[Sidenote:  Sir Bleoberis challenges the knights of Cornwall] Therewith Sir Bleoberis arose and looked about him, and he perceived that there was near by where he stood a goblet of gold very beautifully chased and cunningly carved.  This Sir Bleoberis took into his hand, and it was half full of red wine.  So he stood up before them all, and he cried in a very loud voice:  “Messires, and all you knights of Cornwall, here I drink to your more excellent courage and prowess, and wish that you may have better fortune in arms than you have heretofore proved yourselves to have?” And therewith he drank all the wine that was in the goblet.  Then he said:  “Now I go away from here and take this goblet with me; and if any knight of Cornwall may take it away from me and bring it back again to the King, then I am very willing to own that there are better knights in this country than I supposed there to be.”  Therewith he turned and went out from that place very haughtily and scornfully, taking that goblet with him, and not one of all those knights who were there made any move to stay him, or to reprove him for his discourteous speech.

Now after he had come out of the hall and into the cool of the air, the heat of the wine soon left him, and he began to repent him of what he had done; and he said:  “Alas! meseems I was not very courteous to King Mark, who was mine host.”  So for a while he was minded to take that goblet back again and make amends for what he had said; but afterward he could not do this because of his pride.  So he went to the chamber that had been allotted to him and clad himself in his armor, and after that he rode away from the court of King Mark carrying the goblet with him.

[Sidenote:  Sir Tristram is angry] Now some while after he had gone, Sir Tristram came into the hall where the others were, and there he found them all sitting with ill countenances, and no man daring, for shame, to look at his fellow.  So Sir Tristram came to King Mark and said:  “Where is Sir Bleoberis?” And King Mark said, “He is gone away.”  Sir Tristram said, “Why did he go?” Thereupon King Mark told Sir Tristram of what had befallen, and how Sir Bleoberis had taken away that goblet to the great shame and scorn of all those who were there.  Upon this the blood flew very violently into Sir Tristram’s face, and he said:  “Was there no knight here with spirit enough to call reproof upon Sir Bleoberis, or to stay him in his going?” Therewith he looked all about that hall, and he was like a lion standing among them, and no man dared to look him in the face or to reply to him.  Then he said:  “Well, if there is no knight in Cornwall who hath the will to defend his King, then is there a knight of Lyonesse who will do so because he received knighthood at the hands of the King of Cornwall.”  And therewith he turned and went away, and left them very haughtily, and they were all still more abashed than they had been before.

Then Sir Tristram went to his chamber and had himself armed in all wise; and he took his horse and mounted and rode away in the direction that Sir Bleoberis had gone, and Gouvernail went with him.