knew neither that Sir Lionel had left him nor what ill-fortune had befallen
that good knight. Whilst he lay there sleeping in that wise there came by,
along the road, and at a little distance from him, a very fair procession
of lordly people, making a noble parade upon the highway. The chiefest of
this company were four ladies, who were four queens. With them rode four
knights, and, because the day was warm, the four knights bore a canopy of
green silk by the four corners upon the points of their lances in such wise
as to shelter those queens from the strong heat of the sun. And those four
knights rode all armed cap-a-pie on four noble war-horses, and the four
queens, bedight in great estate, rode on four white mules richly
caparisoned with furniture of divers colors embroidered with gold. After
these lordly folk there followed a very excellent court of esquires and
demoiselles to the number of a score or more; some riding upon horses and
some upon mules that ambled very easily.

Now all these folk of greater or lesser degree were entirely unaware that
Sir Launcelot lay sleeping so nigh to them as they rode by chattering very
gayly together in the spring-time weather, taking great pleasure in the
warm air, and in growing things, and the green fields, and the bright sky;
and they would have had no knowledge that the knight was there, had not Sir
Launcelot's horse neighed very lustily. Thereupon, they were aware of the
horse, and then they were aware of Sir Launcelot where he lay asleep under
the apple-tree, with his head lying upon his helmet.

Now foremost of all those queens was Queen Morgana le Fay (who was King
Arthur's sister, and a potent, wicked enchantress, of whom much hath been
told in the Book of King Arthur), and besides Queen Morgana there was the
Queen of North Wales, and the Queen of Eastland, and the Queen of the Outer
Isles.