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 xxxvj /

ANd whanne he came to the land he took of his harneis / and satte rorynge and cryenge as a man oute of his mynde / Ryght so came a damoysel euen by syr Palomydes that was sente fro syr Gawayne and his broder vnto sir mordred that lay seke in the same place with that old knyȝt where syr Tristram was / For as the Frensshe book saith syr Persydes hurte soo syr Mordred a ten dayes afore / and had not ben for the loue of sir Gawayne and his broder / syr Persydes had slayne sir Mordred / and soo this damoysel came by sir palomydes / and she and he had langage to gyder / the whiche pleasyd neyther of them / and soo the damoysel rode her wayes tyl she came to the old knyghtes place / & there she told that old knyght how she mette with woodest knyght by aduenture that euer she mette with all / what bare he in his sheld said sir Tristram / hit was endented with whyte and black saide the damoysel / A said sir Tristram that was sir palomydes / the good knyght / For wel I knowe hym said sir Tristram for one of the best knyghtes lyuynge in this realme / Thenne that old knyght took a lytel hackney and rode for syre palomydes / and brought hym vnto his owne manoyr / and ful wel knewe sire Tristram syr Palomydes / but he said but lytel / for at that tyme syr Tristram was walkyng vpon his feet / and wel amended of his hurtes / and alweyes whan sire Palomydes sawe syr Tristram / he wold behold hym ful merueillously / And euer hym semed that he hadde sene hym / Thenne wold he saye vnto syre Dynadan and euer I may mete with syre Tristram he shal not escape myn handes / I merueile said sir Dynadan þ^t

[leaf 199r] ye booste behynde syr Tristram / for it is but late that he was in youre handes / and ye in his handes / why wold ye not holde hym whanne ye hadde hym / for I sawe my self twyes or thryes that ye gat but lytel worship of sir Tristram / thenne was syr Palomydes ashamed / Soo leue we them a lytyl whyle in the old castel / with the old knyght sir Darras /

¶ Now shall we speke of Kynge Arthur / that said to sir Launcelot had not ye ben / we had not lost syre Tristram for he was here dayly vnto the tyme ye mette with hym / and in an euylle tyme sayd Arthur ye encountred with hym / My lord Arthur said Launcelot ye putte vpon me that I shold ben cause of his departycyon / god knoweth hit was ageynste my wille / But whan men ben hote in dedes of armes ofte they hurte their frendes as wel as their foes / And my lord said sir launcelot ye shal vnderstande that sir Tristram is a man that I am loth to offende for he hath done for me more than euer I dyd for hym as yet / But thenne sir Launcelot made brynge forth a book and thēne sir launcelot said / here we are ten Knyghtes that wil swere vpon a book neuer to reste one nyght where we rest another this twelue moneth vn tyl that we fynde syr Tristram / And as for me said syre Launcelot I promyse you vpon this book that and I may mete with hym / outher with fayrenes or foulnesse I shalle brynge hym to this courte / or els I shalle dye therfore / And the names of these ten knyghtes that hadde vndertake this quest were these folowynge / Fyrst was sir Launcelot / syr Ector de Marys / syr Bors de ganys and Bleoberis and syre Blamor de ganys / and Lucan the botteler / syr Vwayne / syr Galyhud / Lyonel and Gaylodyn / Soo these x noble knyghtes departed from the courte of kynge Arthur / and soo they rode vpon their quest to gyders vntyl they came to a crosse where departed four wayes / and there departed the felauship in four to seke syr Tristram / And as syr launcelot rode by aduenture he mette with dame Brangwayn that was sent in to that countrey to seke sir Tristram / and she fled as faste as her palfrey myght goo / Soo sire Launcelot mette with her and asked her why she fledde /

¶ A fayre knyghte said dame Brangwayne I flee for drede of my lyf / for here foloweth me syr Breuse saunce pyte to slee me / Hold you nyghe me sayd

[leaf 199v] sir launcelot / Thenne whanne sire Launcelot sawe sir Breuse saunce pyte / syre launcelot cryed vnto hym / and said / fals knyght destroyer of ladyes and damoysels / now thy last dayes be come / Whanne sire Breuse saunce pyte sawe sire launcelots shelde he knewe hit wel / for at that tyme he bare not the armes of Cornewaile / but he bare his owne shelde / And thenne syre Breuse fled / and syr Tristram folowed after hym / But sir Breuse was soo wel horsed that whan hym lyst to flee he myght wel flee / and also abyde whan hym lyft / And thenne sire launcelot retorned vnto dame Brangwayne and she thanked hym of his grete labour /