_A wonderful tale of king Solomon and his wife._
That night lay Solomon before the ship with little fellowship. And when
he was on sleep, him thought there came from heaven a great company of
angels, and alight into the ship, and took water which was brought by
an angel in a vessel of silver, and sprinkled all the ship. And after
he came to the sword and drew letters on the hilt. And after went to
the ship’s board, and wrote there other letters, which said: Thou man
that wilt enter within me, beware that thou be full within the faith,
for I ne am but faith and belief. When Solomon espied these letters he
was abashed, so that he durst not enter, and so drew him aback, and the
ship was anon shoven in the sea, and he went so fast that he lost sight
of him within a little while. And then a little voice said, Solomon,
the last knight of thy lineage shall rest in this bed. Then went
Solomon and awaked his wife, and told her of the adventures of the ship.
Now saith the history, that a great while the three fellows beheld the
bed and the three spindles. Then they were at certain that they were of
natural colours, without painting. Then they lift up a cloth which was
above the ground, and there they found a rich purse by seeming. And
Percivale took it, and found therein a writ, and so he read it, and
devised the manner of the spindles, and of the ship, whence it came,
and by whom it was made. Now, said Galahad, where shall we find the
gentlewoman that shall make new girdles to the sword. Fair sir, said
Percivale’s sister, dismay you not, for by the leave of God I shall let
make a girdle to the sword, such one as shall belong thereto. And then
she opened a box, and took out girdles which were seemly wrought with
golden threads, and upon that were set full precious stones, and a rich
buckle of gold. Lo lords, said she, here is a girdle that ought to be
set about the sword. And wit ye well the greatest part of this girdle
was made of my hair, which I loved well while that I was a woman of the
world. But as soon as I wist that this adventure was ordained me, I
clipped off my hair and made this girdle in the name of God. Ye be well
found, said Sir Bors, for certes you have put us out of great pain,
wherein we should have entered ne had your tidings been. Then went the
gentlewoman and set it on the girdle of the sword. Now, said the
fellowship, what is the name of the sword, and what shall we call it?
Truly, said she, the name of the sword is, the sword with the strange
girdles, and the sheath, mover of blood; for no man that hath blood in
him shall never see the one part of the sheath which was made of the
tree of life. Then they said to Galahad, In the name of Jesu Christ,
and pray you that ye gird you with this sword, which hath been desired
so much in the realm of Logris. Now let me begin, said Galahad, to
gripe this sword for to give you courage: but wit ye well it belongeth
no more to me then it doth to you. And then he griped about it with his
fingers a great deal. And then she girt him about the middle with the
sword:—Now reck I not though I die, for now I hold me one of the
blessed maidens of the world, which hath made the worthiest knight of
the world. Damsel, said Galahad, ye have done so much that I shall be
your knight all the days of my life. Then they went from that ship, and
went to the other. And anon the wind drove them into the sea a great
pace, but they had no victual: but it befell that they came on the morn
to a castle that men call Carteloise, that was in the marches of
Scotland. And when they had passed the port, the gentlewoman said,
Lords, here be men arriven that, and they wist that ye were of king
Arthur’s court, ye should be assailed anon. Damsel, said Galahad, he
that cast us out of the rock shall deliver us from them.