And sometimes King Mark would sigh
very deeply and maybe say: "Messire, that lady of thine must in sooth be a
very wonderful, beautiful, gracious lady." And Sir Tristram would say,
"Yea, she is all that."
So it was at that time that King Mark had great love for Sir Tristram; in a
little while all that was very different, and his love was turned to bitter
hate, as you shall presently hear tell.
Now in those days the knights of Cornwall were considered to be the least
worthy of all knights in that part of the world, for they had so little
skill and prowess at arms that they were a jest and a laughing-stock to
many courts of chivalry. It was said of them that a knight-champion of
Cornwall was maybe a knight, but certes was no champion at all; and this
was great shame to all those of Cornwall, more especially as that saying
was in a great measure true.
[Sidenote: Sir Bleoberis comes to Cornwall] One day there came to the
court of Cornwall a very noble, haughty knight, hight Sir Bleoberis de
Ganys, who was brother to Sir Blamor de Ganys and right cousin to Sir
Launcelot of the Lake.
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