{"collection":"Northern European Mythology","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/neu/malory/ma06.htm","path":"neu/malory/ma06.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/neu/malory/ma06.htm","text":"Malory: Book Sixteen, Part II\nSacred Texts\u00a0\nMalory Index\u00a0\nPrevious: Malory: Book Sixteen, Part I\u00a0\nNext: Malory: Book Seventeen, Part I\u00a0\nPart II.\nChapter IX\nHow The Lady Was Returned To Her Lands By The Battle Of Sir Bors, And Of His\nDeparting, And How He Met Sir Lionel Taken And Beaten With Thorns, And Also\nOf A Maid Which Should Have Been Dishonoured\n So then came Bors to all those that held lands of his lady, and said he\nshould destroy them but if they did such service unto her as longed to their\nlands. So they did their homage, and they that would not were chased out of\ntheir lands. Then befel that young lady to come to her estate again, by the\nmighty prowess of Sir Bors de Ganis. So when all the country was well set in\npeace, then Sir Bors took his leave and departed; and she thanked him\ngreatly, and would have given him great riches, but he refused it. Then he\nrode all that day till night, and came to an harbour to a lady which knew\nhim well enough, and made of him great joy. Upon the morn, as soon as the\nday appeared, Bors departed from thence, and so rode into a forest unto the\nhour of midday, and there befel him a marvellous adventure. So he met at the\ndeparting of the two ways two knights that led Lionel, his brother, all\nnaked, bounden upon a strong hackney, and his hands bounden tofore his breast.\nAnd every each of them held in his hands thorns wherewith they went beating\nhim so sore that the blood trailed down more than in an hundred places of his\nbody, so that he was all blood tofore and behind, but he said never a word;\nas he which was great of heart he suffered all that ever they did to him as\nthough he had felt none anguish. Anon Sir Bors dressed him to rescue him that\nwas his brother; and so he looked upon the other side of him, and saw a\nknight which brought a fair gentlewoman, and would have set her in the\nthickest place of the forest for to have been the more surer out of the way\nfrom them that sought him. And she which was nothing assured cried with an\nhigh voice: Saint Mary succour your maid. And anon she espied where Sir Bors\ncame riding. And when she came nigh him she deemed him a knight of the Round\nTable, whereof she hoped to have some comfort; and then she conjured him:\nBy the faith that he ought unto him in whose service thou art entered in, and\nfor the faith ye owe unto the high order of knighthood, and for the noble King\nArthur's sake, that I suppose that made thee knight, that thou help me, and\nsuffer me not to be shamed of this knight. When Bors heard her say thus he\nhad so much sorrow there he nyst not what to do. For if I let my brother be\nin adventure he must be slain, and that would I not for all the earth. And if\nI help not the maid she is shamed for ever, and also she shall lose her\nvirginity the which she shall never get again. Then lift he up his eyes and\nsaid weeping: Fair sweet Lord Jesu Christ, whose liege man I am, keep Lionel,\nmy brother, that these knights slay him not, and for pity of you, and for\nMary's sake, I shall succour this maid.\nChapter X\nHow Sir Bors Left To Rescue His Brother, And Rescued The Damosel; And How It\nWas Told Him That Lionel Was Dead\n Then dressed he him unto the knight the which had the gentlewoman, and\nthen he cried: Sir knight, let your hand off that maiden, or ye be but dead.\nAnd then he set down the maiden, and was armed at all pieces save he lacked\nhis spear. Then he dressed his shield, and drew out his sword, and Bors\nsmote him so hard that it went through his shield and habergeon on the left\nshoulder. And through great strength he beat him down to the earth, and at\nthe pulling out of Bors' spear there he swooned. Then came Bors to the maid\nand said: How seemeth it you? of this knight ye be delivered at this time.\nNow sir, said she, I pray you lead me there as this knight had me. So shall\nI do gladly: and took the horse of the wounded knight, and set the\ngentlewoman upon him, and so brought her as she desired. Sir knight, said\nshe, ye have better sped than ye weened, for an I had lost my maidenhead, five\nhundred men should have died for it. What knight was he that had you in the\nforest? By my faith, said she, he is my cousin. So wot I never with what\nengyn the fiend enchafed him, for yesterday he took me from my father privily;\nfor I nor none of my father's men mistrusted him not, and if he had had my\nmaidenhead he should have died for the sin, and his body shamed and\ndishonoured for ever. Thus as she stood talking with him there came twelve\nknights seeking after her, and anon she told them all how Bors had delivered\nher; then they made great joy, and besought him to come to her father, a\ngreat lord, and he should be right welcome. Truly, said Bors, that may not\nbe at this time, for I have a great adventure to do in this country. So he\ncommended them unto God and departed. Then Sir Bors rode after Lionel, his\nbrother, by the trace of their horses, thus he rode seeking a great while.\nThen he overtook a man clothed in a religious clothing, and rode on a strong\nblack horse blacker than a bear, and said: Sir knight, what seek you? Sir,\nsaid he, I seek my brother that I saw within a while beaten with two knights.\nAh, Bors discomfort you not, nor fall into no wanhope, for I shall tell you\ntidings such as they be, for truly he is dead. Then showed he him a new slain\nbody lying in a bush, and it seemed him well that it was the body of Lionel;\nand then he made such a sorrow that he fell to the earth all in a swoon, and\nlay a great while there. And when he came to himself he said: Fair brother,\nsith the company of you and me is departed shall I never have joy in my\nheart, and now he which I have taken unto my master, He be my help. And when\nhe had said thus he took his body lightly in his arms, and put it upon the\narson of his saddle. And then he said to the man: Canst thou tell me unto\nsome chapel where that I may bury this body? Come on, said he, here is one\nfast by; and so long they rode till they saw a fair tower, and afore it there\nseemed an old feeble chapel. And then they alit both, and put him into a tomb\nof marble.\nChapter XI\nHow Sir Bors Told His Dream To A Priest, Which He Had Dreamed And Of The\nCounsel That The Priest Gave To Him\n Now leave we him here, said the good man, and go we to our harbour till\nto-morrow; we will come here again to do him service. Sir, said Bors, be ye\na priest? Yea forsooth, said he. Then I pray you tell me a dream that befell\nto me the last night. Say on, said he. Then he began so much to tell him of\nthe great bird in the forest, and after told him of his birds, one white,\nanother black, and of the rotten tree, and of the white flowers. Sir, I shall\ntell you a part now, and the other dele to-morrow. The white fowl betokeneth\na gentlewoman, fair and rich, which loved thee paramours, and hath loved thee\nlong; and if thou warne her love she shall go die anon, if thou have no pity\non her. That signifieth the great bird, the which shall make thee to warne\nher. Now for no fear that thou hast, nor for no dread that thou hast of God,\nthou shalt not warne her, but thou wouldst not do it for to be holden chaste,\nfor to conquer the loos of the vain glory of the world; for that shall befall\nthee now an thou warne her, that Launcelot, the good knight, thy cousin,\nshall die. And therefore men shall now say that thou art a manslayer, both of\nthy brother, Sir Lionel, and of thy cousin, Sir Launcelot du Lake, the which\nthou mightest have saved and rescued easily, but thou weenest to rescue a\nmaid which pertaineth nothing to thee. Now look thou whether it had been\ngreater harm of thy brother's death, or else to have suffered her to have\nlost her maidenhood. Then asked he him: Hast thou heard the tokens of thy\ndream the which I have told to you? Yea forsooth, said Sir Bors, all your\nexposition and declaring of my dream I have well understood and heard. Then\nsaid the man in this black clothing; Then is it in thy default if Sir\nLauncelot, thy cousin, die. Sir, said Bors, that were me loth, for wit ye\nwell there is nothing in the world but I had lever do it than to see my lord\nSir Launcelot du Lake, to die in my default. Choose ye now the one or the\nother, said the good man. And then he led Sir Bors into an high tower, and\nthere he found knights and ladies: those ladies said he was welcome, and so\nthey unarmed him. And when he was in his doublet men brought him a mantle\nfurred with ermine, and put it about him; and then they made him such cheer\nthat he had forgotten all his sorrow and anguish, and only set his heart in\nthese delights and dainties, and took no thought more for his brother, Sir\nLionel, neither of Sir Launcelot du Lake, his cousin. And anon came out of a\nchamber to him the fairest lady that ever he saw, and more richer bysene\nthan ever he saw Queen Guenever or any other estate. Lo, said they, Sir Bors,\nhere is the lady unto whom we owe all our service, and I trow she be the\nrichest lady and the fairest of all the world, and the which loveth you best\nabove all other knights, for she will have no knight but you. And when he\nunderstood that language he was abashed. Not for then she saluted him, and he\nher; and then they sat down together and spake of many things, in so much\nthat she besought him to be her love, for she had loved him above all earthly\nmen, and she should make him richer than ever was man of his age. When Bors\nunderstood her words he was right evil at ease, which in no manner would not\nbreak chasity, so wist not he how to answer her.\nChapter XII\nHow A Devil In Woman's Likeness Would Have Tempted Sir Bors, And How By God's\nGrace He Escaped\n Alas, said she, Bors, shall ye not do my will? Madam, said Bors, there is\nno lady in the world whose will I will fulfill as of this thing, for my\nbrother lieth dead which was slain right late. Ah Bors, said she, I have loved\nyou long for the great beauty I have seen in you, and the great hardiness that\nI have heard of you, that needs ye must lie by me this night, and therefore I\npray you grant it me. Truly said he, I shall not do it in no manner wise. Then\nshe made him such sorrow as though she would have died. Well Bors, said she,\nunto this have ye brought me, nigh to mine end. And therewith she took him by\nthe hand, and bad him behold her. And ye shall see how I shall die for your\nlove. Ah, said then he, that shall I never see. Then she departed and went up\ninto an high battlement, and led with her twelve gentlewomen; and when they\nwere above, one of the gentlewomen cried, and said: Ah, Sir Bors, gentle\nknight have mercy on us all, and suffer my lady to have her will, and if ye do\nnot we must suffer death with our lady, for to fall down off this high tower,\nand if ye suffer us thus to die for so little a thing all ladies and\ngentlewomen will say of you dishonour. Then looked he upward, they seemed all\nladies of great estate, and richly and well bisene. Then had he of them great\npity; not for that he was uncounselled in himself that lever he had they all\nhad lost their souls than he his, and with that they fell adown all at once\nunto the earth. And when he saw that, he was all abashed, and had thereof\ngreat marvel. With that he blessed his body and his visage. And anon he heard\na great noise and a great cry, as though all the fiends of hell had been about\nhim; and therewith he saw neither tower nor lady, nor gentlewoman, nor no\nchapel where he brought his brother to. Then held he up both his hands to the\nheaven, and said: Fair Father God, I am grievously escaped; and then he took\nhis arms and his horse and rode on his way. Then he heard a clock smite on his\nright hand; and thither he came to an Abbey on his right hand, closed with\nhigh walls, and there was let in. Then they supposed that he was one of the\nquest of the Sangreal, so they led him into a chamber and unarmed him. Sirs,\nsaid Sir Bors, if there be any holy man in this house I pray you let me speak\nwith him. Then one of them led him unto the Abbot, which was in a Chapel. And\nthen Sir Bors saluted him, and he him again. Sir, said Bors, I am a knight\nerrant; and told him all the adventure which he had seen. Sir Knight, said the\nAbbot, I wot not what ye be, for I weened never that a knight of your age\nmight have been so strong in the grace of our Lord Jesu Christ. Not for then\nye shall go unto your rest, for I will not counsel you this day, it is too\nlate, and to-morrow I shall counsel you as I can.\nChapter XIII\nOf The Holy Communication Of An Abbot To Sir Bors, And How The Abbot\nCounselled Him\n And that night was Sir Bors served richly; and on the morn early he heard\nmass, and the Abbot came to him, and bad him good morrow, and Bors to him\nagain. And then he told him he was a fellow of the quest of the Sangreal, and\nhow he had charge of the holy man to eat bread and water. Then said the Abbot:\nOur Lord Jesu Christ showed him unto you in the likeness of a soul that\nsuffered great anguish for us, syne He was put upon the cross, and bled His\nheart blood for mankind: there was the token and the likeness of the Sangreal\nthat appeared afore you, for the blood that the great fowl bled revived the\nchickens from death to life. And by the bare tree is betokened the world which\nis naked and without fruit but if it come to Our Lord. Also the lady for whom\nye fought for, and King Aniause which was lord there tofore, betokeneth Jesu\nChrist which is the King of the world. And that ye fought with the champion\nfor the lady, this it betokeneth: for when ye took the battle for the lady, by\nher shall ye understand the new law of Jesu Christ and Holy Church; and by\nthe other lady ye shall understand the old law and the fiend, which all day\nwarreth against Holy Church, therefore ye did your battle with right. For ye\nbe Jesu Christ's knights, therefore ye ought to be defenders of Holy Church.\nAnd by the black bird might ye understand Holy Church, which sayeth I am\nblack, but he is fair. And by the white bird might men understand the fiend,\nand I shall tell you how the swan is white without forth, and black within:\nit is hypocrisy which is without yellow or pale, and seemeth without forth\nthe servants of Jesu Christ, but they be within so horrible of filth and sin,\nand beguile the world evil. Also when the fiend appeared to thee in likeness\nof a man of religion, and blamed thee that thou left thy brother for a lady,\nso led thee where thou seemed thy brother was slain, but he is yet on live;\nand all was for to put thee in error, and bring thee unto wanhope and lechery,\nfor he knew thou were tender hearted, and all was for thou shouldst not\nfind the blessed adventure of the Sangreal. And the third fowl betokeneth\nthe strong battle against the fair ladies which were all devils. Also the dry\ntree and the white lily: the dry tree betokeneth thy brother Lionel, which is\ndry without virtue, and therefore many men ought to call him the rotten tree,\nand the wormeaten tree, for he is a murderer and doth contrary to the order\nof knighthood. And the two white flowers signify two maidens, the one is\na knight which was wounded the other day, and the other is the gentlewoman\nwhich ye rescued; and why the other flower drew nigh the other, that was\nthe knight which would have befouled her and himself both. And Sir Bors, ye\nhad been a great fool and in great peril for to have seen those two flowers\nperish for to succour the rotten tree, for and they had sinned together they\nhad been damned; and for that ye rescued them both, men might call you a very\nknight and servant of Jesu Christ.\nChapter XIV\nHow Sir Bors Met With His Brother Sir Lionel, And How Sir Lionel Would Have\nSlain Sir Bors\n Then went Sir Bors from thence and commended the abbot unto God. And\nthen he rode all that day, and harboured with an old lady. And on the morn\nhe rode to a castle in a valley, and there he met with a yeoman going a great\npace toward a forest. Say me, said Sir Bors, canst thou tell me of any\nadventure? Sir, said he, here shall be under this castle a great and a\nmarvellous tournament. Of what folks shall it be? said Sir Bors. The Earl\nof Plains shall be in the one party, and the lady's nephew of Hervin on\nthe other party. Then Bors thought to be there if he might meet with his\nbrother Sir Lionel, or any other of his fellowship, which were in the quest\nof the Sangreal. And then he turned to an hermitage that was in the entry\nof the forest. And when he was come thither he found there Sir Lionel, his\nbrother, which sat all armed at the entry of the chapel door for to abide\nthere harbour till on the morn that the tournament shall be. And when Sir\nBors saw him he had great joy of him, that it were marvel to tell of his\njoy. And then he alit off his horse, and said: Fair sweet brother, when\ncame ye hither? Anon as Lionel saw him he said: Ah Bors, ye may not make\nnone avaunt, but as for you I might have been slain; when ye saw two knights\nleading me away beating me, ye left me for to succour a gentlewoman, and\nsuffered me in peril of death; for never erst ne did no brother to\nanother so great an untruth. And for that misdeed now I ensure you but\ndeath, for well have ye deserved it; therefore keep thee from henceforward,\nand that shall ye find as soon as I am armed. When Sir Bors understood his\nbrother's wrath he kneeled down to the earth and cried him mercy, holding up\nboth his hands, and prayed him to forgive him his evil will. Nay, said\nLionel, that shall never be an I may have the higher hand, that I make mine\navow to God, thou shalt have death for it, for it were pity ye lived any\nlonger. Right so he went in and took his harness, and mounted upon his horse,\nand came tofore him and said: Bors, keep thee from me, for I shall do to thee\nas I would to a felon or a traitor, for ye be the untruest knight that ever\ncame out of so worthy an house as was King Bors' de Ganis which was our\nfather, therefore start upon thy horse, and so shall ye be most at your\nadvantage. And but if ye will I will run upon there as ye stand upon foot,\nand so the shame shall be mine and the harm yours, but of that shame ne reck\nI nought. When Sir Bors saw that he must fight with his brother or else to\ndie, he nist what to do; then his heart counselled him not thereto, inasmuch\nas Lionel was born or he, wherefore he ought to bear him reverence; yet\nkneeled he down afore Lionel's horse's feet, and said: Fair sweet brother,\nhave mercy upon me and slay me not, and have in remembrance the great love\nwhich ought to be between us twain. What Sir Bors said to Lionel he recked\nnot, for the fiend had brought him in such a will that he should slay him.\nThen when Lionel saw he would none other, and that he would not have risen to\ngive him battle, he rushed over him so that he smote Bors with his horse,\nfeet upward to the earth, and hurt him so sore that he swooned of distress,\nthe which he felt in himself to have died without confession. So when Lionel\nsaw this, he alit off his horse to have smitten off his head. And so he took\nhim by the helm, and would have rent it from his head. Then came the hermit\nrunning unto him, which was a good man and of great age, and well had heard\nall the words that were between them, and so fell down upon Sir Bors.\nChapter XV\nHow Sir Colgrevance Fought Against Sir Lionel For To Save Sir Bors, And How\nThe Hermit Was Slain\n Then he said to Lionel: Ah gentle knight, have mercy upon me and on thy\nbrother, for if thou slay him thou shalt be dead of sin, and that were\nsorrowful, for he is one of the worthiest knights of the world, and of the\nbest conditions. So God help me, said Lionel, sir priest, but if ye flee from\nhim I shall slay you, and he shall never the sooner be quit. Certes, said\nthe good man, I have lever ye slay me than him, for my death shall not be\ngreat harm, not half so much as of his. Well, said Lionel, I am agreed; and\nset his hand to his sword and smote him so hard that his head yede backward.\nNot for that he restrained him of his evil will, but took his brother by the\nhelm, and unlaced it to have stricken off his head, and had slain him without\nfail. But so it happed, Colgrevance, a fellow of the Round Table, came at that\ntime thither as Our Lord's will was. And when he saw the good man slain he\nmarvelled much what it might be. And then he beheld Lionel would have slain\nhis brother, and knew Sir Bors which he loved right well. Then start he down\nand took Lionel by the shoulders, and drew him strongly aback from Bors, and\nsaid: Lionel, will ye slay your brother, the worthiest knight of the world\none? and that should no good man suffer. Why, said Lionel, will ye let me?\ntherefore if ye intermit you in this I shall slay you, and him after. Why,\nsaid Colgrevance, is this sooth that ye will slay him? Slay him will I, said\nhe, whoso say the contrary, for he hath done so much against me that he hath\nwell deserved it. And so ran upon him, and would have smitten him through the\nhead, and Sir Colgrevance ran betwixt them and said: And ye be so hardy to do\nso more, we two shall meddle together. When Lionel understood his words he\ntook his shield afore him, and asked him what that he was. And he told him,\nColgrevance, one of his fellows. Then Lionel defied him, and gave him a great\nstroke through the helm. Then he drew his sword, for he was a passing good\nknight, and defended him right manfully. So long dured that battle that Bors\nrose up all anguishly and beheld Colgrevance, the good knight, fought with his\nbrother for his quarrel; then was he full sorry and heavy, and thought if\nColgrevance slay him that was his brother he should never have joy; and if\nhis brother slew Colgrevance the shame should ever be mine. Then would he\nhave risen to have departed them, but he had not so much might to stand on\nfoot; so he abode him so long till Colgrevance had the worse, for Lionel\nwas of great chivalry and right hardy, for he had pierced the hauberk and\nthe helm, that he abode but death, for he had lost much of his blood that it\nwas marvel that he might stand upright. Then beheld he Sir Bors which sat\ndressing him upward and said: Ah, Bors, why come ye not to cast me out of\nperil of death, wherein I have put me to succour you which were right now nigh\nthe death? Certes, said Lionel, that shall not avail you, for none of you\nshall bear others warrant, but that ye shall die both of my hand. When Bors\nheard that, he did so much, he rose and put on his helm. Then perceived he\nfirst the hermit priest which was slain, then made he a marvellous sorrow upon\nhim.\nChapter XVI\nHow Sir Lionel Slew Sir Colgrevance, And How After He Would Have Slain Sir\nBors\n Then often Colgrevance cried upon Sir Bors: Why will ye let me die here\nfor your sake? if it please you that I die for you the death, it will please\nme the better for to save a worthy man. With that word Sir Lionel smote off\nthe helm from his head. Then Colgrevance saw that he might not escape; then he\nsaid: Fair sweet Jesu, that I have misdone have mercy upon my soul, for such\nsorrow that my heart suffereth for goodness, and for alms deed that I would\nhave done here, be to me alygement of penance unto my soul's health. At these\nwords Lionel smote him so sore that he bare him to the earth. So he had slain\nColgrevance he ran upon his brother as a fiendly man, and gave him such a\nstroke that he made him stoop. And he that was full of humility prayed him for\nGod'S love to leave this battle: For an it befel, fair brother, that I slew\nyou or ye me, we should be dead of that sin. Never God me help but if I have\non you mercy, and I may have the better hand. Then drew Bors his sword, all\nweeping, and said; Fair erother, God knoweth mine intent. Ah, fair brother,\nye have done full evil this day to slay such an holy priest the which never\ntrespassed. Also ye have slain a gentle knight, and one of our fellows. And\nwell wot ye that I am not afeared of you greatly, but I dread the wrath of\nGod, and this is an unkindly war, therefore God show miracle upon us both.\nNow God have mercy upon me though I defend my life against my brother; with\nthat Bors lift up his hand and would have smitten his brother.\nChapter XVII\nHow There Came A Voice Which Charged Sir Bors To Touch Him Not, And Of A\nCloud That Came Between Them\n And then he heard a voice that said: Flee Bors, and touch him not, or\nelse thou shall slay him. Right so alit a cloud betwixt them in likeness of a\nfire and a marvellous flame, that both their two shields burnt. Then were\nthey sore afraid, that they fell both to the earth, and lay there a great\nwhile in a swoon. And when they came to themself, Bors saw that his brother\nhad no harm; then he held up both his hands, for he dread God had taken\nvengeance upon him. With that he heard a voice say: Bors, go hence, and bear\nthy brother no longer fellowship, but take thy way anon right to the sea, for\nSir Percivale abideth thee there. Then he said to his brother: Fair sweet\nbrother, forgive me for God's love all that I have trespassed unto you. Then\nhe answered: God forgive it thee and I do gladly. So Sir Bors departed from\nhim and rode the next way to the sea. And at the last by fortune he came to a\nAbbey which was nigh the sea. That night Bors rested him there; and in his\nsleep there came a voice to him and bad him go to the sea. Then he start up\nand made a sign of the Cross in the middes of his forehead, and took his\nharness, and made ready his horse, and mounted upon him; and at a broken wall\nhe rode out, and rode so long till that he came to the sea. And on the strand\nhe found a ship covered all with white samite, and he alit, and betook him to\nJesu Christ. And as soon as he entered into the ship, the ship departed into\nthe sea, and went so fast that him seemed the ship went flying, but it was\nsoon dark so that he might know no man, and so he slept till it was day. Then\nhe awaked, and saw in middes of the ship a knight lie all armed save his\nhelm. Then knew he that it was Sir Percivale of Wales, and then he made of\nhim right great joy; but Sir Percivale was abashed of him, and he asked him\nwhat he was. Ah, fair sir, said Bors, know ye me not? Certes, said he, I\nmarvel how ye came hither, but if Our Lord brought ye hither Himself. Then\nSir Bors smiled and did off his helm. The Percivale knew him, and either made\ngreat joy of other, that it was marvel to hear. Then Bors told him how he\ncame into the ship, and by whose admonishment; and either told other of their\ntemptations, as ye have heard toforehand. So went they downward in the sea,\none while backward, another while forward, and every each comforted other,\nand oft were in their prayers. Then said Sir Percivale: We lack nothing but\nGalahad, the good knight.\nAnd thus endeth the sixteenth book which is of Sir\nGawayne, Ector de Marys, and Sir Bors de\nGanys, and Sir Percival.\nAnd here followeth the seventeenth book, which\nis of the noble knight Sir Galahad.","title":"Malory: Book Sixteen, Part II","type":"page"}