The Canterbury Tales: The Wife of Bath's Tale Lines 888-904 Summary

A lusty young bachelor lives in the household of King Arthur.
One day as he is riding from the river, he sees a maiden walking before him.
He rapes this maiden despite her cries for mercy, taking her maidenhood.
Because of this crime, people raise such a hue and cry of protest before King Arthur he sentences the knight to beheading. This was the law then.
The queen and her ladies intervene on the knight's behalf. Arthur grants the queen her request, allowing her to decide the knight's punishment.