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 xvij

[leaf 105v]

SOo syre launcelot rode many wylde wayes thorou out mareys and many wylde wayes / And as he rode in a valey he sawe a knyght chacynge a lady with a naked swerd to haue slayn her / And by fortune as this knyȝte shold haue slayne thys lady she cryed on syr Launcelot and prayd hym to rescowe her / Whan syre launcelot sawe that meschyef / he took his hors and rode bytwene them / sayeng knyȝte fy for shame / why wolt thou slee this lady / thou dost shame vnto the and alle knyghtes / what haste thou to doo betwyx me & my wyf / sayd the knyght / I wylle slee her maugre thy hede / that shalle ye not sayd syr launcelot / for rather we two wylle haue adoo to gyders / Syre Launcelot sayd the knyght thow doest not thy part / for this lady hath bytrayed me / hit is not so sayd the lady / truly he sayth wronge on me / And for by cause I loue and cherysshe my cosyn germayne / he is Ialous betwixe hym and me / And as I shalle ansuer to god there was neuer synne betwyxe vs / But sir sayd the lady as thou arte called the worshipfullest knyghte of the world I requyre the of true knyȝthode kepe me and saue me / For what someuer ye saye he wyl slee me / for he is withoute mercy / haue ye no doubte sayd launcelot it shal not lye in his power / Syr sayd the knyghte in you syghte I wyl be ruled as ye wylle haue me / And soo sir launcelot rode on the one syde and she on the other / he had not ryden but a whyle / but the knyghte badde sir Launcelot torne hym and loke behynde hym / and sayde syre yonder come men of armes after vs rydynge / And soo sir launcelot torned hym and thoughte no treason / and there wyth was the knyghte and the lady on one syde / & sodenly he swapped of his ladyes hede / And whan syr Launcelot hadde aspyed hym what he had done / he sayd and called hym traytour thou hast shamed me for euer / and sodenly sir launcelot alyȝte of his hors and pulled oute his swerd to slee hym / and there with al he felle flat to the erthe / and grypped sir launcelot by the thyes and cryed mercy / Fy on the sayd sir launcelot thow shameful knyght thou mayst haue no mercy / and therfor aryse and fyghte with me / nay sayde the knyghte I wyl neuer aryse tyl ye graunte me mercy / Now wyl I profer the fayr said launcelot I wyl vnarme me vnto my sherte / and I wylle

[leaf 106r] haue nothyng vpon me / but my sherte and my swerd and my hand / And yf thou canst slee me / quyte be thou for euer / nay sir said Pedyuere that wille I neuer / wel said sir Launcelott take this lady and the hede / and bere it vpon the / and here shalt thou swere vpon my swerd to bere it alweyes vpon thy back and neuer to reste tyl thou come to quene Gueneuer / Syre sayd he that wylle I doo by the feithe of my body / Now said launcelot telle me what is your name / sir my name is Pedyuere / In a shameful houre were thou borne said launcelot / Soo Pedyuere departed with the dede lady and the hede / and fond the quene with kynge Arthur at wynchestre / and there he told alle the trouthe / Syre knyȝt said the quene this is an horryble dede and a shameful / and a grete rebuke vnto sire launcelott But not withstondynge his worship is not knowen in many dyuerse countreyes / but this shalle I gyue you in penaunce make ye as good skyfte as ye can ye shal bere this lady with you on horsbak vnto the pope of Rome / and of hym receyue your penaunce for your foule dedes / and ye shalle neuer reste one nyghte there as ye doo another / and ye goo to ony bedde the dede body shal lye with you / this othe there he made and soo departed / And as it telleth in the frensshe book / whan he cam to Rome / the pope badde hym goo ageyne vnto quene Gueneuer and in Rome was his lady beryed by the popes commaundement / And after this sir Pedyuere felle to grete goodnesse / & was an holy man and an heremyte