[Le morte darthur]

¶Capitulum ix

ANd thenne they dressyd hem on bothe partyes of the felde / & lete their horses renne so fast that eyther smote other in the myddes of the shelde / with their speres he¦de / that bothe hors and man wente to the erthe / And thenne they sterte vp bothe / and pulled oute their swerdys / the mea∣ne whyle that they were thus at the bataille cam the damoysel of the lake in to the felde / that put Merlyn vnder the stone / & she cam thydder for loue of kynge Arthur / for she knewe how Morgan le fay had soo ordeyned / that kynge Arthur shold haue ben slayne that daye / and therfor she cam to saue his lyf And so they went egrely to the bataille / and gaf many grete strokes / but alweyes Arthurs swerd bote not lyke Accolon swerd / But for the most party euery stroke that Accolon gaf he wounded sore Arthur / that it was merueylle he stode / And alweyes his blood fylle from hym fast / whan Arthur beheld the ground so sore bebledde he was desmayed / and thenne he de¦med treason that his swerd was chaunged / for his swerd boote not styl as it was wonte to do / therfor he dredde hym so¦re to be dede / for euer hym semed that the swerd in Accolons hand was Excalibur / for at euery stroke that Accolon stroke he drewe blood on Arthur / Now knyghte said Accolon vnto Arthur kepe the wel from me / but Arthur ansuerd not age∣yne / and gaf hym suche a buffet on the helme that he made hym to stoupe nygh fallynge doune to the erthe / Thenne syr Acoo∣lon withdrewe hym a lytel / and cam on with Excalibur on hyghe / and smote syr Arthur suche a buffet that he felle nyhe to the erthe / Thenne were they wroth bothe / and gaf eche other many sore strokes / but alweyes syr Arthur lost so moche blo∣od that it was merueille he stode on his feet / but he was soo ful of knyghthode that knyghtly he endured the payne / And syr Accolon lost not a dele of blood / therfor he waxt passynge lyghte / and syr Arthur was passynge feble / and wende very¦ly to haue dyed / but for al that he made countenaunce as tho∣ugh he myghte endure / and helde Accolon as shorte as he my∣ght / But Accolon was so bolde by cause of Excalibur that he waxed passynge hardy / But alle men that beheld hym sayd they sawe neuer knyghte fyghte so wel as Arthur dyd consy¦deryng the blood that he bled / Soo was all the peple sory for

hym / but the two bretheren wold not accorde / thenne alweyes they fought to gyders as fyers knyghtes / and syre Arthur withdrewe hym a lytel for to reste hym / and syre Accolon cal¦led hym to bataille and said it is no tyme for me to suffre the to reste / And therwith he cam fyersly vpon Arthur / and syre Arthur was wrothe for the blood that he had lost / and smote Accolon on hyhe vpon the helme soo myʒtely that he made hym nyhe to falle to the erthe / And therwith Arthurs swerd brast at the crosse and felle in the grasse amonge the blood and the pomel and the sure handels he helde in his handes / when syr ar¦thur sawe that / he was in grete fere to dye / but alweyes he hel¦de vp his shelde and lost no ground nor bated no chere /