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 xix

SO leue we syr Launcelot in his landes / and his noble knyghtes with hym / and retorne we ageyne vnto kynge Arthur and to syr Gawayne that made a grete hoost redy to the nombre of thre score thousand / and al thynge was made redy for their shyppyng to passe ouer the see / & so they shypped at Cardyf / and there kynge Arthur made sir Mordred chyef ruler of alle Englond / and also he put quene Gueneuer under his gouernaunce by cause syr Mordred was kynge Arthurs sone he gaf hym the rule of his land and of his wyf / and soo the kynge passed the see and landed vpon syr launcelots landes / and there he brente and wasted thurgh the vengeaunce of syr gawayne al that they myghte

[leaf 416r] ouerrenne / whan this word came to syr Launcelot that kyng Arthur and sir Gawayne were landed vpon his landes / & made a full grete destructyon and waste / thenne spake syr Bors & sayd my lord sir laūcelot it is shame that we suffre hem thus to ryde ouer our landes / for wete yow wel / suffre ye hem as longe as ye will / they wille doo yow no faueour / and they may handle yow / Thenne said sir Lyonel that was ware and wyse My lord syr Launcelot I wyll gyue this counceylle / lete vs kepe oure stronge walled Townes vntyl they haue hongre & cold / and blowe on their nayles / and thenne lete vs fresshely sette vpon hym / and shrede hem doune as shepe in a felde / that Alyaunts may take ensample for euer how they lande vpon oure landes / Thenne spak kynge Bagdemagus to syre Launcelot / syre youre curtosy wyll shende vs alle / and thy curtosy hath waked alle this sorowe / for and they thus ouer our landes ryde / they shalle by processe brynge vs alle to noughte whyles we thus in holes vs hyde / Thenne sayd syre Galihud vnto sir Launcelot / syre here ben knyghtes come of kynges blood that wyl not longe droupe / & they are within these walles / therfor gyue vs leue lyke as we ben knyȝtes to mete them in the feld and we shalle slee them / that they shal curse the tyme that euer they came in to this countrey /

¶ Thenne spak seuen bretheren of northwalys / and they were seuen noble knyghtes / a man myghte seke in seuen kynges landes or he myghte fynde suche seuen Knyghtes / Thenne they all said at ones / syr launcelot for crystes sake lete vs oute ryde with sir Galyhud / for we be neuer wonte to coure in castels nor in noble Townes / Thenne spak sir Launcelot that was mayster & gouernour of them alle / my fayre lordes wete yow wel I am full lothe to ryde oute with my knyghtes for shedynge of crysten blood and yet my lendes I vnderstande ben full bare / for to susteyne ony hoost a whyle / for the myghty warres that whylome made kyng Claudas vpon this countrey vpon my fader kyng Ban & on myn vnkell Kyng Bors / how be it we will as at this tyme kepe oure strong walles / & I shalle sende a messager vnto my lord Arthur a treatyce for to take for better is pees than allwayes warre / So sir laūcelot sente forth a damoysell & a dwerfe with her / requyrynge Kynge Arthur to

[leaf 416v] leue his warrynge vpon his landes / and so she sterte vpon a palfroy / and the dwerf ranne by her syde / And whan she cam to the pauelione of kynge Arthur / there she alyghte / and ther mette her a gentyl knyghte syr Lucan the butteler & said / fair damoysel come ye from syr Launcelot du lake / ye syr she sayd / therfor I come hyder to speke with my lord the kynge / Allas said sir Lucan my lord Arthur wold loue launcelot / but sir Gawayne wyl not suffer hym / And thenne he sayd I praye to god damoysel ye may spede wel / for alle we that ben aboute the kynge wold sir launcelot dyd best of ony knyght lyuynge / And so with this lucan ledde the damoysel vnto the kynge where he sat with sir Gawayne / for to here what she wold saye / Soo whan she had told her tale / the water ranne out of the kynges eyen / and alle the lordes were ful glad for to aduyse the kynge as to be accorded with syr launcelot / sauf al only syre Gawayne / and he sayd my lord myn vnkel / What wyl ye doo / wil ye now torne ageyne now ye are past thus fer vpon this Iourney / alle the world wylle speke of yow vylony / Nay sayd Arthur wete thou wel sir Gawayne I wylle doo as ye wil aduyse me / and yet me semeth sayd Arthur his fayre profers were not good to be refused / but sythen I am comen soo fer vpon this Iourney / I wil that ye gyue the damoysel her ansuer / for I maye not speke to her for pyte / for her profers ben so large