Chương Chương 402 · Of the holy communication of an Abbot to Sir Bors, and

. Of the holy communication of an Abbot to Sir Bors, and

how the Abbot counselled him.

And that night was Sir Bors served richly; and on the morn early he

heard mass, and the Abbot came to him, and bade him good morrow, and

Bors to him again. And then he told him he was a fellow of the quest of

the Sangreal, and how he had charge of the holy man to eat bread and

water. Then [said the Abbot]: Our Lord Jesu Christ showed him unto you

in the likeness of a soul that suffered great anguish for us, since He

was put upon the cross, and bled His heart-blood for mankind: there was

the token and the likeness of the Sangreal that appeared afore you, for

the blood that the great fowl bled revived the chickens from death to

life. And by the bare tree is betokened the world which is naked and

without fruit but if it come of Our Lord. Also the lady for whom ye

fought for, and King Aniause which was lord there-to-fore, betokeneth

Jesu Christ which is the King of the world. And that ye fought with the

champion for the lady, this it betokeneth: for when ye took the battle

for the lady, by her shall ye understand the new law of Jesu Christ and

Holy Church; and by the other lady ye shall understand the old law and

the fiend, which all day warreth against Holy Church, therefore ye did

your battle with right. For ye be Jesu Christ’s knights, therefore ye

ought to be defenders of Holy Church. And by the black bird might ye

understand Holy Church, which sayeth I am black, but he is fair. And by

the white bird might men understand the fiend, and I shall tell you how

the swan is white without-forth, and black within: it is hypocrisy

which is without yellow or pale, and seemeth without-forth the servants

of Jesu Christ, but they be within so horrible of filth and sin, and

beguile the world evil. Also when the fiend appeared to thee in

likeness of a man of religion, and blamed thee that thou left thy

brother for a lady, so led thee where thou seemed thy brother was

slain, but he is yet alive; and all was for to put thee in error, and

bring thee unto wanhope and lechery, for he knew thou were tender

hearted, and all was for thou shouldst not find the blessed adventure

of the Sangreal. And the third fowl betokeneth the strong battle

against the fair ladies which were all devils. Also the dry tree and

the white lily: the dry tree betokeneth thy brother Lionel, which is

dry without virtue, and therefore many men ought to call him the rotten

tree, and the worm-eaten tree, for he is a murderer and doth contrary

to the order of knighthood. And the two white flowers signify two

maidens, the one is a knight which was wounded the other day, and the

other is the gentlewoman which ye rescued; and why the other flower

drew nigh the other, that was the knight which would have defouled her

and himself both. And Sir Bors, ye had been a great fool and in great

peril for to have seen those two flowers perish for to succour the

rotten tree, for an they had sinned together they had been damned; and

for that ye rescued them both, men might call you a very knight and

servant of Jesu Christ.