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

UN to this counceille these fyue kynges assented / and so they passed forth with her hoost thorow Northwalis and came vpon Arthur by nyghte and sett vpon his hoost as the kynge and his knyghtes were in their pauelions kynge Arthur was vnarmed / and had leid hym to rest with hys quene Gweneuer / Sir said syr kaynus it is not good we be vnarmed /we shalle haue no nede said syre Gawayne and Syr Gryflet that laye in a lytel pauelione by the kynge / With that they herd a grete noyse and many cryed treson treson / Allas said kynge Arthur we ben bitrayed / Vnto armes felawes thenne he cryed / so they were armed anone at al poyntes / Thenne cam ther a wounded knyghte vnto the kynge & saide syr saue your self and my lady the quene for our hooste is destroyed and moche peple of ours slayne / Soo anone the kynge and the quene and the thre knyghtes took her horses & rode toward humber to passe ouer it / and the water was so rough that they were aferd to passe ouer / Now may ye chese sayd kynge Arthur whether ye wille abyde and take the aduentur on this syde / for and ye be taken / they wille slee yow / It were me leuer sayd the quene to dye in the water than to falle in your enemyes handes & there be slayne / And as they stode soo talkyng / syr kaynus sawe the fyue kynges comynge on horsbak by hem self alone with her speres in her handes euen toward hem / loo said syr kaynus yonder be the fyue kynges / lete vs go to them and matche hem / that were foly sayd sire gawayne / for we are but thre and they ben fyue that is trouthe said syre Gryflet / No force said syr kay I wille vndertake for two of

[leaf 61v] them / and thenne may ye thre vndertake for the other thre / and ther with al syr kay lete his hors renne as fast as he myghte and strake one of them thorow the shelde / and the body a fadom that the kynge felle to the erthe stark dede / That sawe syr Gawayne and ranne vnto another kyng so hard that he smote hym thurgh the body / And ther with all kyng Arthur ran to another / and smote hym thurgh the body with a spere that he fylle to the erthe dede / Thenne syr Gryflet ranne vnto the iiij kyng and gaf hym suche a falle that his neck brake / Anone syr kay ranne vnto the fyfthe kynge and smote hym so hard on the helme that the stroke clafe the helme and the hede to the erthe / that was wel stryken sayd kynge Arthur / and worshipfully hast thow hold thy promesse / therfor I shal honoure the / whyle that I lyue / and ther with all they set the quene in a barge in to humber / but alweyes quene gweneuer praysed syr kay for his dedes / and sayd what lady that ye loue / and she loue yow not ageyne she were gretely to blame / and amonge ladyes said the Quene I shalle bere youre noble fame / for ye spak a grete word and fulfylled it worshipfully and therwith the quene departed / Thenne the kyng and the thre knyghtes rode in to the forest / for there they supposed to here of them that were escaped / and there he fond the most party of his peple / and told hem all how the fyue kynges were dede / and therfore lete vs hold vs to gyders tyll it be day / and whan their hoost have aspyed that their chyuetayns be slayn they wille make suche dole that they shalle not mowe helpe hem self / and ryght so as the kynge said / so it was / for whan they fonde the fyue kynges dede / they made suche dole that they fell fro their horses / Ther with all cam kyng Arthur but with a fewe peple and slewe on the lyfte hand and on the ryght hand that wel nyhe ther escaped no man / but alle were slayne to the nombre of xxx M / And whan the bataille was all ended the kynge kneled doune and thanked god mekely / and thenne he sente for the quene and soone she was come / and she maade grete Ioye of the ouercomynge of that bataille