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09 - Part 2 Story 1 The Quest Of The Holy Graal · Tales Of King Arthur And The Round Table

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  Speaker 1: Part two Story one 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 one, the Quest
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  Speaker 1: of the Holy Grail one, how the king went on
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  Speaker 1: pilgrimage and his squire was slain in a dream. Now
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  Speaker 1: the King was minded to go on a pilgrimage, and
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  Speaker 1: he agreed with the Queen that he would set forth
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  Speaker 1: to seek the holy chapel at Saint Augustine, which is
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  Speaker 1: in the White Forest and may only be found by adventure.
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  Speaker 1: Much he wished to undertake the quest alone, but this
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  Speaker 1: the Queen would not suffer, and to do her pleasure,
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  Speaker 1: he consented that a youth, tall and strong of limb
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  Speaker 1: should ride with him as his squire. Chaus was the
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  Speaker 1: youth's name, and he was son to gwaynililotres Lie. Within
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  Speaker 1: to night commanded the King, and take heed that my
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  Speaker 1: horse be saddled at break of day, and my arms
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  Speaker 1: ready at your pleasure, Sir, answered the youth, whose heart
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  Speaker 1: rejoiced because he was going alone with the king. As
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  Speaker 1: night came on, all the knights quitted the hall, but Chaus,
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  Speaker 1: the squire, stayed where he was and would not take
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  Speaker 1: off his clothes or his shoes, lest sleep should fall
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  Speaker 1: on him, and he might not be ready when the
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  Speaker 1: king called him. So he sat himself down by the
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  Speaker 1: great fire. But in spite of his will, sleep fell
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  Speaker 1: heavily on him, and he dreamed a strange dream. In
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  Speaker 1: his dream it seemed that the king had ridden away
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  Speaker 1: to the quest and had left his squire behind him,
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  Speaker 1: which filled the young man with fear. And in his
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  Speaker 1: dream he set the saddle and bridle on his horse,
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  Speaker 1: and fastened his spurs and girt on his sword, and
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  Speaker 1: galloped out of the castle after the king. He rode
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  Speaker 1: on a long space till he entered a thick forest,
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  Speaker 1: and there before him lay traces of the king's horse,
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  Speaker 1: And he followed till the marks of the hoofs ceased.
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  Speaker 1: Suddenly at some open ground, and he thought that the
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  Speaker 1: king king had alighted. There on the right stood a chapel,
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  Speaker 1: and about it was a graveyard, and in the graveyard
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  Speaker 1: many coffins. And in his dream it seemed as if
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  Speaker 1: the king had entered the chapel. So the young man
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  Speaker 1: entered also, But no man did he behold, save a
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  Speaker 1: knight that lay dead upon a bier. In the midst
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  Speaker 1: of the chapel, covered with a pall of rich silk,
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  Speaker 1: and four tapers and golden candlesticks were burning round him.
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  Speaker 1: The squire marveled to see the body lying there so
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  Speaker 1: lonely with no one near it, and likewise that the
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  Speaker 1: king was nowhere to be seen. Then he took out
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  Speaker 1: one of the tall tapers and hid the candlestick under
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  Speaker 1: his cloak, and rode away until he should find the King.
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  Speaker 1: On his journey through the forest, he was stopped by
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  Speaker 1: a man, black and ill favored, holding a large knife
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  Speaker 1: in his hand. Ho you that stand there? Have you
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  Speaker 1: seen King Arthur? Asked the squire. No, but I have
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  Speaker 1: met you, and I am glad thereof For you have
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  Speaker 1: under your cloak one of the candlesticks of gold that
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  Speaker 1: was placed in honor of the knight who lies dead
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  Speaker 1: in the chapel. Give it to me and I will
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  Speaker 1: carry it back. And if you do not this of
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  Speaker 1: your own will I will make you by my faith,
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  Speaker 1: cried the squire. I will never yield it to you. Rather,
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  Speaker 1: will I carry it off and make a present of
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  Speaker 1: it to King Arthur. You will pay for it, dearly,
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  Speaker 1: answered the man. If you yield it not up forthwith
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  Speaker 1: to this, the squire did not make answer, but dashed forward,
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  Speaker 1: thinking to pass him by. But the man thrust at
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  Speaker 1: him with his knife, and it entered his body up
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  Speaker 1: to the hilt. And when the squire dreamed this, he cried, help, help,
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  Speaker 1: for I am a dead man. As soon as the
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  Speaker 1: King and the Queen heard that cry, they awoke from
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  Speaker 1: their sleep, and the chamberlain said, sir, you must be moving,
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  Speaker 1: for it is day. And the king rose and dressed
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  Speaker 1: himself and put on his shoes. Then the cry came again,
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  Speaker 1: fetch me a priest, for I die. And the King
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  Speaker 1: ran at great speed into the hall, while the Queen
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  Speaker 1: and the chamberlain followed him with torches and candles. What
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  Speaker 1: aileth you? Asked the King of his squire, and the
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  Speaker 1: squire told him of all that he had dreamed. Ah,
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  Speaker 1: said the King. Is it then a dream, yes, sir,
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  Speaker 1: answered the squire, But it is a right fowl dream
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  Speaker 1: for me, For right foully it hath come true. And
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  Speaker 1: he lifted his left arm and said, sir, look you
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  Speaker 1: here lo here is the knife that was stuck in
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  Speaker 1: my side up to the haft. After that he drew
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  Speaker 1: forth a candlestick and showed it to the King. Sir,
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  Speaker 1: for this candlestick that I present to you, was I
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  Speaker 1: wounded to the death. The King took the candlestick in
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  Speaker 1: his hands and looked at it, and none so rich
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  Speaker 1: had he seen before, and he bade the Queen look also, Sir,
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  Speaker 1: said the squire again, draw not forth the knife out
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  Speaker 1: of my body till I be shriven of the priest.
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  Speaker 1: So the King commanded that a priest should be sent for.
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  Speaker 1: And when the squire had confessed his sins, the King
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  Speaker 1: drew the knife out of his body, and the soul
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  Speaker 1: departed forthwith. Then the King grieved that the young man
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  Speaker 1: had come to his death in such a strange wise,
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  Speaker 1: and ordered him a fair burial, and desired that the
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  Speaker 1: golden candlestick should be sent to the Church of Saint
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  Speaker 1: Paul in London, which at that time was newly built.
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  Speaker 1: After this, King Arthur would have none go with him
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  Speaker 1: on his quest, and many strange adventures he achieved before
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  Speaker 1: he reached the chapel of Saint Augustine, which was in
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  Speaker 1: the midst of the white forest. There he alighted from
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  Speaker 1: his horse and sought to enter, but though there was
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  Speaker 1: neither door nor bar. He might not pass the threshold.
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  Speaker 1: But from without he heard wondrous voices singing, and saw
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  Speaker 1: a light shining brighter than any he had seen before,
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  Speaker 1: and visions such as he scared fiercely dared to look upon.
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  Speaker 1: And he resolved greatly to amend his sins and to
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  Speaker 1: bring peace and order into his kingdom. So he set forth,
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  Speaker 1: strengthened and comforted, and after diverse more adventures, returned to
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  Speaker 1: his court. End of Part two, Story one