¶ Capitulum lxj

NOw wille we leue them mery within Ioyous gard & speke we of syr palomydes / thēne sir palomydes sail¦led euen longes hūber to the costes of the see / where was a fair Page  [unnumbered] castel / And at that tyme hit was erly in the mornynge afore daye / Thenne the maronners wente vnto sire palomydes / that slepte fast / Syre knyghte saide the maronners ye muste aryse / for here is a castel there ye muste goo in to / I assente me sayd sire Palomydes / and there with alle he aryued / And thenne he blewe his horne that the maronners had yeuen hym / And whanne they within the Castel herd that horne / they put forthe many knyghtes and there they stode vpon the walles / and said with one voys / welcome be ye to this castel / and then¦ne it waxed clere day / and sire Palomydes entred in to the cas¦tel / And within a whyle he was serued with many dyuerse metes / Thenne sire Palomyders herd aboute hym moche wepy∣nge and grete dole / what may this meane said sir palomydes / I loue not to here suche a sorou / and fayne I wold knowe what it meaneth / thenne there came afore hym one whos name was sir Ebel that said thus wete ye wel sir knyghte this dole and sorowe is here made euery daye / ¶And for this cause / we had a kynge that hyght Hermaunce and he was kynge of the ••ed cyte / and this kyng that was lord / was a noble kn∣yght large and lyberal of his expense / And in the world he loued no thynge soo moche as he dyd erraunt knyʒtes of ky∣nge Arthurs courte / and alle Iustynge huntynge and al ma¦ner of knyʒtly games / for so kynde a kynge and knyghte had neuer the rule of poure peple as he was / and by cause of his goodenes and gentylnesse we bemone hym / and euer shalle / And alle kynges and estates may beware by oure lord for he was destroyed in his owne defaute / for had he cherisshed them of his blood / he hadde yet lyued with grete rychesse and reste / but alle estates may beware by our kynge / But allas sayd Ebel that we shalle gyue alle other warnynge by his dethe / ¶Telle me said palomydes / and in what manere was youre lord slayne and by whome / Syr said sir Ebel / oure kyng br∣ought vp of children two men that now are peryllous knygh¦tes / & these two knyghtes oure kynge had soo in cherete that he loued no man nor trusted no man of his blood / nor none other that was aboute hym / And by these two knyghtes oure kyng was gouerned / and soo they ruled hym peasybly and his lan¦des / and neuer wolde they suffre none of his blood to haue Page  [unnumbered] no rule with oure kynge / And also he was soo free and soo gentyl / and they so fals and deceyuable that they ruled hym peasybly / and that aspyed the lordes of our kynges blood / & departed from hym vnto their owne lyuelode / Thenne whan these two traytours vnderstoode that they had dryuen alle the lordes of his blood from hym / they were not pleased with that rule / but thenne they thoughte to haue more / as euer hit is an old sawe / gyue a chorle rule / and there by he wylle not be suf¦fysed / for what someuer he be that is ruled by a vylayne born and the lord of the soyle to be a gentilman born / that same vy¦layne shalle destroye alle the gentylmen aboute hym / therfor al estates and lordes / beware / whome ye take aboute yow / And yf ye be a knyght of Kyng Arthurs courte remembre this ta∣le / for this is the ende and conclusion / my lord and kyng ro∣de vnto the forest here by by the aduyse of these traytours / and there he chaced at the reed dere armed at alle pye•es ful lyke a good knyght / and soo for labour he waxed drye / And then∣ne he alyghte / and dranke at a welle / And whan he was a lyghte by the assente of these two traytours that one that hy∣ght Helyus he sodenly smote our kynge thurgh the body with a spere / and soo they lefte hym there / And whan they were de¦parted / thenne by fortune I came to the welle / and fond my lord and kyng wounded to the dethe / And whan I herd his complaynte / I lete brynge hym to the water syde / and in that same shyp I put hym a lyue / And whan my lord kynge her∣maunce was in that vessel / he requyred me for the true feyth I owed vnto hym for to wryte a letter in this maner /