hee beauty, seemliness, and
great strength, above all other knights. Therefore thou art the more
beholden unto God than any other man to love Him and fear Him; for thy
strength and manhood will little avail thee if God be against thee."

Then Sir Launcelot wept with heavy cheer, for he knew the hermit said
sooth.

"Sir," said the good man, "hide none old sin from me."

"Truly," said Sir Launcelot, "that were me full loath to disclose, for
one thing that I have done I never disclosed these fourteen years, and
for that may I now blame my shamelessness and my misadventure."

Then he told there that good man all his life, and how he had loved a
queen unmeasurably, and out of measure long. "And," said he, "all my
great deeds of arms that I have done, I did the most part for that
queen's sake. For her sake would I battle, were it right or wrong; and
never did I battle wholly for God's sake, but for to win honour and to
make myself better beloved, and little or naught I thanked God for it.
I pray you counsel me."

"I will counsel thee," said the hermit, "if thou wilt assure me that
thou wilt never come into that queen's companionship when thou canst
prevent it." This Sir Launcelot solemnly promised, whereupon the good
man said, "Look that thy heart and mouth accord, and I assure thee that
thou shalt have more honour than ever thou hadst. For it seemeth well
God loveth thee, and in all the world men shall not find one knight to
whom He hath given so much grace as He hath given thee; He hath given
thee beauty with seemliness; He hath given thee wit, discretion to know
good from evil; He hath given thee prowess and hardiness; and He hath
given thee to work so largely that thou hast had at all times the
better wheresoever thou camest. And now our Lord will suffer thee no
longer, but that thou shalt know Him, whether thou wilt or nilt.

"Why the voice called thee bitterer than wood was because, where
overmuch sin dwelleth, there may be but little sweetness; wherefore
thou art likened to an old rotten tree. Why thou art harder than stone
is because thou wilt not leave thy sin for any goodness that God hath
sent thee; therefore thou art more than any stone, and never wouldest
thou be made soft, neither by water nor by fire,--that is, the heat of
the Holy Ghost may not enter in thee.

"Now shall I show thee why thou art more naked and barer than the fig
tree. It befell that our Lord on Palm Sunday preached in Jerusalem,