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 secundum

THenne certayne of them wold haue slayne the child / by cause they wold haue ben lordes of the countrey of Lyonas / But thenne thorou the faire speche of the gentylwoman / and by the meanes that she made / the moost party of the Barons wold not assente ther to / And thenne they lete cary home the dede quene / and moche dole was made for her / Thenne this meane whyle Merlyn delyuerd kynge Melyodas out of pryson on the morne after his quene was dede / And so when the kynge was come home / the moost party of the barons made grete ioye / But the sorou that the kyng made for his quene that myghte no tong telle Soo thenne the kynge lete entere her rychely and after he lete crystene his child as his wyf commaunded afore her

[leaf 138r] deth / And thenne he lete calle hym Trystram the sorouful borne child /

¶ Thenne the kynge Melyodas endured seuen yeres without a wyf / And alle this tyme Trystram was nourysshed wel /

¶ Thenne hit befelle that kynge Melyodas wedded kynge Howles doughter of Bretayne / and anone she hadde children of kynge Melyodas / thenne was she heuy and wrothe / that her children shold not reioyce the Countrey of Lyones / wherfor this quene ordeyned for to poysone yong Tristram / So she lete poyson be put in a pyece of syluer in the chamber where as Trystram and her children were to gyders / Vnto that entente that whanne Trystram were thursty he shold drynke that drynke / And so hit felle vpon a daye the quenes sone as he was in that chamber / aspyed the pyece with poyson / and he wende hit hadde ben good drynke / and by cause the child was thursty he tooke the pyece with poyson and dranke frely / and there with al sodenly the child brast & was dede / whanne the quene Melyodas wyst of the dethe of her sone wete ye wel that she was heuy / But yet the kyng vnderstode no thynge of her treason /

¶ Not withstandynge the quene wold not leue this / but efte she lete ordeyne more poyson / and putte hit in a pyece / And by fortune kyng Melyodas her husband fond the pyece with wyn where was the poyson / and he that was moche thursty took the pyece for to drynke ther oute And as he wold haue dronken therof / the Quene aspyed hym / and thenne she ranne vnto hym / and pulled the pyece from hym sodenly

¶ The kyng merueilled why she dyd soo / and remembyrd hym how her sone was sodenly slayne with poyson / And thenne he took her by the hand and sayd / thou fals traitresse thou shalte telle me what manere of drynke this is / or els I shalle slee the / And ther with he pulled oute his swerd / and sware a grete othe that he shold slee her / but yf she told hym trouthe / A mercy my lord sayd she / and I shalle telle you alle / And thenne she told hym why she wold haue slayne Trystram / by cause her chyldren shold reioyced his land / wel said the kyng Melyodas / and therfor shal ye haue the lawe / And soo she was dampned by the assente of the Barons to be brent / and thenne was ther made a grete fyre / & ryght as she was at the fyre to take he execucion / yong

[leaf 138v] Trystram knelyd afore kynge Melyodas / and besought hym to gyue hym a bone / I wylle wel said the kynge ageyne /

¶ Thenne saide yonge Trystram gyue me the lyf of thy quene my stepmoder / That is vnryghtfully asked said kyng Melyodas / for thou oughte of ryght to hate her / for she wold haue slayne the with that poyson and she myghte haue hadde her wille / And for thy sake moost is my cause that she sholde dye Syr saide Trystram as for that I byseche you of your mercy that ye wille forgyue hit her / And as for my parte god forgyue it her and I doo / and soo moche it lyked your hyhenes to graunte me my bone / for goddes loue I requyre you hold your promyse / Sythen hit is soo said the kynge I wille that ye haue her lyf / thenne said the kynge I gyue her to you / and go ye to the fyre and take her / and doo with her what ye wylle / Soo syre Trystram wente to the fyre / and by the commaundement of the kyng delyuerd her from the dethe / But after that kynge Melyodas wold neuer haue adoo with her as at bedde and borde / But by the good meanes of yong Trystram he made the kynge and her accorded / But thenne the kynge wold not suffre yonge Trystram to abyde no lenger in his courte