{
  "meta": {
    "schema_version": "1.1",
    "endpoint": "/api/sources/grail-romances/high-history-of-the-holy-graal/09-the-high-history-of-the-holy-graal-branch-viii.json"
  },
  "work": {
    "slug": "high-history-of-the-holy-graal",
    "name": "High History of the Holy Graal"
  },
  "parents": [
    {
      "slug": "grail-romances",
      "name": "Holy Grail Romances",
      "url": "/sources/grail-romances/"
    }
  ],
  "chapter": {
    "num": 9,
    "slug": "09-the-high-history-of-the-holy-graal-branch-viii",
    "title": "The High History of the Holy Graal: Branch VIII",
    "of": 36,
    "words": 1577,
    "text": "## The High History of the Holy Graal: Branch VIII\n\n\nOf the most Holy Graal here beginneth another branch in such wise\nas the authority witnesseth and Joseph that made recoverance\nthereof, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the\nHoly Ghost.\n\nTITLE I.\n\nThis high history and profitable witnesseth us that the son of\nthe Widow Lady sojourned still with his uncle King Pelles in the\nhermitage, and through distress of the evil that he had had since\nhe came forth of the house of King Fisherman, was he confessed to\nhis uncle and told him of what lineage he was, and that his name\nwas Perceval. But the good Hermit the good King had given him\nthe name of Parluifet, for that he was made of himself. King\nHermit was one day gone into the forest, and the good knight\nParluifet felt himself sounder of health and lustier than he wont\nto be. He heard the birds sing in the forest, and his heart\nbegan to swell of knighthood, and he minded him of the adventures\nhe wont to find in the forest and of the damsels and knights that\nhe wont to meet, and never was he so fain of arms as was he at\nthat time, for that he had been sojourning so long within doors.\nHe felt courage in his heart and lustiness in his limbs and\nfainness in his thought. Right soon armeth he himself and\nsetteth the saddle on his horse and mounteth forthwith. He\nprayeth God give him adventure that he may meet good knight,\nsetteth himself forth of his uncle's hermitage and entereth into\nthe forest that was broad and shady. He rideth until he cometh\ninto a launde that was right spacious, and seeth a leafy tree\nthat was at the head of the launde. He alighteth in the shadow,\nand thinketh to himself that two knights might joust on this bit\nof ground fair and well, for the place was right broad. And,\neven as he was thinking on this wise, he heard a horse neigh full\nloud in the forest three times, and right glad was he thereof and\nsaid: \"Ha, God, of your sweetness grant that there be a knight\nwith that horse, so may I prove whether there be any force or\nvalour or knighthood in me. For I know not now what strength I\nmay have, nor even whether my heart be sound and my limbs whole.\nFor on a knight that hath neither hardihood nor valour in\nhimself, may not another knight that hath more force in him\nreasonably prove his mettle, for many a time have I heard say\nthat one is better than other. And for this pray I to the\nSaviour and this be a knight that cometh there, that he may have\nstrength and hardihood and mettle to defend his body against mine\nown, for great desire have I to run upon him. Grant now that he\nslay me not, nor I him!\"\n\nII.\n\nTherewithal, he looketh before him, and seeth the knight issue\nfrom the forest and enter into the launde. The knight was armed\nand had at his neck a white shield with a cross of gold. He\ncarried his lance low, and sate upon a great destrier and rode at\na swift pace. As soon as Perceval seeth him, he steadieth him in\nhis stirrups and setteth spear in rest and smiteth his horse with\nhis spurs, right joyous, and goeth toward the knight a great\ngallop. Then he crieth: \"Sir Knight, cover you of your shield to\nguard you as I do of mine to defend my body, for you do I defy on\nthis side slaying, and our Lord God grant that I find you so good\nknight as shall try what hardihood of heart I may have, for I am\nnot such as I have been aforetime, and better may one learn of a\ngood knight than of a bad.\"\n\nWith that he smiteth the knight upon his shield with such a sweep\nthat he maketh him lose one of his stirrups and pierceth his\nshield above the boss, and passeth beyond full speed. And the\nknight marvelleth much, and maketh demand, saying, \"Fair Sir,\nwhat misdeed have I done you?\"\n\nPerceval is silent, and hath no great joy of this that he hath\nnot overthrown the knight, but not so easy was he to overthrow,\nfor he was one of the knights of the world that could most of\ndefence of arms. He goeth toward Perceval as fast as his horse\nmay carry him and Perceval toward him. They mell together upon\ntheir shields right stiffly, so that they pierce and batter them\nwith the points of their spears. And Perceval thrusteth his\nspear into the flesh two finger-breadths, and the knight doth not\namiss, for he passeth his spear right through his arm so that the\nshafts of the lances were splintered. They hurtle together\neither against other at the passing so mightily, that the\nflinders of iron from the mail of their habergeons stick into\ntheir foreheads and faces, and the blood leapeth forth by mouth\nand nose so that their habergeons were all bloody. They drew\ntheir swords with a right great sweep. The knight of the white\nshield holdeth Perceval's rein and saith: \"Gladly would I know\nwho you are and wherefore you hate me, for you have wounded me\nright sore, and sturdy knight have I found you and of great\nstrength.\"\n\nPerceval saith not a word to him and runneth again upon him sword\ndrawn, and the knight upon him, and right great buffets either\ngiveth other on the helm, so that their eyes all sparkle of stars\nand the forest resoundeth of the clashing of their swords. Right\ntough was the battle and right horrible, for good knights were\nboth twain. But the blood that ran down from their wounds at\nlast slackened their sinews, albeit the passing great wrath that\nthe one had against the other, and the passing great heat of\ntheir will, had so enchafed them they scarce remembered the\nwounds that they had, and still dealt each other great buffets\nwithout sparing.\n\nIII.\n\nKing Hermit cometh from labouring in the forest and findeth not\nhis nephew in the hermitage, whereof is he right sorrowful, and\nhe mounteth on a white mule that he had therewithin. She was\nstarred in the midst of her forehead with a red cross. Josephus\nthe good clerk witnesseth us that this same mule had belonged to\nJoseph of Abarimacie at the time he was Pilate's soldier, and\nthat he bequeathed her to King Pelles. King Hermit departeth\nfrom the hermitage and prayeth God grant him to find his nephew.\nHe goeth through the forest and rideth until he draweth nigh the\nlaunde where the two knights were. He heareth the strokes of the\nswords, and cometh towards them full speed and setteth him\nbetween the twain to forbid them.\n\n\"Ha, sir,\" saith he to the Knight of the White Shield, \"Right\ngreat ill do you to combat against this knight that hath lain\nsick this long time in this forest, and fight sorely have you\nwounded him.\"\n\n\"Sir,\" saith the-knight, \"As much hath he done by me, and never\nwould I have run upon him now had he not challenged me, and he is\nnot minded to tell me who he is nor whence ariseth his hatred of\nme.\"\n\n\"Fair Sir,\" saith the Hermit, \"And you, who are you?\"\n\n\"Sir,\" saith the knight, \"I will tell you. I am the son of King\nBan of Benoic.\"\n\n\"Ha, fair nephew,\" saith King Hermit to Perceval, \"See here your\ncousin, for King Ban of Benoic was your father's cousin-german.\nMake him right great cheer!\"\n\nHe maketh them take off their helmets and lower their ventails,\nand then kiss one another, afterward he leadeth them to his\nhermitage. They alight together. He calleth his own squire that\nwaited upon him, and made them be disarmed right tenderly. There\nwas a damsel within that was cousin-german to King Pelles and had\ntended Perceval within in his sickness. She washeth their wounds\nright sweetly and cleanseth them of the blood. And they see that\nLancelot is sorer wounded than Perceval.\n\n\"Damsel,\" saith the Hermit, \"How seemeth you?\"\n\n\"Sir,\" saith she, \"Needs must this knight sojourn here, for his\nwound is in a right perilous place.\"\n\n\"Hath he danger of death?\"\n\n\"Sir,\" saith she, \"In no wise of this wound, but behoveth him\ntake good heed thereto.\"\n\n\"God be praised!\" saith he, \"and of my nephew how seemeth you?\"\n\n\"Sir, the wound that he hath will be soon healed. He will have\nnone ill thereof.\"\n\nIV.\n\nThe damsel, that was right cunning of leech-craft, tended the\nwounds of the knights, and made them whole as best she might, and\nKing Hermit himself gave counsel therein. But and Perceval had\nborne his shield that was there within, of sinople with a white\nhart, Lancelot would have known him well, nor would there have\nbeen any quarrel between them, for he had heard tell of this\nshield at the court of King Arthur. The authority of this story\nrecordeth that the two knights are in hermitage, and that\nPerceval is well-nigh whole; but Lancelot hath sore pain of his\nwound and is still far from his healing.",
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    "license": null,
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  }
}