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 lvj

SOo when they hadde ouertake sire Tristram / sir Agrauayne badde hym torne traytour knyght / that is euyll sayd / said sir Tristram / and ther with he pulled out his suerd / and smote syr Agrauayne suche a buffet vpon the helme that he tombled doune of his hors in a swoune / and he hadde a greuous wounde / And thenne he torned to Gaherys / and sire Tristram smote his swerd and his helme to gyders with suche a myght that Gaherys felle oute of his sadel / and soo sir Tristram rode vnto Ioyous gard and there he alyght and vnarmed hym / Soo sire Tristram told la beale Isoud of alle his aduenture as ye haue herd to forne / And whan she herd hym telle of sire Dynadan / syr said she is not that he that made the song by

[leaf 254v] kynge Marke / that same is he said sire Tristram / for he is the best bourder and Iaper and a noble knyghte of his handes / and the best felawe that I knowe / and alle good knyghtes loue his felauship / Allas syre said she why broughte ye not hym with yow / haue ye no care sayd syr Tristram / for he rydeth to seke me in this countre / and therfore he wylle not awey tyl he haue met with me / And there sire Tristram told la Beale Isoud how sir Dynadan helde ageynste alle louers / Ryght so there came in a varlet and told sir Tristram how there was come an erraunt knyght in to the toune with suche colours vpon his sheld / that is syre Dynadan said syre Tristram / wete ye what ye shalle doo said sire Tristram / send ye for hym my lady Isoud / and I wylle not be sene and ye shal here the meryest knyghte that euer ye spak with alle and the maddest talker / and I praye yow hertely that ye make hym good chere / Thenne anone la beale Isoud sente in to the toune / and prayd syr Dynadan that he wold come in to the castel / & repose hym there with a lady / with a good wylle sayd sir Dynadan / & soo he mounted vpon his hors and rode in to the castel / & there he alyghte / and was vnarmed / & brought in to the castel / Anone la Beale Isoud came vnto hym / and eyther salewed other / thenne she asked hym of whens that he was / Madame sayd Dynadan I am of the courte of Kynge Arthur / & knyȝte of the table round / and my name is syre Dynadan / what doo ye in this countrey sayd la Beale Isoud / Madame sayd he I seke syre Tristram the good knyght / for hit was told me that he was in this countrey / hit may wel be said la Beale Isoud but I am not ware of hym / madame said Dynadan I merueylle of sire Tristram and moo other louers what eyleth them to be soo mad and soo soted vpon wymmen / why said la beale Isoud / are ye a Knyght and be no louer / it is shame to you where for ye may not be called a good knyȝte / and yf ye make a quarel for a lady / God defende me sayd Dynadan / for the Ioye of loue is to short / and the sorow therof and what cometh therof dureth ouer longe / A said la Beale Isoud say ye not soo / for here fast by was the good knyght sire Bleoberys that foughte with thre knyghtes at ones for a damoysels sake / & he wanne her afore the kynge of Northumberland / hit was so

[leaf 255r] said sire Dynadan for I knowe hym wel for a good knyȝte and a noble and comen of noble blood / for alle ben noble knyghtes of whome he is comen of / that is sire Launcelot du lake / Now I pray yow said la Beale Isoud / telle me wylle ye fyghte for my loue with thre knyghtes that done me grete wronge / and in soo moche as ye be a knyȝt of kyng Arthurs I requyre yow to doo batail for me / Thenne syr Dynadan sayd I shalle say yow ye be as fayr a lady as euer I sawe ony / and moche fayrer than is my lady quene Gueneuer / but wete ye wel at one word I wylle not fyghte for yow wyth thre knyghtes / Ihesu defende me / Thenne Isoud lough / & had good game at hym / Soo he had alle the chere that she myghte make hym / and there he lay alle that nyght / And on the morn erly syr Tristram armed hym and la beale Isoud gaf hym a good helme / and thenne he promysed her that he wold mete with syr Dynadan / And they two wold ryde to gyders vnto Lonaȝep where the turnement shold be / and there shal I make redy for yow where ye shalle see the turnement / Thenne departed sir Tristram with two squyers that bare his sheld & his speres that were grete and longe /