[Le morte darthur]

¶Capitulum Primum

IN May whan euery lusty herte floryssheth and burgeneth / For as the season is lusty to beholde and comfortable / Soo man and woman reioy∣cen and gladen of somer comynge with hys fresshe floures / for wynter with his rouʒ wyndes and blastes causeth a lusty man and woman to coure / and sytte fast by the fyre / So in this season as in the monethe of May it byfelle a grete angre and vnhap / that s••ynted not til the floure of chyualry of alle the world was destroyed & sla∣yn / and alle was long vpon two vnhappy knyghtes the whi∣che were named Agrauayne and sire Mordred that were bre¦theren vnto sir Gawayne / for this sir Agrauayne and sir mor¦dred had euer a preuy hate vnto the Quene dame Gueneuer and to syr launcelot / and dayly and nyghtly they euer wat∣ched vpon sir Launcelot / Soo it myshapped syr Gawayne and alle his bretheren were in kynge Arthurs chamber / and then∣ne sir Agrauayne sayd thus openly and not in no counceylle that many knyghtes myghte here it / I merueylle that we alle be not ashamed bothe to see and to knowe how sire Launcelot lyeth dayly and nyghtly by the quene / and al we knowe it so and it is shamefully suffred of vs alle that we alle shold suf¦fre soo noble a kyng as kynge Arthur is soo to be shamed / ¶Thenne spak sir Gawayne and sayd / broder sir Agrauayn I pray yow and charge yow meue no suche maters no more afore me / for wete ye wel sayd syr Gawayne I wylle not be of your counceylle / Soo god me help sayd sir Gaherys and sir Gareth we wylle not be knowynge broder Agrauayne of your dedes / Thenne wylle I sayd syre Mordred I leue well that sayd syre Gawayne / for euer vnto alle vnhappynes broder syr Mordred there to wille ye graunte / and I wold that ye lefte alle this / and made you not soo besy / for I knowe sayd syr Gawayne what wylle falle of hit / Falle of hit what falle may sayd syr Agrauayne / I wille disclose it to the kyng / Not by my counceylle sayd syr Gawayne / for and there rys•• warre and wrake betwyx syr launcelot and vs / wete you wel broder there will many kynges and grete lordes hold wit•• syr

Launcelot / Also broder sir Agrauayne sayd sire Gawayne ye must remembre how oftymes syr Launcelot hath rescowed the kynge and the quene / and the best of vs all had ben ful co∣ld at the herte rote / had not sir launcelot ben better than we / And that hath he preued hym self ful ofte / And as for my parte sayd sir Gawayne I wylle neuer be ageynst sir launce∣lot for one dayes dede whan he rescowed me from kynge Cara∣dos of the dolorous toure / and slewe hym and saued my lyf / Also broder sir Agrauayne and sir mordred in lyke wyse sir Launcelot rescowed yow bothe and thre score and two from sir Turquyn / Me thynketh broder suche kynde dedes and kynde∣nes shold be remembryd / doo as ye lyst sayd syr Agrauayne for I wylle layne it no lenger / ¶with these wordes came to them kynge Arthur / Now broder stynte your noyse sayd syre Gawayne / we wylle not sayd syr Agrauayne and sir Mor∣dred / wylle ye soo sayd sir Gawayne / thenne god spede yow for I wil not here your tales ne be of your counceyll / no mo∣re wyll I sayd sir Gareth and sir Gaherys / for we wyl neuer saye euylle by that man / for by cause sayd syre Gareth syr la∣uncelot made me knyghte by no manere owe I to say ylle of hym / and there with al they thre departed makynge grete do∣le / Allas sayd syr Gawayn and sir Gareth now is this Re¦alme holy mescheued / and the noble felaushyp of the round table shalle be disparplyd / soo they departed