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 quintum

ANd so this lady lyle of Auelion toke her this swerd that she broughte with her / and told there shold noo man pulle it oute of the shethe but yf he be one of the best knyghtes of this reame / and he shold be hard and ful of prowesse / and with that swerd he shold slee her broder / this was the cause that the damoysel came in to this Courte / I knowe it as wel as ye / wolde god she had nat comen in to thys Courte / but she came neuer in felauship of worship to do good but alweyes grete harme / and that knyght that hath encheued the suerd shal be destroyed by that suerd / for the whiche wil be grete dommage / for ther lyueth not a knyȝt of more prowesse than he is / and he shalle do vnto yow my lord Arthur grete honour and kyndenesse / and it is grete pyte shall not endure but a whyle / for of his strengthe and hardynesse I knowe not his matche lyuynge / Soo the knyght of Irelonde armed hym at al poyntes / and dressid his shelde on his sholder and mounted vpon horsback and toke his spere in his hand and rode after a grete paas as moche as his hors myght goo / and within a lytel space on a montayne he had a syghte of Balyn / and with a lowde voys he cryed abyde knyght / for ye shal abyde whether ye will or nyll / and the sheld that is to fore you shalle not helpe / whan Balyn herd the noyse / he tourned his hors fyersly / and saide faire knyghte what wille ye with me / wille ye Iuste with me / ye said the Irysshe knyghte / therfor come I after yow / parauenture said Balyn it had ben better to haue hold yow at home / for many a man weneth to putte his enemy to a rebuke / and ofte it falleth to hym self / of what courte be ye sente fro said Balyn / I am come fro the Courte of kynge Arthur sayd the knyghte of Irlond / that come hyder for to reuenge the despyte ye dyd this day to kyng arthur

[leaf 41v] and to his courte / wel said Balyn / I see wel I must haue adoo with yow that me forthynketh for to greue kyng arthur or ony of his courte / and your quarel is ful symple said Balyn vnto me / for the lady that is dede / dyd me grete dommage or els wold I haue ben lothe as ony knyghte that lyueth for to slee a lady / Make yow redy sayd the knyght launceor / and dresse yow vnto me / for that one shalle abyde in the feld thenne they toke their speres / and cam to gyders as moche as their horses myght dryue / and the Irysshe knyght smote Balyn on the sheld that alle wente sheuers of his spere / & Balyn hyt hym thorugh the sheld / and the hauberk perysshed / & so percyd thurgh his body and the hors croppe / and anon torned his hors fyersly and drewe oute his swerd and wyste not that he had slayn hym / and thenne he sawe hym lye as a dede corps.