Le Morte d'Arthur BOOK II CHAPTER XV

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 CHAPTER XV
 
 How Balin fought with King Pellam, and how his sword
 brake, and how he gat a spear wherewith he smote the
 dolorous stroke.
 
 ANON all the knights arose from the table for to set on Balin,
 and King Pellam himself arose up fiercely, and said, Knight, hast
 thou slain my brother? thou shalt die therefore or thou depart. 
 Well, said Balin, do it yourself.  Yes, said King Pellam, there
 shall no man have ado with thee but myself, for the love of my
 brother.  Then King Pellam caught in his hand a grim weapon and
 smote eagerly at Balin; but Balin put the sword betwixt his head
 and the stroke, and therewith his sword burst in sunder.  And
 when Balin was weaponless he ran into a chamber for to seek some
 weapon, and so from chamber to chamber, and no weapon he could
 find, and always King Pellam after him.  And at the last he
 entered into a chamber that was marvellously well dight and
 richly, and a bed arrayed with cloth of gold, the richest that
 might be thought, and one lying therein, and thereby stood a
 table of clean gold with four pillars of silver that bare up the
 table, and upon the table stood a marvellous spear strangely
 wrought.  And when Balin saw that spear, he gat it in his hand
 and turned him to King Pellam, and smote him passingly sore with
 that spear, that King Pellam fell down in a swoon, and therewith
 the castle roof and walls brake and fell to the earth, and Balin
 fell down so that he might <71>not stir foot nor hand.  And so
 the most part of the castle, that was fallen down through that
 dolorous stroke, lay upon Pellam and Balin three days.