And anon there came in a dove at a window, and in her mouth there seemed a little censer of gold. And therewithal there was such a savour as all the spicery of the world had been there. And forthwithal there was upon the table all manner of meats and drinks that they could think upon.
So came in a damosel passing fair and young, and she bare a vessel of gold betwixt her hands; and thereto the king kneeled devoutly, and said his prayers, and so did all that were there.
'O Jesu!' said Sir Launcelot, 'What may this mean?'
'This is,' said the king [Pelles], 'the richest thing that any man hath living. And when this thing goeth about, the Round Table shall be broken; and wit thou well,' said the king, 'this is the holy Sangrail that ye have here seen.'
Book XI, Chapter 2, p190-1
SIR BORS' VISION
And then Sir Bors seemed that there came the whitest dove with a little golden censer in her mouth. And anon therewithal the tempest ceased and passed, that afore was marvellous to hear. So was all that court full of good savours. Then Sir Bors saw four children bearing four fair tapers, and an old man in the midst of the children with a censer in his one hand, and a spear in his other hand, and that spear was called the spear of vengeance.
Book XI, Chapter 5, p197-8
SIRS PERCIVAL AND ECTOR HEALED
And then he [Sir Percival] kneeled down and made his prayer devoutly unto Almighty Jesu, for he was one of the best knights of the world that at that time was, in whom the very faith stood most in.
Right so there came by the holy vessel of the Sangrail with all manner of sweetness and savour; but they could not readily see who that bare that vessel, but Sir Percival had a glimmering of the vessel and of the maiden that bare it, for she was a perfect clean maiden; and forthwithal they both were as whole of hide and limb as ever they were in their life days: then they gave thankings to God with great mildness.
'O Jesu,' said Sir Percival, 'what may this mean, that we be thus healed, and right now we were at the point of dying?'
'I wot full well,' said Sir Ector, 'what it is: it is an holy vessel that is borne by a maiden, and therein is part of the holy blood of Our Lord Jesu Christ, blessed mote he be. But it may bot be seen,' said Sir Ector, 'but if it be by a perfect man.'
Book XI, Chapter 14, p213
LAUNCELOT HEALED
And so when this was done, these four men and these ladies laid hand on Sir Launcelot, and so they bare him into a tower, and so into a chamber where was the holy vessel; and there came an holy man and unhilled that vesel, and so by miracle and by virtue of that holy vessel Sir Launcelot was healed and recovered.
Book XII, Chapter 4, p221
TRANSMUTATION
Then King Pelles and his son departed. And therewithal beseemed them that there came a man, and four angels from heaven, clothed in likeness of a bishop, and had a cross in his hand; and these four angels bare him up in a chair, and set him down before the table of silver whereupon the Sangrail was; and it seemed that he had in midst of his forehead letters the which said, 'See ye here Joseph, the first bishop of Christendom, the same which Our Lord succoured int he city of Sarras in the spiritual place.'
Then the knights marvelled, for that bishop was dead more than three hundred year tofore.
'O knights,' said he, 'marvel not, for I was sometime an earthly man.'
With that they heard the chamber door open, and there they saw angels; and two bare candles of wax, and the third a towel, and the fourth a spear which bled marvellously, that three drops fell within a box which he held with his other hand. And they set the candles upon the table, and the third the towel upon the vessel, and the fourth the holy spear even upright upon the vessel.
And then the bishop made semblant as though he would have gone to the sacring of the mass. And then he took an ubblye [oblation] which was made in likeness of bread. And at the lifting up there came a figure in likeness of a child, and the visage was as red and as bright as any fire, and smote himself into the bread, so that they all saw it that the bread was formed of fleshly man; and then he put it into the holy vessel again, and then he did that longed to a priest to do to a mass.
And then he went to Galahad and kissed him, and bad him go and kiss his fellows: and so he did anon.
'Now,' said he, 'servants of Jesu Christ, ye shall be fed afore this table with sweetmeats that never knights tasted.'
And when he had said, he vanished away. And they set them at the table in great dread, and made their prayers.
Then looked they and saw a man come out of the holy vessel, that had all the signs of the passion of Jesu Christ, bleeding all openly, and said, 'My knights, and my servants, and my true children, which be come out of deadly life into spiritual life, I will now no longer hide me from you, but ye shall see now a part of my secrets and of my hid things: now holdeth and receiveth the high meat which ye have so much desired.'
Then took he himself the holy vessel and came to Galahad; and he kneeled down, and there he received his Saviour, and after him so received all his fellows; and they thought it so sweet that it was marvellous to tell.
Then said he to Galahad, 'Son, wotest thou what I hold betwixt my hands?'
'Nay,' said he, 'but if Ye will tell me.'
'This is,' said he, 'the holy dish wherein I ate the lamb on Sher-Thursday. And now hast thou seen that thou most desired to see, but yet hast thou not seen it so openly as thou shalt see it in the city of Sarras in the spiritual place. Therefore thou must go hence and bear with thee this holy vessel; ...
Book XVII, Chapter 20, p364-6
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TEXT: All instances of the Sangrail in Le Morte d'Arthur
by Sir Thomas Mallory; Penguin Classics edition, 1969.
IMAGE: Flint, William Russell, Sir (1880-1969),
"'My Knights, and My Servants, and My True Children,
Which Be Come out of Deadly Life into Spiritual Life, I Will Now No
Longer Hide Me from You'" from: Malory, Thomas, Sir. Le Morte
Darthur: The History of King Arthur and of His Noble Knights of the
Round Table. London: Jonathan Cape and The Medici Society,
[1927].
http://www.moonchild.ch/Tarot/minors/cups/c01/Sangrail.html
