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 xlv

HEre begynneth the fourthe daye / thenne came in to the felde the kynge with the honderd knyghtes / and alle they of Northgalys and the duke chaleyns of Claraunce / and Kynge Marsyl of pomatyn / and there came Safyr Palomydes broder / and there he told hym tydynges of his moder / and his name was called the Erle / And so he appeled hym afore kynge Arthur / for he made warre vpon oure fader and moder / and there I slewe hym in playne bataille / Soo they wente in to the feld / and the damoysel wyth them / and there came to encountre ageyne them sire Bleoberys de ganys / and sir Ector de marys / sire Palomydes encoūtred with sir Bleoberys / and eyther smote other doune / And in the same wyse dyd sire Safere and sir Ector / and tho two couples dyd bataille on foote / Thenne came in sire Lamorak & he encountred with the kynge with the honderd knyghtes / and smote hym quyte ouer his hors tayle / And in the same wyse he serued the kynge of Northgalys / and also he smote doune Kynge Marsyl / And so or euer he stynte / he smote doune with his spere and with his suerd thyrtty knyghtes whan Duke Chaleyns sawe Lamorak doo soo grete prowesse / he wolde not medle with hym for shame / and thenne he charged all his knyghtes in payne of dethe that none of yow touche hym / For hit were shame to alle good knyghtes and that Knyght were shamed /

¶ Thenne the two Kynges gadred them to gyders / and alle they sette vpon sire Lamorak / and he faylled them not / but rasshed here and there smytyng on the ryght hand and on the lyfte & racyd of many helmes / so that

[leaf 243v] the haute prynce and Quene Gueneuer said they sawe neuer knyghte do suche dedes of armes on horsbak / Allas sayd Launcelot to kynge Bagdemagus / I wylle arme me / and helpe syre Lamorak / and I wylle ryde with yow said kyng bagdemagus / And whanne they two were horsed they came to sir Lamorak that stood amonge thyrtty knyghtes / and wel was hym that myght retche hym a buffet / and euer he smote ageyn myghtely / Thenne came there in to the prees sir launcelot / and he threwe doune sir Mador de la porte / And with the truncheon of that spere he threwed doune many knyghtes / And kynge Bagdemagus smote on the lyfte hand and on the ryȝt hand merueylously wel / And thenne the thre kynges fledde abak There with all thenne sire Galahalt lete blowe to lodgynge / & alle the heroudes gaf sire Lamorak the pryce /

¶ And alle this whyle foughte Palomydes / sire Bleoberys / sire Safere / sire Ector on foot / neuer were there foure knyghtes euener matched / And thenne they were departed and had vnto their lodgyng and vnarmed hem / and soo they wente to the grete feeste / But whanne sire Lamorak was come in to the courte quene Gueneuer took hym in her armes and sayd syr wel haue ye done this daye / Thenne came the haute prynce and he maade of hym grete Ioye / And soo dyd Dynadan for he wepte for Ioye But the Ioye that sire Launcelot made of sire Lamorak there myghte no man telle / thenne they wente vnto rest / and on the morne the haute prynce lete blowe vnto the felde