“Well,” said King Bagdemagus, “I wot well that I am not the best knight of the world, but yet shall I assay to bear it.”

And so he bare it out of the monastery; and then he said unto Sir Galahad:  “If it will please you I pray you abide here still, till ye know how I shall speed.”

“I shall abide you here,” said Galahad.  Then King Bagdemagus took with him a squire, the which should bring tidings unto Sir Galahad how he sped.

Then when they had ridden a two mile and came in a fair valley afore an hermitage, then they saw a goodly knight come from that part in white armour, horse and all; and he came as fast as his horse might run, with his spear in the rest, and King Bagdemagus dressed his spear against him and brake it upon the white knight.  But the other struck him so hard that he brake the mails, and thrust him through the right shoulder, for the shield covered him not at that time; and so he bare him from his horse.

[Illustration:  SIR GALAHAD]

And therewith he alighted and took the white shield from him, saying:  “Knight, thou hast done thyself great folly, for this shield ought not to be borne but by him that shall have no peer that liveth.”  And then he came to King Bagdemagus’ squire and said:  “Bear this shield unto the good knight Sir Galahad, that thou left in the abbey, and greet him well from me, for this shield behoveth[15] unto no man but unto Galahad.”

[Footnote 15:  That is, belongeth.]

“Sir Galahad,” said the squire, when he had come to the White Abbey, “that knight that wounded Bagdemagus sendeth you greeting, and bade that ye should bear this shield, where through great adventures should befall.”

“Now blessed be God and fortune,” said Galahad.  And then he asked his arms, and mounted upon his horse, and hung the white shield about his neck, and commended them unto God.

Then within a while came Galahad thereas[16] the White knight abode him by the hermitage, and every each saluted other courteously.

[Footnote 16:  Thereas is an old word meaning where.]

“Sir,” said Galahad, “by this shield be many marvels fallen?”

“Sir,” said the knight, “it befell after the passion of our Lord Jesu Christ thirty-two year, that Joseph of Arimathie, the gentle knight, the which took down our Lord off the holy Cross, at that time he departed from Jerusalem with a great party of his kindred with him.  And so he laboured till that they came to a city that hight[17] Sarras.

[Footnote 17:  Hight means was called.]

“And at that same hour that Joseph came to Sarras there was a King that hight Evelake, that had great war against the Saracens, and in especial against one Saracen, the which was King Evelake’s cousin, a rich king and a mighty, which marched nigh this land.  So on a day these two met to do battle.  Then Joseph, the son of Joseph of Arimathie, went to King Evelake and told him he should be discomfit and slain, but if he left his belief of the old law and believed upon the new law.  And then there he shewed him the right belief of the Holy Trinity, to the which he agreed unto with all his heart; and there this shield was made for King Evelake, in the name of Him that died upon the Cross.