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 xxv

[There is no chapter xxvj, either in the table of contents or in the text.]

RYghte so the kyng and he departed & wente vn tyl an ermyte that was a good man and a grete leche / Soo the heremyte serched all his woundys & gaf hym good salues so the kyng was there thre dayes & thenne were his woundes wel amendyd that he myght ryde and goo / & so departed / & as they rode Arthur said I haue no swerd / no force said Merlyn here by is a swerd that shalle be yours and I may / Soo they rode tyl they came to a lake the whiche was a fayr water / and brood / And in the myddes of the lake Arthur was ware of

[leaf 37r] an arme clothed in whyte samyte / that held a fayr swerd in that hand / loo said Merlyn yonder is that swerd that I spak of / with that they sawe a damoisel goyng vpon the lake / what damoysel is that said Arthur / that is the lady of the lake said Merlyn / And within that lake is a roche / and theryn is as fayr a place as ony on erthe and rychely besene / and this damoysell wylle come to yow anone / and thenne speke ye fayre to her that she will gyue yow that swerd / Anone with all came the damoysel vnto Arthur / and salewed hym / and he her ageyne / Damoysel said Arthur / what swerd is that / that yonder the arme holdeth aboue the water / I wold it were myne / for I haue no swerd / Syr Arthur kynge said the damoysell / that swerd is myn / And yf ye will gyue me a yefte whan I aske it yow / ye shal haue it by my feyth said Arthur / I will yeue yow what yefte ye will aske / wel said the damoisel go ye into yonder barge / & rowe your self to the swerd / and take it / and scaubart with yow / & I will aske my yefte whan I see my tyme / So syr Arthur & merlyn alyght & tayed their horses to two trees / & so they went in to the ship / & whanne they came to the swerd that the hand held / syre Arthur toke it vp by the handels / & toke it with hym / & the arme & the hād went vnder the water / & so come vnto the lond & rode forth / & thēne syr Arthur sawe a ryche pauelion / what sygnyfyeth yōder pauelion / þ^t is þ^e knyȝtes pauelion seid merlyn þ^t ye fouȝt with last / syr Pellinore / but he is out / he is not there / he hath adoo with a knyght of yours that hyght Egglame & they haue fouȝten to gyder / but al the last Egglame / fledde and els he had ben dede / & he hath chaced hym euen to Carlyon / and we shal mete with hym anon in the hygh wey / that is wel sayd / said Arthur / now haue I a swerd / now wille I wage bataill with hym & be auenged on hym / sir ye shal not so said Merlyn / for the knyght is wery of fyghtyng & chacyng so that ye shal haue no worship to haue a do with hym / Also he will not be lyȝtly matched of one knyȝt lyuyng / & therfor it is my counceil / lete hym passe / for he shal do you good seruyse in shorte tyme & his sones after his dayes / Also ye shal see that day in short space ye shal be riȝt glad to yeue him your sister to wedde Whan I see hym I wil doo as ye aduyse sayd Arthur

[leaf 37v] Thenne syre Arthur loked on the swerd / and lyked it passynge wel / whether lyketh yow better sayd Merlyn the suerd or the scaubard / Me lyketh better the swerd sayd Arthur / ye are more vnwyse sayd Merlyn / for the scaubard is worth x of the swerdys / for whyles ye haue the scaubard vpon yow ye shalle neuer lese no blood / be ye neuer so sore wounded therfor kepe wel the scaubard alweyes with yow / so they rode vnto Carlyon / and by the way they met with syr Pellinore / but Merlyn had done suche a crafte / that pellinore sawe not Arthur / and he past by withoute ony wordes / I merueylle sayd Arthur that the knyght wold not speke / syr said Merlyn / he sawe yow not / for and he had sene yow ye had not lyghtly departed / Soo they come vnto Carlyon / wherof his knyghtes were passynge glad / And whanne they herd of his auentures / they merueilled that he wold ieoparde his persone soo al one / But alle men of worship said it was mery to be vnder suche a chyuetayne that wolde put his persone in auenture as other poure knyghtes dyd /