en she hath
been there awhile and the hounds rend her again, she runneth to the
damsel, but neither there may she stay long time, for the hounds that
are within her cease not of their questing, whereof is she sore adread.

II.

She durst not venture herself in the forest. She seeth Perceval and so
cometh toward him for protection. She maketh as though she would lie
down on his horse's neck, and he holdeth forth his hands to receive her
there so as that she might not hurt herself, and evermore the hounds
quested. Howbeit the knight crieth out to him, "Sir Knight, let the
beast go and hold her not, for this belongeth neither to you nor to
other, but let her dree her weird."

The beast seeth that no protection hath she. She goeth to the cross,
and forthwith might the hounds no longer be in her, but issued forth
all as it were live hounds, but nought had they of her gentleness nor
her beauty. She humbled herself much among them and crouched on the
ground and made semblant as though she would have cried them mercy, and
gat herself as nigh the cross as she might. The hounds had compassed
her round about and ran in upon her upon all sides and tore her all to
pieces with their teeth, but no power had they to devour her flesh, nor
to remove it away from the cross.

III.

When the hounds had all to-mangled the beast, they fled away into the
wood as had they been raging mad. The knight and the damsel came there
where the beast lay in pieces at the cross, and so taketh each his part
and setteth the same on their golden vessels, and took the blood that
lay upon the earth in like manner as the flesh, and kiss the place, and
adore the cross, and then betake them into the forest. Perceval
alighteth and setteth him on his knees before the cross and so hisseth
and adoreth it, and the place where the beast was slain, in like manner
as he had seen the knight and damsel do; and there came to him a smell
so sweet of the cross and of the place, such as no sweetness may be
compared therewith. He looketh and seeth coming from the forest two
priests all afoot; and the first shouteth to him: "Sir Knight, withdraw
yourself away from the cross, for no right have you to come nigh it.":
Perceval draweth him back, and the priest kneeleth before the cross and
adoreth it and boweth down and kisseth it more than a score times, and
manifesteth the most joy in the world. And the other priest cometh
after, and bringeth a great rod, and s