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 xv

ANd ther with they departed and cam there as the hede of the lady lay with a fair yelow here that greued kyng Pellinore passyngly sore whan he loked on hit / for moche he cast his herte on the vysage / And soo by none they came to Camelot / and the kynge and the quene were passyng fayn of his comynge to the Courte / And there he was made to swere vpon the four euuangelystes to telle the trouth of his quest from the one to the other / A syr Pellinore sayd quene Gweneuer ye were gretely to blame that ye saued not this ladyes lyf / Madame said Pellinore ye were gretely to blame and ye wold not saue your owne lyf & ye myȝt / but sauf your pleasir I was so furyous in my quest that I wold not abyde / & that repenteth me & shal the dayes of my lyf / Truly saide Merlyn ye ouȝt sore to repente it / for that lady was your own douȝter begoten on the lady of the rule / & that knyght that was dede was her loue / and shold haue wedded her / and he was a ryght good knyght of a yonge man and wold haue preued a good man / & to this court was he comyng & his name was sir Myles of the laūdys / & a knyȝt cam behynde hym / & slewe him with spere & his name is Lorayne le saueage a fals knyȝt & a coward / & she for grete sorow & dole slewe her self with

[leaf 59v] his swerd / and her name was Eleyne / And by cause ye wold not abyde and helpe her / ye shalle see youre best frende faylle yow whan ye been the grettest distresse that euer ye were / or shalle be / And that penaūce god hath ordeyned yow for that dede / that he that ye shalle most truste to of ony man alyue / he shalle leue yow ther ye shalle be slayne / Me forthynketh said kynge Pellinore that this shalle me betyde but god may fordoo wel desteny / Thus whan the quest was done of the whyte herte / the whiche folowed syr gawayne and the quest of the brachet folowed of syr Tor Pellenors sone / & the quest of the lady that the knyghte tooke aweye / the whiche kyng Pellinre at that tyme folowed / Thenne the kyng stablysshed all his knyghtes and gaf them that were of londes not ryche / he gaf them londes / and charged hem neuer to doo outragyousyte nor mordre / and alweyes to flee treason / Also by no meane to be cruel / but to gyue mercy vnto hym that asketh mercy vpon payn of forfeture of their worship and lordship of kyng Arthur for euermore / and alweyes to doo ladyes / damoysels / and gentylwymmen socour vpon payne of dethe / Also that no man take noo batails in a wrongful quarel for noo lawe ne for noo worldes goodes / Vnto this were all the knyghtes sworne of the table round both old and yong / And euery yere were they sworne at the hyghe feest of Pentecost.