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19 - Tales of King Arthur and the Round Table by Andrew Lang · Tales of King Arthur and the Round Table

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