him so that he fell to the earth.  Then he rode to the second knight and smote him, and so he did to the third knight.  Then he alighted down and bound all the three knights fast with their own bridles.  When Sir Lionel saw him do thus, he thought to assay him, and made him ready silently, not to awake Sir Launcelot, and rode after the strong knight, and bade him turn.  And the other smote Sir Lionel so hard that horse and man fell to the earth; and then he alighted down and bound Sir Lionel, and threw him across his own horse; and so he served them all four, and rode with them away to his own castle.  And when he came there he put them in a deep prison, in which were many more knights in great distress.

Now while Sir Launcelot lay under the apple-tree sleeping, there came by him four queens of great estate.  And that the heat should not grieve them, there rode four knights about them, and bare a cloth of green silk on four spears, betwixt them and the sun.  And the queens rode on four white mules.

Thus as they rode they heard by them a great horse grimly neigh.  Then they were aware of a sleeping knight, that lay all armed under an apple-tree; and as the queens looked on his face, they knew it was Sir Launcelot.  Then they began to strive for that knight, and each one said she would have him for her love.  “We will not strive,” said Morgane le Fay, that was King Arthur’s sister, “for I will put an enchantment upon him, that he shall not wake for six hours, and we will take him away to my castle; and then when he is surely within my hold, I will take the enchantment from him, and then let him choose which of us he will have for his love.”  So the enchantment was cast upon Sir Launcelot.  And then they laid him upon his shield, and bare him so on horseback between two knights, and brought him unto the castle and laid him in a chamber, and at night they sent him his supper.  And on the morning came early those four queens, richly dight, and bade him good morning, and he them again.  “Sir knight,” they said, “thou must understand thou art our prisoner; and we know thee well, that thou art Sir Launcelot of the Lake, King Ban’s son, and that thou art the noblest knight living.  And we know well that there can no lady have thy love but one, and that is Queen Guenever; and now thou shalt lose her for ever, and she thee; and therefore it behooveth thee now to choose one of us.  I am the Queen Morgane le Fay, and here is the Queen of North Wales, and the Queen of Eastland, and the Queen of the Isles.  Now choose one of us which thou wilt have, for if thou choose not, in this prison thou shalt die.”  “This is a hard case,” said Sir Launcelot, “that either I must die, or else choose one of you; yet had I liever to die in this prison with worship, than to have one of you for my paramour, for ye be false enchantresses.”  “Well,” said the queens, “is this your answer, that ye will refuse us.”  “Yea, on my life it is,” said Sir Launcelot.  Then they departed, making great sorrow.