[Le morte darthur]

¶Capitulum xviij

ANd thenne kynge Arthur and kynge Ban & kyng Bors departed with her felauship a xx M and came within vj dayes in to the countrey of Cmyliarde and there re¦scowed kynge Lodegreaunce and s••ewe ther moche people of kynge Ryence vnto the nombre of x M men and put hym to flyghte / And thenne had these thre kynges grete ••here of ky∣ng Lodegreaunce / that thanked them of their grete goodnesse that they wold reuenge hym of his enemyes / and there hadde Arthur the fyrst syght of gweneuer the kynges doughter of Camylyard / and euer after he loued her / After they were wed¦dyd as it telleth in the booke / Soo breuely to make an ende / they took theyr leue to goo in to theyre owne Countreyes for kynge Claudas dyd grete destruction on their landes / Thenne said Arthur I wille goo with yow / Nay said the kynges ye shalle not at this tyme / for ye haue moche to doo yet in these landes / therfore we wille departe / and with the grete goodes that we haue goten in these landes by youre yeftes we shalle wage good knyghtes & withstande the kynge Claudas ma∣lyce / for by the grace of god and we haue nede we wille sen∣de to yow for youre socour / And yf ye haue nede sende for vs / and we wille not tary by the feythe of our bodyes / Hit shalle not saide Merlyn nede that these two kynges come ageyne in the wey of werre / But I knowe wel kynge Arthur maye not be longe from yow / for within a yere or two ye shalle haue grete nede / And thenne shalle he reuenge yow on youre ene∣myes as ye haue done on his / For these xj kynges shal deye all in a day by the grete myghte and prowesse of armes of ij valyaunt knyghtes as it telleth after / her names ben Balyn le Saueage and Balan his broder that ben merueillous go∣od knyghtes as ben ony lyuyng / ¶Now torne we to the xj

kynges that retorned vnto a cyte that hyghte Sorhaute / the whiche cyte was within kynge Vryens / and ther they refres∣shed hem as wel as they myght / and made leches serche theyr woundys and sorowed gretely for the dethe of her peple / with that ther came a messager and told how ther was comen in to their landes people that were lau••es as wel as sarasyns a xl M / and haue brent & slayne al the peple that they may come by withoute mercy / and haue leyd syege on the castel of wā∣disborow / Allas sayd the xj kynges here is sorow vpon sorou And yf we had not warryd ageynst Arthur as we haue do¦ne / he wold soone reuenge vs / as for kyng Lodegryaunce he lo¦ueth Arthur better than vs / And as for kyng Ryence / he hath ynough to doo with Lodegreans / for he hath leyd syege vnto hym / Soo they consentyd to gyder to kepe alle the marches of Cornewayle / of walys and of the northe / soo fyrst they putte kynge Idres in the Cyte of Nauntys in Brytayne with iiij thowsand men of armes / to watche bothe the water and the land / Also they put in the cyte of wyndesan kynge Nauntres of garlott with four thousand knyghtes to watche both on wa¦ter and on lond / Also they had of other men of werre moo than eyght thousand for to fortyfye alle the fortresses in the marches of Cornewaylle / Also they put moo knyʒtes in alle the marches of walys and scotland with many good men of armes / and soo they kepte hem to gyders the space of thre yere And euer alyed hem with myghty kynges and dukes and lordes / And to them felle kynge Ryence of North walys / the whiche was a myghty man of men & New that was a mygh∣ty man of men / And all this whyle they furnysshed hem and garnysshed hem of good men of armes and vytaille and of alle maner of abylement that pretendith to the werre to auen∣ge hem for the bataille of Bedegrayne / as it telleth in the book of auentures folowynge