1-155-621 - Art Media/Heritage Images

'The Knight of the Cart' (Sir Lancelot), 1344. From Le roman of Lancelot du Lac (The Story of Lancelot of the Lake), based on the tale of Arthurian legend by Chretien de Troyes (active 1160-1191). Lancelot meets an old man or dwarf who tells him to get into a cart. He hesitates, as only peasants travel in carts. Because he has not obeyed instantly, he has to redeem himself by carrying out a number of tasks. This is the only one of Chretien's tales that refers to Lancelot's adultery with Guinevere. From the Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris.