¶ Capitulum lxiij

WEl be ye fond said the knygyte to Palomydes / for of alle knyghtes that ben on lyue excepte thre I had leuest haue yow / The fyrste is sire Launcelot du lake & sir Tristram de lyones / the thyrd is my nyȝ cosyn syr Lamorck de galys / and I am broder vnto kynge Harmaunce that is dede & my name is sir Hermynde / ye saye wel said sir Palomydes / & ye shal see how I shal spede / & yf I be there slayn / goo ye to my lord sir laūcelot or els to my lord sir Tristram / & pray them to reuenge my deth / for as for sir Lamorak hym shal ye neuer see in this world / Allas said sir Hermynde how may that be / he is Page  522 [leaf 261v] slayne said sire Palomydes by sire Gawayne and his bretheren / Soo god me helpe said Hermynd there was not one for one that slewe hym / that is trouthe said sire Palomydes / for they were four daungerous knyghtes that slewe hym / as Syr Gawayne / syr Agrauayne / sire Gaherys and sire Mordred / but sire Gareth the fyfthe broder was awey / the best knyght of them alle / And soo syre Palomydes told Hermynde alle the manere / and how they slewe sir Lamorak all only by treason So sir Palomydes took his ship / and aryued vp at the delectable yle / And in the meane whyle syr Hermynde that was the kynges broder he arryued vp att the reed Cyte / and there he told them how there was comen a knyghte of kynge Arthurs to auenge kynge Hermaunce dethe / and his name is sire Palomydes the good knyght / that for the moost party he foloweth the best Glatysaunt / Thenne alle the Cyte made grete Ioye / for mykel had they herd of sire Palomydes and of his noble prowesse / Soo lete they ordeyne a messager and sente vnto the / ij / bretheren / and bad them to make them redy / for there was a knyght comen that wold fyghte with them bothe / Soo the messager wente vnto them where they were at a Castel there besyde and there he told them how there was a knyght comen of kynge Arthurs courte to fyghte with them bothe at ones / he is welcome said they / But telle vs we pray yow yf hit be sire launcelot or ony of his blood / he is none of that blood said the messager / thenne we care the lesse said the two bretheren / for with none of the blood of sire launcelot we kepe not to haue adoo with alle / wete ye wel said the messager that his name is sire Palomydes that yet is vncrystened a noble knyght / well said they and he be now vncrystened / he shalle neuer be crystend / Soo they apoynted to be at the cyte within two dayes / And whanne sire Palomydes was come to the Cyte they made passynge grete Ioye of hym / and thenne they beheld hym / and sawe that he was wel made / clenely and byggely / and vnmaymed of his lymmes / and neyther to yonge nor to old / and soo alle the peple preysed hym / and though he was not crystened yet he byleued in the best maner / and was fulfeythful & true of his promyse / and wel condycyoned / And by cause he made his auowe that he wold neuer be crystened vnto the Page  523 [leaf 262r] tyme that he had encheued the beste Glatysaunt / the whiche was a ful wonderful beest and a grete sygnyfycacyon / for Merlyn profecyed moche of that beest / And also sire Palomydes auowed neuer to take ful crystendome vnto the tyme that he had done seuen batails within the lystys / So within the thyrd day there came to the Cyte these two bretheren / the one hyght Helyus / the other hyȝt Helake / the whiche were men of grete prowesse how be hit that they were fals and ful of treason / and but poure men borne / yet were they noble knyȝtes of their handes / And with hem they brought fourty knyghtes to that entent / that they shold be bygge ynough for the reed Cyte / Thus came the two bretheren with grete bobaunce and pryde / for they had put the reed Cyte in fere and dammage / Thenne they were broughte to the lystes / and sire Palomydes came in to the place and sayd thus / be ye the two bretheren Helyus & Helake that slewe your kynge and lord syr Hermaunce by felony and treason / for whome that I am comen hyder to reuenge his dethe / wete thow wel said sir Helyus and sir Helake that we ar the same knyghtes that slewe kyng Harmaunce / And wete thow wel sire Palomydes sarasyn / that we shalle handle the so or thou departe that thou shalt wysshe that thou werest crystened / Hit maye wel be said sir Palomydes / for yet I wold not dye or I were crystened / and yet soo am I not aferd of yow both / but I truste to god that I shal dye a better crysten man than ony of yow both / and doubte ye not said sir Palomydes eyther ye or I shalle be lefte dede in this place