Le Morte d'Arthur BOOK XIII CHAPTER V

CHAPTER V

How King Arthur shewed the stone hoving on the water to
Galahad, and how he drew out the sword.

THE queen heard thereof, and came after with many
ladies, and shewed them the stone where it hoved on the
water.  Sir, said the king unto Sir Galahad, here is a great
marvel as ever I saw, and right good knights have assayed
and failed.  Sir, said Galahad, that is no marvel, for this
adventure is not theirs but mine; and for the surety of
this sword I brought none with me, for here by my side
hangeth the scabbard.  And anon he laid his hand on the
sword, and lightly drew it out of the stone, and put it in
the sheath, and said unto the king:  Now it goeth better
than it did aforehand.  Sir, said the king, a shield God
shall send you.  Now have I that sword that sometime
was the good knight's, Balin le Savage, and he was a
passing good man of his hands; and with this sword he
slew his brother Balan, and that was great pity, for he was
a good knight, and either slew other through a dolorous
stroke that Balin gave unto my grandfather King Pelles,
the which is not yet whole, nor not shall be till I heal
him.

Therewith the king and all espied where came riding
down the river a lady on a white palfrey toward them.
Then she saluted the king and the queen, and asked if
that Sir Launcelot was there.  And then he answered
himself:  I am here, fair lady.  Then she said all with
weeping:  How your great doing is changed sith this day
in the morn.  Damosel, why say you so? said Launcelot.
I say you sooth, said the damosel, for ye were this day the
best knight of the world, but who should say so now, he
should be a liar, for there is now one better than ye, and
well it is proved by the adventures of the sword whereto
ye durst not set to your hand; and that is the change
and leaving of your name.  Wherefore I make unto you
a remembrance, that ye shall not ween from henceforth
that ye be the best knight of the world.  As touching
unto that, said Launcelot, I know well I was never the
best.  Yes, said the damosel, that were ye, and are yet, of
any sinful man of the world.  And, Sir king, Nacien, the
hermit, sendeth thee word, that thee shall befall the
greatest worship that ever befell king in Britain; and I
say you wherefore, for this day the Sangreal appeared in
thy house and fed thee and all thy fellowship of the
Round Table.  So she departed and went that same way
that she came.