[Le morte darthur]

¶Capitulum xvj /

THenne within a whyle syr Trystram sawe hem afore hym two lykely knyghtes / Sir said Gouernaile vnto his maister / sir I wold counceile you nought to haue ado with hem / for they ben two preued knyghtes of Arthurs Courte / As for that said syr Trystram haue ye no doute / but I wille haue adoo with hem to encreace my worship / for it is many daye sythen I dyd ony dedes of armes / doo as ye lyste said Gouernaile / and there with alle anone syr Trystram as¦ked them / from whens they came / and Wheder they wold / and what they dyd in tho marches / Syre Sagramore loked vpon syre Tristram / and hadde scorne of his wordes / & asked hym ageyne / Fair knyghte be ye a knyght of Cornewaile / where by aske ye hit said sir Tristram / For it is seldom sene said sir Sa¦gramore that ye Cornysshe knyghtes ben valyaunte men of armes / For within these two houres there mette vs one of you cornysshe knyghtes / and grete wordes he spak / and anon with lytel myght he was leyd to the erthe / And as I trowe sayd sir Sagramore ye shal haue the same handsel that he hadde Faire lordes said sire Tristram it may soo happen that I maye better withstande than he dyd / and whether ye will or nyl / I wil haue ado with you / by cause he was my cosyn that ye bete And therfore here do your best / & wete ye wel but yf ye quyte you the better here vpon this ground / one knyʒt of cornewaile shal bete you both / whan sire Dodynas le saueage herd hym saye soo he gatte a spere in his hand and said / sire knyghte

thy self / And thenne they departed and came to gyders as it had ben thonder / And syr Dodynas spere brast in sonder / but syr Trystram smote hym with a more myght / that he smote hym clene ouer the hors croupe that nyghe he hadde broken his neck / whanne syre Sagramour sawe his felawe haue suche a falle / he merueylled what knyʒt he myght be / And he dresseth his spere with alle his myght / and syr Trystram ageynst hym and they came to gyders as the thonder / and ther sir Tristram smote syr Sagramore a stronge buffet that he bare his hors & hym to the erthe / and in the fallyng he brake his thygh / whan this was done / syr Trystram asked hem / Fayre knyghtes will ye ony more / Be there no bygger knyʒtes in the courte of ky∣nge Arthur / it is to you shame to say of vs knyʒtes of Corne¦wayle dishonoure / for it may happen a Cornysshe knyght may matche you / that is trouthe said syr Sagramore / that haue we wel preued / but I requyre the sayd syre Sagramore telle vs youre ryght name by the feythe and trouthe that ye owe to the hyghe ordre of knyghthode / ye charge me with a grete thy∣nge said syr Trystram / and sythen ye lyst to wete hit / ye shal knowe and vnderstande that my name is syr Trystram de ly∣onas kynge Melyodas sone / and neuewe vnto kynge Marke Thenne were they two knyghtes fayne / that they had mette with Trystram / and soo they praid hym to abyde in their fela∣uship / Nay said sire Tristram / for I must haue ado with one of your felawes / his name is syr Bleoberys de ganys / god spe¦de you wel said syr Sagramore and Dodynas / Syre Trys∣tram departed and rode on ward on his waye / And thenne was he ware before hym in a valeye where rode syr Bleoberys with sir Segwarydes lady that rode behynde his squyer vpon a palfroy