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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/"
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  "chapter": {
    "num": 28,
    "slug": "28-the-high-history-of-the-holy-graal-branch-xxvii",
    "title": "The High History of the Holy Graal: Branch XXVII",
    "of": 36,
    "words": 2185,
    "text": "## The High History of the Holy Graal: Branch XXVII\n\n\nTITLE I.\n\nThis history saith that the land of this King was full far away\nfrom the land of King Arthur, and that needs must he pass two\nseas or ever he should approach the first head of King Arthur's\nland. He arrived in Albanie with great force of men with a great\nnavy. When they of the land knew it, they garnished them against\nhim and defended their lands the best they might; then they sent\nword to King Arthur that King Madeglant was come in such manner\ninto the land, with great plenty of folk, and that he should come\npresently to succour them or send them a knight so good as that\nhe might protect them, and that in case he doth not so, the land\nwill be lost. When King Arthur understood these tidings, it was\nnot well with him. He asked his knights whom he might send\nthither. And they say, let him send Lancelot thither, for that\nhe is a worthy knight and a kingly, and much understandeth of\nwar, and hath in him as much loyalty as hath ever another that\nthey know. The King maketh him come before him.\n\nII.\n\n\"Lancelot,\" saith the King, \"Such affiance have I in you and in\nyour knighthood, that it is my will to send you to the furthest\ncorner of my land, to protect it, with the approval of my\nknights, wherefore I pray and require you that you do your power\nherein as many a time have you done already in my service. And I\nwill give you in command forty knights.\"\n\n\"Sir,\" saith Lancelot, \"Against your will am I not minded to be,\nbut in your court are there other knights full as good, or better\nthan I, whom you might well send thither. But I would not that\nyou should hold this of cowardize in me, and right willingly will\nI do your pleasure, for none ought I to serve more willingly than\nyou.\"\n\nThe King giveth him much thanks of this that he saith. Lancelot\ndeparteth from the court, and taketh forty knights with him, and\nso cometh into the land of Albanie where King Madeglant hath\narrived. When they of the land knew that Lancelot was come,\ngreat joy had they thereof in their hearts, for ofttimes had they\nheard tell of him and of his good knighthood. They were all at\nhis commandment, and received him as their champion and\nprotector.\n\nIII.\n\nKing Madeglant one day issued forth of his ships to do battle\nagainst Lancelot and them of the land. Lancelot received him\nright stoutly, and slew many of his folk, and the more part fled\nand would fain have drawn them to their ships, but Lancelot and\nhis people went after and cut a part of them to pieces. King\nMadeglant, with as many of his men as he might, betaketh himself\nto his own ship privily, and maketh put to sea the soonest he\nmay. They that might not come to the ships remained on dry land,\nand were so cut up and slain. Madeglant went his way\ndiscomfited. Of ten ships full of men that he had brought he\ntook back with him but two. The land was in peace and assured in\nsafety. Lancelot remained there of a long space. They of the\ncountry loved him much and gave themselves great joy of his\nvalour and his great bounty, insomuch that most of them say\nofttimes that they would fain have such a knight as was he for\nking, by the goodwill of King Arthur, for that the land is too\nfar away; but and if he would set there a knight or other man\nthat might protect the land, they would take it in right good\npart, and he should hold the land of him, for they might not\nsafeguard it at their will without a champion, for that land\nwithout a lord may but little avail. They of the land loved\nLancelot well, as I tell you. King Arthur was at Cardoil, and so\nwere his knights together with him. He thought to be assured in\nhis kingdom and to live peaceably; but what time he sate at meat\none day in Cardoil, behold you thereupon a knight that cometh\nbefore the Table Round without saluting him.\n\n\"Sir,\" saith he, \"Where is Lancelot?\"\n\n\"Sir,\" saith the King to the knight, \"He is not in this country.\"\n\n\"By my head,\" saith the knight, \"that misliketh me. Wheresoever\nhe be, he is your knight and of your household; wherefore King\nClaudas sendeth you word that he is his mortal enemy, and you\nalso, if so be that for love of him you receive him from this day\nforward, for he hath slain his sister's son, Meliant of the Waste\nManor, and he slew the father of Meliant likewise, but the father\nbelongeth not to King Claudas.\n\nIV.\n\nMeliant was the son of his sister-german, wherefore much grieveth\nhe of his death.\"\n\n\"Sir knight,\" saith the King, \"I know not how the covenant may be\nbetween them as of this that you tell me, but well know I that\nKing Claudas holdeth many a castle that King Claudas ought not of\nright to have, whereof he disherited his father, but meet is it\nthat each should conquer his own right. But so much I tell you\nplainly, that never will I fail mine own knight and he be such as\ndurst defend himself of murder, but and if he hath no will to do\nthis, then well may I allow that right be done upon him. But,\nsith that he will not love his own death, neither I nor other\nought greatly to love him and he refuse to redress his wrong.\nWhen Lancelot shall know these tidings, I know well that such is\nhis valour and his loyalty that he will readily answer in reason,\nand will do all that he ought to do to clear himself of such a\ncharge.\"\n\n\"Sir,\" saith the knight, \"You have heard well that I have told\nyou. Once more, I tell you plainly, King Claudas sendeth you\nword that so you harbour his enemy henceforward and in such\nmanner as you have done heretofore, he will be less than pleased\nwith you.\"\n\nV.\n\nWith that the knight departeth, and the King remaineth at\nCardoil. He sendeth for Briant of the Isles, his seneschal, and\na great part of his knights, and demandeth counsel of them what\nhe may do. Messire Ywain saith that he killed Meliant in the\nKing's service, as one that warred upon his land, albeit the King\nhad done him no wrong, and had so made common cause with the\nKing's enemies without demanding right in his court. Nor never\nhad Meliant appealed Lancelot of murder nor of treason, nor\nrequired him of the death of his father. Rather, Lancelot slew\nhim in open war, as one that warred upon his lord by wrong.\n\n\"Sir,\" saith Messire Ywain to the King, \"Howsoever Lancelot might\nhave wrought in respect of Meliant, your land ought not to be\ncalled to account, for you were not in the kingdom, nor knew not\nthat either had done other any wrong, and therefore say I that\nKing Claudas will do great wrong and he bring plaint or levy war\nagainst you on this account.\"\n\n\"Messire Ywain,\" saith Briant of the Isles, \"matter of common\nknowledge is it that Lancelot slew the lord of the Waste Manor\nand Meliant his son after the contention that was betwixt King\nArthur and me. But, after that he had slain the father, he ought\nof right to have taken good heed that he did no wrong to the son,\nbut rather ought he to have sought peace and accord.\"\n\nVI.\n\n\"Briant,\" saith Messire Gawain, \"Lancelot is nor here; and,\nmoreover, he is now on the King's business. Well know you that\nMeliant came to you and that you made him knight, and that\nthereafter he warred upon the King's land without reasonable\noccasion. The King was far away from the land as he that made\npilgrimage to the Graal. He was told tidings that his land was\nbeing put to the worse, and he sent Lancelot to protect it. He\naccordingly maintained the war as best he might until such time\nas the King was returned. Meliant knew well that the King was\ncome back, and that never had he done wrong to none in his court\nthat wished to demand right therein. He neither came thither nor\nsent, either to do right or to demand right, whether he did so\nfor despite or whether it was for that he knew not how to do it.\nIn the meanwhile he warred upon the King, that had never done him\na wrong nor refused to do him a right. Lancelot slew him in the\nKing's war and upon his land in defence thereof. There was peace\nof the war, as was agreed on between you and the King, but and if\nany should therefore hold Lancelot to blame of the death of\nMeliant, meseemeth that therein is he wrong. For the others are\nnot held to answer for them that they slew; but and if you wish\nto say that Lancelot hath not slain him with reason, howsoever he\nmay have wrought aforetime in respect of his father, I am ready\nto maintain his right by my body on behalf of his.\"\n\nVII.\n\n\"Messire Gawain,\" saith Briant of the Isles, \"You will not as at\nthis time find none that will take up your gage on account of\nthis affair, nor ought any to make enemies of his friends, nor\nought you to counsel me so to do. King Madeglant warreth upon\nhim and King Claudas maketh war upon him also. They will deliver\nattacks enough. But I should well allow, for the sake of saving\nhis land and keeping his friends, that the King should suffer\nLancelot to remain at a distance from his court for one year,\nuntil tidings should have come to King Claudas that he had been\nbidden leave thereof, so as that King Arthur might have his good\nwill and his love.\"\n\nSagramors li Desirous leapeth forward. \"Briant of the Isles,\"\nsaith Sagramors, \"Ill befall him that shall give such counsel to\na lord or his knight, and the knight have well served his lord,\nalbeit he may have slain in his wars a knight without murder and\nwithout treason, that he should give him his leave! Right ill\nwill Lancelot hitherto have bestowed his services, and the King\non this account give him his leave! After that, let King Claudas\ncome! Let him lay waste and slay, and right great worship shall\nKing Arthur have thereof! I say not this for that Lancelot hath\nneed be afeared of King Claudas body to body, nor of the best\nknight in his land, but many things befall whereof one taketh no\nheed; and so King Arthur give leave to Lancelot from his court,\nit will be counted unto him for cowardize, and neither I nor you\nnor other knight ought never more to have affiance in him.\"\n\n\"Lord,\" saith Briant of the Isles, \"Better would it avail the\nKing to give Lancelot leave for one year, than it would to fight\nfor him ten years and have his land wasted and put to the worse.\"\n\nVIII.\n\nThereupon, behold you! Orguelleux of the Launde come, that had\nnot been at the court of a long time, and it had been told him\nwhereof these words were.\n\n\"Briant,\" saith Orguelleux of the Launde, \"Evil fare the knight\nthat would fain grieve and harm with their lord them that have\nserved him well! Sith that Lancelot is not here, say nought of\nhim that ought not to be said. The court of King Arthur hath\nbeen as much renowned and made honoured by Lancelot as by ever\nanother knight that is in it, and, but for him, never would his\ncourt have been so redoubted as it is. For no knight is there so\ncruel to his foes nor so redoubted throughout all Great Britain\nas is Lancelot, and, for that King Arthur loveth you, make him\nnot that he hate his knights, for such four or such six be there\nin his castle as may depart therefrom without returning, the loss\nwhereof should scarce be made good by us. Lancelot hath well\nserved the King aforetime, and the King well knoweth how much he\nis worth; and if so be that King Claudas purposeth to war on King\nArthur for Lancelot's sake, according as I have heard, without\nany reason, and King Arthur be not more craven than he wont to\nbe, he may well abide his warfare and his strife so treason harm\nhim not. For so many good knights hath King Arthur yet, that\nnone knoweth such knights nor such King in the world beside.\"",
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