Soon thereafter the Lady Belle Isoult took leave of the King and the Queen and entered into that ship that had been prepared for her.  Thus, with Sir Tristram and with Dame Bragwaine and with their attendants, she set sail for Cornwall.

Now it happened that, whilst they were upon that voyage, the Lady Bragwaine came of a sudden into the cabin of that ship and there she beheld the Lady Belle Isoult lying upon a couch weeping.  Dame Bragwaine said, “Lady, why do you weep?” Whereunto the Lady Belle Isoult made reply:  “Alas, Bragwaine, how can I help but weep seeing that I am to be parted from the man I love and am to be married unto another whom I do not love?”

Dame Bragwaine laughed and said:  “Do you then weep for that?  See!  Here is a wonderful flask as it were of precious wine.  When you are married to the King of Cornwall, then you are to quaff of it and he is to quaff of it and after that you will forget all others in the world and cleave only to one another.  For it is a wonderful love potion and it hath been given to me to use in that very way.  Wherefore dry your eyes, for happiness may still lay before you.”

When the Lady Belle Isoult heard these words she wept no more but smiled very strangely.  Then by and by she arose and went away to where Sir Tristram was.

When she came to him she said, “Tristram, will you drink of a draught with me?” He said, “Yea, lady, though it were death in the draught.”

She said, “There is not death in it, but something very different,” and thereupon she went away into the cabin where that chalice aforesaid was hidden.  And at that time Dame Bragwaine was not there.

Then the Lady Belle Isoult took the flagon from where it was hidden, and poured the elixir out into a chalice of gold and crystal and she brought it to where Sir Tristram was.  When she had come there, she said, “Tristram, I drink to thee,” and therewith she drank the half of the elixir there Was in the chalice.  Then she said, “Now drink thou the rest to me.”

Upon that Sir Tristram took the chalice and lifted it to his lips, and drank all the rest of that liquor that was therein.

[Sidenote:  Sir Tristram and Belle Isoult drink the love potion] Now immediately Sir Tristram had drunk that elixir he felt it run like fire through every vein in his body.  Thereupon he cried out, “Lady, what is this you have given me to drink?” She said:  “Tristram, that was a powerful love potion intended for King Mark and me.  But now thou and I have drunk of it and never henceforth can either of us love anybody in all of the world but the other.”

Then Sir Tristram catched her into his arms and he cried out:  “Isoult!  Isoult! what hast thou done to us both?  Was it not enough that I should have been unhappy but that thou shouldst have chosen to be unhappy also?”

Thereat the Lady Belle Isoult both wept and smiled, looking up into Sir Tristram’s face, and she said:  “Nay, Tristram; I would rather be sorry with thee than happy with another.”  He said, “Isoult, there is much woe in this for us both.”  She said, “I care not, so I may share it with thee.”