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 lxxxiij

NAy nay sayde Epynogrys youre sorowe is but Iapes to my sorowe / for I reioyced my lady and wanne her with my handes / and loste her ageyn allas that daye / Thus fyrst I wanne her said Epynogrys My lady was an Erles doughter And as the Erle and two knyȝtes cam from the turnement of Loneȝep / for her sake I sette vpon this erle and on his two knyghtes my lady there beynge present / and soo by fortune there I slewe the erle and one of the knyghtes and the other knyghte fledde / and soo that nyghte I had my lady / And on the morne as she and I reposed vs atte thys welle syde / there came there to me an erraunt knyghte his name was syr Helyor le preuse an hardy knyght / and this sir Helyor chalengyd me to fyghte for my lady / And thenne we wente to bataille fyrst vpon hors and after on foote / But at the last sir Helyor wounded me soo that he lefte me for dede / and soo he toke my lady with hym / And thus my sorowe is more than yours / for I haue reioyced and ye reioyced neuer That is trouthe said Palomydes / but sythe I can neuer recouer my self I shalle promyse yow yf I can mete with sir Helynor I shalle gete yow your lady ageyne or els he shalle bete me / Thenne sire Palomydes made sir Epynogrys to take his hors

[leaf 280v] and so they rode to an hermytage / and there sir Epynogrys rested hym / And in the meane whyle syre Palomydes walkd pryuely oute to reste hym vnder the leues / and there besyde he sawe a knyghte come rydynge with a sheld that he had sene sir Ector de marys bere afore hand / and there came after hym a ten knyghtes / and soo these x knyghtes houed vnder the leues for hete / And anone after there came a knyȝt with a grene shelde / and there in a whyte lyon ledynge a lady vpon a palfroy / Thenne this knyȝt with the grene sheld that semed to be maister of the ten knyghtes he rode fyersly after sire Helyor / For it was he that hurte sir Epynogrys / And whanne he cam nyghe sir Helyor / he badde hym defende his lady / I will defende her said Helyor vnto my power / and soo they ranne to gyders soo myghtely that eyther of these knyghtes smote other doune hors and all to the erthe / and thenne they wanne vp lyghtely and drewe their swerdes and their sheldes / and lasshed to gyders myghtely more than an houre / Alle this sire Palomydes sawe and behelde but euer at the last the knyghte with sir Ectors shelde was byggar / and att the laste this knyghte smote sir Helyor doune / and thenne that knyghte vnlaced his helme to haue stryken of his hede / And thenne he cryed mercy / and praid hym to saue his lyf and badde hym take his lady /

¶ Thenne sire Palomydes dressid hym vp by cause he wyste wel that that same lady was Epynogrys lady / and he promysed hym to helpe hym / Thenne sir Palomydes wente streyghte to that lady and toke her by the hand and asked her whether she knewe a knyghte that hyghte Epynogrys / Allas she said that euer he knewe me or I hym / for I haue for his sake loste my worship / and also his lyf greueth me moost of al Not so lady said Palomydes / come on with me / for here is Epynogris in this hermytage / A wel is me said the lady and he be on lyue / whether wylt thow with that lady said the knyght with syr Ectors shelde / I will doo with her what me lyst said Palomydes / wete yow wel sayd that knyghte thou spekest ouer large / though thou semest me to haue at auauntage / by cause thow sawest me doo bataille but late / Thou wenest sir knyghte to haue that lady away from me so lyghtly / nay thynke hit neuer not / and thow were as good a knyghte as is

[leaf 281r] syr launcelot or as is sir Tristram or sir Palomydes / but thow shalt wynne her derer than euer dyd I / and soo they went vnto bataille vpon foote / and there they gaf many sadde strokes / and eyther wounded other passyng sore / / and thus they fouȝt stille more than an houre / Thenne sire Palomydes had merueil what knyghte he myghte be that was soo stronge and soo wel brethed durynge / and thus said Palomydes / knyȝt I requyre the telle me thy name / Wete thow wel said that knyghte I dar telle the my name / soo that thow wilt telle me thy name / I wille said palomydes / Truly said that knyghte / my name is Safyr sone of kynge Astlabor and sire palomydes and syre Segwarydes are my bretheren / Now and wete thou wel / my name is sir Palomydes / Thenne sir Safyr kneled doune vpon his knees and prayd hym of mercy / and thenne they vnlaced their helmes / and eyther kyssed other wepynge / And in the meane whyle sire Epynogrys aroose oute of his bedde / and herd them by the strokes / and soo he armed hym to helpe sire Palomydes yf nede were