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 VI.

¶ How Reynawde / his bredern, & Mawgys, dystroyed Borgons the sarasin / that had dystroyed the royame of Gascoyn, & chassed the kyng Yon vnto Bordews vpon Gyronde, that durste not goo thens for feere of the sarasins / And after, how kyng Yon gaaff my lady Clare, his suster, to Reynawde, for to be hys wyff, for the grete servyse that

he hadde doon to hym / And how he made for hym the castell of Mountawban.

¶ Capytulum VI.

In this party showeth the historye, that after Bourgoyns hadde taken Tholouse / he made a grete [omitted, F. orig.] parliamente to his folke / And sayd to theym / 'Lordes, ye knowe well / That whan the yron is well hoote, hit werketh the better / [que quant il est froit, F. orig. g. vi.] Thys worde I have sayd afore your lordeshyppes [folio I.i.a] for to gyve you to knowe that we oughte to doo. And therfore me semeth that we oughte to ryde nowe towarde Bourdews while the corne is in the eere / For our horses shall have mete ynoughe.' 'Syre,' sayd his folke / 'ye speke well and wysely; lete it be doon as ye have devysed.' [faictes que soyes demain prest comme pour mourir, F. orig. g. vi.] & whan the morow cam / Bourgons departed out of tholouse wyth well XX thousande knyghtes well armed, And ceassed not for to ryde tyll that they cam afore Bourdews in IX dayes. And he sat all his folk in a bushement wythin a grete wode that was nyghe [prez de la citie manda bien quatre cens sarazins, des myeulx montez pour courir, et ceulx aloient tout ardant et gastant tout le pays au pres de la citie, F. orig.] / and abode there wyth theym, excepte foure hundred men, that wente to the cyte, wastynge and brenynge all the countrey vnto the cyte of Bordews / And whan the daye watche that was vpon the gate of the cyte sawe the sarasyns com / he cryed wyth an highe voys / 'Arme you, knyghtes! for here ben the paynyms, that com for to hurte you.' Whan the cyte vnderstode this, she began to be sore moeved.

Thenne whan Reynawde sawe that it was tyme to take his harneys on, he sayd to hys bredern, 'Goo make you all redy / and make our trompettes to

be blowen, that all our folke put theym selfe in armes.' Incontynent made his brethern his commaundement / And whan they were all armed / Reynawde mounted vpon bayarde / and cam to kynge Yon, and sayd to hym / 'Syr, be not abasshed of noo thynge, but be sure that god shall helpe vs this daye / Myselfe, my brethern / and all our folke, we goo afore. And make your folke to be redy incontynente, for my herte gyveth me that this cursed sarasin shall be this daye dyscomfyted / and overcome wyth the helpe of god' / 'Frende,' sayd the kyng, 'god be wyth you / and I shall doo that ye telle me.' ¹And thus Reynawde wente out of Bordews,¹ [^1—1 Quant Renault eut dit ses parolles il sen issit hors de bourdeaulx, F. orig. g. vii. back.] the formest of all his folke, agenst [folio I.i.b] the sarrasins, vpon hys horse Bayarde / the shelde atte his necke / and his swerde in his hande / and ranne fyersly vpon his enmyes, and incontynent smote a paynym thrughe hys shelde, so that he overthrewe hym deed to the grounde; and forthwyth he cast a nother / god wote he helde well his swerde, For he hewe the sarrasins [si legerement. F. orig.] as they had ben wythoute harneys. And shortly to speke, after that Reynawde & his folke were assembled, the paynymes myght not endure / For Reynawde and his brethern slewe theym as bestes, soo that they muste nedes flee towarde their bushement / And whan borgons sawe his folke [si desconfitz, F. orig.] come thus, he yssued oute of the wode ⁵wyth his companye,⁵ [^5—5 omitted, F. orig. g. vii. back.] and made bussynes & hornes to be blouen / and came for to socoure his men. And whan Reynawde sawe so grete nombre of folke ⁵comynge oute of the wode,⁵ [^5—5 omitted, F. orig. g. vii. back.] he was sore merveylled, and tourned hymselfe towarde his brethern, & sayd to theym / 'Lordes, kepe that ye be not dysmayed / for we shall gete a grete worshyp this daye; and I praye you that every man parforceth

hym selfe to doo well' / 'brother,' sayd Rycharde / 'we shall never be dysmayd as long as ye be vpon bayarde' / 'Broder,' sayd Reynawde, 'doo as goode men / for yf ye wyll parforce yourselfe a lityll, this paynymes shall not holde afore vs' / Thus as Reynawde spake to his brethern / they sawe Borgons com, the spere in his reest, and smote a man of Reynawde by suche a strength that he shoued his spere thorughe and thorughe his body / soo that he fell doun deed to the erthe. Whan Alarde sawe that, he was wroth, and spored hys horse, & ran vpon a paynym so harde that he felled hym sterke deed afore hym / And shortly to speke, there was never seen suche a dystresse of folke / as Reynawde, his brethern, and Mawgys ¹his cosin,¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] made wyth soo fewe folke as they were, agenst Borgons the sarrasin /

[folio I.ii.a] Thenne whan the kyng Yon, that cam to the socours of Reynawde, sawe the grete faytes of armes that he & his brethern made / and how hardly they dyd set vpon & overthrewe all that they recounted afore theym / he blessed hymselfe of the merveyll that he had of theym / And thenne he sayd to his folke, 'goo we socoure thise worthy knyghtes / for it is tyme longe agoo' / and whan kyng Yon had sayd thise wordes, he spored his horse, & put hymself amonge the thyckest, & began to doo well; and dyd so moche that he brake the grete preesses / and cam where Reynawde / was / and whan Reynawde sawe the kyng Yon, he sayd to hym, 'Syr, be sure and certeyn that the sarrasins are dy[s]comfyted' / thenne sayd the kyng, 'Reynawde, I am well assured that god shall doo me grace thrugh your highe prowesse; blessed be the hour that ye were borne / and cam in to thyse marches' / To speke shortly, ye bataylles were assembled of one parte & of thother; but whan Borgons sawe the gret harme that

Reynawde bare to him of his folke, he sayd to hys men / 'we ben overcome by the prowes of thise five knyghtes. Late vs goo backe agen / for it is tyme' / and whan he had sayd thyse wordes / he & his folke began to flee / And whan Reynawde sawe Borgons, that fleed / he smote bayarde wyth the spores & ranne after hym, & sayd to hymselfe, that Borgons sholde abyde there, or elles it sholde cost hym his liff / [Que vous diray je plus, F. orig. g. vii.] Wythin a short whyle Reynawde was ferre from his brethern / and ferre from his felawshyp, so that they wyst not whiche waye he drew / Whan Alarde sawe that he wyst not where Reynawde was drawe / he sayd to hymselfe, 'Ha, god! whiche waye is my brother drawe to that I am not wyth hym?' and thenne cam there kyng Yon, that sayd to theym / 'Lordes & knyghtes / well ye knowe, gramercy god that it ys not wysdome for to chasse overmoche [folio I.ii.b] his enmyes, for often tymes cometh there a grete dommage / lete vs wythdrawe vs, I praye you.' 'Syr,' sayd Alarde, 'what saye ye / we have lost reynawde our broder, & wote not where he is, nor if he is deed or taken.' Whan kyng Yon vnderstode this worde, he was full sory & wrothe / and they wente & sought among ye deed that laye vpon the feelde. And whan alarde sawe he coude not be founde, he made grete sorowe wyth guycharde, rycharde, & Mawgys also. And whan the folke of Reynawde saw that he was not founde, they began to make so grete sorow that it was a pyte to see.

'Alas,' sayd Alarde, 'what shall I doo? I departed fro my londe poure & exyled / but I dyd not care for it / for I wente wyth the beste knyght of the worlde, & trowed by the prowes of hym to have recovered honour & havoyre, myselfe & my brethern / and now I have lost hym thorough my defawte!

Alas, myschaunt! what shall we doo frohens forth? For the erthe shall not mow susteyne vs no more / But that it shall fowndre vnder our feete' / and whan the kyng Yon sawe the grete sorowe that the poure knyghtes made for theyr brother, he sayd to theym, 'Lordes & knyghtes, what is this that ye doo? sith that he is not deed, it oughte to suffyse you / For yf he be take, ye shall have hym agen, & shold cost me all that I have in the worlde / And also we have soo many of theym prysoners / that Borgons shall not doo hym noo harme for no thyng.' 'Syre,' sayd alarde, 'lete vs goo after, for goddys sake / lete vs wyte where he is becom.' 'Frende,' sayd ye kyng, 'I wyll doo so gladly.' and thenne they spored theyr horses, & went as fast as theyr horses myghte renne / and wyte that alarde, guycharde, rycharde, & mawgys, rode a good pase, so moche that it semed that therthe sholde have cloven a sondre vnder theym / ¶ Now wyll I tell you of Reynawde, [folio I.iii.a] that went after borgons so fast as yf the tempest had chassed hym; and he was goon so ferre wythin a shorte while, that it is wonder for to here tell, for there was no best that wente afore bayarde his horse / and whan reynawde had overtaken borgons / he cryed vpon hym as hie as he myght do, 'Certes, borgons, thy horse maye no more, I see it well / and therfore flee no ferder / but turne thyself towarde me; for yf thou deyed fleeng thou sholdest be shamed' / whan borgons herde reynawde speke thus to hym, he retorned incontynent. And whan he sawe reynade, he knewe well that it was the good knyghte that had dy[s]comfyted all his folke, & sayd to hym / 'Syre knyght / goo backe agen, & marre not your horse about noughte; for yf ye lese hym, ye shall never recover suche a nother.' & this he sayd for to abasshe the

good knyght reynawde / for he durste not iouste wyth hym by cause of the grete prowes that he had seen in hym. But reynawde was not the man that sholde be made a ferde wyth wordes / ¹And thenne reynawde said agen to hym¹ [^1—1 si luy dist, F. orig. g. viii.] / 'borgons, thys worde mystre not to you for to saye, for ye must nedes defende yourselfe' / And thenne he spored incontynent bayarde / & whan borgon saw that he myght not be delyvered of reynawde but by iustynge / he spored his horse & ranne vpon reynawde as harde as he myght, and smote reynawde so sharply that the spere went in peces. reynawd fell not / but smote borgons suche a stroke that he overthrewe both horse and man to the grounde, & wounded borgons in hys brest full sore / And whan borgons sawe hymselfe atte the grounde, he rose vp lightly, & toke his swerde in his hande / and cast his shelde vpon his hede / and whan reynawde perceyved the stroke that he had gyven hym in his brest, he cryed to hym, & sayd / 'Certes it shall not be reproched to me that ye fyghte me a fote, & I on horsbacke' / and wyth this he lighted doun from bayarde, and drewe oute his swerde [hors du fonteau, F. orig. g. viii.] & went [folio I.iii.b] agenst borgons, and borgons agenst hym / and there began a sharpe batayll. and whan the horse of the pagnym felte hym selfe from hys mayster, he began to renne awaye ⁴over the feldes;⁴ [^4—4 omitted, F. orig.] & whan bayarde sawe hym renne awaye / he went after & overtoke hym soone ynough / and thenne he toke hym by the mane ⁴wyth his teeth,⁴ [^4—4 omitted, F. orig.] and drew hym wyth so grete myght that he broughte hym agen to his mayster, in the same place where the two ⁴worthy⁴ [^4—4 omitted, F. orig.] knyghtes fought togyder / and reynawde gaaf a stroke to borgons wyth his swerde vpon his shelde, & all that the sworde roughte he cut thrugh, the flesshe, & well

an hundred mayles of his flancardes, and made hym a grete wounde in to the haunche.

Thenne whan borgons the sarasyn sawe the wonderfull strengthe of reynawde, & the grete strokes that he gaaf to hym / he was sore afrayed, & fered leste he sholde deye; & so he wythdrewe hymself abacke, [ung peu, F. orig. h. i. back.] & sayd to reynawde, 'Ha gentyll knyght, I praye the for the love that you haste to thy god, that thou gyve me trewes / and I shall make the lord & sire of all that I have in this worlde' / 'certes,' sayd reynawde, 'I wyll not do so / for I have promysed to kyng Yon that I shall helpe hym agenst all men / and he in likewyse hath promysed me; but & yf ye wyll make your selfe crysten, I shall do it gladly.' 'Syr,' sayd borgons, 'I wyll yelde me to you; for to no better knyght than ye be I can not yelde myselfe / yf ye wyll save my liff & my membres' / 'Borgons,' sayd Reynawde, 'yf ye wyll yelde you to me, ye shall have no more harme than I shall' / 'wyll ye promyse me this?' sayd borgons / 'ye,' sayd reynawde. 'now holde my swerde,' sayd borgons / '& I put my selfe all togyder in your hande.' And reynawde tooke his swerde, & assured hym that he shold not deye / and they two went togyder for to take theyr horses / and whan they had theym, they lighted [folio I.iv.a] vpon, and toke theyr waye towarde Bordews / and as they cam agen, they met wyth kyng Yon, that cam, & his folke, rennynge agenst hym as fast as they myght. Whan reynawde sawe the kyng / he thanked hym moche that he was comyng after hym, & presented to hym borgons, that he had thus taken & conquested, as I have reherced to you, & sayd to hym, 'Noble kyng of gascoyn, I beseche you that borgons have no harme / for I have assured hym.' 'Good frende,' sayd kyng Yon, 'nomore he shall / but all honour for the love of you / & I praye to god that I

maye do no thyng that is agenst your wyll' / And whan alarde, guycharde, richarde, & mawgys sawe reynawd, that brought borgons prysoner, they were never so glad, for thei wende to have lost hym / so ranne they & kyssed hym full swetly, & made hym grete feste & grete honour / For they had ben in grete sorow for the love of hym.

'Brother,' sayd Alarde, 'in to a grete sorowe ¹& hevynes¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] ye had brought vs this daye, for we wonde that ye had be take; but sith that ye have taken borgons, the werre is doon / and blessed be the hour that ye were borne, & the pappes that ye souked' / and whan they were well fested, they toke on their waye towarde bordews / where they led borgons as a prysoner / And whan the kyng yon was at bordews, he lighted doun, and toke wyth hym reynawde & his brethern by the hande, & mawgis also, & wente vp to the palays, and founde his folke, that made grete fest / and he [le roy yon, F. orig. h. i.] called them to hym, & sayd, 'Lordes, [faictes honneur a ses cheualliers, F. orig.] bere honour and worshyp more to this knyght than to me / for I am kynge of Gascoyn by theyr worthines & grete prowes; for yf they had not ben, I had be deed & overthrowen; blessed be the good lorde that dyd put in their myndes for to com into this coste, For they have quyted my londe, & have set all my royame in peas' / To speke shortly, the kyng made [folio I.iv.b] the buty to be dealed, Wherof the most party he made to be gyven to reynawde & his brethern. And reynawde wolde take no thyng of it / but gaff it all to his folke / and whan ye kinge sawe the grete largenes of reynawde, he loved hym more than he dyd afore / & thenne he sayd that he wolde make reynawde lorde over hym / and of all his londe /

T

he kyng yon had a suster, the whiche was a ryght fayre damoysell / whan she herde speke so moche good by reynawd, she called to her a knyghte that was called water, and sayd to hym / 'tell by your feyth / who had the pryce of the batayll.' 'madame,' sayd water, 'I shall tell it you wyth a good wylle. Now wyte that reynawde is the best knyght of all his brethern, & of all the worlde, for he toke borgons the sarrasin by force / wherby he hath brought the werre at an ende.' Whan the pucell vnderstode this worde she was right glad, & dyde thanke our lorde for it wyth all her hert. And ye kyng & his knyghtes ceassed not to make ioye for the victory that god had sente to theym thrughe the grete prowes of the valyaunt reynawd / Whan borgons sawe hymselfe in pryson, he sente worde to kyng yon that he sholde come speke wyth hym / And as sone that kyng yon wyst of it, he wente to hym / and whan borgons sawe hym, he salued hym, & after sayd to hym, 'Syr, [roy yon, F. orig. h. i.] I am your prysoner, & also the moste party of my folke; and yf it playse you, ye shall put me to raunsome, and my men also, & I shall gyve you X. horses laden wyth golde, for me & for mi folke' / 'Borgons,' sayd the kyng, 'I shall doo it wyth a goode wyll, yf reynawde counseyll me so, & noo otherwyse I wyll not doo' / And thenne the kyng yon sente for reynawde, ²& for his brethern,² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig.] & all his other barons / And whan they were come, he helde his counseyll how he sholde doo for the delyveraunce of borgons. Reynawde & his barons counseylled the kynge [folio I.v.a] that he sholde put Borgons to raunsom. and whan the kynge sawe that his barons counseyled hym the same, he made borgons to be called / and made his delyveraunce to be signyfyed vnto hym / And thus was borgons delyverde, & wente

wyth his folke into his countrey, and yelded Tholouse agayn to kyng Yon, & sente to [au roy Yon, F. orig. h. ii. back.] hym X. sommers all laden wyth fyne golde, as he had promysed to hym / And incontynent that the kyng Yon had received theym he gaaff them to reynawde & to his brethern; but reynawde dyd as a worthy knyghte / For not a peny he wolde take of it, nor his brethern also.

It happed vpon a daye that Reynawde and his brethern wente in a forest that was not ferre thens / and toke foure wylde bestes / And as they were comynge homwarde, they founde themselfe vpon the ryver of gyronde / and as they wente, Alarde loked over the ryver, & sawe a hyghe montayn, & all highe to the toppe of it was a fayr roche / And whan Alarde sawe soo fayr a grounde and so stronge, he tourned hymselfe towarde Reynawde, and sayd to hym / [beau frere, F. orig.] 'Brother, yonder vpon that highe mountayne is a fayr grounde and a stronge, I beleve that there hath ben somtyme a castell. And yf we myghte doo soo moche to buylde there ³a stronge place³ [^3—3 ung chastel, F. orig. h. ii. back.] for ourselfe, Charlemagne sholde never take vs there / And yf ye wyll beleve me, ye shall aske it of kynge Yon. And yf he gyveth it to you, Lete vs doo make there a ⁴stronge castell.'⁴ [^4—4 ung forteresse. F. orig. h. ii. back.] 'Cosyn,' sayd Mawgys to Reynawde, 'Alarde gyveth you good counseyll, And I praye you that ye wyll doo soo as he hath sayd' / 'Cosyn,' sayd Reynawde, 'I shall doo it, syth that ye counseyll me soo' / And whan they were accorded to the same / ⁵they entred into a barge, & wente over Gyrounde / And whan they came a londe / they ceassed never tyll that they came afore the kynge⁵ [^5—5 Ils se mirent dedens gironde et passerent oultre et ne finerent de chevaucher tant quilz sont venuz devant le roy, F. orig.] / And presented hym

the bestes [sauluaiges, F. orig.] [folio I.v.b] that they hadde taken. And whan the kynge sawe theym he receyved theym curtoyusly, For he loved theym moche / And thenne the kynge embraced Reynawde in his armes.

The morowe nexte, after that the kynge hadde herde masse / Reynawde toke the kynge and drewe hym a lityll atte oo side / and sayd to hym, 'Syre, we have served you longe well and truly.' 'Certes,' sayd the kynge, 'ye saye trouthe / and therfore I am holde to rewarde you well for it. Now loke yf I have in all my londe, cytes, townes, or castelles, or other thynge that ye wyll have, For ye shall have it Incontynente.' 'Syre,' sayd Reynawde, 'I thanke you moche of your goode wyll. But here my wordes, yf it playse you' / 'saye on hardely,' sayd the kynge / 'Syre,' sayd Reynawde, 'I and my bretherne were the other daye comynge fro the chase / and as we came alonge by the syde of Gyronde and of Dordonne, and namely betwene thyse two ryveres / I sawe a mountayne sore hyghe; And yf it playse you, I wolde well buylde therevpon a castell after my playsure / Wherfore, syre, and it playse you, ³ye shall graunte to me this gyfte³ [^3—3 vous le me donnez, F. orig. h. ii.] / for all the servyse that ever I dyde to you.' Whan the kynge vnderstode thys worde, he was ryght gladde of it, and sayd to Reynawde / 'I ryght gladly graunt this to you. And wyth the same, ye shall have of me X thousande marke every yere for to maynten your astate' / 'Syre,' sayd Reynawde, 'gramercy' / and caste hym selfe to his feete. And the kyng yon toke hym vp ⁴anone curtoyusly,⁴ [^4—4 incontinent, F. orig. h. ii.] & kyssed hym for grete love; & after, he sayd vnto hym / 'Noble knyght, I promyse you I shall make you a ryche man, ⁵yf god spare me liffe.'⁵ [^5—5 si je viz longuement, F. orig.] 'sir,' sayd reynaude, 'god yelde you, & we shall serve you truly' /

¹& thus they departed fro eche other.¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] The nexte daye, after whan the kyng was rysen oute of his bed, he made reynaude to com [folio I.vi.a] afore hym / And after he toke XX. knyghtes wyth hym, and no more, and toke his barge vpon gyronde, and passed over the ryver, ¹reynawd & his brethern wyth hym¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] / and thei dyde so moche that they cam vpon the roche [et monterent au dessus, F. orig. h. ii.] / and whan they sawe the place so fayr & so playsaunt, the kyng was merveylled of it, & reynawde was ryght glad / For the grete strenghte that the place had / for yf he myght doo so moche to buylde there a castell, he sholde not doubte Charlemagne of a peny, nor none other persone of the worlde, whan vytaylles were in it, for vpon the highest of the montayn spronge oute a fayre fountayne, & plenteous ynoughe for X. thousande persones. Whan the knyghtes that were wyth the kyng sawe the place so fayr & so playsaunt, & so strong wythall, they were gretly abasshed / a knyght thenne toke the kynge, & had hym a lityll aside, & tolde hym / 'Sir, what is this that ye wyll doo / wyll ye have a lorde above you? wyll ye doo make here a fortresse / I tell you vpon my feyth, that yf reynawde set here a castell, he shall fere you lityll, nother you nor all other barons of gascoyn / for reynawde is suche a knyght as ye knowe, & also his brethern & their cosin mawgys / and also they be strangers / and soone they shall bere you grete harme yf they wyll; doo to hym some other good, yf ye wyll beleve me, and lete this alone, For over grete harme myghte come to you therof.'

Thenne whan kyng yon vnderstode suche wordes, he becam all abasshed of it, for he wyste well that the knyghte sayd trouth / and lityll it lacked that the werke of the castell cam not forthe. he began to thynke a lityll; & after, he sayd that he had promysed

it to reynawde / ¹and thus he sayd to the knyght¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] that the castell sholde be made; so called he reynawde, and sayd to hym / 'My good frende, where will ye that the castell be made' / ²'sir,' sayd reynaude, 'I wyll yf it playse you that it be [folio I.vi.b] set here in the same place vpon the roche.'² [^2—2 Sire je veul quil soit asses ici si vous plaist, F. orig. h. iii. back.] 'Certes,' sayd the kynge, 'I gyve it to you / Now hast you to see that it be made & buylded vp ¹as ye thynke best¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] / and thenne ye shall doubte nother me nor my folke' [mais je ne cuide mye que vous me vueillez querroyer moy ne mes barons de mon pays, F. orig.] / 'sire,' sayd reynawd, 'lete be thise wordes, for it is no nede to speke therof / for I certyfye you as a true knyght, that I had moche lever deye an evyll deth amonge the turkes / than that I sholde thinke treyson vpon you nor vpon no other / Syre, I am & have be take hederto, & holde for a true knyght / god gyve me grace that I doo not from hens forth, wherby I sholde other wyse be taken [pour desloyal, F. orig.] / sire, thinke you by cause I am enmye to charlemagn, my soverayn lord / that I sholde be therfore a traytour, & that I have doon agenst hym som treyson; wyt that whan I slewe berthelot his nevew, alas, I dyd it in my defence / for he drewe first blode vpon me wythoute reyson or cause why. But I swere to you vpon my feyth, that yf ony man doo ony wronge vnto you / I shall avenge you therof after my power; but & yf ye have ony suspectyon vpon me, gyve me it not' / 'Good frende reynawde,' sayd the kyng, 'I dyd but iape wyth you, for I know well your trouth, & wel ye have shewed it vnto me; ¹god thanke you¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] / and therfore I have graunted it vnto you / and yet I doo. And I wyll that ye be lorde above me, and of my londe.'

And whan reynawde vnderstode the curtoysie & the goodnes of the kynge / he thanked hym ryght moche / and he sent thrughe all the londe / and made com all the maysters masons, & carpenters, & many other crafty men in suche werke / so moche that they were well two [deux cens et cinquante, F. orig. h. iii.] hundred, beside the labourers / and whan all his stuff was redy, he made theym to buylde there a strong castell / wherof ye grete hall was first made, & after many chambres, & thenne the grete towre. And whan ye doungeon was well closed, reynawde made after, all ye castell to be closed rounde about wyth double walles, hie & thick, [folio I.vii.a] of harde stones, & many toures vpon, that it fered no sawtyng of no side of it; & made to this castell foure gates, & no more; & also he made ye portcolisse, fawesebrayes, & barbacanes well defensable, so that it myght be no better / whan ye castell was accomplysshed / reynawde & his brethern were therof right glade / for it semed theym that they were assured from their enmyes / And whan kynge Yon knewe that the castell was accomplysshed & full made, he went to see it / And whan reynawde wyst that the kyng cam / he went agenst hym, ³& welcomed hym full honestly,³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig.] & made hym goo vp to the grete toure of the fortres, by cause he shold see the compas of the castell rounde aboute at his ease / for, fro the grete toure, men myght see all. The kyng behelde well the fayr werke, that was so playsaunt & so strong wythall, & the fayr fountayne that was in ye myddes of it / And thenne he called reynawde, & sayd to hym, 'Good frende reynawde, how shall this castell be called / for me semeth it ought well to have a noble name, for the grete beaute wherof it is garnyshed' / 'sire,' sayd reynawde, 'it hath no name yet / and yf it playse you ye shall gyve it a name as it shall like you best' / 'certes,'

sayd the kyng, 'the place is praty and fayr / and I wyll that it be called Montalban' / and thenne the kyng made to be knowen thrugh all his londe, that who wold come dwelle & enhabyte in the sayd castell, ¹whiche was as grete as a towne¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. h. iv. back.] / he sholde be free of all maner of duytes the space of X yeres.

Thenne whan the folke of the countrey knewe the fredome of the castell / ye sholde have see come there / knyghtes, gentylmen, burgeys, yonge & olde / yomen, ²& folke of all maner of craftes² [^2—2 clers, villains et sergens, F. orig.] / so that this castell was pepled of all maner of folke / that in all ye countrey was no towne so wel pepled / for there dwelled V hundred burgeys, all ryche men; & [folio I.vii.b] there were well L. taverners, ⁴and XVC. men of crafte, beside other folke⁴ [^4—4 et cent hommes des glise, et y auoit bien plus de cenq cens hommes de mestier, F. orig. h. iv. back.] / And shortly to speke, montalban was so well garnysshed, and so riche wythin a lityll while, that it was grete merveill for to see / and wyte it, that the kynge yon loved reynawde wyth so good a love, for by cause of the grete worthyness of hym, that he gaaf to hym valery & all the lordshype, that was worthe a thousande marke of good rente well set / whan the barons sawe that the kyng loved reynawde soo well, they were wroth for it, ¹& had enuye vpon hym;¹ and thei cam to ye kyng & sayd to hym, 'sir, take well good hede what ye doo / for montalban is ryght stronge, & so is reynawde suche a knyght, that none better is not in all the remenaunt of the worlde / and yf it happe by ony wyse that he be an angred vpon you, he shall mowe lightely bere to you & to all your folke over grete dommage.' 'Lordes,' sayd the kyng, 'ye saye trouth / but reynawde ⁵is so gentyll & so courtoys of hymself⁵ [^5—5 a si gentil cueur, F. orig. h. iv. back.] that he shall never

thynke vpon no treyson nor to no shame in no maner of wyse.' 'sire,' sayd thenne an olde knyght, that stode before the kyng, 'yf ye wyll beleve me, I shall tell you how ye shall alwayes be lorde & mayster above reynawde all the tyme of your liff.' 'Frende,' sayd the kyng, 'tell me this I praye you.' 'Syr,' sayd the knyght, 'gyve hym your suster to his wyfe, so shall he be well maryed, for reynawde is well a noble gentylman of all foure sides. And therby ye shall be assured that he shall never be angry ne wrothe wyth you' / 'frende,' sayd kyng Yon, 'ye gyve me good counseyll / and I shall doo it as ye have counseylled me / but I praye you that ye purchace this matere.' 'sire,' sayd the olde knyght, 'sith that I knowe your wil in this behalfe / I shall doo my best for to bryng the matere to a conclusion effectuell' / after thise wordes thus sayd, the kynge retorned agen to Bordews wyth ioye, devysynge wyth ye olde knyght of the matier wherof they had spoken togyder. [de la mectre a effect, F. orig. h. iv.]

[folio I.viii.a] The first daye of the moneth of Maye, reynawde went from his castelle of Montalban, to bordews for to see kyng Yon, & toke alarde his broder wyth hym / And whan the kyng Yon wyst of it, he cam to hym agenst, and receyved reynawde wyth grete ioye, and kyssed hym full swetely / And after, the kyng toke hym by ye hande, & went vp togyder to ye hall of the palays, ³and so forth to the chambre of paremente, whiche was hanged right rychely;³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig.] and thenne the kyng called for the chesse / for to playe at it wyth reynawde. And as they were playing togyder, there cam in the olde knyght, that had charge of the kyng for to make the maryage of reynawde & of the kyngys suster, whiche knyghte was called godefraye of molyns / and whan he was come afore the kynge, he sayd,

'Here, Lordes, what I wyll tell you / To nyghte, as I was in my bed a slepe / me semed that I sawe Reynawde, the sone of Aymon, that was set hyghe in a chayre, & all the peple of this royame enclined theymself byfore hym. And the kyng gaaf to hym a sperhawke, mewed full fayr & good. & me semed also that thenne came a grete bore ¹out of the wodes,¹ [^1—1 devers gironde, F. orig. h. iv.] that made an horryble noyse, so that no body durst not approache nyghe hym / thre men assaylled hym / ²but they coude not hurt hym, & passed by theym.² [^2—2 mais il passa tout aultre, F. orig. h. iv.] And whan Reynawde sawe that, he lighted vpon bayarde, & cam agenste hym, & faughte wyth hym, & hurted hym sore / and thenne I woke out of my slepe' / and whan the olde knyghte had sayd so / thenne rose a doctour, that was called bernarde, the whyche was ryght wyse & a grete clerke, & sayd / 'fayr lordes, yf ye liste to herken, I shall expowne and declare vnto you the signyfycasion of this dreme / Wyt it that the chaier where Reynawde sat, betokeneth the castell that he hath buylded / & the peple that bowed themself to-warde hym, signyfyeth the folke that are come dwelle [folio I.viii.b] there / And the yefte that the kyng gaaf to hym, betokeneth that the kyng yon shall gyve hym his suster to his wyff / that wylde bore signyfyeth som grete prynce, crysten or pagnym, that shall come to assayll / kyng Yon / and the same is the sygnyficacyoun of the dreme of Godfray; and I, indygne for to speke / sholde counseyll that the maryage sholde be doon of reynawde & of the suster of kyng yon. For they shall be thus bothe ryght well ⁴& rychely⁴ [^4—4 omitted, F. orig.] weded' / And thenne the kynge answered, 'thou hast spoken well & wysely.' Whan the clerke had declared the betokenyng of the dreme of tholde knyght Godfray, the kyng yon sayd that, touchynge this maryage, the thynge was

well agreable vnto hym. And whan reynawde vnderstode this worde, he sayd to the kyng / 'sir, gramercy of your fayr yefte that ye doo to me / but & yf it playse you, ye shall have a lityll pacyence vnto the tyme that I have counseylled wyth my brethern & my cosin Mawgys' / 'Broder,' sayd alarde, 'ye have sayd yll. What refuse you of the kyng so grete a yeft as he gyveth you now; yf ye wyll beleve me, ye shall fulfyll ye kinges wyll incontynente / for to me & to my brethern it shall playse well / And whan the kyng gaaff you not his suster / but a simple damoysell, yet oughte you to beleve hym & doo after his wyll' / 'brother,' sayd reynawde / 'it is not the firste tyme that ye have gyven to me good counseyll & true / and I promyse you I shall doo it, sith that ye doo counseyll me so' / and thenne reynawde torned hymself towarde the kyng, & sayd to hym / 'Sir, I am all togyder redy to doo all that [vostre vouloir et commandement, F. orig. h. v. back.] ye wyll' / and thenne reynawde rose vp, and the kynge toke hym by the hande / and made his suster to be affyaunced vnto hym.

Thenne whan the maryage was made accorded, and made sure of the one parte / & of thother, the kyng Yon cam [folio K.i.a] to the chamber of his suster / and fonde her besi aboute a penouncell of a spere / that she made full fayr for the knyghte Reynawde, but she durst not tell it. The kyng salued her as sone as that he sawe her / and the noble mayd rose vp anone agenst her brother, & made him due reverence ryght manerly. 'Fayr suster,' sayd the kyng, 'I have doo marye you well & highly.' whan the pucell vnderstode hym / she began to chaunge her colour, & bowed her body to hym, and sayd no worde of a longe whyle / And whan she had the power for to speke, she sayd to the kyng her broder / 'Syr, to whom have you gyven me?' 'Fayr

suster,' sayd the kyng, 'I have gyven you vnto the best knyghte of the worlde. It is Reynawde / the sone of Aymon, the noble knyght & valyaunt' / Whan the noble damoysell vnderstode that it was to Reynawde to whom her brother had maryed her, she was ryght glad of it / For she loved Reynawde of a grete love, and sayd to ye kyng / ¹'Syr, I wyll doo wyth all my veraye herte your comaundemente & your wyll'¹ [^1—1 Sire je vueil ce que vous plaist, F. orig. h. v. back.] / Thenne the kyng toke her by the hande and broughte her to the palays, and sayd to Reynawde afore all his barons, 'Holde here, worthy knyghte [omitted, F. orig.] Reynawde, I gyve you my suster to your wyff & spouse.' 'Syr,' sayd Reynawde, 'a thousande gramercys of so fayr a yefte that ye gyve to me presently, [a present, F. orig. h. v. back.] For it apperteyneth not so grete a yefte to so poure a knyghte as I am' / Thenne toke Reynawde the pucell, & fyaunced her / and sware. And the kynge wolde make no taryenge therat, but toke the pucelle by the hande / and broughte her to the chyrche well honourably. And the bysshop of Bordews wedded theym / and whan Reynawde had his wyff espoused / [il la mena a ses freres et a son cousin mawgis, F. orig. h. v.] he sente for his brethern and for his cosin Mawgys, that were at [au chastel de Montauban, F. orig. h. v.] Mountalban, the whiche made grete Ioye / and made all mountalban for to be hanged wyth ryche tapyssery / And [folio K.i.b] thenne they mounted their horses all covered wyth sendall, and wente to Bordews / and met wyth Reynawde and his wyff by the waye, ⁷where as grete ioustynge was made afore the ladyes⁷ [^7—7 la ou lont faisoit moult belle joustes, F. orig. h. v.] / And after the ioustynge was doon, they came all to Montalban / and whan they were com there, the ioye began to be grete in the castell, as god had descended there / For to saye trouth .viij dayes lasted the feste, and many grete yeftes were presented and gyven to the

lady / And whan the feste had endured as longe as I tell you / The kynge Yon wente agen to Bordews, right glad of the mariage / that he had made of Reynawde and of his suster. For he thoughte well that Reynawde sholde helpe hym agenste all men: and he sayd trouthe / For after that the maryage was ones made, there was noo baron in all Gascoyn that durste loke vppe, and yet there were some that wolde not [nat, in text orig.] doo their devoyre to the kynge / but Reynawde made theym well come forth for to doo the kyngis comaundement accordynge to theyr ligeaunce, wolde they or not. For Reynawde was both loved and doubted thrughe all ye londe of Gascoyn / ¶ But now leveth here the history to speke of Reynawde and of his bretherne & of Mawgys, And retorneth to speke of Charlemagne, that wente to saynt Iames in Galyce for to doo penaunce for his synnes.