[Le morte darthur]

¶Capitulum x

THenne syre Accolon beganne with wordes of treason and sayd knyghte thow arte ouercome / and mayste not endure and also thow arte wepenles / and thow hast loste moche of thy blood / and I am ful bothe to slee the / therfor yel¦de the to me as recreaunt / Nay saide syre Arthur I maye not so / for I haue promysed to doo the bataille to the vttermest by the feythe of my body whyle me lasteth the lyf / and therfor I had leuer to dye with honour than to lyue with shame / And yf it were possyble for me to dye an C tymes I had leuer to dye so ofte / than yelde me to the / for though I lacke wepen / I shalle lacke no worship / And yf thow slee me wepenles that shalle be thy shame / wel sayd Accolon as for the shame I wyl not spare / Now kepe the from me for thow arte but a dede mā And therwith Accolon gaf hym suche a stroke that he felle n••∣ghe to the erthe / and wolde haue had Arthur to haue cryed hym mercy / But syre Arthur pressed vnto Accolon with his sheld / and gaf hym with the pomel in his hand suche a buf∣fet that he went thre strydes abak / whan the damoisel of the la¦ke beheld arthur / how ful of prowesse his body was & the fals treson that was wrouʒt for hym to haue had hym slayn she had grete pyte that so good a knyʒt & suche a mā of worship shold so be destroyed / And at the next stroke syr Accolon stroke hym suche a stroke that by the damoysels enchauntement the swerd Excalibur felle oute of Accolons hande to the erthe / And therwith alle Syre Arthur lyghtely lepte to hit / and gate hit

in his hand / and forthwith al he knewe that it was his suerd Excalibur / & sayd thow hast ben from me al to long / & moche dommage hast thow done me / & ther with he aspyed the scau∣bard hangynge by his syde / and sodenly he sterte to hym and pulled the scaubard from hym and threwe hit fro hym as fer as he myghte throwe hit / O knyghte saide Arthur this daye hast thow done me grete dommage with this swerd / Now are ye come vnto your dethe / for I shalle not waraunt yow but ye shalle as wel be rewarded with this swerde or euer we de∣parte as thow hast rewarded me / for moche payne haue ye ma¦de me to endure / and moche blood haue I lost / And therwith syr Arthur russhed on hym with alle his myghte and pulled hym to the erthe / and thēne russhed of his helme / and gaf hym suche a buffet on the hede that the blood cam oute at his eres / his nose & his mouthe / Now wylle I slee the said Arthur / Slee me ye may wel said Accolon and it please yow / for ye ar the best knyghte that euer I fonde / and I see wel that god is with yow / But for I promysed to doo this batail said Acoo∣lon to the vttermest and neuer to be recreaunt whyle I lyued therfore shal I neuer yelde me with my mouthe / but god doo with my body what he wyll / ¶Thenne syr Arthur remembrid hym and thoughte he shold haue sene this knyghte / Now telle me said Arthur or I wylle slee the / of what coūtrey art thou and of what courte / Syre knyghte sayd syr Accolon I am of the courte of kynge Arthur / & my name is Accolon of gaulle Thenne was Arthur more desmayed than he was before hand For thenne he remembryd hym of his syster Morgan le fay / and of the enchauntement of the ship / O syre knyght sayd he I pray yow telle me who gaf yow this swerd and by whom ye had it /