¶ Capitulum xij

NOw lede me thyder sayd Galahad / and soo they dyd alle armed sauf his helme / Now sayd the good man / goo to the Tombe and lyfte hit vp / Soo he dyd and herd a grete noyse / and pytously he sayd that alle men myȝte here hit / Syr Galahad the seruaunt of Ihesu Cryste come thou not nyghe me / For thow shalt make me goo ageyne ther where I haue ben soo longe / But Galahad was no thynge affrayed but lyfte vp the stone / and there came out so foul a smoke / and after he sawe the fowlest fygur lepe there oute that euer he sawe in the lykenes of a man / & thenne he blessid hym/ and wyste wel hit was a sende /

¶ Thenne herd he a voyse say / Galahad I see there enuyronne aboute the so many angels that my power may not dere the /

¶ Ryght soo syr Galahad sawe a body al armed lye in that tombe and besyde hym a swerd / Now fayr broder sayd Galahad lete vs remeue this body for hit is not worthy to lye in this chircheyerd / for he was a fals Crysten man / And there with they alle departed and wente to the Abbay / And anone as he was vnarmed a good man cam and sette hym doune by hym / and sayd syre I shall telle yow what betokeneth alle that ye sawe in the Tombe / for that couerd body betokeneth the duresse of the world and the grete synne that oure lord fond in the world / For there was suche wretchydnesse that the fader loued not the sone / nor the sone loued not the fader / and that was one of the causes that oure lord took flesshe and blood of a clene mayden / for oure synnes were so grete at that tyme that wel nyghe all was wickednes / Truly sayd Galahad I bileue yow ryghte wel / So syre Galahad rested hym there that nyghte / And vpon the morne he made the squyer knyghte / and asked hym his name / and of what kynred he was come /

¶ Syre sayd he men calleth me Melyas de lyle / And I am the sone of the kynge of Denmarke /

¶ Now fayre sire sayd Galahad sythe that ye be come of kynges and Quenes / now loketh that knyghthode be wel sette in yow / for ye oughte to be a myrrour vnto all chyualry

¶ Sire sayd syre Melyas ye saye sothe / But syre sythen ye haue made me a knyȝt ye must of ryȝt graūte me my fyrst desyre þ^t is resonable / ye say soth said galahad / melyas said thēne Page  629 [leaf 315r] that ye wil suffre me to ryde with yow in this quest of the sancgreal tyl that somme aduenture departe vs / I graunte yow sir Thenne men brought syre Melyas his armoure and his spere and his hors / and soo syr Galahad and he rode forth all that weke or they fond ony aduenture / And thenne vpon a monday in the mornyng as they were departed fro an Abbay they cam to a Crosse whiche departed two wayes / and in that crosse were letters wryten that sayd thus Now ye knyghtes arraunt the whiche goth to seke knyghtes aduenturous / see here / ij / wayes þ^t one wey defendeth the that thow ne go þ^t way / for he shalle not go oute of the way ageyne / but yf he be a good man and a worthy knyghte / And yf thow goo on the lyfte hand / thow shalt not lyghtely there wynne prowesse / for thow shalt in this way be soone assayed / Sir said Melyas to Galahad / yf hit lyke yow to suffer me to take the way on the lyft hand telle me / for there I shalle wel preue my strengthe / hit were better said Galahad ye rode not that way / for I deme I shold better escape in that way than ye / nay my lord I praye yow lete me haue that aduenture / Take it in goddes name said Galahad