[Le morte darthur]

¶Capitulum quintum

IN goddes name sayd syr launcelot / for I promyse you by the feythe of my body I had as moche to doo as I myght to saue my self fro you vnshamed / and therfore haue ye no doubte of none erthely knyghte / Hope ye so that I maye ony whyle stand a proued knyght sayd Beaumayns / ye sa¦yd Launcelot / doo as ye haue done / and I shal be your wara∣unt / Thenne I praye you sayd Beaumayns yeue me the or∣dre of knyghthode / thenne must ye telle me your name seyd la∣uncelot / and of what kynne ye be borne / Syr soo that ye wylle not discouer me I shal sayd Beaumayns / nay sayd syre laū¦celot / and that I promyse yow by the feithe of my body / vn tyl hit be openly knowen / Thenne syr he sayd my name is Gareth and broder vnto syr Gawayn of fader and moder / A syr said Launcelot I am more gladder of you than I was / For euer me thouʒte ye shold be of a grete blood / and that ye cam not to the courte neyther for mete ne for drynke / And thenne sire Launcelot gaf hym thordre of knyʒthode / and thenne sire Ga∣reth prayd hym for to departe and lete hym goo / Soo syre la∣uncelot departed from hym and came to syre kay and maade hym to be born home vpon his shelde / and so he was helyd hard with the lyf / and al men scorned syr kay / and in especyal sir Gawayne and syre launcelot sayd it was not his parte to re∣buke no yonge man / for ful lytel knewe he of what byrth he is comen / and for what cause he came to this courte / and soo we leue syr kay and torne we vnto Beaumayns / whanne he had ouertaken the damoysel / anone she sayd what dost thow here / thou stynkest al of the kechyn / thy clothes ben bawdy of

the greece and talowe that thou gaynest in kyng Arthurs ke∣chyn / wonest thou sayd she that I alowe the for yonder knyʒt that thou kyllest / Nay truly / for thou slowest hym vnhappely and cowardly / therfor torne ageyn bawdy kechyn page / I kno¦we the wel / for syre kay named the Beaumayns / what arte thou but a luske and a torner of broches and a ladyl wessher Damoysel sayd Beaumayns saye to me what ye wylle / I wylle not goo from you what someuer ye say / for I haue vn∣dertake to kynge Arthur for to acheue your aduenture / and so shal I fynysshe it to the ende / eyther I shal dye therfore / Fy on the kechyn knaue wolt thou fynysshe myn aduenture / thou shalt anone be met with al / that thou woldest not for alle the brothe that euer thou soupest ones loke hym in the face / I shal assaye sayd Beaumayns / Soo thus as they rode in the wo∣ode / ther came a man fleynge al that euer he myghte / whether wolt thou sayd Beaumayns / O lord he said / helpe me / for he∣re by in a slade are syxe theues that haue taken my lord and bounde hym / soo I am aferd lest they wyl slee hym / Brynge me thyder said Beaumayns / and soo they rode to gyders vn¦tyl they came there as was the knyghte bounden / and thenne he rode vnto hem / and strake one vnto the dethe / and thenne an¦other / and at the thyrd stroke he slewe the thyrdde theef / and thenne the other thre fledde / And he rode after hem / and he o∣uertook hem / and thenne tho thre theues tourned ageyne and assayled Beaumayns hard / but at the last he slewe them / & re¦torned and vnbounde the knyghte / And the knyght thanked hym / and prayd hym to ryde with hym to his castel there a ly¦tel besyde / and he shold worshipfully rewarde hym for his go∣od dedes / Syr sayd Beaumayns I wille no reward haue / I was this day made knyghte of noble syr launcelot / & ther∣for I wylle no reward haue / but god rewarde me / And also I must folowe this damoysel / And whan he came nyghe her she bad hym ryde fro her / for thou smellyst al of the kechyn / wenest thou that I haue Ioye of the / for al this dede that thou hast done nys but myshappen the / But thou shalt see a syghte shal make the torne ageyne and that lyghtly / Thenne the sa∣me knyght whiche was rescowed of the theues rode after that damoysel and prayed her to lodge with hym alle that nyghte And by cause it was nere nyght / the damoysel rode with hym

to his castel / and there they had grete chere / and at souper the knyght sat syr Beumayns afore the damoisel / Fy fy said she syr knyghte ye are vncurtoys to sette a kechyn page afore me hym bysemeth better to stycke a swyne than to sytte afore a da¦moysel of hyhe parage / thenne the knyght was ashamed atte her wordes / and took hym vp / and sette hym at asyde bord / and sette hym self afore hym / and soo al that nyght they had good chere and mery reste /