¶ Capitulum xl

BVt as the book sayth / kyng marke wold neuer stynte tyll he had slayne hym by treason/ /and by Alys he gat a child that hyght Bellengerus le Beuse / and by good fortune he came to the courte of Kynge Arthur / and preued a passynge good Knyghte / and he reuenged his faders dethe for the fals Kynge marke slewe bothe syre Tristram & Alysander falsly and felonsly / and hit happed so that Alysander hadde neuer grace ne fortune to come to Kynge Arthurs court For and he had comen to sire launcelot alle knyghtes sayd / that knewe hym / he was one of the strengest knyghtes that was in Arthurs dayes / and grete dole was made for hym Soo lete we of hym passe and torne we to another tale So hit befelle that sire Galahalt the haute prynce was lord of the countrey of Surluse / wherof came many good knyghtes / And this noble prynce was a passynge good man of armes and euer he helde a noble felaushyp to gyders / And thenne he came to Arthurs court / & told hym his entent / how this was his wyll / how he wold lete crye a Iustes in the coūtrey of Surluse / the whiche countrey was within the landes of kynge Arthur / and there he axed leue to lete crye a Iustes / I wyl gyue yow leue said Kynge Arthur / But wete thow wel sayd Kynge Arthur / I maye not be there / Syre said Quene Gueneuer please hit you to gyue me leue to be at that Iustes / with ryght good wille said Arthur / for sire Galahalt the haute prynce shall haue yow in gouernaunce / Syr said Galahalt I wille as ye wylle / sir thenne the quene I wille take with me and suche knyghtes as pleasen me best / do as ye lyst said kynge Arthur / So anone she commaunded sire Launcelot to make hym redy with suche knyghtes as he thought best / Soo in euery good towne and castel of this land was made a crye / that in the countrey of Surluse syre Galahalt sholde make a Iustes that shold laste eyghte dayes / And how the haute prynce with the help of Quene Gueneuers knyghtes shold Iuste Page  479 [leaf 240r] ageyne alle manere of men that wold come / whanne this crye was knowen / kynges and prynces / dukes and Erles / Barons and noble knyghtes made them redy to be at that Iustes And at the daye of Iustyng there came in sire Dynadan / disguysed / and dyd many grete dedes of armes