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 xxxviij

NOw wille we speke and leue sir Tristram / syre Palomydes / & syr Dynadan in pryson / and speke we of other knyghtes that soughte after syre Tristram many dyuerse partyes of this land / and some yede in to Cornewaile / and by aduenture syr Gaheryse neuewe vnto kyng Arthur came vnto Kynge Mark / and there he was wel receyued / and satte atte kynge Marks owne table & ete of his owne messe /

¶ Thenne kynge Mark asked sir Gaheryse what tydynges there were in the royalme of Logrys / Syre said syr Gaheryse the Kyng regneth as a noble knyght / and now but late there was a grete Iustes and turnement as euer I sawe ony in the realme of Logrys / and the moost noble knyghtes were at that Iustes / But there was one knyght that dyd merueyllously thre dayes / and he bare a black shelde / and of alle knyghtes that euer I sawe he preued the best knyȝt / thrnne said Kyng mark that was syre launcelot or syre palomydes the paynym / Not soo said syr Gaherys / for bothe syre launcelot and sire Palomydes were on the contrary party ageynst the Knyght with the blak shelde / thenne was it sir Tristram said the kyng / ye said sir Gaheryse And there with all the Kyng smote doun his hede / & in his herte he feryd sore that syre Tristram shold gete hym suche worship in the Royame of Logrys / where thorou that he hym self shold not be able to withstande hym / Thus syre Gaheryse

[leaf 201r] had grete chere with kynge Marke / and with quene la Beale Isoud the whiche was gladde of syr Gaheryse wordes / For wel she wist by his dedes and maners / that it was syr Tristram / And thenne the kynge made a feest Royal / and to that feest came sir Vwayne le fyse de roy Vreyne / and somme callid hym Vwayne le blaunche maynys / And this syr Vwayn chalengyd alle the knyghtes of Cornewaile / Thenne was the kyng woode wroth that he had no knyghtes to ansuer hym / Thenne sire Andred neuewe vnto kynge Mark lepte vp and said I wille encountre with syr Vwayne / Thenne he yede and armed hym and horsed hym in the best maner / And there syre Vwayne mette with syre Andred and smote hym doune that he swouned on the erthe / Thenne was kynge Marke sory and wrothe oute of mesure that he had no knyghte to reuenge his neuewe sir Andred / Soo the kynge called vnto hym syr Dynas the seneschal / and praid hym for his sake to take vpon hym to Iuste with sir Vwayne / Syr said syr Dynas I am ful lothe to haue adoo with ony knyght of the round table / yet said the kyng for my loue take vpon the to Iuste / Soo syr Dynas made hym redy / and anone they encountred to gyders with grete speres / but sire Dynas was ouerthrowen hors and man a grete falle / who was wrothe but kynge Marke / Allas he said haue I no knyght that wille encountre with yonder knyghte Syr said sir Gaheryse for your sake I wille Iuste / So sir Gaherys made hym redy / and whanne he was armed he rode in to the felde / And whanne sir Vwayne sawe syr Gaheryses sheld he rode to hym and said / sir ye doo not youre parte / For sire the fyrst tyme ye were made Knyght of the round table ye sware that ye shold not haue a do with your felauship wetyngly And par dy sir Gaheryse ye knewe me wel ynouȝ by my shelde & so do I knowe you by your sheld / and thouȝ ye wold breke your othe / I wold not breke myn / for there is not one here nor ye that shall thynke I am aferd of yow / but I durst ryght wel haue adoo with you / and yet we be sister sones / Thenne was sir Gaheryse ashamed / and soo there with alle euery knyght wente their way / and sir Vwayne rode in to the countrey / Thenne kyng mark armed hym and tooke his hors and his spere with a squyer with hym / And thenne he rode afore sir

[leaf 201v] Vwayne / and sodenly at a gap he ranne vpon hym as he that was not ware of hym / and there he smote hym al most thurgh the body / and there lefte hym / So within a whyle there cam sir Kay / and fonde sir Vwayne / and asked hym how he was hurte / I wote not said sir Vwayne why nor wherfore / but by treason I am sure I gat this hurte / for here came a knyghte sodenly vpon me or that I was ware / and sodenly hurte me /

¶ Thenne there was come syre Andred to seke kynge Marke

¶ Thou traytour knyght said sir kay / and I wiste it were thou that thus traitourly hast hurte this noble knyghte / thow sholdest neuer passe my handes / Syre saide sir Andred I dyd neuer hurte hym / and that I wylle reporte me to hym self / Fy on you fals knyghtes said syr kay / for ye of Cornewaile ar nought worthe / Soo syr kay made cary syr Vwayne to the abbay of the black Crosse / and there he was helyd / And thenne syr Gaherys took his leue of kynge Mark / But or he departed he sayd / syre kynge ye dyd a foule shame vnto you & your Courte whan ye bannysshed sir Tristram out of this coūtrey / for ye neded not to haue doubted no knyght and he had ben here / and soo he departed