_How Sir Tristram demanded La Beale Isoud for king Mark, and how Sir
Tristram and Isoud drank the love drink._
Then upon a day king Anguish asked Sir Tristram why he asked not his
boon, for whatsoever 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 lever than all the
land that I have ye would wed her yourself. Sir, and I did, then were I
shamed for ever in this world, and false of my promise. Therefore, said
Sir 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 to me levest: and if ye will give her unto king Mark your
uncle, that is in your choice.
So to make a 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 flacket of gold
stand by them, and it seemed by the colour and the taste that it was
noble wine. Then Sir Tristram took the flacket 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. So then they sailed till by fortune they came nigh a castle
that hight Pluere, and thereby arrived for to repose them, weening to
them to have had good harbourage. But anon as Sir Tristram was within
the castle they were taken prisoners, for the custom of the castle was
such, who that rode by that castle, and brought any lady, he must needs
fight with the lord, that hight Breunor. And if it were so that Breunor
wan the field, then the knight stranger and his lady he put to death,
what that ever they were; and if it were so that the strange knight wan
the field of Sir Breunor, then should he die and his lady both. This
custom was used many winters, for it was called the Castle Pluere, that
is to say the weeping castle.