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 ix

NOw rydeth Galahalt yet withouten shelde / and so rode four dayes without ony aduenture / And at the fourth day after euensonge / he came to a whyte Abbay / and there was he receyued with grete reuerence / and ledde vnto a chambre / and there was he vnarmed / And thenne was he ware of knyghtes of the table round / one was sir Bagdemagus and syr Vwayne / And whanne they sawe hym / they wente vnto Galahad / and made of hym grete solace / and soo they wente vnto souper / Sirs said sire Galahalt what aduenture

[leaf 312v] broughte yow hyder / Sir they sayd all it is told vs that within this place is a shelde that no man may bere aboute his neck but he be mescheued outher dede within thre dayes or maymed for euer / A syr said kyng Bagdemagus I shalle bere hit to morne for to assay this aduenture / In the name of God sayd Galahad / Sire said Bagdemagus and I may not encheue the aduenture of this shelde ye shalle take hit vpon yow / for I am sure ye shalle not fayle / Sir said Galahad / I ryghte wel agree me therto / for I haue no shelde / Soo on the morne they aroos and herd masse / Thenne Bagdemagus asked where the aduenturous sheld was / Anone a monke ledde hym behynde an aulter where the shelde henge as whyte as ony snowe / but in the myddes was a reed crosse / Sirs said the monke this sheld oughte not to be hanged aboute no knyghtes neck / but he be the worthyest knyghte of the world / therfore I counceylle yow knyghtes to be wel aduysed / Wel said Bagdemagus I wote wel I am not the lest knyghte of the world / but I shal assay to bere hit / and soo bare hit oute of the mynstre / And thēne he said vnto Galahad and hit please you to abyde here stil tyl that ye wete how that I spede / I shalle abyde yow sayd galahad / Thenne kynge Bagdemagus took with hym a good squyer to beynge tydynges vnto syr Galahad how he spedde / Thenne whanne they had ryden two myle and came to a fayr valey afore an hermytage / And thenne they sawe a knyghte come from that party in whyte armour hors and all / And he came as faste as his hors myghte renne / and his spere in his reste / And syr Bagdemagus dressid his spere ageynst hym/ and brake hit vpon the whyte knyght / but the other stroke hym soo hard that he braste the mayles / and sheef hym thorou the ryght sholder / for the shelde couerd hym not as at that tyme / & soo he bare hym from his hors / And there with he alyghte and took the whyte shelde from hym / sayenge knyght thow hast done thy self grete foly / for this shelde oughte not to be borne but by hym that shalle haue no piere that lyueth / And thenne he came to Bagdemagus squyer / & saide bere this shelde vnto the good knyghte sir Galahad that thow lefte in the Abbay and grete hym wel by me / Sir said the squyer what is your name Take thow none hede of my name said the knyȝte / for it is not

[leaf 313r] for the to knowe nor for none erthely man / Now fayr syr said the squyer at the reuerence of Ihesu Cryste / telle me for what cause this shelde may not be borne / but yf the berer therof be meschyeued / Now sythe thow hast coniured me soo sayd the knyghte this shelde behoueth vnto no man but vnto Galahad / & þ^e squyer wēt vnto Bagdemagus / & asked whether he were sore wounded or not / ye forsothe said he / I shalle escape hard from the dethe / Thenne he fette his hors and brought hym with grete payne vnto an Abbay / thenne was he taken doun softely and vnarmed and leid in a bedde / and there was loked to his woundes / And as the booke telleth he laye there longe / & escaped hard with the lyf /