ve his answer that I will do battle to-morn with
him.

Then was the messenger departed brought before King Mark. Hark, my
fellow, said Sir Tristram, go fast unto thy lord, and bid him make true
assurance on his part for the truage, as the king here shall make on
his part; and then tell thy lord, Sir Elias, that I, Sir Tristram, King
Arthur's knight, and knight of the Table Round, will as to-morn meet
with thy lord on horseback, to do battle as long as my horse may endure,
and after that to do battle with him on foot to the utterance. The
messenger beheld Sir Tristram from the top to the toe; and therewithal
he departed and came to his lord, and told him how he was answered of
Sir Tristram. And therewithal was made hostage on both parties, and made
it as sure as it might be, that whether party had the victory, so to
end. And then were both hosts assembled on both parts of the field,
without the Castle of Tintagil, and there was none but Sir Tristram and
Sir Elias armed.

So when the appointment was made, they departed in-sunder, and they
came together with all the might that their horses might run. And either
knight smote other so hard that both horses and knights went to the
earth. Not for then they both lightly arose and dressed their shields
on their shoulders, with naked swords in their hands, and they dashed
together that it seemed a flaming fire about them. Thus they traced, and
traversed, and hewed on helms and hauberks, and cut away many cantels
of their shields, and either wounded other passing sore, so that the
hot blood fell freshly upon the earth. And by then they had foughten the
mountenance of an hour Sir Tristram waxed faint and for-bled, and gave
sore aback. That saw Sir Elias, and followed fiercely upon him, and
wounded him in many places. And ever Sir Tristram traced and traversed,
and went froward him here and there, and covered him with his shield as
he might all weakly, that all men said he was overcome; for Sir Elias
had given him twenty strokes against one.

Then was there laughing of the Sessoins' party, and great dole on King
Mark's party. Alas, said the king, we are ashamed and destroyed all for
ever: for as the book saith, Sir Tristram was never so matched, but if
it were Sir Launcelot. Thus as they stood and beheld both parties, that
one party laughing and the other party weeping, Sir Tristram remembered
him of his lady, La Beale Isoud, that looked upon him, and how he was
likely never to c