[Le morte darthur]

¶Capitulum xv

NO•• leue we the knyghte and the dwerf / and speke we of Beaumayns that al nyʒt lay in the hermytage / & vpon the morne he and the damoysel lynet herd theire masse / and brake their fast / And thenne they toke theyr horses / and rode thorou oute a fair forest / and thenne they came to a play∣ne and sawe where were many pauelions and tentys / and a fayr castel / and there was moche smoke and grete noyse / and whanne they came nere the sege / syr Beaumayns aspyed vp¦on grete trees as he rode / how there henge ful goodly armed knyghtes by the neck and theire sheldes aboute theire neckys with their swerdes / and gylt spores vpon their heles / and soo there henge nyghe a fourty knyghtes shamefully with ful ry∣che armes / Thenne sir Beaumayns abated his countenaunce & sayd what meneth this / Fayre syre said the damoysel abate not your chere for all this syghte / for ye must courage your self or els ye ben al shente / for all these knyghtes came hyder to this sege to rescowe my syster Dame lyones / and whanne the reede knyghte of the reed laund hadde ouercome hem / he putte them to this shameful dethe withoute mercy and pyte / And in the same wyse he wyll serue you / but yf ye quyte you the better Now Ihesu deffende me said Beaumayns from suche a vylay¦nous dethe and shenship of armes / For rather than I sholde so be faren with all / I wolde rather be slayn manly in playn

bataille / Soo were ye better said the damoysel / for trust not in hym is no curtosye but alle goth to the deth or shameful mur∣ther / and that is pyte / for he is a ful lykely / man / wel made of body / and a ful noble knyghte of prowesse and a lorde of grete laundes and possessions / Truly said Beaumayns / he may wel be a good knyghte / but he vseth shameful customs and it is merueylle that he endureth so longe that none of the noble knyghtes of my lord Arthurs haue not delt with hym And thenne they rode to the dykes and sawe them double dy∣ked with ful warly wallis / and there were lodged many gre¦te lordes nyghe the wallys / and there was grete noyse of myn¦stralsy / and the see betyd vpon the one syde of the walles whe¦re were many shippes and maryners noyse with hale & how And also there was fast by a Sykamore tree / and ther henge an horne the grettest that euer they sawe of an Olyfantes bo∣ne / and this knyght of the reed laund had hanged it vp ther that yf ther came ony arraunt knyghte / he muste blowe that horne / and thenne wylle he make hym redy & come to hym to doo bataille / But syr I pray you said the damoysel Lynet blo¦we ye not the horne tyl it be hyghe none / for now it is aboute pryme / & now encreaced his myghte / that as men say he hath seuen mens strengthe / A fy for shame fair damoisel say ye ne∣uer soo more to me / For and he were as good a knyghte as euer was I shalle neuer fayle hym in his moost myghte / for outher I wille wynne worship worshipfully or dye knyghte¦ly in the felde / and ther with he spored his hors streyghte to the Sykamore tree / and blewe soo the horne egerly that alle the sege and the castel range therof / And thenne there lepte oute knyghtes oute of their tentys and pauelions / and they within the castel loked ouer the wallis and oute att wyndo∣wes / Thenne the reed knyghte of the reed laūdes armed hym hastely / and two barons sette on his spores vpon his heles / and alle was blood reed his armour spere and shelde / And an Erle bucled his helme vpon his hede / and thenne they bro∣ughte hym a rede ••pere and a rede stede / and soo he rode in to a lytyl vale vnder the castel / that al that were in the castel and at the sege myghte behold the bataill