King Arthur married Guinevere and as part of her dowry she brought with
her a large round table, large enough to seat one hundred and fifty warriors at one time.
Being round, there could be no head of the table and so no one could take precedence over
another.
Thus Arthur and his knights became known for their justice.
Of all the adventures the knights had the most famous was the quest for
the Holy Grail. It was said to be the cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper and it was
supposedly filled with Jesus' blood by Joseph of Arimathea.
One night when King Arthur and his knights were seated at the round
table a loud crack of thunder was heard. A beam of light stronger than normal came into
the room and as they looked around they thought that the others had never looked so
beautiful before.
Then a cup, shrouded in white silk, came into the room and, trailing an
overbearing sweetness, it travelled through the room leaving behind it the foods that they
loved most.
Sir Gawain swore to find it and to see it without its shroud and the
other knights stood and made the same vow.
The king was upset for he knew that the knights would never return
alive and he was now deprived of their friendship.
In the end he was proven right, for only Sir Galahad would succeed in
the quest and even he would not return with the news to Arthur.
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