Then was Sir Percivale sore ashamed that almost he had yielded to the temptings of the Evil One, and earnestly, he prayed that his sin might be forgiven him.  Thus he remained in prayer far into the night, bewailing his weakness; and when the dawn appeared, a ship drew nigh the land.  Sir Percivale entered into it, but could find no one there; so commending himself to God, he determined to remain thereon, and was borne over the seas for many days, he knew not whither.

CHAPTER XXVI

THE ADVENTURES OF SIR BORS

Among the knights vowed to the Quest of the Holy Grail was Sir Bors, one of the kin of Sir Launcelot, a brave knight and pious.  He rode through the forest many a day, making his lodging most often under a leafy tree, though once on his journey he stayed at a castle, that he might do battle for its lady against a felon knight who would have robbed and oppressed her.

So, on a day, as he rode through the forest, Sir Bors came to the parting of two ways.  While he was considering which he should follow, he espied two knights driving before them a horse on which was stretched, bound and naked, none other than Sir Bors’ own brother, Sir Lionel; and, from time to time, the two false knights beat him with thorns so that his body was all smeared with blood, but, so great was his heart, Sir Lionel uttered never a word.  Then, in great wrath, Sir Bors laid his lance in rest and would have fought the felon knights to rescue his brother, but that, even as he spurred his horse, there came a bitter cry from the other path and, looking round, he saw a lady being dragged by a knight into the darkest part of the forest where none might find and rescue her.  When she saw Sir Bors, she cried to him:  “Help me!  Sir Knight, help me!  I beseech you by your knighthood.”  Then Sir Bors was much troubled, for he would not desert his brother; but bethinking him that ever a woman must be more helpless than a man, he wheeled his horse, rode upon her captor and beat him to the earth.  The damsel thanked him earnestly and told him how the knight was her own cousin, who had that day carried her off by craft from her father’s castle.  As they talked, there came up twelve knights who had been seeking the lady everywhere; so to their care Sir Bors delivered her, and rode with haste in the direction whither his brother had been borne.  On the way, he met with an old man, dressed as a priest, who asked him what he sought.  When Sir Bors had told him, “Ah!  Bors,” said he, “I can give you tidings indeed.  Your brother is dead”; and parting the bushes, he showed him the body of a dead man, to all seeming Sir Lionel’s self.  Then Sir Bors grieved sorely, misdoubting almost whether he should not have rescued his own brother rather than the lady; and at the last, he dug a grave and buried the dead man; after which he rode sorrowfully on his way.