[Le morte darthur]

¶Capitulum xxj /

THenne within thre dayes after the kynge lete make a Iustyng at a pryory / And there made hem redy many Knyghtes of the round table / For syr Gawayne and his bretherē made them redy to Iuste / But Tristram / Laūcelot nor Dynadan wold not Iuste / but suffred sir Gawayne for the loue of kyng Arthur with his bretheren to Wynne the gree yf they myght / Thenne on the morne they apparayled them to Iuste syr Gawayne and his four bretheren / and dyd there gre¦te dedes of armes / and sir Ector de marys dyd merueyllously wel / But sire Gawayne passed alle that felauship / wherfore

kynge Arthur and alle the knyghtes gafe sire Gawayne the honour at the begynnynge / ¶ Ryght soo kynge Arthur was ware of a knyght and two squyers / the whiche came oute of a forest syde with a sheld couerd with leder / And thenne he came slyly and hurtlyd here and there / And anone with one spere he had smyten doune two knyghtes of the round table Thenne with his hurtlyng he lost the keuerynge of his sheld thenne was the kynge and alle other ware that he bare a reed shelde / O Ihesu saide Kynge Arthur see where rydeth a stoute Knyghte he with the reed shelde / And there was noyse & cry∣enge Beware the knyght with the reed shelde / Soo within a lytel whyle he had ouerthrowen thre bretheren of sire Gawa∣yns / Soo god me help said Kynge Arthur me semeth yonder is the best Iuster that euer I sawe / with that he sawe hym en∣countre with sire Gawayne / and he smote hym doune with soo grete force that he made his hors to auoyde his sadel / ¶How now said the Kyng sire Gawayne hath a falle / wel were me / and I knewe what knyght he were with the reed shelde / I kno∣we hym wel said Dynadan / but as at this tyme ye shalle not knowe his name / By my hede said syr Tristram he Iusted bet∣ter than sir Palomydes / And yf ye lyst to knowe his name / wete ye wel his name is sir Lamorak de galys / As they sto∣de thus talkynge / sire Gawayne and he encountred to gyders ageyne / And there he smote sir Gawayne from his hors / and brysed hym sore / And in the syghte of Kynge Arthur he smo∣te doune twenty knyghtes besyde sire Gawayne and his bre∣theren / And soo clerely was the pryce yeuen hym as a knyght pyerles / Thenne slyly and merueyllously syr Lamorak with drewe hym from alle the felauship in to the forest syde / Al this aspyed Kynge Arthur / for his eye wente neuer from hym / ¶Thenne the Kynge syr Launcelot syr Tristram and syr dy¦nadan took theire hackneis / and rode streyght after the good knyght syr Lamorak de galys / And there fond hym / And thus said the kyng / A fayr knyght wel be ye fonde / Whanne he sawe the kynge / he put of his helme and salewed hym / and whanne he sawe sir Tristram / he alyghte doun of his hors and ranne to hym to take hym by the thyes / but sir Tristram wold

not suffre hym / but he alyghte or that he came / and eyder took other in armes / and made grete ioye of other / The kynge was gladde / and also was alle the felauship of the round table / excepte sire Gawayne and his bretheren / And whanne they wyst that he was syre Lamorak / they had grete despyte at hym and were wonderly wrothe with hym / that he had putte hym to dishonour that day / Thenne Gawayn called pryuely in coū¦ceille alle his bretheren / and to them said thus / Faire brethe∣ren here may ye see whome that we hate / kynge Arthur loueth And whome that we loue he hateth / ¶And wete ye wel my fayr bretheren / that this sir Lamorak wille neuer loue vs / by cause we slewe his fader Kynge Pellenore / for we demed that he slewe our fader Kynge of Orkeney / And for the despyte of Pellenore syr Lamorak dyd vs a shame to oure moder / ther∣fore I wille be reuenged / Syr said sir Gawayns bretheren / lete see how ye wylle or maye be reuenged / and ye shalle fyn¦de vs redy / Wel said Gawayne hold you stylle and we shalle aspye oure tyme /