hether he were sore wounded or
not. Yea forsooth, said he, I shall escape hard from the death. Then he
fetched his horse, and brought him with great pain unto an abbey. Then
was he taken down softly and unarmed, and laid in a bed, and there was
looked to his wounds. And as the book telleth, he lay there long, and
escaped hard with the life.

CHAPTER X. How Galahad departed with the shield, and how King Evelake
had received the shield of Joseph of Aramathie.

SIR GALAHAD, said the squire, that knight that wounded Bagdemagus
sendeth you greeting, and bade that ye should bear this shield,
wherethrough great adventures should befall. Now blessed be God and
fortune, said Galahad. And then he asked his arms, and mounted upon his
horse, and hung the white shield about his neck, and commended them unto
God. And Sir Uwaine said he would bear him fellowship if it pleased
him. Sir, said Galahad, that may ye not, for I must go alone, save this
squire shall bear me fellowship: and so departed Uwaine.

Then within a while came Galahad thereas the White Knight abode him by
the hermitage, and everych saluted other courteously. Sir, said Galahad,
by this shield be many marvels fallen. Sir, said the knight, it befell
after the passion of our Lord Jesu Christ thirty-two year, that Joseph
of Aramathie, the gentle knight, the which took down our Lord off the
holy Cross, at that time he departed from Jerusalem with a great party
of his kindred with him. And so he laboured till that they came to a
city that hight Sarras. And at that same hour that Joseph came to Sarras
there was a king that hight Evelake, that had great war against the
Saracens, and in especial against one Saracen, the which was King
Evelake's cousin, a rich king and a mighty, which marched nigh this
land, and his name was called Tolleme la Feintes. So on a day these two
met to do battle. Then Joseph, the son of Joseph of Aramathie, went to
King Evelake and told him he should be discomfit and slain, but if he
left his belief of the old law and believed upon the new law. And then
there he shewed him the right belief of the Holy Trinity, to the which
he agreed unto with all his heart; and there this shield was made for
King Evelake, in the name of Him that died upon the Cross. And then
through his good belief he had the better of King Tolleme. For when
Evelake was in the battle there was a cloth set afore the shield, and
when he was in the greatest peril he let put away