{
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    "endpoint": "/api/sources/grail-romances/high-history-of-the-holy-graal/20-the-high-history-of-the-holy-graal-branch-xix.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": 20,
    "slug": "20-the-high-history-of-the-holy-graal-branch-xix",
    "title": "The High History of the Holy Graal: Branch XIX",
    "of": 36,
    "words": 2101,
    "text": "## The High History of the Holy Graal: Branch XIX\n\n\nTITLE I.\n\nNow is the story silent of Perceval and cometh back to King\nArthur, the very matter thereof, like as testifieth the history,\nthat in no place is corrupted and the Latin lie not. King Arthur\nwas at Cardoil on one day of Whitsuntide that was right fair and\nclear, and many knights were in the hall. The King sate at meat\nand all the knights about him. The King looketh at the windows\nof the hall to right and left, and seeth that two sunbeams are\nshining within that fill the whole hall with light. Thereof he\nmarvelleth much and sendeth without the hall to see what it might\nbe. The messenger cometh back again and saith thereof that two\nsuns appear to be shining, the one in the East and the other in\nthe West. He marvelleth much thereat, and prayeth Our Lord that\nhe may be permitted to know wherefore two suns should appear in\nsuch wise. A Voice appeared at one of the windows that said to\nhim: \"King, marvel not hereof that two suns should appear in the\nsky, for our Lord God hath well the power, and know well that\nthis is for joy of the conquest that the Good Knight hath made\nthat took away the shield from herewithin. He hath won the land\nthat belonged to good King Fisherman from the evil King of Castle\nMortal, that did away thence the good believe, and therefore was\nit that the Graal was hidden. Now God so willeth that you go\nthither, I and that you choose out the best knights of your\ncourt, for better pilgrimage may you never make, and what time\nyou shall return hither, your faith shall be doubled and the\npeople of Great Britain shall be better disposed and better\ntaught to maintain the service of the Saviour.\"\n\nII.\n\nThereupon the Voice departed and well pleased was the King of\nthat it had said. He sitteth at meat beside the Queen.\nStraightway behold you, a damsel that cometh of such beauty as\nnever was greater, and clad right richly, and she beareth a\ncoffer richer than ever you saw, for it was all of fine gold and\nset with precious stones that sparkled like fire. The coffer is\nnot large. The damsel holdeth it between her hands. When she\nwas alighted she cometh before the King and saluteth him the\nfairest she may and the Queen likewise. The King returneth her\nsalute.\n\n\"Sir,\" saith she, \"I am come to your court for that it is the\nsovran of all other, and so bring I you here this rich vessel\nthat you see as a gift; and it hath within the head of a knight,\nbut none may open the coffer save he alone that slew the knight.\nWherefore I pray and beseech you, as you are the best king that\nliveth, that you first set your hand thereon, and in like manner\nafterwards make proof of your knights, and so the crime and the\nblood-wite thereof be brought home to you or to any knight that\nmay be within yonder. I pray you that the knight who shall be\nable to open the coffer wherein the head of the knight lieth, and\nwho therefore is he that slew him, shall have grace of forty days\nafter that you shall be returned from the Graal.\"\n\n\"Damsel,\" saith the King, \"How shall it be known who the knight\nwas?\"\n\n\"Sir,\" saith she, \"Right eath, for the letters are sealed within\nthat tell his name and the name of him that slew him.\"\n\nThe King granteth the damsel her will in such wise as she had\nasked of him. He hath received the coffer, then maketh her be\nset at meat and right richly honoured.\n\nIII.\n\nWhen the King had eaten, the damsel cometh before him.\n\n\"Sir,\" saith she, \"Make your knights be summoned and ready for\nthat which you have granted me, and you yourself first of all.\"\n\n\"Damsel,\" saith the King, \"Right willingly.\"\n\nHe setteth his hand to the coffer, thinking to open it, but it\nwas not right that it should open for him. As he set his hand\nthereon the coffer sweated through just as had it been sprinkled\nall over and was wet with water. The King marvelled greatly, and\nso made Messire Gawain set his hand to it and Lancelot and all\nthose of the court, but he that might open it was not among them.\nMessire Kay the Seneschal had served at meat. He heard say that\nthe King and all the others had essayed and proved the coffer but\nmight not open it. He is come thither, all uncalled for.\n\n\"Now, then, Kay,\" saith the King, \"I had forgotten you.\"\n\n\"By my head,\" saith Kay, \"You ought not to forget me, for as good\nknight am I and of as much worth as they that you have called\nbefore me, and you ought not to have delayed to send for me. You\nhave summoned all the others, and me not a whit, and yet am I as\nwell able, or ought to be, to open the coffer as are they; for\nagainst as many knights have I defended me as they, and as many\nhave I slain in defending my body as have they.\"\n\n\"Kay,\" saith the King, \"Shall you be so merry and you may open\nthe coffer, and if you have slain the knight whose head lieth\ntherein? By my head, I that am King would fain that the coffer\nshould not open for me, for never was no knight so poor as that\nhe should have neither kinsman nor friend, for he is not loved of\nall the world that is hated by one man.\"\n\n\"By my head,\" saith Kay, \"I would that all the heads of all the\nknights I have slain, save one only, were in the midst of this\nhall, and that there were letters sealed with them to say that\nthey were slain by me. Then would you believe what you are not\nwilling to believe for the envious ones that think they are\nbetter worth than I, and yet have not served you so well.\"\n\nIV.\n\n\"Kay,\" saith the King, \"Come forward, there is no need of this.\"\n\nMessire Kay the Seneschal cometh to the dais before the King,\nwhereon was the coffer, and taketh it right boldly and setteth\none of his hands below it and the other above. The coffer opened\nas soon as he clapped hand thereon, and the head within could be\nseen all openly. A passing delicate-savoured smell and right\nsweet issued therefrom, so that not a knight in the hall but\nsmelt it.\n\n\"Sir,\" saith Kay to the King, \"Now may you know that some prowess\nand some hardiment have I done in your service, nor might none of\nyour knights that you prize so highly open the coffer this day,\nnor would you have known this day who is therein for them! But\nnow you know it by me, and therefore of so much ought you to be\nwell pleased with me!\"\n\nV.\n\n\"Sir,\" saith the damsel that had brought the coffer, \"Let the\nletters be read that are within, so shall you know who the knight\nwas and of what lineage, and what was the occasion of his death.\"\n\nThe King sitteth beside the Queen, and biddeth call one of his\nown chaplains. Then maketh he all the knights in the hall be\nseated and keep silence, and commandeth the chaplain that he\nshould spell out the letters of gold all openly according as he\nshould find them written. The chaplain looketh at them, and when\nhe had scanned them down, began to sigh.\n\n\"Sir,\" saith he to the King and Queen, \"hearken unto me, and all\nthe other, your knights.\n\nVI.\n\n\"These letters say that the knight whose head lieth in this\nvessel was named Lohot and he was son of King Arthur and Queen\nGuenievre. He had slain on a day that is past, Logrin the Giant,\nby his hardiment. Messire Kay the Seneschal was passing by\nthere, and so found Lohot sleeping upon Logrin, for such was his\ncustom that he went to sleep upon the man after that he had slain\nhim. Messire Kay smote off Lohot's head, and so left the head\nand the body on the piece of ground. He took the head of the\nGiant and so bore it to the court of King Arthur. He gave the\nKing and Queen and all the barons of the court to understand that\nhe had slain him, but this did he not; rather, that he did was to\nslay Lohot, according to the writing and the witness of these\nletters.\"\n\nWhen the Queen heareth these letters and this witting of her son\nthat came thus by his death, she falleth in a swoon on the\ncoffer. After that she taketh the head between her two hands,\nand knew well that it was he by a scar that he had on his face\nwhen he was a child. The King himself maketh dole thereof so\nsore that none may comfort him, for before these tidings he had\nthought that his son was still on live and that he was the Best\nKnight in the world, and when the news came to his court that the\nKnight of the Golden Circlet had slain the Knight of the Dragon,\nhe supposed that it had been Lohot his son, for that none had\nnamed Perceval nor Gawain nor Lancelot. And all they of the\ncourt are right sorrowful for the death of Lohot, and Messire Kay\nhath departed, and if the damsel had nor respited the day until\nthe fortieth after the King's return, vengeance would have been\ntaken of Kay or ever he might have turned him thence. For never\ndid no I man see greater dole made in the King's court than they\nof the Table Round made for the youth. King Arthur and the Queen\nwere so stricken of sorrow that none durst call upon them to make\ncheer. The damsel that brought thither the coffer was well\navenged of the shame that Messire Kay the Seneschal had done her\non a day that was past, for this thing would not have been known\nso soon save it had been by her.\n\nVII.\n\nWhen the mourning for the King's son was abated, Lancelot and\nmany others said unto him, \"Sir, you know well that God willeth\nyou should go to the castle that was King Fisherman's on\npilgrimage to the most Holy Graal, for it is not right to delay a\nthing that one hath in covenant with God.\"\n\n\"Lords,\" saith the King, \"right willingly will I go, and thereto\nam I right well disposed.\"\n\nThe King apparelleth himself for the pilgrimage, and saith that\nMessire Gawain and Lancelot shall go with him, without more\nknights, and taketh a squire to wait upon his body, and the Queen\nherself would he have taken thither but for the mourning she made\nfor her son, whereof none might give her any comfort. But or\never the King departed he made the head be brought into the Isle\nof Avalon, to a chapel of Our Lady that was there, where was a\nworshipful holy hermit that was well loved of Our Lord. The King\ndeparted from Cardoil and took leave of the Queen and all the\nknights. Lancelot and Messire Gawain go along with him and a\nsquire that carrieth their arms. Kay the Seneschal was departed\nfrom the court for dread of the King and his knights. He durst\nnot abide in the Greater Britain, and so betook himself into the\nLesser. Briant of the Isles was of great power in those times, a\nknight of great strength and hardiment, for all Great Britain had\nhad many disputes between him and King Arthur. His land was full\nstrong of castles and forests and right fruitful, and many good\nknights had he in his land. When he knew that Kay the Seneschal\nhad departed in such sort from the court, and that he had crossed\nthe sea, he sent for him and held him of his household, and said\nthat he would hold him harmless against the King and against all\nmen. When he knew that the King had departed he began to war\nupon the land and to slay his men and to challenge his castles.",
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}