The Romance of Sir Gawain

Summary

The Flying Chess-Set Appears at King Arthur's Court

There are many adventures about King Arthur which have never yet been written down. I am beginning a marvellous tale of this sort; if I could find it in French, I would translate it for you into Dutch: it is a fine tale indeed! All the angels in heaven must lend me courage and sense and wisdom for the task, and reinforce my creative powers so that all those who hear the tale may find noble virtues in it. May the Lord grant me as much wisdom as this book demands so that I may carry out my task from start to finish without coming to grief! For this I pray to God that through his grace he may forgive me for the errors, whether at the start or the finish, that I commit in the telling. This was the prayer of Penninc, writer of this book. He spent many sleepless nights on it before he considered that he had finished his task. Now he asks you all to be silent, if you are courteous: even if it is too much for him, he will now relate the marvellous tale of King Arthur.

King Arthur was holding court in his hall at Caerleon, as was his royal custom, with a number of his knights, who I will name as best I can: Yvain and Perceval, Lancelot and Duvengael, and the courtly Gawain (whose equal was not to be found there). Kay the seneschal was there too. When the barons had gathered and had finished their meal and washed their hands, they witnessed a great marvel: they saw a chess-set fly in through the window and settle itself on the floor, all ready for anyone to play. It stood there, yet not one of those high-placed lords dared approach it. Now I should like to describe the chess-set for you: its legs were made of red gold, and the rims of silver. The board itself was of ivory and inlaid with precious stones. Indeed, the pieces belonging to the chess-set were more valuable than all of Arthur's kingdom. Everyone there saw it; suddenly it rose up and flew off to wherever it had come from.