[Le morte darthur]

¶Capitulum xix

IN the morne cam Merlyn and lete w••yte balyns na¦me on the tombe with letters of gold / that here lyeth balyn le Saueage that was the knyʒt with the two swerdes

and he that smote the dolorous stroke / Also Merlyn lete ma∣ke there a bedde / that ther shold neuer man lye therin / but he wente oute of his wytte / yet Launcelot de lake fordyd that bed thorow his noblesse / and anone after Balyn was dede / merlyn toke his swerd / and toke of the pomel and set on an other pomel / so merlyn bad a knyght that stode afore hym han∣deld that swerd / and he assayed / and he myght not handle hit Thenne Merlyn lough / why laugh ye said the knyghte / this is the cause said Merlyn / ther shalle neuer man handle this suerd but the best knyght of the world / and that shalle be syr Laun¦celot or els Galahad his sone / and Launcelot with this suerd shalle slee the man that in the world he loued best that shalle be syr Gawayne / Alle this he lete wryte in the pomel of the swerd / Thenne Merlyn lete make a brydge of yron & of stele in to that Iland / and it was but half a foote brode / & there shalle neuer man passe that brydge nor haue hardynes to goo ouer / but yf he were a passyng good man and a good kny∣ght withoute trechery or vylonye / Also the scaubard of Ba∣lyns swerd Merlyn lefte it on this syde the Iland that ga¦lahad shold fynde it / Also merlyn lete make by his subtyly∣te that Balyns swerd was put in a marbel stone standyng vp ryght as grete as a mylle stone / and the stone houed al∣weyes aboue the water and dyd many yeres / and so by aduē¦ture it swam doun the streme to the Cyte of Camelot that is in englysshe wynchestre / & that same day galahad the haute pryn∣ce came with kyng Arthur / and soo galahad broughte wyth hym the scaubard and encheued the swerde / that was there in the marbel stone / houynge vpon the water / And on whytson∣day he encheued the swerd as it is reherced in the book of Sāc¦grayll / Soone after this was done Merlyn came to kyng Ar∣thur and told hym of the dolorous stroke that Balyn gaf to kyng Pellam / and how Balyn and Balan foughte to gy∣ders the merueillous batail that euer was herd of / and how they were buryed bothe in one Tombe / Allas said kyng Ar∣thur / this is the grettest pyte that ouer I herd telle of two knyʒtes / for in the world I knowe not suche two knyghtes /