Ipomedon in drei englischen bearbeitungen / hrsg. von Eugen Kölbing.

And then Ipomedon went home into his own contre,
[line 15] & when he come there, then was the king Hermogines, his
fadre, deid, & he made mich sorowe, & then come all the
lordes of the lond to him & did him homage, as to theire
king. But coroned king wold he not be as yitt, because that
he wold goo into othre contres & travell & seke aventures,
[line 20] while he was yong, & also he thoght, if god wold gyfe him
grace, to wed his ladie, that he lufed, & be coroned king of
Poyle both on oo day.

And then toke he with him Tholomewe & such menye,
as he wold haue, & went into Fraunce as a souldioure &
[line 25] thoght, to be there all that yere, & then sent he Egeon, his
messanger, in to Calabre preuely, to abide there & enquere,
if the lordes of the lond made any more debate with the
ladie, or if she had any diseas, to bring him worde.

Now was there in Fraunce in this same tyme a king,
[line 30] that hight Arthus, & had a yong brothre, that hight Daires,
the which was king of Loreyn by heritage of his wife, &
thes twoo kinges werred aithre on othre & had doon long.
Bot this king Arthus of Fraunce was at Parichs & held a
[34 they] om. ms.] grete parlement, to ordayn, how that they might defend theim
[line 35] agayn king Daires, that was comen into theire lond with a
grete powere of men, to distroy the roialme of Fraunce.

And then come Ipomedon thidre & beleft with the
king of Fraunce, & then come tithandez to the king, that
king Daires was comen into the feld withoute the tovn with
[line 40] an hundreth thovsand of fighteng men. And then Ipomedon
went & armed him all in blak & sat on a blak stede, because
he shuld be the more dred, for he had before at the turna∣ment
that day, that he was in blak, toke the same king
Daires presoner.

[line 45] And when Ipomedon come into the felde, he was war
of a knight, that come prikking toward him oute of the oste,
& Ipomedon ran to him & bare him to the erthe, & his squiere
was redie & toke the knight stede, & Ipomedon toke him
prisoner & bad him goo agayn to the king & say him, that

the blak knight, that was at the turnament [f. 102b.] of Caundres, sent
him thidre, & when king Daires wist, that the blak knight
was agaynes him, he was more aferd of him, than of king
Arthus & all his men.

[line 5] Noght for thy he defend him as long, as he might,
& then the king Arthus & his men were woundre-glad of
the blak knight, for they see wele, he was a worthie knight,
& then there was a grete batell betwix both parties, so far
furth, that the Frenchemen were in poynt, to be discomfit
[line 10] for that day.

Bot Ipomedon did so wele that day, that him self dis∣comfit
king Daires & all his men & put him to flight, so
that they were discomfit for that day. And then come king
Arthus to Ipomedon & thanked him & said, certayn, he was
[line 15] the cause of the discomfiture of his enemys, & led him to
the citee of Paryss, & euery man loued & of him had ioye &
trowed wele, thurgh the manhod of him to haue an end of
theire werres & to discomfit there enemis.

And then this king Daires dred so mich the manhod
[line 20] of Ipomedon, that he was glad by the avice of his counsell
to send vnto him & pray him, that he wold vouchesave, to
speke to the king, that he might come to fore him & submitt
him vnto him & cry him mercy & put him in his grace, to amend
at his own ordinance & restore him agayn, that he had tres∣passed
[line 25] [25 and if] om. ms.] vnto him, & more; and if him liked, to doo his mes∣sage
to the king, he wold gyve him his doghtre to wife &
all the lond of Loreyn after his disces.

And when Ipomedon herd this, he answerd to the
messangers & said, if the king Daires woll doo as he sais
[line 30] & more ouer become the kinges homagere of Fraunce, he
wold doo his message with goode will, & they said, yis.
certan, & that wold they vndretake, and also Ipomedon wold
not, for shame, refuse his doghtre, bot thanked him for his
profre.

[line 35] And on the morow come the king Daires to king
Arthus, his brothre, & did him homage, & so Ipomedon thurgh
his witt & his manhod made a fynall peace betwix thes twoo
kinges for euer more.

And then wold they haue made the mariage of him
[line 40] & the doghter of the king Daires, & he excused him & put
it of & thanked him & toke his leyve & wold no lenger abide.