[Le morte darthur]

¶ Capitulum lxvj

THenne this squyer departed and told Galyhodyn / & thenne he dressid his shelde / and put forthe a spere / & sir Palomydes another / and there sire Palomydes smote Galy¦hodyn soo hard that he smote bothe hors and man to the erthe

And there he had an horryble falle / And thenne came ther an other knyght / and in the same wyse he serued hym / and soo he scrued the thyrd and the fourthe that he smote them ouer their horse croupes / and alweyes sire Palomydes spere was hole / Thenne came sixe knyghtes moo of Galyhodyns men / & wold haue ben auenged vpon sire Palomydes / lete be sayd sir Galyhodyn not soo hardy / none of yow alle medle with this knyght / for he is a man of grete bounte and honoure / & yf he wold ye were not able to medle with hym / and ryghte soo they helde them styll / And euer sire Palomydes was redy to Iuste / And whan he sawe they wold no more / he rode vn∣to sire Tristram / Ryght wel haue ye done said sir Tristram / & worshypfully haue ye done as a good knyghte shold / This Galyhodyn was nyghe cosyn vnto Galahalt the haute prynce And this Galyhodyn was a kynge within the countrey of Surluse / Soo as sir Tristram / syr Palomydes / and la Bea∣le Isoud rode to gyders they sawe afore them four knyghtes and euery man had his spere in his hand / the fyrst was sire Gawayne / the second sir Vwayne / the thyrd sir Sagramor le¦desyrus / and the fourthe was Dodynas le saueage / Whan sir palomydes beheld them that the four knyʒtes were redy to Ius¦te / he praid sir Tristram to gyue hym / leue to haue adoo with them also lo••ge as he myghte holde hym on horsbak / And yf that I le smyten doune I pray yow reuenge me / wel said sire Tristram I wille as ye wille / and ye are not soo fayne to ha¦ue worship but I wold as fayne encreace your worship / and there with all sir Gawayne put forth his spere / & sir Palomy∣des another / and so they cam so egerly to gyders that sir Pa∣lomydes smote sire Gawayne to the erthe / hors and alle / and in the same wyfe he serued Vwayne / sir Dodynas / and Sagra¦more / Alle these four knyʒtes sir Palomydes smote doun with dyuers•• speres / And thenne sire Tristram departed toward Lonezep / And whanne they were departed thenne came thyd∣der Galyhodyn with his x knyʒtes vnto sir Gawayne / & ther he told hym alle how he had sped / I merueyle said sire Ga∣wayne what knyghtes they ben / that ar so arayed in grene / & that knyʒt vpon the whyte hors smote me doun said galihodyn & my / iij / felaws / & so he dyd to me said gawayn / & wel I wote

said sire Gawayne that outher he vpon the whyte hors is sire Tristram or els sire Palomydes / and that gay bysene lady is quene Isoud / Thus they talked of one thynge and of other And in the meane whyle sir Tristram passed on / tyl that he came to the welle where his two pauelions were sette / & there they alyghted / and there they fawe many pauelions and gre∣te araye / Thenne sire Tristram lefte there sire Palomydes and sire Gareth with la beale Isoud / and sir Tristram and syre Dynadan rode to Lonezep to herken tydynges / and sire Trist∣ram rode vpon sire Palomydes whyte hors / And whanne he came in to the castel / sir Dynadan herd a grete horne blowe / & to the horne drewe many Knyghtes / Thenne sire Tristram as∣ked a Knyght what meaneth the blast of that horne / Sir said that Knyght it is alle tho that shalle holde ageynst kyng Ar¦thur at this turnement / The fyrste is the kynge of Irland / & the Kynge of Surluse / the Kynge of Lystynoyse / the kyng of Northumberland / and the kynge of the best parte of walys / with many other countreyes / and these drawe them to a coun¦ceylle to vnderstande what gouernaunce they shalle be of / but the Kynge of Irland whos name was Marhalt and fader to the good knyghte sir Marhaus that sire Tristram slewe had alle the speche that sir Tristram myghte here it / He said lordes and felawes lete vs loke to our self / for wete ye wel Kynge Arthur is sure of many good Knyghtes / or els he wold not with soo fewe knyghtes haue adoo with vs / therfore by my co∣unceyl late euery Kynge haue a standard and a cognoissaun∣ce by hym self that euery knyghte drawe to their naturel lord and thenne maye euery Kyng and capytayne helpe his knyʒ∣tes yf they haue nede / whan sir Tristram had herd all their co∣unceyl / he rode vnto Kynge Arthur for to here of his counceyl