[Le morte darthur]

¶Capitulum lxxxviij

BVt in no wyse there was no knyghte aboute syr Tris∣tram that wold byleue that euer syr Palomydes wo∣ld hurte sir Tristram neyther by his owne handes nor by no∣ne other consentynge / thenne whan the fyftenth day was come sir Palomydes came to the welle with four knyʒtes with hym of Arthurs courte and thre sergeauntes of armes / And for this ententente syr palomydes broughte the knyʒtes with hym and the sergeaunt of armes / for they shold bere record of the bataille betwixe syre Tristram and syr Palomydes / And the one sergeaunt brought in his helme / the other his spere / the th∣yrd his swerd / Soo thus Palomydes came in to the folde / & there he abode nyghe two houres / and thenne he sente a squyer vnto syr Tristram / and desyred hym to come in to the felde / to holde his promyse / whan the squyer was come to Ioyous gard Anone as sir Tristram herd of his comynge he lete commaun∣de that the squyer shold come to his presence there as he lay in his bedde / My lord sir Tristram said Palomydes squyer wete yow wel my lord Palomydes abydeth yow in the felde / and he wold wete whether ye wold doo bataille or not / A my fair broder said sir Tristram wete thou wel that I am ryght heuy for these tydynges / therfor telle sire Palomydes / and I were wel atte ease I wold not lye here nor he shold haue noo ne¦de to sende for me / and I myghte outher ryde or goo / and for thow shalt saye that I am no lyer / syre Tristram shewed hym his thye that the wounde was sixe Inches depe / and now thou hast sene my hurte / telle thy lord that this is no fayned mater and telle hym that I had leuer than all the gold of kyng Ar∣thur that I were hole / & telle palomydes as soone as I am ho∣le I shal seke him endlong & ouerthwart & y^t I promyse you as I am true knyʒt / & if euer I may mete with hym / he shal haue batail of me his fylle / & with this the squyer departed / & when palomydes wist y^t tristrā was hurt he was glad & said now I

am sure I shalle haue no shame / for I wote wel I shold ha∣ue had hard handelynge of hym / and by lykely I muste ne∣des haue had the werse / For he is the hardest knyghte in bata∣ylle that now is lyuynge excepte sir Launcelot / And thenne departed syr Palomydes where as fortune ladde hym / & with∣in a moneth sir Tristram was hole of his hurte / And thenne he took his hors / and rode from countray to countrey / and all straunge aduentures he acheued where someuer he rode / and al¦weyes he enquyred for sire Palomydes / but of alle that quar∣ter of sommer syr Tristram coude neuer mete with sir palomy¦des / But thus as sir Tristram soughte and enquyred after sire Palomydes / sir Tristram encheued many grete batails whe¦re thorugh alle the noyse felle to syr Tristram / and it seaced of sir launcelot / & therfor syre launcelots bretheren and his kyn¦nesmen wold haue slayne sire Tristram by cause of his fame / But whanne syre launcelot wyste how his kynnesmen were sette / he said to them openly wete yow wel that and the enuy of yow alle be soo hardy to wayte vpon my lord sire Tristram with ony hurte / shame / or vylony / as I am true knyghte / I shalle slee the best of yow with myne owne handes / Allas fy for shame shold ye for his noble dedes awayte vpon hym to slee hym / Ihesu defende said launcelot that euer ony noble kn∣yghte as syre Tristram is shold be destroyed with treason / Of this noyse and fame sprange in to Cornewaile / and amonge them of Lyonas / wherof they were passynge gladde / and made grete Ioye / And thenne they of Lyonas sente letters vnto sire Tristram of recommendacyon / and many grete yeftes to mayn¦tene sir Tristrams estate / and euer bitwene sir Tristram resor¦ted vnto Ioyous gard where as la Beale Isoud was that loued hym as her lyf /