[Le morte darthur]

¶ Capitulum l

NOw torne we fro this mater / and speke we of sir tris¦tram of whome this booke is pryncipal of / and leue we the kynge and the quene / syr Launcelot / and syre Lamorak / and here begynneth the treason of kynge Mark that he ordeyned ageynst syr Tristram / There was cryed by the cos¦tes of Cornewaile a grete turnement and Iustes / and al was done by sir Galahalt the haut prynce / and kynge Bagdema∣gus to the entent to slee Launcelot or els vtterly destroye hym and shame hym / by cause sir launcelot had alweyes the hyher degree / therfore this prynce and this kynge made this Iustes ageynst sire Launcelot / And thus her coūceyll was discouerd

vnto Kynge Marke wherof he was ful gladde / Thenne Kyng Marke bethoughte hym that he wold haue syre Tristram vnto that turnement desguysed that no man shold knowe hym / to that entente that the haute prynce shold wene that sir Tristram were syre launcelot / Soo at thise Iustes came in syr Tristram / And at that tyme sire launcelot was not there / but whan they sawe a Knyʒt desguysed doo suche dedes of armes / they wende hit had ben sir launcelot / And in especyal Kynge Mark sayd hit was syre launcelot playnly / Thenne they sette vpon hym bothe Kynge Bagdemagus and the haute prynce and theyre Knyghtes that hit was wonder that euer sire Tristram myght endure that payne / Not withstandynge for alle the payne that he had syr Tristram wanne the degree at that turnement / and there he hurte many Knyʒtes and brysed them / and they hurte hym and brysed hym wonderly sore / ¶ So whanne the Iustes were alle done / they knewe wel that hit was sire Tristram de Lyones / and all that were on Kyng markes party were glad that sir Tristram was hurte / and the remenaunt were sory of his hurte / for syre Tristram was not soo behated as was syre Launcelot within the Reame of Englond / Thenne came Kyng Marke vnto syre Tristram / and sayd fayre neuewe I am so∣ry of your hurtes / Gramercy my lord said syre Tristram /

¶Thenne Kynge Marke made sir Tristram to be putte in an hors bere in grete sygne of loue / and said fayre cosyn I shalle be your leche my self / and soo he rode forthe with sire Tristram and brought hym to a Castel by day lyghte / And thenne Ky∣nge Mark made syre Tristram to ete / And thenne after he gaf hym a drynke / the whiche as soone as he ••ad dronke / he fell on slepe / And whanne it was nyghte he made hym to be caryed to another castel / and there he putte hym in a stronge pryson / & there he ordeyned a man and a woman to gyue hym his mete and drynke / Soo there he was a grete whyle / thenne was syr Tristram myssed / and no creature wyst where he was become when la beale Isoud herd hou he was myssed pryuely she went vnto sir Sadok & praid hym to aspye where was sir Tristram Thenne when Sadok wyst hou sir tristram was myssed & anon aspyed that he was put in pryson by kyny mark & the traito∣urs of Magōs / thēne sadok & two of his cosyns leid them in an

enbusshement fast by the castel of Tyntagyl in armes / And as by fortune there came rydynge Kynge Marke and foure of his neuewes / and a certayn of the traytours of Magouns whanne sir Sadok aspyed them / he brake oute of the busshe∣ment / and sette there vpon them / And whan kynge Mark as¦pyed sire Sadok / he fledde as fast as he myghte / and there sir Sadok slewe alle the four neuewes vnto Kynge Marke / But these traitours of Magons slewe one of Sadoks cosyns a grete wound in the neck / but Sadok smote the other to the dethe / Thenne sir Sadok rode vpon his way vnto a Castel that was called Lyonas / and there he aspyed of the treason and fe¦lony of kynge Marke / Soo they of that castel rode with syre Sadok tyl that they came to a Castel that hyghte Arbray / & there in the toune they fond syre Dynas the Seneschal / that was a good Knyght / But whan sire Sadok had told syre Dynas of alle the treason of Kynge Marke / he defyed suche a Kynge / and sayd he wold gyue vp his landes that he held of hym / And whanne he said these wordes alle manere Knygh∣tes sayd as syre Dynas said / Thenne by his aduys and of sire Sadoks he lete stuffe alle the townes and Castels within the Countrey of Lyones and assembled all the peple that they myght make