The man wore no helmet, had neither shield nor lance, and was bound round the waist by a strong, thick
chain, the other end of which was attached to a block of stone.

When the knight saw Perceval coming toward the castle, he said, “Oh, knight, if you are of King Arthur’s court and a knight in search of adventure, come help me get out of here, as you must do, for I too am a knight, like you.”

As soon as Perceval saw the knight, he went toward him, declared that he would not fail him, and asked him
how he might help him.

“If you have such a good sword that it can cut through this chain, I will be freed, and not otherwise.”

He replied that his sword would be no obstacle, even if he had to break it in two. Perceval had him draw near the
block of stone, and the knight asked him how he intended to go about it.

“I want to cut through the chain just even with your hauberk; if I did otherwise, you’d still be chained.”

The knight lay down on the block. Perceval drew his sword and struck such a great blow upon the chain that he sliced right through it and the knight’s hauberk as well, coming so close that he nearly wounded him. It was obvious that this was a fine, sharp sword, since it sliced through the doubled mail of the hauberk and the chain and went right on through the edge of the stone, slicing it off just like a piece of dirt.

When the knight saw this blow, he crossed himself and said, “My lord, judging by your stroke, you’re not a man but a demon! But I believe you’ve shortened your sword in the process.”

Perceval held it up, thinking that the knight was probably correct, but when he looked at it he found it whole and in good condition. This pleased him, for now he loved it more than he had before.

Vulgate Lancelot