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 Tercium

ANd thenne the quene lete make a preuy dyner in london vnto the knyȝtes of the round table / and al was for to shewe outward that she had as grete Ioye in al other knyghtes of the table round as she had in sir launcelot / al only at that dyner she had sir Gawayne and his bretheren / that is for to saye sir Agrauayn / sir Gaherys / sire Gareth and syre Mordred / Also there was sir Bors de ganys / sire Blamor de ganys / syr Bleoberys de ganys /sire Galyhud / sir Galyhodyn syre Ector de marys / sir Lyonel / sire Palomydes / syr Safyr his broder / sir la cote male tayle / sir Persaunt / syr Ironsyde / syre Brandyles / syr kay le Seneschal / sir Mador de la porte / Syre Patryse a knyght of Irland / Alyduk / sir Astamore / and sir Pynel le saueage / the whiche was cosyn to sire Lamorak de galys the good knyghte that syr Gawayne and his bretheren slewe by treason / and so these four and twenty knyghtes shold dyne with the quene in a preuy place by them self / and there was made a grete feest of al maner of deyntees / but syre Gawayne had a customme that he vsed dayly at dyner and at souper that he loued wel al maner of fruyte / and in especial appels and perys / And therfore who someuer dyned or feested syre Gawayne wold comynly purueye for good fruyte for hym / and soo dyd the quene for to please sir Gawayne / she lete purueye for hym al maner of fruyte / for sir Gawayn was a passynge hote knyght of nature / and this Pyonel hated syre Gawayne by cause of his kynnesman syr Lamorak de galys & therfor for pure enuy & hate sir Pyonel enpoysond certayn appels for to enpoysonne sir Gawayn / & soo this was wel vnto the ende of the mete / and soo it befelle by mysfortune a good knyght named Patryse cosyn vnto sire Mador de la porte to

[leaf 365r] take a poysond Appel / And whanne he had eten hit / he swalle soo tyl he brast / & there sire Patryce felle doun sodenly deede amonge hem / Thenne euery knyghte lepte from the bord ashamed and araged for wrathe nyghe oute of her wyttes / For they wyste not what to saye consyderynge Quene Gueneuer made the feest and dyner / they alle had suspecyon vnto her / My lady the quene said Gawayne / Wete ye wel madame that this dyner was made for me / for alle folkes that knowen my condycyon vnderstande that I loue wel fruyte / and now I see wel / I had nere be slayne / therfor madame I drede me lest ye will be shamed / Thenne the quene stood stylle and was sore abasshed / that he nyst not what to saye / This shalle not so be ended said syr Mador de la porte / for here haue I loste a ful noble knyght of my blood / And therfore vpon this shame & despyte I wille be reuenged to the vtteraunce / and there openly sir Mador appeled the quene of the dethe of his cosyn sir patryse / thenne stode they all stylle that none wold speke a word ageynst hym / for they all had grete suspecyon vnto the quene by cause she lete make that dyner / and the quene was so abasshed that she coude none other wayes doo but wepte soo hertely that she felle in a swoune / with this noyse and crye came to them kynge Arthur / And whanne he wyst to that trouble / he was a passynge heuy man