[Le morte darthur]

¶Capitulum xij

WYthm a daye or two kynge Arthur was somwhat se∣ke / and he lete pytche his pauelione in a medowe / & there he leyd hym doune on a paylet to slepe / but he my¦ght haue no rest / Ryght so he herd a grete noyse of an hors and therwith the kynge loked oute at the porche of the pauelione / and sawe a knyght comynge euen by hym makyng grete dole Abyde fair syr said Arthur / & telle me wherfor thow makest this sorowe / ye maye lytel amend me said the knyghte and soo passed forthe to the castel of Melyot / A none after ther cam ba¦len / and whan he sawe kynge Arthur / he alyght of his hors / and cam to the kynge on foote / and salewed hym / by my hede saide Arthur ye be welcome / Sire ryght now cam rydynge this way a knyght makynge grete moorne / for what cause I can not telle / wlerfor I wold desyre of yow of your curtosye and of your gentylnesse to fetche ageyne that knyght / eyther by force or els by his good wil / I wil do more for your lord¦ship than that said balyn / and so he rode more than a paas and found the knyght with a damoysel in a forest & said sir knyʒt

ye must come with me vnto kynge Arthur for to telle hym of your sorow / that wille I not / sayd the knyghte / for hit wylle scathe me gretely / and do yow none auaylle / syr sayd Balyn I pray yow make yow redy for ye must goo with me / or els I must fyghte with yow and brynge yow by force / and that were me both to doo / wylle ye be my Waraunt said the knyght and I goo with yow / ye saide Balyn or els I wylle deye therfore / And so he made hym redy to go with Balyn / and lefte the damoysel stylle / And as they were euen afore kynge Arthurs pauelione / there came one inuysybel and smote thys knyghte that wente with Balyn thorow oute the body wyth a spere / Allas sayd the knyght I am slayne vnder youre cō∣duyt with a knyght called Garlon / therfor take my hors that is better than yours and ryde to the damoysel and folowe the quest that I Was in / as she wylle lede yow and reuenge my deth whan ye may / That shalle I doo sayd Balyn / and that I make a vowe vnto knygthode / and so he departed from thys knyghte with grete sorowe / Soo kyng Arthur lete berye thys knyght rychely / and made a mensyon on his tombe / how there was slayne Herlews le berbeus / and by whome the trechery was done the knyght garlon / But euer the damoysel bare the truncheon of the spere with her that syr Harlews was sla¦yn with al