[Le morte darthur]

¶Capitulum xxxj

BVt by fore he was in so many colours and now he is but in one colour that is yelowe / Now goo said kyng Arthur vnto dyuerse heroudes and ryde aboute hym & aspye what maner knyght he is / for I haue speryd of many knyghtes this day that ben vpon his party / and all saye they knowe hym not / And so an heroude rode nyhe Gareth as he cou¦de / and there he sawe wryten aboute his helme in golde / This helme is syr gareth of Orkeney / Thenne the heroude cryed as he were wood / & many heroudes with hym / This is syre gareth of Orkeney in the yelowe armes that by all kynges and kny¦ghtes of Arthurs beheld hym & awayted / & thenne they pre∣ssyd al to beholde hym / & euer the heroudes cryed this is syre gareth of Orkeney kyng Lots sone / and whan syr gareth as∣pyed that he was discoueryd / thenne he doubled his strokes / & smote doune syr Sagramore & his broder sir gawayn / O bro∣der saide sir gawayn I wende ye wolde not haue stryken me / so whan he herd hym say so he thrang here & there / & so with gre¦te payne he gat out of the prees / and there he mette with his dwerf / O boye said syr gareth thou hast begyled me foule this day that thou kepte my rynge / Gyue it me anone ageyn that

I may hyde my body with al / and soo he tooke it hym / And thenne they all wist not where he was become / and syr gawa∣yn had in maner aspyed where syr Gareth rode / and thenne he rode after with alle his myghte / that aspyed syr Gareth and rode lyghtely in to the forest that syr Gawayn wist not where he was become / And whan syr Gareth wyst that syr Gawa∣yn was past / he asked the dwerf of best counceil / Syr said the dwerf / me semeth it were best now that ye are escaped fro spy∣eng that ye send my lady dame lyones her rynge / It is wel aduysed said syr Gareth / now haue it here and here it to her / And saye that I recommaunde me vnto her good grace / and saye her I will come whan I maye / and I pray her to be true and feythful to me as I wil be to her / Syr said the dwerf it shal be done as ye commaunde / and soo he rode his waye and dyd his eraund vnto the lady / Thenne she said where is my knyghte syr Gareth / Madame said the dwerf he bad me saye / that he wold not be long from you / ¶ And soo lyghtely the dwerf cam ageyne vnto syr Gareth that wold ful fayne ha∣ue had a lodgyng / for he had nede to be reposed / And thenne felle there a thonder and a rayne as heuen and erthe shold goo to gyder / And syr Gareth was not a lytyl wery / for of al that day he had but lytel rest neyther his hors nor he / So this syr Gareth rode soo longe in that forest vntyl the nyghte came And euer it lyghtned and thondred as it had ben woode At the last by fortune he came to a Castel / and there he herd the waytes vpon the wallys