d the
sword broke into two parts also. "Place the two parts together, and
reunite them," and Peredur placed them together, and they became entire
as they were before. And a second time he struck upon the staple, so
that both it and the sword broke in two, and as before they reunited. And
the third time he gave a like blow, and placed the broken parts together,
and neither the staple nor the sword would unite, as before. "Youth,"
said the nobleman, "come now, and sit down, and my blessing be upon thee.
Thou fightest best with the sword of any man in the kingdom. Thou hast
arrived at two-thirds of thy strength, and the other third thou hast not
yet obtained; and when thou attainest to thy full power, none will be
able to contend with thee. I am thy uncle, thy mother's brother, and I
am brother {62} to the man in whose house thou wast last night." Then
Peredur and his uncle discoursed together, and he beheld two youths enter
the hall, and proceed up to the chamber, bearing a spear of mighty size,
with three streams of blood flowing from the point to the ground. And
when all the company saw this, they began wailing and lamenting. But for
all that, the man did not break off his discourse with Peredur. And as
he did not tell Peredur the meaning of what he saw, he forebore to ask
him concerning it. And when the clamour had a little subsided, behold
two maidens entered, with a large salver between them, in which was a
man's head, surrounded by a profusion of blood. And thereupon the
company of the court made so great an outcry, that it was irksome to be
in the same hall with them. But at length they were silent. And when
time was that they should sleep, Peredur was brought into a fair chamber.

And the next day, with his uncle's permission, he rode forth. And he
came to a wood, and far within the wood he heard a loud cry, and he saw a
beautiful woman with auburn hair, and a horse with a saddle upon it,
standing near her, and a corpse by her side. And as she strove to place
the corpse upon the horse, it fell to the ground, and thereupon she made
a great lamentation. "Tell me, sister," said Peredur, "wherefore art
thou bewailing?" "Oh! accursed Peredur, little pity has my ill fortune
ever met with from thee." "Wherefore," said Peredur, "am I accursed?"
"Because thou wast the cause of thy mother's death; for when thou didst
ride forth against her will, anguish seized upon her heart, so that she
died; and therefor