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 xvj

NOW torne we ageyne vnto sir Palomydes how sir Dynadan comforted hym in alle that he myghte from his grete sorow / what Knyghte are ye said sir Palomydes / syre I am a knyght erraunt as ye be that hath soughte you longe by your sheld / Here is my sheld said sir Palomydes / Wete ye wel and ye wille oughte / there with I wille defende hit / Nay said sir Dynadan I wille not haue adoo with yow / but in good maner / And yf ye wil ye shal fynde me sone redy / Syr said sir Dynadan whyder ward ryde you this way / By my hede sayd sir Palomydes I wote not but as fortune ledeth me / Herde ye or sawe ye ought of sir Tristram / So god me help of sir Tristram I bothe herd and sawe / and not / for thenne we loued not Inwardly wel to gyders / yet at my meschyef sir Tristram rescowed me from my dethe / and yet or he and I departed by bothe our assentes we assigned a day that we shold haue met at the stony graue / that merlyon sette besyde Camelot / & there to haue done bataille to gyders / how be hit I was letted sayd sir Palomydes that I myght not holde my daye / the whiche greueth me sore / but I haue a large excuse / For I was prysoner with a lord and many other moo / and that shalle syre Tristram ryght wel vnderstande / þ^t I brake hit not of fere of cowardyse / And thenne sir Palomydes told sir Dynodan the same day that shold haue mette / Soo god me helpe sayd syre Dynadan that same day mette sire Launcelot and sir Tristram at the same graue of stone /

¶ And there was the moost myghtyest bataille that euer was sene in this land betwyxe

[leaf 220r] two knyghtes / for they fought more than two houres / And there they bothe bledde moche blood / that alle men merueyled that euer they myght endure hit /

¶ And so at the laste by bothe their assentes they were made frendes and sworne bretheren for euer / and no man can Iuge the better knyght / And now is sir Tristram made a Knyghte of the round table / and he sytteth in the sege of the noble knyght sire Marhaus /

¶ By my hede said sir Palomydes syre Tristram is ferre bygger that sir Launcelot / and the hardyer Knyghte /

¶ Haue ye assayed them bothe saide syre Dynadan /

¶ I haue sene syre Tristram fyghte said syre Palomydes / but neuer sire Launcelot / to my wetynge / But at the fontayne where sire Launcelot lay on slepe there with one spere he smote doune sire Tristram / and me said Palomydes / but at that tyme they knewe not eyther other Faire Knyghte said sir Dynadan as for sir launcelot and sir Tristram lete them be / for the werst of them wille not be lyghly matched of no knyghtes that I knowe lyuynge / No said sire Palomydes god defende but and I had a quarel to the better of them bothe / I wold with as good a wylle fyghte with hym as with yow

¶ Syre I requyre you telle me your name and in good feith I shalle hold you company / tyl that we come to Camelot / and there shall ye haue grete worship now at this grete turnement for there shalle be the Quene Gueneuer / and la Beale Isoud of Cornewaile / wete yow wel syre Knyght for the loue of la Beale Isoud I wille be there and els not / but I wille not haue adoo in Kynge Arthurs courte / Sir said Dynadan / I shal ryde with yow and doo you seruyse / so ye wille telle me youre name / Syre ye shalle vnderstande my name is syre palomydes brother to Safere the good and noble Knyghte / And Syre Segwarydes and I we be Sarasyns borne of fader and moder /

¶ Syre said sire Dynadan I thanke you moche / for the tellyng of your name / For I am gladde of that I knowe your name / & I promyse you by the feyth of my body ye shalle not be hurte by me by my will / but rather be auaunced / And therto wille I helpe yow with all my power I promyse you / doubte ye not / And certaynly on my lyf ye shalle

[leaf 220v] wynne grete worship in the Courte of Kynge Arthur / And be ryght welcome / Soo thenne they dressid on their helmes / & putte on their sheldes / & mounted vpon horses / and toke the brode way toward Camelot / And thenne were they ware of a castel / that was fayre and ryche / and also passyng strong as ony was with in this reame