¶ Capitulum iiij

THere with alle came one to kynge Arthur / and told hym that kyng Pellinore was within thre myle with a grete hoost / and he said / go vnto hym and lete hym vnderstande how we haue spedde / Soo within a whyle kynge Pellinore cam with a grete hoost / and salewed the peple and the kyng / and ther was grete ioye made on euery syde / Thenne the kyng lete serche how moche people of his party ther was slayne / And ther were founde but lytel past two honderd men slayne and viij knyȝtes of the table round in their pauelions Thenne the kynge lete rere and deuyse in the same place there as the batail was done a faire abbeye and endowed it wyth grete lyuelode and lete it calle the Abbey of la beale aduenture / but whanne somme of them cam in to their Countreyes ther of the fyue kynges were kynges and told hem how they were slayne / ther was made grete dole / And alle kynge Arthurs enemyes as the kynge of Northwales and the kynges of the North wyste of the bataille they were passynge heuy / and soo the kynge retorned vnto Camelot in hast / And whan he was come to Camelot / he called kynge Pellinore vnto hym & sayd ye vnderstand wel that we haue loste viij knyghtes of the best of the table round / and by your aduys we wille chese viij ageyne of the best we may fynde in this Courte / Syr said Pellinore / I shal counceille yow after my conceyte the best / there are in your Courte ful noble knyghtes bothe of old & yonge And therfor by myn aduys ye shal chese half of the old and half of the yonge / whiche be the old said kyng Arthur / Syre said kynge Pellinore me semeth that kynge Vryence that hath wedded your syster Morgan le fay and the kynge of the lake and syr Heruyse de reuel a noble knyght / and syr galagars the iiij / this is wel deuysed said kyng Arthur and right soo shal it be / Now whiche are the four yong knyȝtes said Arthur Syre saide Pellinore the fyrst is syr Gawayne your neuewe that is as good a knyght of his tyme / as ony is in this lād And the second as me semeth best is syre Gryflet le fyse the dene that is a good knyght and ful desyrous in armes / and who may see hym lyue he shal preue a good knyghte / And the thyrd as me semeth is wel to be one of the knyghtes of the round table syr kay the [ senescha ] for many tymes he hath done Page  124 [leaf 62v] ful worshipfully / And now at your last bataille he dyd full honourably for to vndertake to slee two kynges / By my hede said Arthur he is best worthy to be a knyght of the rounde table of ony that ye haue reherced / and he had done no more prowesse in his lyf dayes