a fair gentlewoman, and would have set her in the thickest place of the forest for to have been the more surer out of the way from them that sought him.  And she which was nothing assured cried with an high voice:  Saint Mary succour your maid.  And anon she espied where Sir Bors came riding.  And when she came nigh him she deemed him a knight of the Round Table, whereof she hoped to have some comfort; and then she conjured him:  By the faith that he ought unto him in whose service thou art entered in, and for the faith ye owe unto the high order of knighthood, and for the noble King Arthur’s sake, that I suppose that made thee knight, that thou help me, and suffer me not to be shamed of this knight.  When Bors heard her say thus he had so much sorrow there he nyst not what to do.  For if I let my brother be in adventure he must be slain, and that would I not for all the earth.  And if I help not the maid she is shamed for ever, and also she shall lose her virginity the which she shall never get again.  Then lift he up his eyes and said weeping:  Fair sweet Lord Jesu Christ, whose liege man I am, keep Lionel, my brother, that these knights slay him not, and for pity of you, and for Mary’s sake, I shall succour this maid.

CHAPTER X

How sir Bors left to rescue his brother, and rescued the damosel; and how it was told him that Lionel was dead

Then dressed he him unto the knight the which had the gentlewoman, and then he cried:  Sir knight, let your hand off that maiden, or ye be but dead.  And then he set down the maiden, and was armed at all pieces save he lacked his spear.  Then he dressed his shield, and drew out his sword, and Bors smote him so hard that it went through his shield and habergeon on the left shoulder.  And through great strength he beat him down to the earth, and at the pulling out of Bors’ spear there he swooned.  Then came Bors to the maid and said:  How seemeth it you? of this knight ye be delivered at this time.  Now sir, said she, I pray you lead me there as this knight had me.  So shall I do gladly:  and took the horse of the wounded knight, and set the gentlewoman upon him, and so brought her as she desired.  Sir knight, said she, ye have better sped than ye weened, for an I had lost my maidenhead, five hundred men should have died for it.  What knight was he that had you in the forest?  By my faith, said she, he is my cousin.  So wot I never with what engyn the fiend enchafed him, for yesterday he took me from my father privily; for I nor none of my father’s men mistrusted him not, and if he had had my maidenhead he should have died for the sin, and his body shamed and dishonoured for ever.  Thus as she stood talking with him there came twelve knights seeking after her, and anon she told them all how Bors had delivered