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

AT that tyme ther was a knyghte / the whiche was the kynges sone of Irelond and his name was Launceor / the whiche was an orgulous knyȝt / and counted hym self one of the best of the Courte / and he had grete despyte at Balen for the encheuynge of the swerd that ony shold be acounted more hardy or more of prowesse / and he asked kynge Arthur yf he wold gyue hym leue to ryde after Balen and to reuenge the despyte that he had done / Doo your best said Arthur I am right wroth said Balen I wold he were quyte of the despyte that he hath done to me and to my Courte / Thenne this Launceor wente to his hostry to make hym redy / In the meane whyle cam Merlyn vnto the Court of kyng Arthur and there was told hym the aduenture of the swerd and the deth of the lady of the lake / Now shall I saye yow said Merlyn / this same damoysel that here standeth that broughte the swerde vnto your Court / I shalle telle yow the cause of her comynge / she was the falsest damoysel that lyueth / say not so said they / She

[leaf 41r] hath a broder a passynge good knyght of prowesse and a ful true man / and this damoysel loued another knyght that helde her to peramour / and this good knyght her broder mett with the knyght that held her to peramour and slewe hym by force of his handes / whan this fals damoysel vnderstood thys / she wente to the lady lyle of Auelione / and besought her of help / to be auengyd on her owne broder