[Le morte darthur]

¶Capitulum iij

ANd thenne he lete ordeyne a gentylman that was wel lerned and taughte / his name was gouernayle / and thenne he sente yonge Trystram with Gouernayle in to Fraunce to lerne the langage / and nurture / and dedes of armes / And there was Trystram more than seuen yeres / ¶ And thenne whanne he wel couthe speke the langage and hadde lerned alle that he myght lerne in that countreyes / then¦ne he came home to his fader kynge Melyodas ageyne / and so Trystram lerned to be an harper passynge alle other that there was none suche called in no countrey / and soo in harpynge & on Instrumentys of musyke he applyed hym in his yongthe for to lerne / And after as he growed in myght and strengthe he laboured euer in huntynge and in haukynge soo that neuer

gentylman more that euer we herd rede of / ¶And as the book sayth / he beganne good mesures of blowyng of beestes of venery and beestes of chace / and alle manere of vermayns / and alle these termes we haue yet of haukyng and huntyng And therfore the book of venery / of haukynge and hunty∣nge is called the book of syr Trystram / Wherfor as me semeth alle gentylmen that beren old armes oughte of ryght to ho∣noure syre Trystram for the goodly termes that gentilmen ha¦ue and vse / and shalle to the daye of dome / that there by in a maner alle men of worship maye disseuer a gentylman fro a yoman / and from a yoman a vylayne / For he that gentyl is wylle drawe hym vnto gentil tatches / and to folowe the cus∣tommes of noble gentylmen ¶Thus syr Trystram endured in Cornewaile vntyl he was bygge / and stronge / of the age of xviij yeres / And thenne the kynge Melyodas had grete ioye of syr Trystram / and soo had the quene his wyfe / For euer after in her lyf by cause syre Trystram saued her from the fyre she dyd neuer hate hym more after / but loued hym euer after / and gaf Trystram many grete yeftes for eue¦ry estate loued hym / where that he wente