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 v

THenne within an houre there came the knyghte to whome the pauelione ought / And he wende that his lemā had layne in that bedde / and soo he laid hym doune besyde syr Launcelot / and toke hym in his armes and beganne to kysse

[leaf 95r] hym / And whanne syre launcelot felte a rough berd kyssyng hym / he starte oute of the bedde lyghtely / and the other knyȝt after hym / and eyther of hem gate their swerdes in theire handes / and oute at the pauelione dore wente the knyghte of the pauelione / and syre launcelot folowed hym / and ther by a lytyl slake syr launcelot wounded hym sore nyghe vnto the deth And thenne he yelded hym vnto syre launcelot / and so he graūted hym so that he wold telle hym why he came in to the bedde Syre sayd the knyght the pauelione is myn owne / and there thys nyght I had assygned my lady to haue slepte with me And now I am lykely to dye of this wounde / that me repenteth sayd Launcelot of youre hurte / but I was adrad of treson / for I was late begyled / and therfore come on your way in to your pauelione and take your rest / And as I suppose I shalle staunche your blood / and soo they wente bothe in to the pauelione / And anone syre launcelot staunched his blood / There with al came the knyghtes lady / that was a passynge fayre lady / And whanne she aspyed that her lord Belleus was sore wounded she cryed oute on syre launcelot / and made grete dole oute of mesure / Pees my lady and my loue said Belleus / for this knyght is a goood man and a knyght aduenturous / and there he told her all the cause how he was woūded / And whan that I yolde me vnto hym / he lefte me goodely and hath staunched my blood / Syre sayd the lady I requyre the telle me what knyght ye be / and what is youre name / Fayr lady he sayd / my name is syre launcelot du lake / soo me thought euer by your speche sayd the lady / for I haue sene yow ofte or this / and I knowe you better than ye wene /

¶ But now and ye wold promyse me of your curtosy for the harmes that ye haue done to me and to my lord Belleus that whanne he cometh vnto Arthurs courte for to cause hym to be made knyghte of the roūd table / for he is a passyng good man of armes and a myghty lord of landes of many oute yles /

¶ Fayre lady said syr launcelot lete hym come vnto the courte the next hyhe feest / and loke that ye come with hym / and I shal doo my power / and ye preue you doughty of your handes that ye shalle haue your desyre

¶ So thus within a whyle as they thus talked the nyghte passed / and the daye shone / and

[leaf 95v] thenne syre launcelot armed hym / and took his hors / and they taught hym to the Abbaye and thyder he rode within the space of two owrys