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Burning with the truth, Sir Richard longed to liberate his countrymen from the bondage of demons that had lain long upon them. And so he took up his sword and shield and rode into battle against magic. He travelled around the country, facing dragons and elves as they crawled forth from their foul holes to do battle with him. Now Sir Richard was a brave and puissant fighter, and he slew many of the foul creatures. Across the land he travelled, telling people of Christ and defeating the creatures and witches that held them in thrall to fear.
There are many stories from that time, but as I wish to tell you about a later part of his life I shall only recount one. There was a forest in England in which lived an evil spirit. She appeared most beautiful, but she was a corrupter, a temptress, and all those around lived in fear of her. She would come to the edge of the forest and sing to the villagers, trying to lure them to her, and since she was beautiful and her voice was lovely, they would come. When they came, she would snare their minds and turn them to fleshly things and to corruption, so that when they returned to their homes they could think nothing but lust, and their souls were damned.
Sir Richard arrived at this place, heard the tale, and forthwith resolved to rid them of this scourge. Some of the men, still in thrall to her, protested against this, but Sir Richard was strong in his faith, and rode to the wood, standing at the edge and calling out to the spirit. She came, and she was indeed as beautiful as the stories had said.
"Why do you hunt me, Sir Knight?" she asked. "I have done no harm, and wish merely to live peacefully." Her form was so beautiful, and her voice so sweet that Sir Richard wavered for a moment, wondering whether he truly wanted to slay such a creature. But she continued, "Come, lie with me and let me soothe your troubles."
Reminded of her corruption, his resolve was strengthened, and he drew his sword, and lunged to run her through. Drawing back with a piercing shriek, she changed to her true form to defend herself, a foul, scaled creature with great claws, dripping slime that smelled fouler than the darkest swamp. The fight was vicious, but Sir Richard, although wounded, was triumphant. As she died, her body melted away in a foul mist, and the forest was made lighter and purer by her passing.
Throughout the country Sir Richard fought the creatures in this wise, and throughout the country he was victorious. But he found that, when he returned to a place that he had freed in the past, another demon would have taken up residence, and the people would be no better off than they had been before he arrived. At length, this disheartened him, and he returned to Joseph at Glastonbury.
"Father," he said, "I have been fighting the creatures of Satan for many years now, but they always return. My strength is not enough to banish them. What should I do?" And Joseph smiled at him, for he saw that the knight had learnt the folly of trusting in human strength.
"Take the Grail, my son, and bear it before you to all these places. The power of God will overcome though you cannot." And so Richard left his sword, shield, and armour at the abbey, and took up the Grail. Bearing it in his hands, he rode forth into the country, again determined to drive forth the evil, but this time by the power of God.
He came into a country where a dragon was ravaging the villages, and the bravest knights had ridden against it, only to die. He went to the lord of the manor, and introduced himself, saying that he would free them from the dragon. The lord was delighted, and offered Sir Richard whatever weapons and armour he needed. But Richard shook his head and raised the Grail, saying,
"I trust in God, and this is all the weapon that I need." At this, the lord was struck with consternation, and begged Sir Richard to reconsider. He told tales of the might of the dragon, and of the number of knights who had already perished, but they only served to confirm Sir Richard in his resolution. "Truly, then," he said "it is clear that the arms of men cannot prevail against it. Why, then, should I think to try them again?" And the lord had no answer to the argument, but as Sir Richard left he mourned him as one that goes to certain death.
Sir Richard, unafraid for God was with him, rode out to meet the dragon. Before long the serpent came down out of the sky, and Sir Richard was engulfed in flames. But the Lord God was with him, and he was not harmed. Seeing this, the dragon became afraid, and dived towards him, baring its great teeth. Sir Richard raised the Grail, which shone with the light of a hundred suns, and the dragon was entirely consumed. The light continued to shine, and Sir Richard felt the oppression that had lain on the land lifting, and the pure power of God flowing in. He returned to the lord, who was surprised that he still lived, and then rode on to other places.
Everywhere, the Grail drove the creatures of magic away, destroying them and breaking their influence on the land. And when he rode back to places he had already visited, he found that the influence of evil had been destroyed for ever, and that nothing had returned to plague the people. Thus Sir Richard bore the Grail around the country, replacing the influence of the devil with that of God, and before he died he returned with it to the abbey at Glastonbury, where he finished his days as a monk.
Copyright David Chart 1995-1998