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and herd an hors come, And one rydynge vpon hym. And whanne he cam nygh he semed a knyghte. And soo he lete hym passe, and went there as the shyp was, and there he alyghte, and toke the sadel and the bridel and putte the hors from hym, and went in to the ship. And thenne Launcelot dressid vnto hym and said ye be welcome, and he ansuerd and salewed hym ageyne, & asked hym what is your name, for moche my hert gyueth vnto yow. Truly sayd he my name is launcelot du lake, sir saide he, thene be ye welcome, for ye were the begynner of me in this world. A sayd he ar ye Galahad, ye forsothe sayd he, and so he kneled doune and asked hym his blessynge, and after toke of his helme and kyssed hym. And there was grete joye bitwene them, for there is no tonge can telle the joy that they made eyther of other, and many a frendely word spoken bitwene, as kynde wold, the whiche is no nede here to be reherced. And there eueryche told other of theire adventures and merueils that were befallen to them in many journeyes sythe that they departed from the courte. Anone as Galahad sawe the gentilwoman dede in the bed, he knewe her wel ynough, & told grete worship of her that she was the best mayde lyuyng and hit was grete pyte of her dethe. But whanne Launcelot herd how the merueylous swerd was goten, and who made hit, and alle the merueyls reherced afore, Thenne he prayd galahad his sone that he wold shewe hym the suerd, and so he dyd, and anone he kyssed the pomel and the hyltes and the scaubard. Truly sayd launcelot neuer erst knewe I of so hyhe aduentures done and so merueylloys & straunge. So dwellid Launcelot and Galahad within that shyp half a yere, and seured god dayly and nyghtly with alle their power, and often they aryued in yles ferre from folke, where there repayred none but wylde beestes, and ther they fond many straunge aduentures and peryllous whiche they broughte to an ende, but for tho aduentures were with wylde beestes, and not in the quest of the Sancgreal, therfor the tale maketh here no mencyon therof, for it wolde be to longe to telle of alle tho aduentures that befelle them.

Soo after on a mondaye hit befelle that they aryued in the edge of a foreste to fore a crosse, and thenne sawe they a knyghte armed al in whyte and was rychely horsed, and ledde in his ryght hand a whyte hors, and soo he cam to the shyp and salewed the two knyghtes on the hyghe lordes behalf, and sayd Galahad syr ye haue ben longe ynough with your fader, come oute of the ship, and starte vpon this hors, & goo where the aduentures shall lede the in the quest of the sancgreal. thenne

he wente to his fader and kyst hym swetely and sayd, Fair swete fader I wote not whan I shal see you more tyl I see the body of Jhesu Cryst. I praye yow sayd launcelot praye ye to the hyghe fader that he hold me in his seruyse & soo he took his hors, & ther they herd a voyce that sayd thynke for to doo wel, for the one shal neuer see the other before the dredeful day of dome. Now sone galahad said laūcelot syn we shal departe, & neuer see other, I pray te ye hyz fader to conserue me and yow bothe. Sire said Galahad noo prayer auaylleth soo moche as yours. And there with Galahad entryd in to the foreste. And the wynde aroos and drofe Launcelot more than a moneth thurgh oute the see where he slepte but lytel but prayed to god that he myghte see some tydynges of the Sancgreal. Soo hit befelle on a nyghte at mydnyghte he aryued afore a Castel on the bak syde whiche was ryche and fayre, & there was a posterne opened toward the see, and was open withoute ony kepynge, sauf two lyons kept the entre, and the moone shone clere. Anone sir launcelot herd a voyce that sayd Launcelot goo oute of this shyp, and entre into the Castel, where thou shalt see a grete parte of thy desyre. Thenne he ran to his armes and soo armed hym, and soo wente to the gate and sawe the lyons. Thenne sette he hand to his suerd & drewe hit. Thenne ther came a dwerf sodenly and smote hym on the harme so sore that the suerd felle oute of his hand. Thenne herd he a voyce say O man of euylle feyth and poure byleue wherefor trowest thow more on thy harneis than in thy maker, for he myghte more auayle the than thyn armour in whose seruyse that thou arte sette. Thenne said launcelot, fayr fader ihesu Cryste I thanke the of thy grete mercy that thou repreuest me of my mysdede. Now see I wel that ye hold me for youre seruaunte. thenne toke he ageyne his suerd and putte it vp in his shethe and made a crosse in his forhede, and came to the lyons, and they made semblaunt to doo hym harme. Notwithstandynge he passed by hem withoute hurte and entryed in to the castel to the chyef fortresse, and there were they al at rest, thenne Launcelot entryd in so armed, for he fond noo gate nor dore but it was open. And at the last he fond a chamber wherof the dore was shytte, and he sette his hand therto to have opened hit, but he myghte not.

Thenne he enforced hym mykel to vndoo the dore, thenne he lystned and herd a voyce whiche sange so swetely that it semed none erthely thynge, and hym thoughte the voyce said Joye and honour be to the fader of heuen. Thenne Launcelot kneled doun to fore the chamber, for wel wyst he that there

was the Sancgreal within that chamber. Thenne sayd he Fair swete fader Jhesu Cryst yf euer I dyd thyng that pleasyd the lord, for thy pyte ne haue me not in despyte for my synnes done afore tyme, and that thou shewe me some thynge of that I seke. And with that he sawe the chamber dore open and there came oute a grete clerenes, that the hows was as bryghte as all the torches of the world had ben there. So cam he to the chamber dore, and wold haue entryd. And anon a voyce said to hym, Flee launcelot, and entre not, for thou oughtest not to doo hit. And yf thou entre, thou shalt forthynke hit. Thenne he withdrewe hym abak ryght heuy. Then looked he vp in the myddes of the chamber, and sawe a table of sylver and the holy vessel couerd with reed samyte, and many angels aboute hit, whereof one helde a candel of wax brennying and the other held a crosse and the ornementys of an aulter. And bifore the holy vessel he sawe a good man clothed as a preest. And it semed that he was at the sacrynge of the masse. And it seemed to Launcelot that aboue the preestes handes were thre men whereof the two putte the yongest by lykenes bitwene the preestes handes, and soo he lyfte hit vp ryghte hyhe, & it semed to shewe so to the peple. And thenne launcelot merueyled not a lytel. For hym thouzt the preest was so gretely charged of the fygure that hym semed that he sholde falle to the erthe. And whan he sawe none aboute hym that wolde helpe hym, Thenne came he to the dore a grete paas and sayd, Faire fader Jhesu Cryst ne take hit for no synne though I helpe the good man which hath grete nede of help. Ryghte soo entryd he in to the chamber and cam toward the table of syluer, and whanne he came nyghe he felte a brethe that hym thoughte hit was entremedled with fyre whiche smote hym so sore in the vysage that hym thoughte it brente his vysage, and there with he felle to the erthe and had no power to aryse, as he that was soo araged that had loste the power of his body and his herynge and seynge.

Thenne felte he many handes aboute hym whiche tooke hym vp, and bare hym oute of the chamber dore, withoute ony amendynge of his swonne, and lefte hym there semyng dede to al peple. Soo vpon the morowe whan it was fayre day they with in were arysen, and fonde Launcelot lyenge afore the chamber dore. Alle they merueylled how that he cam in, and so they looked vpon hym and felte his pouse to wyte whether there were ony lyf in hym, and soo they fond lyf in hym, but he myghte not stande nor stere no membre that he had, and soo they tooke hym by euery part of the body, and bare hym in to a

chambre and leyd hym in a ryche bedde ferre from alle folke, and soo he lay four dayes. Thenne the one sayd he was on lyue, and the other sayd Nay. In the name of god sayd an old man, for I doo yow veryly to wete, he is not dede, but he is soo fulle of lyf as the myghtyest of yow alle, and therfor I counceylle yow that he be wel kepte tyl god send hym lyf ageyne.

Morte D'Arthur.

HUGH LATIMER.

1470-1555.

SERMON OF THE PLOUGH.

From A notable Sermon of ye reuerende father Maister Hughe Latimer, whiche he preached in ye Shrouds at paules churche in London, on the xviii. daye of Januarye. The yere of our Loorde MDXLVIII.

NOWE what shall we saye of these ryche citizens of London ? What shall I saye of them? shal I cal them proude men of London, malicious men of London, mercylesse men of London. No, no, I may not saie so, they wil be offended wyth me than. Yet must I speake. For is there not reygning in London, as much pride, as much couetousnes, as much crueltie, as much opprission, as much supersticion, as was in Nebo? Yes, I thynke and muche more to. Therefore I say, repente O London. Repent, repente. Thou heareste thy faultes tolde the, amend them amend them. I thinke if Nebo had had the preachynge yat thou haste: they wold haue conuerted. And you rulers and officers be wise and circumspect, loke to your charge and see you do your dueties and rather be glad to amend your yll liuyng then to be angrye when you are warned or tolde of your faulte. What a do was there made in London at a certein man because he sayd, and in dede at that time on a iust cause. Burgesses quod he, nay butterflies. Lord what a do there was for yat worde. And yet would God they were no worse then butterflies. Butterflyes do but theyre nature, the butterflye is not couetouse, is not gredye of other mens goodes, is not ful of envy and hatered, is not malicious, is not cruel, is not mercilesse. The butterflye gloriethe not in byr owne dedes, nor preferreth the tradicions of men before Gods worde; it committeth not idolatry nor worshyppeth false goddes. But London can not

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