{"collection":"Northern European Mythology","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/neu/mart/mart402.htm","path":"neu/mart/mart402.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/neu/mart/mart402.htm","text":"CHAPTER XIII\nOf the holy communication of an Abbot to Sir Bors, and how\nthe Abbot counselled him.\nAND that night was Sir Bors served richly; and on the\nmorn early he heard mass, and the Abbot came to him,\nand bade him good morrow, and Bors to him again. And\nthen he told him he was a fellow of the quest of the Sangreal,\nand how he had charge of the holy man to eat bread\nand water. Then [said the Abbot]: Our Lord Jesu Christ\nshowed him unto you in the likeness of a soul that suffered\ngreat anguish for us, since He was put upon the cross, and\nbled His heart-blood for mankind: there was the token\nand the likeness of the Sangreal that appeared afore you,\nfor the blood that the great fowl bled revived the chickens\nfrom death to life. And by the bare tree is betokened\nthe world which is naked and without fruit but if it come\nof Our Lord. Also the lady for whom ye fought for, and\nKing Aniause which was lord there-to-fore, betokeneth\nJesu Christ which is the King of the world. And that ye\nfought with the champion for the lady, this it betokeneth:\nfor when ye took the battle for the lady, by her shall ye\nunderstand the new law of Jesu Christ and Holy Church;\nand by the other lady ye shall understand the old law and\nthe fiend, which all day warreth against Holy Church,\ntherefore ye did your battle with right. For ye be Jesu\nChrist's knights, therefore ye ought to be defenders of\nHoly Church. And by the black bird might ye understand\nHoly Church, which sayeth I am black, but he is\nfair. And by the white bird might men understand the\nfiend, and I shall tell you how the swan is white without-\nforth, and black within: it is hypocrisy which is without\nyellow or pale, and seemeth without-forth the servants of\nJesu Christ, but they be within so horrible of filth and\nsin, and beguile the world evil. Also when the fiend\nappeared to thee in likeness of a man of religion, and\nblamed thee that thou left thy brother for a lady, so led\nthee where thou seemed thy brother was slain, but he is\nyet alive; and all was for to put thee in error, and bring\nthee unto wanhope and lechery, for he knew thou were\ntender hearted, and all was for thou shouldst not find the\nblessed adventure of the Sangreal. And the third fowl\nbetokeneth the strong battle against the fair ladies which\nwere all devils. Also the dry tree and the white lily: the\ndry tree betokeneth thy brother Lionel, which is dry\nwithout virtue, and therefore many men ought to call him the\nrotten tree, and the worm-eaten tree, for he is a murderer\nand doth contrary to the order of knighthood. And the\ntwo white flowers signify two maidens, the one is a knight\nwhich was wounded the other day, and the other is the\ngentlewoman which ye rescued; and why the other flower\ndrew nigh the other, that was the knight which would\nhave defouled her and himself both. And Sir Bors, ye\nhad been a great fool and in great peril for to have seen\nthose two flowers perish for to succour the rotten tree, for\nan they had sinned together they had been damned; and\nfor that ye rescued them both, men might call you a very\nknight and servant of Jesu Christ.","title":"Le Morte d'Arthur BOOK XVI CHAPTER XIII","type":"page"}