King Arthur's Knights
They knew that this was a horde of pagans who had wrested this castle
from its rightful lord, and that full fierce would be the battle.
Then from a hole or cave beneath a tree near by came a maiden, richly
dressed, but sad and pitiable of face and thin of form, as if from long
pining.
'Fair lords,' said she, 'for God His love turn again if ye may, or else
here ye will come unto your death.'
'Nay,' said Sir Galahad, 'we will not turn again, for He shall help us
in whose service we be entered in. Who are ye, fair damsel, in such
painful guise?'
'Fair lords, I am Issyllt,' said the maiden, and the tears filled her
eyes. 'My father is Earl Hernox, the lord of this castle. And whether
he be dead by torture at the hands of his hateful enemies and these
fiends, or whether he be still alive against a time when they have more
leisure to torture him, I know not. But three nights ago came certain
knights with a horde of these evil pagans, and stormed this castle, and
for all my dear father's valiant deeds, and the prowess of my three
dear brothers, they overcame our people, and my three brothers I saw
slain before my eyes. When they rushed upon my father, my nurse dragged
me away, and we fled hither. But I cannot go away, not knowing whether
my father is dead. And if he be dead I care not whether the pagan
fiends catch and slay me.'
'Fair maiden,' said Sir Galahad, 'be of good heart, for your father may
yet be delivered unto you.'
'Ha, fair lord, I know not how that may be,' said the maiden. Then,
glancing at the castle, she saw the portcullis yawn, and some ten
knights rush forth, with pagans besides on foot. Whereat she clasped
her hands in terror.
'Now God be with ye, fair lords,' she cried. 'You have my prayers, and
may Heaven grant ye victory. But dread is on me for your deaths, brave
knights.'
Full wrathful were the three good knights to hear the girl's sad tale,
and hard was their rage to hear that Christian knights had leagued
themselves with the heathen Saxons so as to get their aid in a private
quarrel with the Earl Hernox. Therefore, very joyously did Galahad and
Perceval leap forward, lances in rest, against the traitorous knights
that rushed towards them from the castle.
Marvellous indeed was it to see the deeds of those three stainless
knights that day; for when their lances were broken, they drew their
swords, and their wrath, their fierceness and their valour, none could
withstand.
While Sir Bors smote with deadly blows the pagans that swarmed about
him, Sir Galahad and Sir Perceval dealt death among the traitorous
knights, so that not one was left alive. And seeing this, the
fair-haired fierce pagans lost heart. Turning, they wished to flee into
the castle and pull down the portcullis.
But swiftly on their heels dashed the three brave knights, and the
pagans, never stopping, heard the hoofs of their horses thunder over
the drawbridge close behind them. The horde of Saxons took flight into
the hall, and there they stood and got breath. But the knights, leaping
from their horses, rushed in on foot, and back to back they met the
onslaught of the yelling heathens.
Very fierce was the anger in the hearts of the three knights, so that
they stayed not their hands even when the pirates gave way and fled
from the dreadful place of slaughter. But the knights pursued them
wheresoever they tried to hide, and hither and thither about the castle
they ran, and in and out the chambers, up and down the stairs, until
for very weariness they had perforce to cease.
Then when they beheld the great multitude of pagans they had slain,
they were sobered and sad, thinking themselves great sinners.
'Certes,' said Sir Bors, 'I ween that God willed that we should slay so
many, for they must have done great evil.'
'They are indeed foul pagans,' said Sir Galahad, 'and have done great
wrong and cruelty in their time to women and little children through
this fair land of Britain. But I doubt we have been mad this little
while to slay so many mothers' sons as these.'
Then from out a secret chamber came a priest, white with great age, and
with a countenance that shone marvellously bright; and when he saw how
many were slain in that hall, he was abashed. Sir Galahad put off his
helm, and the two knights with him, and all three kneeled down and
confessed the madness of their sin which had slain even those that
craved for quarter.
'Ye have done more than ye wist, brave knights,' said the priest, when
he had absolved them; 'for the evil knights that led these pagan
thieves had plotted to gain this castle because of the great and holy
treasures that are hidden here. And by a prophecy I know that ye are
the three good knights, peerless among all, who should achieve this
deed. Therefore, when ye have ordered these slain to be removed, and
when the hall shall be garnished and your harness shall be cleaned of
the signs of battle, ye shall see that which hath been ordained for
ye.'
When all had been done as they had commanded, and the place well
cleansed and fresh rushes laid along the floor, the three knights sat
on a bench, and the Earl Hernox and the maid Issyllt with them, and
there was much cheer and rejoicing between them all.
Then the old priest called the earl and his daughter from the room, and
left the three knights together. Suddenly, as they sat talking, the
doors were shut and the windows were darkened, and a great wind arose
with a sad sound, wailing and piping. Then the darkness suddenly went
away, and they saw a great light shining in the midmost part of the
hall, so bright and strong that hardly could their eyes suffer it. Soon
through the light they could see a table of silver, whereon was a wide
dish also of silver, marvellously and delicately wrought.
Then the doors opened and they saw angels entering; and two bare
candles of wax, and the third held a towel, and in the hand of the
fourth was a spear which bled marvellously from the point thereof.
Going to the table the angels set the candles and the towel upon it,
and the spear was placed beside the shining vessel.
Of a sudden the knights were aware that there sat one beside the table
who was marvellously old and white; and he was dressed in the habit of
a bishop, and his face was very winning, and a great brightness flowed
from it.
On the breast of his robe were words in the Latin tongue, which said,
'Lo, I am Joseph, the first bishop of Christendom, who did take our
Lord's body down from the cruel rood.'
The three marvelled greatly, for that bishop had been dead more than
four hundred years. Seeing their looks of perplexity, the bishop smiled
sweetly upon them, and said:
'Marvel not, O knights, for though I am now a spirit, I know thy
weakness, and have come to aid thee.'
Then the bishop took up the shining vessel from the table, and came to
Galahad; and the knight kneeled down and took of the food that was
within the holy dish. And after that the other two received it. Of
marvellous savour was the food, and like none that they had ever eaten
or thought of at any time before.
Then the bishop said to Galahad:
'Son, knowest thou what is this vessel I hold in my hands?'
'Nay, holy man, I know not,' replied Galahad.
'It is the holy vessel which men call the Sangreal, out of which our
Lord ate the lamb at the feast before He was betrayed to that death
upon the rood whereby He redeemed the world, if men would but choose
His gentle law.'
'It is what we have most desired to see, holy father,' said Sir
Galahad.
'And it is what, alas, no others in this realm shall ever see,' said
the bishop; and his countenance, which before had been sweet and
gentle, now saddened and was dark. 'For this night it shall depart from
this land of Logris, so that it shall never more be seen here.
'Alas,' cried Galahad and Perceval, 'that is great sorrow to hear. O
holy bishop and spirit, say not that it means that this land shall be
rent in ruin and given up to heathendom again?'
'It must be so,' said the bishop sadly. 'Christ is not served in
gentleness, nor is His law worshipped in this land, where men slay
their brothers, rob their kindred, and make treaties with the pagans.
And its knights are turned to evil livers, desiring mastery and proud
power. Therefore hath Christ sent me to disinherit this land of this
holy thing with which He hath honoured it since that time when I
brought it here four hundred and fifty-five winters ago.'
Hearing these words of doom, Sir Galahad and Sir Perceval wept full
piteously for the fate of their country. When they had mourned greatly,
they asked if there was no hope of turning the land from its evil ways.
'There is none,' said the bishop sorrowfully. 'Have ye three not tried
manfully these last two years since ye have sought that which ye now
see? And all thy labours, thy battling, thy griefs, have they availed
aught? No, it is the will of God that in due time this land and this
people shall be put into the melting-pot. And when the season appointed
shall come, sorrow and death, rebellion and treachery shall stalk
through the land, and naught shall stand of its present kingdoms; the
pagans shall blot out the holy memory of God and Christ, and shall turn
the fanes of prayer into the lairs of wolves, and owls shall rest where
hymns of praise have been sung. And no wars of goodly knights may
hinder these things of dreadful doom. But I have this message for ye
two, Galahad and Perceval; that inasmuch as ye have seen this which you
craved to see, and have lived purely and unspotted from pride or evil,
thy souls shall go with me when I shall depart. But you, my son,' he
said, looking at Sir Bors, 'still find in your heart the love of kin,
and a longing for battle, and so you shall remain, to fight for Christ
while yet you are alive.'
Suddenly a fierce light came where they sat, so that Sir Bors kneeled
as one blinded for a time. When it had passed, he looked and saw where
Sir Galahad and Sir Perceval still kneeled, with their hands lifted as
if in prayer. But there was naught to see of the holy vessel or the
spear, nor was Joseph there.
Then, going to the two knights, he found that they were dead.
Sir Bors knew then that their souls had gone with Joseph and the holy
vessel, and had been borne to the heaven for which their pure and
humble hearts had yearned while yet they lived.
Then Sir Bors made great sorrow for his two fellows, and knew that
never more would he be as joyful or as careless as he had been. With
right heavy mood he craved of Earl Hernox to have a grave dug deep in
the living rock whereon the castle was builded. This the earl gladly
did, and very solemnly the two good knights were buried, and long did
Sir Bors mourn over the grave.
In a little while thereafter Sir Bors armed himself, and departed, and
after many adventures, rode southwards till he came to Camelot. And
there he told the king and such knights as there were, how the two
stainless knights had achieved the Holy Graal, and how their souls had
been taken up with the sacred vessel.
All the court mourned for the two knights, and the king commanded a
history to be written of what Sir Bors had told. It was so done, and
the book richly adorned with many coloured letters, was kept in the
great treasure-chest in the castle of Sarum.
Ever after Sir Bors was a silent man, for he could not forget the holy
and terrible sight he had seen. Of the doom which was coming in due
time upon the dear and fair land of Britain, as was prophesied by St.
Joseph, he told no man, but kept the words fast locked in his heart.
XI
OF THE PLOTS OF SIR MORDRED; AND HOW SIR LANCELOT SAVED THE QUEEN
After the quest of the Sangreal was completed, and all the knights that