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.