Unto these Sir Dagonet appeared,
coming out of the forest in very gay attire, and shining in the half armor
he wore, so that he appeared like a bright bird of the woodland.
Then Sir Dagonet, seeing where those rude boors were eating their meal of
food, came to them and stood amongst them. And he said, "Who are ye
fellows?" Whereunto they replied, "We are swineherds, Messire; who be ye?"
Quoth Sir Dagonet: "I am King Arthur's Fool. And whilst there are haply
many in the world with no more wits than I possess, yet there are few so
honest as I to confess that they are fools."
At these words those swineherds laughed very loudly. "Well," quoth one, "if
King Arthur hath his fool, so have we, and yonder he is," and therewith he
pointed to where Sir Tristram lay in the shade of the trees some distance
away and beside a deep well of the forest.
Upon that Sir Dagonet must needs go to where Sir Tristram lay, nearly
naked, upon the ground. And when he had come there he said, "Arise, fool."
Whereunto Sir Tristram replied: "Why should I arise? Lo! I am weary."
Then Sir Dagonet said: "It is not fitting that thou, who art the fool of
swineherds shouldst lie upon the grass, whilst I who am the fool of a king
stand upright upon my shanks.
Pages:
383
384
385
386
387
388
389
390
391
392
393
394
395
396
397
398
399
400
401
402
403
404
405
406
407