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 xiii

ANd whan syr Ector herde suche noyse & lyghte in the quyre of Ioyous garde he alyght & put his hors from hym & came in to the quyre & there he sawe men synge wepe / & al they knewe syr Ector / but he knewe not them / than wente syr Bors vnto syr Evctor & tolde hym how there laye his brother syr Launcelot dede / & than Syr Ector threwe hys shelde swerde & helme from hym / & whan he behelde syr Launcelottes vysage he fyl doun in a swoun / & whan he waked it were harde ony tonge to telle the doleful complayntes that

[leaf 430v] he made for his brother / A Launcelot he sayd thou were hede of al crysten knyghtes / & now I dare say sayd syr Ector thou sir Launcelot there thou lyest that thou were neuer matched of erthely knyghtes hande / & thou were the curtest knyght that euer bare shelde / & thou were the truest frende to thy louar that euer bestrade hors / & thou were the trewest louer of a synful man that euer loued woman / & thou were the kyndest man that euer strake wyth swerde / & thou were the godelyest persone þ^t euer cam emonge prees of knyghtes / & thou was the mekest man & the Ientyllest that euer ete in halle emonge ladyes / & thou were the sternest knyght to thy mortal foo that euer put spere in the breste / than there was wepyng & dolour out of mesure / Thus they kepte syr Launcelots corps on lofte xv dayes & than they buryed it with grete deuocyon / & than at leyser they wente al with the bysshop of canterburye to his ermytage & there they were to gyder more than a monthe / Than syr costantyn that was syr Cadores sone of cornwayl was chosen kyng of Englond / & he was a ful noble knyght / & worshypfully he rulyd this royame / & than thys kyng Costantyn sent for the bysshop of caunterburye for he herde saye where he was & so he was restored vnto his bysshopryche / & lefte that Ermytage / And Syr Bedwere was there euer stylle heremyte to his lyues ende / Than syr Bors de ganys / syr Ector de maris / syr Gahalantyne / syr Galyhud / sir Galyhodyn / syr Blamour / syr Bleoberys / syr Wyllyats de balyaunt / syr Clartus of clere mounte / al these knyȝtes drewe them to theyr contreyes How be it kyng Costantyn wold haue had them wyth hym but they wold not abyde in this royame / & there they al lyued in their cuntreys as holy men / & somme englysshe bookes maken mencyon that they wente neuer oute of englond after the deth of syr Launcelot / but that was but fauour of makers/ for the frensshe book maketh mencyon & is auctorysed that syr Bors / syr Ector / syr Blamour / & syr Bleoberis wente in to the holy lande there as Ihesu Cryst was quycke & deed / And anone as they had stablysshed theyr londes / for the book saith so syr Launcelot commaunded them for to do or euer he passyd oute of thys world / & these foure knyghtes dyd many bataylles vpon the myscreantes or turkes / and there they ded vpon a good fryday for goddes sake /