Le Morte d'Arthur BOOK XIII CHAPTER IV

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 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.