[Le morte darthur]

¶Capitulum xiiij

THenne came tydynges vnto Morgan le fay that Ac∣colon was dede / and his body brought vnto the chirche And how kynge Arthur had his swerd ageyne / But whanne Quene Morgan wyste that Accolon was dede / she was soo sorouful that nere hir herte to brast / But by cause she wold not it were knowen / oute ward she kepte her counte∣ce naun / & maade no semblaunt of sorowe / But wel she wyste and she abode tyll her broder Arthur cam thyder / there shold no gold goo for her lyf

¶Thenne she wente vnto Quene Gweneuer / and asked her leue to ryde in to the countreye / ye maye abyde sayde Quene Gweneuer tyll youre brother the kynge come home / I maye not sayde Morgan le fay / for I haue suche hasty tydynges / that I maye not tary / wel saide Gueneuer ye maye departe

whanne ye wille / Soo erly on the morne or hit was daye she tooke her hors and rode alle that daye and mooste parte of the nyghte / And on the morn by none she cam to the same Abbay of Nonnes / where as lay kyng arthur / & she knowyng he was there she asked where he was / And they ansuerd how he had leyd hym in his bed to slepe / for he had had but lytel reste these thre nyghtes / Wel said she I charge yow that none of yow awake hym tyl I doo / and thenne she alyghte of her hors / & thoughte for to stele awey Excalibur his swerd / and soo she wente streyghte vnto his chamber / And noo man durste dys∣obeye her commaundement / and there she fond Arthur a slepe in his bedde and Excalibur in his ryght hand naked / Whan she sawe that she was passynge heuy that she myghte not ••••∣me by the swerd withoute she had awaked hym / and thenne she wyst wel she had ben dede / Thenne she tooke the scaubard and wente her wey on horsbak / whan the kynge awoke and myssed his scaubard / he was wrothe / and he asked who had ben there / and they said his syster quene Morgan had ben ther and had put the scaubard vnder her mantel and was gone / Allas sayd Arthur falsly ye haue watched me / Syre sayd they alle we durste not disobeye your systers commaundement A said the kynge lete fetche the best hors maye be founde / And byd syre Ontzlake arme hym in al hast / and take another go∣od hors and ryde with me / Soo anone the kynge and Ontze¦lake were wel armed / and rode after this lady / and soo they cam by a crosse and found a Cowherd / and they asked the poure man yf ther cam ony lady late rydynge that way / Syre said this poure man / ryght late cam a lady rydynge with a xl horses / and to yonder forest she rode / Thenne they spored theire horses / and folowed fast / And within a whyle Arthur had a syghte of Morgan le fay / thenne he chaced as fast as he my∣ghte / whanne she aspyed hym folowynge her / she rode a gretter paas thorowe the forest tyl she cam to a playne / And whanne she sawe she myghte not escape she rode vnto a lake ther by / & sayd what soo euer come of me / my broder shall not haue this scaubard / And thenne she lete throwe the scauberd in the de∣pest of the water soo it sanke / for it was heuy of gold and pre¦cious stones ¶ Thenne she rode in to a valeye

where many grete stones were / And whan she sawe she muste be ouertake she shope her self hors and man by enchauntemēt vnto a grete marbyl stone / Anone with al cam Syr Arthur / and syr Ontzelake where as the kynge myght knowe his sys¦ter and her men / and one knyght from another / A sayd the kynge here may ye see the vengeaunce of god / and now am I sory that this mysauenture is befalle / & thenne he loked for the scaubard / but it wold not be founde / so he retorned to the Ab∣beye there he came fro / So whan Arthur was gone / she torned alle in to the lykenesse as she and they were before / and sa∣yd syrs now may we goo where we wylle /