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19 - Part 2 Story 11 How Sir Galahad Found The Graal And Died Of That Finding · Tales Of King Arthur And The Round Table

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  Speaker 1: Part two, Story eleven 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 eleven, How Sir
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  Speaker 1: Galahad found the Grail and died of that. Finding Sir
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  Speaker 1: Galahad rode on till he met Sir Percival and afterwards
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  Speaker 1: Sir Bors, whom they greeted most gladly, and they bury
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  Speaker 1: each other company. First they came to the castle of Carbonac,
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  Speaker 1: where dwelled King Pelles, who welcomed them with joy, for
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  Speaker 1: he knew by their coming the quest of the Grail
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  Speaker 1: would be fulfilled. They then departed on other adventures, and
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  Speaker 1: it is told how Galahad cured the maimed king by
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  Speaker 1: anointing him with blood from a certain holy spear. That
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  Speaker 1: same night, at midnight, a voice bade them arise and
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  Speaker 1: quit the castle, which they did, followed by three knights
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  Speaker 1: of Gaul. Then Galahad prayed every one of them that
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  Speaker 1: if they reached King Arthur's court, they should salute Sir
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  Speaker 1: lance At his father and those knights of the Round
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  Speaker 1: Table that were present, And with that he left them,
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  Speaker 1: and Sir Bors and Sir Percival with him. For three
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  Speaker 1: days they rode till they came to a shore and
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  Speaker 1: found a ship awaiting them, And in the midst of
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  Speaker 1: it was the Table of Silver and the Holy Grail,
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  Speaker 1: which was covered with red samite. Then were their hearts
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  Speaker 1: right glad, and they made great reverence there too, And
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  Speaker 1: Galahad prayed that at what time he asked, he might
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  Speaker 1: depart out of this world. So long he prayed that
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  Speaker 1: at length a voice said to him, Galahad, thou shalt
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  Speaker 1: have thy desire, and when thou askest the death of
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  Speaker 1: the body, thou shalt have it, and shalt find the
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  Speaker 1: life of the soul. Perceval likewise heard the voice and
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  Speaker 1: besought Galahad to tell him why he asked such things.
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  Speaker 1: And Galahad answered, the other day, when we saw a
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  Speaker 1: part of the adventures of the Holy Grail, I was
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  Speaker 1: in such joy of heart that never did man feel better.
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  Speaker 1: And I knew well that when my body is dead,
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  Speaker 1: my soul shall be in joy of which the other
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  Speaker 1: was but a shadow. Some time were the three knights
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  Speaker 1: in that ship till at length they saw before them
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  Speaker 1: the city of Saurus. Then they took from the ship
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  Speaker 1: the table of silver and Sir Percivale and Sir Bors
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  Speaker 1: went first, and Sir Galahad followed after to the gate
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  Speaker 1: of the city, where sat an old man that was crooked.
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  Speaker 1: At the sight of the old man, Sir Galahad called
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  Speaker 1: to him to help them carry the table, for it
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  Speaker 1: was heavy. Truly, answered the old man, it is ten
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  Speaker 1: years since I have gone without crutches. Care not for that,
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  Speaker 1: said Galahad, but rise up and show your good will.
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  Speaker 1: So he arose and found himself as whole as ever
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  Speaker 1: he was, and he ran to the table and held
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  Speaker 1: up the side next Galahad. And there was such noise
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  Speaker 1: in the city that a cripple was healed by three
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  Speaker 1: knights newly entered in This reached the ears of the king,
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  Speaker 1: who sent for the knights and questioned them, and they
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  Speaker 1: told him the truth and of the Holy Grail. But
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  Speaker 1: the King listened nothing to all they said, but put
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  Speaker 1: them into a deep hole in the prison. Even here
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  Speaker 1: they were not without comfort, for a vision of the
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  Speaker 1: Holy Grail sustained them. And at the end of a year,
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  Speaker 1: the king lay sick and felt he should die, and
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  Speaker 1: he called the three knights and asked forgiveness of the
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  Speaker 1: evil He had done to them, which they gave gladly.
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  Speaker 1: Then he died, and the whole city was afraid and
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  Speaker 1: knew not what to do, till while they were in
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  Speaker 1: council a voice came to them and bade them choose
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  Speaker 1: the youngest of the three strange knights for their king,
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  Speaker 1: and they did so. After Galahad was proclaimed king, he
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  Speaker 1: ordered that a coffer of gold and precious stones should
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  Speaker 1: be made to encompass the table of silver, and every
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  Speaker 1: day he and the two knights would kneel before it
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  Speaker 1: and make their prayers. Now at the year's end, and
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  Speaker 1: on the self same day that Galahad had been crowned king,
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  Speaker 1: he arose up early and came with the two knights
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  Speaker 1: to the palace. And he saw a man in the
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  Speaker 1: likeness of a bishop, encircled by a great crowd of angels,
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  Speaker 1: kneeling before the holy vessel. And he called to Galahad
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  Speaker 1: and said to him, come forth, thou servant of Christ,
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  Speaker 1: and thou shalt see what thou hast much desire to see.
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  Speaker 1: Then Galahad began to tremble right hard when the flesh
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  Speaker 1: first beheld the things of the spirit, and he held
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  Speaker 1: up his hand to heaven, and said, Lord, I thank
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  Speaker 1: THEE for now I see that which hath been my
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  Speaker 1: desire for many a day. Now, blessed Lord, I would
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  Speaker 1: no longer live if it might please THEE. Then Galahad
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  Speaker 1: went to Perceval and kissed him and commended him to God.
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  Speaker 1: And he went to Sir Bors and kissed him and
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  Speaker 1: commended him to God, and said, fair Lord, salute me
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  Speaker 1: to my lord, Sir Launcelot, my fee father, and bid
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  Speaker 1: him remember this unstable world therewith. He kneeled down before
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  Speaker 1: the table and made his prayers. And while he was praying,
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  Speaker 1: his soul suddenly left the body and was carried by
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  Speaker 1: angels up into Heaven, which the two knights right well beheld.
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  Speaker 1: Also they saw come from heaven a hand, but no
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  Speaker 1: body behind it, and it came unto the vessel and
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  Speaker 1: took it and the spear and bare them back to heaven.
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  Speaker 1: And since then no man has dared to say that
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  Speaker 1: he has seen the Holy Grail. When Perceval and Boars
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  Speaker 1: saw Galahad lying dead, they made as much sorrow as
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  Speaker 1: ever two men did, And the people of the country
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  Speaker 1: and of the city were right heavy, and they buried
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  Speaker 1: him as befitted their king. As soon as Galahad was buried,
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  Speaker 1: Sir Percival sought a hermitage outside the city and put
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  Speaker 1: on the dress of a hermit, and Sir Bors was
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  Speaker 1: always with him, but kept the dress that he wore
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  Speaker 1: at court. When a year and two months had passed,
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  Speaker 1: Sir Percival died also and was buried by the side
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  Speaker 1: of Sir Galahad. And Sir Bors left that land, and
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  Speaker 1: after long writing came to Camelot. Then was there great
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  Speaker 1: joy made of him in the court, for they had
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  Speaker 1: held him as dead, and the king ordered great clerks
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  Speaker 1: to attend him and to write down all his adventures
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  Speaker 1: and those of Sir Percival and Sir Galahad. Next, Sir
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  Speaker 1: Launcelot told the adventures of the Grail which he had seen,
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  Speaker 1: and this likewise was written and placed with the other
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  Speaker 1: in almonries at Salisbury. And by and by Sir Bors
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  Speaker 1: said to Sir Launcelot, Galahad, your son saluteth you by
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  Speaker 1: me and after you King Arthur, and all the court.
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  Speaker 1: And so did Sir Percivale, for I buried them with
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  Speaker 1: mine own hands in the city of Saurus. Also Sir
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  Speaker 1: Launcelot Galahad, prayeth you to remember of this uncertain world
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  Speaker 1: as you promised when you were together. That is true,
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  Speaker 1: said Sir Launcelot, and I trust his prayer may avail me.
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  Speaker 1: But the prayer but little availed Sir Launcelot, for he
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  Speaker 1: fell to his old sins again, And now the knights
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  Speaker 1: were few that survived the search for the grail, and
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  Speaker 1: the evil days of Arthur began. End of Part two,
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  Speaker 1: Story eleven.