[Le morte darthur]

¶Capitulum x

ALlas sayd sire Gawayne now is my Ioye gone / and thenne he felle doune and swouned / and long he lay there as he had ben dede / And thenne whanne he a roos of his swoune / he cryed oute sorowfully and sayd Allas / and ryʒte soo syr Gawayne ranne to the kynge cryenge and wepynge O kynge Arthur myne vnkel my good broder syr Gareth is slayne and soo is my broder syr Gaherys / the whiche were / ij / noble knyghtes / Thenne the kynge wepte and he bothe / and so they felle on swounynge / And whan they were reuyued then ne spak sir Gawayne / syr I wyl go see my broder syr Ga∣reth / ye may not see hym sayd the kynge / for I caused hym to be entered and syr gaherys bothe / For I wel vnderstood that ye wold make ouer moche sorowe / and the syghte of sir Ga∣reth shold haue caused your double sorowe / Allas my lord sayd syr Gawayne how slewe he my broder sir gareth myn own good lord I praye yow telle me / Truly sayd the Kyng I shal telle yow as it is told me / syre Launcelot slewe hym & sir Ga¦heris bothe / Allas sayd sire gawayne they bare none armes

ayenst hym neyther of hem both / I ••••ote not how it was said the kynge / but as it is sayd sire launcelot slewe them bothe in the thyckest of the prees / and knewe them not / and therfor le¦te vs shape a remedy for to reuenge their dethes / My Kynge my lord and myn vnkel sayd sire Gawayne wete yow wel now I shal make yow a promyse that I shalle holde by my knyghthode / that from this day I shalle neuer fayle sir launce¦lot vntyl the one of vs haue slayne the other / And therfore I requyre yow my lord and kynge dresse yow to the werre for wete yow wel I will be reuenged vpon sire launcelot / & ther∣for as ye wylle haue my seruyse and my loue now haste yow therto and assaye your frendes / For I promyse vnto god said sir Gawayne for the dethe of my broder sir gareth I shalle seke syr launcelot thorou oute seuen kynges Realmes / but I shalle slee hym or els he shalle slee me / ye shall not nede to seke hym soo ferre sayd the Kynge / for as I here saye sir launcelot will abyde me and yow in the Ioyous gard / and moche peple dra¦weth vnto hym as I here saye / That may I byleue sayd sir ga∣wayne / but my lord he sayd assaye your frendes / and I wyll assaye myn / it shalle be done sayd the kynge / and as I suppo∣se I shal be byg ynouʒ to drawe hym oute of the byggest toure of his Castel / So thenne the kynge sente letters and wryttes thorou oute alle Englond bothe in the lengthe and the brede / for to assomone alle his knyghtes / And soo vnto Arthur dre¦we many knyghtes dukes and Erles / soo that he had a gre∣te hoost / And whan they were assemblyd the kyng enformed hem how syr launcelot had berafte hym his quene / Thenne the kynge and all his hoost made hem redy to laye syege aboute sir Launcelot where he laye within Ioyous gard / Therof herd sir Launcelot and purueyed hym of many good knyghtes / for with hym helde many knyghtes / and some for his owne sake and somme for the quenes sake / Thus they were on bothe par∣tyes wel furnysshed and garnysshed of alle maner of thyng that longed to the werre / But kyng Arthurs hoost was soo bygge that syr launcelot wold not abyde hym in the felde / For he was ful bothe to doo batail ageynst the kyng / but syre launcelot drewe hym to his strong castel with al maner of vy¦tail / And as many noble men as he myghte suffyse within the

Towne and the Castel / Thenne came kynge Arthur with sire Gawayne with an hughe hoost / and layd a syege al aboute Ioyous gard both at the Towne and at the Castel / & there they made stronge werre on bothe partyes / but in no wyse syre Launcelot wold ryde oute nor go out of his Castel of long tyme / neyther he wold none of his good knyghtes to yssue oute neyther none of the Towne nor of the Castel vntyl xv / wekes were past