No More Learning

"For seven days I rode around over the dreary water and on the seventh
night I felt the boat striking ground. In front of me rose the enchanted
towers of Carbonek, a castle like a rock upon a rock, with portals open
to the sea and steps that met the waves. A lion sat on each side of
them. I went up the steps and drew my sword. Suddenly flaring their
manes the lions stood up like men and gripped me on my shoulders. When I
was about to strike them a voice said to me, 'Don't be afraid, or the
beasts will tear you to pieces; go on. ' Then my sword was dashed
violently from my hand and fell. Up into the sounding hall I passed but
saw not a bench, table, picture, shield or anything else except the moon
over the sea through the oriel window, but I heard a sweet voice as
clear as a lark singing in the topmost tower to the east. I climbed up a
thousand steps with great pain. It seemed as though I was climbing
forever but at last I reached a door with light shining through the
crannies and I heard voices singing 'Glory and joy and honor to our Lord
and the Holy Vessel, the Grail. '

"'Then I madly tried the door, it gave way and through a stormy glare of
heat that burned me and made me swoon away I thought I saw the Grail,
all veiled with crimson samite and around it great angels, awful shapes
and wings and eyes! '

"The long hall was silent after Lancelot was done, until airy Gawain
began with a sudden.

"'O King, my liege, my good friend Percival and your holy nun have
driven men mad. By my eyes and ears I swear I'll be deeper than a
blue-eyed cat and three times as blind as any owl at noon-time
hereafter to any holy virgins in their ecstasies. '

"'Gawain,' replied the king, 'don't try to become blinder; you're too
blind now to want to see.
If a sign really came from heaven Bors,
Lancelot and Percival are blessed for they have each seen according to
their sight. '"




PELLEAS AND ETTARRE.


When his knights went after the Holy Grail Arthur made many new knights
to fill the gaps made by their absence. As he sat in his hall one day at
old Caerleon the high doors were softly parted and through these in came
a youth, and with him the outer sunshine and the sweet scent of meadows.

"Make me your knight, Sir King! " he cried, "because I know all about
everything that belongs to a knight and because I love a maiden. "

This youth was Sir Pelleas-of-the-Isles who had heard that the king had
proclaimed a great tournament at Caerleon with a sword for the victor
and a golden crown for the victor's sweetheart as the prize. He longed
to win them, the circlet for his lady love, the sword for himself.

Just a few days before, while riding across the Forest of Dean to find
the king's palace hall at Caerleon, Pelleas had felt the sun beating on
his helmet so sharply that he reeled and almost fell from his horse.
Then, seeing a hillock near-by overgrown with stately beech trees and
flowers here and there beneath, he tied his horse to a tree, threw
himself down and was very soon lost in sweet dreams about a maiden, not
any particular maiden for he had no sweetheart at that time.

But suddenly he was wakened with a sound of chatter and laughing at the
outskirts of the grove, and glancing through fern he saw a party of
young girls in many colors like the clouds at sunset, all of them riding
on richly dressed horses. They were all talking together in a
hodgepodge, some pointing this way, some that, for they had lost their
way.

[Illustration: WAS VERY SOON LOST IN SWEET DREAMS ABOUT A MAIDEN. ]

Pelleas sprang up, loosed his horse and led him into the light.

"Just in time! " cried the lady who seemed to be the leader of the party.