[Le morte darthur]

¶Capitulum xiiij

THenne she told hym as ye haue herd to fore / and hou¦her fader betoke hym her broder to doo hym seruyse / and how her fader lente hym her broders syr Tyrreis shelde / and he∣re with me he lefte his owne sheld / For what cause dyd he so said sir Gawayne / For this cause sayd the damoysel / for his sheld was to wel knowen amonge many noble knyghtes / A fayr damoysel sayd sir Gawayne please hit yow lete me haue a syghte of that sheld / syre said she it is in my chamber couerd with a caas / and yf ye wille come with me / ye shalle see hit / Not soo sayd syre Barnard tyl his doughter lete s••nde for it Soo whan the sheld was comen / sir Gawayne took of the ca∣as / And whanne he beheld that sheld he knewe anone that hit was sir launcelots shelde / and his owne armes / A Ihesu mer¦cy sayd syr Gawayne now is my herte more heuyer than euer it was tofore / why sayd Elayne / for I haue grete cause sayd sire Gawayne / is that knyght that oweth this shelde your loue ye truly said she my loue he is / god wold I were his loue / Soo god me spede sayd sire Gawayne fair damoysel ye haue ryght / for and he be your loue / ye loue the moost honourable knyghte of the world and the man of moost worshyp / So me thoughte euer said the damoysel / for neuer or that tyme for no knyghte that euer I sawe / loued I neuer none erst / ¶God graunte sayd sire Gawayne that eyther of yow maye reioyse

other / but that is in a grete aduenture / But truly said sir ga∣wayne vnto the damoysel / ye may say ye haue a fayre grace for why I haue knowen that noble knyght this four and twen¦ty yere / and neuer or that day / I nor none other knyghte / I dare make good / sawe / nor herd saye that euer he bare token or sygne of no lady / gentilwoman / ne mayden at no Iustes nor turnement / And therfor fayre mayden saide sire Gawayne ye ar moche beholden to hym to gyue hym thankes / But I drede me sayd sire Gawayne that ye shalle neuer see hym in thys world / and that is grete pyte / that euer was of erthely kny∣ght / Allas sayd she / how may this be / is he slayne / I say not soo said sire Gawayne / but wete ye wel / he is greuously wo∣unded by alle maner of sygnes and by mens syghte more ly¦kelyer to be dede than to be on lyue / and wete ye wel he is the noble knyghte sire launcelot / for by this sheld I knowe hym Allas said the fayre mayden of Astolat / how maye this be / and what was his hurte / Truly said sire Gawayne the man in the world that loued hym best / hurte hym soo / and I dare say sayd sir Gawayne / and that knyghte that hurte hym kne¦we the veray certaynte that he had hurte sire Launcelot / it wo∣ld be the moost sorowe that euer came to his herte / Now fair fader said thenne Elayne I requyre yow gyue me leue to ry∣de and to seke hym / or els I wote wel I shalle go oute of my mynde / for I shalle neuer stynte tyl that I fynde hym / and my broder syre Lauayne / Doo as it lyketh yow sayd her fa∣der / for me sore repenteth of the hurte of that noble knyghte ¶Ryghte soo the mayde made her redy and before syre Ga∣wayne makynge grete dole / Thenne on the morne syr Gawa∣yne came to kynge Arthur / and told hym how he had fonde sire Launcelots shelde in the kepynge of the fayre mayden of Astolat / Alle that knewe I afore hand sayd kynge Arthur and that caused me I wold not suffer you to haue adoo atte grete Iustes / for I aspyed said kynge Arthur whan he cam in tyl his lodgynge ful late in the euenynge in Astolat / But merueille haue I said Arthur that euer he wold bere ony sy∣gne of ony damoysel / For or now I neuer herd say nor kne∣we that euer he bare ony token of none erthely woman / By my hede said sir Gawayne the fayre mayden of Astolat loueth

hym merueyllously wel / what it meaneth I can not saye / & she is ryden after to seke hym / Soo the kynge and alle cam to london / and there sire Gawayne openly disclosed to alle the Courte that it was sire Launcelot that Iusted best