Then Sir Tristram said:Knight,that is well jousted,now make you ready unto me.I am ready,said the knight.And then that knight took a greater spear in his hand,and encountered with Sir Tristram,and there by great force that knight smote down Sir Tristram from his horse and had a great fall.Then Sir Tristram was sore ashamed,and lightly he avoided his horse,and put his shield afore his shoulder,and drew his sword.And then Sir Tristram required that knight of his knighthood to alight upon foot and fight with him.I will well,said the knight;and so he alighted upon foot,and avoided his horse,and cast his shield upon his shoulder,and drew his sword,and there they fought a long battle together full nigh two hours.Then Sir Tristram said:Fair knight,hold thine hand,and tell me of whence thou art,and what is thy name.As for that,said the knight,I will be avised;but an thou wilt tell me thy name peradventure I will tell thee mine.
CHAPTER XI
How Sir Tristram met with Sir Lamorak de Galis,and how they fought,and after accorded never to fight together.
NOW fair knight,he said,my name is Sir Tristram de Liones.
Sir,said the other knight,and my name is Sir Lamorak de Galis.
Ah,Sir Lamorak,said Sir Tristram,well be we met,and bethink thee now of the despite thou didst me of the sending of the horn unto King Mark's court,to the intent to have slain or dishonoured my lady the queen,La Beale Isoud;and therefore wit thou well,said Sir Tristram,the one of us shall die or we depart.Sir,said Sir Lamorak,remember that we were together in the Isle of Servage,and at that time ye promised me great friendship.Then Sir Tristram would make no longer delays,but lashed at Sir Lamorak;and thus they fought long till either were weary of other.Then Sir Tristram said to Sir Lamorak:In all my life met I never with such a knight that was so big and well breathed as ye be,therefore,said Sir Tristram,it were pity that any of us both should here be mischieved.Sir said Sir Lamorak,for your renown and name I will that ye have the worship of this battle,and therefore I will yield me unto you.And therewith he took the point of his sword to yield him.Nay,said Sir Tristram,ye shall not do so,for well I know your proffers,and more of your gentleness than for any fear or dread ye have of me.And therewithal Sir Tristram proffered him his sword and said:Sir Lamorak,as an overcome knight I yield me unto you as to a man of the most noble prowess that ever I met withal.Nay,said Sir Lamorak,I will do you gentleness;I require you let us be sworn together that never none of us shall after this day have ado with other.And therewithal Sir Tristram and Sir Lamorak sware that never none of them should fight against other,nor for weal nor for woe.
CHAPTER XII
How Sir Palomides followed the Questing Beast,and smote down Sir Tristram and Sir Lamorak with one spear.
AND this meanwhile there came Sir Palomides,the good knight,following the Questing Beast that had in shape a head like a serpent's head,and a body like a leopard,buttocks like a lion,and footed like an hart;and in his body there was such a noise as it had been the noise of thirty couple of hounds questing,and such a noise that beast made wheresomever he went;and this beast ever more Sir Palomides followed,for it was called his quest.
And right so as he followed this beast it came by Sir Tristram,and soon after came Palomides.And to brief this matter he smote down Sir Tristram and Sir Lamorak both with one spear;and so he departed after the beast Galtisant,that was called the Questing Beast;wherefore these two knights were passing wroth that Sir Palomides would not fight on foot with them.Here men may understand that be of worship,that he was never formed that all times might stand,but sometime he was put to the worse by mal-fortune;and at sometime the worse knight put the better knight to a rebuke.
Then Sir Tristram and Sir Lamorak gat Sir Kehydius upon a shield betwixt them both,and led him to a forester's lodge,and there they gave him in charge to keep him well,and with him they abode three days.Then the two knights took their horses and at the cross they departed.And then said Sir Tristram to Sir Lamorak:
I require you if ye hap to meet with Sir Palomides,say him that he shall find me at the same well where I met him,and there I,Sir Tristram,shall prove whether he be better knight than I.
And so either departed from other a sundry way,and Sir Tristram rode nigh thereas was Sir Kehydius;and Sir Lamorak rode until he came to a chapel,and there he put his horse unto pasture.And anon there came Sir Meliagaunce,that was King Bagdemagus'son,and he there put his horse to pasture,and was not ware of Sir Lamorak;and then this knight Sir Meliagaunce made his moan of the love that he had to Queen Guenever,and there he made a woful complaint.All this heard Sir Lamorak,and on the morn Sir Lamorak took his horse and rode unto the forest,and there he met with two knights hoving under the wood-shaw.Fair knights,said Sir Lamorak,what do ye hoving here and watching?and if ye be knights-errant that will joust,lo I am ready.Nay,sir knight,they said,not so,we abide not here to joust with you,but we lie here in await of a knight that slew our brother.What knight was that,said Sir Lamorak,that you would fain meet withal?
Sir,they said,it is Sir Launcelot that slew our brother,and if ever we may meet with him he shall not escape,but we shall slay him.Ye take upon you a great charge,said Sir Lamorak,for Sir Launcelot is a noble proved knight.As for that we doubt not,for there nis none of us but we are good enough for him.I will not believe that,said Sir Lamorak,for I heard never yet of no knight the days of my life but Sir Launcelot was too big for him.
CHAPTER XIII
How Sir Lamorak met with Sir Meliagaunce,and fought together for the beauty of Dame Guenever.