HOW GALAHAD AND HIS FELLOWS WERE FED OF THE HOLY SANGREAL, AND HOW OUR
LORD APPEARED TO THEM, AND OTHER THINGS
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 there 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 marvelled, for that
bishop was dead more than three hundred years 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 marvellously, 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 semblant as though
he would have gone to the sacring of the mass. And then he took an
ubblye which was made in likeness of bread. And at the lifting up
there came a figure in likeness of a child, and the visage was as red
and as bright as any fire, and smote himself into the bread, so that
they all saw it that the bread was formed of a fleshly man; and then
he put it into the holy vessel again, and then he did that longed to a
priest to do to a mass. And then he went to Galahad and kissed him,
and bad him go and kiss his fellows: and so he did anon. 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 marvellous to tell. Then said he to Galahad:
Son, wotest 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. And now hast thou seen that thou most desired 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 wotest thou wherefore? 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 disherit 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 the sword with the strange girdles,
and no more with you but Sir Percivale and Sir Bors. Also I will that
ye take with you of the blood of this spear for to anoint the maimed
king, both his legs and all his body, and he shall have his health.
Sir, said Galahad, why shall not these other fellows go with us? For
this cause: for right as I departed my apostles one here and another
there, so I will that ye depart; and two of you shall die in my
service, but one of you shall come again and tell tidings. Then gave
he them his blessing and vanished away.