knight come the fifteenth day after
that he shall receive the order of knighthood: and so that day that they
set is this time that he have his shield, and in the same abbey lieth
Nacien, the hermit. And then the White Knight vanished away.

Anon as the squire had heard these words, he alighted off his hackney
and kneeled down at Galahad's feet, and prayed him that he might go with
him till he had made him knight. Yea,[1] I would not refuse you. Then
will ye make me a knight? said the squire, and that order, by the grace
of God, shall be well set in me. So Sir Galahad granted him, and turned
again unto the abbey where they came from; and there men made great joy
of Sir Galahad. And anon as he was alighted there was a monk brought him
unto a tomb in a churchyard, where there was such a noise that who that
heard it should verily nigh be mad or lose his strength: and sir, they
said, we deem it is a fiend.

[1] Caxton "Yf," for which "Ye" seems the easiest emendation that
will save the sense.

CHAPTER XII. Of the marvel that Sir Galahad saw and heard in the tomb,
and how he made Melias knight.

NOW lead me thither, said Galahad. And so they did, all armed save his
helm. Now, said the good man, go to the tomb and lift it up. So he did,
and heard a great noise; and piteously he said, that all men might hear
it: Sir Galahad, the servant of Jesu Christ, come thou not nigh me, for
thou shalt make me go again there where I have been so long. But Galahad
was nothing afraid, but lifted up the stone; and there came out so foul
a smoke, and after he saw the foulest figure leap thereout that ever he
saw in the likeness of a man; and then he blessed him and wist well
it was a fiend. Then heard he a voice say Galahad, I see there environ
about thee so many angels that my power may not dere thee{sic} Right
so Sir Galahad saw a body all armed lie in that tomb, and beside him a
sword. Now, fair brother, said Galahad, let us remove this body, for it
is not worthy to lie in this churchyard, for he was a false Christian
man. And therewith they all departed and went to the abbey. And anon as
he was unarmed a good man came and set him down by him and said: Sir,
I shall tell you what betokeneth all that ye saw in the tomb; for that
covered body betokeneth the duresse of the world, and the great sin that
Our Lord found in the world. For there was such wretchedness that the
father loved not the son, nor the son loved not the father; and