THE queen heard thereof, and came after with many ladies, and shewed them the stone where it hoved on the water. Sir, said the king unto Sir Galahad, here is a great
marvel as ever I saw, and
right good knights have assayed and failed. Sir, said Galahad, that is no
marvel, for this
adventure is not theirs but
mine; and for the surety of this sword I brought none with me, for here by my side hangeth the
scabbard. And
anon he laid his hand on the sword, and lightly drew it out of the stone, and put it in the
sheath, and said unto the king: Now it goeth better than it did aforehand. Sir, said the king, a
shield God shall send you. Now have I that sword that sometime was the good
knight's, Balin le Savage, and he was a passing good man of his hands; and with this sword he
slew his brother Balan, and that was great
pity, for he was a good
knight, and either
slew other
through a
dolorous stroke that Balin gave unto my grandfather King Pelles, the which is not yet whole, nor not shall be
till I heal him.
Therewith the king and all espied where came riding down the river a lady on a white palfrey toward them. Then she saluted the king and the queen, and asked if that Sir Launcelot was there. And then he answered himself: I am here,
fair lady. Then she said all with weeping: How your great doing is changed sith this day in the morn. Damosel, why say you so? said Launcelot. I say you sooth, said the damosel, for ye were this day the best
knight of the world, but who should say so now, he should be a
liar, for there is now one better than ye, and well it is proved by the adventures of the sword whereto ye durst not set to your hand; and that is the change and leaving of your name. Wherefore I make unto you a
remembrance, that ye shall not ween from henceforth that ye be the best
knight of the world. As touching unto that, said Launcelot, I know well I was never the best. Yes, said the damosel, that were ye, and are yet, of any
sinful man of the world. And, Sir king, Nacien, the
hermit, sendeth thee word, that thee shall
befall the greatest
worship that ever befell king in Britain; and I say you
wherefore, for this day the Sangreal appeared in thy house and fed thee and all thy
fellowship of the Round Table. So she
departed and went that same way that she came