so young, thou art
full likely to be a manly man in thine age. And because I shall die of
the birth of thee, I charge thee, gentlewoman, that thou pray my lord,
King Meliodas, that when he is christened let call him Tristram, that
is as much to say as a sorrowful birth. And therewith this queen gave
up the ghost and died. Then the gentlewoman laid her under an umbre of a
great tree, and then she lapped the child as well as she might for cold.
Right so there came the barons, following after the queen, and when
they saw that she was dead, and understood none other but the king was
destroyed, [*7]then certain of them would have slain the child, because
they would have been lords of the country of Liones.

[*7] Printed by Caxton as part of chap. ii.

CHAPTER II. How the stepmother of Sir Tristram had ordained poison for
to have poisoned Sir Tristram.

BUT then through the fair speech of the gentlewoman, and by the means
that she made, the most part of the barons would not assent thereto. And
then they let carry home the dead queen, and much dole was made for her.

Then this meanwhile Merlin delivered King Meliodas out of prison on the
morn after his queen was dead. And so when the king was come home the
most part of the barons made great joy. But the sorrow that the king
made for his queen that might no tongue tell. So then the king let
inter her richly, and after he let christen his child as his wife
had commanded afore her death. And then he let call him Tristram, the
sorrowful born child. Then the King Meliodas endured seven years without
a wife, and all this time Tristram was nourished well. Then it befell
that King Meliodas wedded King Howell's daughter of Brittany, and anon
she had children of King Meliodas: then was she heavy and wroth that her
children should not rejoice the country of Liones, wherefore this queen
ordained for to poison young Tristram. So she let poison be put in a
piece of silver in the chamber whereas Tristram and her children were
together, unto that intent that when Tristram were thirsty he should
drink that drink. And so it fell upon a day, the queen's son, as he was
in that chamber, espied the piece with poison, and he weened it had been
good drink, and because the child was thirsty he took the piece with
poison and drank freely; and therewithal suddenly the child brast and
was dead.

When the queen of Meliodas wist of the death of her son, wit ye well
that she was heavy. But yet