OF THE MARVELS OF THE SWORD AND OF THE SCABBARD
And then beheld they the scabbard, it seemed to be of a serpent's
skin, and thereon were letters of gold and silver. And the girdle was
but poorly to come to, and not able to sustain such a rich sword. And
the letters said: He which shall wield me ought to be more harder than
any other, if he bear me as truly as me ought to be borne. For the
body of him which I ought to hang by, he shall not be shamed in no
place while he is girt with this girdle, nor never none be so hardy to
do away this girdle; for it ought not to be done away but by the hands
of a maid, and that she be a king's daughter and queen's, and she must
be a maid all the days of her life, both in will and in deed. And if
she break her virginity she shall die the most villainous death that
ever died any woman. Sir, said Percivale, turn this sword that we may
see what is on the other side. And it was red as blood, with black
letters as any coal, which said: He that shall praise me most, most
shall he find me to blame at a great need; and to whom I should be
most debonair shall I be most felon, and that shall be at one time.
Fair brother, said she to Percivale, it befell after a forty year
after the passion of Jesu Christ that Nacien, the brother-in-law of
King Mordrains, was borne into a town more than fourteen days' journey
from his country, by the commandment of Our Lord, into an isle, into
the parts of the West, that men clepyd the isle of Turnance. So befell
it that he found this ship at the entry of a rock, and he found the
bed and this sword as we have heard now. Not for then he had not so
much hardiness to draw it; and there he dwelled an eight days, and at
the ninth day there fell a great wind which departed him out of the
isle, and brought him to another isle by a rock, and there he found
the greatest giant that ever man might see. Therewith came that
horrible giant to slay him; and then he looked about him and might not
flee, and he had nothing to defend him with. So he ran to his sword,
and when he saw it naked he praised it much, and then he shook it, and
therewith he brake it in the middes. Ah, said Nacien, the thing that I
most praised ought I now most to blame, and therewith he threw the
pieces of his sword over his bed. And after he leapt over the board to
fight with the giant, and slew him. And anon he entered into the ship
again, and the wind arose, and drove him through the sea, that by
adventure he came to another ship where King Mordrains was, which had
been tempted full evil with a fiend in the port of perilous rock. And
when that one saw the other they made great joy of other, and either
told other of their adventure, and how the sword failed him at his
most need. When Mordrains saw the sword he praised it much: But the
breaking was not to do but by wickedness of thy self ward, for thou
art in some sin. And there he took the sword, and set the pieces
together, and they soldered as fair as ever they were tofore; and
there put he the sword in the sheath, and laid it down on the bed.
Then heard they a voice that said: Go out of this ship a little while,
and enter into the other, for dread ye fall in deadly sin, for and ye
be found in deadly sin ye may not escape but perish: and so they went
into the other ship. And as Nacien went over the board he was smitten
with a sword on the right foot, that he fell down noseling to the
ship's board; and therewith he said: O God, how am I hurt. And then
there came a voice and said: Take thou that for thy forfeit that thou
didst in drawing of this sword, therefore thou receivest a wound, for
thou were never worthy to handle it, as the writing maketh mention. In
the name of God, said Galahad, ye are right wise of these works.