{
  "meta": {
    "schema_version": "1.1",
    "endpoint": "/api/sources/grail-romances/high-history-of-the-holy-graal/12-the-high-history-of-the-holy-graal-branch-xi.json"
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  "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": 12,
    "slug": "12-the-high-history-of-the-holy-graal-branch-xi",
    "title": "The High History of the Holy Graal: Branch XI",
    "of": 36,
    "words": 2012,
    "text": "## The High History of the Holy Graal: Branch XI\n\n\nTITLE I.\n\nThis High History witnesseth whereof this account cometh, and\nsaith that Perceval is in the kingdom of Logres, and came great\npace toward the land of the Queen of the Tents to release the\nDamsel of the Car, that he had left in hostage on account of\nClamados, that had put upon him the treason whereof behoved him\nto defend himself. But, or ever he entered into the land of the\nQueen of the Tents, he met the Damsel of the Car that was coming\nthence. She made right great joy of him, and told him that\nClamados was dead of the wound that Meliot of Logres had dealt\nhim, and that Meliot of Logres was heal.\n\n\"Sir,\" saith she, \"The tents and the awnings are taken down, and\nthe Queen hath withdrawn herself to the castle with her maidens,\nand by my coming back from thence may you well know that you are\naltogether quit. Wherefore I tell you that your sister goeth in\nquest of you, and that never had your mother so sore need of help\nas now she hath, nor never again shall your sister have joy at\nheart until such time as she shall have found you. She goeth\nseeking for you by all the kingdoms and strange countries in sore\nmis-ease, nor may she find any to tell her tidings of you.\"\n\nTherewith Perceval departeth from the Damsel, without saying\nmore, and rideth until he cometh into the kingdom of Wales to a\ncastle that is seated above the sea upon a high rock, and it was\ncalled the Castle of Tallages. He seeth a knight issue from the\ncastle and asketh whose hold it is, and he telleth him that it\nbelonged to the Queen of the Maidens. He entereth into the first\nbaby of the castle, and alighteth at the mounting-stage and\nsetteth down his shield and his spear, and looketh toward the\nsteps whereby one goeth up to the higher hall, and seeth upon\nthem row upon row of knights and damsels. He cometh thitherward,\nbut never a knight nor dame was there that gave him greeting of\nany kind. So he saluted them at large. He went his way right\namidst them toward the door of the great hall, which he findeth\nshut, and rattled the ring so loud that it made the whole hall\nresound thereof. A knight cometh to open it and he entereth in.\n\n\"Sir Knight, welcome may you be!\"\n\n\"Good adventure may you have!\" saith Perceval.\n\nHe lowereth his ventail and taketh off his helm. The knight\nleadeth him to the Queen's chamber, and she riseth to meet him,\nand maketh great joy of him, and maketh him sit beside her all\narmed.\n\nII.\n\n\"With that, cometh a damsel and kneeleth before the Queen and\nsaith: \"Lady, behold here the knight that was first at the Graal.\nI saw him in the court of the Queen of the Tents, there where he\nwas appeached of treason and murder.\"\n\n\"Now haste,\" saith the Queen to the knight, \"Let sound the ivory\nhorn upon the castle.\"\n\nThe knights and damsels that were sitting on the steps leapt up,\nand make right great joy, and the other knights likewise. They\nsay that now they know well that they have done their penance.\nThereupon they enter into the hall, and the Lady issueth from her\nchamber and taketh Perceval by the hand and goeth to meet them.\n\n\"Behold here,\" saith she, \"the knight through whom you have had\nthe pain and travail, and by whom you are now released\ntherefrom!\"\n\n\"Ha!\" say the knights and dames, \"welcome may he be!\"\n\n\"By my head,\" saith the Queen, \"so is he, for he is the knight of\nthe world that I had most desire to see.\"\n\nShe maketh disarm him, and bring the rich robe of cloth of silk\nto apparel him. \"Sir,\" saith the Queen, \"Four knights and three\ndamsels have been under the steps at the entrance of the hall\never since such time as you were at the hostel of King Fisherman,\nthere where you forgot to ask whereof the Graal might serve, nor\nnever since have they had none other house nor hold wherein to\neat nor to drink nor to lie, nor never since have they had no\nheart to make joy, nor would not now and you had not come hither.\nWherefore ought you not to marvel that they make joy of your\ncoming. Howbeit, on the other hand, sore need have we in this\ncastle of your coming, for a knight warreth upon me that is\nbrother of King Fisherman, and his name is the King of Castle\nMortal.\"\n\n\"Lady,\" saith he, \"He is my uncle, albeit I knew it not of a long\ntime, nor of the good King Fisherman either, and the good King\nHermit is my uncle also. But I tell you of a very truth, the\nKing of Castle Mortal is the most fell and cruel that liveth,\nwherefore ought none to love him for the felony that is in him,\nfor he hath begun to war upon King Fisherman my uncle, and\nchallengeth him his castle, and would fain have the Lance and the\nGraal.\"\n\n\"Sir,\" saith the Queen, \"in like sort challengeth he my castle of\nme for that I am in aid of King Fisherman, and every week cometh\nhe to an island that is in this sea, and oft-times cometh\nplundering before this castle and hath slain many of my knights\nand damsels, whereof God grant us vengeance upon him.\"\n\nShe taketh Perceval by the hand and leadeth him to the windows of\nthe hall that were nighest the sea. \"Sir,\" saith she, \"Now may\nyou see the island, there, whereunto your uncle cometh in a\ngalley, and in this island sojourneth he until he hath seen where\nto aim his blow and laid his plans. And here below, see, are my\ngallies that defend us thereof.\"\n\nIII.\n\nPerceval, as the history telleth, was much honoured at the castle\nof the Queen of the Maidens, that was right passing fair. The\nQueen loved him of a passing great love, but well she knew that\nshe should never have her desire, nor any dame nor damsel that\nmight set her intent thereon, for chaste was he and in chastity\nwas fain to die. So long was he at the castle as that he heard\ntell his uncle was arrived at the island whither he wont to come.\nPerceval maketh arm him forthwith and entereth into a galley\nbelow the hall, and maketh him be rowed toward his uncle, that\nmuch marvelleth when he seeth him coming, for never aforetime\ndurst no knight issue out alone from this castle to meet him, nor\nto come there where he was, body to body. But had he known that\nit was Perceval, he would not have marvelled. Thereupon the\ngalley taketh the ground and Perceval is issued forth. The Queen\nand the knights and her maidens are come to the windows of the\ncastle to behold the bearing of the nephew and the uncle. The\nQueen would have sent over some of her knights with him, but\nPerceval would not. The King of Castle Mortal was tall and\nstrong and hardy. He seeth his nephew come all armed, but\nknoweth him not. But Perceval knew him well, and kept his sword\ndrawn and his shield on his arm, and sought out his uncle with\nright passing wrathfulness, and dealeth him a heavy buffet above\nupon his helm that he maketh him stoop withal. Howbeit, the King\nspareth him not, but smiteth him so passing stoutly that he had\nhis helm all dinted in thereby. But Perceval attacketh him\nagain, thinking to strike him above on the head, but the King\nswerveth aside and the blow falleth on the shield and cleaveth it\nright down as far as the boss. The King of Castle Mortal draweth\nhim backward and hath great shame within himself for that\nPerceval should thus fettle him, for he searcheth him with his\nsword in every part, and dealeth him great buffets in such sort\nthat, and his habergeon had not been so strong and tough, he\nwould have wounded him in many places.\n\nIV.\n\nThe King himself giveth him blows so heavy that the Queen and all\nthey that were at the windows marvelled how Perceval might abide\nsuch buffets. The King took witting of the shield that Perceval\nbare, and looketh on it of a long space.\n\n\"Knight,\" saith he, \"who gave you this shield, and on behalf of\nwhom do you bear such an one?\"\n\n\"I bear it on behalf of my father,\" saith he.\n\n\"Did your father, then, bear a red shield with a white hart?\"\n\n\"Yea,\" saith Perceval, \"Many a day.\"\n\n\"Was your father, then, King Alain of the Valleys of Camelot?\"\n\n\"My father was he without fail. No blame ought I to have of him,\nfor a good knight was he and a loyal.\"\n\n\"Are you the son of Yglais my sister, that was his wife?\"\n\n\"Yea!\" saith Perceval.\n\n\"Then are you my nephew,\" saith the King of Castle Mortal, \"For\nshe was my sister.\"\n\n\"That misliketh me,\" saith Perceval, \"For thereof have I neither\nworship nor honour, for the most disloyal are you of all my\nkindred, and I knew well when I came hither that it was you, and,\nfor the great disloyalty that is in you, you war upon the best\nKing that liveth and the most worshipful man, and upon the Lady\nof this castle for that she aideth him in all that she may. But,\nplease God, henceforward she shall have no need to guard her to\nthe best of her power against so evil a man as are you, nor shall\nher castle never be obedient to you, nor the sacred hallows that\nthe good King hath in his keeping. For God loveth not you so\nmuch as He doth him, and so long as you war upon him, you do I\ndefy and hold you as mine enemy.\"\n\nThe King wotteth well that his nephew holdeth him not over dear,\nand that he is eager to do him a hurt, and that he holdeth his\nsword in his fist and that he is well roofed-in of his helmet,\nand that he is raging like a lion. He misdoubteth him sore of\nhis strength and his great hardiment. He hath well proven and\nessayed that he is the Best Knight of the world. He durst no\nlonger abide his blows, but rather he turneth him full speed\ntoward his galley, and leapeth thereinto forthwith. He pusheth\nout from the shore incontinent, and Perceval followeth him right\nto the beach, full heavy that he hath gotten him away. Then he\ncrieth after him: \"Evil King, tell me not that I am of your\nkindred! Never yet did knight of my mother's lineage flee from\nother knight, save you alone! Now have I conquered this island,\nand never on no day hereafter be you so over-hardy as be seen\ntherein again!\"\n\nThe King goeth his way as he that hath no mind to return, and\nPerceval cometh back again in his galley to the Queen's castle,\nand all they of the palace come forth to meet him with great joy.\nThe Queen asketh him how it is with him and whether he is\nwounded?\n\n\"Lady,\" saith he, \"Not at all, thank God.\"\n\nShe maketh disarm him, and honoureth him at her pleasure, and\ncommandeth that all be obedient to him, and do his commandment so\nlong as he shall please to be there. Now feel they safer in the\ncastle for that the king hath so meanly departed thence, and it\nwell seemeth them that never will he dare come back for dread of\nhis nephew more than of any other, whereof make they much joy in\ncommon.",
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}