Le Morte Darthur
adventure of the Sancgreal.
CHAP. V.
_Of the good counsel that the hermit gave to him._
Certes, said Gawaine, soothly have ye said, that I see it openly. Now I
pray you, good man and holy father, tell me why we met not with so many
adventures as we were wont to do, and commonly have the better. I shall
tell you gladly, said the good man: The adventure of the Sancgreal,
which ye and many other have undertaken the quest of it, and find it
not, the cause is, for it appeareth not to sinners. Wherefore marvel
not though ye fail thereof, and many other. For ye be an untrue knight,
and a great murderer, and to good men signifieth other things than
murder. For I dare say, as sinful as Sir Launcelot hath been, sith that
he went into the quest of the Sancgreal he slew never man, nor nought
shall till that he come unto Camelot again. For he hath taken upon him
for to forsake sin. And were not that he is not stable, but by his
thought he is likely to turn again, he should be next to achieve it,
save Galahad his son. But God knoweth his thought, and his
unstableness, and yet shall he die right an holy man; and no doubt he
hath no fellow of no earthly sinful man. Sir, said Gawaine, it seemeth
me by your words, that for our sins it will not avail us to travail in
this quest. Truly, said the good man, there be an hundred such as ye
be, that never shall prevail but to have shame. And when they had heard
these voices, they commanded him unto God.
Then the good man called Gawaine, and said, It is long time passed sith
that ye were made knight, and never since thou servedst thy Maker, and
now thou art so old a tree, that in thee there is neither life nor
fruit; wherefore bethink thee that thou yield unto our Lord the bare
rind, sith the fiend hath the leaves and the fruit. Sir, said Gawaine,
and I had leisure I would speak with you, but my fellow here, Sir
Ector, is gone, and abideth me yonder beneath the hill. Well, said the
good man, thou were better to be counselled. Then departed Gawaine, and
came to Ector, and so took their horses, and rode till they came to a
foster’s house which harboured them right well. And on the morn they
departed from their host, and rode long or they could find any
adventure.
CHAP. VI.
_How Sir Bors met with an hermit, and how he was confessed to him, and
of his penance enjoined to him._
When Bors was departed from Camelot, he met with a religious man riding
on an ass, and Sir Bors saluted him. Anon the good man knew him that he
was one of the knights errant that was in the quest of the Sancgreal.
What are ye? said the good man. Sir, said he, I am a knight that fain
would be counselled in the quest of the Sancgreal: for he shall have
much earthly worship that may bring it to an end. Certes, said the good
man, that is sooth, for he shall be the best knight of the world, and
the fairest of all the fellowship. But wit you well, there shall none
attain it but by cleanness, that is, pure confession. So rode they
together till that they came to an hermitage. And there he prayed Bors
to dwell all that night with him: and so he alight, and put away his
armour, and prayed him that he might be confessed; and so they went
into the chapel, and there he was clean confessed: and they eat bread,
and drank water, together. Now, said the good man, I pray thee that
thou eat none other, till that thou sit at the table where the
Sancgreal shall be. Sir, said he, I agree me thereto; but how wit ye
that I shall sit there? Yes, said the good man, that know I, but there
shall be but few of your fellows with you. All is welcome, said Sir
Bors, that God sendeth me. Also, said the good man, instead of a shirt,
and in sign of chastisement, ye shall wear a garment; thereof I pray
you do off all your clothes and your shirt, and so he did. And then he
took him a scarlet coat, so that should be instead of his shirt, till
he had fulfilled the quest of the Sancgreal. And the good man found him
in so marvellous a life, and so stable, that he marvelled, and felt
that he was never corrupt in fleshly lusts, but in one time that he
begat Elian le Blank. Then he armed him, and took his leave, and so
departed. And so a little from thence he looked up into a tree, and
there he saw a passing great bird upon an old tree, and it was passing
dry, without leaves, and the bird sat above, and had birds, the which
were dead for hunger. So smote he himself with his beak, the which was
great and sharp. And so the great bird bled till that he died among his
birds. And the young birds took the life by the blood of the great
bird. When Bors saw this, he wist well it was great tokening. For when
he saw the great bird arose not, then he took his horse and went his
way. So by evensong, by adventure he came to a strong tower, and an
high, and there was he lodged gladly.
CHAP. VII.
_How Sir Bors was lodged with a lady, and how he took on him for to
fight against a champion for her land._
And when he was unarmed, they led him into an high tower, where was a
lady, young, lusty, and fair. And she received him with great joy, and
made him to sit down by her, and so was he set to sup with flesh and
many dainties. And when Sir Bors saw that, he bethought him on his
penance, and bad a squire to bring him water. And so he brought him,
and he made sops therein, and ate them. Ah, said the lady, I trow ye
like not my meat. Yes, truly, said Sir Bors, God thank you madam, but I
may eat none other meat this day. Then she spake no more as at that
time, for she was loth to displease him.
Then after supper they spake of one thing and other. With that there
came a squire, and said, Madam, ye must purvey you to-morn for a
champion, for else your sister will have this castle, and also your
lands, except ye can find a knight that will fight to-morn in your
quarrel against Pridam le Noire. Then she made sorrow, and said, Ah
Lord God, wherefore granted ye to hold my land, whereof I should now be
disherited without reason and right. And when Sir Bors had heard her
say thus, he said, I shall comfort you. Sir, said she, I shall tell
you, there was here a king that hight Aniause, which held all this land
in his keeping. So it mishapped he loved a gentlewoman, a great deal
elder than I. So took he her all this land to her keeping, and all his
men to govern, and she brought up many evil customs, whereby she put to
death a great part of his kinsmen. And when he saw that, he let chase
her out of this land, and betook it me, and all this land in my charge:
but anon, as that worthy king was dead, this other lady began to war
upon me, and hath destroyed many of my men, and turned them against me,
that I have well nigh no man left me, and I have nought else but this
high tower that she left me. And yet she hath promised me to have this
tower, without I can find a knight to fight with her champion. Now tell
me, said Sir Bors, what is that Pridam le Noire? Sir, said she, he is
the most doubted man of this land.—Now may ye send her word that ye
have found a knight that shall fight with that Pridam le Noire in God’s
quarrel and yours. Then that lady was not a little glad, and sent word
that she was provided. And that night Sir Bors had good cheer, but in
no bed he would come, but laid him on the floor, nor never would do
otherwise till that he had met with the quest of Sancgreal.
CHAP. VIII.
_Of a vision which Sir Bors had that night, and how he fought and
overcame his adversary._
And anon as he was asleep, him befell a vision, that there came to him
two birds, the one as white as a swan, and the other was marvellous
black, but it was not so great as the other, but in the likeness of a
raven. Then the white bird came to him, and said, And thou wouldst give
me meat and serve me, I should give thee all the riches of the world,
and I shall make thee as fair and as white as I am. So the white bird
departed, and there came the black bird to him, and said, And thou wilt
serve me to-morrow, and have me in no despite, though I be black, for
wit thou well that more availeth my blackness, than the other’s
whiteness. And then he departed. And he had another vision: him thought
that he came to a great place, which seemed a chapel, and there he
found a chair set on the left side, which was worm-eaten and feeble.
And on the right hand were two flowers like a lily, and the one would
have taken the other’s whiteness, but a good man parted them, that the
one touched not the other, and then out of every flower came out many
flowers, and fruit great plenty. Then him thought the good man said,
Should not he do great folly, that would let these two flowers perish
for to succour the rotten tree, that it fell not to the earth? Sir,
said he, it seemeth me that this wood might not avail. Now keep thee,
said the good man, that thou never see such adventure befall thee. Then
he awaked and made a sign of the cross in the midst of the forehead,
and so rose and clothed him, and there came the lady of the place, and
she saluted him, and he her again, and so went to a chapel, and heard
their service. And there came a company of knights that the lady had
sent for, to lead Sir Bors unto battle. Then asked he his arms. And
when he was armed, she prayed him to take a little morsel to dine. Nay,
madam, said he, that shall I not do, till I have done my battle, by the
grace of God. And so he lept upon his horse, and departed all the
knights and men with him. And as soon as these two ladies met together,
she which Bors should fight for, complained her, and said, Madam, ye
have done me wrong to bereave me of my lands that king Aniause gave me,
and full loth I am there should be any battle. Ye shall not choose,
said the other lady, or else your knight withdraw him. Then there was
the cry made, which party had the better of those two knights, that
this lady should enjoy all the land. Now departed the one knight here,
and the other there. Then they came together with such force that they
pierced their shields and their hauberks, and the spears flew in
pieces, and they wounded either other sore. Then hurtled they together
so that they fell both to the earth, and their horses betwixt their
legs. And anon they arose, and set hands to their swords, and smote
each one other upon the heads, that they made great wounds and deep,
that the blood went out of their bodies. For there found Sir Bors
greater defence in that knight more than he wend. For that Pridam was a
passing good knight, and he wounded Sir Bors full evil, and he him
again. But ever this Sir Pridam held the stour in like hard. That
perceived Sir Bors, and suffered him till he was nigh attaint, and then
he ran upon him more and more, and the other went back for dread of
death. So in his withdrawing he fell upright, and Sir Bors drew his
helm so strongly that he rent it from his head, and gave him great
strokes with the flat of his sword upon the visage, and bade him yield
him, or he should slay him. Then he cried him mercy, and said, Fair
knight, for God’s love slay me not, and I shall ensure thee never to
war against thy lady, but be alway toward her. Then Bors let him be.
Then the old lady fled with all her knights.
CHAP. IX.
_How the lady was restored to her lands by the battle of Sir Bors, and
of his departing, and how he met Sir Lionel taken and beaten with
thorns, and also of a maid which should have been dishonoured._
So then came Bors to all those that held lands of his lady, and said he
should destroy them but if they did such service unto her as belonged
to their lands. So they did their homage, and they that would not were