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 xvij

SOo whanne syr Galahad was departed from the castel of maydens / he rode tyl he came to a waste forest / & there he mette with syre launcelot and syr Percyuale but they knewe hym not / for he was newe desguysed / Ryghte so syr launcelot his fader dressid his spere and brake it vpon syr Galahad / and Galahad smote hym so ageyne that he smote doune hors and man / And thenne he drewe his suerd / and dressid hym vnto syr Percyuale / and smote hym soo on the helme that it rofe to the coyfe of stele / and had not the swerd swarued / syr Percyuale had ben slayne / and with the stroke he felle oute of his sadel / This Iustes was done to fore the hermytage where a recluse dwelled / And when she sawe syr galahad ryde / she said god be with the best knyghte of the world A certes said she alle alowde that Launcelot and Percyuale myȝt here it / And yonder two knyghtes had knowen the as wel as I doo they wold not haue encoūtred with the / thenne

[leaf 319r] syr Galahad herd her say so he was adrad to be knowen ther with he smote his hors with his spores / and rode a grete paas toward them / Thenne perceyued they bothe that he was Galahad / and vp they gat on their horses / and rode faste after hym but in a whyle he was out of their syghte / And thēne they torned ageyne with heuy chere / lete vs spere some tydynges sayd Percyuale at yonder recluse / Do as ye lyst said syr launcelot Whanne syr Percyuale came to the recluse she knewe hym wel ynough and syr launcelot bothe / but syr launcelot rode ouerthwart and endlonge in a wylde forest and helde no pathe / but as wyld aduenture led hym / And at the last he came to a stony Crosse whiche departed two wayes in waste land / and by the Crosse was a stone that was of marbel but it was so derke that syr launcelot myghte not wete what it was / Thenne syre Launcelot loked by hym / and sawe an old chappel / & ther he wende to haue fond peple / and sir launcelot teyed his hors tyl a tree / and there he dyd of his sheld / and henge hit vpon a tree / And thenne wente to the chappel dore and fonde hit waste and broken / And within he fond a fayr aulter ful rychely arayed with clothe of clene sylke / and there stode a fayre clene candelstyk / whiche bare syxe grete candels / and the candelstyk was of syluer / And whanne syre launcelot sawe thys lyght / he had grete wylle for to entre in to the chappel / but he coude fynde no place where he myghte entre / thenne was he passynge heuy and desmayed / Thenne he retorned and cam to his hors and dyd of his sadel and brydel / and lete hym pasture / & vnlaced his helme / and vngyrd his swerd and laide hym doune to slepe vpon his shelde to fore the Crosse /