Chapter 16

CHAPTER XVI.
THE END OF THE QUEST. SIR BOHORT. WHEN Sir Bohort departed from Camelot he met with a religious man,
riding upon an ass; and Sir Bohort saluted him. "What are ye?" said
the good man. "Sir," said Sir Bohort, "I am a knight that fain would
be counselled in the quest of the Sangreal." So rode they both
together till they came to a hermitage; and there he prayed Sir Bohort
to dwell that night with him. So he alighted, and put away his
armor, and prayed him that he might be confessed. And they went both
into the chapel, and there he was clean confessed. And they ate
bread and drank water together. "Now," said the good man, "I pray thee
that thou eat none other till thou sit at the table where the Sangreal
shall be." "Sir," said Sir Bohort, "but how know ye that I shall sit
there?" "Yea," said the good man "that I know well; but there shall be
few of your fellows with you." Then said Sir Bohort, "I agree me
thereto." And the good man, when he had heard his confession, found
him in so pure a life and so stable that he marvelled thereof.
On the morrow, as soon as the day appeared, Sir Bohort departed
thence, and rode into a forest unto the hour of midday. And there
befell him a marvellous adventure. For he met, at the parting of two
ways, two knights that led Sir Lionel, his brother, all naked, bound
upon a strong hackney, and his hands bound before his breast; and each
of them held in his hand thorns wherewith they went beating him, so
that he was all bloody before and behind; but he said never a word,
but, as he was great of heart, he suffered all that they did to him as
though he had felt none anguish. Sir Bohort prepared to rescue his
brother. But he looked on the other side of him, and saw a knight
dragging along a fair gentlewoman, who cried out, "Saint Mary!
succor your maid!" And when she saw Sir Bohort, she called to him
and said, "By the faith that ye owe to knighthood, help me!" When
Sir Bohort heard her say thus, he had such sorrow that he wist not
what to do. For if I let my brother be he must be slain, and that
would I not for all the earth; and if I help not the maid I am
shamed forever." Then lift he up his eyes and said, weeping, "Fair
Lord, whose liegeman I am, keep Sir Lionel, my brother, that none of
these knights slay him, and for pity of you, and our Lady's sake, I
shall succor this maid."
Then he cried out to the knight, "Sir knight, lay your hand off that
maid, or else ye be but dead." Then the knight set down the maid,
and took his shield, and drew out his sword. And Sir Bohort smote
him so hard that it went through his shield and habergeon, on the left
shoulder, and he fell down to the earth. Then came Sir Bohort to the
maid, "Ye be delivered of this knight this time."