[Le morte darthur]

¶Capitulum quartum /

ANd thenne beheld they the scaubard / hit semed to be of a serpents skynne / And theron were letters of go∣ld and syluer / and the gyrdel was but pourely to co∣me to and not able to susteyne suche a ryche suerd / and the let¦ters sayd / he whiche shal welde me oughte to be more harder than ony other yf he bere me as truly as me oughte to be born For the body of hym whiche I oughte to hange by he shal not be shamed in no place whyle he is gyrd with this gyrdel / nor neuer none be soo hardy to doo awey this gyrdel / for it oughte not be done away but by the handes of a mayde / and that she be a kynges doughter and quenes / and she must be a mayde alle the dayes of her lyf / bothe in wylle and in dede / And yf she breke her vyrgynyte she shalle dye the moost vylaynous dethe that euer dyd ony woman / Sir said Percyual torne this suerd that we may see what is on the other syde / & hit was reed as blood with blak letters as ony cole / whiche sayd / he that shal prayse me moost / moost shalle he fynde me to blame at a grete nede and to whome I shold be moost debonair shall I be most felon / and that shalle be at one tyme / Faire broder sayd she to Percyual it befelle after a fourty yere after the passion of Ihe¦su Cryst that Nacyen thy broder in lawe of kyng Mordrayns was boren in to a Towne more than xiiij dayes Iourneye from his countrey by the commaundement of our lord in to an yle / in to the partyes of the west that men clepyd the yle of Tur∣naunce / Soo befelle hit that he fond this shyp at the entre of a roche / and he fond the bedde and this suerd as we haue herd now / Not for thenne he had not soo moche hardynesse to drawe hit / and there he dwellid an eyght dayes / and at the nynythe day there felle a grete wynde whiche departed hym out of the yle and brought hym to another yle by a roche / and there he fond the grettest gyaunt that euer man myghte see / therwith cam that horryble gyaunt to slee hym / and thenne he loked a∣boute hym aad myghde not flee / and he had no thynge to de∣fende hym with / Soo he ranne to his suerd / and when he sawe hit naked / he praysed it moche / and thenne he shoke it / and ther with he brak it in the myddes A said Nacyen the thyng that I moost praysed ought I now moost to blame / and ther with he threwe the pyeces of his suerd ouer his bedde / And after he

lepte ouer the borde to fyghte with we gyaunt / and slewe hym And anone he entryd in to the shyp ageyne / and the wynde a¦rose / and drofe hym thurgh the see / that by aduenture he came to another shyp where kynge Mordrayns was / whiche hadde ben tempted ful euyll with a fende in the porte of peryllous ro¦che / And whanne that one sawe the other / they made grete Io∣ye of other / and eyther told other of their aduenture / & how the swerd fayled hym at his moost nede / whanne Mordra∣yns sawe the suerd he praysed hit moche / but the brekyng was not to doo / but by wyckednes of thy self ward / for thow arte in somme synne / and there he took the suerd / and sette the pe∣cys to gyders / and they soudered as fayr as euer they were to fore / and there putte he the swerd in the shethe / and leyd it doune on the bedde / Thenne herd they a voyce that sayd go out of this ship a lytel whyle / and entre in to the other for drede ye falle in dedely synne / for and ye be fonde in dedely synne ye maye not escape but perysshe / and soo they wente in to the o∣ther shyp / And as Nacyen wente ouer the borde he was smy∣ten with a swerd on the ryghte foote that he felle doune nose∣lynge to the shyps bord / and there with he sayd O god how am I hurte / and thenne there came a voyce and sayd / take thow that for thy forsette that thow dydest in drawynge of this suerd / therfor thow receyuest a wounde / for thow were ne∣uer worthy to handel it / the wrytynge maketh mencyon / In the name of god said galahad ye ar ryʒt wyse of these werkes