hermit to be healed of his wounds. Then, when he was well, Arthur found that he had lost his sword; and as they rode he said to Merlin, "I have no sword." "Hereby is a sword that shall be yours," replied Merlin; and presently they came to a lake, which was a fair water and broad, and in the midst of the lake appeared an arm clothed in white samite (silk woven with threads of gold or silver), and in the hand was a fair sword. "Yonder is the sword that I spake of," said Merlin, "and that is the lady of the lake who will give you that sword." Then Arthur saw a damsel going upon the lake, and he spoke to her and said, "Damsel, what sword is that which yonder arm holdeth above the water? I would it were mine, for I have no sword." Then the damsel promised that if he would give her a gift, when at any time she should ask it, he might take the sword. So Arthur and Merlin tied their horses to a tree, and they went into a boat, that the lady of the lake showed to them, and rowed to the sword. Then Arthur stretched forth his hand and took it with the scabbard, and the arm and hand went under the water. With this sword Arthur fought his battles, and drove out the heathen from the land, and set up the right and put down the wrong unto the day of his death.

After Arthur had overcome the kings and lords who had made war against him, and had established his rule in the land, his people wished that he should marry; and it happened that Arthur had seen a lady who he thought was the fairest lady living, and whom he loved above all. This was Guenever, the daughter of King Leodegrance of Cornwall. So he sent to ask her father to let her be his wife. King Leodegrance was pleased at this, and he sent Guenever to Arthur, and, as a present, he sent with her the Table Round, which had been given to him by Uther Pendragon. This table would hold a hundred and fifty knights, but they were all to be chosen men, valiant and true, and tried in service. King Leodegrance sent a hundred good knights

with the Table Round; but he said he could not make up the other fifty, for so many had been slain in his days. King Arthur had great joy at the coming of Guenever and the hundred good knights; and in haste he ordered everything for the marriage and coronation of Guenever to be got ready in the most splendid manner that could be devised. He also desired Merlin to find fifty worthy knights for the Table Round, but only twenty-eight could be found. When they were all come together, the Archbishop of Canterbury was sent for, to bless the sieges or seats in which the knights should sit at the Table Round; and on every seat, it was found afterwards, was the name of the knight who should sit in it, written in letters of gold; but there were two seats more than the number of the knights, and on one of these were seen the words, "The Siege Perilous." All the knights wondered what this could mean; then Merlin told them, that he who should sit in this seat would be the worthiest and highest of them all, for he would be not only strong and brave, but pure in heart and life. And he warned them, that if any one, who was giving way to sin in thought or deed, were to place himself in that seat he would be destroyed; and this was why it was named "The Siege Perilous."

Many days and years went by, and Arthur's knights had many strange adventures, and did many valiant deeds. There were great men among them too, such as Sir Bors, Sir Percival, and especially Sir Launcelot, who was held to be the very chief of knights; still there was none who dared to seat himself in the Siege Perilous, and while that remained empty it was plain that the worthiest and highest knight, the one who had a right to the first place at the Round Table, had not yet appeared.

At length it happened on a time at the Vigil of Pentecost, when all the knights had come to Camelot to keep the festival, that a strange lady entered the hall, and asked for Sir

Launcelot. She told him that he must come with her into a forest, where there was something for him to do, but she could not tell him what it was until he reached the place. There was nothing Sir Launcelot liked so well as to be engaged in some adventure the very risk of which called forth all his courage and skill, and he said at once to the lady, "I will gladly go with you." So they departed, the lady promising he should be back by noon next day, to keep Whitsuntide with the King and Queen and the other knights.

They soon reached the forest, and rode through it till they came into a great valley, where they saw an abbey of nuns. They stopped at the gate, which was opened to them immediately; and as soon as they entered the house they were taken to the room of the Lady Abbess. Presently the door was opened, and twelve nuns came in, bringing with them a beautiful youth, fairer and better made (so Launcelot thought) than any man he had ever seen before. Then the nuns told Sir Launcelot that the young man's name was Galahad, and that they had had him brought to them as a little baby, and they had cared for him and brought him up. Now he was old enough to be made a knight, and they had sent for Sir Launcelot, who was held to be the best knight living, that at his hands the young Galahad might receive knighthood. Sir Launcelot asked if it was his own desire too; to which Galahad answered, "Yes." "Then shall he," said Sir Launcelot, "receive the high order of knighthood at the high festival to-morrow." So very early in the morning of Whit-Sunday, at the hour of Prime (or the first service of the day), Sir Launcelot made Galahad a knight, saying to him, "God make you a good man, for beauty faileth you not as any that liveth."

Then, when prayers were ended, Sir Launcelot rode away, and came by nine o'clock in the morning to Camelot, to keep Whit-Sunday. By that time the King and the

Queen and all the knights were gone to the Minster to the service; so Launcelot too went into the church. After the service was over, they all came into the hall to dinner; but what was their surprise to see written in letters of gold upon the Siege Perilous, "450 years after the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ ought this seat to be filled." Then they found that it was that very year. While they were wondering at this, and taking their places at the table, a squire came into the hall, and cried to the King, "Sir, I bring you marvellous tidings." So the King asked him what they were; and the squire told him that a great stone was floating on the river with a sword sticking in it. 'I will see that marvel," said the King; and he and his knights all went down to the river, where they saw a large stone of red marble floating in the water, in which stone was stuck a bright sword; the handle was wrought with precious stones, and there were these words on it: "Never shall man take me hence, but he by whose side I ought to hang, and he shall be the best knight of the world." Then the King said to Launcelot, "Fair sir, this sword ought to be yours, for I am sure you are the best knight of the world." But Sir Launcelot looked grave, and he answered sadly, "Sir, it is not my sword, and it ought not to hang by my side;" for, brave and strong and skilful as he was in all that belonged to knighthood, he knew that he was not true and pure in heart, and he would not presume to take the sword. Then Sir Gawaine and Sir Percival, who were lighter of thought than Sir Launcelot, tried all they could to pull the sword from the stone, but they could not move it; others also used all their force to draw it out, but no one could take it hence; so it was plain that "the best knight of all the world" was not among the fellowship of the Table Round.

Then the King and the knights returned to the hall to dinner; but scarcely had they seated themselves, when

there entered the hall a good old man, clothed all in white, and with him he brought a fair young knight dressed in flame-coloured armour, but without a sword. The old man led the young knight up to the Siege Perilous; and then there was seen in letters of gold upon it the words, "This is the seat of Galahad, the High Prince." So the young man sat there safely, where none of the most famous of the knights dared to place themselves; and the old man went his way.

Sir Launcelot was more than glad at the coming of Sir Galahad, for it turned out that he was his son, who had been taken when he was a baby to the nuns to be nursed and brought up, and whom he had since lost sight of.

When the dinner was over the King took Sir Galahad to see the sword in the stone, which none of the knights could draw. Then Sir Galahad laid his hand on the sword and lightly drew it out, and hung it at his side. Thus was it shown before all the knights that Galahad was "the best knight of all the world," because faithfulness to God and duty can raise even a youth to greater honour, than can be gained by bodily strength and courage alone, just as the soul is ever higher and greater in its nature and life than the body. Sir Galahad soon proved that he knew how to be a good knight as well as a good man, for the King appointed a tournament to be held in the meadow at Camelot, and on that day Sir Galahad overcame every knight who entered the lists against him, so that all men greatly wondered at the strength and skill of so young a knight.

At evensong the King and all the knights went to the service in the Minster; and after that to supper in the hall. And now another strange thing happened. While they were seated at the table there came a rolling and crashing as of thunder, so that it seemed as though the house would be shaken to the ground, and then a clear, pure beam of light seemed to stream down the hall; and with this light of heaven shining on them,

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