Le Morte Darthur Book 8

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Capitulum i

King Meliodas, the king of Liones and husband of Elisabeth (=sister of king Mark of Cornewaille)is enchanted by a lady that loves the king and gets lost in the forest while he is out hunting and is imprisoned by her in an old castle. When the pregnant queen Elisabeth realizes that her husband is missing she goes into a forest with one of her servants in order to find him. But her efforts initiate the birth of her son. With her last words she names the baby Tristram and reminds him of his misfortune of having killed his own mother.

Capitulum ii

The second chapter is about the return of king Meliodas, who has been rescued by Merlin. Arriving at his court he becomes aware of the birth of his son and the death of Elisabeth. Seven years after Tristram is baptised Meliodas marries again. His wife (=daughter of king Howles of Britain) bears several children. But she knows that these children won't become kings and queens until Tristram dies. That's why she tries to poison him, but to her misfortune she kills her own son. When she tries it again she nearly kills Meliodas. But she stops him from drinking the poison and Meliodas forces her to tell him everything. Her punishment shall be death, but Tristam saves her from being burned alive. After that Tristram is send to France for his own safety and to be educated.

Capitulum iii

Tristram returns from France as a well educated man, a masterful harper and noble fighter. He lives happily with king Meliodas and his stepmother till he turns eighteen.

Capitulum iv

King Anguisshe of Ireland calls for his tribute, but king Mark of Cornwaill refuses to pay and asks the Irish king to send a knight that shall fight for his "tribute rights". Renowned Sir Marhaus (=knight of the table round and brother to the queen of Ireland) will fight for king Anguisshe and he rides to Cornwaille. Meanwhile king Mark seeks for the right opponent for Sir Marhaus, but he isn't able to find a knight. This news also arrives at king Melodias court and is heard by young Tristram.

Capitulum v

Tristram wants to go to Cornwaille and fight for king Mark. He hopes to become a knight at king Mark's court. Before he leaves Liones there arrives a messenger from king Faramon of France telling Tristram that the king's daughter is in love with him. But Tristram isn't interested in her love. This affords so much grief to the daughter that she dies later on. Arriving at Mark's court Tristram offers him to fight against Sir Marhaus if he is made a knight. So king Mark makes him a knight and afterwards Tristram tells him about his origin. Both, Sir Marhaus and Sir Tristram, get armed and horsed and are to meet on an island to fight against each other.

Capitulum vi

Sir Tristram prepares himself for the fight and he tells Gouvernaile, his servant, not to come to the battlefield until he is slain or the winner of the match. He reminds Gouvernaile to burry him as a Cristian if he shall be killed. Then they departe from each other.

Capitulum vii

Sir Tristram and Sir Marhaus start to fight against each other on the battlefield. In the beginning they seem to own equal powers, but after fighting for nearly half a day Sir Tristram's powers seem to be greater. He wounds Sir Marhaus badly on his head. This stroke makes Sir Marhaus flee from the battle back to Ireland. Sir Tristram tries to stop him from leaving but he can't. The battle is over and Sir Tristram is the victor. As a demonstration of his prowess in battle and to shame the fleeing knight Tristram vows to wear Marhaus' shield in public.

Capitulum viii

Sir Marhaus arrives in Ireland and his wounds are served by his sister, the queen of Ireland, but the wound on his head is so strong, that he dies a few days after his arrival at home. His sister wants revenge for her brother's death and she swears to be reminded of that day ever after.Isolde even keeps that shard of the sword that was found in Sir Marhaus. When king Mark and Gouvernaile arrive at Sir Tristram, they see that he is wounded badly, that's why they take him into the castle of Tyntigail and serve him. But Sir Tristram doesn't recover. The members of the court look for help in the whole country, that's when a lady comes to king Mark and tells him that Tristram will only recover, if he is send to Ireland and served there. According to this prophecy Sir Tristram is send to Ireland, where he stays at king Anguisshe's castle. The king doesn't know anything about Sir Tristram, but he cares for him and tells him the story of the battle in Cornwaille.

Capitulum ix

King Anguisshe's daughter La beale Isoud now cares for Sir Tristram and he falls in love with her, but there is another knight, Sir Palamides that also loves her. One day there is a great tournament at the court and the victor of it shall be married to the Lady of the land. In this tournament Sir Palamides is a great fighter that defeats many other knights. That's why La beale Isoud (Isolde) asks Sir Tristram to fight in this tournament and he decides to do so, but then a Squire (Heles le renoumes) from France arrives. Tristram recognizes him and prays him not to tell anything about himself and his battle against Sir Marhaus, to which he agrees.

Capitulum x

Promised by Tritram to be made a knight the day after the tournament Squire Heles promises to stay hidden. On that day of the tournament Tristram (in white armor)jousts against Sir Palamides and unsattles and therefore defeats him. To the joy of the people and faire Isolde. No other knight dares to fight Tristram (or Tramtrist, as he calls himself). After making Heles a knight, Tristram rides after Sir Palamides, who, after a very short fight, is at Tristram's mercy and has to promise to desist from seeking the hand of Isolde, as well as not to wear any armor for a year and a day. On his way back he has to prove to a young woman that he is not Sir Lancelot (du lake), whom she thinks to be the only knight capable of all those deeds. After his return he spends time with Isolde and, through the defeat of Palamides, is now held in higher esteem by the king and the queen.

Capitulum xi

One day the queen and Isolde discover that the shard Isolde kept from MArhaus fits perfectly into Tristrams sword and only because of Sir Heles is the queen kept from killing Tristram with his own sword while bathing. She therafter begs the king to avenge her brother Marhaus. The king then stops Tristram from leaving and asks of him the truth about his origins. Only then would he let him leave his country.

Capitulum xii

Tristram tells king Anguissh about his parents, his true name and how he fought Sir Marhaus for the love of his uncle, Cornwall and his own honour. The king agrees that Tristram's deeds were honourable but he could not allow him to stay in his country. Sir Tristram takey leave of Isolde and promises to be her loyal knight and sheswears to wait for him the next seven years. The yexchange rings. Sir Tristram publicly offers to recompense any man whom he might have done any harm while in disguise and challengend anyone to speak bad about him. No one dared to answer his challenge.

Capitulum xiii

The now cured Sir Tristram went back to Tyntagil, where he was happily received by his family and the barons. Long time he lived in peace until he and his uncle Mark fell in love with the same lady, who happens to be the wife of "Sygwarydes". Jealous of her advancement towards Tristram he captures a messenger and learns of a secret meeting between the two of them. He then ambushes Tristram with two of his knights but tristram manages to smite all three of them down and, although he is seriously wounded, rides on to meet the lady.

Capitulum xiiij

Sir Tristram meets the Lady and both have Sex with each other. Her husband finds blood (wounded Tristram) on the sheets and forces his wife to tell him. He rides after Tristram and attacks. Tristram defeats him and hides in Tyntagil to secretly heal his wounds. Sygwardes is brought home and served back to health again. King Mark doesn't love his nephew anymore since that episode, although Tristram doesn't recognize him as on of the three attackers.

Capitulum xv

Sir Bleoberis de Ganis (cousin of Sir Lancelot du Lake), a knight of the Round Table, comes to King Mark´s court and asks to be allowed to take whatever he wants. King Mark agrees and he takes Segwarides’ wife. Although Sir Tristram is there he does nothing to prevent it and is reproached for that by some of the other Ladies at court. Sir Segwarides rides after Sir Bleoberis but is defeated. After that Sir Tristram rides after Sir Bleoberis and meets his cousin Sir Andret who has just been beaten by two knights of the Round Table just for wanting to bring a message from King Mark. Thus Sir Tristram promises to revenge him.

Capitulum xvi

Soon Sir Tristram finds the two knights, Sir Sagramore and Sir Dodinas le Savage. Although Sir Tristram’s servant Gouvernail advises him not to, he challenges them. They mock him for being from Cornwall as they only just defeated a Cornish knight. Sir Tristram revenges his cousin and wins the battles with the two knights. After that they introduce each other and praise each other. Sir Tristram de Liones is King Melodias’ son.

Capitulum xvii

Sir Tristram finds Sir Bleoberis and they fight, after a while Sir Bleoberis offers to let the Lady choose to whom she wants to go. They also introduce themselves and praise each other. Sir Tristram is very sure that she will go to him.

Capitulum xviii

The Lady chooses Sir Bleoberis as she is convinced that if Sir Tristram realy loved her he would have interfered when she was being taken from the court. Sir Tristram is very ashamed to go back to court like that and Sir Beloberis would have liked to give her to him as he respects him. The Lady asks Sir Bleoberis to take her to her husband who is still wounded and so he does and Sir Tristram returns to court.

Capitulum ixx

King Mark wants to find a way to get Sir Tristram killed so he sends him into Ireland to fetch La Beale Isoud as he claims to want to marry her. As Sir Tristram wants to please his uncle he takes the best knights with him and sets off. At see they are caught in a Tempest and land at the coast of England were Camelot is. They put up their tents. Two knights from the Round table come and challenge him. These were Sir Ector de Maris and Sir Marganor. Sir Tristram beats them both and Sir Ector is so ashamed to be beaten by a Cornish knight that he takes of his armour and returns to the castle on foot.

Capitulum xx

Sir Bleoberis and Sir Blamor de Ganis (brothers) had summoned King Anguish of Ireland to come to Arthur’s court. If he had not come he would have lost his hands. King Arthur is not there, he is with Sir Lancelot at the castle Joyous Gard, so King Carados and King of Scots are the judges. Sir Blamor de Ganis accuses the King of Ireland to have killed a cousin of his by treason and therefore he would have to fight or find someone to fight for himself to prove his innocence. King Anguish is given three days to think. At the same time a Lady, who has had a child by Sir Lancelot, comes to Sir Tristram lamenting the loss of her child as another knight just kidnapped it. So Sir Tristram rides after the knight.

Capitulum xxi

The kidnapper’s name is Breuse Saunce Dité and a foe of King Arthur’s court. Sir Tristram wins the fight and forces him to bring back the child after which he lets him go. Then Sir Tristram hears of what happened to King Anguish and is delighted. As there will be no knight that wants to fight Sir Blamore, he will offer his duty to the King. King Anguish accepts the offer and Sir Tristram asks to be granted two things if he wins, one to know that King Anguish is truly innocent and another which he will ask later.

Capitulum xxii

Before the fight Sir Bleoberis asks Sir Blamore to be aware of his honour as they are the nephews of Sir Lancelot and that Sir Tristram is a very good knight. So Sir Blamore says he would rather be killed than be defeated. Sir Tristram and Sir Blamore fight fiercely but in the end Sir Tristram gives him a hard hit on the helm.

Capitulum xxiii

Then Sir Blamore asks Sir Tristram to kill him as he will not say the “word” and will not surrender unless he is killed. Sir Tristram does not want to kill him as he is of Sir Lancelot’s blood and he respects Sir Lancelot very much. So he asks the judges to decide. Kind Anguish is ready to forgive Sir Blamore but his brother would rather have him dead. The judges rule that he should be let to live and after that the two brothers make up with King Anguish and all people of Sir Lancelot’s blood liked Sir Tristram after that. King Anguish lets word of the fight pass in Ireland and everybody likes him, especially La Beale Isoud, for he is the one she loves most.

Capitulum xxiiii

Then Sir Tristram asks King Anguish to give him his daughter to take to his uncle King Mark as he wants to marry her. King Anguish consents but would rather have seen Sir Tristram marry his daughter. With La Beale Isoud go many gentlewomen, the chief being Dame Bragwaine. Isoud’s mother gives her and Gouvernail a love potion to give to Isoud and King Mark when they marry. By mistake Sir Tristram and Isoud drink the potion on their way to England. Then they arrive at a castle called Pleure, they are taken prisoners and Sir Tristram will have to fight with Sir Breunor and kill him to be free and Isoud will have to be more beautiful than the Lady of the house to not loose her head.

Capitulum xxv

Sir Breunor wants to compare the Ladies first and Sir Tristram is sure that there is non more beautiful than Isoud but he fears that there will be no fair judgement. He would rather loose his head than see Isoud loose hers. Isoud wins and Sir Tristram cuts of the other Lady’s head. Sir Breunor wants to fight Sir Tritram and kill him to get Isoud.

Capitulum xvi

Sir Tristram wins and cuts of Sir Breunor’s head. The people of the court ask him to stay a while and he agrees. Meanwhile a messenger is sent to Sir Galahad, who is Sir Breunor’s son, to tell him of what happened.

Capitulum xvii

Sir Galahad and the King with the hundred knights come and Sir Galahad wants to fight Sir Tristram. Just as Sir Galahad is close to being killed, the King with the hundred knights comes to the fight. Sir Tristram appeals to Sir Galahad’s knightlyhood and says that it is not a fair fight anymore as he knows that he will not be able to defeat so many people. Sir Galahad says he wants him defeated by any means, so Sir Tristram gives up and Sir Galahad in return gives him his life as he knows that his father’s customs were bad and his death due to that. They introduce each other and after that Sir Galahad lets Sir Tristram and Isoud go but making Sir Tristram promise that he will join Sir Lancelot as soon as he can. Sir Galahad then promises that his father’s customs will not return.

Capitulum xviii

Sir Tristram and Sir Lancelot hear that the mighty King Carados is fighting with Sir Gawaine and has taken him prisoner and bound him to his saddle. By chance Lancelot meets him and fights Carados to free Sir Gawaine. Lancelot cuts of Carados’ head. Sir Galahad and Sir Tristram hear of this and Sir Tristram would have gone to Sir Lancelot straight away if it had not been for the Lady Isoud. The two go to sea and arrive in Cornwall safely were all the barons meet them.

Capitulum ixxx

King Mark marries La Beale Isoud. Two ladies conspire against La Beale Isoud's maid, Dame Bragwaine, who Isoud is very fond of. Bragwaine is lured into a forest where she is bound. Three days later Sir Palamides rescues her and asks Isoud for an unknown favour in return, which she promises him.

Capitulum xxx

Palamides demands that Queen Isoud should follow him. King Mark agrees. Sir Lambegus rides after Palamides to rescue her, but he is defeated by Palamides. Isoud escapes and comes to the castle of Sir Adtherp. Adtherp rides out to battle Palamides, but he is also defeated by him. Palamides comes to Adtherp's castle to find the gates closed with Isoud inside.

Capitulum xxxi

Tristram rides after Palamides, finds him at Adtherp's castle and fights him. Isoud stops the fight fearing that Palamides would die a Saracen and sends Palamides away to King Arthur.

Capitulum xxxii

Tristram brings Isoud home and there is a great feast. Sir Andred, Tristram's cousin tells King Mark that Tristram and Isoud have talked to each other. Mark gets angry and threatens to kill Tristram. Tristram defeats and humiliates Mark, slays one of Mark's relatives and wounds thirty other knights. The barons advise the king to reconciliate with Tristram, which he does.

Capitulum xxxiii

Sir Lamorak jousts with thrity knights. Tristram jousts with Lamorak at the request of King Mark, though against his own will, and throws him out of his saddle. Lamorak asks Tristram to fight him on foot, but Tristram refuses. Lamorak promises to avenge himself.

Capitulum xxxiiij

Sir Lamorak intercepts a horn which Morgan La Fay send to King Arthur to cause trouble. Only a woman who is true to her husband can drink out of this horn without spilling. Lamorak sends the horn no King Mark to test his wife. Only 4 ladies out of a hundred can drink of the horn. The barons swear revenge on Morgan La Fay.

Andred catches Tristram and La Beale Isoud in bed and, with the consent of King Mark, he takes the naked Tristram to a chapel to judge him. Andred decides to kill him for treason, but Tristram resists and is forced to jump into the sea.

Capitulum xxxv

Tristram escapes with La Beale Isoud. They stay in a manor in a forest. One day, Tristram gets wounded by a venomed arrow in the forest. In the meantime, La Beale Isoud is taken away from the manor by King Mark. La Beale Isoud lets Tristram know he should go to Brittany to see Isoud la Blanche Mains, who is the only one who can heal him. Tristram departs to Brittany and Isoud la Blanche heals him.

Capitulum xxxvi

Tristram serves King Howel of Brittany in a war and slays his enemy Earl Grip. Tristram marries Isoud la Blanche, but still remembers La Beale Isoud and would not sleep with his wife. Sir Launcelot finds out about the marriage and declares Tristram his mortal enemy.

Capitulum xxxvii

Tristram finds out how he was defamed by Launcelot. Sir Lamorak's ship wrecks. Lamorak and his squire survive and find themselves on the Isle of Servage. The lord of the isle, Nabon le Noire, is a giant who hates knights of King Arthur and kills all knights he comes across.

Capitulum xxxviij

Tristram, Isoud la Blanche and her brother go for a sail. Their vessel is driven to the coast of Wales and they land on the Isle of Servage. Tristram finds out about Nabon and Lamorak. Tristram and Lamorak reconciliate.

Capitulum ixl

Lamorak defeats the most part of 500 knights in a joust at the castle of Sir Nabon. Tristram slays Nabon and his son and gives the Isle of Servage to Sir Segwarides. La Beale Isoud finds out that Tristram married another woman.

Capitulum xl

Lamorak departs from Tristram. He rescues Sir Frol from 4 other knights. Frol jousts with Sir Launcelot and Launcelot defeats him. Lamorak meets Launcelot.

Capitulum xli

Frol jousts with Sir Gawaine, King Arthur's nephew, for a lady and wins. Lamorak witnesses that, challenges Frol and kills him. Frol's brother, Belliance le Orgulus, finds out about Frol's death and wishes to avenge him. Lamorak and Belliance fight each other. Lamorak asks Belliance for forgiveness and they swear they would never fight each other.

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