Sir Percival said, “Maybe I can aid thee,” and thereupon he got down from off his horse’s back and approached the knight.  And he drew his sword so that it flashed in the sun very brightly.

Upon this the knight said:  “Messire, what would you be at?” And Sir Percival said:  “I would cut the chains that bind thee.”

To this the knight said:  “How could you do that?  For who could cut through chains of iron such as these?”

But Sir Percival said:  “I will try what I may do.”

[Sidenote:  Sir Percival sets free the captive knight] Thereupon he lifted up his sword and smote so terribly powerful a blow that the like of it had hardly ever been seen before.  For that blow cut through the iron chains and smote the hauberk of the knight so smart a buffet that he fell down to the ground altogether deprived of breath.

But when Sir Percival saw the knight fall down in that wise, he cried out:  “Woe is me!  Have I slain this good, gentle knight when I would but do him service?” Thereupon he lifted the knight up upon his knee and eased the armor about his throat.  But the knight was not dead, and by and by the breath came back to him again, and he said:  “By my faith, that was the most wonderful stroke that ever I beheld any man strike in all of my life.”

Thereafter, when the knight had sufficiently recovered, Sir Percival helped him to stand upon his feet; and when he stood thus his strength presently came back to him again in great measure.

And the knight was athirst and craved very vehemently to drink.  So Sir Percival helped him to descend a narrow path that led to a stream of water that flowed beneath the bridge; and there the knight stooped and slaked his thirst.  And when he had drunk his fill, his strength came altogether back to him again, and he said:  “Messire, I have to give thee all thanks that it is possible for me to do, for hadst thou not come unto mine aid, I would else have perished very miserably and at no very distant time from this.”

Then Sir Percival said:  “I beseech you, Messire, to tell me how you came into that sad plight in which I found you.”

[Sidenote:  The knight telleth his story] To this the knight said:  “I will tell you; it was thus:  Two days ago I came thitherward and past yonder castle, and with me were two excellent esquires—­for I am a knight of royal blood.  Now as we went past that castle there came forth a lady clad all in red and so exceedingly beautiful that she entirely enchanted my heart.  And with this lady there came a number of esquires and pages, all of them very beautiful of face, and all clad, as she was, in red.  Now when this lady had come nigh to me she spoke me very fair and tempted me with kind words so that I thought I had never fallen upon anyone so courteous as she.  But when she had come real close to me, she smote me of a sudden across the shoulders with an ebony staff that she carried in her hand, and at