Fifteenth Stanza

And Arthur said, “Knight, by heaven, your request is ridiculous, but folly finds the fool. I know no man that is afraid of your great words; give me the axe, in the name of God, and I’ll grant you your game.” He leapt down lightly and grasped the knight’s hand. Then defiantly the knight dismounted. Now, Arthur gripped the axe, and wisely weighed it in order to strike. That other man towered before him, higher than any in the house by a head or more, and studied the king while solemnly stroking his beard, then calmly pulled down the coat around his neck, no more dismayed at the coming killing blow than if he had asked merely for a cup of wine – but Gawain, next to Guinevere, inclined to the king, just then: “I beseech you now with simple speech: this melee must be mine.”