Le Morte d'Arthur BOOK XIII CHAPTER XI

CHAPTER XI

How Joseph made a cross on the white shield with his
blood, and how Galahad was by a monk brought to
a tomb.

NOT long after that Joseph was laid in his deadly bed.
And when King Evelake saw that he made much sorrow,
and said:  For thy love I have left my country, and sith
ye shall depart out of this world, leave me some token of
yours that I may think on you.  Joseph said:  That will
I do full gladly; now bring me your shield that I took
you when ye went into battle against King Tolleme.
Then Joseph bled sore at the nose, so that he might not
by no mean be staunched.  And there upon that shield
he made a cross of his own blood.  Now may ye see a
remembrance that I love you, for ye shall never see this
shield but ye shall think on me, and it shall be always as
fresh as it is now.  And never shall man bear this shield
about his neck but he shall repent it, unto the time that
Galahad, the good knight, bear it; and the last of my
lineage shall have it about his neck, that shall do many
marvellous deeds.  Now, said King Evelake, where shall
I put this shield, that this worthy knight may have it?
Ye shall leave it thereas Nacien, the hermit, shall be put
after his death; for thither shall that good knight come
the fifteenth day after that he shall receive the order of
knighthood: and so that day that they set is this time
that he have his shield, and in the same abbey lieth
Nacien, the hermit.  And then the White Knight
vanished away.

Anon as the squire had heard these words, he alighted
off his hackney and kneeled down at Galahad's feet, and
prayed him that he might go with him till he had made him
knight.  Yea,[1] I would not refuse you.  Then will ye
make me a knight? said the squire, and that order, by the
grace of God, shall be well set in me.  So Sir Galahad
granted him, and turned again unto the abbey where they
came from; and there men made great joy of Sir Galahad.
And anon as he was alighted there was a monk brought
him unto a tomb in a churchyard, where there was such a
noise that who that heard it should verily nigh be mad or
lose his strength: and sir, they said, we deem it is a fiend.

[1] Caxton ``Yf,'' for which ``Ye'' seems the easiest emendation that
will save the sense.