ay. Now, blessed Lord, would I not longer live, if it might please
thee, Lord. And therewith the good man took Our Lord's body betwixt
his hands, and proffered it to Galahad, and he received it right
gladly and meekly. Now wotest thou what I am? said the good man. Nay,
said Galahad. I am Joseph of Aramathie, the which Our Lord hath sent
here to thee to bear thee fellowship; and wotest thou wherefore that
he hath sent me more than any other? For thou hast resembled me in two
things; in that thou hast seen the marvels of the Sangreal, in that
thou hast been a clene maiden, as I have been and am. And when he had
said these words Galahad went to Percivale and kissed him, and
commended him to God; and so he went to Sir Bors and kissed him, and
commended him to God, and said: Fair lord, salute me to my lord, Sir
Launcelot, my father, and as soon as ye see him, bid him remember of
this unstable world. And therewith he kneeled down tofore the table
and made his prayers, and then suddenly his soul departed to Jesu
Christ, and a great multitude of angels bare his soul up to heaven,
that the two fellows might well behold it. Also the two fellows saw
come from heaven an hand, but they saw not the body. And then it came
right to the Vessel, and took it and the spear, and so bare it up to
heaven. Sithen was there never man so hardy to say that he had seen
the Sangreal.

CHAPTER XXIII

OF THE SORROW THAT PERCIVALE AND BORS MADE WHEN GALAHAD WAS DEAD: AND
OF PERCIVALE HOW HE DIED, AND OTHER MATTERS

When Percivale and Bors saw Galahad dead they made as much sorrow as
ever did two men. And if they had not been good men they might lightly
have fallen in despair. And the people of the country and of the city
were right heavy. And then he was buried; and as soon as he was buried
Sir Percivale yielded him to an hermitage out of the city, and took a
religious clothing. And Bors was alway with him, but never changed he
his secular clothing, for that he purposed him to go again into the
realm of Logris. Thus a year and two months lived Sir Percivale in the
hermitage a full holy life, and then passed out of this world; and
Bors let bury him by his sister and by Galahad in the spiritualities.
When Bors saw that he was in so far countries as in the parts of
Babylon he departed from Sarras, and armed him and came to the sea,
and entered into a ship; and so it befell him in good adventure he
came into the realm of Logris; and he rode so