So three of them said they were of Gaul, and other three said they were
of Ireland, and the other three said they were of Denmark.
Therewith a voice said: "There be two among you that be not in the quest
of the Sangreal, and therefore depart ye."
Then King Pelles and his son departed. And therewithal beseemed them
that there came a man, and four angels from heaven, clothed in likeness
of a bishop, and had a cross in his hand; and these four angels bare him
in a chair, and set him down before the table of silver whereupon the
Sangreal was; and it seemed that he had in middes of his forehead
letters the which said: "See ye here Joseph, the first bishop of
Christendom, the same which Our Lord succoured in the city of Sarras in
the spiritual place."
Then the knights marveled, for that bishop was dead more than three
hundred year tofore. "O knights," said he, "marvel not, for I was
sometime an earthly man."
With that they heard the chamber door open, and there they saw angels;
and two bare candles of wax, and the third a towel, and the fourth a
spear which bled marvelously, that three drops fell within a box which
he held with his other hand. And they set the candles upon the table,
and the third the towel upon the vessel, and the fourth the holy spear
even upright upon the vessel. And then the bishop made semblaunt[20] as
though he would have gone to the sacring[21] of the mass. And then he
did that longed[22] to a priest to do a mass. And then he went to
Galahad and kissed him, and bade him go and kiss his fellows: and so he
did anon.
[Footnote 20: _Semblaunt_ meant _show, appearance_.]
[Footnote 21: _Sacring_ is from _sacre_, an old word meaning
_consecrate_.]
[Footnote 22: That is, _belonged_.]
"Now," said he, "servants of Jesu Christ, ye shall be fed afore this
table with sweetmeats that never knights tasted."
And when he had said, he vanished away. And they set them at the table
in great dread, and made their prayers.
Then looked they and saw a man come out of the Holy Vessel, that had all
the signs of the passion of Jesu Christ, bleeding all openly, and said:
"My knights, and my servants, and my true children, which be come out of
deadly life into spiritual life, I will now no longer hide me from you,
but ye shall see now a part of my secrets and of my hidden things: now
hold and receive the high meat which ye have so much desired." Then took
he himself the Holy Vessel and came to Galahad; and he kneeled down, and
there he received his Saviour, and after him so received all his
fellows; and they thought it so sweet that it was marvelous to tell.
Then said he to Galahad: "Son, wottest thou what I hold betwixt my
hands?"
"Nay," said he, "but if ye will tell me." "This is," said he, "the holy
dish wherein I ate the lamb on Sher-Thursday.[23] And now hast thou seen
that thou most desire to see, but yet hast thou not seen it so openly as
thou shalt see it in the city of Sarras in the spiritual place.
Therefore thou must go hence and bear with thee this Holy Vessel; for
this night it shall depart from the realm of Logris, that it shall never
be seen more here. And wottest thou wherefor? For he is not served nor
worshipped to his right by them of this land, for they be turned to evil
living; therefore I shall disinherit them of the honour which I have
done them. And therefore go ye three to-morrow unto the sea, where ye
shall find your ship ready, and with you take no more but Sir Percivale
and Sir Bors." Then gave he them his blessing and vanished away.
[Footnote 23: _Sher-Thursday_ or _Maundy Thursday_ is the name given to
Thursday of the Holy Week, the day on which the Last Supper was
celebrated.]
That same night about midnight came a voice among them which said: "My
sons and not my chief sons, my friends and not my warriors, go ye hence
where ye hope best to do and as I bade you."
"Ah, thanked be Thou, Lord, that Thou wilt vouchsafe to call us, Thy
sinners. Now may we well prove that we have not lost our pains."
And anon in all haste they took their harness and departed. But the
three knights of Gaul, one of them hight Claudine, King Claudas' son,
and the other two were great gentlemen. Then prayed Galahad to every
each of them, that if they come to King Arthur's court that they should
salute Sir Launcelot, his father, and of them of the Round Table; and
prayed them if that they came on that part that they should not forget
it.
Right so departed Galahad, Percivale and Bors with him; and so they rode
three days, and then they came to a rivage,[24] and found a ship. And
when they came to the board they found in the middes the table of silver
and the Sangreal which was covered with red samite.
[Footnote 24: _Rivage_ is an old word meaning _bank_.]
Then were they glad to have such things in their fellowship; and so they
entered and made great reverence thereto; and Galahad fell in his prayer
long time to Our Lord, that at what time he asked, that he should pass
out of this world. So much he prayed till a voice said to him: "Galahad,
thou shalt have thy request; and when thou askest the death of thy body
thou shalt have it, and then shalt thou find the life of the soul."
Percivale heard this, and prayed him to tell him wherefore he asked such
things.
"That shall I tell you," said Galahad; "the other day when we saw a part
of the adventures of the Sangreal I was in such joy of heart, that I
trow never man was that was earthly. And therefore I wot well, when my
body is dead my soul shall be in great joy to see the blessed Trinity
every day, and the Majesty of Our Lord, Jesu Christ."
So long were they in the ship that they said to Galahad: "Sir, in this
bed ought ye to lie, for so sayeth the scripture."
[Illustration: THE SHIP APPROACHES THE CITY OF SARRAS]
And so he laid him down and slept a great while; and when he awaked he
looked afore him and saw the city of Sarras. Then took they out of the
ship the table of silver, and he took it to Percivale and to Bors, to go
tofore, and Galahad came behind. And right so they went to the city, and
at the gate of the city they saw an old man crooked. Then Galahad called
him and bade him help to bear this heavy thing.
"Truly," said the old man, "it is ten years ago that I might not go but
with crutches."
"Care thou not," said Galahad, "and arise up and shew thy good will."
And so he assayed, and found himself as whole as ever he was. Then ran
he to the table, and took one part against Galahad.
And anon arose there great noise in the city, that a cripple was made
whole by knights marvelous that entered into the city. And when the king
of the city, which was cleped[25] Estorause, saw the fellowship, he
asked them of whence they were, and what thing it was that they had
brought upon the table of silver. And they told him the truth of the
Sangreal, and the power which that God had set there. Then the king was
a tyrant, and was come of the line of paynims,[26] and took them and put
them in prison in a deep hole.
[Footnote 25: _Cleped_ meant _named_]
[Footnote 26: A _paynim_ is an infidel.]
But as soon as they were there Our Lord sent them the Sangreal, through
whose grace they were alway fulfilled while that they were in prison.
So at the year's end it befell that this King Estorause lay sick, and
felt that he should die. Then he sent for the three knights, and they
came afore him; and he cried them mercy of that he had done to them, and
they forgave it him goodly; and he died anon.
When the king was dead all the city was dismayed, and wist not who might
be their king. Right so as they were in counsel there came a voice among
them, and bade them choose the youngest knight of them three to be their
king: "For he shall well maintain you and all yours." So they made
Galahad king by all the assent of the holy city.
[Illustration: THE LAST APPEARANCE OF THE SANGREAL]
Now at the year's end, and the self day after Galahad had borne the
crown of gold, he arose up early and his fellows, and came to the
palace, and saw tofore them the Holy Vessel, and a man kneeling on his
knees in likeness of a bishop, that had about him a great fellowship of
angels as it had been Jesu Christ himself; and then he arose and began a
mass of Our Lady. And when he came to the sacrament of the mass, and had
done, anon he called Galahad, and said to him: "Come forth the servant
of Jesu Christ, and thou shalt see that thou hast much desired to see."
Then Galahad held up his hands toward heaven and said: "Lord, I thank
thee, for now I see that that hath been my desire many a day. Now,
blessed Lord, would I not longer live, if it might please thee, Lord."
And therewith the good man took Our Lord's body betwixt his hands, and
proffered it to Galahad, and he received it right gladly and meekly.
"Now wottest thou what I am?" said the good man.
"Nay," said Galahad. "I am Joseph of Arimathie, the which Our Lord hath
sent here to thee to bear thee fellowship; and wottest thou wherefore
that he hath sent me more than any other? For thou hast resembled me in
two things; in that thou hast seen the marvels of the Sangreal, in that
thou hast been a clean maiden, as I have been and am."
And when he had said these words Galahad went to Percivale and kissed
him, and commended him to God; and so he went to Sir Bors and kissed
him, and commended him to God, and said: "Fair lord, salute me to my
lord, Sir Launcelot, my father, and as soon as ye see him, bid him
remember of this unstable world."
And therewith he kneeled down tofore the table and made his prayers, and
then suddenly his soul departed to Jesu Christ, and a great multitude of
angels bare his soul up to heaven, that the two fellows might well
behold it. Also the two fellows saw come from heaven an hand, but they
saw not the body. And then it came right to the Vessel, and took it and
the spear, and so bare it up to heaven. Sithen[27] was there never man
so hardy to say that he had seen the Sangreal.
[Footnote 27: _Sithen_ is another form of _sith_, and means _since_.]