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12 - Part 2 Story 4 How Sir Lancelot Saw A Vision And Repented Of His Sins · Tales Of King Arthur And The Round Table

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  Speaker 1: Part two, Story four of Tales of King Arthur and
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  Speaker 1: the Round Table by Andrew Lang. This LibriVox recording is
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  Speaker 1: in the public domain. Part two story four, How Sir
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  Speaker 1: Launcelot saw a vision and repented of his sins. He
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  Speaker 1: halted when he came to a stone cross, which had
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  Speaker 1: by it a block of marble, while nigh at hand
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  Speaker 1: stood an old chapel. He tied his horse to a
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  Speaker 1: tree and hung his shield on a branch, and looked
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  Speaker 1: into the chapel, for the door was waste and broken,
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  Speaker 1: and he saw there a fair altar covered with a
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  Speaker 1: silken cloth, and a candlestick which had six branches, all
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  Speaker 1: of shining silver. A great light streamed from it, And
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  Speaker 1: at this sight Sir Launcelot would fain have entered in,
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  Speaker 1: but he could not, so he turned back, sorrowful and dismayed,
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  Speaker 1: and took the saddle and bridle off his horse and
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  Speaker 1: let him patture where he would, while he himself unlaced
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  Speaker 1: his helm and ungirded his sword, and lay down to
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  Speaker 1: sleep upon his shield at the foot of the cross.
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  Speaker 1: As he lay there, half waking and half sleeping, he
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  Speaker 1: saw two white palfreys come by, drawing a litter, wherein
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  Speaker 1: lay a sick night. When they reached the cross, they paused,
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  Speaker 1: and Sir Launcelot heard the Knight say, O, sweet Lord,
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  Speaker 1: when shall this sorrow leave me? And when shall the
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  Speaker 1: Holy vessel come by me? Through which I shall be blessed?
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  Speaker 1: For I have endured long, though my ill deeds were few.
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  Speaker 1: Thus he spoke, and Sir Launcelot heard it, and of
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  Speaker 1: a sudden the great candlestick stood before the cross, though
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  Speaker 1: no man had brought it, and with it was a
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  Speaker 1: table of silver, and the holy vessel of the Grail,
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  Speaker 1: which Launcelot had seen aforetime. Then the Knight rose up,
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  Speaker 1: and on his hands and knees, he approached the Holy
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  Speaker 1: vessel and prayed, and was made whole of his sickness.
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  Speaker 1: After that, the grail went back into the chapel, and
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  Speaker 1: the light and the candlestick also, and Sir Launcelot would
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  Speaker 1: fain have followed, but could not, so heavy was the
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  Speaker 1: weight of his sins upon him. And the sick Knight
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  Speaker 1: arose and kissed the cross, and saw Sir Launcelot lying
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  Speaker 1: at the foot with his eyes shut. I marvel greatly
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  Speaker 1: at this sleeping knight, he said to his squire that
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  Speaker 1: he had no power to wake when the holy vessel
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  Speaker 1: was brought hither, I dare right well say, answered the Squire,
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  Speaker 1: that he dwelleth in some deadly sin, whereof he was
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  Speaker 1: never confessed by my faith, said the Knight. He is
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  Speaker 1: unhappy whoever he is, for he is of the fellowship
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  Speaker 1: of the round Table, which have undertaken the quest of
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  Speaker 1: the Grail. Sir replied the Squire, you have all your
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  Speaker 1: arms here, save only your sword and your helm. Take
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  Speaker 1: therefore those of this strange knight, who has just put
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  Speaker 1: them off. And the Knight did as his squire said,
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  Speaker 1: and took Sir Launcelot's horse also, for it was better
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  Speaker 1: than his own. After they had gone, Sir Launcelot waked
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  Speaker 1: up wholly and thought of what he had seen, wondering
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  Speaker 1: if he were in a dream or not. Suddenly a
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  Speaker 1: voice spoke to him, and it said, Sir Launcelot, more
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  Speaker 1: hard than is the stone, more bitter than is the wood,
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  Speaker 1: more naked and barren than is the leaf of the
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  Speaker 1: fig tree. Art thou therefore go from hence and withdraw
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  Speaker 1: thee from this holy place. When Sir Launcelot heard this,
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  Speaker 1: his heart was passing heavy, and he wept, cursing the
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  Speaker 1: day when he had been born. But his helm and
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  Speaker 1: sword had gone from the spot where he had laid
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  Speaker 1: them at the foot of the cross, and his horse
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  Speaker 1: was gone also, And he smote himself and cried, my
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  Speaker 1: sin and my wickedness have done me this dishonor. For
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  Speaker 1: when I sought worldly adventures, I ever achieved them, and
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  Speaker 1: had the better in every place, and never was I
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  Speaker 1: discomfited in any quarrel, were it right or wrong. But
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  Speaker 1: now I take upon me the adventures of holy things.
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  Speaker 1: I see and understand that my old sin hinders me,
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  Speaker 1: so that I could not move or speak when the
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  Speaker 1: holy Grail passed by. Thus he sorrowed till it was day,
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  Speaker 1: and he heard the bird sing, and at that he
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  Speaker 1: felt comforted. And as his horse was gone also, he
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  Speaker 1: departed on foot with a heavy heart. End of Part two,
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  Speaker 1: Story four