Le Morte d'Arthur BOOK XVII CHAPTER IX

CHAPTER IX

How the three knights, with Percivale's sister, came unto
the same forest, and of an hart and four lions, and
other things.

THEN began he to weep right tenderly, and said:  Long
have I abiden your coming, but for God's love hold me in
your arms, that my soul may depart out of my body in so
good a man's arms as ye be.  Gladly, said Galahad.  And
then one said on high, that all heard:  Galahad, well hast
thou avenged me on God's enemies.  Now behoveth thee
to go to the Maimed King as soon as thou mayest, for he
shall receive by thee health which he hath abiden so long.
And therewith the soul departed from the body, and
Galahad made him to be buried as him ought to be.

Right so departed the three knights, and Percivale's
sister with them.  And so they came into a waste forest,
and there they saw afore them a white hart which four
lions led.  Then they took them to assent for to follow
after for to know whither they repaired; and so they rode
after a great pace till that they came to a valley, and thereby
was an hermitage where a good man dwelled, and the hart
and the lions entered also.  So when they saw all this they
turned to the chapel, and saw the good man in a religious
weed and in the armour of Our Lord, for he would sing
mass of the Holy Ghost; and so they entered in and heard
mass.  And at the secrets of the mass they three saw the
hart become a man, the which marvelled them, and set him
upon the altar in a rich siege; and saw the four lions were
changed, the one to the form of a man, the other to the
form of a lion, and the third to an eagle, and the fourth
was changed unto an ox.  Then took they their siege
where the hart sat, and went out through a glass window,
and there was nothing perished nor broken; and they heard
a voice say:  In such a manner entered the Son of God in
the womb of a maid Mary, whose virginity ne was perished
ne hurt.  And when they heard these words they fell down
to the earth and were astonied; and therewith was a great
clearness.

And when they were come to theirself again they went
to the good man and prayed him that he would say them
truth.  What thing have ye seen? said he.  And they told
him all that they had seen.  Ah lords, said he, ye be welcome;
now wot I well ye be the good knights the which
shall bring the Sangreal to an end; for ye be they unto
whom Our Lord shall shew great secrets.  And well ought
Our Lord be signified to an hart, for the hart when he is
old he waxeth young again in his white skin.  Right so
cometh again Our Lord from death to life, for He lost
earthly flesh that was the deadly flesh, which He had taken
in the womb of the blessed Virgin Mary; and for that cause
appeared Our Lord as a white hart without spot.  And
the four that were with Him is to understand the four
evangelists which set in writing a part of Jesu Christ's
deeds that He did sometime when He was among you an
earthly man; for wit ye well never erst ne might no knight
know the truth, for ofttimes or this Our Lord showed Him
unto good men and unto good knights, in likeness of an
hart, but I suppose from henceforth ye shall see no more.
And then they joyed much, and dwelled there all that day.
And upon the morrow when they had heard mass they
departed and commended the good man to God: and so
they came to a castle and passed by.  So there came a
knight armed after them and said:  Lords, hark what I shall
say to you.