[Sidenote:  Sir Tristram does battle with Sir Nabon] So thereupon each knight took his place for assault, and when they were in all ways prepared, each set spurs to his horse and dashed the one against the other, with a dreadful, terrible fury of onset.  Each smote the other in the very midst of his shield, and at that blow the lance of each was altogether shivered into pieces to the very truncheon thereof.  But each knight recovered his horse from the fall and each leaped to earth and drew his sword, and each rushed against the other with such fury that it was as though sparks of pure fire flew out from the oculariums of the helmets.  Therewith they met together, and each lashed and smote at the other such fell strokes that the noise thereof might easily have been heard several furlongs away.  Now in the beginning of that battle Sir Tristram was at first sore bestead and wist that he had met the biggest knight that ever he had encountered in all of his life, unless it was Sir Launcelot of the Lake, whom he had encountered as aforetold of in this history.  So at first he bore back somewhat from the might of the blows of Sir Nabon.  For Sir Nabon was so huge of frame and the blows he struck were so heavy that they drove Sir Tristram back as it were in spite of himself.

[Sidenote:  Sir Tristram slays Sir Nabon] Then Sir Tristram began to say to himself:  “Tristram, if you indeed lose this battle, then there will be no one to defend your honor before Sir Launcelot who hath impeached it.”  Therewith it was as though new strength and life came back to him, and of a sudden he rushed that battle, and struck with threefold fury, and gave stroke upon stroke with such fierceness of strength that Sir Nabon was astonished and fell back before his assault.  Then Sir Tristram perceived how Sir Nabon held his shield passing low, and therewith he rushed in upon him and smote him again and again and yet again.  And so he smote Sir Nabon down upon his knees.  Then he rushed in upon him and catched his helmet and plucked it off from his head.  And he catched Sir Nabon by the hair of his head and drew his head forward.  And Sir Tristram lifted his sword on high and he smote Sir Nabon’s head from off his body so that it rolled down into the dust upon the ground.

Now when the son of Sir Nabon perceived how that his father was slain, he shrieked like a woman.  And he fell down upon his knees and crawled upon his knees to Sir Tristram and catched him about the thighs, crying out to him, “Spare me, and slay me not!”

But Sir Tristram thrust him away and said, “Who art thou?”

“Messire,” said the youth, “I am the son of him whom thou hast just slain.”

[Sidenote:  Sir Tristram slays the son of Sir Nabon] Then Sir Tristram looked closely into his face, and he perceived that it was wicked and treacherous and malevolent like to the face of Sir Nabon.  Thereupon Sir Tristram said:  “If a man shall slay the wolf and spare the whelp of the wolf, what shall the world be the better therefor?” Therewith he catched the son of Sir Nabon by the hair and dragged him down and smote off his head likewise as he had smitten off the head of his father, so that it fell upon the ground beside the head of Sir Nabon.