[Le morte darthur]

¶Capitulum secūdum

SO syre Tristram alyghte of his hors by cause they we¦re on foote that they shold not slee his hors / And thē¦ne dressid his sheld with his swerd in his hand / and he smo¦te on the ryght hand and on the lyfte hand passyng sore that Wel nygh at euery stroke he strake doun a knyght / And when they aspyed his strokes / they fled all with Breuse saūce pyte vnto the toure / & sir Tristram folowed fast after with his suerd in his hand / but they escaped in to the toure / and shytte sire Tristram withoute the gate / ¶And whanne sire Tristram sawe this / he retorned abak vnto syr Palomydes / and fond hym syttyng vnder a tree sore wounded / A faire knyght saide syre Tristram wel be ye fonde / Gramercy said sir palomydes of yo∣ur grete goodenes / for ye haue rescowed me of my lyf and sa¦ued me from my dethe / what is your name said sir Tristram / he said my name is syr Palomydes / O Ihesu said syr Tristrā thou hast a fayre grace of me this daye / that I shold rescowe the / and thou arte the man in the world that I mooste hate / but now make the redy / for I will doo bataille with the / what is your name sayd palomydes / my name is sir Tristram your mortal enemy / hit may be soo said sir palomydes / But ye ha∣ue done ouer moche for me this day that I shold fyghte with you / for in as moche as ye haue saued my lyf / hit wille be no worship for you to haue adoo with me / for ye are fressh and I am wounded sore / And therfor and ye wille nedes haue ado with me / Assigne me a day and thenne I shal mete with you withoute fayle / ye saye wel said sir Tristram / Now I assigne you to mete me in the medowe by the ryuer of Camelot / where Merlyon sette the peron / soo they were agreed / Thenne sir Tris¦tram asked syr Palomydes why the ten knyghtes dyd bataill with hym / for this cause said sir palomydes / as I rode vp myn aduentures in a forest here besyde / I aspyed where laye a dede Knyght / and a lady wepynge besyde hym / And whanne I sawe her makynge suche dole / I asked her who slewe her lorde ¶Syre she said the falsest knyght of the world now lyuyng and he is the moost vylayne that ouer man herd speke of /

and his name is sir Breuse saunce pyte / thenne for pyte I ma¦de the damoysel to lepe on her palfroy / and I promysed her to be her waraunt / and to helpe her to entyere her lord / And soo sodenly as I came rydynge by this toure / there came oute syr Breuse saunce pyte / and sodenly he strake me from my hors / And thenne or I myghte recouer my hors / this sir Breuse sle∣we the damoysel / and soo I took my hors ageyne / and I was sore ashamed / and so beganne the medle betwixe vs and this is is the cause wherfore we dyd this bataille / Well said sir tris¦tram now I vnderstande the maner of your bataiylle / but in ony wyse haue remembraunce of your promyse that ye haue ma¦de with me to doo bataille with me this day fourtenyght / I shal not fayle you said sir Palomydes / wel said sir Tristram as at this tyme I wille not fayle you tyl that ye be oute of the daū¦ger of your enemyes / So they mounted vpon theyr horses / & rode to gyders vnto that foreste / and there they fond a fayre welle / with clere water burbelynge / fayr sir said sir Tristram to drynke of that water haue I courage / and thenne they a∣lyght of their horses / And thenne were they ware by them whe¦re stood a grete hors teyed to a tree / and euer he neyhed And thenne were they ware of a fayr knyght armed vnder a tree lackyng no pyece of harneis saue his helme lay vnder his heede / By the good lord said sir Tristram yonder lyeth a wel farynge knyght / what is best to doo / Awake hym said sir pa∣lomydes / so sir Tristram awaked hym with the but of his spe∣re / And soo the knyght arose vp hastely and putte his helme vpon his hede / and gat a grete spere in his hand / and without ony moo wordes he hurled vnto sir Tristram / and smote hym clene from his sadel to the erthe / and hurte hym on the lyfte syde that sir Tristram lay in grete perylle / Thenne he wallopped ferther / and fette his cours / and came hurlynge vpon sir palo¦mydes / and there he strake hym a parte thorou the body that he fylle from his hors to the erthe / ¶ And thenne this straunge knyght lefte them there / and took his way thurgh the foreste / With this sir Palomydes and sire Tristram were on foote and gat their horses ageyn / and eyther asked counceylle of other / what was best to done / By my hede said sir Tristram I wyll folowe this strong knyght that thus hath shamed vs / ¶ Well

said sir Palomydes / & I wylle repose me here by with a frend of myn / Beware said sire Tristram vnto Palomydes that ye fayle not that day that ye haue set with me to do bataill / for as I deme ye wille not hold your day / for I am moche bygger than ye / As for that said sir Palomydes / be hit as hit be maye for I feare you not / For and I be not seke nor prysoner I wil not fayle you / But I haue cause to haue more doubte of you that ye wille not mete with me / for ye ryde after yonder strong knyght / And yf ye mete with hym / hit is an hard aduenture and euer ye escape his handes / Ryght soo sir Tristram and sir Palomydes departed / and eyther took their wayes dyuerse