THE HOLY GRAIL.
One day a new monk came into the abbey beyond Camelot. There wassomething about him different from all the other monks there. He was sopolished and clever that old Ambrosious who had lived in the oldmonastery for fifty years and had never seen a bit of the world guessedin a minute that the new brother had come from King Arthur's court. Andone windy April morning as Ambrosious stood under the yew tree with thisgentle monk he asked him why he left the Knights of the Round Table.
Then Sir Percival answered:
"It was the sweet vision of the Holy Grail."
"THE HOLY GRAIL," CRIED AMBROSIOUS.]
"The Holy Grail," cried Ambrosious. "Heaven knows I don't know much, butwhat is that, the phantom of a cup that comes and goes?"
"No, no," said Percival, "what phantom do you mean? It's the cup thatour Lord drank from at his sad last supper, and after he died Joseph ofAramathea brought it to Glastonbury at Christmas time, and there itstayed a while and every one who looked at it or touched it was healedof their sicknesses. But the times grew so wicked that the cup wascaught up into heaven where nobody could see it."
"Yes, I remember reading in our old books," said Ambrosious, "how Josephbuilt a lonely little church at Glastonbury on the marsh, but that waslong ago. Who first saw the vision of the Holy Grail to-day?"
"A woman," said Sir Percival, "a nun, my sister who was a holy maid ifever there was one. The old man to whom she used to tell her sins (orwhat she called her sins), often spoke to her about the legend of theHoly Grail which had been handed down through six people, each of them ahundred years old, from the Lord's time. And when Arthur made the orderof the Round Table and all hearts became clean and pure for a time thisold man thought surely the Holy Grail would come back again. 'O Christ!'he used to say to my sister, 'if only it would come back and help allthe world of its wickedness!' And then my sister asked him whether itmight come to her by prayer and fasting.
"'Perhaps,' said the father, 'for your heart is as pure as snow.'
"So she prayed and fasted until the sun shone and the wind blew throughher and one day she sent for me. Her eyes were so beautiful with thelight of holiness that I did not know them.
"'Sweet Brother,' she said, 'I have seen the Holy Grail. I heard a soundlike a silver horn but sweeter than any music we can make, and then acold silver beam of light streamed in through my cell, and down the beamstole the Holy Grail, rose red and throbbing as if it were alive. Allthe walls of my cell grew rosy red with quivering rosy colors. Then themusic faded away, the Holy Grail vanished and the colors died out inthe darkness. So now we know the Holy Thing is here again, Brother fast,too, and pray, and tell your brother-knights about it, then perhaps thevision may be seen by you all, and the whole world will be healed.'
MY KNIGHT OF HEAVEN, GO FORTH.]
"So I told all the knights and we fasted and prayed for many weeks. Thenmy sister cut off all her long streaming silken hair which used to fallto her feet and out of it braided a strong sword belt and with silverand crimson thread she wove into it a crimson grail in a silver beam.Then she bound it on our beautiful boy knight, Sir Galahad, and said:
"'My knight of heaven, go forth, for you shall see what I have seen andfar in the spiritual city you will be crowned king.' Then she sent thedeathless passion of her eyes through him and he believed what she said.
"Then came a year of miracles. In our great hall there stood a chairwhich Merlin had fashioned carved with strange figures like a serpentand in and out among the strange figures ran a scroll of strange lettersin a language nobody knew like a serpent. Merlin called it the SeatPerilous, because he said if any one sat in it he would get lost. AndGalahad said that if he got lost in it he would save himself. So onesummer night Sir Galahad sat down in the chair and all at once there wasa cracking of the roofs above us, and a blast and thunder, and in thethunder there was a cry and in the blast there was a beam of light seventimes clearer than the daylight. Down the beam stole the Holy Grail allcovered over with a luminous cloud. Then it passed away but every knightsaw his brother knight's faces in a glory and we all rose and stared ateach other until at last I found my voice and swore a vow.
"I swore that because I had not seen the Holy Grail behind the cloud Iwould ride away a year and a day in quest of it until I could see it asmy sister saw it. Galahad swore too, and good Sir Bors, and Lancelot andmany others, knights, and Gawain louder than all the rest.
"The king was not in the hall that day for he had gone out to help somepoor maiden, but as he came back over the plains beyond Camelot he sawthe roofs rolling in smoke and thought that his wonderfully dear,beautiful hall which Merlin had built for him so wonderfully was afire.So he rode fast and rushed into the tumult of knights and asked me whatit all meant.
"'Woe is me!' cried the king when I told him. 'Had I been here you wouldnot have sworn the vows.'
"'My king,' I answered boldly, had you been here you would have swornthe vows yourself.'
"'Yes, yes,' said he, 'are you so bold when you didn't see the Grail?You didn't see farther than the cloud, and what can you expect to seenow if you go out into the wilderness?'
"'No, no, Lord, I didn't see the Grail, I heard the sound, I saw thelight and since I didn't see the holy thing I swore the vow that I wouldfollow it until I did see.'
"'Then he asked us, knight by knight, whether we had seen it and eachone said, 'No, no, Lord, that was why we swore our vows,' but suddenlyGalahad called out, 'But I saw the Holy Grail, Sir Arthur, and heard thecry, "O Galahad, follow me."'
"Ah, Galahad, Galahad,' said the king, 'the vision is for such as youand for your holy nun but not for these. Are you all Galahads or allPercivals? No, no, you are just men with the strength to right thewrongs and violences of the land. But now since one has seen, all theblind want to see. However, since you have made the vow, go. But oh, howoften the distressed people of the kingdom will come into the hall foryou to help them and all your chairs will be vacant while you are outchasing a fire in the quagmire! Many of you, yes, most of you will nevercome back again! But come to-morrow before you go, let us have one moreday of field sports so that before you go I can rejoice in the unbrokenstrength of the Order I have made.'
"So the next day there was the greatest tournament that Camelot had everseen, and Galahad and I, with a strength which we had received from thevision, overthrew so many knights that all the people cheered hotly forSir Galahad and Sir Percival. The next morning all the rich balconiesalong the streets of Camelot were laden with ladies and showers offlowers fell over us as we passed out and men and boys astride lions anddragons, griffins and swans at the street corners, called us all by nameand cried, 'God Speed!' while many lords and ladies wept. Then we camedown to the gate of The Three Queens and there each one went on his ownway.
"I was feeling glad over my victories in the lists and thought the skynever looked so blue nor the earth so green. All my blood danced withinme for I knew that I would see the Holy Grail. But after a while Ithought of the dark warning of the king. I looked about and saw that Iwas quite alone in a sandy thorny place, and I thought I would die ofthirst. Then I came to a deep lawn with a flowing brook and apple treesoverhanging it. But while I was drinking of the water and eating of theapples they all turned to dust, and I was alone and thirsty again inamong the sands and thorns. Next I saw a woman spinning beside abeautiful house. She rose to greet me and stretched out her arms towelcome me into her house to rest, but as soon as I touched her she fellto dust, and the house turned into a shed with a dead baby inside, andthen it fell to dust too.
"Then I rode on and found a big hill and on the top was a walled city,the spires with incredible pinnacles reaching up to the sky, and at thegateway there was a crowd of people who cried out to me:
"Welcome, Percival, you mightiest and purest of men!"
"But when I reached the top there was no one there. I passed through tothe ruined old city and found only one person a very, very old man.'Where is the crowd who called out to
me?' I asked him.
"He could scarcely speak, but he gasped out, 'Where are you from and whoare you?' and then fell to dust.
NEXT I SAW A WOMAN SPINNING.]
"Then I was so unhappy I cried. I felt as though even if I should seethe Holy Grail itself and touched it it would crumble into dust. Fromthere I passed down into a deep valley, as low down as the city washigh up, where I found a chapel with a hermit in a hermitage near by. Itold him about all these phantoms.
"'You haven't true humility,' he said, 'which is the mother of allvirtue. You haven't lost yourself to find yourself as Galahad did.'
"Just as he ended suddenly Sir Galahad shone before us in silver armor.He laid his lance beside the chapel door and we all went in and knelt inprayer. Then my thirst was quenched. But when the mass was burned I sawonly the holy elements while Galahad saw the Holy Grail come down uponthe shrine.
"'The Holy Grail,' he said, 'has always been at my side ever since wecame away, fainter in the daytime, but blood-red at night. In itsstrength I have overcome evil customs wherever I have gone, and havepassed through Pagan lands and clashed with Pagan hordes and broken themdown everywhere. But the time is very near now when I shall go into thespiritual city far away where some one will crown me king. Come with mefor you will see the Holy Grail in a vision when I go.'
"At the close of the day I started away with him. We came to a hillwhich only a man could climb, scarred all over with a hundred frozenstreams, and when we reached the top there was a wild storm. Galahad'sarmor flashed and darkened again every instant with quick, thicklightnings which struck the dead old tree trunks on every side until atlast they blazed into a fire. At the base was a great black swamp partlywhitened with bones of dead men. A chain of bridges lead across it tothe great sea, and Galahad crossed them, one after the other, but eachone burned away as soon as he had passed over so that I had to staybehind. When he reached the great sea the Holy Grail hung over his headin a brilliant cloud. Then a boat came swiftly by and when the skybrightened again with the lightning I could see him floating away,either in a boat with full sails or a winged creature which was flying,I couldn't tell which. Above him hung the Holy Grail rosy red withoutthe cloud. I had seen the holy thing at last. When I saw Sir Galahadagain he looked like a silver star in the sky, and beyond the star wasthe spiritual city with all her spires and gateways in a glory like onepearl, no larger than a pearl. From the star a rosy red sparkle from theGrail shot across to the city. But while I looked a flood of rain camedown in torrents, and how I ever came away I don't know, but anyway atthe dawn of the next day I had reached the little chapel again. There Igot my horse from the hermit and rode back to the gates of Camelot.
"Just once I met one of the other knights. That was one night when thefull moon was rising and the pelican of Sir Bors' casque made a shadowon it. I spurred on my horse, hailed him and we were both very glad tosee each other.
"'Where is Sir Lancelot,' he asked. 'Have you seen him? Once he dashedacross me very madly, maddening his horse. When I asked him why he rodeso hotly on a holy quest he shouted, 'Don't keep me, I was a sluggard,and now I'm going fast for there's a lion in the way.' Then he vanished.When I saw how mad he was I felt very sad for I love him, and I cared nomore whether I saw the Holy Grail, or not; but I rode on until I came tothe loneliest parts of the country where some magicians told me Ifollowed a mocking fire. This vexed me and when the people saw that Iquarrelled with their priests they bound me and put me into a cell ofstones. I lay there for hours until one night a miracle happened. Oneof the stones slipped away without any one touching it or any windblowing. Through the gap it made I saw the seven clear stars which wehave always called the stars of the Round Table and across the sevenstars the sweet Grail glided past. Close after a clap of thunder pealed.Then a maiden came to me in secret and loosed me and let me go.'
ACROSS THE SEVEN STARS THE SWEET GRAIL GLIDED PAST.]
"Sir Bors and I rode along together and when we reached the city ourhorses stumbled over heaps of ruined bits of houses that fell as theytrod along the streets. At last brought us to Arthur's hall.
"As we came in we saw Arthur sitting on his throne with just a tenth ofthe knights who had gone out on the quest of the Holy Grail standingbefore him, wasted and worn, also the knights who had stayed at home.When he saw me he rose and said he was glad to see me back, that he hadbeen worrying about me because of the fierce gale that had made havocthrough the town and shaken even the new strong hall and half wrenchedthe statue Merlin made for him.
"'But the quest,' the king went on, 'have you seen the cup that Josephbrought long ago to Glastonbury?'
"Then when I told him all that you have been hearing just now and how Iwas going to give up the tournament and tilt and pass into the quiet ofthe life of the monk, he answered not a word, but turning quickly toGawain asked,
"'Gawain, was this quest for you?'
"'No, Lord,' replied Gawain, 'not for such as I. I talked with a saintlyold man about that and he made me very sure that it wasn't for me. I wasvery tired of it. But I found a silk pavilion in the field with a lot ofmerry girls in it, then this gale tore it off from the tenting pin andblew my merry maidens all about with a great deal of discomfort. If ithadn't been for that storm my twelve months and a day would have passedvery pleasantly for me.'
"Then Arthur turned to Sir Bors, who had pushed across the throng atonce to Lancelot's side, caught him by the hand and held it there halfhidden beside him until the king spied them.
"'Hail, Bors, if ever a true and loyal man could see the Grail you haveseen it,' cried Arthur.
"'Don't ask me about it,' replied Sir Bors with tears in his eyes 'I maynot speak about it; I saw it.'
"The others spoke only about the perils of their storm, and then it wasLancelot's turn. Perhaps Arthur kept his best for the last.
"'My Lancelot,' said the king, 'our Strongest, has the quest availed foryou?'
"'Our strongest, O King!' groaned Lancelot and as he paused I thought Isaw a dying fire of madness in his eyes. 'O King, my friend, a sin livedin me that was so strange that everything pure, noble and knightly in metwined and clung around it until the good and the poisonous in me grewtogether, and when your knights swore to make the quest I swore only inthe hope that could I see or touch the Holy Grail they might be pulledapart. Then I spoke to a holy saint who said that if they could not beplucked apart my quest would be all in vain. So I vowed to him that Iwould do just as he told me, and while I was out trying to tear themaway from each other my old madness came back to me and whipped me offinto waste fields far away.
"There I was beaten down by little knights whom at one time I would havefrightened away just by the shadow of my spear. From there I rode overto the sea-shore where such a blast of wind began to blow that you couldnot hear the waves even although they were heaped up in mountains anddrove the sea like a cataract, while the sand on the beach swept by likea river. A boat, half-swallowed by the seafoam, was moored to the shoreby a chain. I said to myself that I would embark in the boat and losemyself and wash away my sin in the great sea.
"For seven days I rode around over the dreary water and on the seventhnight I felt the boat striking ground. In front of me rose the enchantedtowers of Carbonek, a castle like a rock upon a rock, with portals opento the sea and steps that met the waves. A lion sat on each side ofthem. I went up the steps and drew my sword. Suddenly flaring theirmanes the lions stood up like men and gripped me on my shoulders. When Iwas about to strike them a voice said to me, 'Don't be afraid, or thebeasts will tear you to pieces; go on.' Then my sword was dashedviolently from my hand and fell. Up into the sounding hall I passed butsaw not a bench, table, picture, shield or anything else except the moonover the sea through the oriel window, but I heard a sweet voice asclear as a lark singing in the topmost tower to the east. I climbed up athousand steps with great pain. It seemed as though I was climbingforever but at last I reached a door with light shining through thecrannies and I heard voices singing 'Glory a
nd joy and honor to our Lordand the Holy Vessel, the Grail.'
"'Then I madly tried the door, it gave way and through a stormy glare ofheat that burned me and made me swoon away I thought I saw the Grail,all veiled with crimson samite and around it great angels, awful shapesand wings and eyes!'
"The long hall was silent after Lancelot was done, until airy Gawainbegan with a sudden.
"'O King, my liege, my good friend Percival and your holy nun havedriven men mad. By my eyes and ears I swear I'll be deeper than ablue-eyed cat and three times as blind as any owl at noon-timehereafter to any holy virgins in their ecstasies.'
"'Gawain,' replied the king, 'don't try to become blinder; you're tooblind now to want to see. If a sign really came from heaven Bors,Lancelot and Percival are blessed for they have each seen according totheir sight.'"
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