[Le morte darthur]

¶Capitulum secundum /

WHan syre Ector de marys wyst that syre laūcelot was past out of the court to seke aduentures he was wroth with hym self / & made hym redy to seke syre laūcelot / & as he had ryden long in a grete forest he mette with a man was ly∣ke a foster / Fayre felaw said syre Ector knowest thou in thys countrey ony aduentures that ben here nyghe hand / Syr sayd the foster / this countrey knowe I wel. and here by within thys myle / is a stronge manoir and wel dyked / & by that manoir on the lyfte hand there is a faire fourde for horses to drynke of / and ouer that fourde there groweth a fayr tree / and the ron¦hangen many fayre sheldes that welded somtyme good knygh¦tes / & atte hoole of the tree hangeth a bacyn of coper & lat••en /

and stryke vpon that bacyn with the but of thy spere thryes / And soone after thou shalt here newe tydynges / And ellys hast thou the fayrest grace that many a yere had euer knyght that passed thorou this forest / gramercy sayd syre Ector / and departed / and came to the tree and sawe many fayre sheldes / And amonge them he sawe his broders sheld syr Lyonel and many moo that he knewe that were his felawes of the round table / the whiche greued his herte / and promysed to reuenge his broder / Thenne a none syr Ector bete on the bacyn as he we¦re wood / and thenne he gaf his hors drynke at the fourde / & ther came a knyghte behynd hym / and bad hym come oute of the water and make hym redy / and syre Ector anone torned hym shortly and in fewter cast his spere and smote the other knyghte a grete buffet that his hors torned twyes aboute / This was wel done said the strong knyʒt / & knyʒtly thou hast stryken me / And therwith he russhed his hors on syre Ector / and cleyʒte hym vnder his ryght arme & bare hym clene out of the sadel / and rode with hym awey in to his owne halle / & threwe hym doune in myddes of the floore / the name of thys knyghte was syre Turquyne / than he said vnto syre Ector for thou hast done this day more vnto me than ony knyghte dyd these xij yeres / Now wille I graunte the thy lyf so thou wilt be sworn to be my prysoner all thy lyf dayes / Nay said sir Ec¦tor / that wylle I neuer promyse the / but that I will do myne auauntage / That me repenteth sayd syre Turquyne / and then¦ne he garte to vnarme hym and bete hym with thornys all na∣ked / and sythen putte hym doune in a depe dungeon where he knewe many of his felawes / But whan syre Ector sawe syr lyonel thenne made he grete sorowe / Allas broder sayd syr Ec¦tor / where is my broder syre Launcelot / Fayre broder I lefte hym on slepe whan that I from hym yode vnder an appel tree and what is become of hym I can not telle yow / Allas said the knyghtes / but syre launcelot helpe vs we may neuer be de¦lyuerd / for we knowe now noo knyght that is able to matche oure mayster Turquyn