¶Capitulum xvj

BY than come in to the feld kynge Ban as fyers as a lyon with bandys of grene / & therupon gold / Ha a sa¦id kyng Lot we must be discomfyte / for yonder I see the moste valyaunt knyght of the world / and the man of the most re∣noume / for suche ij bretheren as is kyng Ban & kyng bors ar Page  [unnumbered] not lyuynge / wherfore we must nedes voyde or deye / And but yf we auoyde manly and wysely / ther is but dethe / whanne kynge Ban came in to the bataill / he cam in so fiersly / that the strokes redounded ageyne fro the woode and the water / wher∣for kynge Lott wepte for pyte and doole that he sawe so ma∣ny good knyʒtes take theyr ende / But thorowe the grete for∣ce of kyng Ban they made both the Northeren bataylles that were departed / hurtled to gyders for grete drede / and the thre kynges & their knyghtes slewe on euer that it was pyte on to behold that multitude of the people that fledde / But kynge Lott and Kynge of the honderd knyʒtes & kynge Morgano∣re gadred the peple to gyders passyng knyghtly / and dyd gre∣te prowesse of armes / and helde the bataill all that daye lyke hard / ¶Whanne the kynge of the honderd knyghtes beheld the grete damage that kynge Ban dyd / he threst vnto hym wyth his hors and smote hym on hyhe vpon the helme a grete stroke and stonyed hym sore / Thenne kynge Ban was wroth with hym / and folowed on hym fyersly / the other sawe that / and cast vp his sheld & spored his hors forward / But the stro∣ke of kynge Ban felle doune and carfe a cantel of the sheld / and the swerd s•ode doune by the haulerk behynde his back / & cut thorow the trappere of stele / and the hors euen in two pye∣ces that the swerd felte the erthe / Thenne the kynge of the C knyghtes voyded the hors lyghtly and with his swerd he bro¦ched the hors of kyng Ban thorow and thorow / with that kynge Ban voyded lyghtly from the deede hors / and thenne kynge Ban smote at the other so egrely / and smote hym on the helme that he felle to the erth / Also in that yre he feld kyng Morganore and there was grete slaughter of good knyghtes and moche peple / by than come in to the prees kynge Arthur / and fond Kynge Ban stondynge among dede men and dede hors fyghtynge on foote as a wood lyon / that ther came no∣ne nyghe hym as fer as he myght reche with his swerd / but he caughte a greuous buffet wherof Kynge Arthur had grete py¦te / And Arthur was so blody that by his shelde ther myght no man knowe hym / for all was blood and braynes on his swerd / And as Arthur loked by hym he sawe a knyght that was passyngly wel horsed / and therwith syre Arthur ranne Page  [unnumbered] to hym / and smote hym on the helme that his swerd wente vnto his teeth / and the knyght sanke doune to the erthe dede / & anon Arthur tooke the hors by the rayne and ladde hym vnto kynge Ban & said fair broder / haue this hors / for ye haue grete myster therof & me repenteth sore of your grete dammage Hit shall be soone reuengid said Kynge Ban / for I truste in god myn eure is not suche but some of them may sore repente thys / I wol wel said Arthur / for I see your dedes full actual Neuertheles I myghte not come at yow at that tyme / But whanne Kynge Ban was mounted on horsbak / thenne there beganne newe bataill the whyche was sore and hard / and pas¦syng grete slaughter / And so thurgh grete force Kynge Ar∣thur / Kynge Ban and Kynge Bors made her knyghtes a li∣tel to withdrawe them / But alwey the xj Kynges with her chyualrye neuer torned bak / and so withdrewe hem to a lytil woode / and so ouer a lytyl ryuer / & therethey rested hem / for on the nyghte they myghte haue no rest on the feld / And thē∣ne the xj kynges and knyghtes put hem on a hepe all to gy∣ders as men adrad and out of all comforte / but ther was no man myghte passe them / they helde hem so hard to gyders bothe behynde and before that kynge Arthur had merueille of their dedes of armes and was passynge wrothe / A syr Arthur sa∣id kynge Ban and kynge Bors blame hem noughte / For they doo as good men ouʒt to doo / For by my feith said kyng Ban / they are the best fyghtyng men and knyghtes of moost prowesse that euer I sawe or herd speke of / And tho xj kyn¦ges are men of grete worship / And yf they were longyng vn¦to yow / there were no kynge vnder the heuen hadde suche xj knyghtes and of suche worship / I may not loue hem said Ar¦thur / they wold destroye me / that wote we wel said kynge Ban and Kynge Bors / for they are your mortal enemyes / and that hath ben preued afore hand / And this day they haue done theire parte / and that is grete pyte of theire wilfulnes Thenne alle the xj kynges drewe hem to gyder / And thenne sa¦id kynge Lott / lordes ye must other wayes than ye do / or els the grete losse is behynde / ye may see what peple we haue lost / and what good men we lese / by cause we waytte alweyes on these foote men / and euer in sauynge of one of the foote men Page  [unnumbered] we lese x horsmen for hym / therfore this is myne aduys / lete vs put our foote men from v• / for it is nere nyghte / For the noble Arthur wille not ••ry on the foote men / for they maye saue hem self / the woode is nerehand / And whan we horsmen be to gyders / loke eueryche of yow kynges lete make suche or∣dinaunce that none breke vpon payne of dethe / And who that seeth ony man dresse hym to flee / lightly that he be slayne / for it is better that we slee a coward than thorow a coward alle we to be slayne / How saye ye said kynge Lott / ansuere me all ye kynges / it is wel said quod kynge Nentres / so said the ky∣nge of the honderd knyghtes / the same saide the kynge Cara∣dos and kyng Vryence / so dyd kynge Idres and kyng bran¦degorys / and so dyd kyng Cradulmas and the d•ke of Cā∣debenet / the same said kyng Claryaunce & kyng Agwysaunce and sware they wold neuer faille other neyther for lyf nor for dethe / And who so that fledde but did as they dyd shold be slayne / Thenne they amended their harneys and ryghted theire sheldes and tooke newe sperys and sette hem on theire thyes and stode stille as hit had ben a plompe of wood /