[Sidenote: King Pellinore fleeth to the wilderness] Now, King Pellinore
took with him into the wilderness his wife and his four sons; to wit,
Lamorack and Aglaval and Dornar and Percival. Of these, Percival was but
three years of age; the others, excepting Dornar, being nigh to the estate
of manhood. Thereafter that noble family dwelt in the forest like hunted
animals, and that was a very great hardship for the lady who had been
queen; and, likewise, it was greatly to the peril of the young child,
Percival.
Now, Percival was extraordinarily beautiful and his mother loved him above
all her other sons. Wherefore she feared lest the young child should die of
those hardships in the wilderness.
So one day King Pellinore said: "Dear love, I am now in no wise prepared
for to defend thee and this little one. Wherefore, for a while, I shall put
ye away from me so that ye may remain in secret hiding until such time as
the child shall have grown in years and stature to the estate of manhood
and may so defend himself.
"Now of all my one-time possessions I have only two left to me.
Pages:
432
433
434
435
436
437
438
439
440
441
442
443
444
445
446
447
448
449
450
451
452
453
454
455
456