[Le morte darthur]

¶Capitulum lxxxiiij

THenne sir Palomydes tooke the lady by the hand / & broughte her to sire Epynogrys / and there was grete ioye betwixe them / for eyther swouned for Ioye / whan they were mette / Fair knyght and lady said sir Safer / it we∣re pyte to departe yow / Ihesu send yow Ioye eyther of other / Gramercy gentyl knyghte said Epynogrys / and moche more thanke be to my lord sir Palomydes / that thus hath thurgh his prowesse made me to gete my lady / ¶Thenne sir Epynogrys requyred sire Palomydes and sire Safere his brother to ryde with them vnto his castel for the sauf gard of his person / Sire said Palomydes we will be redy to conduyte you by cause that ye are sore wounded / and soo was Epynogrys and his lady horsed / and his lady behynde hym vpon a softe ambuler / And thenne they rode vnto his castel where they had grete chere and Ioye as grete as euer sir Palomydes and sir Safere had in their lyfe dayes / Soo on the morne sir Safere and sir palo∣mydes departed and rode as fortune ledde them / and soo they

rode alle that daye vntyl after none / And at the last they herd a grete wepynge and a grete noyse doune in a manoir / Syre said thenne sir Safere lete vs wete what noyse this is / I wil wel said sir palomydes / and soo they rode forth tyl that they came to a fayr gate of a manoir / and there satte an old man sayenge his prayers and bedes / Thenne sire palomydes and sir Safere alyghte and lefte their horses / and wente within the gates / and there they sawe ful many goodely men wepynge / ¶Fair syrs said palomydes wherfore wepe ye / and make this sorowe / Anone one of the knyghtes of the castel beheld sir palomydes / and knewe hym / and thēne wente to his selawes and said Fair felawes wete ye wel al / we haue in this Cas¦tel the same knyght that slewe oure lord at Lonezep / for I knowe hym wel it is syre palomydes / Thenne they wente vn¦to harneis alle that myghte bere harneis / some on horsbak / and some on foote to the nombre of thre score / And whan they we∣re redy / they came fresshly vpon syr palomydes and vpon syr Safere with a grete noyse and sayd thus / kepe the syre palo∣mydes. for thow arte knowen / and by ryght thow must be dede for thow hast slayne oure lord / and therfore wete ye wel / we wille slee the / therfore defende the / Thenne sir palomydes & syr Safer the one sette his bak to the other / and gaf many grete strokes / and took many grete strokes / and thus they fouʒte with a twenty knyghtes and fourty gentilmen / and yomen nyghe two houres / But at the last though they were bothe sir palomydes and syr Safere were taken and yolden and putte in a stronge pryson / and within thre dayes twelue knyghtes passed vpon them / and they fond sir palomydes gylty / and syr Safyr not gylty of their lordes dethe / And whan sir Sa∣fyr shold be delyuerd there was grete dole betwixe syr palomy¦des and hym / and many pyteous complayntys that sir Sa∣fyr made at his departynge / there is no maker can reherce the tenthe parte / Fair broder said palomydes lete be thy dolour and thy sorou / And yf I be ordeyned to dye a shameful dethe wel¦come be it / but and I had wist of this deth that I am demed vnto I shold neuer haue ben yolden / Soo syr Safere depar∣ted from his broder with the grettest dolour and sorou that e∣uer made knyghte / ¶And on the morne they of the castel

ordeyned twelue knyghtes to ryde with syre Palomydes vnto the fader of the same knyght that syr Palomydes slewe / and soo they bound his legges vnder an old s••edes bely / And then¦ne they rode with syr Palomydes vnto a Castel by the see syde that hyghte Pelownes / and there syr Palomydes shold haue Iustyce / thus was their ordenaunce / and so they rode with syr palomydes fast by the Castel of Ioyous gard / ¶And as they passed by that Castel / there came rydynge oute of that cas¦tel by them one that knewe syr palomydes / And whan that knyghte sawe sire palomydes bounden vpon a croked courser / the knyght asked syre palomydes / for what cause he was led so / A my fair felawe and knyghte sayd palomydes / I ryde to¦ward my dethe for the sleynge of a knyght at a turnement of Lonezep / & yf I had not departed from my lord syr Tristrā as I ouʒte not to haue done / now myʒt I haue ben sure to haue had my lyf saued / But I pray yow syr knyght recommaun∣de me vnto my lord sir Tristram and vnto my lady Quene I∣soud / & say to them / yf euer I trespaced to them / I aske them foryeuenes / And also I biseche yow recommaunde me vnto my lord kynge Arthur and to alle the selauship of the round table vnto my power / Thenne that knyghte wepte for pyte of syr palomydes / and there with alle he rode vnto Ioyous gard as faste as his hors myghte renne / ande lyghtly that knyght descended doune of his hors and wente vnto sir Tristram / and there he told hym all as ye haue herd / and euer the knyghte wepte as he had ben madde