How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Page)
Quote #10
'My lords,' she said, 'by the mercy of God I see holy relics here before me. Listen now to what I swear, and may it reassure the king: so help me God and St Hilary, and by these relics, this holy place, the relics that are not here and all the relics there are in the world, I swear that no man ever came between my thighs except for the leper who carried me on his back across the ford and my husband, King Mark.' (15.141-142)
Since the leper who carried Yseut across the ford is in fact Tristan in disguise, Yseut's oath here is technically true, but it's still deceptive. Everyone present assumes that her oath exonerates her of an affair with Tristan when in fact, it does just the opposite. This story's definition of a truthful oath is extremely literal. If what Yseut says is technically true, her oath is truthful whether or not it really fulfills the intention of the trial—to prove her innocence.