Complete Works of Sir Thomas Malory

by Thomas Malory

  Than toke he hys swerde agayne and put hit up in hys sheethe, and made a crosse in hys forehede, and cam to the lyons. And they made sembelaunte to do hym harme. Natwithstondynge he passed by them withoute hurte, and entird into the castell to the chyeff fortresse. And there were they all at reste.

  Than sir Launcelot entred so armed, for he founde no gate nor doore but hit was opyn. And at the laste he founde a chambir whereof the doore was shutte, and he sett hys honde thereto to have opened [15] hit, but he myght nat. Than he enforced hym myckyll to undo the doore. Than he lystened and herde a voice whych sange so swetly that hit semede none erthely thynge, and hym thought the voice seyde, ‘Joy and honoure be to the Fadir of Hevyn.’

  Than sir Launcelot kneled adowne tofore the chambir dore, for well wyst he that there was the Sankgreall within that chambir. Than seyde he, ‘Fayre swete Fadir, Jesu Cryste! If ever I dud thynge that plesed The, Lorde, for Thy pité ne have me nat in dispite for my synnes done byforetyme, and that Thou shew me somthynge of that I seke.’ And with that he saw the chambir dore opyn, and there cam oute a grete clerenesse, that the house was as bryght as all the tourcheis of the worlde had bene there. So cam he to the chambir doore and wolde have entird. And anone a voice seyde unto hym, ‘Sir Launcelot, flee and entir nat, for thou ought nat to do hit! For and if thou entir thou shalt forthynke hit.’

  Than he withdrew hym aback ryght hevy. Than loked he up into the myddis of the chambir and saw a table of sylver, and the holy vessell coverde with rede samyte, and many angels aboute hit, whereof one hylde a candyll of wexe brennynge, and the other hylde a crosse and the ornementis of an awter. And before the holy vessell he saw a good man clothed as a pryste, and hit semed that he was at the sakerynge of the masse. And hit semed to sir Launcelot that above the prystis hondys were three men, whereof the two put the yongyste by lyknes betwene the prystes hondis; and so he lyffte {hym up ryght hyghe, and hit semed to shew so to the peple.

  And than sir Launcelot mervayled nat a litill, for hym thought the pryste was so gretly charged of the vygoure that hym semed that he sholde falle to the erth. And whan he saw none aboute hym that wolde helpe hym, than cam he to the dore a grete pace and seyde, ‘Fayre Fadir, Jesu Cryste, ne take hit for no synne if I helpe the good man whych hath grete nede of helpe.’

  Ryght so entird he into the chambir and cam toward the table of sylver, and whan he cam nyghe hit he felte a breeth that hym thought hit was entromedled with fyre, which smote hym so sore in the vysayge that hym thought hit brente hys vysayge. And therewith he felle to the erthe and had no power to aryse, as he that was so araged that had loste the power of hys body and hys hyrynge and syght. Than felte he many hondys whych toke hym up and bare hym oute of the chambir doore and leffte hym there semynge dede to all people.

  So uppon the morow, whan hit was fayre day, they within were rysen and founde sir Launcelot lyynge before the chambir doore. All they mervayled how that he com in. And so they loked uppon hym, and felte hys powse to wete whethir were ony lyff in hym. And so they founde lyff in hym, but he myght nat stonde nother stirre no membir that he had.

  And so they toke hym by every parte of the body and bare hym into a chambir and leyde hym in a rych bedde farre frome folke. And so he lay four dayes.

  Than one seyde he was on lyve, and another seyde nay, he was dede.

  ‘In the name of God,’ seyde an olde man, ‘I do you veryly to wete he ys nat dede, but he ys as fulle of lyff as the strengyst of you all. Therefore I rede you all that he be well kepte tylle God sende lyff in hym agayne.’

  So in such maner they kepte sir Launcelot four-and-twenty dayes and also many nyghtis, that ever he lay stylle as a dede man. And at the twenty-fifth day befylle hym aftir mydday that he opened hys yen. And whan he saw folke he made grete sorow and seyde,

  “Why have ye awaked me? For I was more at ease than I am now. A, Jesu Cryste, who myght be so blyssed that myght se opynly Thy grete mervayles of secretnesse there where no synner may be?’

  ‘What have ye sene?’ seyde they aboute hym.

  ‘I have sene’, seyde he, ‘grete mervayles that no tunge may telle, and more than ony herte can thynke. And had nat my synne bene beforetyme, ellis I had sene muche more.’

  Than they tolde hym how he had layne there four-and-twenty dayes and nyghtes. Than hym thought hit was ponyshemente for the four-and-twenty yere that he had bene a synner, wherefore oure Lorde put hym in penaunce the four-and-twenty dayes and nyghtes. Than loked Launcelot tofore hym and saw the hayre whych he had borne nyghe a yere; for that he forthoughte hym ryght muche that he had brokyn his promyse unto the ermyte whych he had avowed to do.

  Than they asked how hit stood with hym.

  ‘Forsothe,’ seyde he, ‘I am hole of body, thanked be oure Lorde. Therefore, for Goddis love, telle me where I am.’

  Than seyde they all that he was in the castell of Carbonek.

  Therewith com a jantillwoman and brought hym a shirte of small lynen clothe; but he chaunged nat there, but toke the hayre to hym agayne.

  ‘Sir,’ seyde they, ‘the queste of the Sankgreall ys encheved now ryght in you, and never shall ye se of Sankgreall more than ye have sene.’

  ‘Now I thanke God,’ seyde sir Launcelot, ‘for Hys grete mercy of that I have sene, for hit suffisith me. For, as I suppose, no man in thys worlde have lyved bettir than I have done to enchyeve that I have done.’

  And therewith he toke the hayre and clothed hym in hit, and aboven that he put a lynen shirte, and aftir that a roobe of scarlet, freyssh and new. And whan he was so arayed they mervayled all, for they knew hym well that he was sir Launcelot, the good knyght. And than they seyde all, A, my lorde sir Launcelott, ye be he?’

  And he seyde, ‘Yee truly, I am he.’

  Than came worde to the kynge Pelles that the knyght that had layne so longe dede was the noble knyght sir Launcelot. Than was the kynge ryght glad and wente to se hym, and whan sir Launcelot saw hym com he dressed hym ayenste hym, and than made the kynge grete joy of hym. And there the kynge tolde hym tydynges how his fayre doughter was dede. Than sir Launcelot was ryght hevy and seyde, ‘Me forthynkith of the deth of youre doughter, for she was a full fayre lady, freyshe and yonge. And well I wote she bare the beste knyght that ys now on erthe, or that ever was syn God was borne.’

  So the kynge hylde hym there four dayes, and on the morow he toke hys leve at kynge Pelles and at all the felyship, and thanked them of the grete laboure.

  Ryght so as they sate at her dyner in the chyff halle, hit befylle that the Sangreall had fulfylled the table with all metis that ony harte myght thynke. And as they sate they saw all the doorys of the paleyse and wyndowes shutte withoute mannys honde. So were they all abaysshed. So a knyght whych was all armed cam to the chyeff dore, and knocked and cryed, ‘Undo!’

  But they wolde nat, and ever he cryed, ‘Undo!’

  So hit noyed hem so much that the kynge hymselff arose and cam to a wyndow there where the knyght called. Than he seyde, ‘Sir knyght, ye shall nat enter at thys tyme, whyle the Sankgreall ys hyre. And therefore go ye into anothir fortresse, for ye be none of the knyghtes of the Quest, but one of them whych have servyd the fyende, and haste leffte the servyse of oure Lorde.’

  Than was he passynge wroth at the kynges wordis.

  ‘Sir knyght,’ seyde the kynge, ‘syn ye wolde so fayne entir, telle me of what contrey ye be.’

  ‘Sir,’ he seyde, ‘I am of the realme of Logrys, and my name ys sir Ector de Marys, brother unto my lorde sir Launcelot.’

  ‘In the name of God,’ seyde the kynge, me forthynkis sore of that I have seyde, for youre brother ys hereinne.’

  Whan sir Ector undirstood that hys brother was there, for he was the man in the worlde that he moste drad and loved, than he seyde, ‘A, good lorde, now dowblith my sorow and shame! Full truly seyde the good man of the hylle unto sir Gawayne and to me of oure dremys.’

  Than wente he oute of the courte as faste as hys horse myght, and so thorowoute the castell.

&nbs
p; [17] Than kyng Pelles cam to sir Launcelot and tolde hym tydynges of hys brothir. Anone he was sory therefore that he wyst nat what to do. So sir Launcelot departed and toke hys armys and seyde he wold go se the realme of Logris whych he had nat sene afore in a yere, and therewith commaunded the kynge to God.

  And so rode thorow many realmys, and at the laste he com to a whyght abbay, and there they made hym that nyght grete chere. And on the morne he arose and hard masse, and afore an awter he founde a ryche tombe which was newly made. And than he toke hede and saw the sydys wryten with golde which seyde, ‘Here lyeth kyng Bagdemagus of Gore, which kynge Arthurs nevew slew,’ and named hym sir Gawayne.

  Than was nat he a litill sory, for sir Launcelot loved hym muche more than ony other and had hit bene ony other than sir Gawayne he sholde nat ascape frome the dethe, and seyde to hymselff, ‘A, lorde God! Thys ys a grete hurte unto kynge Arthurs courte, the losse of suche a man!’

  And than he departed and cam to the abbey where sir Galahad dud the aventure of the tombis and wan the whyght shylde with the rede crosse. And there had he grete chere all that nyght, and on the morne he turned to Camelot where he founde kynge Arthure and the quene.

  But many of the knyghtes of Rounde Table were slayne and destroyed, more than halff; and so three of them were com home, sir Ector, Gawayne, and Lyonell, and many other that nedith nat now to reherce. And all the courte were passyng glad of sir Launcelot, and the kynge asked hym many tydyngis of hys sonne sir Galahad.

  And there sir Launcelot tolde the kynge of hys aventures that befelle hym syne he departed. And also he tolde hym of the aventures of sir Galahad, sir Percivale, and sir Bors whych that he knew by the lettir of the ded mayden, and also as sir Galahad had tolde hym.

  ‘Now God wolde,’ seyde the kynge, ‘that they were all three here!’

  ‘That shall never be,’ seyde sir Launcelot, ‘for two of hem shall ye never se. But one of them shall com home agayne.’

  NOW LEVITH THYS TALE AND SPEKITH OF SIR GALAHAD.

  IX. THE MIRACLE OF GALAHAD

  Now seyth the tale that sir Galahad rode many journeys in vayne, [18] and at last he com to the abbay where kyng Mordrayns was. And whan he harde that, he thoughte he wolde abyde to se hym.

  And so uppon the morne, whan he had herd masse, sir Galahad com unto kynge Mordrayns. And anone the kyng saw hym, whych had layne blynde of longe tyme, and than he dressed hym ayenste hym and seyde, ‘Sir Galahad, the servaunte of Jesu Cryste and verry knyght, whos commynge I have abyddyn longe, now enbrace me and lette me reste on thy breste, so that I may reste betwene thyne armys!

  For thou arte a clene virgyne above all knyghtes, as the floure of the lyly in whom virginité is signified. And thou arte the rose which ys the floure of all good vertu, and in colour of fyre. For the fyre of the Holy Goste ys takyn so in the that my fleyssh, whych was all dede of oldeness, ys becom agayne yonge.’

  Whan sir Galahad harde thes wordys, than he enbraced hym and all hys body. Than seyde he, ‘Fayre Lorde Jesu Cryste, now I have my wylle! Now I requyre The, in thys poynte that I am in, that Thou com and visite me.’

  And anone oure Lorde herde his prayer, and therewith the soule departed frome the body. And than sir Galahad put hym in the erthe as a kynge ought to be. And so departed, and cam into a perelous foreyste where he founde the welle which boyled with wawis, as the tale tellith tofore.

  And as sone as sir Galahad sette hys honde thereto hit seased, so that hit brente no more, and anone the hete departed away. And cause why that hit brente, hit was a sygne of lechory that was that tyme muche used, but that hete myght nat abyde hys pure virginité. And so thys was takyn in the contrey for a miracle, and so ever afftir was hit called Galahaddis Welle.

  So by aventure he com unto the contrey of Gore, and into the abbey where sir Launcelot had bene toforehonde and founde the tombe of kynge Bagdemagus. But he was fownder thereoff, for there was the tombe of Joseph of Aramathyys son, and the tombe of Symyan, where sir Launcelot had fayled. Than he loke into a croufte undir the mynstir, and there he sawe a tombe which brente full mervaylously.

  Than asked he the brethirne what hit was.

  ‘Sir’, seyde they, ‘a mervalous aventure that may nat be brought to an ende but by hym that passith of bounté and of knyghthode all them of the Rounde Table.’

  ‘I wolde,’ seyde sir Galahad, ‘that ye wolde brynge me thereto.”Gladly,’ seyde they.

  And so ledde hym tyll a cave, and so he wente downe uppon grecis and cam unto the tombe. And so the flamyng fayled, and the fyre staunched which many a day had bene grete. Than cam there a voice whych seyde, ‘Much ar ye beholde to thanke God which hath gyven you a good owre, that ye may draw oute the soulis of erthely payne and to putte them into the joyes of Paradyse. Sir, I am of youre kynred, which hath dwelled in thys hete thys three hondred wyntir and four-andfifty to be purged of the synne that I ded ayenste Aramathy Joseph.’ Than sir Galahad toke the body in his armys and bare hit into the mynster. And that nyght lay sir Galahad in the abbay, and on the morne he gaff hym hys servyse and put hym in the erthe byfore [19] the hyghe awter. So departed he frome thens, and commended the brethirn to God. And so he rode fyve dayes tylle that he cam to the Maymed Kynge.

  And ever folowed sir Percivale the fyve dayes askynge where he had bene, and so one tolde hym how the aventures of Logrus were encheved. So on a day hit befelle that he cam oute of a grete foreyste, and there mette they at travers with sir Bors which rode alone. Hit ys no rede to aske if they were glad! And so he salewed them, and they yelded to hym honoure and good aventure, and everych tolde other how they had spedde. Than seyde sir Bors, ‘Hit ys more than a yere and a halff that I ne lay ten tymes where men dwelled, but in wylde forestis and in mownteaynes. But God was ever my comforte.’

  Than rode they a grete whyle tylle they cam to the castell of Carbonek. And whan they were entirde within, kynge Pelles knew hem. So there was grete joy, for he wyste well by her commynge that they had fulfylled the quest of the Sankgreall.

  Than Elyazar, kynge Pelles sonne, brought tofore them the brokyn swerde wherewith Josephe was stryken thorow the thyghe. Than sir Bors sette his honde thereto to say if he myght have sowded hit agayne, but hit wolde nat be. Than he toke hit to sir Percivale, but he had no more power thereto than he.

  ‘Now have ye hit agayne,’ seyde sir Percivale unto sir Galahad, ‘for and hit be ever encheved by ony bodily man, ye muste do hit.’ And than he toke the pecis and set hem togydirs, and semed to them as hit had never be brokyn, and as well as hit was firste forged. And whan they within aspyed that the aventure of the swerde was encheved, than they gaff the swerde to sir Bors, for hit myght no bettir be sette, for he was so good a knyght and a worthy man.

  And a litill before evyn the swerde arose, grete and merevaylous, and was full of grete hete, that many men felle for drede. And anone alyghte a voyce amonge them and seyde, ‘They that ought nat to sitte at the table of oure Lorde Jesu Cryste, avoyde hens! For now there shall verry knyghtes be fedde.’

  So they wente thense all, sauf kyng Pelles and Elyazar, hys sonne, which were holy men, and a mayde whych was hys nyce. And so there abode thes three knyghtes and these three; elles were no mo. And anone they saw knyghtes all armed that cam in at the halle dore, and ded of their helmys and armys, and seyde unto sir Galahad, ‘Sir, we have hyghed ryght muche for to be with you at thys table where the holy mete shall be departed.’

  Than seyde he, ‘Ye be wellcom! But of whens be ye?’

  So three of them seyde they were of Gaule, and other three seyde they were of Irelonde, and other three seyde they were of Danemarke.

  And so as they sate thus, there cam oute a bedde of tre of a chambir, which four jantillwomen broughte, and in the bedde lay a good man syke, and had a crowne of golde uppon his hede. And there, in the myddis of the paleyse, they sette hym downe and wente agayne. Than he lyffte up hys hede and seyde, ‘Sir Galahad, good knyght, ye be ryght wellcom, for much have y desyred your commyng! For in such payne and in such an
gwysh as I have no man ellis myght have suffird longe. But now I truste to God the terme ys com that my payne shall be alayed, and so I shall sone passe oute of thys worlde, so as hit was promysed me longe ago.’

  And therewith a voice seyde, ‘There be two amonge you that be nat in the queste of the Sankgreall, and therefore departith!’

  Than kynge Pelles and hys sunne departed. And therewithall besemed them that there cam an olde man and four angelis frome hevyn, clothed in lyknesse of a byshop, and had a crosse in hys honde. And thes four angels bare hym up in a chayre and sette hym downe before the table of sylver whereuppon the Sankgreall was. And hit semed that he had in myddis of hys forehede lettirs which seyde, ‘Se you here Joseph, the firste bysshop of Crystendom, the same which oure Lorde succoured in the cité of Sarras in the spirituall palleys’. Than the knyghtes mervayled, for that bysshop was dede more than three hondred yere tofore.

  ‘A, knyghtes,’ seyde he, ‘mervayle nat, for I was somtyme an erthely man.’

  So with that they harde the chambir dore opyn, and there they saw angels. And two bare candils of wexe, and the thirde bare a towell, and the fourth a speare which bled mervaylously, that the droppis felle within a boxe which he hylde with hys othir hande.

  And anone they sette the candyls uppon the table, and the thirde the towell uppon the vessell, and the fourth the holy speare evyn upryght uppon the vessell.

  And than the bysshop made sembelaunte as thoughe he wolde have gone to the sakeryng of a masse, and than he toke an obley which was made in lyknesse of brede. And at the lyfftyng up there cam a vigoure in lyknesse of a chylde, and the vysayge was as rede and as bryght os ony fyre, and smote hymselff into the brede, that all they saw hit that the brede was fourmed of a fleyshely man. And than he put hit into the holy vessell agayne, and than he ded that longed to a preste to do masse.