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 primum

NOw leue we syr Tristram de lyones / & speke we of sire launcelot du lake and of sire Galahalt syr launcelots sone hou he was goten / and in what maner as the book of Frensshe reherceth Afore the tyme that syre Galahalt was goten or borne / there came in an hermyte vnto kynge Arthur vpon whytsonday / as the knyghtes satte at the table round / And whan the heremyte sawe the syege perillous / he asked the kyng and alle the knyghtes why that sege was voyd / Sir Arthur and alle the knyghtes ansuerd / ther shalle neuer none sytte in that syege / but one / but yf he be destroyed /

¶ Thenne sayd the hermyte wote ye what is he / nay said Arthur / and alle the Knyghtes / we wote not who is he / that shalle sytte therin / thenne wote I said the heremyte / for he that shal sytte there is vnborne and vngoten / and this same yere he shalle be goten that shalle sytte ther in that syege perillous / and he shall wynne the Sancgreal whan this hermyte had made this mensyon he departed from the courte of kynge Arthur / And thenne after this feeste syr launcelot rode on his aduenture tyl on a tyme by aduenture he past ouer the pounte of Corbyn / and there he sawe the fayrest toure that euer he sawe / and ther vnder was a fayre Towne ful of peple and alle the peple men and wymmen cryed at ones / welcome sir Launcelot du lake the floure of all knyghthode for by the alle we shalle be holpen oute of daunger / what mene ye said sire Launcelot that ye crye soo vpon me / A fayr knyght said they alle here is within thys Toure a dolorous lady that hath ben ther in paynes many wynters and dayes / for euer she boyleth in scaldynge water / & but late said alle the peple sire Gawayne was here and he myght not helpe her / and soo he lefte her in payne / Soo may I saide syr Launcelot leue her in payne as wel as sire Gawayne dyd Nay said the peple we knowe wel that it is sir Laūcelot that shalle delyuer her / wel said launcelot / thenne shewe me what I shalle doo / thenne they brought sire launcelot in to the toure And when he came to the chamber there as this lady was the dores of yron vnlocked and vnbolted / And so syr launcelot

[leaf 286v] wente in to the chambre that was as hote as ony stewe / And there syr launcelot toke the fayrest lady by the hand / that euer he sawe / and she was naked as a nedel / and by enchauntemēt Quene Morgan le fay and the Quene of Northgalys hadde put her there in that paynes by cause she was called the fairest lady of that countrey / and there she had ben fyue yeres / and neuer myghte she be delyuerd oute of her grete paynes vnto the tyme the best knyghte of the world had taken her by the hand / Thenne the peple broughte her clothes / And whanne she was arayed / syre launcelot thoughte she was the fayrest lady of the word / but yf it were Quene Gueneuer / thenne this lady said to sire Launcelot / syre yf hit please yow wille ye goo with me here by in to a chappel that we may yeue louyng and thankynge vnto god /

¶ Madame said sir launcelot cometh on with me I wille goo with yow / Soo whanne they came there and gaf thankynges to god / alle the people both lerned and lewde gaf thankynges vnto god and hym / and sayd sir knyght syn ye haue delyuerd this lady / ye shall delyuer vs from a serpent that is here in a tombe / Thenne syr launcelot tooke his shelde and said brynge me thyder / and what I may doo vnto the pleasyr of god and yow I wille doo /

¶ Soo whanne sir Laūcelot came thydder / he sawe wryten vpon the tombe letters of gold that said thus / Here shalle come a lybard of kynges blood / and he shalle slee this serpent / and this lybard shalle engendre a lyon in this foreyn countrey the whiche lyon shall passe alle other knyghtes / Soo thenne sir launcelot lyfte vp the tombe / and there came out an horryble & a fyendly dragon spyttynge fyre oute of his mouthe / Thenne sir launcelot drewe his swerd and fought with the dragon longe / and atte laste with grete payne sir launcelot slewe that dragon / There with alle came kynge Pelles the good and noble knyght / and salewed syr launcelot and he hym ageyne / Fair knyghte sayd the kynge / What is your name / I requyre you of your knyȝthode telle me