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 xxviij

THenne they sawe moche people of the countrey salewe sire Palomydes / And within a whyle after / ther cam a squyer of the castel / that told syre Pellounes that was lord of that castel / that a knyght with a blak sheld had

[leaf 191v] smyten doune thyrten knyȝtes / Fayr broder said sir Tristram vnto syr Persydes / lete vs caste vpon vs clokes / and lete vs goo see the play / Not soo said sir Persydes / we wille not goo lyke knaues thyder / but we wille ryde lyke men and good knyghtes to withstande oure enemyes / Soo they armed them and took their horses and grete speres / and thyder they went there as many knyȝtes assayed hem self before the turnement And anone sir Palomydes sawe sir Persydes / and thenne he sente a squyer vnto hym and said / goo thou to the yonder knyght with the grene sheld and therin a lyon of gooldis / and say hym I requyre hym to Iuste with me / and telle hym that my name is sire Palomydes / whanne sir Persydes vnderstood that request of syre Palomydes / he made hym redy / and there anone they mette to gyders / but syre Persydes had a falle Thenne syre Tristram dressid hym to be reuengyd vpon sir palomydes / and that sawe syre Palomydes that was redy / and soo was not sire Tristram and took hym at auauntage / and smote hym ouer his hors tayle whanne he had no spere in his reyste / Thenne starte vp syre Tristram and took his hors lyȝtely / and was wrothe oute of mesure / and sore ashamed of that falle / Thenne sire Tristram sente vnto syr Palomydes by Gouernaile and prayd hym to Iuste with hym at his request Nay said sire Palomydes as att this tyme I wille not Iuste with that knyght / for I knowe hym better than he weneth / And yf he be wrothe / he may ryghte it to morne att the castel of maydens / where he maye see me and many other knyghtes with that came syr Dynadan / and whanne he sawe sire Tristrā wrothe / he lyst not to Iape / lo sayd sir Dynadan / here may a mā preue / Be a man neuer soo good yet maye he haue a falle / & he was neuer soo wyse but he myght be ouersene / and he rydeth wel that neuer fylle / Soo syre Tristram was passynge wrothe and sayd to syre Persydes and to syre Dynadan I wille reuenge me / Ryghte soo as they stood talkyng there / there came by sir Tristram a lykely knyght rydyng passynge soberly and heuyly with a blak shelde / what knyght is that said sir Tristram vnto syr Persydes / I knowe hym well said sir Persydes / for his name is sire Bryaunt of Northwalys / soo he paste on amonge other knyghtes of Northwalys / And there came

[leaf 192r] in syre launcelot du lake with a sheld of the armes of Cornewaile / and he sente a squyer vnto syr Bryaunt / and requyred hym to Iuste with hym / wel said syr Bryaunt / sythen I am requyred to Iuste / I wille doo what I may / and there syre launcelot smote doune syr Bryaunt from his hors a grete falle / And thenne syr Tristram merueiled what knyght he was that bare the sheld of Cornewaile / what so euer he be said syr Dynadan I warante you he is of Kynge Bannys blood / the whiche ben knyghtes of the moost noble prowesse / in the world for to accompte soo many for soo many / Thenne there came two knyȝtes of Northgales / that one hyghte Hewe de la montayne / and the other syr Madok de la montayne / & they chalengyd fire launcelot foote hote / Syr Launcelot not refusyng hem but made hym redy / with one spere he smote hem doune bothe ouer their hors croupes / and soo sir launcelot rode his way / By the good lord said sire Tristram he is a good knyght that bereth the shelde of Cornewaile / and me semeth he rydeth in the best maner that euer I sawe knyghte ryde / Thenne the kynge of Northgalys rode vnto syre Palomydes / and praid hym hertely for his sake to Iuste with that knyght that hath done vs of Northgalys despyte / Syr said sir Palomydes I am ful lothe to haue adoo with that knyght / and cause why is / for as to morne the grete turnement shalle be / And therfor I wille kepe my self fresshe by my wille / Nay said the kyng of Northgalys I pray you requyre hym of Iustes / syre sayd syr palomydes I wille Iuste at your request / and requyre that knyght to Iuste with me / and often I haue sene a man haue a falle at his owne request