{
  "meta": {
    "schema_version": "1.1",
    "endpoint": "/api/sources/grail-romances/high-history-of-the-holy-graal/34-the-high-history-of-the-holy-graal-branch-xxxiii.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": 34,
    "slug": "34-the-high-history-of-the-holy-graal-branch-xxxiii",
    "title": "The High History of the Holy Graal: Branch XXXIII",
    "of": 36,
    "words": 2508,
    "text": "## The High History of the Holy Graal: Branch XXXIII\n\n\nTITLE I.\n\nAfterward, this title telleth us that Meliot of Logres was\ndeparted from Castle Perilous sound and whole, by virtue of the\nsword that Lancelot had brought him, and of the cloth that he\ntook in the Chapel Perilous. But sore sorrowful was he of the\ntidings he had heard that Messire Gawain was in prison and he\nknew not where, but he had been borne on hand that two knights\nthat were kinsmen of them of the Raving Castle that had slain one\nanother, had shut him in prison on account of Perceval that had\nwon the castle. Now, saith Meliot of Logres, never shall he have\nease again until he knoweth where Messire Gawain is. He rideth\namidst a forest, and prayeth God grant him betimes to hear\nwitting of Messire Gawain. The forest was strange and gloomy.\nHe rode until nightfall but might not find neither hold nor\nhermitage. He looketh right amidst the forest before him and\nseeth a damsel sitting that bemoaneth herself full sore. The\nmoon was dark and the place right foul of seeming and the forest\ngloomy of shadow.\n\n\"Ha, damsel, and what do you here at this hour?\"\n\n\"Sir,\" saith she, \"I may not amend it, the more is my sorrow.\nFor the place is more perilous than you think. Look,\" saith she,\n\"up above, and you will see the occasion wherefore I am here.\"\n\nMeliot looketh and seeth two knights all armed hanging up above\nthe damsel's head. Thereof much marvelleth he.\n\n\"Ha, damsel,\" saith he, \"Who slew these knights so foully?\"\n\n\"Sir,\" saith she, \"The Knight of the Galley that singeth in the\nsea.\"\n\n\"And wherefore hath he hanged them in such wise?\"\n\n\"For this,\" saith she, \"that they believed in God and His sweet\nMother. And so behoveth me to watch them here for forty days,\nthat none take them down of hanging, for and they were taken\nhence he would lose his castle, he saith, and would cut off my\nhead.\"\n\n\"By my head,\" saith Meliot, \"Such watch is foul shame to damsel,\nand no longer shall you remain here.\"\n\n\"Ha, Sir,\" saith the damsel, \"Then shall I be a dead woman, for\nhe is of so great cruelty that none scarce might protect me\nagainst him.\"\n\nII.\n\n\"Damsel,\" saith Meliot, \"Foul shame would it be and I left here\nthese knights in such wise for the reproach of other knights.\"\n\nMeliot made them graves with his sword, and so buried them the\nbest he might.\n\n\"Sir,\" saith the damsel, \"And you take not thought to protect me,\nthe knight will slay me. To-morrow, when he findeth not the\nknights, he will search all the forest to look for me.\"\n\nMeliot and the damsel together go their way through the forest\nuntil they come to a chapel where was wont to be a hermit that\nthe Knight of the Galley had destroyed. He helpeth down the\ndamsel of his horse, and afterward they entered into the chapel,\nwhere was a great brightness of light, and a damsel was there\nthat kept watch over a dead knight. Meliot marvelleth him much.\n\n\"Damsel,\" said Meliot, \"When was this knight killed?\"\n\n\"Sir, yesterday the Knight of the Galley slew him on the sea-\nshore, wherefore behoveth me thus keep watch, and in the morning\nwill he come hither or ever he go to the castle where Messire\nGawain hath to-morrow to fight with a lion, all unarmed, and my\nLady, that is mistress both of me and of this damsel you have\nbrought hither, will likewise be brought to-morrow to the place\nwhere the lion is to slay Messire Gawain, and she in like sort\nwill be afterward delivered to the lion and she renounce not the\nNew Law wherein the knight that came from Raving Castle, whereof\nshe is lady, hath made her believe; and we ourselves shall be in\nlike manner devoured along with her. But this damsel would still\nhave taken respite of my death and she had still kept guard over\nthe knights that were so foully hanged above her. Natheless,\nsith that you have taken them down from where they were hanging,\nyou have done a right good deed, whatsoever betide, for the Lord\nof the Red Tower will give his castle to the knight for this.\"\n\nMeliot is right joyous of the tidings that he hath heard of\nMessire Gawain that he is still on live, for well knoweth he,\nsith that the Knight of the Galley will come by the chapel there,\nthat he will come thither or ever Messire Gawain doth battle with\nthe lion.\n\n\"Sir,\" saith the damsel of the chapel, \"For God's sake, take this\ndamsel to a place of safety, for the knight will be so wood mad\nof wrath and despite so soon as he cometh hither, that he will be\nfain to smite off her head forthwith, and of yourself also have I\ngreat fear.\"\n\nIII.\n\n\"Damsel,\" saith Meliot, \"The knight is but a man like as am I.\"\n\n\"Yea, Sir, but stronger is he and more cruel than seem you to\nbe.\"\n\nMeliot was in the chapel the night until the morrow, and heard\nthe knight coming like a tempest, and he brought with him the\nlady of the castle and reviled her from time to time, and Meliot\nseeth him come, and a dwarf that followeth after him a great\npace. He crieth out to him: \"Sir, behold there the disloyal\nknight through whom you have lost your castle. Now haste!\nAvenge yourself of him! After that will we go to the death of\nMessire Gawain?\"\n\nMeliot, so soon as he espieth him, mounteth and maketh his arms\nready.\n\n\"Is it you,\" saith the Knight of the Galley, \"that hath\ntrespassed on my demesne and taken down my knights?\"\n\n\"By my head, yours were they not! Rather were they the knights\nof God, and foul outrage have you done herein when you slew them\nso shamefully.\"\n\nHe goeth toward the knight without more words, and smiteth him so\npassing strong amidst the breast that he pierceth the habergeon\nand thrusteth all the iron of his spear into his body and\nafterward draweth it back to him with a great wrench. And the\nknight smiteth him so hard on his shield that he maketh an ell's\nlength pass beyond, for right wroth was he that he was wounded.\nThe dwarf crieth to him, \"Away, then! The knight endureth\nagainst you that have slain so many of them!\"\n\nThe Knight of the Galley waxeth wood wrath. He taketh his\ncareer, and cometh as fast as his horse may carry him, and\nsmiteth Meliot so strongly that he breaketh his spear in such\nsort that he maketh both him and his horse stagger. But Meliot\ncatcheth him better, for he thrusteth the spear right through his\nbody and hurleth against him at the by-passing with such\nstoutness and force that he maketh him fall dead to the ground\nfrom his horse. The dwarf thought to escape, but Meliot smote\noff his head, whereof the damsels gave him great thanks, for many\na mischief had he wrought them.\n\nIV.\n\nMeliot buried the knight that he found in the chapel dead, then\ntold the damsels that he might abide no longer, but would go\nsuccour Messire Gawain and he might. The damsels were horsed to\ntheir will, for one had the horse of the knight that was slain\nand the other the horse of the dwarf. The other damsel was come\nupon a mule, and they said that they would go back, for the\ncountry was made all safe by the death of the knight. They\nthanked Meliot much, for they say truly that he hath rescued them\nfrom death. Meliot departeth from the damsels and goeth right\namidst the forest as he that would most fain hear tidings of\nMessire Gawain. When he had ridden of a long space, he met a\nknight that was coming all armed at great pace.\n\n\"Sir Knight,\" saith he to Meliot, \"Can you tell me tidings of the\nKnight of the Galley?\"\n\n\"What have you to do therein?\" saith Meliot.\n\n\"Sir, the Lord of the Red Tower hath made bring Messire Gawain\ninto a launde of this forest, and there, all unarmed, must he do\nbattle with a lion. So my lord is waiting for the Knight of the\nGalley, that is to bring two damsels thither that the lion will\ndevour when he shall have slain Messire Gawain.\"\n\n\"Will the battle be presently?\" saith Meliot.\n\n\"Yea, Sir,\" saith the knight, \"Soon enough betimes, for Messire\nGawain hath already been led thither and there bound to a stake\nuntil such time as the lion shall be come. Then will he be\nunbound, but even then two knights all armed will keep watch on\nhim. But tell me tidings of the Knight of the Galley, and you\nhave seen him?\"\n\n\"Go forward,\" saith he, \"and you will hear tidings of him.\"\n\nMeliot departeth thereupon, a great gallop, and cometh nigh the\nlaunde whereunto Messire Gawain had been brought. He espied the\ntwo knights that kept guard over him, and if that Messire Gawain\nwere in fear, little marvel was it, for he thought that his end\nhad come. Meliot espied him bound to an iron staple with cords\nabout the body on all sides so that he might not move. Meliot\nhath great pity thereof in his heart, and saith to himself that\nhe will die there sooner than Messire Gawain shall die. He\nclappeth spurs to his horse when he cometh nigh the knights, and\novertaketh one of them with such a rush that he thrusteth his\nspear right through his body, and beareth him down dead. The\nother was fain to go to the castle for succour when he saw his\nfellow dead. Meliot slew him forthwith. He cometh to Messire\nGawain, and so unbindeth him and cutteth the cords wherewith he\nis bound.\n\n\"Sir,\" saith he, \"I am Meliot of Logres, your knight.\"\n\nV.\n\nWhen Messire Gawain felt himself unbound, no need to ask whether\nhe had joy thereof. The tidings were come to the Red Court that\nQueen Jandree was christened and baptized, and that the Knight\nwas come that had such force and puissance in him that none might\nendure against him for the God in whom he believed, and they knew\nlikewise that the Knight of the Galley was dead, and Messire\nGawain unbound and the knights that guarded him slain. They say\nthat there may they not abide, so they depart from the castle and\nsay that they will cross the sea to protect their bodies, for\nthat there they may have no safety.\n\nVI.\n\nWhen Meliot had delivered Messire Gawain he made him be armed\nwith the arms, such as they were, of one of the knights he had\nslain. Messire Gawain mounted on a horse such as pleased him,\nand right great joy had he at heart. They marvel much how it is\nthat they of the castle have not come after them, but they know\nnot their thought nor how they are scared.\n\n\"Meliot,\" saith Messire Gawain, \"You have delivered me from death\nthis time and one other, nor never had I acquaintance with any\nknight that hath done so much for me in so short a time as have\nyou.\"\n\nThey departed the speediest they might and rode nigh enow to the\ncastle, but they heard none moving within nor any noise, nor saw\nthey none issue forth, and much marvelled they that none should\ncome after them. They rode until they came to the head of the\nforest and caught sight of the sea that was nigh enough before\nthem, and saw that there was a great clashing of arms at the\nbrink of the sea. A single knight was doing battle with all them\nthat would fain have entered into a ship, and held stour so\nstiffly against them that he toppled the more part into the sea.\nThey went thither as fast as they might, and when they drew nigh\nto the ship they knew that it was Perceval by his arms and his\nshield. Or ever they reached it, the ship was put off into the\nmidst of the sea, wherein he was launched of his own great\nhardiment, and they went on fighting against him within the ship.\n\n\"Meliot,\" saith Messire Gawain, \"See you, there is Perceval the\nGood Knight, and now may we say of a truth that he is in sore\nperil of death; for that ship, save God bethink Him thereof,\nshall arrive in such manner and in such a place as that never\nmore shall we have no witting of him, and, so he perish for ever,\nno knight on live may have power to set forward the Law of our\nLord.\"\n\nVII.\n\nMessire Gawain seeth the ship going further away, and Perceval\nthat defendeth himself therein against them that set upon him.\nRight heavy is he that he came not sooner, or ever the ship had\nput off from the land. He turneth back, he and Meliot together,\nand right sorrowful was Messire Gawain of Perceval, for they knew\nnot in what land he might arrive, and, might he have followed,\nright gladly would he have gone after him to aid him. They have\nridden until they meet a knight. Messire Gawain asketh him\nwhence he cometh, and he saith from King Arthur's court.\n\n\"What tidings can you tell us thereof?\" saith Messire Gawain.\n\n\"Sir, bad enough!\" saith he. \"King Arthur hath neglected all his\nknights for Briant of the Isles, and hath put one of his best\nknights in prison.\"\n\n\"What is his name?\" saith Messire Gawain.\n\n\"Sir, he is called Lancelot of the Lake. He had reconquered all\nthe islands that had been reft of King Arthur, and slain King\nMadeglant, and conquered the land of Oriande that he turned to\nthe belief of the Saviour of the World, and, so soon as he had\nconquered his enemies, King Arthur sent for him forthwith and\nstraightway put him in his prison by the counsel of Briant of the\nIsles. But King Arthur will have a surfeit of friends betimes;\nfor King Claudas hath assembled his folk in great plenty to\nreconquer the kingdom of Oriande and come back upon King Arthur\nby the counsel of Briant of the Isles that betrayeth the King,\nfor he hath made him his Seneschal and commander of all his\nland.\"\n\n\"Sir Knight,\" saith Messire Gawain, \"Needs must the King miscarry\nthat setteth aside the counsel of his good knights for the\nleasings of a traitor.\"\n\nThereupon the knight departed from Messire Gawain. Right heavy\nis he of this that he hath said, that the King hath put Lancelot\nin prison. Never tofore did he aught whereby he wrought so much\nto blame.",
    "project_translation": false,
    "license": null,
    "methodology_url": null
  }
}