at I am?" said the good man; "I am Joseph of
Arimathea, which our Lord hath sent here to thee to bear thee
fellowship. And wotest thou wherefore He hath sent me more than any
other? For thou hast resembled me in two things, in that thou hast
seen the marvels of the Holy Grail, and in that thou hast been a clean
and virtuous knight, as I have been and am."

When these words had been spoken, Galahad went to Percivale and to Bors
and kissed them and commended them to God, and said, "Salute me to my
lord Sir Launcelot, and bid him remember of this unstable world."

Therewith he kneeled down tofore the table and made his prayers, and
then suddenly his soul departed to Jesu Christ, and a great multitude
of angels bare his soul up to heaven, and the two fellows might well
behold it. Also they saw come from heaven a hand, but they saw not the
body; and it came right to the vessel, and took it, and bare it up to
heaven. Since then was there never man so hard as to say that he had
seen the Holy Grail.

When Percivale and Bors saw Galahad had died, they made as much sorrow
as ever did two men; and if they had not been good men, they might
lightly have fallen in despair. And the people of the country and of
the city were right heavy. And then he was buried. And as soon as he
was buried, Sir Percivale betook himself to a hermitage out of the
city, where for a year and two months he lived a full holy life, and
then passed out of this world.

When Bors saw that he was alone in so far countries, he departed from
Sarras and came to the sea. There he entered into a ship, and so it
befell that in good adventure he came into the realm of Logris. And he
rode to Camelot, where King Arthur was, and then was there great joy
made of him in the court, for they believed all that he was dead,
forasmuch as he had been so long out of the country.

When they had eaten, the King made great clerks to come afore him, that
they should chronicle of the high adventures of the good knights. When
Bors had told of the adventures of the Holy Grail, such as had befallen
him and his two fellows, that was Percivale and Galahad, then Launcelot
told the adventures of the Holy Grail that he had seen. All this was
made in great books, and put in chests at Salisbury.

[1] Rivage: bank; shore.

CHAPTER XXXIII

SIR LAUNCELOT AND THE FAIR MAID OF ASTOLAT

After the quest of the Holy Grail was fulfilled, and all knights that
were left alive