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 xj

DAmoysel said Beaumayns ye are vncurteis so to rebuke me / as ye doo / for me semeth I haue done you good seruyse / and euer ye threate me I shal be betyn with knyghtes that we mete / but euer for al your boost they lye in the dust or in the myre / and therfor I pray you rebuke me no more / And whan ye see me beten or yolden as recreaūt thenne may ye bydde me goo from you shamefully / but fyrste I lete you wete I wylle not departe from you / for I were werse than a foole and I wold departe from you all the whyle that I wynne worship / wel said she / ryght soone ther shall mete a knyght shal paye the alle thy wages / for he is the most man of worship of the world excepte kyng Arthur / I will wel said Beaumayns / the more he is of worship / the more shalle be my worship to haue adoo with hym / Thenne anone they were ware / where was afore them a Cyte ryche and fayre And betwixe them and the Cyte a myle and a half there was a fayre medowe that semed newe mowen / and therin were many pauelions fayre to beholde / Lo said the damoysel yonder is a lord that oweth yonder cyte / and his custome is whan the weder is fayr to lye in this medowe to Iuste and torneye / And euer there ben aboute hym fyue honderd knyghtes & gentilmen of armes / and there ben alle maner of games that ony gentylman can deuyse / That goodly lord saide Beaumayns wold I fayne see / thou shalt see hym tyme ynough saide the damoysel / and soo as she rode nere she aspyed the pauelione / where he was / Loo sayd she seest thou yonder pauelione that is al of the coloure of Inde and al maner of thynge that there is aboute men and wymmen / and horses trapped / sheldes and speres were all of the colour of Inde and his name is sir persant of Inde the moost lordlyest knyghte that euer thou lokest on / Hit may wel be said Beaumayns / but be he neuer so stoute a knyghte in this felde / I shalle abyde tyl that I see hym vnder his shelde / A foole said she thou were better flee by tymes / why sayd Beaumayns and he be suche a knyghte as ye make hym he wylle not sette vpon me with alle his men / or with his / v / C knyghtes / For and ther come no more but one

[leaf 115r] at ones / I shall hym not fayle whylest my lyf lasteth / Fy fy said the damoysel that euer suche a stynkynge knaue shold blowe suche a boost / Damoysel he said ye ar to blame soo to rebuke me / For I had leuer do fyue batails / than so to be rebuked / lete hym come and thenne lete hym doo his werst / Syre she said I merueylle what thou arte and of what kyn thou arte come / boldly thou spekest / and boldly thou hast done / that haue I sene / therfore I praye the saue thy self and thou mayst / for thy hors and thou haue had grete traueylle / And I drede we dwelle ouer longe from the sege / For hit is but hens seuen myle / and alle perillous passages we ar past saue al only this passage / and there I drede me sore lest ye shalle ketche some hurte / therfore I wold haue ye were hens that ye were not brysed nor hurte with this stronge knyghte / But I lete you wete this syr Persant of ynde is no thyng of myȝte nor strength vnto the knyghte that leid the syege aboute my lady / As for that said syre Beaumayns be it as it be may / For sythen I am come soo nyghe this knyght I wille preue his myghte or I departe from hym / and els I shalle be shamed / and I now withdrawe me from hym / And therfore damoysel haue ye no doubte by the grace of god I shall so dele with this knyghte that within two houres after none I shalle delyuer hym And thenne shal we come to the syege by day lyghte / O Ihesu merueille haue I said the damoysel what maner a man ye be / for hit may neuer ben otherwyse but that ye be comen of a noble blood / for soo foule ne shamefully dyd neuer woman rule a knyghte as I haue done you / and euer curtoisly ye haue suffred me / and that cam neuer but of a gentyl blood /

¶ Damoysel sayd Beaumayns a knyght may lytel do that may not suffre a damoisel / for what someuer ye said vnto me / I took none hede to your wordes / for the more ye sayd the more ye angryd me / and my wrathe I wrekyd vpon them that I had adoo with al / And therfor alle the myssayenge that ye myssayed me / fordered me in my bataill & caused me to thynke to shewe & preue my self at the ende what I was / for peraventur thouȝ I had mete in kyng Arthurs kechyn / yet I myȝt haue had mete ynouȝ in other places / but alle that I dyd it for to preue & assaye my frendes / and that shalle be knowen

[leaf 115v] another day / and whether that I be a gentylman borne or none / I lete you wete fayre damoysel I haue done you gentilmans seruyse / and parauentur better seruyse yet wille I do or I departe from you / Allas she said fayre Beaumayns forgyue me alle that I haue myssaid or done ageynst the / wyth alle my herte said he I forgyue it yow / for ye dyde no thyng but as ye shold doo / for al your euyl wordes pleasyd me / & damoysel saide Beaumayns syn hit lyketh you to saye thus fayre vnto me / wete ye wel it gladeth my herte gretely / and now me semeth ther is no knyght lyuynge but I am able ynough for hym