_How the three knights, with Percivale’s sister, came into the waste
forest, and of an hart and four lions and other things._
Then began he to weep right tenderly, and said, Long have I abiden your
coming, but for God’s love hold me in your arms, that my soul may
depart out of my body in so good a man’s arms as ye be. Gladly, said
Galahad. And then one said on high that all heard, Galahad, well hast
thou avenged me on God’s enemies. Now behoveth thee to go to the maimed
king as soon as thou mayest, for he shall receive by thee health which
he hath abiden so long. And therewith the soul departed from the body.
And Galahad made him to be buried as he ought to be.
Right so departed the three knights, and Percivale’s sister with them.
And so they came into a waste forest, and there they saw afore them a
white hart, which four lions led. Then they took them to assent for to
follow after, for to know whither they repaired; and so they rode
after, a great pace, till that they came to a valley, and thereby was
an hermitage where a good man dwelled; and the hart and the lions
entered also. So when they saw all this, they turned to the chapel, and
saw the good man in a religious weed, and in the armour of our Lord,
for he would sing mass of the Holy Ghost, and so they entered in and
heard mass. And at the secrets of the mass, they three saw the hart
become a man, the which marvelled them, and set him upon the altar in a
rich siege, and saw the four lions were changed, the one to the form of
a man, the other to the form of a lion, and the third to an eagle, and
the fourth was changed unto an ox. Then took they their siege where the
hart sat, and went out through a glass window, and there was nothing
perished nor broken, and they heard a voice say, In such a manner
entered the son of God in the womb of a maid, Mary. And when they heard
these words, they fell down to the earth, and were astonied, and
therewith was a great clearness. And when they were come to themselves
again, they went to the good man, and prayed him that he would say them
truth. What thing have ye seen? said he: and they told him all that
they had seen. Ah, lords, said he, ye be welcome, now wot I well ye be
the good knights the which shall bring the Sancgreal to an end; for ye
be they unto whom our Lord shall shew great secrets. And well ought our
Lord be signified to an hart; for the hart when he is old he waxeth
young again in his white skin: right so cometh again our Lord from
death to life, for he lost earthly flesh, that was the deadly flesh
which he had taken in the womb of the blessed virgin Mary; and for that
cause appeared our Lord as a while hart without spot. And the four that
were with him is to understand the four evangelists, which set in
writing a part of Jesu Christ’s deeds that he did some time when he was
among you an earthly man. For wit ye well never erst might no knight
know the truth, for, ofttimes or this, our Lord shewed him unto good
men and unto good knights in likeness of an hart. But I suppose from
henceforth ye shall see no more. And then they joyed much, and dwelled
there all that day. And upon the morrow, when they had heard mass they
departed, and commended the good man to God. And so they came to a
castle, and passed by. So there came a knight armed after them, and
said, Lords, hark what I shall say to you.