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 xxij

FOr this cause to knowe the certaynte what was your name / and of what kynne ye were come / And thenne she lete fetche tofore hym Lynet the damoysel that had ryden with hym many wylsome wayes / Thenne was syre Gareth more gladder than he was to fore / And thēne they trouthplyte eche other to loue / and neuer to faylle whyles their lyfe lasteth / And soo they brente bothe in loue that they were accorded to abate their lustes secretely / And there Dame Lyones counceylled syr Gareth to slepe in none other place but in the halle / And there she promysed hym to come to his bedde a lytel afore mydnyght / This counceil was not soo pryuely kepte but it was vnderstande / for they were but yonge bothe and tendyr of age / and had not vsed none suche craftes to forne / Wherfor the damoysel Lynet was a lytel displeasyd / and she thoughte her syster Dame Lyones was a lytel ouer hasty / that she myghte not abyde the tyme of her maryage / And for sauyng their worship / she thoughte to abate their hote lustes /

¶ And so she lete ordeyne by her subtyl craftes that they had not their ententes neyther with other as in her delytes / vntyl they were maryed / And soo it past on / At after souper was made clene auoydaunce / that euery lord and lady shold goo vnto his rest / But syr Gareth said playnly he wold goo noo ferther than the halle / for in suche places he said was conuenyent for an arraunt knyȝt to take his rest in / and so there were ordeyned grete couches / & theron fether beddes / & there leyde hym doune to slepe / & within a whyle cam dame Lyones wrapped in a mantel furred with Ermyne & leid her doun besydes syr gareth / And there with alle he beganne to kysse her / And thenne he loked afore hym and there he apperceuyued and sawe come an armed knyght with many lyghtes aboute hym / and [sic]

[leaf 124v] sawe come an armed knyȝt with many lyghtes about hym [sic]/ & this knyghte had a longe Gysarme in his hand / and maade grym countenaunce to smyte hym / Whanne syre Gareth sawe hym come in that wyse / he lepte oute of his bedde and gate in his hand his swerd and lepte strayte toward that knyght / And whanne the knyght sawe syr Gareth come so fyersly vpon hym / he smote hym with a foyne thorou the thycke of the thyȝ that the wound was a shaftmon brode and had cutte atwo many vaynes and senewes / And there with al syr Gareth smote hym vpon the helme suche a buffet that he felle grouelyng / and thenne he lepte ouer hym and vnlaced his helme and smote of his hede fro the body / And thenne he bledde so fast that he myghte not stande / but soo he leid hym doun vpon his bedde / and there he swouned and laye as he had ben dede Thenne dame Lyones cryed alowde / that her broder syr Gryngamor herd / and came doune / And whan he sawe syr Gareth soo shamefully wounded / he was sore displeasyd and sayd I am shamed that this noble knyghte is thus honoured / Syr sayd syr Gryngamore hou may this be / that ye be here / and thys noble knyghte wounded / Broder she said I can not telle yow For it was not done by me nor by myn assente / For he is my lord and I am his / and he must be myn husband / therfore my broder I wille that ye wete I shame me not to be with hym / nor to doo hym alle the pleasyr that I can / Syster said syre Gryngamore / and I will that ye wete it and syr Gareth both that it was neuer done by me nor by my assente that this vnhappy dede was done / And there they staunched his bledynge as wel as they myght / and grete sorou made sir Gryngamor and Dame Lyones / And forthe with al came Dame Lynet and toke vp the hede in the syghte of hem alle / and enoynted it with an oyntement there as it was smyten of / and in the same wyse she dyd to the other parte there as the hede stak / And thenne she sette it to gyders / and it stak as fast as euer it did And the knyghte arose lyghtely vp / and the damoysel Lynet put hym in her chambre / Alle this sawe sir Gryngamor and dame Lyones / and soo dyd sir Gareth / and wel he espyed that it was the damoysel Lynet that rode with hym thorou the peryllous passages / A wel damoysel said syre Gareth I wende [sic]

[leaf 125r] wold [sic]not haue done as ye haue done / My lord Gareth said Lynet / alle that I haue done I will auowe / and alle that I haue done shal be for youre honoure and worship / and to vs alle / And soo within a whyle syr Gareth was nyghe hole / & waxid lyghte and Iocounde / and sange / daunced and gamed / and he and dame Lyones were soo hote in brennynge loue that they made their couenaunte at the tenth nyghte after that she shold come to his bedde / And by cause he was woūded afore / he laid his armour / and his swerd nyghe his beddes syde