[Le morte darthur]

¶Capitulum vi

THan was syr Bedwere glad and thyder he wente & whan he came in to the chapel he sawe where laye an heremyte grouelyng on al foure there fast by a tombe was newe grauen / whan the Eremyte sawe syr Bedwere he knewe hym wel / for he was but lytel tofore bysshop of caun∣terburye that syr Mordred flemed / Syr sayd Syr Bedwere what man is there entred that ye praye so fast fore / Fayr sone sayd the heremyte I wote not verayly but by demyyng / But thys nyght at mydnyght here came a nombre of ladyes / and broughte hyder a deed cors / and prayed me to berye hym / and here they offeryd an hondred tapers and they gaf me an hon¦dred besauntes ¶Alas sayd syr bedwere that was my lord kyng Arthur that here lyeth buryed in thys chapel / Than syr bedwere swowned and whan he awoke he prayed the heremyte he myght abyde wyth hym stylle there / to lyue wyth fastyng and prayers / For from hens wyl I neuer goo sayd syr bed∣were by my wylle but al the dayes of my lyf here to praye for my lord Arthur / Ye are welcome to me sayd the heremyte for I knowe you better than ye wene that I doo / Ye are the bolde bedwere and the ful noble duke Syr Lucan de butlere was your broder / Thenne syr Bedwere tolde the heremyte alle as ye haue herde tofore / so there bode syr bedwere with the hermyte that was tofore bysshop of Caunterburye / and there syr bed∣were put vpon hym poure clothes / and seruyd the hermyte ful ••owly in fastyng and in prayers ¶Thus of Arthur I fynde neuer more Wryt••n in boookes that ben auctorysed nor more

of the veray certente of his deth herde I neuer redde / but thus was he ledde aweye in a shyppe wherin were thre quenes / that one was kyng Arthurs syster quene Morgan le fay / the o∣ther was the quene of North galys / the thyrd was the quene of the waste londes / Also there was ••ynyue the chyef lady of the lake / that had wedded Pelleas the good knyght and this lady had doon moche for kyng Arthur / for she wold ne¦uer suffre syr Pelleas to be in noo place where he shold be in daunger of his lyf / & so he lyued to the vttermest of his day∣es wyth hyr in grete reste / More of the deth of kyng Arthur coude I neuer fynde but that ladyes brought hym to his bury∣ellys / & suche one was buryed there that the hermyte bare wyt¦nesse that somtyme was bysshop of caunterburye / but yet the heremyte knewe not in certayn that he was verayly the body of kyng Arthur / for thys tale syr Bedwer knyght of the table rounde made it to be wryton /