[Le morte darthur]
Malory, Thomas, Sir, 15th cent.

¶Capitulum vij

YEt somme men say in many partyes of Englond that kyng Arthur is not deed / But had by the wylle of our lord Ihesu in to another place / and men say that he shal come ageyn & he shal wynne the holy crosse. I wyl not say that it shal be so / but rather I wyl say here in thys world he chaunged his lyf / but many men say that there is wryton vpon his tombe this vers ¶Hic iacet Arthurus Rex qondam Rex que futurus / Thus leue I here syr Bedwere with the her¦myte that dwellyd that tyme in a chapel besyde glastynburye & there was his ermytage / & so they lyuyd in theyr prayers & fastynges & grete abstynence / and whan quene Gueneuer vn∣derstood that kyng Arthur was slayn & al the noble knyʒtes syr Mordred & al the remenaunte / Than the quene stale aweye & v ladyes wyth hyr / & soo she wente to almesburye / & there she let make hir helf a Nonne / & ware whyte clothes & blacke & grete penaunce she toke as euer dyd synful lady in thys londe / & neuer creature coude make hyr mery / but lyued in fas¦tyng prayers and almes dedes / that al maner of peple mer∣uaylled how vertuously she was chaunged ¶ Now leue we quene Gueneuer in Almesburye a nonne in whyte clothes & blacke and there she was abbesse and rular as reason wolde Page  [unnumbered] and torne we from hye / and speke we of Syr Launcelot du lake /