[Le morte darthur]

¶Capitulum iiij

ANd anone there came an honderd knyʒtes about hym and assaylled hym / and whan he sawe his hors shold be slayne / he alyghte and voyded his hors / & putte the brydel vn¦der his feete / and so put hym out of the gate / And whan he had soo done / he hurled in amonge hem / and dressid his bak vnto a ladyes chamber walle / thynkynge hym self that he had leuer dye there with worship / than to abyde the rebukes of the damoi¦sel Maledysaunt / And in the meane tyme as he stood & fouʒt that lady whos was the chamber wente oute slyly at her posi∣erne / and without the gates she fond la cote male tayles hors and lyghtly she gate hym by the brydel / and teyed hym to the posterne / And thenne she wente vnto her chambre slyly ageyn for to behold hou that one knyghte fought ageynst an honderd knyghtes / And whan she had behold hym longe / she wente to a wyndowe behynde his bak / and said thou knyght thou fygh∣test wonderly wel / but for alle that at the last thou must ne∣des dye / But and thou canst thorou thy myʒty prowesse wyn∣ne vnto yonder posterne / for there haue I fastned thy hors to abyde the / but wete thou wel thou must thynke on thy wor∣ship / & thynke not to dye / for thou maiste not wynne vnto that posterne without thou doo nobly and myghtly / whan la cote male tayle herd her saye so / he gryped his swerd in his handes and putt his sheld fayre afore hym / & thorou the thyckest prees he thrulled thorou them / And whan he came to the posterne / he fond there redy four knyghtes / and at two the fyrst strokes he slewe two of the knyghtes / & the other fledde / & soo he wanne his hors and rode from them / and alle as it was it was reher∣ced in kynge Arthurs courte / hou he slewe twelue knyghtes within the castel Orgulous / and so he rode on his waye / And in the meane whyle the damoysel said to sir Mordred I wene my foolysshe knyʒt be outher slayn or takē prysoner / thēne we¦re they ware where he came rydyng / And whan he was come

to them / he told alle how he hadde spedde / and escaped in despy¦te of them alle / and somme of the best of hem wille telle no ta¦les / Thou lyest falsly saide the damoysel / that dare I make go∣od / but as a foole and a dastard to alle knyghthode / they ha¦ue lete the passe / that may ye preue said La cote male tayle / with that she sente a currour of hers that rode alweye with her for to knowe the trouthe of this dede / and soo he rode thydder lyghtly / and asked how and in what maner that la cote ma¦le tayle was escaped oute of the castel / ¶Thenne alle the knyghtes cursyd hym and said that he was a fende and noo man / For he hath slayne here twelue of oure best knyghtes / & we wende vnto this daye that hit had ben to moche for sir laū∣celot du lake or for sire Tristram de lyones / And in despyte of vs alle he is departed from vs and maulgre oure hedes / ¶With this ansuer the currour departed and came to Male∣dysaunt his lady / and told her alle how syr la cote male ta∣yle had spedde at the castel Orgulous / Thenne she smote doun her h••ed / and sayd lytel / By my hede said sir Mordred to the damoysel ye are gretely to blame so to rebuke hym / for I war∣ne you playnly he is a good knyghte / and I doubte not / but he shalle preue a noble knyghte / but as yet he may not yet sytt sure on horsbak / for he that shalle be a good horsman / hit must come of vsage and excercyse / But whan he cometh to the stro∣kes of his swerd / he is thenne noble and myghty / and that sa¦we sire Bleoberys and sir Palamydes / for wete ye wel they are wyly men of armes / and anon they knowe whan they see a yonge knyghte by his rydyng / how they ar sure to yeue hym a falle from his hors or a grete buffet / But for the moost par¦ty they wille not lyghte on foote with yonge knyghtes / For they are wyght and strongly armed / For in lyke wyse sir la∣uncelot du lake whan he was fyrste made knyghte / he was of∣ten putte to the werse vpon horsbak / but euer vpon foote he re∣couerd his renomme / and slewe and defoyled many knygh∣tes of the round table / And therfor the rebukes that sir Laun¦celot dyd vnto many knyghtes causeth them that be men of pro¦wesse to beware / for often I haue sene the old preued knygh¦tes rebuked and slayne by them that were but yonge begyn∣ners / Thus they rode sure talkynge by the way to gyders /

¶ Here leue we of a whyle of this tale and speke we of sire Launcelot du lake /