{"collection":"Northern European Mythology","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/neu/mart/mart316.htm","path":"neu/mart/mart316.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/neu/mart/mart316.htm","text":"CHAPTER LXXIX\nHow Sir Tristram and Sir Palomides did the next day, and\nhow King Arthur was unhorsed.\nTHEN Sir Tristram let call Sir Palomides, and bade him\nmake him ready, for it was time to go to the field. When\nthey were ready they were armed, and clothed all in red,\nboth Isoud and all they; and so they led her passing\nfreshly through the field, into the priory where was her\nlodging. And then they heard three blasts blow, and every\nking and knight dressed him unto the field. And the first\nthat was ready to joust was Sir Palomides and Sir Kainus\nle Strange, a knight of the Table Round. And so they\ntwo encountered together, but Sir Palomides smote Sir\nKainus so hard that he smote him quite over his horse's\ncroup. And forthwithal Sir Palomides smote down another\nknight, and brake then his spear, and pulled out his sword\nand did wonderly well. And then the noise began greatly\nupon Sir Palomides. Lo, said King Arthur, yonder\nPalomides beginneth to play his pageant. So God me\nhelp, said Arthur, he is a passing good knight. And\nright as they stood talking thus, in came Sir Tristram as\nthunder, and he encountered with Sir Kay the Seneschal,\nand there he smote him down quite from his horse; and\nwith that same spear Sir Tristram smote down three knights\nmore, and then he pulled out his sword and did marvellously.\nThen the noise and cry changed from Sir Palomides and\nturned to Sir Tristram, and all the people cried: O\nTristram, O Tristram. And then was Sir Palomides clean\nforgotten.\nHow now, said Launcelot unto Arthur, yonder rideth\na knight that playeth his pageants. So God me help, said\nArthur to Launcelot, ye shall see this day that yonder two\nknights shall here do this day wonders. Sir, said Launcelot,\nthe one knight waiteth upon the other, and enforceth\nhimself through envy to pass the noble knight Sir Tristram,\nand he knoweth not of the privy envy the which Sir\nPalomides hath to him; for all that the noble Sir Tristram\ndoth is through clean knighthood. And then Sir Gareth\nand Dinadan did wonderly great deeds of arms, as two\nnoble knights, so that King Arthur spake of them great\nhonour and worship; and the kings and knights of Sir\nTristram's side did passingly well, and held them truly\ntogether. Then Sir Arthur and Sir Launcelot took their\nhorses and dressed them, and gat into the thickest of the\npress. And there Sir Tristram unknowing smote down\nKing Arthur, and then Sir Launcelot would have rescued\nhim, but there were so many upon Sir Launcelot that they\npulled him down from his horse. And then the King of\nIreland and the King of Scots with their knights did their\npain to take King Arthur and Sir Launcelot prisoner.\nWhen Sir Launcelot heard them say so, he fared as it had\nbeen an hungry lion, for he fared so that no knight durst\nnigh him.\nThen came Sir Ector de Maris, and he bare a spear\nagainst Sir Palomides, and brast it upon him all to shivers.\nAnd then Sir Ector came again and gave Sir Palomides\nsuch a dash with a sword that he stooped down upon his\nsaddle bow. And forthwithal Sir Ector pulled down Sir\nPalomides under his feet; and then Sir Ector de Maris\ngat Sir Launcelot du Lake an horse, and brought it to him,\nand bade him mount upon him; but Sir Palomides leapt\nafore and gat the horse by the bridle, and leapt into the\nsaddle. So God me help, said Launcelot, ye are better\nworthy to have that horse than I. Then Sir Ector brought\nSir Launcelot another horse. Gramercy, said Launcelot\nunto his brother. And so when he was horsed again, with\none spear he smote down four knights. And then Sir\nLauncelot brought to King Arthur one of the best of the\nfour horses. Then Sir Launcelot with King Arthur and\na few of his knights of Sir Launcelot's kin did marvellous\ndeeds; for that time, as the book recordeth, Sir Launcelot\nsmote down and pulled down thirty knights. Notwithstanding\nthe other party held them so fast together that\nKing Arthur and his knights were overmatched. And\nwhen Sir Tristram saw that, what labour King Arthur\nand his knights, and in especial the noble deeds that Sir\nLauncelot did with his own hands, he marvelled greatly.","title":"Le Morte d'Arthur BOOK X CHAPTER LXXIX","type":"page"}