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 xx

NOw torne we ageyne / whan sire Gaynys and sir brandyles with his felawes came to the Courte of kyng Arthur / they told the kynge / syr Launcelot and sir Tristram / how sire Dagonet the foole chaced Kynge Marke thurgh the forest / and how the stronge knyght smote them doune al seuen with one spere / There was grete laughynge and Iapynge atte Kynge Marke and at sire Dagonet / But all these knyghtes coude not telle what knyȝt it was that rescowed kyng mark Thenne they asked kynge Marke yf that he knewe hym / and he ansuerd and said / he named hym self the Kynght that folowed the questynge beest / and on that name he sente one of my varlets to a place where was his moder / and when she herd from whens he cam / she made passyng grete dole and discouerd to my varlet his name and said / O my dere sone sire Palomydes why wolt thou not see me / and therfor syr said kyng mark it is to vnderstande his name is sir Palomydes a noble knyght / Thenne were alle these seuen knyghtes gladde that they knewe his name /

¶ Now torne we ageyne / for on the morne they toke their horses bothe sir Lamorak / Palomydes Dynadā with their squyers and varlets tyl they sawe a fayre castel / that stood on a montayne wel closed / and thyder they rode and there they fond a knyght that hyght Galahalt that was lord of that castel / and there they had grete chere and were wel eased / Syr Dynadan said sire Lamorak what wil ye doo

[leaf 223v] sir said Dynadan / I wylle to morowe to the courte of kynge Arthur /

¶ But my hede said sir Palomydes I wille not ryde these thre dayes / for I am sore hurte / and moche haue I bled And therfor I wille repose me here / Truly said sir Lamorak / and I wille abyde here with you / And whan ye ryde / thenne wille I ryde / onles that ye tary ouer longe / Thenne wyll I take myn hors / therfor I pray you syr Dynadan abyde and ryde with vs / Feythfully said Dynadan I wylle not abyde for I haue suche a talent to see sir Tristram that I may not abyde longe from hym / / A Dynadan said syre Palomydes now do I vnderstande / that ye loue my mortal enemy / and therfore how shold I trust yow / wel said Dynadan I loue my lord syre Tristram aboue all other / and hym wille I serue and do honoure / So shalle I said syre Lamorak in al that may lye in my power / Soo on the morne sir Dynadan rode vnto the court of kynge Arthur / And by the way as he rode he sawe where stoode an erraunt Knyght / and made hym redy for to Iuste / Not soo said Dynadan for I haue no wylle to Iuste / with me shalle ye Iuste said knyght or that ye passe this waye / Whether aske ye Iustes by loue or by hate / the knyght ansuerd wete ye wel / I aske hit for loue & and not hate / hit maye wel be soo said syre Dynadan / but ye profer me hard loue / whan ye wylle Iuste with me a sharp spere / But fayre knyghte sayd syre Dynadan sythe ye wylle Iuste with me / mete wyth me in the Courte of Kynge Arthur / and there shalle I Iuste with you / Wel said the Knyght sythe ye wille not Iuste with me I pray yow telle me your name /

¶ Syr knyght said he my name is syre Dynadan / A said the Knyghte / ful wel knowe I you for a good knyghte and a gentyl / and wete yow wel I loue you hertely /

¶ Thenne shalle here be no Iustes sayd Dynadan betwixe vs / Soo they departed / And the same day he came to Camelot where lay Kynge Arthur / And there he salewed the Kynge and the quene / syre Launcelot and syre Tristram / and alle the Courte was gladde of sir Dynadan / for he was gentyl wyse and curteys / and a good Knyghte / And in especyal the valyaunt Knyght sir Tristram loued syre Dynadan passyng wel aboue alle other knyghtes sauf sir launcelot

¶ Thenne the kynge asked

[leaf 224r] syr Dynadan what aduentures he had sene / Sire said Dynadan I haue sene many aduentures / and of somme kyng mark knoweth / but not alle / Thenne the Kynge herkened syr Dynanadan how he told sir Palomydes and he were afore the castel of Morgan le fay / and how syr Lamorak toke the Iustes afore them / and how he foriusted twelue Knyghtes / and of them four he slewe / And how after he smote doune sir Palomydes and me bothe / I may not byleue that sayd the kynge For sir Palomydes is a passyng good knyghte / that is very trouthe said sir Dynadan / but yet I sawe hym better preued hand for hand / And thenne he told the kyng alle that batail And how sir Palomydes was more weyker and more hurte / and more lost of his blood / And withoute doubte sayd sir dynadan had the bataille lenger lasted / palomydes had be slayn O Ihesu said Kynge Arthur this is to me a grete merueylle Syr said Tristram merueylle ye no thynge therof / for at myn aduys / there is not a valyaunter knyghte in the world lyuynge / for I knowe his myght / And now I wille saye yow I was neuer soo wery of knyghte but yf it were sir launcelot And there is no knyghte in the world excepte syr Launcelot I wold dyd soo wel as sir Lamorak / Soo god me help said the kyng I wold that knyght syre Lamorak came to thys Courte / syr said Dynadan he wille be here in shorte space / and syr Palomydes bothe / but I fere that Palomydes may not yet trauayle