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 xxxiiij

THenne this crye was soo large / that sir launcelot herd it / And thenne he gate a grete spere in his hand / and came towardes the crye / Thenne sir launcelot cryed / the knyght with blak shelde make the redy to Iuste with me / Whanne sire Tristram herd hym say so he gate his spere in his hand / and eyther abeyshed doun their hedes / and came to gyder as thonder / and sire Tristrams spere brake in pyeces / and syr launcelot by male fortune stroke sir Tristram on the syde a depe wound nyghe to the dethe / But yet syr Tristram auoyded not his sadel / and soo the spere brak / there with all sir tristram that was wounded gate oute his swerd / and he rasshed to sir launcelot / and gaf hym thre grete strokes vpon the helme that the fyre sprange there oute / and sir launcelot abeyshed his hede lowely toward his sadel bowe / And there with alle sir tristram departed from the felde / for he felte hym soo woūded that he wende he shold haue dyed / and sir Dynadan aspyed hym and folowed hym in to the forest / Thenne sir launcelot abode & dyd many merueyllous dedes / Soo whan fire Tristram was departed by the forests syde / he alyght & vnlaced his harneis and fresshed his woūd / thēne wende sir Dynodan that he shold

[leaf 197r] haue dyed / Nay nay saide sire Tristram / Dynadan / neuer drede the / for I am herte hole / & of this wounde I shal soone be hole by the mercy of god /

¶ By that sir Dynadan was ware where came palomydes rydynge streyghte vpon them / And thenne syre Tristram was ware that syre Palomydes came to haue destroyed hym / and so syre Dynadan gaf hym warnyng and saide sire Tristram my lord ye are soo sore wounded that ye may not haue adoo with hym / therfore I wille ryde ageynst hym and doo to hym what I maye / And yf I be slayne ye maye praye for my soule and in the meane whyle ye maye withdrawe you and goo in to the castel / or in the foreste that he shalle not mete with you /

¶ Syre Tristram smyled and said I thanke you syre Dynadan of your good wylle / but ye shalle wete that I am able to handle hym / And thenne anone hastely he armed hym and took his hors / and a grete spere in his hand and said to syre Dynadan Adieu / & rode toward syre Palamydes a softe paas

¶ Thenne whanne sire Palomydes sawe that / he made countenaunce to amende his hors / but he dyd hit for this cause / For he abode sire Gaherys that came after hym /

¶ And whanne he was come he rode toward syre Tristram /

¶ Thenne syre Tristram sente vnto syr palomydes and requyred hym to Iuste with hym / And yf he smote doune sir Palomydes / he wold doo no more to hym / And yf it so happend that sire Palomydes smote doune syr Tristram he badde hym do his vtteraunce / So they were accorded / thenne they mette to gyders / and syre Tristram smote doune sir palomydes / that he had a greuous falle / soo that he laye stylle as he hadde ben dede / And thenne sire Trystram ranne vpon syr Gaherys / and he wold not haue Iusted But whether he wolde or not syre Tristram smote hym ouer his hors croupe that he laye stylle as though he had ben dede / And thenne syr Tristram rode his waye and lefte syre Persydes squyer within the pauelions / and syre Tristram and syre Dynadan rode to an old knyghtes place to lodge them / And that olde knyght had fyue sones at the turnement / for whome he prayed god hertely for their comyng home /

¶ And so as the frensshe book faith they cam home al / v / wel beten / And whan syr Tristram departed in to the forest syr laūcelot held alwey

[leaf 197v] the stoure lyke hard as a man araged that took no heede to hym self / and wete ye wel there was many a noble knyghte ageynst hym / And whanne kyng Arthur sawe sir Launcelot doo soo merueyllous dedes of armes / he thenne armed hym / & took his hors and his armour / and rode in to the felde to helpe syr launcelot / and so many knyghtes came in with kyng Arthur / and to make short tale in conclusion the kyng of Northgalys / and the kynge of the honderd knyghtes were putte to the wers / and by cause syre launcelot abode and was the last in the feld / the pryce was yeuen hym / But sir Laūcelot wold neyther for kyng / Quene ne knyghte haue the pryce / but where the crye was cryed thorugh the felde / syr launcelot sir launcelot hath wonne the felde this day / syre Launcelot lete make an other crye contrary syr Tristram hath wonne the feld / for he baganne fyrst and last he hath endured / and soo hath he done the fyrst day / the second and the thyrd day /