ly and pure deeds, to rescue the oppressed
and the weak, to put down the proud, and to cherish the humble.

And as he ended praying, the armour stirred of itself, and though it
had been black before, now did the darkness fade from it, and it all
became a pure white. While he marvelled, a faint light glowed over
hauberk, helm, shield, sword and lance, and there was an exceeding
sweet savour wafted through the place. And ghostily, as in a silver
mist, he saw above the altar the likeness of a spear, and beside it a
dish or salver. And at the wondrous sight his breath stayed on his
lips. Then slowly the vision faded from his sight.

He arrayed himself in his armour that was now of a dazzling white, and
he rode forth and thought to go towards Camelot, where was the court of
King Arthur. But he felt that some power drew him aside through the
desolate ways of a hoar forest, where all the trees were ancient and
big, and all bearded with long moss.

In a little while he saw a vast castle reared upon a rock in the midst
of the forest. He rode up to it, and marvelled that it was all so
quiet. Then he beat upon the door with the butt of his lance, and the
door opened, and he entered into the wide dark hall. On the pallets
under the wall he saw men lying as if dead. And in the high seat at the
head of the hall sat a king, old and white, but richly clothed, and he
seemed dead like all the rest. All were clad in garments of an ancient
kind, as if they had lived and died a thousand years agone, yet had not
rotted into dust. On the floor, about the wide heap of ashes where the
fire had burned, the hounds still lay as if asleep, and on the posts
the hawks sat stiff upon their perches.

Much did Perceval marvel at this strange sight, but most of all he
marvelled to see where a shaft of light from a narrow window gleamed
across the hall full upon a shield hung on the fire-pillar beside the
high seat in which the king sat like one dead.

Perceval caused his horse to pick its way through the hall, and he
approached the shield. And he saw that it was of shining white, but
whiter than the whiteness of his own, and in the centre thereof was a
heart. As he sat looking thereat, he marvelled to see that the heart
seemed to stir as if it were alive, and began to throb and move as if
it beat. Then the whiteness of the shield began to dazzle like to a
light that mortal eyes could not bear.

He lifted his hand and took the shield by its strap fr