As soon as Perceval saw the knight, he turned his horse toward him, as did the other, who feared him not at all. They struck each other so violently that, because their lances were strong and their hauberks tightly woven, the cantles of their saddles shattered, their cinches broke, and they knocked each other to the ground in such a way that neither could mock the other. They did not stay down long, for they were very good and worthy knights, but got to their feet, drew their swords, and raised up their shields. Perceval looked long and hard at the knight’s shield, because on it were painted a queen and a knight kneeling before her as though begging for mercy; the shield was so beautiful that no knight ever bore one like it.

Once they had begun their battle, there was no one who would not have gladly watched them, for both were of great prowess, and it would have been difficult to find their equals. In a short while they had hacked up their helmets and hauberks so badly that both were all covered with blood; this made them fight more fiercely with each other. The battle lasted so long that the hour of nones passed, and then both were so worn and weary that they were forced to rest to catch their breath. They drew apart a little and looked at each other.

When they had rested a while, Perceval said to the knight, “My lord, I wish to ask your name, for I’ve never met another knight whom I so much wished to know. Therefore, I beg you, for courtesy’s sake, to tell me your name, if you will.”

“Indeed, sir knight,” he replied, “you are such a worthy knight that I would not conceal it from you. Know then that whoever wishes to name me correctly will call me the Guilty Knight, and because of that I bear a fitting device. Now I’ve told you my name; I beg you to tell me yours, and who you are.”

He replied that he was of the house of King Arthur and companion of the Round Table, “and my name is Perceval the Welshman, brother of Agloval.”

When the knight heard this, he at once threw his shield upon the ground, picked up his sword, and knelt down before Perceval, saying, “Sir knight, I consider myself defeated. I will fight no more against you, since you are of that house, for henceforth I could have neither strength nor power against you, for love of the house where all sweetness dwells.”

When Perceval saw the knight kneeling before him, he did not accept it, but rather raised him up and said, “Ah, my lord, for God’s sake, what’s this you say?”

Then the knight removed his helmet and held out his sword: “My lord, take all my arms.”

Perceval looked at him and saw that he was weeping most tenderly; he wondered why this was, and said, “My lord, I beg you, in the name of the thing you most love in all the world, to tell me your name.”

And he replied, weeping, “My lord, since you have entreated me that way, I will tell you: I am called Lancelot of the Lake.”

Vulgate Lancelot