[Le morte darthur]

¶Capitulum primum

SOo it befelle in the moneth of May / quene Gue¦neuer called vnto her knyʒtes of the table ro∣und / and she gafe them warnynge that erly vp¦on the morowe she wold ryde on mayeng in to woodes & feldes besyde westmynstre / & I warne yow that there be none of yow but that he be wel horsed / and that ye alle be clothed in grene outher in sylke outher in clothe and I shalle brynge with me ten ladyes / and euery knyght shalle haue a lady behynde hym / and euery knyghte shal haue a squyer and two yomen / and I wyll that ye alle be wel hor¦sed / Soo they made hem redy in the fresshest maner / and these were the names of the knyghtes / sir Kay the Seneschal / sir A¦grauayne / sir Brandyles / sir Sagramor le desyrus / Sir Do∣dynas le saueage / sir Ozanna le cure hardy / sir Ladynas of the forest saueage / sir Persaunt of Inde / syre Ironsyde that was called the knyghte of the reed laundes / and sire Pelleas the louer / and these ten knyghtes made hem redy in the fresshest ma¦ner to ryde with the quene / And soo vpon the morne they toke their horses with the quene / and rode on mayenge in woodes and medowes as hit pleasyd hem in grete Ioye and delytes / for the quene had cast to haue ben ageyne with kyng Arthur at the ferthest by ten of the clok / and soo was that tyme her purpoos / Thenne there was a knyghte that hyghte Mellya∣graunce / and he was sone vnto kynge Bagdemagus / and this knyghte had at that tyme a castel of the yefte of kyng arthur

within seuen myle of westmynstre / And this knyghte sir Mel∣lyagraunce loued passynge wel Quene Gueneuer / and soo had he done longe and many yeres / ¶And the book sayth he had layne in a wayte for to stele away the quene / but euermo∣re he forbare for by cause of sir launcelot / for in no wyse he wo∣ld medle with the quene / and sir Launcelot were in her com∣pany / outher els and he were nere hand her / and that tyme was suche a customme / the quene rode neuer withoute a grete felaushyp of men of armes aboute her / and they were many good knyghtes / and the moost party were yong men that wo∣ld haue worshyp / and they were called the quenes knyghtes and neuer in no batail / turnement / nor Iustes / they bare none of hem no maner of knoulechynge of their owne armes / but playne whyte sheldes / and there by they were called the que∣nes knyghtes / And thenne whan it happed ony of them to be of grete worshyp by his noble dedes / thenne at the next feest of Pentecost / yf there were ony slayne or dede / as there was none yere that there fayled / but somme were dede / Thenne was there chosen in his stede that was dede the moost men of worshyp that were called the quenes knyghtes / And thus they came vp alle fyrste or they were renoumed men of worship / both sire Launcelot and alle the remenaunt of them / But this knyʒte sir Mellyagraunce had aspyed the quene well and her purpos and how sir launcelot was not with her / and how she had no man of armes with her but the ten noble knyghtes all arayed in grene for mayeng / thenne he purueyed hym a xx men of ar∣mes and an honderd archers for to destroye the quene and her knyghtes / for he thoughte that tyme was best season to take the quene /