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 Tercium

THenne by the quenes commaundement they lefte batail and dressid the wounded knyghtes on horsbak some syttyng somme ouerthwarte their horses / that hit was pyte to beholde them / And thenne sir Mellyagraunce charged the quene & al her knyghtes that none of al her felaushyp shold departe from her / for ful sore he dradde sir launcelot du lake lest he shold haue ony knoulechynge / Alle this aspyed the Quene / and pryuely she called vnto her a child of her chamber that was swyftly horsed to whome she sayd / Go thow whan thou seest thy tyme / and bere this rynge vnto sir launcelot du lake / and praye hym as he loueth me that he wylle see me / and rescowe me yf euer he wille haue Ioye of me / and spare not thy hors said the quene nouther for water neyther for lond / Soo the chyld aspyed his tyme / and lyghtely he took his hors with the spores and departed as fast as he myghte / and whan sir Mellyagraunce sawe hym soo flee / he vnderstood that hit was by the quenes commaundement for to warne sir launcelot / Thenne they that were best horsed chaced hym and shot at hym/ But from hem alle the child wente sodenly / and thenne syre Mellyagraunce sayd to the quene / Madame ye are aboute to bitraye me / but I shalle ordeyne for sir launcelot that he shall not come lyghtely at yow / And thenne he rode with her and they alle to his castel in alle the haste that they myghte / And by the waye sire Mellyagraunce layd in an enbusshement the best archers that he myghte gete in his coūtrey to the nombre of

[leaf 388v] a thyrtty to awayte vpon sir Launcelot chargyng them that yf they sawe suche a manere of knyghte come by the way vpon a whyte hors that in ony wyse they slee his hors / but in no manere of wyse haue not adoo with hym bodyly / for he is ouer hardy to be ouercomen / Soo this was done / and they were comen to his castel / but in no wyse the quene wold neuer lete none of the ten knyghtes and her ladyes oute of her syghte / but alwayes they were in their presence / for the book sayth sir Melyagraunce durste make no maystryes for drede of sir launcelot in soo moche he demed that he had warnynge / Soo whan the child was departed from the felauship of syr Mellyagraunce within a whyle he came to westmynstre / And anone he fonde sir launcelot / And whanne he had told his message / & delyuerd hym the quenes rynge / Allas sayd syr Launcelot now am I shamed for euer onles that I maye rescowe that noble lady from dishonour / thenne egerly he asked his armour / and euer the child told syr launcelot how the ten knyghtes foughte merueyllously / and how sir Pelleas and sire Ironsyde and sir Brandyles and sir Persaunt of Inde fought strongly / but namely sir Pelleas / there myghte none withstāde hym / & how they all fouȝte tyll at the last they were layd to the erthe / and thenne the quene made apoyntement for to saue their lyues / and goo with syr Mellyagraunce / Allas sayd syr Launcelot / that moost noble lady that she shold be so destroyed / I had leuer said sir launcelot than alle Fraunce that I had ben there were wel armed / Soo whan syre launcelot was armed / and vpon his hors / he prayd the chyld of the Quenes chamber to warne syr Lauayne how sodenly he was departed / and for what cause / and praye hym as he loueth me that he wylle hyhe hym after me / and that he stynte not vntyll he come to the castel where sir Mellyagraunce abydeth / or dwelleth / for there sayd sire launcelot he shalle here of me / and I am a man lyuynge / and rescowe the quene and the ten knyȝtes the whiche he traitoursly hath taken / and that shalle I preue vpon his hede and alle them that hold with hym /