The Legends of King Arthur and His Knights
the horse suddenly shook him off, and with a terrible sound leaped into
the water and disappeared, the waves all burning up in flames around him.
Then Sir Percival knew it was a fiend which had brought him the horse; so
he commended himself to God, and prayed that he might escape temptations,
and continued in prayer till it was day.
Then he saw that he was on a wild mountain, nigh surrounded on all sides
by the sea, and filled with wild beasts; and going on into a valley, he
saw a serpent carrying a young lion by the neck. With that came another
lion, crying and roaring after the serpent, and anon overtook him, and
began to battle with him. And Sir Percival helped the lion, and drew his
sword, and gave the serpent such a stroke that it fell dead. Thereat the
lion fawned upon him like a dog, licking his hands, and crouching at his
feet, and at night lay down by him and slept at his side.
And at noon the next day Sir Percival saw a ship come sailing before a
strong wind upon the sea towards him, and he rose and went towards it. And
when it came to shore, he found it covered with white samite, and on the
deck there stood an old man dressed in priest's robes, who said, "God be
with you, fair sir; whence come ye?"
"I am a knight of King Arthur's court," said he, "and follow the quest of
the Sangreal; but here have I lost myself in this wilderness."
"Fear nothing," said the old man, "for I have come from a strange country
to comfort thee."
Then he told Sir Percival it was a fiend of hell upon which he had ridden
to the sea, and that the lion, whom he had delivered from the serpent,
meant the Church. And Sir Percival rejoiced at these tidings, and entered
into the ship, which presently sailed from the shore into the sea.
Now when Sir Bors rode forth from Camelot to seek the Sangreal, anon he
met a holy man riding on an ass, and courteously saluted him.
"Who are ye, son?" said the good man.
"I am a knight," said he, "in quest of the Sangreal, and would fain have
thy counsel, for he shall have much earthly honour who may bring it to a
favourable end."
"That is truth," said the good man, "for he shall be the best knight of
the world; yet know that none shall gain it save by sinless living."
So they rode to his hermitage together, and there he prayed Sir Bors to
abide that night, and anon they went into the chapel, and Sir Bors was
confessed. And they eat bread and drank water together.
"Now," said the hermit, "I pray thee eat no other food till thou sit at
the table where the Sangreal shall be." Thereto Sir Bors agreed.
"Also," said the hermit, "it were wise that ye should wear a sackcloth
garment next your skin, for penance;" and in this also did Sir Bors as he
was counselled. And afterwards he armed himself and took his leave.
Then rode he onwards all that day, and as he rode he saw a passing great
bird sit in an old dry tree, whereon no leaves were left; and many little
birds lay round the great one, nigh dead with hunger. Then did the big
bird smite himself with his own bill, and bled till he died amongst his
little ones, and they recovered life in drinking up his blood. When Sir
Bors saw this he knew it was a token, and rode on full of thought. And
about eventide he came to a tower, whereto he prayed admission, and he was
received gladly by the lady of the castle. But when a supper of many meats
and dainties was set before him, he remembered his vow, and bade a squire
to bring him water, and therein he dipped his bread, and ate.
Then said the lady, "Sir Bors, I fear ye like not my meat."
"Yea, truly," said he; "God thank thee, madam; but I may eat no other meat
this day."
After supper came a squire, and said, "Madam, bethink thee to provide a
champion for thee to-morrow for the tourney, or else shall thy sister have
thy castle."
At that the lady wept, and made great sorrow. But Sir Bors prayed her to
be comforted, and asked her why the tournament was held. Then she told him
how she and her sister were the daughters of King Anianse, who left them
all his lands between them; and how her sister was the wife of a strong
knight, named Sir Pridan le Noir, who had taken from herself all her
lands, save the one tower wherein she dwelt. "And now," said she, "this
also will they take, unless I find a champion by to-morrow."
Then said Sir Bors, "Be comforted; to-morrow I will fight for thee;"
whereat she rejoiced not a little, and sent word to Sir Pridan that she
was provided and ready. And Sir Bors lay on the floor, and in no bed, nor
ever would do otherwise till he had achieved his quest.
On the morrow he arose and clothed himself, and went into the chapel,
where the lady met him, and they heard mass together. Anon he called for
his armour, and went with a goodly company of knights to the battle. And
the lady prayed him to refresh himself ere he should fight, but he refused
to break his fast until the tournament were done. So they all rode
together to the lists, and there they saw the lady's eldest sister, and
her husband, Sir Pridan le Noir. And a cry was made by the heralds that,
whichever should win, his lady should have all the other's lands.
Then the two knights departed asunder a little space, and came together
with such force, that both their spears were shivered, and their shields
and hauberks pierced through; and both fell to the ground sorely wounded,
with their horses under them. But swiftly they arose, and drew their
swords, and smote each other on the head with many great and heavy blows,
till the blood ran down their bodies; and Sir Pridan was a full good
knight, so that Sir Bors had more ado than he had thought for to overcome
him.
But at last Sir Pridan grew a little faint; that instantly perceived Sir
Bors, and rushed upon him the more vehemently, and smote him fiercely,
till he rent off his helm, and then gave him great strokes upon his visage
with the flat of his sword, and bade him yield or be slain.
And then Sir Pridan cried him mercy, and said, "For God's sake slay me
not, and I will never war against thy lady more." So Sir Bors let him go,
and his wife fled away with all her knights.
Then all those who had held lands of the lady of the tower came and did
homage to her again, and swore fealty. And when the country was at peace
Sir Bors departed, and rode forth into a forest until it was midday, and
there befell him a marvellous adventure.
For at a place where two ways parted, there met him two knights, bearing
Sir Lionel, his brother, all naked, bound on a horse, and as they rode,
they beat him sorely with thorns, so that the blood trailed down in more
than a hundred places from his body; but for all this he uttered no word
or groan, so great he was of heart. As soon as Sir Bors knew his brother,
he put his spear in rest to run and rescue him; but in the same moment
heard a woman's voice cry close beside him in the wood, "St. Mary, succour
thy maid;" and, looking round, he saw a damsel whom a felon knight dragged
after him into the thickets; and she, perceiving him, cried piteously for
help, and adjured him to deliver her as he was a sworn knight. Then was
Sir Bors sore troubled, and knew not what to do, for he thought within
himself, "If I let my brother be, he will be murdered; but if I help not
the maid, she is shamed for ever, and my vow compelleth me to set her
free; wherefore must I first help her, and trust my brother unto God."
So, riding to the knight who held the damsel, he cried out, "Sir knight,
lay your hand off that maid, or else ye be but dead."
At that the knight set down the maid, and dropped his shield, and drew
forth his sword against Sir Bors, who ran at him, and smote him through
both shield and shoulder, and threw him to the earth; and when he pulled
his spear forth, the knight swooned. Then the maid thanked Sir Bors
heartily, and he set her on the knight's horse, and brought her to her
men-at-arms, who presently came riding after her. And they made much joy,
and besought him to come to her father, a great lord, and he should be
right welcome. But "truly," said he, "I may not at this time, for I have a
great adventure yet to do;" and commending them to God, he departed in
great haste to find his brother.
So he rode, seeking him by the track of the horses a great while. Anon he
met a seeming holy man riding upon a strong black horse, and asked him,
had he seen pass by that way a knight led bound and beaten with thorns by
two others.
"Yea, truly, such an one I saw," said the man; "but he is dead, and lo!
his body is hard by in a bush."
Then he showed him a newly slain body lying in a thick bush, which seemed
indeed to be Sir Lionel. Then made Sir Bors such mourning and sorrow that
by-and-by he fell into a swoon upon the ground. And when he came to
himself again, he took the body in his arms and put it on his horse's
saddle, and bore it to a chapel hard by, and would have buried it. But
when he made the sign of the cross, he heard a full great noise and cry as
though all the fiends of hell had been about him, and suddenly the body
and the chapel and the old man vanished all away. Then he knew that it was
the devil who had thus beguiled him, and that his brother yet lived.
Then held he up his hands to heaven, and thanked God for his own escape
from hurt, and rode onwards; and anon, as he passed by an hermitage in a
forest, he saw his brother sitting armed by the door. And when he saw him
he was filled with joy, and lighted from his horse, and ran to him and
said, "Fair brother, when came ye hither?"
But Sir Lionel answered, with an angry face, "What vain words be these,
when for you I might have been slain? Did ye not see me bound and led away
to death, and left me in that peril to go succouring a gentlewoman, the
like whereof no brother ever yet hath done? Now, for thy false misdeed, I
do defy thee, and ensure thee speedy death."
Then Sir Bors prayed his brother to abate his anger, and said, "Fair
brother, remember the love that should be between us twain."
But Sir Lionel would not hear, and prepared to fight and mounted his horse
and came before him, crying, "Sir Bors, keep thee from me, for I shall do
to thee as a felon and a traitor; therefore, start upon thy horse, for if
thou wilt not, I will run upon thee as thou standest."
But for all his words Sir Bors would not defend himself against his
brother. And anon the fiend stirred up Sir Lionel to such rage, that he
rushed over him and overthrew him with his horse's hoofs, so that he lay
swooning on the ground. Then would he have rent off his helm and slain
him, but the hermit of that place ran out, and prayed him to forbear, and
shielded Sir Bors with his body.
Then Sir Lionel cried out, "Now, God so help me, sir priest, but I shall
slay thee else thou depart, and him too after thee."
And when the good man utterly refused to leave Sir Bors, he smote him on
the head until he died, and then he took his brother by the helm and
unlaced it, to have stricken off his head, and so he would have done, but
suddenly was pulled off backwards by a knight of the Round Table, who, by
the will of Heaven, was passing by that place--Sir Colgrevance by name.
"Sir Lionel," he cried, "will ye slay your brother, one of the best
knights of all the world? That ought no man to suffer."
"Why," said Sir Lionel, "will ye hinder me and meddle in this strife?
beware, lest I shall slay both thee and him."
And when Sir Colgrevance refused to let them be, Sir Lionel defied him,
and gave him a great stroke through the helmet, whereat Sir Colgrevance
drew his sword, and smote again right manfully. And so long they fought
together that Sir Bors awoke from his swoon, and tried to rise and part
them, but had no strength to stand upon his feet.