His opponent was no apprentice in this matter; he had been accustomed to it since childhood: with all the strength he could draw from his arm, he struck him upon the helmet. But Perceval, who was not as weary as Hector, raised his sword and dealt him four blows that caused him great pain.

Then the fight became so fierce and perilous that anyone who saw them would have esteemed them worthy knights. Each of them was amazed at the prowess he found in his adversary, for Hector would never have believed there was such prowess in Perceval, and Perceval would never have expected to find such a knight as Hector seemed to be. For this reason each of them was profoundly afraid of losing his head. Yet each defended himself well, covering himself with his shield, well aware of the cutting blows of the other’s sword. At every moment they were so quick and so aggressive that it was a wonder to behold; in great anguish they endured great and terrible wounds that each inflicted on the other in quick succession, like knights of great prowess, hacking apart their shields and helmets with their swords and making the blood gush forth
on every side.

The battle went on so long that each of them had received ten wounds, the least of which would have made another think he was dying; wherever they walked, the ground bore traces of their passage, for it was completely covered with pieces of shield, links of chain mail, or blood that had dropped from their bodies, and had they not been so mighty, they would have died long since from the great hardships they had endured. But the great desire of each to avenge himself, since they saw themselves mortally wounded, led them to endure beyond what they should otherwise have done; nevertheless, they had endured and suffered so much that their blows were now of little value, for when they thought to strike each other, their swords often slipped from their hands and fell to earth, and that was why they were still standing, and neither spoke a word, no matter what befell his adversary. They pursued their first attack until at last they were forced to rest and withdraw, one on each side, to catch their breath and regain their strength, something they greatly desired.

Vulgate Lancelot