And so as syr Trystrames rode faste he mette with sir Andret, his cosyn, that by the commaundement of kynge Marke was sente to brynge forth two knyghtes of Arthures courte that rode by the contrey to seke their adventures. Whan sir Trystrames sawe sir Andret he asked hym, ‘What tydynges?’
‘So God me helpe,’ seyde sir Andret, ‘there was never worse with me, for here by the commaundemente of kynge Marke I was sente to fecche two knyghtes of kynge Arthurs courte, and the tone bete me and wounded me and sette nought be my message.’
‘Fayre cosyn,’ seyde sir Trystrames, ‘ryde on your way, and yf I may mete them hit may happyn I shall revenge you.’
So sir Andret rode into Cornwayle and sir Trystrames rode aftir the two knyghtes, whyche that one hyght sir Sagramoure le Desyrous and that othir hyght sir Dodynas le Savyayge.
So within a whyle sir Trystrames saw hem byfore hym, two lykly [16] knyghtys.
‘Sir,’ seyde Governayle unto his maystir, ‘I wolde counceyle you nat to have ado with hem, for they be two proved knyghtes of Arthures courte.’
‘As for that,’ seyde sir Trystrames, ‘have ye no doute but I woll have ado with them bothe to encrece my worshyp, for hit is many day sytthen I dud any armys.’
‘Do as ye lyste,’ seyde Governayle.
And therewythall anone sir Trystrames asked them from whens they come and whothir they wolde, and what they dud in those marchis. So sir Sagramoure loked uppon sir Trystrames and had scorne of his wordys, and seyde to hym agayne, ‘Sir, be ye a knyght of Cornwayle?’
‘Whereby askyste thou?’ seyde sir Trystrames.
‘For hit is seldom seyne,’ seyde sir Sagramoure, ‘that ye Cornysshe knyghtes bene valyaunte men in armys, for within thes two owres there mette with us one of your Cornysshe knyghtes, and grete wordys he spake, and anone with lytyll myght he was leyde to the erthe. And as I trow,’ seyde sir Sagramoure, ‘that ye wolde have the same hansell.’
‘Fayre lordys,’ seyde sir Trystrames, ‘hit may so happe that I may bettir wythstonde you than he ded, and whether ye woll or nylle, I woll have ado with you, because he was my cosyn that ye bete. And therefore here do your beste! And wete you well: but yf ye quyte you the bettir here uppon this grounde, one knyght of Cornwayle shall beate you bothe.’
Whan sir Dodynas le Savyaige herde hym sey so he gate a speare in hys honde and seyde, ‘Sir knyght, kepe thyselff!’ And than they departed and com togydirs as hit had bene thundir. And sir Dodynas spere braste in sundir, but sir Trystrames smote hym with a more myght, that he smote hym clene over the horse croupyr, and nyghe he had brokyn his necke.
Whan sir Sagramoure saw hys felow have suche a falle he mervayled what knyght he was, but so he dressed his speare with all his myght, and sir Trystrames ayenste hym, and so they cam togydir as thundir. And there sir Trystrames smote sir Sagramour a stronge buffette, that he bare hys horse and hym to the erthe, and in the fallynge he brake his thyghe.
So whan this was done sir Trystrames asked them, ‘Fayre knyghtes, wyll ye ony more? Be there ony bygger knyghtys in the courte of kynge Arthur? Hit is to you shame to sey us knyghtes of Cornwayle dishonour, for hit may happyn a Cornysh knyght may macche you.’
‘This is trouthe,’ seyde sir Sagramoure, ‘that have we well proved. But I requyre you,’ seyde sir Sagramour, ‘telle us your name, be your feyth and trouthe that ye owghe to the hyghe Order of Knyghthode.’
‘Ye charge me with a grete thynge,’ seyde sir Trystrames, ‘and sytthyn ye lyste to wete, ye shall know and undirstonde that my name ys sir Trystrames de Lyones, kynge Melyodas son, and nevew unto kynge Marke.’
Than were they two knyghtes fayne that they had mette with sir Trystrames, and so they prayde hym to abyde in their felyshyp.
‘Nay,’ seyde sir Trystrames, ‘for I muste have ado wyth one of your felawys. His name is sir Bleoberys de Ganys.’
‘God spede you well,’ seyde sir Sagramoure and sir Dodynas.
So sir Trystrames departed and rode onwarde on his way. And than was he ware before hym in a valay where rode sir Bleoberys wyth sir Segwarydes lady that rode behynde his squyre uppon a palfrey.
Than sir Trystrames rode more than a pace untyll that he had [17] overtake hym. Than spake sir Trystrames:
‘Abyde’, he seyde, ‘knyght of Arthures courte! Brynge agayne that lady or delyver hir to me!’
‘I woll do neyther nother,’ seyde sir Bleoberys, ‘for I drede no Cornysshe knyght so sore that me lyste to delyver her.’
‘Why,’ seyde sir Trystrames, ‘may nat a Cornysshe knyght do as well as another knyght? Yes, this same day two knyghtes of youre courte wythin this three myle mette with me, and or ever we departed they founde a Cornysshe knyght good inowe for them both.”What were their namys?’ seyde sir Bleobrys.
‘Sir, they tolde me that one hyght sir Sagramoure le Desyrous and that other hyght sir Dodynas le Saveayge.’
‘A,’ seyde sir Bleoberys, ‘have ye mette with them? So God me helpe, they were two good knyghtes and men of grete worshyp, and yf ye have betyn them bothe ye muste nedis be a good knyght. Yf hit be so ye have beatyn them bothe, yet shall ye nat feare me, but ye shall beate me or ever ye have this lady.’
‘Than defende you!’ seyde sir Trystrames.
So they departed and com togydir lyke thundir, and eyther bare other downe, horse and man, to the erthe. Than they avoyded their horsys and lasshed togydyrs egerly with swerdys and myghtyly, now here now there, trasyng and traversynge on the ryght honde and on the lyffte honde more than two owres. And somtyme they rowysshed togydir with suche a myght that they lay bothe grovelynge on the erthe. Than sir Bleoberys de Ganys sterte abacke and seyde thus:
‘Now, jantyll knyght, a whyle holde your hondes and let us speke togydyrs.’
‘Sey on what ye woll,’ seyde sir Trystrames, ‘and I woll answere you and I can.’
‘Sir,’ seyde Bleoberys, ‘I wolde wete of whens ye were and of whom ye be com and what is your name.’
‘So God me helpe,’ seyde sir Trystrames, ‘I feare nat to telle you my name. Wete you well, I am kynge Melyodas son, and my mother is kynge Markys sistir, and my name is sir Trystrames de Lyones, and kynge Marke ys myne uncle.’
‘Truly,’ seyde sir Bleoberys, ‘I am ryght glad of you, for ye ar he that slewe Marhalte the knyght honde for honde in the ilonde for the trwayge of Cornwayle. Also ye overcom sir Palomydes, the good knyght, at the turnemente in Irelonde where he bete sir Gawayne and his nine felowys.’
‘So God me helpe,’ seyde sir Trystrames, ‘wete you well I am the same knyght. Now I have tolde you my name, telle me yourys.”With good wyll. Wete ye well that my name is sir Bleoberys de Ganys, and my brother hyght sir Blamoure de Ganys that is callyd a good knyght, and we be sistyrs chyldyrn unto my lorde sir Launcelot de Lake that we calle one of the beste knyghtes of the worlde.’
‘That is trouthe,’ seyde sir Trystrames, sir Launcelot ys called pereles of curtesy and of knyghthode, and for his sake,’ seyde sir Trystramys, ‘I wyll nat with my good wylle feyght no more with you, for the grete love I have to sir Launcelot.’
‘In good feyth,’ seyde sir Bleoberys, ‘as for me, I wold be loth to fyght with you, but sytthen ye folow me here to have thys lady I shall proffir you kyndenes and curtesy ryght here uppon this grounde. Thys lady shall be sette betwvxte us bothe and who that she woll go unto of you and me, lette hym have hir in pees.’
‘I woll well,’ seyde sir Trystrames, ‘for as I deme she woll leve you and com to me.’
‘Ye shall preve anone,’ seyde sir Bleoberys.
[18] So whan she was sette betwyxte them she seyde thes wordys unto sir Trystrames:
‘Wete thou well, sir Trystrames de Lyones, that but late thou was the man in the worlde that I moste loved and trusted, and I wente ye had loved me agayne above all ladyes. But whan thou sawyste this knyghte lede me away thou madist no chere to rescow me, but suffirdyst my lorde sir Segwarydes to ryde after me. But untyll that tyme I wente ye had loved me. And therefore now I forsake the and
never to love the more.’
And therewithal! she wente unto sir Bleoberys. Whan sir Trystrames saw her do so he was wondirly wroth with that lady and ashamed to come to the courte. But sir Bleoberys seyde unto sir Trystrames, ‘Ye ar in the blame, for I hyre by this ladyes wordis that she trusted you abovyn all erthely knyghtes, and, as she seyth, ye have dysseyved hir. Therefore wete you well, there may no man holde that woll away, and rathir than ye sholde hertely be displesed with me, I wolde ye had her, and she wolde abyde with you.’
‘Nay,’ seyde the lady, ‘so Jesu me helpe, I woll never go wyth hym, for he that I loved and wente that he had loved me forsoke me at my nede. And therefore, sir Trystrames,’ she seyde, ‘ryde as thou com, for though thou haddyste overcom this knyght as thou were lykly, with the never wolde I have gone. And I shall pray thys knyght so fayre of his knyghthode that or evir he passe thys contrey that he woll lede me to the abbey there my lorde sir Segwarydes lyggys.’
‘So God me helpe,’ seyde sir Bleoberys, ‘I latte you wete this, good knyght sir Trystrames: because kynge Marke gaff me the choyse of a gyffte in this courte, and so this lady lyked me beste — natwythstondynge she is wedded and hath a lorde — and I have also fulfylled my queste, she shall be sente unto hir husbande agayne, and in especiall moste for your sake, sir Trystrames. And she wolde go with you, I wolde ye had her.’
‘I thanke you,’ seyde sir Trystrames, ‘but for her sake I shall beware what maner of lady I shall love or truste. For had her lorde sir Segwarydes bene away from the courte, I sholde have bene the fyrste that sholde a folowed you. But syth ye have refused me, as I am a trew knyght, I shall know hir passyngly well that I shall love other truste.’
And so they toke their leve and departed, and so sir Trystrames rode unto Tyntagyll, and sir Bleoberys rode unto the abbey where sir Segwarydes lay sore wounded, and there he delyverde his lady and departed as a noble knyght.
So whan sir Segwarydes saw his lady he was gretly comforted; and than she tolde hym that sir Trystrames had done grete batayle with sir Bleoberys and caused hym to bryng her agayne. So that wordis pleased sir Segwarydes gretly, that sir Trystrames wolde do so muche; and so that lady tolde all the batayle unto kynge Marke betwexte sir Trystramys and sir Bleoberys.
[19] So whan this was done kyngé Marke caste all the wayes that he myght to dystroy sir Trystrames, and than imagened in hymselff to sende sir Trystramys into Irelonde for La Beale Isode. For sir Trystrames had so preysed her for hir beauté and goodnesse that kynge Marke seyde he wolde wedde hir; whereuppon he prayde sir Trystramys to take his way into Irelonde for hym on message. And all this was done to the entente to sle sir Trystramys. Natwithstondynge he wolde nat refuse the messayge for no daunger nother perell that myght falle, for the pleasure of his uncle. So to go he made hym redy in the moste goodlyest wyse that myght be devysed, for he toke with hym the moste goodlyeste knyghtes that he myght fynde in the courte, and they were arayed aftir the gyse that was used that tyme in the moste goodlyeste maner.
So sir Trystrames departed and toke the see with all his felyshyp. And anone, as he was in the see, a tempeste toke them and drove them into the coste of Ingelonde. And there they aryved faste by Camelot, and full fayne they were to take the londe. And whan they were londed sir Trystrames sette up his pavylyon uppon the londe of Camelot, and there he lete hange his shylde uppon the pavylyon.
And that same day cam two knyghtes of kynge Arthures: that one was sir Ector de Marys, and that other was sir Morganoure. And thes two touched the shylde and bade hym com oute of the pavylyon for to juste and he wolde.
‘Anone ye shall be answeryd,’ seyde sir Trystramys, and ye woll tary a lytyll whyle.’
So he made hym redy, and fyrste he smote downe sir Ector and than sir Morganoure, all with one speare, and sore brused them. And whan they lay uppon the erthe they asked sir Trystramys what he was and of what contrey he was knyght.
‘Fayre lordis,’ seyde sir Trystrames, ‘wete you well that I am of Cornwayle.’
‘Alas!’ seyde sir Ector, ‘now am I ashamed that ever ony Cornysshe knyght sholde overcom me!’ And than for dispyte sir Ector put of his armoure fro hym and wente on foot and wolde nat ryde.
[20] Than hit befelle that sir Bleoberys and sir Blamour de Ganys that were brethyrn, they had assomned kynge Angwysshe of Irelonde for to com to kynge Arthurs courte uppon payne of forfeture of kyng Arthurs good grace; and yf the kynge of Irelonde come nat into that day assygned and sette, the kynge sholde lose his londys.
So by kynge Arthure hit was happened that day that nother he neythir sir Launcelot myght nat be there where the jugemente sholde be yevyn, for kynge Arthure was with sir Launcelot at Joyous Garde. And so kynge Arthure assygned kynge Carados and the kynge of Scottis to be there that day as juges.
So whan thes kynges were at Camelot kynge Angwysshe of Irelonde was corp to know hys accusers. Than was sir Blamour de Ganys there that appeled the kynge of Irelonde of treson, that he had slayne a cosyn of thers in his courte in Irelonde by treson. Than the kynge was sore abaysshed of his accusacion for why he was at the sommons of kyng Arthure, and or that he com at Camelot he wyste nat wherefore he was sente fore.
So whan the kynge herde hym sey his wyll he undirstood well there was none other remedy but to answere hym knyghtly. For the custom was suche the dayes that and ony man were appealed of ony treson othir of murthure he sholde fyght body for body, other ellys to fynde another knyght for hym. And alle maner of murthers in the dayes were called treson.
So whan kynge Angwysshe undirstood his accusyng he was passynge hevy, for he knew sir Blamoure de Ganys that he was a noble knyght, and of noble kynghtes comyn. So the kynge of Irelonde was but symply purveyede of his answere. Therefore the juges gaff hym respyte by the thirde day to gyff his answere. So the kynge departed unto his lodgynge.
The meanewhyle there com a lady by sir Trystrames pavylyon makynge grete dole.
‘What aylyth you,’ seyde sir Trystrames, ‘that ye make suche dole?”A, fayre knyght!’ seyde the lady, ‘I am shamed onles that som good knyght helpe me, for a grete lady of worshyp sent by me a fayre chylde and a ryche unto sir Launcelot, and hereby there mette with me a knyght and threw me downe of my palfrey and toke away the chylde frome me.’
‘Well, my lady,’ seyde sir Trystramys, ‘and for my lorde sir Launcelotes sake I shall gete you that chylde agayne, othir he shall beate me.’
And so sir Trystramys toke his horse and asked the lady whyche way the knyght yoode. Anone she tolde hym, and he rode aftir. So within a whyle he overtoke that knyght and bade hym turne and brynge agayne the chylde.
[21] Anone the knyght turned his horse and made hym redy to fyght, and than sir Trystramys smote hym with a swerde such a buffet that he tumbled to the erthe, and than he yelded hym unto sir Trystramys.
‘Than com thy way,’ seyde syr Trystrames, ‘and brynge the chylde to the lady agayne!’
So he toke his horse weykely and rode wyth sir Trystrames, and so by the way he asked his name.
‘Sir,’ he seyde, ‘my name is Breunys Sanze Pyté.’
So whan he had delyverde that chylde to the lady he seyde, ‘Sir, as in this the chylde is well remedyed.’
Than sir Trystramys lete hym go agayne, that sore repentyd hym aftir, for he was a grete foo unto many good knyghtes of kyng Arthures courte.
Than whan sir Trystrames was in his pavylyon Governayle his man com and tolde hym how that kynge Angwysh of Irelonde was com thydir, and he was in grete dystresse; and there he tolde hym how he was somned and appeled of murthur.
‘So God me helpe,’ seyde sir Trystrames, ‘this is the beste tydynges that ever com to me this seven yere, for now shall the kynge of Irelonde have nede of my helpe. For I dere say there is no knyght in this contrey that is nat in Arthures courte that dare do batayle wyth sir Blamoure de Ganys. And for to wynne the love of the kynge of Irelonde I woll take the batayle uppon me. And therefore, Governayle, bere me this worde, I charge the, to the kynge.’
Than Gov
ernayle wente unto kynge Angwyshe of Irelonde and salewed hym full fayre. So the kynge welcommed hym and asked what he wolde.
‘Sir,’ he seyde, ‘here is a knyght nerehonde that desyryth to speke wyth you, for he bade me sey that he wolde do you servyse.’
‘What knyght is he?’ seyde the kynge.
‘Sir, hit is sir Trystrames de Lyones, that for the good grace ye shewed hym in your londys he woll rewarde you in thys contreys.’
‘Com on, felow,’ seyde the kynge, ‘with me anone, and brynge me unto sir Trystramys.’
So the kynge toke a lytyll hackeney and but fewe felyshyp with hym tyll that he cam unto sir Trystramys pavylyon. And whan sir Trystrames saw the kynge he ran unto hym and wolde have holdyn his styrope, but the kynge lepe frome his horse lyghtly, and eythir halsed othir in armys.
‘My gracious lorde,’ seyde sir Trystrames, ‘grauntemercy of your grete goodnesse that ye shewed me in your marchys and landys!
And at that tyme I promysed you to do you servyse and ever hit lay in my power.’
‘A, jantyll knyght,’ seyde the kynge unto sir Trystrames, ‘now have I grete nede of you, never had I so grete nede of no knyghtys helpe.’
‘How so, my good lorde?’ seyde sir Trystramys.
‘I shall tyll you,’ seyde the kynge.
‘I am assumned and appeled fro my contrey for the deth of a knyght that was kynne unto the good knyght sir Launcelot, wherefore sir Blamour de Ganys, sir Bleoberys his brother, hath appeled me to fyght wyth hym other for to fynde a knyght in my stede. And well I wote,’ seyde the kynge, ‘thes that ar comyn of kynge Banys bloode, as sir Launcelot and thes othir, ar passynge good harde knyghtes and harde men for to wynne in batayle as ony that I know now lyvyng’
Complete Works of Sir Thomas Malory Page 35