Merlin and the Grail

by Robert de Boron

  ‘Joseph,’ Our Lord replied, ‘it’s good to have a friend amongst enemies: you can see that for yourself – when a thing is obvious there’s no need for explanation. I knew you were a good friend to me; that’s why I left you with them because of the love you felt for me, knowing that you would feel dismay and grief at my torment and would come to my aid when none of my disciples could. I knew you would help me out of love for my Father, who had given you the heart and will to do the service for which I was given to you.’

  ‘Oh, dear Lord,’ said Joseph, ‘don’t say that you’re mine!’

  ‘But I am,’ Our Lord replied. ‘I belong to all the good, and all the good are mine. And do you know what reward you’ll have because I was given to you? Lasting joy will be yours at the end of this mortal life. I have brought none of my disciples here because none of them knows of the love between us. You have loved me in secret as I have loved you. But know this: our love will be revealed to all – and will be a curse to the wicked – for you shall have the sign of my death in your keeping: see, it is here.’

  And Our Lord took hold of the precious vessel with the most holy blood that Joseph had gathered from His precious body when he washed Him. When Joseph saw the vessel and knew it as the one he had hidden in his house, unknown by any man on Earth but he, he was filled with the love of Christ and certain faith, and he went down on his knees and cried for mercy, saying: ‘Lord, am I worthy to keep such a holy thing as this vessel?’

  And Our Lord replied: ‘Joseph, you must be its keeper, you and whoever else you may command. But there must be no more than three keepers, and those three shall guard it in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit – and you and all who guard it must believe and know that these three powers are one and the same being in God.’

  Joseph was on his knees, and Our Lord handed him the vessel and he took it, and Our Lord said: ‘Joseph, you are holding the blood which contains these three powers, which are one and the same being in God. Do you understand your reward? Your reward is that the sacrament shall never be made without remembrance of your good work by those who recognise it.’

  ‘Lord,’ replied Joseph, ‘please tell me what I did, for I don’t know.’

  And Jesus said: ‘Joseph, you took me from the cross. And you know well that I took the Last Supper at the house of Simon the Leper, where I said that I was to be betrayed. As I said at that table, several tables will be established in my service, to make the sacrament in my name, which will be a reminder of the cross; and the vessel of the sacrament will be a reminder of the stone tomb in which you laid me, and the paten which will be placed on top will be a reminder of the lid with which you covered me, and the cloth called the corporal will be a reminder of the winding-sheet in which you wrapped me. And so your work will be remembered until the world’s end. And all who see the vessel and remain in its presence will have lasting joy and fulfilment for their souls. And all who take these words to heart will be more gracious and admired both in this world and in the eyes of Our Lord, and will never be victims of injustice or deprived of their rights.’

  Then Jesus spoke other words to Joseph which I dare not tell you – nor could I, even if I wanted to, if I did not have the high book in which they are written: and that is the creed of the great mystery of the Grail. And I beg all those who hear this tale to ask me no more about it at this point, in God’s name, for I should have to lie. And from lies, you may be sure, they would gain nothing.

  And so Christ gave the vessel to Joseph. And when he had taken it, Our Lord spoke sacred words that He had prepared for him, and said: ‘Whenever you wish or have need, seek the help of the three powers that are one being, and of that blessed lady Holy Mary who gave birth to God the Son, and ask for whatever counsel your heart desires, and you will hear the voice of the Holy Spirit. I shall never lie to you about this: it would not be right. And you will not remain imprisoned in this dungeon, in the darkness you have suffered since they put you here; do not be dismayed – your deliverance will astound your wicked captors. Show love for the one who will come to free you, and tell him of the three powers just as the words come to you, for the Holy Spirit will be with you and will teach you things of which you know nothing.’

  And so Joseph remained in prison. Of his imprisonment nothing is said by the apostles or those who established the scriptures, for they knew nothing about Joseph except that, because of his affection for Christ, he had asked to be granted His body. 4 Some of the apostles did hear of Joseph’s disappearance, but they did not speak of it, since they committed nothing to the scriptures except what they had seen or heard themselves; and having seen and heard nothing of Joseph they had no wish to write about him – and they did not want his disappearance to make people uneasy about the faith, but such fear is wrong, and Our Lord says why when he speaks of the false glory of the world.

  Joseph stayed imprisoned for a long time.

  *

  Meanwhile there was a pilgrim who had been in Judaea at the time when Our Lord was going through the land performing miracles and other works of marvellous power upon the blind and the lame. The pilgrim saw these miracles, and stayed in the land long enough to witness Jesus being charged and taken and crucified under the government of Pilate. This worthy man journeyed through many lands until at last he came to Rome, at the time when Vespasian, the son of the emperor, was sick with leprosy; and his stench was so great that no-one, however much they loved him, could bear it. It deeply grieved both the emperor and all those who loved him, but it was impossible to tolerate his presence. He was shut away in a stone chamber with only a tiny window through which they passed his food. The worthy pilgrim came to Rome and took lodging with a rich man in the city. In conversation that evening, the rich man told his guest how pitiful it was that the emperor’s son was sick and shut away, and said that if he knew of any possible remedy, he should say so. And the pilgrim replied:

  ‘No, I don’t; but I can tell you that in the land of Judaea there was a prophet through whom great God worked many miracles. I saw lame who couldn’t walk and blind who could see nothing whom he healed and restored to sight. I can’t tell you of all the miracles he worked. But I can assure you that he healed anyone he wished to heal, so that the rich and powerful of Judaea came to hate him because they could do nothing to match his words and deeds.’

  And his worthy host asked him: ‘What became of this good man, and what was his name?’

  ‘I’ll tell you,’ the pilgrim replied. ‘His name was Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Mary. And those who hated him offered such a great reward that he was seized and abused and beaten and mistreated in all possible ways. Then they put him to death by crucifying him. And I swear to you,’ said the pilgrim, ‘by my body and soul, that if he were still alive and were brought before the emperor’s son, if he wished to cure him he would certainly do so.’

  And his host said: ‘Did you ever hear why he was crucified?’

  ‘No,’ said the pilgrim, ‘except that they hated him.’

  ‘Where did this happen, under whose jurisdiction?’

  ‘Pilate’s,’ said the pilgrim, ‘the emperor’s governor in that city.’

  ‘Truly now, would you come with me and tell this to the emperor?’

  ‘I’d tell it to anyone,’ he replied.

  When his worthy host had heard the pilgrim’s tale, he went to the emperor and took him to one side and told him word for word what the pilgrim had said. The emperor was astounded, and said: ‘Could this be true?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ he replied, ‘but that’s what my guest told me. I’ll bring him here to speak to you himself if you wish.’

  ‘Fetch him immediately,’ said the emperor; and he went to his guest at once and said: ‘Good sir, come with me to the emperor and tell him what you told me.’

  ‘Gladly, sir,’ said the pilgrim, and when they came before the emperor the pilgrim said: ‘My lord, you sent for me.’

  ‘Indeed I did,’ the emperor replied, ‘to tell m
e what you told your host.’

  ‘Willingly,’ he said, and told him exactly as he had told it before; and when the emperor had heard it he assembled all his counsellors and told them the pilgrim’s story. They were utterly amazed, for they had always thought Pilate a good and wise man who would never have permitted such an outrage.

  ‘Well, he did so, most certainly,’ said the emperor, ‘and it was very wrong of him, allowing the prophet to be unjustly put to death in the land where he was governor.’

  And one of them said: ‘I love Pilate dearly, and I can’t accept that he would have permitted the killing of such a good and wise man, and such a great healer, if he could have prevented it.’

  So the pilgrim was summoned and ordered to repeat his tale, and he told them of the miracles and the great wonders that Jesus Christ had worked while on Earth, and he assured them that the Jews had put him to death in the land governed by Pilate; and had he been alive he would have healed the emperor’s son if he had wished.

  ‘And I say this, too: if anyone were to say this isn’t true, I’d wager my head and my body that Pilate would not deny it. I also believe that if anyone found anything that had belonged to the prophet, and brought it to the emperor’s son, if he had faith and touched it, he would be healed.’

  They were all astounded at his words, and no-one dared speak in support of Pilate; but one of them said: ‘If my lord sends me to learn the truth, what would you have us do with you?’

  ‘Keep me fed until your return, and if you say my story isn’t true, I shall accept death by beheading.’

  They all agreed he had said enough, and they had him taken and placed in a chamber under guard. Then the emperor said he would send people to verify the pilgrim’s words, and to see if they could find anything that had been touched by the prophet, for if his son could have it and touch it, it might heal him, and nothing would give him greater joy than his son’s cure. Then one of Pilate’s friends said: ‘Send me, my lord, for I’ll be a better judge than anyone.’

  ‘I’ll send you and others,’ the emperor replied.

  Then the emperor spoke to his son Vespasian, and told him everything the pilgrim had said, and how he had imprisoned him until such time as his messengers returned with word of whether his story was true or false. Vespasian was overjoyed at the news and his sorrow was greatly lightened, and he begged his father to send the messengers as soon as he could. The emperor did so, and gave them letters to lend credence to what they would say of the prophet’s death. He sent the wisest men of his court to confirm the pilgrim’s story and, if the prophet was dead, to bring back something he had touched to heal his son.

  The emperor’s messengers set out over the sea to the land of Judaea. And once across, Pilate’s friends sent him a letter saying that they were amazed by his foolish, wrongful act in allowing the unjust death of the prophet in his land. The emperor’s messengers had arrived, they said, and he should come to meet them, for he could not flee. When Pilate heard his friends’ message he was astonished and alarmed, and ordered his men to mount, for he would go and meet the emperor’s messengers. Meanwhile the messengers were riding to where they expected to find him, and Pilate was riding to meet them, and so it was that the two parties met at Arimathea.

  When the messengers saw Pilate there was no rejoicing, for they did not know whether or not they would be taking him back to Rome to execute him. They gave him the emperor’s letters, which told him everything the pilgrim had said. Pilate knew it was all true: the emperor had received good information. He turned back to the messengers, looked kindly upon them, and said:

  ‘Sirs, everything these letters state is true: it was exactly as they say.’

  The messengers were amazed that he should admit to the story, and they all said: ‘You’re acknowledging great folly. If you can’t excuse yourself, you’ll surely die.’

  Pilate called the messengers into a chamber, and made sure the doors were firmly shut so that they could not be overheard by the Jews. Then he began to tell them everything he knew or had heard about Christ’s life: how the rich had come to hate Him; how He had healed whoever He wished; how the Jews had accused Him and bought His betrayal by a disciple who did not love Him. And he told them of the foul treatment they had dealt Him, and how they had brought Christ before him and demanded that he condemn Him to death.

  ‘I saw no reason to sentence him, but they were so many, and so wicked and aggressive and rich and powerful; and they vowed they’d kill him, and it grieved me. I told them that if the emperor asked me about it, it would be on their heads, and they replied that they wished Christ’s blood might be scattered on them and their children! Then the Jews seized him and led him away and did with him as you’ve heard. I couldn’t save him, and because I wanted it known that I was blameless, and that it grieved me more than it pleased me, and because I wanted to be clean of the sinful deed, I fetched water and washed my hands and said: ‘May I be as clean of this man’s death as my hands are clean in this water.’ When he was dead, one of my soldiers in the city, who had served me with five other knights ever since I came to this land, wished for no other payment than the prophet’s body, and I gave it to him, though I’d thought to give him a greater reward. And he took the body from its place of shame and laid it in a stone tomb that he had prepared for himself. I don’t know what became of it after that. But I believe they’ve killed Joseph, my knight. So that’s what I did: now judge whether I did wrong.’

  Having heard all this, the messengers thought Pilate less guilty than before, and said: ‘We don’t know if what you say is true, but if it is, you may well absolve yourself of blame.’

  ‘The Jews know the truth of it,’ said Pilate. ‘I’ll have them confirm what I’ve said.’

  ‘Call them,’ the messengers replied, ‘and let’s hear what they say. Command all who were involved in the prophet’s crucifixion to gather in this city a month from today.’

  Pilate sent messengers throughout the land to summon all who had been present at Christ’s death, and to let them know that the emperor’s envoys wished to speak to them. While waiting for the month to pass, Pilate had people search the country for anything touched by Jesus Christ, but they could find nothing.

  At the end of the month the Jews assembled at Arimathea. Pilate said to the emperor’s messengers: ‘Let me speak to them first: you’ll hear my words and their replies, and when you’ve heard what both sides say, act accordingly.’

  When they were all assembled, Pilate spoke as you will hear, saying: ‘Sirs, here are the emperor’s envoys, who wish to know who it was that you put to death, the one held to be King of the Jews.5 For the emperor has heard he was a great healer, and has commanded that he go to him, if he can be found. But I’ve told his envoys he’s dead, and that you yourselves, the powerful men of this land, put him to death because he said he was your king – and you did so without the emperor’s leave.’

  ‘Because you were so poor a governor,’ the Jews replied, ‘that you dared not punish him; instead you seemed grieved when we said we’d put him to death, and that we wouldn’t tolerate any man to be lord over us but would kill him if we could.’

  ‘Sirs,’ said Pilate to the messengers, ‘now you’ve heard what they say and what sort of men they are: I have no power or control over them.’

  One of the wisest of the emperor’s men said: ‘Pilate, we don’t yet know the whole story.’

  And the messengers addressed the Jews, saying: ‘Sirs, this man who claimed to be a greater lord than the emperor, did Pilate then not sentence him to death?’

  ‘No indeed,’ they replied, ‘we had to take it upon ourselves and our children, or Pilate would never have agreed.’

  Realising that Pilate was less guilty than had been said, they asked the Jews: ‘Who was this prophet of whom so much has been spoken?’

  They replied that he performed the greatest miracles and wonders in the world; he was an enchanter. Then the messengers asked all those present to tell th
em if they knew of anything that had ever been touched by the prophet, but they replied that they knew of nothing, for everything he owned had been thrown away and anyone might have taken it. With that the assembly broke up, and Pilate was cleared of the envoys’ suspicion.

  Then, a while later, while they were still distressed at their failure to find anything that had touched the body of Our Lord Jesus, a man came to them saying that he knew a woman who had an image of Christ that she revered, but did not know how she had come by it. They summoned Pilate and told him what he had said. Pilate asked them the woman’s name, and he sent for her and she came. And when Pilate saw her he rose to greet her, and embraced her and asked her name, and she told him her name was Veronica. But the good woman was baffled by Pilate’s joyful welcome. He drew her aside, and said: ‘Veronica, I hear you have the image of a man in your keeping; I beg you to show it to me.’

  ‘I know nothing about this,’ the woman said, greatly alarmed, and denied it vigorously. The messengers approached, and Pilate said: ‘Sirs, here is the woman who you told me had the image of the prophet’s face.’

  They all embraced her and greeted her with joy, and told her why they had come to the land and about the illness of the emperor’s son. ‘We believe that if he was given the image, he’d be healed.’ If she would sell it to them, they would pay whatever she asked.

  Hearing the plight of the emperor’s son, she realised she must reveal the truth, and said: ‘Sirs, I could never sell the thing you seek, however much you paid me. But if you and your companions swear by all you believe in that you will not keep what I give you, I’ll come with you to Rome.’

  They were overjoyed at this and said: ‘You’ll be taken to Rome most gladly, and as you have asked, so we swear.’ They made their vow all together, and then said: ‘You’ll be made a rich woman. Now show us the thing we seek.’