Marmion: A Tale of Flodden Field in Six CantosScott, Walter
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Marmion: A Tale of Flodden Field in Six Cantos
Scott, Walter
Flodden, Battle of, England, 1513 -- Poetry
'"Right so Sir Lanncelot departed, and when he came to the Chapell
Perilous, he alighted downe, and tied his horse to a little gate.
And as soon as he was within the churchyard, he saw, on the front of
the chapell, many faire rich shields turned upside downe; and many
of the shields Sir Launcelot had seene knights have before; with
that he saw stand by him thirtie great knights, more, by a yard,
than any man that ever he had seene, and all those grinned and
gnashed at Sir Launcelot; and when he saw their countenance, hee
dread them sore, and so put his shield afore him, and tooke his
sword in his hand ready to doe battaile; and they were all armed in
black harneis, ready, with their shields and swords drawen. And when
Sir Launcelot would have gone through them, they scattered on every
side of him, and gave him the way; and therewith he waxed all bold,
and entered into the chapell, and then hee saw no light but a dimme
lampe burning, and then was he ware of a corps covered with a cloath
of silke; then Sir Launcelot stooped downe, and cut a piece of that
cloath away, and then it fared under him as the earth had quaked a
little, whereof he was afeard, and then hee saw a faire sword lye by
the dead knight, and that he gat in his hand, and hied him out of
the chappell. As soon as he was in the chappell-yerd, all the
knights spoke to him with a grimly voice, and said, 'Knight, Sir
Launcelot, lay that sword from thee, or else thou shalt die.'--
'Whether I live or die,' said Sir Launcelot, 'with no great words
get yee it againe, therefore fight for it and ye list.' Therewith he
passed through them; and beyond the chappell-yerd, there met him a
faire damosell, and said, 'Sir Launcelot, leave that sword behind
thee, or thou wilt die for it.'--'I will not leave it,' said Sir
Launcelot, 'for no threats.'--'No?' said she; 'and ye did leave that
sword, Queen Guenever should ye never see.'--'Then were I a foole
and I would leave this sword,' said Sir Launcelot. 'Now, gentle
knight,' said the damosell, 'I require thee to kisse me once.'--
'Nay,' said Sir Launcelot, 'that God forbid!'--'Well, sir,' said
she, 'and thou hadest kissed me thy life dayes had been done; but
now, alas!' said she, 'I have lost all my labour; for I ordeined
this chappell for thy sake, and for Sir Gawaine: and once I had Sir
Gawaine within it; and at that time he fought with that knight which
there lieth dead in yonder chappell, Sir Gilbert the bastard, and at
that time hee smote off Sir Gilbert the bastard's left hand. And so,
Sir Launcelot, now I tell thee, that I have loved thee this seaven
yeare; but there may no woman have thy love but Queene Guenever; but
sithen I may not rejoyice thee to have thy body alive, I had kept no
more joy in this world but to have had thy dead body; and I would
have balmed it and served, and so have kept it in my life daies, and
daily I should have clipped thee, and kissed thee, in the despite of
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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