¶Capitulum v

ANd whanne sir launcelot sawe kynge Pelles & Ela∣yne / he waxed ashamed and said thus / O lord Ihe∣su how came I here / for goddes sake my lord lete me wete how that I came here / Sir said dame Elayne in to thys Countrey ye cam lyke a madde man clene oute of your wytte And here haue ye ben kepte as a foole / and no creature here knewe what ye were vntyl by fortune a mayden of myn bro∣ughte me vnto yow where as ye lay slepynge by a welle / and anone as I veryly beheld yow / I knewe yow / And thenne I told my fader / and so were ye broughte afore this holy vessel And by the vertu of it thus were ye helyd / O Ihesu mercy sa∣id sire launcelot yf this be sothe / how many there be that kno∣wen of my woodenes / Soo god me help sayd Elayne no mo but my fader and I and dame Brysen / Now for Crystes lo∣ue said sir Launcelot kepe hit in counceylle / and lete noo man knowe hit in the world / for I am sore ashamed that I haue ben thus myscaryed / for I am bannysshed oute of the Countrey of Logrys for euer that is for to saye the countrey of Englond / And soo syr Launcelot lay more than a fourtenyghte or euer that he myghte stere for sorenes / And thenne vpon a day he sa¦yd vnto dame Elayne these wordes / lady Elayne for your sa∣ke I haue had moche trauaill care and anguysshe / it nedeth not to reherse hit / ye knowe how / Not withstandyng I knowe wel I haue done foule to yow whan that I drewe my swerd to you to haue slayn you vpon the morn whan I had layn with yow And alle was the cause that ye & dame Brysen made me for Page  [unnumbered] to lye by yow maulgre myn hede / and as ye saye that nyghte Galahalt your sone was begoten / that is trouthe sayd dame Elayne / ¶Now wille ye for my loue said sire launcelot goo vnto your fader and gete me a place of hym wherin I maye dwelle / For in the Courte of kynge Arthur maye I neuer co¦me / Syr said dame Elayne I will lyue and dye with yow / and only for your sake / and yf my lyf myghte not auaile you and my dethe myghte auaile yow / wete you wel I wold dye for your sake / and I wille go to my fader / and I am sure / there is no thynge that I can desyre of hym but I shalle ha∣ue hit / And where ye be my lord syr Launcelot doubte ye not but I wille be with yow with alle the seruyse that I may do Soo forth with alle she wente to her fader / and said syre / my lord syr launcelot desyreth to be here by yow in some Castel of yours / wel doughter said the kynge sythe hit is his desyre to abyde in these marches he shalle be in the Castel of Blyaunt / and there shalle ye be with hym and twenty of the fayrest la¦dyes that ben in this countrey / and they shalle alle be of the grete blood / and ye shalle haue ten knyghtes with yow / For doughter I wille that ye wete we alle ben honoured by the blood of sire launcelot