Page:The Garden of Romance - 1897.djvu/89

Rh them, with weeping cheer, and said, "It should be done richly, and in the best manner." "Now will ye send for a priest, that we may receive the sacrament and blessed body of our Lord Jesus Christ." "Yea," said the lady, "it shall be done." And so she sent for a priest, and gave them their rites. "Now," said Balin, "when we are buried in one tomb, and the inscription made over us how two brethren slew each other, there will never good knight, nor good man, see our tomb, but they will pray for our souls." And so all the ladies and gentlewomen wept for pity. And anon Balan died, but Balin died not till the midnight after, and so were buried both; and the lady let make an inscription of Balan, how he was there slain by the hands of his own brother: but she knew not Balin's name.

On the morrow came Merlin, and let write Balin's name upon the tomb, with letters of gold: "Here lieth Balin le Savage, that was the Knight with the Two Swords, and he that smote the Dolorous Stroke." Merlin let make there also a bed, that there should never man lie in but he went out of his wit; yet Launcelot du Lake fordid that bed through his nobleness. And anon, after as Balin was dead, Merlin took his sword, and took off the pommel, and set on another pommel. Then Merlin had a knight that stood afore him to handle that sword, and he assayed, but he could not handle it. Then Merlin laughed. "Why laugh ye?" said the knight. "This is the cause," said Merlin: "there shall never no man handle this sword but the best knight of the world, and that shall be Launcelot, or else Galahad, his son; and Launcelot, with his sword, shall slay the man that in this world he loved best, that shall be Sir Gawaine." All