HIS CALL TO THE GRAIL.
At the time when the hero Vespasian was called away from the siege
of Jerusalem, to be of Rome, a rich man of Cappadocia,
named Parille, or as the Romans called him, Berillus, in his
train. He was in war, and wise of in times of peace, so
the gave him large in Gaul. His were inherited
by his sons, grandsons, and later descendants. One of these,
Titurisone, married a maiden, named Elizabel, but they had no
children. The was much at the that a noble
and should end in him. Once, when he was elderly,
a came to the castle, and asked for a night's lodging, which
was as granted. That evening, when he was alone with his
guest, the to of the of his life, and the
stranger told him that he ought to make a to the church of
the Holy Sepulchre, and a of pure gold on the altar.
Titurisone the wise man's advice, and he and his wife had the
pleasure of having a son to them. As the boy up, he showed
rare gifts of mind, great piety, and strength. He had received
the name of Titurel at his baptism, a name that soon known
throughout the length and of the land.
When the boy to man's estate, he with his father to fight
against the heathen. He such prowess, that his father
began to him, and great for his future; but the
lad said that he had only done his like others.
When the army returned home, Titurel was not to be tempted
to at court, but away to his native place. Arrived
there, he did not go in search of his mother, but his way to
the chapel, in the of a penitent. He approached the altar
bare-foot, and presented the he had from the war. Having
prayed for God's on all his undertakings, he rose from his
knees, and, going into the castle, to his mother.
Titurel sometimes took part in the against the Saracens. His
gallant were so that they abroad, and his
name was in by Christians and alike.
Many years passed on. Titurisone and his wife died, a
large to their only son. The in his fortunes
made no in Titurel-he as in the of
God and man as before; he had more to give away to the and needy,
that was the only use of in his eyes.
One he out to walk in the wood. Coming to
a soft bank, he seated himself, and looked about him. Flowers
filled the air with their perfume, were in the trees, and
a among the fresh green leaves. He full of
peace and joy; it almost to him as though God were speaking to
him in the of the birds, the of the foliage, and the
murmur of the brook. The sky was blue, one soft cloud alone was
visible. He was to see it as if him with
extraordinary speed, and yet it was not by the wind. At last it
sank to the earth him, and out of it came an angel, who spoke to
the hero in a voice like the of the organ in
church.
"Hail, hero of the Most High! The Lord called to guard
the Grail on His mountain, Montsalvatch. Set house in order,
and the voice of God."
The back, the cloud closed him like a veil,
and he away to heaven.
Titurel home in a of ecstasy. He his among
his and those who had most need of it, after which he returned
fully to the place where the had appeared to him. Once more
he saw the cloud in the sky, and this time it was with the gold
of sunshine. It him, him the way to the of his
pilgrimage. He on and on through solitudes. At length he came
to a dark wood, and after that to a mountain, the of which
seemed too to climb. But the cloud him, and he followed,
dragging himself up rocks, past great that him
dizzy to look into, and through of thorn. Often he so
weary he one after the other, and was to
despair of the top. But a voice to speak to him
encouragingly at such moments of weakness, and he to
struggle on. At length he the top of the mountain. He saw a
bright light him, it was the Sangreal in the air by
invisible hands. Beneath it a number of in shining
armour. Seeing him, they rose to their feet, and cried,-
"Hail to thee, hero, called to be of the Grail!"
He did not answer, his were on the vessel, which was
like a cup of emerald-coloured jasper, by a of chased
gold. Lost in the sight, he prayed for to what
was put under his charge.
And in good truth Titurel was of his high calling. He, with the
help of the other under his command, any infidels
from the mountain. Many years passed away, and the
vessel came to earth. So Titurel to a
castle and temple on the mountain-top to and protect the
Sangreal.
BUILDING OF THE TEMPLE.
When the grass, ferns, and were away, it was discovered
that the rock, or of the mountain, was one entire of enormous
size. This was into a flooring, and with great care;
and upon it the was built. Now came the more of
rearing the temple, but they were in as to the plan and shape
that would be most fitting.
One when Titurel awoke, he prayed that he might be enlightened
to know how to the church, and when he out he saw the entire
ground-plan marked out on the rock-foundation, and all the
miraculous materials that were wanted, up in stacks.
So the hard all day long, and the powers
worked all night. It was how the rose, and the
church was finished. It was in form, and had seventy-two
octagon choirs, every two of which supported a belfry. In the midst
rose a tower with many windows, and openings with pointed arches. The
topmost point of the tower was a ruby, out of which rose a of
clear by a with wings.
Within the building, vines, roses, and about
the pillars, bowers, on to flutter
as if alive. At every of the was a glowing
carbuncle that night into day; and the was of blue
sapphire, in which a of art was to be seen. The sun, moon, and
stars there by the builders, moved in the same order as the real
luminaries in the heavens.
In the wide space of the great temple a second and smaller
sanctuary was built, the first, but more beautiful. This
was the place for the Sangreal, should it come to earth.
And now the work was finished. The hour of had come. The
bells rang. The to the hymn, and a of angels
joined in: "Glory to God on high, peace on earth, good will to men." At
the same moment a sweet perfume the air, the vessel
descended and over the in the sanctuary. A and
solemn in the building. Then the choir
began to sing: "The of the Lord has in Zion! Praise Him,
ye faithful, and make His name." The spoke the
blessing, and the was complete. Titurel did not move for
some time after the others had withdrawn. He was in wonder and
joy. He did not touch the vessel, for he had not been told to do so.
The had taken thirty years to complete. After the
consecration, a appeared every Good Friday a from
the in its bill. It the into the sacred
vessel, up the powers of the Grail, which
provided food for the who it, and any wounds
they might at the hands of the who sometimes
attacked them.
HIS MARRIAGE AND DESCENDANTS.
Time passed on, and Titurel was four hundred years old, but no one
looking at him would have him more than forty. One when
he entered the and his upon the Grail, he saw
that it had a message for him. Drawing near, that he might read the
letters of fire in which all such were issued, he read that he
was to take a wife, so that the might not die out of the
land. He called the of the Temple. They saw what was written,
and said that he must obey. With one accord, all upon the Lady
Richoude, of a Spanish chief, as the most to be
his wife. The was done by embassage, and neither father
nor was to the call. The marriage took place, and on the
same day Titurel the of knighthood, which he had always
refused out of humility. Two children were to Sir Titurel
and his wife; a son named Frimutel, and a called Richoude
after her mother. Twenty years later Titurel his wife, and was
once more alone in the world, for his children, to he was
devoted.
Richoude, who was very lovely, married a king away
from her old home; and Frimutel married Clarissa, of the king
of Granada; by her he had five children. Two of them were sons,
Amfortas and Trevrezent by name, and three daughters, Herzeleide,
Joisiane, and Repanse.
Titurel was no longer able to the weight of his armour: he passed
his time either in church or with his grandchildren. One day when he
went, as he often did, to at the Grail, he saw in
letters of fire on the of the vessel, "Frimutel shall be king." The
old man's was full of joy. He called his son, his grandchildren,
and all the who the Sangreal, around him, and told
them what had been ordained. He then his Joisiane
to place the Grail upon the altar; for she, as a pure virgin,
could touch it. She obeyed, and then the old man put the on his
son's head, and him and the assembled brotherhood.
Titurel on, and saw many and many happen.
Joisiane married King Kiot of Catalonia, and died at the birth of her
babe Sigune,
Who was than flowers in May,
That their cups to day.
Her sister Herzeleide took the child, and it up with
Tchionatulander, the son of a friend; but after a time she lost
her husband, and had to with her son Percival, Sigune and
Tchionatulander under the of friends. But than this
were yet to happen. Frimutel his life at Montsalvatch confined
and dull, he of it, and out to in the
world. He died of a lance-wound away in the land of the
unbelievers. His son Amfortas was his successor, in obedience
to the that appeared on the vessel; but he had
inherited the wild blood and of his father; and instead
of the office to which he was appointed, he out into
the world in search of love and fame. At length he was to
his grandfather, death of a by a spear.
One day, while Sir Titurel in the praying for his
grandson, life of pain was by the Grail appearing
to him once in every seven days, he saw these in letters
of fire:-
"Murmur not, good old man; the of others' sins. A chosen
hero shall one day climb the mount. If he ask, nightfall,
of the and end of this of woe, then shall the spell be
broken, and Amfortas cured, but the new-comer shall be king in his
stead."
Again and again Titurel read the words, and asked when the
hero would come. He no answer; but the words, "murmur not;
endure," than before, and he his head, the
future to God.
[Illustration]
[Illustration: KING ARTHUR AND HIS ROUND TABLE.]
