nyone
who would slay it. Tristrem dared his knights to attack the dragon,
but one and all declined, so he himself rode out to give it battle. At
the first shock his lance broke on the monster's impenetrable hide,
his horse was slain, and he was forced to continue the fight on foot.
At length, despite its fiery breath, he succeeded in slaying the
dragon, and cut out its tongue as a trophy. But this exuded a subtle
poison which deprived him of his senses.

Thus overcome, Tristrem was discovered by the King's steward, who cut
off the dragon's head and returned with it to Court to demand the hand
of Ysonde. But the Queen and her daughter were dubious of the man's
story, and upon visiting the place where the dragon had been slain,
they came upon Tristrem himself. Their ministrations revived him, and
he showed them the dragon's tongue as proof that he had slain the
dread beast. He described himself as a merchant, and Ysonde, who did
not at first recognize him, expressed her regret that he was not a
knight. The Queen now caused him to be conveyed to the palace, where
he was refreshed by a bath, and the false steward was cast into
prison.

Meanwhile the suspicions of the Princess had been aroused, and the
belief grew that this 'merchant' who had slain the dragon was none
other than Tremtris, her old instructor. In searching for evidence to
confirm this conjecture she examined his sword, from which, she found,
a piece had been broken. Now, she possessed a fragment of a
sword-blade which had been taken out of the skull of Moraunt, her
uncle, and she discovered that this fragment fitted into the broken
place in Tristrem's sword, wherefore she concluded that the weapon
must have been that which slew the Irish ambassador. She reproached
Tristrem, and in her passion rushed upon him with his own sword. At
this instant her mother returned, and upon learning the identity of
Tristrem she was about to assist Ysonde to slay him in his bath when
the King arrived and saved him from the infuriated women. Tristrem
defended himself as having killed Moraunt in fair fight, and, smiling
upon Ysonde, he told her that she had had many opportunities of
slaying him while he was her preceptor Tremtris. He then proceeded to
make known the object of his embassy. He engaged that his uncle, King
Mark, should marry Ysonde, and it was agreed that she should be sent
under his escort to Cornwall.

It is clear that the Queen's knowledge of medicine was acco