The right plesaunt and goodly historie of the foure sonnes of Aymon. Englisht from the French by William Caxton, and printed by him about 1489. Ed. from the unique copy, now in the possession of Earl Spencer, with an introduction by Octavia Richardson.

CHAPTER XI. [The heading of this chapter is omitted by Caxton, and is therefore given here from Copland's Table: the French Edition of 1480 has it in the following form:

Comment, par le secours que maugis amena a Regnault et a ses freres es plains de Vaulx couleurs, Ilz des confirent les gens du roy Charlemaigne, dont ogier en eut mains reprouches de Rolant pour aulcune bonte quil auoit faicte a Regnault et a ses freres en la roche mombron. Et en fut ogier appelie 'traictre,' dont grant Inconvenient en vint apres devant Charlemaigne. Chapitre .xi.

]

[How by the succours that Mawgis brought to reynawd and to his bretherne into the playne of Walcoloures, they discomfited kyng charlemagnes folke, wherof Ogier had manye reproches of rowlande for some goodnes and favoure that he had shewed to reynawde and his bretherne at roche mountbron, and was therfore called traitoure, wherof a great inconvenience came therof afterwarde afore king Charlemagne.]

Now sheweth the history, after that Reynawd had dyscomfyted the frenshemen / he retorned agen

towarde roche mountbron, where he had lefte his brother Richarde thus wounded, as ye have herde / And whan he was come there, & saw his brother so horryble wounded / he cowde not kepe him from wepynge / and sayd, 'Alas! what shall I doo whan I [folio R.iii.a] have lost my dere brother, the beste frende that I have in the world?' and after he had sayd that worde he felle to the grounde from bayarde in a swoune. and whan alarde & guycharde sawe their broder that was fall, they began to make theyr mone for Richarde pietously. And whan Reynawde was com agen to hymselfe / he made grete sorowe wyth his two bredern, Alarde & guycharde, vpon Richarde their brother, that laye vpon therthe wyth his bowelles betwene his handes. And this hangyng, cam mawgis vpon broykarre, his gode horse, the best that men wyste after bayarde / and helde a pece of a spere in his hande / And whan he saw Reynaud make suche sorow, he was right sori for it. And whan he sawe Richarde thus sore wounded / he was wrothe, & had grete pyte for to see the wounde that was so grete / for men sawe the lyver wythin his body. Thenne sayd he to Reynawd, 'fayr cosin, take hede what I shall say, & leve this sorow; ye know wel that ye be all my cosins / and therfore we ought to parforce ourselfe for to socour thone the other whan it is nede. I have socoured you many tymes / and wyte it that all the [h]arme that Charlemagn bereth to me / it is all thrughe your occasion / he slewe my fader but late, wherof I bere yet at my hert grete hevynes, that was your vncle that deyed for your love: that knowe ye well / But yf ye wyll promyse me afore all your barons for to com wyth me into the tente of the kynge charlemagne, & helpe me to sawte hym for to avenge vpon hym the dethe of my sayd fader / yf we can, I shall delyver to you Rychard, evyn

now hole & sounde without any sore' / and whan Reynawde understode thise wordes, he cam to mawgis / and kyssed hym in the breste all wepyng, & sayd to hym / 'Ryghte swete & fayr cosin, for god mercy, Delyver to me agen my broder Richarde hole, yf it playse you. And yf ye wyll that I [folio R.iii.b] doo ony other thyng for you / commaunde me, and I shall do it wyth right good herte / For ye wote well that I dyde never ony thyng that was agenst your wyll; nor there is no man in the worlde for whom I wolde doo so moche as I wold do for you.' whan mawgys sawe Reynawd wepe so tenderly, he had grete pite of it, and sayd to hym, 'Now be not dysmayed of no thyng, fayr cosyn, for ye shall have Richarde hole & sounde incontynente.' And thenne he lighted doun from his horse / and toke a botell wyth white wyne, & wasshed the wounde of Rycharde ther wythall ryght well / and had awaye all the blood that was aboute / And be not merveylled where he gate all suche thynges as apperteyneth to this cure / For he was the subtillest nygramancer that ever was in the worlde; and whan he had doon so, he toke his bowelles, & put theym agen in to his body / and thenne he toke a nedle & a threde / and sewed vp the wounde full maisterly, and hurted not rycharde / and after, he toke a salve, he anoynted all the wounde / and as soone as the wounde was thus anoynted it was as hole as thoughe he had never be hurte in that place of his body / And whan he had doon all this, he toke a drynke & gaaf it to Rycharde for to drynke / and whan Richarde had dronken it, he rose lightly vpon his fete, all delyvered & quyte fro his dysase / and sayd to his bredern / 'where is Ogier goon and his folke / are they scaped from vs' / 'brother,' answered Reynawd, 'we have dyscomfyted theim, god gramercy, & mawgis, that cam to socour vs / for otherwyse we sholde have

ben all deed, and so he hath saved vs & our lyves at thys tyme. now ought we well to love hym more than our selfe.' 'broder,' sayd Richarde, 'ye saye trouthe' / and after, Alarde sayd to mawgys / 'fayr cosin, hele me, I praye you / for I have a grete wounde in the thye.' 'And I also,' sayd Reynawde, 'for I [folio R.iv.a] am hurt right sore' / 'and I also,' sayd guycharde, 'for goddys love gyve vs helthe to all vs' / thenne sayd mawgis to theim / 'be not dysmayed, my fayr cosyns / for I shall helpe you al anone' / Thenne toke mawgis of the white wyne wherof he had washed the wounde of Richarde / and wasshed their woundes to theim all / and after he noynted theim swetly, & anone they were all hole / And whan they were all guarisshed / they made Richard to lighte vpon a horse, and put theymself to the waye, for to retorne agen ²to montalban.² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. o. iv.] And thus as they went on their waye, [a moult grant joye, F. orig. o. iv.] a spye departed fro their felyshyp of Reynawde / and cam to montalban to the kyng yon, & sayd to hym, 'Sir, I bryng you tydynges / Now wyte that reynawd & his bredern ben scaped fro the playn of valcolours, where ye had sent theim; and they have dyscomfyted ogier the dane & all the folke of charlemagn, and also they have slayn foulques of morillon & therle guymarde / and soo many of other knyghtes that I cowde not telle you the nombre.'

And whan the kyng yon vnderstode thise tydynges, he was sore abasshed of it, that he wyste not what he sholde saye; and after he sayd, 'Alas, how gooth this / here ben evill tydynges! how may this be / dyde they fynde the busshemente of the kyng Charlemagne? 'sire,' sayd the spye / 'ye, certenly / and shold have ben cursedly handled yf mawgis their cosin had not socourde theim / And for the socours that mawgys broughte wyth him / Oger was dyscomfyted,

& all his folke of Charlemagne, soo that fewe of theym scaped / For mawgis broughte to Reynawd bayarde, his good horse / that was cause of all the harme ¹that was doon there of the other parte¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. o. v. back.] / 'Alas! vnhappy myschaunt,' sayd thenne the kyng yon, '& what shall I doo / yf I abyde Reynawd, mawgis, alarde, guychard, & rychard, I am deed wythout doubt / for all the world [folio R.iv.b] coude not deffende me therfro. And also it were well righte nor Reynawd sholde doo but well, yf he slewe me cruelly / For I have well deserved dethe / for never Iudas ne the emperour Neron of Rome made soo grete a treyson as I have doon, that wold have brought to a cruell deth the best knyghtes of the worlde, ¹that ben the four sones of Aymon,¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. o. v. back.] for the thretynge of a prynce.' And whan he had sayd thise wordes, he beganne to make grete sorowe / and sayd / 'Ha, fayr suster Clare / this day shall departe our love / ye shall never see me more / This daye shall I forsake Gascoyn, for I shall never come agen therin' / And thenne he cryed wyth an hyghe voys / 'Now goo hens, fayr lordes, for goddis sake / be lightly redy / For the nede of it is now com; and lete vs bryng with vs the beste knyghtes [chevaulx que vous ayez, F. orig. o. v. back.] that I and ye have. and yf we maye doo so moche to gete the wode of the serpent, ⁴whiche is a grete foreste, we shall be sauff ynoughe / and⁴ [^4—4 omitted, F. orig. o. v. back.] we shall may scape at our ease / For we shall lodge ourselfe wythin an abbey of saynte Lazare / and we shall take suche habyte as the monkes there have / And by all thus shall we maye be saved. For I knowe soo moche goodnes in Reynawd, that whan he shall fynde vs shoren as monkes / he shall do vs no harme' / Thenne was there a spye, that was called Pygwade, that was soo grete that he had well XV fote of lengthe /

and wente as faste as any horse cowde trotte / This Pygwade had well herde all that the kyng yon had sayd / & wrote it in a skynne of parchemente / and wente lightly out of Mountalban at the gate, called ye gate fawcon / and passed thrughe the wood of the serpent in a lityll while, And mette wyth Reynaud, his bretherne, and Mawgis, that came agayn to Mountalban, that broughte wyth theym ¹a grete multytude of¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. o. v. back.] prisoners; and Pygwade, that grete theeff watched vpon [folio R.v.a] theym. And anone he ranne as faste as he myghte to Mountbendel / and wente in to the pavylyon of Charlemagne, and called Rowlande / and sayd to hym, 'Syre, I shall telle you such tydynges / wherby ye shall gete goode ynoughe, yf ye wyll beleve me / And I shall telle you a thyng wherof ye shall be right gladde' / 'Goode frende,' sayd thenne Rowlande, 'thou arte welcom to me / and what tydynges bryngest thou, telle me, I praye the.' [thee.] 'Syre,' sayd Pygwade / 'wyte it that the kynge yon fleeth awaye all vnarmed / he and all his folke, and hath wyth theym nother somer nor mewle, but oonly their beste horses' / And they goo in to the wode of the serpente, in to a house of religyon, whiche is named saynte Lazare / and he hymselfe is delybered for to take the habyte and to be come a monke / 'By my feyth,' sayd thenne Rowlande, 'I shall goo mete wyth theym anone wyth foure thousande knyghtes / And I shall avenge Reynawde and his brederne vpon theym / and I shall make theym to be hanged as traytours / For I never loved tratours / nor never shal, and god wylle' / 'Syre,' sayd Pygwade, 'yet is there more / for I have founde Reynawde, his brethern, and Mawgis, that came over the ryver of Balencon, that bryngeth wyth theym many prisoners of your folke / And yf ye wyll fynde theim, ye muste

goo that waye' / 'Frende,' sayd Rowlande, 'ye have deserved a grete rewarde / for ye have broughte to vs goode tydynges' / Thenne Rowlande called to hym Olyver / and sayd, 'Olyver, my goode & true felawe, lighte vpon your horse quyckely / and brynge wyth you Guydellon and Rycharde of Normande; and ye syre Ogyer of Danmarke, ye shall come wyth me, yf it playse you / and ye shall see the grete prouesse of Reynawde, the sone of Aymon / And we shall take [folio R.v.b] wyth vs but foure thousande men, and yet Reynawde is fyve thousand well horsed and well arayed / And thus we shall mowe fyghte wyth theym wythoute ony avantage.' 'Certes,' sayd Ogyer, 'I shall goo there to see howe ye shall have hym / And whan ye have taken hym, I promyse you to lende you a rope, yf ye have nede of it' / And whan they had all devysed, they mounted on horse backe / and toke their waye, And the grete rybawde guyded theym streyght to the ryver of Balancon. And the kynge of Gascoyn rode thenne thorughe the wodes of serpente wyth his folke / and he rode soo longe that he aryved at the monastary of saynte Lazare / And they prayed the abbote of the place soo moche, that he made theym monkes in the devylles name / This hangynge, came there Rowlande and Olyvere wyth theyr folke, that entred anone in to the abbey. And whan the abbot sawe them, he came theym agenste, and all the covent syngynge, 'Te deum laudamus.' And whan they had songe / the abbot sayd to Rowlande, 'Syre, ye be right welcome / wylle ye have ony thynge that we may doo?' / 'Lorde abbot,' sayd Rowlande, 'we thanke you wyth all our herte / But wyte that we seke here the falseste traytour of the worlde / that men calle the kyng yon of Gascoyn / the whiche is here wythin; for I wyll hange hym like a theeff' /

Thenne answered the abbot / 'ye shall not, syre, and plaise you, for he is become our monke / and also he hath taken the habyte / And therfore we shall defende hym agenste all men.' Whan Rowlande herde the abbot speke soo / he tooke hym by the hoode / And Olyver toke the pryour that was nyghe, & they shoved theym so prately agenste a pyller of marbell stone that their eyen lepte oute of theyr hedes. And [folio R.vi.a] thenne Rowlande sayd to the abbot / 'Now mayster monke, delyver to me lightly that devyll the kynge Yon, whiche is the brother of Iudas, or elles I shall make an ende of you, For I have sworne that he shall never doo treyson more' / Whan thabbot vnderstode this that Rowlande sayd to hym, he and all his monkes fledde awaye from hym. And whan Rowlande sawe this, he set hande to his goode swerde, Durandall, and entred in to the cloystre, where he fonde the kynge yon knelynge byfore an ymage of our lady, And was cladde wyth the abbyt of religyon / and the hode vpon his hede / And whan Rowlande sawe hym / he knewe hym well / For he had seen hym afore that wyth his vncle Charlemagn / Thenne he toke hym and sayd to hym, 'Syre monke, in the devylles name, conne ye well your lesson / arise vp wyth sorowe, and come wyth me for to see the kynge Charlemagne; for he shall make you to be hanged as a traytour proved evyll kynge, and a felon / Where ben the foure sones of Aymon that ye sholde have delyvered vnto Charlemagn? ye shall be payed for the trayson that ye have doon; and I wyth myn handes shall avenge Reynawde and his brethern vpon you.' And whan he had sayd this / he made the kynge Yon to be set vpon a horse / and blynded his eyen ²wyth a clowte, that he myghte not see noo thynge.² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. o. vi.] And thenne gaaffe hym the monkes hode vpon his hede / And thus satte in the sadle, the

face towarde the horse taylle / and the back forward. The kyng yon made none other thyng but that he wysshed styll after Reynawd and his brethern / and sayd / 'Alas, and that I dyde grete harme / whanne that I consented to this mortalle trayson [comme ceste a este, F. orig. o. vi.] / Now oughte I well to deye ten tymes yf ²it myghte be soo² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. o. vi.] / For I have well deserved deth. [folio R.vi.b] Whan the kynge Yon had sayd this, he sayd to one of his pryve counseyll that he herde nyghe hym, how well he sawe not, 'Frende, goo to Mountalban, and telle Reynawde that he com to socour me, for he is my man, and that he take no hede to my trespase ²& evyll dede² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. o. vi.] / but to his fraunchyse. For yf he lete me deye soo, he shall be therof repreved & blamed evermore, and his yssue shall be dishonourde by. And yf he can recover me / I wyll that he make my tonge to be kyt of, wherby I dyd consent to the trayson / or elles my hede / yf it semeth hym good / for I have well deserved it agenst hym' / 'Syre,' sayd the knyghte, 'I shall not goo there, for I wote wyll that reynawd wyll not set one fote forth for to save you, by cause of the grete harme that ye wold have doon to hym' / 'he shal,' sayd the kyng yon, 'for I knowe so moche by hym that he shall not saye there agenst.' 'Syr, [dist le cheuallier, F. orig. o. vi.] I wyll thenne goo to hym wyth a good wyll, sith that it plaise you; and god gyve that reynaude, his bredern, & mawgys wyll com & helpe you / for I know well that ye have grete nede of it / but yf god helpe you' / This hangyng, olyver sayd to rowland / 'Rowlande, good felawe myn / what shall we doo with this vnhappy kyng?' / 'frende,' sayd Rowland, 'we shall lede hym to mountfawcon / and we shall leve Balencon at the right hande' / And this they dyd, for to fynde

reynawde & his bredern / for rowland was sore wyllinge to fynde reynawd, his bredern, & mawgis ¹his cosin.¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. o. vi.] 'Gode lord,' said oger the dane, 'by thy pite & mysericorde, graunt to Rowlande his prayer & his wyll, that is that we maye fynde Reynawde, his brethern, & mawgis / for to see how rowlande shall bere hymself, and yf he shold take theym or noo / for I knowe well that none shall put doun his pride but onely reynawd.' [le filz aymon, F. orig. o. vii.] ¶ But here I leve to speke of Rowland, olyver, & of Oger, & of their folke, and of the kynge yon of gascoyn, that [folio R.vii.a] they broughte wyth [them] for to be hanged, and retorne agen to shewe of the foure sones of Aymon.