Then looked they and saw a man come out of the Holy Vessel, that had
all the signs of the passion of Jesu Christ, bleeding all openly, and
said: My knights, and my servants, and my true children, which be come
out of deadly life into spiritual life, I will now no longer hide me
from you, but ye shall see now a part of my secrets and of my hidden
things: now hold and receive the high meat which ye have so much
desired. Then took he himself the Holy Vessel and came to Galahad; and
he kneeled down, and there he received his Saviour, and after him so
received all his fellows; and they thought it so sweet that it was
marvellous to tell. Then said he to Galahad: Son, wottest thou what I
hold betwixt my hands? Nay, said he, but if ye will tell me. This is,
said he, the holy dish wherein I ate the lamb on Sheer-Thursday. And
now hast thou seen that thou most desired to see, but yet hast thou not
seen it so openly as thou shalt see it in the city of Sarras in the
spiritual place. Therefore thou must go hence and bear with thee this
Holy Vessel; for this night it shall depart from the realm of Logris,
that it shall never be seen more here. And wottest thou wherefore? For
he is not served nor worshipped to his right by them of this land, for
they be turned to evil living; therefore I shall disherit them of the
honour which I have done them. And therefore go ye three to-morrow unto
the sea, where ye shall find your ship ready, and with you take the
sword with the strange girdles, and no more with you but Sir Percivale
and Sir Bors. Also I will that ye take with you of the blood of this
spear for to anoint the Maimed King, both his legs and all his body,
and he shall have his health. Sir, said Galahad, why shall not these
other fellows go with us? For this cause: for right as I departed my
apostles one here and another there, so I will that ye depart; and two
of you shall die in my service, but one of you shall come again and
tell tidings. Then gave he them his blessing and vanished away.
CHAPTER XXI. How Galahad anointed with the blood of the spear the
Maimed King, and of other adventures.
And Galahad went anon to the spear which lay upon the table, and
touched the blood with his fingers, and came after to the Maimed King
and anointed his legs.
And therewith he clothed him anon, and start upon his feet out of his
bed as an whole man, and thanked Our Lord that He had healed him. And
that was not to the worldward, for anon he yielded him to a place of
religion of white monks, and was a full holy man.
That same night about midnight came a voice among them which said: My
sons and not my chief sons, my friends and not my warriors, go ye hence
where ye hope best to do and as I bade you.
Ah, thanked be Thou, Lord, that Thou wilt vouchsafe to call us, Thy
sinners. Now may we well prove that we have not lost our pains.
And anon in all haste they took their harness and departed.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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