The High History of the Holy Graal
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The High History of the Holy Graal
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY:
ORIGINAL TEXT --
Potvin, Ch. (Ed.): "Perceval le Gallois ou le conte du Graal",
Vol. I (Soc. Bibl. Belges., Mons., 1866).
RECOMMENDED READING --
Anonymous (Trans. P.M. Matarasso): "The Quest for the Holy Graal"
(Penguin Classics, London, 1969).
DeTroyes, Chretien (Trans. William W. Kibler & Carleton W.
Carroll): "Arthurian Romances" (Penguin Classics, London, 1991).
Contains the unfinished work "Perceval".
Eschenbach, Wolfram von (Trans. A.T. Hatto): "Parzival" (Penguin
Classics, London, 1980).
Malory, Sir Thomas (Ed. Janet Cowen): "Le Morte D'Arthur", Vol. I
& II (Penguin Classics, London, 1969).
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INTRODUCTION
This book is translated from the first volume of "Perceval le
Gallois ou le conte du Graal"; edited by M. Ch. Potvin for `La
Societe des Bibliophiles Belges' in 1866, (1) from the MS.
numbered 11,145 in the library of the Dukes of Burgundy at
Brussels. This MS. I find thus described in M. F. J. Marchal's
catalogue of that priceless collection: `"Le Roman de Saint
Graal", beginning "Ores lestoires", in the French language; date,
first third of the sixteenth century; with ornamental capitals.'
(2) Written three centuries later than the original romance, and
full as it is of faults of the scribe, this manuscript is by far
the most complete known copy of the "Book of the Graal" in
existence, being defective only in Branch XXI. Titles 8 and 9,
the substance of which is fortunately preserved elsewhere. Large
fragments, however, amounting in all to nearly one-seventh of the
whole, of a copy in handwriting of the thirteenth century, are
preserved in six consecutive leaves and one detached leaf bound
up with a number of other works in a MS. numbered 113 in the City
Library at Berne. The volume is in folio on vellum closely
written in three columns to the page, and the seven leaves follow
the last poem contained in it, entitled "Duremart le Gallois".
The manuscript is well known, having been lent to M. de Sainte
Palaye for use in the Monuments of French History issued by the
Benedictines of the Congregation of St Maur. Selections from the
poems it contains are given in Sinner's "Extraits de Poesie du
XIII. Siecle", (3) and it is described, unfortunately without any
reference to these particular leaves, by the same learned
librarian in the "Catalogus Codicum MSS. Bibl. Bernensis", J.R.
Sinner. (4)
M. Potvin has carefully collated for his edition all that is
preserved of the Romance in this manuscript, comprising all the
beginning of the work as far as Branch III. Title 8, about the
middle, and from Branch XIX. Title 23, near the beginning, to
Branch XXX. Title 5, in the middle. Making allowance for
variations of spelling and sundry minor differences of reading,
by no means always in favour of the earlier scribe, the Berne
fragments are identical with the corresponding portions of the
Brussels manuscript, and it is therefore safe to assume that the
latter is on the whole an accurate transcript of the entire
original Romance.
The only note of time in the book itself is contained in the
declaration at the end. From this it appears that it was written
by order of the Seingnor of Cambrein for Messire Jehan the
Seingnor of Neele. M. Potvin, without giving any reason for so
doing, assumes that this Lord of Cambrein is none other than the
Bishop of Cambrai. If this assumption be correct, the person
referred to was probably either John of Berhune, who held the see
from 1200 till July 27, 1219, or his successor Godfrey of
Fontaines (Conde), who held it till 1237. To me, however, it
seems more likely that the personage intended was in reality the
'Seingnor' of Cambrin, the chef-lieu of a canton of the same
name, on a small hill overlooking the peat-marshes of Bethune,
albeit I can find no other record of any such landed proprietor's
existence.
Be this as it may, the Messire Jehan, Seingnor of Neele, can
hardly be other than the John de Nesle who was present at the
battle of Bouvines in 1214, and who in 1225 sold the lordship of
Bruges to Joan of Flanders. (5) These dates therefore may be
regarded as defining that of the original Romance within fairly
narrow limits.
This conclusion is confirmed by other evidence. An early Welsh
translation of the story was published with an English version
and a glossary by the Rev. Robert Williams in the first volume of
his "Selections from the Hengwrt MSS". (6) The first volume of
this work is entitled "Y Seint Greal, being the adventures of
King Arthur's knights of the Round Table, in the quest of the
Holy Grail, and on other occasions. Originally written about the
year 1200". The volume, following the manuscript now in the
library of W.W.E. Wynne, Esq., at Peniarth, is divided into two
parts. The first, fol. 1-109 of the manuscript, represents the
thirteenth to the seventeenth book of Sir Thomas Malory's "Morte
d'Arthur". Of the second, which represents the Romance here
translated, Mr Williams writes: "The second portion of the Welsh
Greal, folios 110-280, contains the adventures of Gwalchmei
Peredur and Lancelot, and of the knights of the Round Table; but
these are not found in the "Morte d'Arthur". The Peniarth MS. is
beautifully written on vellum, and in perfect preservation, and
its date is that of Henry VI., the early part of the fifteenth
century. The orthography and style of writing agrees literally
with that of the "Mabinogion of the Llyvr Coch Hergest", which is
of that date. This, of course, is a transcript of an earlier
copy; but there is no certainty when it was first translated into
Welsh, though Aneurin Owen in his "Catalogue of the Hengwrt MSS."
assigns it to the sixth year of Henry I. It is mentioned by
Davydd ab Gwilym, who died in 1368."
Whatever may be the date of the Welsh version, the translator had
no great mastery of French, and is often at fault as to the
meaning both of words and sentences, and when in a difficulty is
only too apt to cut the knot by omitting the passage bodily. The
book itself, moreover, is not entire. On page 275, all between
Branch IX. Title 16 and Branch XI. Title 2, twenty-two chapters
in all, is missing. Again, on page 355, Titles 10-16 in Branch
XXI. are left out, while the whole of the last Branch, containing
28 Titles, is crumpled up into one little chapter, from which it
would seem that the Welshman had read the French, but thought it
waste of pains to translate it. In all, not to speak of other
defects, there are fifty-six whole chapters in the present book,
of which there is not a word in the Welsh.
In one matter, however, Mr Williams' English translation has
stood me in good stead. In Branch XXI., as I have said, the
French manuscript makes default of two Titles, but almost the
whole of their substance is supplied by the Welsh version. By an
unlucky accident, before the hiatus in the French is fully filled
up, the Welsh version itself becomes defective, though the gap
thus left open can hardly extend beyond a very few words.
Without this supplement, incomplete as it is, it would have been
impossible to give the full drift of one of the Romancer's best
stories, which is equally unintelligible in both the French and
Welsh texts in their present state.
As the Welsh version gives a number of names both of persons and
places widely differing from those in the French, it may be
useful here to note the principal changes made. Perceval in the
Welsh is called Peredur, which is said to mean "steel suit". The
Welshman, however, adds that the name in French is "Peneffresvo
Galief", which, unless it be a misreading or miswriting for
Perceval le Galois, is to me wholly unintelligible. Perceval's
father, Alain li Gros, is in the Welsh Earl Evrawg, and his
sister Dindrane, Danbrann. King Arthur is Emperor Arthur, his
Queen Guenievre, Gwenhwyvar, and their son Lohot, Lohawt or
Llacheu. Messire Gawain is Gwalchmei; Chaus, son of Ywain li
Aoutres, Gawns, son of Owein Vrych; Messire Kay or Kex is Kei the
Long; Ahuret the Bastard, Anores; Ygerne, wife of Uther
Pendragon, Eigyr; Queen Jandree, Landyr; and King Fisherman for
the most part King Peleur. Of places, Cardoil is Caerlleon on
Usk, Pannenoisance, Penvoisins; Tintagel, Tindagoyl; and Avalon,
Avallach.
By a double stroke of ill-luck, the complete and wholly
independent Romance here translated has thus been printed by its
two former editors as if it were only a part of some other story.
M. Potvin describes it as the "First Part, the Romance in Prose,"
of his "Perceval le Gallois", and Mr Williams accepts it as the '
"Second Portion" of his "Y Seint Greal". This unhappy
collocation has led not a few of M. Potvin's readers to neglect
his First Part, under the impression that the story is retold in
the other volumes containing the Romance in verse; while not a
few of Mr Williams' readers have neglected his Second Portion
under the impression that there could be nothing of any special
importance in an adjunct referred to by the Editor in so
perfunctory a manner. In very truth, however, the Story of the
Holy Graal here told is not only the most coherent and poetic of
all the many versions of the Legend, but is also the first and
most authentic.
This seems to be proved beyond doubt by a passage in the History
of Fulke Fitz-Warine, originally written apparently between the
years 1256 and 1264. The passage occurs at the end of the
History, and is printed in verse of which I give a literal prose
translation:
"Merlin saith that in Britain the Great a Wolf shall come
from the White Launde. Twelve sharp teeth shall he have,
six below and six above. He shall have so fierce a look
that he shall chase the Leopard forth of the White Launde,
so much force shall he have and great virtue. We now know
that Merlin said this for Fulke the son of Waryn, for each
of you ought to understand of a surety how in the time of
the King Arthur that was called the White Launde which is
now named the White Town. For in this country was the
chapel of S. Austin that was fair, where Kahuz, the son of
Ywein, dreamed that he carried off the candlestick and that
he met a man who hurt him with a knife and wounded him in
the side. And he, on sleep, cried out so loud that King
Arthur hath heard him and awakened from sleep. And when
Kahuz was awake, he put his hand to his side. There hath he
found the knife that had smitten him through. SO TELLETH US
THE GRAAL, THE BOOK OF THE HOLY VESSEL. There the King
Arthur recovered his bounty and his valour when he had lost
all his chivalry and his virtue. From this country issued
forth the Wolf as saith Merlin the Wise, and the twelve
sharp teeth have we known by his shield. He bore a shield
indented as the heralds have devised. In the shield are
twelve teeth of gules and argent. By the Leopard may be
known and well understood King John, for he bore in his
shield the leopards of beaten gold." (7)
The story of Kahuz or Chaus here indicated by the historian is
told at length in the opening chapters of the present work and,
so far as is known, nowhere else. The inference is therefore
unavoidable that we have here "The Graal, the Book of the Holy
Vessel" to which the biographer of Fulke refers. The use,
moreover, of the definite article shows that the writer held this
book to be conclusive authority on the subject. By the time he
retold the story of Fulke, a whole library of Romances about
Perceval and the Holy Graal had been written, with some of which
it is hard to believe that any historian of the time was
unacquainted. He nevertheless distinguishes this particular
story as "The Graal", a way of speaking he would scarce have
adopted had he known of any other "Graals" of equal or nearly
equal authority.
Several years later, about 1280, the trouveur Sarrazin also cites
"The Graal" ("li Graaus") in the same manner, in superfluous
verification of the then-accepted truism that King Arthur was at
one time Lord of Great Britain. This appeal to "The Graal" as
the authority for a general belief shows that it was at that time
recognised as a well-spring of authentic knowledge; while the
fact that the trouveur was not confounding "The Graal" with the
later version of the story is further shown by his going on
presently to speak of "the Romance that Chrestien telleth so
fairly of Perceval the adventures of the Graal." (8)
Perhaps, however, the most striking testimony to the fact that
this work is none other than the original "Book of the Graal" is
to be found in the "Chronicle of Helinand", well known at the
time the Romance was written not only as a historian but as a
troubadour at one time in high favour at the court of Philip
Augustus, and in later years as one of the most ardent preachers
of the Albigensian Crusade. The passage, a part of which has
been often quoted, is inserted in the Chronicle under the year
720, and runs in English thus:
"At this time a certain marvellous vision was revealed by an
angel to a certain hermit in Britain concerning S. Joseph,
the decurion who deposed from the cross the Body of Our
Lord, as well as concerning the paten or dish in the which
Our Lord supped with His disciples, whereof the history was
written out by the said hermit and is called "Of the Graal"
(de Gradali). Now, a platter, broad and somewhat deep, is
called in French "gradalis" or "gradale", wherein costly
meats with their sauce are wont to be set before rich folk
by degrees ("gradatim") one morsel after another in divers
orders, and in the vulgar speech it is called "graalz", for
that it is grateful and acceptable to him that eateth
therein, as well for that which containeth the victual, for
that haply it is of silver or other precious material, as
for the contents thereof, to wit, the manifold courses of
costly meats. I have not been able to find this history
written in Latin, but it is in the possession of certain
noblemen written in French only, nor, as they say, can it
easily be found complete. This, however, I have not
hitherto been able to obtain from any person so as to read
it with attention. As soon as I can do so, I will translate
into Latin such passages as are more useful and more likely
to be true." (9)
A comparison of this passage with the Introduction to the present
work (10) leaves no doubt that Helinand here refers to this "Book
of the Graal", which cannot therefore be of a later date than
that at which he made this entry in his "Chronicle". At the same
time, the difficulty he experienced in obtaining even the loan of
the volume shows that the work had at that time been only lately
written, as in the course of a few years, copies of a book so
widely popular must have been comparatively common. The date,
therefore, at which Helinand's "Chronicle" was written determines
approximately that of the "Book of the Graal".
In its present state, the "Chronicle" comes to an end with a
notice of the capture of Constantinople by the French in 1204,
and it has been hastily assumed that Helinand's labours as a
chronicler must have closed in that year. As a matter of fact
they had not then even begun. At that time Helinand was still a
courtly troubadour, and had not yet entered on the monastic
career during which his "Chronicle" was compiled. He was
certainly living as late as 1229, and preached a sermon, which
assuredly shows no signs of mental decrepitude, in that year at a
synod in Toulouse. (11)
Fortunately a passage in the "Speculum Historiale" of Vincent of
Beauvais, himself a younger contemporary and probably a personal
acquaintance of Helinand, throws considerable light on the real
date of Helinand's "Chronicle". After recounting certain matters
connected with the early years of the thirteenth century, the
last date mentioned being 1209, Vincent proceeds: --
"In those times, in the diocese of Beauvais, was Helinand
monk of Froid-mont, a man religious and distinguished for
his eloquence, who also composed those verses on Death in
our vulgar tongue which are publicly read, so elegantly and
so usefully that the subject is laid open clearer than the
light. He also diligently digested into a certain huge
volume a Chronicle from the beginning of the world down to
his own time. But in truth this work was dissipated and
dispersed in such sort that it is nowhere to be found
entire. For it is reported that the said Helinand lent
certain sheets of the said work to one of his familiars, to
wit, Guarin, Lord Bishop of Senlis of good memory, and thus,
whether through forgetfulness or negligence or some other
cause, lost them altogether. From this work, however, as
far as I have been able to find it, I have inserted many
passages in this work of mine own also."
It will thus be seen that about 1209, Helinand became a monk at
Froid-mont, and it is exceedingly improbable that any portion of
his "Chronicle" was written before that date. On the other hand,
his `familiar' Guarin only became Bishop of Senlis in 1214, and
died in 1227, (12) so that it is certain Helinand wrote the last
part of his "Chronicle" not later than the last-mentioned year.
The limits of time, therefore, between which the "Chronicle" was
written are clearly circumscribed; and if it is impossible to
define the exact year in which this particular entry was made, it
is not, I fancy, beyond the legitimate bounds of critical
conjecture.
On the first page of the Romance, Helinand read that an Angel
had appeared to a certain hermit in Britain and revealed to him
the history of the Holy Graal. In transferring the record of
this event to his "Chronicle", he was compelled by the exigencies
of his system, which required the insertion of every event
recorded under some particular year, to assign a date to the
occurrence. A vague "five hundred years ago" would be likely to
suggest itself as an appropriate time at which the occurrence
might be supposed to have taken place; and if he were writing in
1220, the revelation to the hermit would thus naturally be
relegated to the year 720, the year under which the entry
actually appears. This, of course, is pure guesswork, but the
fact remains that the "Chronicle" was written in or about 1220,
and the "Book of the Graal" not long before it.
The name of the author is nowhere recorded. He may possibly be
referred to in the "Elucidation" prefixed to the rhymed version
of "Percival le Gallois" under the name of "Master Blihis", but
this vague and tantalising pseudonym affords no hint of his real
identity. (13) Whoever he may have been; I hope that I am not
misled by a translator's natural partiality for the author he
translates in assigning him a foremost rank among the masters of
medieval prose romance.
With these testimonies to its age and genuineness, I commend the
"Book of the Graal" to all who love to read of King Arthur and
his knights of the Table Round. They will find here printed in
English for the first time what I take to be in all good faith
the original story of Sir Perceval and the Holy Graal, whole and
incorrupt as it left the hands of its first author.
-- Sebastian Evans,
Coombe Lea, Bickley, Kent
ENDNOTES:
(1) 6 vols. 8vo. Mons, 1866-1871.
(2) Marchal "Cat.", 2 vols. Brussels, 1842. Vol i.p. 223.
(3) Lausanne, 1759.
(4) 3 vols. 8vo. Berne, 1770, etc. Vol. ii., Introduc. viii.
and p. 389 et seq.
(5) Rigord. "Chron." 196, p. 288. Wm. le Breton, "Phil." xi.
547. See also Birch-Hirschfeld, "Die Gralsage", p. 143.
(6) 2 vols. 8vo. London, Richards, 1876-1892.
(7) "L'histoire de Foulkes Fitz-Warin". Ed. F. Michel, Paris,
1840; p. 110. Ed. T. Wright (Warton Club), London, 1855; p.
179. Ed. J. Stevenson ("Roll, Pub. Chron." of R.
Coggeshall), London, 1875; p. 412. The MS. containing the
history (MS. Reg. 12. c. XII.) was first privately printed
for the late Sir T. Duffus Hardy from a transcript by A.
Berbrugger.
(8) "Le Roman de Ham", in the Appendix to F. Michel's "Histoire
des Ducs de Normandie". Soc. de l'Hist. de France, 1840,
pp. 225, 230.
(9) Helinandi Op. Ed. Migne. "Patrol." Vol. ccxii. col. 814.
The former part of the passage is quoted with due
acknowledgment by Vincent of Beauvais, "Spec. Hist." B.
xxiii. c. 147. Vincent, however, spells the French word
"grail", and, by turning Helinand's "nec" into "nune", makes
him say that the French work can now easily be found
complete. Vincent finished his "Speculum Historialz in 1244
B. xxi. c. 105.
(10) Vol. i. p. 1, etc.
(11) Sermon xxvi., printed in Minge, u.s. col. 692. It has been
doubted whether this sermon, preached in the church of S.
Jacques, was addressed to the Council held at Toulouse in
1219, or to the one held in 1229, but a perusal of the
sermon itself decides the question. It is wholly irrelevant
to the topics discussed at the former gathering, while it is
one continued commentary on the business transacted at the
latter. See also Dom Brial, "Hist. Litt. de la France",
xviii. 92.
(12) "De Mas Latrie. Tres. de Chron.", col. 1488.
(13) Cf. Potvin, "P. le G." ii. 1 and 7, with vol. i. p. 131 and
vol. ii. p. 112 of the present work (See also the
Proceedings of the "Hon. Soc. of Cymmrodorion", 1908-9. Ed.)
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