The chronicle of Iohn Hardyng. Containing an account of public transactions from the earliest period of English history to the beginning of the reign of King Edward the Fourth. Together with the continuation by Richard Grafton, to the thirty fourth year of King Henry the Eighth. The former part collated with two manuscripts of the author's own time; the last, with Grafton's duplicate edition. To which are added a biographical and literary preface, and an index, by Henry Ellis.

The. lxxviii. Chapiter.

¶ The lamentacion of kyng Arthure for his knightes vpon theyr departyng from hym; & of the rule whiche Galaad made emōg the knightes, in the queest of the saynt Graal: and howe at Auelon he found a shilde of the same armes, a speare & a sweorde, that Ioseph lefte there for hym; which armes Aruiragus, Lucyus, and Constantyne bare of siluer, a crosse of goules.

FOr whiche the kyng, w^t heuy & dulful chere [herte.] , Thus sayd: "O God, what shall I do or say, That my knightes al which I had ī quere [querte.] , Thus sodenly fro me that passe awaye, They [They were.] , my blisse, my hertes hele eche [every.] daye, My landes helpe, custodyes [and keners.] of my crowne, And membres of my corps to kepe my region.

¶ O God, y^t [if.] deth wold brest myne hert on twayne, Who shall maynteyne my crowne & my ryghtes, I trowe nomore to see you eft agayne Thus hole together, and so goodly knightes; Would God I might make myne auowe & hightes, To passe with you in what land so [that.] ye go, And take my parte with you [both] in well and wo."

¶ This Galaad [then] rode forth with [so with.] his route, At euery waye he made a knight for to departe, To tyme they were all seuerally [severably.] gone oute, And none with hym, so had echone theyr parte; And yf any [oone.] met another at [any arcte,] [ane arte.] His rule was so, he shuld his felowe tell His auentures, what so [that] hym befell.

¶ And also sone as theyr waye laye on sūdrywise, They shulde departe and mete nomore agayn, But aduenture it made of [by.] exercyse, Of diuers stretes that together layne, [Of this mater is nomore to seyne;] [And as is seide than to departe agayne.] But [And.] when he had his felowes all conueyed, He tooke his waye full like a knight arayed.

¶ Of auenture he came to Auelon, [Fol. lxx.] Where that he found a shylde that was ful white, A crosse therin of [in. edit. alt.] gowlys, by it one A speare also, a sweard of great delyte, The whiche with hym he bare awaye full tyte; He gyrde hym with the swerde anon full [furth.] ryght, The shylde he hunge vpon his shoulder lyght.

¶ The spere he toke on hande ful lyke a knyght; But there he founde in bokes clerely wryten, Howe Ioseph loste that shylde therin forth [full.] ryght, When he there dyed, as then it was well weten; [And also in scrypture lefte there wryten,] [For a tokyn that Criste shuld not be forgetyn.] That no man should it beare without mischeue, But one that should y^e doughteous siege acheue [eschieve.] .

¶ [That same was wryten] [The same writynge.] ryght there of y^e swerd, Whiche Vacyan [Nacian.] lefte there when he dyed, And of the speare he was nothyng a ferde, All yf the same parell of it was notifyed, [Lyke as to fore of it was] [Thus went he furth as it is.] specifyed; But [And.] when [that] he had laboured so foure yere, He founde in Walys the Saintgraal [sank roiall.] full clere.

¶ Then rode he forth vnto the Holy Lande, Through God and holy inspiracyon, To God he gaue his seruyce, and hym bonde To chastyte, and greate contemplacyon; And kyng was made, by hole coronacyon [creacioun.] , Of Garras [Sarras.] then, and duke of Orboryk, Of whome the people full well [dyd theym] [than dide.] lyke.

¶ Syr Boers [Bors.] with hym went, and syr Percyuall, And other moo of the table rounde, Whome knyghtes he made of the [seynt Graall,] [sanke riale.] Whiche order so he ordeyned then [so.] and founde At Sarras, that to Egypt lande doth bounde; To [Forto.] lyue chaste and maynteyne Christentye, Lyke as Ioseph dyd of Armathye.

¶ But longe after, vpon the Whitsondaye, Sir Boers [Bors.] and Percyuall came to the kyng, With knyghtes all that lyuyng were that day, At Carlyon: but Percyuall dyd bryng, [Vnto that courte full dolorous tidyng,] [Out of Sarras withoute any lettynge.] Syr Galaad [his] herte closed all with golde, Vnto the kyng full openly and [he.] tolde,

¶ Howe Galaad had acheued [escheued.] the auenture In kyng Pellis householde with great honoure, That called was y^e [saint Graall] [sanke roiall.] by scrypture, And kyng was made by his worthy laboure; [As he that was of knygthode a worthy floure] Of Sarras so, and duke of Orboryk, Besyde Egypte, where there [than.] was none hym lyke.

Where thenne he made. xii. knightes of the order [The saynt Graall what it is.] Of [saynt Graall] [the sanke roiall.] , in full signifycacyon Of the table whiche Ioseph was the founder, At Aualon, as Mewyn made [maketh.] relacyon; In token of the table refyguracyon [and refiguracion.] , Of the brotherhede of [at.] Christes souper & maundie Afore his death, of hyghest dignytee.

¶ And howe Galaad [then] at his deth you prayed His herte to bury, besyde kyng Eualake [Ewelake.] , And duke Saraphe [Seraph.] , in golde thus arayed, [Fol. lxxi.] [Where they be buryed besyde Ioseph their make; And thus muche he prayed you to do for his sake,] [Thus he you praied for oure lade sake, Wher they be buried beside Ioseph their make.] In the chapell of our Lady, Chrystes mother, At Glastenbury, with dyuers sayntes other.

¶ This [The.] kyng Arthure, with princes & barons al, And all [with.] knyghtes of [als of.] the rounde table, To Glastenbury then rode as myght befall, And there enterred the hert of Galaad honorable, With all seruyce for the death accordable; And ouer it he hanged [honge.] his shylde [that he bare,] [he bore.] The whiche afore saint George armes were [wore.] .

¶ And when this feaste was come [vn]to an ende, The kyng Arthure also and quene Gwaynour To all estates greate gyftes gaue and [or.] sende, As they were wonte eche [alwaye ech.] yere afore, [For his great honoure encreased more and more;] [At that same feste opyn house euermore.] Of hyghe knyghthode [kynghode.] , houshold [he held.] , and all largesse, Aboue all princes moste famous he was doutlesse.

¶ These were knightes [the knyghtes.] then of the table rounde: Morued the earle that tyme of Gloucestre, Of Shrewisbury therle Heralde [Harolde.] that stounde, Therle Mawren also of Worcestre, Therle Ingence that was of Leycestre,

Arthegall therle of Warwyke [full] corageous, Therle [And erle.] Curson of Chestre [full] bounteous,

¶ [Kymar then earle] [Kynmare the erle than.] of Caunterbury, When [Vrgen.] the earle of Bathe, and Ionathall, Thearle of Dorcestre, Gallus [Vrgen.] erle of Salisbury, [The earle Gurgen,] [erle Gurgoyne.] of Herforde, knowen ouer all, Beuyse [Beaufitz.] earle of Oxenforde that men dyd call, Gwerande [Emerade.] earle that was of Excestre, And Paradoure [Peridure] the earle of Wynchester,

Cador, the duke that then was of Cornewayle, The kynges brother was [on the syster] [of the seker.] syde, Dame Igrene [Iugerne.] was their mother without fayle, Gwytelene [Guythelyne.] , earle of Carlele was that tyde, Waldeue [Waldif.] the duke, cōmended and laudifyed, Of Northumberlande, a lorde of greate power, Fro Humbar North to Twede then was full clere,

¶ Kynge Aguzell, that was of Albany, Kyng Vriayn of Murref, with Ewayne [Owayne.] His sonne, that was corageous and manly, And the noble and curteous knyght Gawayne, That kyng was then of all fayre Lowthyan [Lothiane.] , And syster sonne vnto the kyng Arthure, Mordred his brother was of the same ordoure,

¶ Loth, of Lowthian [Lothiane.] , that kyng was of Norway, Of Lowthyan [Lothiane.] that kyng afore had been, Father to Gawayne, and murdred [mordred.] was that daye. Kyng Vryan of South Walys I wene, The kyng Pellis [Pelles.] of Northwalis full clene, The kyng Howell [Hoell.] also [als.] of Lytell Britayne, Boers [Bors.] , and Hester [Hestor.] , Degionaunt [Degrevaunte.] and Ewayn [Owayne.] ,

¶ Syr Percyuall, Launcelot Delake and Kaye, Sir Colingraunt [Colgrevaunt.] Bedewer, and syr Degarye, Geryn of Charters, y^e douzepers of Fraunce gaye, The kynges of Man, Orkeney, Irelande, all thre,

Of Iselande, Gotlande, and dukes of dignyte, [Fol. lxxii.] Of Portyngale, Nauerne, and Cateloyne, Of Spayne the kinges, & the duke of Burgoyne,

¶ Syr Lyonell, Gryffith, Kynkar [Kyncure.] , Olenius [Clenyus.] , Donalde, Macoyle [Mapcoile.] , Cynmarke [Cimmarke, edit. alt. Kymmarke. MS.] & Gorbonian, Kymbalyn, Rydran, Eualake and Carthelius [Cathelyus.] ; Crade and Cradok, Dunwallon [Dunwalen.] , and Morgan, Gadwaloure [Cadwaloure.] , Eneas, and Ternuan, And many mo y^t were full longe to wryte, Whiche with my style I canne not nowe endyte.