ther; and when she heard how
her husband and two of her sons were dead she gave great outcry of grief,
and smote her hands together and wept with great passion. And she cried
out: "Mefeareth it will be the time of Lamorack next to be slain. As for
Percival; never shall I be willing for him to go out into that cruel world
of wicked murderers. For if he should perish also, my heart would surely
break."

[Sidenote: How Percival dwelt in the mountains] So she kept Percival
always with her and in ignorance of all that concerned the world of
knighthood. And though Percival waxed great of body and was beautiful and
noble of countenance, yet he dwelt there among those mountains knowing no
more of the world that lay beyond that place in which he dwelt than would a
little innocent child. Nor did he ever see anyone from the outside world,
saving only an old man who was a deaf-mute. And this old man came and went
betwixt that tower where Percival and his mother dwelt and the outer world,
and from the world he would come back with clothing and provisions loaded
upon an old sumpter horse for Percival and his mother and their few
attendants. Yet Percival marvelled many times whence those things came, but
no one told him and so he lived in entire ignorance of the world.

And Percival's mother would not let him touch any weapon saving only a
small Scot's spear which same is a sort of javelin. But with this Percival
played every day of his life until he grew so cunning in handling it that
he could pierce with it a bird upon the wing in the air.

Now it chanced upon a time when Percival was nineteen years of age that he
stood upon a pinnacle of rock and looked down into a certain valley. And it
was very early in the spring-time, so that the valley appeared, as it were,
to be carpeted all with clear, thin green. There was a shining stream of
water that ran down through the midst of the valley, and it was a very fair
and peaceful place to behold.

[Sidenote: Percival beholds a knight-rider] So Percival stood and gazed
into that low-land, and lo! a knight rode up through that valley, and the
sun shone out from behind a cloud of rain and smote upon his armor so that
it appeared to be all ablaze as with pure light, and Percival beheld that
knight and wist not what it was he saw. So, after the knight had gone away
from the valley, he ran straightway to his mother, all filled with a great
wonder, and he said: "Mother! Mother! I have beheld a v