“Well, Lady,” said Sir Launcelot, “thou dost put upon me a very sore task in this, for God knoweth I am no climber of trees.  Yea, I would rather do battle with twenty knights than to climb one such tree as this.  Nevertheless, I cannot find it in me to refuse the asking of any lady, if so be it lieth at all in my power to perform her will.  Now if you will aid me to unarm myself, I will endeavor to climb this tree and get your hawk.”

[Sidenote:  Sir Launcelot climbs the tree] So the lady dismounted from her mule, and Sir Launcelot dismounted from his horse, and the lady aided Sir Launcelot to unarm himself.  And when he had unarmed himself he took off all his clothes saving only his hosen and his doublet.  Then he climbed that tree, though with great labor and pain to himself, and with much dread lest he should fall.  So he, at last, reached the falcon where it was, and he loosened the lunes from where they were entangled about the branch, and he freed the bird.  Then he brake off a great piece of rotten bough of the tree and he tied the lunes of the falcon to it and he tossed the falcon down to where the lady was; and the lady ran with great joy and caught the falcon and loosed it from the piece of branch and tied the lunes to her wrist, so that it could not escape again.

Then Sir Launcelot began to descend the tree with as great labor and pain as he had climbed into it.

[Sidenote:  Sir Phelot threatens Sir Launcelot’s life] But he had not come very far down when he perceived a knight who came riding very rapidly toward that tree, and he saw that the knight was in full armor.  When this knight came to the tree he drew rein and bespoke the lady who was there, though Sir Launcelot could not hear what he said.  So, after he had spoken for a little, the knight dismounted from his horse and went to Sir Launcelot’s shield and looked upon the face of it very carefully.  Then presently he looked upward toward Sir Launcelot, and he said:  “Art thou Sir Launcelot of the Lake?” And Sir Launcelot said:  “Yea.”  “Very well,” said the knight, “I am pleased beyond measure at that.  For I am Sir Phelot, the lord of this castle, and the brother of that Sir Peris of the Forest Sauvage, whom thou didst treat so shamefully after thou hadst overcome him in battle.”

“Sir,” said Sir Launcelot, “I treated him nowise differently from what he deserved.”  “No matter for that,” said Sir Phelot, “he was my brother, and thou didst put great despite and shame upon him.  So now I will be revenged upon thee, for now I have thee where I would have thee, and I will slay thee as shamefully as thou didst put shame upon him.  So say thy prayers where thou art, for thou shalt never go away from this place alive.”

“Sir Knight,” said Sir Launcelot, “I do not believe that thou wouldst really assault a naked and harmless man, for it would certainly be a great shame to thee to do me a harm in that wise.  For lo! thou art armed in full, and I am a naked man, and to slay me as I am would be both murder and treason.”