King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table
Garlon, who through magic and witchcraft rideth invisibly. Take,
therefore, my horse, which is better than thine, and ride to the damsel
whom we left, and follow the quest I had in hand, as she will lead
thee--and revenge my death when thou best mayest."
"That will I do," said Sir Balin, "by my knighthood, and so I swear to
thee."
Then went Sir Balin to the damsel, and rode forth with her; she carrying
ever with her the truncheon of the spear wherewith Sir Herleus had been
slain. And as they went, a good knight, Perin de Mountbelgard, joined
their company, and vowed to take adventure with them wheresoever they
might go. But presently as they passed a hermitage fast by a churchyard,
came the knight Garlon, again invisible, and smote Sir Perin through the
body with a spear, and slew him as he had slain Sir Herleus. Whereat,
Sir Balin greatly raged, and swore to have Sir Garlon's life, whenever
next he might encounter and behold him in his bodily shape. Anon, he
and the hermit buried the good knight Sir Perin, and rode on with the
damsel till they came to a great castle, whereinto they were about to
enter. But when Sir Balin had passed through the gateway, the portcullis
fell behind him suddenly, leaving the damsel on the outer side, with men
around her, drawing their swords as if to slay her.
When he saw that, Sir Balin climbed with eager haste by wall and tower,
and leaped into the castle moat, and rushed towards the damsel and her
enemies, with his sword drawn, to fight and slay them. But they cried
out, "Put up thy sword, Sir knight, we will not fight thee in this
quarrel, for we do nothing but an ancient custom of this castle."
Then they told him that the lady of the castle was passing sick, and had
lain ill for many years, and might never more be cured, unless she had a
silver dish full of the blood of a pure maid and a king's daughter.
Wherefore the custom of the castle was, that never should a damsel pass
that way but she must give a dish full of her blood. Then Sir Balin
suffered them to bleed the damsel with her own consent, but her blood
helped not the lady of the castle. So on the morrow they departed, after
right good cheer and rest.
Then they rode three or four days without adventure, and came at last to
the abode of a rich man, who sumptuously lodged and fed them. And while
they sat at supper Sir Balin heard a voice of some one groaning
grievously. "What noise is this?" said he.
"Forsooth," said the host, "I will tell you. I was lately at a
tournament, and there I fought a knight who is brother to King Pelles,
and overthrew him twice, for which he swore to be revenged on me through
my best friend, and so he wounded my son, who cannot be recovered till I
have that knight's blood, but he rideth through witchcraft always
invisibly, and I know not his name."
"Ah," said Sir Balin, "but I know him; his name is Garlon, and he hath
slain two knights, companions of mine own, in the same fashion, and I
would rather than all the riches in this realm that I might meet him
face to face."
"Well," said his host, "let me now tell thee that King Pelles hath
proclaimed in all the country a great festival, to be held at Listeniss,
in twenty days from now, whereto no knight may come without a lady. At
that great feast we might perchance find out this Garlon, for many will
be there; and if it please thee we will set forth together."
So on the morrow they rode all three towards Listeniss, and traveled
fifteen days, and reached it on the day the feast began. Then they
alighted and stabled their horses, and went up to the castle, and Sir
Balin's host was denied entrance, having no lady with him. But Sir Balin
was right heartily received, and taken to a chamber, where they unarmed
him, and dressed him in rich robes, of any color that he chose, and told
him he must lay aside his sword. This, however, he refused, and said,
"It is the custom of my country for a knight to keep his sword ever with
him; and if I may not keep it here, I will forthwith depart." Then they
gave him leave to wear his sword. So he went to the great hall, and was
set among knights of rank and worship, and his lady before him.
Soon he found means to ask one who sat near him, "Is there not here a
knight whose name is Garlon?"
"Yonder he goeth," said his neighbor, "he with that black face; he is
the most marvelous knight alive, for he rideth invisibly, and destroyeth
whom he will."
"Ah, well," said Balin, drawing a long breath, "is that indeed the man?
I have aforetime heard of him."
Then he mused long within himself, and thought, "If I shall slay him
here and now, I shall not escape myself; but if I leave him,
peradventure I shall never meet with him again at such advantage; and if
he live, how much more harm and mischief will he do!"
But while he deeply thought, and cast his eyes from time to time upon
Sir Garlon, that false knight saw that he watched him, and thinking that
he could at such a time escape revenge, he came and smote Sir Balin on
the face with the back of his hand, and said, "Knight, why dost thou so
watch me? be ashamed, and eat thy meat, and do that which thou camest
for."
"Thou sayest well," cried Sir Balin, rising fiercely; "now will I
straightway do that which I came to do, as thou shalt find." With that
he whirled his sword aloft and struck him downright on the head, and
clove his skull asunder to the shoulder.
"Give me the truncheon," cried out Sir Balin to his lady, "wherewith he
slew thy knight." And when she gave it him--for she had always carried
it about with her, wherever she had gone--he smote him through the body
with it, and said, "With that truncheon didst thou treacherously murder
a good knight, and now it sticketh in thy felon body."
Then he called to the father of the wounded son, who had come with him
to Listeniss, and said, "Now take as much blood as thou wilt, to heal
thy son withal."
But now arose a terrible confusion, and all the knights leaped from the
table to slay Balin, King Pelles himself the foremost, who cried out,
"Knight, thou hast slain my brother at my board; die, therefore, die,
for thou shalt never leave this castle."
"Slay me, thyself, then," shouted Balin.
"Yea," said the king, "that will I! for no other man shall touch thee,
for the love I bear my brother."
Then King Pelles caught in his hand a grim weapon and smote eagerly at
Balin, but Balin put his sword between his head and the king's stroke,
and saved himself but lost his sword, which fell down smashed and
shivered into pieces by the blow. So being weaponless he ran to the next
room to find a sword, and so from room to room, with King Pelles after
him, he in vain ever eagerly casting his eyes round every place to find
some weapon.
At last he ran into a chamber wondrous richly decked, where was a bed
all dressed with cloth of gold, the richest that could be thought of,
and one who lay quite still within the bed; and by the bedside stood a
table of pure gold, borne on four silver pillars, and on the table
stood a marvelous spear, strangely wrought.
When Sir Balin saw the spear he seized it in his hand, and turned upon
King Pelles, and smote at him so fiercely and so sore that he dropped
swooning to the ground.
But at that Dolorous and awful Stroke the castle rocked and rove
throughout, and all the walls fell crashed and breaking to the earth,
and Balin himself fell also in their midst, struck as it were to stone,
and powerless to move a hand or foot. And so three days he lay amidst
the ruins, until Merlin came and raised him up and brought him a good
horse, and bade him ride out of that land as swiftly as he could.
"May I not take the damsel with me I brought hither?" said Sir Balin.
"Lo! where she lieth dead," said Merlin. "Ah, little knowest thou, Sir
Balin, what thou hast done; for in this castle and that chamber which
thou didst defile, was the blood of our Lord Christ! and also that most
holy cup--the Sangreal--wherefrom the wine was drunk at the last supper
of our Lord. Joseph of Arimathea brought it to this land, when first he
came here to convert and save it. And on that bed of gold it was himself
who lay, and the strange spear beside him was the spear wherewith the
soldier Longus smote our Lord, which evermore had dripped with blood.
King Pelles is the nearest kin to Joseph in direct descent, wherefore he
held these holy things in trust; but now have they all gone at thy
dolorous stroke, no man knoweth whither; and great is the damage to
this land, which until now hath been the happiest of all lands, for by
that stroke thou hast slain thousands, and by the loss and parting of
the Sangreal, the safety of this realm is put in peril, and its great
happiness is gone for evermore."
Then Balin departed from Merlin, struck to his soul with grief and
sorrow, and said, "In this world shall we meet never more."
So he rode forth through the fair cities and the country, and found the
people lying dead on every side. And all the living cried out on him as
he passed, "O Balin, all this misery hast thou done! For the dolorous
stroke thou gavest King Pelles, three countries are destroyed, and doubt
not but revenge will fall on thee at last!"
When he had passed the boundary of those countries, he was somewhat
comforted, and rode eight days without adventure. Anon he came to a
cross, whereon was written in letters of gold, "It is not for a knight
alone to ride towards this castle." Looking up, he saw a hoary ancient
man come towards him, who said, "Sir Balin le Savage, thou passest thy
bounds this way; therefore turn back again, it will be best for thee;"
and with these words he vanished.
Then did he hear a horn blow as it were the death-note of some hunted
beast. "That blast," said Balin, "is blown for me, for I am the prey;
though yet I be not dead." But as he spoke he saw a hundred ladies with
a great troop of knights come forth to meet him with bright faces and
great welcome, who led him to the castle and made a great feast, with
dancing and minstrelsy and all manner of joy.
Then the chief lady of the castle said, "Knight with the two swords,
thou must encounter and fight with a knight hard by, who dwelleth on an
island, for no man may pass this way without encountering him."
"It is a grievous custom," answered Sir Balin.
"There is but one knight to defeat," replied the lady.
"Well," said Sir Balin, "be it as thou wilt. I am ready and quite
willing, and though my horse and my body be full weary, yet is my heart
not weary, save of life. And truly I were glad if I might meet my
death."
"Sir," said one standing by, "methinketh your shield is not good; I will
lend you a bigger."
"I thank thee, sir," said Balin, and took the unknown shield and left
his own, and so rode forth, and put himself and horse into a boat and
came to the island.
As soon as he had landed, he saw come riding towards him, a knight
dressed all in red, upon a horse trapped in the same color. When the red
knight saw Sir Balin, and the two swords he wore, he thought it must
have been his brother (for the red knight was Sir Balan), but when he
saw the strange arms on his shield, he forgot the thought, and came
against him fiercely. At the first course they overthrew each other, and
both lay swooning on the ground; but Sir Balin was the most hurt and
bruised, for he was weary and spent with traveling. So Sir Balan rose
up first to his feet and drew his sword, and Sir Balin painfully rose
against him and raised his shield. Then Sir Balan smote him through the
shield and brake his helmet; and Sir Balin, in return, smote at him with
his fated sword, and had wellnigh slain his brother. And so they fought
till their breaths failed.
Then Sir Balin, looking up, saw all the castle towers stand full of