¶Capitulum xxvij

Page  [unnumbered]THenne said syr Gawayne and his bretheren vnto ar¦thur / syre and ye wyl gyue vs leue we wille go and seke oure brother / Nay said syr Launcelot that shalle ye not nede / and so said syr Bawdewyn of Bretayne / for as by oure aduys the kynge shal sende vnto dame Lyones a mes¦sager / and praye her that she wille come to the courte in alle the hast that she may / and doubte ye not she wille come / And th•ne she may gyue you best coūceille where ye shal fynde hym This is wel said of you said the kyng / Soo thenne goodely letters were made / and the messager sente forth that nyghte & day he wente tyl he •am vnto the castel perillous / And thenne the lady dame Lyones was sente fore there as she was wyth syr Gryngamor her broder and syre Gareth / and whan she vn¦derstode this message / she badde hym ryde on his way vnto ky∣nge Arthur / and she wold come after in al goodely hast ¶Thenne whan she came to syr Gryngamor and to sir Ga∣reth she told hem al how kyng Arthur had sente for her / that is by cause of me said syr Gareth / Now auyse me said dame Lyones what shalle I saye and in what manere I shal rule me / My lady and my loue said sir Gareth I pray you in no wyse be ye aknowen where I am / but wel I wote my moder is there and alle my bretheren / and they wille take vpon hem to seke me / I wote wel that they doo / But this madame I wold ye sayd and aduysed the kynge whan he questyoned with you of me / Thenne maye ye say / this is your aduys that and hit lyke his good grace / ye wille doo make a crye ayenst the feest of thassumpcion of our lady that what knyghte there preueth hym best he shal welde you and all your land / And yf soo be that he be a wedded man that his wyf shall the degre and a coronal of gold besette with stones of vertue to the va¦lewe of a thousand pound and a whyte Iarfaucon / Soo dame Lyones departed / and came to kynge Arthur whe∣re she was nobly receyued / and there she was sore questyoned of the kyng and of the quene of Orkeney / And she ansuerde where syr Gareth was she coude not telle / But thus moche she said vnto Arthur / syre I wille lete crye a turnement that shal¦le done before my castel at the Assumpcion of oure lady / and the crye shal be this that you my lorde Arthur shalt be there / & Page  [unnumbered] your knyghtes / and I will puruey that my knyghtes shalle be ageynst yours / And thennne I am sure ye shall here of syr Gareth / this is wel aduysed said kynge Arthur / and soo she departed / And the kynge and she maade grete prouysyon to that turnement / whan dame Lyones was come to the yle of A¦uylyon that was the same yle ther as her broder syr Grynga¦mor dwelte / thenne she told hem al how she had done / and what promyse she had made to kynge Arthur / Allas said syr Gareth / I haue ben soo wounded with vnhappynes sythen I cam in to this castel that I shal not be abyl to doo at that tur¦nement lyke a knyghte / for I was neuer thorouly hole syn I was hurte / Be ye of good chere said the damoysel Lynet / for I vndertak• within these xv dayes to make you hole and as lusty as euer ye were / And thenne she leid an oynement & a salue to hym as it pleasyd to her that he was neuer so fressh nor soo lusty / Thenne said the damoysel Lynet / send you vnto syr Persaunt of ynde / and assomone hym and his knyghtes to be here with you as they haue promysed / Also that ye send vnto syr Ironsyde that is the reed knyghte of the reed laun∣des / and charge hym that he be redy with you with his hole somme of knyghtes / and thenne shalle ye be abyl to matche with kynge Arthur and his knyghtes / Soo this was done & alle knyghtes were sente for vnto the castel peryllous / & then∣ne the reed knyght ansuerd and said vnto dame Lyones and to syre Gareth / Madame & my lord syr Gareth ye shal vnder∣stande that I haue ben at the court of kynge Arthur and sire Persaunt of Inde and his bretheren / and there we haue done oure homage as ye commaunded vs / Also syr Ironsyde sayd I haue taken vpon me with syre Persaunt of Inde and his bretheren to hold party ageynst my lord sir Launcelot and the knyghtes of that courte / And this haue I done for the loue of my lady Dame Lyones and you my lord sir Gareth / ye haue wel done said syr Gareth / But wete you wel ye shal be ful sore matched with the moost noble knyghtes of the world / ther for we must purueye vs of goode knyghtes where we may ge¦te them / That is wel said / said sir Persaunt and worshipfully And soo the crye was made in England / walis and scotland Ireland / Cornewaille / & in alle the oute Iles and in bretayn Page  [unnumbered] and in many countreyes that at the feest of our lady the as∣sumpcion next comyng men shold come to the castel peryllous besyde the yle of Auylyon / And there al the knyghtes that ther came shold haue the choyse whether them lyst to be on the one party with the knyghtes of the castel or on the other par∣ty with kynge Arthur / And two monethes was to the daye that the turnement shold be / & so ther cam many good knyʒ∣tes that were at her large and helde hem for the moost party a¦geynst kynge Arthur and his knyghtes of the round table / cam in the syde of them of the castel / For syr Epynogrus was the fyrst / and he was the kynges sone of Northumberland / & syr Palamydes the sarasyn was another / and syr Safere his broder / and syre Segwarydes his broder / but they were cryst∣ned / and syre Malegryne another / and syr Bryan des les Ilelys a noble knyghte / and syr Grummore gummursum a good knyghte of Scotland / and syr Carados of the dolorous toure a noble knyghte and syr Turquyn his broder / and syr Arnold and syre Gauter two bretheren good knyghtes of Cornewaile / there cam syr Trystram de lyones / and with hym syr Dynadas the seneschal / and sir Saduk / / but this syr Tris¦tram was not at that tyme knyght of the table round / but he was one of the best knyghtes of the world / And soo all these noble knyghtes accompanyed hem with the lady of the castel and with the reed knyghte of the reed laundes / but as for sir Gareth he wold not take vpon hym more but as other meane knyghtes