adayes unto somer and wynter. For lyke as the one is hote & the other cold, so fareth love now adayes. Therfore alle ye that be lovers calle unto your remembraunce the moneth of May, lyke as dyd quene Guenever. For whome I make here a lytel mencyon, that whyle she lyved she was a true lover, and therfor she had a good ende. Le Morte Arthur 21 NOW The Maid of Astolat OW speke we of the fayre mayden of Astolat, that made suche sorowe daye and nyght that she never slepte, ete, nor drank, and ever she made her complaynt unto sir Launcelot. So when she had thus endured a ten dayes, that she febled so that she must nedes passe out of thys world, thenne she shryved her clene, and receyved her creatoure. And ever she complayned stylle upon sire Launcelot. Thenne her ghoostly fader bad her leve suche thoughtes. Thenne she sayd, Why shold I leve suche thoughtes? am I not an erthely woman? and alle the whyle the brethe is in my body I may complayne me, for my byleve is I doo none offence though I love an erthely man, and I take God to my record I loved none but sir Launcelot du Lake, nor never shall. And a clene mayden I am for hym and for alle other. And sythen hit is the sufferaunce of God that I shalle dye for the love of soo noble a knyghte, I byseche the hyghe fader of heven to have mercy upon my sowle, and upon myn innumerable paynes that I suffred may be allygeaunce of parte of my synnes. For swete lord 28 allygeaunce) alleviation : Ihesu, sayd the fayre mayden, I take the to record, on the I was never grete offenser ageynst thy lawes, but that I loved this noble knyght sire Launcelot out of mesure, and of my self, good lord, I myght not withstande the fervent love wherfor I have my dethe. And thenne she called her fader sire Bernard and her broder sir Tyrre, and hertely she praid her fader that her broder myght wryte a letter lyke as she did endyte hit and so her fader graunted her. And whan the letter was wryten word by word lyke as she devysed, thenne she prayd her fader that she myght be watched untyl she were dede: And whyle my body is hote lete this letter be putt in my ryght hand, and my hande bounde fast with the letter untyl that I be cold, and lete me be putte in a fayre bedde with alle the rychest clothes that I have aboute me, and so lete my bedde and alle my rychest clothes be laide with me in a charyot unto the next place where Temse is, and there lete me be putte within a barget, & but one man with me, suche as ye trust to stere me thyder, and that my barget be coverd with blak samyte over and over. Thus, fader, I byseche yow, lete hit be done. Soo her fader graunted hit her feythfully alle thynge shold be done lyke as she had devysed. Thenne her fader and her broder made grete dole, for when this was done, anone she dyed. And soo whan she was dede, the corps and the bedde alle was ledde the next way vnto Temse, and there a man and the corps & alle were put in to Temse. And soo the man styred the barget unto Westmynster, and there he rowed a grete whyle to & fro or ony aspyed hit. Soo by fortune kynge Arthur and the quene Guenever were spekynge togyders at a wyndowe, and 31 or) ere 33 togyders) together soo as they loked in to Temse they aspyed this blak barget, and hadde merveylle what it mente. Thenne the kynge called sire Kay, & shewed hit hym. Sir, said sir Kay, wete you wel there is some newe tydynges. Goo thyder, sayd the kynge to sir Kay, & take with yow sire Brandyles and Agravayne, and brynge me redy word what is there. Thenne these four knyghtes departed and came to the barget and wente in, and there they fond the fayrest corps lyenge in a ryche bedde, and a poure man sittyng in the bargets ende, and no word wold he speke. Soo these foure knyghtes retorned unto the kyng ageyne, and told hym what they fond. That fayr corps wylle I see, sayd the kynge. And soo thenne the kyng took the quene by the hand & went thydder. Thenne the kynge made the barget to be holden fast; & thenne the kyng & the quene entred, with certayn knyghtes wyth them. And there he sawe the fayrest woman lye in a ryche bedde coverd unto her myddel with many ryche clothes, and alle was of clothe of gold, and she lay as though she had smyled. Thenne the quene aspyed a letter in her ryght hand, and told it to the kynge. Thenne the kynge took it, and sayd, Now am I sure this letter wille telle what she was, and why she is come hydder. Soo thenne the kynge and the quene wente oute of the barget, and soo commaunded a certayne wayte upon the barget. And soo whan the kynge was come within his chamber he called many knyghtes aboute hym, & saide that he wold wete openly what was wryten within that letter. Thenne the kynge brake it, & made a clerke to rede hit. & this was the entente of the letter: Moost noble knyghte, sir Launcelot, now hath dethe made us two at debate for your love. I was your lover, that men called the fayre mayden a of Astolat: therfor unto alle ladyes I make my mone. Yet praye for my soule, & bery me atte leest, & offre my last ye my masse peny; this is And request. clene mayden I dyed, I take God to wytnes. Pray for my soule, sir Launcelot, as thou art pierles. This was alle the substance in the letter. And whan it was redde the kyng, the quene and alle the knyghtes wepte for pyté of the doleful complayntes. Thenne was sire Launcelot sente for. And whan he was come kynge Arthur made the letter to be redde to hym. And whanne sire Launcelot herd hit word by word, he sayd, My lord Arthur, wete ye wel I am ryghte hevy of the dethe of this fair damoysel. God knoweth I was never causer of her dethe by my wyllynge, & that wille I reporte me to her own broder: here he is, sir Lavayne. I wille not saye nay, sayd syre Launcelot, but that she was bothe fayre and good, and moche I was beholden unto her, but she loved me out of mesure. Ye myght have shewed her, sayd the quene, somme bounté and gentilnes that myghte have preserved her lyf. Madame, sayd sir Launcelot, she wold none other wayes be ansuerd but that she wold be my wyf, outher els my peramour, and of these two I wold not graunte her. But I proferd her, for her good love that she shewed me, a thousand pound yerly to her and to her heyres, and to wedde ony manere knyghte that she coude fynde best to love in her herte. For, madame, said sir Launcelot, I love not to be constrayned to love. For love muste aryse of the herte, and not by no constraynte. That is trouth, sayd the kynge and many knyghtes: love is free in hym selfe, and never wille be bounden, for where he is bounden he looseth hym self. Thenne 23 outher) or sayd the kynge unto sire Launcelot, Hit wyl be your worshyp that ye over see that she be entered worshypfully. Sire, sayd sire Launcelot, that shalle be done as I can best devyse. And soo many knyghtes yede thyder to behold that fayr mayden. And soo upon the morne she was entered rychely, and sir Launcelot offryd her masse peny, and all the knyghtes of the table round that were there at that tyme offryd with syr Launcelot. And thenne the poure man wente ageyne with the barget. 22 Le Morte Arthur The Last Meeting of Launcelot and Guenever O it was no bote to stryve, but he departed and rode westerly, & there he sought a vij or viij dayes, & atte last he cam to a nonnerye, & than was quene Guenever ware of sir Launcelot as he walked in the cloystre. And whan she sawe hym there she swouned thryse, that al the ladyes & Ientyl wymmen had werke ynough to holde the quene up. So whan she myght speke she callyd ladyes & Ientyl wymmen to hir & sayd, Ye mervayl, fayr ladyes, why I make this fare. Truly, she said, it is for the syght of yonder knyght that yender standeth. Wherfore, I praye you al, calle hym to me. Whan syr Launcelot was brought to hyr, than she sayd to al the ladyes, Thorowe this man & me hath al this warre be wrought, & the deth of the moost noblest knyghtes of the world. For thorugh our love that we have loved togyder is my moost noble lord slayn. Therfor, syr Launcelot, wyt II bote) good 20 fare) stir |