[Le morte darthur]

¶Capitulum xxiij

THenne whan sir Blamor myghte speke / he said thus Syre Tristram de Lyones I requyre the as thou art a noble knyghte and the best knyghte that euer I fond that thou wilt slee me oute / for I wold not lyue to be made lord of alle the erth / for I haue leuer dye with worship than lyue with shame / and nedes sir Tristram thou must slee me / or els thou shalt neuer wynne the feld / for I wille neuer saye the lothe word / And therfore yf thou dare slee me / slee me / I re∣quyre the / whanne sir Tristram herd hym saye soo knyghtely / he wyste not what to doo with hym / he remembryng hym of bo∣the partyes of what blood he was comen / and for sir Launce∣lots sake he wold be lothe to slee hym / and in the other party in no wyse he myghte not chese / but that he must make hym to saye the lothe word or els to slee hym / Thenne syre Tristram starte alak and went to the kynges that were Iuges / and ther he kneled doun to fore hem and besoughte hem for their wor∣shippes and for kynge Arthurs and sir Laūcelots sake that they wold take this mater in theyr handes / For my fayre lor∣des said sir tristram hit were shame and pyte / that this noble knyght that yonder lyeth shold be slayne / for ye here wel / sha∣med wille he not be / and I pray to god that he neuer be slayne nor shamed for me / And as for the kyng for whome I fyghte fore I shalle requyre hym as I am his true champyon and true knyght in this felde that he wille haue mercy vpon this knyghte / So god me helpe said kynge Anguysshe I wil for your sake syre tristram be ruled as ye wylle haue me / For I knowe you for my true knyghte / ¶And therfore I

wylle hertely pray the kynges that ben here as Iuges to take hit in theire handes / And the kynges that were Iuges called syr Bleoberys to them / and asked hym his aduyse ¶My lor¦des said Bleoberys / though my broder be beten and hath the wers thorou myghte of armes I dare saye though syre Trys∣tram hath beten his body / he hath not beten his herte / and I thanke god he is not shamed this daye / And rather than he shold be shamed / I requyre you sayd Bleoberys lete sir Tris¦tram slee hym oute / It shalle not be soo said the kynges / for his parte aduersary bothe the kynge and the champyon haue pyte of syre Blamors knyghthode / My lordes said Bleoberys I wille ryght wel as ye wille /

¶Thenne the kynges called the kynge of Irland and fond hym goodely and tretabyl / And thenne by alle their aduyses syre Tristram and syre Bleoberys toke vp sire Blamore / and the two bretheren were accorded with kynge Anguysshe / and kyssed and made frendys for euer / And thenne sire Blamor and sire Trystram kyssed to gyders / and there they made the∣ir othes that they wold neuer none of them two betheren fy∣ghte with syre Trystram / and syre Trystram made the same oth And for that gentyl bataille alle the blood of syre Launcelot loued sire Trystram for euer /

¶Thenne kynge Anguysshe and syre Tristram toke theire le∣ue ande sailed in to Irland with grete noblesse and ioye / ¶Soo whanne they were in Irland the kynge lete make it knowen thoroute alle the land how and in what manere syre Trystram had done for hym ¶ Thenne the Quene and alle that there were made the moost of hym that they my∣ghte / But the Ioye that la beale Isoud made of syr Tristram there myghte no tonge telle / for of alle men erthely she loued hym moost