[Le morte darthur]

¶Capitulum Sextum

THenne it befelle that Arthur and many of his knygh¦tes rode on huntynge in to a grete forest / and it hap∣ped kyng Arthur / kynge Vryens and syr Accolon of gaulle folowed a grete herte for they thre were wel horsed / and soo they chaced so fast that within a whyle they thre were thenne x myle from her felauship / And at the last they chaced so sore that they slewe theyr horses vndernethe them / thenne were they al thre on foote / and euer they sawe the herte afore them pas∣synge wery and enbusshed / What wille we doo said kyng ar∣thur We are hard bestad / lete vs goo on foote said kyng Vry¦ens tyl we may mete with some lodgynge / Thenne were they ware of the herte that lay on a grete water banke / and a bra∣chet bytynge on his throte and mo other houndes cam after / Thenne kynge Arthur blewe the pryse and dyghte the herte / Thenne the kynge loked aboute the world / and sawe afore hym in a grete water a lytel ship al apparailled with sylke doune to the water / and the shyp cam ryghte vnto hem and lā¦ded on the sandes / Thenne Arthur wente to the banke & loked in / and sawe none erthely creature therin / Sirs said the kyng come thens / and lete vs see what is in this ship / Soo they Wente in al thre and founde hit rychely behanged with clothe of sylke / By thenne it was derke nyghte / and there sodenly were aboute them an C torches sette vpon alle the sydes of the shyp bordes and it gaf grete lyghte / And ther with all there

cam out twelue fayr damoysels and salewed kynge Arthur on her knees and called hym by his name / and sayd he was ryght welcome / and suche chere as they had he shold haue of the best / the kynge thanked hem fayre / There with all they lad the kyng and his two felawes in to a fair chambre / and ther was a clothe leyd rychely bysene of al that longed vnto a ta¦bel / and there were they serued of al wynes and metes that they coude thynke / of that the kynge had grete merueille / for he ferd neuer better in his lyf as for one souper / And so when they had souped at her leyser / kyng Arthur was ledde vnto a chamber / a rycher besene chamber sawe he neuer none / and soo was kynge Vryens serued / and ledde in to suche another chā¦byr / and syr Accolon was ledde in to the thyrd chamber pas∣synge rychely and wel bysene / and so were they layde in the∣ire beddes easyly / And anone they felle on slepe / and slepte merueillously sore all the nyght / And on the morowe kynge Vryens was in Camelott abed in his wyues armes Morgan le fay / And whan he awoke / he had grete merueylle / how he cam there / for on the euen afore he was two dayes Iourney frō Camelot / And whan kyng Arthur awoke he found hym self in a derke pryson herynge aboute hym many complayntes of woful knyghtes