{"collection":"Northern European Mythology","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/neu/mart/mart211.htm","path":"neu/mart/mart211.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/neu/mart/mart211.htm","text":"CHAPTER XVII\nHow Sir Tristram came to La Beale Isoud, and how\nKehydius began to love Beale Isoud, and of a letter\nthat Tristram found.\nAND then at a day set Sir Tristram and Sir Lamorak met at the\nwell; and then they took Kehydius at the forester's house, and so\nthey rode with him to the ship where they left Dame Bragwaine and\nGouvernail, and so they sailed into Cornwall all wholly together.\nAnd by assent and information of Dame Bragwaine when they were\nlanded they rode unto Sir Dinas, the Seneschal, a trusty friend\nof Sir Tristram's. And so Dame Bragwaine and Sir Dinas rode to\nthe court of King Mark, and told the queen, La Beale Isoud, that\nSir Tristram was nigh her in that country. Then for very pure\njoy La Beale Isoud swooned; and when she might speak she said:\nGentle knight Seneschal, help that I might speak with him, outher\nmy heart will brast. Then Sir Dinas and Dame <379>Bragwaine\nbrought Sir Tristram and Kehydius privily unto the court, unto a\nchamber whereas La Beale Isoud had assigned it; and to tell the\njoys that were betwixt La Beale Isoud and Sir Tristram, there is\nno tongue can tell it, nor heart think it, nor pen write it. And\nas the French book maketh mention, at the first time that ever\nSir Kehydius saw La Beale Isoud he was so enamoured upon her that\nfor very pure love he might never withdraw it. And at the last,\nas ye shall hear or the book be ended, Sir Kehydius died for the\nlove of La Beale Isoud. And then privily he wrote unto her\nletters and ballads of the most goodliest that were used in those\ndays. And when La Beale Isoud understood his letters she had\npity of his complaint, and unavised she wrote another letter to\ncomfort him withal.\nAnd Sir Tristram was all this while in a turret at the\ncommandment of La Beale Isoud, and when she might she came unto\nSir Tristram. So on a day King Mark played at the chess under a\nchamber window; and at that time Sir Tristram and Sir Kehydius\nwere within the chamber over King Mark, and as it mishapped Sir\nTristram found the letter that Kehydius sent unto La Beale Isoud,\nalso he had found the letter that she wrote unto Kehydius, and at\nthat same time La Beale Isoud was in the same chamber. Then Sir\nTristram came unto La Beale Isoud and said: Madam, here is a\nletter that was sent unto you, and here is the letter that ye\nsent unto him that sent you that letter. Alas, Madam, the good\nlove that I have loved you; and many lands and riches have I\nforsaken for your love, and now ye are a traitress to me, the\nwhich doth me great pain. But as for thee, Sir Kehydius, I\nbrought thee out of Brittany into this country, and thy father,\nKing Howel, I won his lands, howbeit I wedded thy sister Isoud la\nBlanche Mains for the goodness she did unto me. And yet, as I am\ntrue knight, she is a clean maiden for me; but wit thou well, Sir\nKehydius, for this falsehood and treason thou hast done me, I\nwill revenge it upon thee. And therewithal Sir Tristram drew out\nhis sword and said: Sir Kehydius, keep thee, and then <380>La\nBeale Isoud swooned to the earth. And when Sir Kehydius saw Sir\nTristram come upon him he saw none other boot, but leapt out at a\nbay-window even over the head where sat King Mark playing at the\nchess. And when the king saw one come hurling over his head he\nsaid: Fellow, what art thou, and what is the cause thou leapest\nout at that window? My lord the king, said Kehydius, it fortuned\nme that I was asleep in the window above your head, and as I\nslept I slumbered, and so I fell down. And thus Sir Kehydius\nexcused him.\nCHAP TER XVIII\nHow Sir Tristram departed from Tintagil, and how he\nsorrowed and was so long in a forest till he was out\nof his mind.\nTHEN Sir Tristram dread sore lest he were discovered unto the\nking that he was there; wherefore he drew him to the strength of\nthe Tower, and armed him in such armour as he had for to fight\nwith them that would withstand him. And so when Sir Tristram saw\nthere was no resistance against him he sent Gouvernail for his\nhorse and his spear, and knightly he rode forth out of the castle\nopenly, that was called the Castle of Tintagil. And even at gate\nhe met with Gingalin, Sir Gawaine's son. And anon Sir Gingalin\nput his spear in his rest, and ran upon Sir Tristram and brake\nhis spear; and Sir Tristram at that time had but a sword, and\ngave him such a buffet upon the helm that he fell down from his\nsaddle, and his sword slid adown, and carved asunder his horse's\nneck. And so Sir Tristram rode his way into the forest, and all\nthis doing saw King Mark. And then he sent a squire unto the\nhurt knight, and commanded him to come to him, and so he did.\nAnd when King Mark wist that it was Sir Gingalin he welcomed him\nand gave him an horse, and asked him what knight it was that had\n<381>encountered with him. Sir, said Gingalin, I wot not what\nknight he was, but well I wot that he sigheth and maketh great\ndole.\nThen Sir Tristram within a while met with a knight of his own,\nthat hight Sir Fergus. And when he had met with him he made\ngreat sorrow, insomuch that he fell down off his horse in a\nswoon, and in such sorrow he was in three days and three nights.\nThen at the last Sir Tristram sent unto the court by Sir Fergus,\nfor to spere what tidings. And so as he rode by the way he met\nwith a damosel that came from Sir Palomides, to know and seek how\nSir Tristram did. Then Sir Fergus told her how he was almost out\nof his mind. Alas, said the damosel, where shall I find him? In\nsuch a place, said Sir Fergus. Then Sir Fergus found Queen Isoud\nsick in her bed, making the greatest dole that ever any earthly\nwoman made. And when the damosel found Sir Tristram she made\ngreat dole because she might not amend him, for the more she made\nof him the more was his pain. And at the last Sir Tristram took\nhis horse and rode away from her. And then was it three days or\nthat she could find him, and then she brought him meat and drink,\nbut he would none; and then another time Sir Tristram escaped\naway from the damosel, and it happed him to ride by the same\ncastle where Sir Palomides and Sir Tristram did battle when La\nBeale Isoud departed them. And there by fortune the damosel met\nwith Sir Tristram again, making the greatest dole that ever\nearthly creature made; and she yede to the lady of that castle\nand told her of the misadventure of Sir Tristram. Alas, said the\nlady of that castle, where is my lord, Sir Tristram? Right here\nby your castle, said the damosel. In good time, said the lady,\nis he so nigh me; he shall have meat and drink of the best; and\nan harp I have of his whereupon he taught me, for of goodly\nharping he beareth the prize in the world. So this lady and\ndamosel brought him meat and drink, but he ate little thereof.\nThen upon a night he put his horse from him, and then he unlaced\nhis armour, and then Sir Tristram would go into the wilderness,\n<382>and brast down the trees and boughs; and otherwhile when he\nfound the harp that the lady sent him, then would he harp, and\nplay thereupon and weep together. And sometime when Sir Tristram\nwas in the wood that the lady wist not where he was, then would\nshe sit her down and play upon that harp: then would Sir Tristram\ncome to that harp, and hearken thereto, and sometime he would\nharp himself. Thus he there endured a quarter of a year. Then\nat the last he ran his way, and she wist not where he was become.\nAnd then was he naked and waxed lean and poor of flesh; and so he\nfell in the fellowship of herdmen and shepherds, and daily they\nwould give him some of their meat and drink. And when he did any\nshrewd deed they would beat him with rods, and so they clipped\nhim with shears and made him like a fool.","title":"Le Morte d'Arthur BOOK IX CHAPTER XVII","type":"page"}