Then Sir Percivale espied that therein was a man or a woman,for the visage was covered;then he left off his looking and heard his service.And when it came to the sacring,he that lay within that parclos dressed him up,and uncovered his head;and then him beseemed a passing old man,and he had a crown of gold upon his head,and his shoulders were naked and unhilled unto his navel.And then Sir Percivale espied his body was full of great wounds,both on the shoulders,arms,and visage.And ever he held up his hands against Our Lord's body,and cried:Fair,sweet Father,Jesu Christ,forget not me.And so he lay down,but always he was in his prayers and orisons;and him seemed to be of the age of three hundred winter.And when the mass was done the priest took Our Lord's body and bare it to the sick king.And when he had used it he did off his crown,and commanded the crown to be set on the altar.
Then Sir Percivale asked one of the brethren what he was.Sir,said the good man,ye have heard much of Joseph of Aramathie,how he was sent by Jesu Christ into this land for to teach and preach the holy Christian faith;and therefore he suffered many persecutions the which the enemies of Christ did unto him,and in the city of Sarras he converted a king whose name was Evelake.And so this king came with Joseph into this land,and ever he was busy to be thereas the Sangreal was;and on a time he nighed it so nigh that Our Lord was displeased with him,but ever he followed it more and more,till God struck him almost blind.Then this king cried mercy,and said:Fair Lord,let me never die till the good knight of my blood of the ninth degree be come,that I may see him openly that he shall enchieve the Sangreal,that I may kiss him.
CHAPTER IV
How Sir Percivale saw many men of arms bearing a dead knight,and how he fought against them.
WHEN the king thus had made his prayers he heard a voice that said:Heard be thy prayers,for thou shalt not die till he have kissed thee.And when that knight shall come the clearness of your eyes shall come again,and thou shalt see openly,and thy wounds shall be healed,and erst shall they never close.And this befell of King Evelake,and this same king hath lived this three hundred winters this holy life,and men say the knight is in the court that shall heal him.Sir,said the good man,I pray you tell me what knight that ye be,and if ye be of King Arthur's court and of the Table Round.Yea forsooth,said he,and my name is Sir Percivale de Galis.And when the good man understood his name he made great joy of him.
And then Sir Percivale departed and rode till the hour of noon.And he met in a valley about a twenty men of arms,which bare in a bier a knight deadly slain.And when they saw Sir Percivale they asked him of whence he was.And he answered:Of the court of King Arthur.
Then they cried all at once:Slay him.Then Sir Percivale smote the first to the earth and his horse upon him.And then seven of the knights smote upon his shield all at once,and the remnant slew his horse so that he fell to the earth.
So had they slain him or taken him had not the good knight,Sir Galahad,with the red arms come there by adventure into those parts.And when he saw all those knights upon one knight he cried:Save me that knight's life.And then he dressed him toward the twenty men of arms as fast as his horse might drive,with his spear in the rest,and smote the foremost horse and man to the earth.And when his spear was broken he set his hand to his sword,and smote on the right hand and on the left hand that it was marvel to see,and at every stroke he smote one down or put him to a rebuke,so that they would fight no more but fled to a thick forest,and Sir Galahad followed them.
And when Sir Percivale saw him chase them so,he made great sorrow that his horse was away.And then he wist well it was Sir Galahad.And then he cried aloud:
Ah fair knight,abide and suffer me to do thankings unto thee,for much have ye done for me.But ever Sir Galahad rode so fast that at the last he passed out of his sight.And as fast as Sir Percivale might he went after him on foot,crying.And then he met with a yeoman riding upon an hackney,the which led in his hand a great steed blacker than any bear.Ah,fair friend,said Sir Percivale,as ever I may do for you,and to be your true knight in the first place ye will require me,that ye will lend me that black steed,that I might overtake a knight the which rideth afore me.Sir knight,said the yeoman,I pray you hold me excused of that,for that I may not do.For wit ye well,the horse is such a man's horse,that an I lent it you or any man,that he would slay me.Alas,said Sir Percivale,I had never so great sorrow as I have had for losing of yonder knight.Sir,said the yeoman,I am right heavy for you,for a good horse would beseem you well;but Idare not deliver you this horse but if ye would take him from me.That will I not do,said Sir Percivale.And so they departed;and Sir Percivale set him down under a tree,and made sorrow out of measure.And as he was there,there came a knight riding on the horse that the yeoman led,and he was clean armed.
CHAPTER V
How a yeoman desired him to get again an horse,and how Sir Percivale's hackney was slain,and how he gat an horse.
