Then upon a day King Anguish asked Sir Tristram why he asked not his
boon, for whatsomever he had promised him he should have it without
fail. Sir, said Sir Tristram, now is it time; this is all that I will
desire, that ye will give me La Beale Isoud, your daughter, not for
myself, but for mine uncle, King Mark, that shall have her to wife, for
so have I promised him. Alas, said the king, I had liefer than all the
land that I have ye would wed her yourself. Sir, an I did then I were
shamed for ever in this world, and false of my promise. Therefore, said
Sir I Tristram, I pray you hold your promise that ye promised me; for
this is my desire, that ye will give me La Beale Isoud to go with me
into Cornwall for to be wedded to King Mark, mine uncle. As for that,
said King Anguish, ye shall have her with you to do with her what it
please you; that is for to say if that ye list to wed her yourself,
that is me liefest, and if ye will give her unto King Mark, your uncle,
that is in your choice. So, to make short conclusion, La Beale Isoud
was made ready to go with Sir Tristram, and Dame Bragwaine went with
her for her chief gentlewoman, with many other.
Then the queen, Isoud’s mother, gave to her and Dame Bragwaine, her
daughter’s gentlewoman, and unto Gouvernail, a drink, and charged them
that what day King Mark should wed, that same day they should give him
that drink, so that King Mark should drink to La Beale Isoud, and then,
said the queen, I undertake either shall love other the days of their
life. So this drink was given unto Dame Bragwaine, and unto Gouvernail.
And then anon Sir Tristram took the sea, and La Beale Isoud; and when
they were in their cabin, it happed so that they were thirsty, and they
saw a little flasket of gold stand by them, and it seemed by the colour
and the taste that it was noble wine. Then Sir Tristram took the
flasket in his hand, and said, Madam Isoud, here is the best drink that
ever ye drank, that Dame Bragwaine, your maiden, and Gouvernail, my
servant, have kept for themselves. Then they laughed and made good
cheer, and either drank to other freely, and they thought never drink
that ever they drank to other was so sweet nor so good. But by that
their drink was in their bodies, they loved either other so well that
never their love departed for weal neither for woe. And thus it happed
the love first betwixt Sir Tristram and La Beale Isoud, the which love
never departed the days of their life.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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