gray man, with his company, set forth to Arthur's court. And they did
homage unto Arthur, and he caused them to be baptized. And the gray man
told Arthur that it was Peredur that had vanquished them. And Arthur
gave the valley to the gray man and his company, to hold it of him as
Peredur had besought. And with Arthur's permission the gray man went
back to the Round Valley.
Peredur rode forward next day, and he traversed a vast tract of desert
in which no dwellings were. And at length he came to a habitation mean
and small. And there he heard that there was a serpent that lay upon
a gold ring and suffered none to inhabit the country for seven miles
around. And Peredur came to the place where he heard the serpent was.
And angrily, furiously, and desperately fought he with the serpent;
and at last he killed it, and took away the ring. And thus he was for
a long time without speaking a word to any Christian. And therefrom he
lost his color and his aspect, through extreme longing after the court
of Arthur, and the society of the lady whom best he loved, and of his
companions. Then he proceeded forward to Arthur's court; and on the
road there met him Arthur's household going on a particular errand,
with Kai at their head. And Peredur knew them all; but none of the
household recognized him.
"Whence comest thou, chieftain?" said Kai. And this he asked him twice
and three times, and he answered him not. And Kai thrust him through
the thigh with his lance. And lest he should be compelled to speak, and
to break his vow, he went on without stopping.
"Then," said Gwalchmai, "I declare to Heaven, Kai, that thou hast acted
ill in committing such an outrage on a youth like this, who cannot
speak."
And Gwalchmai returned back to Arthur's court. "Lady," said he to
Gwenhwyvar, "seest thou how wicked an outrage Kai has committed upon
this youth who cannot speak. For Heaven's sake and for mine, cause him
to have medical care before I come back, and I will repay thee the
charge."
And before the men returned from their errand, a knight came to the
meadow beside Arthur's palace, to dare some one to the encounter. And
his challenge was accepted; and Peredur fought with him, and overthrew
him. And for a week he overthrew one knight every day.
And one day Arthur and his household were going to church, and they
beheld a knight who had raised the signal for combat. "Verily," said
Arthur, "by the valor of men I will not go hence until I have my
horse and my arms to overthrow yonder boor." Then went the attendants
to fetch Arthur's horse and arms. And Peredur met the attendants
as they were going back, and he took the horse and arms from them,
and proceeded to the meadow, and all those who saw him arise and go
to do battle with the knight went upon the tops of the houses, and
the mounds, and the high places, to behold the combat. And Peredur
beckoned with his hand to the knight to commence the fight. And the
knight thrust at him; but he was not thereby moved from where he stood.
And Peredur spurred his horse, and ran at him wrathfully, furiously,
fiercely, desperately, and with mighty rage, and he gave him a thrust,
deadly-wounding, severe, furious, adroit, and strong under his jaw, and
raised him out of his saddle, and cast him a long way from him. And
Peredur went back, and left the horse and the arms with the attendant
as before, and he went on foot to the palace.
Then Peredur went by the name of the Dumb Youth. And, behold, Angharad
Law Eurawc met him. "I declare to Heaven, chieftain," said she, "woful
is it that thou canst not speak; for, couldst thou speak, I would love
thee best of all men. And, by my faith, although thou canst not, I do
love thee above all."
"Heaven reward thee, my sister," said Peredur. "By my faith I also do
love thee." Thereupon it was known that he was Peredur. And then he
held fellowship with Gwalchmai, and Owain the son of Urien, and all the
household; and he remained in Arthur's court.
* * * * *
Arthur was in Caerlleon-upon-Usk; and he went to hunt, and Peredur went
with him. And Peredur let loose his dog upon a hart, and the dog killed
the hart in a desert place. And a short space from him he saw signs of
a dwelling, and towards the dwelling he went, and he beheld a hall,
and at the door of the hall he found bald swarthy youths playing at
chess. And when he entered he beheld three maidens sitting on a bench,
and they were all clothed alike, as became persons of high rank. And
he came and sat by them upon the bench; and one of the maidens looked
steadfastly upon Peredur, and wept. And Peredur asked her wherefore she
was weeping.
"Through grief that I should see so fair a youth as thou art slain."
"Who will slay me?" inquired Peredur.
"If thou art so daring as to remain here to-night, I will tell thee."
"How great soever my danger may be from remaining here, I will listen
unto thee."
"This palace is owned by him who is my father," said the maiden; "and
he slays every one who comes hither without his leave."
"What sort of a man is thy father, that he is able to slay every one
thus?"
"A man who does violence and wrong unto his neighbors, and who renders
justice unto none."
And hereupon he saw the youths arise, and clear the chessmen from the
board. And he heard a great tumult. And after the tumult there came in
a huge black one-eyed man, and the maidens arose to meet him. And they
disarrayed him, and he went and sat down. And after he had rested and
pondered a while, he looked at Peredur, and asked who the knight was.
"Lord," said one of the maidens, "he is the fairest and gentlest youth
that ever thou didst see. And for the sake of Heaven and of thine own
dignity, have patience with him."
"For thy sake I will have patience, and I will grant him his life this
night."
Then Peredur came towards them to the fire, and partook of food and
liquor, and entered into discourse with the ladies. And, being elated
with the liquor, he said to the black man, "It is a marvel to me, so
mighty as thou sayest thou art, who could have put out thine eye."
"It is one of my habits," said the black man, "that whosoever puts to
me the question which thou hast asked shall not escape with his life,
either as a free gift or for a price."
"Lord," said the maiden, "whatsoever he may say to thee in jest, and
through the excitement of liquor, make good that which thou saidst,
and didst promise me just now."
"I will do so gladly, for thy sake," said he. "Willingly will I grant
him his life this night."
And that night thus they remained.
And the next day the black man got up, and put on his armor, and said
to Peredur, "Arise, man, and suffer death."
And Peredur said unto him, "Do one of two things, black man: if thou
wilt fight with me, either throw off thy own armor, or give arms to me,
that I may encounter thee."
"Ha, man!" said he. "Couldst thou fight if thou hadst arms? Take, then,
what arms thou dost choose."
And thereupon the maiden came to Peredur with such arms as pleased him;
and he fought with the black man, and forced him to crave his mercy.
"Black man, thou shalt have mercy, provided thou tell me who thou art,
and who put out thine eye."
"Lord, I will tell thee. I lost it in fighting with the black serpent
of the carn. There is a mound which is called the Mound of Mourning;
and on the mound there is a carn, and in the carn there is a serpent,
and on the tail of the serpent there is a stone, and the virtues of the
stone are such, that whosoever should hold it in one hand, in the other
he will have as much gold as he may desire. And in fighting with this
serpent was it that I lost my eye. And the Black Oppressor am I called.
And for this reason I am called the Black Oppressor, that there is not
a single man around me whom I have not oppressed; and justice have I
done unto none."
"Tell me," said Peredur, "how far is it hence?"
"The same day that thou settest forth, thou wilt come to the palace of
the Sons of the King of the Tortures."
"Wherefore are they called thus?"
"The Addanc of the lake slays them once every day. When thou
goest thence, thou wilt come to the court of the Countess of the
Achievements."
"What achievements are there?" asked Peredur.
"Three hundred men there are in her household, and unto every stranger
that comes to the court the achievements of her household are related.
And this is the manner of it,--the three hundred men of the household
sit next unto the lady, and that not through disrespect unto the
guests, but that they may relate the achievements of the household. And
the day that thou goest thence, thou wilt reach the Mound of Mourning;
and round about the mound there are the owners of three hundred tents
guarding the serpent."
"Since thou hast, indeed, been an oppressor so long," said Peredur, "I
will cause that thou continue so no longer." So he slew him.
Then the maiden spoke, and began to converse with him. "If thou wast
poor when thou camest here, henceforth thou wilt be rich through the
treasure of the black man whom thou hast slain. Thou seest the many
lovely maidens that there are in this court: thou shalt have her whom
thou best likest for the lady of thy love."
"Lady, I came not hither from my country to woo; but match yourselves
as it liketh you with the comely youths I see here. And none of your
goods do I desire; for I need them not." Then Peredur rode forward,
and he came to the palace of the Sons of the King of the Tortures. And
when he entered the palace he saw none but women; and they rose up,
and were joyful at his coming; and, as they began to discourse with
him, he beheld a charger arrive, with a saddle upon it and a corpse in
the saddle. And one of the women arose, and took the corpse from the
saddle, and anointed it in a vessel of warm water which was below the
door, and placed precious balsam upon it. And the man rose up alive,
and came to the place where Peredur was, and greeted him, and was
joyful to see him. And two other men came in upon their saddles; and
the maiden treated these two in the same manner as she had done the
first. Then Peredur asked the chieftain wherefore it was thus. And they
told him that there was an Addanc in a cave, which slew them once every
day. And thus they remained that night.
And next morning the youths arose to sally forth, and Peredur besought
them, for the sake of the ladies of their love, to permit him to go
with them; but they refused him, saying, "If thou shouldst be slain
there, thou hast none to bring thee back to life again."
And they rode forward, and Peredur followed after them; and, after
they had disappeared out of his sight, he came to a mound, whereon sat
the fairest lady he had ever beheld.
"I know thy quest," said she. "Thou art going to encounter the Addanc,
and he will slay thee, and that not by courage, but by craft. He has
a cave, and at the entrance of the cave there is a stone pillar, and
he sees every one that enters, and none see him; and from behind the
pillar he slays every one with a poisonous dart. And, if thou wouldst
pledge me thy faith to love me above all women, I would give thee a
stone by which thou shouldst see him when thou goest in, and he should
not see thee."
"I will, by my troth," said Peredur; "for, when first I beheld thee, I
loved thee. And where shall I seek thee?"
"When thou seekest me, seek towards India." And the maiden vanished,
after placing the stone in Peredur's hand.
And he came towards a valley, through which ran a river; and the
borders of the valley were wooded, and on each side of the river were
level meadows. And on one side of the river he saw a flock of white
sheep, and on the other a flock of black sheep. And whenever one of the
white sheep bleated, one of the black sheep would cross over and become
white; and, when one of the black sheep bleated, one of the white sheep
would cross over and become black. And he saw a tall tree by the side
of the river, one half of which was in flames from the root to the
top, and the other half was green and in full leaf. And nigh thereto he
saw a youth sitting upon a mound, and two greyhounds, white-breasted
and spotted, in leashes, lying by his side. And certain was he that he
had never seen a youth of so royal a bearing as he. And in the wood
opposite he heard hounds raising a herd of deer. And Peredur saluted
the youth, and the youth greeted him in return. And there were three
roads leading from the mound: two of them were wide roads, and the
third was more narrow. And Peredur inquired where the three roads went.
"One of them goes to my palace," said the youth; "and one of two things
I counsel thee to do,--either to proceed to my palace, which is before
thee, and where thou wilt find my wife, or else remain here to see the
hounds chasing the roused deer from the wood to the plain. And thou
shalt see the best greyhounds thou didst ever behold, and the boldest
in the chase, kill them by the water beside us. And when it is time to
go to meat, my page will come with my horse to meet me, and thou shalt
rest in my palace to-night."
"Heaven reward thee. But I cannot tarry, for onward must I go."
"The other road leads to the town, which is near here, and wherein
food and liquor may be bought. And the road which is narrower than the
others goes towards the cave of the Addanc."
"With thy permission, young man, I will go that way."
And Peredur went towards the cave. And he took the stone in his left
hand, and his lance in his right. And as he went in he perceived the
Addanc, and he pierced him through with his lance, and cut off his
head. And, as he came from the cave, behold, the three companions were
at the entrance; and they saluted Peredur, and told him that there was
a prediction that he should slay that monster. And Peredur gave the
head to the young men, and they offered him in marriage whichever of
the three sisters he might choose, and half their kingdom with her.
"I came not hither to woo," said Peredur; "but if, peradventure, I took
a wife, I should prefer your sister to all others." And Peredur rode
forward, and he heard a noise behind him. And he looked back, and saw a
man upon a red horse, with red armor upon him. And the man rode up by
his side, and saluted him, and wished him the favor of Heaven and of
man. And Peredur greeted the youth kindly.
"Lord, I come to make a request unto thee."
"What would'st thou?"
"That thou should'st take me as thine attendant."
"Whom, then, should I take as my attendant, if I did so?"
"I will not conceal from thee what kindred I am of. Etlym Gleddyv Coch
am I called, an earl from the East Country."
"I marvel that thou should'st offer to become attendant to a man whose
possessions are no greater than thine own; for I have but an earldom
like thyself. But, since thou desirest to be my attendant, I will take
thee joyfully."
And they went forward to the court of the countess, and all they of the
court were glad at their coming; and they were told it was not through
disrespect they were placed below the household, but that such was the
usage of the court. For whoever should overthrow the three hundred men
of her household would sit next the countess, and she would love him
above all men. And Peredur, having overthrown the three hundred men of
her household, sat down beside her; and the countess said, "I thank
Heaven that I have a youth so fair and so valiant as thou, since I have
not obtained the man whom best I love."
"Who is he whom best thou lovest?"
"By my faith, Etlym Gleddyv Coch is the man whom I love best, and I
have never seen him."
"Of a truth, Etlym is my companion; and, behold, here he is, and for
his sake did I come to joust with thy household. And he could have done
so better than I, had it pleased him. And I do give thee unto him."
"Heaven reward thee, fair youth, and I will take the man whom I love
above all others." And the countess became Etlym's bride from that
moment.
And the next day Peredur set forth towards the Mound of Mourning.
"By thy hand, lord, but I will go with thee," said Etlym. Then they
went forward till they came in sight of the mound and the tents.
"Go unto yonder men," said Peredur to Etlym, "and desire them to come
and do me homage."
So Etlym went unto them, and said unto them thus "Come and do homage to
my lord."
"Who is thy lord?" said they.
"Peredur with the long lance is my lord," said Etlym.
"Were it permitted to slay a messenger, thou shouldest not go back to
thy lord alive, for making unto kings and earls and barons so arrogant
a demand as to go and do him homage."
Peredur desired him to go back to them, and to give them their choice,
either to do him homage or to do battle with him. And they chose rather
to do battle. And that day Peredur overthrew the owners of a hundred
tents; and the next day he overthrew the owners of a hundred more;
and the third day the remaining hundred took counsel to do homage to
Peredur. And Peredur inquired of them wherefore they were there. And
they told him they were guarding the serpent until he should die. "For
then should we fight for the stone among ourselves, and whoever should
be conqueror among us would have the stone."
"Await here," said Peredur, "and I will go to encounter the serpent."
"Not so, lord," said they: "we will go all together to encounter the
serpent."
"Verily," said Peredur, "that will I not permit; for if the serpent be
slain I shall derive no more fame therefrom than one of you." Then he
went to the place where the serpent was, and slew it, and came back
to them, and said, "Reckon up what you have spent since you have been
here, and I will repay you to the full." And he paid to each what he
said was his claim. And he required of them only that they should
acknowledge themselves his vassals. And he said to Etlym, "Go back unto
her whom thou lovest best, and I will go forward, and I will reward
thee for having been my attendant." And he gave Etlym the stone.
"Heaven repay thee and prosper thee," said Etlym.
And Peredur rode thence, and he came to the fairest valley he had
ever seen, through which ran a river; and there he beheld many tents
of various colors. And he marvelled still more at the number of
water-mills and of windmills that he saw. And there rode up with him a
tall auburn-haired man in a workman's garb; and Peredur inquired of him
who he was.
"I am the chief miller," said he, "of all the mills yonder."
"Wilt thou give me lodging?" said Peredur.
"I will, gladly," he answered.
And Peredur came to the miller's house, and the miller had a fair and
pleasant dwelling. And Peredur asked money as a loan from the miller,
that he might buy meat and liquor for himself and for the household,
and he promised that he would pay him again ere he went thence. And he
inquired of the miller wherefore such a multitude was there assembled.
Said the miller to Peredur, "One thing is certain: either thou art a
man from afar, or thou art beside thyself. The Empress of Cristinobyl
the Great is here; and she will have no one but the man who is most
valiant; for riches does she not require. And it was impossible to
bring food for so many thousands as are here, therefore were all these
mills constructed."
And that night they took their rest.
And the next day Peredur arose, and he equipped himself and his horse
for the tournament. And among the other tents he beheld one which was
the fairest he had ever seen. And he saw a beauteous maiden leaning
her head out of a window of the tent, and he had never seen a maiden
more lovely than she. And upon her was a garment of satin. And he
gazed fixedly on the maiden, and began to love her greatly. And he
remained there, gazing upon the maiden from morning until mid-day, and
from mid-day until evening; and then the tournament was ended, and he
went to his lodging, and drew off his armor. Then he asked money of
the miller as a loan, and the miller's wife was wroth with Peredur:
nevertheless, the miller lent him the money. And the next day he did
in like manner as he had done the day before. And at night he came to
his lodging, and took money as a loan from the miller. And the third
day, as he was in the same place, gazing upon the maiden, he felt a
hard blow between the neck and the shoulder, from the edge of an axe.
And when he looked behind him, he saw that it was the miller; and the
miller said to him, "Do one of two things: either turn thy head from
hence, or go to the tournament."
And Peredur smiled on the miller, and went to the tournament; and
all that encountered him that day he overthrew. And as many as he
vanquished he sent as a gift to the empress; and their horses and arms
he sent as a gift to the wife of the miller in payment of the borrowed
money. Peredur attended the tournament until all were overthrown, and
he sent all the men to the prison of the empress, and the horses and
arms to the wife of the miller in payment of the borrowed money. And
the empress sent to the Knight of the Mill to ask him to come and visit
her. And Peredur went not for the first nor for the second message.
And the third time she sent a hundred knights to bring him against his
will, and they went to him and told him their mission from the empress.
And Peredur fought well with them, and caused them to be bound like
stags, and thrown into the mill-dike. And the empress sought advice
of a wise man who was in her counsel; and he said to her, "With thy
permission I will go to him myself." So he came to Peredur and saluted
him, and besought him for the sake of the lady of his love to come and
visit the empress. And they went, together with the miller. And Peredur
went and sat down in the outer chamber of the tent, and she came and
placed herself by his side. And there was but little discourse between
them. And Peredur took his leave, and went to his lodging.
And the next day he came to visit her, and, when he came into the tent,
there was no one chamber less decorated than the others. And they knew
not where he would sit. And Peredur went and sat beside the empress,
and discoursed with her courteously. And while they were thus, they
beheld a black man enter, with a goblet full of wine in his hand. And
he dropped upon his knee before the empress, and besought her to give
it to no one who would not fight with him for it. And she looked upon
Peredur.
"Lady," said he, "bestow on me the goblet." And Peredur drank the wine,
and gave the goblet to the miller's wife. And while they were thus,
behold, there entered a black man of larger stature than the other,
with a wild beast's claw in his hand, wrought into the form of a goblet
and filled with wine. And he presented it to the empress, and besought
her to give it to no one but the man who would fight him. "Lady," said
Peredur, "bestow it on me." And she gave it to him. And Peredur drank
the wine, and sent the goblet to the wife of the miller. And while they
were thus, behold, a rough-looking crisp-haired man, taller than either
of the others, came in with a bowl in his hand full of wine; and he
bent upon his knee, and gave it into the hands of the empress, and he
besought her to give it to none but him who would fight with him for
it; and she gave it to Peredur, and he sent it to the miller's wife.
And that night Peredur returned to his lodging; and the next day he
accoutred himself and his horse, and went to the meadow, and slew the
three men. Then Peredur proceeded to the tent; and the empress said to
him, "Goodly Peredur, remember the faith thou didst pledge me when I
gave thee the stone, and thou didst kill the Addanc."
"Lady," answered he, "thou sayest truth: I do remember it."
And Peredur was entertained by the empress fourteen years, as the story
relates.
* * * * *