Le Morte Darthur, Chapter 340 summary

What happens

1. Sir Launcelot spends two years wandering with little clothing, eating what he finds and drinking water.
2. He finds weapons beside a pavilion, takes a sword, and pounds a shield before throwing down a dwarf who intervenes.
3. The pavilion’s knight offers gentle advice, then arms himself when Sir Launcelot threatens him.
4. Sir Launcelot strikes the knight unconscious, breaks his sword, and enters a warm bed, frightening away its lady.
5. The knight revives, and the dwarf suggests that sorrow drives the stranger’s madness and that he resembles Sir Launcelot.
6. Bliant refuses to hurt the stranger and sends the dwarf to ask Sir Selivant for a horse litter.

In this chapter

What to notice

Bliant makes mercy independent of the stranger’s identity. His decision turns the encounter from combat toward care.

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