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 XII.

¶ How after that Reynawd & hys bredern were garnysshed of theyr woundes that they had in the playne of valcolours, they went agen to Montalban. And how they rescued the kynge Yon from the handes of Rowlande. [Caxton has left out part of the French original, which has:

"Mais quant le roy jon sceut leur destour, il sen fouyt, et sen ala rendre moyne en ung moustier qui estoit dedens le boys de la serpente, la ou rolant et olivier et ogier le dannois le trouverent, et le volurent faire pendre pour la trahison quil auoit faicte a regnault et a ses freres. Non obstant que regnault fut leur enemy. Mais regnault le recourut des gens de rolant." Chapitre .xii.

]

In this partye sheweth the history, that whan Reynawde & his brethern were well hole of theyr

woundes, by the helpe of Mawgys, that had heeled theym, they put theym selfe to the waye agayn towarde Mountalban. And whan they were come there / my lady Clare wente agenste theym, and broughte wyth her two chyldren, Yonnet and Aymonet, that had wepte and [end in Caxton.] scratched their swete [omitted, F. orig. o. vii. back.] vysages soo sore that there appered of theym nother eyen nor mouthes / Alwayes they wyste not wherfore they dyde soo / for they were veri yonge. And she also was all dysfygured for wepynge, And of grete lamentacyons that she made, for she wyste well how ²her brother,² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. o. vii. back.] the kynge Yon, had betrayed Reynawd her husbonde and his bredern / and wende that they had ben deed. But whan she sawe theym come, she was never soo gladde. And the two chyldren ranne at their faders fete [et de leurs oncles, F. orig. o. vii. back.] / and wold have kyssed theym. And whan Reynawde sawe theym, he shoved theym awaye wyth his fete soo strongly that he had almoste broste theym / And the lady wolde have taken hym in her armes and kyssed hym, but he wolde not sufre her / and sayd to her / 'Lady, goo oute of my syghte to your brother, that fellon cruell and false traitour / for ye shall never have my love agen / for it hath not holden in hym / but that we shold have be deed by this tyme, yf god & our cosin mawgis had not socourde vs / now goo after hym all a fote & wythout company / for ye shall not take [folio R.vii.b] no thing of myn, & as an evyll woman ye shall goo your way, for ye be the suster of ye gretest traytour & the vntruest kyng of the worlde / and I shall hang your chyldren / for I fere me leest they sholde be traytours as their vncle' / 'Syre, for god mercy,' sayd the lady, 'I shall swere to you vpon all halowes, that I had doubte of your goynge, and many tymes I dyde

telle you of it, thorughe thoccasion of the dreme that I dremed that nyghte / And I tolde you that ye sholde not beleve the kynge my brother. And, notwythstandynge that he was my brother / I doubted this that is befallen sith. Syre, for god I crye you mercy / For in this I am noo thyng gylty / and soo god have mercy of my soule / For I love moche better the leest too of your fote, than all kyng yon my brother / nor all the londe of Gascoyn.' And whan she had sayd this, she felle doun in a swoune vpon the fete of Reynawde. And whan guycharde saw the lady in a swoune / he toke her vp, & sayd to her / 'Madame, discomfort not yourselfe so sore; lete Reynaud saye his wyll / for ye be our owne lady, ¹& our suster¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. o. vii.] / now be of good chere / as longe as we be a lyve we shall not faylle you; & thoughe ¹our broder¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. o. vii.] Reynawd faylle you, we shall not doo so / but we shall serve you wyth all our hert' / 'broder,' sayd richarde, 'lete vs doo one thynge / goo we praye our broder Reynawd that he pardonne my lady, our suster, his evyll wyll / for she is not gylty in the mater / And yf we wold have beleved her, we shold not have gon on fote oute of this place / and now we oughte to shewe the grene & ye russet mauntelles of ermynes, the good horses & palfreis that my lady dyde gyve vs, more oftener than dyde Reynawde. Now lete vs reward her for it / for she hath mystre of it / and at the nede the frende is knowen.' 'bi my feith,' said alard, 'ye saye well.' And thenne wente the thre bredern vnto Reynawde, [folio R.viii.a] and drewe hym a syde. and after, Alarde sayd to hym / 'Fair broder, for goddys love be not thus angry, for ye know that my lady hath noo culpe at all the treyson that her brother, the kynge yon, hath doon to vs / For yf ye wolde have byleved her, we sholde not

have goon thider / Wherfore we praye you that ye wyll pardonne her' / Thenne sayd Reynawd, 'my brethern, for the love of you I graunt the same, and I pardonne her myn evyll wyll presently' / Whan the brethern vnderstode hym, they were right glad / and came agen to the lady Clare, and sayd to her / 'Madame, be of good chere, and make Ioye, for we have made your peas' / And thenne ¹Alarde & Guycharde¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. o. vii.] toke her by the handes, and broughte her to her husbonde Reynawd / and whan Reynawde saw her / he went and toke her by the chynne, and kyssed her. [par grant amour, F. orig. o. viii. back.] And thenne began the ioye & the feste ryght grete at Mountalban / And they wasshed their handes & went to their mete. And thus as they sat at the table, there came in the messager of the kynge yon / that cam to Reynawd / And whan he was afore Reynawd, he sayd to hym, 'Syre, the kynge yon sendeth you worde by me that ye come to socour hym / for otherwyse he canne not scape the dethe, For Rowlande & Olyver ledeth hym for to be hanged at Mountfawcon. And doo this, syre, yf it playse you for god / and beholde not his evyll wyll / but take hede to your goodnes, for our lord pardonned mari magdalene & longys [Longius.] of their synnes. He knoweth well that he hath deserved dethe for the grete fawte that he hath doon to you; and yf ye slee hym, he pardonneth to you his dethe' /

'Goddys curse have he,' sayd Alarde, 'that shall set his fote thiderward, nor that shall bye hym agen, though he myghte be had for a strawe / But goddys curse have Rowlande, [folio R.viii.b] yf he hangeth hym not as a traytour approved' / Whan Reynawd had herd this that the mesager said, he loked dounwarde, & studyed a goode while that he sayd noo worde. and whan he

had thoughte long ynoughe / he began to wepe, beholdynge his bredern / For a good herte can not lye whan it cometh to a nede. Thenne sayd he a good raison as a noble knighte / 'Lordes,' sayd Reynawd to his bredern & to his knyghtes, 'Now here what I wyll saye to you / Ye know how I was dysheryted at parys wrongfully vpon a feste of Penthecoste, that Charlemagn helde open court and full in his palays, where was a fayr company of grete Lordes / For there were vii [Troys, F. orig. o. viii. back.] hundred knyghtes, all gentylmen, bothe of name & of armes / and a hundred, what of dukes & of erles / and more than four [cinquante, F. orig. o. viii. back.] score bysshopes, and many barons. and that tyme was slayne the duke Benes of aygremount, myn vncle, that was so goode a knyght, as men knew well. I dyde aske right for hym to Charlemagn afore all his courte / wherof the kynge rebuked me, ³& called me all to nought³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig. o. viii. back.] / and grete iniury he sayd to me / And whan I sawe that the kyng reproved me thus, I was wrothe & right angry for it / And I behelde vpon my bredern, & knewe their stomackes / and sawe myn enmyes byfore me / soo neded not that I shold have soughte theim elles where / And it suffysed theym not of that I had be owtraged by charlemagn / but that Berthelot owtraged me of newe, he & I playng at the ches, Wherof I toke the ches borde, & smote hym wyth it soo grete a stroke vpon his hede, that I slewe hym ³a fore my fete.³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig. o. viii. back.] And Lews, another nevewe of Charlemagn, wolde have slayn my broder Rycharde, and had hurt hym all redi full sore / But I smote hym in suche wyse wyth my fyst that I felde hym doun ded afore me to therthe / and whan Charlemagne wyste of it / He wolde have made me [folio S.i.a] to be kylled and hewed in to peces / but my kynnesmen

wold not suffre it / for there was grete medlynge, soo that many strokes were gyven. And whan the medlinge was ended, I mounted vpon bayard / and my brethern I made to mounte also, thone byfore, & the two other behynde me / ¹And thus rode we all four vpon my horse bayarde¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. o. viii. back.] / and so came to ardeyne / where I dyde buylde a castell. And there Charlemagne came & beseged me / and made swere my good fader Aymon that he shold never helpe vs wyth none of all his godes / ¹and that he shold be vtterly agenste vs¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. o. viii. back.] / and in likewyse he forclosed me fro all my kynsmen, that none of them was not soo hardy for to have shewed to vs the leest favour of the worlde. Fayr brethern, ye knowe well the grete poverte that we have endured soo longe tyme / And whan I sawe that I wyst not where to goo / I cam in to this londe wyth suche a feliship, as ye knowe, and I spake to the kynge yon and shewed hym howe I had werre agenste Charlemagne; and he shewed me grete love, and made me grete honour, soo that he gaaff me his suster to my wyff, and wyth her a duchye, and buylded Montalban for me. And of thother part, my chyldren are his nevews / wherof thone bereth his name / that is Yonnet, and ye see them here / and I have saved hym, his royame & all his londe; and all his rebelles [de son pays, F. orig. o. viii.] I have made come to seke mercy of hym; and I fonde hym never in noo fawte / but Charlemagn is soo grete & soo myghty a kinge, and also ye knowe well that he hath overcom & dyshonourde many good men / and for fere of hym, the kyng yon betrayed vs, wherof he is not to be blamed overmoche, seenge that agenste charlemagne noo thynge hath power / And therfore, yf the kynge Yon delyverde me to Charlemagne, it was by evyll counseyll that some of his barons gaaf hym / [folio S.i.b] for

god made never soo good a man, but that [that repeated in text.] he mysdoeth by evyll counseylle sometyme / And how can I leve hym whan I have not mystrusted hym afore tyme; me semeth that I oughte to shewe hym goodnes agaynst felony. Therfore I praye you all, that ye wyll make you redy, for I wyll go socour hym / For it were grete reproche to my chyldren that theyr vncle sholde be hanged as a theeff / and it were to vs a grete dishonour, for he is our lord. And yf he hath doon evill, we ought to doo well agenst it / and also we oughte not to forgete the benefeyttes that the kyng yon hath doon to vs; and I promyse you that the fawte & the treyson that he hathe doon, is not com thorugh his malyce, but thorugh evyll counseylle. For yf it had be oonly by his mocyon / I wolde see the herte from the body of hym / but I wote well nay / For Charlemagn is of soo grete a power, that every man fereth hym. And therfore, I telle you that I wyll goo rescue hym ²from Rowlande, yf I can,² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. p. i. back.] wyth all my power.' 'By my feyth,' said Alarde / 'ye shall thenne goo wythout me / for I shal not put my fete there / for a traytour oughte never to be holpen nor socoured' / 'Nor I,' sayd Guycharde; 'I shall not goo there.' 'Ye shall,' sayd Rycharde, '& it playse you, sith that Reynawd wil have vs to doo so / For he is our lord and our wele / and therfore I praye you, fayr bredern, that ye wyll obeye hym.' Whan Reynawd had concluded that he sholde goo for to rescue the kyng yon agenste the wyll of Alarde & of Guycharde, all ye Gascoynes that were there began to crye, & sayd, 'Blessed be the hour that ever Reynawde was borne / for noo man erthly ys worthe hym of goodnes & of prowes' / and thenne they sayd to Reynawde, 'Syre, we shall gyve vp to you all the londe of Gascoyn / and shall make

you the lord of it / For there shall be never none other lorde in gascoyn but you, as [folio S.ii.a] long that ye shall lyve / so that for god, ryght swete syr, that ye suffre not the kyng yon [be to, orig.] to be had away ³to Charlemagn;³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig. p. i. back.] for it were a grete shame to all them of the royame of Gascoyn that men had hanged their kynge.' 'By my soule,' sayd Reynawde, 'ye saye trouthe' / And thenne he toke his horne, & blewe it thre tymes so strongly that he made all Mountalban to sowne wyth it / And incontynent, wythout abydyng, ⁴they of the towne⁴ [^4—4 ceulx qui ouyent le son de la trompe, F. orig. p. i. back.] went & armed theym / and cam byfore Reynawd / and whan they were all redy, Reynawde lighte vpon bayarde / the sheelde at the necke & the spere in the hande / and they were well in his felawshyp six thousande men on horsbacke, and well a thousande a fote / And whan they were oute of Mountalban, Reynawd spake to his folke, & sayd to theym, 'Lordes, remembre you that your lorde is in grete daunger, and in perell of dethe; and but yf we fyghte strongly, he is deed wythout remedy. Wherfore I praye you all, that ye doo this daye that / that shall torne to our worshyp.' And whan reynawd had sayd thise wordes, he went agen towarde his bredern / and sayd to theym, 'Fayr bredern, ye knowe that Rowlande hateth me to deth / and not thrugh my defawte, but onely thorughe enuye. Wherfore, I praye you that ye attende vpon me this daye, and ye shall see me doo as a good knyghte; and this daye the pride of Rowlande must be layd, or elles myn, a doun.' Whan Alarde herde his broder Reynawde speke so / he sayd to hym / 'And wherof care you? be sure & certeyne that as longe that liff is in our bodyes, we shall not faylle you' / and wyth this worde thei put theym to the way. And Reynawd toke two thousande knyghtes, & gaaff theym to alarde

& guycharde, & sayd to theim, 'Fayr brethern, ye shall make the forwarde, & kepe your men in good ordenaunce; and I & my broder Rycharde shall make the reregarde' / 'syre,' [folio S.ii.b] sayd Alarde, 'we shall doo it well yf god wyll' / and thenne they rode forthe so long that thei sawe ye folke of Rowland nigh theim. and whan Alarde aperceyved theim, he made his men to tari, & sente worde to Reynawd that he sholde make haste to com / for thei had fonde their enmyes. And whan Reynawde wyst of thise tydynges / he made his folke to ride hastely, & cam anone to Alard his broder. and whan he sawe his enmyes, he put his folke in araye, and devysed his batailles honestly [Comme Il le scauoit bien faire, F. orig. p. i.] as a good capitayn of werre. /

Thenne whan Rowlande sawe so grete folke / he called to hym the bisshop Turpyn, & Guydellon of bavyre, & sayd to theym, 'Lordes, now behold / I see yonder many folke armed / myght that be Reynawd & his bredern, wherof the renommee is so grete; & of their cosyn Mawgis, the subtyll knighte?' 'Sir,' sayd the bisshop Turpyn / 'ye, they ben tho verely / and also I telle you they make theymself to be well know whersoever thei goo; and I tell you that we can not save vs, but that we must medle wyth theym.' Whan Ogier sawe Reynawde, he Ioyned & heved his handes towarde heven, & sayd / 'O god, blessed thou be that hast suffred Rowland to fynde Reynawde, his bredern ³& Mawgis!³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig. p. ii. back.] certes, who that gaf me a thousande marke of gold, I shold not be so glad, for Rowland hath now all his desire; ³and, for certen, I am right glad that we have founde theim.³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig. p. ii. back.] Now shall I see how he shalle bere hymself agenst the valyaunt Reynawd, his bredern / and Mawgis' / and whan he had sayd this / he torned hymself toward

Rowland, & said to hym, 'Rowland, now have ye that ye have desired so long! and I am glad that it is com so / for now shall I see how ye shall take theym / For yf ye can take theym a lyve, & bryng theym to Charlemagn, he shall con you grete thanke for it; and so shall bayarde be your owne, that [folio S.iii.a] ye have soo sore desired / and the werre shall be thus fynyshed' / 'Ogyer, ogier,' sayd thenne Rowlande, 'thise ben reproches that ye telle me. But, by saynt Denys of Fraunce, ye shall see or evyn who shall be mayster of vs two' / 'Rowlande,' sayd Ogier / 'now shall it be seen what ye can doo' / whan Rowlande knewe that he muste have medlyng wyth his enmyes / he ordeyned all his bataylle, as he cowde well doo / and after he set his folke in ordenaunce of bataylle, the beste that he myghte / And whan Reynawde sawe that Rowland ordeyned his bataylles / he called his brethern, and sayd to theym / 'Lordes, here com the frenshemen: yonder is Rowlande & Olivere / and the duke Naymes of bavyre, and Oger the dane; Ye shall abyde here for to make the reregarde / and yf we have mystre of helpe / come & helpe vs' / 'Syr,' sayd Mawgis, 'ye make to longe sermone / delyver you, for we tary to long fro sawtynge ²vpon our enmyes'² [^2—2 Rolant, F. orig. p. ii. back] / 'Cosyn,' sayd Reynawd, ³'ye say well, and³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig. p. ii. back.] ye speke like a good knyghte / For yet have I no better knyghte than ye be one, whan I see you armed by me; now thynke to doo well / for I goo firste of all for to overthrowe the pryde of Rowland, that is so grete, as every man knoweth / And I praye you all that everi man doo his parte wyth all his power.

And whan the bredern vnderstode that reynawd ⁴wold goo prove hymselfe vpon rowland⁴ [^4—4 aler esprouver sur bayart, F. orig. p. ii.] / they

beganne all thre [omitted, F. orig. p. ii.] to wepe, & sayd / 'Ha, brother [Regnault, F. orig. p. ii.] / and wyll ye that ye & we be deed all atones? For ye can slee yourselfe noo better than to prove yourself vpon Rowland / For he is overmoche prue ¹& valiaunt,¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. p. ii.] and also he can not be hurt wyth yron; but we pray you that ye wyll assaye yourselfe vpon the other, & lete rouland alone' / 'Lordes,' sayd reynawd, 'ye have spoken ful well. I knowe well that rowland is hardy & prue, and that his [folio S.iii.b] matche is not in the worlde of knyghtehode; but I am in the right / and he is in the wronge, whiche shall mowe tourne hym to a grete harme, and therfore I wyll not refuse / but that I shall goo agenste hym / But and yf he wyll peas he shall have it / and yf he wylle have werre, ⁴he shall fynde me redy to receyve him therto,⁴ [^4—4 il laura, F. orig. p. ii.] For I have lever deye than be longe syke.

¶ Now I praye you speke noo more of it, but see that ye bere yourselfe well agenste our enmyes, For we have to doo agenste many a noble knyghte' / 'Cosyn,' sayd Mawgys, 'thynke to assaylle well, For ye shall be socoured ryght well.' Thenne the worthy knyghte Reynawde wente afore all the other wyth his sheelde at the necke, and his spere in his hande, sittynge vpon bayarde [que bien ressembloit cheuallier a leure, F. orig. p. ii.] / Whan Rowland sawe Reynawde come wyth his folke well ordred / he shewed it to olyver, and sayd / 'Felawe, what thynke you by that folke? / see how they come towarde vs in good arraye' / ⁶'Certes, Rowlande,' sayd Olyver,⁶ [^6—6 omitted, F. orig. p. ii.] 'Reynawd knoweth more of werre than ony other knyghte that lyveth, and the moost gracyous; For ther is none so poure a knyghte in the worlde, if he come to hym / but he shall be ryght welcome to hym / and yf he come a fote, he shall set hym anone a horse backe.

And yf he be yll appoynted / he shall anone araye hym after his astate. Is not this a grete goodnes of hym?' [dist Olivier, F. orig. p. ii.] / 'Ye, by my soule,' sayd Rowlande / 'and he dooth well / For yf he dyde otherwyse, he myghte not abyde longe agenst myn vncle Charlemagne.' [car trop est noble chevallier, F. orig. p. ii.] 'And me semeth,' ³sayd agayn Olyver,³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig. p. ii.] 'that he hathe well thre tymes moo folke than we have, wherof he myght well gete vpon vs / but yf we take better hede, for they ben well subtyll folke' / 'Olyver,' sayd Rowlande, 'ye saye trouth, but ye knowe well the gascoyns ben cowardes of veri kinde / and can not abyde no stroke of swerde, but that thei will [folio S.iv.a] flee lightly away.' 'that is true,' sayd the bysshop Turpyn, 'but they have wyth them a good guyde as ony is in all ye worlde. And wyte it, syr Rowland, that the valiaunt man causeth his folke to abyde nyghe hym. For a worthy capytayn is the myrrour & ensaunple to thother for to doo well.' Whan Rowland herde this, he wexed almost mad / bycause men praysed Reynawde & his folke soo moche; & wyth this he sporred his horse, and went byfore all his folke well the shot of a bowe ferre / and cam agenst Reynawd. And whan Reynawde sawe Rowland com alone, he sayd to Alarde, 'Fayre broder, beware, vpon asmoche as ye love me, that ye move not, nor your folke; but abyde styll here till that I have iousted wyth Rowland, that cometh alone / and therfor I wyll no man helpe me agenste hym' / Whan Reynawd had sayd this, he spored bayard wyth the spores, and came agenst Rowland so faste, that they that sawe it wende that bayarde had floughe in the ayer, For the smallest lepe that he lepte, was of XXX fote ferre or more. And whan he was com nyghe Rowlande as for to have iousted /

Reynawd lighted doun a fote / & pyghte his spere in therth, And bounde bayard therat, bycause he shold abyde there stille / And vngirte flamberge, his [bonne espeé, F. orig. p. iii. back.] swerde, and cam before Rowland & presented it to hym, and kneled afore hym & kyssed his fote, and sayd all wepyng / 'Damp rouland, I crie you mercy for that pite that our lord had in the crosse vpon his moder whan he comended her to saynt Iohn, that ye wyll have pyte vpon me. Ye knowe well that I am your kynsman, and, how be it I am poure, yet shal I be and my brethern your men / And also I shall gyve you bayarde, and shall make you lord of Mountalban, so that it wyll plase you to purchace our peas wyth the kyng Charlemagn your vncle; and, yf it playse you for to doo so I shall make all [folio S.iv.b] my bretherne to graunte the same, And I shall forsake fraunce all my liff / And I promyse you that ³I shall goo in to the holy londe³ [^3—3 Iray oultre mer, F. orig. p. iii. back.] wyth Mawgis and my brethern for to make werre agenste the sarrasins. [Tres doulx sire, F. orig. p. iii. back.] And yf ye thynke that I saye well / brynge it aboute yf ye canne. For yf ye doo it ye shall have a felawe and a servaunt of me.'

Rowlande had grete pyte whan he herde Reynawd speke in this manere, And beganne to wepe full tenderly / and after sayd to hym, 'By god, Reynawd, I dare not speke of it, but yf soo be that ye wyll delyver vnto hym Mawgys' / 'Alas,' sayd Reynawd, 'I shold never doo that, for to deye for it, For Mawgys ys no man for to be gyven awaye for to have peas.' And thenne he rose vp and toke his swerde & his sheelde, And came to bayard and mounted vpon hym wythoute styrope / and thenne he toke his spere in his hande / And whan he was well appareylled, he wente agen to Roulande, and sayd to hym / 'Rowlande,

wyte that I shall never more crye you mercy, for fere that I have of you / But I have cried you mercy for to bere you worship, by cause that ye be of my kynne / But sith that I see that ye be so proude that ye wyll doo noo thynge for me / nor for my prayer. I shall mowe deale resonnably wyth you / to the ende that ye shall not mow reporte nor saye to the other barons and knyghtes of Fraunce / that Reynawde the sone of Aymon hathe cryed you mercy for fere / The caas is suche / ye have wyth you a grete company of folke / And also I have of my side men ynough, thanked be god / and yf our folke asemble togider / it canne not be otherwyse, but that grete harme shall falle of bothe sides. But, and ye wyll, we shall fighte, we two togyder, for theym all, wythout ony helpe of other / and yf ye overcom me, ye shall brynge me to charlemagne / that shall [folio S.v.a] doo his playsure of me / And yf I can conquere you, ye shall com wyth me to Mountalban, under condycyon that ye shall have nother evyll nor shame / no more than shall my owne persone' /

'Shall ye doo this that ye have sayd?' sayd Rowlande / 'ye, wythoute fawte,' sayd Reynawd / 'By mi hede,' sayd roulande, 'ye shall make me sure therof fyrst' / 'Certes,' sayd Reynawde, 'wyth a god wyll' / And thenne Reynawd sware it vnto hym vpon his parte of paradys. [de tenir loyaulment ce que auoit este devise, F. orig. p. iii.] 'Reynawd,' sayd rowlande, 'I wyll go take leve of my felawe Oliver / for I have promysed hym that all the bataylles that I shall vndertake, he shall mow make theym hymself, yf it playse hym.' 'Go thenne,' sayd Reynawde, '& make it short.' and thenne Rowland went agen to his felawes / And whan he was com to them / hector, the sone of oedon, olyver, & ogyer the dane, asked of hym, saenge / 'Syr

Rowland, what sayeth Reynawd? have ye spoke wyth hym?' 'ye,' sayd rowland / 'and what thynke you by hym?' 'Certes,' sayd rowlande, 'reynawd is a sage knyght & well taughte / for he hath requyred me to fyghte wyth hym body to body / and that our folke be styll of the one syde, and of the other' / 'Rowlande,' sayd olyver, 'ye shall doo in this your playsure / for other ye or I must fyghte wyth hym / But I counseyll that ye go there / for as longe as I shall lyve, I shall not be enmye to Reynawde, onely for his worthynes. For Reynawde is a knyghte of grete honour' / Whan the bysshop turpyn, ector the sone of odeon, & thother erles herde this, they began to saye, 'Rowland, what is that ye wyll doo? For god mercy, doo it not, for reynawd is of your linage & of ours; and yf ye brynge hym to dethe / we shall never love you after / sire, leve that offre that reynawde gyveth to you, & make your folke to assemble wyth the folke of reynawde, for it is [folio S.v.b] better that they be take of your folke, than that the one of you two were deed.' 'wyll ye that it be so?' sayd rowland / 'ye, sir, yf it playse you' / 'certes,' sayd roland, 'it playse me right well' / and thenne he sayd to all his folke / 'Lordes, thynke to defende you well / for it is now nede therof' / 'Syre,' sayd thother, 'have no doubte of no thyng, for we shall do well your commaundement' / and thenne thei put theymself in ordenaunce. and rowland began to crie 'mountioye, saint denys' / and whan cam to ye settyng on wyth speres, Ye shold have seen thenne many a knyght brought to grounde, & many horses that ranne masterles thrughe the feeldes, so moche that it was grete pite for to see so grete a dystructyon of knyghtes as was made there. Whan reynaud sawe the two oostes muste assemble togyder / he spored bayarde wyth the spores, & put hymselfe

amonge the thyckest of the frenshemen / and smote a knyghte so harde in the breste that he overthrewe bothe horse & man to the grounde; and after smote a nother soo sore, that nether for sheelde nor for quyras ¹of stele¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. p. iv. back.] he let not, but that he shoved the yren of his spere thrughe & thrughe hys body / and fell deed to therth / and wyte at that stroke he brake his spere. and reynawd set hande lightly to his swerde, and began to crie 'Mountalban' as lowde as he cowde. And thenne he made so grete slaughter of frenshemen that none durst abyde afore hym, but fled fro him as fro the deth. Shortly to speke, reynawd dyd somoche thorughe his strengthe / and thorughe the highe knyghthode of his brethern, that he brake the firste bataylle of the frenshemen / wolde they or noo /

Whan the lityll Rycharde / the brother of Reynawde, sawe that the Frenshemen were putte a backe / He beganne to crye on heygthe 'Ardeyne' as moche [folio S.vi.a] as he myghte. And put hymselfe in to the greteste preesse ¹amonge his enmyes,¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. p. iv. back.] and beganne to make soo grete hewynge of folke that it was wonder to see / For Reynawde faughte not for to loke the better vpon hym. And thenne Rycharde, that thoughte hym selfe never wery of gevynge of strokes, beganne to calle vpon his broder, and sayd, 'Reynawd, fayr broder, where ben your grete strokes goon that ye were wonte for to gyve ¹vpon your enmyes?¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. p. iv. back.] Alas, smyte now vpon theim / for they ben almost overcom; make that the frenshemen, full of pryde, mocke not of you / and soo make we suche a thynge that it be spoken of it vnto Parys' / Whan Reynawd herde Rycharde speke thus, he began to smyle / and after he smote bayarde ¹wyth the spores¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. p. iv. back.] / and beganne to smyte better than he dyde afore. Who that had seen thenne his grete strokes departe / he myghte well have sayd that

no carpenter smotte never soo well in wood as Reynawde dyde vpon the helmes ¹of stele¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. p. iv. back.] and vpon the sheldes of the frenshe men / And whan the frenshemen sawe that the dyscomfyture tourned vpon theym, they beganne to calle Rowlande / and sayd to hym / 'Ha, Rowlande, what doo ye / whi come ye not and helpe your folke / For they ben deed, but yf ye socoure theym.' Whan Rowlande vnderstode that worde, wherof he was wrothe / ²and ryght sory² [^2—2omitted, F. orig. p. iv.] / And whan he sawe his folke soo sore handeled / He beganne to crye 'Mountioye saynte Denys.' And after spored his horse, and entered in to the medlee; And wente here and there, cryenge, 'Reynawd, where be you goon / See me here; I am all redy for to doo the bataylle, my body agenste yours, that ye aske of me.' Whan Reynawde herde Rowlande, that called thus after hym / He put flamberd [son espee, F. orig. p. iv.] in to his sheeth; And [et prent une lance courte et grosse, F. orig. p. iv.] toke a spere in his hande, and cam there as Rowlande was, & sayd [folio S.vi.b] to hym / 'Where are ye, Rowlande? be ye a ferde of me, that ye have taryed soo longe for / Beware your self from me!' 'And you of me,' sayd Rowlande. And thenne they spored theyr horses, [des esperons, F. orig. p. v. back.] and dyde iouste the one agenste the other. And whan the frenshemen and the gascoyns saw that, thei withdrewe theym selfe from eche other, for to beholde the ioustynge of the two worthy knyghtes / For, to saye the trouth, there were not two other suche in all the worlde /

Whan Salamon of Bretayne / and Ector, the sone of Oedon, sawe that the ioustynge of Reynawde and of Rowlande was begon, they set theym selfe to wepe full tendrely; and came to the duke Naymes, to the bysshop Turpin, and to Olyver, and sayd to theym / 'How, lordes, may ye suffre that one

of the beste knyghtes of the worlde / and hym that we oughte to love beste, be slayne and deed before you.' 'Certes,' sayd the duke Naymes, 'that shall be grete sorow to vs for to see' / And thenne he cam to Olyver, and sayd to hym / 'I praye you that ye goo to Rowlande, and telle hym from vs all, that he oughte not to fyghte wyth Reynawde wyth the swerde / But lete hym take a spere and breke it vpon reynawde; for to acquyte his feythe / For yf he slee Reynawde we shall never love hym after' / 'Lordes,' sayd thenne Ogyer, 'lete this alone / ye knowe not Reynawde so well as I doo / Reynawde is noo childe for to be made a ferde soo lightly as ye trowe. Lete theym shyfte hardely, ¹they two togyder,¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. p. v. back.] For, by the feyth that I owe to you / Rowland shal be all wery or ever he retourne agayne / And he shall be as fayne to leve the bataylle as shall Reynawd. And ye shall see that Rowlande wold he had not gon there, for the best cyte that themperour Charlemagn hath.' 'Oger,' sayd ector / 'ye speke of it as for enuye / certes yf ye shold fight wyth rowlande ye shold [folio S.vii.a] well saye otherwyse' / And thenne he sayd to Olyvere / 'Good syre, lete this bataylle be defferred yf ye maye be ony wyse.' 'Lordes,' sayd Olyver, 'wyth a goode wyll, sith that ye will have it soo' / And thenne he wente to Rowland, and sayd to hym all that the barons had sayd. 'Felawe myn,' answered Rowlande / 'god confounde theym / for they take awaye this daye the desyre of myn vncle Charlemagne' / And thenne he tourned hym towarde Reynawd, and sayd to hym / 'Syre reynawd, ye have assayed of my swerde / and not of my spere.' 'Rowlande,' sayd Reynawd, 'yf ye leve your swerde I shall conne you nother thanke nor gramercy for it / For I fere you not of noo thynge / but lete vs make an ende of our bataylle / And to whom god gyveth the vyctory, lete him have

it' / Rowlande wolde not doo soo, but dyde like as a curteys man / and he dyde as the barons had sent him worde. For he toke a spere, and ran vpon Reynawde as moche as he myghte / And whan Reynawd sawe he wolde none otherwyse do, he ranne also ¹wyth a spere¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. p. v. back.] vpon Rowlande / And roughte eche other sore wonderfull harde that they made theyr speres to flee all in peces. And whan they had broken their speres, they recounted eche other wyth their sheldes so strongly that bothe theyr horses, that is to wyte, Melantes & Bayarde, stakerde / and were all a stonyed ther wythall / But wyth that stroke Rowlande & Melantes [Son cheval, F. orig. p. v.] were both felde to the grounde in a hepe / And Reynawd passed forthe by theym, cryenge 'Mountalban' wyth a hye voys. Wherby I telle you, for certeyn, that Rowlande never felle doun for no stroke of spere, but onely that tyme / but it was no merveylle / For he cowde not holde hym selfe by the clowdes / syth that his horse had faylled hym.

[folio S.vii.b] Thenne whan Rowlond saw hymselfe thus overthrowen, he was not well contente, & rose vp incontynente and toke his swerd in his honde, And came to melentys to kit of his hede / And beganne to seye / 'Evyll courser, who kepeth me that I kylle the not [not repeated in text.] / sithe that thou haste lete falle thyselfe thrugh the stroke of a childe, I shall never trust the' / 'Soo helpe me god, Rowland,' sayd Reynawd, 'ye do ⁵to melantis grete⁵ [^5—5 omitted, F. orig. p. v.] wronge, For it is longe sith that he ete ony mete / and therfore he can not well traveylle / but bayarde hath eten well to nyghte that was, and therfore he is more strong than is your horse' [Benoiste soit leure que oncques fut ne, F. orig. p. v.] / and thenne Reynawd lighted doun fro bayard / bycause that Rowland was a fote. and whan bayarde sawe his mayster

a fote, he ran vpon melantis, the horse of Rowland, and smote hym wyth his hinder fete soo grete strokes that he had almost broken his thie / whan rowlande sawe that, he was wrothe for it, & cam towarde bayarde for to have smyte of his hede. And whan Reynawd saw that / he sayd to Rowlande / 'What wyll ye doo? it is no worship to you to smyte a beest; and yf ye wyll doo ony fayt of armes, com to me & not to my horse, for I shall gyve you strokes ynowe, so moche that ye shall be wery of it or we departe; but kepe well that I slee not you / and leve bayarde in peas, for there is not in all the worlde another so good a beest; For he dyd shewe it well whan he wan the crowne of charlemagn your vncle in your presence / and yf he doth helpe me, he doth but his devoyre, & that a good horse ought to doo; but torne your sheelde towarde me, & ye shall see how Flamberde cutteth.' 'Reynawd, reynaud,' sayd Rowlande, 'threten not soo moche, For before this daye be com at an ende / ye shall see a thynge that shall not playse you over moche' /

Reynawde was not contente whan he vnderstode the yll wordes of Rowlande, and shoke all for angre; [folio S.viii.a] and Incontynente ranne vpon Rowlande, and gaaff hym suche a stroke vpon his helme that he all to brused it; and the stroke slided vpon the shelde soo that he cut of it a grete quarter, and of the courset of stele also, but he cut no thyng of the flesshe / And whan Reynawde had gyven Rowland that stroke, he sayd in maner of a mocke to Rowland, 'what saye ye bi my swerde / doo it cut well or no? for I have not myssed at that stroke / Now kepe ye well fro me / for I am not suche a chylde as ye take me for' / Whan Rowlande felt that grete stroke that Reynawd had gyven to him / he was all merveylled of it / and wythdrewe hymself abacke / for he wolde not that

Reynawd shold have recovered a nother stroke vpon him sodenly / and set hande to durandall, his good swerde, & ran vpon Reynawd / and reynawd helde his sheelde agenst it / & Rowlande smote in to the shelde so grete a stroke that he clove it bi the myddes thrughe & thrughe / and the stroke descended vpon the helme, & dyde it no harme. and whan Rowland had made that stroke / he sayd to Reynawd, 'Vassall, ye be now quyte / for I have yelded you agen that ye lended me right now / Now shall I see who shal begyn agen.' 'By my soule,' sayd reynawd, 'fowle fall have I now yf I feyne me now / For I dyd but play afore; nor your fraunchise shall never avaylle you agenst me, but that I shall bryng your pride al doun to therthe.' 'Reynawd,' sayd rowland, 'yf ye doo this that ye saye, ye shall werk merveilles' / And all thus as they wold have begon agen the batayll, soo cam there Mawgis & all his company, and sayd to Reynawd / 'Cosin, mounte vpon bayarde / for it were to grete a losse yf you or Rowland were ded.' And there came Ogier and Olyver, and made Rowlande to lighte agayne vpon his horse. But wyte it well that Ogyer had not be soo gladde yf one hadde gyve to hym [folio S.viii.b] a ²grete² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. p. vi.] cyte, as he was be cause that Reynawde had cast doun Rowlande ²& his horse² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. p. vi.] / and whan they ³had recounted roulande³ [^3—3 eurent monte rolant, F. orig. p. vi.] / they began agen a sore batayll & a cruell / and so felle that it was pite for to see / for thone hewe the other wythout ony mercy / And whan Rowlande saw that the batayll was begonne agen / his hert dide swell for angre bycause that reynawd had overthrowen hym to the grounde. soo began he to call as hie as he myghte, 'Where are ye goon, Reynawd the sone of Aymon? goo a side & lete vs parfornysshe our batayll, for men knowe not yet whiche is the beste knyghte of

vs two' / 'Syr,' sayd Reynawde, 'ye have the corage of a knyghte that wyll conquere honour / but & we fighte here togyder, our folke shall not suffre it / But lete vs doo one thyng that I shall tell you; ye be well horsed, & I am also, lete vs bothe swimme over the river & goo to the wode of the serpent, for ye can not wysshe no better place for to fighte / and we shall not be there departed, thone fro the other, of our folke, but ¹we shall maye fyghte there togyder tyll the one of vs two be dyscomfited & overcome'¹ [^1—1 et la pourrons finer nostre bataille, et a qui dieu en donra lon ne, si le peigne car ceste le meilleur selon mon aduis, F. orig. p. vi.] / 'Certes,' sayd Rowlande, 'ye have well spoken, and I graunt it as ye have sayd.' and thenne they spored their horses for to go to the wood of the serpent. but Olyver toke hede to theym / and toke Rowland by the brydell & wythhelde hym, wold he or noo. and Reynawd went for to have passed over the river vpon bayarde, that ran as the wynde, & waloped so harde that he made all therthe where he passed to shake vnder hym; and as he ran in this maner / he loked afore hym and sawe the kyng yon, that was avyronned wyth well four score knyghtes, that kept hym for fere of Reynawd, leste he & his bredern shold have rescued him / & thise knyghtes ledde him shamfully, as ye have herd afore. and whan reynaud saw ye kyng, he was glad of it, & sayd / 'Ha, good lord, blessed [folio T.i.a] be thy name, whan ye have graunted me so fayr adventure,' and wyth this he set hande / to his swerde, and spored bayarde wyth the spores / and cryed as hie as he cowde / 'lete go the kyng yon, evyll folke that ye be / For ye be not worthy to laye hande vpon hym.' and thenne he entred wythin theym, & smote a knyghte vpon his helme so rudely that he clove his hede to the harde teeth / and overthrewe hym deed to therthe / And whan the other sawe

Reynawde amonge theym / they put theymselfe to flighte / and sayd the one to thother / 'The devyll hath broughte this cruell [omitted, F. orig. p. vii. back.] man here now / lete vs flee; goddis curse have he that shall abyde hym / For the soule of hym that wylfully suffreth hymself to be slayn shall never come to the mercy of god' / And thenne they put [t]heymself in to the thyckeste of the forest, and lefte behynde theym the kinge yon, that they lodged as a prisoner / and Reynawde cam streyghte to hym / and vnbounde hym and vnstopped his eyen, and after sayd to hym / 'Ha, evyll kyng / how have ye the hert for to betraye vs so falsly, as ye have doon me & my bredern; dyde we ever ony thyng that was in [m. in text.] your dysplaysur / It is not longe on you, but that we shold have ben all hanged by this / but I shall smyte of your hede, evyn anone / and shall avenge me & my bredern [chetif serorge et mauluais homme que vous estes, F. orig. p. vii. back.] vpon your body' / Whan the kynge yon sawe Reynawde, that hadde delyverde hym, he kneled adoun byfore hym, & sayd to hym / 'Certes, noble knyghte, it is well rayson that men slee me; Wherof I praye you, for god, that yourselfe wyl ⁴take the liff fro me, and⁴ cut of my hede / and lete it not be doon by none other / and pulle out my tonge, wherwyth I spake the trayson / For I have well deserved gretter martyrdom. and all this made me doo therle of Ansom / and the erle Anthony / Now slee me, for god / for suche an evyll man as I am oughte not to lyve longe. I have moche lever [folio T.i.b] that ye kylle me ⁴wyth your swerde,⁴ than that cruell kynge Charlemagn ⁴shold make me to be hanged.'⁴ [^4—4 omitted, F. orig. p. vii. back.] 'Now light vp,' sayd Reynawde, 'for ye shall be well payd as ye have deserved.' But here leve I to speke of kyng Yon & of Reynawd, that ben in the wood of the serpent / where he taried after Rowlande

for to fighte wyth hym, as he had promysed hym / & shall retorne to speke of Rowland & of Olyver, that spake to their folke for to telle theim a part of theyr besines, and how they had ben dyscomfyted.