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 iiij

ANd euer sir Mador stood stylle afore the kynge / and euer he appeled the quene of treason / for the customme was suche that tyme that alle manere of shameful dethe was called treason / Fair lordes sayd kynge Arthur me repenteth of this trouble / but the caas is so I maye not haue adoo in this mater for I must be a ryghtful Iuge / and that repenteth me that I maye not doo batail for my wyf / for as I deme this dede came neuer by her / And therfore I suppose she shalle not be alle distayned / but that somme good knyght shal putt his body in Ieopardy for my quene rather than she shal be brent in a wrong quarel / And therfor sir Mador be not so hasty / for hit maye happen she shalle not be all frendeles / and therfore

[leaf 365v] desyre thow thy daye of bataile / and she shalle purueye her of somme good knyghte / that shalle ansuer yow or els it were to me grete shame / and to alle my courte / My gracyous lord sayd sir Mador ye muste holde me excused / for though ye be oure kynge in that degree / ye are but a knyght as we are / and ye are sworne vnto knyghthode as wel as we / and therfor I biseche yow that ye be not displeased / For there is none of the four and twenty knyghtes that were boden to this dyner / but alle they haue grete suspecyon vnto the quene / What say ye all my lordes said sir Mador / thenne they ansuerd by and by that they coude not excuse the quene / for why she made the dyner / & outher hit must come by her or by her seruauntes / Allas sayd the quene I made this dyner for a good entente / and neuer for none euyl soo almyghty god me help in my ryght as I was neuer purposed to doo suche euylle dedes / and that I reporte me vnto god / My lord kynge sayd sir Mador I requyre yow as ye be a ryghtuous kyng gyue me a day that I may haue Iustyce / wel sayd the kynge I gyue the daye thys day xv dayes that thow be redy armed on horsbak in the medowe besyde westmynster / And yf it soo falle that there be ony knyght to encountre with yow / there mayst thow doo the best / and god spede the ryght / And yf hit so falle that there be no knyght at that day / thenne must my quene be brente / and ther she shalle be redy to haue her Iugement / I am ansuerd sayd sir Mador / and euery knyghte wente where it lyked hem /

¶ So whan the kynge and the quene were to gyders / the kynge asked the quene how this caas bifelle / the quene ansuerd / so god me help I wote not how or in what maner / where is sir launcelot said kyng Arthur / and he were here he wold not grutche to doo bataille for yow / Sire sayd the quene I wote not where he is / but his brother and his kynnesmen deme that he be not within this Realme / that me repenteth sayd kyng Arthur / For and he were here / he wold soone stynte this stryf / Thenne I wille counceyle yow sayd the kynge and vnto sire Bors that ye wil doo bataille for her for sir launcelots sake / And vpon my lyf he wille not refuse yow / For wel I see said the kynge that none of these foure and twenty knyghtes that were with you at your dyner where sir Patryse was slayn

[leaf 366r] that wille doo batail for yow nor none fo hem wille saye well of yow / and that shalle be a grete sklaunder for yow in thys Courte / Allas said the quene and I maye not doo with all but now I mys sir launcelot / for and he were here / he wold putte me soone to my hertes ease /

¶ what eyleth yow said the kynge ye can not kepe sir launcelot vpon your syde / for wete ye wel sayd the kynge who that hath sire Launcelot vpon his partye / hath the moost man of worship in the world vpon his syde / Now goo your way said the kynge vnto the quene / and requyre sir Bors to doo bataille for yow for sire launcelots sake