The Lady of the Lake took thechild to her own home, which was an island in the middle of the sea andsurrounded by impassable walls. From this the lady had her name of Dame duLac, or the Lady of the Lake (or Sea), and her foster son was calledLancelot du Lac, while the realm was called Meidelant, or the Land ofMaidens.Lancelot dwelt thenceforward in the castle, on the island. When he waseight years old he received a tutor who was to instruct him in allknightly knowledge; he learned to use bow and spear and to ride onhorseback, and some cousins of his were also brought thither by the Ladyof the Lake to be his comrades. When he was eighteen he wished to go toKing Arthur's court that he might be a knight.On the eve of St. John, as King Arthur returned from the chase, and bythe high road approached Camelot, he met a fair company. In the van wenttwo youths, leading two white mules, one freighted with a silken pavilion,the other with robes proper for a newly made knight; the mules bore twochests, holding the hauberk and the iron boots. Next came two squires,clad in white robes and mounted on white horses, carrying a silver shieldand a shining helmet; after these, two others, with a sword in a whitesheath and a white charger. Behind followed squires and servants in whitecoats, three damsels dressed in white, the two sons of King Bors; and,last of all, the fairy with the youth she loved.
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