The Squire's Tale is a fragment. What has come down to us is an oriental story set at Tzarev in the land of Tartary. At the feast of the twentieth anniversary of King Cambuskan's rule Gawain, the knight and messenger of the king of India and Araby, presents four magic gifts: a flying brass horse, a mind-reading mirror, a language-interpreting ring, and a beast-slaying sword. The King gives the ring to his daughter, Canace. The next morning she finds a sad female hawk in the palace garden. The magic ring enables Canace to understand the bird's story. The hawk has been abandoned by her mate, who ran away with a beautiful kite. Canace takes the hawk to the palace and restores her health. The Squire promises to tell about the other gifts, but he is interrupted by the Franklin.

The Squire's Tale
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