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 xliiij

NOw begynneth the thyrdde daye of Iustynge / and att that daye Kynge Bagdemagus made hym redy / and there came ageynst hym kynge Marsyl / that had in yefte an Iland of syre Galahalt the haute prynce / And this yland had the name Pomytayn / Thenne hit befelle that Kyng Bagdemagus and kynge Marsyl of Pomytayn mette to gyders with speres / and Kynge Marsyl had suche a buffet that he felle ouer his hors croupe

¶ Thenne came therin a Knyght of Kynge Marsyl to reuenge his lord / And kynge Bagdemagus smote hym doune hors and man to the erthe

¶ Soo there came an Erle that hyght arrouse / and sir Breuse and an honderd knyghtes with hem of Pometayne / and the Kynge of Northgalys was with hem / And alle these were ageynst them of Surluse / And thenne there beganne grete bataylle / and many Knyghtes were caste vnder hors feet / And euer Kynge Bagdemagus dyd best / for he fyrste beganne / & euer he helde on / Gaherys Gawayns broder smote euer at the face of Kynge Bagdemagus / And at the laste kynge Bagdemagus hurtled doune Gaherys hors and man

¶ Thenne by aduenture syre Palomydes the good Knyghte mette with syre Bleoberys de Ganys / syre Bleoberys broder/ And eyther smote other with grete speres / that both theyre horses and Knyghtes felle to the erthe / But syre Blamore had suche a falle that he had al moost broken his neck / for the blood braste oute at nose / mouthe and his eres / but at the laste he recouerd well by good surgyens / Thenne therecam in the duke

[leaf 242v] Chaleyns of Claraunce and in his gouernaunce there came a knyghte that hyghte Elys la noyre / And there encountred with hym Kynge Bagdemagus / and he smote Elys that he made hym to auoyde his sadel /

¶ Soo the Duke Chaleyns of Claraunce dyd there grete dedes of armes / and of soo late as he came in the thyrdde daye there was no man dyd soo wel excepte kynge Bagdemagus and sire Palomydes that the pryce was gyuen that day to Kynge Bagdemagus /

¶ And thenne they blewe vnto lodgynge and vnarmed hem and wente to the feest /

¶ Ryght soo came Dynadan and mocked and Iaped with Kynge Bagdemagus that alle knyghtes lough at hym / for he was a fyne Iaper and wel louynge alle good knyghtes /

¶ Soo anone as they had dyned / there came a varlet berynge foure speres on his bak / & he came to Palomydes / & sayd thus / here is a Knyȝte by hath sente yow the choyse of foure speres / and requyreth yow for your lady sake to take that one half of these speres / and Iuste with hym in the felde /

¶ Telle hym said Palomydes I wyll not fayle hym / whanne sire Galahalt wyste of this / he badde Palomydes make hym redy /

¶ So the Quene Gueneuer the haute prynce and sire Launcelot they were set vpon schafholdes to gyue the Iugement of these two Kngyhtes /

¶ Thenne syre Palomydes and the straunge knyght ranne so egerly to gyders that their speres brake to their handes / Anon with alle eyther of them tooke a grete spere in his hand and alle to sheuered them in pyeces / And thenne eyther tooke a gretter spere / And thenne the knyghte smote doune syre Palomydes hors and man to the erthe / And as he wold haue passed ouer hym / the straunge knyghtes hors stumbled and felle doune vpon Palomydes

¶ Thenne they drewe their swerdes and lasshed to gyders wonderly sore a grete whyle /

¶ Thenne the haute prynce and sire Launcelot sayd they sawe neuer two kngyhtes fyghte better than they dyd / but euer the straunge knyght doubled his strokes / and putte Palomydes abak / there with alle the haute prynce cryed hoo / and thenne they wente to lodgynge / And whanne they were vnarmed / they knewe hit was the noble knyȝt syr Lamorak

¶ Whanne syr Launcelot knewe that hit was sir Lamorak he

[leaf 243r] made moche of hym / for aboue alle erthely men he loued hym best excepte sire Tristram /

¶ Thenne Quene Gueneuer commended hym / and soo dyd alle other good knyghtes made moche of hym excepte sire Gawayns bretheren / Thenne quene Gueneuer said vnto sire launcelot syr I requyre yow that & ye Iuste ony more / that ye Iuste with none of the blood of my lord Arthur / soo he promysed he wold not as at that tyme