when they had eaten and drunk as much as they desired, the nobleman
asked Peredur whether he could fight with a sword? "Were I to
receive instruction," said Peredur, "I think I could." Now, there
was on the floor of the hall a huge staple, as large as a warrior
could grasp. "Take yonder sword," said the man to Peredur, "and
strike the iron staple." So Peredur arose and struck the staple, so
that he cut it in two; and the sword broke into two parts also.
"Place the two parts together, and reunite them," and Peredur placed
them together, and they became entire as they were before. And a
second time he struck upon the staple, so that both it and the sword
broke in two, and as before they reunited. And the third time he
gave a like blow, and placed the broken parts together, and neither
the staple nor the sword would unite as before. "Youth," said the
nobleman, "come now, and sit down, and my blessing be upon thee.
Thou fightest best with the sword of any man in the kingdom. Thou
hast arrived at two-thirds of thy strength, and the other third thou
hast not yet obtained; and when thou attainest to thy full power,
none will be able to contend with thee. I am thy uncle, thy mother's
brother, and I am brother to the man in whose house thou wast last
night." Then Peredur and his uncle discoursed together, and he
beheld two youths enter the hall, and proceed up to the chamber,
bearing a spear of mighty size, with three streams of blood flowing
from the point to the ground. And when all the company saw this,
they began wailing and lamenting. But for all that, the man did not
break off his discourse with Peredur. And as he did not tell Peredur
the meaning of what he saw, he forbore to ask him concerning it. And
when the clamour had a little subsided, behold two maidens entered,
with a large salver between them, in which was a man's head,
surrounded by a profusion of blood. And thereupon the company of the
court made so great an outcry, that it was irksome to be in the same