[Le morte darthur]

¶Capitulum vj

And whanne syr Percyuale came nyghe the brymme / & sawe the water so boystous / he doubted to ouerpasse it And thenne he made a sygne of the crosse in his forheed / whan the fende felte hym soo charged / he shoke of syr Percyual / and he wente in to the water cryenge and roryng makyng grete so¦rowe / and it semed vnto hym that the water brente / Thenne sir Percyual perceyued it was a fend the which wold haue bro∣ught hym vnto his perdycyon / Thenne he commaunded hym self vnto god / and prayd oure lord to kepe hym from alle suche temptacyons / and so he praid alle that nyghte tyl on the morn that it was day / thenne he sawe that he was in a wylde mon∣tayne / the whiche was closed with the see nygh al aboute that he myʒt see no land about hym whiche myʒte releue hym but wylde beestes / And thenne he went in to a valey / and there he sawe a yonge serpent brynge a yonge lyon by the neck / and soo he came by sir Percyual / with that came a grete lyon cry∣enge and rorynge after the serpent

¶And as fast as syr Percyual sawe thys / he merueylled / & hyhed hym thyder / but anon the lyon had ouertake the serpent

and beganne bataille with hym / ¶ And thenne syr Percyual thoughte to helpe the lyon for he was the more naturel beeste / of the two / and there with he drewe his suerd / and sette hys shelde afore hym / and ther he gaf the serpent suche a buffet that he had a dedely wound / whanne the lyon sawe that / he made no resemblaunt to fyghte with hym / but made hym all the che∣re that a beest myghte make a man / Thenne Percyuale percey¦ued that and caste doune his sheld / whiche was broken / and thenne he dyd of his helme for to gadre wynde / for he was gre¦tely enchafed with the serpente / and the lyon wente alwaye aboute hym fawnynge as a spanyel / And thenne he stroked hym on the neck and on the sholdere / And thenne he thanked god of the felauship of that beeste / And aboute none the lyon took his lytel whelp and trussed hym and bare hym there he came fro / Thenne was syr Percyual alone / And as the tale telleth he was one of the men of the world at that tyme / whi∣che moost byleued in oure lord Ihesu Cryste / for in tho dayes there were but fewe folkes that byleued in god parfytely / For in tho dayes the sone spared not the fader no more than a straunger / And soo syre Percyual comforted hym self in our lord Ihesu / and besoughte god no temptacyon shold brynge hym oute of goddes seruyse / but to endure as his true champy¦on / Thus whanne syr Percyual had prayd he sawe the lyon came toward hym / and thenne he couched doune at his feete / And soo alle that nyghte the lyon and he slepte to gyders / & whanne syr Percyual slepte / he dremed a merueyllous dreme that there two ladyes mette with hym / and that one sat vpon a lyon / and that other sat vpon a serpent / and that one of hem was yonge and the other was old / and the yongest hym tho∣ught said sir Percyual my lord saleweth the / and sendeth the word that thow araye the / and make the redy / for to morne thow must fyghte with the strongest champyon of the world / And yf thow be ouercome / thou shalt not be quyte for losyng of ony of thy membrys / but thow shalt be shamed for euer to the worldes ende / And thenne he asked her what was her lord And she said the grettest lord of alle the world / and soo she departed sodenly that he wyste not where