Le Morte Darthur Book 9
Chapter 19: Dagonet, King Arthur's fool comes across the mad Tristram. Tristram puts him and his squires into a well and humiliates him, while shepherds laught at Dagonet. Tristram runs naked in the woods for half a year. Palomides finds out about Tristram's madness. Kehydius and Palomides set off to look for Tristram. They encounter King Mark. Palomides wants to avenge Tristram and fight Mark, but Mark refuses. Mark and Palomides reconciliate. Dagonet tries to attack the shephers, but Tristram attacks him and his squire and defeats them. Dagonet goes to King Mark and tells him of the incident. Mark claims that the madman is a Sir Matto le Breune.
Chapter 20: Sir Andred spreads tumours that Tristram is dead and that he asked Mark to make Andred the lord of the country of de Liones. La Beale Isoud attempts to commit suicide, but she is stopped by King Mark, who puts her in a tower. Tristram slays the giant Tauleas and rescues Sir Dinant.
Chapter 21: Dinant informs King Mark of the giant-killing madman. King Mark goes to the forest and finds Tristram lying with a sword at his side. King Mark takes Tristram to Tintagil. Nobody recognises Tristram. Tristram is cared for in the castle. La Beale Isoud goes looking for the strange madman, but when she sees Tristram she doesn't recognise him until her little dog recognises him. La Beale Isoud asks Tristram to leave Cornwall fearing King Mark's rage.
Chapter 22: Tristram gets banished from Cornwall for 10 years. Sir Dinadan arrives from the court of King Arthur looking for Tristram. Tristram and Dinadan joust, Dinadan is defeated. Dinadan joins Tristram's fellowship. Tristram rebukes King Mark for his ingratitude and leaves.
Chapter 23: Tristram and Dinadan joust with Bors, Ector, Bleoberis and Driant. A damosel encounters first Tristram, then the other four knights. The damosel knows of a plot by Morgan le Fay to have Launcelot ambushed and killed by 30 knights. The four knights agree to help the damosel. They promise to be close to the place where the ambush would be to help Launcelot if needed. Tristram promises to help Launcelot as well, but Dinadan fears for his life. When the four knights see the 30 knights, they do not attack each other. When Tristram arrives, he slays the majority of the 30 knights. Bors invites Tristram to his lodging, but Tristram refuses and keeps his incognito.
Chapter 24: Tristram and Dinadan come to a castle, where the custom is that they have to fight and defeat two knights to get admitted to the castle. Dinadan fears for his life again, but Tristram insists they fight the two knights. They defeat the knights and get into the castle. Shortly after Palomides and Gaheris arrive at the castle. According to the custom, Tristram and Dinadan hae to fight them now. They joust with the two, but Dinadan refuses to fight on foot. Dinadan leaves the three at the castle and departs, cursing the day he joined Tristram. Tristram overtakes Dinadan and they come to a priory.
