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 vij

THenne came forth the other lady that rode vpon the serpent / and she sayd syr Percyual I complayne me of yow that ye haue done vnto me and haue not offended vnto yow / Certes madame he sayd / vnto yow nor no lady I neuer offended / yes sayd she / I shalle telle yow why / I have nourysshed in this place a grete whyle a serpent whiche serued me a grete whyle / and yesterday ye slewe hym as he gat his pray Saye me for what cause ye slewe hym / for the lyon was not yours / Madame said syre Percyuale I knowe wel the Lyon was not myn / but I dyd hit / for the lyon is of more gentiller nature than the serpent / and therfor I slewe hym / me semeth / I dyd not amys ageynst yow / Madame sayd he what wold ye that I dyd / I wold sayd she for the amendys of my beste that ye bycome my man / and thenne he ansuerd that wylle I not graunte yow / No sayd she truly ye were neuer but my seruaunt / syn ye receyued the homage of our lord Ihesu crist Therfor I ensure yow in what place I may fynde yow withoute kepynge I shalle take yow as he that somtyme was my man / And soo she departed from syr Percyual and lefte hym slepynge the whiche was sore trauaylled of his aduysyon / & on the morne he aroos and blessid hym and he was passynge feble / Thenne was sire Percyual ware in the see / and sawe a ship come sayllynge toward hym / and syr Percyual went vnto the shyp and fond hit couerd within and withoute wyth whyte Samyte / And at the bord stood an old man clothed in a surples in lykenes of a preest / Syr said syr Percyuale ye be welcome / god kepe yow sayd the good man / Sir sayd the old man of whens be ye / Syr said sir Percyual I am of kynge Arthurs Courte / and a knyghte of the table Round / the whiche am in the quest of the Sancgreal / and here I am in grete duresse and neuer lyke to escape oute of this wyldernesse Doubte not sayd the good man and ye be soo true a knyghte / as the ordre of chyualry requyreth / and of herte as ye oughte to be / ye shold not doubte that none enemy shold slay yow / What ar ye said syr Percyuale / syr sayd the old man I am of a straunge countrey / and hyther I come to comforte yow / Syr

[leaf 326r] sayd syr Percyuale what sygnefyeth my dreme that I dremed this nyghte / & there he told hym alle to gyder / She whiche rode vpon the lyon betokeneth the newe lawe of holy chirche that is to vnderstande / fayth / good hope / byleue / and baptym / for she semed yonger than the other / hit is grete reason / for she was borne in the resurection and the passion of our lord Ihesu cryste And for grete loue she came to the / to warne the of thy grete bataille that shalle befalle the / with whome sayd syre Percyuale shalle I fyghte / with the moost champyon of the world said the old man / for as the lady sayd / but yf thow quyte the wel thow shalt not be quyte by losynge of one membre / but thow shalt be shamed to the worldes ende / And she that rode on the serpent sygnefyeth the olde lawe / and that serpent betokeneth a fende / And why she blamed the that thow slewest her seruaunt it betokeneth no thyng / the serpent that thow slewest betokeneth the deuylle that thou rodest vp on to the roche / And whan thou madest a sygne of the Crosse / there thow slewest hym / & putte awey his power / And whanne she asked the amendys and to sbecome her man / And thou saydest thou woldest not / that was to make the to bileue on her and leue thy baptym / Soo he commaunded syr Percyuale to departe / and soo he lepte ouer the bord and the ship / and alle wente awey he wyste not whyder / Thenne he wente vp vnto the roche and fonde the lyon whyche alwey kepte hym felaushyp and he stryked hym vpon the bak and had grete Ioye of hym