Merlin and the Grail

by Robert de Boron

  So the good man gave the girls sound advice and set them on the right path. The elder believed him utterly and loved him for his good advice. This troubled the demon mightily; he feared they might be lost to him. He considered long how he might trick them.

  Nearby lived a woman who had done his will and his works many times; the demon took her and led her to the two girls. She came to the younger sister, not daring to speak to the elder because she saw her modest countenance. She drew the younger sister aside and asked her all about her life and condition.

  ‘How’s your sister?’ she asked. ‘Does she love you and treat you well?’

  ‘My sister’s very troubled,’ she replied, ‘about the misfortunes that have befallen us, so she gives no kind attention to me or anyone. And a worthy man who speaks to her about God each day has converted her so wholly to his ways that she does only what he tells her.’

  And the woman said: ‘Dear girl, what a shame for your lovely body, which will never know joy as long as you’re in your sister’s company. Oh God! My dear friend, if you knew the joy that other women have, you’d count all others as nothing! Oh, we have such pleasure from the company of men! Compared with that, what joy does a woman have? My dear,’ she said, ‘I tell you for your own good, you’ll never know joy or understand the pleasure of being with a man so long as you’re with your sister, and I’ll tell you why. She’s older than you, and will in time have her share of pleasure with men, and won’t allow you to enjoy it before her! And while she’s experiencing that pleasure she’ll have no thought for you! So you’ll lose the joy that your poor, lovely body might have had.’

  ‘How could I dare to do what you say?’ said the girl. ‘For my other sister’s suffered a shameful death for just such a deed.’

  ‘Your sister,’ the woman replied, ‘was too foolish, too ill-advised, in the way she went about it! If you’ll trust in me, you’ll never be found out and will enjoy all bodily pleasure.’

  ‘I don’t know how I’ll do it,’ the girl said, ‘but I’ll say no more now, on account of my sister.’

  The demon was overjoyed at hearing this, certain now that he would have her in his power. He led his woman away, and when she was gone the girl thought long about what she had said. When the demon heard and saw how drawn she was towards doing his will, as she talked about it to herself, he fanned the flames with all his power. She said: ‘That good woman told me the truth indeed when she said I’d lost all worldly pleasure.’

  And the day finally came when she summoned the woman and said to her: ‘Truly, lady, you were right the other day when you said my sister had no care for me.’

  ‘I know, dear friend,’ the woman replied, ‘and she’ll care even less if she finds pleasure herself. And we were made for no other purpose than to have pleasure with men!’

  ‘I would very gladly have it,’ said the girl, ‘were I not afraid it would earn my death!’

  ‘It would,’ the woman replied, ‘if you acted as foolishly as your other sister. But I’ll teach you how to go about it.’

  And the girl said: ‘Tell me!’

  ‘My dear,’ said the woman, ‘you will give yourself to all men! Leave your sister’s house, saying you can’t bear to be with her any longer. Then do as you like with your body – no accusation will be levelled against you: you’ll be clear of all danger. When you’ve led that life as long as you please, some worthy man will be pleased to have you on account of your inheritance! If you do as I say, you can enjoy all worldly happiness.’

  The girl agreed to do as she said, and left her sister’s house and gave her body freely to men just as the woman had advised.

  The demon was overjoyed at deceiving the younger sister. And when the elder knew that she had gone she went to the good confessor. Seeing her terrible sorrow he felt great pity for her and said: ‘Dear friend, make the sign of the cross and commend yourself to God, for I can see you’re most perturbed.’

  ‘I’m right to be,’ she answered, and she told him how her sister had left her and was giving herself freely to men. The good man was aghast and said: ‘My dear girl, the Devil is still about you, and he’ll never rest till he’s deceived you all.’

  ‘In God’s name, sir,’ she asked him, ‘how can I protect myself? I fear nothing in the world so much as his trickery.’

  ‘If you’ll trust in my words,’ he said, ‘he’ll not deceive you.’

  ‘Sir,’ she replied, ‘I’ll believe anything you say.’

  Then the good man said to her: ‘Do you believe in the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and that these three beings are one in God; and that Our Lord came to Earth to save sinners who were willing to believe in baptism, and in the other commandments of Holy Church and of the ministers that He left on Earth to save those who would come in His name and follow the right path?’

  ‘I do indeed,’ she replied, ‘and always will, and may He guard me from the Devil’s wiles.’

  ‘If you believe as you say,’ said the good man, ‘no evil being can deceive you. I beg and command you above all things to beware of giving way to excessive wrath, for I tell you truly, the Devil finds his way into men and women possessed by wrath more readily than by any other path. So beware of all misdeeds, and whenever you do become upset, my good dear friend, come to me and tell me so. And admit your wrongs to Our Lord and all the saints and all Christian men. And every time you wake or go to bed, raise your hand and make the sign of the cross on which the precious body of Christ was hung to redeem sinners from the pains of Hell, in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, so that no devil or demon can possess you. If you do as I say,’ the good man said, ‘the Devil cannot deceive you. And make sure there’s always light where you lie down to sleep, for the Devil hates places where light shines.’

  Such was the good man’s lesson to the girl who so feared being tricked by the Devil. Then she returned home, full of trust and humility towards God and the good, worthy people of the land. The good men and women came to her and kept saying: ‘Lady, you must be very troubled by the torments that have befallen you, losing your father and mother and sisters and brother in such a terrible way. But take comfort in your good heart now, and consider: you’re a very rich woman with a handsome inheritance, and some worthy man would be delighted to have you as his wife and keep you safe and well.’

  And she replied: ‘Our Lord knows my needs and keeps me accordingly.’

  In this state the girl remained for a long while. For fully two years or more the demon could conceive no way to trick her or find any wrongdoing in her. It annoyed him greatly, as he realised he could not deceive her or influence her behaviour; and so averse was she to doing his works, which held no appeal for her, that he began to think the only way to make her forget the good man’s advice was through a fit of anger. So the demon went and fetched her sister, and brought her to her one Saturday night to incense her and to see if he could then deceive her. When the good maiden’s sister arrived at her father’s house it was well into the night and she was accompanied by a band of young men. They all came flocking in together, and when her sister saw them she was furious and said: ‘My dear girl, as long as you lead this shameful life you’ve no right to enter this house. I shall be held to blame, which I can well do without!’

  Hearing her say that she would cause her shame enraged the younger sister, who said she was more guilty still: she accused her of being sinfully loved by her confessor, and said that if people knew of it she would be burnt at the stake. When she heard this devilish accusation the elder girl was filled with rage, and told her sister to leave the house. The mad sister replied that it was her father’s house as much as hers, and that she would not leave on her account. Hearing this refusal, the elder girl grabbed her by the shoulders and was about to fling her out; but she fought back, and the young men who had come with her seized the sister and beat her grievously until she let her go. When they had had their fill of beating her she ran to her chamber and shut the door behind her. She h
ad only a maid and a manservant to care for her, but they were enough to stop the boys beating her more.

  There in her chamber all alone she lay down on her bed fully clothed; she began to weep and lament most terribly, and her heart was filled with the deepest anger. In this woeful state she fell asleep. And the demon, knowing anger had erased all else, was overjoyed that she had forgotten the good man’s lesson, and said: ‘Now I can do whatever I want with her! She’s outside her teacher’s protection and her Lord’s grace. Now we can put our man in her!’

  This was the demon who had the power to have relations with women and to lie with them; he made himself ready, came to her chamber, lay with her, and conceived. When it was done, she awoke; and as she did so she remembered her worthy confessor’s words and made the sign of the cross. Then she said: ‘Holy Lady Mary, what’s happened to me? I’m not the maiden I was when I lay down in my bed! Dear glorious mother of Christ, daughter and mother of God, implore your dear son to keep me from peril and protect my soul from the Enemy.’

  Then she rose from her bed and began to look for the man who had done this to her, for she imagined she would be able to find him. But when she came to the door of her chamber she found it locked. She searched every corner of the room and found nothing. She knew for certain then that she had been deceived by the Enemy. She began to lament and appeal to Our Lord to have pity and save her from worldly shame.

  Night passed and morning came. And as soon as it was light the demon led the younger sister away – she had thoroughly fulfilled his purpose – and when she and the young men were gone, the elder girl came from her chamber, weeping, in great distress, and called her servant and told him to fetch two women. He did so, and when they arrived she set out with them to see her confessor. She made her way there, and as soon as the good man saw her he said: ‘My dear friend, you clearly need help: I can see you’re in a state of fear and shock.’

  ‘Sir,’ she replied, ‘something has happened to me that never befell a woman before. I’ve come to you for advice in God’s name, for you told me that no matter how great a sin might be, if a person will confess and repent and do as the confessor says, the sin will be forgiven. Sir, I have sinned indeed, and have been deceived by the Enemy.’

  And she told him how her sister had come to the house and of their argument, and how she and the young men had beaten her; and how she had gone to her chamber in a rage and shut herself in, and because of the depth of her grief and anger had forgotten to make the sign of the cross.

  ‘So I forgot all the instructions you gave me. I lay down in my bed fully dressed and fell asleep, still in a state of deep anger. And when I awoke, I found I’d been shamed and was a maiden no more. Sir, I searched my chamber from top to bottom, and the door was locked, but I found no human soul. I didn’t know who’d done this to me: I knew I’d been deceived. I beg you in God’s name, though my body may be in torment, let me not lose my soul.’

  The good man had listened to every word she said and was astounded; but he did not believe it at all, for he had never heard of such a wonder, and he said to her: ‘Dear friend, you are possessed by the Devil, and the Devil is speaking through you still. How can I confess you or give you penance when I fear you’re lying? No woman ever lost her virginity without knowing by whom, or without at least seeing the man! Yet you expect me to believe this wonder has befallen you.’

  ‘May God keep me from torment, sir,’ she replied, ‘as surely as I am telling you the truth!’

  ‘If you are,’ said the good man, ‘you’ll know it soon enough! You’ve committed a great sin in disobeying my command, and for your disobedience I charge you as a penance that for the rest of your life you eat only once on a Friday; and in payment for your lustful act – about which I do not believe you – I must give you another lifelong penance, if you’re willing to do as I say.’

  ‘I’ll do anything you command, sir,’ she said, and he replied: ‘May God ensure that you do. Assure me that you’ll submit to the instruction of the ministers of Holy Church and of God, who redeemed us at the dear price of His precious blood and His death; and that you’ll make true confession and humble repentance fully confirmed in heart and body, and act and speak in all ways according to Christ’s commandments.’

  ‘Sir,’ she replied, ‘I’ll do all in my power to do exactly as you say.’

  ‘I trust in God,’ he said, ‘that, if you’re telling the truth, you’ll have nothing to fear.’

  ‘May God guard me from all baseness and reproach, for my words are true.’

  ‘So you swear to me,’ he said, ‘to do your penance faithfully and to renounce and abandon your sin?’

  ‘Yes indeed, sir,’ she replied, and he said:

  ‘Then you have abjured lust. I forbid you to indulge in lustful ways for the rest of your life – except for what befell you while you slept, which no-one could have avoided. Are you willing and able to accept this?’

  ‘Yes, sir,’ she replied, ‘if you can ensure that I’m not damned for this sin, as God has installed you on Earth at His command.’

  She accepted the penance with which the good man charged her, repenting very willingly and with a true heart. The good man blessed her with the sign of the cross, and did all he could to restore her to the faith of Jesus Christ; and he pondered deeply how her story could be true. After much thought he realised she had been deceived by some demon, and he called her to him and made her drink holy water in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and sprinkled it over her, saying: ‘Be sure that you never forget my commandments. And whenever you need me, come to me and make the sign of the cross and commend yourself to God.’ And he committed her in penitence to do all the good deeds that she could.

  And so she made her way home, and proceeded to lead a good and honest life. And when the demon realised he had lost her, and had no knowledge of anything she did or said – she might as well never have existed – he was enraged. She stayed at home and led an excellent life, until the seed she had in her body could hide itself no longer, and she grew fat and round until it was noticed by other women. They looked at her belly and said: ‘Dear friend, are you with child?’

  ‘Truly, ladies,’ she replied, ‘I am.’

  ‘God!’ they cried. ‘Who was it made you so? You’re round and full-bellied indeed!’

  ‘I know I am, truly,’ she said.

  ‘Who is responsible?’ they asked.

  ‘May God comfort me,’ she replied, ‘I’ve no idea at all.’

  ‘Have you had so many men?’ they said.

  ‘So help me God,’ she answered, ‘no man has ever done anything to me to cause me to be with child.’

  ‘That’s impossible, my dear!’ they said. ‘But perhaps you have a secret lover who’s done this, and you don’t want to accuse him? Well truly, your body’s at terrible risk, for as soon as the judges know of this you’ll be stoned to death.’

  When she heard that she faced certain death she was filled with fear and said: ‘May God protect my soul as surely as I never saw the man responsible!’

  With that the women left; they thought her mad, and said how terribly sad it was about her great inheritance and fine estates, for now she would lose everything. She was appalled by this, and returned to her confessor and told him what the women had said. Then the good man saw she was great with child, and he was deeply shocked and asked her if she had done the penance he had laid upon her. And she replied: ‘Yes, sir, unfailingly.’

  ‘And this sin has befallen you only once?’

  ‘Yes indeed, sir,’ she said. ‘At no other time, either before or since.’

  The good man was perplexed by these events; and he wrote down the night and the hour of the conception according to her story, and said: ‘Be assured that when the child inside you is born, I’ll know whether you’ve told me the truth or lied. And I have utter faith in God that, if your story’s true, you’ll be in no danger of death. You may well fear it, though, for when the judges know of it t
hey’ll seize you to get their hands on your fine properties and land, and will threaten to put you to death. When you’re arrested send me word, and I’ll bring you counsel and comfort if I can, and God will help you if you’re as innocent as you say. But if you’re not, be assured that He’ll not forget you! Go home now,’ he said, ‘and stay calm and lead a good life, for a good life helps bring about a good end.’

  So she returned home that night, and proceeded to lead a peaceful, humble life, until such time as the judges came to those parts and heard about the lady who had conceived a child in this strange manner. They sent people to her house to find and fetch her. When she was arrested she sent word to the good man who had been such a faithful counsellor, and as soon as he heard he came with all possible speed. The judges welcomed him, but repeated the lady’s story that she did not know who had made her pregnant, and said: ‘Do you believe that any woman can conceive and become pregnant without male company?’

  ‘I shan’t tell you all I know,’ the good man replied, ‘but what I will say is this: if you want my advice you’ll not put her to death while she’s with child – it wouldn’t be right, for the child doesn’t deserve to die. He has committed no sin, and wasn’t involved in the sin of his mother. If you put her to death you’ll be guilty of the death of an innocent.’

  And the judges said: ‘Sir, we’ll do as you advise.’

  ‘Then keep her in a tower under close guard, so that she can do nothing foolish. And place two women with her who can help her when the time comes for the delivery, and make sure they can’t slip away. So she’ll be well guarded until she has the child. And then I advise you to let her feed the child until he can feed himself and make his own needs clear. Then do whatever else you feel necessary. But give them whatever they need: you can easily do so by drawing on her own wealth. This is my advice, and you’ll follow it if you trust me – though if you wish to do otherwise I can’t stop you.’