his beard newly shorn, clad in a robe and a 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, 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, Kai, that the least fair of them was fairer than the
fairest maid thou hast ever beheld in the Island of Britain, and the
least lovely of them was more lovely than Gwenhwyvar, the wife of
Arthur, when she has appeared loveliest at the Offering, on the day
of the Nativity, or at the feast of Easter. They rose up at my
coming, and six of them took my horse, and divested me of my armour;
and six others took my arms, and washed them in a vessel until 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. Then, behold, they brought bowls of silver wherein was
water to wash, and towels of linen, some green and some white; and I
washed. And in a little while the man sat down to the table. And I
sat next to him, and below me sat all the maidens, except those who
waited on us. And the table was of silver, and the cloths upon the
table were of linen; and no vessel was served upon the table that was
not either of gold or of silver, or of buffalo-horn. And our meat