[Footnote 2:  Vermeil-white means red and white, or reddish white.]

    He spake:  the Prince, as Enid past him, fain
  To follow, strode a stride, but Yniol caught
  His purple scarf, and held, and said, “Forbear! 
  Rest! the good house, tho’ ruin’d, O my son,
  Endures not that her guest should serve himself.” 
  And reverencing the custom of the house
  Geraint, from utter courtesy, forbore.

    So Enid took his charger to the stall;
  And after went her way across the bridge,
  And reach’d the town, and while the Prince and Earl
  Yet spoke together, came again with one,
  A youth, that following with a costrel[3] bore

[Footnote 3:  A costrel was a leather, wooden or earthenware bottle, provided with ears, by which it might be hung at the side.]

  The means of goodly welcome, flesh and wine. 
  And Enid brought sweet cakes to make them cheer,
  And in her veil unfolded, manchet[4] bread.

[Footnote 4:  Manchet bread is fine white bread.]

  And then, because their hall must also serve
  For kitchen, boil’d the flesh, and spread the board,
  And stood behind, and waited on the three. 
  And seeing her so sweet and serviceable,
  Geraint had longing in him evermore
  To stoop and kiss the tender little thumb,
  That crost the trencher as she laid it down: 
  But after all had eaten, then Geraint,
  For now the wine made summer in his veins,
  Let his eye rove in following, or rest
  On Enid at her lowly handmaid-work,
  Now here, now there, about the dusky hall;
  Then suddenly addrest the hoary Earl: 

    “Fair Host and Earl, I pray your courtesy;
  This sparrow-hawk, what is he? tell me of him. 
  His name? but no, good faith, I will not have it: 
  For if he be the knight whom late I saw
  Ride into that new fortress by your town,
  White from the mason’s hand, then have I sworn
  From his own lips to have it—­I am Geraint
  Of Devon—­for this morning when the Queen
  Sent her own maiden to demand the name,
  His dwarf, a vicious under-shapen thing,
  Struck at her with his whip, and she return’d
  Indignant to the Queen; and then I swore
  That I would track this caitiff to his hold,
  And fight and break his pride, and have it of him. 
  And all unarm’d I rode, and thought to find
  Arms in your town, where all the men are mad;
  They take the rustic murmur of their bourg
  For the great wave that echoes round the world;
  They would not hear me speak:  but if ye know
  Where I can light on arms, or if yourself
  Should have them, tell me, seeing I have sworn
  That I will break his pride and learn his name,
  Avenging this great insult done the Queen.”