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 ij

SYr said launcelot wete yow wel my name is syre launcelot du lake / & my name is sayd the kyng / Pelles

[leaf 287r] kynge of the foreyn countrey / and cosyn nyghe vnto Ioseph os Armathye / And thenne eyther of them made moche of other / and soo they wente in to the Castel to take theyr repaste / and anone there came in a douue at a wyndowe / and in her mouth there semed a lytel censer of gold / And there with alle there was suche a sauour as alle the spyecery of the world had ben there / And forth with all there was vpon the table al maner of metes and drynkes that they coude thynke vpon / Soo cam in a damoysel passynge fayre and yonge / and she bare a vessel of gold betwixe her handes / and therto the kynge kneled deuoutely and said his prayers / and soo dyd alle that were there / O Ihesu said sir launcelot what maye this meane / thys is said the kynge the rychest thyng that ony man hath lyuyng And whanne this thynge goth aboute / the round table shall be broken / and wete thow wel said the kynge this is the holy Sancgreal that ye haue here sene / Soo the kynge and sir laūcelot ladde their lyf the moost parte of that daye / And fayne wold kynge Pelles haue fond the meane to haue hadde syre Launcelot to haue layne by his doughter fayre Elayne / And for this entent the kyng knewe wel that syr launcelot shold gete a chyld vpon his doughter / the whiche shold be named sir Galahalt the good knyghte / by whome alle the forayn countrey shold be broughte oute of daunger / and by hym the holy graale shold be encheued /

¶ Thenne came forth a lady that hyghte Dame Brysen / and she said vnto the Kynge / Syr wete ye wel / syre Launcelot loueth no lady in the world but all only Quene Gueneuer / and therfore wyrche ye by counceylle and I shalle make hym to lye with your doughter / & he shall not wete but that he lyeth with Quene Gueneuer / O fayre lady dame Brysen said the kyng / hope ye to brynge this about syr said she vpon payne of my lyf lete me dele / for this Brysen was one of the grettest enchauntresses that was at that tyme in the world lyuynge /

¶ Thenne anone by dame Brysens wytte she maade one to come to syr launcelot that he knewe wel / And this man brouȝt hym a rynge from Quene Gueneuer lyke as hit hadde come from her / and suche one as she was wonte for the moost parte to were / & when sir laūcelot sawe that tokē wete ye wel he was

[leaf 287v] neuer soo fayne / where is my lady said syr launcelot / in the castel of Case said the messager but fyue myle thens / Thenne sir launcelot thoughte to be there the same nyghte / And thenne this Brysen by the commaundement of kynge Pelles lete sende Elayne to this castel with xxv knyghtes vnto the castel of Case / Thenne syr launcelot ageynst nyght rode vnto that castel / and there anone he was receyued worshipfully with suche peple to his semyng as were aboute Quene Queneuer secrete Soo whanne sir Launcelot was alyghte / he asked where the Quene was / Soo dame Brysen said that she was in her bedde / & thenne the peple were auoyded / and sir launcelot was ledde vnto his chamber / And thenne dame Brysen broughte sir launcelot a cup ful of wyne / and anone as he had dronken that wyn / he was soo assoted and madde that he myghte make no delay / but withouten ony lette he wente to bedde / and he wende that mayden Elayne had ben Quene Gueneuer / wete yow wel that sir launcelot was glad and soo was that lady Elayne / that she had geten sir launcelot in her armes / For well she knewe that same nyght shold be goten vpon her Galahalt that shold preue the best knyghte of the world / and soo they lay to gyders vntyl vndorne on the morn / and alle the wyndowes and holes of that chamber were stopped that no man ere of day myghte be sene / And thenne sire launcelot remembryd hym / and he arose vp and wente to the wyndowe /