And then Sir Bors was ware where came in an hideous lion;so Sir Bors dressed him unto the lion,and anon the lion bereft him his shield,and with his sword Sir Bors smote off the lion's head.Right so Sir Bors forthwithal saw a dragon in the court passing horrible,and there seemed letters of gold written in his forehead;and Sir Bors thought that the letters made a signification of King Arthur.Right so there came an horrible leopard and an old,and there they fought long,and did great battle together.And at the last the dragon spit out of his mouth as it had been an hundred dragons;and lightly all the small dragons slew the old dragon and tare him all to pieces.
Anon withal there came an old man into the hall,and he sat him down in a fair chair,and there seemed to be two adders about his neck;and then the old man had an harp,and there he sang an old song how Joseph of Armathie came into this land.Then when he had sung,the old man bade Sir Bors go from thence.For here shall ye have no more adventures;and full worshipfully have ye done,and better shall ye do hereafter.And then Sir Bors seemed that there came the whitest dove with a little golden censer in her mouth.And anon therewithal the tempest ceased and passed,that afore was marvellous to hear.So was all that court full of good savours.Then Sir Bors saw four children bearing four fair tapers,and an old man in the midst of the children with a censer in his own hand,and a spear in his other hand,and that spear was called the Spear of Vengeance.
CHAPTER VI
How Sir Bors departed;and how Sir Launcelot was rebuked of Queen Guenever,and of his excuse.
NOW,said that old man to Sir Bors,go ye to your cousin,Sir Launcelot,and tell him of this adventure the which had been most convenient for him of all earthly knights;but sin is so foul in him he may not achieve such holy deeds,for had not been his sin he had passed all the knights that ever were in his days;and tell thou Sir Launcelot,of all worldly adventures he passeth in manhood and prowess all other,but in this spiritual matters he shall have many his better.And then Sir Bors saw four gentlewomen come by him,purely beseen:and he saw where that they entered into a chamber where was great light as it were a summer light;and the women kneeled down afore an altar of silver with four pillars,and as it had been a bishop kneeled down afore that table of silver.And as Sir Bors looked over his head he saw a sword like silver,naked,hoving over his head,and the clearness thereof smote so in his eyes that as at that time Sir Bors was blind;and there he heard a voice that said:Go hence,thou Sir Bors,for as yet thou art not worthy for to be in this place.
And then he yede backward to his bed till on the morn.
And on the morn King Pelles made great joy of Sir Bors;and then he departed and rode to Camelot,and there he found Sir Launcelot du Lake,and told him of the adventures that he had seen with King Pelles at Corbin.
So the noise sprang in Arthur's court that Launcelot had gotten a child upon Elaine,the daughter of King Pelles,wherefore Queen Guenever was wroth,and gave many rebukes to Sir Launcelot,and called him false knight.
And then Sir Launcelot told the queen all,and how he was made to lie by her by enchantment in likeness of the queen.So the queen held Sir Launcelot excused.And as the book saith,King Arthur had been in France,and had made war upon the mighty King Claudas,and had won much of his lands.And when the king was come again he let cry a great feast,that all lords and ladies of all England should be there,but if it were such as were rebellious against him.
CHAPTER VII
How Dame Elaine,Galahad's mother,came in great estate unto Camelot,and how Sir Launcelot behaved him there.
AND when Dame Elaine,the daughter of King Pelles,heard of this feast she went to her father and required him that he would give her leave to ride to that feast.
The king answered:I will well ye go thither,but in any wise as ye love me and will have my blessing,that ye be well beseen in the richest wise;and look that ye spare not for no cost;ask and ye shall have all that you needeth.
Then by the advice of Dame Brisen,her maiden,all thing was apparelled unto the purpose,that there was never no lady more richlier beseen.So she rode with twenty knights,and ten ladies,and gentlewomen,to the number of an hundred horses.And when she came to Camelot,King Arthur and Queen Guenever said,and all the knights,that Dame Elaine was the fairest and the best beseen lady that ever was seen in that court.And anon as King Arthur wist that she was come he met her and saluted her,and so did the most part of all the knights of the Round Table,both Sir Tristram,Sir Bleoberis,and Sir Gawaine,and many more that I will not rehearse.
But when Sir Launcelot saw her he was so ashamed,and that because he drew his sword on the morn when he had lain by her,that he would not salute her nor speak to her;and yet Sir Launcelot thought she was the fairest woman that ever he saw in his life-days.
But when Dame Elaine saw Sir Launcelot that would not speak unto her she was so heavy that she weened her heart would have to-brast;for wit you well,out of measure she loved him.And then Elaine said unto her woman,Dame Brisen:the unkindness of Sir Launcelot slayeth me near.Ah,peace,madam,said Dame Brisen,I will undertake that this night he shall lie with you,an ye would hold you still.That were me liefer,said Dame Elaine,than all the gold that is above the earth.Let me deal,said Dame Brisen.So when Elaine was brought unto Queen Guenever either made other good cheer by countenance,but nothing with hearts.But all men and women spake of the beauty of Dame Elaine,and of her great riches.