Le Morte Darthur
Syr Thomas Malory
William Caxton, H. Oskar Sommer

¶ Capitulum iiij

ANd there with syr Launcelot wrapped his mantel aboute his arme wel and surely / and by thenne they had geten a grete fourme oute of the halle / and there with all they rasshed at the dore / Fair lordes sayd syre Launcelot leue your noyse and your rassyng / and I shalle sette open this dore / and thenne may ye doo with me what it lyketh yow / Come of thenne sayd they alle / and do hit / for hit auayleth the not to stryue ageynst vs alle / and therfor lete vs in to this chamber / and we shalle saue thy lyf vntyl thow come to kyng Arthur / Thenne launcelot vnbarred the dore / and with his lyfte hand he held it open a lytel / so that but one man myghte come in attones / and soo there came strydyng a good knyghte a moche man and large / and his name was Colgreuaunce / of Gore / and he with a swerd strake at syr launcelot myȝtely and he put asyde the stroke / and gaf hym suche a buffett vpon the helmet / that he felle grouelynge dede within the chamber dore / and thenne syre Launcelot with grete myghte drewe that dede knyght within the chamber dore / and syr Launcelot with helpe of the Quene and her ladyes was lyghtely armed in syr Colgreuaunce armour / and euer stode sir Agrauayn and sir Mordred cryenge traytoure knyghte come oute of the quenes chamber / leue your noyse sayd syr launcelot vnto sir Agrauayne / For wete yow wel sir Agrauayne ye shall not prysone me this nyghte and therfor and ye doo by my counceylle / goo ye alle from this chamber dore and make not suche cryeng and suche maner of sklaunder as ye doo / for I promyse you by my knyghthode and ye wil departe and make no more noyse / I shal as to morne appiere afore yow alle before the kyng / and thenne lete it be sene whiche of yow all outher els ye all that wille accuse me of treason / and there I shal ansuer yow as a knyghte shold that hydder I cam to the quene for no maner of male engyne / and that wyl I preue and make hit good vpon Page  803 [leaf 402r] yow with my handes / Fy on the traytour sayd sir Agrauayn and sir Mordred / we wylle haue the maulgre thy hede / and slee the yf we lyste / for we lete the wete we haue the choyse of kynge Arthur to saue the or to slee the / A sirs sayd sir launcelot / is there none other grace with you / thenne kepe your self Soo thenne sir Launcelot set al open the chamber dore / and myghtely and knyghtely he strode in amongest them / and anone at the fyrst buffet he slewe sir Agrauayne and twelue of his felawes after within a lytel whyle after he layd hem cold to the erthe / for there was none of the twelue that myghte stande sir launcelot one buffet / ¶ Also syr Launcelot wounded syr Mordred and he fledde with alle his myghte / And thenne syre launcelot retorned ageyne vnto the Quene and sayd madame / now wete yow well all oure true loue is brought to an ende / for now wille kynge Arthur euer be my foo / and therfore madame and it lyke yow that I maye haue you wyth me / I shalle saue yow from alle manere aduentures daungerous / that is not best sayd the quene / me semeth now ye haue done soo moche harme / it wylle be best ye hold yow stylle with this / And yf ye see that as to morne they wylle put me vnto the dethe / thenne may ye rescowe me as ye thynke best / I wyll wel sayd sir launcelot / for haue ye no doubte whyle I am lyuynge / I shalle rescowe yow / and thenne he kyste her / & eyther gaf other a rynge / and soo there he lefte the quene / and went vntyl his lodgynge