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
About this Item
Title
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
Author
Malory, Thomas, Sir, 15th cent.
Editor
Caxton, William, ca. 1422-1491, Sommer, H. Oskar (Heinrich Oskar), b. 1861
Publication
London: David Nutt
1889
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"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." In the digital collection Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/MaloryWks2. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed May 24, 2024.
Pages
¶ Capitulum Quartum
THenne as hit felle by fortune and aduenture sire
Bors de ganys that was neuewe vnto sir Launcelot cam
ouer that brydge / and ther syre Bromel and sire bors
Iusted / & sir Bors smote syre Bromel suche a buffet that he
bare hym ouer his hors croupe / And thenne syre Bromel as
an hardy knyghte pulled out his suerd / and dressid his sheld
to doo bataille with syr Bors / And thenne syr Bors alyȝte /
and auoyded his hors / and there they dasshed to gyders
many sadde strokes / and long thus they foughte / tyl att the laste
syr Bromel was leyd to the erthe / and there syre bors began
to vnlace his helme to slee hym / Thenne syr bromel cryed syre
bors mercy / and yelded hym / vpon this couenaunt thou shalt
haue thy lyf said syr bors / soo thou goo vnto syr launcelot
vpon whytsondaye that next cometh and yelde the vnto hym as
knyghte recreaunt / I wille doo hit said syr bromel / and that
he sware vpon the crosse of the swerd / and soo he lete hym
departe / and syr bors rode vnto kynge Pelles / that was within
Corbyn / And whanne the kynge and Elayne his doughter
wist that syr bors was neuewe vnto syr launcelot / they made
hym grete chere / Thenne said dame Elayne / we merueyle
where sir Launcelot is / for he came neuer here but ones / Meruelle
not said sir bors / for this half yere he hath ben in pryson with
quene Morgan le fay kyng Arthurs syster / Allas said dame
Elayne that me repenteth / and euer syr bors beheld that child
in her armes / and euer hym semed it was passynge lyke sire
launcelot / Truly said Elayne wete ye wel this child he gat
vpon me / Thēne sir bors wepte for Ioye / & he praid to god it myȝt
descriptionPage 577
[leaf 289r]
preue as good a knyghte as his fader was / And soo cam in
a whyte douue / and she bare a lytel censer of gold in her
mouthe / and there was alle maner of metes and drynkes / and a
mayden bare that Sancgreal / and she said openly / wete yow
wel syr Bors that this child is Galahalt that shalle sytte in
the sege peryllous and encheue the Sancgreal / and he shalle
be moche better than euer was sir Launcelot du lake / that is
his owne fader / & thenne they kneled doune / & made theyre
deuocyons / and there was suche a sauour as alle the spyecery
in the world had ben there / And whanne the douue took her
flyghte / the mayden vanysshed with the Sancgreal as she cam
Syr said sir Bors vnto kynge Pelles / this Castel may be
named the castel aduenturous / for here be many straunge
aduentures / that is sothe said the kynge / for wel maye this place be
called the aduentures place / for there come but fewe knyghtes
here that gone aweye with ony worship / be he neuer so strong
here he may be preued / and but late sire Gawayne the good
knyght gate but lytyl worship here / for I lete yow wete said
kynge Pelles / here shalle no knyght wynne no worship / but if
he be of worship hym self and of good lyuynge / and that
loueth god and dredeth god / and els he geteth no worshyp here
be he neuer soo hardy / that is wonderful thyng said syr Bors
what ye meane in this Countrey / I wote not / for ye haue
many straunge aduentures / and therfor I wyl lye in this
Castel this nyghte / ye shalle not doo so said kynge Pelles by my
counceyll / for hit is hard and ye escape withoute a shame / I
shalle take the aduenture that wille befalle me said syr Bors
thenne I counceyle yow said the kynge to be confessid clene/
As for that said sire Bors I wille be shryuen with a good
wylle / Soo syr Bors was confessyd / and for al wymmen sir
Bors was a vyrgyne / sauf for one / that was the doughter of
kynge Brangorys / and on her he gat a child that hyghte
Elayne / and sauf for her syre Bors was a clene mayden / and
soo sir Bors was ledde vnto bed in a fayr large chamber / and
many dores were shette aboute the chamber / whan sir Bors
aspyed alle tho dores / he auoyded alle the peple / for he myght
haue no body with hym / but in no wyse syr Bors wold vnarme
hym / but soo he leid hym doune vpon the bedde / and ryght soo
descriptionPage 578
[leaf 289v]
he sawe come in a lyghte that he myght wel see a spere grete &
longe that came streyghte vpon hym poyntelynge / and to syre
Bors semed that the hede of the spere brente lyke a tapre / and
anon or syr Bors wyst / the spere hede smote hym in to the
sholder an hand brede in depnesse / and that wound greued syre
Bors passynge sore / And thenne he leyd hym doune ageyne
for payne / and anone there with alle there came a knyght
armed with his shelde on his sholder and his suerd in his hande
and he bad sir Bors aryse syr knyȝte and fyghte with me / I
am sore hurte he said / but yet I shal not fayle the / And thenne
syr Bors starte vp and dressid his shelde / and thenne they
lasshed to gyders myghtely a grete whyle / and at the laste
syr Bors bare hym bakward vntyl that he came vnto a
chāber dore / and there that knyghte yede in to that chamber & rested
hym a grete whyle / And whan he hadde reposed hym he came
out fresshely ageyne / and beganne newe bataille with sir bors
myghtely and strongly
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