Chapter 20 - Page 2

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 peacocks' 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 way 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,* 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. * 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. "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 at 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 was brought to
us. And verily, Kay, I saw there every sort of meat and every sort
of liquor that I ever saw elsewhere; but the meat and the liquor
were