¶ Capitulum primum /

ANd now leue we of a whyle of syr Ector and of syre Percyuale / and speke we of sir launcelot that suffred and endured many sharp shoures that euer ranne wylde wood from place to place and lyued by fruyt / and suche as he myght gete / and dranke water two yere / and other clothyng had he but lytel / but his sherte and his breche /

¶ Thus as sir laūcelot wandred here and there / he came in a fayre medowe where he fond a pauelione / and there by vpon a tree there henge a whyte shelde / and two swerdes henge there by and two speres lened there by a tree /

¶ And whanne syr launcelot sawe the swerdes / anone he lepte to the one swerd and tooke hit in his hand and drewe hit oute / And thenne he lasshed at the sheld that alle the medowe range of the dyntes / that he gaf suche a noyse as ten knyghtes had foughten to gyders / Thenne came forthe a dwerf and lepte vnto syr launcelot / and wold haue had the suerd oute of his hand / and thenne syre launcelot took hym by the bothe sholders and threwe hym to the ground vpon his neck that he had al moost broken his neck / and there with alle the dwerf cryed helpe / Thenne came forth a lykely knyghte and wel apparaylled in scarlet furred with myneuer / And anone as he sawe syr launcelot / he demed that he shold be oute of his wytte / And thenne he said with fayre speche good man leye doune that swerd / for as me semeth / thow haddest more nede of slepe and of warme clothes / than to welde that swerd / As for that said syr Launcelot come not to nyȝ for and thow doo wete thou wel I will slee the / And when Page  594 [leaf 297v] the knyghte of the pauelione sawe that he starte bakward within the pauelione / And thenne the dwerf armed hym lyghtely and soo the knyghte thought by force and myghte to take the swerd from syr launcelot / and soo he came steppynge oute / and whanne syr launcelot sawe hym come so alle armed with hys swerd in his hand / Thenne sire launcelot flewe to hym with suche a myghte and hytte hym vpon the helme suche a buffet / that the stroke troubled his braynes / and there with the suerd brak in thre / And the knyght felle to the erthe as he hadde ben dede / the blood brastynge oute of his mouthe / the nose / and the eres / And thenne syr launcelot ranne in to the pauelione and rasshed euen in to the warme bedde / and there was a lady in that bedde / and she gat her smock / and ranne oute of the pauelione / And whanne she sawe her lord lye at the ground lyke to be dede / thenne she cryed and wepte as she had ben madde / Thenne with her noyse the knyghte awaked oute of his swoun and loked vp wekely with his eyen / and thenne he asked her where was that madde man that had gyuen hym suche a buffet / for suche a buffet had I neuer of mans hand / Sir sayd the dwerf it is not worship to hurte hym for he is a man oute of his wytte / and doubte ye not he hath ben a man of grete worship / and for somme hertely sorow that he hath taken he is fallen madde / and me besemeth said the dwerfe he resembleth moche vnto sir Launcelot / for hym I sawe at the grete turnement besyde Loneȝep / Ihesu defende said that knyghte that euer that noble knyght syre Launcelot shold be in suche a plyte / but what someuer he be said that knyghte / harme wille I none doo hym / and this knyghtes name was Blyaunt / Thenne he said vnto dwerf / goo thow fast on horsbak vnto my broder syr Selyuaunt / that is at the Castel blank / & telle hym of myn aduenture / and bydde hym brynge with hym an hors lytter / and thenne wille we bere this knyghte vnto my Castel /