his life, that the Lady Guinevere was noble and worthy in all ways,
wherefore I choose to believe his knightly word and to hold that what he
said was true. For did not he become an hermit, and did not she become a
nun in their latter days, and were they not both broken of heart when King
Arthur departed from this life in so singular a manner as he did? Wherefore
I choose to believe good of such noble souls as they, and not evil of them.

[Sidenote: How Sir Launcelot dwelt at Camelot] Yet, though Sir Launcelot
thus abided at the court of the King, he ever loved the open world and a
life of adventure above all things else. For he had lived so long in the
Lake that these things of the sturdy life of out-of-doors never lost their
charm for him. So, though he found, for a while, great joy in being at the
court of the King (for there were many jousts held in his honor, and,
whithersoever he rode forth, men would say to one another: "Yonder goeth
that great knight, Sir Launcelot, who is the greatest knight in the
world"), yet he longed ever to be abroad in the wide world again. So one
day he besought King Arthur for leave to depart thence and to go forth for
a while in search of adventures; and King Arthur gave him leave to do as he
desired.

So now shall be told of several excellent adventures that Sir Launcelot
undertook, and which he carried through with entire success, and to the
great glory and renown of the Round Table, of which he was the foremost
knight.

[Illustration: Sir Lionel of Britain]