{"collection":"Northern European Mythology","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/neu/mart/mart292.htm","path":"neu/mart/mart292.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/neu/mart/mart292.htm","text":"CHAPTER LV\nHow Sir Tristram met with Sir Dinadan, and of their\ndevices, and what he said to Sir Gawaine's brethren.\nNOW turn we unto Sir Tristram, that as he rode a-hunting\nhe met with Sir Dinadan, that was come into that\ncountry to seek Sir Tristram. Then Sir Dinadan told Sir\nTristram his name, but Sir Tristram would not tell him\nhis name, wherefore Sir Dinadan was wroth. For such a\nfoolish knight as ye are, said Sir Dinadan, I saw but late\nthis day lying by a well, and he fared as he slept; and\nthere he lay like a fool grinning, and would not speak,\nand his shield lay by him, and his horse stood by him; and\nwell I wot he was a lover. Ah, fair sir, said Sir Tristram\nare ye not a lover? Mary, fie on that craft! said Sir\nDinadan. That is evil said, said Sir Tristram, for a knight\nmay never be of prowess but if he be a lover. It is well\nsaid, said Sir Dinadan; now tell me your name, sith ye be\na lover, or else I shall do battle with you. As for that,\nsaid Sir Tristram, it is no reason to fight with me but I\ntell you my name; and as for that my name shall ye not\nwit as at this time. Fie for shame, said Dinadan, art thou\na knight and durst not tell thy name to me? therefore I\nwill fight with thee. As for that, said Sir Tristram, I will\nbe advised, for I will not do battle but if me list. And if\nI do battle, said Sir Tristram, ye are not able to withstand\nme. Fie on thee, coward, said Sir Dinadan.\nAnd thus as they hoved still, they saw a knight come\nriding against them. Lo, said Sir Tristram, see where\ncometh a knight riding, will joust with you. Anon, as\nSir Dinadan beheld him he said: That is the same doted\nknight that I saw lie by the well, neither sleeping nor\nwaking. Well, said Sir Tristram, I know that knight well\nwith the covered shield of azure, he is the king's son\nof Northumberland, his name is Epinegris; and he is as\ngreat a lover as I know, and he loveth the king's daughter\nof Wales, a full fair lady. And now I suppose, said Sir\nTristram, an ye require him he will joust with you, and\nthen shall ye prove whether a lover be a better knight, or\nye that will not love no lady. Well, said Dinadan, now\nshalt thou see what I shall do. Therewithal Sir Dinadan\nspake on high and said: Sir knight, make thee ready to\njoust with me, for it is the custom of errant knights one\nto joust with other. Sir, said Epinegris, is that the rule of\nyou errant knights for to make a knight to joust, will he\nor nill? As for that, said Dinadan, make thee ready, for\nhere is for me. And therewithal they spurred their horses\nand met together so hard that Epinegris smote down Sir\nDinadan. Then Sir Tristram rode to Sir Dinadan and\nsaid: How now, meseemeth the lover hath well sped.\nFie on thee, coward, said Sir Dinadan, and if thou be a\ngood knight revenge me. Nay, said Sir Tristram, I will\nnot joust as at this time, but take your horse and let us\ngo hence. God defend me, said Sir Dinadan, from thy\nfellowship, for I never sped well since I met with thee:\nand so they departed. Well, said Sir Tristram, peradventure\nI could tell you tidings of Sir Tristram. God defend\nme, said Dinadan, from thy fellowship, for Sir Tristram\nwere mickle the worse an he were in thy company; and\nthen they departed. Sir, said Sir Tristram, yet it may\nhappen I shall meet with you in other places.\nSo rode Sir Tristram unto Joyous Gard, and there he\nheard in that town great noise and cry. What is this\nnoise? said Sir Tristram. Sir, said they, here is a knight\nof this castle that hath been long among us, and right now\nhe is slain with two knights, and for none other cause but\nthat our knight said that Sir Launcelot were a better\nknight than Sir Gawaine. That was a simple cause, said\nSir Tristram, for to slay a good knight for to say well\nby his master. That is little remedy to us, said the\nmen of the town. For an Sir Launcelot had been here\nsoon we should have been revenged upon the false\nknights.\nWhen Sir Tristram heard them say so he sent for his\nshield and for his spear, and lightly within a while he had\novertaken them, and bade them turn and amend that they\nhad misdone. What amends wouldst thou have? said the\none knight. And therewith they took their course, and\neither met other so hard that Sir Tristram smote down\nthat knight over his horse's tail. Then the other knight\ndressed him to Sir Tristram, and in the same wise he\nserved the other knight. And then they gat off their\nhorses as well as they might, and dressed their shields and\nswords to do their battle to the utterance. Knights, said\nSir Tristram, ye shall tell me of whence ye are, and what\nbe your names, for such men ye might be ye should hard\nescape my hands; and ye might be such men of such a\ncountry that for all your evil deeds ye should pass quit.\nWit thou well, sir knight, said they, we fear not to tell\nthee our names, for my name is Sir Agravaine, and my\nname is Gaheris, brethren unto the good knight Sir Gawaine,\nand we be nephews unto King Arthur. Well, said Sir\nTristram, for King Arthur's sake I shall let you pass as\nat this time. But it is shame, said Sir Tristram, that Sir\nGawaine and ye be come of so great a blood that ye four\nbrethren are so named as ye be, for ye be called the greatest\ndestroyers and murderers of good knights that be now in\nthis realm; for it is but as I heard say that Sir Gawaine\nand ye slew among you a better knight than ever ye were,\nthat was the noble knight Sir Lamorak de Galis. An it\nhad pleased God, said Sir Tristram, I would I had been by\nSir Lamorak at his death. Then shouldst thou have gone\nthe same way, said Sir Gaheris. Fair knight, said Sir\nTristram, there must have been many more knights than\nye are. And therewithal Sir Tristram departed from them\ntoward Joyous Gard. And when he was departed they\ntook their horses, and the one said to the other: We will\novertake him and be revenged upon him in the despite\nof Sir Lamorak.","title":"Le Morte d'Arthur BOOK X CHAPTER LV","type":"page"}