[...]seneschall / and syr Fergus. And so by the aduyse of them all syr Trystram was bannysshed out of the coūtree of Cornewayle for ten yere / & therupon he toke his othe vppon a booke before the kyng & his barons / and so he was made to departe out of the coūtree of Cornewayle / & the were many barons brought hym vnto his shyp / of the whiche some were his frendes and some his foos. And in the meane whyle there came a knyght of kyng Arthurs his name was Dynadan / & his comynge was to seke after syr Trystram thenne they shewed hym where he was armed at all poyntes goynge to the shyp. Now fayre knyght sayd syr Dynadan or ye passe this courte yt ye wyll Iuste with me I requyre the / With a good wyl sayd syr Trystram & these lordes wyll gyue me leue. Soo the barons graunted therto / & so they ranne togyder / & there syr Trystram gaf syr Dynadan a falle. And thenne he prayed syr Trystram to gyue hym leue to go in his felaushyp. Ye shall be ryght welcome sayd syr Trystram & soo they toke theyr horses and rode to theyr shyppes togyder. And whan syr Trystram was in the see he sayd. Grete well kyng Marke & all myn enemyes / and saye them I wyll come agayne whay I may. And well am I rewarded for the fyghtynge with syr Marhaus / & delyuered all this coūtree from seruage / & well am I rewarded for the fetchynge and costes of quene Isoude out of Irlonde / & the daūger that I was in fyrst & laste / and by the waye comynge home what daūger I had to brynge agayne quene Isoude from the castell Pluere / and well am I rewarded whan I fought with syr Bleoberys for syr Segwarydes wyf / & well am I rewarded whan I fought with syr Blamor de ganys for kyng Anguysshe fader vnto la beale Isoude and well am I rewarded whan I smote doun the good knyght syr Lamerok de galys at kyng Markes request / & well am I rewarded whan I fought with the kyng wt the hondred knyghtes and the kyng of Northgalys / and bothe these wolde haue put his londe in seruage / & by me they were put to a rebuke / and well am I rewarded for the sleynge of Tauleas the myghty gyaūt / and many other dedes haue I done for hym / & now haue I my waryson. And telle kyng Marke that many noble knyghtes of the table roūde haue spared the barons of this coūtre for my sake. Also am I not well rewarded whan I fought with the good knyght syr Palomydes and rescowed quene Isoude from hym. And at that tyme kyng Marke sayd afore all his barons I sholde haue ben better rewarded / & forth withall he toke the see.
¶ How a damoysell sought helpe to helpe syr Laūcelot ayenst. xxx. knyghtes / & how syr Trystram fought with them. ca. xxiij.
ANd at the next londynge faste by the see there mette with syr Trystram & with syr Dynadan syr Ector de marys and syr Bors de ganys / and there syr Ector Iusted with syr Dynadan / and he smote hym and his hors doun. And thenne syr Trystram wolde haue Iusted wt syr Bors and syr Bors sayd that he wolde not [Page]Iuste with noo Cornysshe knyghtes / for they are not called men of worshyp and all this was done vpon a brydge. & with this came syr Bleoberys & syr Dryaunt / and syr Bleoberys profred to Iuste with syr Trystram / & there syr Trystram smote doun syr Bleoberys. Thenne sayd syr Bors de ganys. I wyst neuer Cornysshe knyght of so grete valoure nor so valyaūt as that knyght that bereth the trappours enbroudred with crownes. And thenne syr Trystram & syr Dynadan departed fro them in to a forest / & there met them a damoysel that came for the loue of syr Laūcelot to seke after some noble knyghtes of kyng Arthurs courte for to rescowe syr Laūcelot / and so there was ordeyned for syr Launcelot by the treason of quene Morgan le fay to haue slayne syr Laūcelot / & for that cause she ordeyned. xxx. knyghtes to lye in a wayte for syr Laūcelot / & this damoysell knewe this treason. And for this cause the damoysell came to seke noble knyghtes to helpe syr Laū celot / for that nyght or the daye after syr Laūcelot sholde come where these .xxx. knyghtes were. And so this damoysel mette with syr Bors syr Bleoberys syr Ector & syr Dryaunt / and there she tolde them all foure of the treason of Morgan le fay / and thenne the promysed her that they wolde be nyghe where syr Laūcelot sholde mete with the .xxx. knyghtes / and yf so be that they sette vpon hym we wyll doo rescowes as we can. So the damoysell departed / and by aduenture the damoysell mette with syr Trystram & with syr Dynadan / & there the damoysell tolde them all the treason that was ordeyned for syr Laūcelot. Fayre damoysell sayd Trystram brynge me to yt same place where they sholde mete with syr Launcelot. Thenne sayd syr Dynadan what wyll ye do / hit is not for vs to fyght with .xxx. knyghtes / & wete you well I wyll not therof / as to matche one knyght or two or thre is ynough and they be men. But for to matche .xv. knyghtes that wyll I neuer vndertake. Fye for shame sayd syr Trystram do but your parte Nay sayd syr Dynadan I wyl not therof / but yf ye wyl lene me your shelde / for ye bere a shelde of Cornewayle / & for the cowardyse that is named to the knyghtes of Cornewayle ye be euer forborne Nay sayd syr Trystram I wyl not departe from my shelde for her sake that gaf it me. But one thynge sayd syr Trystram I promyse the syr Dynadan but yf thou wylt promyse me to abyde with me / here I shall slee the. For I desyre noo more of the but answere one knyght / & yf thy herte wyll not serue the stande by and loke vpon me & them. Syr sayd syr Dynadan I promyse you to loke vpon & doo what I may to saue my selfe / but I wolde that I hadde not mette with you. So thenne anone these .xxx. knyghtes came faste by these foure knyghtes / and they were ware of them / & eyther of other. And so these .xxx. knyghtes lete for this cause yt they wolde not wrathe them yf cause be yt they had ado with syr Laūcelot / & the foure knyghtes lete them passe to this entent that they wolde see & beholde what they wolde do with syr Laūcelot / and so the .xxx. knyghtes past on / & came by syr Trystram & by syr Dynadan / and thenne [Page]syr Trystram cryed on hyghe / loo here is a knyght agaynst you for the loue of syr Laūcelot / & there he slewe two with one spere and .x. with his swerde And thenne came in syr Dynadan & he dyde passynge well / & so of the .xxx. knyghtes there wente but .x. awaye & they fledde. All this batayll sawe syr Bors de ganys & his thre felowes / and thenne they sawe well hit was the same knyght that Iusted with them at the brydge / thenne they toke theyr horses & rode vnto syr Trystram & praysed hym and thanked hym of his good dedes / & they al desyred syr Trystram to go with them to theyr lodgynge / & he sayd nay he wolde not go to no lodgynge. Thenne they all foure knyghtes prayed hym to telle them his name Fayre lordes sayd syr Trystram / as at this tyme I wyll not telle you my name.
¶ How syr Trystram & syr Dynadan came to a lodgynge where they muste Iuste with two knyghtes. ca. xxiiij.
UHenne syr Trystram and syr Dynadan rode forth on theyr waye tyll they came to the shepherdes & to the herde men / and there they asked them yf they knewe ony lodgynge or herberowe there nyghe honde. Forsothe syrs sayd the herde men / here by is good lodgynge in a castel / but there is suche a custome that there shall no knyght be herberowed but yf he Iuste with two knyghtes / and yf ye be but one knyght he must Iuste with two / & as ye be therin soone shall ye be matched. Soo there is shrewde herberowe sayd syr Dynadan / lodge where yt ye wyll for I wyl not lodge there. Fye for shame sayd syr Trystram are ye not a knyght of the table roūde / wherfore ye may not with your worshyp refuse your lodgynge. Not so sayd the herde men / for & ye be beten and haue the wors ye shall not be lodged there / & yf ye bete them ye shall be well herberowed. A sayd syr Dynadan they are two sure knyghtes / thenne syr Dynadan wolde not lodge there in no manere / but as syr Trystram requyred hym of his knyghthode / & so they rode thyder / and to make shorte tale syr Trystram & syr Dynadan smote hem doun both / and so they entred in to the castell & hadde good chere as well as they coude thynke or deuyse / & whan they were vnarmed and thought to be mery & in good reste / there came in at the yates syr Palomydes & syr Gaherys requyrynge to haue the custome of the castell. What arraye is this sayd syr Dynadan. I wolde haue my rest / That may not be sayd syr Trystram now must we nedes defende the custome of this castell / in soo moche as we haue the better of the lordes of this castel / & therfore sayd syr Trystram nedes must ye make you redy. In the deuyls name sayd syr Dynadan came I in to your company / & soo they made them redy. And syr Gaherys encountred with syr Trystram / & syr Gaherys had a falle & syr Palomydes encoūtred with syr Dynadan & syr Dynadan had a falle / then̄e was hit falle for falle. Soo thenne must they fyght on foot / that wolde not syr Dynadan for he was so sore brysed of the falle yt syr Palomydes gaf hym. Thenne syr Trystram vnlaced syr Dynadans helme [Page]& prayed hym to helpe hym. I wyl not sayd syr Dynadan / for I am sore woūded of the .xxx. knyghtes that we had but late agoo to do withall. But ye fare sayd syr Dynadan vnto syr Trystram as a madde man and as a man that is out of his mynde yt wolde caste hymself awaye / & I may curse the tyme that euer I sawe you. For in all the worlde are not suche two knyghtes that ben soo wood as is syr Laūcelot & ye syr Trystram / for ones I felle in the felaushyp of syr Laūcelot as I haue done now with you & he sette me a werke that a quarter of a yere I kepte my bedde. Ihesu defende me sayd syr Dynadan from suche two knyghtes / & specyally from your felaushyp. Thenne sayd syr Trystram I wyll fyght with them both. And so syr Trystram badde them come forth both / for I wyll fyght with you. And thenne syr Palomydes & syr Gaherys dressyd them & smote at them both / & then̄e syr Dynadan smote at syr Gaherys a stroke or two / & torned from hym. Nay sayd syr Palomydes it is to moche shame for vs two knyghtes to fyght with one / and thenne he dyde bydde syr Gaherys stande a syde wt that knyght yt hath no lyste to fyght / And then̄e they rode togyder & fought longe / and at the laste syr Trystram doubled his strokes & drofe syr Palomydes a backe more than thre thrydes And thenne by one assente syr Gaherys and syr Dynadan wente betwixt them & departed them in sonder. And thenne by assente of syr Trystram they wolde by assente of syr Trystram they wolde haue lodged togyder. But syr Dynadan wolde not lodge in that castell / & then̄e he cursed the tyme that euer he came in theyr felaushyp / & soo he toke his hors & his harneys and departed / thenne syr Trystram prayed the lordes of that castell to lene hym a man to brynge hym to a lodgynge / & so they dyde & ouertoke syr Dynadan and rode to theyr lodgynge two myle thens with a good man in a pryory & there they were well at ease. And that same nyght syr Bors & syr Bleoberys & syr Ector and syr Dryaūt abode stylle in the same place there as syr Trystram fought wt the .xxx. knyghtes / & there they mette with syr Laū celot the same nyght / and had made promyse to lodge with syr Colgreuaū ce the same nyght.
¶ How syr Trystram Iusted with syr Pray & syr Sagramor le desyrus / and how syr Gawayne torned Trystram fro Morgan le fay. ca. xxv.
BVt anone as the noble knyght syr Laūcelot herde of the shelde of Cornewayle thenne wyst he wel that hit was was syr Trystram that fought with his enemyes / & then̄e syr Laūcelot praysed syr Trystram and called hym the man of moost worshyp in the worlde. So there was a knyght in that pryory that hyght Pellynore / & he desyred to wete ye name of syr Trystram but in no wyse he coude not / & thenne syr Trystram departed & lefte syr Dynadan in the pryory / for he was soo wery and soo brysed that he myght not ryde. And then this knyȝt syr Pellynore sayd to syr Dynadan / sythen that ye wyll not telle me that knyghtes name / thenne wyll I ryde after hym and make hym to telle me [...]