[Le morte darthur]

¶Capitulum quartum

THenne it befelle that kynge Anguysshe of Irland / sente vnto kynge Marke of Cornewaile for his tru∣age that Cornewaile had payed many wynters / And alle that tyme kynge Marke was behynde of the truage for s••¦uen yeres / And kyng Marke and his Barons gaf vnto the messager of Irland these wordes and ansuere that they wo∣ld none paye / and bad the messagyer goo vnto his Kynge Anguysshe / and telle hym we wille paye hym no truage / but telle youre lord / and he wille alweyes haue truage of vs of Cornewaile / bydde hym sende a trusty knyghte of his land / that wille fyghte for his ryght / and we shalle fynde another for to defende oure ryght / with this ansuer the messagers de∣parted in to Irland / ¶And whanne kynge Anguysh vn∣derstood the ansuere of the messagers / he was wonderly wroth

And thenne he callyd vnto hym syr Marhaus the good kn∣yght that was nobly preued / and a knyghte of the table ro∣und / And this Marhaus was broder vnto the quene of Ir∣land / ¶Thenne the kynge sayd thus / Fayre broder sir Mar¦haus I praye yow goo in to Cornewaile for my sake and do bataille for our truage that of ryght we oughte to haue / and what someuer ye spende ye shalle haue suffyciently more than ye shal nede / Syre saide Marhaus wete ye wel that I shalle not be bothe to doo bataille in the ryght of you and your land with the best knyght of the table rounde / for I knowe them for the moost party what ben theire dedes / and for to auaunce my dedes and to encreace my worship I wylle ryght gladly goo vnto this iourneye for oure ryghte.

¶Soo in alle haste there was made purueaunce for syr mar¦haus / and he hadde al thynge that to hym neded / and soo he de∣parted out of Irland / and arryued vp in Cornewaile euen fast by the castel of Tyntagil / And whan kynge Marke vn∣derstood that he was there arryued to fyghte for Irland / ¶Thenne made kynge marke grete sorou whan he vnderstood that the good and noble knyghte sire Marhaus was come / For they knewe no knyght that durste haue adoo with hym / For at that tyme syre Marhaus was called one of the famo∣sest and renoumed knyghtes of the world

¶And thus syre Marhaus abode in the see / and euery daye he sente vnto kynge Marke for to paye the truage that was behynde of seuen yere / outher els to fynde a knyght to fyghte with hym for the truage / This maner of message syre Mar∣haus sente dayly vnto kynge Marke / ¶Thenne they of Cornewayle lete make cryes in euery place that what knyght wold fyghte for to saue the truage of Cornewaile he sholde be rewarded soo that he sholde fare the better the terme of hys ••yf / ¶Thenne some of the Barons sayde to kynge Marke / and counceiled hym to sende to the courte of Kynge Arthur for to se••••e ••yre Launcelot du lake that was that ty∣me named for the merueilloust Knyght of alle the worlde / ¶Thenne there were somme other Barons that counceylled the Kynge not to doo soo & said that it was laboure in vayn /

by cause syr Marhaus was a knyght of the round table / ther for ony of hem will be loth to haue adoo with other / but yf hit were ony knyght at his owne request wold fyghte dysguysed and vnknowen / Soo the kynge and alle his barons assented that it was no bote to seke ony knyght of the round table / ¶ This meane whyle came the langage and the noyse vnto kynge Meliodas hou that sire Marhaus abode bataille faste by Tyntagil / And how kyng Marke couthe fynde no maner kn∣yghte to fyghte for hym / Whan yong Trystram herd of thys / he was wrothe and sore ashamed that ther durst no knyghte in Cornewaile haue adoo with syr Marhaus of Irland /