The Story of the Grail and the Passing of ArthurPyle, Howard
General
The Story of the Grail and the Passing of Arthur
Pyle, Howard
Arthur, King -- Legends; Arthurian romances -- Adaptations; Folklore -- England; Grail -- Legends; Knights and knighthood -- Folklore
So the King went to Camelot, and upon the third day the Queen was
brought to him at that place.
Thus saith the history of these things when the Queen was brought to the
Court of the King, to wit:
[Sidenote: _How Sir Launcelot brings the Queen to Camelot._]
First there came an hundred knights clad cap-a-pie all in armor and with
fittings and trimmings of green velvet. And these knights wore olive
wreaths upon their heads, indicative of peace. Followed these, four and
twenty esquires clad all in green velvet, and these were also crowned
with olive wreaths. After these came four and twenty ladies in waiting
upon the Queen, and these, like all the others, were clad in green
velvet and were embroidered with pearls and precious stones even to the
heels of their horses, and the bridles of their horses were bound with
wreaths of olive. Then came the Queen and Sir Launcelot clad all in
white samite, and the Queen carried an olive branch in her hand and Sir
Launcelot was crowned with an olive wreath. And the raiment of these two
was all aglitter with the jewels and pearls with which their clothes
were embroidered until they were stiff with that embroidery.
[Sidenote: _How the King sat at Camelot._]
At that time King Arthur received them seated upon his throne with great
dignity in the hall of the Castle at Camelot. And the throne upon which
he sat was of wrought gold and was cushioned and trimmed with crimson
velvet, embroidered in gold with the figures of leopards. And over above
the throne was a great canopy of crimson velvet ornamented with the
figures of leopards, embroidered with threads of gold. The King was
clothed all in white, and he wore a gold chain studded with jewels about
his neck and he wore his royal crown upon his head. Upon the left hand
of the King stood seven bishops in full canonical robes, and upon his
right hand was a throne like to his, and on that throne the Queen
should have been seated. But she was not seated there, for otherwise it
was empty.
Upon the left hand of the King, but upon the second step below the
throne, sat Sir Gawaine, the beloved nephew of the King. And all about
the hall were several hundred knights in full armor and armed cap-a-pie
with sword and lance, so that that hall glittered and gleamed with the
shine of that armor.
So King Arthur sat in state to receive the return of the Queen, and anon
she came to that place where the King awaited her. First came the
knights and esquires of Sir Launcelot, and these drew up in two parties
extending the length of the hall, leaving a line between them. Then came
Sir Launcelot and the Queen walking hand in hand up the length of that
lane, and the faces of Sir Launcelot and of that lady were both of them
exceedingly pale--hers with fear and his with fear for her. Behind these
two came the four and twenty ladies in waiting upon the Queen, and these
stopped in the midst of that lane and waited, whilst she and Sir
Launcelot approached King Arthur.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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