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 ix

THenne the kynge for grete fauoure maade Tramtryst to be put in his doughters ward and kepyng by cause she was a noble surgeon / And whan she had serched hym / she fond in the bottome of his wound that therin was poyson / And soo she heled hym within a whyle / and therfore Tramtrist cast grete loue to la beale Isoud / for she was at that tyme the fairest mayde and lady of the worlde / And there Tramtryst lerned her to harpe / and she beganne to haue grete fantasye vnto hym / And at that tyme sir Palamydes the sarasyn was in that countrey and wel cherysshed with the kynge and the

[leaf 143v] quene / And euery day syr Palamydes drewe vnto la beale Isoud / and profered her many yeftes / for he loued her passyngly wel / Al that Aspyed Tramtryst / and ful wel knewe he syr Palamydes for a noble knyght and a myghty man / And wete ye wel syr Tramtryst had grete despyte at syr palomydes / for la beale Isoud told Tramtryst that Palamydes was in wylle to be crystened for her sake / Thus was ther grete enuy betwixe Tramtryst and syr Palamydes / Thenne hit befelle that kynge Anguysshe lete crye a grete Iustes and a grete turnement for a lady that was called the lady of the laundes / and she was nyghe cosyn vnto the kynge / And what man wanne her / thre dayes after he shold wedde her and haue alle her landes / This crye was made in England / walys Scotland and also in Fraunce and in Bretayne / It befelle vpon a day la beale Isoud came vnto syr Tramtryst and told hym of this turnement / he ansuerd and sayd sayr lady I am but a feble knyghte / and but late I had ben dede / had not your good ladyship ben / Now fayre lady what wold ye I shold doo in this matere / wel ye wote my lady that I maye not Iuste / A Tramtryst said la beale Isoud why wille ye not haue ado at that turnement / wel I wote syr Palamydes shall be there / and to doo what he maye / And therfore Tramtryst I pray you for to be there / for els syr Palamydes is lyke to wynne the degree / Madame said Tramtrist as for that / it may be soo / for he is a proued knyght / and I am but a yong knyght and late made / and the fyrst batail that I dyd it myshapped me to be soore wounded as ye see / But and I wyst ye wold be my better lady / at that turnement I will be so that ye wille kepe my counceille and lete no creature haue knouleche that I shalle Iuste but your self / and suche as ye wil to kepe your counceil / my poure persone shall I Ieoparde there for your sake that parauentur sir Palamydes shal knowe whan that I come / Therto said la beale Isoud do your best & as I can said la beale Isoud I shal purueye hors and armour for you at my deuyse / as ye will soo be hit said syr Trātrist I wille be at your cōmaundement / So at the day of Iustes / ther cam sir Palamydes with a black sheld / & he ouerthrew many knyghtes that alle the peple had merueylle of hym /

[leaf 144r] For he putte to the werse syr Gawayne / Gaherys / Agrauayn Bagdemagus / kay / Dodyus le saueage / Sagramor le desyrus / Gumret le petyte / and Gryslet le fyse de dieu / Alle these the fyrste daye syr Palamydes strake doune to the erthe / And thenne alle maner of knyghtes were adred of sir Palamydes and many called hym the knyght with the black shelde / Soo that day syre Palamydes had grete worshyp /

¶ Thenne cam kynge Anguysshe vnto Tramtryst / and asked hym why he wold not Iuste / Syr he said I was but late hurte / and as yet I dare not auenture me /

¶ Thenne came there the same squyer that was sente from the kynges doughter of Fraunce / vnto syr Trystram / And whanne he had aspyed syre Tristrā he felle flat to his feete / Alle that aspyed la Bele Isoud / what curtosye the squyer made vnto syr Trystram / And therwith al sodenly syr Trystram ranne vnto his squyer whos name was Heles le renoumes / and praid hym hertely in noo wyse to telle his name / Syr said Heles I wille not discouer your name / but yf ye commaunde me