Afterwards, the queen mounted, accompanied by an attendant maiden – a king’s daughter – who sat upon a good palfrey.

A knight came spurring after them: his name was Erec. He was of the Round Table and had received great honour at court: as long as he had been there no knight had been so highly praised, and he was so handsome that there was no need to seek a man of finer looks anywhere. He was very handsome and valiant and noble, and he was not yet twenty-five years old; never was any man of his youth so accomplished in knighthood. What should I say of his virtues? Mounted on a charger, he came galloping along the road; he was dressed in a fur-lined mantle and a tunic of noble, patterned silk that had been made in Constantinople.1 He had put on silken stockings, very finely made and tailored; he was well set in his stirrups and was wearing golden spurs; he was unarmed except for his sword.

Spurring his horse, he caught up with the queen at a bend in the road. ‘My lady,’ said he, ‘I would go with you, should it please you, on this road. I have come here for no other reason than to keep you company.’

And the queen thanked him for that: ‘Good friend, I greatly like your company; know this truly: I can have none better.’

Then they rode speedily on and went straight into the forest. Those who had gone on ahead had already raised the stag: some blew on horns, others shouted; the dogs went noisily after the stag, running, rushing and barking; the archers were shooting thick and fast. Out in the front of all of them the king was hunting, mounted on a Spanish hunter.

Queen Guinevere was in the woods listening to the dogs; beside her were Erec and her maiden, who was very courtly and beautiful. But those who had raised the stag were so far off that they could hear nothing of them, neither horn nor horse nor hound. All three had stopped in a clearing beside the road in order to listen attentively to see whether they could hear a human voice or the cry of a hound from any side.

They had not been there long when they saw coming towards them an armoured knight on a charger, his shield at his neck, his lance in his hand. The queen saw him from afar: a fine-looking maiden was riding beside him at his right; in front of them, on a big draught horse, a dwarf was riding along, and he carried in his hand a whip with lashes knotted at one end.

Queen Guinevere saw the handsome and elegant knight, and she wanted to know who they were, he and his maiden. She told her maiden to go quickly to speak to him. ‘Damsel,’ said the queen, ‘go and tell that knight riding there to come to me and bring his maiden with him.’

The maiden rode ahead straight towards the knight. The dwarf came to meet her, holding his whip in his hand. ‘Halt, damsel!’ said the dwarf, who was full of evil. ‘What are you looking for here? You have no business in this direction!’

‘Dwarf,’ said she, ‘let me pass: I wish to speak to that knight, for the queen sends me there.’

The evil, baseborn dwarf stood blocking her way: ‘You have no business here,’ said he. ‘Go back! It’s not right for you to talk to such a fine knight.’

The maiden moved forward; she wanted to force her way past. She felt great contempt for the dwarf because she saw how little he was. But the dwarf raised his whip when he saw her approaching. He tried to strike her in the face, but she protected herself with her arm; then he took aim again and struck her openly on her bare hand. He struck her on the back of her hand so that it became all blue. Since she could do no more, the maiden was obliged to turn back, whether she wanted to or not. She came back weeping: tears were running from her eyes down her face.

The queen did not know what to do; when she saw her maiden wounded she was very sad and angry. ‘Oh! Erec, good friend,’ said she, ‘I am very upset about my maiden, whom this dwarf has wounded in such a way. That knight is most unchivalrous to have allowed such a freak to strike so beautiful a creature. Good friend Erec, go over to the knight and tell him to come to me without fail: I want to meet both him and his lady.’

Erec spurred his horse, rode in that direction, and came straight to the knight. The despicable dwarf saw him coming and went to meet him. ‘Knight,’ said he, ‘stay back! I don’t know what business you have here. I advise you to withdraw.’

‘Be gone,’ said Erec, ‘bothersome dwarf! You’re disgusting and hateful. Let me pass!’

‘You won’t pass!’

‘Yes, I will!’

‘No, you won’t!’

Erec gave the dwarf a shove.