Le Morte Darthur / by Syr Thomas Malory ; the original edition of William Caxton now reprinted and edited with an introduction and glossary by H. Oskar Sommer ; with an essay on Malory's prose style by Andrew Lang

¶ Capitulum xxj

[leaf 152v]

The knyghte torned his hors / and he made hym redy to fyghte / And thenne sir Trystram smote hym with a swerd suche a buffet / that he tombled to the erthe / And thenne he yelded hym vnto sir Tristram / thenne come thy waye sayd sire Trystram and brynge the child to the lady ageyne / Soo he took his hors wekely and rode with sir Trystram / and thenne by the way syr Trystram asked hym his name / Thenne he said my name is Breunis saunte pyte / Soo whanne he hadde delyuerd that child to the lady / he said / sir as in this the child is wel remedyed / Thenne sir Trystram lete hym goo ageyne that sore reyentyd [sic] hym after / for he was a grete foo vnto many good knyghtes of kynge arthurs courte /

¶ Thenne whan sir Tristram was in his pauelione / Gouernaile his man cam / and told hym how that kynge anguysshe of Irland was come thyder / and he was putte in grete distresse / and there gouernaile told sir Trystram / how kynge anguysshe was somoned and appealed of murther / Soo god me help said sir Tristram these ben the best tydynges that euer came to me this vii yere / for now shalle the kynge of Irland haue nede of my helpe for I dare saye there is no knyght in this countrey that is not of arthurs courte dare doo bataille with syre Blamore de ganys / and for to wynne the loue of the kyng of Irland I wil take the batail vpon me / and therfor gouernaile brynge me I charge the to the kyng / Thenne Gouernaile wente vnto kynge anguysshe of Irland and salewed hym fayre / the kynge welcomed hym / and asked hym what he wolde / Syr saide Gouernaile / here is a knyghte nere hande that desyreth to speke with you / he badde me saye he wolde doo you seruyse / what Knyght is he saide the Kynge / syr he said hit is sir Tristram du lyonas that for your good grace ye shewed hym in your landes wyll rewarde you in these countreyes / Come on felawe said the kynge with me anone / and shewe me vnto sir Trystram / soo the Kyng took a lytel hackney and but fewe felauship with him vntyl he came vnto sir Tristrams pauelione / and whanne syre Trystram sawe the Kynge / he ranne vnto hym and wold haue holden his styrope / But the kynge lepte from his hors lyghtly / and eyther halsed other in armes / my gracious Lord sayde sire Trystram gramercy of your grete goodnesses shewed

[leaf 153r] vnto me in your marches and landes / And at that tyme I promysed you to doo my seruyse / and euer it laye in my power / & gentyl knyght said the kynge vnto sir Tristram / now haue I grete nede of you / neuer had I soo grete nede of no knyghtes helpe / How soo my good lord said sire Trystram / I shalle telle you said the kynge I am assomoned and appeled fro my countrey for the deth of a knyght that was kyn vnto the good knyght sir Launcelot / wherfor sir Blamor de ganys broder to sir Bleoberys hath appeled me to fyghte with hym / outher to fynde a knyght in my stede / And wel I wote said the kyng these that are come of kynge Bans blood as sir Launcelot & these other are passynge good knyghtes and hard men for to wynne in bataille as ony that I knowe now lyuynge / Syre said sir Trystram / for the good lordship ye shewed me in Irland and for my lady youre doughters sake / La Beale Isoud I wille take the bataille for you vpon this condycyon / that ye shalle graūte me two thynges / that one is that ye shal swere to me that ye are in the ryght that ye were neuer consentynge to the knyȝtes dethe / Syr thenne said sir Tristram when that I haue done this bataille yf god yeue me grace that I spede that ye shalle gyue me a reward what thynge resonable that I wille aske of you / Soo god me help said the kyng ye shal haue what someuer ye will aske / It is wel said / said sir Trystram