[Sidenote:  Sir Dagonet wanders in the woodland] But whilst Sir Kay and his court thus rested themselves, Sir Dagonet must needs be gadding, for he was of a very restless, meddlesome disposition.  So, being at that time clad only in half armor, he wandered hither and thither through the forest as his fancy led him.  For somewhiles he would whistle and somewhiles he would gape, and otherwhiles he would cut a caper or two.  So, as chance would have it, he came by and by to that open glade of the forest where the swineherds were gathered; and at that time they were eating their midday meal of black bread and cheese, and were drinking beer; some talking and laughing and others silent as they ate their food.  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.  So, fool, I bid thee bestir thyself and arise.”

But Sir Tristram said, “I will not arise.”  And therewith Sir Dagonet took his sword and pricked the thigh of Sir Tristram with the point thereof with intent to make him bestir himself.

[Sidenote:  Sir Tristram souses Sir Dagonet in the well] Now when Sir Tristram felt the prick of Sir Dagonet’s sword, a certain part of his memory of knighthood came back to him and he was seized with a sudden fury against Sir Dagonet.  So he arose and ran at Sir Dagonet and catched him in his arms, and lifted Sir Dagonet off his feet and he soused him in the well four or five times so that he was like to have drowned him.

As for those swineherds, when they saw what their fool did to that other fool, they roared with laughter so that some of them rolled down upon the ground and lay grovelling there for pure mirth.  But others of them called out to Sir Tristram, “Let be, or thou wilt drown that man”; and therewith Sir Tristram let Sir Dagonet go, and Sir Dagonet ran away.