u wilt fulfil my will when I summon thee, I shall lend thee mine own
horse which shall bear thee whither thou wilt. Sir Percivale was glad
of her proffer, and ensured her to fulfil all her desire. Then abide me
here, and I shall go and fetch you an horse. And so she came soon again
and brought an horse with her that was inly black. When Percivale beheld
that horse he marvelled that it was so great and so well apparelled; and
not for then he was so hardy, and he leapt upon him, and took none heed
of himself. And so anon as he was upon him he thrust to him with his
spurs, and so he rode by a forest, and the moon shone clear. And within
an hour and less he bare him four days' journey thence, until he came to
a rough water the which roared, and his horse would have borne him into
it.

CHAPTER VI. Of the great danger that Sir Percivale was in by his horse,
and how he saw a serpent and a lion fight.

AND when Sir Percivale came nigh the brim, and saw the water so
boistous, he doubted to overpass it. And then he made a sign of the
cross in his forehead. When the fiend felt him so charged he shook off
Sir Percivale, and he went into the water crying and roaring, making
great sorrow, and it seemed unto him that the water brent. Then Sir
Percivale perceived it was a fiend, the which would have brought him
unto his perdition. Then he commended himself unto God, and prayed Our
Lord to keep him from all such temptations; and so he prayed all that
night till on the morn that it was day; then he saw that he was in a
wild mountain the which was closed with the sea nigh all about, that he
might see no land about him which might relieve him, but wild beasts.

And then he went into a valley, and there he saw a young serpent bring a
young lion by the neck, and so he came by Sir Percivale. With that came
a great lion crying and roaring after the serpent. And as fast as Sir
Percivale saw this he marvelled, and hied him thither, but anon the
lion had overtaken the serpent and began battle with him. And then Sir
Percivale thought to help the lion, for he was the more natural beast of
the two; and therewith he drew his sword, and set his shield afore him,
and there he gave the serpent such a buffet that he had a deadly wound.
When the lion saw that, he made no resemblaunt to fight with him, but
made him all the cheer that a beast might make a man. Then Percivale
perceived that, and cast down his shield which was broken; and then he
did