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 xxxij

THenne the kyng with the honderd knyghtes withdrewe his knyghtes / And al this whyle and long tofore syr launcelot had watched vpon syr Tristram with a very purpos to haue felaushipped with hym / And thenne sodenly syr Tristram / syr Dynadan / and Gouernaile his man rode their waye in to the forest that no man perceyued where they wente / Soo thenne kynge Arthur blewe vnto lodgynge / and gaf the kynge of Northgalys the pryce by cause syr Tristram was vpon his syde / Thenne syr launcelot rod here and there so wood as lyon that fauted his fylle by cause he had loste syre Tristram / and soo he retorned vnto kynge Arthur / and thenne in alle the felde was a noyse that with the wynde hit myght be herd two myle thens / how the lordes and ladyes cryed the knyght with the blak shelde hath wonne the felde

¶ Allas said kynge Arthur where is that knyght become / hit is shame to alle tho in the felde so to lete hym escape awey from you / but with gentylnes and curtosy ye myght haue brought hym vnto me to the castel of maydens

¶ Thenne the noble kynge Arthur wente vnto his knyghtes and comforted them in the best wyse that he coude / and sayd / my fayre felawes be not dysmayed / how be hit ye haue loste

[leaf 195r] the felde this daye and many were hurte and sore wounded / and many were hole /

¶ My felawes said kynge Arthur loke that ye be of good chere / for to morne I wille be in the feld with you and reuenge you of youre enemyes

¶ Soo that nyght Kynge Arthur and his knyghtes reposed them self /

¶ The damoysel that came from la Beale Isoud vnto syr Tristram alle the whyle the turnement was adoynge she was with Quene Gueneuer / and euer the Quene asked her for what cause she came in to that Countrey

¶ Madame she ansuerd I come for none other cause but from my lady la Beale Isoud to wete of your welfare / For in no wyse she wold telle the Quene that she came for syr Tristrams sake / Soo this lady dame Brangwayne took her leue of Quene Gueneuer / and she rode after syr Tristram / And as she rode thurgh the forest she herd a grete crye / thenne she commaunded her squyer to goo in to that forest to wete what was that noyse / and soo he came to a welle and there he fond a Knyght bounden tyl a tree cryeng as he had ben wode and his hors and his harneis standynge by hym / And whan he aspyed the squyer / ther with he abraide / and brake hym self loos and took his swerd in his hand / and ranne to haue slayne that squyer / Thenne he took his hors and fledde all that euer he myght vnto dame Brangwayne / and told her of his aduenture / Thenne she rode vnto syr Tristrams pauelione / and told sire Tristram what aduenture she had fonde in the forest / Allas said syr Tristram vpon my heede there is somme good Knyghte at meschyef / Thenne sire Tristram tooke his hors and his swerd / and rode thyder / there he herd how the Knyght complayned vnto hym self and sayd / I woful knyght syre palomydes what mysauenture befalleth me / that thus am defoiled with falshede and treason thorou syre Bors and syre Ector / Allas he sayde why lyue I soo longe / And thenne he gat his swerd in his handes / and maade many straunge sygnes and tokens / and soo thorou his ragynge he threwe his swerd in to that fontayne

¶ Thenne sir Palomydes wayled and wrange his handes / And at the laste for pure sorow he ranne in to that Fontayne ouer his bely / and soughte after

[leaf 195v] his swerd / Thenne sir Tristram sawe that and ranne vpon syr Palomydes / and helde hym in his armes fast / what arte thou said Palomydes that holdeth me soo / I am a man of this forest that wold the none harme / Allas said sire Palomydes I maye neuer wynne worship where syr Tristram is / For euer where he is / and I be there thenne gete I no worship / And yf he be awey / for the moost party I haue the gree / onles that sir Launcelot be there or syr Lamorak / Thenne sire Palomydes said ones in Irland syr Tristram putte me to the werse / and another tyme in Cornewaile and in other places in this land What wold ye do said syre Tristram & ye had sir Tristram / I wold fyghte with hym said sir Palomydes and ease my hert vpon hym / and yet to saye the sothe syre Tristram is the gentelyst knyght in this world lyuynge / what wil ye doo sayd sir Tristram wille ye goo with me to youre lodgynge / Nay sayde he I wille goo to the kynge with the honderd knyghtes / for he rescowed me from sire Bors de ganys / and sir Ector / & els had I ben slayne traitourly / Syre Tristram said hym suche kynde wordes that syre Palomydes wente with hym to his lodgynge / Thenne Gouernaile wente to fore / and charged dame Brangwayn to goo oute of the way to her lodgynge / and byd ye syre Persydes that ye make hym no quarels / And so they rode to gyders tyl they came to sire Tristrams pauelione / and there syre Palomydes had alle the chere that myght be had all that nyghte / But in no wyse sire Palomydes myȝt not knowe what was syr Tristram / and soo after souper they yede to reste And syr Tristram for grete trauaile slepte tylle it was daye / And syr Palomydes myghte not slepe for anguysshe / and in the daunynge of the daye he tooke his hors pryuely / and rode his waye vnto syr Gaherys and vnto syr Sagramour le desyrus / where they were in their pauelions / for they thre were felawes at the begynnynge of the turnement / And thenne vpon the morne the kynge blewe vnto the turnement vpon the thyrdde daye /