelot et sire Gauvain
pour le mal que vous leur avez voulu.
Messire, arma le Chevalier Rouge des Landes Rouges, je me conformerai en tout point vos ordres et
vous aurez de solides garants et cautions.
Et donc, une fois que les engagements furent pris, il jura hommage et allgeance, et tous les comtes et barons prsents de mme.
2
La demoiselle Lionette vint alors auprs de sire Beaumains, lui retira son armure, examina ses
blessures, tancha le sang, puis procda de mme avec le Chevalier Rouge des Landes Rouges. Les deux
chevaliers passrent ainsi dix jours de convalescence sous la tente, pendant lesquels seigneurs et serviteurs du Chevalier Rouge, sur son ordre, rent tout leur possible pour complaire sire Beaumains.
Au bout dun certain temps, le Chevalier Rouge des Landes Rouges se rendit au chteau se soumettre au bon vouloir de la dame ; elle accepta en contrepartie de garanties susantes, tous ses prjudices tant rpars et ses dolances satisfaites. Aprs quoi il partit pour la cour du roi Arthur o, au vu et au
su de tous, le Chevalier Rouge des Landes Rouges se mit la merci de sire Lancelot et de sire Gauvain, et
raconta en public comment il avait t vaincu et par qui, et raconta les combats singuliers du premier au
dernier.
Bont divine ! scrirent le roi Arthur et sire Gauvain, nous sommes plongs dans la perplexit quant
lorigine familiale [du vainqueur], car cest un preux chevalier.
Ne soyez plus perplexes, expliqua sire Lancelot, car vous aurez la preuve indubitable quil appartient par
la naissance la grande noblesse ; pour ce qui est de sa force et de son courage, rares sont les contemporains qui lgalent en force et en faits darmes.
Il semblerait, vous couter, souligna le roi Arthur, que vous soyez au courant de son nom, du pays do
il vient et de ses origines familiales.
Il faut croire que cest le cas, rpondit Lancelot, sinon je ne lui aurais pas confr lordre de la chevalerie ;
mais il ma enjoint cette occasion de ne rvler en aucun cas qui il est avant quil ne men prie, moins que ce ne soit
divulgu par quelquun dautre.

 1 siker assurance and borows

vocabulaire de spcialit : nantissement, gage, caution, garant, sur borow et le vieil-anglais borg, borh voir volet 30, 7.