Now at the year's end,and the self day after Galahad had borne the crown of gold,he arose up early and his fellows,and came to the palace,and saw to-fore them the Holy Vessel,and a man kneeling on his knees in likeness of a bishop,that had about him a great fellowship of angels,as it had been Jesu Christ himself;and then he arose and began a mass of Our Lady.And when he came to the sacrament of the mass,and had done,anon he called Galahad,and said to him:Come forth the servant of Jesu Christ,and thou shalt see that thou hast much desired to see.And then he began to tremble right hard when the deadly flesh began to behold the spiritual things.Then he held up his hands toward heaven and said:Lord,I thank thee,for now I see that that hath been my desire many a day.Now,blessed Lord,would I not longer live,if it might please thee,Lord.And therewith the good man took Our Lord's body betwixt his hands,and proffered it to Galahad,and he received it right gladly and meekly.
Now wottest thou what I am?said the good man.Nay,said Galahad.I am Joseph of Aramathie,the which Our Lord hath sent here to thee to bear thee fellowship;and wottest thou wherefore that he hath sent me more than any other?For thou hast resembled me in two things;in that thou hast seen the marvels of the Sangreal,in that thou hast been a clean maiden,as I have been and am.
And when he had said these words Galahad went to Percivale and kissed him,and commended him to God;and so he went to Sir Bors and kissed him,and commended him to God,and said:Fair lord,salute me to my lord,Sir Launcelot,my father,and as soon as ye see him,bid him remember of this unstable world.And therewith he kneeled down to-fore the table and made his prayers,and then suddenly his soul departed to Jesu Christ,and a great multitude of angels bare his soul up to heaven,that the two fellows might well behold it.Also the two fellows saw come from heaven an hand,but they saw not the body.And then it came right to the Vessel,and took it and the spear,and so bare it up to heaven.Sithen was there never man so hardy to say that he had seen the Sangreal.
CHAPTER XXIII
Of the sorrow that Percivale and Bors made when Galahad was dead:and of Percivale how he died,and other matters.
WHEN Percivale and Bors saw Galahad dead they made as much sorrow as ever did two men.And if they had not been good men they might lightly have fallen in despair.And the people of the country and of the city were right heavy.And then he was buried;and as soon as he was buried Sir Percivale yielded him to an hermitage out of the city,and took a religious clothing.And Bors was alway with him,but never changed he his secular clothing,for that he purposed him to go again into the realm of Logris.Thus a year and two months lived Sir Percivale in the hermitage a full holy life,and then passed out of this world;and Bors let bury him by his sister and by Galahad in the spiritualities.
When Bors saw that he was in so far countries as in the parts of Babylon he departed from Sarras,and armed him and came to the sea,and entered into a ship;and so it befell him in good adventure he came into the realm of Logris;and he rode so fast till he came to Camelot where the king was.And then was there great joy made of him in the court,for they weened all he had been dead,forasmuch as he had been so long out of the country.And when they had eaten,the king made great clerks to come afore him,that they should chronicle of the high adventures of the good knights.When Bors had told him of the adventures of the Sangreal,such as had befallen him and his three fellows,that was Launcelot,Percivale,Galahad,and himself,there Launcelot told the adventures of the Sangreal that he had seen.All this was made in great books,and put up in almeries at Salisbury.And anon Sir Bors said to Sir Launcelot:Galahad,your own son,saluted you by me,and after you King Arthur and all the court,and so did Sir Percivale,for I buried them with mine own hands in the city of Sarras.Also,Sir Launcelot,Galahad prayed you to remember of this unsiker world as ye behight him when ye were together more than half a year.This is true,said Launcelot;now I trust to God his prayer shall avail me.
Then Launcelot took Sir Bors in his arms,and said:
Gentle cousin,ye are right welcome to me,and all that ever I may do for you and for yours ye shall find my poor body ready at all times,while the spirit is in it,and that Ipromise you faithfully,and never to fail.And wit ye well,gentle cousin,Sir Bors,that ye and I will never depart asunder whilst our lives may last.Sir,said he,I will as ye will.
(Thus endeth the history of the Sangreal,that was briefly drawn out of French into English,the which is a story chronicled for one of the truest and the holiest that is in this world,the which is the xvii book.
And here followeth the eighteenth book.)