[Le morte darthur]

¶Capitulum xxiij

ANd there with syr Gawayne plyghte his trouthe vn¦to syr Pelleas to be true and feythful vnto hym / soo eche one plyghte their trouthe to other / and soo they chaunged horses and harneis / and sire Gawayn departed / and came to the castel where as stoode the pauelions of this lady withoute the yate / And as soone as Ettard had aspyed syr Gawayn she fledde in toward the castel / syre Gawayn spak on hyghe / and badde her abyde / for he was not syre Pelleas / I am ano∣ther knyghte that haue slayne syr Pelleas / doo of youre hel∣me said the lady Ettard that I maye see your vysage / And soo whan she sawe that it was not syr Pelleas / she made hym alyghte / and ledde hym vnto her castel / and asked hym feyth fully / whether he had slayne syr Pelleas / and he sayd her ye / and told her his name was syre gawayn of the courte of ky∣nge Arthur and his syster sone / Truly sayd she that is grete pyte for he was a passynge good knyghte of his body / but

of al men on lyue I hated hym moost / for I coude neuer be quyte of hym / And for ye haue slayne hym / I shalle be your woman and to doo ony thynge that myghte please yow / Soo she made syr Gawayne good chere / Thenne syr gawayn sayd that he loued a lady / and by no meane she wold loue hym / She is to blame sayd Ettard and she wylle not loue yow / for ye that be soo wel borne a man and suche a man of pro∣wesse / there is no lady in the world to good for yow / wylle ye sayd syre Gawayne promyse me to doo alle that ye maye by the feythe of youre body to gete me the loue of my lady / ye syre sayd she / and that I promyse yow by the feythe of my body / Now sayd syre Gawayne it is your self that I loue so wel / therfore I praye yow hold your promyse / I maye not chese sayd the lady Ettard / but yf I shold be forsworne / and soo she graunted hym to fulfylle alle his desyre /

¶Soo it was thenne in the moneth of May that she and syre Gawayn wente oute of the castel and souped in a pauelione / and there was made a bedde / and there syre gawayne and the lady Ettard wente to bedde to gyders / and in another pauel∣ione she layd her damoysels / and in the thyrd pauelione she leyd parte of her knyghtes for thenne she had no drede of syr Pelleas / And there syre gawayn lay with her in that pauel∣ione two dayes and two nyghtes / And on the thyrd day in the mornyng erly syr Pelleas armed hym / for he hadde neuer slepte syn syr Gawayn departed from hym / for syr Gawayne had promysed hym by the feythe of hys body to come to hym vnto his pauelione by that pryory within the space of a daye and a nyghte ¶Thenne syre Pelleas moun∣ted vpon horsbak / and cam to the pauelions that stode without the castel / and fonde in the fyrst pauelione thre knyghtes in thre beddes / and thre squyers lyggynge at theire feet / thenne wente he to the seconde pauelione & fond four gentyl wymmen lyenge in four beddes / & thenne he yede to the thyrd pauelion & fond syr gawayn lyggyng in bedde with his lady Ettard & eyther clyppyng other in armes / and whan he sawe that his herte wel nyghe brast for sorou / & said Allas that euer a knyʒt shold be founde so fals / and thēne he took his hors & myʒt not abyde no lenger for pure sorowe / And whanne he hadde ryden

nyghe half a myle he torned ageyne and thoughte to slee hem bothe / And whanne he sawe hem bothe soo lye slepynge faste / vnnethe he myght holde hym on horsbak for sorowe / and sayd thus to hym self / though this knyght be neuer soo fals I wyl neuer slee hym slepynge / For I wylle neuer destroye the hy∣gh ordre of knygthode / and therwith he departed ageyne And or he hadde ryden half a myle he retorned ageyne / and thoughte thenne to slee hem bothe / makynge the grettest sorou that euer man made / And whanne he came to the pauelions / he tayed his hors vnto a tree / and pulled oute his swerd na¦ked in his hand / and wente to them there as they lay / and yet he thought it were shame to slee them slepynge / and layd the naked swerd ouerthwart bothe their throtes / and soo to∣oke his hors and rode his waye

¶ And whanne syre Pelleas came to his pauelions he told his knyghtes and his squyers how he had sped / and sayd thus to them for your true and good seruyse ye haue done me I shall gyue yow alle my goodes / for I wylle goo vnto my bedde and neuer aryse vntyl I am dede / And whan that I am dede / I charge yow that ye take the herte oute of my body and bere it her betwyxe two syluer dysshes / and telle her how I sawe her lye with the fals knyght Syr Gawayne / Ryght soo syr Pelleas vnarmed hym self and wente vnto his bedde makynge merueyllous dole and sorowe /

¶Thenne syre Gawayne and Ettard awoke of her slepe / & fonde the naked swerd ouerthwart theire throtes / thenne she knewe wel it was syr Pelleas swerd / Allas sayd she to sir Gawayne ye haue bitrayed me and syr Pelleas bothe / for ye told me ye had slayne hym / and now I knowe wel it is not soo he is on lyue / And yf syre Pelleas had ben as vncurteis to yow as ye haue ben to hym ye hadde ben a dede knyghte / but ye haue deceyued me and bytrayd me falsly / that al la¦dyes and damoysels may beware by yow and me / And ther with syr gawayn made hym redy / and wente in to the forest / Soo it happed thenne that the damoysel of the lake Nymue mette with a knyghte of syr Pelleas that wente on his foote in the forest makyng grete dole / and she asked hym the cause And soo the woful knyghte told her how his mayster and

lorde was bitrayed thurgh a knyghte and a lady / and how he wyll neuer aryse oute of his bed tyl he be dede / Brynge me to hym sayd she anone / and I wyl waraunt his lyf he shal not dye for loue / and she that hath caused hym so to loue / she shalle be in as euyl plyte as he is or it be long to / for it is no Ioy of suche a prowde lady that wylle haue no mercy of suche a valyaunt knyght / anone that knyʒte broughte her vnto hym And whan she sawe hym lye in his bedde / she thoughte she sa¦we neuer so lykely a knyght / and ther with she threwe an en¦chauntement vpon hym / and he felle on slepe / And ther why∣le she rode vnto the lady Ettard / and charged no man to a∣wake hym tyl she came ageyne / Soo within two houres she broughte the lady Ettard thydder / and both ladyes fonde hym on slepe / loo sayd the damoysel of the lake ye oughte to be asha¦med for to murdre suche a knyght / And therwith she threwe suche an enchauntement vpon her that she loued hym sore / that wel nyghe she was oute of her mynde / O lord Ihesu saide the lady Ettard / how is it befallen vnto me / that I loue now hym that I haue moost hated of ony man alyue / that is the ryght wys Iugement of god sayd the damoysel / And thenne anone syr Pelleas awaked and loked vpon Ettard / And whan he sawe her / he knewe her / & thēne he hated her more than ony wo∣man alyue / and said awey traitresse come neuer in my syʒt And whan she herd hym say so / she wepte and made grete so∣rou oute of mesure