Then when he had
drunk his fill, Tristram took the chalice and would have drunk too; but the
other said, "Stay, Tristram, there is great bitterness in that chalice";
and then he said, "Methinks I feel a very bitter pang within my vitals,"
and then he cried out, "Woe is me! I am in great pain!" Therewith he fell
down upon the ground and lay there in a great passion of agony. Then
Tristram cried aloud for help in a piercing voice; but when help came
thither it was too late, for the son of the Lady Moeya was dead.
Then the Lady Moeva was in great torment of soul, and beat her breast and
tore her hair and King Meliadus had much ado for to comfort her. And after
this she hated Tristram worse than ever before, for she would say to
herself: "Except for this Tristram, my own son would yet be alive!"
So she brooded upon these things until she could not rest, whether by day
or night. Then one day she took the rest of the poison that was in the
phial and poured it into a goblet of yellow wine. This goblet she gave to
one of her pages, saying: "Take this to Tristram, and offer it to him when
I shall tell you to do so!"
[Sidenote: The Lady Moeya seeks Tristram's life a second time] Therewith
she went down to the hall where Tristram was, and she said, "Tristram, let
there be peace betwixt us.
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