[Le morte darthur]

¶Capitulum xvij

WHanne Syre Arthur and kynge ban and bors by∣helde them and all her knyghtes they preysed hem mo∣che for their noble chere of chyualrye for the hardyest fyghters that euer they herd or sawe / with that there dressyd hem a xl noble knyghtes and saide vnto the thre kynges / they wold breke their bataille / these were her names Lyonses / pharyaunce Vlfyus / brastias / Ector / kaynes / lucas the bottelere / Gryflett la fyse de dieu / mariet de la roche / Gwynas de bloy / briāt de la foreyst saueage / bellaus / Moryans of the castel maydyn•• / flā¦nedreus of the castel of ladyes / Annecians that was kynge bors godsone a noble knyght / ladynas de la rouse / Emerause Caulas / Gracyens le casteleyn / one bloyse de la caase / and syre Colgreueaunce de gorre / all these knyʒtes rode on a fore with sperys on their thyes / and spored their horses myghtely as the horses myʒte renne / And the xj kynges with parte of her knyʒtes russched with their horses as fast as they myʒte with their spe••es / & ther they dyd on both partyes merueillous dedes of armes / soo came in to the thycke of the prees Arthur ban &

bors & slewe doune right on both handes that her horses went in bloood vp to the fytlokys / But euer the xj Kynges and their hooste was euer in the vysage of Arthur / wherfore Ban and Bors had grete merueille consyderyng the grete slauʒ¦ter that there was / but at the last they were dryuen abak ouer a lytil ryuer / with that came Merlyn on a grete black hors / and said vnto arthur thow hast neuer done / hast thou not do ne ynough / of thre score thousand this day hast thow lefte on lyue but xv M / and it is tyme to saye ho for god is wrothe with the that thow wolt neuer haue done / for yonder xj kyn∣ges at this tyme will not be ouerthrowen / but and thow tary on them ony lenger / thy fortune wille torne and they shall en¦creace / And therfor withdrawe yow vnto your lodgyng and reste yon as soone as ye may and rewarde your good knyʒtes with gold and with syluer / for they haue wel deserued hi•• / there may no rychesse be to dere for them / for of so fewe men as ye haue ther were neuer men dyd more of prowesse than they haue done to day / for ye haue matched this day with the beste fyghters of the world / that is trouthe said kyng Ban and bors / Also said Merlyn / withdrawe yow where ye lyst / For this thre yere I dar vndertake they shalle not dere yow / And by than ye shalle here newe tydynges / And thenne Merlyn sa¦id vnto arthur / these xj kynges haue more on hand than they are ware of / for the Sarasyns ar londed in their countreyes mo than xl M that brenne and ••lee / and haue leid syege att the castel wandesborow and make grete destruction / therfore drede yow not this thre yere / ¶Also syre al the goodes that ben goten at this bataill lete it be serched / And whanne ye haue it in your handys lete it be gyuen frely vnto these two kynges Ban and Bors that they may rewarde theyr knyghtes with all / And that shalle cause straungers to be of better wyll to do yow seruyse at nede / Also ye be able to reward youre owne knyghtes of your owne goodes whan someuer it lyketh you It is wel said qd Arthur And as thow hast deuysed so shal it be done / whanne it was delyuerd to Ban & Bors they gaf the goodes as frely to their knyʒtes as frely as it was yeuen to them / Thenne Merlyn took his leue of Arthur and of the ij kynges for to go and see his mayster Bleyse that dwelde

in Northumberland / and so he departed and cam to his mais¦ter that was passyng glad of his comynge / & there he tolde / how Arthur and the two kynges had sped at the grete bata∣yll / and how it was ended / and told the names of euery ky∣ng and knyght of worship that was there / And soo Bleyse wrote the bataill word by word as Merlyn told hym how it began / & by whome / & in lyke wyse how it was endyd / And who had the werre / All the batails that were done in arthurs dayes / merlyn dyd his maister Bleyse do wryte / Also he did do wryte all the batails that euery worthy knyght dyd of ar¦thurs Courte / After this Merlyn departed from his mayster and came to kynge Arthur that was in the castel of Bede∣grayne / that was one of the castels that stondyn in the forest of Sherewood / And Merlyn was so disguysed that kynge Arthur knewe hym not for he was al be furred in black she∣pe skynnes and a grete payre of bootes / and a bowe and a∣rowes in a russet gowne / and broughte wild gyse in his hād and it was on the morne after candelmas day / but kyng Ar¦thur knewe hym not / Syre said Merlyn vnto the kynge / wil ye gyue me a yefte / wherfor said kyng Arthur shold I gyue the a yefte chorle / Sir said Merlyn ye were better to gyue me a yefte that is not in your hand than to lese grete rychesse / for here in the same place there the grete bataill was is grete treso∣ur hyd in the erthe / who told the so chor••e said Arthur / Mer∣lyn told me so said he / thenne Vlfyus and Brastias knew hym wel ynough and smyled / Syre said these two knyghtes It is Merlyn that so speketh vnto yow / thenne kyng arthur was gretely abass••ed and had merueyll of Merlyn / & so had kynge Ban and kynge Bors / and soo they had grete dys∣port at hym / Soo in the meane whyle there cam a damoysel that was an erlys doughter his name was Sanam / and her name was Lyonors a passynge fair damoysel / and so she cam thyder for to dohomage as other lordes dyd after the grete ba¦taill / And kyng Arthur sette his loue gretely vpon her and so dyd she vpon hym / and the kyng had adoo with her / and gat on her a child / his name was Borre that was after a good knyghte and of the table round / thenne ther cam word that the kyng Ryence of Northen walys maade grete werre on

kynge Lodegreance of camylyard / for the whiche thyng arthur was wroth for he loued hym wel and hated kyng Ryence / for he was alwey ageynst hym / So by ordenaunce of the thre kyn¦ges that were sente home vnto Benwyck / alle they wold de∣parte for drede of kynge Claudas and pharyaunce and An∣temes and Grasians and lyonses / payarne with the leders of tho that shold kepe the kynges landys