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 lxxxvj /

FAyre knyght said syr Tristram vnto syre Launcelot / of whens be ye / I am a knyght erraunt sayd sir laūcelot that rydeth to seke many aduentures / What is your name said sir Tristram / syre at this tyme I wille not telle yow / Thenne syre launcelot sayd vnto sir Tristram and to palomydes / now eyther of yow ar mette to gyders / I wille departe from yow / Not soo said syr Tristram I pray yow of knyȝthode to ryde with me vnto my Castel / wete yow wel said syr Launcelot I may not ryde with yow / for I haue many dedes to doo in other places / that att this tyme I maye not abyde with yow / A mercy Ihesu said syr Tristram I requyre yow/ as ye be a true knyghte to the ordre of knyghthode / playe you with me this nyghte / Thenne sire Tristram had a graunte of syre launcelot / how be it though he had not desyred hym / he wold haue ryden with hem / outher soone haue come after them for syr launcelot cam for none other cause in to that Countrey but for to see syr Tristram / And whanne they were come within Ioyous gard / they alyght / and their horses were ledde in to a stable / and thenne they vnarmed them / And whanne syre Launcelot was vnhelmed / sir Tristram and syr Palomydes knewe hym / Thenne sire Tristram took syr launcelot in armes / & soo dyd la Beale Isoud / and Palomydes kneled doune vpon his knees / and thanked syr Launcelot / whan syr launcelot sawe sir Palomydes knele / he lyghtely toke hym vp and sayd thus / wete thou wel sir Palomydes I and ony knyght in this land of worship oughte of veray ryght socoure and rescowe

[leaf 283v] soo noble a knyghte as ye are proued and renoumed thurgh oute alle this reame endlonge and ouerthwart / And thenne was there Ioye amonge them / and the oftyner that syre Palomydes sawe la Beale Isoud / the heuyer he waxed day by day Thenne sir launcelot within thre or four dayes departed / and with hym rode sir Ector de marys / and Dynadan and sir Palomydes were there lefte with sire Tristram a two monethes & more / But euer sire Palomydes faded and morned that alle men had merueylle wherfore he had faded soo aweye / So vppn a day in the daunynge sire Palomydes wente in to the foreste by hym self alone / and there he fond a welle / and thenne he loked in to the welle / and in the water he sawe his owne vysage hou he was distourbled and defaded nothyng lyke that he was What may this meane said sire Palomydes / and thus he said to hym self / A Palomydes / Palamydes / why arte thow dyffaded thou that was wonte to be called one of the fayrest knyȝtes of the world / I wille no more lede this lyf / for I loue that I maye neuer gete nor recouer / And there with all he leyd hym doune by the welle / And thenne he beganne to make a ryme of la Beale Isoud and hym /

¶ And in the meane whyle syr Tristram was that same day ryden in to the forest to chace the herte of greese / but sire Tristram wold not ryde on huntynge neuer more vnarmed by cause of syr Breuse saunce pyte / and soo as sir Tristram rode in to that forest vp and doune / he herd one synge merueyllously lowde / and that was syre Palomydes that lay by the welle / And thenne syr Tristram rode softely thyder / for he demed / there was some knyght erraunt that was at the welle

¶ And whanne sire Tristram came nyghe hym / he descended doune from his hors and teyed his hors fast tyl a tree / and thenne he came nere hym on foote / and anone he was ware where lay sire palomydes by the welle and sange lowde and meryly / and euer the complayntes were of that noble Quene La Beale Isoud / the whiche was merueyllously and wonderfully wel sayd / and ful dolefully and pytously made And alle the hole songe the noble knyghte sire Tristram herd from the begynnynge to the endynge / the whiche greued and troubled hym sore

¶ But thenne at the last whanne

[leaf 284r] sir Tristram had herd all sir Palomydes complayntes he was wrothe oute of mesure & thouȝt for to slee hym there as he lay Thenne syr Tristram remembryd hym self that sir Palomydes was vnarmed and of the noble name that sir Palomydes had and the noble name that hym self had / and thenne he made a restraynte of his anger / & so he wente vnto sire Palomydes a softe paas and said sir Palomydes I haue herd youre complaynte and of thy treason that thow hast owed me so longe And wete thou wel therfor thow shalt dye / And yf it were not for shame of knyȝthode / thow sholdest not escape my handes / for now I knowe wel thow hast awayted me with treason . Telle me said syre Tristram how thow wolt acquyte the/ Sir said Palomydes thus I wille acquyte me / as for Quene la beale Isoud ye shal wete that I loue her aboue all other ladyes in this world / and wel I wote it shalle befalle me as for her loue as befelle to the noble knyghte syre Kehydius that dyed for the loue of la Beale Isoud / and now sir Tristram I wil that ye wete that I haue loued la Beale Isoud many a day / and she hath ben the causer of my worshyp And els I had ben the moost symplest knyght in the world For by her / and by cause of her / I haue wonne the worshyp that I haue / for when I remembryd me of la Beale Isoud I wanne the worship where someuer I came for the most party / and yet had I neuer reward nor bounte of her the dayes of my lyf / and yet haue I ben her knyght gwerdonles / And therfor syr Tristram as for ony deth I drede not / for I hadde as lyef dye as to lyue / And yf I were armed as thow arte / I shold lyghtely doo batail with the / wel haue ye vttered your treason said Tristram / I haue done to yow no treason said Palomydes / for loue is free for alle men / and though I haue loued your lady / she is my lady as wel as yours / how be it I haue wronge yf ony wronge be / for ye reioyce her / and haue youre desyre of her / and soo had I neuer nor neuer am lyke to haue / and yet shalle I loue her to the vttermest dayes of my lyf as wel as ye