No sooner were they seated than an aged man, clothed all in white, entered the hall, followed by a young knight in red armour, by whose side hung an empty scabbard.  The old man approached King Arthur and bowing low before him, said:  “Sir, I bring you a young knight of the house and lineage of Joseph of Arimathea, and through him shall great glory be won for all the land of Britain.”  Greatly did King Arthur rejoice to hear this, and welcomed the two right royally.  Then when the young knight had saluted the King, the old man led him to the Siege Perilous and drew off its silken cover; and all the knights were amazed, for they saw that where had been engraved the words, “The Siege Perilous,” was written now in shining gold:  “This is the Siege of the noble prince, Sir Galahad.”  Straightway the young man seated himself there where none other had ever sat without danger to his life; and all who saw it said, one to another:  “Surely this is he that shall achieve the Holy Grail.”  Now the Holy Grail was the blessed dish from which Our Lord had eaten the Last Supper, and it had been brought to the land of Britain by Joseph of Arimathea; but because of men’s sinfulness, it had been withdrawn from human sight, only that, from time to time, it appeared to the pure in heart.

When all had partaken of the royal banquet, King Arthur bade Sir Galahad come with him to the river’s brink; and showing him the floating stone with the sword thrust through it, told him how his knights had failed to draw forth the sword.  “Sir,” said Galahad, “it is no marvel that they failed, for the adventure was meant for me, as my empty scabbard shows.”  So saying, lightly he drew the sword from the heart of the stone, and lightly he slid it into the scabbard at his side.  While all yet wondered at this adventure of the sword, there came riding to them a lady on a white palfrey who, saluting King Arthur, said:  “Sir King, Nacien the hermit sends thee word that this day shall great honour be shown to thee and all thine house; for the Holy Grail shall appear in thy hall, and thou and all thy fellowship shall be fed therefrom.”  And to Launcelot she said:  “Sir Knight, thou hast ever been the best knight of all the world; but another has come to whom thou must yield precedence.”  Then Launcelot answered humbly:  “I know well I was never the best.”  “Ay, of a truth thou wast and art still, of sinful men,” said she, and rode away before any could question her further.

So, that evening, when all were gathered about the Round Table, each knight in his own siege, suddenly there was heard a crash of thunder, so mighty that the hall trembled, and there flashed into the hall a sun-beam, brighter far than any that had ever before been seen; and then, draped all in white samite, there glided through the air what none might see, yet what all knew to be the Holy Grail.  And all the air was filled with sweet odours, and on every one was shed a light in which he looked fairer and nobler