Le Morte Darthur
as for this sword there shall never man begripe it at the handle but
one, but he shall pass all other. In the name of God, said Percivale, I
shall essay to handle it. So he set his hand to the sword, but he might
not begripe it. By my faith, said he, now have I failed. Bors set his
hand thereto and failed. Then Galahad beheld the sword, and saw the
letters like blood, that said, Let see who shall assay to draw me out
of my sheath, but if he be more hardier than other, and who that
draweth me, wit ye well that he shall never fail of shame of his body,
or to be wounded to the death. By my faith, said Galahad, I would draw
this sword out of the sheath, but the offending is so great, that I
shall not set my hand thereto. Now sir, said the gentlewoman, wit ye
well that the drawing of this sword is forbidden to all men, save all
only unto you. Also this ship arrived in the realm of Logris, and that
time was deadly war between king Labor, which was father unto the
maimed king, and king Hurlame, which was a Saracen. But then was he
newly christened, so that men held him afterwards one of the wittiest
men of the world. And so upon a day it befell that king Labor and king
Hurlame had assembled their folk upon the sea, where this ship was
arrived, and there king Hurlame was discomfit, and his men slain, and
he was afeard to be dead, and fled to his ship, and there found this
sword, and drew it, and came out and found king Labor, the man in the
world of all Christendom in whom was then the greatest faith. And when
king Hurlame saw king Labor, he dressed this sword, and smote him upon
the helm so hard, that he clave him and his horse to the earth with the
first stroke of his sword. And it was in the realm of Logris; and so
befell great pestilence and great harm to both realms. For sithen
increased neither corn nor grass, nor well nigh no fruit, nor in the
water was no fish, wherefore men call it the lands of the two marches,
the waste land, for that dolorous stroke. And when king Hurlame saw
this sword so carving, he turned again to fetch the scabbard: and so
came into this ship, and entered, and put up the sword in the sheath.
And as soon as he had done it, he fell down dead afore the bed. Thus
was the sword proved, that none ne drew it but he were dead or maimed.
So lay he there till a maiden came into the ship, and cast him out, for
there was no man so hardy of the world to enter into that ship for the
defence.
CHAP. IV.
_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 I 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 gird 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 did
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 about 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 call 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 fly, 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 midst.
Ah, said Nacien, the thing I most praised ought I now most to blame.
And therewith he threw the pieces of his sword over his bed. And after
he lept 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
thyselfward, 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 he put 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.
CHAP. V.
_How king Pelles was smitten through both thighs because he drew the
sword, and other marvellous histories._
Sir, said she, there was a king that hight Pelles the maimed king. And
while he might ride, he supported much Christendom, and holy Church. So
upon a day he hunted in a wood of his which lasted unto the sea, and at
the last he lost his hounds and his knights, save only one: and there
he and his knight went till that they came toward Ireland, and there he
found the ship. And when he saw the letters and understood them, yet he
entered, for he was right perfect of his life: but his knight had none
hardiness to enter, and there found he this sword, and drew it out as
much as ye may see. So therewith entered a spear, wherewith he was
smitten him through both the thighs, and never sith might he be healed,
nor nought shall tofore we come to him. Thus, said she, was king
Pelles, your grandsire, maimed for his hardiness. In the name of God,
damsel, said Galahad. So they went toward the bed to behold all about
it, and above the head there hung two swords. Also there were two
spindles which were as white as any snow, and other that were as red as
blood, and other above green as any emerald: of these three colours
were the spindles, and of natural colour within, and without any
painting. These spindles, said the damsel, were when sinful Eve came to
gather fruit, for which Adam and she were put out of paradise, she took
with her the bough on which the apple hung on. Then perceived she that
the branch was fair and green, and she remembered her the loss which
came from the tree. Then she thought to keep the branch as long as she
might. And for she had no coffer to keep it in, she put it in the
earth. So by the will of our Lord the branch grew to a great tree
within a little while, and was as white as any snow, branches, boughs,
and leaves, that was a token a maiden planted it. But after the tree
which was white became green as any grass, and all that came out of it.
And in the same time there was Abel begotten; thus was the tree long of
green colour. And so it befell many days after, under the same tree
Cain slew Abel, whereof befell great marvel. For anon as Abel had
received the death under the green tree, it lost the green colour and
became red, and that was in tokening of the blood. And anon all the
plants died thereof, but the tree grew and waxed marvellously fair, and
it was the fairest tree and the most delectable that any man might
behold and see, and so died the plants that grew out of it tofore the
time that Abel was slain under it. So long endured the tree till that
Solomon king David’s son reigned, and held the land after his father.
This Solomon was wise, and knew all the virtues of stones and trees,
and so he knew the course of the stars, and many other diverse things.
This Solomon had an evil wife, where through he wend that there had
never been no good woman, and so he despised them in his books. So
answered a voice him once, Solomon, if heaviness come to a man by a
woman, ne reck thou never. For yet shall there come a woman whereof
there shall come greater joy unto man an hundred times more than this
heaviness giveth sorrow, and that woman shall be born of thy lineage.
Then when Solomon heard these words, he held himself but a fool, and
the truth he perceived by old books. Also the Holy Ghost shewed him the
coming of the glorious Virgin Mary. Then asked he of the voice if it
should be in the end of his lineage. Nay, said the voice, but there
shall come a man which shall be a maid, and the last of your blood, and
he shall be as good a knight as duke Josua thy brother-in-law.
CHAP. VI.
_How Solomon took David’s sword by the counsel of his wife, and of
other matters marvellous._
Now have I certified thee of that thou stoodst in doubt. Then was
Solomon glad that there should come any such of his lineage, but ever
he marvelled and studied who that should be, and what his name might
be. His wife perceived that he studied, and thought that she would know
it at some season, and so she waited her time, and asked of him the
cause of his studying, and there he told her altogether how the voice
told him. Well, said she, I shall let make a ship of the best wood and
most durable that men may find. So Solomon sent for all the carpenters
of the land and the best. And when they had made the ship, the lady
said to Solomon, Sir, said she, since it is so that this knight ought
to pass all other knights of chivalry which have been tofore him, and
shall come after him, moreover I shall tell you, said she, ye shall go
into our Lord’s temple, whereas is king David’s sword, your father, the
which is the marvellousest and sharpest that ever was taken in any
knight’s hand. Therefore take that, and take off the pommel, and
thereto make ye a pommel of precious stones, that it be so subtilly
made that no man perceive it but that they be all one. And after make
there an hilt so marvellously and wonderly that no man may know it. And
after make a marvellous sheath. And when ye have made all this, I shall
let make a girdle thereto, such as shall please me. All this king
Solomon did let make as she devised, both the ship and all the remnant.
And when the ship was ready in the sea to sail, the lady let make a
great bed, and marvellous rich, and set her upon the bed’s head covered
with silk, and laid the sword at the feet, and the girdles were of