And again Sir Lamorack smiled very kindly upon him and said:  “Sayst thou so?  Now I tell thee that when one compares this place with Camelot (which is the King’s city) it is as a star compared to the full moon in her glory.”  And at that Sir Percival knew not what to think for wonder.

So they went up the street of the town until they came to the castle of Cardennan and there requested admission.  And when the name and the estate of Sir Lamorack were declared, the porter opened the gate with great joy and they entered.  Then, by and by, the lord and the lady of the castle came down from a carved wooden gallery and bade them welcome by word of mouth.  And after that sundry attendants immediately appeared and assisted Sir Percival and Sir Lamorack to dismount and took their horses to the stable, and sundry other attendants conducted them to certain apartments where they were eased of their armor and bathed in baths of tepid water and given soft raiment for to wear.  After that the lord and the lady entertained them with a great feast, where harpers and singers made music, and where certain actors acted a mystery before them.

[Sidenote:  How the two knights were welcomed by the lord and lady of the castle] So these two knights and the lord and the lady of the castle ate together and discoursed very pleasantly for a while; but, when the evening was pretty well gone, Sir Lamorack bade good-night, and he and Sir Percival were conducted to a certain very noble apartment where beds of down, spread with flame-colored cloth, had been prepared for their repose.

Thus ended that day which was the first day of the knighthood of Sir Percival of Gales.

Now though Sir Percival had travelled very contentedly with Sir Lamorack for all that while, yet he had determined in his own mind that, as soon as possible, he would leave Sir Lamorack and depart upon his own quest.  For he said to himself:  “Lo!  I am a very green knight as yet, and haply my brother may grow weary of my company and cease to love me.  So I will leave him ere he have the chance to tire of me, and I will seek knighthood for myself.  After that, if God wills it that I shall win worthy knighthood, then my brother will be glad enough to acknowledge me as his father’s son.”

So when the next morning had come, Sir Percival arose very softly all in the dawning, and he put on his armor without disturbing Sir Lamorack.  Then he stooped and looked into Sir Lamorack’s face and beheld that his brother was still enfolded in a deep sleep as in a soft mantle.  And as Sir Percival gazed upon Sir Lamorack thus asleep, he loved him with such ardor that he could hardly bear the strength of his love.  But he said to himself:  “Sleep on, my brother, whilst I go away and leave thee.  But when I have earned me great glory, then will I return unto thee and will lay all that I have achieved at thy feet, so that thou shalt be very glad to acknowledge me.”  So saying to himself, he went away from that place very softly, and Sir Lamorack slept so deeply that he wist not that Sir Percival was gone.