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 XVII.

¶ Here sheweth how reynawde faught agenst rowland, the whiche he conquered by the wyll of god, & broughte hym to mountalban, wherof charlemagn was full hevy & wroth / and also how mawgys bare the empereur Charlemagne to mountalban vpon bayard all a slepe, and delivered hym to reynawd in a bed / ³where reynawd laye³ / and how mawgis after this went away, & toke thabyte of a heremite, & left his kinsmen, & lived pouerli, for he wold not let ye peas of reynaud to [folio Z.vii.b] Charlemagn / For the werre hath lasted long ynoughe.

Now sheweth the tale, that whan rowland saw the day, he rose fro his bed, & wente, after he was

redy, to here masse / and offred a riche yefte vpon the awter / and whan ye mas was doon, rowland asked after his harneis for to arme him; and whan he was wel armed, he lighted a horsbacke quickely, and thenne charlemagn sayd to him / 'Fair nevewe, I commende you to god, that he lede you to a good waie, & kepe you fro deth & fro prison / for ye know that reynawd hath right vpon us / and we doo to hym wronge / wherfore I wold not for the halfe of my royame that ony harme cam to you for it' / 'syre,' sayd rowland, 'it is to late for you to repent now, for sith that ye knowe ye were in the wronge / ye sholde not have accepted the bataylle that ye have enterprysed; but sith it is so that the thing is com so ferre forthe, I can not leve it / but if it were to me grete shame; now helpe me god if it playse hym thrughe his merci' / Whan rowland had sayd thise wordes, he toke on his waye for to goo to the pintre of mountalban, ¹where as the bataille of reynawd & of hym sholde be made¹ / And whan he was nygh mountfawcon / he saw reynawd, that awated after him ¹at the sayd tree¹ / And incontynente he began to crie vpon him, 'by god, reynawd, this day shall ye have ado wyth me; & I promyse you, that whan ye shall goo fro the felde, ye shal never doo faites of armes agenst me, nor agenst no other.' whan reynawd herde rowlond crie so / he cam agenst hym, & sayd to hym / 'sir rowlond, it becometh not to suche a knighte as ye be, for to threte me thus; & I tell you that I am here redy; and yf ye wyll batayll, ye shall have it incontynent' / 'reynawd,' sayd rowland, 'I am not com here for peas / but kepe you fro me, & ye shall doo as a wyse man' / 'Rowlande,' sayd reynaude, 'beware of me, for I am sure that I shall bryng doun the [folio Z.viii.a] pride of you, that is soo grete.'

Whan reynawde had sayd that worde, he spored bayarde wyth the spores, and cam agenste rowlande, and rowlande agenst reynawd / and they gaaff to eche other soo grete strokes at theyr brestes that they brake bothe their speres all to peces; and wyth the rennyng that they made agenste eche other, they recounted the one the other so harde wyth theyr sheeldes that reynawde muste nedes falle doun to the erthe / wyth his sadle bytwene his thyes / ¹by cause of the gyrtes that brake a sondre¹ / and rowlande lost hys styropes wythall. And whan reynawde sawe hymselfe a grounde / he rose vp ryght quyckly, and lighted agen vpon bayard with oute sadle / and cam vpon rowland wyth his swerde in his hande, and gaaff him so grete a stroke that rowland felt hym selfe sore greved wythall / and whan he sawe that reynawd had stonyed hym so sore / he set hande to durandall his good swerde / and ranne aspreli vpon reynawd / And whan reynaude sawe hym come / he went right fiersly vpon rowland / and thenne beganne the bataylle to be harde / and sore cruell bytwene theym two / And I promyse you they lefte not one pece of theyr harneys hole / nether vpon thone nor vpon the other / ¹but it were all to brosten & beten a sondre¹ / in somoche that the barons that loked vpon them had grete pyte of thone & of thother. whan the duke naymes had beholde a longe while of this wonderfull batayll, he began to crie as lowde as he coude, sayeng in this manner / 'Ha, kyng charlemagn, ye are over cruel / for thrughe your cruel malice ye put to deth II. of the best knyghtes of the world / wherfor, ye shall ones abie or longe.' Whan reynawde saw that neyther of theim two cowde not overcom the other, he sayd to Rowland, 'Yf ye byleve me, we shall lighte doun a fote bothe, to thende that we kyll [folio Z.viii.b] not our horses /

For yf we slee theym, we shall never recover none suche nor soo good.' 'Ye saye well,' sayd rowlande / 'and I am soo contente' / And thenne they descended a fote vpon the medowe. 'Rowlande,' sayd reynawd, 'now are we per to per / Now it shall be seen whiche of vs two shall be mayster of the place' / And wyth this they ranne the one vpon thother as proudly as it had ben two lions. who that had seen thenne the grete strokes and the dangerous that they gave to eche other / he sholde have sayd that there had be never suche two knyghtes in all the remenaunt of the worlde. whan rowlonde sawe that he cowde not wynne reynawd, he came to hym, and toke hym wyth a full arme / and so dyde reynawde hym, in lyke wyse in maner of wrastelynge togyder a grete whyle / wythout that the one cowde cast doun the other by noo waye / And I promyse you that a man sholde wel have goon a myle or ever they lefte eche other goo, whan they were cowpled ones togyder / And at the laste, whan they sawe that the one cowde not caste doun the other / they lete eche other goo, the one here, and the other there, for to take theyr brethe / For they were right wery, and sore traveylled so moche that almoste they / myghte not stonde no lenger / and theyr helmes, sheeldes / and theyr armes were all to-cut & broken, and the grounde where they foughte thus was all to stamped ¹and beten wyth theyr fete¹ / as men had beten corne there vpon.

Whan Charlemagn sawe that the one cowde not overmayster the other, and how they were bothe evyll arayed / he was sore a ferde for his nevew rowlande / And thenne he kneled doun vpon his knees, & heved his handes togyder towarde hevyn, & began to saye / 'Good lord, glorious, that made worlde, see, hevyns, and therth / and deliverde the holy vyrgyn

[folio A.A.i.a] margarete from the bely of the horryble dragon / and Ionas from the bely of the fysshe / I beseche you also that ye wyll deliver my nevewe rowlonde from this bataylle mortall, and sende me suche a token wherbi I mai departe thise two knightes from eche other, to the honour of the one and of the other.' Whan alarde, guycharde & rychard sawe their broder so wery, they were a ferde of his persone. And thenne they began also to praye god that he wolde kepe theyr brother Reynawd fro deth & from pryson / And whan they had made theyr praiers / our lorde, for the prayer of Charlemagne, shewed a fayr myracle / for he made ryse soo grete a clowde, & so thycke, that they myghte not see eche other / Thenne rowlande sayd to reinawd / 'where are ye goon, reynawd / other it is nyghte, or elles I can not see never a whit' / 'Noo more do I,' sayd reynaude, 'verely' / 'Reynawde,' sayd rowlande / 'I praye you doo to me a curteys torne, and a nother tyme / I shall doo to you asmoche for you, yf ye requyre me therof.' 'Syre rowlande,' sayd reinawde, 'I am redy for to doo all that ye wyll requyre me of, soo that my honour be saved' / 'Gramerci, reynawde, of that ye haue graunted me / Wyte that the thynge that I wyll desire of you is this, that ye brynge me wyth you to mountalban.' 'Syr rowlonde,' sayd reynawde, 'yf ye wyll doo this / I shall be right glad therof / By my feyth I shal goo there wyth you wythoute ony fawte, yf it playse you' / 'Syr,' sayd reynawde, 'god of his goodnes yelde you the worship that ye wyll now doo to me / for I have not deserved it unto you.' 'Syr reynawde,' sayd rowlande / 'Wyte that I do this bycause that I knowe well that ye be in the right, ³and that ye fyghte in a goode quarell³ / and I am in the wronge' / And whan rowlande had sayd this, he receyved his

sighte, and sawe as he dyde [folio A.A.i.b] a fore, and thenne he sawe vylaunche his good horse, and he lighted upon hym / and in like wyse reynawde vpon bayarde / And whan charlemagne sawe this, he was sore abasshed, and began to calle & crye, 'Lordes, lordes, now see! I wote not what I sholde saye / for reynawd ledeth rowland with hym. Now shall I see yf ye shall lete hym goo.' whan charlemagne had spoken thus / he cam to his horse, and lighted vpon him / and he began to crie / 'Now shall I knowe who ben my frendes.' whan the barons of fraunce herde charlemagn speke thus, they spored theyr horses, & ranne after reynawd /

Whan ogyer saw Reynawde come wyth rowland that he broughte wyth hym, he was right glad, and he came agenst reynawde, and sayd to hym / 'Syre, ye have well wroughte this day that ye have taken suche a proye' / 'Ogyer,' sayd reynawde / 'I promyse you rowlande hath lete hymselfe to be taken wyth his good wyll.' 'Thanked be god of it,' sayd the duke naymes. 'Reynawd,' sayd oger, 'goo your waye to mountalban; and the bysshop turpyn, the sone of oedon, & I shall retorne agen / and we shall tary charlemagne that foloweth after you, and we shall doo so moche that ye shall be well at mountalban or they overtake you' / 'Ogyer,' sayd rowlande, 'ye saye well / and I thanke you of your curtesie' / Whan they had thus shortly spoken togyder / reynawde & rowlande rode soo faste that they came to mountalban / It is not to be asked yf rowlande was well feested at mountalban; I promise you it is not possyble to feste a prynce better nor more honourable than he was at mountalban / This hangyng, ogier was come agenste kyng Charlemagne / and he dyde so moche by his fayr langage, that he helde the kyng / tyll that he thoughte that reynawd & rowlande myghte be well at mountalban

by that tyme / And whan he had doon soo, he spored [folio A.A.ii.a] his horse, and wente to mountalban after the other / Where as he myghte well goo wythoute to be vnbrayed for it / for he was one of ye suretes of reynawde, as ye have herde / and whan charlemagn sawe this, he folowed hym vnto the gates / And whan he was come to the gate of mountalban / he began to crye wyth a hie voys, 'Bi god, reynawd, this that ye have doon shall avaylle you lityll, for ye shall never have peas wyth me as longe as I am man a live.' And whan he had sayd this, he retorned him fro the gate / and said to oliver that was there wyth hym / 'Oliver, goo lightly to mountbendell, and bring here all my oste / for I will besege all this castell.' Thenne sayd oliver, 'I shall goo there wyth a good wil, but, & playse you, ye shall com wyth me, for I promyse you, if ye come not there yourself, they shall not come hether for me.' 'Thenne shall I goo there myselfe.' and thus toke charlemain his waye towarde mountbendell, where his ooste leye. Whan his folke sawe him come, they went agenst hym, & began to saye to hym, 'Sir, what have ye doon wyth rowlande?' 'lordes,' sayd charlemagn, 'rowland is goon to mountalban / but I commaunde you all, that incontynent, wythout delay that my sege be transported all rounde abowte mountalban / and ye damp oliver, shall bere the oriflam / and damp rycharde of normandy shall lede our oost.' Whan charlemagn had commaunded all this, there was none that sayd agenst it / but set theymselfe to bringe doun the tentes & pavylions / ²and to trusse & lede their bagages² / and caryed all to mountalban /

Rycharde of normandy went wyth twelve thousande men to balencon, to kepe the passage of the ryver

tyll al the ooste were over the ryver. This hangynge, charlemagn had putte hymselfe a fore, for to see where he myghte best pitche his tentes and his pavylions / for to kepe sege royall [folio A.A.ii.b] afore the castell of Mountalban. And whan all the ooste was come afore mountalban, the kynge made Incontynent his pavylion to be set vp byfore the grete gate / And whan all the ooste was sette / the nyghte watche of the grete towre came to mawgys / and sayd to hym / 'Syr, wyte that charlemagne is come wyth his oost / and he hath put his pavylion byfore the mayster gate' / 'Is it true?' said mawgis. 'ye, withoute fawte,' sayd the watche / 'Now care not for it,' sayd mawgis / 'for charlemagn seketh his dommage; and he shall have it soner than he weneth' / Thenne went mawgys to reynawde / And shewed hym how charlemagne was come wyth all his oost. And whan reynawd herde this, he wente to rowlande, and sayd to hym / 'Syre, ye muste wyte that charlemagne your vncle hath leyd sege afore vs / but I promyse you that yf it were not for the love of you / I sholde shewe hym that that he hath not doon well.' 'Reynawde,' sayd rowlande / 'I thanke you moche; but one thynge I wyll telle you / save your correctyon. Me semeth that I oughte to sende to myn vncle, the duke Naymes, Ogyer the dane / and also the bysshop Turpyn, that shall shewe to hym in this maner / Syre emperour, wyte that Reynawd, for the love of you, ³wyll not gyve noo yrens to your nevewe, nor he³ wylle not put hym in pryson, but he maketh hym as goode chere as he dooth to hys owne selfe / And that more is, Reynawde, his bredern / and mawgys doo presente theymselfe ⁴for to gyve theym and theyr castell vnto your handes⁴ / soo that theyr lives be saved' / 'Ye speke well and wysely,

syre rowlande,' sayd reynawde / 'and soo I am redy to doo as ye wyll have it.' 'Rowlande,' sayd the duke Naymes, 'I dare not goo to hym; ye maye well ynoughe,' sayd Rowlande / 'for ye be not hated of the kynge.' 'Duke naymes,' sayd Ogyer, 'we shall goo ¹to Charlemagne,¹ yf ye [folio A.A.iii.a] wyll doo after me' / And they accorded that they two sholde goo togyder to the kynge, for to shewe vnto hym as Rowlande had devysed / And whan thise two prynces / ¹the duke Naymes and Ogyer,¹ were come to the pavylion of Charlemagne, they saluted hym reverently, and the duke Naymes spake to hym in this maner of wyse: 'Syre emperoure, your nevewe Rowlande recomendeth hym humbly to your goode grace / the whiche Reynawde kepeth wythin mountalban for his prysoner not vnkyndely, but he maketh to hym as goode chere / ⁴and as grete honour he bereth vnto hym,⁴ as he were his owne brother and his soverayne lorde; and all this he dooth for your love / And demaundeth of you peas, ⁴if it playse you for to graunte it to hym,⁴ by suche maner that he shall gyve you mountalban / and the egle of golde, and he shall lete goo Rowlande at his liberte wythoute raunsom. And also he shall yelde hymselfe to you / and his brethern in likewyse / and also Mawgis, for to doo your wyll wyth theym / sauff theyr lives / And they shall promyse you, yf theyr servyse playseth you, that they shall serve you agenst all men, wyth all their power and puyssaunce / soo that ye shall have cause to thanke theym for it.'

Whan Charlemagne vnderstode thise wordes / he shoke all for grete angre / And beganne to saye to the duke Naymes, and to the other that were come to hym, 'Flee out of my pavylion, evyll folke! I merveylle me how have ye durste come here wythin. And I telle you that Reynawde shall have noo peas

wyth me, but yf I have mawgys, for to doo my wylle of hym.' Whan the barons vnderstode charlemagne that spake thus / they came oute of his pavylion, and toke noo leve at hym / but retorned Incontynente to mountalban / Whan they were come there, Rowlande and [folio A.A.iii.b] Reynawd asked theym how they had doon wyth Charlemagne. 'Lordes,' sayd the duke Naymes, 'it is no force to be asked after it / For Charlemagne wyll not doo it, but yf men take to hym Mawgys, for to doo his wylle of hym' / ²'Lordes,' sayd Reynawd,² 'I am sory for it / I merveyll how Charlemagn is soo harde herted; and I make myn a vowe to god / he shall not have Mawgys, thoughe I sholde deye for it' / After thise wordes they wente to theyr mete, and Mawgys made theym to be served plenteously and worshypfully. And whan they had souped, the beddes were heeled, and they wente anoone to bed / And whan Reynawde wolde goo to his bed / he called to hym Mawgys, and sayd to hym / 'Cosin, I praye you that ye doo make good watche to nyghte / For ye knowe that our lives lieth ther vpon.' 'Syre,' sayd mawgys, 'feere not for to slepe well / ²and reste yourselfe.² For I promyse you thys castell shall be well kepte by goddys grace' / And whan all the barons were a bed / Mawgys wente to the stable and, sadled bayarde / and thenne he lighted vpon hym / and he cam to the gate, and sayd to the porter, 'My frende, open the gate, for I muste goo oute a lityll / and abyde me here / for I shall come agayne soone' / 'Syre,' sayd the porter / 'I shall doo soo wyth a good wyll' / Thenne wente oute Mawgys streyghte to the pavylion of Charlemagn / And whan he was come there, he beganne to make his cherme / and broughte a slepe all they that were in the oost. And whan he had doon soo / he wente to the bed of Charlemagne, and toke

hym in his armes / and broughte him vpon bayarde / And whan he had doon soo / he wente his wayes agayne to mountalban / and broughte Charlemagne wyth hym. ¹And whan he was come there agayne, he toke Charlemagne from bayarde,¹ and bare hym in to his chambre / and layd hym in [folio A.A.iv.a] his bed. Whan all this was thus doon, He toke a torche and fyred it / and pytched it bytwene the strawe and the bedsted / soo that it helde faste evyn byfore the vysage of Charlemagne / And after, he wente to the chambre of Reynawd, and sayd to hym, 'Cosyn, what wolde ye well gyve that sholde deliver Charlemagn in to your handes' / 'By my soule,' sayd Reynawde, 'I have noo thyng but that I sholde gladly give it, soo that I myghte have hym here wythin this castell of mountalban.' 'Cosin,' sayd Mawgys / 'wyll ye promyse me that ye shall doo to hym noo harme of his body / nother your brethern, nor none of yours / and I shall putte hym into your handes evyn anoone' / 'Cosyn,' sayd Reynawde, 'I promyse you that vpon my feyth.' 'Nowe come wyth me,' sayd mawgys. And thenne mawgys broughte reynawde in to his chambre / and shewed hym Charlemagne that was in his bed, and slepte; and after he sayd to hym, 'My cosyn Reynawde, now ye have here Charlemagne, kepe hym soo well that he scape not you' / And whan mawgys had delivered Charlemagn to Reynawde / he came to the stable where he had put bayarde, And toke some strawe and robbed his backe wythall, and his hede / and thenne he kyssed hym all wepynge, and toke leve of hym / And after, he wente and toke the palster and the cloke, and came to the porter, and gaff hym all his other raymentes that he wered afore / and went out of mountalban /

¶ Now leveth the history to speke of Reynawde / and of Charlemagne a lityll / and shall shewe of mawgys, that lefte all his kynred and frendes, ¹and became an heremyte.¹

Notes

• ^3—3 omitted, F. orig.
• ^1—1 omitted, F. orig.
• ^1—1 omitted, F. orig.
• Si vous voles paix vous laures a moy .... F. orig. B. viii.
• ^1—1 omitted, F. orig.
• ^1—1 omitted, F. orig.
• thein, orig.
• ^1—1 omitted, F. orig. B. viii. back.
• vopn, orig.
• en plorant, F. orig.
• se dist rolant, F. orig. C. i.
• ^3—3 omitted, F. orig. C. i.
• ^2—2 omitted, F. orig. C. ii.
• Quant tout lost fut trouffe ... F. orig. C. ii.
• dix, F. orig. C. ii.
• et luy sestoit louge devant la maistresse porte, F. orig. C. ii.
• ^3—3 omitted, F. orig.
• ^4—4 de eulx rendre a vostre volente, F. orig. C. ii.
• ^1—1 omitted, F. orig.
• ^1—1 omitted, F. orig.
• thye, orig.
• omitted, F. orig. C. ii. back.
• ^4—4 omitted, F. orig. C. ii. back.
• ^4—4 omitted, F. orig. C. ii. back.
• ^2—2 omitted, F. orig. C. ii. back.
• ^2—2 omitted, F. orig. C. ii. back.
• de regnault, F. orig. C. iii.
• ^1—1 omitted, F. orig. C. iii.
• proimyse, orig.
• ^1—1 et sen ala hors de montauban habitue moult pourement, F. orig. C. iii. back.