[Le morte darthur]

¶Capitulum x

THenne they took theyr speres and ranne eche at other with alle the myghte they had / and smote eche other thurgh their sheldes in to theyr sholders / wherfore anone they pulled oute their swerdes / and smote grete strokes that the sy¦re sprange oute of their helmes / Thenne syre gawayne was al abasshed and with galatyn his good swerd he smote thurgh shelde and thycke hauberke made of thyck maylles and al to russhed and brake the precious stones / and made hym a large wounde / that men myghte see bothe lyuer and long / Thenne gro¦ned that knyght / and adressyd hym to syre Gawayn / & with an awke stroke gaf hym a grete wound and kytte a vayne / whiche greued gawayn sore / and he bledde sore / ¶Thenne the knyghte sayd to syre Gawayn / bynde thy wounde or thy blee chaunge / for thou bybledest al thy hors and thy fayre armes / For alle the Barbours of Bretayne shal not conne staunche thy blood / For who someuer is hurte with this blade he shalle

neuer be staunched of bledynge / Thenne ansuerd gawayn hit greueth me but lytyl / thy grete wordes shalle not feare me ne lasse my courage / but thow shalt suffre tene and sorow or we departe / but telle me in hast who maye staunche my bledynge / That may I doo sayd the knyght yf I wylle / And so wyll I yf thou wylt socoure and ayde me that I maye be crystned and byleue on god / And therof I requyre the of thy man∣hode / and it shalle be grete meryte for thy soule / I graunte sa∣id Gawayne so god helpe me tacomplysshe alle thy desyre / But fyrst telle me what thou soughtest here thus allone / and of what londe and legeaunce thou arte of / Syre he sayd my na¦me is Pryamus / and a grete prynce is my fader / and he hath ben rebelle vnto Rome and ouer ryden many of theyr londes / My fader is lyneally descended of Alysaunder and of hector by ryght lygne / And duke Iosue and Machabeus were of oure lygnage / I am ryght enherytour of Alysaunder and au¦ffryke and alle the oute yles / yet wyl I byleue on thy lord that thow byleuest on / And for thy laboure I shalle yeue the tresour ynough / I was soo elate and hauteyn in my hert that I thought no man my pere ne to me semblable / I was sente in to this werre with seuen score knyghtes / and now I haue encountred with the whiche hast gyuen to me of fyghtyng my fylle / wherfore syr knyghte I pray the to telle me what thow arte / I am no knyght sayd gawayn / I haue ben brought vp in the garderobe with the noble kynge Arthur many yeres for to take hede to his armour and his other araye / and to poyn∣te his paltockes that longen to hym self / At yole last he made me yoman and gaf to me hors and harneys and an honderd pound in money / And yf fortune be my frend / I doubte not / but to be wel auaunced and holpen by my lyege lord / A sa∣yd Pryamus / yf his knauys be so kene and fyers / his knyʒ∣tes ben passynge good / Now for the kynges loue of heuen whe¦ther thou be a knaue or a knyghte telle thou me thy name / By god sayd syre Gawayn / Now wyl I saye the sothe / my name is syre gawayn and knowen I am in his courte and in his chambre / and one of the knyghtes of the round table / he dubbed me a duke with his owne hand / Therfore grutche not yf this grace is to me fortuned / hit is the goodnesse of god

that lente to me my strengthe / Now am I letter pleasyd sayd Pryamus than thou haddest gyuen to me al the prouynce and parys the ryche / I had leuer to haue ben torn with wylde hor∣ses / than ony varlet had wonne suche loos / or ony page or pry∣ker shold haue had prys on me / But now syre knyghte I warne the / that here by is a duke of Lorayne with his armye and the noblest men of Dolphyne and lordes of lombardye / with the garneson of godard / and sarasyns of Southland y nombred lx M of good men of armes / wherfore but yf we hye vs hens / it wylle harme vs bothe / for we ben sore hurte / ne∣uer lyke to recouer / but take hede to my page that he no horne blowe / For yf he doo ther ben houynge here fast by an C knyʒ¦tes awaytynge on my persone / and yf they take the / ther shall no raunson of gold ne syluer acquyte the / Thenne syre gawa¦yne rode ouer a water for to saue hym / And the knyghte folo∣wed hym / and soo rode forthe tyl they came to his felawes / whiche were in the medowe / where they had ben al the nyghte Anone as syre wychard was ware of syre gawayn and sawe that he was hurte / he ranne to hym soroufully wepynge / and demaunded of hym who had soo hurte hym / and gawayn told how he had foughten with that man / and eche of them hadde hurte other / and how he had salues to hele them / but I can tel¦le yow other tydynges / that soone we shal haue adoo with ma¦ny enemyes / Thenne syre pryamus and syre gawayn alygh∣ted / and lete theire horses grase in the medowe and vnarmed them / And thenne the blood ranne fresshly fro theyre woun∣des / And pryamus toke fro his page a vyolle ful of the four waters that came oute of paradys / and with certayne baume enoynted theyr woundes / and wesshe them with that water / & within an houre after / they were both as hole as euer they we¦re / And thenne with a trompet were they alle assembled to co∣unceylle / And there pryamus told vnto them / what lordes and knyghtes had sworne to rescowe hym / and that without faill they shold be assailed with many thousandes / wherfor he coun∣ceilled them to withdrawe them / Thenne syre gawayn sayd it were grete shame to them to auoyde withoute ony strokes / 〈◊〉〈◊〉 wherfore I aduyse to take oure armes and to make vs redy to mete with these sarasyns and mysbyleuyng men / and wyth

the helpe of god we shal ouerthrowe them and haue a fayre day on them / And syre Florens shall abyde styll in thys felde to kepe the stale as a noble knyghte / and we shal not forsake yonder felawes / Now sayd Pryamus seasse your wordes / for I warne yow ye shal fynde in yonder woodes many peryllo∣us knyghtes / they wylle put forthe beestes to calle yow on / they be out of nombre / and ye are not past vij C whiche ben o∣uer fewe to fyght with soo many / Neuertheles sayd syr gawa¦yn we shal ones encountre them / and see what they can do and the beste shalle haue the vyctory