{"collection":"Northern European Mythology","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/neu/mart/mart266.htm","path":"neu/mart/mart266.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/neu/mart/mart266.htm","text":"CHAPTER XXIX\nHow Sir Tristram overcame the battle, and how Elias\ndesired a man to fight body for body.\nSO on the morn Elias the captain came, and bade King\nMark: Come out and do battle; for now the good knight\nSir Tristram is entered it will be shame to thee, said Elias,\nfor to keep thy walls. When King Mark understood this\nhe was wroth and said no word, but went unto Sir Tristram\nand asked him his counsel. Sir, said Sir Tristram, will ye\nthat I give him his answer? I will well, said King Mark.\nThen Sir Tristram said thus to the messenger: Bear thy\nlord word from the king and me, that we will do battle with\nhim to-morn in the plain field. What is your name? said\nthe messenger. Wit thou well my name is Sir Tristram\nde Liones. Therewithal the messenger departed and told\nhis lord Elias all that he had heard. Sir, said Sir Tristram\nunto King Mark, I pray you give me leave to have the\nrule of the battle. I pray you take the rule, said King\nMark. Then Sir Tristram let devise the battle in what\nmanner that it should be. He let depart his host in six\nparties, and ordained Sir Dinas the Seneschal to have the\nforeward, and other knights to rule the remnant. And\nthe same night Sir Tristram burnt all the Sessoins' ships\nunto the cold water. Anon, as Elias wist that, he said it\nwas of Sir Tristram's doing: For he casteth that we shall\nnever escape, mother son of us. Therefore, fair fellows,\nfight freely to-morrow, and miscomfort you nought; for\nany knight, though he be the best knight in the world, he\nmay not have ado with us all.\nThen they ordained their battle in four parties,\nwonderly well apparelled and garnished with men of arms.\nThus they within issued, and they without set freely upon\nthem; and there Sir Dinas did great deeds of arms. Not\nfor then Sir Dinas and his fellowship were put to the worse.\nWith that came Sir Tristram and slew two knights with\none spear; then he slew on the right hand and on the left\nhand, that men marvelled that ever he might do such\ndeeds of arms. And then he might see sometime the\nbattle was driven a bow-draught from the castle, and\nsometime it was at the gates of the castle. Then came\nElias the captain rushing here and there, and hit King\nMark so sore upon the helm that he made him to avoid\nthe saddle. And then Sir Dinas gat King Mark again to\nhorseback. Therewithal came in Sir Tristram like a lion,\nand there he met with Elias, and he smote him so sore\nupon the helm that he avoided his saddle. And thus they\nfought till it was night, and for great slaughter and for\nwounded people everych party drew to their rest.\nAnd when King Mark was come within the Castle of\nTintagil he lacked of his knights an hundred, and they\nwithout lacked two hundred; and they searched the\nwounded men on both parties. And then they went to\ncouncil; and wit you well either party were loath to fight\nmore, so that either might escape with their worship.\nWhen Elias the captain understood the death of his men\nhe made great dole; and when he wist that they were\nloath to go to battle again he was wroth out of measure.\nThen Elias sent word unto King Mark, in great despite,\nwhether he would find a knight that would fight for him\nbody for body. And if that he might slay King Mark's\nknight, he to have the truage of Cornwall yearly. And\nif that his knight slay mine, I fully release my claim\nforever. Then the messenger departed unto King Mark,\nand told him how that his lord Elias had sent him word\nto find a knight to do battle with him body for body.\nWhen King Mark understood the messenger, he bade him\nabide and he should have his answer. Then called he all\nthe baronage together to wit what was the best counsel.\nThey said all at once: To fight in a field we have no lust,\nfor had not been Sir Tristram's prowess it had been likely\nthat we never should have escaped; and therefore, sir, as\nwe deem, it were well done to find a knight that would do\nbattle with him, for he knightly proffereth.","title":"Le Morte d'Arthur BOOK X CHAPTER XXIX","type":"page"}