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 lviij

[leaf 256v]

Thus they rode vntyl they were ware of the Castel lonaȝep / And thenne were they ware of foure honderd tentys and pauelions / and merueylous grete ordenaunce / Soo god me helpe saide sire Tristram yonder I see the grettest ordenaunce that euer I sawe / Syre said Palomydes / me semeth that there was as grete an ordenaunce att the castel of maydens vpon the roche where ye wanne the pryce / for I sawe my self where ye foriusted thyrtty knyghtes /

¶ Syr sayd Dynadan and in Surluse at that turnement that Galahalt of the longe Iles maade the whiche there dured seuen dayes / was as grete a gadrynge as is here / for there were many nacyons / who was the best said sire Tristram / sire it was sir Launcelot du lake and the noble knyghte sire Lamorak de galys / and sir launcelot wanne the degree / I doubte not said sir Tristram but he wanne the degree / So he had not ben ouermatched with many knyghtes / and of the dethe of sire Lamorak sayd syre Tristram hit was ouer grete pyte / for I dare say / he was the clenest myȝted man and the best wynded of his age / that was on lyue / for I knewe hym that he was the byggest knyght that euer I mette with all but yf hit were sire Launcelot/ Allas said sire Tristram ful woo is me for his deth / And yf they were not the cosyns of my lord Arthur that slewe hym / they shold dye for hit / and all tho that were consentyng to his dethe / And for suche thynges said sire Tristram I feare to drawe vnto the courte of my lord Arthur / I wylle that ye wete hit said sire Tristram vnto Gareth / Syre I blame yow not said Gareth / For wel I vnderstande the vengeaunce of my bretheren sire Gawayne / Agrauayne / Gaherys / and Mordred / But as for me said sire Gareth I medle not of their maters therfore there is none of them that loueth me / And for I vnderstande they be murtherers of good knyghtes I lefte theyre company / and god wold I had ben by sayd Gareth whanne the noble knyghte syre Lamorak was slayne / Now as Ihesu be my help said sir Tristram / it is wel said of you / for I had leuer than al the gold betwixe this & Rome I had ben there/ ye wys said palomydes & soo wold I had ben there / & yet had I neuer the degree at no Iustes nor turnement there as he was / but he put me to the werse or on foot or on horsbak / & that day

[leaf 257r] that he was slayne he dyd the most dedes of armes that euer I sawe knyghte doo in alle my lyfe dayes

¶ And whan hym was gyuen the degree by my lord Arthur / syre Gawayne and his thre bretheren Agrauayne / Gaherys and sire Mordred sette vpon syre Lamorack in a pryuy place / and there they slewe his hors / and so they fought with hym on foote more than thre houres bothe biforne hym and behynd hym / and sire Mordred gaf hym his dethes wound / behynde hym at his bak / and alle to hewe hym / for one of his squyers told me that sawe hit / Fy vpon treason said sir Trystram / for hit kylleth my herte to here this tale / So it doth myn said Gareth bretheren as they be myn I shall neuer loue them nor drawe in their felauship for that dede / Now speke we of other dedes said Palomydes / and lete hym be / for his lyf ye maye not gete ageyne / that is the more pyte said Dynadan / For sire Gawayne and his bretheren excepte yow sire Gareth/ haten alle the good knyghtes of the round table for the most party / for wel I wote and they myght pryuely / they hate my lord sire Launcelot and al his kynne / and grete pryuy despyte they haue at hym / and that is my lorde syre launcelot wel ware of / and that causeth hym to haue the good knyghtes of his kyn aboute hym /