Le Morte d'Arthur BOOK XIII CHAPTER IV

CHAPTER IV

How the old man brought Galahad to the Siege Perilous
and set him therein, and how all the knights marvelled.

THE king was right glad of his words, and said unto the
good man:  Sir, ye be right welcome, and the young
knight with you.  Then the old man made the young
man to unarm him, and he was in a coat of red sendal,
and bare a mantle upon his shoulder that was furred with
ermine, and put that upon him.  And the old knight said
unto the young knight:  Sir, follow me.  And anon he
led him unto the Siege Perilous, where beside sat Sir
Launcelot; and the good man lift up the cloth, and found
there letters that said thus:  This is the siege of Galahad,
the haut prince.  Sir, said the old knight, wit ye well
that place is yours.  And then he set him down surely in
that siege.  And then he said to the old man:  Sir, ye
may now go your way, for well have ye done that ye were
commanded to do; and recommend me unto my grandsire,
King Pelles, and unto my lord Petchere, and say
them on my behalf, I shall come and see them as soon as
ever I may.  So the good man departed; and there met
him twenty noble squires, and so took their horses and
went their way.

Then all the knights of the Table Round marvelled
greatly of Sir Galahad, that he durst sit there in that Siege
Perilous, and was so tender of age; and wist not from
whence he came but all only by God; and said:  This is
he by whom the Sangreal shall be enchieved, for there sat
never none but he, but he were mischieved.  Then Sir
Launcelot beheld his son and had great joy of him.  Then
Bors told his fellows:  Upon pain of my life this young
knight shall come unto great worship.  This noise was
great in all the court, so that it came to the queen.  Then
she had marvel what knight it might be that durst adventure
him to sit in the Siege Perilous.  Many said unto the
queen he resembled much unto Sir Launcelot.  I may
well suppose, said the queen, that Sir Launcelot begat him
on King Pelles' daughter, by the which he was made to lie
by, by enchantment, and his name is Galahad.  I would
fain see him, said the queen, for he must needs be a noble
man, for so is his father that him begat, I report me unto
all the Table Round.

So when the meat was done that the king and all were
risen, the king yede unto the Siege Perilous and lift up
the cloth, and found there the name of Galahad; and then
he shewed it unto Sir Gawaine, and said:  Fair nephew,
now have we among us Sir Galahad, the good knight that
shall worship us all; and upon pain of my life he shall
enchieve the Sangreal, right as Sir Launcelot had done us to
understand.  Then came King Arthur unto Galahad and
said:  Sir, ye be welcome, for ye shall move many good
knights to the quest of the Sangreal, and ye shall enchieve
that never knights might bring to an end.  Then the
king took him by the hand, and went down from the
palace to shew Galahad the adventures of the stone.