“I was the only son of my mother and father, and I was exceedingly aspiring, and my daring was very great.  I thought there was no enterprise in the world too mighty for me:  and after I had achieved all the adventures that were in my own country, I equipped myself, and set forth to journey through deserts and distant regions.  And at length it chanced that I came to the fairest valley in the world, wherein were trees all of equal growth; and a river ran through the valley, and a path was by the side of the river.  And I followed the path until midday, and continued my journey along the remainder of the valley until the evening; and at the extremity of the plain I came to a large and lustrous castle, at the foot of which was a torrent.  And I approached the castle, and there I beheld two youths with yellow curling hair, each with a frontlet of gold upon his head, and clad in a garment of yellow satin; and they had gold clasps upon their insteps.  In the hand of each of them was an ivory bow, strung with the sinews of the stag, and their arrows and their shafts were of the bone of the whale, and were winged with peacock’s feathers.  The shafts also had golden heads.  And they had daggers with blades of gold, and with hilts of the bone of the whale.  And they were shooting at a mark.

“And a little away from them I saw a man in the prime of life, with his beard newly shorn, clad in a robe and mantle of yellow satin, and round the top of his mantle was a band of gold lace.  On his feet were shoes of variegated leather, [Footnote:  Cordwal is the word in the original, and from the manner in which it is used it is evidently intended for the French Cordouan or Cordovan leather, which derived its name from Cordova, where it was manufactured.  From this comes also our English word cordwainer.] fastened by two bosses of gold.  When I saw him I went towards him and saluted him; and such was his courtesy, that he no sooner received my greeting than he returned it.  And he went with me towards the castle.  Now there were no dwellers in the castle, except those who were in one hall.  And there I saw four and twenty damsels, embroidering satin at a window.  And this I tell thee, Kay, that the least fair of them was fairer than the fairest maid thou didst ever behold in the island of Britain; and the least lovely of them was more lovely than Guenever, the wife of Arthur, when she appeared loveliest, at the feast of Easter.  They rose up at my coming, and six of them took my horse, and divested me of my armor, and six others took my arms and washed them in a vessel till they were perfectly bright.  And the third six spread cloths upon the tables and prepared meat.  And the fourth six took off my soiled garments and placed others upon me, namely, an under vest and a doublet of fine linen, and a robe and a surcoat, and a mantle of yellow satin, with a broad gold band upon the mantle.  And they placed cushions both beneath and around me, with coverings of red linen, and I sat down.  Now the six maidens who had taken my horse unharnessed him as well as if they had been the best squires in the island of Britain.