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.

[Beginning of the four sones of Aymon, taken from Copland's edition (C. 12, i. 7), British Museum, London, 1554.

The Prologue.

As the philosopher, in the fyrst booke of hys metaphysyque, sayth, that every man / naturally desireth to know / and to con newe thynges: And therfore have the Clerkes / & people / of great vnderstandynge desyred and concite to lerned sciences, and to know vertues of thinges. Some by Phylosophy, other by Poetrye, and other by Historyes / and cronyikes / of thynges passed. And vpon these three they have greatly laboured / in suche that thanked be God, by theyr good dylygence / and laboures, they have had greate knowledge by innumerable volumes of bookes, whiche have be made / and compyled by great studye and payne / vnto thys day. And bycause that above all thinges, the princes & lordes of hie estate and entendement / desyre to see thystoryes / of the ryght noble and hye vertues of the prodecessours / whiche ben digne, and worthy of remembraunce of perpetuall recommendation. Therfore, late at ye request and commaundement of the ryght noble and vertus Erle Iohn, Erle of Oxeforde, my good synguler / and especial lorde, I reduced and translated out of Frenche, into our maternall and Englyshe tongue, the lyfe of one of his predecessoures, named Robert, Erle of Oxeforde, tofore sayd, with

[diverse & many great myracles / whiche God shewed for him as wel in his lyfe / as after his death, as it is shewed all a longe in hys sayde booke. And also that my sayd Lorde / desyreth to have other Hystories of olde tyme / passed of vertues chyvalry, reduced in lykewyse into our Englishe tongue: he late sent to me a booke in Frenche, conteynyng thactes / and faytes of warre / doone and made agaynst ye great Emperour and king of Fraunce, Charlemagne, by ye .iiii. sonnes of Aymon, otherwyse named in Frenche, 'Les quatre fylz Aymon.' Whyche booke, accordynge to hys request, I have endevorde me to accomplyshe / and to reduce it into our englyshe, to my great coste / and charges, as in the translatinge / as in enprynting of the same, hopying & not doubtyng / but that hys good grace / shall rewarde me in suche wise that I shall have cause to pray for his good and prosperus welfare. And besechynge his said noble good grace / to pardon me of ye rude, and this simple worke. For, accordyng to the coppy / whyche he sent to me, I have folowed as nigh as I can, and where as, as any defaute shall be founde, I submyt me to the correction of them / that vnderstande the cronycle & history, besethyng them to correcte it & amende there / as they shall fynde faute. And I shall praye almighty God for them that so doo, to rewarde them in suche wyse, that after this shorte / and transytory lyfe, we all may come to everlastyng lyfe in heven. Amen.

¶ Thus endeth the prologue:

Heere foloweth the Table of this presente booke.

Who that wyll know the history of the foure noble and worthye knyghtes / named the foure sonnes of Aymon, wherof the fyrste was called Reynawde, the seconde Alarde, the thyrde Guycharde, and fourthe Rycharde, let hym first reade this presente table folowynge / In whiche men shall fynde that thys

[presente booke conteyneth .xxviii. chapytres, whiche speaken of many faire / and dyverse matters, whiche they that shall reade thys sayde chapytres, shall nowe see the history all alonge. And ye shall see in this fyrst chapytre howe, that after kynge Charlemagne / was come agayne / from the partyes of Lombardy, where he had had great and merveyllouse battaylles / agenste the sarasyns, he helde vpon whitsondaye, open courte / at Parys, where was a fayre felawshyp of Prynces / and Barons, as ye shall heare after alonge. And in the same chapitre / ye shall also see howe, the same daye / the duke Aymon of Ardeyne / broughte to the courte hys foure sonnes, that is to wit, Reynawde, Alarde, Guichard, and Richarde, and howe kynge Charlemagne / made theym knyghtes wyth his owne handes; also howe the duke Benes of Aigremounce / slewe Lohier, the eldest sonne of kyng Charlemain (the duke benes was vncle to the foure sonnes of Aymon); and after, how the duke Benes of aygremount / was slaine coming to Paris, by the commaundemente of kinge Charlemagne, after that he had appointed, for the death of his sonne. And also in this first chapitre / men shal nowe see many other faire matters, whiche were to longe for to be reherced / in this preambule of this present booke.

The seconde Chapyter sheweth howe Gryllon of haultefelle, and Guenes, after that they had slayne the duke Benes of Aygremount, retourned to Parys, and recounted to kynge Charlemagne / the mortall treason that they had put to execucyon; wherof the kynge was ryghte glad; and syn after he was ryghte sorye for it. For after that, the two bretherne of the duke Benes / made great warre agenst him, and so did Gerarde of Roussillon, and Dron, and Mawgys, the sonne of the duke Benes; and after, they made peace and accorded togyther. But the kinge Charlemain accorded not with the foure sonnes of Aymon, nor to

[their cosin Mawgys. … howe Reynawde slew the nevew of king Charlemagne with a chesse boorde, as they plaied togyther at the chesse, wherof the warre began, the whiche was so mortall / and lasted so longe, that it bare a great dommage to the realme of Fraunce.

The thirde chapitre speaketh, how after that kynge Charlemagne hadde made all his barons to forsake the foure sonnes of aymon / He went and besyeged them at mountenforde, where he was dyscomfyted two tymes; but the castelle of Mountenforde was taken, after that, by treason. And after, howe Reynawde and his bretherne avenged theim of the traytoures that betrayed theym, And after saved theym selfe wythin the forest of Ardeyne, Where theyr father found them / as he went from the syege / to warde his londe of Dordon. And howe, for to keep his othe that he had made to kynge Charlemagne / He dyd assayle hys sonnes; so that, of fyve hundred menne that they were, there abod on live with his sonnes but xvii. persones. But Reynawd and his brethern / had none evil, but slew many of their fathers men.

The fourth chapytre sheweth how, after that the olde Aimon / had discomfyted his chyldren, they went and dwelled in the depest of the forest of Ardeyne, and abode there / tyll that they were al counterfayte blacke / and roughe / as wilde beastes, for the greate hungre that they had suffred; and after, they went to Dordon / for to see their father, that made them good chere, and feasted them greately. And gave them of hauoyre so muche / that they myghte well make war with agenst the king; and howe Mawgis their cosyn arryved, whan that they should have departed, whiche went with theym in to the realme of Gascoygne / with fyve hundred knightes. And whan theyr mother sawe them departe, she was for it full sorye.

[The fyfthe chaptre sheweth how, after that Reynawde / and hys brethern, with theyr cosyn mawgys, were departed from theyr mother / for to seeke their adventure / they went so longe tyll they came to the realme of Gascoygne. And howe / goynge thitherwarde, they made manye evylles in Fraunce. And howe the kynge of Gascoygn, whan they were come there / dyd receive them in his servise ryghte sweetly, in bourdeux vpon Gyrond, by cause / that than this king of Gascoigne, that was called Yon, had warre agenst a kyng sarasin / that was entred into Gascoyne, that had to name Portus, that helde Tholouse and all the londe aboute.

The VI chapter speaketh how Reinawde / and his bretherne / dystressed bourgous, a sarasyn that had distroyed the realme of Gascoign, and had chased the kinge yon / to bordeux vpon Gyronde, that durste not departe from thence, for feare of the sarasyns. And howe kyng Yon gave his sister Clare / vnto Reinawde / to be hys wyfe, for the greate servyse / that he hadde doon to hym. And dyd doo make for hym the castell of Mountawban.

The seventh chapitre speaketh how Charlemagne, for a voyage that he made to saint Iames in Galyce, he knewe in his comynge agayne / howe Reynawde and his bretherne, that were his mortalle enmies, were in Gascoygne / with in a stronge castel, called Mountawban. And how he sente worde to kinge Yon, that he shoulde delyver to hym Reynawde and hys bretherne. And yf he refused to doo thys, he shoulde come and besyege hym in hys londe / afore X or XII moneths were passed; Wherof king Yon answered / that he shoulde not doo it. And howe, after that kynge Charlemagne / was retourned to Parys, Rowlande, his neuewes, arryved

[at Parys, whiche the kyng made knyght. And after sente him for to reyse a siege afore Coloyne / that a sarasyn had besyeged / that was called Estorfawde, the which was overcome by Rowland. And howe Reynawde wan the crowne of Charlemagne / for his well rennynge / vpon hys baye horse at Parys.

The .viii. chapitre speaketh / how Charlemagne went into Gascoygne / with his host, and besieged Reynawd and his bretherne / within Mountawban; and howe Reynawde wan the fyrst batail of the king, which Rowlande conduyted, with Olyver and the bishop Turpin; wherof Charlemayne was so sore wrothe, that he wende to have wexed mad for it / of the great shame that he had of it.

The .ix. chapitre sheweth howe Reynawde / and his bretherne / were betrayed, and solde to king Charlemagne by kinge Yon, that sent theym in to the playne of Walcoloures / all vnarmed, but onelye of theyr swerdes, ryding vpon mulettes / clothed with mantelles of scarlate / furred with ermynes. From the whyche walle / they escaped worthylye, by the wyll of our lorde. But they were sore wounded. Of Charlemaines partye, abode there deade, Toulques of Moxillon, and many other barons, for whome the kynge was ryghte sorye.

The .x. chapitre speaketh howe, after that Goodard, the secretarye of kynge yon, had be-wrayed all the treason to Mawgys / that the kynge Yon had doone to hys cosyns, whiche he knewe well, For he had seene kynge Charlemagnes lettres, and had wrytten answere thervpon from kinge Yon, Mawgys brought to reynawde and hys / suche a succourses, that by his wyt / they were kepte from death.

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

The xii chapitre sheweth howe, that after reynawde / and hys brethern / were whole of their woundes that they had had in the playnes of Walcoloures, they retourned to Mountawban. But whan kyng Yon / knewe of theyr comynge agayn, he fledde awaye, and made hymselfe to be shorne a monke in a monastery / that was within the woode of the serpente; where rowlande and Ogyer the Dane / founde him, and wold have made him be hanged for the treason / that he had doone to reynawde / and to his brethern, yf Reynawde had not succoured hym.

The xiii. chapitre sheweth how, that after Reynawde had succoured kyng yon, was the same houre a merveyllouse battaylle / betweene / Reynawde and the frenshemen. For Rowlande was there sore beten, and many other, wherof Ogyer was glad, by cause that Rowland had called hym traytoure. And also he knewe / that the foure sonnes of Aymon / were not for to be so lyghtelye overcomen, as men had sayde afore. And for this cause / there had been a sore medle betweene Rowland and Ogyer, [mais les autres baros les departirent, F. orig. 1480.] yf it had not be the other barons that departed them; and in this recountre Rycharde, the brother of Reynawde, abode for prisoner of Rowlande.

The .xiiii. chapitre sheweth how, after that Reynawde, Alarde, and Guycharde / were gone to warde

[Mountawban / after the battayle, and that they had made full greate sorowe for Rychard / theyr brother, which was in kinge Charlemagnes handes, The sayd Rychard / was delyvered by mawgys greate wysedome.

The .xv. chapitre speaketh how, after that Reynawde and hys brethern / and Mawgys / had discomfyted Charlemagne, they came and overthrewe downe his pavilyon, and bare a waye with theym the Egle of golde / that was there vpon the pavilion; wherof kynge Charlemagne was sore an angred, in so muche that he wolde yeelde vp his crowne vnto his barons, sayinge / that he wolde be no more kynge, for they had fayled hym and habandonned, for the foure sonnes of Aymon; and sayde to them / that they should crown Reinawd, that he might be theyr king, for they loved him much more than they dyd hym. Than Olyver sayde to kinge Charlemagne, that he should take againe the croun, and that he shoulde brynge to him Mawgys, that he had taken / whan he was aboute to pylle the pavyllyon, for he abode alone. whan kynge Charlemagne hearde the same, he tooke agayne his crowne, and was ryghte glad of the prise of mawgis.

The .xvi. chapitre speaketh how the kynge Charlemagne / wolde doo hange Mawgys, Incontynente that Olyver had take hym to him. But by the meane of the Douseperes of Fraunce, that at the requeste of Mawgys, pledgyd hym for one nyght onelye. He made so muche that he escaped, to the honoure / and acquytaunce / of hys sureties / and of hym, and bare a waye with hym to Mountawban / the crowne and the swerde / of kynge Charlemagne / the same nyghte; wherof kynge Charlemagne was full sory. And therfore he sende worde to Reynawde / that he shoulde sende to hym agayne his crowne / and his swerde, and

[all that Mawgys had borne awaye with hym, and he shoulde grant hym his truce for two yeres. To the which thing Reynawde accorded hym; wherof happed to hym, after that, many great evylles.

The .xvii. Chapytre sheweth how Reynawde faught with Rowland / which he overcame / by the wyl of god, And brought hym to mountawban, wherof kyng Charlemagne was greatly wrothe. And also sheweth how Mawgys / brought king Charlemayne / into the castel of Mountawban / vpon bayarde all a slepe. And after tooke hym to Reinawd within his bed. And after wente and arrayed hym selfe / in maner of an Hermyte / poorely clothed. And lefte all his kinnesmen / and freendes, by cause that he wolde not let the peace of Reynawde / toward the kynge Charlemagne / for the war had lasted to longe.

The .xviii. chapytre sheweth how, after that Mawgys had taken Charlemagne / in to the handes of Reinawde his good cosin, he went without leave in to a woode / nyghe the ryver of Dordon, in to a hermitage, where he dyd dwelle as an Hermyte, lyvinge poorely, for to save his soule.

The .xix. chapitre sheweth howe the barons of Fraunce that were at Mountawban / made great sorowe by cause that they myghte not awake the kynge Charlemagne / that Mawgys by his crafte / had made to slepe, and broughte vnto Mountawban. But whan the houre of the enchauntemente of Mawgys / was passed, kyng Charlemagne awaked. And whan he saw himselfe in Mountawban / he sware that he shoulde never make peace wyth Reynawde / as longe as that he were prysoner. And so Reynawde dyd sende hym againe vpon his horse bayard, free and quite. Wherof he repented him sore afterwarde; for soone after this kyng

[Charlemagne made Mountawban to be besyeged of so nyghe / that he famyshed Reynawd / and his bretherne, his wife, his children, and all the people / so that they dyed for hungre and thirst / the most parte.

The .xx. chapitre speaketh howe / after that Charlemaine had besyeged Mountawban of so nyghe / that he dyd famysh all them that were wythin, knewe howe Reynawde was gone / and had habandonned Mountawban, and was gone his waye, he and his bretherne, hys wyfe and hys chylderne, by vnder the erthe, and were gone to Ardeyne, where kynge Charlemagne went and besyeged them agayne. But afore that [Dordonne, F. orig. a. vi. back.] he dyd set his syege / Reynawde and hys bretherne yssued oute agenst hym. Whereby manye one loste their lyfe / of the one partie and of the other. And the duke Richarde of Normandye was taken there / which was one of the Douse peres of Fraunce / and a ryghte noble and a worthy knyght, preu and hardy; wherfore kynge Charlemaine was ryghte sorye.

The .xxi. chapitre sheweth how Mawgys, beynge in his hermytage / came in his mynde a vysion, that he hadde by nyghte in his slepe, for to goe see Reynawde and his bretherne. Than in the mornynge he tooke hys waye / and founde two marchauntes / the which had been [had been: 'he had be,' in original.] robbed by seven theeves in a wood. Of the whiche seven theeves / Mawgys slewe five of theym with his palster, and tooke again to the marchauntes theyr marchaundyses / and all theyr havoyre. And than he went forth his waye toward Mountawban / for to see his cosyns and hys brethern.

The .xxii. Chapiter sheweth, how Reynawde wolde have doon hange Richard / the duke of Normandye,

[by cause he myghte not have peace with the kinge Charlemagne. And howe / whan the Douse peeres of Fraunce knewe this, they came to kyng Charlemagne, and prayed hym to make peace with Reynawde / for to have againe theyr felawe / the duke Rycharde of Normandye; to the whiche thynge, kynge Charlemagne answered, that he should not doo it; wherof they were so sore an angred that they left him; but kynge Charlemaine dyd sende after theym / and sent theym worde that they shoulde returne agayne to hym, and that he shoulde make peace with Reynawde vnder this condicyon / that Reinawd should goe beyonde the sea, beggynge his breade.

The .xxiii. Chapytre sheweth howe, after that Reynawde was departed from Ardeyne / for to make hys vyage beyonde the sea, poorely clothed as a pylgrym, seekynge hys breade for goddes sake / Rycharde of Normandye tooke Bayarde, and brought with him Alard, Guychard, and Rycharde, bretherne to Reynawde / and presented theym to Charlemagne, the whiche he receyved ryghte honourablye by good love, and after brake his syege, and departed for to goe to Parys. But whan he was in the citye of Lyege, vpon the brydge over the ryver Mewsethe / made Bayard to be cast into the water with a mille stone at the necke of hym; but bayarde the horse escaped, and is yet a lyve in the forest of Ardeyne / as men sayen.

The .xxiii. Chapytre sheweth howe, that after Reynawde was departed from Ardeyne, from hys bretherne, from his wife / and fro hys chyldrene, for to goe beyonde the sea for to accomplyshe hys voyage to the holy grave, he found in Constantynople / hys cosyn Mawgis, and went both togither vnto afore Iherusalem, that a kynge sarasyn / whiche was admyral of percie,

[had taken by treason. but Reynawde and Mawgys dyd so muche wyth the folke of the lond, that the cytye was take agayne of the christen.

The .xxv. Chapytre sheweth how, that after Reynawde was come agayne from the holy londe, where he had doone merveyles, he sent Aimoner / and Yonnet, hys two sonnes / to kynge Charlemaine muche honourably, for to be made knightes of hys hande. For he taughte theym well in armes, in all good maners, and tooke to theym fyve hundred good men / well horsed, for to conduyte them towarde the kyng at Parys.

The .xxvi. Chapytre sheweth how, after that kyng Charlemagne had muche swetely receyved the chylden of Reynawde / and made theym knightes, they fought wyth ye sonnes of Toulques of Moxyllon / and discomfited theym in the feeld at Parys, whyche is called the ylle of our lady. Bicause that they had charged theyr father of treason, bycause he had slaine theyr father / Toulques of Moxyllon, in the playnes of Walcolours.

The .xxvii. chapitre conteineth how, that after Reynawde was gone from Mountawban in maner of a pilgrime / never to have returned agayne, after that he had dealed his goodes to his children, his brethern and his sonne Aymanet / made great sorow whan they wyst that he was gone wythout theyr knowledge, all barefote, with a palster in his hande.

The .xxviii. chapitre sheweth how, after that Reynawde was departed fro Mountawban for to save his soule / he went to Coleine vpon the Rine, and founde that men builded the churche of saynt Peter. And there came to hym a wyll / and a devocyon / for to serve

[the masons / that wrought there, for the love that he had to our lorde. But at the laste, the other labourers had so great envye at hym / of that he was more loved than they were of all the maysters, for the good service that he dyd / that they slew hym; and after, they put hym in a sacke & caste hym into the water of the Ryne; but by the wil of our lord, his corps appered above ye watir, makyng so many fayre myracles, healyng of sykenesses / so that he was named a saynte the daye of hys buryenge.

¶ Here finyssheth the table, and consequentely followeth the book heere after.

CHAPTER I.

Howe duke Aimon of Ardein brought to the courte his foure sonnes, that is to wit, Reynawde, Alarde, Guichard, and Richarde, and howe kynge Charlemagne / made theym knyghtes wyth his owne handes; also howe the duke Benes of Aigremounte slewe Lohier, the eldest sonne of kynge Charlemain. the duke benes was uncle / to the foure sonnes of Aimon; and after, how the duke Benes of aygremount was slaine coming to Paris, by the commaundemente of kinge Charlemagn / after that he had appointed, for the death of his sonne. And also in this first chapitre men shall now see many other faire matters, which were to longe for to be reherced in the preamble of this present booke.

[Truelye we finde in the gestes & faites of the good kynge Charlemagne / that vpon a time at a feast of Penthecoste, the sayde kyng Charlemagne kept a ryght great and solempne court at Parys, after that he was come againe fro the partyes of Lombardy / where he had had a ryght great and mervaylous batayle agenst the Sarasyns, [et mescreans, F. orig. b. i.] and suche folke as were oute of the beleve, wherof the cheef of the sayde Sarasins was named Guithelym the sesne. The whiche the said kynge Charlemagne / by hys prowesse and valyauntnes / had dyscomfyted & overcomen. At the which battaylle and dyscomfyture, dyed greate noblenesses of kinges, princes, Dukes, Erles, barons, knyghtes, and squyers; as Salomon of bretayne / Huon, erle of Mauns, syr yves, syr yvoyre berenger, and Haton, syr Arnaulde of Beaulande, syr Walleraunte of Bollon, and many valyaunte knyghtes. The Douse peres of Fraunce were come there / and many Almaynes, and Englyshemenne, Normans, Poeteuyns, Lombardes, and Barnyers. And amonge other Dukes & princes, was come thyther the good and worthye duke Aymes of [Dordon, F. orig. b. i.] Ardeyne. And in his felawshyp his foure [beauh, F. orig. b. i.] sonnes, that is to wyt, Reynawde, Alarde, Guycharde, and Rycharde, that were wonderfull fayre, wytty, great, mightye, and valyaunte, specyally Reynawde / whiche was the greatest and the tallest manne that was founde at that tyme in al the worlde, for he had .xvi. feete of length and more. Than at this assemble and feast stood the sayd kynge Charlemagne on his feete, amonge his prynces and barons, sayinge in this wyse, 'barons, my bretherne and freendes, ye knowe howe I have conquested and gotten so manye greate londes / by youre helpe and succours. So many of the Sarasins and misbelevers brought to

[death, & in my subieccion; how but late agoe ye have seene by ye paynym Guetelym, whiche I have dyscomfyted & overcomen / and reduced to the christen faith. Not withstandynge we have loste there ryghte greate chevalry and noblenesse, and for faute of many of our vassaylles / and subjectes. that to vs dayneth not to come, howe be it that we had sent for theym, as the Duke Rycharde of Roussellon, the duke Dron of Nantuell / and the duke Benes of Aygremounte, that been all three bretherne Germayne. Wherof vnto you I complayne me and tell you, that yf it were not syr Salamon, that worthylye came to succoure vs / with .xxx. thousande fyghtynge menne, and syr Lambreyght bernyer, and syr Geffraye of Bourdelle, with walleraunte of Bullon, that bare our baner / we were alle dyscomfyted and lost, as ye all knowe well; and this by the defaut of the said three bretherene, that dayned never to come to our sendynge, nor obey, and, above all, the duke Benes of Aygremounte. Ill be it that they be all oure lyege menne / that ever owen to me servyce and fydelytie. Now I shall sende hym worde that he come to serve me at this nexte somer with all his power. And in case that he shall be refusynge to obeye oure commaundementes / by saynt denys of fraunce, I shall sende for all my freendes and subjectes, and I shall goe besyege him at Aygremounte. And yf we can have him, I shall make hym to be shamefully hanged / and his sonne Mawgis to be slaine all quycke, and shall do brenne his vncourteous wyfe; and I shall sett all his londes in fyre.' Than the good duke Naymes of Bavyere / rose vp dyligently, and said to kynge Charlemagne in this wyse: 'Syr, me semeth that ye ought not to angre your selfe so sore; and yf ye will beleve my counseyll, ye shal sende a messanger to the duke of Aygremount, which messanger shal be well and honourably accompanied. And he muste be

[sage / and prudent / for to shewe wel to the Duke of Aygremounte all, [ce que luy ordonneres, et puis quant aurez sceu, F. orig. b. ii. back.] that ye shal charge hym and after whan ye shall know hys answere and his wyll; ye shall than aduyse you what ye oughte for to doo.' 'In good fayth,' sayde the kyng, 'ye counseylle me ryght well and wiselye.' Than thoughte Charlemagne what message he myght sende to him. And than he sayde all hyghe afore them all, complayninge himselfe; 'who shall be he that shall doo thys message; and for doubte of deathe shall not leve nothynge vnsayd of hys message / to the duke benes,' but there was none of them all that aughte answered, for manye of theim were of [du parente du ait benes daigrem6t, F. orig. b. ii. back.] Sybbe to hym / as the duke Aymon of [Dordon, F. orig.] Ardeyne, that was his brother Germayne.

Thus were the foure brethern of one father and one mother. Than was kynge Charlemagne ryghte wrothe and angrye, and sware by saynte denys / that the Duke benes should be wasted and destroyed; and no manne shoulde be in the worlde that shoulde keep him therfro. Than he called high his eldest sonne Lohier, saying in this maner, 'ye must doo this message, my dere sonne, and lede with you for your conduyt and suretye / an hundred knightes / armed and honourably arrayed. And ye shall saye to the duke benes of Aygremounte, that yf he come not for to serve vs thys somer, aboute saynte Iohans daye nexte comynge, as I have saide afore / that I shall besyege Aygremounte, & shall dystroye all his lande; and he and [son filz', F. orig. b. ii.] his, I shall doo hange or slea al quycke, and his wyfe to be brente.' 'Syr,' sayd Lohier, 'al at your pleasure I shall doo. And wit that it shall not be taryed / for feare of death, but that I shal tel him al alonge all that ye have

[charged me of. And I shall depart to morow in the mornyng, by the grace of God.'

Than should you have sene ye king weepe of pitie for his sonne Lohier; for he repented him that he had charged him / for to doo this message; but syn tlat he had so sayd, he must doo it. And the morne vas come, Lohier & his noble companye / made them redy, and after lept on horsbacke, and came afore ye kyng. Than sayd Lohier to the king, his father: 'Syr, here I am redye and all my folke / for to fulfyll your wyll.' 'Fayre sonne,' sayd Charlemagne, 'I recommend thee vnto god, that on ye crosse suffred death and passion, and hym I beseche to kepe and waraunt thee / & all thy felawshyp from evyl / and from any combraunce.' Than departed Lohier and his company; wherof after warde / the kynge made great lamentacyon for his sonne Lohier, and not wyth out a cause; for he shal never see him quicke agayne, as ye shal vnderstand, yf ye wyll herken it. Now go the gentill messangers streyght towarde Aygremount, sore thretenynge the duke Benes of Aygremount, saying / that they should take the head from the body of hym / yf he doo ought to them agaynst his devoyre. But it shall go all other wyse with them; for it haped all contrary ¹to theyr myndes and purpose¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. b. ii.] / wherof afterward / many ladyes abode widowes withoute husbandes, & many gentil women without a lover; and so many churches destroyed, and so many landes brente / and wasted, wherof it is yet pitie for to see. And thus, ridinge & thretynge Benes of Aygremount, a spy heard all that they sayd, and came hastelye to Aygremount to ward Benes / that was in his palays, and tolde hym how messangers were coming vnto hym from kyng Charlemagne, that sore thretened him, and that the sonne of kyng Charlemagne was there in person.

[Than sayd the Duke to hys folke, wherof he had at that houre foi-son with him / in his palays, bicause of the feast of Penthecoste. 'Lordes,' sayde he, 'the kynge Charlemagne setteth lytle by me, that will that I shal go serve him with all my power and my puyssance; and that wors is, he sendeth to me his eldest sonne for to tel me some message that threteneth me greatly; what counsell ye me therto, my bretherne & freendes?' Than spake a good knyght, that was called syr Simon, & sayd: 'My lorde, I shall counsel you truly yf ye wyll herken and beleve me. Receyve honourably the messangers of the kynge Charlemagne / for wel ye wote that he is your ryght-wyse lorde, and wit that who that warreth against hys soverayn Lorde, he doth agaynst god / & rayson / and have no regarde to your kynne, nor to thys, that your bretherne, Gyrarde of Roussyllon, and the duke of Nantuell, wolde not obey hym. For I advyse you wel that Charlemagn is myghty / and he shall distroye you of body and of goodes; [Si ne luy obeisses, F. orig. b. iii. back.] but yf that ye obey him, and yf ye amiablie go to hym, he shall have mercy of you.' Than answered the duke, that thus he wolde not doo, and that the sayd knight gave him evill counsell. 'For yet,' sayd he, 'I am not so low brought but that I have three brethern / that shall helpe to susteine / and beare out my warre agaynst Charlemagne, & also my foure neuewes, the sonnes of my brother Aymes of Dordon, that ben full fayre knightes, worthy and well taught in faytes of warre.' 'Alas,' sayd than ye duchesse, 'my good lorde, beleve your good counsell; for no man shall prayse you that ye make warre agaynst your right-wyse lorde / and wit it well that it is agaynst the commaundementes of God, & against all equitie. Wherfore, yf ye have misdoone any thing agaynst hym, doo so much that ye be accorded with him. And take

[none heed to your brethern / as syr Symon dothe counsell you, for never good may come therof, for to oe evyl in favoure with his soverayne Lorde.' Than behelde the duke the duchesse in great wrathe, and bad her that she should holde her peace in ye devilles name, & that she should never more speake to hym of this mater / for in certayne he should not do for the kyng Charlemagne the mountenaunce of a peny. So helde her peace ye duchesse, & sayd that she should speake nomore to hym therof.

Great was the noyse and the bruyte within the palayce of Aygremount, for some counselled the duke, that thus as the duchesse sayd he should doo; and many other sayd nay. Than sayd the duke vnto them that counselled him naye, and that he should not accorde / nor make peace / with the kyng Charlemagne, that he could theym thanke. Muche longe they spake of this mater; and the messangers of the kyng Charlemagne duryng the same / have riden so muche that they ben come to Aygremount. And the castell was set vpon a rocke ryght hye, and well envyroned with stronge walles / thycke, highe, and wel garnyshed with great towres, so that for the strength and sytuacyon of the castell, it was imprenable, but only by famyshynge. Than sayd Lohier to ye lordes that were wyth hym: 'Lordes, nowe see what a fortresse is there / what walles! a ryver renneth at the foote of it; I beleve verely that in al christendome is not her lyke. It can never betake by force, but yf it is by famysshyng.' Than spake a knight that was called Savary, and sayd to Lohier his lorde, 'syr,' sayde he / 'it semeth me (spekynge vnder correction) that my lorde, the kynge Charlemagne, your father, hath enterprised a great foly, whan he troweth to come [a chief de ce due, F. orig. b. iii. back.] to

[at an ende of this duke of Aygremount, for, in good sothe, he is right puissaunt; and I beleve that he shall make as mani men for to make the warre, as shall my lorde, your father / yf it cam there to that he wolde make hym warre. It were a fayre thynge yf they myght be accorded together; ¹and, of my parte I should counsell the same, yf it myght be doone.¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. ed. 1480.]

'But well I wot, that yf your father had hym, al ye golde in Paris should not kepe hym, but that he should do hange hym / or els slea him quycke. So beseche I you, ryght deere syr, that ye speake humbly vnto the duke benes of Aygremount, for, in certayne, he is ryght fyers / and outragyous, & incontinent might have there a sore meddle betwene you and hym, wherof the losse should tourne vpon vs, for we ben to few folke.' Than answered Lohier, and sayd to hym, 'that he sayd well and wysely; but alwayes,' sayd he, 'we doubt hym not of any thynge. We be here al redy an hondred knyghtes / well appoynted, and for sothe, yf he say vnto hys anye thynge vnto our dyspleasur, he shal be the fyrst that shall repent and be sory for it.' Than sayd the knight Savare al softly to hymself / that this were not wysely doone; 'for wel I swere,' said he, 'vpon my fayth, that yf it hap you to say any thyng to hym / that by any maner shall displease hym, he shall make you sorye, and shall wreke it vpon your bodye; and, happelye, we shall all be in a waye for to dy. Syr, advyse your selfe well / & wyll to procede prudently in your message. For well I say vnto you that he is ryght cruell, and of greate worthynesse accomplysshed.'

Thus, spekyng of one thyng and of other / rode so longe the messangers, that they ben come to the gate of the castel, which was sone shet by the porter. Then knocked the sayd knightes, and the porter

[answered to them,' Lordes, what be you?' 'Freende,' answered Lohier / 'open to vs this gate presently, for we wyll speake to the Duke Benes of Aigremount from the kinge Charlemayn.' 'Now abyde you a lytle, and hast you not,' sayd the porter, 'and I wyl goe speake redely to my lorde the Duke.' So went the sayde porter into the halle / where he sawe the Duke his lorde. He kneeled incontynent afore him, & tolde him howe downe at the gate was a right great company of men of armes; and that they were well an hondred men or more, ryght well horsed, & well armed. 'And with them is the eldest sonne of king charlemagne, that strongly threteneth you / and also your folke. My lorde,' sayde the porter, 'shall I open the gates vnto them?' 'Yea,' sayd ye duke, 'for I doubt them nothynge, and we ben ynough for them; and many worthy knyghtes and esquyers / ben no where able for to defende vs all, were Charlemagne himself with them with his puissaunce.' So ran incontinent the porter downe agayne / for to open vnto them the gate. Lohier & his felowes entred within, and mounted vp vnto the dongeon of the castell, where the duke was, that sayd to hys barons: 'Lordes, heere cometh the eldest sonne of the kyng Charlemagne / for to tell me his message; but (bi that god that suffred death and passyon) yf he speake wysely to vs, he shal do as sage; and yf he sayth anything that shall dysplease vs, we shall soone / & without delaye, take vengeaunce therof.' So was the duke Benes well accompanyed, & nobly of wel two hondred knyghtes and more. Thys was in the moneth of May, that all creatures humain ought wel for to reioyce then, and that folke pren and worthy in armes / taken hert and hardinesse / for to defende them self wel, and warre agaynst theyr enemyes. And this during, Lohier, the sonne of king charlemagne, entred into the halle of the Palays of Aygremount

[ryght nobly armed, and his folke also, and saw the halle ryght well garnysshed of fayre folke rychelye arrayed. And the duke sittynge right proudlye amonge his barons / and the duchesse, hys wyfe, next by him; and before hym his sonne Mawgys, that was a great mayster of the science of Nigromancy, that played afore his father of his art of nigromancy, wherin the Lordes that were there tooke great pleasure; and wit it well that in all the worlde / was not a worthyer chrysten, nor more able, than was the sayd Mawgys, except onlye hys cosyn]

[Caxton B.iii.a] [Here begins Caxton's print. [14 leaves are out of Lord Spencer's unique copy. It begins at Fol. iii. col. 3, 1. 24 o. Copland's edition of 1554.]] Renawde, one of the sones of Aymon / whereof specyally treateth now this historye / Thenne marched fourthe Lohier, & wente in the firste of alle, and after hym his folke by goode conduyte / And salued the duke Benes of Aygremounte in this wyse / wherby moche grete euyll happed to [vnto, ed. 1554. Only a few collations are put, to show how slight are the changes of word in ed. 1554. The spelling varies somewhat.] hym at laste: 'That god that created the firmamente, and made alle thynges [thynge.] of noughte, for the people to susteyne / And in [on.] the crosse suffred deth and passyon for alle soules to be redemed out of the peynes of helle, kepe and saue the / kynge Charlemayne, emperoure [ereperour in text orig. Emperour, 1554.] of Almayne and kynge of Fraunce, and all his noble lynee / and confounde the [thee.] duke Benes of Aygremounte / My fader the kynge by me expressely sendeth to the [thee.] worde, thou come Incontynente to Parys wyth fyue hundred knyghtes, [pour le servir la ou il luy plaira toy emploier, et aussi pour, F. orig. b. iiii. omitted in Caxton.] for to doo to hym ryghte and rayson of thys,

that thou were not wyth hym in armes in the partyes of Lombardye, for to fyghte ayenst the enmyes of the crysten feyth. Where, by thy fawte, were ded there, Bawdoyn, lorde of Melanke / Greffroy of Bourdelle / and many other grete dukes, prynces, knyghtes, and barons. And yf thou wylte not doo it / I telle the duke Benes that the kynge shalle come vpon the [thee.] wyth an hundred thousande men of armes. Soo shalte thou be take and brought in to Fraunce / And there thou shalt be Iudged as a theef and a false tratour to [vnto.] thy souerayne lorde. for to be fleyen [slayne.] and hanged all quycke, thy wiffe brente, and thi children dystroyed and banysshed. Do therfore this that I commaunde the in the kynges behalue / for thou knowest well that thou arte his man, vaysall, and subgette':

WHan the duke Benes of Aygremounte hadde herde Lohier [ filz du roy Charlemagne, F. orig. b. iiii. back.] thus speke, Thenne, [Than.] yf ye hadde seen hym chaunge [chaunged.] his colour, pouff, [pouffe &.] blowe / as a man cruell prowde and [B. iii. back.] owterageouse, and sayd to Lohier in this maner, 'I shal not goo to kynge Charlemayne, nor noo thynge of his wylle I shale not fulfylle / For I holde nother castelle ne fortresse of hym / But I shal goo vppon him wyth alle my puyssaunce / and shalle dystroye alle the londe of Fraunce vnto Parys' / Thenne [Than.] sayd Lohier vnto duke Benes of Aygremounte, 'Vassaylle,' sayd he, 'how dareste thou answerre thus? And yf the kynge knewe now that thou threteneste hym thus as thou dooste, he sholde come Incontinente vpon the, [thee.] and sholde vtterli dystroye the. Well thou knoweste that thou arte his liege man / and that thou canne not saye ayenste hit / Comme then redeli, and serue thy souerayne lorde, the kynge Charlemayne. And byleue me, yf thou wylle, saue thyne owne lyffe.

For yf thou doo it not, I make the [thee.] sure and certeyne / that yf he canne haue the by force, that he shalle make the [thee.] to be hanged there as the ayre and the wyndes wyth theyr grete blastes shalle drye vppe the bones of the.' [thee.] Whan the duke herde Lohyer speke to hym in this manere, he stode vppe anone vppon his feete, And sayd that to his euell chere he came there for make to hym his message. Thenne [Than.] came fourthe a knyghte, named syre Water, that was a man of the duke of Aygremount, and sayd to the duke / 'My lorde! kepe, for goodys loue, that ye doo noo folie. lette Lohyer saye alle his wylle. For ye be neuer the worse for his sayenge. And as ye well knowe, kynge Charlemayne is ryght puyssaunte, and soo moche, that there is nother castell, cyte, nor towne neuer soo stronge / that can holde ayenst hym / Goo then to hym by my counseyll. for ye be his man, his vassayll, and his subget / and of hym you holde your castell of Aygremount, and all your londes / And yf ye soo doo / ye shalle doo as sage / and hit [folio B.iiii.a] shalle be your prouffytte, and also of alle your lande. And for to werre ayenste your ryghtewys lorde, noo thynge but euyll can come to you therof.' Whan the duke had herde the wyse knyghte soo [to.] speke, He coude to hym ryghte goode thanke therfore; but alwayes alle angry he sayd to hym, 'Holde your peas / For I shalle holde noo thynge of hym as longe that I shalle maye [be able.] bere armes, and mounte a horsebake. I shall sende for my dere bretherne, Gerarde of Roussyllon, and Dron of Nantuell [Natuell.] / and Garnyer his sone. And thenne we shalle goo vpon kynge Charlemayne / and yf I canne mete wyth hym in ony place, we shall dystroye hym, and shalle doo of hym that he troweth to doo of me / Wene ye that I am a cowarde [cowarde, 1554. cowrade, Caxton.] / nay, by my feyth / For I

sholde not take all ye golde in Parys / but that I sholde slee the messager. Euylle was to hym whan he durste so threten me' / And thenne [than.] sayd Lohier, 'I nether prayse you nor doubte you not.' Whan the duke Benes of Aygremounte vnderstode Lohier, he wexed for grete wrathe as redde as ony fyre in his face / And beganne to ryse vppe and to calle / 'Now, barons! vppon hym / brynge hym to me / For he shalle neuer be warraunted [wraunted.] but that I shalle make hym to deye shamefully.' And the barons durste not saye ayenst theyr lorde, but drewe alle theyr swerdes, and Incontynente dyde renne vppon Charlemayns folke / And Lohier called his baner; & thenne [than.] beganne he and his folke to deffende theym selfe sharpely; And god knoweth how many heddes and armes were there cutte of that daye / For atte the same owre beganne a thynge / wherof afterwarde soo many ladyes and damoyselles were wythoute husbondes and wythoute louers / Soo many of children faderles, and soo many churches wasted and dystroyed that neuer syth were repayred. What shall [folio B.iiii.b] I telle you more / wyte it that they fought therein [there.] soo longe wythin the halle of the palays, that the noyse wente thoroughe alle the towne. Thenne [than.] sholde ye haue seen the bourgeys, marchauntes, and men of crafte, wyth axes, swerdes, and other wepyns / And came to the castelle warde aboute vii thousande men and more / But the entre of the palays of Aygremounte was narowe. And the frenshe men were wythin, that kepte theym well, that they entred not in atte theyr ease. Alas! what terryble and vnhappy a slaughter was there that daye / For the folke of kynge Charlemayne were but a fewe to the regarde of theym of the other parte / And as ye maye knowe, suche assemble was ryght euyll / Soo

deffended theym selfe moche nobly and valyauntly the folke of kynge Charlemayne / And soo moche that Lohier, seenge that he and his folke hadde the worse / he smote a knyghte by fore duke Benes of Aygremounte by suche a wyse that he ouerthrewe hym doun deed / 'For the,' sayd he, 'goddys curse haue thou' / And afterwarde he sayd pyteously in waylynge hym selfe, 'Lorde god, that wythin the holy wombe of the blessed vyrgyne Marye toke thy herbowrynge, and suffred dethe and passion for to redeme mankynde / whylte deffende me this daye from shamefull dethe and from tourmente / For I wote well / but yf that your hyghe dyuynyte socoure me this daye, I shalle not see the kynge Charlemayne my fader nomore' / Thenne the duke called highe vpon hym, saynge, 'Lohier, soo helpe me god, this daye shalle be your laste' / 'It shalle not be so,' sayd Lohyer. [Il prit son bracdassier, F. orig. b. v.] And wyth this he smote the duke vppon the hede; but his helme saued hym / And the stroke descended to the hele of hym, soo that the bloode ranne oute. [Parmi la salle.] 'By god,' sayd Lohier, 'ye shall not escape' / Thenne [folio B.v.a] came the duke Benes of Aygremounte to hym as woode and sore an angred / saynge, 'I sholde prayse myselfe full lytyll yf I myghte not auenge me vppon the.' Soo heued vppe the duke his branke of stele, and smote Lohier so harde vppon his bryghte helme that he cleued hym to the teeth / And Lohier felle deed afore hym / vpon the pauemente of the halle. Ha, god, what grete dommage hathe doon the duk Benes of Aygremounte, to haue thus slayne Lohier, the eldest sone of the grete kynge Charlemayne / For afterwarde alle the oost of Fraunce was in moche grete and Innumerable tourmente therefore / and in ryght grete peyne contynuall / And the duke hym selfe deyed therfore full soryly. That was the paymente that he hadde

for it, as ye here after shalle here yf peasibly ye wyll here me:

NOw is owtrageously slayne the good Lohyer, the eldest sone of kynge Charlemayne / And the duke Benes of Aygremounte, full of cruelnes, toke the hede from the body of hym. And after that the folke of the sayd Lohier, the sone of the grete kynge Charlemayne, sawe theyr lorde ded, thynke ye they made no grete deffence / Alwayes of a hundred that they were entred wythin the palays wyth theyr lorde Lohier, abode there on lyue but xx, wherof the duke incontynente made x of them to be slayne. And the other x he reteyned alyue. and to theym sayd / 'Yf ye wyl promyse and swere to me vpon your othe and feyth of knyghthode that ye shall bere your lorde Lohyer to his fader, the kyng Charlemayne, and saye to hym that I sende to hym his sone Lohyer in good arraye / and that in an euyll houre he dyde sende hym to me for to telle me suche wordes: ¹I shall lete you goo quyte & sauf¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. b. vi. back.] / and to hym ye shall saye, that for hym [folio B.v.b] I shalle not doo the mountenaunce of a peny / And that I shalle goo vpon hym in this somer nexte comynge wyth [trente, F. orig. b. vi. back.] forty thousande men / And that I shall destroye hym and alle his lande / They aunswered, 'sire, we shalle doo that. that shalle playse you to commaunde vs' / Thenne the duke dyde doo make redyly a byere / and made the corps of Lohier to be putte wythin the sayd byere. And after he delyuerde hit to his x knyghtes that were lefte on lyue, and putte hit in a carte to drawe wyth two horses. And the duke conueyed theym throughe the towne / And whan they were in the feeldes / the [omitted, F. orig. b. vi.] x knyghtes byganne to wepe, and to make grete moone for theyr lorde Lohier, saynge / 'Alas, my lorde Lohier, what shalle we nowe

saye for you to the k[y]nge [Knnge in text.] your fader, that soo grete sorowe shale haue / whan he shalle knowe your cruelle deth. We may well be in certeyne that he shalle make vs alle deye' / Thus wepynge and makynge theyr mone for the loue of theyr lorde Lothyer / They roode on theyr waye streyghte to Parys /

¶ But now we shalle here leue to speke of the messagers, and shalle telle you of the kynge ²Charlemayne that was atte Parys,² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. b. vi.]

CHarlemayne, that was atte Parys wyth a grete multytude of lordes that were there assembled. And there vpon a daye kynge Charlemayne sayd vnto his lordys and barons / 'Lordes, I am moche wrothe and sory of my sone Lohyer, that I haue sente to Aygremounte / and I feere me sore that they haue taken debate wyth the duke Benes of Aygremounte, whiche is felle and cruell, and I doubte me leste he hathe slayne my sone Lohyer / But by my crowne, yf he haue soo doone, or ony thyng that turneth to dysplaysure or dommage to my sayd sone / I shall go vpon [folio B.vi.a] hym with a hundred thousande men, & shalle make him to be hanged at a gybet' / 'Syre,' sayd the goode duke Aymes of dordon, 'I shall commende you ryghte sore yf he hathe offended agaynst you, that ye make punyssyon thereof and wrek on hym grete vengaunce. He ys your liege man, and oughte to serue / prayse / and honoure you, and to holde alle hys londe of you / Alwayes yf he hathe trespassed ayenst you in ony manere / I am ryghte sory for hit. And yf ye haue a cause to be wrothe wyth hym, I haue here my foure sones; that is, to wytte, Reynawde, Alarde, Guycharde, and Rycharde, that ben ryghte valyaunte, as ye, syre, welle knowe, whiche shalle be trusty and true to you' / 'Aymon,' sayd the kynge Charlemayne,'I conne you

grete thanke of the offre that now ye haue doon to me. And it is my wylle that ye make theym to come hether presentely, to the ende that I make theym knyghtes / And I shalle gyue to theym castelles, towres, and townes, and cytees ynoughe' / Thenne sente the duke Aymes incontynente for his children, and made theym to come afore kynge Charlemayne. And whan the kynge Charlemayne sawe theym, they playsed hym moche. And Reynawde was the firste that spake, and sayd, 'Syre, if it playse you for to make vs knyghtes / we shals be euer redy for to serue you and your noble lordeshyppe' / Thenne the kynge Charlemayne called his stywarde, and sayd to hym, 'Brynge to me the armes that were the kynge Cedres, whiche I haue wyth my handes slayne in bataylle byfore Pampelune. And I shalle gyue theym to the gentylle Reynawde / as to hym that is as I were, the mooste valyaunte of alle. And of other goode armes I shalle gyue to the other three bretherne' / Soo broughte there the stywarde the armes, that were full fayre and ryche; and [folio B.vi.b] thenne were armed the foure gentyll bretherne, children to the goode Aymes of Dordonne / and Ogyer of Denmark, that was of their kynne, dyde on theyr spores to the newe knyghte Reynawde. And the kynge Charlemayne girde hym his swerde / And then he doubed hym to a knyghte, sayenge, 'God encrease in the [thee.] goodnes / honoure / and worthynes.' And thenne mounted Reynawde on horsebacke vpon Bayarde / that was suche a horse that neuer was his like in alle the worlde, nor neuer shalle be, excepte Busifall, the horse of the grete kynge Alexandre; for as to haue ronne [dix licux F. orig. ed. 1480.] xxx myle togyder wolde neuer haue sweted. The sayde Bayarde, this horse, was growen in the Isle of Brousean / and Mawgis, the sone of the duke Benes of Aygremounte, hadde gyuen hit to his cosin Reynawde /

that after made the kynge Charlemayne full of wrothe and sory. As ye shall nowe here herafter.

REynawde was a horsbak wyth a shelde paynted hanginge att his necke / and thwerled his swerde by grete fyersnesse. And wytte well that he was a fayr knyghte, vounderfull grete and well founded. and of hym was a fayr sighte / for well he semed one of the most valyaunte knyghtes that men coude fynde in alle the worlde. And the barons that were there, sayd / 'Ha, god, what a fayre knyghte is he / neuer was, nor shall be, seen soo fayer a man of armes as Reynawde / god encrease to hym honoure and worthinesse, goodnesse and pryse! 'And after, were moche honourabli and worthyly arayed and armed, the other three bretherne of Reynawde / and syth lyghte alle on horsebacke vnder saynte Vyctor, nyghe Parys / Thenne made the kynge Charlemayne to sette vppe in the grounde a poste [folio B.vii.a] ayenste whiche he made the newe knyghtes to assaye theym selfe / They Iousted moche worthyly / but Reynawde / iousted beste vpon hys horse bayarde / And ryght well lyked and were agreable to Charlemayne, the fayttes of the valyaunt knyghte Reynawde, to whom the kyng sayd, 'reynawde, from hens forth ye shall come wyth vs in bataylle.' And Reynawde answerde hym in thys manre / 'Syre, god yelde it you an hundred thousande tymes / and I promytte yow in goode feyth to obeye and serue you truly / nor neuer ye shall fynde my selfe in noo forfaytte, But yf it come of you.'

THemperoure Charlemayne, after the ioustyng doon, retourned to his palays in Parys / Thenne he resoned wyth his prynces and barons / And there were the duke Naymes of bauyres, Oger the dane / and the archebysshop Turpyn / and sayd to theym in this wyse / Barons,' sayd he,' I canne not merueylle me to

moche of Lohier, my eldeste sone, that taryeth soo longe in hys message. I haue grete fere that some inconuenyence be happed vnto him. I dremed this nighte in my slepe, that the thonder bolte felle vpon my sone Lohier [si que il estoit tout pasme, F. orig. b. vii.] / and thenne came the duke Benes of Aygremounte vpon him, and smote his hede of / But by my berde, yf he haue doo soo, whiles he lyueth he shall neuer accorde wyth me / nor I shall neuer haue ioye atte my herte; for it is he that I loue best in this worlde.' 'Syre,' sayd the duke Naymes,' I byleue not suche thynges, nor to suche dremes ye shalle not gyue noo credence' / 'Alwayes,' sayd the kynge, 'yf he haue doon soo / I shall neuer leuer hym the value of a peny / for I shall sende for the normans, the bernygers, the flamynges / the champenoys / the almayns, ye banyers, & for englishemen; so shalt I goo vpon hym, & shall vtterly dystroye [folio B.vii.b] hym' / And Naymes sayd euer to hym, that he sholde not fraye hym selfe of noo thynge tyll that he knewe the certente. And as they spoke this, there came rydynge a messager vpon a horse fauell, sore, seke and wery, and also sore wounded to the deth. He came to Parys afore the palays, where kynge Charlemayne was at the wyndowes. And whan he sawe come the messager, he came doun lyghtely [en bas du palays, F. orig. b. vii.] from the palays halle to the gate / and wyth hym, Naymes of Bauyre and Ogyer the dane / And whan the messager sawe the kynge, he salued hym full softe, as that he was ryght sory and sore wounded, and that wyth peyne myghte speke / And sayd in this manere / 'grete folye ye dyde, whan ye dyde sende my lorde, your sone, for to aske trybute and obeyssaunce of the duke Benes of Aygremounte, the whiche trybute your sone asked hym shamfully. But the duke, whiche is sore felle and cruell, whan he herde speke my sayd

lorde, your sone / he commaunded to a meyne of knyghtes that were there, that he sholde be take, and that he sholde neuer retourne ayen to yow for to recounte hys message, nor what answere he hadde founde. To the whiche takynge, the medlee was grete and cruell / soo that your dere sone Lohier was ded there. And the duke Beynes of Aygremounte kylled hym and alle your folke, excepte me and ix other, that conduytte and brynge your sone in a byere. And I myselfe am sore hurte, as ye maye see.' And thenne the messager coude speke nomore / but felle doun in a swoune, of the grete gryeffe and sore that he felte, bycause of his woundes / And whan the kynge hadde herde these wordes / he felle doun vpon the grounde for the grete sorow that he toke therof, and wrange his handes / and pulled his berde / and tare alle his heres, saynge, 'Ha, god that made heuen and erthe, ye haue broughte [folio B.viii.a] me in grete sorowe and tournement irrecouerable, that neuer shall ceasse wyth me / so requyre I to you the deth humbly / For neuer more desire I not to lyue' / The goode duke of Bauyre began to recomforte hym / saynge, 'For goddis loue, syre, tourmente not your selfe / but haue goode herte, and hope in god and recomforte your folke' / And this wolde saye the duke Naymes for theym that he sawe wepe there for theyr kynnesmen and frendes that were ded wyth Lohyer. 'And do,' saye he to the kyng, 'late your sone be worshyfully buryed atte saynte Germayne of the medowes / And thenne ye shall goo vpon the cluke Benes of Aygremount, wyth alle your noble power and grete puyssaunce / and shall dystroye hym and alle his lordes atte your playsure.' Thenne the kynge Charlemayne recomforted hym selfe / and well he knewe that Naymes counseylled hym truly and lawfully / Thenne sayd the kynge / 'barons, make you redy / and we

shall goo ayenste my dere sone Lohier' / And incontynente all the prynces and barons made theym selfe redy for to do the commaundement of the kynge / And whan they were goon two myle oute of Parys, they mette wyth the corps / And were there wyth the kynge, Naymes / Ogyer, Sampson of bourgoyne, and many other grete lordes / Thenne sayde the kyng Charlemayne whan he sawe the body of his dere sone Lohier / 'Alas, how shamefully am I treated' / he descended from his horse a foote, and toke vppe the clothe that was vppon the byere, and byhelde his sone Lohier. Thenne sawe he the hede that was smytten of from the body, and the face that was [tout detrauche, F. orig. b. viii.] alle to hewen / 'Ha, god,' sayd he / 'how well may I be madde now alle quycke. Well I oughte to hate that duke Benes of Aygremounte, that thus hathe murdered my sone' / he thenne kyssed his childe alle bloody [folio B.viii.b] full often, and sayd in this wyse / 'Ha, fayre sone, ye were a talle man and a gentyll knyghte; now praye I the puyssaunte god of glorye, that he take your soule thys daye, yf it be his plesure, into his royame of paradyse' / Grete sorowe made the kynge Charlemayne for the deth of his sone Lohier; But alwayes recomforted hym the goode duk naymes. And thenne Ogyer the dane, and sampson of Bourgoyn, ³toke hym vnder the armes,³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig. b. viii.] and ledde hym vnto saynte Germayne of the medewes. And there the body of Lohier was buryed and ennoynted wyth balme, as it apperteyneth to alle the sones of kynges. Thus was he putte in his graue: god haue of his soule mercy!

We shalle leue here to speke of the goode kynge Charlemayne, that was moche sory of his sone Lohier / as ye haue herde / and shall tell you of the goode duke Aymon, of Renawde his sone / and of hys

thre bretherne that were at Parys / 'My chyldren,' sayd Aymon, 'ye knowe how the kyng Charlemayne is moche wroth, and not wythoute a cause, by cause that my broder, your vncle, hath slayne Lohier his sone. And I wote well that he shall go vpon hym wyth all his puyssaunce / but verely we shall not goo wyth hym / But rather shalle we goo to Dordonne, and yf the kyng make werre ayenste hym / we shall helpe hym wyth all our powre / Soo lyghted anone on horsebak the goode duke Aymon and the foure knyghtes his children, and bayted noo where tyll they came to Laon / and from thens they rode soo long tyll they came to Dordonne. And whan the lady sawe her lorde and her foure children, she was ryght gladde, and wente agaynste theym for to welcome theym, and asked after tydynges, and yf Reynawde and his other chydren were made knyghtes / Thenne the goode duk answered 'ye'; [folio C.i.a] and after, she asked whi they were departed for the kynges courte. [dauecqs le roy Charlemague, F. orig. b. viii.] And thenne he rehersed vnto her worde by worde how his broder, the duke Benes, had slayne Lohier, the sone of the kynge Charlemayn / wherof the goode lady Margerye was wounderfull wroth and sory; for well she knew that this deth of Lohier was the totalle dystructyon of the duke Aymon her husbonde, of herselfe, and of her children, and of theyr londe. She herde Reynawde her eldest sone, that thretened Charlemayne the grete kyng / thenne sayd to hym the lady his moder / 'My sone Reynawde, I praye the vnderstande me a lityll / Loue thy souerayne and thy naturell lorde / and drede hym aboue all thynge; but bere hym honour and reuerence / and god shall reward the for it / and ye, my lorde Aymon, I am moche merueylled of you, that are departed from Charlemayne wythoute leue of hym, that hath doon to you soo moche goode and soo grete

worship, and hathe gyuen to your sones soo noble and soo ryche armes, and hathe made theym knyghtes wyth his owne handes / more grete honoure he myghte not doo to you nor to your chyldren' / 'Lady,' sayd the duke, 'we be thus departed from kynge Charlemayne by cause that my broder hathe slayne his sone, as I haue tolde you afore' / 'Ha, god,' sayd the lady, 'that of the vyrgyn was borne in bedeleym, how hath ye euyl thys daye surmounted ye goode / For goddys loue, my lorde,' sayde the lady, 'medlee not wyth alle, for ye shalle see this nexte somer that the kynge shalle goo vpon your broder / and by my counseyll serue the kynge, your ryght-wys lorde, nor faylle hym not for noo thyng / For yf ye doo otherwyse, ye shall be vntrue and false towarde your souerayne and naturell lorde.' 'Lady,' sayd the duke, 'by god omnypotente I wolde leuer haue loste my castell & the halfe of my londe / than that my broder sholde haue [folio C.i.b] slayne Lohier. Now the wyll of god be doon therin, and none otherwyse.'

To speke of the good duke Aymon of Dordonne, and of his wiff the duchesse, and of theyr sones / we shall here leue, and shall retourne to speke of the kynge Charlemayne that was come again to Parys / makynge grete sorow for his son Lohier. There had you seen many a gowne torne and broken / many a hande wrongen, and many heres of the hede pulled, soo that it was pyte & wonder for to see. ²'Alas, my dere sone,' sayd kynge Charlemayne² [^2—2 et le roy demenoit le roy qui ... F. orig. c. i.] / 'he that hath slayn the soo cruelly, loued me but lityll. I shall neuer be in quyete nor in rest tyll that I haue take vengance of thy deth.' 'Syre,' sayd the duke Bauyere, 'haue mercy of your selfe / For it behoueth not to soo grete a prince as ye be, for to make soo grete sorowe as ye doo' / And in the meane while came a messager afore

the kyng / whiche shewed to hym how Aymon / the duke of Dordonne, & his foure sones, were go on in to theyr countree / wherof the kyng was sore an angred & wrothe, And sware god and saynt Denys, that afore he sholde deye, that Aymon and his chyldren sholde abye full sore for it, and that the duke Benes of Aygremount [ne ses freres ne ses ēfās, F. orig. c. i.] shold not kepe theym therfro. The dyner was redy, & they wysshe their handes, and were sette at dyner / but wyte it that the kynge dyde ete but lityll / as he that was in grete malencolye; and ye fayr Salamon serued that daye afore hym the coppe / & grete people was there. After dyner, themperoure charlemayne dyde reyson wyth his barons, & sayd to theym: 'lorde[s],' sayde he, 'ye duke Benes of Aygremounte hath doon to me grete outrage, that soo shamfully hath slayne my sone lohier / But, & it playse god, I shall go wreke it vpon hym this nexte somer, & I shall dystroye all his londe; and yf I maye take hym, I shall not leue hym, [folio C.ii.a] for the duke Aymon that shamfully is goon from me / nor for his foure sones that I haue made knyghtes, wherof I me repente sore, but that I shall make [t]hem to be hanged' / 'Syre,' sayd thenne the duke Naymes, 'now here what I shall saye to you / your sone is ded by grete vnhappe, and well in an euyll oure was he put to deth, for neuer dethe was so sore solde ne so dere boughte as this shall be / So sende now for your folke thrughe all your londes, & thenne from hens towarde Aygremount take your waye. And yf ye may take the duke Benes / lete the deth of your sone lohier be to hym full dere solde.'

'Naymes,' sayd the kyng, 'ye be a good man / sage, curtois, & valyaunt. euyn thus shall I doo / for well wyselli ye haue counseylled me' / Thenne gaaf he leue to many of his barons and gentyll men

that were in his courte at that tyme, and tolde theym that eche of theym sholde goo in to his countree for to make theymselfe redy, and that they sholde come ayen to hym the nexte somer. Soo was it doon as the kynge had commaunded. And thus wente the barons & the gentyllmen ¹from the courte into their countrey,¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. c. ii. back.] and by theym were tydynges broughte thrughe all the londes vnto Rome / That kynge / Charlemayne made a grete assemble of men of armes, soo that the renomme therof floughe vnto the duke Benes of Aygremountes court / whiche of that other parte dyd sende for his kynsmen & frendes / & in especyall he sente for his bredern Gerarde of roussyllon and Dron of nantuell / soo that they were whan they came togider well foure score thousande fyghtyng men & moo / and as fayre folke as euere were seen / whiche thenne sayd 'I byleue, yf the kynge beseege the castelle that the worsse shalle retourne vnto hym' / Thenne sayd the duke Benes of Aygremounte to Gerarde of Roussillon, [folio C.ii.b] 'Broder,' sayd he, 'be not dyssmayd / for I hope to hurte the kynge soo sore yf he come vppon vs, that he shall be wery of his bargayn / but lete vs goo fourth towarde Troye ³in champayne,³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig. c. ii.] and / there we shall fyghte wyth the kyng vygorously / for well I wote that god shall helpe vs ayenste hym' / This was atte the begynnyng of the moneth of Maye, and Charlemayne was at Parys / that abode after his men that sholde come for to goo wyth a grete puyssaunce vpon the duke Benes of Aygremounte. And bode not longe, that Rycharde of Normandy cam to the kyng with xxx thousande fyghtyng men. And of a nother side, came to hym the erle Guy, that hadde wyth hym a ryght noble and a grete company of goode men. And [Amd in text.] after hym came Salamon of bretayne, and the erle Huon; and of all sides

ye sholde haue seen come to the kynge Charlemayne, Poeteuyns, Gascoyns, Normans, Flemynges, Bernyers, & Bourgoyns / and so many other grete lordes that it was grete wonder for to see / whiche come all, & lodged theym selfe in ye medowes of saynte Germayne.

Thenne whan the kyng Charlemayne knewe that his folke was all arryued, he had of yt grete Ioye / and incontynente made his bataylles to departe / for to go to his enterpryse; and made of Rycharde of Normandy, of Walleran of bryllon, of Guydellon of banyere, of Yzacar of Nemours, of Oger the dane / and of Esconf the sone of Oedon, wyth theym xl thousande men, his forewarde / There sholde ye haue seen a ryght noble companye, and many hardy men. They departed from nyghe Parys / and putte theym selfe to the waye streyghte towarde Aygremounte. And they thus rydynge after many dayes Iourney, whiche I canne not telle, came there streyghte to Ogyer the dane, that was [folio C.iii.a] in the forewarde, a messager sore hastily rydyng / that asked to whom was this noble companye / And he answered to hym, that they were kynge Charlemaynes folke. Thenne sayd, ²Syr, the messager,² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. c. ii.] that he wolde well speke wyth hym. Thenne went Oger the dane, and shewed hym to the kynge / And assoone as the messager sawe hym, he made hym due reuerence / and the kyng gaaf hym ayen his salute / and hym demaunded what he was and fro whens he come. And the messager tolde hym that he was of Troye / and that vnto hym he was sent from Aubrey, the lorde of Troye, that was his liege man, [car il tenoit de luy Troye, F. orig. c. ii.] whiche besoughte hym humbli for socoures, for the duk Benes of Aygremounte, and his two brederne, Gerarde of Roussyllon and Dron of nantuel, and wyth theym an hundred thousande fyghtyng men, had beseged

hym wythin Troye; and that yf he come not to helpe hym, he muste yelde vp the towne, and also the fayre towre that Julyus Cesar dyde buylde there.

Whan Charlemayne the emperour vnderstode that Troye was beseged by the duke Benes and his bretherne / he was full sory for hit. And he swore thenne by saynt Denys of Fraunce, that he sholde goo there wyth his army, and that yf he myghte holde the duke of Aygremounte, he sholde make hym deye a shamfull deth. Soo called he the duke Naymes of Bauyere / Goodebew of Fryse / and the duk walleran, and sayd to theym, 'Barons, ye vnderstond what this messager sayth / lete vs ryde hastely towarde Troy or it be take.' And they answered to hym ryght gladly that they wolde doo it soo / Soo dyde they rydde a goode paas till that they came nyghe Troye / And fyrste of alle came the forewarde wyth the Oryflame / of the whiche were gouernours Oger the Dane / Rycharde of Normandye: and [folio C.iii.b] the duke Walleran / and [with] theym fourty [trente, F. orig. c. ii.] thousande men / and the messager of Troye that conduytted theym / And whan they were comen soo nyghe that they sawe Troye afore theym, a messager came to Gerarde of Roussyllon that was afore Troye / saynge to hym that the kyng Charlemayne came vpon theym, for to socoure Aubrey wyth a ryght grete and puyssaunte companye / Thenne sayd Gerarde to his bretherne / That is to wyte, duke Benes of Aygremounte and the erle Dron of Nantuell, 'that it were goode that they sholde goo ayenste kynge Charlemayne wyth all theyr puyssaunce, and that eche of theym sholde preue hym selfe a goode man' / They dyde soo as they hadde deuysed, and Gerarde of Roussyllon was the fyrste in the forewarde; and they roode soo longe tyll that the one partye sawe the other. Thenne sayd Ogyer the Dane to Rycharde of Normandye, whan he

sawe come Gerarde of Roussyllon / 'See,' sayd he, 'how Gerarde of Roussyllon weneth for to fare fowll wyth vs. But now lete vs thynke for to diffende vs well, soo moche that the worshyppe abyde to the kynge Charlemayne / and to vs' / And thenne they lete renne theyr horses from one parte and from the other / And Gerarde of Roussyllon went and smote an Almayn wyth his spere soo moche, that he made it to entre thorughe the body of hym, whiche felle anone deed to the grounde. And Gerarde toke his baner and cryed wyth an highe voys / 'Roussillon, Roussyllon!' [omitted, F. orig. c. iii. back.]

Thenne beganne the bataylle sore strong, felle, and cruell. And when Oger the dane sawe thus his folke deye, he was woode and mad wyth hit / Soo wente he, and smote a knyghte named Ponson by suche a wyse, that he putte his spere thorughe the body of hym, whiche felle doun [folio C.iiii.a] deed afore him. And whan Gerarde hadde seen the same, he wente and smote one of Ogyers men / soo that alle deed he cast hym afore hym / ³And thenne he sayd,³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig. c. iii. back.] 'Ye haue this for your maysters sake, Ogyer' / Moche grete and merueyllouse was the stoure, and the bataill soo fyers. For there sholde ye haue seen soo many of sheldes perced and clouen / and soo many a haubergeon broken / and salettes and helmes vnbocled and sore beten / and soo many men lienge vpon thother deed, that all the erthe was couered wyth the blood of the deed men, and of theym that were hurte there, soo that it was a grete pyte for to see. And thenne came the duke Benes of Aygremounte, that spored hys horse terryble, and wente and smote Enguerran, lord of Peronne and of saynte Quyntyne, soo harde, that he ouerthrewe hym deed afore hym, and thenne sayd, 'Now goo, goddys curse haue thou!' and cryed wyth an highe voys, 'Aygremounte' / And thenne

came to him his brother, the duke of Nantuell, wyth all his folke, and they wente all togyder vpon Charlemaynes folke. And of the other parte came wyth grete puyssaunce Almayns, Poeteuyns, and Lombardes also, that were of the parte of kyng Charlemayne / So medled theymself the one partye among the other / And there was moche harde and horryble assemble / For there were slayne many myghty and worthy knyghtes of bothe sydes / And Rycharde of Normandye shewed well there his grete prowesse and worthynes / for he wente and smote a knyghte that Gerarde of Roussyllon loued moche, by suche a streyngthe that he ouerthrewe hym deed from hys horse to the erthe afore the sayd Gerarde / whiche thenne sayd / 'Now am I well sory and wrothe for hym that now ys deed, that I loued soo sore. Certes, I shall neuer haue Ioye atte my herte but that I be auenged [folio C.iiii.b] therof shortely.' Thenne toke Gerarde of Roussyllon his baner in his fyste / but his broder of Nantuell came [Promptement, F. orig. c. iii.] anone to hym and sayd, 'Broder, I counseylle you that ye tourne agayn / for here cometh Charlemayne wyth his folke, and well I telle you, that yf we abyde hym / the losse shalle torne vpon vs.' And whyle they were spekyng thus, Walleron of Bollon smote the neuew of Gerarde of Roussillon soo that he foyned atte hym wyth his swerde thrughe the body of hym, and felle doun deed to the erthe. Thenne trowed Gerarde to haue goon oute of his wytte / and sente [querir, F. orig. c. iii.] anone for the duke Benes his broder, that he sholde come soone to socoure hym / And he dyde soo as preu and valyaunte that he was. And of the other side assembled there the kynge and his folke. ¶ Soo shall you now here of a thyng merueyllouse, of soo grete a noblesse, that at the same feelde were cruelly slayne / This was in the moneth of Maye,

vpon a mornyng, that kyng Charlemayne dide assemble his folke wyth the folke of the duke of Aygremounte and of his bretherne / to the whiche assemble ye sholde haue seen many fayr harneyses shynyng, for the sonne that fayr and clere was that daye, the whiche assemblee was wonderfull stronge / For there were so many feet and hedes smytten of, and so many good horses slayne, ¹and tho ther ranne thrughe the medowes, wherof the maysters leye deed vpon the grasse.¹ [^1—1 et les aultres courir parmi les prez dont les maistres gisoiēt mors par dessus lerbe.] And wyte it for trouth, that there were deed that same daye of the one side and of the other, more than xl [lx, in F. orig. c. iii.] thousande men. Ha, god, what slaughter! there was moche grete noblesse deed. The duk Benes, sore angred, went and smote sire Walter, lorde of Pyerelee, in his shelde, soo that his spere wente thorughe the body of hym, and felle doun deed afore hym. Thenne cryed he wyth an highe voys, 'his banere, [folio C.v.a] Aygremounte!'

Grete was the preesse / and the bataylle fyers and merueyllouse. And there shewed Rycharde of Normandye moche worthyly his grete hardynes / For he Iousted ayenste the duke of Aygremounte soo that he perced his sheelde, and dyde hurte hym ryght sore / And sayd to hym / 'By god, ye shall not this daye escape dethe. It was an euyll daye for you whan ye dyde slee my lorde Lohyer' / And wyth that, he dyd drawe oute his swerde / And smote the duke agayne vpon his helme / in suche a wyse that yf it hadde not be the coyffe of stele that made his stroke to slyde / the sayd benes hadde be deed that houre. And the stroke felle doun vpon the horse, and cutte the horse in two, as thoughe hit had be noo thyng; and thus felle the horse deed vnder his mayster / Thenne was the duke Benes sore abasshed whan he thus founde hymselfe

a grounde / But he stoode vppe on his feete redyly, as he that was preu and valyaunte, holdyng hys swerde in his hande / And wente and smote a knyghte named sire Symon, soo that he kylled hym sterke deed in the place / And thenne he called wyth an highe voys / Aygremounte his baner. Thenne came to hym his two bretherne / the duke of Roussyllon and of Nantuell / And of the side of kynge Charlemayne came Ogyer, Naymes, Walleran of Bollon, Huon lorde of Mauns, the erle Salamon, Leon of Fryse, the archebyshop Turpyn, and Escouf the sone of Oedon / And thenne sholde ye haue seen there, at that assemble, moche grete and merueyllouse noblesse of knyghtes that leye deed vpon the erthe, the one vpon the other, that it was a pyetous sighte to be-holde.

To this inhumayn occysion was come themperoure Charlemayn, [de France, F. orig. c. iv. back.] crryeng, 'barons, yf they escape vs, we shal [folio C.v.b] neuer haue honoure' / and thenne he bare vppe his spere to the reest, and wente and smote in to the shelde of Gerarde of roussyllon, so that he ouerthrewe bothe horse and man to the grounde / And there hadde be his last daye, yf hit hadde not be the duke Benes and Dron, his bretherne / that moche worthyly, and wyth grete deligence, socoured hym. Of that other partye, came Ogyer the Dane, vpon his goode horse Broyforte, that smote a knyghte of the folke of Gerarde, duke of Roussyllon, called sire Foulquet, soo that he cloue hym to the teeth, and felle doun deed to the erth. And whan Gerarde of Roussillon sawe thus his knyghte slayne, he called to god and to our lady, sayng, 'Well haue I this day loste my fayr and goode knyghte.' And the duke of Aygremounte was sore abasshed, and prayed god also full pyetously that it wolde playse hym to kepe hym from deth, and from fallyng into the handes of Charlemayne. Nyghe

was the sonne vnder, and it was well aboute complyn tyme / and the fyghters of the one parte and of the other were wery and sore chauffed / And soo wythdrewe the thre bretherne abacke to their tentes wyth moche wrathe / and in especyall Gerarde of Roussyllon, that hadde loste that daye Aymanoy his cosyn, and a hundred other of the beste Knyghtes of his company / And he sayd in this wyse / 'An euyll houre it was whan the sone of Charlemayne was slayne' / Thenne came to hym the duke Benes of Aygremounte bledynge, as he that was horrybly wounded / And whan Gerarde sawe hym / he began to sighe tenderly, saynge / 'Fayr brother, are ye wounded to dethe?' 'Nay,' sayd he, 'I shall soone be hole.' Thenne swore Gerarde the duke of Roussyllon, that to morowe atte the sonne rysynge / He sholde begynne agayne the bataylle ayenste kynge Charlemayne and his [folio C.vi.a] folke, wherfore xxx thousande shall lose theyr lyues. 'Alas, for god, nay,' sayd his broder, the duke Nantuell. 'But yf ye wyll doo my counseyll we shall sende xxx. of the wysest knyghtes that we haue, vnto kyng Charlemayne, and by our sayd knyghtes we shall doo hym to wyte, and shewe humbli that he haue pyte and mercy of vs, and that the duke Benes our brother shall amende hym the deth of his sone Lohier, euen soo as it shall be aduysed by the prynces and barons of his felaushyp and of ours / and ye knowe well all redy that we ben his liege men, and that for to werre ayenste hym we doo cruell falshed / And yet more it is / that yf he had lost all his folke that he [qu'il amene sur nous, F. orig. c. iiii.] hath here wyth hym / or euer that it were a moneth passed he sholde haue recouered twys as many / soo maye we no thyng doo ayenst hym / And therfore maye we noo thyng doo ayenst hym; and therfore I praye you, my brethern, that ye

well doo thus' / And to hym answered his two brethern that they wolde doo it / syn that he counseylled theym soo; And concluded togyder that they sholde sende thyther as soone as it were daye. They made that nyghte good watche vnto the mornyng / and thenne they made redy theyr messagers for to sende to the kyng Charlemayne. And whan they were redy / Gerarde of roussyllon sayd to theym / 'Lordes, saye well to kynge Charlemayne that we be sore dysplaysed of the deth of his sone Lohier, and that our brother, the duke Benes, repenteth hymselfe of it full sore, & that yf it playse hym to haue mercy of vs, that we shall go and serue hym where it shall playse hym to sende vs, wyth x thousande fyghtyng men / And also ye shall saye to Naymes of bauyere, that we praye hym that we he wyll employe hymselfe towarde the kynge Charlemayne, that this accorde maye be hadde.' [folio C.vi.b]

After that the messagers hadde well alle alonge vnderstande what they sholde saye to the kynge Charlemayne from the thre bretherne dukes / They lyghted on horsebacke eche of theym / berynge braunches of olyue tree in their handes, In token of peas / And ceassed not to ryde tyl that they were come afore the tente of the kynge Charlemayne / Thenne spake one of theym, whiche was named Steuyn / that salued the kynge in this manere /

'Syre, I praye [celluy dieu q' forma noz pere et mere adam, et eue createur de toutes choses, benoise vous roy Charlemagne, F. orig. c. v. back.] our lorde that of his grace gyue you goode lyfe and longe / And wyte, syre, that the duke Gerarde of Roussyllon, & the duke Benes of Aygremount, and Dron of Nantuell, ben comen hider, the whiche crye you mercy / and byseche you ryght humbly that it playse you to pardone theym the dethe of your

sone Lohyer / of the whiche they are wrothe and sory. And the duke of Aygremounte lete you wyte by vs / that yf hyt be your playsure to doo soo, that he and his bretherne shalle be your liegemen, [Et luz et ses freres Gerart de Roussyllon et Dron de Natuel les quelz vous viedrot servir.] And shalle come to serue you wyth x thousande fyghtynge men in alle that shalle be your playsure to employe theym / Syre, for godys sake, haue remembraunce that god forgaffe his dethe to Longys, that cruelly stycked hym to the herte; [de sa lauce, F. orig. c. v.] wherfore, syre, playse it you to pardone theym, and take theym to your goode grace. And of this right humbly they beseche you.'

Whan the kynge Charlemayne hadde thus herde speke the messagers of the thre bretherne / He frompeled his forhede, and knytted his browes, and loked ful angrely / And atte that owre he answered to theym noo thynge / And thenne soone after he beganne to speke in this manere: 'By my feyth, Sir Steuyn,' sayd he, 'well had the duke Benes lost his wyttes whan he soo shamfully slewe [folio C.vii.a] my dere sone Lohier, the [we in text.] whiche I loued soo tenderly. Now, is he my man? wyll he or not?' 'Syre,' sayd Steuyn, 'I am certeyne that he shalle doo to you alle rayson to the dyrectyon of your goode counseylle' / Then sayde the kyng, 'of this we shalle counseylle vs' / And wythdrewe hym a lityll a side / and called to hym duke Naymes, Ogyer the dane / sire Salamon, Huon of Mauns, Walleron of Boullon / Odet of Langres, and Leon of Fryse, and sayd to theym / 'Lordes, here ben the messagers of the duke Benes & of his brethern, that sende me worde that they wyll come to serue me where my wylle shall be, wyth x thousande goode fyghtynge men / yf we wyll pardonne theym the dethe of my sone Lohier; And they shall be oure

vassaylles and treue liege men; And of vs they shalle holde theyr londes and theyr lordeshyppes' / 'Syre,' answered the duke Naymes, 'in this is noo thynge but well. Soo counseylle I you that ye pardoune theym / For [car les troys ducs, F. orig. c. v.] they be moche valyaunte / and of grete renowne; wherfore pardoune theym, yf it playse you.'

Thenne by the counseylle of the duke Naymes of Bauyere, the kyng dyde pardoune the thre bretherne, and called to hym the thre [omitted, F. orig. c. v.] knyghtes / and sayd to theym / how he pardouned the thre dukes the dethe of his sone Lohier / by suche a condycyon that the duke Benes of Aygremounte sholde come for to serue hym atte the feste of saynte Iohnn [baptiste, F. orig. c. v.] nexte comynge wyth ten thousande fyghtynge men well arrayed. 'And ye shalle telle to theym, that they surely come now to me for to take of theym theyr othe and feyth, that they shalle from hens fourthe / obeye and serue me truly; And that of me they shalle holde alle theyr landes.' Thenne departed the knyghtes from afore kynge Charlemayn, & cam ayen to the dukes, and shewed to theym how they [folio C.vii.b] had sped of their message wyth the kynge, wherof the thre bretherne thanked moche humbly oure lorde / Thenne sayde the duke Rycharde [Girart de Roussillon a ses freres, c. v. F. orig.] of Roussillon, 'it is rayson that we take of [off.] oure goode gownes, and goo to the kynge naked, and crie hym mercy of this that we haue thus offended ayenst his highe puyssaunce and lordeshyppe' / And the other two bretherne answered that well they oughte to doo soo / Soo toke the noble knyghtes theyr clothes of, [off.] and alle naked, bare fote, and in poure estate, departed from theyr lodges / And well foure thousande knyghtes wyth theym, alle bare fote & in theyr shertes, and in suche estate as were theyr maysters. In thys

wyse they came to fore the kynge Charlemayne, And wyte well that in ryght grete humylite were sette the thre bretherne for to haue peas and accorde wyth the kynge Charlemayne, that was wrothe to theym, specyally to the duke of Aygremounte / as more playnly ye shalle here hereafter.

Whan kynge Charlemayne sawe thus come the thre bretherne wyth theyr barons and knyghtes, he called to hym the duke Naymes and many other barons / and sayd to theym / 'Canne not ye telle me what folke ye see yonder commynge?' / 'Syre,' sayd the duke Naymes, 'it is duk Benes of Aygremounte wyth his folke / that come for to requyre you of mercy' / This hangynge, the duke Benes of Aygremounte came afore the kynge, and caste hym selfe vpon his knee / and sayd to hym in this wyse / 'Syre, for god I crye you mercy; we ben here comen by your commaundement / Yf I haue sleyne your dere [omitted, F. orig. c. vi. back.] sone by my foly, I now (as your man) yelde me and my bretherne also, Gerarde of roussillon & Dron of nantuel, & wyll be your liege men & serue you wyth all our pussaunce where your plaisur [folio C.viii.a] shalle be to sette vs vnto / and neuer dayes of our lyues we shall faylle you / but yf it be longe of you' /

Thenne whan the kyng sawe theym thus come humbli towarde his presence in theyr shertes, and barefoote, & had herde this that the duke of Aygremounte had sayd to hym / he had of them right grete pyte / and pardouned theym the deth of his sone Lohier, & all his euyll wyll / Thenne shold ye haue seen from one parte and from the other, kysse and colle eche other theyr kynsmen / and some wepte for ioye, & thother for pyte.

Thenne were pleased the barons wyth the kyng Charlemayn by the counseyll of the good duke

Naymes. thenne sware and promysed the thre brethern good fidelite ¹to the kynge Charlemayne¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. c. vi. back.] / and that they sholde serue hym at all tymes that he sholde calle for theym / Soo toke they a glade leue from kynge Charlemayne; but the kyng charged the duke Benes of Aygremount that he sholde come to serue hym at the feste of seynt Iohn nexte comyng / And thenne retorned kyng charlemayne towarde Parys / and the bretherne wente ayen right glad, eche of theym towarde his place / for well they trowed to haue accorde the duke Benes of Aygremounte theyr broder towarde Charlemayne / But other wyse it wente, & full lityll was worthe their accorde, for soone after deyed therof the duke Benes of Aygremounte by trason, and vnder the saufconduyt of the kynge Charlemayne, as ye [ye ye in text.] shall vnderstonde yf ye wylle here me. ¶ Ye shall wyte that a lityl afore the feste of saynt Iohn baptiste that the kyng Charlemayne helde a grete court in Paris, & the duke Benes forgate not to goo thyder as he had promysed / soo departed he fro Aygremounte wyth two hundred knightes, and toke his way for to come to Paris towarde the [folio C.viii.b] kyng for to serue hym where he wolde put hym vnto. Now shall ye here how the kynge, beynge in Parys / came towarde hym the erle Guenes his neuewe, Aoryfoulquet of moryllon, Hardres and Berenger, whiche tolde hym how the duk Benes came for to serue hym wyth well two hundred knyghtes / saynge by this maner / 'Syr, how maye ye loue nor well be serued of hym that soo cruelly hath slayne your sone, oure cosin / yf your playsure were we sholde well avenge you of hym / For in goode soothe we sholde slee hym.' 'Guenes,' sayd ye kyng, 'it were traison, for we haue gyuen to hym tryewes. Always doo wyth it your wyll, so that the synne tourne not

vpon me, and kepe you. For in certeyn the duke of Aygremounte is ryght myghty, and of grete kynred / and well ye myghte happe to haue a doo, yf ye fulfylle in this your owne entente.' 'Syre,' answered Guenes, 'care ye not therfore / for there nys soo ryche a man in all the worlde that durste vndertake ony thynge ayenste me and my linage.' 'Syre,' sayd Guenelon, 'tomorowe erly we shall departe wyth foure thousande fyghtynge men / and take noo care for it / For we shall delyuer this worlde of hym.' 'Certes,' sayd the kyng, 'it were trayson' / 'Care not therfor,' sayd Guenes, 'he slewe well your sone Lohier by trayson, whiche was my kynnesman, And therfore I wyll be auenged and [if.] I can. 'Now doo you therin,' sayd the kynge, 'protestyng alwayes that I am not therto consentynge.'

Whan the mornyng came, departed well erly from Parys the sayd Guenelon and his felawes, and wyth theym well foure thousande fyghtynge men / And neuer they taryed tyll that they came in the Valey of Soyssons / And there they recounted the duke Benes wyth his puyssaunce; and whan the duk Benes sawe theym [vit venir si noble copaignie, F. orig. c. vi.] come, he sayd to his [folio D.i.a] folke, 'Lordes, I trowe that yonder be som folke of the kingis, that retourne ayen from the court' / 'It is noo force [matter.] ,' sayd one of his knyghtes. 'I wote not what it maye be,' sayd the duke / 'For the kynge Charlemayne is sore vengable for to auenge hymselfe / And also he hath wyth hym a lynage of folke, the whiche be felle and cruell / Is it Guenes, foulques of Moryllon, and certeyn other of his court / And in trouthe, to nyghte in my slepe I dremed that a gryffon came oute of the heuens, that perced my shelde and all myn armes, soo that his nayles stacke in to my lyuer and my mylte / and all my men were therof in grete tourmente / and they all were eten wyth

bores and of lions, and noone of theym scaped but one alone / And also me semed that oute of my mouth yssued a white douve' / Thenne sayd one of hys knyghtes that it was all but well / and that for cause of this dreme he oughte not to dysmaye hymselfe / 'I wote not,' sayd the duke, 'what god shall sende me, but of this my herte dredeth' / Soo commaunded the duk Benes that euery man shold arme hymselfe. And his knyghtes answered, that right gladly they wolde soo doo. Soo beganne eueriche of theym to seke his armes and habylymentes / Here shalle you here of the harde hewyng, and of a thynge heuy to be recounted, of the grete slaughter that made the traytour Guenellon of the goode duke Benes of Aygremounte.

T[h]e erle Guenes rode wyth grete force, that was wonderfull strong & fyers, and well accompanyed. Thenne wente and mette wyth the duk Benes first, Foulquet of Moryllon, the whiche sayd to hym that he hadde doon ylle for to slee Lohyer the sone eldest of the kyng Charlemayne / but or euer the euyn came he sholde haue a sory rewarde for it. Whan the duke vnderstode hym, he merueylled hym [folio D.i.b] selfe moche, and sayd / 'Ha god, how myght one kepe hym frome traytours / Alas, I helde the kyng Charlemayne for a true prynce / and I see now the contrary; but afore that I deye, I shall selle my deth ful dere' / Thenne wente they and fought, the one partye ayenst the other, moche angrely. In so moche that Guenes smotte byfore the duke, hys cosyn Reyner, soo that he ouerthrewe hym doun deed to the erth afore his feete; and after, he cryed wyth an hie voys / 'smyte on, knyghtes, for he slewe my good cosin Lohier / The duk Benes of Aygremount dayned not accorde wyth me / but now I shalle selle it hym full dere.' So ranne Guenes & his folke vpon the duke Benes of Aygremounte / and the duke

ryght worthili deffended hym selfe, & smote a knyghte named sire Fawcon, so that he shoued his swerde in to the body of hym, and he felle deed afore hym. And after this the duke Benes of Aygremount toke hym selfe for to wepe strongly / and wysshed moche after his two bretherne, and also after his neuewes. 'Alas,' sayd he, 'dere sone Mawgys! where be you now, that ye be not here for to socoure me / for wel I wote, yf ye wyst this enterprise, ye sholde well socoure me / Ha, my dere broder, the duke of Dordonne & of Nantuell, ¹& Gerarde of Roussyllon,¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. c. vii.] well I know that ye shall neuer see me alyue / Alas, that ye knowe not the false enterpryse of Charlemayne and of the erle Guenellon / that soo cruelly and by grete trayson shalle this daye make me Inhumaynly for to deye. Well I wote that ryght worthily ye sholde come helpe me. Ha, my dere neuewes, Reynawde, Alarde, Rycharde, and Guycharde, soo moche nede I haue this daye of you. Ha, my dere neuew Reynawde, worthy knyghte / as thou arte / yf hit playse to god of hys benygne grace / that thou myghte know the greuous tourmente and the sorowfull matyere to the whiche [folio D.ii.a] by trayson I am this day lyuered / well I wote that by the [thee.] I sholde haue socours / for in all the worlde ys not thy peere of beaulte, of goodnesse, of prowesse, and of worthynese / Now maye not this daye socoure me all my noble and worthy lynage / but that cruelly, and vnder the saufconduyt of Charlemayne, I shall deye pyeteously.'

Fyers was the batayll, and ryght harde to endure, but well ye maye wyte that the duke of Aygremounte myghte not resiste ayenste soo many folke; for he hadde not wyth hym but two hundred knyghtes / and the [traictres, F. orig. c. vii.] other were moo than four thousande: thus were they euyll matched / Thenne sholde ye haue seen

that daye soo moche braynes in the feelde / soo many feete and hedes smytten of / that it was a pyteouse thyng to beholde / After came yet ayen Guenes, that smote Toyusselyne of Bloye soo that he casted hym ded to the erth / and he made sone to go backe the duk Benes folke of Aygremounte / Thenne was sore abasshed the duke of Aygremounte / the whiche knewe well that wythoute dethe he myghte not escape. Soo wente he, and smote one of Guenes folke soo grete a stroke, that he ouerthrewe hym deed / for noon otherwyse he coude doo / but deffende hymselfe as well as he coude for to lengthe his lyffe / Ha, god, what a grete dommage it was to haue thus shamfully betrayed hym / for after, many chirches, many townes and castelles were therfore sette in a fyre [et en flambe, F. orig. c. viii. back.] / and soo many grete nobles full pyetously broughte to deth / Soo moche sped the traytour Guenes ayenst the goode duke of Aygremounte, that the folke of the duke were weke and almoste gon / For, of the two hundred that he hadde broughte, he hadde noo moo wyth hym but [cinquante, F. orig. c. viii. back.] fourthi / 'Barons,' sayd the duke Benes of Aygremounte, 'ye see that we ben almoste [folio D.ii.b] all deed, yf we deffende vs not wyth grete herte and worthynes / and for goddis loue lete euery of vs be worthe thre as longe as we shall now be alyue. For ye see, that here pyetously we muste departe and breke felowshyp.' Thenne wente the duke agayn, and smote a knyghte named syre Helye, soo that he mad hym to falle deed to the erthe. And thenne cryed wyth an hyghe voyce / 'Smyte well, barons.' The valey was fayre, and sounded of the noyse [des coups quilz donnoient sur les heaulmes, F. orig. c. viii. back.] that was made there / And atte that oure, one named Gryffoon of Hautefelle / wente and smote the dukes horse in to the breste wyth his spere, soo that he ouerthrewe hym

vnder the horse / And the duke anoone arose [moult vaillammēt, F. orig. c. viii.] vppon his feete, and toke his swerde, wenynge to smyte the sayd Gryffon; but the stroke felle vppon the horse, soo that he cutted hym asonder, as yt hadde ben noo thyng.

Whan the duke Benes of Aygremounte sawe hym selfe thus on foote he knewe well that it was doon [doon = all up with.] of hym / but well he sware that his dethe he sholde selle righte dere. But sodaynly came there vpon hym the erle Guenes, that satte vppon a goode courser, the whiche smote the duke Benes of Aygremounte wyth his spere suche a stroke, that he shoued hym thorughe and thorughe his body, and thus fell doun deed the duke Benes of Aygremounte / And thenne the duke Gryffon, the fader of the sayd Guenes, cam to the duke Benes of Aygremounte that laye deed vppon the sande / and shoued his swerde in to his foundemente. [si luy est lame du corps despartie, F. orig. c. viii. back.] Thenne sayd the duke Gryffon, 'Now haste you thi rewarde, for my lorde Lohyers [que tu as na gueres occis villainement, F. orig. c. viii. back.] deeth that thou late slew shamefully wythin thy palays. Now is the goode and worthy duke Benes of Aygremount deceassed, god of his soule haue mercy' / And the traytour Guenellon and the [folio D.iii.a] lorde of Haultefelle, ⁶that lyghted vpon a goode horse,⁶ [^6—6 omitted, F. orig. c. viii. back.] wente after the duke of Ayyremountes [Benes.] folke ⁸that fledde,⁸ [^8—8 omitted, F. orig.] whiche were but x. a lyue of two hundred, and yet these x. were soone ouertaken. And thenne the traytoures made theym to swere and promytte that the body of the late duke, their mayster, they sholde bere to Aygremounte / lyke that he hadde doo brynge the body of Lohier to Parys in a byere. And the sayd knyghtes promysed them for to doo so. So toke they the corps from the other bodies deed, wherof was there grete nomber, and put hym in a byere / and thenne

wente on their waye wyth all / And whan they were goon a lityll ferder / god knoweth what sorowe and lamentacyon [et piteulx pleurs firent les ditz chevaliers, F. orig. c. viii.] that they made for the dethe of theyr mayster, sayeng, 'Ha, god, goode duke that soo worthy was, how now we are sory for the / Certaynly full euyll hath doon kyng Charlemayne, that vnder hys saufconduytte hath made the to be slayn in traison' / These soroufull knyghtes went thus makynge theyr mone, berynge the body of the duke Benes, their mayster, vpon a byere that two horses [pallefroys, F. orig. c. viii.] bare, whiche corps neuer staunched of bledynge by the space of viii myles. And how many dayes Iourney that thyse knyghtes were wyth the body of theyr mayster by the waye, I can not telle you / but they wente soo longe that they cam nygh Aigremounte / and approched soo moche that the tydynges cam to the towne, and to the duchesse, that her lorde hadde ben thus traytoursly slayne. Soo oughte not be asked of the grete sorow that the duchesse and her sone Mawgys made / They yssued after oute of the towne wyth theym of the chirche, and wente ayenste the corps / Nor also oughte not to be asked yf there were made that daye grete wepynges and lamentacyons. For whan the duchesse saw her lorde / and the [folio D.iii.b] woundes that he hadde in hys body, more than thre tymes she felle doun in a swoune vppon hym / and in thys wyse they bare the corps to the chieff chyrche / and the bysshop of the towne dyde the seruyse, and thenne he was putte in his graue, and was ryght reuerently buryed. Thenne sayd hys sone Mawgys, 'Good lorde, what a dommage is this, of suche a worthy lorde, to haue be thus slayne cruelly by trayson; but and yf I lyue longe, Charlemayne & the traytoures that this haue doon, shall abye for it full derely' / His lady moder he recomforted, and sayd to

her / 'My dere moder, haue a lytyll pacyence; for myn vncles, Gerarde of Roussyllon, Dron of Nantuell / and my cosins, Reynaude, Alarde, Rycharde, and Guycharde shall helpe me wel for to auenge the dethe of my lorde my fader.' Now shall we leue here to speke of theym of Aygremounte, that ben in grete lamentacyon and wepynges for the dethe of theyr lorde / and shall retourne to telle of the traytours Gryffon and of Guenes his sone, that wyth theyr folke were goon ayen to Parys.

CHAPTER II.

¶ How Gryffon of Haultefelle and Guenellon after that they hadde slayne the duke Benes of Aygremounte they retourned to Parys, and recounted to the kynge Charlemayne the mortalle trayson that they hadde commysed and doon / wherof the kynge Charlemayne was glad / but afterwarde he was full wrothe and sory for it. For, after the duke of Aygremountes dethe, his two bretherne, Gerarde of Roussyllon and Dron of Nantuell, werred sore agaynste hym [et aussi Mawgis son filz, F. orig. b. i. back.] wyth their neuewe Mawgys / and thenne they made peas and accorded togyder. But the kyng Charlemayne apoynted not wyth the foure sones of Aymon, nor to Mawgys theyr cosin / ¶ Item, sheweth also the same [folio D.iiii.a] chapytre, how Reynawde slewe the neuewe of kynge Charlemayne wyth a ches borde, as they were playnge togyder at the chesses / wherof the werre began / the whiche was

sore mortall / as ye shall now here here after, and lasted soo longe that it dyde grete dommage to the royame of Fraunce.

¶ Capytulum [chap. ii. ca. iiii. in Caxton.] / iiii.

Ye shall now here & vnderstande from the hensfourthon a terryble and a pyetous songe, yf ye therafter liste to herken / This was atte the feste of Penthecoste after the holy thursdaye / that the kyng Charlemayne helde a grete courte in Parys / after that he hadde accorded wyth the bretherne of the sayd duke Benes of Aygremounte / And to the sayd feste came Wylliam the Englysse, Walleran of Bullon, xv / kynges and xxx dukes, and well lx erles were there atte that daye, for to crowne Charlemayne / and also was come there the duke Aymon of Dordonne, wyth his foure [beaulx, F. orig. b. i. back.] sones, that is to wyte, Reynawde, Alarde, Rycharde, and Guycharde / to the whiche Aymon the kinge sayd / 'Aymon,' sayd he, 'I loue you and your children well. And wyte that I will make of the fayre Reynawde, my stywarde / and the other shall serue me for to bere my faucons and goo [en gibier avecques moy, F. orig. b. i. back.] wyth me. 'Syre,' sayd the good Aymon / 'I thanke you moche of the grete worshippe that ye doo to me and to my chyldren / and wyt that they shall serue you truly as your liege men. But well I telle you, good kynge, that ye mysprysed sore whan my brother the duk Benes of Aygremounte, vnder your saufconduyt, and in treyson, ye made thus shamfully deye / And beleue that it greueth me full sore att herte / and yf we doubted not you soo moche, Certes, vengance we sholde take therof / but sith that my broder Gerarde hath pardoned it to you: I forgyue it you also.' [folio D.iiii.b] 'Aymon,' sayd the kynge, 'ye knowe better than that

ye saye; for ye knowe well the offence that your broder hadde doon to me, for to haue slayne soo cruelly Lohier my eldeste sone, that I loued soo moche. Now sette the one agaynste the other, and lete be spoken nomore therof' / 'Nomore we shall,' sayd duke Aymon / 'but well I praye god to haue mercy of his soule, for he was a ryght worthy knyghte' / Thenne cam fourthe Reynawde, Alard, Guycharde, and Rycharde, whiche raysoned wyth the kynge / saynge in this maner / 'Syr,' sayd Reynawde, 'the fayreste of all knyghtes, ¹and moost experte in faytes of knyghthode¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. b. i.] / ye haue made me, and my bretherne that ben now here afore you, knyghtes / but wyte it for veray certeyn, that we loue you not, and that we haue towarde you a grete and a mortalle hate, for the dethe of oure vncle the duke Benes of Aygremounte / of the whiche dethe ye haue not accorded wyth vs' / Whan the kynge vnderstode Reynawde, he loked grymly and fyersly in his vysage for grete wrath, and becam blacke as a cole / and smote his forhede for anger. And after sayde to Reynawde / 'Thou yonge boye, voyde oute of my presence / for I swere the, by saynte Symon, and yf it were not the companye of the barons that be here, I sholde make ye to be put in suche a pryson that thou sholdeste not see nother hande nor foote that thou hast.' 'Syre,' sayd Reynawde, 'it were not rayson / but sith that it is soo ferre come that ye wyll not here vs, we shall kepe our peas.'

Thus lefte the foure sones of Aymon the debate, and spake nomore to the kynge Charlemayne for that tyme of thys matere / Fayr was the courte, and the daye was full fayr and bryght / and fayr was the company, as of xv. kynges / xxx dukes & lx erles / They wente to the chirche [folio D.v.a] for to here the fayr messe that was song; & moche riche was the offeryng / And

¹whan they had herde the messe,¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. b. i.] they cam ayen to the palays, and asked after water for to wasse their handes; and the dyner was redy, soo they wasshed & set theym doun to dyner / And the xv kynges were all set, excepte the kynge Salamon, that serued that daye wyth the duke Godfraye / But Reynawde, at this dyner myghte not ete / bycause that the kyng Charlemayne had rebuked hym soo shamfully / 'Ha,' sayd Ryynawde to hym selfe / 'alas, how shall I conne doo soo moche, that I maye auenge myselfe of Charlemayn, for the deth of my vncle, that so moche was beloued / whiche traytorsly & shamfully hath he slayn; & yf I take no vengaunce of it I shall wexe mad.' In this wyse sorowed ye good renawde, & his bredern recumforted hym. The barons cam out after dyner for to plaie & sporte hemself; and berthelot, the neuew of Charlemayn, called reynawde for to playe [jouer aux esches, F. orig. b. ii. back.] with him / wherof grewe a gret myscheef / for afterwarde many a good knyghte deied therfor, & many a fayr chylde was faderles, as here after ye shall here / if ye herken well.

Now was set Berthelot & the worthi reynawde for to playe at the ches, whiche were of yuori / wherof ye borde was of golde massy / & so long they playd that debate fell bytwene them two, bi suche maner that berthelot called renaude 'hoursone' / & toke vp his hande, & smot reynawde in the vysage, so that the blood fell to the grounde / And whan reynawde sawe hymself thus shamfully outraged, he was right wrothe & sore angred, & sware by god, hym shold yll betyd; therfor thenne toke reynaude ye ches borde, [q' dor massis estoit, F. orig. b. ii. back.] & smote berthelot vpon his hede so harde, that he cloued hym to the teeth / and thus berthelot fell doun deed to ye grounde afore hym / so began ye crie at that hour sore

strong in the [la salle du palys, F. orig. b. ii. back.] palays, that Reynawde, the sone of Aymon, hadde slayne Berthelot, the neuewe of Kyng Charlemayne. [folio D.v.b] Whan the kynge vnderstode thys, he wente nyghe out of his wytte / and called of heyghe, 'Barons! kepe well that Reynawde scape not / for, by saynte Denys of Fraunce, he shall not escape quycke yf we maye holde hym; for he hath slayne oure neuewe Berthelot.' Thenne ranne soone the knyghtes vpon Reynawde / and his kynsmen deffended hym nobly / and thus was there grete stryffe, and many heres pulled / and many gownes toren; for suche a fraye was there neuer seen, as that daye was in the palays of Parys / Many strokes gaaff there Mawgys, the cosin of Reynawde / and sone to the duke Benes of Aygremounte / And while that this fraye was in the palays, Reinawde and his thre bretherne and their cosin Mawgys escaped redyly oute of the palays, and came to theyr horses that soone were made redy. Soo lighted they on horsebacke, and rode soone oute of Parys, and fledde streyghte to Dordonne, towarde their lady moder.

And whan the emperour Charlemayne wyst that Reynawde and his bretherne [et Maugis, F. orig. b. ii.] were goon oute of Paris, he made to be redy, well two thousande knyghtes for to folowe theym / Nowe kepe theym, our lorde, that in the crosse suffred passyon; for yf the kynge holde theym, they shall deye wythoute remyssyon. But Reynawde, on hym is noo care, for he was vppon his horse Bayarde, that gooeth as the wynde. Soo taryed not the foure bretherne and theyr cosin, tyll that they came to Sawmore: and they bayted their horses of Alarde, Rycharde, and Guycharde / Thenne beganne Reynawde to make sorowe, sayenge / 'Fayr god, that suffred dethe and passyon, kepe thys daye my brethern and my cosin from the dethe, and from combraunce,

and from fallynge in the handes of Charlemayne the cruell!' And of [folio D.vi.a] thother' parte, chassed theym the frenshemen, brochyng wyth ye spore ²as fast as theyr horses myght renne² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. b. ii.] / somoche that a knyghte that was better horsed than the other were, ouertake Renawde, and sayd to hym, 'ye shall abyde, ye vntrue knyghte, and I shall bryng you to kyng Charlemayne' / And whan Reynawde herde hym, he tourned Bayarde [omitted, F. orig. b. ii.] ayenste hym, and smote the knyghte wyth his spere in his shelde, and rought hym wyth soo grete a myghte, that sterke deed he ouerthrew hym. Soo scaped Reynawde the knyghtes horse, and toke hym to his broder Alarde, that lyghted anone vpon the backe of hym / And after that he was vpon this goode horse, he wente & smote a nother knyghte wyth his swerde, so that he made hym fall all deed afore hym / and so betoke this knyghtes horse to his broder Guycharde, that thanked hym moche for it / And a nother knyght of the kyng Charlemayne came to theym / 'Glotons,' sayd the knyght, 'ye shall come to the kyng, that shall make you all to be hanged' / 'Ha, by my feyth,' sayd Reynawde, 'thou shalte lie,' and wyth this, Reynawde tok vp his swerde & gaaf hym suche a stroke that he ouerthrew hym ded at the grounde / Thenne toke Reynawde the hors by ye reyne, & gaaf him to his broder Richarde, that grete nede had of it. Now be the thre brethern newe horsed, & Reynawde is vpon bayarde, & his cosin Magis, that he loued so well, behinde hym / now they goo. god wyll lede theym & kepe theym from euyll / and Charlemayne pursued after theym / but for noughte he traueylled; for they were neuer the rather [Sooner.] taken for hym / Thenne was the sonne goon vnder, & the nyghte beganne to come / and the foure brethern & therir cosyn were come into the towne of Soysson.

So moche rode Reynawde by nyght & by day vpon bayard, that bare hym and mawgis his cosin, [Peu lon trouveroit auiourduy de tieulx cheuaulx par le mōde. Et tant ont cheuauche, F. orig. b. iii. back, omitted in Caxton.] that they came to dordon. [folio D.vi.b] There they mette wyth the duchesse, theyr moder / that ranne for to kysse theym and colle theym / and sin [after.] asked what thei had doon of theyr fader, and yf they were departed from the courte with wrathe. 'Lady,' sayd Reynawde, 'ye / for I haue slayne Berthelot, the neuew of kyng Charlemayne / The reyson why I dyde soo / was by cause he called me 'houre sone,' and gaaff me wyth his fyst vpon my vysage, soo that the bloode ran oute of it' / And whan the lady vnderstode hym, she felle doun all in a swoune, and Reynawde toke her vppe redely / And whan the goode lady was come ayen to her selfe, she sayd ⁴to Reynawde⁴ [^4—4 omitted, F. orig. b. iii. back.] / 'Fayr sone, how durst ye doo this that ye haue doon / for I promytte you ye shall ones repente for it. And your fader shall be dystroyed therefore, and caste oute of his landes; and yf ye scape on lyue, it shall be grete merueylle. Soo praye I you, all my chyldren, that ye flee awaye; but take afore all my tresour; for yf your fader come agayn from the courte, he shall wyll yelde you to the kynge Charlemayne.' 'Lady,' sayd Reynawde, 'wene ye that our fader is so cruell and soo wrothe wyth vs, that he wolde take and delyuer vs in to the handes [de nostre ennemy mortel, F. orig. b. iii. back.] of the kynge Charlemayne / that is our grete enmye mortalle.'

Reynawde, his thre bretherne, and Mawgys, wolde make noone other soiournynge, but toke soo moche of the hauoyre and treysour of theyr fader and moder, that they hadde Inoughe of hit / and thenne toke theyr leue of theyr lady moder / wherof there was grete pyte atte the departynge; for the children wepte

tenderly, and the moder also of thother side, whan she sawe that her chyldren that thus went fro her, and wyst not yf she sholde euer see them ayen. So departed the newe knyghtes wyth their cosyn magys, & issued out of the towne, and entred in to ye grete forest of Ardeyne, [ [One sheet lost from Caxton, supplied from Copland's ed. 1554, in B. Mus. Fol. xvi.] streyght through the valeye of Feyry, and rode so much / that they came upon the ryuer of Muse, and there they chose a faire grounde where they made to be buylded a faire castell / upon a fayre roche muche stronge, & at the foote of it passed the saide riuer of Muse. And whan that the castell was made up, they called it Mountaynford, & as I trow there was not suche another of strengthe fro the said place unto Mountpeller.

For it was closed with great walles / & enuyronned rounde about with dyches sore deep, & well garnished ²with all maner of vittailles / & of all thinges be nedeful to be had in a fortres;² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. d. iii.] now doubte the newe knightes nothinge Charlemayn, yf he wrought not by treason. Charlemayn was at paris much angry for ye deth of his neuew Berthelot, [Copland D.iii.a] ²the which Reinawd had slayne playing at the chesse / as it is sayde;² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. d. iii.] so made he to come afore hym the duke Aymon of dordonne / the father of the foure knightes, and made hym to swere that he shoulde neuer gyue no help to his children, and that they shoulde neuer be the better of a peny by hym, & in what place that he shoulde them fynde, he should take them / and shoulde bringe them to him, the which Aymon durste not saie ayenst hym, but sware that he should doo so; whereof afterwarde he was sore repreued. And after that he had sworn thus / he departed oute of Parys / all wroth & angrye of this / that he muste chase thus his children, and came to Dordon. And whan the duches saw him / she

began to weep full sore; and the duke knewe wel what she yeelde. 'Lady,' said the duke, 'where be my sonnes gone?' 'Syr,' sayde the ladye, 'I cannot telle whether they are drawen, but why suffred you that oure sonne Reynawde slewe Berthelot, the neuewe of kynge Charlemaine.' 'ladye,' said he, 'I coude not doo therto, & wit that oure sonne Reynawde is of so greate a strength / that neuer syth the incarnacion of oure lorde / was not seen so stronge [ne se vaillant cheualier, F. orig. d. iv. back.] a knyghte as he is; Nor all the assemble that than was in the pallays at Parys / myghte not keep him, but that he slewe berthelot afore all the lordes that were there.' And afore this our saide sonne Reynawde demaunded of kinge Charlemagne ryght and reason to be doone to him of the deathe of my brother, his uncle the duke Benes of Aygremount, wherupon the king ful shamfullye and outerageouslye answered to our said sonne, wherfore Reinawd was wrothe and sore angred, and ye cause why Reynawde slewe Berthelot was for to aueng him of the king Charlemaine; Not withstandynge that Berthelot had Iniuryed oure sayde sonne ful sore at the playe of the chesse, And also he smote hym fyrste outrageously that the bloud came out of his face, so Reinawd for his great and hardy courage / might not suffre this by no wise; And therfore the king hathe made me swere / that yf I can take my chyldren / that I shal brynge them to hym at Parys, and that no helpe they shal neuer haue of me nor succours, nor that they shall not be the better a peny of all my hauoure, wherof I am wrothe and full sorye.'

We shall leaue heere to speake of the duke Aymon and of the duchesse / that ben ryght sory for theyr children; And shal shew you how the worthye kynge Charlemain made to seeke after the foure sonnes of Aymon thoroughe all his realme, but he myght not

know nor understande no tidinges of them; tyll that at last came to hym a messenger that recounted to hym howe he had founde them / in the forest of Ardeyne; In which they had edyfyed a fayre castell & sore stronge. And whan the kynge understoode these tydinges / he sent worde incontinente to all his folke of armes that they should make ready themself, the whiche dyd so without delaye. [Caxton begins again.] ]

CHAPTER III.

[Caxton D.vii.a] ¶ How, after that kyng Charlemayne hadde ³made the duke Aymon to forsake hys sones,³ [^3—3 suyuir a tous ses barons les quatre filz Aymon et mesimement au due Aymon leur pere, ..... F. orig. b. iv. back.] he wente and beseged theym atte Mountaynforde / where he was d[i]scomfyted two tymes / But the castell of Mountaynforde was taken by trayson. And how Reynawde and his bretherne auenged theym selfe of the traytours that had bytrayed theym; and how they saued theym selfe after that, wythin the forest of Ardeyne, where theyr fader fonde theym as he wente fro the siege towarde his countrey / And how for to kepe his othe that he had made to kyng Charlemayn, he dyde assaylle his sones, soo that of v / hundred men that they were, abode alyue with his sones but xvij. persones / but Reynawde and his bretherne had noo hurte of theyr bodyes / how be it that they slewe many of theyr faders men.

Capytulum iii.

Now sayth the historye, that sithe the tyme of the kyng Alexandre, was none suche herde as this same is / And therfor, fayr lordes, playse you to here & vnderstande how it befell of the four sones of Aymon, that were enmyes of the emperour Charlemayne, kyng of Fraunce. For the same tyme kyng Charlemayne had banysshed theym oute of the royame of fraunce, and made all his barons, bothe yonge & olde, to seke after theym / And also made theym swere that they sholde neuer helpe nor comforte theym by noo maner of wyse. And the same othe had made wyth many other, the olde duke Aymon theyr fader, as ye haue herde afore / wherof he was full sory afterwarde. It happed thenne that the kynge Charlemayne helde a grete courte in Parys [moult plauiere, F. orig. b. iv.] / And as this courte was assembled, where all the barons of fraunce were togyder / a messager cam there bifore ye kyng [lempereur, F. orig. b. iv.] charlmayn, & kneled afore him & sayd / 'Sir, I bryng you [folio D.vii.b] tydynges of that ye dyde sende me for; wyte, syr, that I come from the grete forest of Ardeyne, where I haue founde the foure sones of Aymon, that dwelle there wythin a strong castell, well sette vpon a rocke; and yf ye wyll fynde theim and be auenged of theym, wite that ye maye well ynoughe doo so, as I beleue for certeyn' / Whan Charlemayne vnderstode this messager, he began to merueylle hym selfe sore / and called his barons, and sayd to theym, 'Fayr lordes, whan it is soo that ye be here, it apperteyneth not that I sholde sende for you at your places. Soo I praye you and requyre, as to my liege men, that ye helpe me to be auenged of the foure sones of Aymon, that soo grete dommage haue doon to me, as ye knowe well.' [Et quant Il eust ce dit Il se leua empiedz, d. iiii. F. orig., omitted in Caxton.]

Whan the barons vnderstode the prayer that the emperour Charlemayne made to theym / they answered wyth one voyce: 'Syre, we shall doo your commaundemente wythoute doubte / gyue vs leue, yf it playse you, that we maye goo in to our countreys for to make vs redy of harneys and of horses,' the whiche thyng the kyng graunted theym. And so departed all the barons from the courte, and wente in to their countreys / The whiche aboode not long, that they came ayen to Parys, all arrayed and redy for to werre wyth theyr armye / And whan the kyng Charlemayne sawe theym, he receyued theym gladly. And Incontynente wythoute ony tarieng he departed oute of Parys / and wente wyth all hys oost at Mountlyon, a towne of hys, and there he laye that nyggte. And at the morowe, as sone as the day appyered, the kyng Charlemayne departed from Montlyon, and wete on his way ¹wyth his ooste¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. d. v.] / And ordeyned the forewarde to the erle Guy of Mountpeller, that wolde moche grete harme to Reynawde. And whan they had sette theym selfe in the [folio E.i.a] waye / the emperour Charlemayne called to hym his goode vasseylles, [et, F. orig. d. v.] Renyer, Guyon of aubeforde, the erle Garner, Gefray, Langon, Oger the dane, Rycharde of Normandy, and the duke Naymes of Bauiere / and sayd vnto theym alle, 'Lordes, ye know well what ye haue to do / I pray you that ye kepe well your selfe from Reynawde, and goo not to nyghe, but abyde all togyder in suche a strong place that we may haue noo dommage / and let goode whatche be made euery nyghte / for my herte gyueth me that we shall dwelle there longe.'

Thenne sayd the duke Naymes of Bauyere, 'Sire, [vous dictes bien, F. orig. d. v.] we shall doo soo.' Thenne made they the tronpettes to be blowen, and all the ooste they made

to come togyder / And thus they rode soo moche that they cam to Myleyne, otherwyse called Aspes / And whan they were comen there, they saw the castell of Mountaynforde, that Reynawde and his brothern and theyr cosin Mawgys had doo make / Euyn atte that owre that kynge Charlemayne and his oost were come to Aspes, the thre brethern of Reynawde were comyng fro the chasse oute of the woode of Ardeyne / and Rycharde, ye yongest, bare a ryght riche horne, both fayr and good, the whiche Reynawde loued full dere. And in their felawshyp myghte be well xx knyghtes and no moo. And as they retorned to Montaynforde, Rycharde behelde and sawe ouer the riuer of Muse, thoost of the kyng Charlemayne, [de france, orig. d. v.] wherof he began to be sore merueylled / and called Guycharde his broder, & sayd to hym / 'Fayr broder, what folke maye be they that I see yonder. I herde saye the other daye of a messager, that tolde it to our broder Reynawde / that the emperour came for to besege vs wythin our castell.'

And after, whan Guycharde vnderstode his broder, he [folio E.i.b] behelde ouer the ryuer, and sawe the forewarde that Guyon conduted / and whan Guycharde [Richart, F. orig. d. v.] sawe them, he smote his horse wyth the spores / He & his folke went ayenst Guyon, & sayd to him / 'Fair sir, what are thise folke?' 'Sire,' sayd Guyon, 'thise ben the folke of themperour Charlemayn, that goeth to Ardeyn for to besege a castell that the foure sones of Aymon haue do [do = cause to be.] made there; for their strengthe, they trayueylle vs moche, god gyue them euyll rest' / 'Certes,' sayd Guycharde, [Richart, F. orig. d. v.] 'I am a sauldyer with Reynawde / & I conne you nother thanke nor grace of that that ye saye / for I am holden to deffende theym at my power' / and with this he spored his horse &

smote the sayd Guyon [Reynier, F. orig. d. v.] thrugh his shelde so harde that he ouerthrewe hym deed to the grounde / And thenne he toke the horse of the sayd Guyon, [Reynier, F. orig. d. v.] & toke hym to one of his esquyers, and assembled all the knyghtes togider of one parte & of ye other / They of fraunce cryed 'Mountioye saynt denys!' and the brethern of Reynawde cryed 'Mounteinforde' / Thenne sholde ye haue seen a fell batayll & ryght cruell, the one ayenste the other, sheldes broken & helmes broken, som deed, & some sore wounded, soo moche that it was grete pyte to see. What shall I telle you? more, all the folke of Guyon [Reynier, F. orig. d. v.] that made the forwarde, were there slayne / This hangyng, cam a squier to the kyng, & shewed hym how his forewarde was vtterly dystroied / and that Guycharde, [Richart, F. orig. d. v.] the broder of Reynawde, had slayne the erle Guyon. [Reynier, F. orig. d. v.]

'Ogod,' sayd thenne themperour Charlemayne, 'haue I now lost Guyon? [Reynier, F. orig. d. v.] of hym it is grete dommage / Now wote I not from hensforth on, how I sholde wyn, sith that I haue loste the forwarde' / and thenne he called Oger the dane, & sayd to hym, 'Oger, goo to the socours, you & Naymes, for guycharde bereth wyth him all my hauoyr, & hath slayn all my folke.' [folio E.ii.a] Thenne oger the dane abode not, but lighted on horsbacke, he and the duke Naymes, wyth well thre hundred knyghtes well armed & well arayed, & went after Guycharde [Richart, F. orig. d. vi.] / but their labour was nought worthe to theim / for guycharde & his men were all redy wythin Mountainforde, wyth all the hauoyr that they had wonne. Whan Reynawde sawe his broder com [a si grans gens, F. orig. d. vi.] wyth so grete hauoyre, he wente ayenst hym, & kissed theym all / and thenne he sayd to Guycharde, 'Fayr broder, where haue ye taken so grete hauoyre that ye

bryng here.' 'Sire,' sayd Guycharde, 'I shall telle you tidynges wherof ye shall be gretly merueylled / Now wyte, that kyng Charlemayn commeth for to besege you wyth all his oost, & hath so grete chyualrie wyth him that it is wounder for to see / My bredern, [et moy, F. orig. d. vi.] I com fro the chasse out of the wood of ardeyn, and we haue recounted the forwarde of Charlemayne, that therle Guy conduycted; there fought we togyder wyth theim / but, god by thanked, & my men / myn enmyes were discomfyted & ouerthrowen. [omitted, F. orig. d. vi.] One parte we haue slayne, & thother fled awaye; soo haue we brought their hauoyr that ye se here. And there is deed, [le conte regnier, F. orig. d. vi.] therle Guy & many other grete lordes, & all their men' / Thenne sayd Reynawde, 'I ought to loue derly / whan ye can werre so well that ye haue ouerthrowen your enmyes at ye firste comyng on' / and thenne he called all his brethern & his folke, & sayd to theym / 'Fayr lordes, now is the tyme come that eueriche of vs must preue hymselfe a good man / wherfore I praye you that euery man force hymself to do worthyly his deuoyr, that your worshyp & the oures be kepte / & that men maye not wyte [blame.] vs noo cowardnes, & lete vs ⁵doo knowe⁵ [^5—5 cause to be known.] our prouesses to kyng Charlemayn, so that he hold vs not for feble & myschaunt' / Whan reynaude had spoke to his bredern & to his folke / they answered to hym in this maner, 'My lorde, haue no [folio E.ii.b] doubte of none of vs; but be sure that we shall neuer fayll you for [so far as.] the hewyng of our limmes as long as we shall lyue.' And whan reynawde vnderstode the good wyll [de ses freres, F. orig. d. vi.] of his folke, & namly [specially.] of his brethern / he began again to speke to theym, & sayd / 'Lete ye gate be shette, & drawe vp the brydge / and soo goo we to the wyndowes, for to see this folke that com ayenste vs.'

And thenne they wente there, as reynawde sayd; & whan thei loked out of ye wyndowes, they sawe oger the dane comynge wyth a thousande men wyth hym / whiche, whan he sawe that Guycharde was entred in to ye castell, he retorned ayen, & sayd to the kyng how it was / and thenne he sayd / 'Syr, I lete you wyte that the castell of mounteynforde is the fairest & the strongest that euer ye sawe / for it is set vpon a hie roche of harde stone / and well I telle you, for certeyn, that it shall not be taken so lightly as men wene, for suche folke doo kepe it, that well and worthily shall deffende it.'

Whan themperour Charlemayne herde speke oger the dane, he was of it so wroth that he wente nyghe oute of his wytte / & sware god that he sholde neuer retorne in to fraunce but that Ryynawde were take; & that yf he maye haue hym, all the worlde shall not saue hym, but that he shall make hym to be hanged, & his broder Guycharde to be drawen at horsis taylles. 'Sire,' sayd oger, 'well ye ought to doo so / for they haue trauaylled you full often, & haue gyuen you grete labour & peyne' / 'Syre,' sayd foulques of morillon, 'haue no doubte, for shortly we shall auenge you of theym. Make to be cried incontynente that your oost goo lodge lightly about mountenforde' / 'Certes,' said the kyng, 'ye saye well'; & thenne he made trompetes to be blowen of a heygthe, for to assemble togyder all his men of armes / and commaunded that all the castell of mountenforde sholde be enuyronned rounde aboute wyth folke, & that euery [folio E.iii.a] baron sholde do pyghte there his pauylyon; and they dyd so as the kyng had commaunded / Now wyll I shew to you how noble the castell was set. [Car il etoit, F. orig. b. iv.] The sayd castell was closed & sett vpon a hie roche; & of the one side of it was betyng a grete riuer, called Muse / and of the other side it had euyn at hande a grete wood full

playsant; of a nother side it [les plenez, F. orig. b. vi.] hath a fayr playne, & of that other side a full fayr medowe, grete & playsaunt to be holde / ¶ Whan the folke of the kyng Charlemayn were all lodged, themperour lighted on horsbak wyth a few felawship for to see the strength of the castell / & whan he had well byholden it, & seen at his ease, he began to saye in hymself / 'ha god, how is this castell closed & set in a strong place! god, how thise knyghtes knew well the craft of werre, not wythstandyng that they ben but yong folke / [Lors dist a ses gens, F. orig. d. vii.] Fayr lordes, thynke for to werre well / for we haue somwhat more to do thenne I wende.' Whan the pauyllyons & the tentes of ye kyngis were dressed vp, he made to be set a charbokell right riche all hie vpon his tente, whiche stone full precyous was shinyng as a torche that brenneth, & wyth the same a grete appell of fyne golde, of grete value / and whan the sayd tentes wer all spred & hanged, themperour entred wythin, & made the duke naymes to be armed, & charged hym that no man of werr so hardy for to light on horsbak of eyhht dayes, but it were for to sporte hymself / For I wyll do knowe thrugh all ye royame, that men bryng to vs vytaylles in grete habundance, afore that the castell of mountenforde be by vs assaylled / and make my chapel to be appareylled, to thende that we praye god that he wyll helpe vs to be auenged of the foure sones of Aymon / the whiche we shall famysshe, or euer it be a moneth / For they shall not conne haue no vytaylles from wythoute [omitted, F. orig. b. vii.] by no waye.' Thenne sayd the duk Naymes to the kyng, [folio E.iii.b] 'Syr, ye maye do better, yf it be your playsur; sende a messager to Reynawde, for to tell hym that he yelde to you Guycharde his broder, & ye shall quyte hym all his londe / and yf he yelde

hym to you / make hym to be byheded anone / & yf that reynawde refuse for to do this, he maye well be sure that werre shall not leue him as long as he shall be alyue' / Thenne answered Charlemayn, 'Ye saye well & ryght wysely / but certenly I wote not where to fynde a messager to whom I myghte well trust.' 'Sire,' sayd the duk naymes, 'yf it playse you / ogyer & I shall do this message' / 'It playse me well,' sayd the kyng, '& ryght grete thanke I shall conne you for it / for ye neuer faylled me at a nede' / Thenne wente naymes & oger, & made theim redy. And whan they were redy, they toke in their handes braunches of olyue tree for to shewe that they were messagers / & so went they both togyder wythout ony other company. And whan Alays, that kept watche, sawe the two knyghtes come, he wente & asked theym what they were that cam there. 'Syr,' sayd the duke Naymes, 'we ben messagers of the kyng Charlemayn, that hath sent vs heder for to speke wyth reynawde, the sone of Aymon' / and incontynent the sayd alais wente to his lord, and tolde hym, how at the gate were two messagers of the kyng Charlemayn, that wolde speke wyth hym / Reynawde commaunded forthwyth that the gate sholde be opened to theym, & that the drawe brydge sholde be lete doun, for he wolde see the messagers & speke wyth theym / Thenne were the two barons let in, & were brought afore Reynawde; and whan reynawde sawe theim, he salued theym curtoysly, and after that they had salued eche other / they set theym all [tous trois, F. orig. d. vii.] ther vpon a benche / And thenne began the duk Naymes to speke, & sayd thus / 'Reynawde,' sayd he, 'themperour Charlemayn of fraunce lete you wyte by vs / that ye sende to hym Guycharde [folio E.iiii.a] [Richart, F. orig. d. vii.] your broder, for to make of hym his playsur and his wyll; and yf

ye wyll not do soo, Charlemayn defyeth you, & sayth that neuer he shall leue you, vnto the tyme that he shalle haue take you all / And whan he shall haue you [Il vous sera tous pendre, F. orig. d. vii.] / he shall make you all to be drawen & hanged, and deye an euyll deth wyth grete shame.'

Whan Reynawde vnderstode thise wordes, he wexed all red for angre / and thenne he sayd to the duk Naymes, 'By the feyth that I owe to all my frendes / yf it were not that I loue you / I sholde make you both to be hewen all to peces; and ye haue well deserued it / for you, naymes, [omitted, F. orig. d. vii.] are my nyghe kynsman / and as me semeth, ye oughte well to helpe & defende me ayenst all men / And ye now counseyll me to my grete dyshonour & ayenst myn honeste. Tell to Charlemayn, that he shall not haue Guychard [Richart, orig. d. viii.] my broder / and that he leue his thretenyng, & doo the worste that he can / for we shall not do for hym nor for his thretenynges the mountenaunce of a peny / And goo ye to telle hym in my behalue / that a fore that he take vs / he shall haue a greter nede of helpe than he wenethe / Now voyde from our sighte lightely oute of our palays, for to see you thus here greureth me to sore.' Whan the duke Naymes & Ogyer vnderstode Reynawde / they made noo lenger dwellyng, but departed incontynente wythoute ony more spekyng / and are come to Charlemayne, & recounted to hym all this that Reynawde had sayd.

Whan themperour Charlemayne vnderstode this answere, he was so sore an angred that he went almost oute of his wytte / & thenne he commaunded that the castell sholde be assaylled / to the whiche they saw but thre gates, wherof, was set afore the masters gate, therle Renyer [le conte Guy, F. orig. d. viii.] & foulques of

moryllon, therle of Neuers, & ogyer the dane / And [folio E.iiii.b] afore the seconde gate was the duk of bourgoyne & therle of alphinas; and afore the iii gate was the olde Aymon, the fader of reynawde, that was com to Charlemayn for to werre ayenst his sones, as thother / Now weneth the emperour to haue beseged well reynawde & his bredern; but, & god kepe reynawde in good helth, Charlemayne shall lese there more than he shall wynne / Reynawde & his brethern were suche knyghtes, & so sage, that they deffended well their castell ayenst charlemayn / alwayes it was beseged wyth so grete nombre of folke, as I haue sayd afore, that it was merueylle to see / For there were bretons, flemynges, maunsealx, originers, englysshe, bourgoyns, the bauyers, & the frenchemen / but Reinawde made one thyng that torned hym to a grete worshyp, for he sayd to his folke, 'Fayr lordes, I praye you that ye mounte not vpon your horses tyll that ye here the trompetes blowe, for I see well that Charlemayns folke ben ryght sore traueylled; and now whyle they ben thus weri / it were no worship to vs for to renne theym vpon / but whan they shall be a lityll eased of their werynes, we shall thenne make dyligently & worthyli our first yssue vpon them. And I praye you, & requyre you all in generall, that euery man shewe thenne his prowesse & strengthe' / And wyte it that in the castell of mountenforde was a fawcebraye vpon a roche, thrughe ye whiche reynawde & his bredern wente oute vnder couerte at all tymes that they wolde, wythout daunger. [quant Ilz vouloient aler en gibier, F. orig. d. viii.]

Whan reynawde saw that it was tyme for to goo out vpon theyr enmyes, he called to hym Sampson of bourdelois / this was a knyght, a trusty man, that was com there for to helpe reynawde and his

bredern, and had wyth hym an hundred knyghtes / reynawde said to hym / 'Syr, it is now tyme that our enmyes knowe what we ben / for yf we tarre longer, [folio E.v.a] the kyng Charlemayne myghte [accuse.] wyte vs of cowardnes.' And whan he had sayd thise wordes, he cam to his brother guycharde, [omitted, F. orig. b. viii.] & sayd to hym / 'Fayr brother guichard, [Richart, F orig. d. viii.] leue not for to be alwayes bolde and hardy as longe that I am man on lyue, for I loue you as moche as I doo my owne body, and it is rayson that I do so / for ye & I are brethern, ⁵bothe of fader & of moder⁵ [^5—5 omitted, F. orig. d. viii.] / And also I beleue that ye be the best knyghte of my lynage.' And then he taketh hym bytwene his armes, and kisseth hym by grete loue / and whan he had doon thus, he sayd / 'Broder, make the trompettes to blowe vp of heygth, and let vs make redy ourselfe for to yssue out, for to showe to Charlemayne what folke that we ben / yf god wyll that we myghte take the erle of Estampes, I sholde be therof right gladde / for it is the man / among all oure enmyes, that worste dooth to vs, that more hath hurted vs; haply he shall not scape vs / for he is alwayes in the forwarde / whan thise wordes were fynysshed, all the foure brethern, and all theym of theyr companye arayed them selfe and yssued oute of the castell atte the fawcebraye, wythout to make ony noyse nor crye / and soo go vpon the oost of Charlemayne by soo grete wrathe that it was merueyll, and beganne to make soo grete dystructyon of folke, and to caste bothe tentes & pauyllyons agrounde, that it was wounder & pite for to see / and who had seen thenne reynawde ⁵the worthy knyght,⁵ [^5—5 omitted, F. orig. d. viii.] vpon his horse bayarde, & the faittes of armes that he made ⁵vpon his enmyes,⁵ [^5—5 omitted, F. orig. d. viii.] sholde haue grete merueyll for to loke vpon hym; for that man that he recounted, [met.] myght well saye that he was

born in an enyll houre / for to saye ye trouthe, reinawd smote no knyght so that his strokes cam right / but that he cleued hym as lightly as they hadde not ben armed, & whan ye folke of charlemayn saw their enmyes, they ranne incontynent to their herneis; & whan thei were armed, they ranne vpon Reynawde [folio E.v.b] & his folke. And thenne began the batayll so cruell that it was pite for to see / for ye sholde haue seen many speres broken, and sheldes bresten & clouen asondre / and many a goode haubergen vnmayled / ²corsettes & flancardes all to-brosten & sore beten,² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. d. viii.] and so many a goodly man and noble knyghtes deyeng full myserably vpon the erthe / Whan the olde Aymon herde the crye, he mounted on horsebacke alsso, sone as he myghte, he & his folke, and com to the batayll ayenste his sones / and whan Reynawde apperceyued there his fader / he was right sory for it / and sayd to his bredern / 'see, here is a grete merueylle / for here is our fader / and by my counseyll we shall make hym roume; for I wolde not for nothynge that none of vs sholde sette vpon hym.' And then they torned at another side of the batayll / but Aymon, theyr fader, cam there ayenst them, & began to sette sore hande vpon theym & theyr folke / and whan Reynawde sawe that his fader leyd sore vpon theym, & bare theym grete dommage of theyr men / he sayd to hym all angred / 'Ha, fader, what doo you / certeynly ye doo grete synne / for ye sholde helpe defende & kepe vs, and ye do to vs worse than thother doo; now I see well that ye loue vs sore lityll, & that ye be dysplaysed that we ben so pru [valiant.] & so good men of armes ayenst Charlemayn / for yf ye haue forbanysshed vs / well we know it, & that we shall neuer haue no thyng of your herytage / and we haue made this litll castell for to kepe our selfe therin /

and yet ye come heder for to helpe it to be dystroyed: it is no faders work, but it is operacyon of the deuyll. Yf ye wyll doo vs noo good / at lest do vs no harme; for I swere you, vpon all sayntes that yf ye com ony ferder ayenst vs [et se ne seray plus honteux, F. orig. e. i.] I shall forbere you no lenger / but I shall gyve you wyth my swerd suche a stroke, that ye shall haue no leiser for to repente you of [folio E.vi.a] the folie that ye doo' / Whan Aymon vnderstode the wordes of his sone Reynawde, [omitted, F. orig. e. i.] he toke therof so grete angre at his herte, that it laked lytil but that he fell doun in a swoune to the erthe / for he knew well that Reynawde tolde hym trouthe; but he coude do none otherwyse, for feere of Charlemayn, but alwayes he wythdrewe hymselfe abacke, and suffered his sones to passe by hym [outre part celle fois, F. orig. e. i.] harmles atte that tyme / the whiche wente and dommaged ryght sore the folke of kyng Charlemayne. [tout que cestoit merueilles, F. orig. e. i.]

Durynge the tyme that Reynawde spake thus to his fader Aymon, cam Charlemayn and Aulbery, Ogyer & the erle Henry, and Fougues of Moryllon. And whan Reynawde sawe theym come, he made his trompettes to be blowen for to brynge his folke togyder agen; and when they were assembled of one parte and of the other / a knyghte of Charlemayn, that was called Thiery, made his horse to renne ayenste the folke of Reynawde / and when Alarde saw hym com he spored his horse, and cam ayenst hym, and smote hym so harde in his shelde, that he shoued a grete hauberke that he bare, thrughe his body of hym, soo that the sayd Tyery fel deed doun to therth / and whan kyng Charlemayn saw falle deed his knyght thyerry, he was therfore so sore an angred, that almost he loste his wytte & his vnderstandynge / Thenne beganne he to crye wyth a hie voys, ⁶sayenge in thys manere⁶ [^6—6 omitted, F. orig. e. i.] / 'Lordes and barons,

delyuer you for to auenge me of thise glotons that leden our folke so cursedly. See that that they ben well punysshed & sharply' / whan the olde aymon herde Charlemayn speke thus, for doubte to be blamed he spored his horse, and wente & smote one of his sones knyghtes that was named amaney so cruelly wyth his braunk of stele, that he smote his hede clene of [off.] fro ye sholders of hym / 'fader,' cryed [folio E.vi.b] Reynawde to hym, 'ye do yll when so cruelly ye slee my men, but by the feyth that I owe to [a saint pol, F. orig. e. i.] god, yf I trowed not to hurte therby my honour, I shold take therof cruel vengance of you.' And thenne sayd ayen the valyaunt Reynawde / 'ha, lady moder, how shold ye be sori yf ye knewe the grete werkes & the grete harme that our fader doeth to vs this daye.'

Whan Foulques of Moryllon sawe that the folke of Reynawde mayntened theymselfe so worthily ayenst theym, he began to crye, 'Syr emperoure & kyng, what meaneth this / I beleue that ye be forgoten / sende for many of yore folke, & commaunde theym that they take incontynent ye traytours that now feyne themselfe ayenst your enemyes, and wythout delaye make them to be hanged & flayen all quyk.' When the frensmen vnderstode this that foulques sayd to Charlemayn / they made none other abydyng / but spored their horses, & smote vpon the folke of Reynawde soo harde, that they made theim to recule bak, wolde they or not / when alarde sawe his folke goo bak / he was ryght sory for it, and toke his swerde, & began wyth his folke to make so grete a fors of armes, that the frenshemen were all abashed of it / What shall I telle you more of this batayll / wyte it, that it was so mereueyllous & cruell, that it was pyte for to see, for euery one made the worste that he coude / the one ayenst thother. And wyte, that the foure sones of

Aymon made so grete occysion of men & of horses, that none durst come afore theym / but none myght compare wyth Reynawde for to do well; for he made there so grete merueyll of armes, that the frensmen durst not com forth for fere of hym; for to saye the trouth, Reynawde smote no stroke a ryght, but that he slewe hym wheropon it lighted. What wyll ye that I telle you more / wyte that, in this batayl, kynsmen nor parents [folio E.vii.a] spared not eche other, for they slewe the one thother, as domm bestes / There sholde ye haue seen comyng thurghe the batayll the kyng Yon of saynt Omars, that rode vpon a good horse that ranne well / & ayenst hym cam a knyght called guyon / & Yon smote guyon suche a stroke that he ouerthrewe bothe hors & man to therth / and whan Reynawde sawe this, he was right wroth for it. And thenne he toke his baner, & sayd to his folke / 'doo so moche that I haue that good horse; for yf he goth awaye, I shall neuer haue Ioye at my hert, for I wyll that he kepe felowship to bayarde.' And whan rycharde [Guichart, F. orig. e. ii.] his broder, that was so worthy a knyght and so gentyll, vnderstode his broder that so spake / he made no tarryeng, but spored his horse, & smote yon of seynt Omars so harde, that his shelde nor his harneys myght not kepe / but that he shoued his glayue thrughe the brest, & ouerthrewe hym deed to therth / and thenne Rycharde [il, F. orig. e. ii.] toke the hors by the brydell, & led him to reynawde, & sayd to hym, 'sire, we haue the horse that ye haue called after so sore / now may you light vpon hym whan it playse you.' 'Broder,' seyd reynawde, 'gramercy of this present / for well ye haue serued me therof / now haue we two horses to whom we may trust well vpon.' 'Now light atons [at once.] upon hym,' sayd reinawde / & whan rycharde [Guichart, F. orig. e. ii.] vnderstode the commaundement of his broder /

he lighted lightly vpon the horse, and toke his owne for to kepe to a good knyght /

And whan reynawde cam agen to the batayll, he sawe yet his fader / & whan he sawe hym, he was ryght sory for it so that he lost almost his wyt for the same, and cam & sayd to hym by a maner of reproche, 'By my fayth, fader, ye are gretly to blame, ye myght well kepe your selfe that ye com not so often to see vs / and for to doo vs harme / we wyll shewe to you that ye be oure fader / not goode [folio E.vii.b] but euyll; for ye shewe to vs harde frenshyp & a sowre loue. At crystmasse and at ester, men ought to go vysit and see his good frende, for to feste hym and to do hym goode, & ete wyth hym whan the dyner is redy; but this ye do not; for ye com to see vs in a hote werre / & wyth the poynt of ye swerde ye chere vs / it is no loue of a natureill fader, but it is rigoure of a stepfader [Ribauld, F. orig. e. ii.] ' / thenne answered the duk aymon, 'I wil that ye kepe your selfe well, for yf Charlemayn can take you, all the worlde shall not kepe you / but that he wyll fleye & hange you, ³or otherwyse make you to deye a shamfull deth'³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig. e. ii.] / 'Fader,' sayd Reynawde, 'lete that alone, & come & helpe vs / so shall the kyng be dyscomfyted.' 'go forth! glotton, goddis curse haue thou,' sayd Aymon ³to his sone reynawde³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig. e. ii.] / 'For I am to olde for to do trayson' / 'Fader,' sayd Reynawde, 'lityll ye loue vs, I see it well, but kepe your selfe well / for I shall shew you whether I can do any thyng wyth the spere and of the swerde;' and whan he had that sayd, he spored bayarde, & wente & smote a squyer that was called guyner, so that he ouerthrewe hym deed from his horse to the grounde / Whan Charlemeyn saw his esquyer deed, he spored his courser wyth an angry chere, & had in his hande a staffe of yron. for he wolde parte ye

batail a sonder; by cause he sawe well that his folke had the worse, and that they myght not resiste ayenst the grete strokes of reynawde in no wyse, for it was merueyllouse for to see the grete fayttes of armes that he made there / for he ouerthrewe doun dede bothe horses & men ¹by grete strength /¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. e. ii.]

Charlemayn is come to the frensshe men / & commaunded theym for to wythdrawe theym selfe / for it was tyme for to departe fro the batayll. & as they wolde haue goon awaye, cam there thrughe batayll Berarde the bourgoyner, & smote Simon of bremoys so fiersly that he fell doun deed to the [folio E.viii.a] grounde; when the foure sones of Aymon sawe Symon deed, they were ryght sory for hym, And spored their horses wyth the sporres, & cam at that side, & brake the preese for to auenge Symons dethe. and wyte it, when Reynawde was com there, it was knowen ryght well / for he wyth his swerde brought to deth well iij hundred knyghtes of the best men that kyng Charlemayne had in his companye. Wherof the kyng was ryght sory ³& sore an angred³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig. e. iii.] / this hangyng, Alarde wente thrughe the presse; so cam he, & iousted ayenst therle of Estampes / & for his shelde he lette not / but he shoued his spere thrughe the body of hym. and thus was by hym slayne the sayd erle / whan Reynawde sawe that stroke, he cam to alarde his brother, and kyssed hym vpon his helme, and bowed hym selfe towarde hym & sayd / 'Fayr broder, blessed be the wombe that bare the / for ye haue auenged vs of the gretest foo that we had, and whan he had sayd this word, he made his trompettes to be blowen, for to call his men togyder.

Whan themperour Charlemayne sawe this grete dommage that the foure sones of Aymon dyd to hym, he cryed with a hie voys / 'Lordes & barons,

wythdrawe your selfe abacke / for our enmyes [enmyrs in text.] be to good knyghtes for vs / now is this to vs grete dishonour & grete myshappe; lete vs retorne ayen to our pauyllyons, I praye you. For I swere vpon all sayntes, that ther castell shall neuer be taken but by famysshyng, for they ben ouer good knyghtes, preu & wyse, & well aduysed of the werre.' Whan the barons of Charlemayn herde his commaundemente, they sayd to hym, 'Sire, we shall do your wyll,' and as they wolde haue departed / came Reynawde sporyng his horse, & his brethern, & wente & smote vpon the folke of the emperour soo sharply, that he departed theym so well / that they must nedes flee, and take theyr [folio E.viii.b] pauyllyons / and soo bode wyth theym prysoners, Anthony Guynemault, the erle of Neners, and Thiery of Normandye / for no man myght endure ayenste Reynawde and his bretherne / And whan Reynawde sawe the dyscomfyture, & the folke of the emperour that fledde, he made his trompettes to be blowen for to wythdrawe his folke. And whan they were assembled, Reynawde ³and his bretherne³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig. e. iii.] retorned gladely into theyr [son, F. orig. e. iii.] castell / and was alwayes the hyndermost man for to kepe hys folke the better, that led prisoners afore. Thenne cam Aymon theyr fader afresshe vpon theym, and began to make theym grete combraunce / and whan Reynawde saw his fader, he wende to haue wexed madd for angre. soo retorned he Bayarde, and smote the horse of his fader soo harde that he fell doun deed to the erth / For as to his fader, he wolde not touche / and whan Aymon sawe hymself a grounde, he rose vp quyckely vpon his feete, and toke his swerde in his hande / and began ryght well to deffende hymselfe. But his deffence sholde haue ben but lytyll worth to hym / for his chyldren sholde haue take hym for their prysoner, yf it hadde

not be Ogyer the Dane that came and socoured hym. And thenne sayd to hym, the sayd Oger / 'Syr, what semeth you of your chyldren / they be right cheualrouse and hardy, as ye may see and knowe.'

Whan Aymon was horsed agayn, he pursuyd his chyldren as a man wrothe and oute of his wyte / and sayd to his folke / 'Now goo we after the glotons! for yf they lyue long they shall doo vs harme and dommage soo grete that wyth peyne it shall be reserued.' Whan Reynawde saw his fader that folowed theym so sharply / he torned bayarde, and wente and smote amonge the thyckest of his faders folke, & beganne to hurte theym so sore wyth the helpe of his bredern, [folio F.i.a] that he putte theym to flight, magre their teeth / for they myghte no lenger endure the grete magre [dommaige, F. orig. e. iii.] that Reynawde bare to theym / for to say the trouth, noo harneys was naughte worthe ayenst the swerde of Reynawde. For he cleued all that he roughte.

[the 2 line W is omitted.] [W]han the emperoure Charlemayne saw this hie prouesse that Reynawde made / he blessed hym selfe of the grete meruayll that he had thereof / and soo stronge he spored his horse, that he wente ayenste Reynawde, and thenne he said to hym / 'Reynawde, I forbede you that ye goo no ferther.' Whan Reynawde sawe the kyng he made to hym reuerence, and thenne wyth drewe hymselfe abacke / and sayd to his men / 'lete vs goo fourth, for here cometh the kyng. I wolde not for noo thyng in this worlde that ony of you sholde laye hande vpon hym' / Whan the folke of Reynawde vnderstoode thise Wordes, they putte their swerdes in their sheethes, and wente agen to theyr castell, right gladde of theyr fayne aventure that was happed to theym that daye. And whan they were wythin theyr

castell of Mountenforde, they made the brydge for to be drawen up / and wente & unarmed them, and fonde the souper redy, and soo they sette theym selfe atte the table / And there was a grete many of prysoners / And when they had ete / Reynawde cam to his broder, & thanked hym moche wyth all his herte of that he hadde slayne the erle of Estampes.

And whan the emperour Charlemagne saw that Reynawde was wythin his castell, he lighted doun from his horse in to his tente / and sware god, that he sholde never departe thens unto the tyme that he sholde have the foure sonnes of Aymon, or that the castell were take / What shall I telle you more; the emperour Charlemagn laye well [folio F.ii.b] XIV [XIII F. orig. e. iii. back.] monethes at sege afore the castell of mountenforde, and there was no weke but they had a batayll or a scarmysshe; and I tell you that Reynawde was not so sore beseged, but that he wente to chasse in woodes & in ryvers as often as hym playsed / And dyverse tymes it happed that Reynawde spake wyth the frenshemen of traytte, the one to thother / sayeng thus to theym: 'Fayr lordes, I praye you that ye speke to themperour Charlemayn, & telle hym that he shall never take us by no force, for our castell is right strong & well garnysshed / But knowe the kyng one thyng / that whiche he maye have by goodnes / he nede not make by force. He maye have the castell, & us also, yf it playse hym, in suche maner as I shall telle you / Whan I shall put in his hande the castell of Mountenforde, my brethern and my selfe, our goodes & bagage sauff, and that the werre take an ende, that hath lasted so longe / ³he may be well content.'³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig. e. iv.] 'Reynarde,' sayd Ogyer the dane, 'ye saye well & wysely; and I promytte you I shall shewe the same to the kyng, as

ye haue sayd / And yf ye wyll beleve my counselle / I ensure you I shall telle hym that he doo so, for ye are not folke for to be sette lityll by thus / nor for to be fro the court / for yf the kyng had you nyghe hym, he shold be the better for it.'

All thus as Reynarde & Oger spake togyder / there came Foulques of morylloy, that cryed to Reynaud, 'vassell, ye be but a foole. for certes I have herde your wordes well. Ye shall leve us, mountenforde, for it is not your herytage, & your hedes in like Wyse' / 'Foulques,' sayd Reynawde, 'ye have repreved me full often. I knowe well alle the harme that themperour Charlemayne wyll to me / is by cause I have slayne Berthelot his nevew wyth a ches borde / of whom god have mercy / Certes I coude not doo therto; but I was full [folio F.ii.a] sory for it, god wote it. / It is trouth whan we playd togyder, we hade some wordes, by the whiche, wythoute ony worde, he gaaff me suche a stroke upon my face that the bloode ranne me doune atte the grounde / And whan I sawe myselfe soo arayed / I myghte not be so softe that I coude endure the grete owtrage that he hadde doon to me wythoute a cause / Soo deffended I my selfe to my power / for who letteth hym self to be slayne, his soule shall never have pardonne / And thou knoweste well, Foulques, that [what.] I dyde, was in my defendynge. But to this muste be made shorte wordes / and yf it playse you / ye shall telle to the kyng Charlemayn, that he taketh us to mercy, and that we maye be frendes. And yf ye doo this ye shall doo your honoure. For assone maye ye be slayn there as a nother' / 'By god,' sayd Foulques, 'all this is noughte worthe to you / for ye shall deye therfor, ye and your brederen' / 'Foulques,' sayd Reynawde, 'ye threten to moche / It apperteyneth not

to you for to threten knyghtes so moche that ben better than you. And yf ye haue ony thynge upon your herte, doo it wythout any more wordes / For I tell you well that ye purchace your dethe' / And whan Reynawde hadde sayd thyse wordes / they wente agen to theyr pavyllyons. And thus abode the ooste unto thenne wythoute any fyghtynge. But the frenshmen came agen, wolde they or not; wherfore the kynge Charlemayn was wrothe.

Thenne the emperour Charlemagne sente for men thorughe all his londe / And whan they were all come he [Le roy, orig. e. v. back.] sayd to theym / 'Syres, I complayne me to you of the foure sonnes of Aymon, that hathe my londe dystroyed and wasted. And Mounteynfourde is soo stronge, that by strengthe it canne never be taken / but by famysshynge. Now telle me what I oughte to doo / For I shall doo therin your counseyll' / [folio F.iii.b] Whan the barons herde the complaynte that the kyng made to theym of the foure sones of Aymon / there was none soo hardy that durste saye a worde, but the duke Naymes of Bavyere, that sayd to the kynge / 'Syre emperour, if ye wyll have goode counseylle, I shalle gyve you goode, yf ye wyll byleve me. Let us retourne into highe Fraunce, for we be to nyghe the wynter for to make werre / And whan the newe tyme shall be come, ye shall mow come agen to laye your siege afore Mounteynforde. For I doo you to wyte that Reynaude is not sore pressed, but that he gooth in woodes and in ryvers atte all tymes that he wyll. And a man that maye goo oute and in atte his wyll, is not over sore byseged / And of the other parte, Reynawde and his brethern are suche knyghtes that they shall not be lygthly over come. This is my counseyll, syre / Who knoweth a better, lete hym telle.'

Thenne spake Hernyer of Seveyne, and to hym sayd, 'Syre, [droit empereur, F. orig. e. v. back.] I shall gyve you a better counseyll yf ye wyll beleve me / gyve me the castell and alle the havoyr that is wythin, and the lordeshyp fyve myles aboute it, and I shall yelde to you Reynawde and all his brethern for prysoners afore a moneth com to an ende. And thenne shall we go in to France, for to see oure wyves and children.' 'Hernyer,' sayd the kynge / 'ye have sayd well and wysely, yf ye maye doo this that ye have sayd / I graunte to you the castell, and all that ye have asked wyth the same' / 'Syre,' sayd Hernyer, 'I thanke you for it an hundred thousande tymes. And I promytte you I shall delyver unto you Reynawde and his bredern as your prysoners, or ever a moneth be passed' / But knowe you, that Hernyer dyde mysse of his enterpryse, for he kepte not covenaunte to the kyng as he had promysed hym, for Reynawde toke hym, [luy couppa la teste a peu de temps, F. orig. e. v.] and made hym to be hewen all in peces; and [Car il en mourut luy et toutes ses gens, F. orig. e. v.] made all they that were wyth hym whan he mathe trayson to be hanged & slayne, as more playnly ye shall understonde / yf ye liste to herken.

Hernyor of Sayne made noon other taryeng / but he sayd to kyng Charlemayn in this maner / 'Syr, commaude ye Guyon of Bourgyne that he doo put in arraye a thousande knyghtes well armed / and that to morowe, afore the daye, he goo upon the montagne fayr & softly wythout noyse [et bruyt, F. orig.] / And I shall put hym wythin the castell shortly' / Whan he had sayd this / he wente into his tente / and made hymselfe to be armed / And whan he was armed, he lighted a horsebacke / and rode to the gate of the castell, [de mountenfort, F. orig.] and sayd to them that kepte warde / 'Alas, for god, fayr lordes,

have mercy of me; yf it playse you lete me com inne, or elles I am but deed / for the emperour Charlemayn maketh to folowe & seke me alle about, for to make me deye, by cause I have sayd to hym moche good of Reynawde; and also I telle you well, that I shall shewe to Reynawde a thyng wherof he shall be ryght glad, ¹yf his playsur is to here me.'¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. e. v.]

When they that were above upon the gate, herde hym speke thus / they wythout long taryenge lete goo doun ye drawe brydge, & made hym come in, and dysarmed hym, and dyde to hym grete honoure / But the false traytour rewarded theym full ylle for it after that / This hangynge, Charlemagne comaunded Guyon to make hym redy, and a thousande knyghtes wyth hym / And sente theym upon the hylle, wythoute makynge of ony bruyt, tyll that the daye were come. And wyte, that Guynon hadde wyth hym of the beste knyghtes of Charlemagne.

[folio F.iii.a] Now is Hernyer the traytour wythin the castell of Mounteynfourde, to whom men made goode chere; and whan Reynawde wyste that a knyghte of Charlemagne was come / He sayd that he wolde speke wyth hym / And soo he was broughte afore hym / And whan he saw hym, he sayd to hym / 'What be you, fayre knyghte, that are come hyder?' / And he answered, 'Syre, my name ys Hernyer of Saveyne / and I have angred kynge Charlemagne for the love of you / And for this cause I am come hyther, praynge that ye have me for recommaunded / For I wote not wether to goo now.' 'Goode frende,' sayd Reynawde / 'sythe that ye saye that ye be oure frende, ye be ryght wellcome to me; for of suche goodes that god hathe sente me, ye shall not faylle / Now telle me, I praye you, how doothe the ooste of the emperoure? Have

they any grete plente of vytayles?' / 'Syre,' sayd Hernyer, 'they ben scarse wyth theym. But I telle you for veraye certen, that they shall goo theyr wayes wythin this fourthy dayes / For noone of the barons wyll no lenger abyde there. Wherfore the kyng Charlemagne is sore an-angred wyth theym / And I promytte you, yf the ooste wente awaye ye myghte hurte theym ryghte sore / and gete moche goode, yf ye wyll sette thenne upon the taylle of theym.' 'Frende,' sayd Reynawde, 'ye have comforted me well / yf it is soo as ye saye / For yf the kynge be ones overthrowen, he shall not come a nother tyme upon us wyth soo goode a wylle / as he dooth now.' And Reynawde hadde hym wyth hym to hys brethern, that made to him good chere; [et luy demandoient comment se portoit lost de Charlemaigne, oltre chose ne fut alors, F. orig. e. vi. back.] and whan the soper was redy Reynawde and his bretherne sette theym doun to theyr mete, and sopped gladly. And in theyr companye was the traytour Hernyer / to whom they made good chere. After souper [Two sheets lost from Caxton, supplied from Copland's ed. 1554 in B. Mus., Fol. xxv.] [all the knightes wente to slepe, for they were wery of bearing of theyr harneys, and they had not ceased to fyght all that day. And wit / that Hernier was well and honestly brought to bed, for Reynawde had so commaunded. And whan all the knyghtes were fast aslepe, Hernier, as the false Iudas, slepte not. But he rose and tooke hys harneys, and armed hymselfe. And whan he was well armed at his ease, he came to the drawebridge, and cut the cordes / that kept it vp, and let the drawbrydge go downe; and than he went vpon the walles, where he found him that made the watche, and slew him. And whan he had doone this, he came to the gate / and opened it, for he had taken the keyes / from hym that he had slayne, whyche had them in his kepying.

Than whan Guyon of Bourgoyne saw the gate open, he made no tarying, but came and entred into the castell, and al hys folke with hym, and began to kylle and slea all them that they found.

¶ Now shall ye heare of the fayre adventure, how that Reynawde & his brethern / were saved from this mortall slawghter. Wyt, that whan the yemen of the stable had supped, thei were dronke, and went to theyr bed; & whan they were a slepe, the horse of Alarde / that was somwhat proude, began to make noyse agaynst the other. And Alarde and Richarde heard the noyse of the horses; they rose vp, and saw ye doore of the halle open, and perceyved out of it the harneys that glystered agaynst the moone, that shone full bryght.

Than went they to the bedde where they had brought the false Hernyer / whyche they found not there, wherof they were ryght sore abasshed. And than was Reynawde awaked, and asked 'who was there that [qui ales a ceste heure, F. orig. e. vi.] maketh thys noyse? Let our knyghtes take theyr rest, that have so sore travayled all the day; it is evyl doone for to go thus stampying at this houre.' Than cryed Alarde to Reinawde, and sayd, 'Fayre brother, we ben betrayed! / for Hernyer, that false knyght, hath put the folke of Charlemagne / within thys castell, the whiche kyll and slea your folke, and put them to a greate marter.' Whan Reynawde vnderstode this, he made no tarying, but he arose and armed hymself quickly, and cried vnto his brethern / and to his men, 'Now, my freendes, let us beare our selfe worthly; we had never so great need.' And wyt, that Reynawde had with hym but .xxx knyghtes within the dongeon of that fortresse, for all the other were within ye base courte, whiche was as it had ben a lytle towne well peopled, where as Guyon of Bourgoyne & his folke slew them.

[This hanging: Reynawde & his brethern / had armed themselfe right wel, hopynge for to defende theymselfe well.

Than came Hernyer the traytour, sterying aboute throughe the maystres strete, & with him well an hundred knightes. Than sayd Reinawde to hys brethern, 'fayre Lordes, come forth! for yf god helpe vs not, we are all lost.' & than Reynawde and his bretherne / came to the gate, & defended so well / that none durst passe but he was slayne; what shall I tell you more? the base courte began to be sore moved, and the crye was so great, for al them of the dongeon defended themselfe valyantlye. Whan the folke of the Emperour Charlemagne / sawe that they that were within the dongeon defended themselfe so well, they set ye base court in a fire, and began to brenne and pul down the houses, and al that they founde. And ye fyre was soone so great that it tooke the dongeon of the castell.

Whan Reynawde saw that he was so taken wyth fyre, he was sore angred, and sayd to hys brethern, 'what shall we doo here? for yf we tary any lenger, we shall all be brent or taken, and yf it were not the fyre / that thus warreth agaynst vs, I make myne avowe to god, that we should yet caste this folke out of thys castell; but syn that the fyre is in it, we cannot kepe it no lenger.' And than he sayd to his bretherne, 'come all after me'; & they went to the fausebray, that was allwayes open, and yssued out, he & his bretherne, & his folke with them; and whan they were out / than were they more abasshed than they were afore, for they wyst not whether to goe.'

Now heare how they dyd as worthy knightes: for whan they saw the castell brenne, they entred wythin a pyt that was there vnder the erthe / for feare

[of the fyre, & set the dore vpon them, & there they began to defend themselfe so strongly, that none entred therein / but he lost anon hys head. And whan Hernyer the traytour was aware of ye same, he tooke his folke with him, & came to ye pyt and began to assayle Reynawde sharply, and his brethern, and al they that were therin with them; & wyt it, that there, at thentre of the sayd pyt, were made great faytes of armes, for they of within defended themself so wel / that none myght come in / ¹but he were dead anon.¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. e. vii.] ¶ Whyle that the foure sonnes of Aymon / were in ye pyt vnder therth, they hearde the crye that his men made, the whiche Hernyer made to be slayne. Than began Rewnawde to sai to his brethern, 'Lordes, let vs go succour our folke, for, and they should thus dye, it were to vs a great blame.' 'Syr,' sayd hys bretherne, 'goe in goddes name, whan it please you.' And whan they were come out of the pitte, the batayle began to be there ful terryble; for ye should have seen Reynawde & his brethern / gyve there great strokes and manye. For Reynawde smote so merveyllouse strokes wyth hys swerd Flamberge, the whyche did cut all that he rought. For Reynawde was all wrothe, and for great angre he habandoned and Ieoparded both lyfe and gooddes.

And therfore he bare greate hurte and harme to hys enemyes, for he had cast hys sheelde over his backe, and helde his swerde Flamberge / wyth both his handes, & made so great destruction of the folke of Charlemagne, that the place was al full of bloud. And whan Reynawde saw that theyr enemyes were sore abasshed, and that they durste not abyde him / he sayd to his brethern, 'It was to vs great cowardnes to hyde vs so.' 'Syr,' sayd Alarde, 'ye say trouthe.' Than sayd Reynawde, 'My lordes, my brethern, let vs to doo well. For traitours ben good to overcom; they shall

[not now endure longe agaynst vs.' And whan he had sayde these wordes, he came to ye gate of ye castel, and the fyre was a lytle quenched. and maugre al his enemyes, he shet the gate of that doungeon / and had vp the drawbridge of the sayde castel. And whan he had doone this, he came agayne to the batayle, & found his brethern, that slewe and beate downe so many knyghtes, ¹and barre themselfe so worthelye¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. e. vii.] / that it was marvayle for to see; for they smote no stroke but they slew a man.

Than was Hernyer the traytour in the medle within the doungeon, wherof Reynawde had locked the gate / and drawen the bridge; and the good Reynawde sawe that he was safe of the hoste of Charlemagne, and began to put hymselfe in the medle so sharpelye, that he dyd so muche / he and hys brethern, that of ye folke of Charlemagne that were wythin the doungeon, abode of them alive but Hernier / and .xii. [[xi] F. orig.] other; and whan Reynawde saw that they were all dead, he and hys bretherne and hys folke tooke Hernyer] [Caxton begins again] [Caxton F.vi.a] and the XII other / And thenne Reynawde dyde doo make a gybette upon one of the hygheste towres / And there he made to be hanged the XII men / And made Hernyer to be bound hys foure [a la cue dung cheual. Et puis fist tous montes Ilz frapperent des esperons, et les cheuaulx est oient fors et couraigeux, et commencerent a courir lunge a lautre la parmy la rue, tant que en pru de temps Ilz leurent tout des membre, F. orig. e. viii. back.] membres, that is to wyte / feete and handes, to foure horses taylles / And soo he was drawnen all quyck, and quartered in foure peces / as a traytoure oughte to be doon unto. And when Hernyer was deed, Reynawde dyde doo make a grete fyre / And made hym to be caste therin / And as he was altogyder brente, he made the asshes of hym to be cast in the ayere to the wynde / And there ye maye see how the

traytours ¹that wolde be-traye Reynawde,¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. e. viii. back.] were deed and slayne. For they were punysshed as they had deserved.

Thenne whan kynge Charlemagne wyste that his folke were thus deed, and that he sholde not have Reynawde nor his brethern, he was sore angry therfore, and sayd to hymself / 'Ha, goode god lorde, how am I evyll dealed wyth all, by this foure knyghtes brethern. I dyde my selfe grete harme / whan ever I made theym knyghtes / And it is often sayd / That men make often a rodde [dont son est bactu, F. orig. e. viii. back.] for theym selfe; and that I maye well now take to me / for theyr uncle slewe my sone Lohier / and Reynawde my nevewe Berthelot, ³that I loved so derely.³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig.] And yet now he has hanged my men, and many of theym slayne [en grant marture et tourment, F. orig. c. viii.] / Well I myghte calle myselfe unhappy whan I, that am the moste puyssant of the worlde / canne not avenge me of the foure symple knyghtes / I shall never departe from hens tyll that I be avenged, or elles they shall overcom me / and all my armye.' 'Syr,' sayd Foulques of Morylloy, 'ye have a goode cause why, and Reynawde is a foole that he fereth you not. For yf he hadde doubted you, he shold not have hanged your men / but he has doon so in dispyte of you.' thenne sayd ye duk naimes of bavyere, [folio F.vii.a] 'hadde ye beleved me, ye sholde not have loste your men. Ye wolde beleve Hernyer / It is happed of it as ye see. Now beholde your folke that ben shaken wyth the wynde' /

Whan the emperour Charlemagne understode this that the duke of Naymes sayd to hym / He knewe that he sayd trouth, and wyste not what he sholde saye to it, but loked down all a shamed. This

hangynge, Reynawde and his bredern are goon upon the walles, and loked about theym, & sawe that the basse-courte of the castell brenned there as their wytaylles were / Thenne began Reynawde to saye to his bredern / 'Fayr lordes, the thynge gooeth well, sithe that we ben scaped, thanked be god, from soo peryllous and harde adventure / I laked lityll but that we were all deed by false trayson / but the worste that I see is, that we have loste our store of vytaylles, so that we have noo thynge to lyve upon. And me semeth that yf we dwelle ony lenger here wythin, we doo not wysely; but yf it seme you goode it is tyme that we departe hens' / 'Broder,' sayd Alarde, 'ye speke well & wysely / and we shall doo as ye have sayd: for as longe as the liffe is in oure bodyes, we shall not leve you' / Whan the foure bredern were togyder accorded for to departe thens, they trussed all their harneys / and taryed tyll that it was nyghte, and thenne they armed theym selfe / and lighted on horsebacke / And when they were redy / Reynawde sayd to theym / 'Lordes, how many men ben we' / 'We ben,' answered a lorde, 'well V hundred' / 'It is ynoughe,' sayd Reynawde / 'But wote ye what we shall do? Lete us kepe ourselfe alwayes to gyder, wythoute makyng of ony affraye, & so goo thrughe ye londe of almayn [sans faire noise, F. orig. e. viii.] / & yf ye folke of charlemagn hap to assaile us / thinke to defende ourselfe well, & smyte harde vpon theym, [folio F.vii.b] so that we have to oure worshyp the better of theym' / Whan it was tyme to lighte on horsebacke, Reynawde mounted vpon bayarde, and the other also lyghted vpon theyr horses. And whan thei were all horsed, they opened the gate and wente oute atte theyr leyser wythoute making any noyse: and whan they were all yssued oute, Reynawde behelde and sawe the castell that brente. Wherof he toke grete pyte, and sayd, 'Ha, god! goode castell! it is grete dommage that ye be thus dystroyed

and wasted / goddys curse have he that betrayed this goode castell. It is ago seven yere that ye were made fyrste. Alas! we have hadde therin soo moche goode, and soo mykyll worshyp, and now we leve you mawgre vs./ Certes ye were my truste after my brethern / And whan I muste lese you, there is none so sory for it as I am' / And as he spake thyse wordes, the teres felle doun from his eyen / And he was soo taken wyth grete hevynes, that almoste he felle doune in a swoune / soo moche of sorowe he had atte his herte.

And whan Alarde sawe Reynawde so full of sorowe, he cam to hym and sayd / 'By my feyth, broder, ye be to blame to saie soo. Ye be not the man that shall com to myschyef, for all the knyghtes that ben a lyve are not worthe you; and therfore I praye you that ye wyll comforte yourselfe / for I swere you vpon all halowes, that a fore two yere be passed, ye shall have a castell that shall be worthe suche foure as this is / But now lete vs putte ourselfe to the way, for we have noo nede to tary' / 'Broder,' sayd Reynawde, 'I have founde ever in you goode counseyll / Now goo we thenne oure waye / and take you and Guycharde the forewarde, and I and Rycharde shalle come behynde' / 'Syre,' sayde Alarde, 'all shall be doon as ye saye' / And thenne toke Alarde his broder Guycharde wyth hym, and went afore wyth a C. [folio F.viii.a] knyghtes wyth theym / and hadde forthe their caryage in the myddes of theym / And Reynawde and Rycharde cam after wyth the residue of theyr folke / But they coude never make nor passe soo softly / but that the folke of the ooste ²of the emperour² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. f. i. back.] overtoke theym.

Thenne whan Charlemagne knewe that Reynawde came, he was moche wrothe, and made his commaundement that every man sholde be armed. And thenne the ooste began to moeve, and wente incontynente

and armed theym selfe. Whan Alarde and Guycharde, that went afore, saw that they myghte not passe / but that they muste medle / they spored theyr horses / and ranne vpon Charlemayns folke soo sharpely that they were all an-angred wyth it, for they over-threwe two knyghtes to the grounde, and incontynente [entre eulx et leurs gens, F. orig. f. i.] was there grete a doo / And whan Reynawde sawe that the ooste moeved / he called to hym XX. knyghtes, and bad theym take and lede forthe the caryage afore oute of the ooste, and he sholde goo helpe his bredern / 'Syre,' sayd they, 'we shall doo your commaundemente' / And [quant Renault eut ce fait, il, F. orig. f. i.] thenne Reynawde spored bayarde and entred among the thyckest, and began there to make soo grete merveylles of armes that all the folke of charlemagne wondred vpon / for he & his brederne overthrewe there deed soo many knyghtes, that noone durste come afore theym but that he was slayne.

What shall I telle you / wyte it that the folke of kynge Charlemagne was so discomfyted, for by cause that it was nyghte, ³and myghte not well see what nombre of folke the foure bretherne were³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig.] / that Reynawde and his companye passed, mawgre theym of the ooste / And also I tell you for certeyn that Reynawde and his bredern dyde soo grete harme to the folke of Charlemagne that he was sory for it many dayes after. [folio F.viii.b] Whan Reynawde was passed, he fonde his sommeres and his caryage / and his knyghtes that conduytte theym / wherof he was gladde / Thenne he sayd to his brethern / 'Syres, goo on your waye' / and they dyde his commaundemente / And Reynawde wyth his broder Richarde [Guichart, F. orig.] abode byhynde / And whan Charlemagne wyste that Reynawde wente awaye, he was gladde, by cause he hadde lefte the castell ⁶of Mounteynforde⁶ [^6—6 omitted, F. orig.] /

And Incontynente he made hym to be followed / and also all the oost was redyly armed / And whan they were well arrayed, they toke theyr waye after the foure sones ¹of Aymon.¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.]

Now ben the foure knyghtes bretherne [Aymon, F. orig. f. i.] ryght sory of that they have thus left theyr fayr castell of Mounteynforde / And wyte it that Charlemagne followed theym well of nyghe / and sayd that / it sholde hurte hym sore but yf he myghte take theym / But Reynawde the worthy knyghte is not abasshed / but he taketh all his folke, and setteth theym afore hym, and sayd [a Alard, F. orig. f. ii. back.] to his broder Alarde / 'Goode broder Alarde, [omitted, F. orig.] take kepe of this folke betwene you & Guycharde / and yf the folke of Charlemagne assaylle vs, we shall deffende us well' / 'Syr,' sayd Alarde, 'as ye have sayd, soo shall it be doon' / And thenne they saw come Charlemagne and Oger the dane, duke Names of bauyere, Foulgues of Morylloy, & many other, & whan Charlemagne that cam afore well horsed, saw reynawde & his folke, he cried to theym and sayd, 'Soo helpe me god, glotons, ye be now deed! thys is the daye that I shall make you all foure to be all hanged' / 'Syre,' answered Reynawde, 'it shall not be so as ye wene, and it playse god; for that god gyve me ⁵lyffe and⁵ [^5—5 omitted, F. orig.] helth, and to my horse bayarde, [sera compare et chier vendua ma mort, F. orig. f. ii. back.] the pursuette shall sore dere be boughte, that ye nowe do' / And whan he had sayd the same, he torned [folio G.i.a] bayarde agenst Charlemagne for to smyte hym / for he wende well to have slayne hym wythoute ony fawte / The kyng Charlemagne was in daunger to deye, yf Reynawde had raughte hym / But Dampe hughe wente bytwene the kyng and Reynawde that cam wyth his spere in the reest, willynge for to

doo grete harme / And at his comyng, he smote dampe hughe thrughe the shelde so harde, that he perced his herte wyth the yron of his spere, and soo he fell doun deed afore the kynge / And whan Reynawde had gyven that stroke, he wente his waye after his brethern.

Whan Charlemagne [vit ce coup, F. orig.] sawe hughe fall deed, he cryed with an high voys / 'Now after, lordes, after / for yf thyse glotons scape vs, I shall never be mery' / And Reynawde cam agen to hys folke, and sayd to theym / 'Lordes, doubte you not aslonge as I am a lyve, but be all assured, and soo ryde on hardely [et sans desroy, F. orig. f. ii. back.] & in good arraye.' What shall I telle you more / Wyte it that XXIV [XIII lieux, F. orig. f. ii. back.] myle lasted the chasse, and there was never a myle but that they iusted togyder / and many knyghtes were there overthrowen & slayn / But Reynawde & hys folke bare theym selfe soo manly, that they loste [ne perdirent riens, F. orig. f. ii. back.] but thre of theyr felawshyp at that tyme / but they rode so long tyll they cam to the ryver. The kyng called to hym his barons, and said to theym / 'Lordes, lete alone the chasse! it were folie from hens-forth for to followe theym. For I see that all our horses maye no more. Lete theym go to a hundred thousand devils! for yf Reynawde wroughte wyth wytche crafte, he coude doo nomore than he dooth. Late vs thynk for to lodge us here nyghe the ryver / for the contrey is goode and playsaunte as me semeth. 'Syre,' sayd the barons / 'lete it be doon as ye have commaunded.' Thenne they vnladed theyr sommeres, and pyghte there theyr pavyllyons / and whan they were sette [folio G.i.b] up, the kyng made hym to be dysarmed. And in the meane while the souper was made redy lightly; for of all the daye ye kyng had nother eten nor dronken / nor none of his felaushyp / And Reynawde

was passed over the ryver, he & his bredern & his folke, sauff & sounde, where as they wolde be bi the grace of our lorde / and whan Reynawde & his bredern saw that the chasse was ceassed and lefte, they wente all softly; and whan they had goon ferre from the oost of kynge Charlemagne, they fonde a fountayne fayr & clere / and aboute that fountayne was moche fayr grasse & thycke / Whan reynawde sawe the place was soo playsaunt, he sayd to his folke, 'here is a fayr grounde for to lodge us, & for our horses.' 'Syr,' sayd Alarde, 'ye saye trouth.' And thenne they vnladed theyr somers ¹& theyr cartes¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. f. ii.] / and wyte it, the horse were mery; but the poure knyghtes were evyll lodged / for they had there noo mete nor no drynke, but clere water / But wyte it, that Reynawde nor none of his knyghtes dysarmed theym not, but made good watche all the nyghte, one after another / And whan they sawe the day com / Reynawde made his harneys to be trussed, and they lighted on horsbacke, and toke their waye thrugh the [une forest grant et espesse moult des nōmable, F. orig. f. ii] grete forest of Ardeyne / and whan they had rydden longe, they lighted doun afore another fountayne, that they had watched the nyghte afore, sholde rest themselfe there.

Now myght well saye Charlemagne, that he can never hurte the foure sones of Aymon / And wyte, that he was lodged vpon the ryver, where he abode / whan he wolde no more folowe after Reynawde / And whan the daye was clere / he sayd to the duke of Naymes / 'What thynke ye what we ought to doo?' / 'Syre,' sayd the duke Naymes, 'yf ye wyll beleve me, we shall tourne backe agayne / for to goo ony [folio G.ii.a] ferther this waye, it were but a foli; for this wood is to thyke, and the ryver over moche perillouse / and also

Reynawde & his bredern are suche knyghtes that they ben not for to be lightly overthrowen.' And while the kyng and the duke spake to gyder / there cam many knyghtes to hym; and whan Charlemagne sawe theym / he called Vydelon, Renyer, Oger the dane, & sayd to theym / 'Lordes, I wyll that ye com agen to Parys wyth me.' And when they vnderstode this, they were glad, & sayd to the kyng / 'Syre, it is the best counseyll that ye can doo' / and after that they were so accorded / Charlemagne made to be cryed, that everi man sholde retorne agen in to his country / and that they shold kepe it well, & that he prayed theym so to doo / 'Syr,' sayd the barons, 'we shall do your commaundement' / and when all was sayd, they made thooste to descende & take their waye / and the kyng went streyghte to Parys, & the barons in their countreys. And whan Charlemagne was come to parys, he called afore hym his barons, & to theym sayd / 'fayr lordes, I am the most unhappy kyng of ye worlde, whan I have no power to avenge my self of the foure sones of Aymon; and they lede me, as ye knowe / I wene they shall retorne in to their countrey or to their castell / & it be so, I wyll that we goo there agen for to leye sege there' / 'Syr,' sayd the duke Naymes, 'that shall they not do, for they are in Ardeyne; and ye knowe that the foreste is soo grete, that they shall fynde some cheuysaunce' / 'That myghte well be,' sayd the kynge Charlemagne / 'but whersomever they goo / evyll waye myghte they fynde' / And when he had sayd thys, he tourned towarde Ogyer / and sayd to hym / 'Take Gerarde, Foulgues the almayne, and Dron of Mondydyer, and gyve leve to the frenshmen and to the other /

'Syre,' sayd Ogyer, 'well shall be doon your commaundemente.' [folio G.ii.b] And thenne wente Ogyer to Foulgues, to Gerarde / and to Dron / and tolde theym

that / that Charlemagne had commaunded / And after came to the frenshmen / and tolde to the other knyghtes / and gaaff theym leve / And whan the kynges folke hadde leve, every man wente to hys countrey / not the ryght waye / but traversynge the mountaynes. And thus as Aymon wente traversynge the lande towarde his countrey, it happed to hym soo that he came by the fountayne where his sones dwelled. Whan Aymon sawe hys chyldren / he was abasshed, and ryght sory for it / And thenne he sayd to his barons, 'Lordes, counseyll me, I praye you, what I oughte to doo agenst my children / for, and I assayle theym / and that they ben slayn or taken, I shall never have Ioye / and yf I lete theym goo / I shall be forsworne to Charlemagne' / Whan his barons herde hym speke soo / there was never one that answered any worde / And whan Aymon saw that he was counseylled of noo man / he sayd agayn to theym, 'Syth it is soo that ye wyll gyve me noo counseylle / I shall doo after my owne wyll / for god forbede that it be layd unto me, that I have founde theym here, and have not foughte wyth theym / but well I telle you, that it is for my synne that I have founde them here. But from hensforthe it shall be doon therin as it playseth ¹god and¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. f. iii.] fortune.' 'Syr,' sayd Esmenfray, 'yf ye assaylle your chyldren, ye do not amys / for ye sware it to the kyng Charlemagne / Kepe, syr Aymon, that ye be not forsworne / for a man of your age shoulde rather deye than he sholde doo ony treyson.' 'Goode frende, ye saye well,' sayd Aymon / 'and I shall soo doo that I shalle not be blamed' / And thenne he called two of his knyghtes, and sayd to theym / 'Goo toward Reynawde and his bretherne, and defye theym in my behalve.' 'Syre,' sayd the [folio G.iii.a] knyghtes, 'it is a harde thyng for to be doon / but sith it playse you, we shall doo as ye have

commaunded.' And thenne they went to warde Reynawde, that was sore abasshed / for he knewe well that they were of his faders folke. Werof he was full sory for it / and after he sayd to his bredern / 'Lordes, now arme yourselfe / for a man that is well garnysshed is not of lighte overthrowe / And of the other side, I knowe soo moche the hardenes of my fader, that he shall not feyne to be fyght us.' 'Broder,' sayd Rycharde, 'ye saye trouthe' / This hangying, came the two knyghtes afore hym, and whan Reynawde sawe theym come nyghe hym, he wente agenst theym, and sayd to theym, 'Lordes, what ye be, and what wynde dryveth you hyther' / Thenne spake one of the knyghtes, and sayd to Reynawde / 'Syre, we ben knyghtes of my lorde, your fader, that sendeth to you by vs a defyaunce.' 'Lordes,' sayd Reynawde, 'I wyst it well ¹assone as I dyde see yow of ferre¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. f. iii.] / but goo agayn and telle to our fader, that it will playse hym to gyve vs triews / for he shall not do well for to befyghte vs that are his natureyll chyldren.' 'Syre,' sayd the knyghte, 'of folie ye speke / but thynke to defende your selfe well, for he shalle assayll you withoute doubte' / Whan they hadde sayd thise wordes, they retourned agayne for to reherse to Aymon their message, and how they had defyed his children / Whan the olde Aymon understode theym, he made none other tarienge, but spored his horse wyth the spores, and ran the formeste vpon / vpon his sones. And whan Reynawde saw his fader come, he come agenst hym and sayd, 'Ha, fader, what doo you / we have none soo grete a foo as ye be to vs / and I have grete merveylle that ye come alwayes vpon us. Ye doo yll and grete synne for to doo soo. Atte the leste, yf ye wyll bi noo wyse helpe vs / be not to us contrary ne enmye, ²yf it [folio G.iii.b] playse you'² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. iv. back.] / 'Thou theeff!'

sayd Aymon, 'ye shall never doo goode, sythe that ye begynne to preche. Goo to the wode! soo shall ye be come wylde bestes / evyll daye gyve you, god; for ye ben not worth an hanfull of strawe. Now thynke to defende yourselfe; for yf ye ben taken, ye shall be putte to a grete tourmente.' 'Syre,' sayd Reynawde, 'ye doo vs wronge / I shalle defende me, sythe that I maye none other wyse doo / for yf I sholde lette myselfe to be slayne, my soule solde be putte to peyne and tourmente' / Whan Aymon saw that, he broughte his speere in the reeste, and putte hymselfe amonge his chyldren / lyke as they hadde ben strangers / And whan Reynawde sawe that, he cryed to his men, and sayd / 'here is none other, but doo well now. Lordes, thynke to smyte well / for nede compelleth vs therto' / And whan he hadde sayd that worde / he spored his horse wyth his spores / and putte hym selfe in the thyckest, and beganne to make soo grete effortes of armes, that all the folke of his fader merveylled of it gretely.

What shall I saye? the bataylle beganne so felle and cruell / that pyte it was to see / For you sholde have seen, gyve and receyve, grete and horryble strokes of the one parte and of the other. And many knyghtes and horses deye / many sheeldes brosten, and many white harneys broken / So many hedes smytten of, and soo many legges and armes broken, and sore hurte. And thynke that this bataylle was sore stronge, and well helden of the one syde and of the other / But to saye the trouthe, Reynawde must loose atte that tyme / for his fader had thre [beaucoup plus gens, F. orig. f. iv.] tymes as many folke as he hadde / For of fyve hundred men that abode wyth Reynawde ²after his castell was take / which were wyth hym atte thys bataylle,² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. f. iv.] were lefte on lyve / what

hurte and sounde, but fyfthy persones / But [folio G.iv.a] I telle you well for certeyne, that Reynawde and his bretherne dyde soo grete harme to the folke of their fader / that they slewe well halfe of theym. But atte laste Reynawde must loose, and flee awaye towarde the mountaynes / And Aymon chassed hym as well as he coude / for he wende well to have taken theym / And whan Reynawde sawe theymselfe vpon the toppe of the mountayne, he sayd to hys bretherne / 'Lete vs not departe from hens / for this is a goode place for to deffende' / Wyte that there was grete scarmysshynge and Iustynge / made / and many a knyghte deed and sore wounded. And there was slayne vnder Alarde, his goode horse / And whan Alarde sawe hym selfe a grounde, he lepte on his feete ryght quyckely, and toke his swerde in his hande, and beganne to deffende well hys bones / And whan Rycharde sawe his broder Alarde a fote, he torned towarde hym for to come helpe and socoure hym / And Aymon and his folke came there for to take hym. Soo beganne the bataylle yet agen more cruell than it hadde be afore. And wyte that Alarde sholde have ben taken there / yf it had not ben the noble and worthy knyghte Reynawde that came to helpe hym. And whan he was come there, he smote Bayarde wyth his spores / and wente in to the gretest preesse / soo that he overthrewe Aymon his fader doun to the erthe / and after, he sayd to hym, 'Fader, ye have pledged my broder Alarde, for ye be now sette a foote as he is' / Thenne was Aymon sore angry, that he loste almoste his wyttes / And Reynawde sette his hande to his swerde / and beganne for to departe the preesse in such a wyse / that he broughte his brother Alarde oute of the preesse. And after sayd to hym, 'Fayre brother, lepe behynde me ²vpon Bayarde;² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. f. iv.] for to abyde here ony

lenger, it were foly' / Whan Alarde vnderstode [folio G.iv.b] his brother Reynawde, he was ryght glad, for he was so wery that he myghte no more / and soo he mounted vpon bayarde behinde hys brother Reynawde. And whan Bayarde wyst hymselfe lade wyth two knyghtes, he strengthed hym selfe so strongly / that it semed to Reynawde that he was more ioyouse ²& more mery² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. f. iv.] than he had be of all the daye / Now wyt it, that Reynawde made fouer ioustes vpon his horse bayarde, wyth his brother Alarde behynde hym. Wherof he slewe foure knyghtes ²of the folke of Charlemagne, that were come wyth his fader Aymon / And all thus Reynawde toke Alarde oute of his enemyes handes, mawgre theyr teeth, and bare hym selfe ryght worthily the same daye / as here after ye shall mow more playnly vnderstande.² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. f. iv.]

Now ben the foure sones of Aymon recreaunte & almost wery / but onely Reynawde, that never was the weker for no thynge that he dyd in armes / For as he went, he torned hym selfe at every pas that he made, and rebuked & kepte his enmyes abacke wyth his harde strokes that he gaaff to theym / soo that his folke wente afore hym all atte ther ease and leyser / And whan he sawe that his folke were well ferre from theyr enmyes / he spored bayarde, and cam to his folke, hys brother Alarde behynde hym, as lightly as bayarde had be wythoute ony bridyll, and no sadle vpon hym / for this horse was suche that he was never wery / And thus as Reynawde wente awaye, than cam and followed after hym Esmenfray / that was one of the most worthy knyghtes of Charlemagn, and was vpon a horse ryght good and blacke, that Charlemagne had gyven to hym / And whan he was nygh Reynawde, he cryed to theym, 'Soo helpe me god, [gloutons, F. orig. f. v. back.] ye ben deed or

taken surely / I shall bryng you to Charlemagne' / And anone wente and smote Reynawd [folio G.v.a] in his sheelde / Wherof Reynawde was moche angry; and Reynawde smote hym agen in suche a wyse, & wyth so grete a strengthe / that nether for his sheelde nor for his goode armures of stele, he was not kepte / but that Reynawde overthrowe hym sterke deed to the grounde / And whan this knyghte was deed / Reynawde toke his horse by the bridyll, & sayd to Alarde his broder, 'Holde, fayr broder, lighte vpon this blacke horse, whiche is good / for I gyve hym to you' /

And whan Alarde sawe the fayr present that his brother Reynawde had doon to hym / he was as glad of ye same as thoughe he had wonne Parys / And thenne he made none other taryeng, but that / he lighted doun from bayarde, and mounted vpon [le moreau, F. orig. f. v.] Esmenfrays blacke horse, that hys broder had gyven hym / and smote hym wyth the spores, & wente & iousted agenste a knyghte of his faders folk that was called Anfray, so harde that he overthrewe hym deed to therthe. And shortly to speke, after that Alarde was in thys wyse sette agen on horsebacke, began the batayll of a freshe, sore harde & fell, in soo moche that at that owre were slayne XX of the best knyghtes that Aymon had wyth hym. Whan Aymon sawe this, he was sore angry for it, and cryed to his folke, 'Ha lordes, yf they scape you, I shall never have ioye / for they have slayne Esmenfray, the good knyght that kyng Charlemagne had gyven to me.' / Whan the folke of Aymon understode thise wordes, and the wyll of their lorde / thenne they dyd renne vpon Alarde so moche, that they made hym to leve the place by force. And yf it had not be the passage of a lityll ryver, that eased & holpe theym gretly, Reynawde & his brethern had had moche to doo. But I telle you wythout fawte, that

Reynawde & his brethern made so grete occysion of the folk of their fader, that it was pyte for to [folio G.v.b] beholde, for there deyed well of theym XXV at the passage of the ryver; and yf reynawde had had wyth hym a L knyghtes more than he had at the passage / he sholde have dyscomfyted his fader & all his folke / but for fawte of men, Reynawde must forsake the place, & myght not save wyth hym but XIIII knyghtes of his owne / Now see how sorowfull [et piteuse, F. orig. f. v.] was the batayll / for of V hundred knyghtes that Reynawde had wyth hym there / abode wyth hym alyve but XIIII / and ye may wel wyte that the olde Aymon had dommaged his children right sore / but that they passed over the ryver. For as it is sayd / they had lost all theyr men, wherof they were full sory & wrothe. /

Now hath Reynawde so fewe folke, that he wote no more what to do / but he myght not doo [add.] therto. Wherof the teeres fell doun contynuelly from his eyen / and in lyke wyse wepte Aymon hys fader at that other side, as thistory doth tell. And whan he had wepte ynough / he sayd in this maner / 'Ha, fair sone, prue and worthy, how sory am I / for I am thoccasion of your harme & [grant, F. orig. f. v.] dommage / Now shall ye all goo as exyled / for ye have noughte to lyve vpon, & I can not helpe you by ony wyse / Wherof I ensure you I am gretly dysplaysed ⁵& sory for it.⁵ [^5—5 omitted, F. orig. f. v.] The devyll take his soule that first began the striff! & soo shall he.' Whan he had made his mone & lamentacyons longe ynoughe, he made incontynent all the deed bodyes to be taken for to be buryed / And they that were hurte / he made to be brought wyth hym as well as he coude / And made the body of Esmenfray to be put vpon a litter / & toke on his way towarde Ardeyne / where he bode but a nyght; and in the mornyng he made

the litter to be borne vpon two [deux mulletz, F. orig. f. vi. back.] horses, & went agen to Paris, & cam afore Charlemagn & said to hym / 'Sir, whan I wente now late towarde my countrey, [par vostre commandement, F. orig. f. vi. back.] wyte that as I was [folio G.vi.a] on my waye, I fonde my children / and [a tout cent, F. orig. f. vi. back.] fyve hundred knyghtes wyth theym in the forest of Ardeyn, and ⁵for thacquytaunse of myn othe,⁵ [^5—5 omitted, F. orig. f. vi. back.] I dyd sende to theym my dyffyaunce / and wolde have taken theym / for to have brought theym to you as prysoners / but I myghte not / for they ben sore doubted / And that I assaylled theym, it hath cost me sore dere / for thei have borne vnto me soo grete harme & dommage that it cannot be estemed; and I slewe all theyr folke excepte XII [XIIII. F. orig.] persones, that ben scaped wyth theym / but they have slayne your knyghte Esmenfray, but at the last they wente awaye dyscomfyted ⁵and over-throwen⁵ [^5—5 omitted, F. orig. f. vi. back.] / And they sholde have ben taken, if it had not be a ryver that they passed over / wherby they were saved' / Whan Charlemagn vnderstode thise wordes / he was ryght sore an angred / soo moche that he lost almoste his wyte. And thenne he sayd to olde Aymon in angre / 'By god, Aymon, ye escuse yourselfe falsly / for never raven ete his yonge byrdes / To a nother ye shall make this to beleve, but not to me.' Whan the olde Aymon vnderstode the kyng that speke thus, he sayd to hym / 'Syr Emperour, wyte that I do telle you is trouth / and I doo shewe it to the ende that my trouthe be knowen / & for none other cause / Soo bryng afore me your reliques ⁵& hallowes,⁵ [^5—5 omitted, F. orig. f. vi. back.] that I shall swere vpon the sayntes that ben in hevyn / that it was as I have recounted & sayd to you / and yf it playse you, ye shall beleve me / and yf ye wille not / ye maye chuse therof' / 'Aymon,' sayd Charlemagne, 'I knowe

well your hert, for yf it went all at your wyll, your sones sholde be lordes of all fraunce / and of all my empyre' / 'Sire,' sayd amon, 'ye be wroth of som other thyng, wherof I may not do therto; and yf ye have ony knyght in your courte that wyll make good this that it playse you for to saye / I shall prove it on hym, wyth my body, that he lieth falsely. But evermore [folio G.vi.b] ye have be suche, that ye never loved a true knyghte / but flaterers and lyers, wherof many evylles been happed, & shall happe' / And thenne Aymon came doun from the palays, and lighted vppon his horse and wente agen to his countrey / Wythout ony leve that he toke of the kynge. And he rood soo longe oo daye after a nother, that he came to Ardeyne / And there he fonde the duchesse his wyff, that came agenste hym, and receyved hym wyth a glad chere / and asked hym how he had doon.

Thenne sayd the duke Aymon / 'Full evyll have I doon / For I founde my foure sones in the wood of Ardeyne / and soo I assaylled theym cruelly / Wenyng to me for to have taken theym / whiche I coulde not doo / but I slewe and dyscomfyted all theyr folke / And they have doon to me soo grete harme of my folke / and soo many they have slayne of theym, that I knowe not the numbre. And I telle you for veraye certeyn, but yf it had not ben the prowes and grete worthynes of oure sone Reynawde / I had taken Alarde / For my men had slayne his horse / and had broughte hym so lowe that he myghte no more goo / But reynawde his broder came vpon us, and brake vs so sore that he broughte Alarde out of the preese, mawgre us and our folke, and made hym sitte behynde hym vpon Bayarde / And I telle you that Reynawde fought soo sore, that never lyon nor noo bore foughte soo strongly agenste ony other best / as he dyde fyghte

agenst our men / for at everi paas that he made forwarde, he torned hymself agenst vs wyth Alarde behynde hym, that made vs so gretly abasshed that we myght not bere nor abyde his grete strokes / & at this tornyng that he thus made / he slewe Esmenfray, a knyght of Charlemagnes, whiche he loved moche; & whan he had slayn hym, he toke his horse, & gaaf hym to [folio G.vii.a] alarde, and made hym to goo doun fro Bayarde / and lighted a none vpon the horse of Esmenfray. And thus they wente from vs, wolde we or not / And I wente agen to Parys towarde Charlemagne / and shewed to hym / how the thynge was com / and how Esmenfray was slayne / Wherof I trowed not to have hadde blame; but he blamed me ryght gretly for it. But sith that, he is my hevy lorde, wythoute a lawfull cause / I shall make hym wrothe and sory afore sxx [six F. orig.] monethes com atte an ende.'

'Ye have doon evyll,' sayd the lady / 'that ye have thus sore dommaged oure chyldren. Ye sholde deffende theym agenste all men / and ye doo to theym the worste that ye canne! be they not your sones naturell, commen of your owne flesshe? For sooth, my lorde, ye ought well to bere yourselfe better towarde theym than ye doo / for never soo ryche a bourdeyne was borne in the wombe of a lady: blessed be the hour that they were begoten & norysshed / And soo helpe me god, my lorde, as I wolde that your chyldren and myn hadde taken you prysoner / to the ende that ye sholde yelde to theym agayne all that they have lost by you / And I thanke god ryght highli that Charlemagne is wrothe wyth you / for evyll to doo maye noo goode come of. Ye assaylled your chyldren agenst god and agenst all ryghtwysness / And yf harme is come to you therfore / thanked be god' / Thenne sayd Aymon, 'Lady, you saye me ryght, for I have

doun grete wrong / And I promytte you that I never dyde thynge / wherof I repente me so sore, as I doo of this / [mais je vous prometz ma chiere Dame, F. orig. f. vii. back.] But truste me, I shall kepe me a nother tyme to doo theym any harme' /

But here leveth the historye to speke of Charlemagne and of the duke Aymon, & of the duchesse his wyff / and retorneth to speke of Reynawde and of his bredern / that are in the wodes of Ardeyne. [en Ardeyne, F. orig. F. vii. back.]

CHAPTER IV.

[folio G.vii.b] How after that the olde Aymon hadde dyscomfyted his chyldren / They wente and dwelled in the deppeste of the foreste of Ardeyne soo longe that they were all countrefayte blacke and roughe as bestes, for the grete hongre that they had endured. After they went to Ardeyne to see their moder, that fested ⁴and chered⁴ [^4—4 omitted, F. orig.] theym gretly / and gaaf to theym soo grete goode that they mighte well enterteyne theymselfe ⁴and their astate thervpon⁴ [^4—4 omitted, F. orig.] agenst Charlemagn / And how Mawgys their cosin arryved whan they wolde departe, which wente wyth theym in to the royame of Gascoyn wyth fyve hundred knyghtes / And of the sorowe that their lady modre made atte their departynge.

Capytulum IIII.

Ine this party the tale sayth / that after Reynaude had slayn Esmenfray, & gyven his horse to his

broder Alarde, they passed over the ryver, & wente in to the forest of Ardeyn, sore depe in it, by cause they wolde not be aperceyved. And whan they had ben there a lityll while, they began to kepe the wayes / and ¹all they that cam foreby theym, & that bare ony vytaylles, they were dystressed by theym,¹ [^1—1 tous ceulx q portoient viures estoient destroussey, F. orig. f. vii.] and therof they lived / for they durst not goo to no townes nor to castelles for to bye ony vitayles; and therfore they suffred grete nede & grete disease, for thei hadde nother mete nor drinke / but water. For the most parte they ete flesshe withoute ony brede / And knowe, that for cause of this grete suffraunse that they endured thus, and also of the grete colde that they had for by cause of the snowes that were there, theyr folke began to dye / And abode nomoo lyve, but Reynawde and his thre brethern. And this was by cause of the grete strengthe that was in their bodyes. /

For noo traveylle myghte not hynder theym / [folio G.viii.a] And wyte, that they hadde but eche of theym foure an horse / that is to wyte, Bayarde and the thre other / But they have nother ootes nor other corne for to gyve theym / ³but they eete onoly suche as they myghte fynde in the foreste, of rotes and leves.³ [^3—3 fors que de racines de ble, F. orig. F. vii.] And for this cause theyr horses were so lene, that wyth peyne myghte they stonde / sauff Bayarde, that was fatte and in good plighte, for he coude better fede and lyve wyth rotes / than the other sholde have doon wyth heye and otes / And wyte it well, that the foure sones of Aymon lyved there this liffe soo longe, that every man that passed there as they were & kepte theym selfe / escaped not / but he was other slayne or dystressed ⁴of suche vytaylles as he hadde,⁴ [^4—4 omitted, F. orig.] soo that all the countrey aboute theym

was sore wasted by theym that it was merveylle / And atte the laste, the foure [omitted, F. orig.] knyghtes were soo sore apayred, that they that hadde seen theym afore sholde not have knowe theym / For theyr harneys was all rousty, and theyr sadylles and brydelles all roten, soo that they hadde made theyr reynes wyth cordes / And theymselfe were become all blacke. And it was no merveylle, for they wered alwayes theyr cote of mayle all rousty vpon theyr doubelettes / [et aussi leurs auquectons estoient tous pourries, F. orig. f. vii.] and hadde nother sherte nor Iacket / but they were all roten.

What shall I telle you more? Wyte that Reynawde was doubted and fered soo sore, that it was merveylle / For nyghe there as Reynawde haunted, was no man that durste abyde there / but onely wythin the fortresses. For whan Reynawde was mounted vpon Bayarde, and his thre brethern upon there other thre horses / [tout le monde les suqoit et si pastoient le pays, F. orig. f. viii. back.] all theyr rychese & power was wyth theym / and yet they wasted and dystroyed all the countrey all aboute theym / And soo the foure powre knyghtes were soo sore dysfygured / that who had seen theym sholde not have knowe theym / For they were [folio G.viii.b] as roughe as beres that ben famysshed, & were sore lene, that every body had of it pyte.

And whan Reynawde sawe hymselfe soo pooreli arayed, he called to hym his bredern, and sayd / 'Lordes, I merveylle myselfe moche that we take not some good counseyll what we have to doo; and me semeth that we ben become yll / and that slougthe is amonge vs. For yf we were suche as I trowed / we sholde not suffre the martyrdome that we endure; and that we have endured soo long agoo, now knowe I

that we ben but lityll worthe, to have lette reste our enmyes as we have. But one thynge I consider / we have but fewe horses [ne harnoys ne monnoye, F. orig. f. viii. back.] and lityll harneys / and no money at all, and yet we ben in suche a plyghte that we ben more like bestes than folke / Soo praye I you all in generall, that ye wille tell me what we oughte to doo for the best / for I telle you for veraye certeyn, that I had moche lever deye as a knyghte, than for to deye here for hunger and for dysease.'

Whan Alarde herde Reynawde speke thus, he sayd / 'Broder, soo helpe me god / It is long sith I dyde take hede to that ye saye now / but I fered me full sore to telle you therof, lest ye wolde have ben dysplaysed wyth me for it / but sith that ye have opened the wordes / yf ye wyll byleve me / I shall gyve you good counseyll as me seemeth / Syr, we have suffred here grete poverte a long tyme / & we maye not goo in to no countrey but we shall be take / For as ye knowe all the barons of fraunce / and namly, [specially.] our fader and all our kynsmen haten vs dedly. And yf ye wyll beleve me / we shall goo streyghte to Ardeyne, towarde our moder / for she shall not faylle vs; and there we shall soiourne a lityll / And whan we shall have soiourned / we shall take wyth vs som company, and shalle go serve some grete lorde / Where we [folio H.i.a] shall get som goode. For ye be not suche a man but that ye shall yet ones have grete plente of goodes; for I knowe no man in erthe that of worthynes & of strengthe maye compare to you' / 'Broder,' sayd Reynawde, 'ye saye well and wysely, and I promyt you I shall doo soo' / Whan the two other knightes herde the counseylle that Alarde theyr breder had gyven to Reynawde / they began to saye / 'Broder Alarde, we knowe well that

ye gyve goode counseyll ¹to our broder Reynawde¹ [^1—1 a Reynault. F. orig.] ' / Thenne sayd Reynawde, 'Sith that this counseyll semeth to you goode, we shall doo it to nyghte' / Soo moche abode the foure sones of Aymon; that the nyghte came. and whan it was come, they lighted on horsebacke, & put theymselfe to the waye soo well clothed & arrayed, as I have tolde you above, and in suche wyse that theyr flesshe was seen naked in many places of theyr bodyes / And so longe they rode by nyghte & by daye, that they came there as they were borne, that was nyghe the cyte of Ardeyne / and whan they were soo nyghe the cyte that they myght well see it / they loked vpon it; and thenne they remembred the grete ryches wherfrom they were caste & banysshed / and of the grete poverte that they had suffred longe [Ils sont tant dolent que peu sen faillit, quilz ne tomberent pasmez a terre. F. orig. f. viii.] / And as they approached nyghe the cyte, Reynawde sayd to his brethern, 'We have doon evyll that we have not taken surete of our fader, for ye knowe well that he is soo cruell, that yf he maye take vs he shall yelde vs prysoners to Charlemagne.' 'Broder,' sayd Richarde, 'ye saye well; but my herte gyveth me not that our fader wolde doo as ye have sayd. And yf he so dyde, yet have I lever deye afore Ardeyne, than for grete dysease and hungre in the foreste. Late vs ryde surely, for I tell you that no body shall knowe vs. And of thother parte, yf we can sette our feete wythin Ardeyne / we shall be sauff ynough / for we be well beloved / and my lady, [folio H.i.b] our moder, sholde never suffre that men doo to vs any harme ne dysplaysure.'

'Certes, fayr brother,' ⁴sayd Reynawde,⁴ [^4—4 omitted, F. orig.] 'ye have sayd ryghte well and wysely / and moche ye have recomforte me. Now late vs ryde in a good hour.' And whan he had sayd thise wordes / they

entred soone after wythin Ardeyne / and thei rode thrughe the maysters strete, that they were not knowen of noo body. And they went streyghte to the castell wythoute ony taryeng / And wyte, that whan they passed thurghe the stretes, the folke that behelde theym marueylled moche of theym. For they wyst not what folke they were, and sayd the one to thother / 'See, what folke ben thyse / I trowe that they ben not of our lawe / nor of our beleve' / Thenne they asked theym / 'What ben ye, lordes, that are soo countrefayt / are ye paynemes / or of what countrey ben ye?' 'Syres,' answered Reynawde, 'ye enquere over moche; see ye not what folke we ben.' And whan they were com to the palays, they lighted doun a fote / and toke theyr horses to kepe to [a troys cheualliers. F. orig. g. i. back.] their knyghtes that were com of late in their felawshyp / And thenne the foure brethern wente vp to the hall, and met wyth noo bodi / For the olde Aymon theyr fader was a hawkyng vppon the ryver / and the duchesse ²theyr moder² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig.] was in her chambre, where she was contynuelly pencyfull & sory by cause that she myghte not here noo tydynges of her children. Whan the foure brethern were entred wythin the hall, they fonde noo man to whom they sholde speke / wherof they were sore merveylled /

And / they sette themselfe doun / the one here / and the other there / And abode thus a longe while that noo body ³[came] there / and whan they hadde taryed longe ynough, [then]ne came the duchesse theyr moder oute of her chambre, [and] she loked a longe the halle, Where [et elle veoir, F. orig. g. i.] she saw her son[nes thus]³ [^3—3 [] from ed. 1554 corrected, as there was a piece cut out of Caxton.] countrefayte, [folio H.ii.a] whyche she knewe not / But merveylled

herselfe gretly what folke they were / And whan Alarde sawe his lady moder com / he sayd to his broder Reynawde and to his other brethern, 'yonder is our moder that we sore desire for to see. Late vs goo agenst her, yf it playse you / and tell her our grete penurye and our nede' / 'Brother,' sayd Reynawde, 'we shall doo soo; but we shall tary tyll she speke to vs or not.' [pour veoir se elle nous congnoistra ou non, F. orig. g. i.] And taryed thus the foure brethern tylle that theyr moder was com to theym. And whan she sawe theym so blacke and soo hidous / and pryncypally Reynawde, that was so grete & soo roughe, she toke soo grete fere of theym that she wolde have goon agen in to her chambre / But anon she assured herselfe, and sayd to theym, 'god save you, lordes / What be you, ne of what nacyon / are ye crysten or paynymes / or folke that doth penaunce? Wyll ye not have some almesse, or some clothynge for to cover your body wyth / For I see ye have grete nede of it / and yf ye wyll have it, for goddys sake I shall gyve it you gladly, to the ende he have mercy on my children, And that wyll kepe theym from ylle combraunce and fro pareyll, For it is wele seven yeres that I dyd not see theym.' And whan the duchesse hadde sayd this, she toke so grete pyte to remembre her children that she beganne to wepe sore tenderly. And whan she hadde wepte a longe while, she sayd soo highe that her children vnderstode it, 'Ha, good god! when shall the daye come that I shall see my chyldren / Alas, goode lorde, how fayne wolde I see theym! Was there e[ver [From ed. 1554. A piece cut out of the Caxton.] ] lady that bare soo ryche a bourden as I have / And that [were [From ed. 1554. A piece cut out of the Caxton.] ] of it soo dyscomforted as I am?

And whan Reynawde sawe his lady moder soo so[row]full and sory, He hadde of hit grete pyte / And [the] teeres began to come atte his

eyen / And wolde dyscovere [folio H.ii.b] hymselfe / ²But whan the duchesse behelde well his visage and his byhavoyr / and maner² [^2—2 mais la duchesse le regarde, F. orig. g. i.] / her blode ranne vppe to her face / and hevered wythin her body / and beganne to shake full faste, soo that almoste she felle doun in a swoune to the erthe, And was a grete while that she myghte not speke, her herte was soo close and soo sore pressed / and all her colour loste and goon / And whan she was come agen to herselfe, she dyde caste her sighte agayn vpon Reynawde, and knewe hym ryght well by a wounde that he hadde in his face, whiche was doon to hym of a fall / whan he was in his tendre age / Thenne she sayd to hym, as gladde as any moder may be, 'Reynawde, my sone / whos peere is not amonge all the knyghtes of the worlde / How see I you soo sore appayred and chaunged? Where is goon your grete beaulte / Why, my sone, doo ye hyde you towarde me / that loveth you more than my selfe' / And while that she sayd thyse wordes, she loked aboute her / and knewe her children / and anone she went towarde theym wyth her armes spred abrode [comme forcennee, F. orig. g. i.] / for to colle and kysse theym, sore wepyng for grete pyte that they were soo sore apayred of theyr beaulte. And soo longe she kyssed one and thenne a nother / that at laste she felle doun in a swoune / And Reynawde toke her vp in his armes / where she abode a good while. And Reynawde and his bretherne ceassed not from weppynge, for grete pyte that they hadde of theyr moder.

And whan the duchesse was come agen to herselfe, she toke her chyldren, and made theym sitte doun by her / And sayd to theym, 'How is it that I see you thus poure and dysfygured? Why is it that ye have wyth you no knyghtes / nor none other company / Where have ye ben, that have endured so grete

poverte and soo grete dysease' / [Saiches que quant la duchesse, F. orig. g. ii. back.] Whan [folio H.iii.a] the duchesse spake thus to her children, she dyd wepe styll sore tendrely / and fowndered all in teeres [omitted, F. orig.] / holdynge her sone Reynawde bytwene her armes / and kyssed hym full swetly / 'Lady,' sayd Reynawde, 'we have wyth vs but thre knyghtes, that kepe our horses yonder wythoute / For our fader hathe slayn all our knyghtes and all our folke. And also he sholde have slayne vs, if it hadde not be our lorde that kepte vs therfro thoroughe his pyte and mercy / Sore harde parentage dyd he shewe to vs, our naturell fader' / Whan the duchesse vnderstode thise wordes, she was ryght sory for it, And called to her one of her servauntes, and sayd to hym / 'Goo and make my sones horses to be in to a good stable / And that they be well tended. And brynge hither the thre knyghtes that kepe the horses wythoute / For I wyll see theym.' 'madame,' sayd her squyer, 'it shall be doon Incontynente' / And thenne he wente to the thre knyghtes / and sayd to theym that the duchesse wolde see theym, Which incontynente dyde as the lady hadde commaunded, and cam vp to the palays, where as Reynawde taryed for theym. 'Lordes,' sayd the duchesse to theym, 'ye be ryght welcome' / 'Madame,' sayd the knyghtes, 'god gyve ³you goode lyffe and longe,³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig.] and Ioye of your chilydren / For they ben the beste [meilleurs du monde, F. orig. g. ii.] and the moste worthy of all the worlde' / This hangynge, came there a yoman / that sayd to the duchesse / 'Madame, yf it playse you to sitte atte the table, the meete is redy.' The lady toke Reynawde and the other wyth her / and ledde theym to dyner, & made theym sitte doun all afore her / And theyr thre knyghtes ⁵atte the lyfte syde of her⁵ [^5—5 aupres delle, F. orig. g. ii.] / There made goode chere the foure sones of Aymon, and ete at theyr ease and atte

theyr owne wyll / For it was longe syth that they hadde ony goode mele, Where they myghte take [ung seule repas, F. orig. g. ii.] theyr naturell foode [folio H.iii.b] atte theyr ease / And as they were atte the table, Thenne came theyr fader Aymon from hawkynge and huntynge / whiche hadde taken foure hertes and two wylde bores, ³and dyverse pertryches and feysauntes³ [^3—3 omitted. le quil entra en sa salle et trouva ses enfans qui memgeoient, et la duchesse leur mere qui les servoit, F. orig. g. ii.] / Whan Aymon sawe theym / he knewe theym not / and he sayd to the duchesse / 'Lady, what are thyse folke that ben thus countrefayte' / Whan the duchesse vnderstode her husbande, she was sore agaste / and beganne to wepe, and sayd / 'Syre, thyse ben your chyldren and myn / that ye have traveylled so moche, and sore hunted as wylde bestes, The whiche have dwelled longe tyme in the foreste of Ardeyne [la grant forest la ou ilz sont aussi devenuz comme veoir pourres, F. orig. g. ii.] / Where as they have ben sore tourned, as ye now maye see. Now are they come to me, by cause I am ryght gladde whan I see theym / For to you they ben not come, for they knowe well that ye love theym not. But I praye you for god, that for the love of me ye wyll lodge theym thys nyghte, For they shall departe to morowe erly. And I wote not yf ever I shall see theym / wherfore of this I beseche you ryght humbly.'

Thenne whan Aymon vnderstode thyse wordes, he shoke all for angre, And tourned hymselfe towarde his sones / and made to theym evyll chere, and sayd to theym, 'Glotton, goddys curse have you / [Car vous ne valles riens, et comme garcons de neant estes, F. orig. g. ii.] For ye ben not worthe a strawe, For ye have nother folke nor money, nor noo prysoner that myghte paye to you a grete havoyr.' 'Fader,' sayd Reynawde, 'by the feyth that I owe to you, yf your londe is in peas / the

other ben not soo / For ye myghte goo [quatre vings lieux, F. orig.] six score myles that ye sholde not fynde nother ryche man nor poure.

But that they kepe theymselfe wythin fortresses and in castelles / But ye doo grete wronge for to doo vs the worst that ye canne; ye toke fyrste frome vs our goode castell of Mountenforde / And after that ye hadde assaylled vs in the [folio H.iv.a] wode of Ardeyne, and slewe all oure folke / so that of [cent cheualliers, F. orig.] fyve hundred knyghtes that I had, ye lefte a lyve with me but enlevyn / Wherof VIII ben deed, and thyse thre that ye see here are abyden a lyve / Now beholde well, fader, and thynke how ye bare your selfe towarde vs / But sith it is thus that ye oughte to vs noo goode wyll, and that ye maye not see vs, Make vs the hedes to be smytten of / And soo shall you be beloved of Charlemagne / And hated of God / and of all men.'

And whan the olde Aymon vnderstode Reynawde thus speke, he knewe well he sayd trouth / and beganne to fyghte sore atte his herte / And thenne he sayd to his children / 'Myschaunt, your ledernes and slouth hath overcomen you. Ye were never my chyldren / For if ye were suche as men wene / ye sholde not have suffred the grete poverte that ye have endured soo longe / But ye shulde have goon wynne vpon your enmyes / for to mayntene your selfe honestly / and make good werre to Charlemagne thorough all his londe. But ye are becom myschaunte; and therfore I telle you that ye gete noo thynge of me / Now thenne, voyde oute soone my palays, and ⁴goo begge where ye wyll atte a nother place.'⁴ [^4—4 omitted, F. orig. g. iii.] 'Syre,' sayd Reynawde, 'ye saye that / that an evyll and an vnkynde fader oughte to saye / For I telle you for veraye certeyne, that we have slayne soo many theves & brygauntes that I canne not

number theym, Wherof I fele my selfe in grete synne / But for god we requyre you that you, wyll helpe vs to recovere our londes of Charlemagne.

And yf ye wyll not do so, gyve to vs of your goodes, & we shall goo ferre from you' / 'I wyll not,' sayd Aymon. 'Fader,' sayd Reynawde, 'here I see well your evyll wyll. I and my bretherne have doon soo moche, that we ben comen in to your place / that we sholde fare the better for it; but I see well [folio H.iv.b] ye wyll caste vs therfro wyth grete afray. And I swere to you, by the feyth that I owe to my lady moder, that yf I muste nedes departe fro you in suche a maner, ye shall abye it full dere, yf ye cast vs thus oute of your londe. For I have lever deye here by you / than to deye for hungre / Syth that it maye be none other wyse.'

Thenne whan Reynawde sawe that his fader was soo harde herted agenst hym & his brethern / he wexed red for angre / and began to chaung colour, and drewe his swerde halfe oute of the sheeth / And whan Alarde sawe his brother Reynawde chaunge colour, he knewe well that he was wrothe / so ranne he & called hym, sayng, 'ha, fayr brother / for goddys love, angre not yourselfe so sore to our fader, for he is our lorde / And therfore, where [whether.] it is ryghte or wronge, he maye saye to vs as yt playseth hym / and we oughte to doo his commaundement / And yf he is cruell towarde vs / we oughte to be humble & playsaunte [omitted, F. orig.] towarde hym / Soo kepe your selfe for goddys love that ye sette not hande vpon hym / For it were agenst the commaundement of god' / 'Brother,' sayd Reynawde, 'it lacketh but lityll that I wexe madde all quycke / Whan I see afore me hym that sholde helpe vs, defende & love vs as his chyldren, and gyve vs his good counseylle to vs / and towarde all men. And he dooth all contrary the same / He hath made peas wyth Charlemagne for

to dystroye and undoo vs / I saw never so cruell a man agenste his sones. For he chasseth & putteth vs away from hym full shamefully / as though we were strangers or sarrasins / I sholde not conne telle the harme and grete hurte that he hath doon to vs / nor the grete poverte that we have suffred for hym / I wolde never have doo so to hym / for rather I wolde have lete me be slayn all quycke / But and yf I can ever go [folio H.v.a] from hens, I certyfye you that I shall angre hym, and shall so waste his londe that it shall doo hym but lytyll prouffyte, soo that it shall be spoken of it perpetuelly.'

And whan Aymon herde Reynawde speke thus, his herte wexed softe, & began to wepe full sore / and sayd, 'Ha, god, how I am sory that I maye not enioye the goode that god hath gyven to me largely / there sholde be no man in the worlde soo happy as I were / yf my chyldren had theyr peas with kynge Charlemagne. For I am sure that the kynge Pyramus ²of Troye² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig.] had never better men to his chyldren, nor more valyaunte ²ne prue,² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig.] than I have. Ha, evyll herte, thou sholdest not take hede to none other agenst thy chyldren, But sholdest helpe theym & kepe theym agenste all men, wherfore I ought well to hate the / evyll herte; thou hast made me hate that I oughte to love as myn owne selfe' / and whan he had thus spoken to hymselfe / he sayd to Reynawde, 'Fayr sone, ye are ryght worthy and sage / For never Hector of Troye was worthe thou, [Il na cheuallier au monde qui te vaille, F. orig. G. iii.] Nor in all the worlde is not founde your matche, And therfore I oughte well to doo your wyll' / Whan the duke Aymon had sayd this worde, he spake [a la duchesse, F. orig. g. iii.] to his wyff the duchesse, and sayd / 'Lady, I goo yonder wythout, for I wyll not be forsworn agenst the

kyng charlemagne. Ye have wythin golde & sylver ynough / and mani horses and moche harneys / palfreys & sommers / Now gyve to my chyldren all that they will take.' And whan he hadde sayd thus / he toke his men wyth hym and wente his waye.

Thenne sayd Reynawde, 'we oughte to thanke you moche of that ye have now sayd. And we shall goo hens to morowe erly ¹wyth goddys grace¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig] / To the ende that ye ben not evyll at ease; and yf it playse you, we shall [folio H.v.b] abyde for thys nyghte for to comforte our moder, ³that hathe be so yll at ease for the love of vs³ [^3—3 pour lamour de nous a cause quelle nous auoit perduz, F. orig. G. iv. back.] / And I promytte you, fader, we sholde not have come yet, but it had be for her sake' / 'Reinawde, fayr sone,' sayd the duk, [aymon, F. orig.] 'you are full of grete wyt / wyte that whan berthelot [artus, F. orig.] was deed, I durst not shewe me afore the kyng Charlemagn / by cause he sayd he had lever have lost the halfe of his royame / & thretened me for to hange or brenne and dystroye all my londe / and I dyd so moche by the counseyll of my frendes, that I made myn a-poyntement, and that I was oute of all blame / And ye have not considered the othes that Charlemagn made me doo agenst you / as agenste all other that helde wyth you / and I am sore dysplaysed of that I fonde you in the wodes of Ardeyn as I dyd / But I was forced of myn honour to do as I dyd, for to be in peas wyth kyng Charlemagne / Your moder hath not forsworn you / & therfore she maye gyve you of our goodis at her wyll.' And whan the duke had sayd thise wordes, he yssued oute of his palays, and wente to the woode.

After whan the free ducnesse herde that, that the duke Aymon gaaff her leve to doo wyth his goodes at her wyll, she called her chyldren, and sayd

to theym, 'Fayr chyldren, now be you sure, that sin your fader is [est hors de seans, F. orig.] not wythin, ye shall be well tended vpon, and shall have all the chere that I can doo to you' [omitted, F. orig.] / And thenne she dyde doo make the bayns redy, and made theym all to bayne honestly / And wyte, that in theyr bayne were many a swete herbe / And whan they were well clene, the good lady [leur mere, F. orig. g. vii. back.] made bryng lynnen & other clothes for to chaunge, & to eche of theym a mantelle of fyne scarlet furred with hermyns / and whan she had theym well apareilled / she led theym in a chambre where their [ou le tresoir estoif, et le monstrases enfans car pour aultre nestoit il amasse, F. orig. g. iv.] faders treysur was, and shewed it to her chyldren. Whan reynaud sawe so riche [folio H.vi.a] a tresur / he began to laughe, & sayd, 'lady moder, gramercy of so fayre a yefte as here is / For it mystreth me well' / & thenne he toke of that tresour at hys wyll. And incontynente he sent messagers thoroughe all the countrey, for to gete hym sawdours ²of the beste men of werre.² [^2—2omitted, F. orig.] Wherof many one cam gladly to hym / the whiche Reynawde payed for an hole yere. What shall I tell you more? Reynawde and hys brethern laye that nyghte wythin the castell of ther sayd fader. And the nexste mornyng after, or it was daye, they departed. & had wyth theym V hundred men well horsed ²& well arayed² [^2—2omitted, F. orig.] / And whan Reynawde and his brethern had take leve of theyr lady moder the duchesse, she sayd to theym / 'Fayr sones, I wyll that ye draw towarde Spayn, for it is a plentuouse countrey.' And as they wolde have departed / thenne cam Mawgis theyr cosyn, that cam oute of Fraunce, Where he had ben long tyme.

After whan Mawgys was lighted / from his horse, he ranne to Reynawde / his armes spred abrode, and began to kysse hym / and [quant il eut baise il basse ses aultre freres, F. orig. g. iv.] whan he had soo doon /

he kyssed his other thre brethern [il monte a cheval et sortit hors dardeyne, F. orig. g. iv.] / and thenne he sayd to theym / 'Ha, fayr cosyns, I am ryght glad to see you / And thanked be our lorde that he hath broughte me in to this coste.' 'Cosin,' sayd Reynawde, 'where have you ben so longe, that we had never tydynges of you' / 'Cosyn,' sayd Mawgys, 'I come from the grete cyte of Parys, Where I have stolen thre horses laden wyth golde; and here they ben / the whiche Charlemagne wende for to have hydde well. And I gyve you the halfe of it / for I myghte not bestowe theym better than to you' / 'Cosin,' sayd Reynawde, 'god thanke you.' And whan he had sayd soo [il monte a cheval et sortit hors dardeyne, F. orig. g. iv.] he wente oute of Ardeyne wyth his bretherne & his folke / and fonde his fader, that cam fro the wode; & whan Reynawde sawe his fader, he made hym reverence, & bowed hymself to hym; & aymon [folio H.vi.b] sayd to theym / 'fayr sones, now ben ye well garnyssed & honestly arrayed. I praye you that ye doo soo in Fraunce / that men speke of your prowes / And ye, my other children / I commaunde you that ye obeye Reynawde / and kepe hym above all thyng. For as longe as he shall lyve, ye oughte not to be a ferde of noo harme.'

Thenne sayd Alarde, 'syre, we shall doo your commaundement / and we praye you for goddys love [que nous vous soions pour recommandez, F. orig. g. iv.] that ye wyll be evermore our good fader' / 'I wyll be soo, my chyldren,' ⁴sayd Aymon.⁴ And thenne Reynawde toke leve of his fader and of his moder, ⁴ [^4—4 omitted, F. orig.] that conveyd theym oute of the towne.⁴ But the good lady fell doun in a swoune whan she sawe departe her chyldren. And all the towne began to make suche a sorowe that it was grete pyte [a veoir, F. orig. g. v. back.] / And Reynawde & his

brethern wente on theyr waye / ¹And whan the duchesse cam to herselfe¹ [^1—1 vif ses filz qui sen aloient, elle commence a crier et a dire, F. orig. g. v. back.] / and sawe heyr chyldren departe / She began to saye, 'Ha, poure herte myn! Why brekest not thou / alas, yf I hadde deyed longe agoo, my soule were the better at ease / I am not a moder / but a stepmoder / [quant je voy, F. orig.] Alas, I see my ryche burden go to exyle / and yet I can not wythholde theym or helpe theym that they abyde wyth me' / Thus as the duchesse made her mone to her wymen / Aymon cam & toke her bytwene his armes, and recomforted her / and sayd to her / 'Lady, dyscomforte not yourselfe so moche, for my hert gyveth me that we shall yet see theym in grete prosperyte & honour / and grete Ioye & gladenes ye shall ones have of theym in short tyme.' Shortly to speke, the good Aymon recomforted so moche the duchesse that she left her sorowe & wente agen to the palays wyth the duk Aymon. I leve here to speke of the duk Aymon and of the duchesse hys wyf, & retorne to speke of Reynawde & of hys brethern. [les hardiz cheualliers, F. orig. g. v. back.]

CHAPTER V.

How after that reynawde, his brethern, & his cosin maugys [folio H.vii.a] were departed oute of Dordoune from theyr moder, For to seke theyr adventure, [Ils alerent tout par leur journees, F. orig. g. v. back.] they roode soo longe that they came in to the royame of Gascoyn / ¶ And how by the waye thei made grete harme ⁶to the royame of Fraunce⁶ [^6—6 en france, F. orig.] / And how the kynge of Gascoyn reteyned theym in his servyse. [moult doucement, F. orig.]

¶ Capitul[u]m V.

Now sayth the tale, that after that Reynawde, Alarde, Guycharde, and Rycharde, and Mawgys theyr cosyn, were yssued oute of Ardeyn wyth all theyr fellawshyp, that was well of VI hundred men / Well mounted and arrayed / they wente and passed thorughe Byheuse, and wasted all Fraunce / ¹And passed thorughe the countre of Gastynoys / and so forthe to Orleaunce / where they wente over the ryver of Loyre¹ [^1—1 et passerent parmy gastinois et orleans et passerent la riviere de loyre, F. orig.] / And wasted all the londe vnto Poyters / And whan they were come to Poyters / they herde tydynges of the kyng Yon of Gascoyn, that was a puyssaunte prynce, was assaylled of the sarrasins / And whan Mawgys herde thyse wordes, he cam to Reynawde, and said to hym / 'Cosin, the kyng Yon of gascoyn is a prynce of grete renommee and of grete power / goo we to hym & serve hym, and suche servyse we shall mowe doo to hym / [que charlemaigne ne nous prendra jamais, F. orig. g. v.] that Charlemagne shall not mow hynder vs by noo wayes' / 'Cosyn,' sayd Reynawde, 'lete vs thenne go there, sin that it semeth to you good' / And whan they were hereto accorded, they toke theyr waye towarde Gascoyn / and rode so longe by theyr iourneys that they cam to Bordews, a fayr cyte / Where they fonde kyng Yon wyth a grete company of knyghtes / and whan they were donn from ther horses, Reynawde sayd to his folke, 'go we lodge vs' / 'cosin,' sayd mawgys, 'we shall not do so, but we shall speke streight wyth kyng yon; & yf he reteyneth vs, in a good hour be it; & if he do not so / we shall serve borgoyns [folio H.vii.b] the sarrasin, whiche is ryght prue & sage, & hath all redy conquested almoste all the londe of kyng Yon / as Tholouse, Montpeller, Lyetary, and saynt Gyle Tarasoon / & Arles; & yf we faylle here / we shall not faylle there' / 'Cosin,' sayd Reynawde, 'you speke

well and wysely, and we shall do as ye have sayd.' And thenne Reynawde toke wyth hym L. knyghtes, and his thre brethern, and Mawgys; and toke of his armes, and clothed hym selfe honestly & rychely / And whan he was well arrayed / he wente to kynge Yons courte vpon a lytyll nagge. And whan he rode thorughe Bordews, all the peple ranne for to see hym / by cause he was soo grete and soo well made / and soo fayr wyth all, and also his thre brethern, but they were not all eveyn soo grete. And whan they were come to the gate ¹of the kynges place,¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] Reynawde lighted on foote / and wente vp to the palays, and founde the kyng atte the counseyll / [mais, F. orig. g. v.] And whan the stywarde sawe Reynawde soo fayr a man / and soo goodly, and soo many folke wyth hym / he came hym agenste, and sayd to hym, 'My lorde, ye be ryght welcom.' And Reynawde answered to hym / 'god gyve you good adventure! Now telle, and playse you, where is the kynge?' / 'My lorde,' sayd the stywarde / 'he holdeth now his counseyll / For Bourgons the sarasyn is entred in hys londe, and hath doon to hym grete harm / For he hath brente townes and castelles, abbeyes, hospytalles, ¹chirches¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] / and all other [orther, Text orig.] monasteryes / and now he is parforce wythin Tholouse ¹wyth a grete puyssaunce.'¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] 'Certes,' sayd Reynawde / 'This borgoyns ys of grete power as me semeth, and after that men sayen.' Thus as Reynawde and the stywarde spake togyder, came kynge Yon ¹oute of the counseyll chambre.¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] And whan Reynawde sawe hym [il se dresse et prent ses freres, F. orig. g. vi. back.] / he toke his brethern & his cosin mawgys wyth hym, & went agenst the kyng, whiche Reynawde salued [folio H.viii.a] ryght humbly, and sayd to hym / 'Syr, I am com to you fro a ferre londe [et suis cheualliers moy et mes freres, F. orig.] wyth my thre brethern & my cosin, that

ye see here, for to doo you servyse, and our folke, yf it playse you; and we shall serve you in suche a maner that we wyll have nothynge of you. But & our servyse be agreable vnto you, Ye shall promyse me as ¹a kynge, yf it be your playsur¹ [^1—1 comme roy que vous etes, F. orig.] / that ye shall be my warraunt & helpe agenst all other.' 'Good frende,' sayd the kyng Yon, 'ye be ryght welcom to me / And where ye saye ye be come for to serve me / ²I thanke you for it wyth all my hert² [^2—2 Je vous mercie humblement, F. orig.] / but I wyll fyrst knowe what folke ye ben. For ye myghte be suche that I sholde defende you, or that I sholde be your enmye.' 'Syr,' sayd Reynaude, 'syth that it playse you to knowe what we ben / I shall tell it to you / Wyte that my name is Reynawde, and am sone eldest to the duk Aymon of Ardeyn, and thise thre knyghtes ben my bredern: here is Alarde, Guycharde, & Rycharde [le combactant, F. orig. g. vi. back.] / and here is Mawgis our cosin, one of the beste knyghtes of the worlde, & most wyse. Charlemagne hath caste vs out of Fraunce / and hath dysheryted vs / And our fader hath dysavowed vs for the love of hym / and for this cause, sir, we goo seke about after a lorde that is good & true, that sholde helpe vs to deffende agenst Charlemagne / and we shall serve hym well & truly.'

Whan kyng Yon herde this that Reynawde sayd / he was ryght gladde of it that they were the foure sones of Aymon, the beste knyghtes of all the worlde, & mooste doubted / and Mawgys, that was the moost subtyll of the worlde / that were com for to serve hym. He wolde not have been so gladde yf men hadde gyven to hym alle Parys; For he wyste that yf ever he sholde fynisshe his werre / It sholde be by theyr meane / Thenne he loked vppe towarde heven /

And thanked our lorde of the comyng of thyse [folio H.viii.b] worthy knyghtes. And thenne he sayd to theym, 'Lordes, ye are reteyned of me / For ye ben not the men that ought to be refused: I promitte you truly, and in feyth of a kynge / that I shall defende you wyth all my power agenste all men. Ye are dysheryted, and I also; therfore it is well rayson that we be togyder, and that the one helpe the other of all his power.' 'Syr,' sayd Reynawde, 'we thanke you a thousande tymes / & I promyse you that we shall deye in your servyse, or elles your londe shall be recovered agayne' / The kyng called his stywarde, ²and sayd to hym, and commaunded² [^2—2 et luy commanda, F. orig.] that Reynawde & his felawshyp sholde be well lodged. Incontynente the stywarde toke Reynawde by the hande, and fulfylled the commaundement of the kynge. Now are the ³foure³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig.] sones of Aymon acoynted wyth the kynge Yon ³of Gascoyn³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig.] / whiche wente to have doo well / but he repented hym soone after / ¶ But here we leve to speke of kyng Yon [de gascongne, F. orig. g. vi.] / and of the foure sones of Aymon / and retorne to speke of Burgoyns, that were at Tholouse, the whiche he had take by force of armes.

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.

CHAPTER VII.

¶ How the kynge Charlemagne made a vyage to saynte Iames in Galice / And how at his comyng agen he knew how Reynawde and his bredern were in the royame of gascoyn in a right strong castell called Montalban / And how Charlemagne sente worde to kynge Yon of Gascoyn that he sholde yelde to hym his enmyes; ²that is to wyte, Reynawde, Alarde, Guycharde, & Rycharde, the sones of Aymon,² [^2—2 cest assauoir regnault et ses freres, F. orig. h. v.] and in caas that he wolde not, he sholde com besege hym in [folio K.ii.a] his lande afore X monethes came atte an ende. Wherof the kynge Yon answered that he wolde doo

noo thyng for hym in this behalve / And how after that the kynge Charlemagne was retorneth to Parys ¹wyth his felawshyp¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] / Rowlande, his nevew, arryved at Parys, the whiche the kynge made knyghte / and after he sente hym to reyse a sege afore Coleyn, that a sarrasyn had beseged that was called Escoufrawde, ye whiche Rowlande conquered / And after sheweth how Reynawde won [wan, in text orig.] the crowne of kynge Charlemagne / for the goode rennynge that his horse bayarde made at Parys.

¶ Capitul[u]m vij.

Nowe sheweth the history that Charlemagne was at Parys, and cam to hym a devocyon for to goo in pylgrymage to saynt Iames in Gales. And soo he departed oute of Parys, and toke in his company Oger the dane & the duk Naymes of bavyre, and many other barons and grete lordes / Whan they were vpon theyr waye, they dyde soo moche by there iourneys that they cam to saynt Iames in Galyce. And whan they were arryved there / The kynge wente streyght to the chirche, & offred afore the aulter ten marke of fyne golde. And whan he had offred and doon his devocyons / he toke on his waye agayne, and came ¹wyth his felawshyp¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] to Bordews / And in his comyng thider, he loked over the ryver of gyronde, ¹not ferre thens¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] / And sawe the castelle of Mountalban, that was vpon a roche, soo fayr & so well made, & so well shette wyth fayr wallis, & thycke in the forme, as I have tolde you afore / And whan Charlemagne sawe it, he behelde well vpon it a longe while, and thenne sayd, 'Ha, good lord, yonder is a fayr castell, stronge and well set / I

see well that the kyng Yon [de gascogne, F. orig. h. vi. back.] hath made it of late / for it semeth yet to be all new; and it can be none other wyse, [folio K.ii.b] sith that he hath buylded it in suche a strong place / but that he thynke to make werre to some body.' And thenne he called to hym a knyghte of the londe, & sayd to hym / 'tell me how ye calle that castell.' 'Syr,' sayd the knyghte, 'the name is Mountalban' / He had grete luste to speke / for yf he had keped his peas there had ben none other thynge of it / But he sayd suche wordes that afterwarde bare grete harme to hym selfe and to many other. For he tolde to the emperour that reynawde and his brethern, the sones of Aymon, had do make that castell / and was called Mountalban / And how the kynge Yyon had gyven to Reynawde his suster to his wyf.

Whan Charlemagne vnderstode thyse wordes, he was ryght angry for it and wrothe, And wyste not what he sholde saye / and helde hym selfe a grete whyle that he spake not / and whan he had mused a lityll / he sayd to his folke / 'fayre lordes, I shall telle you a wonder; For I have founde my enemyes in this londe, that ben the foure sones of Aymon. Now vp, Ogyer, and you, duke Naymes / lighte on horsebacke incontynente, and seke so moche kyng Yon that ye fynde hym, and telle hym in my behalve that he yelde to me agen the foure sones of Aymon, that ben myn enmyes, the whyche he hath wythdrawen and borne oute agenste me. And that he fynde me knyghtes for to brynge theym only into my londe / for I am delibered, sith that I have fonde theym, for to hange theym or fleye theym quycke. And yf he wyll not do soo / defye you hym on my behalfe, And telle hym that wythin this thre or foure monethes I shall be wythin his londe of Gascoyn wyth all my ooste / and I shall destroye and overthrowe all his townes and castelles,

and yf I maye take hym, I shall punysshe hym wythoute ony mercy' / 'Syr,' sayd Ogyer, 'we shall doo your commaundemente, but we shall [folio K.iii.a] take wyth vs Lances and Hostes, the whyche ben prue and sage' / and Charlemagne sayd that he was contente; and incontynente they wente on theyr waye, And wente aboute for to vnderstode where kynge Yon was / And soo longe they asked after hym, that they founde hym atte Montalban, evyn atte the foote of the roche / For the kynge Yon wente agen Bourdews, and Reynawde conveyed hym. When Ogyer sawe Reynawde and the kynge Yon, he knew theym well / And incontynente he salued the kynge / and sayd to hym / 'Syre, god gyve you good liffe and longe' / And the kynge rendered to hym his salute, and after sayd to hym, 'Of whens be you?' [beau sire, F. orig. h. vi.] 'syre,' said Ogyer, 'We ben of the swete Fraunce / And also we be sente vnto you / And we are of Charlemagne folke. Now here vs, yf it playse you.' [seigneurs, F. orig. h. vi.] 'Syr,' sayd the kynge, 'ye be ryght welcome. Now telle on what ye wyll saye' / [doulx roy Yon. F. orig. h. vi.] 'Sire,' sayd Ogyer, 'the emperour Charlemagne sendeth to you worde by vs, that ye yelde agen vnto hym his enmyes ye whiche ye have wythdrawen in to your landes, and that ye sende to hym a hundred of your men for to conduytte and brynge theym wyth hym vnto Fraunce. And yf ye refuse to doo this / ⁵We, by his commaundemente, deffye you of his behalve⁵ [^5—5 Il vous deffie de sa part, F. orig. h. vi.] / And wythin thyse thre monethes he shall be in Gascoyn / and shall take all your londes, and shall besege you wythin the cyte of Bordews / And yf he take you, he shall punysshe you in your body. Now have we sayd our message, And yf it playse you, ye shall gyve us an answere.'

'Ogyer,' sayd the kynge / 'It is well trouth that I have reteyned the foure sones of Aymon, whiche ben worthy knyghtes; and soo have I reteyned theym, by cause they ben prue and valyaunte in armes, and also that they have [folio K.iii.b] holpen and socoured me atte my grete nede / For I was dysherited ²and vndoon for ever² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig.] yf they had not ben / And for the grete goode that they have doon to me, I have gyven my suster germayne to Reynawde for his wyff / And therfore I sholde be to cruell, and eke well myschaunte, yf I sholde now take theym in to the handes of theyr enmyes mortalle, syth that they have doon to me soo good servyse [et loyualment, F. orig. h. vii. back.] / I have lever for to be dyshereted, and deye an evyll deth, than to yelde theym, or suffre that they have ony harme nor shame to my power / For namly the kynge Charlemagne sholde thenne holde me for a foole and well nyce / And therfore, Ogyer, yf it playse you, ye shall telle the emperour from my behalve, that I shal forsake firste all my londe and my royame, than I sholde deliver theym in his handes / And this is myn answere' /

Thenne whan the kynge had sayd thus, Reynawde spake after and sayd, 'Ogyer, I merveyll gretly of the kynge Charlemagne, that wyll not leve vs in peas / He caste vs oute of Fraunce poure and dysheryted, wherof I am ashamed / and as ye knowe, I wolde be reformed wyth rayson to the sayenge of his barons; but it playseth hym not / And soo he casted vs oute of Mountenfourde shamfully / so that we wyste not where we sholde go / And yet it suffyseth hym not, but he wyll cast vs oute of the londe of Gascoyn, wherof he dooth grete synne. For yet am I redy for to doo his wyll in rayson and ryght / And I telle you well, that yf he refuce this by hys pryde, I wyll well

that he knowe that / I and my brethern are not suche that shall be taken as lyghtly as he weneth. And I promyse you, that or ever he hathe vs / I shall make hym more than ten tymes angry and wrothe / For this that [le roy, F. orig. h. vii. back.] he dooth / he dooth it but of pryde / Ogyer, I wyll well that kynge Charlemagne knowe, that the kyng [folio K.iv.a] Yon of Gascoyn hath gyven to vs leve to buylde a castell that hath to name Montalban / the whiche is stronge and imprenable, and yet I have knyghtes wyth me that shall not faylle me at my nede. And tell to kynge Charlemagne that sith I can not have noo peas nor accorde wyth hym, that I shall doo to hym all the dommage and harme that shalle be to me possyble for to doo.'

'Reynawde,' sayd Ogyer, 'ye speke not wysely; wene ye to abasshe vs wyth wordes / ye shall not so; but whan ye shall see the oost and the grete power of Charlemagne togyder, ye shall be sore abasshed, and atte the ende ye shall be full wrothe and sorry / [Regnault, F. orig.] Ye knowe well that the emperour Charlemagne made you knyghte, and ye slewe his nevew Berthelot / and therfore thynke not to fynde peas towarde hym / And ye wene to be assured by cause the kynge Yon hath made you to close a castell / but well I wyll that he knowe that he shall repente for it full sore / For afore two monethes be paste we shall be in the myddes of his londe, and shall dystroye all his royame / And we shall brenne bothe castelles and townes.' 'Ogyer,' sayd Reynawd, 'I swere to you on my feyth, that whan kynge Charlemagne ⁴shall be wyth his oost in this londe,⁴ [^4—4 sera retourne en gascogne, F. orig. h. vii.] he shall wyshe hym selfe soone agayne in Fraunce wyth his folke. And whan ye shall see the harde ioustyng and sharpe werre that I and my brethern shall make agenste hym / he and ye shall be sore

abasshed of it; and some of you speketh now hye, that whan the dede shall come to preeff, he shall be full lowe' / 'Reynawde,' sayd then Ogyer, 'I wyll hide no thynge from you / The kyng Charlemagne hath so grete a power / and is delibered for to besege Bordews / and yf he maye take you, he shall punysshe you cruelly / now doo as ye wyll. I have tolde you all [folio K.iv.b] my message, and I goo agen to kyng Charlemagne' / whan he had sayd thise wordes, he retorned towarde kyng Charlemagne, & shewed vnto hym what kyng Yon & reynawde had sayd / And whan the kyng vnderstode [ses parolles que le roy Yon et Regnault luy mandoient, F. orig. h. vii.] the same / he shoke all for angre, & sayd / 'now shall it be seen how kyng Yon & Reynawde shall defende Gascoyn agenst me' / And thenne went forth charlemagne & passed the ryver of gyronde, and rode soo longe that he cam to Paris; and the daye after, he called all his barons that they sholde com to him. And whan they were all com / the kyng helde hys counseyll, & sayd to theim, 'Lordes, I have sent for you to telle you the grete shame that the kyng Yon of gascoyn dooth to me. For he holdeth the foure sones of Aymon, ³my mortell enmyes,³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig. h. vii.] in dyspyte of me, and ye knowe what dommage they have doon to me / for they slew my nevew Berthelot / I dyd banysshe theym oute of Fraunce; thenne made they the castell of Mountenforde wythin my londe / and I chassed theym oute of it. Now ben they in Gascoyn wyth the kyng Yon, that sayth he shall deffende theym agenste me, and he has gyven his suster to Reynawde / wherfore I praye you all that ye wyll helpe me that I be avenged.'

And whan Charlemagn had sayd this, there was none of the barons that answered to hym ony worde, for they were wery of the werre that they had

made soo long agenste Reynawde / [Et quant Charlemaigne, F. orig. h. viii. back.] And Charlemagne sawe that no body answered to hym no thinge / he called to hym the duke naymes & ogier the dane / and the erle Guydellon / and sayd to theym / 'Lordes, what counseylle doo you gyve to me in this matere?' 'Sir,' sayd the duke Naymes / 'yf ye wyll beleve me, I shall gyve you goode counseyll / Suffre your ooste to reste this fyve yeres / By cause that your folke is wery of the werre / so shall they reste theym selfe a lityll / And whan thei shall be fresshe / thenne [folio K.v.a] shall ye mow make werre atte your wyll / for every man shall thenne com to it wyth good wyll.' And whan the emperour vnderstode this counseyll he was sore an angred for it, that he wente almost oute of his wyt. And as he wolde have sayd agenst the duke Naymes, there cam a yonge gentilman of grete beaulte / and broughte in his company XXX. fayr sqyers, well arrayed. [et vit le damoisel emmy la court du palays et montre contremont les degrez. Et quant il fut au palays il sen vint devant lempireur charlemaigne. F. orig. h. viii. back.] this yonglynge cam to the palays, & wente vp / and whan he cam afore the emperour, he made his obeysaunce to hym full courtoysly. 'Frende,' sayd the kyng, 'ye be ryght welcom; what wynde brought you hider, & what be you' / 'sire,' sayd the squyer, 'I am called Rowlande of bretayn, & I am the sone of your suster and of the duke Myllon.'

Thenne whan Charlemagne vnderstode Rowlande speke thus, he was right glad of hym, & toke hym by the hande & kyssed hym many tymes, & sayd to hym, 'ye be ryght welcom / I wyll that ye be made a knyghte to morow in ye mornynge, & ye shall assaye yourself vpon Reynawde, the sone of Aymon.' 'Syr,' sayd Rowlande, 'I shall doo your commaundement, & I promyse you / Reynawde shall not be spared

of me, and he shall not bere awaye no thyng of yours. He slewe my cosyn Berthelot, wherof I am right sory / and therfore I shall avenge his dethe, yf I maye by ony manere / or elles Reynawde shall slee me' / And in the mornyng the kynge Charlemagne dowbed his nevewe rowlande to a knyghte, wyth moche ioye and wyth grete honoure. and as the feste was a doynge / there came a messager that sayd to the emperour, ¹ [^1—1 Droit empereur, F. orig. h. viii.] 'Most hie & moste puyssaunt prynce¹ / your men of Cologne recommende theym ryght humbly to your goode grace, And they doo you to wyte that the sarrasyns have [folio K.v.b] beseged theym, And have hurte theym ryght sore / For they have brente and dystroyed alle the contree / wherfore they beseche you ryght humbly, that ye com for to helpe and socoure theym yf it be your playsure / Or elles they are but deed / and vtterly dystroyed.'

And whan the emperour vnderstode thyse tydynges he bowed his [head] towarde the erthe, and beganne to thynke a lityll / And whan Rowlande sawe his vncle that mused thus in hym selfe / he sayd vnto hym / [Sire, F. orig.] 'Wherof be ye soo dysmayed / Gyve me some parte of your men, And I shall goo reyse the sege of Cologne' / And whan the emperour herde Rowlande speke soo, he was ryght gladde of it, and embraced and kyssed hym full swetly, and sayd to hym / 'Fayr nevew / blessyd be the hour that ever ye were borne / For I knowe for certeyn that ye shalle kepe me fro peyne and traveylle, and in you shall be my rest and my comforte / And I wylle that ye goc there' / And thenne he gaaff hym XV. thousande men of armes well horsed ⁴& well arrayed⁴ [^4—4 omitted, F. orig.] / And whan they were well appareylled / Rowlande lighted vpon his horse and sayd to his vncle ⁴the kyng⁴ [^4—4 omitted, F. orig.] / 'Syre, I commende you to god.' 'Fayr nevewe,' sayd Charlemagne, 'I have

taken to you my men in your kepynge / I praye you that ye wyll kepe theym well / and doo so moche that ye gete worshyp / and god be wyth you' [amen, F. orig. h. viii.] / 'sire,' sayd Rowlande, 'be not dysmayed, for at my retorn, ²yf it playse god,² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. h. viii.] ye shall knowe how that we have doo.' And whan he had sayd this worde / he toke leve of nis vncle / and wente on his waye wyth his folke / and they rode so longe by theyr Iourneys that they came to cologne all by nyghte / and put theyr busshement nyghe the oost / And as thei were nyghe the oost they met wyth certen sarrasins that cam [folio K.vi.a] agayn wyth a grete proye of oxen and shepe, and of men and of wymen that were theyr prysoners / And made theym suffre grete martyrdome /

Whan the frenshemen sawe theyr enmyes / They sayd in this maner / 'Lordes, our lorde hath sente vs hyther. Here ben the traytoures sarrasyns / ⁴that soo sore we have desired for to fyghte wyth theym⁴ [^4—4 que tant avons defirez, F. orig. I. i. back.] /Now shall it be seen what we shall doo to theym / Putte vs amonge theym / for atte this hour they shall be overthrowen' / Whan they hadde spoken ynoughe, they made none other taryenge / but spored their horses and ranne vpon the sarrasyns by grete streynghte, Soo that in a lityll while they had theym dyscomfyted soo sharpely, that they slewe theym all, And recovered all the prysoners and the bestes. ¶ And shortly to speke, Whan the ooste of the pagnymes horde the noyse of the frenshemen [incontinent, F. orig.] they moved theym selfe / and lighted vpon their horses / and vpon the frenshemen. And whan the frenshe men sawe theym come, they wente agayne to their busshemente aswell as they coude / [et les sarazins, F. orig. I. i. back.] And beganne to chasse theym.

Whan Rowlande sawe that it was tyme to set vppon / he yssued oute of his busshemente wyth his folke, and wente and smote vpon the sarrasyns so harde that he casted to the erthe a grete parte of theym. ¶ And to speke shortely, the bataylle beganne soo cruell and soo fell that it was [grant pitie, F. orig.] pyte to see / For ye sholde have seen soo many speres broken / and soo many sheeldes in two / and so many sarrasyns liynge deed on the grounde, soo that wyth peyne men myght go by fore the deed men that laye so thyck one vpon thoder / & Rowlande spored his horse wyth ye spores, & went & smote [moult cruellement, F. orig. I. i. back.] a sarrasin that was a kyng & the chyef of ye sarrasins oost, with so grete myght that he overthrew him to erthe, [folio K.vi.b] but he slewe hym not of that stroke / but taryed vpon hym, & gaaff to hym suche a stroke wyth his swerde vpon hys helme, ⁴that he made hym all a stonyed.⁴ [^4—4 quil luy fist chauceler les dens en la gorge, F. orig. I. i. back.] And whan Rowlande sawe hym so evyll arayed, he bowed hymselfe, and toke hym for his prysoner, and dyd set hym agen vpon his horse & brought hym wyth hym. and whan the sarrasins sawe their lorde taken, & sawe ye woundre of armes that Rowlande made, & of the frenshmen / they putte theymselfe to flighte full shamfully. And whan Rowlande sawe the sarrasins flee thus, he cryed wyth a highe voys / 'Lordes, goo after theym / for they flee all / and yf they scape vs / it shall be to vs a grete blame towarde myn vncle the kyng Charlemagne, and we shall beholden for cowardes / wherfore I praye you lete not one escape, for ye shall have theym lightly, sith that I holde in my handes theyr kyng' / Whan the frenshemen herde Rowlande speke thus, they sayd, 'free knyghte, be not dysmayed of no thynge / for we make noo doubte that none of theym shall scape, but

they shall be taken or slayn' / 'Lordes,' sayd thene the kynge sarrasin that Rowlande had taken, that had to name Escorfawde / 'They ben all myn / I praye you that ye kylle theym not, for they ben all ynoughe dyscomfyted / sith that ye have taken me, but gyve theym tryews. And have me to kyng Charlemagne, yf it playse you / And yf ye maye doo so moche that Charlemagne pardonne me the grete offence that I have doon to hym, I shall holde from hensforthe all my herytage of hym, and yet all my lignage shall be obeyssaunte vnto his wyll, & of this ye maye beleve me.' 'By my hede,' sayd rowlande / 'ye speke curtoysly' / '& by my feyth,' sayd Naymes, 'Escorfawde sayth well, & we shall do so' / they gaaf tryews to ye sarasins, & toke their way agen to charlemagn, & brought escorfaude wyth them, & so longe thei rode that they cam to paris / and [folio K.vii.a] whan the kynge Charlemagne knewe that his nevewe Rowlande was come agayne to Parys, and that he had dyscomfyted the sarrasins, and broughte prysoner wyth hym kynge Escorfawde, he was ryght gladde of it / And anone he mounted on horsbacke, and came agenste his nevewe Rowlande / And whan Rowlande sawe hym, he lighted doun from his horse / and wente & caste hym selfe to the feete of kyng Charlemagne ²his vncle.² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig.] And anone he made hym to ryse vp / and kyssed hym swetly / And thenne Roulande sayd to hym, 'Syre, here I deliver vnto you the kynge Escorfawde that we have taken. He hathe tolde vs that he shall make hym selfe a crysten man / And that he and his lygnage shall holde theyr londes of you / yf ye wyll pardonne hym youre ylle wylle' / 'Nevewe,' sayd the kynge Charlemagne, 'there ys noo truste in hym / And therfore I wyll kepe me from hym.' Thenne commaunded the emperour that / Escorfawde sholde be broughte to pryson / and he sholde be well

kepte, And that he sholde have all his wyll of mete and drynke / And after, whan Escorfawde was put in pryson / The kynge Charlemagne dyde calle to hym the duke Naymes, and sayd to hym, 'What thynke you by my nevew Rowlande? What dyde he whan the batayll was assembled' / 'Syre,' sayd the duke Naymes, 'of Rowlande nedeth not to speke. For ever / sith that god was borne of the vyrgyne Marye, suche a knyghte was not seen / For he alone hathe overcomen the sarrasines [et desconfits par sa prouesse, F. orig. I. ii. back.] by his grete prowes / And yf he hadde a horse that myght bere hym whan he were armed / I swere by my feyth that ye sholde never have enmye / but that he sholde brynge hym to your mercy by force of armes / ²Soo moche he is prue and valyaunte.'² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. I. ii. back.] The kynge Charlemagne sware by his hede that he was ryght gladde therof / 'But tell me,' sayd he to [folio K.vii.b] the duke Naymes / 'where myght men fynde suche a good horse as ye speke of' / 'Syre,' sayd the duke, 'yf ye wyll beleve me / I shall gyve you goode counseyll / Make to be cryed wyth a trompette vpon Mounte martyr, that ye wyll see renne all the horses of your ooste. And he that shall renne beste, shall wynne your crowne of golde, And fyve hundred marke of fyne silver, and a hundred rolles of silke / And all thus ye shall mowe know the beste horse of your royame / And whan ye shall have seen hym / bye hym / & gyve hym to your nevew Rowlande / And after, gyve leve to all your barons vnto the feste of saynt Iohn the baptyste nexte comynge' / 'Duk Naymes,' sayd the emperour Charlemagne, 'ye gyve me goode counseyll / And I shall do thus as ye have devysed.' Thenne the kynge made to be cryed vpon Mounte marter evyn thus as duk Naymes had devysed / And dyde make the lystes for the horses to renne in / And whan this was doon, he

made his crowne to be set atte the ende of the listes / and also the fyve hundred marke of sylver, and the hundred rolles of sylke / And this hangynge, a yoman wente to his countrey in gascoyn / and as he passed thrughe Montalban, he recounted to Reynawde & to Mawgys all the thynge that men wolde doo at Parys, And how Rowlande was come to the courte / And how he had dyscomfyted Escorfawde the kyng sarrasin, and how ye kyng Charlemagn wolde have the best horse of all his royame for to gyve hym to Rowlande, and shewed the sayd yoman the pryce that the kyng had set. And also how the emperour Charlemagne gadred his ooste for to come to mountalban, And how the course of the horses sholde be made atte saynt Iohns tyme nexte comynge.

[folio K.viii.a] Thenne whan reynawde vnderstode thys worde, he began to laugh, & after sayd to maugis, 'cosin, by all hallowes of god, Charlemagn ne shall see the beste torne of the worlde, but he shall not knowe that I shall have hys crowne. For I wyll go there vpon Bayarde, to see how he shall prove hym selfe atte thys tyme' / 'Syre,' sayd Mawgys, 'ye shall not doo so yet; but yf ye wyll goo there, suffre that I bere you company / soo shall you be more sure / and have with vs knyghtes well armed.' 'Gladly,' sayd Reynawde, 'syth that ye wyll soo.' Whan it was tyme for to meve towarde Parys / Reynawde called to hym Alarde, Guycharde, and Rycharde ²his bretherne,² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. I. ii.] and ²Mawgys² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. I. ii.] his cosyn, and sayd vnto theym / 'It is tyme that we goo to Parys / Take knyghtes chosen, and putte our selfe in the waye.' 'Syre,' sayd his bretherne, 'your commaundemente shall be doon' / And whan they were all appareylled / Reynawde came to his wyff, and sayd to her, 'Lady, I praye you that ye doo kepe well my castell / and I shall come soone agen' / 'Syre,' sayd

she, 'commaunde knyghtes that they ben not oute of the waye / & I promyse you, yf the kynge Yon my broder cam hym selfe, he sholde not come inne / nor none other, vnto the tyme that ye be come agen / Now goo god be wyth you' / Thenne toke Reynawde leve of hys wyff / and sette hym selfe towarde the waye, & his folke, and went to Parys. And whan they were come to Orleaunce, and hadde passed the ryver of Loyre, men asked theym of whens they were. And Mawgys, that spake for theym all, answered, 'Lordes, we ben Bournoys, that go to Parys for to assaye our horses for to wynne the pryce that the kyng hath set vpon, yf god wyll so consente.' Thenne by fayre wordes they passed forth, & so longe they rode that thei came to Melym but they entred not wythin the towne, but [folio K.viii.b] lodged theymself in a grete valey, and there they soiourned theym selfe & theyr horses foure dayes.

Thenne whan cam the evyn of saynt Iohn, Reynawd called Mawgis, & sayd to hym, 'What shall we doo? to morowe shall be the courses of the horses / wherfore I saye that it is covenable that we goo lye to nyghte at Parys' / 'Cosin,' sayd / Mawgys, 'ye saye well ²and wysely.² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. I. iii. back.] Now lete me doo a lityll & playse you.' Thenne toke Mawgis an herbe, & stamped it vpon a stone wyth the pomell of his swerde / and tempered it wyth water, and rubbed bayarde therwyth, soo that anone he becam all white, in suche wyse that they that had seen hym before, knewe hym not / and after he enoynted Reynawde wyth an noyntement that he bare alwayes wyth hym, & incontynent he becam to the age of [quinze ans, F. orig. I. iii. back.] XX. yeres / And whan he had thus atorned Reynawde and his horse / he toke hym, & broughte hym afore ⁴his brethern and afore the other knyghtes,⁴ [^4—4 les aultres cheualliers freres de Regnault, F. orig. I. iii. back.] &

sayd to theym / 'Lordes, telle me how thynke you; have I not well transfygured hym / shall not they maye com agen and not be knowen? Beholde bayarde, how he is wexen whyte, he shall lese the pryce for age.'

Thenne whan the barons sawe reynawde & bayarde so torned / they began to laughe, & were gretly merveylled how Mawgys had thus dysfygured theym / Whan Mawgys had transfygured reynawde & bayarde, and hymselfe also, Reynawde mounted vpon bayarde, & mawgys vpon morell, and toke leve of their folke / But reynawde atte his departyng sayd to his bretherne / 'have no feere for me, For I shall not be knowen, yf god wyll' / ¹Thenne wente Reynawde on his waye; and his folke wepte for hym,¹ [^1—1 Lors se mist a la wye tout en plourant et ses gens plourient aussi, F. orig. I. iii. back.] for Reynawd wente in such a place where he had many enmyes / For yf Charlemagne had come take hym, all the golde of the worlde had [folio L.i.a] not saved hym / but he sholde have caused hym to be hanged / And whan they departed, Alarde sayd to Mawgys / 'I praye you for god that ye have my broder Reynawde for recomended / for yf it were not for the truste that I have to you, I sholde not suffre that he sholde goo to Parys, for all the golde of spayne.' And thenne Reynawde and mawgys wente on theyr way. Now shall I leve a lityll to speke of theym, And shall retorne to the kyng Charlemayn, that was at Parys wyth his folke.

Charlemagne sawe his barons that were all com / and thenne he called the duke Naymes, Ogyer the dane, and Foulques of moryllon, and sayd to theym / 'Lordes, I praye you that ye take an hundred knyghtes well armed, & goo towarde the waye of Orleauns / and beware that none goo by, but that ye knowe theyr names, & that they ben well advysed / for

I doubte me sore of Reynawde that he shall come / ¹for he weneth well hymselfe to be over subtyll¹ [^1—1 Car vous scaues bien comment il est oultrecuideux, F. orig. I. iii.] / and yf it cam in his hede, he sholde come soone hytherwarde' / 'Syre,' sayd the barons, 'we shall doo gladly your commaundemente; & yf reynawde be soo folisshe that he come hitherwarde, he shall not scape vs / but he shall be deed or taken, & broughte a fore you' / And thenne they toke leve of kynge Charlemagne, & wente to make theym redy in theyr horses / and after mounted on horse backe wyth an hundred knyghtes well armed, and rode the waye towarde Orleaunce / and arrested them selfe in the myddes of the waye, foure myles oute of Parys; and there they were a longe while that noo body passed by, and endured grete hungre and thurste. And whan the duke Naymes sawe that they were there for noughte, he sayd to Ogyer, 'Syre ogyer, by my feyth the kyng Charlemagn maketh vs lyke fooles / and holdeth vs for nyce & musardes, [folio L.i.b] that he maketh vs to tari here aboute noughte.' 'Syre,' sayd Ogier, 'ye saye trouth / And god confounde me yf I tary ony lenger' / And whan they wolde have comyn agayn aback, the duke Naymes ³sawe com a ferre³ [^3—3 regarde au long chemin et vit venir Reynault, F. orig. I. iii.] Reynawde and Mawgys / Thenne sayd Naymes to Foulques of moryllon / 'yonder I see comyng two men on horsbacke.' And whan Foulques sawe theym / he cryed wyth a highe voys / 'by my feyth, here cometh reynaude / Now can he not scape by no maner / but he shall be hanged' / 'By my feyth,' sayd the duke naymes, 'ye saye trouth / For the horse that cometh afore is moche like Bayarde, the horse of Reynawde, yf he were of a nother colour' / Whan foulques vnderstode thise wordes, he sette hande to his swerde, and cam agenste Reynawde ryght nere;

and whan he was well nyghe theym / he behelde theym / And whan he sawe that it was not Reynaude, he was all abasshed, & drewe hym selfe abacke. And Reynawde and Mawgys rode forthe their wayes. And whan the duke Naymes sawe that they cam forth / he wente agenste theym, and called Mawgis, and sayd to hym, 'What ben ye / and whether goo ye?' 'Sire,' sayd Mawgys, 'I am borne of Peron / & my name is Iousser.' 'Frende,' sayd the duke naymes, 'can not ye telle me noothyng of reynawde the sone of Aymon, the worthy knyghte?' 'Ye,' sayd Mawgys, 'by my feyth / he hath ryden wyth vs two dayes, and he is not passed two myles behynde vs' / At that howr Reynawde spake not / thenne sayd naymes, 'what is he that is wyth you, that holdeth hym soo styll, and that sayth no worde / I beleve that he hath some evyll thoughte' / 'sire,' sayd Mawgis, 'it is my sone / and he can not speke no frenshe / For he hath be norisshed in the grete Bretayn' / Whan the duke naymes vnderstode this / he sayd to Reynawde / 'tell me, vassall, knowest thou noo tidynges of Reynawde, the sone [folio L.ii.a] of Aymon?' and Reynawde answered to hym in this wyse: ²'By my feyth, noo poynte frenshe, graunt Bretayne horse, a Parys cloyth ganera my.'² [^2—2 ymy seay poin francoys en bretant, parler cheval a paris, couronne roy non draps horniz gaigner my, F. orig. I. iv. back.] And contrefaytted thus his langage / by cause the duke Naymes sholde not knowe hym.

Thenne whan the duke Naymes herde Reynawde speke thus evyll / he began to laughe / And after sayd to hym agayn / 'a hundred devylles have well taught the to speke so good frenshe. [Sire, F. orig. I. iv. back.] Vassayll, I wote not what you sayste, thou arte more like a foole than a bysshop.' And soo naymes lete hym in peas / And

thenne Reynawde and Mawgys rode so longe that they cam to Parys, ¹tyme ynoughe for to doo their enterpryse¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] / And atte the entre of the towne / they mette wyth an evyll rybawde / to whom god gyve yll adventure, For he knewe Reynawde / ¹And as sone as he sawe hym,¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] he beganne to crye wyth a highe voys, 'here come Reynawde ye sone of Aymon.' Whan the folke vnderstode the crye / they wente that waye. And whan the yll [omitted, F. orig.] rybawde sawe com so many folke / he was yet more hardy than he was afore, and wente afore the other / and toke Reynawde by the brydell of Bayarde / And whan Bayarde sawe that / he lifted his forfote and smote the Rybawde vpon the breste / that he braste the herte in hys bely / and casted hym all deed to the erth / And whan the peple sawe the stroke / they beganne all to laughe / And Bayarde wente forthe, and Mawgys, after that they were not knowen, And passed thoroughe the towne to the olde market / And whan they were comen there afore the lodges / they founde all the Innes full / wherof reynawde was merveylled. And soo they lighted att a cordueners house / that was of the devylles syde / For by hym was almoste Reynawde and Mawgys taken / and delyvered to Charlemagne, that hys bretherne sholde not have [folio L.ii.b] holpen hym of noo thynge. Whan they were lighted and lodged where it is sayd / And that theyr horses were well dressed, Mawgys dyde doo make a bedde for Reynawde, and toke a threde of sylke / and cered it well, and came to bayarde, and bounde hym the mowes of the feete there wyth all well streyghte. And the ooste behelde well this / and after sayd to hym / 'Why have you thus bounde this horse / he shall not conne well goo / But telle me, what knyghte is he that oweth the horse / For yf he hadde of age more than he hath I sholde wene to knowe hym / For he is moche like

Reynawd the sone of Aymon.' 'Syre,' sayd Mawgys, 'I have bounde this horse thus by cause he wyll fyghte / and the yoman that rydeth vpon hym is my sone / Nowe have I telled you that that ye have asked me.' 'Certes,' answered the ooste, 'your sone is a fayre felawe / but I / beleve ye mocke me.' ¶ Now here a grete mysadventure that happed to Reynawde & to mawgys. For thus as mawgys spake wyth his ooste, he named reynawde. 'Ha, syre,' sayd thenne the ooste, 'Ye have sayd ynoughe / ye nede not for to hyde it ony more. It ys Reynawde, wythoute ony doubte, that slewe Berthelot, the nevewe of the kynge, wyth a chesse borde / I shall telle it to the kynge afore that I slepe.'

And whan Reynawde vnderstode this / he shooke alle for angre, And rose from his place, and toke his swerde, and sayd, 'Hooste, ye have myssayed, For I never sawe Reynawde / nor I wote not what he is' / 'Holde your peas,' sayd the ooste, 'I knowe you well / By my hede, ye are Reynawde the sone of Aymon' / And whan he hadde sayd thyse wordes, he wente oute of his howse / And whan Reynawde sawe that / he wente a goode paas after hys oost, And smote hym soo grete a stroke wyth his swerde vppon his [folio L.iii.a] hede, that he clove hym vnto the teeth. And whan mawgys sawe this, he was right sory for it / and sayd to Reynawde / 'What have you doon / have you loste your wytte? ²but yf god thynke vppon vs,² [^2—2si dieu ne pence de nous, F. orig. I. iv.] we ben loste and ashamed.' 'I can not doo therto,' sayd Reynawde / 'But how somever it gooth, he hath his rewarde.' And thenne mawgys cam forthwyth to the stable, and sadled Bayarde, And made Reynawde to mounte vpon hym / And after hymselfe lighted vppon morell / and wente oute of the lodges. And whan the wyffe and the

chyldren of the ooste sawe thys that Reynawde hadde doon / they beganne to crye. But Reynawde and mawgys were soone oute of theyr waye, soo that none wyste where that they were become / And wente and put theymselfe amonge the other in the preesse / and they were never knowen. But bayarde wente haltynge / and wente to the gate of saynte Martyne / and there they bode all the nyghte. And whan it was daye, they wente wyth the other to the chirche, where the kynge herde hys [omitted, F. orig. I. v. back.] masse. And whan the servyse was doon, the kynge came oute of the chirche / and mounted vpon his horse / and all the other barons wyth hym, and came vppon the ryver of Sayne in to the medowe. And Reynawde & Mawgys wente wyth theym / but bayarde wente ryghte sore haltynge. And whan the kynge was come there / he commaunded that his crowne sholde be sette atte the ende of the lystes, And the fyve hundred marke of sylver, And also the C clothes of sylke / And incontynente the duke Naymes and Ogyer dyde as the kynge hadde commaunded. And whan all was appareylled / Thenne sholde ye have seen knyghtes lepe a horse backe, For every man trowed to have goten the pryce. And the kynge commaunded to the duke Naymes and Oger, to Guydelon of [folio L.iii.b] Bourgogne, and to Rycharde of Normandy, that they sholde take a hundred knyghtes well armed, and that they sholde kepe well the feest, that noo noyse nor noo stryffe were there made / and that none sholde wronge thother / And they dyde his commaundemente. And thenne the knyghtes that sholde renne, beganne to beholde Reynawde, that was mounted vpon haltynge Bayarde [qui clochoit si fort comme je vous ay compte, F. orig. I. v. back.] / And soo they began to laugh and scorne wyth hym, And sayd ¹in Iape¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. I. v. back.] the

one to the other / 'this felawe shall wynne the pryce And the crowne of golde' / and sayd, 'beware that his fote smyte you not.' and the other sayd, 'he shall wynne the devylle' / And a nother knyghte sayd to Reynawde / 'ye have well doon, swete knyghte, for to have broughte your [bon cheval, F. orig. I. v. back.] horse here / And yf god destyneth hym, he shall wynne the pryse this daye' / Reynawde vnderstode full well the grete wordes that men sayd to him, wherof his herte swelled hyghe / that yf it had not be for doute to have loste the pryce / he wolde have begonne the stryffe. And therfore he held his peas / and made nother noyse nor worde agenste it [Car il ne luy chaloit de tout ce que ilz luy disoient, F. orig. I. v. back.] /

Thenne whan themperour vnderstode ye grete wordes that the knyghtes sayd to Reynawde / he was wroth for it, And he sayd soo hyghe that it was well herde of all, 'I commaunde you, vpon peyne of my grace, that ye saye noo shame nor yll worde to noo maner of knyghte; For yf ye doo, ye shall angre me sore.' But Reynawde cared not moche of that it was sayd to hym / Whan the duke Naymes and ogier sawe that it was tyme for to renne / they made to sowne the trompettes. Thenne every man putted hymselfe for to renne / And whan Mawgys sawe that every man ranne, he lyghted on foote, and vnbounde the foote of Bayarde. But or ever he was vnbounde / the other were well ferre; [folio L.iv.a] and whan Reynawde sawe that it was tyme for to renne after thother, he spored his horse / and sayd, 'Bayarde / we ben ferre behynde, ye myghte well abyde / For yf ye be not soone afore ye shall be blamed.' whan bayarde herde ⁴his mayster⁴ [^4—4 Reynault, F. orig. I. v.] speke thus, he vnderstode hym as well as thoughe he had ben a man / Thenne he grylled his nostrelles, and bare his

hede vp, and made a longe necke / and toke his cours so faste that it semed the erthe sholde have sonken vnder hym / and wythin a whyle he was passed all the other horses ¹a ferre way,¹ [^1—1 si grandement, F. orig. I. v.] so that men coude not see hym for duste that he reysed. And whan they that toke hede to the courses, sawe Bayarde renne thus, they were gretly abasshed wyth all, and sayd the one to thother, 'beholde that whyte horse ²renneth faste & lighte² [^2—2 Il va roidement, F. orig. I. v.] / and but late he halted sore / he is the best of all thother that ben here' /

And whan themperour sawe this / he called to hym Rycharde of Normandy / and sayd to hym, 'sawe ye ever so many good horses togyder as here ben now? but the whyte passeth theym all / god, how is he well lik bayarde, the horse of Reynawde / yf he had the heres of bayarde / I sholde saye that it were he hymself, and he that sitteth vpon hym is also lighte & prue.'

¶ Thus wyte it, that Reynawde hath doo soo moche that bayarde hath overronne all thother horses. And whan he was at the ende of the listes / he toke the crowne & put it on his arme / and the silver & the clothe he lefte alone / for he dayned not to take theym. And whan he had taken ye crowne, he retorned agen towarde the kyng Charlemagne ³al fayra and softe paas³ [^3—3 tout le beau petit pas, F. orig. i. v.] / whan the kyng sawe hym com towarde hym / he sayd to hym all laughyng, 'Frende, abyde a litil I praye you / for yf ye wyll have my crowne, ye shall have it; & I shall gyve you for your horse so gret havoyr that ye shall never be poure.' 'By god,' sayd Reynawde, 'thise wordes shall [folio L.iv.b] nought avaylle you; now have I well begyled you / for I go doo marchandyse elles where, & I holde you for a chylde / I have soo often

angred you, & of your men I have so many slayn / I am Reynawd, that bereth awaye your crowne! seke elles where for a nother horse that ye shall gyve to Rowlande for to overcom bayarde / for ye shall not have bayarde nor also your crowne' / And assone that he had sayd this / he spored bayarde wyth his spores, & went so fast away that it semed that the tempest had chassed hym / And whan ye kyng charlemayn vnderstode this that reynawde had sayd to hym, he was wode angry for it, that he wyste not ¹what he sholde doo, so that he myght not of a grete while speke a worde¹ [^1—1 quil devoit faire dung grant piesse, F. orig. I. vi. back.] / And whan he had recovered his speche, he began to crye wyth a highe voys / 'now after, lordes, after / for it is my enmye reynawde, the sone of aymon' [ung fier et dur couraige, F. orig. I. vi. back.] / And whan the knyghtes herde thus crie the kyng charlemayn, they spored their horses wyth the spores, & wente after reynawde; but theyr goynge avaylled theym noughte, For baiarde was ferre from theym wythin a while, soo that they wyste not where he was becom. and reynawde cam to sayn, & passed over it all atte his ease wyth swymmynge / for bayarde was well wonte therto / and also he had passed it afore wyth more grete hast / & whan reynawd ³was thus passed the ryver of sayne / he lighted from bayarde at the banke of hit.³ [^3—3 fut oultre, il ce descend a la rive, F. orig. I. vi. back.] This hangyng, ⁴the kyng Charlemagn & his knyghtes that folowed after hym came to the ryver side⁴ [^4—4 Charlemaigne arriva de lautre quartier qui luy couroit apres, F. orig. I. vi. back.] / and began to calle Reynaude, & sayd to hym, ⁵'Ha, true manson,⁵ [^5—5 a filz de proudomme, F. orig. I. vi. back.] yelde me my crowne agen, & I shall gyve the ten tymes as moche as it is worthe / and I shall gyve the tryews two yeres / soo that thiself & thy brethern shall mow goo in arde / yn to se your moder / the whiche desireth sore to see

you / and there is no knyghte in my londe [si hardi, F. orig.] that shall saye contrary to [folio L.v.a] it.' 'by god,' said reynawde, 'as for thyse wordes avaylle you nothyng / for ye shall never have agen your crowne. I shall selle it, & pay my knightes wyth all / and the charboncle that thus shineth shall be set hie vpon my pavyllion, to thende that they that shall go to saynt Iames in Galis maye see it the better / and ye shall be blamed of your knyghtes that ye have loste your crowne bi the horse bayarde.' Whan charlemayn herde hym speke thus, he wyste not what he sholde saye for angre, and kept hymself styll like as he had ben deed. and whan reinawd had sayd so, he mounted agen vpon bayarde, & put hym selfe to the waye, but not the right waye / but rode thrughe a lityll pathe whiche he had passed afore tyme /

Now shall I telle you of mawgys, how he dyde for to com out of Parys, that was mounted vpon his horse morell. Whan he wyst that reynawde was passed sayn / he yssued out of Parys, ³& passed the ryver over the brydge³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig. I. vi.] as soone as he myght. and whan he was without / ⁴he began to loke after reynawde; & as he rode, he loked a traverse, & sawe Reynawde /⁴ [^4—4 Il commenca a crier. Et aussi comme il sen aloit, il regarda a travers et vit Reynault venir, F. orig. I. vi.] so called he after hym as hie as he coude / 'cosin, thynke to ryde fast, for to tary here no good shall com to vs' / 'Cosyn,' sayd Reynawde, 'ye saye well, & we shall doo so' / And so they toke their waye towarde myllon / and whan alarde saw his broder com & mawgis, he sayd to his folke, 'Lordes, we maye well com oute of our bushement / For I see com my brother Reynawde & Mawgys.' 'alas,' sayd Rycharde, 'I see theym com wyth grete hast; I fere me moche that men chace theym / now lighte we all on horsbacke,

& yf they have mystre of vs, Lete vs goo helpe & socoure theym' / And they answered all, 'we ben all redy' / and whan they came out of their [kushemente in Caxton.] bushemente, there cam Reynawde and Mawgys, that sayd to theym / [folio L.v.b] 'lordes, thynke to make hast / For the longe taryeng myght doo to vs harme, by cause that I bryng wyth me the crowne ³of Charlemagne,³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig. I. vi.] the whiche bayarde hath made me wynne by his prowes.' and whan alarde vnderstode his brother speke thus, he was so gretly in ioye that he wyste not what he sholde say, but colled & kyssed his broder Reynawde wyth grete ioye. And thenne incontynente they put theymselfe to the waye / & so long thei rode that they cam to orleaunce, & passed the ryver of loyre wyth all diligence / and after they made so moche bi their iorneys, that they cam to montalban ³hole & glad, thanked be god³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig. I. vi.] /

Thenne whan they were at Mountalban, the lady came theym agenste, & receyved theim ryght gladly / and made theym ryght grete chere / and all the folke of the castell were right glad of the comynge of Reynawde & of his bretherne / and asked hym how he had doon in his vyage. [pour quoy il estoit ale a paris, F. orig. I. vii. back.] 'Lordes,' sayd Reynawde, 'well, god gramercy, I was knowen of myn oost, the whiche wolde have betrayed & acused me, but I solde it to hym full dere, for I cloof his hede to the teeth / & went oute of his hous by nyght, & put vs in the presse of thother; but ye wyst never folke so well scorned as we were / for ye folke of charlemagne mocked me & bayarde, wherof ye kyng was angry / and thus they lefte me in peas. And whan ⁵the trompettes⁵ [^5—5 la trompecte, F. orig.] began to blowe for to begynne the cours / they that shold ronne, departed incontynent, and I bode behynde well the shotte of a bowe. And I tell you well for

certeyn, there were well twenty thowsande horses. And whan I sawe me behynde / I sayd to Bayarde that it sholde be grete shame to hym yf he abode behynde. But, god gramercy, and bayarde, I over ranne theim all, And bare awaye the pryce / [folio L.vi.a] and of it I have broughte wyth me the crowne of Charlemagne, wherof he ys full sori' / whan they of mountalban vnderstode thise wordes, they were right glad / But here I leve to speke of reynawd & of his brethern, & retorne to speke of the kyng charlemagn, that was at parys, right sori for his crowne that he hadde loste.

CHAPTER VIII.

¶ How the kyng Charlemagne went in to Gascoyn with [tout son ost, F. orig. I. vii. back.] his oost / And how he beseged reynawde & his brethern wythin ye castle of Montalban. And how reynawde wan the fyrst batayll of the kyng, the whiche Rowlande conduytted, & Olyver & the bysshop Turpyn. [dont le roy Charlemaigne cuida enraiger tout vif de honte quil en eust, F. orig. I. vii. back.]

¶ Capitulum viij.

In this party sheweth the history, that whan reynawde [le filz aymon, F. orig.] had wonne the crowne of kyng charlemagne, the kyng abode all wrothe & sore an angred / and he called all his barons, & sayd to theym / 'Lordes, I praye you that ye counseille me how I shall [be able.] maye avenge me of reynawde the sone of Aymon / For ye knowe how he hath angred me / I promyse you, but that I maye have my crowne agen, I shall wexe madde all quycke; for my corage telleth me that he shall do breke it, & he shall put the carboncle that is theron

vpon his pavyllion / by cause the folke that goo to saynt Iames shall see it, ¹to my grete vitupere & shame.'¹ [^1—1 et quil me soit reproche de tous ceulx qui la verront, F. orig. I. vii.] 'Syr,' sayd rowlande, 'if ye wyll avenge you well of reynawd / goo we vpon hym and we shall exyle & distroye hym & his londe, and if the kyng Yon of Gascoyn maye be taken soo make iustyce of hym in suche wyse that it maye be remembred perpetuelly' / 'Nevew,' sayd the kyng, 'ye saye well and wysely, & it shall be doon as ye have advysed me / & I promyse you that I shall never have ioye tyl that I be avenged at my wyll.' 'Sir,' sayd ye duke naymes, 'leve this angre in peas / ye know how reynawd is your enmye, & prayseth you no thing / but & ye wyll, I shall gyve [folio L.vi.b] you suche counseill that reynawde shall be brought to dystruccion, & his brethern & mawgys also / syr, doo that your barons be redy atte candelmas nexte comynge / and that every one of theym make good provysion of vitaylle for vij yere / and thenne abyde so longe afore Montalban tyll that ye take them / and after, ye shall avenge your selfe at your wyll vpon theym' /

Thenne whan the kyng Charlemagn vnderstode the good counseyll that the duke Naymes had gyven vnto hym / he lifte vp his hede & sayd, 'Naymes, it is not the fyrste good counseyll that ye have gyven to me / and I wyll that it be doon as ye saye.' And thenne the kyng Charlemagne dyd doo make his lettres, and sent theym thrughe all his empyre. In the whiche lettres was conteyned, that every man that was acustomed to bere armes ³and to goo to the werre,³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig. I. vii.] sholde come to hym at the feest of candelmas nexte folowyng, well garnysshed of vytaylle for the space of VII yeres, for to abyde att sege afore Montalban / whan the barons knewe the kynges wyll / every man

made hymself redy as well as he cowde, & cam to Parys, and presented theim to kyng Charlemagne & to his nevewe Rowlande. and bycause of the grete nombre of folke that were come there / they myght not lodge alle wythin Parys / but they lodged wythoute the towne, vpon the ryver of Sayne / Whan the kyng sawe that all his barons were com / he made theym all to com byfore hym, & sayd to theym / 'Lordes, ye all know right wel, at the leste the most party of you / how I have overcom & subdued xl kynges ¹in my dayes¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. I. vii.] / the whiche are all to me obeyssaunt / except the kyng Yon of gascoyn, that hath wythdrawe in his londe my enmyes mortall, that ben the foure sones of aymon. ye knowe wel ye grete dishonour [et dommaige, F. orig.] thei have doon to me / [tous les jours dont a vous me complains, F. orig. I. viii. back.] wherof I me complayne vnto you, & praye you & commaunde you, that ye come wyth me in to [folio L.vii.a] gascoyn, for to helpe me that I be avenged of the grete harme & shame ⁵that thyse foure sones of Aymon doo to me /⁵ [^5—5 le quel est moult grant, F. orig. I. viii. back.] For by your ooth / ye ben all beholden therunto.'

Thenne sayd the erle of Nantuell / 'Syre, we shall not goo there at this tyme. [car nous ne pouvons, F. orig. I. viii. back.] Ye knowe well that we ben come oute of Spayne but late / wherof we ben yet all wery. And also in this felawship ben many prynces and barons that have not ben yet in theyr countrey, nor seen theyr wyves and chyldren, and ye wyll that we goo in to Gascoyne vpon the kyng Yon / and vpon the foure sones of Aymon. And I telle you, that the two woundes that I receyved in Spayne ben not yet hoole / and therfore we maye not goo ⁷in to Gascoyne at thys tyme⁷ [^7—7 omitted, F. orig. I. viii. back.] / But ⁷yf it playse you,⁷ [^7—7 omitted, F. orig. I. viii. back.] ye shall doo as a good kynge and a sage / and shall shewe that

ye love your folke / For ye oughte to kepe theym as your selfe / Wythdrawe your ooste vnto whytsontyde nexte comyng / & gyve leve to alle your barons to goo to theyr places for to rest theym a while. And whan the tyme shall be come, ¹and that your playsure is to calle theym / They shall be all freshe and redy to fulfyll your commaundement wyth all dilygence.'¹ [^1—1 Ilz vendront de bon gre et de bon vouloir pour aler en Gascongne auecques vous ou la ou vous les voulores mener, F. orig. I. viii. back.] Whan the kyng vnderstode thyse wordes he was wroth, and sware by saynte Denys of Fraunce / saynge in this maner: 'Yf I sholde be dysheryted, I sholde goo now in to Gascoyne / and I shall take wyth me alle the yonge folke of my ooste, the whyche I shall putte in good arraye honestly / and I shall gyve theym all that they shall nede / thoughe ye shold abyde behynde, as weke men and feynte.' 'Syre,' sayd the duke Naymes, 'ye saye well; For this yonge men shall be ryghte glad for to assaye themselfe.' 'Therfore wyll I do it,' sayd kynge charlemagn, '& so shall ye kyng Yon be distroyed; & whan I shall have reynawde & his bretherne / and Mawgys the [folio L.vii.b] theff taken, I shall departe the londe of gascoyn to this yonge knyghtes for theyr herytage.' This hangynge, that the kynge Charlemagne sayd thyse wordes / a spye that longed to Reynawde was in this companye, that vnderstode alle that sayd ys / And whan the spye hadde herde all togyder well, he put hym selfe to the waye, And dyde soo moche by his Iourneys, that he came to Mountalban, where he founde Reynaude, his bretherne, and Mawgys / And Incontynente that Reynawde sawe hym / he demaunded of hym, 'what tydynges brynge you from Parys and from the courte of kynge Charlemagne' / 'My lorde,' sayd the spye / 'Wyte it that kynge Charlemagne is gretely wrothe wyth kynge

Yon, and agenste you / & agenst your bretherne / and agenst mawgys / He hath sent for all his subjectes in his empyre / but none wolde have comen wyth hym ¹in to Gascoyn¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. I. viii.] / And thenne he sware ¹seynte Denys that he sholde come in to thyse partyes¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. I. viii.] / and sholde brynge wyth hym none other but all yonge knyghtes / To the whyche he shall gyve all Gascoyn / And sayth that he shall besege Mountalban / and shalle doo to be caste doun the grete towre / and shall sette all Gascoyn in a fyre and flamme.' Thenne [He Dieu, F. orig.] sayd Reynawde to his folke / 'be not discoraged of no thynge, For I shall see how Rowlande and Olyvere shall bere theym selfe agenste me and my bretherne.' And thenne wente Reynawde in to the halle / And founde his bretherne and Mawgys wyth hys knyghtes, and sayd to theym / 'Lordes, I brynge you tydynges / Now wyte that the kynge Charlemagn cometh to besege vs / and bryngeth wyth hym all the puyssaunce of fraunce / Now lete vs thynke to receyve hym well / for he shall have more to do than he weneth' / 'broder,' sayd alarde, 'have no doubte / for they shall be well receyved / for as long that we shall [folio L.viii.a] lyve, and shall see you ryde vpon Bayarde, we shall not faylle you / nor we shall not be a ferde to be take / nor ylle handled; For no man a lyve is worthe you / nother of goodnes nor of prowes' /

This hangynge, Charlemagne was advysed and thoughte vpon the counseyll that the duke of Nantuell hadde gyven to hym / And after, he called hys folke, & sayd to theym, 'Lordes, I gyve you leve, and lete you wyte that atte Ester I shall holde my counseyll generall / ¹and it playse god¹ / Now kepe that ye faylle not to come thenne, well appareylled and redy. For I wolde not leve for noo thynge / but that I sholde goo see the kynge Yon. And yf he yelde me

not the foure sones of Aymon / I shall doo to hym wythoute doubte soo moche shame, that I shall make his berde to be cutte harde by the chynne. And also I shall take the crowne ¹of Gascoyn¹ [^1—1 de son chief, F. orig. K. i. back.] from hys hede / and I shall make hym come a foote after me, beggynge his brede.' And whan he had sayd thyse wordes / The barons toke leve of Charlemagne / and wente in to theyr countreys / But atte theyr departynge / Charlemagne sayd to theym / 'Lordes, remembre well your selfe, that ye come atte the terme that I have sette / For I swere vnto you, that thoos that shall not come / yf I ever come agen from Gascoyn, ²they shall repente full sore.'² [^2—2 Il ne sera jamais jour quilz ne se plaignent de ma venue, F. orig. K. i. back.] Shortly to speke, Rycharde wente in to hys duchye of normandy, Salamon in to bretayn / Godfroy in to auynon, Hughe the olde & Dyssers in to spayne, and Bertons in to almayn / And all the other, everyche in to hys owne countrey /

Whan it was tyme for to come agen to the courte at ye terme that charlemagne had set / every man made hymself redy as well as he coude / for to com to ye court, as thei were expressely charged they sholde doo / First came there Ry [Two pages lost from Caxton. The following part is taken from the 1554 edition of The Foure Sonnes of Aymon.] [charde of Normandye, and brought wyth hym manye a noble knyght, and presented hym selfe to fore the kynge Charlemagne, evyn at saynt Denys. After, came Salamon of Bretayne, and brought with him of hys barons a fayre companye, and presented hymselfe to the kynge at saynt Denys. After, came Dyssyers of Spayne, which brought with him well X thousand knightes wel armed and well garnysshed of vytayles, For in all the hoste ⁴of Charlemagne⁴ [^4—4 omitted, F. orig. K. i. back.] was none so well arayed as they were of all

[thynges, And presented him self in this maner at saynt Denys vnto the kynge Charlemagne. Than came Godfray the erle of Avynyon, and brought with him all his power, and a fayre company, and foyson of vytayle, And presented hym and hys folke to the king Charlemagne. And after, came Ponthus out of Almayne, & brought wyth hym a fayre companye ¹of men of armes.¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. K. i. back.] For he had wyth him them of Illande and of Armony, ²and wel three thousand archers,² [^2—2 et bien milles bon archiers, F. orig. K. i. back.] the whych for no doubt of death wolde never flee from bataylle, And presented hym selfe and hys felawshyp to the kyng charlemagne, the whyche he receyved ryght honourably. Than after came the good bisshop Turpin, and broughte wyth hym a fayre company, and well enewred to the warre, and presented hymself to the kynge Charlemagne, that was ryght glad of hys comyng, for the bysshop was a good true man. And ye king Charlemagne trusted muche to hym for his great fydelitie, and also for the great prowes that was in hym.

Al the great Lordes that helde theyr landes of the kyng Charlemagne, came to Parys, & presented theymselfe and theyr men to ye kynge Charlemagne, that receyved theym with great Ioye, and was glad to see aboute hym so fayre a companye ³of good men of warre;³ [^3—3 que chescun avoit amenee, F. orig. K. i.] but I tel you, that whan the hoste was assembled at Parys, there was so great a derth that it was great pitie, for the rasour of whete was solde for fourty shelynges and twenty pence; and yf the kynge had taried there any lenger, there should have ben so greate a derth that all the small people had ben all dead for hungre. But the kyng Charlemagne began for to make hys mustres, for to know how much people that he

[had. And whan the mustres were made, they found that they were well .XXX. thousande knyghtes that had theyr fyrst berdes, besyde the olde knyghtes that were well an hundred thousand. And whan that this was doone, the Emperour Charlemayne called Rowland, ¹his nevew,¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. K. i.] afore him, and sayde to him, 'Fayre nevew. I recomende to you myne hoste, and I praye you that ye wyll conduyte it by good maner.' 'Syr,' sayd Rouland, 'I shal doo therin my devoyre after my power.' Than made to be take to hym the oryflambe, and departed out of Parys; and they dyd so muche by smal journeis, that they came to Bloye; and than Charlemagne made to be cryed, that all the vytaylers of the land should goe wyth vitayle after the hoste. And yf that they brought that were worth a peny, they should have two for it.

²And whan that thys greate armye was come to Bloy, they passed over Gyronde, and wente afore the great castell of Mountawban.² [^2—2 Et cependant les nefs passerent aultre gironde qui passerent larmee. Et quant ilz furent oultre, ilz mirent les batailles en ordonnance, et puis sen vont a montawban, F. orig. K. i.] And they lodged themself there rounde about the place. And then the Frenche men began to say the one to the other, 'by myne othe, there is a fayre castel and a stronge, and but yf wee get some other parte, heere shall we wynne but a lytle.'

And whan the batayles were ordeyned rounde aboute mountawban, Rowlande began for to say to the kynge Charlemagne, 'Syr, me semeth that wee should nowe gyve a sawte to Mountawban.' And the kynge answered, 'I wyll] [Continuation from Caxton.] [folio M.i.b] not that my folke have ony dommage; but firste I wyll knowe yf the castell wyll holde or yelde vp / For yf he wyll be given vp / I

wolde not that ony bataylle shold be doon to it / And thenne incontynent he sente a knyghte mounted vpon a mewle all vnarmed / the whiche came to the gate of the castell / and whan they that kept the gate sawe that it was a messager, they open to hym the gate, and the knyghte entered in / And as he was come in / he fonde the stywarde with a hundred men, that wente aboute vysitynge the watches & the wardes. Incontynente the knyghte salued hym, and the stywarde rendred hym agen his salute, & sayd to hym, 'What be ye, gentylman / and what seke you here wythin? I praye you telle me what folke are yonder wythoute, soo fayr a company' / 'Sire,' sayd the knyghte, 'they ben the folke of the emperour Charlemagne, that is come for to besege the castell of Montalban / And I am one of his knyghtes, that am com here for to speke wyth Reynawde from the kyng Charlemagne.' Thenne the styward toke the knyght by the hande, and ledde hym byfore Reynawde the sone of aymon / And whan the knighte sawe Reynawde, he made reverence to hym / and after sayd to hym, 'Reynawde, the emperour Charlemagne sendeth to you worde by me, that yf you wyl yelde your selfe to his merci / and gyve to hym your brother Richarde, to doo his wylle of hym / he shall have merci of you / And yf ye wyll not doo soo / he shall doo sawte your castell / And yf he maye take you by force, he shall make you to be hanged / or deie a cruel dethe' /

Thenne whan Reynawde vnderstode thise tidynges that Charlemagne sente to hym, he beganne to smyle, and sayd, 'Frende, goo telle the kynge that I am not the man that shall doo ony trayson / For if I sholde doo it / he hym self sholde [folio M.ii.a] blame me for it. But and yf it playse hym, my brethern, mawgis / and my selfe, ben at his commaundement / and we shal gyve

our selfe to hym as to our soverayne lord / our lyves sauffe, and our membres / and we shall yelde to hym the castel all atte his wyll / And telle the kynge that he shall doo well & wysely to take suche fyve knyghtes as we ben. And yf Charlemagne refuseth this / I have myn hope soo faste to our lorde god, that we shall not set moche by the kynge / nor of his grete ooste.' The messager vnderstode well the answere that Reynawde had doon to hym, and incontynente he retourned to Charlemagn / and shewed vnto hym all that Reinawd had sayd, worde bi worde [Sans riens faillir, orig. K. ii.] / whan the emperour vnderstode the wordes ²of Reynawde² [^2—2 que Reynault luy mandoit, F. orig. K. ii.] / he beganne to thynke a goode while / for he knewe that Reynawde sayd but well. And thenne he sente for the duke Naymes and Ogier the dane, and sayd to theym, 'Lordes, Reynawde sendeth me worde that he shall doo no thynge after my wyll. And for this cause I wyll that ye castell be assaylled forthwyth' / 'Sire,' sayd the duke Naymes, 'me semeth, as I have vnderstonde, that Reynawde offreth to you fair / and yf ye wyll beleve me, ye shall take hym to merci ³wyth his brethern.³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig. K. ii.] For ye knowe well that they ben folke that maye doo to you good servyse. And yf Reynawde be ones in peas wyth you, ye shall be the better beloved, and more dred therfore. But sith that your wyll can not accorde to the same we maye not doo thereto / To assaylle the castell I counseylle it not; For ye see that the castell is fair and right stronge / And Reynawde hath wyth hym a good company of good men / and he / & his brethern, and mawgis, ben suche knyghtes as ye knowe. yf ye doo assaille the castell, they shall yssue oute at the fauce posternes / and shal doo to you soo grete a dommage of your folke, that ye shall be [folio M.ii.b] wrothe [et dolant F. orig. K. ii.] for it / but and yf

ye wyll beleve my counseyll, ye shall besege the castell nyghe that no man shall maye com out nor entre in but he shall be take, and thus ye shall mow have the castell by famysshyng / For by no sawte ye shall not have it.'

Charlemagne vnderstode well thise wordes, and knew well that the duke Naymes spake well & wysely, & sayd to hym / 'I wyll that it be doon thus as ye have devysed it.' And thenne he made crie thrughe all his oost, that every man sholde lodge hym selfe evyn nyghe by the castell; [le plus que lon pourra, F. orig. K. ii.] and he hymself comaunded that his pavyllion sholde be pighte as nyghe the gate as cowde be doon / After this was cryed, ye sholde have seen wythin a lityll while moo than X thousande pavylions round aboute ²the castell² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. K. ii.] of Mountalban. whan thooste was all lodged, Rowlande departed oute of the oost well wyth two thousand knyghtes well armed & well horsed, & all yonge men of pryme berde / ³whiche were very frenshe, borne of the douce fraunce /³ [^3—3 de la droicte france, F. orig. K. iii. back.] and went atte the other syde of Montalban in a place whiche is called Balencon, Where was a ryver grete and depe / in the whiche was fishe ynoughe [a grant foison, F. orig. K. iii. back.] / and there he dyd pytche his pavylyon. And soo full he was of grete pride / that he had sette the dragon above vpon his pavylion, and dyd doo make the lodgys of his felawes rounde aboute hym / And they were in suche a grounde where as they myghte see from thens the wodes and the ryvers and all the contrey, and Mountalban that was vpon the grete roche wel closed / and behelde the two grete [omitted, F. orig.] rivers, that is to wyte, Gyronde and Dordonne / that envyronned Mountalban.

[folio M.iii.a] Rowlande sawe the place soo stronge, that he merveylled gretely, and sayd to his folke, 'Lordes,

I merveylle me sore of this castell / And I merveylle not yf the foure sones of Aymon make werre agenst myn vncle Charlemagne, ¹syth that they have soo goode & soo stronge a place for to wythdrawe theymselfe;¹ [^1—1 puis quilz ont si bon retraict, F. orig. K. iii. back.] For I promyse you that Mountalban shall never be taken of vs' / 'Ye saye not well,' sayd Olyver / 'For we toke well by force Lezonne / ²and also we overthrewe doun the grete towre and the dongeon of Sernoble² [^2—2 et si abactismes de noble la grant tour et le donion, F. orig. K. iii. back.] / wherof I saye that we shall well have Mountalban. And yf Reynawde and his brethern come not and yelde theym selfe, they shall be in daunger of deth' / 'I promyse you,' sayd Rowlande, 'that they shall doo noo thynge of that ye saye. For I promyse you that the gentyll Reynawde shall make vs soo sore a ferde, that the moste hardy wolde be atte Parys. Reynawde is prue and corageus / and his brethern in lyke wyse. And also they have wythin the castell many noble and worthy knyghtes / wherfore I saye, and I am of oppynyon / that as longe as they have vytaylle, they shall never be taken.' Whan the pavyllion of Rowlande was dressed and pyghte vp / Rowlande behelde the ryver, and sawe that it was full of birdes. thenne he sayd to the bysshop Turpyn and to the other barons / 'See how we are lodged in a goode place. Late vs goo in thise ryvers to lete flee our fawcones.' 'Sire,' sayd ³the bysshop³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig. K. iii. back.] Turpyn, 'goo in the name of god' / Thenne lighted Rowlande on horse backe, & toke wyth hym well xxx. knyghtes / and noo moo / And they toke their hawkes, and rode the moost parte of theym vpon mewles, all vnarmed sauff their swerdes / and came and sported theym alonge the river side, and toke many birdes vpon the water / In soo grete quantyte that they laded a horse wythall. [folio M.iii.b] the bisshop turpyn and ogyer

went not there, but abode behinde for to kepe the oost / and they were before the tentes, wher they made two auncyent knyghtes to recounte & telle how the grete Troy was taken and dystroyed / this hangyng, was a spye in the ooste of kyng charlemagne that longed vnto Reynawde, the whiche he had sent there for to knowe what they wrought / and how they dyd, & all the faytte of Rowlande. And incontynente the spye departed out of the ooste and wente to Reynawde / and shewed to hym how Olyver & Rowlande were goon to sportynge ¹wyth their hawkes vpon the ryver¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. k. iii.] / and with theym thyrty of the beste of the oost /

Whan the spye had recounted thise tydynges to reynawd / he was of it right glad / Thenne he called his brethern & Mawgys his cosin / and tolde theym how Rowlande and Olyver and XXX. of the beste barons of Charlemagne were goon to hawkyng vpon the ryvers in the plane of Balancon / 'What oughte we to doo?' sayd Reynawde. 'Cosin,' sayd Mawgys, 'we may well kyll theym yf we wyl, For they ben well proude and folyshe / Remembre ye not wele that a messager told you a moneth agoo that Charlemayne had lefte all olde knyghtes of his royame / and had taken of the yonge / And that he had departed al Gascoyne to the yonge bachelers of Fraunce / And by this boban, Roulande and Olyver ben mounted in to so grete pride / that they trowe in all the worlde is noo man ¹that dare assaylle theym nor¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. k. iii.] loke vpon theym angrely / But and yf ye wyll beleve me, I shall well tell you suche a thyng that shall make theym wrothe and sory.' And thenne Reynawde made sowne his horne, the whiche men never herde sowned But that it was nede / For whan men herde it / every man ranne to his armes for to arme hym. And incontynente, Reynawde [folio M.iv.a] and his bretherne and Mawgys made theym selfe to

be armed. And whan they were all armed and well appareylled, Reynawde lighted vpon Bayarde, his good hors, and spored hym wyth his spores, soo that he made hym to lepe well thyrty foote of length / 'Ha, goode horse,' sayd Reynawde / 'how ye make your selfe to be beloved / And how well I mystre you this daye / Lete vs goo assaylle thise vnhappy folke of the kynge Charlemagne of Fraunce / And make we by suche a manere that we nede not to retourne twyse / And therof I praye you all' /

And whan Reynawde sawe that his folke was well appareylled / he wente oute wyth his men atte a fawce posterne / that they of the ooste coude not see theym / And they were well in his companye a boute foure thowsande well horsed and well armed / And a forester conduytted theym thoroughe the thyckest of the forest / And reynawde sayd to the foster, 'brynge me thou in to the ooste of Rowlande wythoute faylle' / the foster answerde to hym that he wolde do it gladly / Thenne broughte he theym streyghte to Balencon. And whan Reynawde sawe the pavyllions, he shewed theym to his folke / to whom he sayd / 'Lordes, beholde what fayr gayne we have fonde here, yf we dare sette vpon theym' / 'Syr,' sayd his men / 'lete vs goo to it hardly / For we durste well assaylle the devylle / whan ye be wyth vs' / ¶ Now shall I telle you of the bysshop Turpyn, that was abyden to kepe the ooste / wherof he had grete fere, be cause he wyste well againste whom he had a doo / And had a grete suspectyon, And heved vppe his hede / and sawe thre ravens and the dawes flee aboute vpon the fortresse. And from thens they toke their flighte ¹over Rowlandes pavylyon,¹ [^1—1 pardessus la forteresse, F. orig. k. iv. back.] And made grete noyse; And soo was he a ferde. For he wende that it hadde [folio M.iv.b] ben some evyll

token / and he behelde towarde the woodes, that were grete / and sawe anone his enmyes / wherof he was sore frayed, that almoste he was beside hym selfe / Thenne he called Ogyer the dane, and sayd to hym, 'Free knyghte, for godys love goo arme yourself / and lete our folke be armed / for here comyn our enmyes. Now ben well Rowlande & Olyver goon for noughte, that are goon to the chasse, and have lefte theyr ooste thus in grete daunger. I beleve that they shall not faylle / but they shall repente of it' / Whan Ogyer herde Turpyn speke in thys maner, he was wrothe; soo went he in to his pavylion, and made hym to be armed incontynente for to moeve the ooste / And whan the frenshe men herde the trompettes blowe, they put theym selfe in ordenaunce nobly. This hangynge, Ogyer was armed, and mounted vpon his horse brayforde, & fonde that a grete parte of them was armed and all redy / Thenne Oger sayd to theym / 'Lordes, thynke to defende you well / for we ben assaylled.'

Reynawd was abasshed whan he sawe the oste that moved soo / and sayd to his folke / 'Lordes, we ben dyscovered / nevertheles, lete vs goo to it and assaylle theym.' thei answered that they were all redy to doo so. And whan Reynawde vnderstode thyse wordes, he sayd to Mawgys / 'Fayr cosin, take a thousande knyghtes, And abyde here wythin this wood / And yf ye see that we nede of helpe / come thenne and socoure vs.' 'Gladly,' sayd mawgis, 'your commaundemente shall be doon' / And whan reynawde had sayd soo, he spored bayarde wyth his spores, and wente in to the ooste, and passed the playne of Balancon; and the firste that he recounted, it was Emery the erle of Nycoll / and smote hym soo that he shoved his spere thorughe the body of hym, and felle deed to therth / Thenne sayd reynawde, [par saint Nycholas, F. orig. k. i.] 'ye shall abie

the bargayn, [folio M.v.a] false gloton / Ye dyde a grete folye Whan ye came ever in to Gascoyne' / And whan he had sayd thus, he sette his hande to his swerde, And beganne to make soo grete occysion of knyghtes that noone canne telle it / And whan Reynawde sawe his enmyes soo strongely abasshed, he beganne to saye, 'Where is Rowlande and Olyvere, that soo sore hath thretened me and my folke, And sayen that we ben traytoures / But and they sayen soo afore me / I sholde shewe to theym that they sayen not well nor trouthe' / whan the bysshop Turpyn vnderstode this that Reynawde sayd / He sayd to Reynawde / 'Ye nother saye well nor trouthe.' And thenne he spored his horse wyth the spores / and wente agenste Reynawde / an gaaff eche other soo grete strokes thorughe theyr sheeldes that they brake bothe theyr speres all in peces / But nother of theym felle doun / And whan Reynawde hadde broken his sperre / he sette the hande to his swerde, and gaaffe soo [sooo, orig.] grete a stroke wyth it to the bysshope Turpyn vppon his helme, that he made bothe the man and the horse to rele sore / And whan Reynawde sawe the bysshop in that plyghte / he sayd to hym / 'Fader, be ye the same Turpyn that prayseth your selfe soo sore? By my fayth, me semeth it were better for you to be in some churche to synge some masse, than for to be here, wenynge to greve me.'

Thenne whan the bysshop Turpyn vnderstode the reproche that Reynaude made to hym / he trowed wel to have goon oute of his mynde for it, And sette hande to his swerde / and wente vpon Reynawde. And thenne was the ooste moeved of one partye and of the [folio M.v.b] other. Shortely to speke, there were soo many speres broken, soo many a knyghte overthrowen / and soo many horses deed, that it was grete pyte for to see. There was Ogyer the Dane, that

hadde his shelde afore his breste, And his swerde in his hande, & sat vpon Brayforde; the whiche smote Rycharde, the brother of Reynawde, soo grete a stroke that his horse felle doun to the erthe [si que la coyffe de son heaulme tomba en la fablonniere, F. orig. k. v. back.] / Whan Rycharde saw hym selfe a grounde / he rose vppe agayne quyckely / as a knyghte pru and valyant / And toke his swerde in hys hande. And Ogyer passed beyonde for to folow his course, And beganne to crye the baner 'saynte Denys.' Whan Reynawde sawe his brother Rycharde cast on grounde / he was wrothe for it / Soo spored he his horse Bayarde, and wente agenste Ogyer the dane / and Ogyer agenste hym / and gaaff eche other grete strokes vpon theyr sheldes / Reynawde smote Ogyer by soo grete force that the horses gyrthe nor the poytrell myghte not helpe, But that Ogyer muste falle doun, ²sadell and all,² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. k. v. back.] to the grounde /

Whan Reynawde sawe Ogyer atte the erthe, he toke Brayforde by the brydell / and sayd to Ogyer / 'Ye have doon evyll for to have cast doun my brother afore me / Ye knowe that ye be of my lynage / and my cosin nyghe; ye sholde helpe and deffende vs agenste all men / And ye doo worse than the other / Wherof I saye it is no dede of a cosin, but of an enmye. Neverthelesse, take your horse agayne, vpon suche condycyon that ye shall doo to me a playsure at a nother tyme if I have nede / the whiche thyng god forbede.' 'cosin,' sayd oger, 'ye speke as a good man; and I promyse you that if I faylle of this that ye saye, god punysshe me for it' / Reynawd [folio M.vi.a] yelded hym agayn his horse / & helde the styrop to Ogyer, ⁴whan he lyghted agayne vppon his horse Brayforde.⁴ [^4—4 pour monter dessus, F. orig. k. v. back.] And wyte it that Ogyer syth dyde moche for Reynawde, and

yelded hym agen his rewarde at the roche Mountbron, wherof he was rebuked of Charlemagne shamfully / Whan Ogyer was set on his horse agen / he set hande to his swerde, and entred amonge the thyckeste of the gascoynes / and began to hew theym so sore that he made theym all to flee afore hym / Whan maugys sawe that all the bataylles were thus medled togyder / he cam ¹out of the wood,¹ [^1—1 hors de son embuschement, F. orig. K. v. back.] and cam to balancon, and put hym selfe and his folke amonge the gretest prees, ²& began to cleve and hewe so harde, hedes, legges, & armes,² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. k. v. back.] that none durste abyde longe afore hym / And thenne the frenshemen were so sore and weri that they myght no more, & were all dyscomfyted at the passage of the ryver [moult oultraigeusement, F. orig. k. v. back.] / whan they dyd put theymselfe to flyghte. And the gascoyns chassed theym alle betyng a long myle / and after retorned to thooste / and toke all the havoyr that they fonde there / And mawgis cam to ye pavyllion of Rowlande, & toke the dragon ⁴of golde⁴ [^4—4 omitted, F. orig. k. v. back.] that was set vpon the sayd pavyllion; and they passed thorughe Balancon / and soo retourned to Montalban wyth grete Ioye. And whan they were come there, they dysarmed theym selfe, and ete right well / For they hadde well myster therof. Whan they had eten at theyr ease / Reynawde made brynge ye boty afore hym / And after dealed it among his folke, And kepte to hym not one penny / Whan Reynawde hadde thus departed all this goodes, Mawgys wente vpon the grete towre of Mountalban / And dyd sette the dragon of Rowlande vpon the same / soo that the folke of the oost of both ⁵sydes of the castell myght see it.⁵ [^5—5 que lost dune part et daultre le pouvient veoir, F. orig. k. v. back.] And whan Charlemayne [folio M.vi.b] sawe the sayd dragon vpon the

towre of Montalban / He wende that Rowlande ¹his nevewe¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. k. v.] had taken mountalban by force / but the thyng went well otherwyse, For of reynawde and his bretherne had discomfyted all the folk of Rowlande, and had brought wyth theym ¹all theyr havoyre, and¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. k. v.] the dragon of the sayd Rowlande they had set vpon the towre of mountalban.

CHAPTER IX.

¶ How Reynawde and his brethern were betrayed & solde to the kyng Charlemagne by the kyng Yon of Gascoyn, that sent theym in the playne of Valcours all wythout armes but theyr swerdes / and were mounted vpon mewles / & were clothed wyth mantelles of scarlet, furret wyth ermyn / Fro the whiche they escaped by the wyll of god / but they suffred moche peyne & grete traveylle / for they were gretly hurt & sore wounded. But of the kyng charlemagne party abode there deed Foulques of Moryllon, & many other barons and worthy knyghtes, wherof the kyng charlemayn was wrothe and sory.

¶ Capitulum IX.

Now must we telle of Rowlande & of Olyver, that came agen fro hawkyng vpon the ryvers wyth their felawes, & besemynge they were right glad that they had so well chassed & taken a grete quantyte of birdes / & thus as they cam agen / they met wyth damp Rambault, the free knyght / that tolde theym by

a grete angre / 'Ye have taken many birdes; see that ye be good marchauntes, & selle your praye well, for I promyse you ye shall never selle your chasse and haukyng so dere as it hath coste you / And yf ye have taken byrdes / I lete you wyte that Reynawde & his bredern have taken knyghtes and horses / and whan ye see your dragon [folio M.vii.a] vpon the grete [omitted, F. orig. k. vi. back.] towre of Montalban / ye oughte wel to be thenne glad, and thanke moche therof the foure sones of Aymon. For all thoo that seen it set there of an heygth, they wene that ye have goten the castell by force' / Whan rowlande understode thyse wordes, it lacked lityll that he wente oute of his mynde / he lighted doun from his mewle, And sette him selfe vpon a stone / and beganne to thynke & muse sore. And soo dyd Olyver in lyke wyse / And whan Rowlande had thoughte ynoughe / He called to hym the bysshop Turpyn, Ogier the dane, and Richarde of Normandy, and sayd to theym, 'For god, fayr lordes, what counseyll gyve you me vpon this dede / For I dare never more fynde myselfe before my vncle, the king Charlemagne; for I fere me to sore of evyl reporte / and that men tell of me otherwyse than the trouthe' / And he sayd to the bysshop Turpyn / 'for goddis love, good fader in god, gyve me leve to departe / for I wolde goo in to the holy londe to see the sepulture of our lorde, for to werre there agenste the sarrasins / For sith this mysshape is thus come to me, I wyll no more bere armes agenste cristen men' / 'Sire,' sayd the bysshop Turpyn, 'be not dismayed for no thynge / For this is but an vse of werre / suche a thyng befalleth often to many one / I promyse you that ye shall have, or thre dayes ben paste, as many of the folke of Reynawde as he hath of yours' / 'Sire,' sayd Rowlande, 'ye gyve me good corage, and I promyse you that to your prudence I shall arreste

myselfe.' Whan Rowlande had said thise wordes / the bysshop Turpyn and Ogier dyd so moche that they made hym lighte a horsbacke / and they wente togyder all towarde charlemagne. & wite that after rowlande, cam moo than a hundred yonge gentylmen all a fote, bi cause thei had lost their horses. & whan thei were come to thoste of charlemagne, they [folio M.vii.b] wente streyghte to the pavyllion of the duke Naymes / and whan Rowlande entred wythin, he was ashamed / and abode there two dayes that he cam not oute, and durst not goo to the courte, nor loke no man in the face, But helde hym selfe ²in the sayd pavyllion,² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. K. vi.] as a man all abashed of the grete sorow that he had at his herte [et ne disoit mot du monde, F. orig. k. vi.] / Whan Rowlande and Olyver was thus abyden in the duke Naymes tente, This hangying, Turpyn cam towarde kynge Charlemagne in his tente / where he entred wythin, and saluted the kyng ryght honourably / and the emperour rendred to hym his salute / and after sayd to hym, 'Damp bysshop, ye be welcom' / 'Syre,' sayd Turpyn / 'god be your keper; and I beseche you to pardonne me / yf I telle you ony thyng that shall dysplayse you.' 'Now telle hardly,' sayd the kyng, 'what ye wylle / For nothynge that ye canne telle can not dysplayse me.' 'Syre,' sayd the byshop Turpyn, 'Wyte that the foure sones of Aymon have dyscomfited vs, And have taken wyth theym all that we had in our tentes, bothe horses & harneys / and all our pavyllions / and namly the dragon of Rowlande, beside a grete many of prisoners [quilz en ont amene a montauban, F. orig. k. vi.] / And they have slayne the moste party of our folke' /

Thenne whan the emperour vnderstode this that Turpyn had tolde hym, he was a long while as a man al forcened / And thenne he sware saynte Denys

by grete angre. And sayd / 'Now have ye fonde that ye went tellynge; & the grete pride that ye had, ye have well founde' / At this hour he dyd sende thrugh all his oost by expresse wordes, that every lord and baron sholde come incontynent [omitted, F. orig. k. vi.] afore hym in his tente, for he wolde kepe parlyamente wyth them / whan ye prynces knew ye commaundement of ye kynge, ye shold have seen them com wyth gret hast towarde ye kynge / & whan they wer al [folio M.viii.a] assembled wythin the kynges pavyllion / he stode vpon his feete, & sayd to theym in this maner / 'Lordes, I have sent for you for to shewe vnto you that to vs is happed of newe. Now wyte that the foure sones of Aymon have dyscomfited all our knyghtes that Rowlande my nevew had wyth hym at balencon / wherof I am right wroth & sori. for I wolde I had lost a greter thyng, and that this were not happed; but a thyng that can not be amended, must be suffred & borne as well as men may / I requyre & beseeche you all, my lordes and frendes, vpon the oothe that ye have made to me, that ye wyll counseyll me truly how I shall be ruled in this mater, and how I might have this castell of Montalban' / Whan the kyng had thus spoken, there was none so hardy that ever durste saye one worde, but only the duke naymes of bavyer, the prue and wyse knyght. 'Syre,' sayd the duke Naymes, 'ye aske counseyll for to besege montalban. But no man that hath ony rayson in his hede ought not to counseyll you the same / for whi the daunger is there grete, be cause that Guynarde the lorde of Berne knoweth of it, and so doothe Godfray the lord of Poycy, that are good knyghtes, & sore dred for their worthynes, and also the kyng yon [de Gascongne, F. orig. k. vii. back.] that is at tholose the whiche shall come all to helpe & socoure reynawd / by cause they be of his aliaunce / And also

they know that he is one of the beste knyghtes of the worlde / And they knowe well also that Reynawde gyveth to vs moche to doo. And soo I telle you, yf they sette theym selfe togyder, they shall gyve you ynoughe to doo, And shall maye bere to you a grete dommage. ¶ But and ye wyll have goode counseyll and beleve me, I shall gyve it to you truly / Syre, sende worde to kyng yon / that he wythdrawe not nor kepe your enmyes [folio M.viii.b] wythin his londe, but that he yelde theym in to your handes, for to doo wyth theym your playsur and your commaundement. And yf he wyll not doo soo, ye shall distroye all his londe, and no mercy ye shall have vpon hym.' 'Naymes,' sayd the kyng, 'now gyve you me good counseyll / and I wyll that ye have sayd be doon incontynente' / Thenne the kyng made com an heraulde of his, and sayd to hym / 'Now goo lightly to Tholouse / and telle kynge Yon on my behalve / that I am entred in to Gascoyn accompanyed of ye twelve douspyers of Fraunce, with a hundred thousande fyghtyng men / and wyth Rowlande & Olyver / and telle hym that, by saynt Denys of Fraunce, yf he yelde me not my enmyes, that ben the foure sones of Aymon / that I shall waste and dystroye all his londe / nor to hym shall abyde nother cite nor castell / but it shalle be overthrowen to the erthe / and yf I can take hym / I shall take from hym his crowne / soo shall he be called kyng overthrowen' / 'Sire,' said the heraulde, 'your commaundement I shall do wythout varienge of one worde / ²evyn as your good grace playseth to comaunde me'² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. k. vii.] / and thus departed the herawde ²from the oost of Charlemagne² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. k. vii.] / and toke his waye towarde Tholouse / There he fonde the kynge Yon of Gascoyn in his palays / wyth a ryght fayr company / And assone that he sawe the kyng / he knewe hym well / so made he thenne to him the reverence

/ and sayd to hym in the emperours behalve the thynge worde by worde, [sans point varier en riens, F. orig. k. vii.] wherof he was sente there.

And whan the kyng Yon vnderstode the herawde that spake soo / he bowed his hede toward the erthe, and began to thynke a longe while / and sayd not a worde / And whan he had thus longe mused ynoughe / he sayd to the messager: 'Good frende, ye must tari ²here a seven nyght,² [^2—2 par lespace de huit jours, F. orig. k. vii.] I praye you / and thenne ³I shall telle you my wyll / and what I purpose [folio N.i.a] to doo'³ [^3—3 et puis vous respondray ma volente que direz au roy Charlemaigne, F. orig. k. vii.] / 'Sire,' sayd the herawde, 'I shall abide wyth a good will, sith that it playse you' / Thenne wente the kyng Yon in to his chambre, & eyghte erles wyth hym, and commaunded that the dores sholde be well shet / and thenne they set theym all vpon a benche. And whan they were all set, the kinge Yon toke the worde & sayd in this maner / 'Lordes, I beseche & require, vpon the feyth that ye owe to me, that ye gyve me good counseill to thonour [thononr, orig.] of me / not at my will, but bi rayson / Now wite it that ye kyng Charlemagne [le roy de france, F. orig. k. vii.] is entred wyth in my londe with the xij peres of Fraunce, & Rowlande & Olyver, wyth a hundred thousande men. And he sendeth to me worde, but yf I deliver vnto hym the foure sones of Aymon, he shall not leve me nother cyte nor towne / but he shall cast all to therthe, [Et si a jure que si je suis prins, quil me ostera ma couronne, F. orig. K. vii.] & shall take the crowne fro my hed / and so shal I be called a kyng overthrowen / My fader helde never noo thyng of hym, & no more shall I / it is better to dey wyth grete worship than to lyve in grete shame.'

Thenne whan the kyng Yon had thus spoken, there rose vp a knyght named godfray, that was nevewe to kyng yon, and sayd to hym, 'Sire, I merveille me

that ye aske counseyll for to betraye suche knyghtes as ben the foure sonnes of Aymon / Reynaude is your man & your carnall frende [car vous luy aues donne vostre seur a fenme devant vos barons et amys, F. orig. k. viii. back.] / ye knowe what good he hath doon to you & to your londe / It is not longe agoo that he dyscomfyted Marcyll the puyssaunt sarrasyn, & chassed hym well foure myle / and smote of his hede, & presented it to you / and ye have promysed & sworne to hym that ye shall defende & kepe hym agenste all men. Myn vncle, yf ye thynke to faill hym, & wyll not holde that ye have promysed to hym / lete hym & his brethern goo oute of your londe in to som other countrey to seke their adventure / And haply they shall serve some lord that shall doo to [folio N.i.b] theym more goode than ye wyll doo. And also I praye you, my dere lorde and vncle, ³as moche as I can,³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig. k. viii. back.] that ye wyll doo noo thyng that torneth you to blame, nor to dishonour, nor that can be cast by maner of reproche towarde your frendes.' Thenne spake the olde erle of Ansom, and sayd, 'Sire, we wyll that we gyve you counseylle / yf ye wylle doo that we shall counseille you, ye shall doo well for your selfe.' 'Now saye on hardely,' sayd the kyng, 'that semeth you best to be doon, for I wyll doo as ye shall counseille me' / 'Sire,' sayd the erle, 'ye have well herde saye / and soo it was trouth, that Benes slewe the erle Lohier; wherfore Charlemagne sente for hym and made his hede to be smyten of at Parys [par male intencion. Et puis en prist acordance a benes daigremont, F. orig. k. viii. back.] / And at that tyme Reynawde & his brethern were veri yonge; and of theym was none mencyon made / And afterwarde whan they were grete, the kynge wolde amende it vnto theym. For the thynge toucheth theym, but they had the herte so fell that they wolde take none amendes, and lasted their

hate longe / wherof ever sith hath come grete harmes and evylles / For Reinawde slewe Berthelot, the nevewe of the kyng, wyth a chesboorde / Sire, I knowe not why I sholde hide ony thynge fro your knowlege / ye knowe well that Charlemagne is soo myghty a kyng that he never vndertoke werre, but he came to his above of it / Wherfore I doo gyve you counseille that ye yelde Reynawde & his brethern and Mawgis ¹to the kynge Charlemagne;¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. k. viii. back.] and thus shall ye be deliverd of a grete thoughte, and of grete daunger' / And after this spake the erle of Mobandes, and sayd / 'syre, yf ye wyll doo this that the erle of Ansom counseilleth you, ye & we shall be traytours / For Reynawde is your man / and so moche ye have loved hym that ye have gyven hym your suster to his wyf / And whan he cam in thise marches / he came not like a knave / but he cam [folio N.ii.a] to you as a noble knyght, pru and worthy / For he brought in his felawshyp foure thowsande men well armed & well horsed / [Et quant il vint a vous il vois dist, F. orig. k. vii.] and sayd to you afore vs all, or ever he toke of his spores, that he had werre wyth kynge Charlemagne / Netheles ye receyved hym wyth goode herte / and after made of hym at your wyll. And for you he conquested many bataylles / and dyde so moche that he delyvered you from the handes of your enmyes / And therfore, syre, I telle you that ye be not worthy to calle yourselfe, [roy, F. orig. k.] ne to bere the crowne vpon your hede, yf for fere of deth ye betraye suche knyghtes as are the four sones of Aymon; For ye have not yet loste nother castell nor towne: and if ye doo it otherwyse / ye shall be taken and holden for a traytour.' [et mys ou nombre de Judas, F. orig. k. viii.] After spake Anthony the olde erle / and sayd to the kynge / 'Syre, beleve not this counseylle / for suche counseylle he gyveth you

now, wherof ye shall be betrayed at the laste. For I knowe better thentente of Reynawde than ony man that is here: Ye muste vnderstonde, syre, that Reynawde was sone to a man that had but one towne, and was soo prowde that he dayned to serve nor obeye his lorde the kynge of Fraunce; but slewe Berthelot by his grete pryde and owtrage / Wherfore kynge Charlemagne chassed hym oute of the royame of Fraunce. Now it is happed soo that he is in Gascoyn, and ye have gyven to hym grete landes; and by cause he hath your suster to his wyffe / he is become soo prowde that none maye dure afore hym / And he setteth not a peny nother by you nor by your courte / Wherfore I swere to you by the hede that I bere / yf he may by ony wyse, he shall take the lyffe from you / for to have all the royame to hymselfe. Wherfore I advyse to you by ryghtwys counseylle, that ye yelde hym and his bretherne to Charlemagne / And ye shall doo as a wyse [folio N.ii.b] kyng; and so shall you pease the grete wrath of kyng Charlemagne of Fraunce' / After spake the duke Guymarde of Bayonne, and sayd ²to the kynge² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig.] / 'Sire, [roy de gascoyne, F. orig. l. i. back.] I tell you that the erle Anthony lieth falsly / and gyveth you evyll counseyll / For Reynawde is sone to the duke Aymon of Ardeyne, whiche is of right grete lynage / And Charlemagne made to slee the duke Benes of Aygremounte, their vncle, by grete wronge / and Reynawde toke therof vengeaunce vpon Berthelot by good rayson / and that more is, it was his body deffendynge / wherof I telle you that noo kyng is not worthy to bere ony crowne nor to have honoure, that wyll doo trayson for thretynge of a nother lorde' / And after spake Humarde an olde knyghte, and sayd / 'By god, [damps Guymart, F. orig. l. i. back.] Guymarde, I beleve that ye have lost your

wytte / to counseyll the kynge Yon for to bere oute Reynawde agenst ¹the grete kynge¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] Charlemagne, for to make all the londe of Gascoyn for to be dystroyed / Wherof ye sholde care but lityll / yf the royame were wasted, and the kynge broughte to shame / soo that ye had lawde and praysyng.' Thenne sayd Guymarde, 'Thou liest falsly / and yf we two were in a nother place than here, I sholde shewe the that thou were an olde dooterd and a foole / For I wolde not counseyll the kynge Yon / but all thynge that concerneth his honour / and profyte also of his royame.'

After spake one named syr Hector / an ancyente erle, and sayd to the kynge / 'Sire, ye aske counseyll of suche that canne not counseyl theymselfe / For it is all other wyse than Guymarde sayth / And I ensure you, that yf ye lose in this matere / he shall lese therby noo thynge. Sire, ye knowe that Reinawde is a knyght good ynoughe. But by his grete pryde / he hath made werre wyth Charlemagne / For he slewe Berthelot his nevewe by his owtrage. [folio N.iii.a] now he is come in Gascoyne / and ye have gyven hym your suster in mariage. Wherof ye dyde grete folie / and ye made hym the castel of Mountalban vpon the strengest grounde that is wythin your royame / Now is come the kyng Charlemagne that hath beseged him; wherfore I counseyll you that ye accorde wyth the kynge Charlemagne, and delyver yourselfe of Reynawde assone as ye maye. For it is better that ye lese foure knyghtes than all your royame. take fro hym your suster, and gyve her to a nother that is a gretter gentilman than is Reynawde / and that have no suche enmyes as is Charlemagne / & fynde some meanes to yelde Reynawde & his brethern to Charlemagne. And this ye shall well [well may = be able.] may doo wythoute blame, yf ye wyll doo

that I shall counseyll you.' 'Frende,' sayd the kynge yon / 'I am redy to doo that whiche ye shal counseille me, [Car je voy et congnois que vous me donnez bon conseil, F. orig. l. i.] above all other that ben here' /

Thenne whan the kynge yon of Gascoyn sawe that ye mooste party of his counseylle accorded to that he sholde yelde Reynawde and his brethern to kyng Charlemagne, he beganne to wepe right tenderly / and sayd in hymself, that no body cowde bere it. 'Bi god, Reynawde, I am sore charged for you / now shall departe my love fro you. For ye shall lese the body / and I shall lese therby the love of god and of his moder. For I shall never fynde mercy in hym / for to betraye suche a knyghte as ye be' / But I telle you that god shewed that daye for Reynawde a fayr myracle. for the chambre where the counseille was kepte that was all white / chaunged colour and becam all blacke as a cole: 'Lordes,' sayd the kynge Yon, 'I see well that I muste yelde the foure sones of Aymon. syth that the moost parte of you accordeth therto. And I shall doo it / syth that ye counseylle me soo / But I wote well that my soule shall never have therof noo pardonne: And [folio N.iii.b] shall be therfore taken all my lyffe as a Iudas.' and thenne they lefte the counseylle. and wente out of the chambre. And whan the kynge was come out of the chambre: he sette hym doun vpon a benche, and beganne to thynke sore / And as he was in this thoughte / he beganne to wepe sore for grete pyte that he had / And whan he had thoughte and wepte ynoughe / he called his secretary, and sayd to hym: 'Come forth, syre Peter / and write a letter from me to the kinge Charlemagne, as I shall telle you: It is that I sende hym salutacyon wyth goode love / And yf he wyll leve me my londe in peas, I promyse hym that a-fore ten dayes ben paste / I shall delyver vnto hym

the foure sones of Aymon, and he shall fynde theym in the playne of Valcolours / clothed wyth scarlette / furred wyth ermynes, and ridynge vpon mewles / berynge in theyr handes flowres and roses for a token / bycause that men shall better knowe theym. And I shall make them to be accompanyed of eyghte erles of my royame / & yf they scape from hym, that he blame me not for it.' Thenne sayd the secretare, 'Sire, your commaundemente shall be doon.' ¹ [^1—1 Et lors sen entra en sa chambre ... F. orig. l. ii. back.] the whiche toke anone penne and ynk¹e, and wrote the lettres / worde for worde, as the kyng had devysed to hym. And whan they were writen and sealed. the kynge called his stywarde, and sayd to hym / 'Now make you redy on horsbacke / and goo to the sege of Mountalban / and recommende me to kynge Charlemagne: and gyve hym thise lettres / And telle hym, yf he wyll quyte my londe / I shall doo this that is of reason, and none otherwyse.' 'Syre,' sayd the stywarde, 'I shall gladly doo your commaundemente / doubte not of it.' Thenne wente the stywarde in his house, and made hym redy on horsbacke, and rode out of Tholouse, and toke the herawde of Charlemagne wyth hym / And whan [folio N.iv.a] they were come to Mountalban, thei fonde the emperour in his pavylion / where the stywarde lyghted doun / and wente wythin / and saluted the kynge Charlemagne fro the kynge Yon of Gascoyn / and presented hym the lettres fro his behalve, and sayd to hym; 'Ryght myghty emperour, the kynge Yon sendeth you worde by me / that yf ye wyll ensure his londe, he shall fulfylle the tenoure of this lettre / and otherwyse he wyll not.'

Whan charlemagne vnderstode thise tydynges, he was right gladde / he toke the lettre of the messager / And called Rowlande to hym, and Olyver /

the bysshop Turpyn / the duke Naymes / Ogyer the dane / and the xii peres ¹of Fraunce¹ [^1—1omitted, F. orig. l. i. back.] / and sayd to theym / 'Fayre lordes, be not dysplaysed: goo out of this pavylion / for I wyll talke with this messager pryvely.' 'Syre,' sayd they all, 'wyth a goode wylle'/ And than they wente all oute of the pavyllion / and whan they were all goon / Charlemagne opened the lettres, and red theym all alonge / And he fonde therin that whiche he mooste desyred in this worlde / that was the trayson as it was ordeyned / Whan Charlemagne had red the lettre, he myghte be noo gladder than he was. And of the grete Ioye that he had of it / he beganne to smyle / 'Syre,' sayd the stywarde, 'yf ye see ought in the lettre that playseth you not / blame not me for it / ²For I knowe not yet what it is.'² [^2—2omitted, F. orig. l. ii.] Thenne sayd Charlemagne to the stywarde / 'Your lorde, the kynge Yon, speketh full curtesly / and yf he doo that he dooth me to wyte / he shall be well my goode frende / And soo shall I doo to hym grete worshyp, and shall make hym a grete man / and also I shall defende hym agenst all men.' 'Syre,' sayd the stywarde, 'of this that ye saye / ye shall gyve me suretyes if it playse you.' Thenne sayd Charlemagne, 'I wyll doo soo [folio N.iv.b.] gladly / This I swere vpon the sone of the vyrgyn Mary, and also vpon saynte Denys of Fraunce, whos man I am.' 'Syre, ye have sayd all ynoughe,' answered the messager of kynge Yon / 'And noon other surety I aske of you.'

Thenne Charlemagne called hys chambrelayne, and sayd to hym / 'Make a lettre to kyng Yon of Gascoyne in my behalve / as I shall devyse it vnto you. Wryte that I sende hym salutacyon and good love / And that yf he dooth for me as he sayth, I shall encrease his royaume wyth fourtene goode castelles /

and therof I gyve hym for surete our lorde and saynte Denys of Fraunce / and that I sende hym four mauntelles of scarlette furred wyth ermynes, for to clothe wythall the traytoures, whan they shall goo to the playne of Valcoloures. And there they shall be hanged, yf god wyll. And I wyll not that ony other have harme, but oonly the foure sones of Aymon' / 'Syre,' sayd the chambrelayne / 'your commaundement shall be well doon' / and thenne he made the lettres as themperour had devysed hym. And whan he had made theym, the emperour Charlemagne sealed theym / and after he called the messager afore his presence, and sayd to hym / 'Holde thise lettres, and take theym to kynge Yon from me, and recommende me moche to hym.' And thenne he dyde gyve hym x marke of golde / and a rynge that he toke of [off.] his fynger / wherof the messager thanked hym moche humbly, and incontynente lyghted on horsback. [et sen va vers thoulouse, F. orig. l. ii.] And whan he was arryved, he salved the kynge yon of Gascoyn from kynge Charlemagnes behalve. And toke hym the lettres and the mauntelles, ³as Charlemagne had commaunded hym.³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig.]

[folio N.v.a] Thenne whan the messager of the kyng yon was goon / Charlemagne made come afore hym Foulques of moryllon and Ogyer the dane / and sayd to theym, 'Lordes, I have sente for you / For I wyll that ye knowe a lytyll of my secretes. But I telle you, vpon your feythe that none other shall knowe the same, but oonly we, vs thre, unto the tyme that the dede be accomplysshed.' 'Sire,' sayd Ogyer, 'yf ye thynke that we sholde dyscovere your secrete, telle it vs not / And yf ye truste vs, declare hardely your playsur.' 'Certes,' sayd the emperour to Ogyer, 'ye be well worthy to knowe all. For I knowe you for a

goode and a trusty knyghte.' 'Syre,' sayd Ogyer, 'your goode gramercy. But I telle you that I wylle not knowe noo thynge therof / but that ye take firste myn othe theropon' / 'Lordes,' sayd Charlemagne / 'I take it / Now shall ye goo to the playne of Valcolours wyth thre hundred knyghtes well armed / and whan ye shall come there, ye shall fynde the foure sones of Aymon / And thus I commaunde you, that ye brynge theym to me other deed or quycke.' 'Syre,' sayd Ogyer, 'I sawe theym never but armed: How shall we knowe theym' / 'Ogyer,' sayd Charlemagne, 'ye shall well may knowe theym / For eche of them shall be clothed wyth a mauntell of scarlette furred wyth ermynes / and shall bere roses in theyr handes.' 'Sire,' sayd Ogyer, 'that is a goode token / and we shall do your commaundement.' They made none other taryeng, but departed from the ooste ¹of the kynge Charlemagne¹ as pryvely as they myghte doo / And rode to the playne of Valcolours / and put theym selfe in a busshement wythin a woode all of serpyn trees / vnto the tyme that the foure sones of Aymon came to the playne of Valcoloures / Ha, god! why knewe not Reynawde and his bretherne this [folio N.v.b] mortelle trayson, for they wolde not have come there [comme bricons, F. orig. l. iii. back] vpon mewles. / But they sholde have come there vpon goode horses, and well armed, as prue and worthy knyghtes that they were / But, and god had not remedyed it / this Reynawde and his brethern sholde have ben soone taken in a lityl space / for they were in daunger of deth. Whan Ogyer the dane and Foulques of Moryllon were in theyr bushemente / Foulques called his folke and sayd to theym: 'Fayr lordes, I oughte well to hate Reynawde / for he slewe myn vncle by grete wronge / Now am I come to the poynte that I shall be avenged on hym / and I shall

telle you now. Now wyte it that the kynge Yon of Gascoyn hath betrayed theym; [et les doit remectre a charlemaigne ... F. orig. l. iii.] and they shall come hider anone, all vnarmed sauf their swerdes / ²And therfore² [^2—2 Et pourtant quant ilz viendront ... F. orig. l. iii.] I praye you all that ye thynke to smyte well vpon theym / thenne shall I knowe who loveth me beste. Doo soo that none of theym scape / and ye shall be well, my goode frendes. And I shall love you well.'

Now shall we telle you of the kynge Yon that was at Tholouse: whan he had receyved the lettres of the kynge Charlemagne, he called to hym his secretary Godras, and sayd to hym, 'Loke what this lettre sayeth:' And the clerke brake incontynente the seale, and behelde the tenoure of the lettre / and founde how Reynawde & his brethern sholde be betrayed / and lyvered to dethe / And whan the clerke had redde the letre, he beganne to wepe sore tenderly; and yf it had not be for doubte of the kyng, he wolde gladly have vttered it. And whan kynge Yon sawe his secretary wepe, he sayd thus to hym: 'kepe well vpon your lyf that ye hide no thyng fro me, but telle me all that the lettre conteyneth, and what the kynge Charlemagne wryteth [folio N.vi.a] to me.' 'By my feyth,' sayd Godras / 'It is a sore thynge for to reherce' / 'Now lightely,' ⁴sayd the kynge Yon:⁴ [^4—4 omitted, F. orig.] 'telle me what the kynge Charlemagne sendeth me.' 'Syre,' sayd Godras, 'I shall telle it you gladly' / And thenne he beganne to shewe to kynge Yon how Charlemagne sende hym worde / that yf he wolde doo as he had wryten vnto hym, he sholde encreace his power of fourtene goode castelles more than he had.

For the surete wherof, he swereth it vnto you vpon our lord god / and saynte Denys of Fraunce, ⁴his patrone⁴ [^4—4 omitted, F. orig.] / And he sendeth you four mauntelles of

scarlette furred wyth ermynes / that ye shall gyve to the foure sones of Aymon for to were theym / And thus they shall be knowen. For Charlemagne wyll not that none take ony harme / but oonly the foure sones of Aymon / And he doth you to wyte, that his folke are wythin a busshemente wythin a woode by the playn of Valcolours / that is to wyte, Foulques of Moryllon and Ogyer the Dane, wyth thre hundred men well horsed and well armed, that abyden there the foure sones of Aymon / ye whiche ye sholde lyver in to theyr handes.' Whan the kynge Yon vnderstode the tenoure of the lettre, He made haste for to fulfylle his promyse / And Incontynente he lyghted on horsbacke: and toke in his company a hundred men well arrayed / and toke his waye towarde Mountalban. And as soone as he myghte / he came / and entred wythin atte the gate fletcher. And whan he was wythin, he made his folke to lodge theym in the borow / And he wente up to the palays, as he was wounte to doo whan he came there. Thenne whan hys suster, the wyffe of Reynawde, wyste of the comynge of the kynge yon her brother / she came agenst hym & toke hym by the hande, & wolde have kissed hym as she [folio N.vi.b] was accustomed to do whan he cam there, but the kyng, full of evyll trayson, tourned his face a syde / And sayd he had the tooth ache, and wolde not speke wyth her but lityll / But he sayd that men sholde make hym a bedde redy / For he wolde reste hymselfe a lityll [pour myeulx couvrir sa trahison, F. orig. l. iv. back.] / and whan he was layd, he beganne sore to thynke, and sayd to hym selfe, 'Ha, goode lorde / what have I wroughte agenste the beste knyghtes of the worlde that I have betrayed soo falsely / Now shall they be honged to morowe wythoute fawte. I praye god to have mercy and pyte vpon theym / now may I well say that I shall be lykened to

Iudas from hens forthe. And I shall have loste the love of god / and of his moder / and also myn honour. But I muste nedes doo it, syth I have promysed it soo / And the wylle of my barons is suche / for thus they have counseylled and have made me doo it. ¹Wherof I am full sore dysplaysed.'¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. l. iv. back.]

Alle thus as the kyng yon thought in the grete treyson that was thus machyned vpon the four sones of Aymon / there came in Reynawde from huntynge / and all hys bretherne wyth hym, and had taken foure wylde bores sore grete / and whan Reynawde was wythin Mountalban / he herde the noyse of the horses, and wende that it had ben straunge knyghtes that were come vnto hym to take wages. ²And thenne he² [^2—2 Reynault, F. orig.] asked of a yoman, what folke were thees strangeres that were come in wythoute leve / 'Syre,' sayd the yoman, 'they ben the folke of kynge yon, that is come wythin for to speke wyth you of some materes / But me seemeth by his folke that he is not well atte ease of his persone. [Car il semble a le veoir qu'il soit mal dispose, F. orig. l. iv.]

[folio N.vii.a] Thenne sayd ⁵the goode⁵ [^5—5 omitted, F. orig.] > Reynawde / 'Ha, god / why hath my lorde traveylled hym selfe soo moche for to come hyder, For I wolde wyth a goode wyll have goon to hym' / And after, whan he had that sayd, he called to hym a servaunte of his, and sayd to hym / 'Goo fette me my horne Boudyere / For I wyll make feest and Ioye for the comynge of my soverayne lorde.' and Incontynente it was broughte to hym / And Reynawde toke it / and sayd to his bretherne / 'Now take eche of you his owne, and lete vs make feeste for the love of kynge Yon.' [Sire dirent ilz nous le ferons tres volentiers, F. orig. l. iv.] Thenne they toke eche of theym his horne, and beganne to sowne all foure at ons ryght hyghe. And made so grete noyse

that the castell sowned of it. [si que lon cuidoit que le clocher de la chapelle saint Nycholas en deust tomber par terre, F. orig. l. iv.] For they made so grete Ioye for the love of the kynge Yon, that it was merveyll. Whan the kynge Yon herde the trompettes, that thus sowned soo sore ²that the chambre where as he laye shoke of it,² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig.] he arose vp from the bed and came to the wyndowe / and sayd to hymselfe / 'Ha, what evyl have I wroughte agenste thyse knyghtes! Alas, how make ye Ioye agenste soo grete a combraunce, the whiche I have purchaced to you / I have betrayed you right falsely / as a wycked and vntrewe kynge that I am / For a man that betrayeth his frende, oughte never to have honoure, nother in this worlde nor in the other / but oughte to be loste bothe body and soule / For he has forsaken god, and hath gyven hym selfe to the devyll.' And whan he had sayd that / he retorned agayne vpon his bedde, sore vexed atte the herte, and evyll at ease more than ony man myghte be. Thenne Reynawde and his brethern came vp to the palays, where they founde the kyng yon. & whan he sawe theym com, he rose agenst theym, and toke theym the hande, and sayd to Reynawde / 'Be [folio N.vii.b] not merveylled that I have not enbraced nor kyssed you, for I am sore laden wyth grete evyll / And it is well [quinze jours, F. orig. l. iv.] fourtene dayes goon that I cowde nother ete nor drynke ⁵ony thyng that dyde me goode.'⁵ [^5—5 omitted, F. orig. l. iv.] Thenne sayd Reynawde, 'syre, ye be in a good place, where ye shall be tended vpon right well with goddis grace. And I and my bretherne shall serve you to our power' / 'Gramercy,' sayd the kynge Yon / Thenne called he his stywarde, and sayd to hym, 'Goo and brynge me the mantelles of scarlette furred wyth ermynes / that I have doon make for my dere frendes.' Incontynente the stywarde dyde the

commaundement of kynge yon. And assone that he was come agayne, the kynge made the foure bredern to putt the four mantelles vpon theym, and prayed theym to were theym for his love. 'Sire,' sayd Alarde, 'this is a gladde presente / And we shall were theym for the love of you, wyth veri goode wyll' / Alas, yf they had knowen how the thyng was broughte aboute / they sholde not have borne theym, but they sholde have doon all other wyse. Alas, and what sorowfulle harme they had of this, that they were thus clothed. For that were the tokens & reconyssaunce wherof they were in daungeur of deth, yf god had not holpen theym of his pyte and mercy. And whan the foure sones of Aymon had theyr mantelles on / the kynge Yon behelde theym / and had of theym grete pyte, and beganne to wepe. There was his stywarde, that the trayson well wyste / that sayd not one worde for fere of the kynge Yon / And whan the mete was redy / Reynawde prayed moche the kynge that he wolde ete. For he made hym to be served right well. Whan they had eten, the kynge Yon rose vpon his feete / and toke Reynawde by the hande, and sayd to hym, 'My fayre broder & my goode frende / I wyll telle a counseyll that ye know not / Now [folio N.viii.a] wyte that I have ben atte Mountbenden, and I have spoken wyth kynge Charlemagne, the whiche charged me of treyson / by cause that I kepe you in my royame / wherof I have presented my gage afore all his company; and no man was there soo hardy that durste speke agenste that, that I sayd. After this we had many wordes togyder / emonge whiche we spake of goode accorde and of peas / wherof at the last the kyng Charlemagne was contente for my love for to make peas wyth you / in the maner that foloweth. That is to wyte, that tomorowe erly ye shall goo to the playne of Valcoloures,

ye and your brethern, all vnarmed but of your swerdes / mounted vpon your mewles / and clothed wyth the mantelles that I have gyven to you; and that ye shall bere in your handes roses and floures. and I shalle sende wyth you eyghte of myn erles, for to goo more honourable / the whiche ben all of my lynage / And there ye shall fynde the kynge Charlemagne / and the duke Naymes of bavyere / and Ogyer the dane, and all the xii peres of Fraunce / and there charlemagne shall gyve you suerte. And ye shall doo to hym reverence in suche manere that ye shall caste yourselfe to his feete, and there he shall pardonne you / and he shall gyve you agayne all your londes entierly.'

Thenne sayd Reynawde, 'Sire, for god, mercy; For I have grete doubte of the kynge Charlemagne, by cause he hateth us to deth, as ye knowe / and I promyse you, yf he holdeth vs, he shall make vs to deye a shamfull dethe.' 'Goode frende,' sayd the traytour kyng Yon, 'have noo doubte atte all; For he hath sworne vnto me vpon his feyth afore all hys baronye' / 'Syre,' answerde Reynawde, 'we shall doo your commaundementes.' 'Ha god,' sayde Alarde / 'What saye you, brother / ye knowe well that [folio N.viii.b] Charlemagne hathe made his othe many tymes, that yf he maye take vs ones by ony maner of meane, he shall bryng vs to a shamfull dethe. Now I merveylle me gretly of you, fayr broder / how ye wyll accorde for to goo put yourselfe and vs into his handes all vnarmed, as a poure myschaunte / Never have god mercy vpon my soule yf I goo there wythoute myn armes, nor wythout to be as it apperteyneth!' 'broder,' sayd Reynaude, 'ye saye not wele / God forbede that I sholde mystruste my lorde, the kynge Yon, of ony thynge that he telleth me.' And thenne he tourned hym towarde the kynge Yon, and sayd to hym / 'Sire,

wythoute ony fawte we shall be there to morowe erly in the mornynge, What soever happeth of it.' 'Fayre lordes,' sayd Reynawde, 'god hath holpen vs well, that we have peas wyth the kynge Charlemagne, to whom we have made soo longe tyme so mortall a werre; but syth that my lorde, the kynge Yon, hath made this peas, I am contente to doo to hym as moche reverence as to me is possible / For I am delibered to goo naked in my smalle lynen clothes to the mount saynte Mychaell.' And whan Reynawde had sayd this worde, he toke leve of kynge Yon; and wente in to the chambre of the fayr lady his wyff, and fonde there his ¹other two brethern,¹ [^1—1 tous ses freres, F. orig. l. v.] that were wyth her / And whan the lady sawe her husbonde com / she came agenst hym, ²and toke hym betwyx bothe her armes by grete love,² [^2—2 et lembrasse par grant amour, F. orig. l. v.] & kyssed hym / 'Lady,' sayd Reynawde, 'I oughte well to love you by grete rayson / For your broder, the kynge Yon, hath traveyled hymselfe ryght sore for me; and hath ben sore blamed atte the courte of charlemagne for me, but he hath doon soo moche, blessed be god, that he hath made my peas wyth the kynge Charlemagne; And that Rowlande and Olyver, nor all the twelve peres of Fraunce myghte never make, [folio O.i.a] he hath graunted vs agen all our londes / And all thus we shall be riche / and shall lyve all our liffe in rest & peas / and so shall we mowe helpe / and gyve the havoyre that we have, to the powre knyghtes that have served vs all their liff ⁴truly and well.'⁴ [^4—4 omitted, F. orig.]

Thenne sayd the lady, 'I thanke god gretly therof with all my herte / But telle me where the concordauns shall be made, and hide it not from me, if it playse you' / 'Ladi,' sayd Reynawde, 'I shall telle it you wythout ony fawte / Wyte that tomorowe we

muste ride to the playne of Valcoloures, and there the peas shall be made; but I and my brethern muste goo thedir wythoute armes but oonly our swerdes, and vpon mewles / berynge roses in our handes / And there we shall fynde the duke Naymes of bavyere, & Ogier the dane, and all the xii. peres of Fraunce, that shall receyve our othes.' Whan the lady vnderstode thise wordes / she was soo sore an angred therof that almoste she had loste her wytte / and sayd to Reynawde / 'Sir, yf ye wyll beleve me, ye shall not go one fote there / For the playnes of Valcoloures are soo dangerous / for there is a roche right highe, and there ben foure grete woodes rounde aboute. [Dont la maindre dure bien dix lieues, F. orig. l. vi. back.] yf ye wyll bileve me, ye shall take a daye for to speke wyth Charlemagne here in the medowes of Mountalban; and ye shall goo there mounted vpon bayarde, and your brethern wyth you / and there ye maye conferme your peas / or elles contynue your werre. and take two thowsande knyghtes, & gyve theym to maugys your cosin, whiche shall kepe theim in a busshement vpon the ryvage, yf it happe you to have nede; for I doubte me sore of trayson. wherfore I praye you that ye kepe your selfe well sure / For I dyd dreme to nyghte a dreme, that was ferefull and merveyllous. For me semed that I was atte the wyndowes of the grete [folio O.i.b] palays, & sawe com oute of the grete wood of Ardeyn well a thousande wylde bores / that had grete & horryble teeth; the whiche slewe you / ³and rented your body all in peces;³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig. l. vi. back.] and also I sawe that the grete towre of Mountalban fell doun to grounde / and, moreover, I sawe a shot of adventure / that smote your broder Alarde so harde that it perced his body thrugh and thrughe / and that the chapell of saynt Nycolas, whiche is wythin this castell, felle doun to therthe,

and all the ymages that ben in it wepte for grete pyte. And that two angeles came doun from hevyn, that hanged your broder Richarde at an apull tree / and thenne the sayd Rycharde cryed wyth an hyghe voyce / Fayr broder Reynawde, come and helpe me! and Incontynente ye wente there vpon your horse Bayarde, but he felle doun by the waye vnder you wherfore ye myghte not come tyme ynoughe / wherof ye were full sory. And therfore, ¹good syre,¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. l. vi.] I counseylle you that ye goo not there.'

'Lady,' sayd Reynawde, 'holde your peas; For who that beleveth over moche in dremes / he dooth agenste the commaundemente of god.' Thenne sayd Alarde, 'by the feyth that I owe to god / I shall never sette foote there.' 'nor I nother,' sayd Richarde / 'Alas,' sayd thenne Guycharde / 'yf we muste goo there, lete vs not departe thyderwarde as men of counseille, but lete vs goo there like as prue and worthy knyghtes / havynge eche of vs his armes vpon hym, & well a horsbacke, ¹and not vpon mewles;¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. l. vi.] and that our broder Reynawde be well mounted vpon bayarde, whiche [shall may = be able.] shall maye bere vs all four at a nede' / 'by god,' sayd reynawd, 'ye shall say what ye wyll / but I shall goo there, as I have sayd: what soever happeth' / And thenne he wente out of his chambre, & came to kynge Yon / and sayd to hym, 'By god, I merveylle me moche of my bredern, that wyll not go wyth me, by cause [folio O.ii.a] they have no horses wyth theym. and yf it playse you, ye shall gyve vs leve to take eche of vs a horse, & ye shall kepe styll your eyghte erles wyth you / and we shall go there as ye have commaunded vs' / 'I wyll not doo it,' sayd the kyng yon / 'For the kyng Charlemagne doubteth you to sore, & your bredern, and your horses / and also I have gyven

hostages & suretes ¹that ye shall bere noo maner of harneys wyth you, but oonly your swerdes, as I have tolde you afore / and that ye shall ride vpon mewles, and not vpon horses¹ [^1—1 que vous ny pourterez armes ne ne serez montez sur voz cheuaulx, F. orig. l. vi.] / And yf ye goo there otherwyse arayed, Charlemagne shall thinke that I wil betraye hym, and so shall he dystroye all my londe / that shall be the payment that I shall have for you / I have traveylled myselfe full sore for to brynge you ²& your bredern² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig.] atte one wyth Charlemagne; and therfore, goo there yf ye wyll, and yf ye wyll not / leve it.'

Thene sayd Reynawde, 'Sir, syth that it is soo / we shall goo there;' and thenne he wente from king yon in to his chambre agayne / and fonde his wyff, that noble lady, alarde [Guichart, F. orig.] & Richarde / that asked hym how he had doon / and if they sholde have his goode horse bayarde wyth theym.' 'By god,' sayd Reynawde, 'I canne not have leve to doo so; but, my bredern, doubte you not / for the kyng yon is as true a prynce; and yf he sholde betraye vs / he sholde be sore blamed for it, for he shall make vs to be conduytted by eyght of the moost grete erles of his royame / and god confounde me yf I sawe ever ony evyll doon by hym.' 'Syr,' sayd his bredern, 'we shall goo gladly wyth you, sith that ye wyll have vs nedes to doo soo.' whan they were thus accorded herto / they wente to bed, & slepte vnto the daye appered / And whan Reynawde sawe the day, he rose vp, and sayd to his bredern, 'Arise, syres, & make vs redy / for to goo there as we shold goo / for if Charlemagne be [folio O.ii.b] soner to the playnes of Valcolours than we / he shall haply be angry for it.' 'Syre,' sayd his bredern, 'we shall soone be redy.' and whan they were all redy, they went to the chirche of saynt Nycolas for to here

masse / and whan [they] cam to the offrynge, Reynawde & his bredern offered many riche yeftes / And after the masse was doon [chantee, F. orig. l. vii. back.] / they asked after theyr mewles, & incontynent they mounted vpon / and in their felawshyp were eyghte erles / the whiche knewe all the maner of trayson. and whan they were all mounted they toke on theyr way, but the foure sones of Aymon were good to knowe by thother / for they had on grete mauntelles of scarlet furred with ermynes / and bare in theyr handes roses in token of peas, and also theyr swerdes / for ²they wold not girde theym.² [^2—2 Ilz ne les volurent oncques laisser, F. orig. l. vii. back.] ³Now god be wyth theym³ [^3—3 or en pense nostre seigneur qui prit mort et passion en la croix, F. orig. P. vii. back.] / for if he kepe theim not / they ben in waye of perdicyon, and never to com agen to Montalban / Whan the kyng yon sawe theym thus goo, he felle doun in a swoune more than four tymes, for the grete sorowe that he had atte his hert / ⁴for how be it that he had betrayed theym so / yet had he grete pite of theym⁴ [^4—4 Car non obstant quil les auoit ainsi trahiz Il en auoit peur, F. orig. l. vii.] / but this that he had doon / evyll counseyll had made hym doo it / And thenne he began to make the gretest sorow in the worlde / and sayd / 'Ha, good lord, what have I doon / dyde ever ony man so grete a trayson as I have doon, nay vereli; for I have betraied the best knyghtes of ye worlde / and the most worthy / ⁵and true.'⁵ [^5—5 omitted, F. orig.]

Thenne sayd his folke / 'syre, ye doo not well to make suche a sorow, for Reynawde is / veri wyse; and he shall perceyve it right soone.' 'Ha, god,' sayd the kyng Yon / 'were it as ye saye; for I sholde be more glad than yf I had wonne X. of the best citees of Fraunce; for Reinawde is my frende & my broder. Ha, Mawgys, how shall ye be sori, whan ye shall

knowe this mater / Reynawd dyd grete foly / whan he toke [folio O.iii.a] not your advyse in this thyng / for yf he had knowen of it ye sholde not have suffred hym [to] go there' / 'Lordes,' sayd ye kynge yon, 'I, poure wretche / whether shall I becom, if the four sones of Aymon deye / for mawgis shall slee me wythout merci / and also it is well rayson / for who that betraieth a nother & pryncipally his frende carnall ought not to lyve nor have ever ony worshyp' [Et quant Il eut ce dit, Il cheut tout pasme a terre, F. orig. l. vii., omitted in Caxton.] / but his folke toke hym vp incontynente & began to recomforte hym by many grete raysons ³that thei layde afore hym.³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig. l. vii.]

Nowe begynneth the piteouse histori of the four sones of aymon, that went to their dethe by the meanes of ye traytour kyng yon / And because of the trayson that he commytted agenst the four sones of aymon / he loste the royame of gascoyn, the name & the dygnyte therof [de non jamais y auoir roy, F. orig. l. vii.] / for never sin that tyme was no kyng crowned in gascoyn. Now shall I telle you of Reynawde & of his bredern [que dieu vueille garder de mal et descombrier par sa pitie, F. orig. l. vii.] / thenne rode Reynawde & his bredern towarde the playne of Valcoloures / and as they rode thiderwarde, Alarde began to synge ⁶right swetly & ioyfull⁶ [^6—6 omitted, F. orig.] a new song / and Guycharde & Richarde dide in lykewyse / but I telle you that no instrument of musike [ne psalterion, F. orig.] sowned never so melodiously as the thre bredern dyd syngyng togider; alas, what pite was it of so noble & so worthy knyghtes that wente syngyng & makyng ioye to their deth; they were as the swan that syngeth that yere that he shal deye / Reynaude went behynde theym sore thynkyng; his hede bowed doun towarde therthe / and behelde his brethern that

rode forth makyng grete ioye / and he sayd / 'O god, what knyghtes be my bredern, that there ben none suche [si bons, F. orig. l. viii. back.] in all the worlde, nother so gracyous' / and whan he had sayd this, he set his handes togyder & heved them vp towarde hevyn, all wepyng / and sayd in this maner, 'Good lorde, by thy glorious & blessed name, [folio O.iii.b] that dydest cast danyell out fro the lyons / and delyverest Ionas fro the fysshes beli / and saved saynt peter whan he caste hymselfe in the see for to com to ye, and pardonned mari magdalene / and made ye blynde to see / and suffred passion and dethe vpon the crosse for our synnes / and pardonned lonugys [Longius.] that smote the wyth a spere ⁴in to thy blessed side⁴ [^4—4 omitted, F. orig.] / wherfro thy blessed blood fell in to his eyen; and incontynent he recovered his sighte therby / and by thy resurrectyon / kepe this daye my body (yf it playse the) fro deth & fro prison; and also my bredern, for I wote not where we goo / but me semeth that we go in grete peryle' / And whan he had fynysshed his oroyson, his eyen wexed weete agen for pite that he had / leste his brethern sholde have ony harme for love of hym / For it playsed theim not well that they were so bare of their armes.

Thenne whan alarde saw his broder Reynaude that had his eyen full of teres, he sayd to hym, 'Ha, broder, [beau sire Regnault, F. orig. l. viii. back.] what eylleth you / I have seen you in right grete peryll, & a boute a harde werke / but I sawe you never make so yll chere as ye doo now, for I have seen you wepe at this owre / Wherof I merveyll me gretly / for I wote well for certeyn that ye wepe not wythoute some grete occasion.' Thenne sayd Reynaud / 'fayr broder, me aylleth no thynge' / 'By the feyth that I owe to you,' sayd alarde, 'ye wepe not for no thyng.

This is the day that we sholde be attone wyth kyng Charlemagne; so praye I you for god, my dere broder, that ye leve this sorow / and lete vs goo forth merely, & bere oute a good face as longe as we ben alyve / for after that a man is ones decessed / it is no more spoken of him. And thus I praye you, broder, that ye synge wyth vs; For ye have soo fayr a voyce, that it is a grete playsure for to here you syng, whan ye be wyllynge to it.' 'Brother,' sayd Reynawde, 'wyth a goode [will,] syth [folio O.iv.a] that it playseth you.' And thenne began Reynawde for to synge soo meledyously that it was grete playsure for to here hym. Soo longe rode the four sones ²of Aymon² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig.] the lityll pase of their mewles, syngynge & devysynge amonge theym selfe, that they came to the playne of Valcolours / Now wyll I telle you of the facyon of the valey. For wyte, that yf I telled you not / ye sholde not maye [be able.] knowe it / There is a roche right hie and noyous to goo vp / and it is envyronned rounde aboute wyth four grete [omitted, F. orig.] forestes ryght grete & thyck, for the leest is there a dayes journey to ryde thorughe it; and there ben four grete ryvers all aboute it sore depe / wherof ye gretest is named Gyrounde; the other is called Dordonne; the thirde is named Nore / and the other Balancon; and there is nother castell nor towne [ne nulle habitacion, F. orig. l. viii.] by XX myles nyghe aboute it. And therfore the trayson was there devysed / for this playne ²of Valcolours² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig.] was ferre from all folke / and there was a waye crossed in four / the one waye was towarde Fraunce, the other in to Spayne / ⁵the other⁵ [^5—5 le tiers, F. orig. l. viii.] in to Galyce, and the fourth in to Gascoyn. And at every one of thyse foure wayes was layde a busshement of V hundred men well horsed ²and armed,² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig.] for to take Reynawde & his bredern quycke or deed; for thus had

they sworne it, and promysed to kynge Charlemagne. Thenne cam there Reynawde & his bredern wyth theyr felawshyp of eyghte erles, that the kyng yon ¹of Gascoyn¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] had take to theym, the whiche wyst well all the mystery of this trayson. And incontynent Ogyer, the dane, sawe theym firste of all / the whiche was all abashed / and sayd to his folke, 'Fayr lordes, ye ben my men, my subgettes, & my frendes; ye knowe that Reynawde is my cosin, & I oughte not to see his dethe nor his dommage. Wherfore I praye you all that ye wyll doo hym no harme at all, nor to none [folio O.iv.b] of his bredern, ¹my cosyns'¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] / They answerd all, that they sholde doo his commaundement wyth a goode wyll / This hangynge, Reynawde & his brethern passed by and wente in to the myddes of the playne.

Thenne whan Reynawde & his brethern were com there, and fonde noo body / they were of it sore abasshed / And after, whan Alarde saw this / he called his brother Rycharde, and sayd to hym / 'What is this, fayr brother, I see well that we ben betrayed / for I see you chaunge your colour / how thynke ye?' 'Brother,' sayd Richarde, [Guichard, F. orig. m. i. back.] 'I doubte me sore for reynawde.' 'Have noo doubte,' sayd Alarde; 'for we shall have no thynge but goode' / 'My brother,' sayd Rycharde, [Guichard, F. orig. m. i. back.] 'I promyse you all, my herte shaketh / nor never in my dayes I had not soo grete feere; For all my heeres rise vp / Wherof I doubte me sore that we ben betrayed / And that more is, I sholde not be aferde yf Reynawde were armed and set vpon bayarde, and we also; for thus as we ben now, we ben halfe discomfyted' / And whan he had sayd thus, he spake to Reynawde and sayd / 'Brother, why do we tary here, sith that we have founde noo body ¹wyth whom we sholde speke?¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] for yf xx knyghtes were here armed / they

sholde have vs where they wolde, mawgre our teeth as bestes / seenge that we have so many enmyes in Fraunce. Ye wolde not beleve this that we tolde you / and also your wyf at Mountalban / wherof I fere me sore that ye shall have no leyser for to repente you of it / For yf our cosyn mawgis had ben here wyth vs / and that ye had your goode horse bayarde / ¹we sholde not doubte Charlemagne wyth all his puissaunce, of a strawe¹ [^1—1 nous ne doubterions Charlemaigne ung bouton, F. orig. m. i. back.] / I praye you lete vs goo hens, for I promyse you it is foly for to abyde here long; for I know well that charlemagne hath made vs for to com here as bestes clothed with scarlet / nor I can not beleve none [folio O.v.a] other / but that the kyng Yon hath falsly [et mauluaisement, F. orig. m. i. back.] betrayed vs' /

'Certes, fayr brother, ye say trouth,' sayd Reynawde / 'and I perceyve me well of it / now lete vs goo backe agen all fayr & softe / and as they wolde have retourned,' Reynawde hehelde a side & saw well a thousande knyghtes armed, comynge a grete paas agenst theim / And foulques of morillon cam afore all the other, well horsed, his shelde afore hys breste, & ⁴his spere alowe in the reest, the grete valop agenste Reynawde;⁴ [^4—4 la lance baisse contre Regnault, F. orig. m. i.] for he was that man in the worlde that he mooste hated. Whan Reynawd sawe com foulques of morillon, he knewe hym well at his shelde, and was so an-angred for it that he wyste not what to doo. 'Ha, good lord, what shall we poure synners doo? I see well that we must deye this day withoute doubte' / 'Broder,' sayd Alarde, 'what saye ye' / 'by my feyth,' sayd Reynawde, 'I see here grete sorow. Here cometh foulques of morillon for to slee vs; and whan alarde had seen theim comyng [comyug, orig.] / it lacked lityll that he wexed madde, and fell doun almost for grete

angre that he had of the same / and whan guycharde & Richarde sawe this, they began to make grete sorow. For they scratched theyr vysages & pulled theyr heeres / And whan alarde was a lityll assured / he sayd / 'Ha, fayr brethern, guycharde & rycharde / now is the day com that we shall deye all thrughe mortall [motarll, orig.] treyson; for I knowe well that Reynawde hath betrayed vs, and certes I wolde never have thoughte that ony treyson sholde have entred wythin so noble a man as he is; he made vs come here agenst our wylles & mawgre vs, by cause he knoweth well the trayson. Ha, Reynawde, the sone of Aymon of ardeyne / and who shall ever truste ony man / whan ye that are our broder, and that we take for our lord / have brought vs hider magre vs to our deth / and have betrayed vs so falsly' / 'O richarde,' sayd alarde, 'draw [folio O.v.b] oute your swerde [du fourreau, F. orig. m. i.] / by god, the traytour shall deye wyth vs. For well ought the traytour to deye that hathe procured so mortall a treyson.' Whan alarde had sayd this, they all thre dyde set hande to their swerdes & cam to Reynawde for to sle hym yrefully, [comme lyons, F. orig. m. i.] & sore an-angred as lyons; for they trowed for very certen that Reynaud had betrayed theym. Whan reynaude sawe theym com thus / he made semblaunt to defende hymself / but loughe at theym by grete love. 'alas,' sayd richarde, 'what had I thoughte? I wolde not slee my broder for all the good in ye worlde' / and so sayd alarde & guycharde; for thei were sore repented of this that they had enterprised for to doo / and they began all for to wepe for pite, & caste their swordes doun to therthe, & kyssed reynawde, sore wepynge. And alarde sayd, 'ha, good Reynawd, whi have you betrayed vs so? / we be nother normans nor englyshe, nor almayns; [Flamans, F. orig. m. i.] but we be all bredern of one fader & of

one moder / and we holde you for our lord. For god, brother Reynawde, tell vs of whens cometh this trayson / we ben com of so noble kyn, of gerarde of roussellon, & of dron of nantuell, & of the duk benes of aygremounte, and never none of our lynage thought no treyson / and how have ye doon so that have procured it now / ¹agenst your naturell brethern;¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] certes it is a grete fawte to you.'

'Brother,' sayd Reynawd, 'I have more grete pite of you than I have of my owne self / for I have brought you here agenste your wyll; and yf I had beleved you, this myshap had not com to vs. I have brought you here, and I promyse you I shall brynge you agen from hens, wyth goddys grace. Recomende our self to our lorde, and thynke for to deffende vs well, and feere not the dethe for our worshyp; For ones we must deye wythoute faylle. But it is goode [folio O.vi.a] to gete worshyp' / 'Broder,' sayd Richarde, 'shall ye helpe vs?' / 'ye,' sayd Reynawd, 'doubt not therof' / and whan he had that sayd, he torned towarde therles, & sayd to theim / 'fayr lordes, the kyng yon hath sent you wyth vs for to conduyt vs, & under the surete of you we be com here to lese our lyves / And therfor I pray you that wyll helpe vs' / 'Reynawde,' sayd therle of ansom / 'It is not for vs to bargayn here long / but lete vs all flee for to save ourself, & we maye' / thenne sayd Reynawd / 'by my hede, ye be all traytours, and I shall smyte of all your hedes' / 'Broder,' sayd alarde, 'what tary ye soo long, for they be well worthy to deye / sith that they ben traitours.' and whan Reynawde vnderstode that worde of his broder / he set hande to his swerde, & smote therle of ansom so grete a stroke vpon the hede that he cloved hym to the harde teeth, & it was well rayson, for it was he that counseylled this trayson to the kynge yon;

that was the rewarde that he had for the first / Whan therle of ansom was thus slayn / the other vii began to flee, and Reynawde ran after; but he coude not renne fast; for his mewle was to sore lade of the weyghte of his body / so that the beest fell down under hym / for Reynawde, [le filz aymon, F. orig. m. ii.] to say the trouthe, was ²so bygge made & so grete,² [^2—2 si grant, F. orig, m. ii.] that no horse myghte bere hym but oonly bayarde. For as it is sayd / Reynawde had xvi. fete of lengthe, & was well shape of body after ye gretnes.

Thenne whan Reynawd sawe hymselfe a grounde, he stode vp lightly ³wyth his mewle,³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig.] & sayd / 'Ha, bayarde, my good horse, that I am not on your backe armed of all peces, for, or ever that I sholde be overcom / I sholde sell my deth full dere. Alas, none ought not to complayne my deth, sith that I have purchaced it myself' / 'Broder,' sayd guycharde, 'what shal we doo? here by [be.] our enmyes evyn by vs: Yf ye thynke it good, lete vs adventure to passe over this ryver, & go vpon [folio O.vi.b] that highe roche / and soo we shall maye save our selfe' / 'Goo foole,' ⁶sayd Reynawde,⁶ [^6—6 omitted, F. orig. m. ii.] 'what saye ye / ye wote well that our mewles myght not renne before the horses / what sholde avaylle vs for to flee, sith that we myght not save ourselfe / Certes I sholde not flee for all ye world / I have lever deye wyth my worshyp / than I sholde lyve wyth grete shame; for he that deyeth in fleynge, his soule shall never be saved.' Thus as Reynawde spake to his broder Richarde, [omitted, F. orig. m. ii.] alarde sayd to hym, 'broder Reynawde, lete vs lighte from our mewlis a fote, & shryve our selfe the one to thother, [Et communions nous de fueilles du boys a celle fin que nous ne foyons surprins de l'enemy, F. orig. m. ii.] to thende that we be not overcom by the devyll.' 'Frende,' sayd Reynawde, 'ye saye well & wysely.' and they dyde as Alarde had devysed /

And whan they were confessed thone to thother / Reynawd sayd to his bredern, 'Lordes, lete vs doo suche a thyng / wherof we shall gete worshyp, sith it is soo that we maye not scape / lete vs kylle theym that com firste vpon vs / And we shall have avantage vpon thoder; and goddis curse have hym that shal feyne hym selfe.'

Thenne whan Alarde herde Reinawde speke thus / he colled hym wyth his armes, and kyssed hym all wepynge, and sayd to hym / 'Broder, we ben two & two. I praye you that thone faylle not to helpe the other aslong that lyf is in our bodyes.' 'brother,' sayd thother, 'we shall helpe you wyth all our myghte' / and thenne they wente & kyssed Reynawde by grete love. and after, whan they had kyssed eche other / they toke of their mauntelles & wrapped theym aboute their lifte armes / and toke their swerdes in their handes, and beganne to crie, & called their badges & tokens. Reynawde cried 'montalban' / alarde 'saynt nycolas,' guyarde 'balancon' / & ye gentil richarde / 'ardeyn,' whiche was the badge or token of their fader aymon. Whan Foulques of Moryllon sawe the four [folio O.vii.a] sones of Aymon comyng towarde hym all vnarmed / and vpon mewles so boldly / he was all abasshed of it / Thenne he began to crye, and saye, 'Reynawde / Reynawde, ye are come to your dethe; and I promyse you, he that moste loveth you hath betrayed you, that is the kyng Yon / but have pacyence, for I shall set to your necke an halter / Now have you not your horse bayarde / the whiche ye have ryden vpon wrongfully / Now shall be avenged the deth of Berthelot, that ye slewe. [faulcement, F. orig. m. iii. back.] Reynawde, what shall ye doo: wyll ye deffende or yelde you? but your deffence shall be not worthe to you / And yf ye make ony semblaunt to defende your selfe / I shall slee you Incontynente.'

'Foulques,' sayd Reynawde / 'ye speke well like a beste; and trowe you that I shall yelde me quycke to Charlemagne or to you / I shall first smyte of your hede, and the helme wythall / yf I can retche to you. ye knowe well how my swerde cutteth / By god, Foulques,' sayd Reynawde, 'ye are gretly to be blamed for to have gyven the counseylle for to make vs to be betrayed by the kynge Yon / For it is the fouleste crafte that a knyght may for to doo treyson. But doo as a gentylman oughte to doo / to the ende that men say not that it is treyson, yf ye wyll lete vs goo / we shall be all four redy to become liegemen of the kyng Charlemagne, and I shall gyve you my horse Bayarde / the whiche I gaaf not for all the golde [de Paris, F. orig. m. iii.] in the worlde; and also I shall gyve you ye stronge castell Montalban. and yf the kyng Charlemagne maketh werre agenst you for love of vs / we shall serve you wyth fyve [quatre, F. orig. m. iii.] hundred knyghtes well armed & well horsed ever more / and yf it playse you, ye shall save vs our lyves / And yf ye wyll not doo this / doo a nother thynge that I shall telle you, [pour vous oster de blasme, F. orig. m. iii.] for to kepe you to be not called a traytour / Chese XX [folio O.vii.b] knyghtes of the beste that ye have / and put theym in a felde well armed vpon good horses / & we four shall fyght wyth theym vnarmed as we be, vpon our mewles. And yf your XX. knyghtes well armed & well horsed may overcom me & my bredern, though we have no harnes vpon vs / we pardonne theym our deth; and yf god wyll that we sholde overcom theym / that ye sholde thenne lete vs go free where we wolde / it is that I requyre you, for [pour dieu et pour aulmosne, F. orig. m. iii.] goddys love & for your worshyp, & no more. and yf ye doo not so, ye shall be taken for an ylle knyghte all dayes of your liff' / 'By god, Reynawde,' sayd

foulques, 'your prechynge shall not avaylle you no thyng / for I have lever to have founde you now in this araye / than that I hadde wonne an ¹hundred thousande marke of fyne golde.¹ [^1—1 mille marcs dor, F. orig. m. iii.] Now is your cosin, the wyse Mawgis, ferre fro you; he can not give you no counseylle at this hour / and also all your folke be well ferre fro you / they shall not gyve you no socours / And also I knowe the goodnes of my men, & that they have promysed the kyng Charlemagne / that they shall not faylle to assayll you worthily.' 'By my feyth,' sayd Reynawde, 'and we shall defende ourselfe also to our power.' Thenne sayd Alarde to Reynawde / 'broder, what ordenaunce shall we kepe?' 'broder,' sayd Reynawd, 'we shall kepe fote two & two. ye & Guycharde shall be behynde, and I & Richarde shall make the forwarde; and lete vs smyte well harde, I praye you: For the tyme is now come that we must nedes doo so / and make we that thynge that shall be lefte in perpetuell memory to them that shall be after vs / sith that by no wyse we maye not scape.' 'Fair broder,' sayd Alarde to Guycharde, 'ye were well deceyved, for that ye trowed that reynawd had betrayed vs / I promyse you he wolde not doo it for all the golde of the worlde.' 'By my feyth,' sayd thenne Guycharde ²to Alarde,² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. m. iv. back.] 'I [folio O.viii.a] am now well hole, sith that our dere breder Reynawde shall be to our helpe; for aslonge as he shall be alyve, we shall deffende ourselfe, but not after, for though I myght chose, I wolde not lyve after he were deed.' And whan he had sayed this, they medled theymself among their enmyes. Shortly to speke of, the four sones of Aymon assembled wel agenst thre hundred good knyghtes / But their corages were never the lesse therfore aslonge as they had lyfe in the body, but that they shewed to their

enmyes a knyghtes face / whan Foulques of moryllon sawe Reynawde com / he spored his horse wyth the spores & bare his speere a lowe, and went & smote Reynawde by the mauntell of scarlet that was aboute his arme so grete a stroke that his spere entred thrughe his thye, & overthrew bothe hym & his mewle to therthe. Whan Alarde sawe that stroke / he cried sore, & sayd, 'alas, we have lost Reynawde our broder, that was all our hope & our socour; now maye we not scape / but that we shall be deed or taken, and it is better that we yelde us prisoners at this tyme, thenne to defende vs ony more / ¹For sith it is so, our defence shall helpe vs no thynge agenst so many folke.'¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. m. iv. back.] And whan Reynawde vnderstode that worde of his broder, he cried to hym wyth a hie voys, & sayd, 'Fy vpon you, gloton! what is that ye say? I have no harme yet, but I am all hole as ye ben / ¹thanked be god¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. m. iv. back.] / and yet shall I selle me full dere or I deye' / And whan Reynawd had sayd this, he rose vp quyckly, & toke the spere wyth bothe his handes / and pulled it out of his thye wyth grete greef / and after set hande to his swerde, And sayd to Foulques of moryllon, 'knyghte, yf ye wyll doo like a good man, lyghte a fote as I am / And ye shall knowe what I canne doo' / Whan Foulques of Moryllon vnderstode hym / he tourned vpon hym sore an-angred / and thoughte [folio O.viii.b] to have smytten hym vpon his hede; but Reynawde drewe a lityl aside, and went & gaaf to Foulques suche a stroke vpon his helme, ³that nother yren nor stele myghte not save hym;³ [^3—3 que rien ne le sceust garder, F. orig. m. iv. back.] but that Reynawd clove hym into the harde teeth, and felde hym deed to the erthe / & whan he saw hym falle, he sayd to hym / 'Now vnhappy traytour, that thy soule maye have no pardonne, but goo to the pyt of helle' / And whan he

had sayd that, he toke the horse of Foulques, that was right good / and light vpon it incontynent; and toke his sheelde and his spere / that Foulques had shoved thrughe his thighe. & thenne he sayd to his bredern / 'Be ye all sure that aslong as I am a lyve ye shall have no harme / but the frenshmen shal saye that they have an yll neyghbour of me.' And wyte it, whan he was on horsbacke, he was not well at ease / by cause that the stiroppes were to short for hym. But he had other thyng to doo / than to make theim lenger. and ¹whan he was thus set on horsbacke,¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] he made his horse to renne, & helde his spere alowe / and wente & met wyth therle Angenon by suche maner that he put bothe yren and wood thrughe the breste of hym, so that he muste falle doun deed fro the horse to the grounde afore his foote / And after, Reynawde set hande to his swerde, and smote a knyghte suche a stroke that his helme [myhgte, orig.] myghte not save hym, but cleved hym to the teth. What shall I telle you more? Now wyte it that at that tyme Reynawde slewe ¹wyth his owne handes¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] four erles / iij dukes, & [onze, F. orig. m. iv.] VI knyghtes / and after he began to crie 'Montalban' wyth a hie voys. And after his crie, he went and smote Roberte the lorde of dygeon, that was sone to the duk of Burgoyne, [si durement, F. orig.] so that the hede with the helme he made it lepe to the grounde. and after he slewe a nother sterke deed / ⁵that cam to rescue the sayd lorde.⁵ [^5—5 encontre luy en grant angoisse, F. orig. m. iv.]

[folio P.i.a] And whan Reynawde had doon thise noble prowes / he behelde aboute hym / and trowed to have seen his brethern thenne: but he sawe none of theym / wherof he was sore abasshed. 'O god,' sayd he, 'where are my bredern goon, now be they well ferre from me; we shall never com togyder agayn' / And

than cam there Alarde, that in lyke wyse had wonne a horse / the shelde and the spere, for he had slayne a knyghte / and had taken his horse, but he was sore hurte / Nevertheles he came, and helde syde wyth his broder / ¹and Richarde¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. m. iv.] & Guycharde came soone at the other syde / Thenne Alarde sayd to Reynawde / 'Brother, be all sure that we shall never faylle you to the deth' / And whan the four brethern were assembled togyder agayne / they began to make soo grete dystruction of frenshemen, that none durste abyde theym / For all they that they hitte, scaped not the deth / whan the frenshemen sawe this, they were merveylled / and sayd thone to the other / 'By my soule, this passeth all other wounder; I trowe that they ben noo knyghtes, but that they ben devylles / now lete vs make to theym a sawte bothe behynde & before, For yf they lyve longe / they shall doo vs grete hurte' / And whan they were herto accorded, they ran all vpon the four sones of Aymon soo harde that they parted theym, wolde they or not / But Reynawde passed thrughe theym all, and brought hymself oute of the prees, and Alarde after hym / And Rycharde retorned fleenge towarde the roche Mountbron / and Guycharde abode there on fote / for the frenshemen had slayen his mewle vnder hym / and had wounded hym wyth two speres well depe in to the flesshe, & was taken for prysoner; [voulsist ou non, orig. m. iv.] & they bonde hym both hande and fote / and layed hym vpon a lityll horse overhwarte / like as a sacke of corne, soo wounded as he was / and I promyse you men myghte well folow [folio P.i.b] hym bi the trase, by cause of the blode that cam out of his body; and so led hym soo shamfully as that it had be a theef, & went all betyng vpon hym, sayng to hym, that they led him to Charlemagne / the whiche sholde make hym to be hanged, for to avenge

the dethe of his dere nevew Berthelot, that he loved soo moche / the whiche Reynawde slewe soo shamfully playng at the chesse.

And whan Reynawde sawe that his enmyes led his broder ¹Guycharde¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] so shamfully, he wexed almost mad for angre / and called his brother alarde to hym, & sayd / 'Fayr brother, what shall we doo? see how shamfully they fare wyth our broder ¹guycharde.¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] Yf we suffre theym to bryng hym forth of this facyon / we shall never have worshyp in our dayes' / 'Brother,' sayd alarde, 'I wote not what we maye best doo, for to abide, or for to goo to theym / For I telle you that we be no moo but two, and they be so grete nombre [nonbre in Caxton.] of folke that we can doo no thynge agenste theym' / 'O god,' sayd Reinawde, 'what shall I doo yf the kyng Charlemagne make my brother to be hanged / I shall never be at my hertes ease / nor I shall never com to no court, but men shall poynte me wyth the fynger / and shall say: "see, yonder is the sone of Aymon, that lete his brother to be hanged to the pyn tre of Mountfacon / and he durst not socour hym." Certes,' sayd Reynawde to alarde / 'broder, I had lever deye firste / but yf I sholde rescue our brother fro deth.' 'Broder,' sayd alarde, 'now set yourselfe afore, and I shall folowe you, & after my power I wyll helpe you to rescue hym' / and whan Reynawde herde that, he caste his shelde behynde hym / and habandouned his body all boldly as a lyon, and cared not how the game sholde goo; for ye sawe never wood men hewe in a forest, nor make so [se, orig.] grete noyse as Reynawde made wyth his swerde amonge his enmyes, [folio P.ii.a] for he cutted and hewed legges and armes by suche wyse ⁵that no man sholde beleve it / but they that see it.⁵ [^5—5 que cest chose Increable, F. orig. m. v.] Thus made Reynawde

at that tyme that the frenshemen must nedes make hym waye to passe, whether they wolde or noo. And many made hym waye for the love of Ogier / for they knewe well that the four sones of aymon were his cosins. and whan Reynawde was passed, he sayd to theym that led ¹his brother¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] guycharde, 'Lete goo the knyghte, ye yll folkes, for ye be not worthy to touche hym' / and whan they that ledded guycharde sawe com Reynawde / they were sore afrayed, that they put theym selfe to flighte, & lefte Guycharde free, & sayd the one to the other, 'Here cometh the ende of the worlde' / and whan Reynawde sawe that they fled, he sayd to alarde, 'Goo ye, fayr brother, and vnbynde guycharde ¹our brother,¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] and sette hym vpon this horse / and gyve hym a spere in his hande, and com after me, for the traytours ben discomfited.' 'Brother,' sayd alarde, 'I shall goo where it playse you / but I telle you yf we parte one from thother, we shall never come togider agen / seenge that we be so fewe & so yll armed / but lete vs kepe togyder / and helpe thone the other' / 'Brother,' sayd Reynawde, 'ye saye well & wysely; and we shall doo it.' And thenne they wente bothe togyder to Guycharde / and vnbounde hym / and made hym mounte on horsbacke, the shelde at the necke, and the spere in the hande / Now goo there [the] thre brethern togyder / and the fourthe fyghteth agenste a grete nombre of folke / that was the valyaunt Rycharde / that was the mooste worthy of all ¹after his brother Reynawde.¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] But men had slayne his mewle vnder hym / and was wounded ryght sore. But he had slayn fyve erles / and well xiiii. knightes [knihtes in Caxton.] / wherof he was soo sore traveylled / and soo wery, that he myghte not almoste deffende hym selfe no more, but went [folio P.ii.b] rounde aboute the roche / And thenne cam Gerarde of Valcome,

that was cosyn to Foulques of morillon / the whiche he had founde deed, wherof he made grete sorowe / and sayd / 'Ha, gentyll knyghte, it is grete dommage of your dethe. Certes, he that hath broughte you to this deth is not my frende. Now shall I avenge me yf I maye.' and thenne he came to the roche. And whan he saw Richarde in soo grete greef, he spored his horse wyth his spores, and bare his spere alowe, and smote Richarde thorughe the mauntell of scarlet / that he had wrapped aboute his lyfte [omitted, F. orig.] arme soo harde, that the spere entred ferre in his body, soo moche that he brought hym to the erthe / and as he drewe his spere agayne / the guttes of Richarde came oute of the body in to his lappe; and the wounde was soo grete that the lyver and the lounges appyered. Thenne beganne Gerarde to crye / 'Now are dyscoupled the foure sones of Aymon, for I have slayne Richarde the hardy fyghter; all the other shall sone be slayne or taken / yf god gyve me helthe. And I shall brynge theym to the kynge Charlemagne / ²that shall make theym to be hanged atte Muntfacon, as sone as he hath theym.'² [^2—2 qui les mectra a montfacon, F. orig. m. vi. back.]

Thenne whan Rycharde was come a lityll to his ease, he rose vp quyckely vpon his feete / and toke his bowelles wyth both his handes and put theym agayn in to his bely; and after set hande to his swerde, and came to Gerarde, and sayd to hym in grete angre / 'Thou cursed man, thou shalte have thy rewarde anone for that ye have doon to me. For, certes, it shall not be vmbrayed to Reynawde that ye have slayne his brother.' And whan he had sayd thus, he smote Gerarde thrughe the quyras / and thorughe the shelde, soo grete a stroke / that he hewed the sholdre and the arme wyth all from the body,

& felled hym doun deed to the erthe [folio P.iii.a] afore his feete / and thenne sayd to hym / 'Certes, Gerarde, it had be better for you that ye had not come hitherwarde / for to the kynge Charlemagne / Now shall ye not bere your boste that ye have slayne one of the foure sones of Aymon.' And whan he had sayd that, he felle doun in a swoune; and whan he was come agayne to hym selfe / he beganne to wysshe after his bretherne, ²and complayned theym sore,² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. m. vi.] saynge, 'O Reynawde, fayr brother, this daye shall departe our company, For I shall never see you, nor ye me / O castell of Mountalban, I comende [comeude in Caxton.] the to god, that he wyll by his mercy and pyte brynge agayne your lorde sauff and sounde of his body / Ha, kynge Yon of Gascoyn / Why have ye betrayed us / and taken vs to the kynge Charlemagne / certes, ye dede therin grete synne / ²and a shamfull fawte.'² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. m. vi.] and after, he sayd all wepynge / 'O fader, kynge of glory / and lorde of all the worlde / socoure this daye my power bredern, For I wote not where they ben; nor of me they maye have nother helpe nor socours, for I am all redy for to deye.'

Now shall I telle you of Reynawde, of Alarde / and of Guycharde, that faughte strongely agenste theyr enmyes, as worthy knyghtes that they were. But all theyr grete fayttes of armes sholde avaylled theym noo thynge [... quilz ne fussent ou mors ou prins .., F. orig. m. vi.] yf they had not come to a narow waye of the roche / where men myghte not come to theym but afore. And whan they had be longe there / Reynawd beganne to saye to his brother Alarde / 'Brother, where is become our brother [brether in Caxton.] Richarde, that we sawe not of a goode while agoo. Now thynke none other but that we shall never see hym / For I lefte hym here by this sapyn tre, whan ye and I

had soo moche adoo. I praye god, yf he be deed, that he have his soule / Now [folio P.iii.b] I wyll wyte tidynges of hym yf it be possyble' / 'Brother,' [Sire, F. orig. m. vi.] sayd alarde, 'yf ye wylle beleve me, ye shall abyde here / god pardonne hym yf he be deed, For we may not helpe hym, the parylle is to grete / And I beleve that we sholde deye afore that evyn were come' / 'Ha, brother,' sayd Reynawde, 'shall we faylle to our brother Rycharde, the goode knyghte and worthy.' 'Thenne,' sayd Alarde / 'what wyll ye that we shall doo therto / For as to me, I knowe no remedye to it' / 'Alas,' sayd Reynawde / 'ye speke folysly / For I sholde not doubte for fere of dethe to wyte where he is become / And yf I sholde goo alone / yet shall I vnderstonde some tydynges of hym.' 'Brother,' sayd Alarde / 'I promyse you / yf we departe thone from the other, we shall never see vs agayne togyder.' 'Brother,' sayd Reynawde, 'other deed or all quycke I shall fynde hym, where soo ever he be / it maye none other be' / And whan Reynawde had sayd thise wordes / he spored his horse with his spores / and came atte the other side of the roche / And whan they that had chased Rycharde there for to slee hym / sawe Reynawde [et ses aultre deux freres .... F. orig. m. vii. back.] come / they smote theym selfe to flyghte. And thenne Reynawde wente a lityll more vpwarde vpon the roche, and founde there his broder Rycharde, that laye nyghe deed vpon the grounde, and helde his bowelles bytwene his handes; and aboute hym were a grete nombre of folke whyche he had slayne. Whan Reynawde sawe hym deed, and soo sore wounded / he had of it soo grete sorowe at his herte that almoste he felle doun deed to the grounde / But he toke corage, and came nyghe his brother / and lyghted doun from his horse, and kyssed hym sore wepynge, and sayd / 'Ha, fayre brother / It is grete

pyte and dommage of you / and of your dethe / For, certes, never man was worthe you; for yf ye had [folio P.iv.a] come to mannys age / never Rowlande nor Olyver were so prue in knyghthode / as ye sholde have be. Alas, now is loste our beaulte and our yougthe thorughe grete synne / O, goode lorde / who sholde ever a thoughte that ony treason sholde have entred [... dedens ung si noble cueur comme du roy jon, F. orig. m. vii. back.] in to the herte of the kynge Yon / Alas, my brother Richarde, woo is me for your dethe / For I am cause of it / Alas, this daye in the mornynge, whan we departed oute of Mountalban we were four bretherne, all good knyghtes. Now are we but thre, that ben worthe noo thynge, for we ben peryllously wounded, and all vnarmed. Now god forbede that I sholde scape, syth that ye be deed ³vpon the traytours.³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig.] But I praye god that I maye venge your deth vpon [les traictres, F. orig. m. vii. back.] theym or ever I deceasse / For I shall sette therto my gode wylle; and yf god wyll, it shall be soo.' Evyn thus as Reynawde made mone over his brother / he behelde behynde hym, and sawe come his brethern Alarde & Guycharde, all dyscomfyted / that cryed vpon Reynawde, 'Brother, what doo you / come anone and helpe vs / for we have grete nede' / And whan Richarde herde the voys of Alarde / he opened his eyen. and whan he sawe his brother Reynawde afore hym, he sayd to hym / 'O, brother Reynawd, and what doo you here / see ye yonder that roche, whiche is soo highe and so stronge / where as ben many smalle stones above; yf we myghte doo soo moche that we clymed vp there / I beleve that we sholde be sauf from our enmyes, for it can not be but our cosyn mawgys knoweth our dysease by this / and he shall come to socour vs.' 'Brother,' sayd Reynawde, 'wolde god we were there. Now telle me,

my fayr broder / how fele your selfe; thynke ye that ye maye recovere helthe?' 'Ye,' sayd Richarde, 'yf ye scape, and elles not; for wyth the sore that I have I myghte well deye ¹for sorowe.'¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.]

[folio P.iv.b] And whan Reynawde herd Rycharde speke thus, he was ryght glad of it. Soo called he Alarde to hym / and sayd, 'brother, take Richarde vpon your shelde, and lede hym vpon the roche / and Guycharde and I shall rowme the waye afore you.' 'Brother,' sayd Alarde, 'doubte not / I shall doo my power.' And thenne he lyghted doun, and toke vp Rycharde and layd hym vpon his sheelde; and after he lyghted agayne on horsbacke. and Reynawde and Guycharde leyd hym wyth his broder vpon the horse necke / And after put theym selfe a fore to breke the preesse of the frenshemen. And they dyde so moche that they came to the roche / But wyte it well that Reynawde made there soo grete fayttes of armes that all his enmyes were sore merveylled wyth all. For he slew at that tyme well thirty knyghtes / that never wylde bore, nor tygre, nor lyon / nor bere, dyde that Reynawde made there of his body / But, for to saye the trouthe, Reynawde setted noughte by his lyffe, and ieoparded hym selfe all togyder / for he was as a man dysperate / And whan they were come to the roche, Alarde set doun his brother Richarde to the erthe / and beganne to deffende quyckely. but I wote not how they myghte endure / for they had nother castell nor fortresse / but onely the roche.

Alle thus as the thre bretherne deffended theym selfe wyth grete woo, Thenne came there Ogyer the dane and his folke / And had in his company Magōn of Fryse, wyth well a thousande knyghtes, and cryed vpon Reynawde, 'Certes, knyghte, ye shall be deed / we have sworne your dethe. This daye is

the departynge that ye and your bretherne shall suffre dethe / Ye dyde as fooles [folio P.v.a] whan ye belived the kynge Yon, For he hath put you all to dethe.' Whan Alarde sawe soo grete folke come / he was sore an angred / and sayd to Guycharde, 'See how grete a sorowe is here afore vs, and the grete nombre of folke that ben redy for to slee vs four knyghtes. Certes, yf we were fyve hundred well armed / yet sholde not we scape / For they ben well armed, and a grete quantyte of knyghtes' / 'Surely,' sayd Guycharde, 'here is a mervelouse company / ²but yf god helpe vs now,² [^2—2 Si daventure dieu ne pense de nous ... F. orig. m. viii. back.] we ben come to the ende of our dayes / It is noo grete dommage of me nother of Rycharde / but the grete dommage is of Reynawde, that is the best knyghte of the worlde' / And whan Alarde and Guycharde had spoken togyder, they wente to Reynawde and kyssed hym, full sore wepynge, and sayd to hym / 'O, brother Reynawde, gyve vs a gyfte yf it playse you, for the love of our lorde god.' 'Lordes,' sayd Reynawde, 'what thynge aske you of me? ye knowe well ynoughe that I canne not helpe you of noo thynge. And this daye muste I nedes see you deye byfore my eyen.'

'Brother,' sayd Alarde, 'herke what we wyll telle you, and yf it playse you ye shall doo it' / 'Sey on, hardely,' sayd Reynawde. 'Brother,' sayd Alarde, 'men sayon comynly that it is better to doo one harme than two / I saye this, by cause that yf ye deye here, it shall be grete dommage, And the loss shall never be recovered agayne. For none shall avenge your dethe / But thoughe we deye here and not you / it shall be noo grete dommage / For ye shall avenge vs well. And therefore we praye you, swete brother, ³for all the playsures that ye wolde doo ever to vs;³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig. m. viii.] that ye wyll goo

your wayes / and we shall abyde here. And whan the [folio P.v.b] dethe shall come, we shall take it a worthe / This that we saye ye maye well doo; For ye be well horsed / and ye shall well save your selfe mawgre the frenshemen, yf they [vous, F. orig. m. viii.] goo to Mountalban. And whan ye be at Mountalban / lyghte vpon Bayarde well armed / and brynge anone wyth you our cosyn Mawgys for to socoure vs' / 'Brother,' sayd Reynawde / 'ye speke to folyshly. Certes, I wolde not doo so for all the golde of the worlde. I sholde be sore badde and full vnkynde yf I dyde soo / ³For I cowde not spylle my selfe sooner³ [^3—3 Car je ne me pourroye myeulx honnir .. F. orig. m. viii.] than for to leve you in soo grete perylle. Other we shall all scape, or elles we shall all deye togyder / For the one shall not fayll the other as longe as we maye lyve / Now god that suffred deth and passyon [par mortelle trahison, F. orig. m. viii.] save vs!' Thus, as Reynawde spake to hys bretherne, came the erle Guymarde / to whom god gyve evyll adventure, and sayd to Reynawde / 'knyghte, ye be take / and ye muste deye wyth shame vpon this roche / Whan ye beleved the kynge yon, ye dyde grete foly. He wrought grete trayson whan he dyd sell you to the kyng Charlemagne, that hateth you soo moche / For ye loved hym more than ye dyde your cosyn Mawgys / He hath well rewarded you for the grete love ⁵that ye oughte to hym.⁵ [^5—5 qui a luy avies, F. orig. m. viii.] Telle me, Reynawde, [omitted, F. orig.] whether ye wyll yelde you or deffende you?' 'Certes,' sayd Reynawde, 'now speke ye for noughte / I shall never yelde me as longe as I am man a lyve' / 'Reynawde,' sayd thenne Ogyer, 'what wyll ye doo? We canne not helpe you of noo thyng; other gyve yourselfe vp, or deffende your selfe.' 'Ogyer,' sayd Reynawde, [par celluy dieu ... F. orig. m. viii.] 'by hym that made the worlde, I shall never yelde me. I was never noo

theef, & therfore wyll I not be hanged / I have lever deie lyke a knyght, than to hange [folio P.vi.a] lyke a theeff.' 'Lordes,' sayd Guymarde, 'lete vs sawte theym / For they shall not [be able.] may kepe longe agenste vs' / 'Lordes,' sayd Ogyer, 'ye maye well sawte theym yf ye wyll / but by my soule I shall doo theym no thyng, For they ben my cosyns, nor I shall not helpe theym / For ye shall take theym well wythoute me' / 'Certes,' sayd the frenshe men, 'we shall thenne assaylle theym worthyly' / Thenne Ogyer drew hym selfe and all his folke a side, well the lengthe of a bowe shot, And beganne to make soo grete a sorowe as thoughe all the worlde had fynysshed a fore his eyen; and all his sorowe was for Reynawde his cosyn / and for his bretherne / And thus as he made his mone, be beganne for to saye / 'Ha, fayr cosyn Reynawde, it is grete pyte of your dethe; And I, vnhappy man, that am of your kyn, suffre you to deye afore myn eyen / And yet I canne not helpe you / For I have promysed it to Charlemagne / nor I oughte not or to breke myn othe.' But the history telleth that [Ogier se faignit celluy jour grandement, F. orig. n. i. back.] Ogyer duange hym [seffe in Caxton.] selfe gretly that daye / And thorughe his purchace the four sones of Aymon scaped [tant quilz ne furent mye prins, F. orig. n. i. back.] / For yf he wolde have put peyne to it, they sholde not have scaped by no maner / But as men sayen, 'true blood may not lye.'

Byfore the roche were four erles / for to sawte the four sones of Aymon, and made theym moche adoo; For theyr folke sawted theym in four partyes. Wherof Reynaude kepte the two partes / and Alarde and guycharde kepte the other tweyne / For Rycharde laye doun vpon the erthe sore wounded / as I tolde you a fore / And yet was Guycharde [alart, F. orig. n. i. back.] wounded sore

thrughe the thye / wherof he had bled soo longe that he was feynte / and felle doun to the erthe. [folio P.vi.b] And whan he sawe that he myghte noo more deffende, he beganne to call ²vpon Reynawde,² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig.] and sayd / 'Ha, Reynawde, fayr brother / Lete vs yelde vs, I praye you / for I nor Richarde maye noo more helpe you' / 'Brother,' sayd Reynawde, 'what saye you, now shew ye well that ye be ferdfull; but I lete you wyte / that yf I trowed to scape other for golde or for sylver / or for cyte, or for castelles / or for my horse Bayarde that I love soo muche / I shold have yelde me prisoner to day in the mornynge. For ye wote well, ³that yf we ben take, all the golde of the worlde save vs not from hangyng / or som other shamfull dethe:³ [^3—3 que tout le monde ne nous pourroit eschapper de mort se Charlemaigne nous peut tenir, F. orig. n. i. back.] And therfore I wyll not yelde me by noo maner of wyse / A man that wyll be valyaunte oughte to deffende hym selfe for to be hole' / 'Ha, Richarde, [alart, F. orig.] socoure vs for the love of Ihesus / for we have well mystre. We ben nother normans nor bretons / but we ben all of one fader and of one moder / Now oughte we well to helpe eche other wyth all our power for our worship; for otherwyse men shold saye that we ben bastardes, and of an ylle fader.' 'Ye saye trouth,' sayd Guycharde [alart, F. orig.] / But ye wolde not beleve how feble I am, for I am wounded to the deth.' 'Certes,' sayd Reynawde, 'I am sory for it / but I shall deffende you as longe as lyffe is in my body.' Who had seen thenne the noble knyghte Reynawde take vp the grete stones, and caste theym vpon hys enmyes, ye wolde not have sayd that he had not be wounded nor traveylled of noo thyng / Whan Rycharde that lay a grounde thus wounded, as I have tolde you above, sawe and herde the grete noyse that they that sawted the roche made, he toke up his hede,

and sayd to Reynawde, 'Brother, I shall helpe you; But cutte me some of my sherte, and I shall bynde my syde and wounde soo that my bowelles maye not yssue oute of my bely / And thenne I shalle sette me [folio P.vii.a] to my deffence and shall helpe you wyth all my herte' / Thenne sayd Reynawde, 'Now arte thou well worth a true man' / And whan Guycharde vnderstode hym, he was ashamed / and toke agayne strengthe in hym beyonde his power, and came to the deffence / ²and sayd wyth a hyghe voys, 'Ogyer,² [^2—2 et dist a Ogier, F. orig. n. i.] Fayr cosyn, what doo you to your lynage? Certes, it shall be a grete shame to you yf ye socoure vs not / for the fawte that ye doo to vs shall be layd vnto you in every place where ye goo, to lete vs deye thus, we that ben your kynnes men / the beste of all the worlde / Save Reynawde, and ye shall doo lyke a true man. And as for vs other / it maketh nother lesse nor more' / Whan Ogyer vnderstode thise wordes / he was sory for it / that noo man myghte more / and wolde have gyven a grete thynge to have delyvered theym, And sayd that he wolde doo wyth all his herte all that he myghte doo for theym / And thenne Oger spored brayforde wyth his spores / & came to the roche wyth a staff in his hande, And sayd to theym that sawted the roche, 'wythdrawe yourselfe a lityll tyll I have spoken wyth theym a lytyll, for to wyte whether they wyll gyve theymselfe vp or noo / For it is better that we have theym quycke than deed.' 'Syre,' sayd the frenshemen, 'we shall doo [dooo in Caxton.] your commaundemente; But we leve theym wyth you to kepe in the name of the kynge Charlemagne.' 'Ha, god,' sayd Ogyer, 'I never thoughte trayson / nor I shall not begynne yet' / And thenne he came more nyghe the roche than he had be, and called to hym the foure sones of Aymon / and

sayd to them, 'Fayre cosyn, rest you, and take agayn you[r] brethe / and yf ye ben hurte, wrappe vp your woundes / And make good garnyssheng of stones / and so defende yourself nobly of all your [folio P.vii.b] powre; For yf the kynge Charlemagne maye have you, ye shall never have pardonne; but he shall make you to be hanged and strangeled / And therfore ye muste nedes kepe your selfe well. For I promyse you, yf Mawgys knowe of it, he shall come to socoure you / thus shall ye scape, and other wyse not.' 'Cosyn,' sayd Alarde, 'ye shall have of it a goode rewarde / yf ever we may scape.' 'Ye saye true,' sayd Reynawde; 'For yf I maye scape, by god that suffred deth and passyon for vs vpon the crosse / all the golde of the worlde shall not save hym / but I shall slee hym wyth my owne handes / For I hate hym moche more than I doo a straunger; For he that sholde deffende and helpe me agenste all men, It is he that dooth me harme.' 'Cosyn,' sayd Ogyer, 'I maye not doo therto, so helpe god my soule / For the kyng Charlemagne made me swere afore all his barons that I sholde not helpe you in noo maner of wyse. And of this that I doo / I am sure that the kynge Charlemagne shall conne me noo thanke' / 'Brother,' sayd Alarde, 'Ogyer telleth you trouth.' And also it was well trouth that ogyer was repreved therof for treyson; For Charlemagne called hym traytour afore all his barons. Thenne Reynaude bonde the woundes of his bretherne as well as he cowde / But the wounde of Rycharde was soo greefull to see, that it was pyte to beholde / For / all the entraylles appyered oute of his body / And whan he had lapped theym all, Alarde wrapped the wounde that Reynaude had in the thye / And whan they had reste theymselfe a lityll / Reynawde stode vp and wente vpon the roche for to gader stones to deffende theym selfe. And garnysshed therwyth

their deffence where [folio P.viii.a] hys bretherne sholde stande. Whan the frenshemen sawe that Ogyer, the dane, made there to long a soiournyng, they beganne all to calle and crye / 'Ogyer, ye make there to longe a sermon, telle vs yf they wyll yelde theym or noo / or yf they shall deffende theym selfe.' 'Naye,' sayd Ogyer, 'as long as they have lyffe in theyr bodyes' / 'By my soule,' sayd the frenshemen, 'thenne goo we sawte theym efte agayne.' 'Thenne,' sayd Ogyer, 'I promyse you, I shall helpe theym with all my power.' Whan therle Guymarde herde Ogyer speke soo, he wente to hym, and sayd / 'We commaunde you in the kynges name of Fraunce, that ye come to the batayll wyth vs, agenste the four sones of Aymon / As ye have promysed and sworne / and for doubte of you many a lorde is here in our companye that wyll not fyghte' / 'Lordes,' sayd Ogyer, 'for god mercy / ye knowe all redy they ben my cosyns germayne / I praye you lete vs wythdrawe ourselfe abacke, and lete theym be in peas; and I shall gyve eche of you large goodes.' 'Ogyer,' sayd the frenshemen / 'we shall not doo soo, but we shall brynge theym prisoners to the kynge Charlemagne that shall doo wyth theym his playsure / and also we shall telle hym what ye have doon. Whereof / he shall conne you lytyll thanke all his lyff.' And after whan Ogyer vnderstode thise wordes, he was sore an angred / and sayd by grete wrathe, 'By the feyth that I owe to all my frondes, yf there be ony of you soo hardy that take Reynawde or ony of his bredern for to delyver theym to kynge charlemagne I shall smyte of his hede, what somever come after it.' 'Ogier,' sayd the erle Guymarde, 'we shall not leve therfore, for to take theym ryght shortly / And whan we have theym / we shall see who shall take theym from us / [folio P.viii.b] for we shall well conne shewe this to the kyng Charlemagne.'

And thenne they began to sawte the roche agen. Wyte it that Reynawde & his bretherne deffended theym selfe full nobly. But whan Reynaude sawe this grete multytude of folke that cam for to sawte theym / he beganne to saye / 'Ha, Mawgis, my fayr cosin / where are ye now that ye knowe not this myshap, for ye wolde come anone to helpe vs, but ye knowe it not; wherof I am evyll contente / For I was a foole and over hasty that I spake not to you of this matere afore that I cam here / Ha, bayarde, yf I were vpon your backe / I sholde never entre wythin this roche, for fere of the frenshemen. But the kynge Charlemagne sholde lose here of the beste knyghtes of his company.' and whan he had sayd thys, he beganne to wepe full tendrely for the love of his bretherne, that he sawe soo sore wounded & soo wery / Thenne the frenshemen sawted theym efte as stronge agayn; and I promyse you yf it had not be the grete prowes of reynawd they sholde have ben taken at that tyme by fyne force. Whan the sawtynge was fynysshed / Reynawd set hymself vpon his deffence; for he was so wery, that yf he had goon he sholde have fallen doun to the erthe, soo weke he was, and that was noo merveylle, for they had soo sore traveylled hym / and had suffred soo many tormentes & terrible sawtes that it was wonder they [they repeated in text.] cowde endure soo longe.

And whan Oger, the dane, sawe his cosyn soo sore tourmented, he toke hymselfe to wepe tendrely. And thus as he wepte, he bethoughte hymselfe of a grete wysedome, & called to hym a knyght of his that was named gerarde, and sayd to hym / [Girart, F. orig.] 'have, for god, mercy of me; & ³but yf ye doo that I shall telle you³ [^3—3 se vous ne faictes ce que vous diray, F. orig. n. iii. back.] / I am dishonoured for ever more' / 'sire,' said Gerarde, 'telle me what it plaise you / for it shal be doo

though [folio Q.i.a] I sholde lose my liffe' / 'gramercy,' sayd Ogyer / 'Now shall I tell you what I wyl that ye do. Take wyth you XL. knyghtes of the best of my felawshyp / and goo lightly to the mount Hosy / and kepe your selfe thervpon / and beholde towarde Mountalban all the ryght waye that noo body come but ye see hym / For yf Mawgys maye wyte by ony waye the mysfortune of his cosins, I promyse you that he wyll come to socoure theym, and shall gyve vs moche a doo, soo that ye moste hardy shall be sore afrayed' / 'Sire,' sayd gerarde, 'this that ye have sayd shall be well doon' / and thenne he toke XL of ye best knyghtes of his company, and went to the mount Hosy; where they made not well theyr watche for the prouffyte of the frenshemen / Ye oughte here to wyte that Ogyer founde this manere to sende his men forth, but oonly that Reynawde & his brethern sholde not have a doo wyth soo many folke; and thoughte not of that that happed. ¶ But now leveth here the history, to speke of the foure sones of Aymon that were in the roche Mountbron. And also leveht to speke of Ogyer the dane, and of thother folke that Charlemagne had sent / and retorneth to speke of Godarde the secretary of the kyng Yon, that had red the lettres, where the trayson was conteyned all playnly /

CHAPTER X.

¶ Howe after that Godarde the secretary of the kynge yon had rehersed all the treyson to Mawgys / that the kynge yon had doon to his cosins [la quelle Il scauoit bien au long car Il auoit leues les lectres du roy charlemaigne et escripte la responce que le roy yon luy auoit surce faicte, F. orig. n. iii.] / Mawgis brought suche a

socoures to Reynawde & to his brethern, that he saved theym fro deth by his grete wysdom /

Capytulum x.

Now sheweth the history, that whan Godarde sawe Reynawde & his brethern goo to their deth thorughe soo false a trayson / he had of it grete sorowe & pyte, and he was ryght sory for it / for two pryncypall causes / [folio Q.i.b] wherof thone was for his mayster, the kynge yon, that had wroughte that shamfull treyson / And thother was for the grete pyte & dommage that it was for to make deye so pyetously suche worthy knyghtes as the four sones of Aymon were / So began he to wepe pyetously; and thus as he wept, came there Mawgys, the cosin of the four sones of Aymon, that went to the kechyn for to haste the mete / for the kyng you wold ete, to the whiche men made good chere, bicause thei knewe not the trayson that he had doon / Whan the clerke sawe Mawgys, he called hym / and sayd to hym / 'Ha, mawgys, how it is yll wyth you / for yf god put noo remedy in you, ye have loste that thynge that ye moost love in this worlde, that is Reynawde & his brethern / for the kyng yon hath betrayed theim shamfully.' And thenne he shewed to hym all the trayson. whan Mawgis vnderstode thise wordes, he was all oute of his wyttes, & sayd to the clerke, 'Godarde, for god goo away fro me / for all my lymmes shaken for angre, nor I can not stande vpon my feet, for my herte telleth me that Reynawde & his brethern ben deed.' 'Certes,' sayd Godarde, 'ye saye trouth / For [Fer in Caxton.] the lettre sheweth that Ogier the dane & Foulques of morillon are set in a bushement [a tout deux mille cheualliers bien armez, F. orig. n. iv. back.] wyth a grete nombre of folke in the playne of Valcolours / and Reynawde &

his brethern are goon thyder all vnarmed by the counseylle of kyng yon / and thus they can not defende / but they muste be deed or taken.' Whan Mawgys vnderstode this, he was sory for it, that he felle doun in a swoune to therthe / and atte the fallyng that he made, he brake all his browes. and whan he was come agen to hymselfe, he was so sory that he wyste not what he sholde doo / So toke he a knyff, and wolde have shoved it in his breste / but he myghte not / for Godarde toke hym by the handes, and sayd to hym / 'Ha, gentyll knyghte, [folio Q.ii.a] have mercy vpon you / kylle not yourself / for your soule shal be dampned for it; but light a horsbacke, & take wyth you all the men of armes that ben wythin, and the good horse bayarde, that renneth so fast / and goo there as your cosins ben goon assone as ye may: and whan ye come there, ye shall see anoone yf ye can helpe theym or not; for yf thei ben alyve, ye shall socoure theim ryght well' / 'Godarde,' [Sire, F. orig. n. iv. back.] sayd Mawgis, 'your counseylle is right good.' and thenne he began to wepe, and sayd / 'Ha, noble knyghte Reynawde, it is grete dommage yf ye be deed / but I make my vow to god, that yf ye & your brethern be deed, I shall never lyve two dayes after you' / And thenne Mawgis, wythout ony noyse or [or repeated in text. ony worde to be made of this to the kyng yon, nor his suster, the wyff of Reynawde / commaunded all the souldyou[r]es of the castell to be redy in armes lightly. and whan the knyghtes vnderstode hym, they toke their harneys on Incontynent, as they were wount to doo / And whan they were all armed, they cam all to the loweste parte of the palays & presented theymselfe; and whan Mawgys sawe theym, he shewed vnto theim all the ]

traison that the kyng Yon of Gascoyn had doon to Reinawde and to his bretherne.

Thenne whan ye knyghtes of Reynawd vnderstode this, thei began to make suche sorowe that it was pyte for to see, and wysshed after the noble knyghtes that were gon to their deth / ¹and were so disperat that thei wolde almost have kylled theimself¹ [^1—1 et a peu quilz ne se desesperent ... F. orig. n. iv. back.] / For thone wysshed after Reynawde, & ye other after Alarde, [Guichart, F. orig.] thother after Guychard, & thother after Richarde, and sayd, 'Ha, valyant & pru knyghtes, it is grete dommage of your deth, for certenly all the world shall be the worse therfore / Alas, & who shall gyve vs now the fair armes & the good horses that ye were wount to gyve vs?' thus [folio Q.ii.b] as thei were makyng this grete sorow / mawgys sayd to ye palfreynyer that kept bayerde / 'frende, goo & set the sadell vpon bayerde, and I shall bryng hym to Reynawde' / 'syr,' sayd ye palfrenyer / 'I may not doo it / for Reynawde ⁴my maister⁴ [^4—4 omitted, F. orig. n. iv.] commaunded me whan he went, that I shold not suffre no body to lighte vpon it tyll he were com agen' / whan mawgis vnderstode thanswere of the palfrenyer, he was wroth / and smote hym wyth hys fiste so grete a stroke that he cast hym [Sur ses genoulx, F. orig. n. iv.] at his fote afore hym, & after went hymself to the stable where bayerde was / whan bayard sawe Mawgis, he began to shrynke his eeres, & smote wyth his forfete so strong that no body durst goo nyghe hym / [fors que Regnault ou le palefrenier, F. orig. n. iv.] but the palfrenyer that tended vpon hym. and whan mawgis sawe that bayerde played so, he toke a staffe & smote bayard vpon the hede so that he made him knele to the erth. and whan bayerd sawe he was so curstly dealed wythall / he was a ferde lest he shold be yet more shreudely handlyd, & so he helde hymselfe styll / and mawgis caste the sadel vpon hym, & brydled

hym. [puis se arma et monta dessus bayart, F. orig. n. iv.] And wyte it, that whan mawgis was vpon bayardis backe, he was well like a valyaunte man ²& a hardy knyghte,² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. n. iv.] for he was one of the fayrest knyghtes of the world, & one of the best / and the moost subtyl of the worlde. And whan mawgys & all his folke were ²all redy a horsbacke² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. n. iv.] well armed / thei went out ate the gate fawcon. And they myght well be a boute V. thousande men well horsed & well armed, and vii hundred good archers, that never wolde goo backe for noo doubte of deth by ony maner / ³and they set theymself to the waye / not by the right waye / but³ [^3—3 Et se mirent a la voye hors le chemin, F. orig. n. iv.] went thorughe the wode [de la serpente, F. orig. n. iv.] all a coverte wyth grete dyligence / And all wayes mawgys wente wysshynge after Reynawd and after his brethern, for he wyst not yf they were deed or a lyve / and sayd to hymselfe, 'Ha, Reynawde, [le filz aymon, F. orig. n. iv.] god be this day wyth [folio Q.iii.a] you / and kepe you ⁷& your bredern⁷ [^7—7 omitted, F. orig. n. iv.] fro dethe & fro prison! But now yf the frenshemen kepe not theymself well / they shal have suche a neyghbour & so cruell that thei shalle soone wery of it, & shall sore repent' / Now shall we leve to speke of maugis, that brought socours to Reynawde to the playn of Valcolours. and we shall shewe of Reynawde & of his brethern, that were at roche montbron full of woo & sori, for thei saw theymself in grete peryll / All thus as Reynawde dyde reste hymself vpon the defence of the roche, & thought in hym selfe what he myght doo / he torned his sight towarde the wood, [de la serpente, F. orig. n. iv.] & sawe come mawgis wyth his folke, the shelde at the necke, the swerd in the hande, & mounted vpon bayerde. wyte it that bayarde went not the lityll pase, but went lyke a sualowe / for at every lepe that he made, he lept xxx fote of grounde / and whan Reynawde

sawe mawgys com wyth so grete folke & so fayr a company, all his body shevered all sodenly for grete ioye / and forgate all the grete sorowe & tormente that he had suffred all the daye, & sayd to his bredern / 'Bredern, ¹be mery, &¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. n. iv.] be not dysmayed of no thyng, for here cometh mawgis for to socour vs ¹wyth a grete nombre of folke;¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. n. iv.] now he sheweth well that he is our kynsman & a good frende: blessed be he of god that hath tolde hym the daunger that we were in' / 'Brother,' sayd alarde, 'is it trouth that we shall have helpe anone?' 'Ye,' sayd Reynawde, 'by the feyth that I owe to you.' 'Certes,' sayd alarde, 'now complayne I not' / and whan Rycharde, that laye with his boweles betwene his handes, vnderstode this word, hym semed that he dremed this that he herde whiche his brethern sayd / for he was all redy brought as one that had loste hys brayne / by cause of the grete sore that he felte, and forced hymself so that he righted hymself vpon his buttocke, but it was wyth grete peyn / & sayd to his broder, 'Reynawde, me [folio Q.iii.b] semeth that I have herde named mawgis, or elles it is come to me by a vision' / 'broder,' sayd Reynawd, 'by my feyth we have socours of mawgis, that bryngeth to vs all the power of montalban' / 'Broder,' sayd Rycharde, 'for god, shewe me hym!' And thenne Reynawde toke hym vp bitwene his armes, & shewed hym mawgis, that cam ridyng vpon bayarde as faste as tempest. whan Richard saw mawgis he was so glad that he fell in a swoune bytwene his broders armes. and whan he was com agen to hymself, he sayd, 'Now am I hole, for I fele nother yll nor sore' / 'Brother Reynawde,' sayd alarde, 'what shall we doo? For yf the frenshemen perceyve the comyng of mawgis, they shall fle, and I wolde for no good that they sholde doo so;

for I wolde that we were first avenged vpon theym for the grete hurt that they have doon to vs; but lete vs doo one thynge that I shall tell you / Lete vs goo doun to the fote of the roche & begyn the batayll / and while that they shall fyghte wyth vs / mawgis shall be com / & by all thus they shall not scape vs' / 'broder,' sayd reynawde, 'ye saye well, & we shall doo so' / and thenne reynawd, alarde, & guycharde went doun to the fote of the roche / and the lityll richarde bode above vpon the roche, for he cowde not move nor helpe hymselfe.

Reynawde cam doun fro the roche wyth his two bredern; and whan the frenshemen sawe theim, thei began to saye thone to thother / 'Here com the sones of aymon, that wyll yelde theymself prisoners / now lete vs not kylle theim, but take we theim for to brynge theim a lyve to themperour Charlemagn.' and whan they had sayd this / they began to crye / 'Reynawd, but yf ye wyll deye shortly / yelde yourself! and yf ye doo it wyth good wyll / we shall all praye Charlemagn that he have mercy vpon you' / Whan Oger herde theym speke thus, he wende it had be trouth that reynawd & his [folio Q.iv.a] bredern wold have gyven theym self vp as prisoners / Soo was he full sori for it / and spored brayford wyth the spores, & cam agenst reynawd & his bredern, & sayd to theym, 'knyghtes, I holde you now for foles, that ye have lefte your roche, that was ye savyng of your lif / this day shall ye be hanged wyth grete shame / and yet I can not helpe you, for I shold be blamed of Charlemagn' / 'Oger,' sayd Reynawd, 'we be not suche foles as ye wene / but I wyll that ye flee. For by the feyth that I owe to the olde aymon my fader, yf ye tary ony while here ye shall not be wyse / for yf I can reche to you / I shall shewe what I canne doo' /

This hangyng / that reynawd spake to oger, oger behelde towarde the right waye that cam fro the wode, [de la serpente, F. orig. n. v.] and sawe folke com to reynad, that mawgis brought / and was all afore mounted vpon bayarde, that cam fast / And whan oger sawe com thus [Maugis et les gens, F. orig. n. v.] the folke of reynawd in grete nombre, he knew theym well, and was right glad of it / and his hert rored in his beli for ioye. and righted hymself vp [dessus la teste de son cheval, F. orig. n. v.] in his sadle wel halfe a fote, & sayd to his folke / 'Fayr lordes, what shall we doo / the devyl hath told mawgis that we be here. he cometh ridyng vpon bayard, & bryngeth wyth hym a fayr company. Certes, yf we were xx. thousand, yet were we not able to fighte wyth theym, and ye shall see this day that the sorow shall retorne vpon vs' / This hangyng, cam mawgys wyth all his felyshyp / and there where he saw oger, he cam to hym & sayd / 'Oger, I holde you for a fole bycause that ye cam here to werke treyson. I chalenge of you reynawd & his bredern, & am com here for to be their surete. By god, oger, it longeth not to you for to betray thus reynawd ⁴& his bredern⁴ [^4—4 omitted, F. orig. n. vi. back.] / for ye be of his lynage; but ye have yll shewed it to hym. your fader wroughte never treyson, and I merveyll me sore how ye [folio Q.iv.b] wold graunt to it / your fader lefte you in fraunce for a pledge at saynt omers to Charlemagn, whos man ye are / paynge to hym everi yere four peny weyghte of golde / Oger, oger, ye be descended of damp Richarde of roussillon, of dron of nantuell, of the duk benes of aygremaunt; all thise were bredern, and good true men & feithfull knyghtes / and aymon of dordonne was theyr broder, & is fader to reynawd / this knowe ye wel, and ye wyll be other than was your lynage; wherof I defye you to the deth /

for I hate you vtterly.' Whan mawgis had sayd this worde / he spored bayarde wyth the spores, & smote Ogyer in the sheelde so harde that the sheelde nor his harnes coude not save hym / but that he made hym a grete wounde in his brest / and of that stroke floughe the spere in peces. And whan oger sawe that / he was so sore an angred for it that he waxed almost mad, and wold have goon vpon mawgys, but he myghte not. For whan bayard smelled his lord / he ran myghtely towarde hym / wold mawgis or noo. And whan he was com byfore reynawde, he kneled byfore hym / & mawgis lighted from hym, & cam to reynawd & kyssed hym full swetly / and after he kyssed alarde & guycharde. And thenne sayd / 'where is the lityll rycharde? For men helde hym for one of the moost hardy of the worlde.' 'Cosin,' sayd reynawd, 'he is there above sore wounded, that I wote not whether he be deed or a lyve.' 'cosin,' sayd mawgys, 'can not he move hymself' / 'it is not tyme to speke so long,' sayd reynawd / 'but lete vs see who shall doo best of vs all. gyve me my horse & my armes.' 'with a good will,' sayd mawgys. and thenne reynawd armed hym & lighted vpon bayarde / the sheelde at the necke & the spere in the hande [et dist a ses freres. Freres, armes vous car le besoing en est venu, F. orig. n. vi.] / and whan he had said this he spored bayard with his spores / and lept at everi tyme xxx. fote of lengthe / Whan reynawd saw hymself vpon bayarde he was right glad, for [folio Q.v.a] he trowed never to have set vpon his backe agen, [et qu'il peust retourner en son premier estre, F. orig. n. vi.] and whan he sawe hymself thus horsed & armed ⁴wyth his owne armures⁴ [^4—4 omitted, F. orig.] / so helde hymself more sure than that he had be in the maister towre of montalban / and thenne he made a course & ran vpon Oger, & smote hym so harde that he made hym lighte fro the sadle, and bare hym fiersly

to the grounde. & whan reynaude sawe oger a grounde / he lighted a fote, & toke the horse of ogyer & brought it to him agen, and helde the stirope, & made oger to light vpon brayforde agen / and thenne Reynawd sayd to hym / 'Cosin ogyer, now have ye the rewarde of the goodnes that ye dyde vnto vs / but, certes, this that ye have doon, ye dyde it as a traytour & an yll kynsman / therfore kepe you fro me, for I defye you; and by hym that made ye worlde, I shall spare you nomore / for ye are slaundred' /

Cosin Reynawd,' sayd Ogyer, 'and we shall kepe vs fro you, doubte ye not.' who thenne had be in that place, he shold have seen how Reynawd had medled hymself vygoriously among the frenshemen / and myght well saye that he was a knyghte ¹prue &¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] valyaunt. And thenne cam mawgis vpon a nother horse that he had recovered, & spored hym with his spores, and cam to therle Guymarde, & smote hym thorughe the sheelde so that he shoved his spere thrughe & thrughe his body / and felde hym doun deed to therthe. ²And whan he had guyven that stroke he cried² [^2—2 Et puis mist la main a son espee, et frappa ung chevallier qui auoit nom aliau, et luy donna sur son heaulme si grant coup, quil labact mort a terre. Et quant Il eut fait ses deux coups, Il escrie son enseigne, F. orig. n. vi.] 'Montalban cleremount.' and after he sayd in this maner, 'Fre knyghtes, smyte vpon thise frenshemen, that wold slee the best knyghtes of the world; they have well shewed grete worthynes whan they be com heder in grete nombre for to fight agenst four knyghtes vnarmed: but they shall repente theym of their bargayn right sore, ³or that two owres ben a goo³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig. n. vii. back.] / & [Lors dist a les gens, F. orig. n. vii. back.] therfore leye strongly vpon theim, & as harde as ye can / for yf oger scape vs, we be [folio Q.v.b] dishonoured' /

and thenne began the striff fell and cruell; & many a frensheman was cast doun to therth: For [Fro in Caxton.] they myghte not endure the grete merveylles of armes that Reynawde & his bredern made. And whan the frenshemen saw that they coude not wythstande no lenger / and saw the grete dommage ²& hurt² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. n. vii. back.] that Reynawd, his bredern, & mawgis bare to theym, they put theimself to flighte, and oger wyth theim, towarde the ryver of dordonne; and oger passed it over vpon his horse brayforde / and whan he was come at thother side of the ryver / he lighted a fote / and Reynaud called in a scorne, & sayd to hym / 'Oger, I trowe ye be becom a fissher / have ye eeles or sawmons? I gyve you leve to chuse whether ye wyll com agen at this side, or that I go to you at that side. and yf ye come agen at this side / I shall kepe you sauf from all men, but of me onely / or els make me sure fro charlemagnes folke, & I shall passe over to yonder side & shall iuste wyth you' / and after sayd to hym / 'Ye horson false knawe, ye have falsed your feyth to Charlemagn, for ye be my cosin germayn / And how had ye the hert for to see vs murtrished in your presence / and that ye defended vs not agenst all men / and ye come yourselfe for to slee vs by traison. Certes, oger, ye have doon amys gretly / But thanked be god, ye leve wyth vs behynde you a good pledge / For here abideth with vs Foulques of morillon and therle Guimard / the whiche shall never make vs no werre; & more than vi. [quatre, F. orig. n. vii. back.] hundred of your frenshe knyghtes / evyll tydynges ye shall bere of theym to charlemagne and to Rowlande / and ye shall gyve theym an yll rekenynge of your men. And goddys curse have they yf they make not you to be hanged as a theeff ⁴by the necke.'⁴ [^4—4 omitted, F. orig.]

[folio Q.vi.a] Thenne were the frenshemen sore abashed whan thei herde reinaud repreve oger [le dannoys, F. orig. n. vii. back.] so, wherof thei were glad, [Lors dirent entreulx. Dieu soit loue de ses parolles, F. orig. n. vii. back.] & said to oger / 'well fynde ye now ye rewarde of your goodnes! yf ye wolde have doon your devoyre, ye four sones of aymon had be taken' / & whan oger saw hymself thus repreved of thone parte & of thother, he was right sori for it / and thenne thei lefte hym vpon the river side of dordonne; & abode wyth hym but V [dix, F. orig.] men / and whan oger sawe that all his company had lefte hym / he knew well that they dyd so for dispyte. thenne said he all by hymself, 'Fayr god of heven, I am well worthy to be served thus! and the proverbe may well be reherced for a trouth, that sayth / "Often happeth evill for a good torne"' / whan oger had said this, he ⁵cried &⁵ [^5—5 omitted, F. orig.] sayd to reynawd / 'O, mad beest, ye blame me wrongfully & wythout a cause, for ye & your bredern shold have be hanged by this wythout ony pardonne / nor mawgys had never com here tyme ynoughe; wherof ye have called me traytour / but ye lye falsly, for I never dide treison, nor never shall, yf god wyll. Ye have also called me fyssher, now ought I well to wexe mad all quycke, whan suche a gloton doth to me soo grete owtrage / but by the feith that I owe to all my frendes / but yf I fered other than you / I sholde goo gyve you suche a stroke thorugh the shelde that ye sholde saye it is a stroke of a maister.' ¶ Thenne said reynaude / 'oger, ye speke well at your ease / for ye shall doo no thynge at all of that ye say, leest your limmes should be hurt' / 'by my berde,' sayd Oger, 'I shal' / And thenne he broched braiford with the spores, and put hymselfe to swymme over the ryver. And whan he was come to the playn grounde / he made

hym redy for to ioust as wete as he was. and whan reynawde saw oger so yll arayed for to fighte, he had pite therof / And said to him.

'Cosyn, I have at this our no wyll for to fyght, and therfore [folio Q.vi.b] goo your wayes agen, for this daye ye shall not be defoyled by me; now know I well that ye have holpen me' / 'Reynawd,' sayd oger, 'mocke not wyth me / Ye have called me traytour byfore many knyghtes. yf I went my waye agen / men mighte saye to Charlemagn that I had betrayed hym falsly / My spere is yet all hole: it were a grete shame to me but yf I brake it vpon you or vpon one of your bredern / For Foulques & therle guymarde shold complayne in helle vpon me / and of thother parte I shold have non exscuse towarde the kynge charlemagn yf I went thus away / for ye have well slayne four hundred knyghtes of ours / wherfore I saye for a conclusyon that I shall not goo my waye, but that I medle firste wyth you / for ye wote well that yf I wente thus my waye / the kyng Charlemagn sholde bere me som dishonour for it, & he shold have rayson, & also he shold make me to be heded, and therfore I wyll fyghte wyth you / for, certes, I have lever dey than to retorne thus to hym / and yf god hath ordened that ye shall smyte of my hede, I pardonne you my deth / for yf I can overcome you, I shall brynge you to the kynge charlemagn, what somever come of it.'

And whan reynawd herde ogyer speke so, he wexed mad for angre, & sayd by wrathe / 'oger, I defye you to ye deth, & kepe you fro me!' 'and you of me,' sayd oger / And whan they had defyed eche other so, Reynawd spored bayarde, & Ogyer brayford, their good horses, & ran thone vpon thother so strongly that the erthe trembled vnder their fete / and whan cam to laye the speres alowe, thei hit eche other so harde that they

brake their speres; and after their speres were broken / they recounted eche other wyth theyr sheldes, & gaaf eche other so grete strokes that thei both fell doun to therth over the croper of their horses, [tieullement que de tieulle Iouste, F. orig. n. viii. back.] & were sore wounded. and whan ye two good knyghtes [folio Q.vii.a] sawe theimself at the grounde, [Sans faire demourance, F. orig. n. viii. back.] thei rose vp quyckly & set hande to their swerdes, & began to make so harde medelyng that it was merveylle. But herke of their horses! wyte that whan bayarde & braiforde sawe their maisters at the grounde / incontynent they went thone to thother / and began to byte eche other, & cast their fete thone vpon thother. whan oger sawe that, he was ful sory for it / for he knewe well that bayarde was the stronger; so ran oger thider, the shelde at his necke & his swerde in his hande; for he wold helpe his good horse braiforde, for he was a ferde that bayarde sholde have kylled hym. Whan reynawd sawe this, he cried & sayd / 'what is it ogier that ye wyll doo? it is not the werke of a knyghte to smyte a beest / and well me semeth that ye have ynoughe to doo of me wythout ye bete not my horse' / Thenne reynawd smote oger so grete a stroke vpon his helme, that he felde hym doun to the grounde; but the stroke slided a side & kyt a sondre all that it rought well a hundred maylles of his flankarde, and wounded hym sore vpon his hippe / and yf the swerde had not tourned wythin reynawdes hande, oger sholde never have eten bred / and whan reynawd had gyven to hym that stroke / he sayd to hym, 'ogyer, lete alone bayarde, for ye have ynoughe adoo wyth me / I beleve that I have apayred your helme / for I see your visage that is sore pale.' and whan oger felt hymself hurt / he wexed almost wood for angre / and retorned to reynawd wyth his swerde

cortyne, and sayd, 'Ha, cortyne that so moche I have loved the, and, certes, it is wel rayson / for ye be a good swerde, & in many places ye have well holpen me, & many a proud man overthrowen / and whan I went with charlemagn at estborwgh in almayn / Rowlande & Olyver dyde assaye their swerdes at Perron / And I smote after for to assaye you, And ye kytted therof well halfe [folio Q.vii.b] a fote, and there I brake you, wherof I was right sori. But for the goodnes that I know in you, for to be amended agen, & therfore ye be called courten / and but if ye avenge me now of this gloton I shall never have no trust to you / and thenne he smote Reynaud vpon his helme so harde, that he made hym rele / and whan oger saw Reynaud thus arayed, he said to hym, 'by god, Reynawde, I have yelde you agen that ye had gyven me / we be now quyte: wyll ye begyn a fresshe.' 'by my feyth,' sayd Reynawd, 'ye, for I desire more to fight than I do ony other thyng' / and thenne they went & ranne thone upon ye other and began a nother medelynge; but thenne cam there alarde, mawgis, & guycharde, & all their folke / and whan oger sawe theim com, he was ²wrathe & sory² [^2—2 moult doulant, F. orig. n. viii.] for it / and so went he agen to brayforde, his good horse, & lighted upon him, & swymmed agen over dordonne. and whan he was over, he abode still at the ryver side, & lighted down to therthe / but he had no sadel upon his horse, for the gyrthes brake whan he iusted wyth Reynawde / Whan Reynawd sawe brayforde sadeles, he called to oger, & sayd, 'Oger, com fetche your sadell, for it shall be to you a grete shame yf ye ryde thus; and thanke our lorde that ye be thus departed fro me wythout ony more harme; for yf we had taried a lityll lenger togyder / I wold have broughte you in suche a place where ye were never; for the kynge Charlemagn, your lord, sholde never have rescued you in [t]yme' /

'Reynawd,' sayd oger, 'ye threten me of ferre / it longeth not to a good knyghte to threten one so; but I wote well that yf it had not be your folke that have socoured you, I wolde have brought you to kyng Charlemagn or evyn.' 'Ogyer,' sayd Reynawd, 'ye have well shewed that ye be a good knyghte that passed ye ryver of dordonne for to com fight wyth me; but shall ye tari there [sur broyfort, F. orig. o. i. back.] for me tyll I passe over at thother side [folio Q.viii.a] vpon my horse bayard.' 'ye, vpon my soule,' sayd ogyer / 'and yf ye doo it, I shall saye that ye be the best knyghte of the world. Whan Reynawde vnderstode that worde, he spored bayarde wyth the spores, & wold have passed over dordonne, but mawgis, alarde, & guycharde letted hym / and wold not suffre hym to goo, but toke hym by the brydell; and alarde sayd to hym / 'Ha, fayr broder, & what is this that ye wyll doo / ye be overhasty / for who that dooth you goode, he leseth well his tyme. ye knowe well, and Oger had not be, we sholde have be ded this daye, and the socours of mawgis had helped vs but lityll / Lete Ogyer be in peas, I praye you / for there is not a better knyghte in the worlde than he is one' / & thenne cryed alarde to ogyer / 'Fayr cosyn, goo to god / for ye have well holpen vs' / whan alard had spoken to ogyer / he retorned him to his broder Reynawd, & sayd to hym, 'Fayr brother, me semeth it were good that we shold torne backe agen, for to wyte howe our brother Richarde dooth / that abydeth vpon the roche mountbron so wounded as ye knowe. Lete goo our enmyes with shame ynoughe, for we have dommaged theym ryght sore.' Thenne called Ogier to Reynawde / and sayd, 'ye have dyscomfyted vs / but by my faders soule, we shall come agen soo grete folke vpon you, that we shall bere to you grete harme, and so shall we take the proye / the whiche ye shall not dare defende' /

'Now threten all fayr,' sayd Reynawd, 'for we have suche a castell where we dare well abyde Charlemagne / and you, at any owre that ye come / and also I telle you for certen that, or ever thre [quatre, F. orig. o. i.] dayes be passed / ye shall never take vs for all that ye can doo. And how somever the game gooth, the losse hath ever be vpon you vnto this tyme / And also ye shall bere no goode tydynges to Charlemagne.'

¶ And whan ogier had spoken ynoughe to Reynawde / he spored Brayforde, [des esperons, F. orig. o. i.] [folio Q.viii.b] and wente after his folke that had lefte hym, and he rode soo long that he cam to Mountbandell, & lighted doun before the tente of Charlemagn / and whan Rowland & Olyvere saw com Oger thus wounded & makyng so evyll chere / thei trowed that there had be a battayll; and that oger had taken Reynawde & his bredern. and so thei dyde call the duke Naimes, Salmon of breten, Rycharde of normandy, & therle Guydellon; and when thei were all assembled / they sayd, thone to thother, 'Pour vnhappy, & what shall we do / this day shall we see hange the four sones of Aymon / thei be cosins to vs all, and yf Charlemagn maketh them to be hanged / we be dyshonoured for ever' / And whan Charlemagn sawe com oger, he sayd to him, 'Oger, where ben the foure sones of Aymon / have ye taken theym, or slayn theim, or remysed theym for prysoners?' 'Syr,' sayd oger, 'all fair and softly, wyte it that they ben no children / but thei are the best knyghtes of the world / and they be a lyve / I tell you, syre, that we fonde theym in the playn of valcolours / all four clothed in scarlet, furred wyth ermyns, & vpon mewles / and bare in their handes flowers & roses. well has the kyng yon of gascoyn kept his covenant to you / for he hath sent theym forth in suche maner as he promysed to you / but worthynes

& the proues was suche that they chaunged ther meules to gode horses, & recovered both shelde & spere. And whan Reynawd had goten a horse / he slewe foulques of morillon first of all, and mounted upon his horse [puis nous les menasmes ung grant traict darc tous desconfitz, F. orig. o. ii. back.] / but at the last they fonde a roche corven after the maner of a cave, that is a strong place / where they defended theymself a longe while; and Rycharde, one of their bredern, had be slayn / and thother thre shold have ben other taken or slayn, if mawgis had not com there to socoure theym, mounted vpon bayarde, & brought with hym V. thousande knightes, [folio R.i.a] whiche have dyscomfyted vs, and have slayne therle Guymarde' /

'Ha,' sayd Charlemagne, 'that is it true that they ben so scaped.' 'syre,' sayd Ogyer, 'ye, verely.' Whan the kynge vnderstode that reynawde & his brethern were scaped, he was ³right wrothe & full angry³ [^3—3 moult doulant, F. orig. o. ii. back.] for it / and sayd / 'Ha, good lord of glory / 'how am I shamed for four glotons! certes this weryes me sore! but no forse, lete theym doo the worst that they can, for yf they have scaped me now, they shall not scape me a nother tyme' / 'Syre,' sayd Ogyer, 'wyte it / but mawgys had not be, they cowde not have scaped.' 'goodys curse have he for it,' sayd Charlemagne, 'and an evyll yere; for often has he holpen theym agenst me / and soo I wote well, that yf I helde Reynawde & his brethern wythin my prison / Mawgis sholde delyver theym oute, and therfore I hate hym to deth, wherof I praye you our lord that I deye not tyll I be first [avnenged in Caxton.] avenged of it.' 'Syre,' sayd Ogyer, 'by the feyth that I owe to you / Reynawd gaaff me soo grete a stroke that the corner of my helme felle doun wythall to therthe, and I promyse you I was well gladde whan I was scaped from his handes. For of thre thousande [cheualliers, F. orig. o. ii. back.] that we

broughte wyth vs, there are com agayn but thre hundred, and the surplus is all slayn or taken' / Whan Rowland vnderstode thise wordes, he shoke all for angre, & sayd by grete wrathe, 'By god, syre Ogyer, ye were sore hardy, for ye had noo felawes that dyd soo wel as ye dyde / but by saynt peter the postle / I saw never soo stronge a cowarde as ye be, nor never cam oute of Denmark a good knyghte.' 'Ha, hourson cowarde kaytiff, how have ye ony eyen that dare beholde vpon a man / but a nother thyng there is / for ye have spared theym / for they ben your cosins & your frendes. Now be the kyng blamed, but yf he maketh you to be hewen in all peces, for they sholde have ben take, if ye had not be' /

[folio R.i.b] Thenne whan oger sawe hymselfe so repreved/ he wexed all madde of the grete iniury that Rowlande had sayd to hym soo / and answered boldly & sayd, 'Damp Rowlande, ye lye falsly of that ye saye; For I am not suche as ye telle / And here is my pledge for to defende me this quarelle agenst body to body; for I nor none of my kyn dyde never amys agenste Charlemagn; but of all Fraunce I am one of the best & truest knyght that be in it; and of a better kynne I am come than ye be, Rowlande [Sire droit empereur, F. orig. o. ii.] / Gerarde of roussyllon was myne vncle / he kept me of a lityll chylde; and Dron of nantuell & the duke Benes of aygremount; thise thre were brethern, the whiche were all myn vncles. And Myneus of aygremount was my fader / and also the bisshop Turpyn & Rycharde of normandy ben my kynsmen / and thus are the four sones of aymon of my lynage. Now, good sire Rowlande, telle me your lynage, for I knowe your highnes; for by saynt denys of Fraunce, I shall defende me agenst you wyth my swerde / and so shall I shewe to you yf I be true or

no' / [Aultrement me conuiendra mourir de dueil, F. orig. o. ii.] Rowlande was thenne wounderfull wrothe / whan he herde ogyer speke so, and vaunced hymselfe agenste hym, & wolde have smyt hym / And whan ogyer sawe hym come, he set hande to his swerde cortyne, & sayd to Rowland / 'Beware ye be not so hardy for to set hande vpon me, for by the feyth that I owe to him that begate me / I shall make the hede to flee fro thy body / yf ye come ony nerer' / Whan Charlemagn saw thise two barons move theymselfe soo sore, ²the one agenste thother² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. o. ii.] / he was right sory for it / And thenne rose the duke Naymes of bavyre, & therle Aymery, and sayd / 'Syr Rowlande, what wyll ye doo / by my hede, the thyng shall not goo as ye trowe / For oger is not suche as ye make hym; [et que vous le doyes bactre ne oultraiger, F. orig. o. iii. back.] and yf the kynge were not, the thynge sholde goo otherwyse than [folio R.ii.a] ye wene / ogyer is suche a knyghte as all the world knoweth; nor in his lynage was never noo man borne that made treyson; but he is the best knyghte in all Fraunce of all sides but we merveylle how Charlemagn suffreth you to tak so grete a pride vpon you. And yf he suffreth it / we wyll not doo so for no thyng that can come of it.' Whan Charlemagne sawe this grete noyse betwene his barons, he was right wrothe, & sayd to Rowland, 'Fayr nevew, lete this alone, for it longeth not to you to saye so / and betwene this & to morow I shall enquere of this matere; and yf Oger hath doo amys in ony thynge agenste me, I shall make hym abye it full dere / for all they in the world shall not kepe hym, but I shall make hym beheded for it.' 'Syr,' sayd ogyer, 'I wyt well but there is in fraunce no man so prue ne so hardy / that shall saye that I have doon treyson agenst you nor agenst ony other, but that I shall fighte agenst hym in the quarell / and shold shewe to hym that he lyed

falsly' / but and it playse you to here me, I shall telle you the trouth of the mater [Sans mentir de mot, F. orig. o. iii. back.] / Wyte it, syre, that whan I came to the roche Mountbron where the four sones of Aymon were, and sawe that we were so grete nombre of folke agenst four knyghtes all vnarmed / I promyse you that I holpe theym not / nor I was not agenst theym / but wythdrewe me aside & lete the other shyfte wyth theym / and I stode styll & behelde vpon the grete sorow / For I sawe deye my flesshe & my blode, and I myghte not helpe theym of noo thyng / Now have I tolde you all the trouth / and all that I dyde / And yf ye fynde otherwyse than that I telle you a fore all thise noble barons / I wyll be sore punysshed / but by the feyth that I ow to god, yf ever I fynde me in ony place where I maye helpe theym, I shalle helpe them wyth all my power, yf I shold lose my hede for it. For all the worlde [folio R.ii.b] oughte to hate me, by cause I faylled theim atte theyr nede. For they ben my cosins / and ye, syre, have doon so moche to theym that it shold suffyse you, for they be not soo moche gilty of that they be charged of as men make semblaunt; but by the virgyn Mary / as long as I shal lyve, I shall not fayll theym of that I maye doo. Over hasty was Rowlande for to have smytte me wrongfully / and wythout ony cause, but I wyll well that he knowe that yf he sawe Reynawde mounted vpon his horse bayarde / he sholde not take hym for a ribawde, nor he sholde not dare abyde hym body to body, for all the golde of spayne.' Whan Rowlande herde Oger speke thus / he sayd to hym, 'by god, Oger, ye have praysed hym moche / and ye make hym wonderfull hardy / but I praye god that I maye ones fynde hym vpon bayarde, his good horse, all armed from hede to too / for to knowe yf he be as valyaunt as ye make hym' /

Wyte that god herde the prayer of Rowlande, for Rowlande not longe after that fonde Reynawde vpon bayarde, and I telle you that Rowland helde hym not sith for noo rybawde nor for no knave / but toke hym for the beste knyght of the worlde / But the history leveth now to telle of kyng Charlemagn of Fraunce / of Rowland, [et de Olivier, F. orig. o. iii.] & of Oger the dane, and of the XII peres of Fraunce that ben at ye sege afore Mountalban / and retorneth to speke of Reynawde, that was yll at ease for the love of Richarde, his brother, that was wounded to deth in the roche Montbron.

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

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

]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

CHAPTER XIII. [The heading of this chapter is omitted by Caxton, and is therefore given here from Copland's Table: Ed. 1554.]

[The xiii. chapiter sheweth, how that after Reynawd had succoured kyng yon, was the same houre a merueyliouse battaylle betweene Reynawde and the frenshe men. For Rowlande was there sore beten and many other, wherof Ogyer was glad bycause that Rowlande had called him traytoure; And also he knewe that the foure sonnes of Aymon, were not for to be so lyghtelye ouercomen, as men had sayde afore. And for this cause there had been a sore medle betweene Rowland and ogyer, yf it had not be the other barons, that departed them, and in this recountre Rycharde the brother of Reynawde, abode for prisoner of Rowlande.]

In this parte sheweth the history, that after Reynawde was departed fro the bataylle for to go fighte body to body agenste Rowlande, the nevewe of Charlemagne, in the wood of the serpent / Rowland Olyver & the dane Ogyer faughte agenst Alard, Guycharde, & the lityl Richarde, agenste Mawgis & agenste their folke / and the batayll was there so sharpe & soo fell of one parte & of the other / soo that

grete hurte & scathe was there made of bothe partes / but at the laste the discomfyture torned vpon Rowlande / and vpon his folke. In somoche that Rowlande & Olyver were constrayned by force for to goo backe agen all dyscomfyted / for the thre brethern & Mawgys made agenst theim so grete efforte of armes that they gate the pryce that daye / And then as Rowland went backe agen all dyscomfyted, he bare his hede lowe, for he was a shamed that he had be soo rebuked / And thenne [omitted, F. orig. p. vii.] Ogier sayd to hym / 'Lord Rowland, who hath arayed your sheelde of this facyon? I see your horse hurte in the thye, & vnder the croper / he was felled vpon the right side, and you also / it is well seen on your side. I trowe that ye have founde reynawd the sone of Aymon. have ye brought him wyth you / where have ye put hym' / Whan Rowlande vnderstode that reproche that Oger made vnto him / he wexed almost [folio T.ii.a] madde for angre / Soo toke he his swerde, and ranne vpon Ogier for to have smytte hym vpon the hede / But whan olyver sawe this, he toke Rowland by the brydelle / and the erle Guydellon toke Ogier / and thus they were departed / And thus as they were departed, and that Rowland went on his waye / came there after hym the lityll rycharde, the brother of Reynawde / that beganne to calle as hie as he myght / 'Damp Rowlande, ye goo cowardly awaye / retourne agayn that I may see your sheelde / and lete vs have a course, ¹we two togyder.'¹ 'knyghte,' answerde Rowlande, 'I graunt therto by my feyth.' And thenne they spored theyr horses wyth theyr spores; and Rowlande cam agenste rycharde soo harde that he overthrewe hym and his horse wyth all in a hepe to the grounde. And whan rycharde sawe hymselfe thus a grounde / he rose vp quyckely and came to his horse / and lighted vp agayn wythoute ony styrop /

And whan he was on horsbacke, he set hande on his swerde, and deffended hymself nobly ¹agenste his enmye Rowlande.¹ [^1—1 contre ses ennemys, F. orig. p. vii.]

Whan Rowland sawe this / and that he knewe that it was one of the brethern of Reynawd, ²he had so grete Ioye of it that hym semed that he had be in paradyse / and Incontynente² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. p. vii.] he beganne to crie / 'Mountioye saynt Denis.' And sayd vpon hym, 'now, my frendes / For yf he scape vs, I shall telle it to Charlemagn.' And whan the Frenshmen sawe that Rowlande wold have rycharde taken, they set all [all repeated in text. vpon hym, so that they smote hym wyth more than fourty swerdes all at ones / and it happed so that his horse was kylled vnder hym / and he overthrowen to therth / and whan Richarde sawe his horse deed a grounde, he was right sory for it / and rose vp quyckely vpon his fete / and smote therle Antony so grete a stroke wyth his swerde that he wounded hym [folio T.ii.b] right sore / Humall the breton sawe that, and he smote Rycharde; & rycharde recovered vpon hym wyth suche a stroke] [que luy et cheval versa par terre et si le naura durement a mort, F. orig. p. viii. back.] that he felled bothe horse & man doun to the erth / ⁶And wyth this guydellon cam from behinde, & overthrewe richarde fro the arsons of his sadle to the grounde⁶ [^6—6 omitted, F. orig. p. viii. back.] / And whan Rowlande sawe richard at the grounde, he cam to hym & sayd / 'Now yelde you, and abyde not that we slee you, for it were grete dommage' / 'sire,' sayd thenne richarde, ⁶the yongest sone of aymon,⁶ [^6—6 omitted, F. orig. p. viii. back.] 'to you, rowlande, I shall yelde me, & to none other / For I can not yelde me to no better man than ye be one.' And wyth this he toke hym his swerde; and Rowlande receyved it wyth a goode wyll, & made the lityll richarde to light

vpon a mewle. And thus they had hym prisoner. Alas, & what dommage shall it be if the prue richarde be hanged / he is well like to be / but that god & Mawgys delyver hym / all this myshappe sawe a servaunt of richarde. and whan he sawe that men led thus his mayster richard / he spored his horse wyth the spores, & aventured hymselfe to passe over the ryver / and cam lightly [omitted, F. orig. p. viii. back.] to reynawd, & sayd to hym / 'Syre, I bryng you evyll tydynges. Wyte that Rowlond ledeth wyth hym your brother richard for prisoner well shamfully.' Whan Reynawd vnderstode thise wordes, he was so angri for it that he had almoste lost his wyite / and after he sayd to the yoman / 'com hyder, tell me, my frende / are they that leden my broder [Richart, F. orig. p. viii. back.] ferre hens' / 'Sir,' sayd the yoman / 'ye, it is not possible that ye sholde overtake theim.' And whan Reynawde vnderstode this, he was more angry than he was to fore / and fell fro bayard in a swoune to therthe. And whan he was com agen to hymselfe / he beheld afore hym / And sawe his brother Alard come wyth his folke, that came after Reynawde by the trase / For they wende that Rychard had be goon to hym long afore theym. And whan [folio T.iii.a] [Fol. T. iii. (S. in text.)] alard sawe reynawd make suche a sorow / he came thenne to hym, & sayd in this maner, 'Ha, fayr broder, and what eylleth you / It longeth not to suche a knyghte as ye be for to make so grete a sorowe as ye doo.' 'Alard,' sayd Reynawd, 'ye have doon full yll, for I have lefte my brother richarde wyth you to kepe him / and ye have lost hym, for Rowland ledeth hym wyth hym as prisoner / and he is all redy so ferre broughte that we can not socour hym' / whan alard & guychard vnderstode thise tydynges / they began to make suche a sorowe that it was merveyll for to see

¹the lamentacion that they made¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. p. viii.] / 'alas,' sayd Reynawd, 'what is he that hath parted our company / to daie in the mornyng we were four bredern togider / and now we ben but thre. Ha, fayr brother richard, it is a grete dommage of you; for yf ye had lyved your age, ye shold have passed all your brethern / seenge that ye were the yongest of vs all, & yet ye were the moost hardy / and thrughe your hardynes ye are taken.' 'fayr [omitted, F. orig. p. viii.] brother,' sayd alard / 'all cometh by you, that broughte vs here agenst our wyll for to socour the kinge yon / Now have we lost richard, wherof the losse shall never be recovered, for we shall never see hym a lyve.' And whan he had sayd this, he sayd to guycharde / 'Broder, draw oute your swerde, so shall we cut of the hede of this traytour kyng yon therwyth / for whom we have now lost our broder richarde.' 'Brother,' sayd thenne Reynawde, 'I praye you, for ye love that ye have to me, that ye touche not the kyng yon ¹for to doo hym ony harme¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. p. viii.] / for he hath yelded hymselfe vnto me / but bryng hym vnto mountalban, and see that he be kepte sure. And I shall abyde here wyth my good horse bayard, & flamberde my good swerde, wythoute ony other company / Soo shall I goo in to the pavylion of charlemagn, where I shall recover my brother Richard, or a nother prisoner for hym, or [folio T.iii.b] [Fol. T. iii. back. (S. in text.)] elles I shall deye wyth hym' / and whan he had said that worde, he spored bayard wyth the spores, for to have goon thyder, but alard toke hym bi the bridyll, & guychard toke hym with both his armes fro behynde for to kepe hym, that he shold not goo / and thenne alard sayd to him / 'Bi saynt peter of rome, ye shall not goo no fote there, for it is better that richard deye, yf it must be so / than ye shold deye.' And thus as the thre brethern made

their mone [que estoit grant pitie a veoir, F. orig. p. viii.] for richarde, cam there mawgis theyr cosin, that followed theim. and whan he sawe his cosins make suche sorow / he was sore agaste, & sayd to theym / 'What eyleth you, fayr cosins / it is no worship to you, nor ye maner of good knyghtes / but of wymen, to make suche sorrowe as ye doo.' 'Cosin, cosin,' sayd alard, 'I shall tell you what causeth vs to doo so / wyte that rowland ledeth wyth hym our broder richard for his prisoner, the best knyght of the world after reynawd; and reynawd wyl go to the pavylion of charlemagn; and ye know well yf he goo there, he is but lost for evermore' / 'Reynawde,' sayd thenne mawgis, 'it were no wysdome to you yf ye went there / for your goyng shold not profyte no thyng / but go your wayes to mountalban, & I shall go there ²as ye wold have goon my self;² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. p. viii.] and yf richarde be not deed, I shall bryng hym agen wyth me vnto you all, were he shitte vp in X prisons, mawgre charlemagn.' [de france, F. orig. q. i. back.] 'Cosin,' sayd reinawd, 'I shall becom your man yf ye doo this that ye saye' / 'cosin,' sayd mawgis, 'I shall doo it wythout fawte / but leve your sorow; I shall deliver hym agen in to your handes ⁴hole & sounde,⁴ [^4—4 omitted, F. orig. q. i. back.] yf it playse god.' and whan he had sayd so, the bredern set theymself to the waye for to retourne to mountalban / but soo grete sorow was there never made, as the thre bredern made for their broder richard [Helas! ce dist regnault, frere richart comme cest grant dommaige de vous se vous estes mort, car oncques chevallier ne vous valut de hardiesse, ne de prouesse. Et si etiez ung yosne enfant. Et se maist dieu Je plains plus la grant bonte de vous, que Je ne fais ce que vous estes mon frere, F. orig. q. i. back, omitted in Caxton.] / And thus, makyng their grete mone, they dyd somoche that they cam to mountalban, & lighted [folio T.iv.a] from their horses in the base court, and after

wente vp to the dongeon / And whan the noble [omitted, F. orig. q. i.] lady clare, the wyf of Reynawde, wyste that her husbonde came / she came agenste hym right glad & Ioyfull / and ledeth at ether hande of her both her yonge children / aymon & yon; and eyther of theym bare a lityll staff in his hande / and began to crie vpon their vncle / 'vassayll / but that ye be now prisoner / ye shold have deyed by our handes' / and they cam nyghe hym, & sayd / 'cursed kyng & vntrue! why have you betrayed my lord our fader, & his bredern, our vncles / that have doon to you so god servyse? certes, ye be well worthy to deye a shamfull deth' / Whan alarde herde his nevewes speke of this maner / he beganne to wepe full tendrely. And thus as he wepte, he kyssed Aymonet, that bare the name of their fader / and sayd, 'Ha, god, how ben we broughte lowe and dystroyed'! And whan the lady herde Alarde speke thyse wordes, and sawe that he wepte / she thoughte well that it was not wythoute a cause; and she sayd to alarde / 'Fayr brother, for god telle me the occasyon of your sorow.' 'Lady,' said alarde, 'wyth a good wylle [le vous diray, F. orig. q. i.] / Now wyte that we have loste our brother rychade / Rowlande ledeth hym for his prysoner to charlemagn; but yf our lord save hym, we are not like never to see hym' / 'Alas, I vnhappy! what shall we doo?' sayd the lady, 'syth that Rycharde is loste, For we shall never have honoure.' And saynge thyse wordes, she felle doun in a swoune to the erthe. And whan she was come agen to herselfe, she beganne to make soo grete a sorowe / that all they that were there had grete pyte of her / ¶ But here leveth the history to speke of Reynawd, of Alarde / and of Guycharde / and of the lady Clare / and her yonge chyldren / And retourneth to shewe of

Mawgis, the goode knyghte, that had put hymselfe in adventure and in peyne, for to [folio T.iv.b] deliver Rycharde oute of the handes of the kynge Charlemagne.

CHAPTER XIV.

¶ How after that Reynawd, Alarde, and Guycharde were retourned to Mountalban, after the bataylle that they had by the woode of the serpente, they made grete sorowe for the love of Rychard there broder / that was in the handes of the kynge Charlemagne / and how he was delivered by the wytte of Mawgys.

Now telleth the history / that whan Mawgys was come agayne to Mountalban / soo moche wrothe he was, that he myghte nomore, for the love of Rycharde that was take / And by cause that reynawd and his bretherne made therfore soo grete sorowe, Incontynente that he was lighted from his horse / he wente into his chambre, and made hymselfe to be dysarmed; and after he toke of all his clothes, and put hymself all naked / and this doon, he toke an herbe and ete it, and as soone that he had ete it / he swelled like a padde / and thenne toke an other herbe / and chaufed and helde it betwene his teeth / and anone he be came all blacke as a cole ²in his face, as one that is beten wyth staves² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. q. i.] / and his eyen reled in his hede ³as he had be other dronken or madde³ [^3—3 quil sembloit quil deust mourir, F. orig. q. i.] / and dysguysed hymself wonderfully, that he that had well knowe hym afore [ne leust congneu, F. orig. q. i.] shold not thenne have sayd that he had be mawgys. And whan

he was thus ¹torned and¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. q. i.] countrefayt / he toke a grete mantell and a hode, and clothed hymselfe therwyth, and toke on his fete a grete payre of botes, & the staff of a pylgryme in his hande. And thus arrayed, he yssued oute of mountalban. And whan he was oute, he sette hymselfe for to goo the waye so grete pase that no horse cowde not have waloped so fast / tyll that he cam to mountbandell, byfore the tentes of themperour Charlemagn, [folio T.v.a] or ever that Rowlande were come there agayn. and there he helde hym styll, & spake no thynge at all / but loked oonly vpon the kynge & vpon his pavylion / And whan he went, he halted wyth thone fote / and lened before the kynges tente vpon his staff, and kept the one of his eyen close. And whan he sawe the kyng com out of his pavylion / he nighed hym, & sayd, 'God of heven, that suffreth deth & passion in the crosse, kepe you, kyng Charlemayn, fro deth & fro pryson, and from evyll treyson /'

'Vassall,' sayd the kyng charlemagn / 'god confounde you! for I shall never truste vpon none suche a begger as ye be / by cause of the evyll theef mawgis / the whiche hath deceyved me many tymes / for whan he wil, he is a palmer, a knyghte, or a gryfon, or elles a heremyte / be suche maner that I can not beware of hym. And yf it playse god & hys blessed moder, I shall avenge me ones vpon hym, how that the game gooth' / And whan mawgys herde themperour speke of this manere, he answered no thynge / and kepte hym styll a grete while; and after he sayd to the kyng, 'Syre, yf mawgis be a theef / all other poure folke be not so. I have more nede of helthe than I have to doo ony treyson; & it is well seen on me that I am not the body that myghte doo ony grete harme / Syr, I come from Ierusalem, where I have worshypd the holy grave, and have doon my oblacyons in the

temple of salamon, and yet I must goo to rome & to saynt Iames in gales, and god wyll. But I dyd passe yesterdaye over balencon & over gironde [et entre dedens ung dromon, F. orig. q. ii. back.] / wyth x men, ²my servauntes,² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. q. ii. back.] that I ledde alwayes by the waye wyth me for to kepe & defende my body. And whan I had passed over gyronde / ³I cam wyth my meyne thrughe a wood nyghe montalban³ [^3—3 Je vins par dessoulz montauban, F. orig. q. ii. back.] / where I mette wyth many brygantes & theves, that slewe all my men, & al that I had thei toke [folio T.v.b] fro me, and lete me goo / and gladde I was whan soo fayr I was deliverde of theym. And after I asked of the folke of ye countrey what men they were that ⁵had so⁵ [^5—5 so had, orig.] slayn my men / and they dyd telle me that they were the four sones of aymon, & a grete thef that was called mawgys ²wyth theim² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. q. ii. back.] / And I asked theim why they wold set theymself to so fowle a craft & vnhappy / seen that thei were so grete gentylmen born. and the peple of the countrey answerde me that they were constrained for to doo so, by cause they had soo grete poverte wythin mountalban that they wyst not what to doo / but I dyde never see so cruell a man as the same mawgis is / for he bounde my handes behinde my backe whan he had robbed me / and thenne he bete me so sore that I wende to have deyed therof / and hathe arayed me as ye see. Syr, ye be the best kynge of the worlde, & ye be lord of all this londe, wherfore I pray you, for god, that ye wyll do me right of thise four sones of aymon, & of maugis that grete theef' / And whan charlemagn vnderstode thise wordes, he righted his hede vp & sayd / 'Pilgryme, is it true as thou sayst' / 'ye, syre,' sayd mawgis / 'Now tell me thy name,' sayd charlemagn / 'Syr,' sayd mawgis, 'my name is gaydon, & I am borne in bretayn, & I am a grete man in my countrey / wherfore I requyre you, in

the worship of the holy sepulture ¹that I have soughte,¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. q. ii. back.] that ye doo me ryght' / 'Pylgryme,' sayd Charlemagn, 'I can not have noo ryght of theim my selfe / for I promyse the! yf I had theym, all the worlde sholde not save theym, but that I sholde make theim deye a shamfull dethe.' 'Syre,' sayd thenne mawgis / 'sith that ye can doo me no righte of theym, I beseche all myghty god, that is in heven, that it playseth hym for to doo it' / 'Syre,' sayd the barons, 'this pylgryme semeth to be a goode man and a true / as I suppose / For it is well seen on hym / gyve to hym your almes [folio T.vi.a] yf it playse you' / And thenne the kyng commaunded that men sholde gyve hym [trente, F. orig. q. ii.] xx. li. of money / and mawgis toke theym & put it in his hode / and he sayd in himself / 'ye have gyven to me of your owne good, but ye have doon like a fole / I shall reward you right dere for it or ever I departe fro you.' and whan he had the silver, he asked after some mete, for goddys sake / for sin yesterdaye he had not eten, as he sayd / 'by my feyth,' sayd Charlemagn, 'thou shalte have ⁴mete & drynke⁴ [^4—4 omitted, F. orig. q. ii.] ynough.' And anone they brought to hym mete / and he set hym doun, [sur ung eschaquier, F. orig. q. ii.] & toke & ete well of the beste. [car Il en auoit mestier, F. orig. q. ii.] And the kynge sayd to hym, 'now ete fre, good pylgryme, For thou shalt be well served' / and mawgys ete styll, and answered never a worde, but be held oonly the kyng in his visage / And the kyng sayd to hym, 'tell me, pilgryme, & hide no thynge fro me / why haste thou loked so sore vpon me!' 'syre,' sayd mawgis, 'I shall tell you it wyth ryght a good wyll / Wyte that I am a well traveylled man; but in noo place that ever I was / I saw never, nether crysten man nother sarrasyn, soo goodly a prynce / ne soo curteys / as ye be one / wherof of all the pardons that I have

wonne in my vyage makynge, I gyve you the halfe freely' / 'Certes, pylgryme,' sayd the kynge, 'and I take it gladly / And I thanke you moche therof.' And mawgis gaaf hym thenne, ¹for a wytnesse of the same,¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. q. ii.] his palmers staff ¹for to kysse it.¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. q. ii.] Thenne said the barons / 'certenly, syre, the pylgryme hath given you a fayr gifte; ye oughte to rewarde hym well for it' / 'Syr,' sayd mawgis, 'I aske none other rewarde for it / ²but that ye wyll take my gyfte a worthe / and that I may reste me here a while / for I am very syke and wery'² [^2—2 car Je suis plus malade quil ne me fait mestier, F. orig. q. iii. back.] / And thus as ye kyng spake to mawgis, cam thenne Rowlande and Olivere, and all their folke, that broughte Rycharde for a prysoner.

[folio T.vi.b] And whan Ogyer and Estorfawde, the sone of Oedon / and the duke Naymes, sawe that Rowlande wolde goo to the pavylion of Charlemagne wyth Rychard, They came to Rowland and sayd to hym / 'Syre Rowland, how canne you hate Rycharde soo sore / that ye wyll yelde hym to Charlemagne' / 'Lordes,' sayd Rowlande, 'what will ye that I shall doo wyth him; te'l me and I shall doo it' / 'Syre,' sayd they, 'we wyll that ye delyver Rycharde, and ye shall saye that it was a nother prisoner.' 'Lordes,' sayd Rowland, 'yf I canne doo this, I shall doo it gladly' / All thise wordes herde a yoman, [aymon, in text orig.] that Incontynent spored his horse / and came to the kynges tente, [la ou Il vit le roy, F. orig. q. iii. back.] and sayd to Charlemagn, 'Syre, I brynge you tydynges sore strange / we have fou[g]hte by [be, orig.] the ryver syde of Balencon / where there Reynawde, the sone of Aymon, hath kept his owne right well agenst rowlande your nevewe / and setteth not a strawe by hym. And Rowlande loste there more than he wanne.' Whan the emperoure Charlemagne vnderstode that worde / he was abasshed

gretly; and after he sayd to the yoman, 'Telle me, my frende, how was yet of my nevewe Rowland' / 'Syre,' sayd the yoman, 'he foughte [au gue de balancon, F. orig. q. iii. back.] wyth the four sones of Aymon, that deffended theymselfe well. But Rowlande hathe broughte wyth hym prisoner one of the foure sones ²of Aymon² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. q. iii. back.] > / the whyche is the mooste hardy & the moost valiaunt of theim all / in all poyntes.'

Charlemagne began thenne to lepe for Ioye, whan he vnderstode thise tydynges / and came oute of his tent, & behelde & sawe Rychard, that Rowlande [son nepveu, F. orig. q. iii. back.] brought. Whan Charlemagn sawe rycharde, he knew hym well incontynente, & began to crie for grete ioye that he had / 'by my soule, nevew, it is well seen that ye have be there, for elles Richarde sholde [folio T.vii.a] not have ben take' / 'Certes,' [Sire, F. orig. q. iii.] sayd Rowlande, 'well lied Ogier to you / for if he had not be / ye four sones of aimon were take as well as one' / and thenne said the kyng to richard / 'Hoursone! by the feyth that I owe to god, ye shall be hanged by the necke / but first ye shall have of evylle & of tormentes ynough.' 'sire, sayd Richarde, 'I am in your prison. I fere me not to be hanged as long as reynawd, my broder, shall may light vpon bayarde / and that mawgis be a lyve, alarde & guycharde, my righte dere bredern / for yf ye doo to me ony owtrage, no castell, ne towne, ne fortresse shall not kepe you; but that thei shall make you deye an evyll deth or two dayes be passed.' Whan charlemagn herde richard speke so proudly, he was right an angred for it, & toke a staff with both his handes, & smote Richarde therwyth vpon the hede so harde that he made the blode renne oute of it to therthe / And whan richard felt hymself thus wounded, he vaunced hymselfe / and toke the kynge wyth both his armes by the waste, &

wrastled togyder alonge whyle, so that thei fell both doun, thone here & the other there. And Richarde ¹rose vp quyckly, &¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. q. iii.] wolde have renne vpon charlemagn, but oger & salamon seased him & kept him therfro / and after they sayd to charlemagn, 'Sir, ye have doon overmoche amys for to bete a prisoner.' 'certes, my lordes,' sayd richard, 'it is more dishonour to the kyng for to smyte me / than it is to me for to defende my body / but he is well wonte to doo suche owtrages / for it is not the first that he hath doon, nor it shall not be the last' / And whan mawgis sawe that charlemagn had smyten richarde / he was sore an angred therfore / that he had almoste layd vpon hym [le roy, F. orig. q. iii.] wyth his palmers staff; but he thought if he had doo soo, bothe Rycharde & he shold have be deed. and whan charlemagn sawe that richard spake so boldly, he said to hym, 'richard, god confounde me yf ye scape me for all your [folio T.vii.b] wyckednes / for ye shall soone be hanged ⁴by the necke.'⁴ [^4—4 en brief, F. orig. q. iii.] 'sir,' sayd richard, 'speke more courtesli, yf it playse you, for I shall see you soner be fleyn quycke than ye shall see me hange / nor ye shall not be so hardy to doo so.' ⁵'what somever ye prate / say, or crake'⁵ [^5—5 Si ne meschapperez vous mye toutesfois, F. orig. q. iii.] / sayd charlemagn, 'ye shall not scape me, but ye shall be hanged or nyghte; and wold god I helde as faste your bredern, & mawgis, ⁶that theef,⁶ [^6—6 omitted, F. orig. q. iii.] as I hold you now / for they sholde be hanged wyth you to bere you company, bycause ye sholde not be a ferde.' ¶ All thus as richarde strove with charlemagn / he torned hymself & sawe mawgis behynde him, that held hymself styll lenyng vpon his staff; and he knewe hym well, wherof he was well glad, for he wyste well he shold not deye sith mawgis was there. And whan richard had seen mawgis, he was sure of his liff, & sayd to charlemagn,

'syre, where shall I be hanged, tell me?' / 'certes,' sayd charlemagn, 'at the gibet of mountfawcon; & there shall your bredern may se you, & mawgys your cosyn' / 'Sire, it is no reyson that suche a man as I am sholde be hanged / but make peas wyth vs, & ye shall doo wysly / & yf ye doo not soo, ye shall sore repent it, as I trowe.' And whan mawgis had herde all that he wold here, he made no lenger taryeng / but he went out of the pavyllion & said no worde / and whan he was out of it, he began to walke so grete a pas that no horse myght not have folowed hym, and passed thrugh the wood of the serpent, & dyd somoche that he cam to mountalban, where he fonde Reynaud & his folke, that wayted for hym / And whan reynawd saw him com wythout richard, he was full sory, so that he fell doun in a swoune / and alard & guychard toke him vp & sayd to hym, [Sire Regnault beau frere, F. orig. q. iv.] 'Fair broder, ye doo as a childe / ye ought not to make suche sorow' / 'holde your peas, traytours,' sayd reynawd / ²'for ye have lost the beste knyght of the [word, orig.] worlde,² [^2—2 dieu vous confonde car par vostre deffaulte a este perdu le meilleur chevallier du monde, car se vous leussiez suiuy; il neust mye este prins mais vous ny ousastes mye aler pour crainte. Et aussi vous ne vouliez point que Je y alasse pour le secourir car Je y eusse bien este a temps. Or lavons nous perdu ne Jamais ne le verrons, F. orig. q. iv.] For I see Mawgys come alone, [folio T.viii.a] wherfore I beleve that Richard is deed / for if he were a lyve, Mawgis wold have brought him wyth hym, For he never myssed of no thyng that he toke in hand' / And whan alard & guychard vnderstode thise wordes / thei toke therof so grete a sorow that they fell both doun in a swoune to therth / And whan they were com agen to theymself, they made so grete sorowe that it was pyte for to see; and this hangyng, cam there Mawgis. And whan he saw the grete sorowe that his cosins made, he was wrothe for it, And sayd to them,

'What eyleth you, fayr cosins, that ye make so evyll chere' / 'Alas, mawgis,' sayd Reynawde / 'what is doon of our broder richard?' 'Cosin,' sayd mawgis, 'richard is yet in prison; but charlemagne hath sayd that he shall make hym to be hanged at the gybet of mountfawcon / And hath sayd that he shall not kepe hym longe alyve, leest ye & I shold rescue hym. And here is xx. [trente, F. orig. q. iv.] li of money that charlemagn hath gyve me in hys pavylyon, and made me have bothe mete & drinke at my plaisur. [au pres de luy, F. orig. q. iv.] Now shall it be seen yf ye love Rychard, and yf ye be a goode knyghte or not; for ye must socoure & delyver hym by force of armes, or elles he shall deye, for all the world shall not kepe hym otherwyse therfro.'

Reynawd was well recomforted whan he herd ³maugis speke;³ [^3—3 ses parolles, F. orig. q. iv. back.] > & after he sayd / 'sith that it is so that Richard is yet alive, yf I had but myself, my brethern & mawgis, yet sholde I kepe richard fro deth, mawgre the power of charlemagne' / and thenne mawgys, wythout ony long abidyng, toke of his cope & his hode, and toke an herbe & ete it, and anone the swellyng went fro him [et puis se arma, F. orig. q. iv. back.] / and whan he was armed, he presented hymself to reynawd [moult honnorablement, F. orig. q. iv.] / and incontynent al his bredern put theymself in armes / And anone they toke their waye towarde mountfawcon / And whan they were come to a bowe shotte nyghe from it, Reynawde sayd to his folke / 'Lordes, yf ever [folio T.viii.b] ye loved me / thynke for to doo now so moche that my brother rycharde may be rescued from this shamfull deth. For I promyse you that I shall brynge hym wyth me, or elles I and my brethern & Mawgys shall deye wyth hym' [et Ils sont tieulx comme vous scaues, F. orig. q. iv. back.] / 'Syre,' sayd his men, 'doubte not of vs / for we shall doo our devoyre' / 'brother,' sayd

thenne Alarde, 'lete vs lighte here doun / and lete vs hide ourself wythin that busshe that we se yonder; for yf we were seen, the frenshemen myght kylle our broder rychad or ever they wolde come.' 'Broder,' sayd Reynawde / 'ye speke wysely' / and thenne they lighted doun a fote, and put theymself in a bushemente wythin a wode [de sappin, F. orig. q. iv. back.] ²that was nyghe Mountfawcon,² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. q. iv. back.] Reynawd at the right side of it / Alard at the lefte side, and wyth hym Guycharde & Mawgys /

Well, ye have herde how thei were sent to the playn of valcolours, and the payne that Reynawde & his bredern suffred; and thenne howe they wente & socoured kynge yon of Gascoyn, that had betrayed theim / And how Reynawde dyde fyghte wyth Rowland, wherof he was sore trayveylled / and had ben all redy thre dayes wythoute slepe, and therfore ye ought not be merveylled yf Reynawd, his bredern, & mawgis fell a slepe / and, to saye the trouth, assone as Reynawd, his bredern, & mawgis were enbusshed vnder the sapyn trees, thei fell in to so harde a slepe that thei forgate richard / Now god, for his pite / have pite vpon him, ²and kepe hym² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. q. iv. back.] / For otherwyse he muste deye /

Now shall we telle you of Charlemagne, that was in his pavylion. he called to hym the duke Naymes & rychard of normandy, & sayd to theym, 'Lordes, what counseyll gyve you me? ye knowe that rychard the sone of aymon is of grete power / I fere me that reynawd shal com to socour him whan I shall sende him for to be hanged, & therfore I must sende [ung tieul homme de ma part, F. orig. q. v.] [folio V.i.a] company for to withstande reynawde, his bredern, & Mawgis.' And thus as the kyng and the duke Naymes spake togyder, he loked before hym & saw

Berenger of valoys / and called hym, & sayd to hym / 'Berenger, ye are of my men, For ye hold of me scotlond & wales / ye oughte to come serve me in Fraunce wyth all your pouer every yere ones whan I have nede. I shall now quyte you & relesse vnto you all the servyse that ye owe me, to you & to your eyres for evermore, soo that ye wyll take [aillez pendre richart, F. orig. q. v.] Richard, the sone of Aymon, ²and see that he be hanged & strangeled at Mountfawcon.² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. q. v. back.] And yf Reynawde com there for to rescue hym / I praye you that ye wyll take in hande my quarell.' 'Sire,' sayd Berenger, 'I see well now that ye love me but a lityll / whan ye sende me to doo suche a dede. it were to me a grete shame yf I dyd it; for no thynge that is to my disworshippe, I wyll not doo wyth my good wylle / and also ye ought not to conseylle me to it, nor suffre me to doo so. Yet have I lever to serve you, as mi dute is for to doo, than that I shold doo the same that ye wolde put me to.' And whan Charlemain sawe that Berenger wold not doo it / he called to hym therle Guydellon, & sayd to hym, 'Guydellon, ye be my man, & holdeth Bavire of me; and ye ought to serve me at ony tyme that I call you, with thre [deux, F. orig. q. v.] thousande men / yf ye wyll goo hange Richarde, ²the sone of aymon / I shall make you free, &² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. q. v. back.] I shall gyve you ye cyte of mascon' / 'I wyll not doo it,' sayd therle Guydellon; 'but I telle you for certeyn that Richard shall have noo harme if I may helpe hym fro it to my power.' Thenne sayd Charlemagn, 'goo oute of my sighte / for ye be no good man' / And thenne he sayd to rychard, 'by god, yet shall ye be hanged in dispite of theym' / Thenne called Charlemagne Oger the dane, & sayd to hym, 'Ogier, ye be my man. it is shewed vnto me that ye dyd [folio V.i.b] the

other daye treyson agenste me in the playn of Valcolours, for love of Reynawde / Now shall it be seen now yf it is true or not / Yf ye wyll goo hange Richarde, I shall gyve you the cyte of Lion. And I shall holde you quyte of all the servyse that ye owe me, & your eyres also, for evermore.' 'By the feith that I owe to you, sire, I shall not doo it, for ye wote how Richarde is my cosin germayn; and I telle you, that who soever shall hange Rycharde ¹the sone of Aymon,¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. q. v. back.] I defy hym, and I shall helpe Reynawde wyth all my power' / 'Go fro me,' sayd charlemagn, 'goodys curse have ye / nevertheles, by my berde, yet shall he be hanged' / And whan he had sayd so / he called to hym the bysshop Turpyn, & sayd to hym, 'Ye bysshop, I shall make you pope ¹of rome¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. q. v. back.] yf ye wyll hange Rychard.' 'syre,' sayd the bysshop Turpyn / 'What saye ye / ye knowe well that I am a preest / and ye wyll that I shold hange folke / yf I dyd so, I shold lese my masse, & be regulet / and also ye knowe well that Richarde is my cosin / wolde ye that I sholde commytte treyson vpon my kynsmen / certes, it were agenst reyson' / 'Soo helpe you god,' sayd Charlemagn, ²'ye leve it neyther for kynred nor for masse, but as a cowarde; ye leve it only for fere that your crowne sholde be bete.'² [^2—2 vous le laissez plus pource quil est vostre parent que pour dieu ne pour vostre messe, F. orig. q. v. back.]

Thenne called Charlemagn, Salamon of breten, & sayd to hym, 'Salamon, ye knowe well that ye be my man, & that ye holde breten of me / I shall gyve you ye duchie of Ansom, yf ye wyll hange Richarde, ¹the sone of Aymon.'¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. q. v. back.] 'Syr,' answerde Salamon / 'yf it playse you to commaunde me ony other thynge, I wyll be redy to doo it wyth a good wyll, but this I wyll not doo / And I telle you for certeyn, that

rycharde shall have noo harme, yf I maye' / 'Salamon,' sayd the kyng / 'ye be a traytour, sith that ye wyll not doo my commaundement.' And after this he sayd, 'Rycharde, I wyll that ye [folio V.ii.a] know well that ye shall be hanged in dyspyte of all thy kynsmen' / 'Sir,' sayd Richard / 'peraventure it shall be otherwyse than ye wene.' and thenne Charlemagn tourned hymself towarde Rowlande, and sayd to hym / 'Fayr nevewe, goo & see that he be hanged, I praye you / for it is well reyson that ye doo thoffyce, sith that all the frenshemen have faylled me / & also ye have taken hym / wherfore ye must nedes hange hym; and I shall gyve you Coleyn vpon the ryn, & soo many other countreys that ye shall have ynoughe.' 'Syr,' answerde Rowlande, 'yf I dyde this, I shold be taken for a traytour / For I have answered Richarde a fore that I toke hym, that he shold have noo harme of his body; and yf ye make hym deye, no man shall never truste me vpon my feyth / Wherfore I praye the xii peres of Fraunce, that none of theym wyll take the charge vpon hym for to see hym hanged / for yf he were hanged / I sholde be dyffamed / And I promyse you, that who shall hange Richarde, I shall goo to Reynawde / and shall put myself in hys pryson / and yf he wyll pardonne me his broders deth, I shall helpe hym vndre my othe agenste all men wyth thre thousande fyghtyng men, well arrayed on horsbacke' / 'Nevewe,' sayd Charlemagne, ²'the devyll spede you / ye ben all false vnto me.'² [^2—2 de dieu soyes vous mauldit, F. orig. q. vi.]

And whan Charlemagn sawe that he myght not bringe his wyll aboute ³for to hange Rycharde,³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig. q. vi.] he was soo wrothe ⁴that he shoke for angre,⁴ [^4—4 quil ne scauoit que faire, F. orig. q. vi.] and rose vpon his fete, & sayd / 'Lordes, ye knowe well that I

am the sone of kyng Pepyn, & of the quene Bethe. my fader was norished in Fraunce, and I fled in to Spayn to Alaffre vpon the see; and there I dyd many merveilles of armes that I was made knyght, & dyde conquere salienne, my love, that forsake XV. kynges bering crowne for my sake; and she cam with me in to [la doulce france, F. orig. q. vi. back.] Fraunce, [folio V.ii.b] and thenne I was crowned kynge ³accordynge to the right of my patrymonye³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig. q. vi. back.] / and thenne I dyde wed the sayd lady galiene wyth right grete ioye, & wende to have had my royame in peas / but the same day that I was crowned, the xii peres of Fraunce purposed to have made me deye at cristmasse nexte folowyng / but our lord sent me an angell / and made hym to telle me that I shold goo hide myselfe / the whiche I dyde so, & I durste not saye agenste it / nor I wyst not where I sholde hide me / but god wold that I sholde fynde Bason, a grete theef / that brought me in to a pytte; and this hangyng, men conspired my deth / but Bason [Bazyn, in text orig.] shewed me all togyder, & thorughe his ayde I toke myn enmyes; and I punysshed theym afterwarde at my wylle; and so shall I do by you / yf there be ony that wyll doo contrary to my wyll. And I am delibered to enquere eche of you by this maner, for to see who shall be false or true to me.' Whan Charlemagn had sayd this, he torned towarde the sone of Oedon, & sayd to hym / 'Escouff, com forthe! I have brought you to grete honour, & we have norysshed you full derely. ye knowe that ye holde Langres of me; yet shall I doo to you moche more good than I have doon, for I shall gyve to you therldomes of mountferraunt & of clermount, so that ye will goo hang that hourson rychard' / 'Sir,' sayd escouff, 'ye wote well that moreoedon holdeth all the

lond that ye speke of, and I had never no [ne, in text.] thing therof / but I am felaw wyth Rowland in armes; and whan I shall be lord of that londe my father holdeth in his hande, I shall fulfyll your commaundement' [et vostre volente, F. orig. q. vi.] / 'By saynt Denys of Fraunce, ye must goo see that he be hanged,' sayd charlemain, ³'& I shall make you lord of moo londes.'³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig. q. vi.] 'Sir,' sayd estorfawde / 'is it erneste that ye speke?' 'ye,' sayd Charlemagn. 'By my hede, syre,' sayd Estorfawde / 'Ye wolde not be wyth me for to see Rycharde hange, for halfe [folio V.iii.a] of your royame' / Whan the kyng herde that he was thus repreved / he toke a staff, & caste it after Estorfawde [pour le frapper, F. orig. q. vi.] / but Estorfawd sterte from his place, and ⁶the staff brake in peces agenste a post⁶ [^6—6 le baston ala frapper au rubant si grant coup que le baston en ala en deux pieces, F. orig. q. vi.] / And whan the xii. peres sawe that / they wente all out of the pavylion of Charlemagn. And whan that charlemagn retorned hym / and sawe that none of all the xii peres wolde abyde there wyth hym, Thenne he sayd to the duke Naymes, 'where be my xii peres goon?' 'Syr,' sayd the duke Naymes / 'they ben all goon oute of your pavylion / and not wythout a cause, for it becometh not to suche a ³noble³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig. q. vi.] kynge as ye be, for to smyte his barons / for ye shold be sore blamed.'

Thenne whan Charlemagn sawe this, he called to hym Rychard of montrolonde, [de rolant, F, orig. q. vi.] & sayd to hym / 'Com forthe, Rycharde of montrolonde [de rolant, F, orig. q. vi.] / here what I shall tell you. ye know well that ye be one of theym that I love best in this worlde, but ye must doo one thynge at my request / It is that ye wil goo hange Richard, the sone of Aymon, at the gybet of mountfawcon' / Thenne Rychard of montrolonde answerde,

'Sir, I shall doo so wyth a good wyll / for I am your man, & soo I oughte not to refuse your commaundement / but, by my soule, syre emperour / yf ye wyll that I goo hange Richard, ye shall come wyth me with a thousand knyghtes well armed / and I shall hange hym where soever it playse you / And yf Reynawd & his bredern com there to rescue / I shall ieoparde my owne body for to save yours. Now see yf ye wyll do this or no, for none otherwyse wyll I not goo there one fote.' 'Goo from me, gloton,' sayd Charlemagn / 'goddys curse have thou' /

The kynge thenne called to hym the duke Naymes, and sayd to hym, 'What counseylle gyve you' / 'Syre,' sayd the duke Naymes, 'goode / yf ye wyll beleve me. [folio V.iii.b] Syre, ye wote that Reynawde, his brethern, and Mawgis, are of the best knyghtes of Fraunce / as every man knoweth well / this werre hath lasted ryght longe, For it is wel xvi. yeres that it began fyrste / and many a noble knyghte hath be slayn for the same / yf it playse you, ye shall sende worde ²to Reynawde,² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. q. vii.] to Alarde, Guychard, & Mawgis, that they wyll becom your men / and ye shall deliver agen vnto theym their brother Rychard ²alyve,² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. q. vii.] and that ye wyll doo make reynawde & alarde of the xii. peres of Fraunce. And whan Reynawd & his bredern shall see that ye have doon to theim soo grete worship, they shall serve you wyth good herte, and so that ye shall con theim grete thanke for it / and I ensure you ye shall be the more dred & more redoubted for cause of them. and yf ye have ones the four bredern & Mawgis their cosin ³to your frendes³ [^3—3 tous ensemble, F. orig. q. vii.] / there shall be no prynce in all crystendome so hardy that dare move werre agenst you / and I promyse you, sire, that the more ye kepe this werre agenste theym / the more shall ye lose therby / and,

moreover, they be all of our house by theyr fader Aymon / this knowe ye well / and therfore I can not hate theim by noo wise' / 'Naymes,' sayd charlemagne, 'I wyll not doo so / for they all have doon amys agenst [aienst, in text.] me, and so shall I doo hange Rycharde, bi the feyth of my body' / 'Syr,' sayd the duke Naymes, 'ye shall not doo so, & god wil, For he is of grete lynage, & of our lynage / for we sholde never maye suffre it nor endure, and ye also sholde be blamed full sore for it. But & ye wyll make hym deye, I shall gyve you better counseylle' / 'Telle me how,' sayd Charlemagn / 'and I shall doo it / yf it semeth me good' / 'Syr,' sayd the duke Naymes, 'sith it playse you that Rycharde shall deye, lete hym be caste in to a depe prison vnder the erthe, and make hym to be kepte surely ²there in that he scape not awaye² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. q. vii. back.] / and commaunde [folio V.iv.a] that noo mete at all be broughte to hym / and so shall he deye for hungre. And ye shall not be blamed yf ye doo soo' / 'Naymes,' sayd Charlemagne / 'ye doo iape wyth me / I knowe it well / whan ye doo telle me this / Ye knowe well that Maugys is to grete a nygremancer / For I shold never maye kepe Rycharde in pryson, but that mawgys wolde have hym oute thorughe his crafte / and therfore I wyll not doo as ye saye' / Thenne came Ogyer the dane / and sayd to the duke Naymes, 'Ye make to longe a sermon; lete the kynge doo wyth it as it playseth hym; For the more that ye praye him, and the worse shall he doo / but he shall make peas whan he see that he canne none otherwyse doo / But this daye shall be seen who loveth Rycharde' [et combien que son lignaige soit huy tourne dune part et se Il y a nul qui luy face mal, je les deffie de moy, F. orig. q. vii. bk.] / And whan Ogyer had sayd this / he wente oute of the pavylion, and Escouff wyth hym, and Rychard of Normandy, the bysshop Turpyn, and Guydellon of Bavyre / and made

their folke to be armed. And whan they were armed, they were well xii thousande men. And thenne ogier beganne to crie wyth a hie voys / [Damps roy, F. orig. q. vii. back.] 'Now shall it be seen who shall be so hardy for to lede Rycharde ²the sone of Aymon² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. q. vii. back.] to hangynge / For suche shall brynge hym that never shall come agayn / but he be hedles' / and oger wente into the pavylion where Rychard was / that was bounde bothe handes & fete, and was blindefelde. And whan Ogier sawe rycharde that was thus arrayed, he had of hym grete pyte; soo wente he to hym to have delivered hym / but he advysed hymselfe / & sayd that he shold not doo it, but he wolde tary for to see an ende of it, what the kyng shold doo therof. And whan Rychard herde Ogyer speke, he called to hym, & sayd in the presence of the duke Naymes, and of Rycharde of normandy, of Guydellon ³of bavyre,³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig. q. vii. back.] and of the bysshop Turpyn / and of Rowland, that thenne happed to come there / [folio V.iv.b] 'Fayr lordes, I knowe well that yf it were at your playsur ye wolde lete me go quyte; and all ynoughe ye have traveylled yourselfe for me, wherof I thanke you right moche; but sith that I muste nedes be broughte to the galohous / It is better that I, poure, vnhappy, deye alone / than that ye sholde have ony harme for my sake; wherfore loke that ye lose not the good grace of Charlemagne / and I praye you that ye wyll goo vnto hym, & tell hym that he doo his wyll vpon me, for I have lever deye shortly / than to lyve longe in sorowe.' Whan Ogier sawe Richard speke soo, he was so sory for it that he felle almost doun to the grounde for grete sorow in a swoune, [et quant Il fut revenu Il dist a Richart, F. orig. q. vii. back.] and sayd to Rychard in angre, 'What saist thou, fole destestable, Wylte thou be hanged? for yf we sayd the same that thou sayst to Charlemagn / all the golde of the worlde

shold not save the, but that thou sholdest soone be hanged ¹bi the necke.'¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. q. vii. back.] 'I care not,' sayd Rychard, 'hap as it hap wyll.' And thenne he tourned hymself toward Rowland, & sayd to hym / 'I pardonne you, ¹sire¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. q. vii. back.] Rowlande, here & afore god, the feith that ye have promised me / and that ye gaaff me whan ye toke me afore balancon' / And whan Ogyer herd this he wexed almost mad for grete angre, and sayd to Rowlande, 'Syr, beleve not Richarde, for he speketh as a man that is vexed in his spyrites, and not wythout a grete cause / but kepe to hym the feyth that ye have promysed hym, for it shall be your ¹grete¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. q. vii. back.] worship yf ye doo so' / 'Ogier,' sayd Rowlande, 'doubt not / I shall kepe to Rycharde all that I have promysed hym, & more.' Whan Richarde herd that worde, he called to him oger, & sayd / 'Fayr cosin, for god, kepe your peas / for I have seen here mawgis ryghtnow / and I wote well he hath not forgoten me / For by the feyth that I owe to you, suche shall lede me to the gibet that shall soone lose his hede, and many other moo wyth hym.' [folio V.v.a] 'Cosin,' sayd Ogyer, 'is it trouth that ye saye that ye have seen Mawgis here' / 'Ye,' sayd Richard, 'withoute ony fawte.' Thenne sayd Ogier, 'blessed be the good lorde of this tydynges / now have I noo doubte of Rycharde / sith that my cosin knoweth of it.' And thenne all the xii peres of Fraunce lighted a fote / and cam to Charlemagn & sayd to hym / 'Sir, we ben all your men sworn to you. All that we have sayd & doon / we dyde it for to see whether we myghte have deliverde our cosin [richart, F. orig. q. viii.] ⁴from deth by your good wyll⁴ [^4—4 omitted, F. orig. q. viii.] / but sith that it playseth not to you that he be saved, & that ye wyll that he be hanged, we wyll not speke no more agenst it / by cause that ye angre yourselfe to sore /

Now sende Rycharde to be hanged by whom ye wyll / for he shall not be letted of vs therfro' /

Thenne sayd Charlemayn, 'by my feith now ye speke well & wisly, and now I pardonne you all' [mon mal talant, F. orig. q. viii.] / And thenne charlemagn called to hym Rypus of Riplemonde, & sayd to him, 'Rypus, yf ye wyll doo so moche for me that ye wyll goo hange Rychard / I shall make the lord of grete londes / and ye shall be my chambreleyn all your liff' / 'Syr,' sayd Ripus, 'I am all redy to fulfylle your commaundement / for Reynawde slewe my vncle be side balencon.' 'Ye speke now well,' sayd ogyer / 'ye shall be a cowarde but yf ye avenge yourself at this tyme' / And whan Ripus vnderstode Ogyer speke thus, he thoughte hymselfe the more sure for it, And ²right humble & courtesly² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. q. viii.] he kneled doun tofore themperour Charlemagne, and kyssed his fete, & after he sayd to him / 'Syre, I am ordeyned for to doo you servyse & your commaundement. Yf it playse you, ye shall make me sure that whan I shall com agen fro the hangynge of Rycharde, that none of your xii peres shall not awaite me none evyll tourne for it afterwarde' / 'Bi my feyth,' sayd Charlemagne, 'I wyll doo soo wyth a good wyll.' [folio V.v.b] And thenne he sayd to Rowlande and to Olyvere / and to all the twelve peres of Fraunce / 'Lordes, [par ma fois, F. orig. q. viii.] I wyll that ye promyse hym that he shall not be hurt by none of you, nor in tyme to come by noo maner of wyse / by cause I make hym to hange Rycharde.' The whiche thynge all the xii peres promysed hym wyth a good wylle. And whan Rypus had taken the othe of the xii peres of Fraunce for his surety / he wente to his owne tente / and made him to be armed / and whan he was armed, he lighted on horsbacke / and cam before

kynge Charlemagn / And whan themperour sawe hym / he sayd to hym, 'Rypus, take a thousande knyghtes wyth you for to kepe you / and yf Reynawd or Mawgys come there, take theym & hange theym wyth rycharde.' 'Syr,' sayd ripus / 'I shall doo your commaundement.' And thenne the kynge made theym deliver rycharde / and whan ripus had hym, he put hym to the waye, & mounted richard vpon a mewle / and put a halter at his necke, & so ledde hym forth, like as it had be a stronge [omitted, F. orig. q. viii.] theef, and brought him before the pavylion of charlemagn. And whan the kyng sawe him, he was glad of it, and sayd to rypus, [mon amy vengez moy de ce truant. Sire dist ripus... F. orig. q. viii.] 'Wolde god that all thother sones of Aymon were in the plighte that richard is now in / For I sholde well avenge you / and myselfe also vpon theim.'

Whan the frenshemen saw rychard that was led to hangynge so vilainously, they began to make suche a sorowe for hym that it was merveille / soo that none so grete was never seen / Rypus rode on his waye, & dyde somoche that he cam to Mountfawcon. And whan rypus dyde see the galous sette vp / he sayd to rycharde, 'By god, richarde, see yonder is your lodgyng, where ye shall be hanged by myn owne handes [a grant vilite, F. orig. q. viii.] / this daye shall be avenged the deth of foulques, [de morillon, F. orig. q. viii.] my vncle, that Reynaude slewe besides Balencon. The socoures of [folio V.vi.a] Mawgis is now ferre fro you, for he can not kepe you, but that I shall hang you now in dispite of Reynawd & of your other brethern' / Whan Richard herde Rypus speke so proudly, & sawe that he was so nighe the gibet / and that he sawe noo socours comyng of noo parte / he was sore agast & a ferde / and thoughte he wold kepe Ripus wyth wordes, & sayd to hym, 'Rypus, for god have pyte vpon me! For I am noo

man that shold be hanged by rayson / but I ought to be delivered by you; and yf ye wyll delyver me / I shall gyve you two hundred marke weyghte of fyne golde, & I shall make you a grete lord' / 'Certes, Richard,' sayd Ripus, 'ye speke for noughte / for I wold not leve you but that ye shall be hanged, for x of the best cytees of Fraunce.' 'Rypus,' sayd Rychard / 'sith that ye wyll not have pyte vpon my body / have pyte vpon my soule. And I praye you, asmoche as I can, that ye wyll make a preest com to me for to shryve me.' 'Certes,' sayd Rypus, 'ye shall have one wyth right good wyll.' And thenne he made come a preest, som sayen that it was a bysshop, for to shryve Richard / the whiche began to shryve hymself, & shewed to the prest ¹many moo synnes¹ [^1—1 dix fois plus de pechiez, F. orig. r. i.] than ever he dyd in his dayes / and this he dyd for to ²lengthe the tyme / and² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. r. i.] to see yf he shold have ony socours or noo. And whan Rychard sawe that his helpe cam not, he wexed almost mad, and sayd to his confessour / 'Syr, I wote not what I shold more say / gyve me absolucyon' / and he gaff him penaunce according to the terme of his liff / and the confessor went from him all wepyng. And whan Rypus sawe that Rychard was confessed / he came to hym & put the halter aboute his necke / and made hym mounte vpon the ladder, & dyd shit the cheyn ²wherat he shold hang² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. r. i.] / & whan richard [Quant richart fut monte sur leschielle, F. orig. r. i.] sawe that his bredern cam not for to save him / he wende none other but that he shold have deyed / & delibered hymselfe [folio V.vi.b] for to suffre deth atte that owre; and thenne he sayd to Rypus, 'My frende, I pray the for god that thou suffre me awhyle tyll I have sayd an oryson that I dyde lerne in my youthe, to the ende that god have mercy of my soule.' 'I wyll not,' sayd Rypus /

'thou shalte have noo lenger respyte.' 'Syre,' sayd his men / 'yes / ye shall yf it playse you / For yf he maye doo so moche that his soule be saved / he shall praye for you in the other world / and for vs also' / And thenne Rypus gaaf respite to Rycharde, wherof he dyd like a fole [Et quant richart eut le respit Il se tourne devers orient... F. orig. r. i. back.] / And thenne Rychard tourned hymselfe towarde the eest / and beganne to saye his prayer wyth good herte and devowtly / For he trowed to have deyed wythoute remyssyon / And he sayd in this maner.

'Gloryous Ihesus / by thy blessed name / that made heven & erthe / and all the elements that ben, and wente in this world as a poure man, and saved Ionas from the beli of the fysshe, and in Bethelem reysedest Lazaron, and delyvered Danyell from the pyt of the lion. the synnes of the theef / ye dyde pardonne in the crosse / where the felons Iewes had crusified you. Also to mari magdalene her synne / ye forgaaff in the hous of Symon / For she wysshe your fete wyth grete devocyon / Iudas, the false traytour, murmured thrugh enuye / wherof ye dyde shewe to hym that he dyde grete foly; and Iudas kyssed you by grete treyson, and delivered you to the iewes, wherof he was rewarded after his deservynge. [Car pecha mallement a tort et sans raison. Dont faulcement mourust en desesperacion, F. orig. R. i.] Good lord, ye created & made our fader Adam [omitted, F. orig. r. i. back.] of the slyme of therth / and yllumyned him with the grace of the holi gost; and after ye dyd habandonne to him the frutes of paradise / but he brake your commaundement, Wherbi mankynde went to damnacion, & we all were dampned wythout remyssion / but after ye redemed vs bi the merite of your blessid passion; ye did suffre [folio V.vii.a] grete evylles and grete

afflyctyons for vs poure synners, wythout ony devocyon. Whan Longys [Longius.] dyde shove the spere in to your dygne side, the water ranne of it, and also the blode lepte into his eyen / wherof he recovered his sighte; and ye pardonned hym his synnes / whan he called vpon you for mercy. And also to Noe ye lete make by your carpenters an arke for to save hymself, and of every beest a couple. In Iosaphat, good lord, ye broughte your apostles, where ye dyde make a fayr myracle / For wyth two fysshes & fyve loves of barle / ye fed v. thousande men all their fylle / O, gode lord / as I doo byleve this that I have sayd stedfastly, kepe this daye my body fro deth that is so nyghe, that I be not hanged nor put in pryson, but deliver me from the handes of my enmyes / that I be not vytupered nor broughte to shame by Rypus of ryplemonde, that holdeth me in his gynnes / Ha, Reynaude, my right dere broder, that ye be not here now wyth my brethern & wyth my [bon cousin le saige maugis, F. orig. r. i. back.] cosyn mawgis / ye have now forgotten me, & lete me here deye, Wherfore I recomende me to god of heven.' And thenne Richard began to wepe full tendrely, & sayd to rypus, 'Rypus, doo wyth me what ye will.'

Now shall we speke of bayard, the good horse, of Reynawd, of his bredern, & mawgis. It is trouth that bayard, ³the horse of reynawd the sone of Aymon,³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig. r. ii.] that cam of the fery, and thus he vnderstode the worde whan it was spoken as well as it had be a man / Whan bayard vnderstode the noise [et le bruit des gens que ripus avoit amene auecques soy a monfaucon... F. orig. r. ii.] that the folke made about the galous, and sawe that his mayster slept fast / he cam to reynawd, & smote him soo harde wyth his fete in the myddes of his sheelde that he

made hym awake. Soo lept reynawd vpon his fete all afrayed, & beheld what it was, and loked toward mountfawcon & saw his brother vpon the ladder. Soo made he none other taryenge, [folio V.vii.b] but lighted vpon bayarde, that ranne as the wynde / For at every tyme he lepte xxx. fote in a playne grounde. And alarde, guycharde / and mawgis awoke for love of bayarde, that made grete noyse / And whan they were all awaked / mawgis began to crye as hie as he cowde vpon his horse, 'the devyll spede the, evyll beeste, that thou hast lete me slepe soo longe' / and thenne he lighted quyckly vpon his backe / For there was noo better horse in all the worlde after bayarde. [et sen va apres regnault, F. orig. r. ii.]

Whan Rypus of ryplemonde, that wold have strangled Rycharde, sawe come his brothern & mawgys / he was soo sore abasshed wyth it that he wyste not what he shold doo, and he sayd thenne to Rycharde / 'Richard, ye be deliverde out of my handes / For here comen Reynawde & Mawgis / and all their puissaunce, that com for to socour you; [dont je me rens a vous beau sire, F. orig. r. ii.] and yf it playse you, ye shall have mercy on me For this that I dyde / for to have broughte you here. It was put for to have awaye ye debate that Charlemagne had wyth the xii peres of Fraunce; and I knew well that ye shold be rescued wythout ony fawte by your brethern & of Mawgis.' 'Rypus,' sayd Richarde, 'mocke not wyth me / for here is to hard a mocke for me, and ye wynne not moche by, for to gabbe me of this facyon.' 'By my soule,' sayd Rypus, 'I mocke you not / it is in good ernest that I saye / ye maye see theim here not a bowe shotte a ferre, nor I seke not to doo you ony harme / but goo doun fro the ladder / and have mercy on me, I beseche you, for goddys love.'

Rychard was mervellously abashed whan he herde Rypus speke, and he torned his hede aside & sawe Reynawde, that cam a good pas / and whan he saw him, he sayd, 'ripus, I shall never clayme my broder reynawd for my broder / yf he hange you not ¹by the necke¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. r. ii. back.] to the same gibet where as ye thought to have hanged me right now.' This hangyng that Rychard spake to Rypus, Reynawd was arryved, and herde this that [folio V.viii.a] Richard had sayd to Rypus / And Reynawde began thenne to crie wyth a hie voys / 'so helpe me god, Rypus, ye be deed. For ye be a cursed man / and for your cursidnes I shall hange you my owne self at this gibet / so shall you be possessor of my broder Richardis place / for all the power that Charlemagne shall make shall not save you therfro' / This hangyng, cam there mawgis, sore chauffed, & sayd to Ripus, 'Ha, rypus, thou traytour, evyll man, ye have alwayes be redy for to doo som evyll agenst vs, but sith that I have founde you here, I shall not seke you nowhere elles' / and thenne mawgis bare vp his spere for to have perced his body therwyth, but Reynawd cryed vpon hym, 'cosyn, touche hym not, for I wolde not for a grete thynge that a nother than I sholde slee hym. For I shall avenge vpon hym my dere broder Rycharde' / and thenne he drewe oute flamberde, & smote rypus wyth it suche a stroke that he felde hym deed to therthe at the fote of the ladder; & after he sayd to his bredern, 'kepe wel that none of his folke scape, but that thei be ded or taken' / And thenne Reynawd descended a fote, & went vpon the ladder, & toke richarde betwene his armes & brought hym doun / and vnbounde him handes & fete / and after he kyssed his mouth, & sayd to hym / 'Broder, how doo ye fele your selfe? are ye not yll at ease' /

'Brother,' sayd Rycharde, 'I have noo harme / but lete me be armed, I praye you.' 'By saynte Iohan,' sayd Reynawde / 'ye shall be armed anone.' 'Brother,' sayd Rycharde, 'lete me have the armours of Rypus of Ryplemonde' / 'wyth a good wylle,' sayd Reynaude / And Incontynente he made Rypus to be had from his harneys, & made his broder richarde to be armed. therwyth he made hym to lighte on horsbacke, [folio V.viii.b] and toke hym his sheelde / and his baner. and whan Richard was well appareilled, Reynawd toke ye halter that rypus had put aboute Richardis necke / and put it aboute rypus necke; & after, he mounted vpon the ladder, & drewe hym all deed / and hanged hym there as he wold have hanged richarde, and wyth hym well xv. moo [des plus principaulx de sa compaignie, F. orig. r. iii.] of his company, suche as kyng charlemagn loved moost / and whan he had hanged [t]hem, he sayd to rycharde / 'Brother, thise many shall kepe here whatche in stede of you' / whan this was doon, mawgis came to Reynawd, & sayd to hym, 'Cosyn, telle me who waked you so well in tyme as ye were.' 'cosyn,' sayd Reynawde, 'by the feyth that I owe to god, I slept as harde³ as though I had not slept in xii. nyghtes a fore³ [^3—3 si je neusse jamais dormy, F. orig. r. iii.] / but baiard, my [le, F. orig. r. iii. back.] gentill horse, awoke me' / thenne sayd mawgis, 'O gracious lord of heven, blessed be god that made suche a horse / it is not the first good tourne that bayarde hath doon to you, my cosin, nor also it shal not be the laste.' And they all went and kyssed bayarde for the goodnes that he had shewed vnto theym /

'My lordes,' sayd Reynawde, 'what shall we now doo? we have wrought well / sith that we have rescued the gentill richarde hole & sounde / me semeth that we ought to goo to mountalban, so shall

we recomforte clare, my wyff, & my two children, that ben all evyll at ease for the love of rycharde, & so shall we ete & slepe at our case / for we have well nede therof / and we shall doo iustyce of kyng yon, that so falsli hath betrayed vs. And after tomorowe we shall assaylle [le roy charlemaigne, F. orig. r. iii.] charlemagne, that we love not / and we shall leve v hundred men wythin mountalban / and as many above mountbandell, that shall socour vs if nede be' / And thenne sayd richard / 'sir, yf it playse you, ye shall not doo soo, For ye knowe not the sorowe and the grete lamentacyon that the frenshemen made [folio X.i.a] for the love of me in thoste of Charlemagn. And I promyse you, ye oughte well to love Ogyer / Rowland / Estorfawde the sone of Oedon, Richarde of normandy / the fayr Guydellon, Salamon of bretein, and eke Olyvere of vyen / For thei toke grete debate for me wyth Charlemagn wythin his pavylion; and all this they dyde for the love of you / for they wend all for certen that Ripus shold have hanged me, and that I sholde have noo socours; but, & it playse you, gyve me leve that I maye shewe me to Ogyer the dane, & to all other our kynsmen ³that ben in Charlemagnis court,³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig. r. iii.] For thei shal have grete Ioye for to see me scape from the dethe.'

Thenne sayd Reynawd / 'for sothe, Ogier dyd like a valiaunt man; for men ought to love ⁴their frendes,⁴ [^4—4 les sciens, F. orig. r. iii. back.] & helpe theim whan it is nede' / & after sayd Reynawde, [richart, F. orig. r. iii. back.] 'Broder, ye sonne is almoste vnder all redy. I fere me sore of you yf ye wyll goo in to the oste of Charlemagn / but & ye will nedes goo there / take wyth you four hondred knyghtes well horsed & well armed, and put theym in a bushemente nyghe by where ye go / and I shall be here wyth my folke /

and ye shall take wyth you Bondy, my good horne / and yf ye nede of ony helpe / sounde it hie as ye can well doo / and I shall socour you incontynent' / 'Syr,' sayd Richarde, 'be it as it playse you.' And thenne Reynawde toke his horne to Richarde, & foure hundred knyghtes. and Richard [omitted, F. orig. r. iii.] toke on his waye, & bare the baner of Ripus wyth hym / and he [richart, F. orig. r. iii.] dyde so moche that he came to thoost of Charlemagne / and the kyng stode armed afore his pavylion wyth his folke, that kept the way of mountfawcon / and they sawe come the baner of Rypus / ³as it had be borne by Rypus hymselfe vpon his horse³ [^3—3 monte sus son cheval, F. orig. r. iii.] /

Whan Ogier sawe Richarde com, he wende it had be Rypus of riplemonde, that had hanged Richarde / and of [folio X.i.b] the sorowe that he toke for it, he fell doun to therth in a swoune / And after, whan he was come agen to hymself, he sayd, 'Alas, we have lost Richarde, we shall never have hym agen! [trahy la regnault et maugis, F. orig. r. iii. back.] Now it is well seen, Richard, that ye had fewe frendes.' And wyth this he spored his good horse braiford / and cam agenste Rycharde / for he trowed verely that it had be Ripus. And when Charlemagn sawe that Ogier the dane ranne towarde Ripus, he sayd to his folke, 'goo after hym, barons, I shall now see whiche of you is my frende ⁶or my foo⁶ [^6—6 omitted, F. orig. r. iii. bk.] / here cometh Ripus, certeynly he hath doon well his devoyre, & hathe doon me good servyse, for he hath made me quyte of Rycharde, ⁷one of my mortalle enmyes,⁷ [^7—7 le filz aymon, F. orig. r. iii. bk.] and now Ogyer wyll kylle hym in treyson / but & I canne holde hym / I shall doo suche iustyce vpon hym that it shall be spoken of it long time here after' / And thenne spored their horses, frenshemen & bourgoyns, after Ogyer / and Charlemagn hymselfe went after hym / but Ogyer was

all redy ferre from theym, wrothe & fyers as a lyon / and he cryed as hie as he cowde, 'Soo helpe me god, Rypus, ye be deed / and ye shall have a rewarde of that ye have doon to my cosin Rychard; and I promyse you ¹Charlemagn shall not come tyme ynoughe for to save you from my spere'¹ [^1—1 charlemaigne vous sera mauluais garent, F. orig. r. iii. bk.] / Whan rycharde herde ogyer speke thus, he sayd, 'have mercy on me, my fayr cosyn, For I am rycharde, your cosin, & not rypus / for we have hanged rypus in my place. And I promyse you my brother Reynawde hathe well avenged me vpon hym / and therfore I am come for to shewe me to you & to my other kynsmen / for I wote well that ye shall be glad therof.' 'ye make a lesyng, false traytour of ryplemonde,' sayd ogyer / 'but ye shall not scape me soo.' Whan rycharde sawe ogyer soo sore chauffed wyth wrathe [contre luy, F. orig. r. iv.] / he sayd to hym / 'Cosin, knowe not you me?' 'nay, wythout fawte,' sayd ogyer / [folio X.ii.a] 'For ye bere the armes and the baner of Ripus' / 'I have doon so, syre,' sayd Rychard, 'by cause I shold not be knowen.' 'By my soule,' sayd Ogyer / 'I wyll see your face naked, For otherwyse I wyll not beleve that that ye say.' 'Syre,' sayd Richarde / 'and ye shall see me anone' / And thenne he vnbokled hys helme & shewed his vysage / And whan ogyer sawe hym he was right glad / and went & ⁴kyssed the mouth of Rycharde full swetly⁴ [^4—4 omitted, F. orig. r. iv.] / and toke hym in his armes many tymes, & said to rycharde, all lawghyng / 'Cosyn, what have ye doon of rypus?' [le mauluais traictre, F. orig. r. iv] 'by my feith,' sayd rycharde, 'he is now Archebysshop of that feeldes / ⁴gyvynge the benedyction wyth his fote;⁴ [^4—4 omitted, F. orig. r. iv.] For my broder Reynawd hath hanged hym, his owne handes / and wolde not suffre that none other sholde sette hande vpon hym but onely hymself' / 'by my soule' sayd oger / 'he hath

doon right well.' and thenne he sayd to rycharde, 'Fayr cosin, see to your selfe / for here cometh Charlemagn / and god be with you;' and thus retourned ogyer / And whan Charlemagne sawe Ogyer, he sayd to hym, 'why wente ye towarde rypus afore me' / 'Syr,' sayd Ogyer, 'yf ye were not soo nyghe me / I sholde smyte of his hede / But I dare not doo it for love of you. goo ye to hym / for I make you sure he shall have no harme by me.' Thenne sayd Charlemagne [par ma foy ... F. orig. r. iv.] / 'I shall defende hym agenste all men.' And thenne he spored the horse wyth the spores, and cam to rycharde / wenynge to hym that it had be rypus [de ripemont, F. orig. r. iv.] / & sayd to hym, 'Come nere, my specyall frende rypus / and take no fere of noo thynge / For I shall kepe you agenste all men.' Whan Rycharde herde Charlemagne speke thus, he sayd to hym / 'I wyll that ye knowe now that I am not the false traytour Rypus, but I am Rycharde the sone of aymon / and I am the brother of Reynaude, the best knyghte of all the world, and of Alarde, and of Guycharde, and cosyn to the valyaunte mawgis [folio X.ii.b] that ye love so moche. Ye smote me to daye in the mornyng wyth a staff in the hede, wherof ye mysdyde gretly; & therfore my broder reynawd hath hanged ⁴your right wel beloved⁴ [^4—4 omitted, F. orig. r. iv. back.] rypus there as he wold have lodged me / and xv. of his felawes wyth him for to bere him feliship / now beware of me, for I defye you' / Whan Charlemagne vnderstode thise wordes, he was soo sore an angred of it, that none can be more / and spored his horse & ranne vpon rychard, and richard agenst hym / and gaaf thone to thother so grete strokes in their sheeldes that they brake bothe their speres all in peces. ⁵And wyth the same⁵ [^5—5 et apres le briser de leurs lances ... F. orig.] they recounted eche other wyth their bodies soo myghtely that the strongest

of bothe habandouned the styropes / but it happed well to charlemagn that he bode wythin tharsons of the sadle; but rycharde fell doun to therth. and whan rycharde sawe hymself a grounde / he was wrothe for it, and rose vp quyckly & set hande to his swerde / and wente & smote Charlemagn vpon his helme soo grete a stroke that he made hym all astonyed wythall; but the swerde slided vpon the helme, that was goode ¹& fyne,¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. r. iv. back.] doun to the horse necke soo harde that he cut it a sondre, ¹and with this stroke he felled ye horse sterke deed;¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. r. iv. back.] and by all thus was Charlemagn broughte to the grounde / And whan charlemagn saw hymself a grounde, he was sore an angred for it / and lept vpon his fete right quyckely, & toke his swerde in his hande, and smote rycharde vpon his helme so harde that he made hym rele wythall / and thenne began bytwyx charlemagn [charlemgan in text. & rycharde a sore sharpe medlynge. And whan they had foughte a grete while togyder, Charlemagn began to crye 'mountioye saynt denys' / and whan rycharde herde this, he drewe him a side / and toke his horne & souned it right hie, soo that his brethern herde it well / and soo dyde mawgis. And thenne Incontynent they spored theyr [folio X.iii.a] horses, and cam toward rychard for to socour him / And thenne sayd mawgis, [seigneurs, F. orig. r. iv. back.] 'I doubte me that richard is taken, but we shall deye all wyth hym / or elles we shall have hym agen.']

Grete dyligence made reynawd for to socour rycharde. And when he was come where he was / he cryed sodenli, 'montalban,' and alard, 'pavereyment,' guychard, 'balencon,' and richarde, 'ardeyn' / and mawgys went & ranne vpon a knyghte that was called magon, otherwyse sampson, lord of pyerrefrite, & roughte him suche a stroke that he felde hym deed to the grounde; and reynawd smote vpon a nother knyght by suche a wyse

that he shoved his swerde thrughe & thrughe his body; and guychard smote a nother with his swerde soo fiersly that he cleved his hede in two peces; & alard smote the fourth knyghte vpon his helme soo grete a stroke that he cast hym deed to fore his fete; and after he ranne vpon a nother knyghte rychely arrayed, & gaff eche other suche strokes that they bothe fell doun from their horses to therth / And thenne came there reinawd, that dyde so moche that the sayd knyghte was taken prysoner / whiche was called hughe of almagn, and broughte hym [par prisonier ... F. orig. r. v.] to mountalban / what shall I telle you more / the batayll began to be felle / and soo cruell that it was grete pyte for to see / For the one spared not thother, but slew eche other as thicke as bestes. And whan reynawd sawe all redy that ye sonne was goon vndre, & that the nyght cam fast on / he was in a doubte for his bredern, and sayd, 'Good lord, thrughe thi mercy & redempcyon / kepe me & my bredern from deth & from prison / for the nyght that is at hande maketh me to be a ferde' / And as he spake thise wordes, cam there kyng charlemagn, as fast as his horse myghte walop, agenst reynawd, and reynawd agenste hym, by cause he knewe hym not / and smote eche other so harde in their sheldes that thei made their speres [folio X.iii.b] to flee in peces, and recounted togyder both wyth theyr bodyes & sheeldes soo merveyllously that they overthrewe eche other to the grounde / and thenne they rose quyckly bothe atones, and set hande to their swerdes / And thenne Charlemagn began to crye 'mountioye saynt denys' / and after sayd, 'Yf I be owtraged by one knyghte oonly, I ought not to be a kyng nor to bere crowne.' Whan reynaud vnderstode charlemain speke, he knewe hym well, & wythdrewe hymself a syde, & sayd, 'Alas,

how am I dyffamed! it is charlemagn to whom I have iousted / I have mysprysed to sore for to have set hande vpon hym / Ha, good lord / it is well XVI. [quinze, F. orig. r. v.] yeres a goon that I spake not ones wyth hym / but I shall now speke to him yf I shold deye for it / for by reyson & right I ought to lese the firste; wherfore I wyll make to hym a mendes presently, and lete hym doo wyth me what he wyll' / and whan he had sayd this, he went to Charlemagn, & kneled byfore hym, and sayd to hym / 'Sir, for god / I crie you mercy, gyve me trews tyl that I have spoken wyth you.' 'wyth a good wyll,' sayd charlemagn; 'But I wote not who ye be, ²how be it that ye have iousted wyth me.'² [^2—2 mais vous joustes moult bien, F. orig. r. v.] 'I thanke you humbli,' sayd reynaud,³ 'of that it playseth you to saye soo by me³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig.] / Syr, wyte that I am Reynawde, the sone of aymon / and I crie you mercy / And for that pyte that our lord had vpon the cros of his moder whan he recomended her to saynt Iohan his dyscyple / I beseche you that ye wyll have pyte vpon [me] & vpon my bredern. ye knowe that I am your man / and ye have disherited me of mi londes, & have chased me ⁴oute of fraunce.⁴ [^4—4 ... de vostre terre et de la mienne, F. orig. r. v.] It is a goo xvi [xv. F. orig.] yeres; and by cause of this, are deed soo many noble knyghtes & valyaunt men, & other, in soo grete nombre that it can not be sayd, For god / ye see well what it cometh of the werre / for a lord that hath no pite in him, hath a hert as harde as a stone. [folio X.iv.a] And therfore, sire, I beseche you for god that ye have mercy on me & of my bredern that ben suche knyghtes as ye know. I speke not thise wordes for fere of deth, ne for courtyse of ryches / For god gramercy we have goodes ynoughe / but I speke it for to have your love oonly / Syr, suffre that

we have peas wyth you / and we shall becom your men for evermore, and we shall swere to you feyth & legeauns / and also I shall gyve you mountalban & my good horse bayard, whiche is the thynge that I love beste in this worlde after my bredern & mawgis / For there is not in all the world suche a nother horse [chevalier, F. orig. r. v. back.] / And yf this can not satysfye your mynde / I shall doo yet more / Playseth it to you for to pardonne my bredern / and I shall forswere Fraunce for evermore, that I shall never be seen there, and I shall goo to the holy sepulcre in Iherusalem, bare fote, for the remembraunce of you; and I nor Mawgys shall never come agen in fraunce, ²but we shall werre styll on goddys enmyes / as ben turques & sarrasins'² [^2—2 mais ferons guerre contre les tures, F. orig. r. v. back.] /

Thenne whan charlemagn herde reynawd speke thus, he answerde hym & sayd, 'Reynawd, ye speke for noughte / ye dyde an over grete foly / whan ye toke that hardynes vpon you for to speke wyth me in my palays as ye dyde / and yet ye dyde worse whan ye slewe my nevewe berthelot that I loved so moche; and now ye speke to me of peas, and ye crye me mercy. I promyse you for certeyn that ye shall have noo peas with me, but yf ye doo that I shall telle you' / 'Sire,' sayd reynawd, 'what shall that be? telle me, I praye you!' / 'I shall shewe it to you wyth a goode wyll,' sayd charlemagn / 'And yf ye doo it / ye and your brethern shall accorde wyth me, And I shall gyve you agen your heritage, and yet I shall gyve you / ynoughe of myn owen / It is that ye gyve me mawgys in my handes for to doo my playsur wyth hym, for I hate him [folio X.iv.b] more than ony thynge in the world' / 'Syre,' sayd reynawd / 'if I sholde deliver hym to you, what wold ye doo to hym?' / 'Reynawd,' sayd charlemagn,

'I promyse you I shold make hym to be drawen shamfully at four [omitted, F. orig. r. vi.] horses taylles thrughe parys. And after that, I shold doo take from the body of hym the limmes one after a nother, and thenne I shold make him to be brent, and his ashes to be cast at the wynde / And whan he shall be arrayed as I telle you / lete hym thenne doo his incantacyons & his magyke as he wyll / and I shall pardonne hym all that he can doo to me after that' / Thenne sayd Reynawd to the kyng / 'syre, wold ye doo it in dede as ye saye?' 'Ye,' sayd charlemagn, 'in good feyth' / 'Emperour,' sayd reynawde, 'wold you not take townes ne castelles, golde ne silver, for the raunsom of mawgis?' / 'certes naye,' sayd charlemagne. [par ma foy, F. orig.] 'Sir,' sayd reynawd, 'thenne shall we never be accorded togyder; for I tell you for certeyn, that yf ye had all my brethern in your pryson, and that ye were delibered for to make theim to be hanged, yet shold I not gyve you mawgis for to have theym deliverde oute of your handes' / 'Holde your peas thenne,' sayd charlemagn, '& beware of me / for otherwise gete ye noo peas wyth me' / 'Syr,' sayd reynawd, 'I am sory for it, for we be noo men that oughte to be cast from your servyse; [sernyse, orig.] and sith that ye defye me, I shall deffende me / and our lord shall doo me that grace, yf it playse hym, that I shall not be take of you.' And whan charlemagn herde this / he was sore angry / and ranne vpon reynawd / and whanne reynawd sawe hym come vpon hym / he sayd to hym, 'Syre, for god mercy, suffre not that I sette hande vpon you / For yf I sholde leve my selfe for to be slayne by you, I were well a myschaunt' / 'Vassayll,' sayd Charlemagn, 'all thise wordes avaylleth you not, For ye must nedes deffende yourselfe' / And thenne Charlemagne [folio X.v.a] smote hym wyth Ioyuse his swerde vpon his helme, and the

stroke slided doun vpon the sheelde of Reynawde soo that he kytted quyte and clene a grete parte therof. Whan Reynawde felte soo grete a stroke that kynge Charlemagne had gyven hym, he was sore an angred for it. He vaunced hym selfe forthe, and caught the kynge wyth bothe hys armes by the backe / and by the waast in maner of wrastelynge, For he wolde not smyte hym wyth his swerde Flamberde, and toke hym and layd vpon the necke of his horse Bayarde / for to have broughte hym wyth hym ¹to Mountalban¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] wythout ony other harme. And whan Charlemagn saw that he was handeled of this facyon / he beganne to crye as lowde as he myghte, 'Mountioye, saynte denys' / and thenne he sayd / 'Ha, fayr nevew [neueuew, orig.] Rowlande / where be you / Olyvere of vyenne, and ye duke Naymes / and bysshop Turpyn / shall ye suffre that I be thus taken ¹and broughte as a prysoner?¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] and yf ye doo soo / it shall be a grete shame to you all' / Reynawde began thenne to crye 'Mountalban' [son enseigne, F. orig. r. vi.] as highe as he cowde / whan he herde Charlemagne speke soo / And after he sayd / 'Ha, my bredern / and ye cosin Mawgys, com hither / and lete vs goo, for ⁴I have gyven the kynge suche a checke,⁴ [^4—4 Jay pris ung tel eschac, F. orig. r. vi.] that yf we can now brynge hym wyth vs / we shall have peas in Fraunce fromhens forthon.' Thenne the noble peres of Fraunce / as Rowlande, Olyvere / and the other, came to the socours of Charlemagne / And of that other parte / came there for to helpe Reynawd, his brethern and Mawgys, and well four hundred [hnndred, orig.] knyghtes well armed. And whan the valiaunt knyghtes were assembled togyder of bothe partyes, ye sholde thenne have seen there a merveyllous bataylle / For they slewe eche other as bestes. And there were so many speres broken, and so many sheeldes cloven / and

hewed in to peces, and so many [folio X.v.b] helmes vnbokeled / and soo many a quyras broken and perced, and so many horses that drew after theyr guttes a longe in the feeldes, and soo many a man slayne, that it was pyte for to see. [et vous prometz quil en y eut tant de occis dune part et daultre que lon ne scauoit le nombre et grande fust la pitie, F. orig. r. vi. back.] And whan Rowlande was come to the medlee, he wente vpon Reynawde, and gaaf hym soo grete a stroke vpon hys helme that he was all astonyed therwyth, and after he sayd to hym, 'Vassayll, ye have doon evill that ye trowed to have brought awaye the kyng in this maner of wyse! Ye wote well it is to hevy a bourdon for to lede of this facyon. ye shall leve hym / and yet ye shall abye full dere for it, are ye escape me' / And whan Reynawde sawe that he was thus repreved, and felte the grete stroke that Rowlande had gyven to hym ³vpon hys helmet,³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig.] he was wrothe, and toke his swerde in his hande / holdynge alwayes Charlemagne afore hym vpon bayardes necke / and cam to Rowlande, and sayd to hym / 'Damp Rowlande, come forthe! soo shall ye wyte how Flamberde cutteth'/ And whan Rowlande vnderstode hym, he came vpon hym / And whan Reynawde sawe hym come / he lete fall doun Charlemagne & ranne vpon Rowlande / And there beganne amonge theim two a fyers medelynge. This hangyng, cam Alarde, Guycharde / and the lytyll Rycharde / and ranne vpon Rowlande atones / and gaaff hym soo moche to doo that he muste put hymselfe to flighte / wolde he or noo / And whan Reynawde sawe that Charlemagn and Rowlande had saved theymselfe, he was right sory for it, and he sayd to his bretherne, 'My brederne, ye have wroughte yll / For yf ye had be styll by me, we had doon a grete fayt / For I had taken Charlemagne, that we sholde have broughte wyth vs to

mountalban.' [mounalban, orig.] 'Syre,' sayd his bretherne / 'we are sory for it that we dyde not soo / But we had so moche to doo in a nother place, [folio X.vi.a] that it is well to vs that we scaped sauf wyth our lyves. But lete vs see that we doo well, and sowne our horne to thende ye maye gader agen togyder your folke that be soo sperkled abrode, for there is dangeour by cause of the nyghte that cometh so fast on / and calle agen your baner / for we have wonne more than we have loste, and lete vs goo to montalban.' Reynawd, that was sage, dyde as his bredern & maugis counseylled hym / Whan charlemagne sawe that reynawde had wythdrawe his baner / he was glad of it / For he saw well that his folke was at the worste hande / soo made he to sowne the retrete, & passed balencon / and dyde somoche that he cam agen to his oost / And whan he was lighted doun a fote / he sayd to his folke / 'By my soule, it gooth not well with vs / for reynawd hath put vs from the felde.' 'Syre,' sayd rowland, 'speke noo more of it, for it is not longe on you / but that we had be almost shamed. Ye dyde grete foly whan ye iousted wyth reynawd / for if he had slayn you, or take, the werre had be ended that hath lasted so longe' / I leve now here to speke of charlemagne & of rowland his nevew [et de ses gens, F. orig. A. i.] / and retorne to speke of reynawde & of his bredern, and of mawgis theyr cosin, and of their folke.

CHAPTER XV.

¶ How after that reynawd, his bredern, & mawgis had dyscomfyted charlemagn after that thei had rescued rychard / that ripus wold have hanged at montfawcon / went agen vpon hym and pulled doun his pavylion,

and bare awaye wyth theim the egle of golde that was thervpon, wherof the kynge was full sori for it, soo that he wolde have taken agen his crowne in to the handes of hys barons / seynge that he wold not be noo more theyr kyng / by cause that they had faylled hym, and had habandouned hym for the four sones of aymon / And sayd to theym / that they shold crowne reynawde therwyth, soo sholde he be their kyng, [folio X.vi.b] For thei loved hym better than they dyde him; And how oliver sayd to charlemagn / that he shold take agen his crowne, and that he shold yelde hym mawgis that he had taken as he robbed the pavylion, for he abode there alone; And how charlemagne toke agen his crowne / and was right glade of the pryse of mawgys that he hated [hasted, orig.] so moche /

Here sheweth the histori, that whan reynaude, the sone of aymon, sawe that the kyng charlemagn was goon agen to his ooste / he made his baner to ryde before hym / and rayled his folke togyder / And whan he had mounted the mountayn of mountfawcon / he called his folke, & sayd to theim / 'My frendes, put yourself in ordynance, & take on your waye towarde mountalban / and I, my bredern & mawgis, shall come behynde / For I fere me leest the frenshemen, that ben so wroth that we have dyscomfyted theim so, shall folowe for to hurte vs yf they can / and yf they doo / we shall better suffre the payne than our folke /

I wolde not for noo good that rowlande & olivere sholde mocke wyth vs, nor that thei sholde fynde vs in dysaray.' 'By my soule,' sayd alarde / 'brother reynawd, [omitted, F. orig. A. i. back.] ye speke well & wysely.' And thenne their folke put theymselfe in ordenaunce. and thei abode behinde tyll that their folke had passed balencon / And whan the moost parte was passed, he [Regnault, F. orig.] toke iii. thousand men of the best of his folke, & sayd to thother, 'goo your wayes to montalban, For I wyll goo assayl the kyng charlemagne in his pavylion, what so ever it hap of it / And soo shall I shewe [luy et a ses gens, F. orig. A. i. back.] his folke what I can doo / and that I am a man for to seke hym, and not he me.'

Whan reynawd had sayd this, he cam to the water of Balencon / and passed over ¹wyth his thre thousande men¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. A. i. back.] / And they rode soo longe [luy et ses gens, F. orig. A. ii.] that they came to the oost of Charlemagn / that was wroth more than mesure requyreth, [folio X.vii.a] by cause that he had loste the feelde ¹agenste Reynawde.¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. A. i. back.] And whan Reynawd sawe the pavylion of Charlemagne / he sayd to his bredern / and to all his folke / 'I pray you that ye governe you wysly' / 'Syre,' sayd richard ¹the hardy,¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. A. i. back.] ⁶'he that wyll be enhaunced in price / he oughte not to loke soo nyghe but he must ieoparde for to conquere worshyp.'⁶ [^6—6 Qui veult en pris monter Il ne doit regarder de si pres: mais se doit mectre a laventure pour conquester honneur et pris, F. orig. A. ii.] and whan rychard had sayd so / he set hande to his swerde, & spored his horse wyth the spores. & went streyght to the pavylion of charlemagn, and cut of the cordes, & made it falle doun to the erthe wyth the egle of golde massy, that was of grete value. whan reinawd sawe this, he called mawgis, & sayd to him / 'Cosin, com hider / helpe

me to bryng awaye this gayn' / 'syr,' said mawgys, 'wyth a good wyll.' and they lighted a fote, & toke the egle of golde, ¹that was soo riche that noo man wyste what it was worthe;¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] & reynawd said to his folke / 'My lordes, smite now well, & feyn not your self / for he that beginneth a game, he ought to see an ende of it to his prouffyte, yf he can' / Who thenne had seen the folke of charlemagn arme theim & com oute of their tentes, & renne vpon the sones of Aymon, he wold have merveylled / and it was pite for to see the grete slaughter that was doon there / whan mawgis had put the egle of golde in sure handes / he went agen to the pavylion of charlemagn, & he fonde the kyng, and sayd to hym / 'By my hede, sir emperour, ye have troubled vs sore a long while, but ye shal bye it full derely at this hour, your comyng in to gascoyn, & ye dethe of my fader, the duke benes of aygremount / For I shall gyve to you suche a stroke that ye shall never make werre to vs nor to none other.' And with this he bare vp his spere for to have shoved it thrughe ye brest of charlemain; but charlemagn abode not the stroke, but he torned hymself a side, & ye spere entred in to the bed of the kyng well ii fote. And whan [folio X.vii.b] charlemagn sawe this, he was a ferde, and he beganne to crie 'mountioye, saynt denys.' And thenne he sayd / 'Ha, fayr nevewe rowlande, where are you now?' Whan mawgis herde calle rowlande, he loked aboute hym, & sawe not reynawd nor his bredern / for thei had put theimself to the way to retorn home agen.

Over long taried mawgis in thost of charlemagn / for reynawd was all redy passed over balencon / and rowland & oliver were all redy com to the callyng of charlemagn, sore afrayed / and whan mawgis sawe theym, he made noo lenger taryeng / but gaaff the

spores to his horse, & went after reinawd as fast as his horse myght renne. And whan he wold have passed balencon, he met wyth a grete company of the folke of charlemagn. and mawgys smote one of theym soo harde in the sheelde / that he overthrewe bothe horse & man to therthe; and after that he smote the sone of mylen of puyll, so that he cleved his sheld a sondre, & cast hym doun to the grounde with a wounde mortall / and thenne he cryed 'montalban,' & sayd, 'Ha, fayr cosin reynawde, where be you? socour me for god. For if ye lose me, ye shall have harme therat.' And thenne mawgis thought well that Reynawd was goon / This hangynge, came oliver thrugh the prees, & cam vpon mawgis, & smote him so harde that it abode not nother for sheelde nor for courset of stele, but he made hym a wounde in his brest, and caste hym doun to the erthe /

Whan mawgis felt hymself thus hurt & overthrowen, he was ryght wrothe for it. Soo rose he vp quy[c]kly vpon his fete, & toke his swerde in his hande, ¹& dyde merveylles of armes¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] / And the nighte was very derke, that almost the one knew not thother. and whan olyver saw mawgys defende himself so well / he sayd to hym / 'I know not the knyghte whom thou art; but, & thou yelde not thyselfe to me, I shall [folio X.viii.a] now smyte of thy hede from the sholdres.' 'what is thy name?' sayd thenne mawgis / 'for & thou be a good man / I shall yelde me to the, & elles not, knyght.' 'my name is oliver of vyenne.' Whan mawgis herde hym named, he knewe him well / and sayd to hym, 'Ha, gentyll knyghte olivere, I yelde me to you vpon your feyth, & vnder suche a condycion that ye shall not deliver me to charlemagn / for yf ye deliver me in his handes, I am deed without remedy, & he shall make me deie shamfully as

a theef.' 'By my feyth,' sayd oliver, 'this wyll I not do / for I dare not hide you from charlemagn. but yelde you / & I promise you that I shall helpe you to my power for to make your apoyntmente wyth the kyng' / 'Sir,' sayd mawgis, '& I yelde me to you vpon your trouth' [yrouth, orig.] / and toke his swerde to him. & oliver toke it, and after made hym to light vpon a lityll horse, and brought hym to the pavylion of Charlemagn, where they fonde not the kyng, by cause he was all affrayed, as ye herde afore / And whan oliver sawe that he fonde not charlemain / he was sore a ferd that mawgis shold scape from him thrughe his incantacyons & wytchecrafte, and sayd to hym, 'Mawgis, ye knowe how I have taken you by armes, & that ye are my prisoner / I wyll that ye gyve me your feyth truly that ye shall not goo oute of wythin, wythout my leve' / 'Sire,' sayd mawgys, 'wyth a good wyll' / and thus he dyde swere this to oliver. And whan oliver had taken the othe of maugys / he made hym to be vnarmed / and made his wounde to be wrapped / and gaaff hym a mantell vpon hym, & made hym to lie vpon a bed / Now shall we leve a lityll to speke of charlemagn, of oliver, & of mawgis / and shall shewe of reynawd & his bredern, what thei dyde whan thoste of charlemagn was moved / and how thei wonne the egle of golde, that was of so grete value / & how reynaud said to his bredern / 'lordes, lete vs se now for to quyte vs wel / for it were not good for vs for [folio X.viii.b] to tary here ony lenger.' And thenne he made to wyth draw his folke, and made theym put to the waye / And as they wente / Rycharde sayd to Reynawd / 'Syre, we have goten a ryche proy, thanked be god / For Charlemagne shall be many a longe day wrothe therfore' / 'Certes,' sayd Reynawde, 'fayr broder, ye saye trouth; & also we have slayn a grete mayne

of his folke.' 'Ha, god,' sayd thenne alarde, 'where is our cosin mawgys / For I see him not here.' 'Broder,' sayd rycharde / 'be not a ferde for mawgys / for I beleve that he is goon to mountalban afore vs.' 'god be wyth him where soever he be,' sayd reynawde, 'For he is ryght sage / and a noble knyght / I wolde not for all the golde in the worlde that my cosin mawgis had ony harme.'

¶ We shall leve a lityll to speke of Reynaude & of his bredern, that are bounde to mountalban, glad of their proy / And shal now speke of Charlemagn, that was soo sore wrothe, as I have sayd afore.

Whan Charlemagn was from hys arneys, he felle in a swoune for the grete angre that he had of that he had be thus dystressid / And whan he was com agen to hymself, he sent for the duke Naymes, the bisshop Turpyn, escouff the sone of oedan, for Salamon of breten, Richarde of normandy, therle Guidellon, & for Oger the dane. and whan thei were all gadred togider, the kyng began to shewe to theim his complayntes in this maner, 'Lordes, I have kepte & mayntened you vnder my tuycion the space of XL [cinquante, F. orig. A. iii. back.] yeres ²& more,² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig.] that noo man hath not wronged you of a peny / and ye have no neighbour that dare aske you ony thyng. Now, me semeth, by cause that I am now old, that I am but halfe a man, & yet not so gode as I wold be / and I may not be a kyng without you; for whan ye faylle me, I am no kyng / ye knowe well that ye have left me for love of reinawd / wherof I am right sori, as [folio Y.i.a] I may well / for reynawd hath taken me where I was habandonned of you, & he hath chased me out of ye felde; certes, I am worse than madde of this that ye have forsake me for reynawde / And sith that it is thus wyth me / I seke not to lyve

ony lenger, nor to be kyng ony more / and now I take to you the crowne, to thende that ye shall gyve it vnto reynaude whan ye wyll, and that ye make hym kyng of Fraunce, For I wyll be no more your kyng' /

Whan the xii peres of Fraunce & the other lordes herde Charlemagn speke so sorowfully, they were sore abasshed, that there was noo man so hardy that durste saye one worde. And thone loked vpon the other & were ashamed. And whan the duk Naymes of bavyre vnderstode ye wordes of Charlemagne / he put hymself forthe and sayd, 'Syr emperour, god forbede that ye shoold doo as ye say / for it were grete shame to vs all, & also to you. but I wote well that we have misprysed agenst you in that we have supported reynawd / but ye oughte to consider that we have doon / was by no malice, but for good entencyon / For we wende to have made the peas of the werre that hath endured so long / wherby many good true men are deed / but sith that we see that it playseth not you to make peas wyth the foure sones of Aymon / take agen your crowne, & be not wroth wyth vs / and we shall promyse you that we all shall serve you wel & truly / and that we shall take Mountalban or a moneth be paste, or elles [ellis, orig.] we shall deye all / and fromhens forthon he that shall spare the sones of Aymon shall be slayn of vs' / Thenne sayd the kynge Charlemagne, 'lete all this alone; I telle you for certeyn that I shall never be your kyng / but ye yelde to me Reynawde or Mawgis, the cursed theef / that hath mocked me soo often' / And whan Charlemagn had sayd this, he [folio Y.i.b] entred wythin his pavylion sore an angred. And thenne cam there oliver, that was sore abasshed of that he sawe the king make soo evyll chere / and after, he sayd to charlemagn, 'Syre, wherof are ye soo sore angry' / 'by my feyth,' sayd the duke

naymes, 'he hath shamed vs; for he hath forsaken his crown & his royame.' 'Syr,' sayd thenne olyver, 'doo not soo, but take agen your crowne, & be our lorde ¹and our kynge.¹ [^1—1 omitted F. orig. A. iv.] And who dooth not your commaundement, chastyse hym in suche a maner that men take ensample therby' / 'Oliver,' sayd charlemagn, 'ye speke for noughte / for I wyll not doo it / but I have reynawde or mawgis dede or quycke' / 'Syre,' sayd olivere, 'pardonne vs thenne / and I shall deliver to you mawgis or evyn.'

'Damp oliver,' sayd charlemagn / 'I am not a chyld wherof men oughte to mocke wyth / For I wote well that mawgys doubteth you of noo thynge' / 'Syre,' sayd olivere, 'yf ye wyll promyse me that ye shall take agen your crowne, & that ye shall kepe vs as ye have doon a fore tyme / I shall bryng hym now afore you.' 'By my feyth,' sayd charlemagn, 'yf ye doo it, and that I maye have hym at my wyll / (For I hate hym moost of all men in the world) I shall doo all that ye wyll desire of me / and also I shall gyve you londes ynough that ye shall be contente of me. For yf mawgys were not, the four sones of aymon myghte not endure agenst me / for yf I had theym in pryson, and thoughe I had sworne to kepe theym, yet shold ²that theef mawgis² [^2—2 Il, F. orig.] stele theym awaye fro me.' 'Syre,' sayd oliver, 'I shall brynge hym to you wythoute ony doubte.' And thenne oliver went to his pavylion, & rowlande wyth hym / and many other knyghtes, for to see mawgys. oliver sayd thenne to mawgis, 'Mawgys, ye must come to charlemagn.' 'oliver,' sayd maugis / 'ye have betraied me / but [folio Y.ii.a] I wote well that charlemagn shall be more curteis than ye have be / for he shall doo me noo harme / and lete vs goo to hym in the

name of god, whan ye wyll' / And thenne oliver leded mawgis to charlemagn. and whan he was wythin the pavylion, he went streyght to the kinge, & sayd to hym / 'Sire, ye have promysed me, that yf I brought mawgis, that ye sholde take agen your crowne, And that ye shold kepe vs to ryght as ye have doon a fore tyme' / 'Certes,' sayd charlemagn, 'it is trouth / and yf ye kepe your covenaunt, I shall doo that I have promysed you.' 'Now holde you, sir,' sayd oliver, 'here mawgis, that I deliver vnto you for to doo your playsur wyth hym, ye whyche I have take & conquered bi force of armes.' Whan the kyng charlemagn sawe mawgys, he was so glad that noo man myght be more; and after he sayd, 'by my feyth, now have I one parte of my desire. o, false theef mawgys, now I holde the / now shalt thou be rewarded of thi pride that thou haste shewed vnto me whan thou barest awaye myn egle of golde / and for all the good tornes & theeftes that thou hast doon in thy dayes! For many tymes thou haste angred me sore, wherof thou shalt be now payd after thy deservyng' / 'Syr,' sayd thenne mawgis, 'ye shall doo wyth me what it playse you, for I am now in your handes / but I counseylle you for the best, that ye lete me goo, and that ye make peas wyth reynawde & wyth his bredern / for ye shall gete no thyng by my deth; & my cosins ben suche that thei shall avenge it right wel by force of armes / and yf ye doo as I saye / ye shall have with you the flower of knyghthode of all the worlde' / 'Ha, thef,' sayd Charlemain / 'how ferfull thou art now / Certes, this that thou sayst shall avaylle the noo thynge' / 'Syre,' sayd mawgys, 'I am noo theef. Now canne I not doo noo thynge, sith that I am in your handes / And whan ye shal have put me [folio Y.ii.b] to dethe, ye shall doo me no more no thyng, and

yet ye shall be sory for me or ever xiiii. [xxiiii, F. orig. A. v.] owres comen at an ende' / 'Ribawde,' sayd charlemagn, 'speke not soo boldly; for, and I can, thou shalt have an evyll nyghte or ever thou escape me; nor the glotons, thy cosins, shall not helpe the therfro, but that I shall make the deye in dyspyte of all thy wytche crafte that thou canste doo.' ¶ Now we shall leve a lityll to speke of charlemagne & of mawgis, and we shall speke of the good knighte reynawde, of alarde, guycharde, and of the lityll rycharde hys brethern.

Whan Reynawd was departed from the oost of charlemagn, ²as I sayd byfore² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig.] / he rode so long that he came to mountalban, & his folke wyth hym / And whan the lady wyste that her lorde came, she came hym agenste / and said to him, 'Syre, ye be right welcom / have ye deliverde rycharde' / 'ye, vereli,' sayd Reynawd, 'god gramercy.' 'and blessed be god,' sayd the lady. and thenne she wente to rycharde, & kyssed hym more than ten tymes. and there was a chere & a feest made ryght amyable / And after they had made grete ioye / Reynawd began to demaunde after his cosin / and the lady answerde, 'my lord, I knowe noo tydynges of him' / and whan reynaude herde that, he was sore agast of it / and tourned hymself towarde his bredern, & sayd to theim, 'My bredern, I praye you thāt we maye knowe whether our cosyn mawgis is com or not / and goo seke hym in his lodges / For happli he is goon for to vnarme hym selfe.' And incontynente guycharde & richarde soughte hym at his lodges, & asked for hym to two of his men, the whiche sayd that they had not seen hym sith he was gon wyth theym. And whan they herde that, thei were full sory, & went agen to their broder reynawd, & tolde him how they cowde not fynde hym / Whan reynawd vnderstode

that [folio Y.iii.a] they had not fonde him / he began to make more sorow than yf all his bredern had be deed / and thenne, who had seen the grete mone that alarde, guycharde, & the lityll rychard made ²for theyr cosin² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig.] / he wold have had grete pyte for to see theym, for thei pulled their heeres from theyr hedes, & scratched their visages [moult asprement, F. orig. A. v.] / whan the good lady sawe the grete sorowe that reynawd her husbond, & his bredern made, she felle doon in a swoun [swonn, orig.] to therth. I promyse you he that had seen that sorow, how herde herted that he were, cowde not have kepte hym fro wepynge.

After that reynawd had thus made grete sorow, he refrayned hymself a lityll, & thenne sayd / 'ha, my cosin maugys, well ye have stolen yourself from vs / and what shall we doo from hens forth, sith that we have lost you' / Whan they had made theyr mone in this maner a long while / reinawde sayd ²to his bredern &² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig.] to his folke, 'My lordes, I praye you that ye leve your sorowe, for by noo sorow the mater canne not be remedyed / I praye you recomforte yourselfe / for I wyll put me agen to the waye, for to goo to the woode of ye serpent, for to speke wyth the abbot of saynt Lazare, to wyte yf he can telle vs ony tidynges; for my hert iudgeth me that a fore xxiiii houres I shall knowe the certente / and fare wel, my bredern, tyll I com agen.' 'ye speke well and wysely,' sayd alard, 'but we shall goo wyth you for to kepe you.' 'Certes,' sayd reinawd / 'ye shall not come one fote wyth me' / And thenne reynawd went in to his chambre, and made hym to be armed, & came & lighted vpon bayard his good horse / and yssued out of mountalban / the sheelde at the necke / and the spere in hande, & cam to balencon / and passed over the water. and whan he was over

the water, he fonde two laddes, that cam to water theyr horses from the ooste of Charlemagne. Whan the [folio Y.iii.b] laddes sawe reynawd, that was soo grete / and was all a lone / they sayd to hym / 'Syre, what be you, that are a lone / ye seme to be a noble man?' 'Chyldren,' sayd reynawd, 'I am of rypus folke, that dyde scape whan the sones of aymon hanged hym at mountfawcon.' And thenne he sayd agen to theym / 'what dooth the valiaunt kyng Charlemagn / soo it is souper tyme wyth hym.' 'syr,' sayd the laddes, 'the kyng is well mery, & maketh good chere; and he hath forgoten all the sorowe that he dyde make for your mayster rypus, For men have broughte to hym mawgys, that he hated soo moche' / 'Now telle me,' sayd reynawde, 'is mawgys deed?' 'Syr,' sayd the two laddes, 'he is yet alive.' whan reynawd vnderstode that maugys was a live, his herte lepte all in his bely for grete ioye; and thenne he sayd, 'my fayr chyldren, blessed mote you be, sith that mawgys is not deed / Now I fere me not that he shall deye this daye.' All thus as reynawd spake this, the laddes went theyr wayes / and reynawd abode alone thynkyng at the ryver side / and whan he had thoughte ynoughe, he said to hymselfe / 'fayr god, what shall I doo / I wote not now what shall I thynke or saye / for yf I goo assaylle charlemagn atte his souper, the nyghte is derke / and he shall wene that I have grete folke wyth me / and he shall be a ferde to lese mawgys / and thus he myghte kylle hym anone. but sith that I knowe somoche of hym, I shall tary tyll to morowe; and yf he bryngeth hym thenne for to be put to deth / I shall deffende hym wyth my power / or elles [ellis, orig.] I shall deye wyth hym' / Here leveth the history to speke of reynawd, that is at the ryvers side

of balencon all alone vpon bayard / and retorneth to speke of charlemagn, kyng & emperour of fraunce.

CHAPTER XVI.

¶ How the kyng Charlemagn wold have doon hanged Mawgys incontynent after that oliver had deliverde hym to hym / but [folio Y.iv.a] thrughe the meane of the XII peres of fraunce, that at the request of mawgis were his surety for one nyghte oonly / he dyde so moche that he scaped with his honour, and acquytance of theym that were his suretyes. And he broughte wyth hym to mountalban the crowne & the swerde of the [kyng] Charlemagn that same nyghte / and also the swerdes of all the peres of fraunce, wherof themperour was ryght sory; and how the kyng charlemagn sente worde to reynawd that he sholde sende hym agen hys crowne & his swerd, and all that maugis had borne awaye wyth hym / and he shold gyve him trews for two yeres / to the whiche thyng reynawd graunted, wherof happed many grete evylles afterwarde /

In this party sheweth the history, that whan charlemagne sawe hym seased of mawgys, he called rowlande, oliver, ogyer the dane, the bysshop turpyn, rycharde of normandy, guydellon of bavyere, & the duke naymes, and sayd to theym / 'My lordes, I

praye you asmoche as I canne, that ye doo make a grete galehous, for I am delibered that, afore souper, mawgis the grete theef shall be hanged by the necke [et estrangle, F. orig. A. vi.] / for yf all the worlde had sworne the contrary, yet shal I not kepe hym to the daye were com.' 'Syre,' sayd the duke naymes, 'sith that it playse you that mawgys shall deye, ye shall make hym deye by a nother maner of wyse, yf ye doo after me' / 'And how thenne?' sayd charlemagn. 'Syre, I counseyll you that ye hange not mawgys by nyghte / for reynawde & his bredern shold mocke you / and thei shall saye that ye durste not make hym deye by daye lighte for fere of theim. and therfore, sir, abyde tyll the day becom / ²and thenne maye ye doo execusion vpon hym wyth worshyp.² [^2—2 pour le faire pandre, F. orig. A. vi. back.] And whan the tyme shall be com that ye wyll sende hym forth / sende many folke wyth hym / that and [and = if.] reynawd & his bredern com there for to [folio Y.iv.b] socour hym / that they maye be take / and hanged wyth hym' / 'Naymes,' sayd the kyng / 'ye mocke wyth me / for yf this theef scape me / I am defamed' / 'Syr,' sayd mawgis, 'yf ye be a ferde that I shold goo awaye / I shall gyve you surety that I shall not goo' [sans prendre congie de vous, F. orig. A. vi. back.] / 'Who is that,' sayd Charlemagne, 'that shall be thy suerty / is there ony man in the worlde so hardy that dare take this?' 'Syr,' sayd mawgis / 'I shall finde ynowe, if it playse you.' 'now shall we see,' sayd Charlemagn, 'how ye shall fynde theym' / And thenne mawgis loked abowte hym, and sawe the xii peres. soo called he olyver, and sayd to hym, 'Syr oliver, ye promysed me whan I yelded me to you / that ye wolde helpe me towarde charlemagne. Now I requyre you that ye wyll be my surety, yf it playse you' / 'wyth a good

wyll,' sayd oliver, 'vpon my liff & my goodes I shall be your surete' / 'and ye, syre rowlande,' sayd mawgis, 'shall ye not be also for god, my surety / and ye, duke naymes; and ye, ogyer / and ye, escouf; and ye, bysshop turpyn / and ye, damp rycharde of normandye; and ye, guydellon of bavyere / I praye you all that ye wyll be my surete, for the love of the good knyght reynawd' / 'Mawgis,' sayd thenne the duke naymes, 'wyll ye promyse to vs vpon your feyth that ye shall not go from vs wythout our leve' / 'ye,' sayd mawgis, 'vpon my feyth' / And thenne came the duke naymes wyth the other peres of fraunce byfore the kynge charlemagne, and sayd to hym, 'Syre, we wyll be surete for mawgis, vpon our lives and vpon our londes that we holde of you, that he shall not goo awaye wythout your leve, and also of all your company / & we shall deliver hym agen to you to morow in the mornyng ¹for to doo wyth him what ye wyll.'¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] 'My lordes,' sayd the kynge / 'sith that ye wyll be his surete / I remyse hym in to your kepynge, by suche a condycion, but [but = except.] that I have hym to morowe in the mornyng [folio Y.v.a] erly, ye shall lese all your londes, And ye shall never maye retourne in to douce Fraunce agayne' / 'Syre,' sayd oliver, 'we graunte it as ye have sayd' / 'Lordes,' sayd the duke naymes, 'sith that this is doon / lete vs goo recomforte mawgis / For he is well sory' / 'Lordes,' sayd thenne mawgys to theym again, 'Sith that ye have doon me one good torne / doo me a nother / I praye you gete me some mete / for I am yll a hungred.' Whan Charlemagn vnderstode mawgis speke / he loked vpon hym, and sayd to hym all lawghynge / 'And shalt thou ete?' sayd Charlemagne / 'ye,' sayd mawgis, 'yf I canne have ony mete.' 'Now here,' sayd Charlemagne, 'what it is of this devyll

here that asketh for mete / and soo lityll a terme he hathe to live. For and I were in his plighte / I sholde not mowe have corage for to ete.' 'Syre,' sayd the duke naymes, 'ye saye yll / For who that hath eten well, he is better at his ease / wherof I praye you, that ye lete hym have some mete.' And thenne the kynge wasshed his handes for to goo to souper, and sayd, 'where shall mawgis be for to ete?' 'Syr,' sayd rowlande / 'he shall be well by you.' 'Nevewe,' sayd the kyng, 'ye saye right well, For here shall we be sure of hym / and I had thoughte for to doo soo / For I sholde not dare truste hym to be by none other man.' And thenne the kynge was set atte the table / For as longe as the souper lasted, he durste not ete nor drynke / leest that Mawgys sholde werke witchecrafte vpon hym / but mawgis ete ryght well, For he had a goode appetyte to his mete / And whan oliver sawe that, he beganne to lawghe, and shewed rowlande, and after sayd to hym / 'Have ye seen how the kynge durste not ete all this souper / for fere that mawgys shold werke wytchecraft vpon hym' / 'Surely,' sayd rowlande, 'it is true.' After souper [folio Y.v.b] Charlemagn called his stywarde / and sayd to hym / 'stywarde, I praye you brynge me XL. [trente, F. orig. A. vii.] torches, and that they brenne al the nyghte' / 'Syr,' ³sayd the stywarde³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig.] / 'I shall doo your commaundement.' And whan Charlemagne had ordeyned this, he retorned hym towarde Rowlande / and sayd to hym, 'Fayr nevewe, I praye you that ye and oliver, and all the xii peres of Fraunce, that ye wyll watche to nyghte wyth me for to kepe this theef mawgys. and make an hundred men to be armed / that shall whatche wyth vs. and make the playe at the tables & at the chesses [Et aussi a tous jeux a celle, F. orig. A. vii. back.] / to thende that none of

vs falle a slepe / And also make a thousande knyghtes to make gode watche wythoute / to the ende that yf mawgys sholde escape vs, they sholde take hym agayne' / And whan Charlemagne had ordeyned this / he set hym doun vpon his bed / and he made mawgys to set doun by hym / And of that other parte, Rowlande, Oliver, Ogyer the dane / and all the xii peres ¹rounde aboute the bed¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] / 'Syre,' sayd thenne mawgys, 'where shall I slepe' / 'what saye ye?' sayd Charlemagne, 'wyll ye slepe?' 'ye, syre,' sayd mawgys, full fayne / 'yf it playse you to suffre me' / 'By my soule,' sayd Charlemagne, 'ye shall have evyll rest here, For ye shall not slepe as longe as ye be a live / For ye shall be hanged tomorowe atte the spryngynge of the daye.' 'Syre,' sayd mawgys / 'ye doo me grete wronge. Wherfore have I gyven you surete, but oonly that I maye have my ease for soo longe as I have for to live / Other suffre me to take my reste, and that I maye slepe / or elles [ellis, orig.] holde quyte my suretees' / 'Certes, false theef,' sayd charlemagne, 'all this shall not avayll the / For I wyll that thy suretes goo quyte / and dyscharged / But therfore ye be not oute of my handes' / And thenne he made to be broughte a grete payre of yrens, and fetred hym wyth theym, bothe hys fete togyder, And [folio Y.vi.a] gare the cheyn to be fastened harde at a pyller. and wyth all he gaaff hym a grete coler of yren abowte his necke / wherof the kynge kepte the key hymselfe. And whan mawgys was arrayed of this facyon, Charlemagne sayd to hym / 'By my soule, mawgis, ye shall not escape me now' / 'Syr,' sayd mawgys, 'ye mocke well with me. But I telle you now byfore the xii peres of fraunce, that I shall see mountalban or it be to morowe pryme.'

Whan Charlemagn vnderstode this that mawgys sayd to hym / he trowed to have wexed mad all quycke. Soo he stode vp & set hande to his swerde, and cam to maugys all wrothe for to have smyten of his hede. But whan rowlande sawe that, he avaunced hym & sayd to the kynge / 'Syr, for god, mercy / for yf ye slewe hym / we ben all shamed for evermore. Syre, ye ought not to take hede to that he sayth to you / For that that he sayth / he sayth it like a man that is in dyspeyre. And how myghte that be that he sholde escape you as ye holde hym nowe?' 'verely, my nevewe, I wote not how / but that he here a fore tyme hath soo often mocked me / maketh me to doubte of hym / but at all aventure I shall leve hym in peas tyll to morowe that he shall be hanged' / 'Sir,' sayd Rowlande, 'ye saye well. Thenne all they that were there beganne to playe at the tables ¹& atte the chees,¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] and many other games. And whan [it] came that they had played longe, they beganne all to have grete luste to slepe / And whan mawgys sawe that, he made his charme. And whan he had made it / they beganne all to fall in a stronge slepe; and charlemagne hymselfe slepte soo harde that he fell backewarde [bakewarde, orig.] vp on his bed. And whan mawgys sawe that Charlemagne was soo faste a slepe / and all the twelve peres of Fraunce, ¹and all the company of theym¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] / He beganne to [folio Y.vi.b] make a nother charme / that was of suche vertue that his feters that were on his fete, and the coler and the cheyn of yren, felle all to the grounde a sondre; [Et quant maugis vist ce il sault en pieds, F. orig. A. viii.] and thenne mawgys rose vpon his fete / and sawe Charlemagn, that slept so well grovelinge wyth his hede a wrye / and he toke thenne a pelow, and righted vp his hede with. And thenne he vngirded him, toke Ioyous his swerde,

and gyrde it abowte hym / and after he wente to Rowland / and toke from hym durandall his good swerde / and after he toke hawteclere from olivere, and cortyne from ogyer / And after this he went to the couffres, and toke there-out [la couronne et le tresor, F. orig. A. viii.] all the treysour of Charlemagne, & wente wyth all this streighte to mountalban. And whan mawgis had taken all this / he toke an erbe, and robbed Charlemagnes noose & his lippes wyth it / and vnhosed him / and after he shoved hym wyth the fynger / and sayd to hym, 'awake, syre emperour! I promysed you yesternyghte that I sholde not go wythoute I sholde take leve of you / ²farewell, I goo now² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig.] ' / And whan he had sayd this, he wente oute of the pavylion, and set hym to the waye towarde mountalban. And whan Charlemagne vnderstode that mawgis had sayd to hym / he rose vpon his fete soo wrothe that men cowde be no more / and called vpon his xii peres that he cowde not awake. And whan he sawe that, he bethoughte hymselfe of an herbe that he had broughte wyth hym from beyonde the grete see / and toke it and robbed wythall the nose, the mouth, and the eyen of rowlande / and in like wyse to all thother xii peres of fraunce / and incontynente they were awaked / and rose vpon theyr fete sore abasshed / and whan they were all awaked / they beganne to loke one vpon a nother, And the firste that beganne to speke was the duke Naymes, that sayd to the kynge, 'Where is Mawgys?' 'By my soule,' [folio Y.vii.a] sayd charlemagn, 'ye shall deliver hym me agen / for ye have lete hym goo wylfully / For yf ye wolde have suffred me to have hanged hym yesterdaye, I had be otherwyse ridde of him.' 'Rowlande,' sayd olivere, 'sawe ye hym goo hens' / 'Naye, by saynt denys,' sayd rowlande. 'I saw hym well goo,' sayd Charlemagne / 'Syre,' sayd rowlande, 'ye oughte thenne to have tolde vs of it, For

he shold not have escaped soo' / And in sayenge this, Rowland loked at hys side, & he sawe not durandall his swerd / wherof he dyde caste a grete syghe. And thenne charlemagne sayd to hym, 'Nevewe, where is your swerde / by my hede, I knowe well that the theef mawgys hathe bewytched vs / For none of vs hath his swerde / ¹and / also he hath my hosin wyth hym,¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. A. viii. back.] now hath he well mocked vs /

Whan the xii peres of fraunce saw that they had lost all theyr good swerdes, they were ryght sory for it, more than ony man can saye. And after, rowlande sayd, 'by my feth, mawgys hath wonne a grete gayne, whan he bereth awaye thus our swordes / For they ben more worthe than is all parys / And whan Charlemagne perceyved that his cofres were open, he wente anone and loked in, and he was sore an angred / whan he founde not his crowne, nor the best parte of his treysur / wherof he made grete sorowe, and after sayd, 'Ha, false [omitted, F. orig. A. viii. back.] theef mawgis, full lityll I have goten of the & of thy takynge!' And who thenne had seen the sorow that the xii peres of fraunce made, wolde have had noo luste to lawghe. ¶ Now shall we telle you a lityll of mawgys, that went as fast as ever he cowde towarde mountalban / And he came to passe over the water of Balencon, atte that place where Reynawd was full hevy / and full of sorowe / by cause he knew noo certeyn tidynges of mawgis / but whan mawgis had passed over the water / bayard smelled hym & began [folio Y.vii.b] to crye, and came towarde Mawgys / wolde Reynawde or noo. And whan mawgys sawe Reynawde, he knewe hym well, & sayd to hym, lawghynge / 'Knyght! what be ye that rydeth at this tyme of nyghte' / and Reynawd sayd to hym, 'ye know well that I am your cosin Reynawde, ye sone of aymon' / and thenne he lighted from bayarde / and

cam to mawgys, & kyssed hym by grete love many tymes, and thenne sayd to hym / 'Fair cosin, thanked be our lorde that I see you deliverde from the handes of Charlemagn' / 'By my feyth,' sayd mawgys, 'ye forgate me well behynde.' 'Cosyn,' sayd reynawde, 'by my soule, I cowde not doo therto, for I have be here sith yesterdaye evyn. And I promyse you that I was delibered for to have socoured you, or elles to have deyed wyth you.' 'My cosin,' sayd mawgys, 'I thanke you! light vpon your horse, and lete vs goo to mountalban.' Whan reynawde was vpon his horse agen, he sayd to mawgys, 'My cosyn, what is it that ye have laden?' 'Cosyn,' sayd mawgys, 'it is the crowne of Charlemagne / and his swerde Ioyous / durandall, the swerde of rowlande / and the swerdes of all the xii peres of fraunce' / 'cosyn,' sayd reynawd, 'ye have wrought wel, god gramerci; but of the swerde of ogyer, me dysplayseth' / 'Cosyn,' sayd mawgys, 'I have doon it all wylfully, to thende that the kyng sholde market therby none evyll / and that he were not apeched of treyson.' And thenne he shewed hym all the caas / and the maner that Charlemagne had holde hym / 'cosyn,' sayd reynawde, 'ye dyde ryght well' / And whan he had sayd thys / they went on theyr waye towarde mountalban. And they mette in theyr waye alarde, guychard, and the lityll rycharde, that came rydynge / makynge grete mone for doubte of Reynawde. and whan reynawd saw them com, he sayd to theim / 'Whether go you, my fayr bredern' / 'sir,' said thei, 'we went sekyng after you.' [folio Y.viii.a] 'Ye have founde me,' sayd Reynawd, 'And I have fonde our cosin mawgys' / And whan they vnderstode this tydynges, they were ryght gladde, & thanked our lorde of it. And after, Alarde sayd to mawgys / 'Fayr cosin, where became ye that ye cam not wyth vs agen?' 'Alarde,' sayd mawgys,

'whan rycharde was entred wythin the pavylion of charlemayn, and had take the egle of golde, I taried wythin the pavylion for to slee charlemagne, And it lacked but lityll that I slewe hym / and whan I trowed to have comen after you, I fonde a grete rouwte of knyghtes that arested me / and so I defended me of all my power. And thenne came olivere of vyenne, that overthrewe me doun; and I yelded me to him for his prysoner / the whiche deliverde me to Charlemagne, that wold have made me to be hanged shamfully, but, lord, I thanke you / I have doon soo moche that I am escaped.' 'Cosin,' sayd alarde, 'it is well happed to you' / whan they had devysed longe ynoughe / they went to mountalban, where they made grete fest / whan they were com there, it is not to be asked yf the good lady clare was well glad, For incontynent she dyde to be made redy dyverse metes for the dyner. And whan they [hay, orig.] had eten, they went to rest / for they were wery, ²& specyally reynawd & mawgis wold fayne have slept /² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. B. i. back.] And the nexte daye they wente to here theyr masse at the chyrche of mountalban / and whan the masse was doon / Reynawde called mawgis his cosin & his bredern, and sayd to theym, 'Lordes, shewe me the boty that ye gate yesterdaye.' 'Syre,' sayd rycharde, 'gladly, syth it playse you' / And thenne he toke the egle, that was of golde massi / and of precyous stones, and gaaff it to Reynawd. and whan Reynawde saw that that gyfte [was] so [rcihe, orig.] riche / he was glad of it / bycause of ye grete valure of it / reinawd called mawgis, & sayd to hym / 'cosyn, what shall [folio Y.viii.b] we doo with this egle' / 'My cosyn,' sayd mawgys, 'me semeth that ye oughte to put hym a bove vpon the apple of the grete towre ²of this castell,² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. B. i. back.] to thende that charlemagn & all his ooste maye see it.' 'By my soule,' sayd reynawd, 'ye saye

well.' And thei toke the egle, & made it to be borne vpon the high tower of montalban. And whan the sonne dyde shyne vpon this egle / it casted soo grete a lighte that it myghte be seen v myles thens / And whan Charlemagn & his folke apperceyved it, they were ryght sory for it & an angred /

Whan Charlemagn ¹the grete emperour¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. B. i. back.] sawe that the four sones of aymon mocked hym thus / he called to him rowlade & olivere, and all the other peres of fraunce, & sayd to them, 'Lordes, it is sore mysshaped tyll vs sith we came in this londe of gascogn / for I have loste my crowne, & ioyous mi [bonne espee, F. orig. B. ii.] swerde, & myn egle of golde, that was of soo grete value as ye all knowe / and ye all have lost your goode swerdes, wherof we ben well shamed / and also we have ben chased from the felde shamfully / Now have well ye four sones of aymon shamed vs all, thrugh that false theef mawgys. wherfore, my fayr lordes, I complaine me vnto you, prayng that ye wyll helpe me to avenge me vpon theym; for they have doon you shame, as well as to me' / Thenne sayd the xii peeres / 'sire, we be redy for to doo all that ye wyll.' 'I wyll,' sayd the kyng, 'that ye ogyer / also the duke naymes, and ye bysshop turpyn, & ye escouff, the sone of oedon, that are of the kindred of reynawde / that ye goo to mountalban, and soo telle to reynawde, to his bredern & mawgis, that they delyver me agen my crowne / Ioious my swerde / and myn egle of golde / and the swerdes of you all / And I shall gyve [t]heym trews for two yeres. And I shall doo all myn oste to retorn agen in to fraunce' / 'sir,' answerde oger, 'I shall wyth a good wyll do [folio Z.i.a] your commaundement / but I fere me of reynawd that he wyll kepe vs prisoners' / 'Ha, ogyer,' sayd Charlemagn, 'ye fere hym but lityll.' Whan the

barons herde the commaundemente of the kyng, they made no taryeng, but lighted on horse backe and rode to mountalban. And whan they were com to the drawbrydge, the porter that kepte warde vpon the gate sayd to theym / 'Lordes, what be ye?' [qui estes devant ce pont, F. orig. B. ii.] 'my frende,' sayd Ogyer / 'we are of the folke of Charlemagn / goo your waye to Reynawd, and telle hym that the duke naymes, the bysshop turpyn, escouffe the sone of oeden, & ogyer the dane wold speke wyth hym' / 'My lordes,' sayd the porter / 'I shall goo to hym Incontynent; and thenne he went to Reynawde, & shewed hym howe foure knyghtes were at ye gate that wolde speke wyth hym. 'what ben they?' sayd Reynawd. 'My lord,' sayd the porter, 'they tolde me that thone is called the duke Naymes, that other the bysshop turpyn / and a nother escouff the sone of oedon / ²and the fourth² [^2—2 et aultre, F. orig.] is named ogyer the dane.' Whan Reynawd herde this, he stode vp, & sayd to his brethern / 'My lordes, here come four valiaunt knyghtes & wyse / I beseche you that we shewe to theym that we ben noo children for to be rokked a slepe' / 'Cosin,' sayd mawgis, 'ye speke well & wysly / Me semeth [se dist regnault, F. orig. B. ii. back.] it were good that we sholde knowe wherfore they com, or they entre, to thende that we may best answere to theym.' Thenne they wente to the gate / and made the brydge for to be lete doun And whan it was doun, Richard yssued oute first vpon the brydge / and went agenst theym, & made to theym grete honour, [et si les salua, F. orig. B. ii. back.] & sayd to theym, 'My lordes, ye be right welcom! this castell is at your commaundement / For I holde me soo sure of my brother Reynawd, that I dare offre it to you' / 'Cosyn,' sayd the messagers, 'gramercy' / And thenne Reynaud avaunced himselfe,

and saluted theym honourable / and after toke ogyer by [folio Z.i.b] the hande / and he hym / and the other thre he broughte to the dongeon / where they were receyved honestly by the lady clare, the wyff of Reynawde / And whan Reynawd had receyved theim, he made theim to set vpon a benche; and thenne he sayd to theym, 'Fair lordes, I praye you that ye wyll telle vs wherfore ye be com, For ye com not wythoute a grete cause' / 'Ye knowe well, syr Reynawde,' sayd ogyer, 'that all we that ben here have ever loved you wel / And I promyse you, yf it had be at our wyll / ye sholde have had goode peas wyth the kyng charlemagn; but many tyme he hath vnbrayd vs therof [que nous sommes tieulx que vous, F. orig. B. ii. back.] / [Regnault, F. orig.] Ye must knowe that your cosin mawgis hath shamed vs all / For we were his surete to charlemagne, vpon oure ooth to deliver hym at his wyll. And the sayd mawgis is come hither wythout our leve agenst his promyse; and that worse is / he hath robbed the crowne of the kynge charlemagne, & his swerde / and all [aussi, F. orig.] the swerdes of vs all twelve peres / Wherfore charlemagne sendeth to you worde by vs that ye see here / that ye deliver hym agen his crowne / the egle of golde, and all our swerdes / And he shall gyve you trews for ii yeres, and he shall doo retorne all his armee in to fraunce' / After that oger had sayd this, Mawgys stode vp & spake by leve of reynawd, [et de ses freres, F. orig. B. iii.] and said, 'Lordes, ye ben right welcom in this castell of mountalban [et a tres grant joye receux, F. orig. B. iii.] / And yf it playse you, ye shall not speke noo more of this mater now, and ye shall abyde this nyghte wyth vs / and to morewe ye shall have an answere of that ye have sayd' / 'Reynawd,' sayed thenne ogyer, 'wyll ye kepe that mawgys hath sayd?' 'ye, wythout fawte,' sayd

reynawd [omitted, F. orig. B. iii.] / 'Sythe that it playseth you, [se dist ogier ... F. orig. B. iii.] we shall abyde for the love of you.' And thenne mawgis went to the stywarde of Mountalban / and devysed hym the metes / wherof the [folio Z.ii.a] knyghtes of Charlemagne sholde be feested wythall, and tolde that they sholde be well served / what soever it costed. 'and see that the grete cuppe be borne afore the duke naymes / the whiche I dyde conquere at reyns.' 'My lorde,' answerde the stywarde, 'doubt not ye shall well be served at my power.' And thenne mawgys came agen. [devers les aultres dont il estoit party, F. orig. B. iii.] And whan Reynawde sawe hym come, he called hym, & sayd to hym / 'my cosyn, I praye ye see that we be well served.' 'Syre,' sayd mawgys, 'I have purveyd for it all redy' / And [whan] reynawd vnderstode hym, he was glad of it / and beganne to devyse wyth the folke of Charlemagne right honestly and of many thynges. And whan he thoughte that the mete myghte be well redy, he and his bredern toke the four knyghtes, and brought theym to the hall to theyr mete. And whan they were there, Mawgys made theim wasshe / and thenne he toke the duke naymes and made hym sit doun / and my lady clare nexte hym. And he made sit doun the bysshop turpyn & reynawd, and thenne ogyer & alarde / and after guycharde & escouf the sone of Oedon / and thenne the lityll rycharde. And whan they were all set atte the table / the metes of the fyrste cours were broughte to the borde, and thenne the other one after a nother by goode ordenaunce & fayr. And to seye the trouth, they were well and honourable served, ⁵and of many & dyverse servyses of royall metes⁵ [^5—5 omitted, F. orig. B. iii.] / And after that they had well eten atte theyr ease / the duke naymes called reynawde, and sayd to hym, 'Goode cosin, I pray you that ye wyll delibere your self for to gyve vs a good answere

of that ye have herde of vs' / 'Lordes,' sayd reynawde, 'I shall doo it in soo moche that the kyng shall have a cause to be contente of me, For I shall doo all that he wyll for to have peas & his love wythall / and that ¹for the love of the other, my lordes, that be here now.' And thenne¹ [^1—1 pour lamour de vous et de tous les aultres messeigneurs qui icy sont. Et a celle heure regnault, F. orig. B. iii. back.] [folio Z.ii.b] Reynawd made to brynge the swerde of Charlemagn, and the swerdes of the twelve peres / and also the crowne & the egle of golde. And whan Ogyer sawe this, he beganne to lawghe, and sayd / 'By my soule, Reynawd, ye had here a fayre gayne yf ye had kepte it.' And whan Rychard sawe that his brother wolde deliver the egle of golde / he began to saye / 'By saynte palle, my fayr brother, ye shall not doo soo / ye shall not delivere agayne that I have wonne well and truly by force of armes' / 'Broder Rycharde,' sayd Reynawd / 'lete me doo, I praye you.' 'I wyll not,' sayd Rycharde, 'by my soule / for Charlemagn hymselfe smote me whyle that I was prysoner wythin his pavylion full shamfully ³wyth a staff'³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig.] / 'Lordes,' sayd the duke Naymes / 'lete this a lone, And take we that Reynawde gyveth to vs in thanke, for he hath doon ynoughe.' 'By my feyth,' sayd the bysshop turpyn, 'he dooth soo.' And thenne they toke the crowne of Charlemagne & all theyr swerdes; And whan thei had theym / Ogyer sayd to Reynawde, 'My cosin, I counseyll you that ye come wyth vs, and alarde [and] guycharde [Richart et Maugis, F. orig. B. iii. back.] shall abyde here for to kepe your castell' / 'Syre,' sayd Reynawde, 'I feere me to sore that the kynge wolde make me to be kylled owtrageously' / 'Come on hardly,' sayd the duke Naymes, 'For we shall lede you well and surely; For syth that ye shall be wyth vs / ye ought not to fere noo thynge' /

'Lordes,' sayd thenne Reynawde, 'I shall doo your commaundemente vndre your assurynge.'

Whan Reynawde was accorded for to goo wyth the duke Naymes / and wyth the bysshop turpyn, wyth ogyer the dane, and escouff the sone of Oedon, they lighted all vpon their horses; and Reynawde mounted vyon bayarde & armed hym / And in lyke wyse dyde Alarde / And whan the duches Clare sawe that Reynawde her lorde wold goo [folio Z.iii.a] wyth the folke of charlemain / she cam byfore them / and kneled doun byfore theym, & sayd to theym / 'My lordes, I thanke you moche of the favour that ye dyde shewe ²to my broder rycharde &² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. B. iv.] to mawgys / now agayne I beseche you that ye wyll have reynawde for recomended, my lorde & my dere husbonde, the whyche ye lede wyth you' / 'Madam,' sayd ogyer, 'have noo doubte that reynawde shall have ony harme / For we sholde not suffre it for noo thyng, for to lese bothe lyff and goodes' / And thenne they put theym to the waye for to goo thens / and reynawd toke ten knyghtes wyth hym for to bere hym felishyp / Whan they were come to the ryver of balencon, thei soughte after the passage, and passed over / And whan they were all over, Ogyer begann to saye / 'Lordes, ye wote well all is of evyll courage agenste reynawde, wherfore I doubte me of hym that we have broughte here wyth vs / I counseylle that we knowe fyrste the wylle of Charlemagn or ever he see reynawd' / 'Ogyer,' sayd the duke naymes, 'ye speke well & wysly; we shall goo speke, ye & I, to charlemagn, and reinaude shall abyde here tyll we com agen.' 'Lordes,' sayd thenne reynawd, 'I shall doo that ye counseylle me / but I praye you holde me that ye have promysed me / that is, that ye shall kepe my body & my lymmes from harme.' 'Reynawd,' sayd the duke naymes / 'We shall rather

deye than that ye sholde have ony harme.' And thenne he and ogyer toke the waye towarde ye oost of Charlemagn / and reynawde abode [tout seul, F. orig. B. iv.] wyth the bysshop turpyn & wyth the sone of oedon. Now herken of pynabell, a spye that longed to charlemagn / Wyte it that the sayd spye was at the ryver side of balencon wyth this felishyp / whan the wordes afore sayd were spoken / whan the spye had wel vnderstonde all the conclucion / he stele hymself fro the company, & rode a good pas as he myght in ye world, & cam to charlemagn, [folio Z.iii.b] to whom he sayd in this maner / 'Syr, I brynge you tidynges wherof ye shall be right glad' / 'my frende,' sayd charlemagn, 'thou arte welcom. I praye you telle me what tidynges ye bryng' / 'Wyte it, syre, that I have lefte Reynawd & alarde his brother at the ryver side of balencon, wyth the bysshop turpyn & escouff the sone of oedon / and the duke naymes & ogyer are comyng towarde you for to aske leve yf thei shall bryng theym to you wyth surete' / 'Is it trouth?' sayd charlemagn. 'ye, wythoute fawte,' sayd pynabel. 'By my soule,' sayd the kyng, 'I shall rewarde the for it ryght well; but kepe wel that ye shewe not this to noo man vpon thy liff, for I shall put therto a good remedy.' And thenne he beheld aboute him and saw oliver, & sayd, 'Oliver, incontynent & wythoute ony deleye / take two hundred knyghtes well horsed & well armed / and lede theym at the ryvers side of balencon / where ye shall fynde reynawde & alarde / and see that ye take theym & bryng theym hether. and yf ye doo this, aske of me what ye wyll / and ye shall have it.' And thenne sayd oliver, 'sire, I shall well doo your commaundement.' [comanndement, orig.] and thenne he toke with hym ii hundred knyghtes, as charlemagn had ordened hym, and toke his way towarde the ryver

of balencon / Now god thrughe his pyte save the good knyghte Reynawde & alard his dere broder / For they ben in grete perell of theyr lives. This hangyng, that oliver was goon towarde the ryver of balencon / the duke naymes & ogyer came to thoost / and lighted afore the pavylion of the kyng, & went in / And whan they sawe the kyng ¹they made him the reverence¹ [^1—1 Ogier salua charlemaigne moult honnorablement, F. orig. B. iv. back.] / but ²he said noo worde to theim² [^2—2 le roy charlemaigne, ne luy rendit point son salut et ne luy repondit ung seul mot, F. orig. B. iv. back.] / whan oger ³sawe the countenance of ye kynge,³ [^3—3 vit ce, F. orig.] he sayd to him / 'Sir, what semblaunt is this that ye shewe to vs? I merveyll me gretly that ye make vs soo evyl chere, seen that we com fro thens where ye have sende vs / that was, [folio Z.iv.a] to mountalban / where we have spoken wyth reynawd the sone of aimon, the whiche is all togyder redy for to doo all that your playsur is, and so he hath deliverd vs agen your crowne & all our swerdes / as for your egle, ye shall have it whan ye wyll.' 'Oger,' sayd thenne charlemagn / 'what have ye doon of reinawd / for I am sure that ye have brought him with you' / 'syr,' sayd oger, 'it is trouth vereli, we have brought him wyth vs vpon our feyth for to take suretees of you of the trews that ye have graunted hym.' 'By saynt denys,' sayd Charlemagn, 'I wyll not therof; for if I can have him ones in my handes, all the golde in the worlde shall not save him, but I shall make hym deye a shamfull deth' / 'Sir,' sayd oger / 'what saye ye? I merveille me gretly of that ye have sayd' / 'damp emperour,' sayd thenne the duke naymes, 'soo grete a kyng as ye be, oughte never to have said suche wordes ⁵as ye now have vttred wyth your mouth⁵ [^5—5 omitted, F. orig. B. v.] for the value of half his royame / ha goddis, swete syr, gyve not to yourself

soo grete a blame / and yf ye doo this that ye saye / I promyse you that I, ogyer, the bysshop turpyn, & [escouf, F. orig. B. v.] the sone of oedon, we shall yelde you evyll for evill, and yet we shall save reynawd at our power, soo that ye shall not doo him harme / sith that we have brought hym vpon our feyth' / 'Now shall we see,' sayd charlemagn, 'how ye shall conne helpe hym' / 'Syr,' sayd oger, 'yf ye do to vs ony owtrage or dishonour, I promyse you we shall forsake the homage & the feyth that we owe to you / and we shall doo the worste that we can agenst you & agenste your royame'/ We shall now presently speke a lityll of oliver, that was goon to balencon for to take reynawd & his broder / Wyte it that whan Oliver [de vienne, F. orig. B. v.] was com atte the ryver side of balencon, It happed as by fortune that the sayd Oliver overtoke reynawde soo nyghe, the whiche was on fote, that he cowde not have leyser [folio Z.iv.b] for to mount vpon bayarde / and whan reynawde saw that he myght not lighte vpon his horse by cause that oliver had overtaken him soo sore, he was sore an angred of it, that almoste he wexed mad all quycke / And thenne he torned him towarde the bysshop turpyn & towarde escouf, & sayd to them, 'Vasaylles, ye have betrayed me falsly, & I wolde never have beleved it / wherin ye have doon grete synne & grete evyl.' 'Syre,' sayd the bysshop turpyn, 'I swere to you vpon my feythe that herof we never knewe noo thynge, ⁴nor never thoughte it,⁴ [^4—4 omitted, F. orig. B. v.] & I promyse you that we shall live & deye wyth you' / and wyth this reynawde torned towarde oliver, & sayd to hym, 'Oliver, maye ye yelde me agen the goodnes that I shewed to you [quant mon cousin maugis vous abactit es pleins de vaulx de colleurs, F. orig. B. v.] in the playne of valcolours / I knowe that one curtesie requyreth a nother; For whan ye were to the grounde

caste, I deliverde you your horse agen, and holpe you to lighte vpon hym agen.' 'Syr,' sayd oliver, 'it is trouth that ye saye / and I promise you that I am right sory that I have founde you now here, For I knowe noo man in the worlde that wolde doo to you ony harme / but I wold be wroth wyth hym.' This hangynge, that reynawd & oliver spake togyder / there cam rowland, that was departed from the ooste after oliver, for to helpe him to take reynawd / And whan he was nygh, he began to crie, 'Ha, ha / Reynawde, by my soule ye be now taken & betrapped!' And whan he had sayd this, there was ogyer behynde hym, that had followed hym wyth the poynte of the spere / the whyche sayd to hym, 'By my hede, syre Rowlande, ye shall doo noo harme to Reynawde / For the duke naymes and I have broughte hym hether vpon our feyth for to take the suretees of the trews that we have gyven to hym in the kynges behalve, as ye knowe he had charged vs to doo. And I telle you, syre Rowland, yf ye doo to hym ony harme, ye shall doo it to [folio Z.v.a] vs.' 'Ogyer,' sayd Rowlande / 'ye shall now be an evyll suretee for hym.' 'Rowlande,' sayd Ogyer, 'I make myn avow to you, that yf ye sawte Reynawde, we four [omitted, F. orig.] that ben here shall helpe hym agaynste you' / 'Rowland,' sayd thenne Olyvere, 'I praye you that ye lete Reinawde in peas / For I promyse you he dyde ones to me a curteyus torne, and a grete playsure / And now I wyll rewarde hym for it, yf it playse you / and I shall telle you what we shall doo. We shall lede Reynaude byfore Charlemagne, And we shall praye hym that he treateth hym courtesly, And we shall parforce ourselfe to make hys appoyntemente. 'Lordes,' sayd the duke Naymes, 'Olyver hath spoken honestly. I counseylle that we lede reynawd to fore Charlemagne, for to see what he

wyll doo of hym / And I swere god, yf he wyll doo ony owtrage to Reynawde, we shall not suffre it, for to deye for it / and we shall helpe hym to save hymselfe, to our power' / ¶ After all thyse wordes, they toke theym selfe on their waye / for to lede Reynawde to Charlemagne.

Whan Rowlande and olyver had broughte Reynawd in to the pavylion of the kynge Charlemagne, Wyte it that the duke Naymes, the bysshop Turpyn, Ogyer the dane / also Escouff the sone of Oedon, wente never one fote from Reynawde / But whan Olivere wolde have presented Reynawde to Charlemagne / Ogyer avaunced hymselfe / and sayd to the kynge in this maner / 'Syre, ye knowe how ye dyde sende vs four that ben here a fore you, in your message to Mountalban, for to telle vnto Reynawd as ye had charged vs / To whome we dyde shew in your behalve, that yf he wolde deliver to you agayne your crowne, [folio Z.v.b] and the swerdes that Mawgys had borne wyth hym, and the egle of golde, ye sholde gyve hym trews for two yeres, and that ye shold doo tourne your ooste in to Fraunce agayne. Wyte that Reynawde hath doon all that we have requyred hym of in your behalve / And we have broughte hym wyth vs vndre your sauff conduytte / and soo we take hym vndre our charge that he sholde have noo more harme than we sholde. Notwythstandynge, ye have made hym to be taken / the whyche thynge we wolde never have thoughte that ye wolde have doon it / Seen that here ben your crowne and your swerdes / and the egle of golde ys at your playsure whan ye wyll have it. And, moreover, we promysed hym that yf ye dyde to hym ony harme / that ye sholde do it to vs as well as to hym. And I promyse you, yf ye doo to hym ony harme / ye shall be gretely blamed

for it of all the worlde / But and yf ye wyll werke honestly here in, and like a true emperour ¹and a kynge,¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] for to kepe that nether ye nor we be not blamed for it, sende Reynawde agayne to mountalban wyth this that he hath taken to vs / And whan he shall be therin agayne / doo to hym the worste that ye canne' /

'Ogyer,' sayd Charlemagne, 'ye speke for noughte, and all your felawes also / For I shall not doo soo; but I shall doo after my owne wyll, thoughe ye all had sworne the contrari. And soo shall I not do of Reynawde as I dyd of the false theef Mawgys' / And whan Charlemagne had sayd thus, he tourned hym towarde Reynawde, and sayd to hym, 'Reynawde, Reynawde, I holde you now / Certes I shal soo kepe you that ye shall not deceyve me, [ne enchanter, F. orig. B. vi.] as dyd mawgis / [folio Z.vi.a] For I shall make you anone to be smytten / and cutte in smalle peces, ⁴and thenne brente all to powder.'⁴ [^4—4 omitted, F. orig. B. vi.] 'Syre,' sayd Reynawde, 'ye shall not doo soo / and god wyll' / 'Ogyer,' sayd Charlemagne / 'wyll ye deffende agenste me my mortall enmye' / 'Syr,' sayd ogyer, 'I wyll not defende your enmyes agenste you / but I promyse you that I shall defende my trouthe agaynste all men.' 'Syr,' sayd thenne Reynawd, 'what is your playsur that I doo / ye have called me traytour / wyte it that I was never suche / nor noo man of my linage / nor I know not in the worlde that sayth that I have be a traytour / or that I have doon ony treyson agaynste you / but that I shold fyghte in the qu[a]rell agenste hym, body to body.' 'By my feyth,' said Charlemagne / 'I shall make it to be proved vpon you bi force of armes' / 'Syre,' sayd reynawde, 'ye speke now as a kyng, and here is my gage that I gyve,

sayeng that I am as true a man as ony that is in all the world / and in like wyse all thei of my linage' / Thenne Charlemagn sayd to hym / 'Yf ye gyve me seurtes / wite that I shall take vp your gage, and not elles' [ellis, orig.] / 'Syre,' sayd reynawde, 'I shall fynde surete ynoughe.' Thenne he tourned hym & sawe ogyer / and sayd to hym / 'sire ogyer, come forthe, and ye duke naymes, and also the bysshop turpyn, and ye escouff the sone of Oedon / be my suretees, I praye you / for ye oughte to be soo / Ye knowe that I dyde never vntrewth' / 'Reynawd,' sayd the duke naymes, 'we shall be suerte for you wyth a good wyll' /

Thenne sayd Reynawde, 'syre, here ben my suretees that I take you / are ye contente of theym' / 'Ye,' sayd charlemagn / 'I aske no more' / 'Syr,' sayd thenne Reynawde, 'who is that shall make the bataylle' / 'by my feyth,' sayd Charlemagn, 'myself shall it be' / 'Syre,' sayd rowlande / 'ye shall not doo so, & [folio Z.vi.b] playse you / For I shall fyghte for you my selfe.' 'Syre,' sayd reynawd, 'ordeyn in your place suche as it shall playse you.' and whan he had sayd this worde / bayarde was taken agen to reynawd, the whiche lighted vpon & went towarde mountalban. and wyth him went oger the dane, the duke naymes, & escouf the sone of oedon, and togider alarde, that had be taken as reynawde. And whan thei were com nygh mountalban / guychard, rycharde, & mawgis sawe theim com, & came theim agenste / and whan rycharde sawe reynawde / he asked of him how he had doon / 'by my feyth,' sayd reynawde, 'we were not welcom / For the kyng knewe that we were at balencon, where oger had left vs, and he sent anone oliver & rowlande for to take vs and were overtaken so sodenly that we cowde not lighte vpon our horses;

and we were broughte to charlemagn / and I promyse you he is a cruell man, fulfylled wyth all cursednes' / And thus recounted reynawde to his brethern all that ye have now herde a fore /

That nyght reynawd & his company made good chere at mountalban, & made the folke of charlemagn to be wel feested by the lady clare, his wyff, right honourable / and after thei had souped wel, they went to bed for that nyght; and whan the mornyng was com, that everi man was vp / reynawde & his felishyp went to here masse in the chapell of saynt nycolas, and reynawd offred iiii marke of golde / And whan the masse was doon, Reynawde and all his barons asked after theyr armes for to arme theim. Whan thei were well armed, reynawde toke leve of his wyff afore all the company; and thenne he called to hym his bredern & mawgis / and sayd to theim, 'My lordes, I leve this castel in your proteccyon & sauff garde / and I recomende you my wyff & my chyldren / for now I goo fight wyth the best knyght of ye worlde, [folio Z.vii.a] now I knowe not what shall betyde of me; wherfore I prai you that ye wyll kepe well this castell / for I promyse you, yf I deye, ye shall have nede of it. here is oger that shall com wyth me, & the duke naymes also / for thei ben my suretees to the kyng charlemagne.' 'By my soule,' sayd alarde, 'ye speke for nought / for we shall goo wyth you, & we shall bere you company where somever ye goo, and soo shall we see the batayll / and how ye shall be mayntened in your right / and yf ye have nede of helpe, ye shall fynde vs redy to your socours.' 'By saynt paul,' said oger the dane, 'alarde hath spoken wysely' / and whan reynawd sawe this, he called mawgys, and sayd to him / 'My fayr cosin, I praye you that ye wyll abyde here, and that ye will kepe all well, sith that my bredern wyll com wyth me.' 'Reynawde,' sayd mawgys,

'I shall doo as it playseth you / and I promyse you that mountalban shall have noo harme thrughe my defawte' / Whan regnawd had ordened all well / he toke on incontynent his waye in the feliship of his bredern, & of the barons afore sayd. And whan they came there, [au pin de montfaucon, F. orig. B. vii. back.] as the bataylle shold be doon, Reynaude lighted a fote, & taryed after rowland. ¶ Here leveth the history to speke of reynawd, of his brethern, & of thother barons that were in the company of the sayd reynawd, And retorneth to speke of rowland, how he & reynawde made their bataylle [et comment leurs armes furent faictes et comment le chāp fust devise ne a quil demoura a la fin des armes, F. orig. B. vii. back.] thone agenst thother /

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 [^3—3 omitted, F. orig.] / 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 [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] / And whan he was nygh mountfawcon / he saw reynawd, that awated after him ¹at the sayd tree¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] / 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; [Si vous voles paix vous laures a moy .... F. orig. B. viii.] 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 [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] / 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 [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] / in somoche that the barons that loked vpon them [thein, orig.] 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 [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. B. viii. back.] / as men had beten corne there vpon. [vopn, orig.]

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 [en plorant, F. orig.] / '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 [se dist rolant, F. orig. C. i.] 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 [^3—3 omitted, F. orig. C. i.] / 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 [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. C. ii.] / and caryed all to mountalban /

[Quant tout lost fut trouffe ... F. orig. C. ii.] Rycharde of normandy went wyth twelve [dix, F. orig. C. ii.] 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. [et luy sestoit louge devant la maistresse porte, F. orig. C. ii.] 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 [^3—3 omitted, F. orig.] 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 [^4—4 de eulx rendre a vostre volente, F. orig. C. ii.] / 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 [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] 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 [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] were come to the pavylion of Charlemagne, they [thye, orig.] saluted hym reverently, [omitted, F. orig. C. ii. back.] 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 [^4—4 omitted, F. orig. C. ii. back.] 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 [^4—4 omitted, F. orig. C. ii. back.] 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 [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. C. ii. back.] '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 [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. C. ii. back.] 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 [de regnault, F. orig. C. iii.] 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 [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. C. iii.] 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 [proimyse, orig.] 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 [^1—1 et sen ala hors de montauban habitue moult pourement, F. orig. C. iii. back.]

CHAPTER XVIII.

¶ How after that mawgys had delivered Charlemagn in to the handes of Reynawde his [bon cousin, F. orig.] cosyn, he wente wythoute ony leve from mountalban / in to a woode beyonde the ryver [folio A.A.iv.b] of Dordonne in to an hermytage / where as he lived like an heremyte a poure liffe, for to doo penaunce for his synnes.

Now sheweth the history, that whan Mawgys had delivered Charlemagne for prysoner vnto Reynawde, he wente oute of mountalban wythoute the leve of Reynawde, and wythoute the knowledge of ony of the castell / excepte of the porter. And wyte it, that the sayd maugys wente soo longe that he came to the ryver of Dordonne / and passed over the water in a bote / And whan he was over, he entred in to a wylde foreste / and walked wythin it tyll it was none. And whan he had goon ynoughe thoru[g]h the woode / he behelde a side / and sawe a lityll hylle / and vpon it a lityll howse in maner of an heremytage [Quant il congneut que sestoit ung hermitaige .. F. orig. C. iii. back.] / he wente to it, and founde the place devoute and playsaunte [moult plaisant, F. orig.] / For a fore the gate sprange a quycke fontaine. And mawgys wente in to the chapell / and kneled a fore an ymage of our lady

¹that was there¹ [^1—1 qui estoit moult devoete, F. orig. C. iv.] / and prayed our lorde that he wolde pardonne hym his synnes / And as he was there makynge his prayer / a devocyon toke hym so grete / that he made his avowe to god that he sholde dwell in that place, and that he sholde serve there from that daye forthe on, and that he sholde ete none other but suche wylde herbes as grewe in the woode. And thenne he prayed our lorde that Reynawde and his bretherne myght have peas wyth Charlemagn. And whan mawgys had doon his prayer / he rose vp, and cam oute of the chapell / and toke the sadle from hys horse, and the brydelle / and so lete hym goo to the grasse / and wente agen to the chapell [pour faire ce quil auoit en pensee, F. orig. C. iv.] / ¶ But here leveth the hystory to speke of mawgis, that was become an heremyte, And retourneth to shewe of [folio A.A.v.a] Reynawde and of his brethern, that had Charlemagne for theyr prysoner / wythin theyr castell of mountalban.

CHAPTER XIX.

¶ How the barons of Fraunce that were atte Mountalban / were sory that they cowde not awake the emperoure Charlemagne that Mawgys had broughte a slepe thrughe his arte [et apourte a Montauban, F. orig. C. iv.] / But whan the tyme of the charme of mawgis was passed, the kynge awoke by hymselfe, And he founde hymselfe at mountalban / he sware that he never sholde make peas wyth Reynawde as longe as he was prysoner. And how Reynawde lete hym goo agayne to his oost vpon his horse

bayarde / wherof Reynawde repented hym afterwarde ryght sore. For soone after that, charlemagn dyde besege mountalban of so nyghe / that he famysshed Reynawde and his bretherne wythin, wyth his wyff and chyldren.

In this party sheweth the history, that whan mawgys had delivered Charlemagne in to the handes of Reynawde / and that he was goon as ye have herde, Reynawde called to hym his brethern / and sayd to theym / 'Come hether, my fayr brethern / telle me what we shall doo wyth Charlemagne, that we holde now in our handes / Ye knowe how longe that he hath dommaged vs / and hath doon to vs grete harmes wythoute reyson; wherfore me thynketh that we oughte to avenge vs vpon hym, sith that we have hym.' 'Sire,' sayd Rycharde, 'I canne not saye what ye wyll doo of hym. But, and ye wyll beleve me, he shall be hanged forthe wyth / For after he were deed / there nys no man in all Fraunce that we sholde feere ony thynge' / Whan reynawd vnderstode the counseyll [couuseyll, orig.] that rycharde his brother had gyven hym, he loked doun towarde therthe, and began to [folio A.A.v.b] thynke sore / And whan Rycharde sawe hym muse soo, he asked him what he thought / and yf he cared who shold doo execucyon vpon the kyng / ³'For,' sayd Richard³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig. C. iv. back.] / 'ye shall not lacke for that, for none other [ether, orig.] shall hange him but myself / and that I shall doo evyn a noone / yf ye wyll deliver hym vnto me.' After thise wordes, reynawd ryghted hys hede vp, and sayd, 'My bredern, ye know well that cha[r]lemayn is our soverain lorde / And of thother parte, ye see how rowland, the duk naimes, oger the dane, the

bysshop turpyn, & also escouff the sone of oedon, are wythin for to make our poyntment wyth Charlemagn / for they know well that we ben in the right, & the kyng in the wrong. And thus yf we kylle hym, be it with ryghte or wyth wrong, all the worlde sholde renne vpon vs; nor never, as longe as we lyve, we shall not be wythoute werre.' And whan reynawd had sayd this / alard spake in thys maner / 'Broder, ye have spoken wysely; but ye see that we canne not have peas wyth Charlemagne by noo wyse. Me semeth that we oughte to aske it of hym ones for all; and yf he wyll not / lete vs kepe hym prysoner' [le sans le faire mourir par telle maniere que jamais ne nous fasse guerre ne ennuy, F. orig. C. iv. back.] / 'Brother,' sayd guycharde, 'ye saye well, but my herte telleth me that he shall never make peas with vs nor love vs' / 'Lordes,' sayd rycharde, 'me semeth that we have a goode hede of Reynawde oure broder, thanked be our lorde / the whiche hath governed vs right well hereto / Lete hym shyfte with the kynge as he wyl, and that that he wyll shall be doon' / 'By my feyth,' sayd Alard, 'Richarde speketh well' / And whan they were all accorded to that / that Reynawde sholde doo, ²the foure brethern wente to the chambre where Rowlande was,² [^2—2 Ilz laisserent le roy en dormir et alerent en la chambre de rolant, F. orig. C. iv. back.] to whom Reynawde spake in this wyse, 'Syre Rowlande, aryse, I praye you that ye wyll sende for Ogyer, the bisshop Turpyn, and for [folio A.A.vi.a] all other that be here wythin ⁴of the folke of Charlemayne;⁴ [^4—4 omitted, F. orig. C. iv. back.] For I wyll telle you one thynge' / And whan Rowlande sawe Reynawde ⁴and hys bretherne⁴ [^4—4 omitted, F. orig. C. iv. back.] atte that tyme of the nyghte ⁴come in to hys chambre,⁴ [^4—4 omitted, F. orig. C. iv. back.] he was merveylled. Nevertheles he sente for all his felawes / as Reynawde had tolde hym / And whan they were all come, Reynawde stode up and sayd / 'Lordes, ye ben all my frendes,

god gramercy and you / wherfore I wyll not hyde no thyng from you / Ye muste knowe that I have here wythin a prysoner / by whom I shall have peas, and all myn herytaunce agayne.' 'Reynawde,' sayd Rowlande, 'I praye you tell me what he is; For here is noo man / but that wolde fayne ye sholde doo well.' 'By my soule,' sayd Reynawde, 'it is the grete emperour Charlemagn, to whome all Fraunce belongeth.' And whan Rowland vnderstode thise tydynges, he was sore merveylled of it, and sayd, 'Reynawde, ye telle me now a wondrefull thynge / How have ye taken myn vncle soo lightly? [Car de le auoir pris en bataille ne en champnē son ost et pavillion oncques ne fut si recreant, F. orig. C. v.] telle me, & playse you, how ye had hym here wythin / have ye taken hym by force of armes?' 'Naye, verely,' sayd Reynawde [richart, F. orig.] / 'telle me thenne how, I praye you,' sayd Rowlande. 'Wyte it,' sayd Reynawde, [richart, F. orig.] 'that I wote not how mawgys my cosyn dyde to nyghte / but wel I wote that he hath broughte the kynge here wythin,³ oute of hys pavylion,³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig.] and hathe layd hym in a bed / in a chambre, where he is now fast a slepe.'

Whan Rowlande and all his felawes herde thise tydynges, they were gretly abasshed [Seigneurs dist le duc naymes bien fait nostre seigneur a ceulx quil luy plait, F. orig. C. v.] / how it myghte be that mawgys sholde brynge the kynge there / ³'I merveylle moche herof,' sayd the duke naymes³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig.] / 'For ye knowe well that the kynge made hym selfe to be kepte bothe nyghte and daye well sure.' 'Lordes,' sayd thenne oger / 'all this hath doon our lord for the love of reynawd, by cause he setted hym all to [folio A.A.vi.b] mischeeff ³agenst Reynawde,³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig.] and that the werre hathe lasted to longe, the whiche shall now be left, wherof I thanke god for my parte / For many goode knyghtes

have loste theyr lives for it' / And whan Ogyer had sayd thus / Reynawde toke Rowlande and the other / and broughte theym, alwayes spekynge, vnto the chambre, where Charlemagne laye so faste a slepe that they cowde not awake hym for noo thyng that they cowde doo to hym, For mawgys had chermed him soo harde / And whan the barons sawe the kynge soo harde a slepe / ¹they wondred full sore vpon it, and¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. C. v.] they were gretely abasshed on it. Thenne spake rowlande fyrste, and said, 'Reynawde, where is mawgys that hath wroughte soo wel to nyghte? I praye you lete hym come here / and that he awake myn vncle Charlemagne oute of his slepe / And whan he shall be awaked, we shall all falle atte his fete / and shal crye hym mercy / And soo I praye you [pour dieu et pour lamour de moy, F. orig. C. v. back.] that thoughe yf ye holde myn vncle in your handes / that ye wyll not be the prowder for it in your wordes.' 'By my feythe, syre Rowlande,' sayd Reynawde / 'I wylle that ye knowe / I sholde rather deye than that I sholde saye to my soverayne lorde a fowle worde; But I shall put me, my goodes, and all my brethern to his wylle / to the ende that it wyll playse hym to graunte vs peas wyth hym / And I wyll goo fetche Mawgis to you / ther to doo wyth hym what ye wyll' / And thenne Reynawde wente and soughte Mawgys, the whyche he cowde not fynde / wherof he was full sory / And whan the porter wyste that Reynawde soughte after mawgys, he came to hym and sayd, 'Syre, ye seke hym for noughte, for he wente hys wayes oute ryghte now' / 'And how knoweste thou of it?' sayd Reynawde. 'Syre, wyte it that this nyghte he made me open the gate / and he wente oute vpon [folio A.A.vii.a] your horse bayarde / And he had not / taryed longe whan he broughte a grete man and a bygge vpon

the horse necke afore hym / ¹and wente in, I wote not where¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. C. v.] / And soone after he came agayne vpon a nother horse / and he had clothed himself pourly. And thenne he made me to open the gate, and he wente out, and he came not sith agayne. And all this is trouthe that I telle you.'

Whan Reynawd had vnderstonde thise wordes, he was soo wrothe that he wyste not what to saye nor doo; For he knewe well by hymselfe that Mawgys was goon his wayes, by cause he wolde noo lenger abyde the wrathe of Charlemagne. [ne estre en sa mala grace, F. orig. C. v. back.] Thenne beganne Reynawde for to wepe full tendrely for his cosin that was thus goon / And all wepynge, he came agayne to the barons / and sayd to theim how Mawgys was goon awaye wythoute his knowledge, [knowleche, orig.] wherof he was soo wrothe and soo sori that he wente almoste oute of his mynde. And whan Alarde, Guychard / and Rycharde had well vnderstonde this, they beganne to make grete moone / and sorrowed full sore. And thenne Rycharde beganne to saye, 'Ha, my fayr cosyn Mawgys, what shall we doo from hens forthon, sith that we have loste you / We maye well saye that we ben dyscomfyted, For ye were our salvacyon, our socours / and our hope, our counseylle, our refute, our deffence / and our guyde / For it is not yet longe agoo that I sholde have deyed an evyll deth yf I had not be socoured thorughe your helpe / Alas! all the hevynes that ye bere of the wrathe that Charlemagn hath agenst you, cometh oonly by vs' / And whan he had sayd soo, he knacked his teeth for angre, and sayd / 'We ben now well all loste, syth that we have loste Mawgys.' And wyth this, he sette hande to his swerde, and wolde have slayne Charlemagne; [folio A.A.vii.b] but Reynawde drewe hym a syde, And the duke

Naymes and Ogyer sayd thenne to hym, 'Rycharde, Rycharde / refrayne your courage / For it were not well doon for to kylle a man that slepeth; And also, afore that we shall departe hens, we shall sette all attone, and god wylle.' ¶ Shortely to speke, Oliver and the duke naymes spake soo fayr to Rycharde, that they made hym promyse theym that he sholde doo noo harme to Charlemagne / Nevertheles Rycharde lefte not to make grete sorowe for his cosyn [cosym, orig.] mawgys that he had loste; For all theym that sawe hym make soo grete mone, had pite to see hym. It was not merveylle yf Rycharde made sorow for Mawgys, For I promyse you he had grete nede of hym not longe after, And soo had all hys brethern / as ye shall here /

Alle thus as the four sones of Aymon made theyr mone for the love of theyr cosyn maugys, The duke Naymes beganne to speke / and sayd in this wyse: 'By god, lordes, ye doo not well for to make soo grete sorow! [car je ne vis jamais riens gaigner en perte que lon fasse pour en demener dueil, F. orig. C. vi.] I praye you leve this hevynes / And lete vs begynne to speke of your peas that muste be made wyth the emperour charlemagne, that an ende maye be had of this werre that hathe endured soo longe' / 'By god,' sayd Rowlande, 'ye be passynge slowe thervpon. And also we muste fyrste have hys merci, or ever we move ony thynge of the peas / For ye wote well that I left him by cause that peas shold be made' [qui a trop dure, F. orig. C. vi.] / 'syr,' sayd the duke naymes, 'ye speke wysely and well / but how shall we speke wyth hym wythoute Mawgys were here / we can not awake hym / And but yf god remedyeth it / we shall never speke wyth hym.' But all thus as the barons speke in thys wyse, The charme that Mawgys had sette vpon Charlemagne was come

at an ende, ¹and the strength of it [folio A.A.viii.a] was passed¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] / And sodeynly Charlemagne beganne to move his body, and arose anone vpon his fete / and ryght sore abasshed, loked all a boute hym / And whan he sawe that he was atte mountalban, in the subgectyon of Reynawde the sone of Aymon / he was sore an angred / and made suche sorrow for it / soo that all they that were there, trowed that he had be mad, ¹and from hym selfe.¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] And whan hys wyttes were come to hym agayne, he knewe well that mawgys had doon it to hym, and sware that, as longe as he were man on live, he sholde make noo peas tyll that he were oute of mountalban / and that men had broughte mawgys to hym [pour en faire sa volente, F. orig. C. vi. back.] / And whan Rycharde vnderstode this that Charlemagne sayd, he beganne to saye in this wyse / 'How the devyll dare ye thus speke / syre, ye see well that ye be our prysoner / And yet ye threten vs / I make to god myn a vowe and to saynte peter, were not that I have promysed / that I shall not doo to you noo harme atte this tyme, I sholde stryke the hede from the body of you' / 'Holde your peas,' sayd Reynawde, 'lete the kyng say his wyll, ¹ye are over besy in your wordes¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] / And lete vs all pray hym that he wyll pardonne vs, For the werre hath lasted to longe; cursed be he that beganne it / For grete evylles and harmes are happeth therby' /

Reynawde was wyse and well taughte for to stylle thus hys bretherne, to whome he sayd / 'My lordes my brethern, yf it playse you / ye shall come wyth me / for to crie mercy to our sovereyne lorde the kynge Charlemagne.' 'Reynawde,' sayd alarde / 'we shall doo all that ye wylle.' 'By my feythe,' sayd the duke naymes, 'My lordes, ye doo wysely, and I promyse you that all goode shall come to you therof' /

Thenne reynawde and all his bretherne, and Rowlande, and oliver, and Ogyer the dane, the duke Naymes, the [folio A.A.viii.b] bysshop Turpyn / and Escouf the sone of oedon / beganne all to falle on theyr knees byfore the emperour / And Reynawd spake fyrste / and sayd in this maner of wyse: 'Noble emperour, have mercy of vs! for I and my brethern, we yelde vs vnto you for to do your playsure of vs / and your wyll be so that our lives be saved / And there is noo thynge but that we wyll doo [dooo, orig.] it for the love of you, if it playse you to graunte vs peas wyth you. And for that pyte and pardonne that god gaaf vnto mary magdalene whan she wasshed his fete in the house of Symeon / goode syre, have pyte of vs! And yf it playse you not to pardonne me / atte the leest pardonne my brethern, And take theym agen their londes / and I shall gyve you mountalban, and bayarde, my good horse; And soo shall I goo in to the holy londe, I and Mawgys, where we shall serve to the temple of our lorde.' And whan Charlemagne herde reynaude speke thus / he blastred all for angre / and sayd, 'by that goode lorde that made me / yf all the worlde speke to me therof / yet sholde I never consente me to noo peas / but I have mawgis in my handes for to doo my wyll vpon hym.' [a celle fin que je luy face tout detrancher, F. orig. C. vii.] 'Alas,' sayd thenne reynawde / 'now have I herde that worde bytynge, wherof I am all dysperate / For I shold rather lete my selfe be hanged / than that I sholde consente to the deth of mawgis my good cosin; For he hath not deserved towarde vs that we sholde betraye him / but rather he were worthy by reysen for to be lord above vs' / 'Reynawd,' sayd thenne charlemagn / 'thynke not, thoughe I am your prysoner, that ye shall make me doo ony thynge agenst my wyll.' 'syre,' sayd reynawde / 'wyte it that myn entent is to meke my selfe

towarde you / for I have lever that we suffre wrong of you, than ye of vs / now tell me, sir, how I shall deliver you mawgis, that is our liff, hope, socours, our comforte, our sheelde, [folio B.B.i.a] our spere, and also our swerd / our brede, our wyne, and oure flesshe / also our refute, our mayster, our guyde / and our defence in all places / wherby, syre, I telle you, that yf ye had all my brothern in your prison / and that ye sholde make theym to be hanged, and that mawgis were wythin my power & wyth me / yet wold I not yelde hym vnto you for to quyte wythal my bredern. And also I swere you, vpon my feyth, that I wote not where he is goon: god wote it.' 'Ha,' sayd the kynge charlemagne, 'goddys curse have he / for I am sure he is here wythin you' / 'he is not,' sayd reynawd, 'I take it vpon my baptysme' / And thenne reynawde torned hymselfe towarde rowlande & the other barons, & sayd to theym / 'Lordes, I beseche you for god, that it wyll playse you to praye our sovereyne lorde the kynge, that he wyll have mercy of me & of my brethern / to thende that peas maye be had in fraunce, yf it playse him' / And thenne naymes, that was knelinge vpon hys knees / and that herde that reynawde had sayd, & wyst well that he spake but wel, sayd to themperour in this wyse / 'Sire, I praye you that ye wyll not be dy[s]playsed of that I shall telle you / ye knowe, sire, that I am surete for reynawde / and soo is ogyer the dane; but me semeth that we oughte now to be dyscharged therof / ²sith that ye be here present wythin his castell;² [^2—2 comment savez, F. orig. C. vii. back.] but a nother thynge I wyll telle you / me thynke that ye ought to take that [belle offerte, F. orig. C. vii. back.] therle reynawd proffereth to you, or that ony more harme come to you therof; and so helpe me god, ye shall doo well / And all they of your courte shall be

gladde of it' / And whan the barons herde this that naymes had sayd to the kyng, they spoke all & sayd, 'Syre, doo that the duke naymes hath tolde you, for he hath gyven you goode counseylle and true; And yf ye doo it not, ye shall come to late for to repente you of it. [Et de ce faire vous prions, C. vii. back.] '

[folio B.B.i.b] Whan Charlemagn vnderstode this that the duke naymes had sayd to hym, he was right wrothe for it / For hys herte was soo harde astonyed wyth grete angre, that he tooke noo hede of good counseyll; And he sware by saynt Denys of fraunce that he sholde not doo it for noo man / but yf he had fyrste mawgys in his handes, for to doo hys wyll over hym. And whan reynawde herde thise wordes, he bluste red in his face for angre, and rose vp from knelyng, his brethern & all the other barons also. And thenne reynawde said to rowlande & to all the other lordes that were there / 'Syre, I wyll well that charlemagne knowe my wylle ³& myn entente³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig.] / the whiche I shall shewe afore hym vnto you. Wyte it, that sith I can fynde noo mercy in hym / I praye you that ye wyl not blame me fromhens forthon yf I seke my right, For I shall seke it in all the maners that a true knyghte oughte to doo' / And whan Reynawde had sayd this, he tourned hym towarde the kyng / and sayd to hym / 'Syre, ye maye goo hens whan it playseth you / for by my soule ye shall have noo harme of me now / for ye be my soverayne lorde; ⁴and wyth good wyll⁴ [^4—4 Et quant dieu plaira .. F. orig. C. viii.] we shall be in good peas wyth you' /

The barons of fraunce that were there, wondred sore of the grete kyndenes of reynawd / Thenne sayd the duk naymes, 'have ye herde the grete humylite of the noble knyghte reynawde?' 'By my soule,' said

rowlande [olivier, F. orig.] / 'reynawde saythe merveyllously / ²I wolde not have trowed that he sholde ever have fared soo fayr wyth charlemagne'² [^2—2 Je ne leusse jamais cuide, F. orig. c. viii.] / And whan rycharde vnderstode that / that his broder reynawd had sayd, he spake in this wyse: 'Broder Reynawde, I holde you mad. what wyll ye doo / ye see that we have in our handes this vengable kyng / the whiche we maye kylle, or elles suffre hym to live; & yet he is set so sore to pryde, [folio B.B.ii.a] that he wyll doo no thyng that his good counseylle telleth hym / but he thretneth vs alwayes more & more / and ye wyll lete hym goo thus away. Surely, brother, yf he scapeth vs soo, he shall yet angre vs right sore; and I promyse you, yf he had vs as we now have hym, he sholde make vs to deie shamfully; not all the golde in the worlde sholde not save vs therfro / And therfore I telle you that ye doo grete foly to lete hym goo thus awaye / For, & ye wyll, ye shall now make our peas; but me semeth ye seke none other but your deth / Wherof I pray god, yf ye suffre hym thus to goo awaye / that he maye make you deye a shamfull deth' / And whan reynawde herde his broder speke soo, he was wrothe, & sayd to hym in angre / 'holde your peas, brother / for he shall goo his wayes quyte / wyll you or noo; and the peas shall be made ⁴whan he wyll,⁴ [^4—4 quant dieu plaira, F. orig. C. viii.] & no soner it shal not be, ⁵for there vnto he shall not be compelled of me⁵ [^5—5 omitted, F. orig. C. viii.] / and go you hens from me / ⁵for your grete wordes dysplayseth me'⁵ [^5—5 omitted, F. orig. C. viii.] /

Whan reynawd had sayd this / he dyd call a gentylman of his, to whom he sayd / 'goo lightly, wythoute ony taryenge, to the yoman of myn horses, and byd hym bryng me my horse bayard, For I wyll that my soverayn lord ryde vpon hym vnto his oost, for he rode never vpon no better horse.' And

whan rycharde herde this, he went fro thens all swellynge wyth angre as a fiersfull lion, bycause he knewe that Charlemagne shold goo soo / And wyte it, that the kynge charlemagne herde & vnderstode well all thise wordes, but he durste not saye noo thynge / soo sore he fered the fiersnes of the yonge rycharde. This hangynge, cam there agen the gentylman that was goon for bayard, whiche he brought wyth hym. And thenne Reynawd toke his good horse Bayard, [par le frein, F. orig. C. viii. back.] and came to Charlemagne / and sayd to hym / 'Syre, ye may lighte whan it playse you, and goo atte your lyberte / for to [folio B.B.ii.b] comforte your folke / whiche I am sure / ben full sory for the takynge of you' / And when charlemagn saw this, he lighted anone vpon bayarde, and went oute of mountalban for to goo to his oost / And reynawde conveyd hym to the gate of mountalban. and whan the kynge was goon, he made the gate to be shet anone. And the frensheman that sawe their kynge come agen, they were ryght glad / and receyved hym worthely. and after, they asked hym how it went wyth him, and yf he had graunted the peas / 'Lordes, it is well wyth me, god gramerci / but of peas I have made none, nor never shall as longe as I am man a live, for noo man that shall speke to me of it / but yf I have the traytour Mawgys, for to doo wyth hym my wyll' / 'Syr,' sayd some of his barons, 'how have ye be deliverde?' 'by my feyth,' sayd charlemagn, 'Reynawd hath deliverde me agenst the wyll of his bredern, all quyte at my liberte.' 'Syr,' sayd the barons, 'have ye not seen rowlande, oliver, the duke naymes, the bysshop turpyn, ogyer the dane, nor escouf the sone of oedon?' 'ye, surely,' sayd charlemagne, 'but they have all forsake me for the love of reynawd; wherof, bi that god that hynge vpon the crosse, yf I can have theim

agen, I shall shewe theym that they have not doon well.' and whan he had sayd thus / he lighted from bayarde, & made hym to be broughte agen to reynawd / And whan reynawd sawe bayarde, that charlemagn had sent hym agen, he called rowland & his felawes, & sayd to theym / 'Fayr lordes, I knowe well that ye be not in the grace of the grete kynge charlemagn / for the love of me / but I wyll not that ye have mawgre for me nor for my brethern / and therfor, fayr lordes, I quyte you all quarelles that I maye laye vpon you and gyve you leve to goo whan it playse you.' And whan the duke naymes vnderstode the kyndnes of the hert of Reynawde, that was [folio B.B.iii.a] soo noble / he thanked him highly, and kissed & enbrased him for grete love / and wolde have kneled doun afore hym / but reynawd wold not suffre hym / Thenne the duke naymes began to saye, 'lete vs thynke to goo after the king charlemagn your vncle / sith it playseth reynawd to gyve vs leve.' 'naimes,' sayd rowland / 'how can we doo this / shall we leve reynawde, the whiche ye see myn vncle wyll dystroye wrongfully?' 'Syr,' sayd the duke naymes, 'here me, yf it playse you. I counseill that we goo hens / and whan we shall be afore charlemagn / we shall aske hym how reynawd dyde deliver hym; for yf we speke to hym of peas, he shall be wrothe wyth vs; but whan he shall remembre the grete goodnes & curtesi of Reynawde / his herte shall be molifyed / and it can not be but he shall doo to hym som grace & favour / for he shall knowe well [quil a grant tort et trop dur cueur, F. orig. D. i.] that hys hert is overgrete / ³and that he hath doon to reinawd grete wrong'³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig. D. i.] / 'Certes, sir naymes,' sayd the barons / 'ye speke wysly, and ye gyve right good counseylle' / And

whan they were accorded to the counseille of the duke naymes / Rowlande asked after his horse, and eche of the other barons also. And whan they were redy for to lighte on horsbacke / there cam my lady clare, the wyf of reynawde, that kyssed rowlande, oliver, & all theother barons. and after, she sayd to theim in this maner: 'Lordes that be here present, I beseche you in the name of god, & for his blessed passyon, that it playseth you for to purchace the peas of my lord reynawde / and semblably of his brethern, towarde the grete kyng charlemagn. Ye knowe, my lordes, that the kyng doth to my lord grete wronge, and also ye know the grete curtesie & the kyndnes that my lord my husbonde hath shewed vnto Charlemagn / and well ye wote that yf my lorde had not be / his brother richarde wolde have stryked the hede fro the body of hym' / 'Madam,' [folio B.B.iii.b] sayd the duke naymes, 'doubte not / For and god be playsed, the peas shall be made wythin thise thre dayes.' And thenne they lighted all on horsbacke / and the brethern of reynawde conveyed theym to the gate. and reynawde taryed after theym vpon the brydge / and whan they were come to the sayd bridge / Reynawde sayd to theym, 'My lordes, I comende you to god / I maye no lenger goo wyth you / prayeng that ye wyll have me in your remembraunce.' Thenne all the peres of fraunce that were there began to wepe tenderly / ²and toke their leve of reynawde, the noble knyghte² [^2—2 en luy commandant a dieu disant regnault dieu vous begnie. Et si vous aye en sa garde, F. orig. D. i.] / and after they toke their waye towarde the oost of charlemagn. And whan themperour sawe theym com, he called to hym his barons, & shewed theim they that were comyng / And whan the barons sawe theym, they merveylled

gretly, & had grete fere, for they wist not what it was / but [Gu]ydellon the erle sayd / 'By god, we have recoverde rowland & his felawes.' 'Ye,' sayd charlemagne / 'goddys curse have they!' This hangyng, rowlande & his felawes cam tofore charlemagne / and lighted a fote / and incontynente they kneled humbly afore the kyng / and thenne the duke naymes began to speke fyrste, & sayd, 'Noble emperour, we are come in your presence for to crie you mercy, besechynge you for god that it wyll playse you to take vs vnto your good grace, for we have doon noo thynge agenst you / but that it was for your wele. But sith that we have knowen that your wyll was not to have peas / we have forsaken Reynawd & all his brethern; nor never, whyle we ben a live, they shall have noo socours of vs' / 'Lordes,' sayd Charlemagn, 'I pardonne [pardonue, orig.] you; but I telle you, yf we tary here longe styll / we shall have lityll gaynes therby. wherfore, I praye you that we goo assawte mountalban bothe by daye & by nyght, by suche maner that he be taken of vs incontinent, and they all that [folio B.B.iv.a] ben in it broughte to deth.' 'Syr,' sayd the duke naymes, 'ye sai well / but and yf ony mysfortune happeth to vs, as it hathe doon here a fore tyme, I promyse you it shall be to you grete dommage; and me semeth it were moche better to have peas than for to contynewe the werre.'

And whan the barons of fraunce herde this that the duke naymes had sayd to the kynge / they began to crye wyth an highe voys / 'Syre emperour / we praye you that ye wyll doo this that naymes counseylleth you, For he gyveth you good counseyll.' Whan Charlemagne herde the crye that his folke made to hym, he came to the duke Naymes, that was kneling afore hym / and toke hym vp / and in like wyse his nevew rowlande, & all the other, and sayd to

theym, 'My lordes, ye knowe that I have pardonned you wyth ry[g]ht good wyll / but I wyll well that ye know, but yf ye kepe yourselfe from helpynge of my enmyes mortall / I shall angre you vpon your bodies; For I hate theym so moche, that yf I shold abyde here all my liff / I shall dystroye theym.' And wite it, that Charlemagne was glad that he had recovered his nevewe rowlande & his other peres; how be it, he made no semblaunt of it. And he sayd yet agen / that he shold never departe from his seege tyll that he had taken mountalban & alle the four sones of aymon / wherof he shall doo sharpe iustyce, and shall doo brenne mawgis the false traytour / 'Syre,' sayd rowlande, 'I promyse you that mawgys is not wythin mountalban / for he fereth you somoche that he dare not abyde you, leest ye sholde make hym to be hanged, by cause he dyde stele you so falsly oute of your oost.' 'Ha, god,' sayd Charlemagne, 'whan shall I see that I have hym for to doo my wyll of him, For thenne the sones of aymon sholde soone be agreed with me.'

[folio B.B.iv.b] Thenne whan the kyng charlemagn had devysed longe ynoughe, he gaff leve to all his barons for to goo agen in to theyr tentes for to see theyr folke. And whan the morow cam / all the barons came agen to charlemagne / and whan the kyng sawe theim togyder wythin his pavylion / he was therof gladde / and spake to theym thus / 'Lordes, I have beseged mountalban as nere, as ye see; and I am not disposed for to parte hens, nother for colde, for hete, nor for hungre, vnto the tyme that I have taken hym by fyne force / the whiche thynge shall be lyghtly doon / for I am sure that thei shall waunt vytaylles wythin / And worse is for theim, thei have lost the traytour mawgys, whiche was theyr hope and comfort. wherfore,

I saye that they can not holde it longe agenst my power.' whan the barons herde that charlemain thretened reynawde soo sore / there was none of theym but they were sory for it / for the moost parte of theim loved reynawde, for the worthynes & the kyndnes that was in him. Thenne spake the duke naymes, & sayd to themperour, 'Sir, ye say that they of mountalban be dyspurueyd of mete, and that ye shall not departe fro the siege tyll that ye have taken the castell, & that is a thyng that shall be doon lightli. but I promyse you, yf ye tary to their vitaylles be doo, ye shal lie here lenger than ye wene of / Wherfore, sir, I beseche you, syr, that it wyll playse you to byleve my counseyll, yf it semeth you good / fyrst take hede to the curtesy that reynawde hath doon to you; for ye wote well that yf he had not be, his brother Rycharde sholde have slayn you / al the gold in the worlde sholde not have saved you / Item, thinke also in the grete mekenes that he hath alwayes shewed to you / also for the grete trust that he hathe had in you / he lened you his good horse bayard, that hath no matche in all the world / sir, yf ye overthynke wel al, ye shall [folio B.B.v.a] fynde that noo man dyde never to none other soo grete curtesie as reynawd hath doon to you. and of that other parte, he & his bredern ben suche knyghtes, as everi body knoweth / I swere to you, sire, by all halowen, that or ever ye shall take mountalban, Reynawde & his bretherne shall bere to you suche dommage, wherof ye shall be wroth. And yet ye oughte well to take hede how we waist & dystroye the countrey & the feldes, and grete good ye doo dispende / whiche for your honour were better to be employed vpon the sarrasins, than vpon the four sones of aymon / for the sarrasins ben now in rest, makyng grete ioye for

the cause of this werre / and they do wel, For werre hath lefte theim / and it is come among ourself so horrible & soo cruell, that many noble and worthy knightes ben deed therof.'

The kyng charlemagn was sore abashed / whan he herde the duke naymes speke so, and it moved his blode full sore, & becam pale as a white cloth for the grete wrathe that he had at his herte, and casted a side his sighte angrely vpon the duke naymes, & sayd to hym by grete wrath, 'Duke naymes, by the feyth that I owe to that blessed lady that conceyved the sone of god in her virgynyte / that if ther be ony man soo hardy to speke more to me of accorde to be made wyth the four sones of aymon, I shall never love him, but I shall angre hym on his body / For I am not disposed to make peas with theim for noo thing that can be sayd / but I shall hange theim what soever it cost me, or I departe from this siege.' Whan the barons herde charlemagn speke thus proudly / they were sore merveylled of it / and lefte to talke of this matere. But whan oger sawe that all the barons helde theim stylle, he began to saye to the kyng charlemagn / 'Cursed be the hour [folio B.B.v.b] that reynawd suffred not rychard to smyte of your hede / for ye had not thretened him soo now' / And whan charlemagn herde that oger sayd to him / he bowed his necke, & loked dou[n]warde all pensifull; & sin he said, 'now, lordes, make you redy, and see that every man fall to his armures / for I wyl now gyve assaute to mountalban' / And whan the frenshemen herde the commaundemente of the kynge, they made noo taryenge, but went & armed theymself. And whan they were all redy, they cam in good ordynaunce, and broughte ladders & other instrumentes wyth theim ²for to sawte wythall the castelle,² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. D. iii.] & engynes for to breke

doun the walles, and presented theym byfore charlemagn for to acomplisshe hys wyll / and whan the kynge sawe theym soo well appareylled, he commaunded theym to goo sawte the stronge castell of Mountalban.

And assone that reynawd saw his enmyes com, he called his broder alard, & sayd to him, 'Broder, I pray you take bondy, my good horne, & blowe in it strongly / to thende that our folke arme theymself whan thei here it, for here comen the frenshemen for to sawte vs.' Whan alard vnderstode the commaundement of reynawde / he toke bondy, and blewe in wyth soo grete a wynde thre tymes, that all they of the castell herde it / and were all abashed wyth; and wythoute ony taryeng they went & armed theymself, and lightly gate vpon the walles for to defende the castell. Nevertheles, the frenshemen came nere, & entred in to the dyches as hogges doon in a myre / and dressed vp their ladders to the walles / But wyte it, that they of wythin the castelle beganne to deffende so strongly with castynge of stones, that thei dommaged sore the frenshemen, so that many of them lay deed within [folio B.B.vi.a] the dyches; for reynawd & his bredern dyde there so grete faytes of armes that no body myght endure their strokes / who had seen the poure duches & her yong children at that sawte brynge stones to reynawd & to his bredern vpon the walles, he wolde have had pyte of it / For the two yonge sones of Reynawde sayd to their vncles / 'holde our vncles thise stones / for they ben grete ynoughe.' Suche defence made they of mountalban, that they overthrewe theym that were vpon ye ladders to the botom of ye diches, all deed & sore wounded / and whan the kyng charlemagne sawe this, he was wrothe, for he knewe thenne well that he sholde never take

mountalban by force, nor also the noble knyghtes that were wythin it / as Reynawde & his bredern / And therfore he made the trompet to be blowen / to calle his folke abacke, wyth so grete angre that he was almost mad / and whan the frenshemen herde blowe the retrete, thei were glad, for thei were shrewdly handled; and I promyse you that charlemagne lefte suche a company deed wythin the dyche that he long after was / full sory for it

Whan Charlemagn & all his folke were wythdrawen agen / he began to swere saynt denys of fraunce that he shold never departe thens tyll he had famysshed Reynawde & his bredern [et tous ses gens, F. orig. D. iii. back.] wythin the castell of mountalban / and thenne he commaunded, that a fore every gate of the castell shold be layed two hundred knyghtes / for to kepe, that noo body myghte in nor oughte / but he shold be take / And whan reynawd sawe that, he kneled doun vpon his knees, and heved vp his handes towarde heven, & sayd, 'Good lord, that suffred deth on ye crosse, I beseeche you that ye wyll graunte vs that grace that we mai have peas with charlemain & save our lives.' and whan richard herde the prayer of reynawd, he toke hede to it, & sayd, 'Brother / I promyse you yf ye wolde have beleved me, we [folio B.B.vi.b] sholde now have be in good reste & peas / For Charlemagn wolde have be glad therof for to save his liff / Ye knowe that our cosyn mawgys broughte him not here for none other cause to be our prisoner / but to the entent that we sholde make our peas; but ye wolde not take hede to it / whan we myghte have had our wyll; and I promyse you we shal not now doo as we wolde.'

Themperour charlemagn abode soo long at the siege afore mountalban / that they that were wythin it

had grete nede of vytaylles / for he that had ony mete, he hyd it incontynent. and soo grete scarstee of vitaylles was there wythin a while, that men cowde gete there noo mete for golde nor for silver / ¹And many other fell doun at grounde here, & there soo feynt for hungre,¹ [^1—1 Et commenca le pays a lentour a deffaillir de viures, F. orig. D. iv.] that it was grete pyte for to see / for the derthe was there soo grete, that thone broder hydde his mete from the other / and the fader fro the childe / and the childe fro ye fader, & fro the moder / And shortly to speke, I promyse you, that the pour folke deyed for hungre by the stretes / and with this, was soo grete stenche wythin mountalban of the deed were there, that noo man cowde endure it. And whan reynawde sawe this, he was sory for it. and thenne he dyde do make a grete charnell, wherin he made all the deed bodies to be buryed. And whan richarde sawe so grete mortalite wythin the castell of mountalban, thrughe cause of the grete derth that was there / and sawe his broder reynawd in so grete distresse / he cowde not forbere / but he said to hym, 'by god, my broder now gooth it worse than ever it dyde! it had be moche beter if ye had byleved me / For yf ye wolde have suffred me to slee the kynge Charlemagne / we sholde now not have be in this myscheef and grete poverte that we have now / nor your folke had not deied for hungre as thei doo' / and thenne he [folio B.B.vii.a] began to wepe tenderly / and sayd, 'Alas! why doo I complayn other? I myghte well complayn myselfe, sith that I must deye, & be put in to the charnell as the pourest of vs all. Ha, mawgis, my fayr cosin / where be ye now? ye faylle vs at our nede; for & ye were here wythin wyth vs, we sholde not be famyshed for hungre / and also we sholde not doubte moche the kyng charlemagn; for I wote well that ye

sholde gete vs vitaylles ynoughe to live vpon, for vs & our men / and now we muste deye for hungre, as the wulff sholde vpon a see / for charlemagne hateth vs more than he dooth the sarrasins. And therfor it is not for vs to wayte after pyte of hym / for he is over cruell a kyng vpon us' /

Charlemagn, [Charleamgn, orig.] by the reporte of som folke / knew the grete derthe & scarste of vytailles that was wythin mountalban / wherof he was right glad / and called to hym his folke / and sayd to theym, 'Lordes, now can not reynawde escape / but he shall soone be taken & hanged / and the false richarde drawen at an horse taylle / and alarde & guycharde also, and theyr worthynes shall be lityll worthe to theym.'

And whan the kyng charlemagn had sayd thise wordes, he sent for all his peres & barons / and whan they were all come wythin his pavylion / he was glad of it, & sayd to theym, 'Lordes, thanked be god that I have brought mountalban so lowe, that reynawd & his knyghtes have no more vitaylles in it / and now they shall yelde theymselfe at my wyll, mawgre their teeth, for the moost parte of theyr folkes ben deed for hungre / and yet [they] deyen dayly, and ye must wyte I wil that reynawde be hanged & his bredern also, but first I wyl that Richarde be drawen atte an horse taylle / And soo I charge you that none of you be so hardy to move my wyll to the contrary. For I wyll that it [folio B.B.vii.b] be doon as I saye' / Whan the duke naymes, rowlande, oliver, oger, the bysshop turpyn, & escouff the sone of oedan, that were there, herde the kynge speke thus, thei were right sory, for the love of reynawde & of his bredern / and loked doun, & sayd no worde at al, for fere that they shold be shent of the kyng / and oger wyth grete peyne kept his eyen fro wepyng, leest charlemagn shold not perceyve his sorowfull herte.

Here ye ought to wyte that, duryng the tyme that charlemagn laye at the sege afore mountalban persecutyng the four sones of aymon, Reynawde, alarde, guychard, & Rycharde / aymon their fader helde the party of the kyng agenste his children, for he had promysed hym to doo so / as ye have herde above / but wyte it, that whan he herde how the emperour thretned his children, how be it that he had forsaken theym, he was wrothe for it / for he knewe well, if his children deyed soo he sholde never have ioye after that. For what soever werre he made agenst theim, he loved theim kyndly, as the fader oughte to love the childe, for [natnre, orig.] nature maye not lie. And therfore he toke soo grete sorow, whan he herde of his sones that they were thretned to be hanged, that he almost fell doun deed to the grounde; and of the grete sorow that he had, cowde not kepe himself, but he sayd / 'Syr emperour, I beseche you that it wyll playse you to bryng my chyldren to right / For thoughe I have forsake theim / yet are thei my sones of my body begoten' / 'holde your peas, aymon,' sayd charlemagn / 'for I wyll that it be so doon of theym / For reynawd dyde slee my nevewe berthelot, that I loued so moche.' And after he torned hymself, & sawe the barons that spake thone to thother, & sayd to theim / 'Lordes, leve your musyng! for I tell you for a trouth, that I shall not leve to doo herin my wyll, for no man that speketh / ye wote wel it is iij yere goon sith we beseged this [folio B.B.viii.a] castel first, and ever sin have layen here, where we have lost many of our folke / wherfore I commaunde you, that eyther of you doo make engynes for to bryng doun this grete towre & all the remenaunt also / For wyth suche maner we shall abashe theim gretly / and ye, my nevew rowland, ye shall doo make of the engynes vii. and oliver shall doo make vi. the duke naymes iiii. the bysshop turpyn &

oger the dane other iiii.' / 'and ye duke aymon,' sayd ye kyng charlemagn, 'ye shall make thre' /

'How shold I now doo this, good lord,' said thenne aymon, 'for, sir emperour, ye knowe well that they be my chyldren, nother truantes nor knaves / but be the best knyghtes of the worlde / and soo I tell you, syr, that yf I sawe theym deye / I shold forgoo my wyttes for angre.' And whan charlemagn herde aymon speke thus, he was wroth, & began to gnawe on a staff that he helde in his hande, & after sayd / 'By that god that made me, yf there be ony of you that gaynsayth my wyll, I shall stryke of his hede wyth my swerde' / 'syr,' sayd the duke naymes, 'angre not your selfe / For that that ye have commaunded, shall be doon incontynent' / Whan the barons vnderstode the commaundement of charlemagne / thei went their waye for to do make the engynes that the kyng had commaunded, the whiche were anone made redi, and thise engynes were for to cast grete multytude of stones / And as sone that thei were made, thei were set for to cast agenste mountalban, and in [a] short tyme they dommaged it full sore / and soo I promise you that wythin the castel were made grete criyng of wimen & of children / and for fere of the stones, thei went & hid them vnder the grounde; and so thei of mountalban endured this mischeff aslong as thei had ony morsell of mete / And I ensure you that there was soo grete derth & soo grete mortalite that men wyst nomore where to laye the deed / For the [folio B.B.viii.b] charnell was all full / Alas, who had seen soo yonge bachelers / that for feintnes went lenyng vpon their staves thrugh mountalban for lacke of mete / he wold have had grete pyte / For a fore that the castell was beseged, they were so strong & soo myghty that none cowde have overcom theim; but they were thenne

soo feble that they felle where thei wente, musselinge in the grounde as hogges.

And whan reynaude saw the grete pyte that was amonge his folke, he had of it grete sorow, bicause he myght not put noo remedy thereto; and thenne he began to say in himselfe, 'O good lord, what maye I now doo / now I see well that my wytte avaylleth me noo thyng / for I wote not where to seke vytaylles / Alas god! where may maugys be now, that he knowe not my grete nede, & the outrage that Charlemagne doothe to vs' / And whan the good lady Clare sawe her lord reynaude, that complayned hymself soo piteusly / she began to saye vnto hym in this wyse, 'Forsooth, my lord, ye do not well for to dyscomfyte yourselfe soo sore / for ye discourage vs all wythin; moreover, I promyse you that here ben yet wythin moo than a hundred horses / I praye you lete one of theim be kylled, and ye, myselfe, & our poure children shall ete of it, for it is more than thre dayes agoo that they nor I ete ony thing that dyd vs good / and whan she had sayd this she fell doun in a swoune at the fete of reynaude her husbonde, for grete feblenes for lacke of mete. And whan reynawde sawe her fall, he toke her vp anone in his armes, and after that she was come agen to herself / she sayd, all wepynge / 'Alas, dere lady mary, what shall I poure wretche doo, for all my herte faylleth me / And almoste wyll my soule departe, all soo sore is my body famysshed. Alas, my chyldren, who sholde ever have wende that ye sholde have deyed for hungre' /

[folio C.C.i.a] Whan Reynawde sawe the grete dystresse wherin hys wyff was, he had grete pyte of her, and the teeres began to falle over the chekes of him, and all wepyng he wente to his stable / and there he made a horse to be slayn, the whiche he made to be dressed for

mete to hys folke / but I promyse you that horse flesshe lasted not longe afore theym / For they were men ynow to ete it vp lightly. And here ye must knowe that all the horses that were wythin mountalban were in lyke wyse eten one after a nother except four, that is to wyte, bayarde, & the horses of the thre brethern of Reynawde, the whiche four horses they wolde not ete by cause they wolde not be a fote / And whan Reynawd sawe that there was noo more thynge that they myghte ete / he called his bredern, & sayd to theym, 'Fayr bredern, w[h]at shall we doo? we have noo more fode to take vs to, but oonly our four horses that are lefte vs alive. Lete vs doo kylle one of theym that our folke maye ete wyth vs. 'By my hede,' sayd richard, 'that shal not be myn / and yf ye have lust to it, lete yours be slayn / for ye shall not have myn. And yf ye have grete myscheef, ye be well worthy / For thrughe your pryde we are brought in this plighte / by cause that ye lete goo the kynge charlemagne; for and ye had byleved me, this grete myshappe had not befalle vs' / This hangyng, came the lityll Aymon, the sone of Reynawde, that sayd to rycharde in this maner, 'Holde your peas, myn vncle / for that thyng that may not be amended / men oughte to lete it passe in the best wyse; For it is to shamfull to reherse that / that is passed; but doo as my fader commaundeth you / and ye shall doo well. For ye doo not well to angre him soo as ye doo; and thoughe he hath myssed of his entente, he hath boughte it dere ynoughe, as well as we. Yf the kyng charlemagn hath adommaged you long, it may [folio C.C.i.b] well hap that god shall helpe you, or ought long, yf it playse hym; and I byleve certeynly that he shall doo soo / for the kindeness that my lorde my fader dyde shewe vnto charlemagne, whan he had hym here, can never be loste, as I wene.'

Grete pyte had richarde of his nevewe whan he herde hym speke thus wysly / and toke hym betwene his armes, and kissed hym all wepynge / and thenne he said to reynawde / 'Broder, commaunde my horse to be slayne whan it playseth you / and gyve som comforte therwithall to this folke, and to my lady your wyff, & to my yong nevews, ¹your children¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] / For my lityll nevewe that is here, hathe well deserved to ete of it / for the good counseyll that he hathe gyven to me now.' 'Brother,' sayd alarde, 'lete be slayne whyche ye wyll of the thre / for it were to grete adommage yf bayarde sholde deye; and also I tell you that I had lever deye my selfe, than that bayard sholde be slayne / 'Broder,' sayd guychard, [Richart, F. orig.] 'ye saye well;' and anone the horse of richarde was kylled & dressed to their mete / ¹and soo in lyke wyse was doon wyth the horses of ye two other brethern;¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] and full savourly it was eten / And whan reynawd sawe that there was no mete more, he wist not what he sholde doo, for he was more sory for his bredern, & for his wyff, ¹& his children¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] / than he was for hymselfe; and began to say in this wyse / 'Alas, what shall I do? I am vaynquyshed & overcome wythout ony stroke. It had be better for me that I had byleved my broder rychard, for I had not be now in the myserye & grete nede where I am in atte this hour / Now I see well that charlemagne hath chased me soo moche that he hath betrapped me wythin his gynnes / wheroute I can not scape; and I knowe well that I oughte not to be complayned / for I have made myself ye rodde wherwith I am beten; and yf I sholde repente me therof, it shold proufite [folio C.C.ii.a] noo thyng, for I com to late for to do so.' whan rychard saw his broder reynawde make suche sorowe, he knewe well his mynde, & was right sory for hym, so that he shoke all for

sorow, and wyst not what he sholde say. For if reynaude wolde have had of his owne flesshe, rychard wolde well have given hym of it, yf he myght have be comforted therwith / ¹Thenne spake guycharde, that other broder, & sayd,¹ [^1—1 Quant il ent este une grant piesse en celle detresse il dist a ses freres, F. orig. D. vii.] 'My ²good² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig.] bredern, what shall we doo / we shall yelde ourself, ³or elles deye here for grete rage of hungre³ [^3—3 puis que nous ne savons plus que faire, F. orig. D. vii.] / and we maye noo more fromhens forthon / ²but oonly wayte after deth'² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig.] / 'What saye ye, ²broder guycharde?'² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig.] sayd reynawd; 'wyll ye yelde your selfe to the most cruell king of the worlde [et au plus orguilleux, F. orig. D. vii.] / for he shold make vs all to be hanged shamfully. Yf ony pyte cowde be founde in hym, I wold yelde me gladly; but there ys none in him, and therfor I am delivered that we shall not yelde us to him / we shalle rather ete my children, & after our bodyes / But alwayes yf ye wyll ete bayarde, I am therof content for to passe the tyme forthon, for I have ofte herde saye that a day respyte is worthe moche.' But, nevertheles, what soever he sayd / he had no courage to ete bayarde / for it was all his socours / 'Broder,' sayd alard, 'I counseille that we ete bayard, rather than we shold yelde vs in to the handes of charlemagn / for he is to cruell, nor he shall never have mercy of vs.' And whan reynawde sawe that they wolde ete bayarde his good horse, he toke for it suche a hertly sorowe that he almoste fell in a swoune to therthe; but he toke togyder his strengthes, & stode vpryghte, and began to saye / 'Fayr bredern / what wyll ye doo / wyll ye ete bayarde, my noble horse, that soo ofte hath kepte vs from deth, and from perell mortall / I praye you, that a fore ye slee hym / that ye slee me / For I may not see hym dey; and whan ye have slayn me / slee hym hardely. And yf ye wyll not

doo [folio C.C.ii.b] soo, I forbede you, in as moche as ye love me, that ye touche not bayarde. For he that shall hurte hym / shall hurte me.' And whan the duchesse herde Reynawde speke thus, she wiste not what to doo / thenne she sayd to hym in grete wrathe, 'Ha, gentyll duke debonayr / and what shall now doo your pour children / wyll you that they deye for hungre, for fawte of your horse? For it is thre dayes passed that they ete ony mete; shortly shall theyr lives come atte an ende / myn also / For my hert cleveth me in my body for fyne force of hungre. And soo shall ye see me deye presently / but yf I have socours' / Whan the children herde the moder speke thus, they sayd to Reynawde, 'Goode fader, for goddys love deliver your horse! For he shall deye as well for hungre / And it is better that he deye fyrste than we afore hym.' And whan alarde guycharde and Rycharde herde theyr nevewes speke thus, rycharde spake / and sayd to his brother, 'Ha, gentyll duke, for god suffre not that your children nor my lady, your wyffe, deye for hungre, and we also.' And whan Reynawde herde his brother Rycharde speke so to hym, his herte tendred with all ryght sore / and felle to wepe, and sayd / 'My fayer bredern, syth that it playse you that bayarde shall deye, I praye you go and slee hym' / And whan they were all accorded that bayarde sholde be slayn ²and eten,² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig.] they wente streyghte to the stable / where they founde bayarde / that casted to theym a grete syghe / And whan Reynawde sawe that, he sayd he sholde rather slee hymselfe / than that bayarde sholde deye / that many tymes hathe saved hym from deth / And whan the chyldren had herde this / they retourned agayne to theyr moder wepynge, and all deed for hungre.

Thenne whan Reynawde sawe that hys chyldren were goon / he wente to bayarde, and gaff hym a

lityll hey, [folio C.C.iii.a] For he had none other thynge to gyve hym. And thenne he came to hys brethern, and founde Alard holdynge Aymon his nevewe that wepte / and Rycharde helde Yon, and Guycharde the duchesse, that in his armes was swouned, and sayd to theym / 'Alas, for god mercy, I praye you take in you corage tyll nyghte. And I promyse you that I shall doo so moche, that we shall have mete / and god wyll.' 'Brother,' sayd Alarde, 'we muste suffre it, wyll we or not' / Soo longe abode the knyghtes that the nyghte came / and whan it was come / Reynawd sayd to his brethern / 'My brethern, I wyll goo speke to our fader / for to see what he shall saye to me / and yf he shall lete vs deye for hungre' / 'Brother,' sayd rycharde, 'I wyll goo wyth you, yf it playse you, and ye shall be the more sure that I be in your company.' 'My brother,' sayd the good knyghte Reynawd, 'ye shall not so. For I will goo there alone / and yf I brynge you not mete, I shall thenne deliver you bayarde.' and whan Reynawd had sayd this, he made hymselfe to be well armed, and lighted vpon bayarde, and well secretly went oute of mountalban, and came to his faders pavylion / the whiche he knewe well / For he had aspyed it from above the grete towre while it was day. And it happed so that he founde his fader aymon out of hys pavylion all alone, waytynge yf he myghte by ony way vnderstonde some tydynges pryvely of the castell / And whan reynawde sawe his fader / he sayd to hym, 'What arte thou that goo now at this tyme of the nyghte all alone?' And whan aymon herde hym speke, he knewe hym anone, & was righte glad / but he made of it noo semblaunt / and sayd to hym / 'but what art you thiself, that goost at this owre so hie mounted.' Whan reynawd herde his fader speke, he knewe hym well, & sayd to hym, 'Syr, for god have merci vpon vs / for we deye [folio C.C.iii.b] all for

hungre! and all our horses ben all redy deed & eten, and soo we have nomore but bayarde, that shall not deye as longe as I live / For rather I sholde lete me be slayn / For to me & to my brethern he hathe often saved our lives. Alas, fader, yf ye will not have mercy on vs, have mercy of my yonge children!'

'Ha, fayr sone,' sayd aymon / 'I canne not helpe you of no thynge / but goo your waye agen / for I have you forsworne, ye wote it well / and therfore I wolde not doo agenste myn othe for all the good in the worlde / and my herte is right sory that I maye not helpe nor gyve you socours.' 'Syr,' sayd reynawde, 'you speke yll / sauff your reverence. For I promyse you, yf ye gyve vs noo socours, that my wyff, my children, my brethern, and myself shall deye for rage of hungre, or ever thre dayes ben passed / For it is all redy more than thre dayes, that none of vs ete ony mete / and so I wote not what I shall doo / Alas, ye be our fader, soo oughte you to comforte vs / For I wote well, yf the kyng have vs, he shal make vs all to be hanged, and deye shamfully, whiche were not your worshyp; wherfore, fader, ye oughte not to faylle vs, yf the lawe of nature is rightwys / My fader, for god have pyte & mercy vpon vs, and holde not your courage agenst your pour children for it were grete cruelte; and also ye knowe well that charlemagne dooth to vs grete wrong, for to persecute vs as he dooth' / Whan Aymon herde reynawde speke thus, he had grete pyte of hym / and was soo sory that almoste he felle doun in a swoune to the erthe. and after he began to beholde his childe reynawde; [reynawrd, orig.] & sore wepynge, he sayd to hym / 'Fayr sone, ye have sayd trouth that the kyng dooth you grete wrong / and therfor a lighte fro your horse, & entre wythin my pavylion, and take what it playse

you / for noo [folio C.C.iv.a] thing shall be sayd nay to you / but I shall not gyve you nothyng, for to save my othe' / And whan reynawd herde his fader speke soo, he descended a fote, & kneled byfore him / and sayd 'an hundred gramercies, dere fader' / and thenne he entred wythin the pavylion of his fader, and laded bayard wyth brede, & wyth flesshe, both salt & fresshe / and wyte it that bayard dyde bere more than x other horses shold have doon. And whan reinawde had well laded bayarde wyth vitaylles, he toke leve of his fader, & went agen to mountalban / it is not to be asked what welcom reynawd had of his bredern, of his wyff, & of his men / and wyte it that whan they sawe hym brynge soo moche vitaylles / thei swouned all for ioye to the erthe / And whan reynawd sawe this, he wende thei had ben deed for hungre. Soo began he to make grete sorowe, & not wythoute a cause / and while that reynawd sorowed & made grete mone, his bredern began to com agen to theimselfe, his wyff, & also his two children. And whan reynawd sawe theym all vpon their fete, he was glad, & presented to theym mete for theym, & for his folke. and thei thenne made grete ioye, & ete their fyll at their ease / And whan they had eten well, thei went to slepe, except reynawd, that wold kepe watche himself. And on the morne whan the day was com, they rose & went to here masse / and after the masse was doon, they fell to their mete agayn, and ete all that was left over, evin of that reynaud had brought. and whan the next nyght was come, aymon, that cowde not forgete his children / made his stywarde to com byfore hym, & sayd to him / 'ye knowe how I have forsworne my chyldren / wherof I am sory that ever I dyde soo; but it is sayd, that at the nede the frende is knowen / I lete you wyte that my children ben yonder wythin in grete poverte & mysease, and

how be it that I have forsworne theim / I oughte nor maye [folio C.C.iv.b] not faylle theim / we have thre engynes that charlemagne hath made me doo make for to hurt with my children, wherof we have dommaged theim asmoche as we myghte / now must we helpe theym after their dommage / And I shall telle you how: see that ye put wythin the engynes brede & flesshe, bothe salt & freshe, in grete plente in stede of stones / and lete this be cast in to the castell, for yf I shold deye myself for hungre, I shall not fayll theim aslong as I have wherof to helpe theim / and also I repent me full sore of the harme that I have doon to them / for all the worlde ought to blame me therof wyth good right, [Car mes enfans ont le droit, F. orig. E. i.] and we ben in the wronge.' 'Sire,' sayd the stiwarde, 'ye saye well / for ye have doon so moche agenste theim, that all the worlde blameth you therof / but incontynente I shall doo your commaundement' / And thenne the styward, went & made the thre engynes to be fylled wyth vitaylles, & after, he badde the governer to caste theim in to mountalban / And ye must wyte that many of thoost blamed aymon sore, that he made his engynes to be caste agenst his children / for they wende it had be stones. And whan the nyght was passed, & that reynawd was vp / he went here & there wythin the castell, and founde foyson of vitaylles that his fader had cast / wherof he was ryght glad, & sayd / 'Good lord, blessed be you / now see I well that they that have their truste in you, can not fare amys.' and thenne he called his bredern, his wyfe, ³& his childern,³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig.] & sayd / 'My bredern, ye see how our fader hathe pite of vs' / And thenne he made the vitaylles to be gadred vp, & put in a sure place / and soo they ete therof at theyr ease, for they had well grete nede therof, for they were so sore

an hungred that it was grete pyte / And wyte it that aymon made cast so moche vitayll within mountalban, that thei of within had ynoughe for thre monethes wyth good governaunce.

[folio C.C.v.a] Now we must vnderstonde that charlemagne had some knowledge howe the olde duke aymon had gyven vytaylles to hys children, wherof he was sore an angred, & made aymon to com incontynent afore hym, & sayd to hym, 'aymon! who maketh the so bolde to gyve ony mete to myn enmyes mortall? I know well all thy wyles / thou mayst not excuse thyself; but by the feyth that I owe to god I shall avenge me soo well are nyght, that yf I may, ye shall lese your hede for it' / 'Syr,' sayd the duke aymon, 'I wyll not denye it; for I telle you truly, yf ye shold make me deye, or be brente in a fyre, I wyll not faylle my chi[l]dren aslong as I maye helpe theym. [Damps roy, F. orig.] For my children be no theves, traytours, nor no murdrers, but they ben the moste valiaunt knyghtes of the worlde, & the truest. [Damps roy, F. orig.] and wene not you to slee my children in suche maner! ye have to long wrought your foly if it wold suffyre you' / Whan charlemagne herde aymon speke thus / he was angri wyth it, and for grete wrathe he loked as fire, & almoste he smote aymon. And whan the duke naymes sawe this, he avaunced hym forthe, & sayd / 'Sir, sende home aymon, for ye have kept hym here tolong; ye ought well to vnderstonde that aymon wyll not see his children to be distroyed, and therfor ye ought not to blame him nor smyte hym;' after that charlemagne herde the duke naymes speke, he sayd to hym / 'Naymes, sith that ye have iudged it, ye shall not be gaynsayd;' and thenne he torned hym towarde the duke aymon, & sayd to hym / 'Now goo forth oute of myn oost / for ye have doon me more dommage than prouffyte' / 'sire,' sayd the duke aymon / 'I shall

gladly doo your commaundement' / And anone he went & lighted on horsbacke, and after sayd to the peres of fraunce, 'Lordes, I praye you all that ye wyll have my children for recommended / for they ben com of your blode, and lete the kyng [folio C.C.v.b] see well to / For yf he make my children to deye by suche grete vengance as he hathe sayd / yf I sholde be-come a sarrasyn, and dwelle in affryque all the dayes of my liff, I shall stryke of his hede; for none other gage I wyll not take' / And whan aymon had sayd thus, he went oute of the ooste in to fraunce to his countrey, well hevy by cause he lefte his children in soo grete poverte / And Charlemagne, that sawe aymon goo thus quyte, and that he had garnysshed mountalban of vytayllis, he was full angry for it / Soo studyed he vpon this a longe while / and whan he had studyed longe ynoughe, he was soo sory that none myghte be more / and retourned hymselfe towarde his barons / and sayd, 'Lordes, I commaunde you that ye breke all our engynes / For by theim I have myssed to have the castell of mountalban.' And In[con]tynente the barons made breke the engynes, as the kynge had commaunded / And by all thus Reynawde abode a longe while in good peas, but theyr vytaylles began sore to mynysshe / And whan Reynawde sawe that / he was sory / and beganne to complayne in hymselfe, and sayd, 'Good lorde, what shall I doo / I knowe that atte longe rennynge we shall not mowe holde, and soo shall charlemagn have noo mercy of vs, but he shall make vs deye. Alas, mawgis, where be you? For yf ye were wyth vs, we sholde doubte noo thynge, nor I sholde not suffre this grete distresse that I have' / All thus as Reynawde complayned hymself / thenne came alarde, that was so feble, that wyth peyn he myghte stande vpon his fete, and sayd to Reynawde / 'Rey nawde, for the love of god make bayarde to be slayne /

For I maye noo lenger live wythoute mete / nother yet my brethern.'

Thenne whan reynawd herde his brother alarde speke thus / he was right sory for it, & toke his swerde, & went [folio C.C.vi.a] to bayarde for to slee him / And whan bayarde saw reynaude, he began to make grete ioye / and whan reynaud sawe the chere that bayarde him made / he sayd to him, 'ha, bayarde, goode beest / yf I had the herte for to doo the harme, I were welle cruell.' and whan yonnet, the yonger sone, herde that / he cryed to his fader, 'sir, wherfore tary ye, that ye slee not bayard, sith he must deye, for I wexe madde for hungre / and so I tell you, yf I have not shortly som fode ye shall see me dey afore your eyen / and yet my moder & my broder also / for we may no lenger live thus, soo harde we ben famyshed' / And whan reynaude herde his sone speke to hym soo, he had grete pyte of hym / & grete sorowe in his hert / and soo he had of bayard that chered hym somoche. Thenne wyst not reynawd what he sholde saye nor doo, and soo began to thynke a longe while / And whan he had bethought himself longe ynoughe / he advysed hym how bayarde shold not deye. And thenne he called after a basin, and made baiard be leten blode moche / and after he had lete him blode ynoughe, reynawd stopped the vayne, & gaff the blode to alarde for to be dressed; and whan it was soden, they ete all a lityll therof, whiche gauf theim grete sustenaunse. And to say the trouth / reynawd & his folke were well four dayes wythout ony other fode. And whan came to the fifthe day, that thei wold haue baiard lete blode agen / he was soo feble that he cast noo blode at all. and whan the duches sawe that, she began to wepe tenderly, & sayd / 'Sire, for god, sith that he gyveth no more blode, lete him be slayn / and

soo shall ete your pour children of him, that deyen for grete hungre, & I also' / 'Madame,' sayd thenne reynawd, 'I wyll not doo so / For bayarde hathe borne vs goode company in oure liff, and so shall he do tyll thour of our deth, for we shall dey alle togyder.' And ye oughte to knowe that Reynawd [folio C.C.vi.b] and his company were brought soo lowe / that they wayted none other but deth / the whiche was theym nyghe ynoughe, whan an olde man that was amonge theim, cam & sayd to reynawd, 'Sir, what shall it be / I see that you & mountalban shall be distroyed / but in you is not the fawte, for it hath be well defended aslong as ye myght, as it apereth, and syth that I see ye may nomore doo / come after me, & I shall shew you a waye, where thrugh we shall well all goo out wythoute ony danger / and I wyll well that ye knowe mountalban was ones made, & shit afore ye dyde make it / and the lord that buylded it first, lete make a waye vnder the erth, that bryngeth folke vnto the wode of the serpent; and I was a yong childe whan that way was made, and I know well where it lieth / doo dygge where I shall shewe you, and ye shall fynde it wythout ony fayll, and thus shall we goo fre wythout ony danger' / whan reynawd herde thise wordes, he was so gladde of it that none myght be more / so that he forgate his hungre withall, & sayd, 'O fayr god, that all made, blessed be you! Now have I founde that I desired; for I shall goo to ardeyn, whiche I ought to love dere.' and thenne he toke the olde man by the hande, & made hym to bring him to the [the repeated in text.] place where he sayd / and there he made to be dygged in therth, & founde ye waye that the olde man said / wherof he was right glad / and thenne he went to the stable, & put the sadle vpon bayard, & after brought him to the weye / but wyte it that bayard was soo feble that he scante cowde goo the pase. And

thenne reynaude, his wyffe, his bredern, his children, & the remenaunte of his folke, put theimself to the way vnder therth, so that noo creature a live abode wythin the castell.

Grete plente of torches made reynawd to be fired, [quant luy et ses gens furent dedens la cave, F. orig. E. iii.] that they myght see the beter wythin ye cave as thei went, and he [folio C.C.vii.a] ordened his forwarde of that few folke that he had / and wente forthe in good ordenaunce wyth his baner displayed / and he with his bredern made the reregarde [Quant Regnault eut bien ordonne sa besongne ilz se mirent a la voye par dedens la cave qui estoit grande et plantureuse, F. orig. E. iii.] / And whan they had goon a longe while thrughe the cave, that was wyde & large, reynawd made his folke to tary, & sayd to his bredern / 'mi bredern, we have doon evyll / For we have lefte behynde vs kyng yon in the pryson / certes I sholde lever deye than that I shold leve hym soo / for he sholde deye there for hungre as a famysshed woulfe / and that were to vs grete synne.' 'By god,' sayd richard, 'he hathe well deserved it, for [yf, orig.] of a man that is a traytour, men oughte not to have pyte' / 'Broder,' sayd reynawde, 'ye saie yll.' and thenne he retorned again, & cam to the prison where the kyng yon was / whiche he toke out & broughte wyth hym. And whan the duchesse sawe her broder the kynge yon com, she sayd to hym / 'Ha, broder, ye are right yll come to me / for all the harme that we have suffred, cometh thrugh cause of you / I am sory that ye be not deed rotyn wythin the pryson, for ye have well deserved it.' 'Madame,' sayd reynawde, 'lete that alone, I praye you, for he shall not dey if I maye, For I have doon to hym homage, wherfore I ought to obey hym. and how be it he hath wroughte full yll agenst

vs, yet shall I never be forsworne agenst hym' / whan his bredern herde him speke thus / they sayd to hym / 'broder, ye speke well & wysly, and ye doo that ye ought to doo / nor ye shall never be rebuked of vs for it; doo therin as it playseth you' / And after thise wordes thei went on their waye /

So longe went thise knyghtes, that thei cam oute of the cave, and founde theymself at the woode of the serpent, evyn at the sprynge of the daye / and assone as thei were issued oute of the sayd cave, thei were glad / bycause that they were soo scaped fro charlemagne. Yonnet thenne, the lityl sone [folio C.C.vii.b] of Reynawd, swouned there for grete hungre / And whan Reynawd sawe that, he was right sory for it / and toke hym vp and sayd / 'Fayr sone, I praye you be a good chere, for we shall have soone mete grete plente' / And whan he had sayd this, he toke his other sone aymon in his armes, & recomforted hym moche / and whan reynawd had doon soo / he loked abowt hym, & knew wel where they were. and he sayd to his brethern / 'Lordes, me semeth that we ben nygh the hermytage of my good frende bernarde.' 'sire,' sayd alarde, 'ye saye trouthe, but what shall we doo?' 'Broder,' sayd reynawd, 'I counseill for the moost profytable that we goo there / and we shall abyde there tyl the nyght be com / and thenne we shall take our way towarde ardeyn; for I counseill not that we goo by day / and also it can not be but the hermyte shall have some mete whiche we shall gyve to my wyff, & to my children' / 'Broder,' sayd alarde, 'by my feyth ye speke wel.' and thenne they put theimself to the waye / and they had goon but a lityll that they founde the hermytage; but as they wente all thrughe the woode, they departed thone fro the other as wylde bestes, etyng the herbes and the gresses as it had be

apples or peeres, so grete hungre they had. And whan Reynawd sawe this, he was sory, & called theym agen, & sayd, 'Lordes, ye doo not well for to separe thus the one from the other, For it myghte lightly tourne vs to dommage / I praye you that every man calle other, & gadre yourself togyder / and lete vs goo in to the hermytage / For we shall fynde there bernarde, that shall make vs good chere, I wote it well' [quant regnault eut se dist chescun se ralia ensemble et sen vont vers hermitage, F. orig. E. iv.] / And whan they were come there / Reynawde knocked at the gate / And whan bernarde herde it / he cam anone, and sawe Reynawde and hys folke / wherof he was ryght gladde / and came and kyssed Reynawd. And after he sayd vnto hym / 'Fayre lorde, ye be [folio C.C.viii.a] ryght welcome / of whens come you / and how is it wyth you?' / 'My frende bernarde,' sayd thenne Reynawde, 'Wyte it that I have lefte myn herytaunce by fyne force of hungre, and soo I goo to Ardeyne [dordonne, F. orig.] / For I canne none otherwyse doo atte this tyme / And I pray you that yf ye have ony mete, that ye, for godys sake, wyll gyve it to my wyffe / and to my children, For they ben soo sore famysshed that they dey for hungre, but yf they have some mete.'

Whan Bernarde [larmite, F. orig.] vnderstode thise wordes of Reynawde, he had of hym grete pyte / for the dystresse wherin he sawe Reynawde & his folke / And of the other parte, he was gladde whan he wyste that they were scaped oute of the dangeours of Charlemagne / and anone he wente to the duchesse, & sayd to her / 'Madame, ye be right welcome / I praye you doubte noo thynge, For ye be arryved in a good place / for to take your reste atte your ease' / And thenne he wente in to his chambre, and broughte oute

brede and wyne / and all suche as god had sente hym / And after he sette hym besyde Reynawd, and sayd to hym / 'Lorde, take a worthe suche vytaylles as god hathe gyven to me! there they ben / I shall gyve you mete in dyspyte of Charlemagne' / 'Gramercy, syre,' sayd Reynawd / 'here ben good tydynges for vs; but whan the nyghte is come, we shall goo to Ardeyne. [dordonne, F. orig.] For I doubte sore that Charlemagne shall aperceyve that we ben departed / For yf god graunte me that I may bryng me and my company to Ardeyne / I shall not sette a rotyn appull for all the power of Charlemagne / for I shall well deffende me agaynste hym.' 'Syre,' sayd the heremyte, 'ye saye well / I praye god that he wyll fulfylle your wyll.' All that daye soiourned Reynawd and his folke wyth Bernarde the heremyte / the whiche served and [folio C.C.viii.b] comforted theim of all his power. and also he gaf of the otis of his asse to bayarde, [qui estoit si rescreu, F. orig. E. iv. back.] as moche as he myght ete. And whan the nyghte was com, Reynawd wolde departe / and bade fare well to the heremyte. and whan the heremyte saw that they wold goo awaye, he founde the meanes that they had thre horses, wherof the duchesse had thone / and the children had the other tweyne / And thus reynaude wyth his felishyp went on theyr waye so long that they cam to ardeyne. [dordonne, F. orig.] And whan they of the cyte wyst that their lord was com, that they had desired so longe / they were well glad, & cam agenste hym in fayr company, and receyved hym honourable / and conveyd hym vnto the fortresse. and after they went & made feest thorughe all the towne / like as god had descended there, ⁴for grete ioye that they had of theyr lord reynawd.⁴ [^4—4 omitted, F. orig.] And whan the barons of the londe wyst that theyr lord reynawd & his bredern were

come to ardeyn, [dordonne, F. orig.] they were glad / and cam soone [to] see hym / and to hym they made reverence / But here leveth the history to speke of reynawde, of his bredern, his wyff & his chyldren, that were in ardeyn [dordonne, F. orig.] well at ease / for theyr grete hungre was ceassed / and shall retorne to speke of charlemagn & of his xii peres / for to shewe how he entred in to mountalban, after that reynawd was departed.

CHAPTER XX.

¶ How Charlemagn, after that he had beseged mountalban, and had famysshed reynawd & his brethern / knewe that they were goon, and had habandouned the place, [luy et ses freres sa femme et ses enfans par dessoubz terre, F. orig. E. iv. back.] and were goon to Ardeyne, [dordonne, F. orig.] He wente there and beseged theym agayn, But or ever he had pyghte his siege, Reynawde / and his bredern made an yssue vpon hym and hys folke, and slewe many of theym, And toke prysoner Richard the duke of mormandy. [pert de france dont charlemagne fut moult dolant, F. orig. E. v.] &c.;/

[folio D.D.i.a] In this party sheweth the history, that whan Charlemagne was at the siege / byfore mountalban, sore an angred that he cowde not take Reynawd ne his bredern / Nowe it happed on a daye that Charlemagn rode nighe the castell for to wyte how they bare theymself within mountalban. And whan he was nyghe, [du chastel, F. orig.] he loked vp to the walles, and sawe no body

that was there / as they were wont to be / And whan he saw that / he was abasshed of it, and came agen to his pavylion / and sent incontynent for all his barons / and whan thei were come, he sayd to theym / 'Lordes, it is well nyghe eyghte dayes a goo / that I sawe noo body vpon the walles of mountalban / wherfore I beleve that alle they of it be deed.' 'Syre,' sayd the duke naymes, 'it were good that men wyste the trouth of it / sende thider, syre, yf it playse you' / Whan charlemagn herde this, he lighted anone on horsbacke / and all his barons wyth him, and went to mountalban / And whan they were come to the gate / they made semblaunt to gyve a sawte to the castell / but reynawde was to ferre for to defende it [Quant Charlemaigne vit ce que nessun ne se apparissoit pour le chastel deffendre, F. orig. E. v.] / and thenne Charlemagn wende verely that Reynawde & all his had been deed for hungre & grete distresse / and he made to be broughte there a longe ladder, and righted it to the walles. And incontynent rowlande mounted vp [vs, orig.] first of all / and after him ogyer, olivere, & the duke naymes. And whan they were vpon the walles, they behelde wythin, and they saw nother man nor woman, and soo they went doun from the walles / and yede & opened the gate / and made charlemagn to come in, & all his folke / But wyte it that Charlemagne wente in as angry as ony man myghte be. And whan he was wythin & founde noo body / he was sore merveylled, that he wyste not what he shold say nor doo. Soo went he vp to the dongeon, & he fonde there noo [folio D.D.i.b] body / wherof he was more merveylled than he was a fore, and thenne he began to saye / 'Bi my soule, lordes, here is grete merveylles, & well the devylles werke / wyte it that Reynawde is goon, & all his bredern, and all his folke also, and all this hathe doon that theef

mawgys, that hathe ben here wythin / for it can none otherwyse be.'

After that Charlemagne had sayd thise wordes / he began to walke wythin the castell, sekynge all aboute to see yf he myghte fynde reynawd or ony of his brethern. And soo longe he went thus here & there, that he founde the waye there as they wente oute / and whan the kyng charlemagne sawe the cave, he was sore abasshed wyth it / and called ogyer the dane, & sayd to hym, 'Ogyer, here is the waye where thrughe the traytours are goon awaye; and all thys hath doon me mawgis / For he hathe made this cave in dyspyte of me, Wherof he maketh my herte to breke in my bely.' 'Syre,' sayd the duke naymes / 'ye blame mawgys; but thys cave sheweth not that it hathe be vnmade this hundred yeres passed / and I telle you for certeyn that sarrasins made it fyrste.' Whan charlemagne herde thise wordes, he began to smyle wyth an angry face / and cursed theym that made the cave / and was merveyllously an angred, For he knew wel that reynawd & all his company were goon oute at the same hole / and soo he was dysmyssed of his purpose. he sayd thenne to his folke, 'Now goo lightly in, and seke where this hole brynge men vnto, for I shall not be at myn ease tyll I knowe it' / And whan rowlande vnderstode charlemagne / he put hymself wythin the cave / and made lighte a grete mayne of torches for to see in it. and after rowland wente with grete plente of frenshemen, that folowed hym / And thei wente soo longe tyll they came at thende of the cave, and founde [folio D.D.ii.a] theymself in the wode of the serpent / And whan rowlande was come out of the cave / he loked about for to know where they were, but he cowde not hymself knowe it. and thenne he sayd to hys folke, 'Lordes, me semeth that

for to goo ony forder for to seke after reynaud / it were but foly, for he knoweth well the countrey, and we wote not where to goo' / 'Syre,' sayd his felawes, 'ye saye well; therfore lete vs retourne to charlemagn your vncle, for to telle hym what we have founde wythin this cave.'

Whan rowland & his felawes were accorded, they retourned that way that they were come. And whan ye kynge sawe theym come oute agen / he asked of theym what they had founde, and yf they had founde ony yssue to goo oute of the cave / 'Syre,' sayd rowland, 'ye, wythout faylle / Wyte that reynawd & his folke are scaped you / and they have bayarde wyth theim / for here ye maye see the paath' / And whan the kynge charlemagne knewe the trouthe, how reynawd & his company were goon, he was soo gretly an angred that none myght be more / and the same hour he sent his messagers in all his londes & countres, for to wyte yf he myghte vnderstonde ony tydynges where reynawd & his bredern were become. And whan he had doon this, he commaunded that his oste shold dyslodge / and that they shold come all to mountalban. And whan the barons herde the kynge, they dyde his commaundemente / and cam all to mountalban, & lodged theym as wel as they cowde / and abode there well six dayes, makyng grete ioye that reynawd & his brethern were thus expelled out of it. And as the barons were devysing wythin mountalban, there came a messager to fore charlemagne, and salved him as to hym apperteyneth / and to hym he sayd in this wyse, 'Syre, wyte it that I have seen Reynawd, Alard, guychard, [folio D.D.ii.b] & Rychard, ledyng grete ioye wyth grete company of knyghtes / kepinge a grete courte wythin the cyte of ardeyne [dordonne, F. orig.] / Where as reynawd gyveth grete gyftes to every one, and I am sore

merveilled where he hath goten soo grete tresour. And also is there wyth hym the kynge yon of gascoyn / and that more is, I telle you for certeyn, that Reynawd hathe made a grete assemble of folke for to deffende him agenst you, yf ye goo in ony wyse for to assaylle hym' /

The kyng was moche angry whan he herde hys messager / soo sware he by saynt denys he sholde never lie in noo bed tyll he had beseged ardeyn [dordonne, F. orig.] / And whan he had sayd soo, he commaunded to his barons that every man sholde trusse his baggage / and that they sholde take on theyr way streyghte to ardeyn [dordonne, F. orig.] / And whan the barons herde charlemagn speke soo, they toke on theyr waye wythoute any more taryeng, ²towarde ardeyne² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig.] / and rode soo longe tyll that they came to mountargweyll / that was not ferre from ardeyne [dordonne, F. orig.] / For men myghte see from thens the steples of the towne. There was lodged the oost of charlemagne that nyghte / but I proymse he dyde doo make good watche, for doubte of the four sones of aymon. And whan the daye was come / charlemagne dyde set his folke in good ordenaunce / and wyth his baner dysplayed they rode towarde ardeyne [dordonne, F. orig.] / And whan reynawde wyste that charlemagn was come for to besege theim wyth in ardeyn, [dordonne, F. orig.] he began to swere that he sholde not lete him beseged, as he had doon wythin mountalban. For rather he wolde fyghte wyth charlemagne / And yf it maye soo falle that he come in his handes, he shall not have pyte of hym as he had to fore tyme, by cause he had founde hym soo cruell, and wythoute pyte / 'Brother,' sayd thenne Rycharde, 'now I see you speke like a knyghte / and by the feyth that I [folio D.D.iii.a] owe vnto you / I promyse you that, or ever charlemagn shal besege vs, I shall slee moo than an hundred

of his folke. And, but yf god faylle vs / we shall doo suche a thyng that shall be to the grete hurt and dysplaysure of hym / wherof he shall be sori all the dayes of his liff / For he is not manered like a gentyll man / For the more that he is prayed / the lesse he dooth.' 'Brother,' sayd alarde, [par la foy que je vous doy, F. orig.] / 'ye speke well & honestly, And I shall conne you thanke for it aslong as I live.'

Ye oughte to wyte that whan reynawd sawe that charlemagne come for to besege hym wyth a grete puyssaunce of folke / he was noo thynge abasshed wyth it. But [But, orig.] he made incontynente bondy, his good horne, to be blowen / and made his folke to be arryved redely, that were in grete nombre, and made theym yssue oute of the cyte / And whan his armye was assembled in the feeldes / it was a noble thynge for to see. And thenne he ordeyned his bataylles by good ordenaunce as a wyse fyghter / And after that he had doon soo, he called his brethern, and sayd to theym, 'My fayr brethern, this daye is the daye that we shall deye, or elles doo soo moche that we shall brynge the werre atte an ende / Wherfore, I praye you that every of vs shewe hym selfe a goode knyght; for in you is all my truste. And soo I promyse you that I have lever deye worthily in bataylle, than for to be hanged shamfully as a theffe. My brethern, I praye you come alle nyghe me / for I wylle that we ben the firste that shall smyte vpon our enmyes.' 'Brother,' sayd alarde, 'we shall doo your commaundement / doubte ye not of it / and goo forth whan ye wylle' / And whan they were soo agreed, Reynawde dyde chuse an hundred of the beste knyghtes of his felawship, and sayd to theym, 'Sires, I praye you that ye wyll be with me in the firste bataylle, and ye shall doo me grete honoure.' [folio D.D.iii.b] 'Syre,' sayd the knyghtes, 'we shall gladly doo your

commaundemente, and we shall not leve you as longe as liff is in vs; and so we thanke you of the grete worshyp that ye doo to calle vs in your company. For we knowe well that we can not fare amys as longe as we be wyth you.'

Whan Reynawd had ordeyned well his bataylles / he made none other taryeng / but went the formest of all, the sheelde atte the necke / and the spere in the fyst, and was mounted vpon bayarde, that behelde proudly about hym, makyng grete noyse / And thenne reynawd gaff hym the spore / and wente fayr vpon the folke of charlemagne. And whan charlemagne sawe bayarde comyng, that made so grete bruyte / and reynawde vpon his backe that came in soo fayr ordenaunce / he was sore abasshed of it / and sayd in hymselfe / 'O, goode lorde / and where the devyll have all redy had the four sones of Aymon so many folke as I see here now wyth theym? I byleve it is some devylles werke; for I had not lefte many wyth theym late a goo. And now reynawde is soo puyssaunte that he fereth me noo thynge. But I promyse god, all this shall not avaylle hym / but I shall doo iustyce vpon hym & his bredern or oughte longe' / And thenne he made his bataylle to be sette in ordenaunce in the beste wyse that he cowde / and lighted on horsbacke for to come fyghte wyth reynawde / And whan the duke naymes sawe that Charlemagne was soo madde that he wolde go fyghte wyth Reynawde, he wente to hym and sayd / 'Syre, Syre, what ys that ye wylle doo? I promyse you it were grete foly for to fyghte wyth thise folke / and it were better that ye sholde make peas with Reynawde / For I am sure that Reynawde shall doo all that ye wyll commaunde hym. And I telle you well, that yf we fyghte wyth theym, that ye shall [folio D.D.iv.a] see many knyghtes to traylle theyr bowelles thorughe

the feeldes / wherof it shall be grete harme to the one party / and to the other. And suche shalle the losse be, that it shall not be recovered agayne' / 'Naymes,' sayd the kynge Charlemagne, 'lete this alone / For I shall doo none other wyse, for no man that liveth. I sholde rather lete me to be dysmembred.' And whan the duke Naymes had vnderstonde his wordes, he was full sory of it / and lefte his spekynge therof. And from that hour, Charlemagne delibered hymselfe for to fyghte / and always he rode forthe in grete wrathe.

And whan Reynawd sawe that the two oostes were approched sore nyghe, thone the other / as to hande and hande, he sayd to his brother Rycharde, ¹that was nexte hym,¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. E. viii.] 'I wylle goo speke wyth the kynge Charlemagn, for to wyte of hym yf he wyll pardonne and take vs vnto his grace. For yf he wolde doo soo / I sholde doo enteerly all his wylle & playsure, as to our soverayne lorde' / 'By god, brother,' sayd thenne Rycharde, 'ye be not worthe a botelle of heye / For the herte is all redy faylled in your bely' / 'Goo forthe, myschaunte,' sayd thenne Reynawde / 'thou wote not what thou sayste, For I wylle goo there; noo man shall kepe me therfro / and yf he refuseth the peas whan I shall axe it of hym, I shall make myn a vowe to god that I shall nevermore requyre hym therof' / 'Brother,' sayd Alarde, 'ye saye well and wysely, goo there hardely / and doo therin your wylle' / And thenne Reynawde made none other delaynge / but he smote bayarde wyth the spores, and wente incontynente towarde the kynge Charlemagne, and sayd to hym, 'Syre, for god mercy suffre, yf it be your playsure, that we have peas and accorde wyth you / that this werre that hathe lasted solong maye fynysshe, and that your wrathe be putte awaye from vs, yf [folio D.D.iv.b] it playse you / and I shall be redy to doo all that ye wyll / and also I shall

gyve you bayarde my good horse.' Thenne sayd the kyng to hym / 'goo fro me, false gloton / the devyll spede the / for all the worlde shall not conne kepe the, but that I shalle slee the.' 'Syre,' sayd reynawde, 'ye shall not doo soo / and god wylle / for I shall defende me well / And wyte it, sith that it is com to this / ye shall not be spared of vs / but we shall do the worste that we can.' 'Smyte, knyghtes,' sayd the kyng / 'I shall never prayse you yf this evyll gloton scape me now' / and whan reynawd sawe this / he sayd, 'Syr kynge of fraunce, I defye you!' and forthwyth he spored bayarde / and ranne wyth his spere vpon a knyghte / whiche he smote soo harde in the breste, that he overthrewe hym deed to therth. And after that he wente agen to his folke. And whan Charlemagne sawe this, he cryed wyth an hie voys, 'smyte, knyghtes! now shall they be dyscomfyted' /

Thenne whan rowlande herde the kynge charlemagne crye thus / he spored after reynawde, and many other knyghtes also / but they overtoke hym not / Whan rycharde sawe his brother come, he cam hym agenst / and sayd to him, 'Brother, what tydynges brynge you / shall we have peas or werre?' 'Broder,' sayd reynawde, 'lete vs doo the best that we can, for peas we shall not have' / 'Brother,' said thenne richard, 'god blisse you for the tydynges that ye brynge! for I thinke to doo this daye suche a thynge wherof charlemagn shall be angry' / 'Brother,' sayd reynawde, 'I praye you that ye shewe yourselfe vertuous & stronge agenste our enmyes.' Whan the kynge charlemagne sawe that it was tyme to set vpon, he called hastly the duke naymes, & sayd to him / 'Naymes, holde my oryflam, and thynke to smyte well and valiauntly as a worthy knyght ought to doo at ether hande in keping [folio D.D.v.a] my worshyp, and herof I praye you hertly' / 'Syre,'

sayd the duke naymes, 'ye nede not for to praye me, for I am bounde to doo the same, but it greveth me that ye have not doon otherwyse / that is, that ye sholde have graunted to the peas; for the werre hathe lasted to longe.' 'Naymes, I commaunde you that ye speke nomore therof to me / for while I live they shall have noo peas wyth me.' 'Syre,' sayd the duke naymes, 'I am sory for it / Now lete see what ye shall doo / for I goo to bataylle firste of all; and loke that ye folowe me yf ye wyll, for I shal put me in suche a place, wherof ye shall be sore merveylled, and not wythout a cause / for there nys noo man so oolde / but he sholde soone gete hete there wythin a lityll while. Now folowe that wylle!'

Whan Reynawd sawe the oryflame of fraunce com / he broched bayarde wyth the spores, and ranne among the thickest, and smote a knyghte soo harde that he cast hym doun deed to the erthe / And after, he torned hym towarde his folke, and chered theym honestly, and thenne he went agen vp on his enmyes, and of theim he overthrewe foure, one after a nother, and vpon the fyfte [quartriesme, F. orig. E. viii. back.] he brake his spere ²in to many peces, & hurted hym right sore² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. E. viii. back.] / and anone he set hande to his swerde, & smote a knyghte wyth vpon his helme soo strongly, that he cleved hym to the teeth / and forth-wyth he smote a nother ²wyth suche strengthe² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. E. viii. back.] that he made fle the hede fro the body of hym / And after he had doon thise two strokes, he cried 'ardeyn' [dordonne, F. orig.] as hie as he cowde, for to reioysse his folke. And whan he had cryed soo / he sayd to theym / 'Now vpon theym, goode knyghtes / For this daye we shall avenge the grete shame that charlemagne hathe doon to vs soo longe wythout ony reyson.' And whan alarde, guycharde, & Rychard herde reynawd speke thus / they

ranne vpon their enmyes by suche [folio D.D.v.b] a maner that eche of theim overthrew vii knightes at that enpraynt. who that had be there than, he sholde have seen grete faytes of armes doon of the four sones of aymon / For after that they were ones assembled togyder / the folke of charlemagn myght not endure a fore theim / For reynawd & hys bredern went smytynge at eyther hande, and felde theyr enmyes doun sterke deed as bestes / soo that the moost parte of theim were slayn or discomfyted /

Whan the kyng charlemagn sawe the grete domage that the foure sones of aymon bare to hym / he was right sore an angred for it. And wyth grete wrathe he went & ranne vpon the folke of reynawd, & smote a knyghte soo vengably that he cast hym doun deed to the erthe / and brake his spere all in peces. And after, he toke his swerde in his hande, wherof he dyde merveylles of armes / so moche that his folke praysed hym for it, for he bare hymself there valiaunt & stronge / And wyte that this merveyllous bataylle was soo cruell that it was grete pite for to see.

¶ It is trouth that rowlande was a ferde for his vncle charlemagn, that he sholde be overthrowen, whan he saw hym in the presse, wherfor he went anone nyghe hym / and soo dyde oliver, ogyer, & all the xii peres, for to kepe that he sholde have noo harme. And whan the grete bataylles were assembled one agenst thother, ye sholde a seen there a sharpe & a hevy bataylle, so that it was pyte for to see / for sin that rowland, oliver, & all the xii peres of fraunce were com in the medle / they begann to make soo grete slauhter of the folke of reynawd, that they made theym leve the place / and whan reynawd & his brethern saw that, thei medled theim so sharpely amonge the frenshemen that every man made theim way; for they raught no man / but

thei threw hym deed to therthe, somoche that there was no thing but trembled a fore them. ye ought to wyte, that fro thour of prime vnto thoure of [folio D.D.vi.a] none, endured this mortalle bataylle / that none wyste who sholde have the better of it / But whan none was passed, the folke of Reynawde began to wythdrawe theymself, for they myghte nomore. And for to saye the trouth, yf the folke of reynawd wythdrewe theym / they were not to be blamed for it / for charlemagn had foure tymes more folke than reynawde, besides the twelve Peres that were suche knyghtes as men well know / But this that the Folke of reynawd dyd, was for the good ensample that they sawe in reynawde & in his bredern / And whan the noble knight perceyved that his folke wythdrewe theymself, he came to him that bare his standarde, & sayd to him / 'My frende, ryde towarde ardeyn [dordonne, F. orig. F. i.] in the wysest wyse that ye can, for this day we have foughte right sore / and it is tyme that we goo reste ourself.' 'Sire,' sayd the knight, 'I shall well doo your commaundement.' and incontynent he toke his waye towarde ardeyn. [dordonne, F. orig. F. i.] And thenne reynaud called his bredern, & sayd to theym, 'lete vs be behinde ³for to kepe our folke,³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig. F. i.] for otherwyse we are lost' / 'Brother,' sayd rycharde, 'doubte not / for as longe as god gyveth liffe to you & to bayarde, we nede not fere noo thynge' /

Whan charlemagn sawe that reynawd & all his company was goon / he cried wyth a hie voys, 'now after, lordes, after! for now ben they dyscomfyted' / But this worde ³of Charlemagne³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig. F. i.] was cause that many a worthy knyghte loste his life / For suche dyde folowe after Reynawd that payd derely for it, For Reynawde and his brethern slewe moo than an hundred that folowed after theym / And wolde Charlemagne

or noo, Reynawde and his bretherne entred agayne wyth theyr folke wythin Ardeyn. [dordonne, F. orig. F. i.] And ye muste knowe that Rycharde, the brother of Reynawde, iousted wyth Rycharde, the duke of Normandy, by the [folio D.D.vi.b] gate of Ardeyne, [dordonne, F. orig. F. i.] as they wolde have entred in / And there the duke was overthrowen, the whiche was taken prysoner by Rycharde the brother of Reynawde / and broughte hym in to the cyte, mawgre the folke of Charlemagne / And whan Reynawde and all his folke were wythin Ardeyne, [dordonne, F. orig. F. i.] he made the gates to be shitte / And after, went and dysarmed theym for to take some ease / For they had well nede therof.

Ye oughte to wyte, that whan Charlemagn saw that the four sones of Aymon had saved theymselfe, and that they had taken Rycharde the duke of normandy prysoner, that was one of the twelve peres / he was so angry that noo man canne be more / For he feered sore leste Reynawde sholde make to deye rychard of normandy. and whan he saw that he myghte doo none other, he commaunded that the cyte sholde be beseged of all sides; the whiche thynge was incontynente doon as he had commaunded / And thenne sware charlemagne, that he sholde never leve his siege vnto the tyme that he had taken the cyte, and the four sones of Aymon to be hanged shamfully / 'Syre,' sayd Rowlande, 'ye knowe that I am he that moost hath hurted the four sones of aymon, nor never I spake to you of peas bytwene you & theym / but fro hens forth reyson commaundeth me that I sholde speke & move therunto / Syre, ye know well that it is a goo XV yeres & more that ye have werred wyth the foure sones of aymon, and we had alwayes the worse of the werre / and not without cause / for reynawd & his bredern are valiaunt knyghtes, nor they

be not to be lightly brought to dyscomfyture [comment lon cuide, F. orig. F. ii.] / And I promyse you, if ye had werred solong vpon the sarrasyns, as ye have doon on the four sones of aymon, ye shold have be lord of the moste parte of theim / whiche had be to you more worship & les dommage. & wors is, ye know how richard of [folio D.D.vii.a] normandy, one of the beste knyghtes that ye had, is taken; and yf otherwyse it happeth to hym than well, it shall be to you grete dyshonour and blame, For therof ye shall see all fraunce in a rore & trowble / but yf ye put som remedy therto; [Car le dit richart de normandie a moult de grans amyz et parente, F. orig. F. ii.] and I telle you, yf I were in the cas that Reynawd is in, I sholde slee hym / Syth that I myghte have noo peas wyth you / Wherfore, syre, yf ye wyll byleve me, for your honoure & for your prouffyte, ye shall sende worde to Reynawde, that he deliver you agayne Richarde of normandy all armed vpon his horse, and ye shall make peas wyth hym. and I promyse you, syre, he shall doo it gladly wythall that ye wyll commaunde hym / and soo shall all his brethern also.' 'rowland,' sayd thenne the kynge / 'wylle ye saye ony thynge more' / 'Naye, syre,' sayd Rowland. 'And I swere you vpon my feyth, [dist Charlemaigne, F. orig. F. ii.] that the four sones of Aymon shall never have peas wyth me / and soo I telle, that I fere me not for Richarde of normandy, For Reynawde sholde rather put oute bothe his owne eyen than that he durste doo to Rycharde ony harme vpon his body' / And whan the barons herde Charlemagn speke soo / the teres began to falle doun from theyr eyen, for grete feere that Rycharde of normandy, theyr pere, sholde have ony harme / After all thise thynges, Reynawd & his bredern were within ardeyne, [dordonne, F. orig.] makynge

grete ioye / And after they were all oute of theyr harneys, Reynawd ordeyned good watche vpon the walles of the cyte. And thenne he made come the duke Rycharde of normandy a fore hym, and sayd to hym in this maner / 'Duke Rycharde, ye know well that the kyng dothe grete wronge for to trouble vs soo as he hath doon, and yet dooth wythout ony resonable cause / And therfor I tell you for certeyne / but yf ye make vs to have peas, thynke not to live ony lenger / For I shall doo smyte of your hede, and [folio D.D.vii.b] your body to be hewed in four quarters' / 'Syre,' sayd the duke Richarde of normandy, 'I am in your dangeour, soo may ye doo of me your playsure / Ye have taken me by werre / and none otherwyse. yf ye doo to me otherwyse than ye ought of ryght of werre / ye shall have dishonour for evermore / And soo I wylle well that ye knowe, that as longe as I live / I shall not faylle charlemagne for noo fere of dethe' / Whan Reynawde herde Rycharde of normandy speke thus, he refreyned a lityll his wrathe; and thenne he commaunded that he shold be put in yrons wythin his chambres, and that he sholde be well kept & curtesly, and that he be well served of that apperteyneth to his estate / Thenne was the duke Rycharde all thus in prison / but he was well served of all goode metes; and he had good company for to playe to what game that he wolde. And also the good duchesse clare dyde visite hym often, and recomforted hym with her fair langage /

Whan charlemagne had beseged the cyte rounde aboute, and sawe that by noo sawtynge he myghte not gete it / he dyde doo make grete engynes for to caste stones in / But what somever that he dyde, Reynawd & his bredern, and also his folke yssued oute often, as well by nyghte as by daye, vpon

the folke of the kyng Charlemagn / and dyde hym grete dommage / For reynawd toke noo man but he kepte him for prisoner / for to see yf he myghte have peas wyth charlemagn by meanes of theim. and whyle that charlemagn had layd his siege thus afore ardeyne [dordonne, F. orig. F. iii.] / the kynge yon of gascoyn fell sike a bed of a grete sikenes / and [add orig.] shrofe him of all his sinnes / prayenge god to have pyte & mercy on hym / and after he had be long sike, he deyed / god pardonne his soule! And wyte that reynawde made hym to be buried worshipfully, as to a king perteyneth / but ther was no man that wept [folio D.D.viii.a] for hym / For all they of the cyte hated hym, by cause of the grete treyson that he had doon to the four sones of Aymon. Now leveth the history to speke of this matere, and retorneth to speke of mawgys, that was in his hermytage, that served our lorde wyth good herte, somoche that he had forgoten Reynawd, his bredern / and his frendes.

CHAPTER XXI.

¶ How mawgys, he beynge in his hermytage / came hym a wylle by a vysion that he had by nyghte in his slepe / for to goo see reynawd & his bredern, [Au matin se mist a chemin, F. orig. F. iii.] And how he mette wyth ii marchauntes, that vii theves had robbed in a wood, of whiche theves the sayd mawgys slewe fyve / and deliverred to ye marchauntes all their good agayn / And after this he wente to ardeyne1 for to see reynawd & his bredern /

Now sheweth the history, that whan mawgys was in his hermytage, and had watched soo long aboute his prayers to god, he felle a slepe [en son oratoyre, F. orig.] / and him semed in his slepe that he was at mountalban, & sawe reynawd & hys bredern, that cam agenst hym, and made their complaynte to hym of charlemagn, that wolde take fro theim the goode horse bayarde / but reynawd had hym fast by the brydle / and wolde not lete it goo / And wyte it, that mawgys had soo grete sorowe in his dreme, that he awoke wythall all wrothe, and arose on his fete incontinent / And thenne he sware our lorde he sholde never ceasse to goo / tyll he had seen reynawde and his brethern, his good cosyns / And whan mawgys had sayd soo, he made none other taryenge, but he shet the dore of his chapell, and toke his wede & his staffe, and wente on his waye all soo sone as he myghte / And abowte the hour of noone he founde hymselfe in a grete woode / where he founde two men, that wente makynge evyll chere [folio D.D.viii.b] and grete sorowe / and whan mawgis sawe theym, he cam to theym, & sayd, 'God be wyth you' / and one of theim answered & sayd / 'certes, god is not wyth vs / but rather the devylle; For vnhappy was that hour that ever we cam in to this wode; for we ben vndoon for ever' / 'Goode sires,' sayd mawgys, 'what eyleth you that ye speke so' / 'Good man,' sayd the one of the two, 'a lityll byfore you are theves, that hathe robbed vs of our clothe, [que nous pourtious vendre, F. orig. F. iii. back.] and have sleyn one of our felawes / by cause he spake to theim angrely' / Whan mawgys herde thise pour marchantes speke thus, he had grete pyte of theim, & sayd to theym / 'my frendes, come wyth me / I shall praye the theves, in our lordes behalfe, that they wyll deliver you agen your goodes / and yf they wyl not doo it, I shall

be wroth with theim / and soo I shall fyghte wyth theym aswell as I can / wyth my staff, for to wyte yf theyr hedes ben softe or harde.' Whan the marchantes herde mawgis saye soo / they began to loke vpon hym, yf they cowde knowe hym; ¹but they myghte not knowe what he was¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. F. iii. back.] / Thenne spake to hym one of theym in this maner / 'and what devyll is that ye say? [Ils sont sept et .. F. orig. F. iii. back.] thou art but a man alone all naked, & thei ben all armed / and also ye can scantly heve vp your staff.' 'Lete this fole alone,' sayd that other, 'see ye not how his eyen goo in his hede.' and thenne they sayd to mawgys, 'Broder, goo thy wayes, and lete vs in peas / or elles I shall gyve the suche a stroke wyth this staff that thou shalt fele it well' / and whan mawgis sawe the marchante speke thus to hym, he sayd / 'Broder, thou doost not well to speke to me so / for by force thou can not gete oughte of me' / And thus departed mawgys fro the marchauntes, & went his way somoche that he overtoke the theves, & sayd to them, 'lordes, god save you / I pray you tell me why ye take away ye goodes fro thise marchantes: ye know wel that it is not [folio E.E.i.a] yours / Wherfore, I praye you, lete theym have agayne theyr marchandyse, and god shall conne you thanke' / Whan the theves herde mawgis speke to theym thus / they were angri for it, And behelde vpon mawgis from over the sholder, as he had be a sarrasyn / Thenne spake the mayster of the theves, [qui estoit de mauluaise part, F. orig.] & sayd to mawgys / 'Goo thy waye, hourson / or elles I shall gyve the suche a stroke wyth my fote that I shall breste the herte wythin the bely.' And whan mawgis herde this, & knewe that the theeves fered nother god nor his moder / he was right an angred / And heved vp his

palmers staffe, & smote the mayster theef wythall vpon his hede soo strongly, that he caste hym doun deed to the grounde. And whan thother theves sawe their mayster deed / they ranne all vpon mawgys for to have kylled hym / but mawgys areched theym so wyth his staffe, that he slewe fyve of theym wythin a lityll while / and thenne the other tweyne beganne to flee awaye thrughe the wood. And whan mawgys sawe that they forsoke the place, he followed theym not / but cryed vpon theym, 'Ha, false theves, tourne agen for to deliver your thefte where ye toke it.' And whan the marchantes herde mawgys crye thus, they came Incontynent towarde hym / and they founde that the theves that had robbed theym were deed / And thenne they sayd the one to the other, 'here is a good pylgryme! I wene it is my lorde saynt martyne.'

Whan the marchantes sawe this that mawgis hadde doon, they were ryght gladde of it / Soo came they to warde mawgys, & kneled byfore hym, & cryed mercy of that they had sayd to hym. 'Lordes,' sayd mawgys, 'yf ye gaff me grete wordes, soo dyde the theves moche more, For they called me "rybawde, truaunt, & hoursone;" but they have boughte it right ¹dere, as ye may see,¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] and I am ryght sory that two of [folio E.E.i.b] theym are scaped from me. Stonde vp thenne, & take wyth you your goodes agen / and god be with you! but I pray you, telle me, or ye goo, yf ye wote not where is charlemagn' [si vous en savez ne se Il a pris montauban et les quatre filz aymon qui estoient dedans, F. orig. F. iv.] / 'Syre,' sayd the marchauntes, 'We wote well that charlemagn hathe taken mountalban / but we promyse you he hath not yet taken none of the four sones of aymon; [ne les gens, F. orig. F. iv.] for they were goon oute wyth theyr

folke thorughe a cave vnder the erthe, that they founde vnder the walles of the castelle, vnto the cyte of ardeyn, [dordonne, F. orig. F. iv.] where as they ben now / And charlemagn hathe layd their his siege afore theym / and wylle not make no peas wyth Reynawd ²nor wyth his bredern'² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. F. iv.] / 'Certes,' sayd mawgys, 'I am sori for theym, for they ben good knyghtes & true.' [les quatre filz aymon, F. orig.] Whan mawgys vnderstode that charlemagne had beseged Reynawd within ardeyn [dordonne, F. orig. F. iv.] / he comended the marchauntes to god, and toke his waye towarde ardeyn; [dordonne, F. orig. F. iv.] and soo moche he wente, that he came in to the ost of charlemagn, and went streyght towarde the cyte, and made semblaunt to be sore feble / for he went lenyng vpon his staff / And whan the folke of charlemagne sawe mawgys goo thus / thei loked sore vpon hym, and sayd the one to the other / 'that pylgryme is like to goo ferre / he can not stonde vpon his fete' / 'By my othe,' said a nother, 'it myghte well be mawgys, that is soo dysguysed for to dysceyve vs' / 'It is not soo,' sayd thother / 'mawgys is not a live' / And while that they devysed thus togyder, mawgys cam nere to the wycket of the gate, and founde the meanes that he gate in anone / And whan he was wythin ardeyn, [dordonne, F. orig. F. iv.] he wente to the palays / where he founde Reynawd, & the duchesse his wyffe, and bothe theyr children, aymonet & yonnet, and ther vncles, his cosins, with a grete meiny of noble knightes, that were all at theyr mete. Whan mawgys had loked a while vpon theym / he lened agenste a pyler that was in ²the myddes of the halle² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. F. iv.] [folio E.E.ii.a] afore reynawde. Thenne began he to loke agen vpon his fayr cosins, that he loved so moche above all thynges of the worlde. And whan the maryshall of the halle sawe mawgis, wenyng to hym that it had be a pour hermyte / he commaunded that he sholde be

served of his dyner, for goddys sake [Et que on luy appourtast et pain et vin aussi de cher a grant plante la quelle chose fust Incontinent faicte ainsi que le seneschal lauoit commande, F. orig. F. iv. back.] / And whan mawgys sawe the mete that was broughte him / he sayd / 'My lordes, I beseche you, for the love of god, that ye wyll playse you for to bryng me som broun brede & water in a treen dyshe / and thus I shall be served as to me apperteyneth, For I dare not take none other mete' / And whan the stywarde ²of reynawde² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig.] sawe that / he made him anone to be brought all that he wold have / Thenne toke mawgys the broun brede, & made soppes in water [dedens ung anap de bois, F. orig. F. v.] / and ete of it wyth goode apetyte. And whan reynawd sawe this poure man afore hym, that lived soo pourly, and was soo lene & so pale / he had of hym grete pyte / Soo toke he a dysshe that was before hym, that was full of venyson / and sente it to hym by a squyre of his, that presented it to him, saieng thus, 'holde, goode man, the duke sendeth you this' / 'God yelde hym,' sayd Mawgys. and thenne he toke & set the disshe afore hym, but he ete noo thynge of it. And whan reynawd sawe that, he was gretly merveylled / and sayd to hymselfe / 'God, who is that goode man that liveth soo harde a lif? yf he were not soo lene, I sholde saye it were myn cosin mawgys [qui nous a fait suffrir maintes detresses, F. orig. F. v.] / but a nother thynge sheweth me that it is not he / For he wolde not hyde hymself from me in noo wyse.'

Reynawd behelde stylle mawgys somoche, that he lefte his mete for to loke vpon hym / And whan the tables were take vp / and that everi man had eten at his ease, they wente to their warde to defende the towne as they were wounte to doo / in their harneys. And whan Reynawd saw [folio E.E.ii.b] that every man was goon /

and that there was noo body wythin the hall for whom he wolde leve to saye his wylle, he wente to mawgis, [et luy nust ses bras au col, F. orig. F. v.] & sayd to hym, 'goode hermyte, I pray you, for the reverence of that god that ye serve, that ye tell me yf ye be mawgis or noo / for ye are well like hym' / Whan maugis herde reynawde speke thus to him / he cowde hide himselfe noo lenger, and sayd all on hie / 'Cosin, I am mawgis without doubt / I am com to se you, and I am glad that I see you, & also all your bredern in good plight.' And whan reynawd vnderstode that it was his cosin that he loved mooste of all the men in the world, and that had kept him dyverse times from perell & dangeur / he had not be soo glad yf men had gyven hym the halve of all the worlde / Soo went he & kyssed him more than a C. tymes, & after he sayd to hym in this maner: 'fayr cosin, I praye you that ye wyll doo of this cope that ye were vpon you / For my eyen can not see you thus pourly arayed.' thenne answerde mawgis to him, & sayd / 'My cosin, be not dysplaysed of that I shall telle you / ye must wyte, that I have made my vowe to god, that I shall never ete but alonly brede & wylde herbes, & that to my drynke I shall take none other but water / and that I shall never were, the dayes of my liff, none other clothes but suche as this is; for I have gyven myself vtterly to serve & love our blessed savyour & his gloryous moder, for to bryng my soule to salvacyon in the blisse that ever shall laste.'

Whan Reynawd herde his cosin mawgys speke thus, he was in a thoughte whether it was mawgis or noo, For he cowde not knowe hym well, by cause he was soo sore apayred of hys persone, And began to loke well vpon hym agen. And he sholde never have knowen hym, yf it had not be a lityll liste that he had by his right eye. And after that [folio E.E.iii.a] he had

very knowlege of him / he made grete ioye for hym. And he prayed hym agen / sayenge in this wyse / 'fayr cosin, I praye you for the love of the feyth that ye owe to me, that ye wylle telle me the trouth of that I shall aske you.' 'Syre,' said mawgis, 'I shall telle it you gladly' / 'Cosin,' sayd reynaude, 'I wolde wyte where ye have be, ever sith that ye wente fro me / and from whens ye come now' / 'Syr,' sayd mawgys, 'sith it playse you to wyte of my livynge, I shall shewe it you wyth a goode wylle. Ye ought to knowe, my fayr cosin, for certeyn that I have made myselfe an hermyte, and I have lefte the worlde for to serve hym that made me, & the blessed virgyn mary, ¹his moder,¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] for to have pardonne of my sinnes that I have doon in my life / For I have don many grete evylles agenst my creatour / and by me are deed so many folke, wherof I knowe that our lorde is gretly wrothe agenst me' / After that Reynawde had herde mawgis speke thus / he had so grete pyte on hym that the teres felle alonge his chekes fro his eyen for love of his good cosin. And thenne he called his bredern, & sayd to theym / 'come hither, my brethern, and ye shall see your cosin mawgis' / And whan alarde, guychard, & rycharde herde thyse wordes / their hertes rose in their belies for ioye, and ranne all to mawgys, & kyssed hym full swetely / And whan the duchesse wyste that mawgis was com, she came anone there as he was, and kyssed hym / wepynge full sore ¹for ioye that she had to see hym¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] / And thenne cam there Aymonet & Yonnet, that made grete ioye, ¹and welcomed hym¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] / And thrughe all the cyte was anone knowen the comynge of the valiaunt mawgys / wherof many folke came to see hym. But he was soo chaunged / and soo apayred, that it was pyte for to see. Thus was Reynawde well glad of the comynge of his goode cosyn / And after that [folio E.E.iii.b] they had made grete ioye

a longe whyle / Reynawde called his brother Rycharde, & sayd to hym / 'Brother, goo fette anone a goode gowne for our cosin mawgys, and lete hym be brought a payr of shone that ben wyde ynoughe, for I know well that his fete ben sore' / and thenne he sayd to hys wyffe / 'Lady, aryse / and fette hym suche linnen as he nedeth' / 'Syre,' sayd she, 'he shall have of the beste ynoughe anone.' And whan mawgys herde this worde, he sayd to Reynawde, 'Syre, I telle you truly, that I have sworne that I shall never were shone, nor linnen clothes abowte me / But doo to me, if it playse you, to gyve me a newe sloppe and a large hode, a palster well yrende, & a male / and therwyth ye shall well contente me; And thenne I shall comende you to god / and I shall goo my waye. For I am not comen here but only for to see you / wherof my desire was sore sette vnto' / Right sory was Reynawde whan he herde mawgys say soo, in somoche that almoste he was swoninge for sorowe 'Reynawd,' sayd thenne mawgys, 'leve your sorowe, For I have gyven myselfe to god vtterly, for to brynge my soule to blysse of heven / And soo wylle I goo to the holy londe, for to serve to the temple of Iherusalem, [trois ou quatre ans. Et si dieu me donne la grace que Je puisse la venir Je mectray toute ma poine pousse servir, F. orig. F. vi.] and for to vysite the holy sepulcre of our lorde / And whan I have doon so, I shall come agen to see you, ²and god spare me my liffe.² [^2—2 omitted. F. orig. F. vi.] And thenne I shall goo agayne to myn hermytage / and shall live there as a beest wyth rootes & wyth wylde herbes, as I dyde byfore that I came here' / Whan Reynawde herde this, he was sory for it / and sayd to mawgys in this wyse / 'Fayr cosyn, for god, take wyth you a gode horse, and money ynoughe / For ye shall have all thys of me' / 'Holde your peas,' sayd mawgys / 'I wylle not therof / for whan

I have brede / it is to me ynoughe / For all my hope is in god / to whome I praye that I maye come agayn hole and [folio E.E.iv.a] sounde' /

After all thise thynges thus sayd, Mawgys prayed Reynawd that he wolde make haste to make hym be deliverde suche thynges as he had desired of hym. And Reynawde dyde soo, syth that he myghte not make hym to take none other thynge wyth hym / And whan the morowe came / and that mawgys had his newe sloppe and his hode / he toke his palster, and his newe male that reynawde had gyven hym / he wente & herde masse / and after the masse / he toke his leve of every one, and wente on his waye. And reynawde conveyed hym vnto the wyket of the gate of the cyte, and kyssed him; and in like wyse dyde all his brethern / and also the duchesse clare and her chyldren / And whan they had all kyssed mawgys, he comended theym to god / and wente oute of the towne, and wente forth the ryght waye. But he was not ferre goon, whan he was advyronned rounde abowte hym wyth the folke of the kynge Charlemagne / And the one sayd to the other, 'here is the heremyte that we sawe yesterdaye, but he is now better clothed than he was atte that time / It myghte be well mawgys, the cosin of reynawd, that hathe mocked vs dyverse tymes.' 'Certes,' sayd the other, 'It is he verely: lete vs slee hym / and we shall doo wel' / 'we shall not,' sayd some / 'For this man semeth to be an hundred yere olde / It can not be / but that he muste be a goode man, and it were synne to doo hym harme' / All thus as thise folke said thise wordes, Mawgis herde all that they sayd, and helde his peas, But wente on his waye stylle thorughe the ooste withoute ony lettyng of ony man. ¶ Here leveth the histore [hisstore, orig.] to speke of mawgys, that wente in to the holy londe, And retorneth to speke of Charlemagne, that had

beseged ardeyn [dordonne, F. orig.] / by cause that reynawd & his brethern were wythin.

CHAPTER XXII.

[folio E.E.iv.b] ¶ How reynawde wolde doo hange rycharde of normandy, by cause he myghte not have peas wyth the kynge charlemagne / And how the twelve peres requyred Charlemagne to make peas wyth reynawde. [pour auoir leur compaignon le duc richart de normandie a la quelle chose charlemaigne respondit quil non feroit riens dont Ilz furent si mavris quil le laisserent, F. orig. F. vi. back.] And how they lefte charlemagne by cause he wolde not make peas / And how he sente worde to theym that they sholde come to hym agen, And he sholde make peas wyth reynawde / [Iroit oultre mer son pain querant, F. orig. F. vii.]

In this party sheweth, that the kinge Charlemagne was at the siege afore ardeynNOTE PLACE="foot">dordonne, F. orig. sore an angred, that he myghte not knowe how rycharde of normandy dyd. Soo sent he for all his barons for to com to hym; and whan they were come in his pavylion, he sayd to theym / 'Lordes, I see well that it gooth yll wyth me, by cause I see that Reynawde hathe not sente me agen rycharde of normandy / and he myghte well have deliverde hym fre & quyte, and have sende hym vnto me, for all the harmes that he hathe doon to me.' 'Uncle,' sayd rowland, 'I merveylle gretly of that ye saye. Ye shewe well to vs that ye be wythout counseylle. By the feith that I owe to you / I promyse you ye shall never see rycharde of normandy / but if ye pardonne reynawde & his bredern. Dyverse tymes he hathe meked hymselfe vnto you / and hathe be alwayes redy to fulfylle

your playsure / and ye wylle not take hym to your grace. Be not thenne merveylled yf Reynawde shewe now some dyspyte agenste you. For, and ye consydre well the grete curtesy that he hathe doon vnto you, namely, whan he had you atte hys wyll wythin mountalban, and that he delivered you, and suffred you goo quyte & free from hym atte your libertee, ye sholde doo for hym otherwyse than ye doo. But syth that Reynawde seeth that he maye not fynde noo mercy in you / he wylle not lese his [folio E.E.v.a] curtessye, But he shall doo the worste that he canne / as ye maye well perceyve the experyence of it every day / For he dommageth vs dayly, and kepeth his prysoner the beste knyghte that ye had / that is, Rycharde the duke of normandy / the whiche I wene be deed by this tyme.' 'Nevewe,' sayd the kyng Charlemagne, 'I promyse you that Reynawde hath not put hym to dethe / But he kepeth hym well atte his ease & wyth grete honoure.' 'Syre,' sayd thenne the duke Naymes, 'syth that the wordes ben come to this, I must telle you my minde. [quil me semble estre vray, F. orig. F. vii.] Syre, yf Reynawde bereth you dommage / ye canne not blame him for it / For he hathe prayed you soo many tymes humbly that ye wolde have mercy on hym / And ye wolde never here hym / But ye have alwayes shewed your self the moost prowde kynge of the world agenste hym, and the moost angry; and ye wylle byleve noo counseylle. And soo I telle, yf Reynawde hathe not made to deye Rycharde of normandy, he is the kyndeste man of the worlde / But I byleve better that he is deed than otherwyse; For noo man here canne telle whether he be deed or a live.'

Whan the kynge Charlemagne herde the duke Naymes speke thus / he knewe well that he tolde hym trouth / Soo beganne he to syghe sore / and

to thise wordes came forth the bysshop Turpyn & Ogyer the dane / that sayd in this maner / 'Syre, wyte it verely that Naymes telleth you trouthe / For Reynawd hathe a goode cause to be angry wyth you.' And whan Charlemagne herde his barons speke thus / he was all abasshed of it / And called the duke Naymes, the bysshop Turpyn, Ogyer the dane / and Escouff the sone of Oedon, and sayd to theym, 'Lordes, I praye you goo to Ardeyne [dordonne. F. orig.] / and telle Reynawde in my behalve, that he wylle sende me Rycharde of normandy / And [folio E.E.v.b] whan he hathe doon soo / that he delyver Mawgys in to my hande, ³for to doo my wylle of hym³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig.] / And thenne he shall have peas wyth me [et si luy rendray sa terre et tiendray ses deux enfans auecques moy, F. orig. F. vii. back.] all the dayes of my liffe' / 'Dere syre,' sayd the duke naymes, 'ye sende vs for noughte / For I wote well that mawgys is goon from Reynawde / it is thre yeres passed and more / And yf Reynawde wolde deliver hym / he maye not / For he knowe not hymselfe where he is' / 'Naymes,' sayd the kynge / 'ye shall atte leste here what Reynawde shall saye to you / And ye shall also knowe how Rycharde of normandy dooth' / 'Syre,' sayd the duke Naymes, 'sythe that it playse you that I shall goo, I am well contente / but I praye our lorde that we maye retourne agen hole and sounde of our persones / wythoute to be dyshonoured' / Whan the barons sawe that Charlemagne wolde that they sholde goo to Ardeyne [dordonne. F. orig.] for to doo his message, they durste not saye there agenste / And so they wente theder anone, [et ne cesserent jusques a ce quilz furent a dordonne, F. orig. F. vii. back.] and eche of theim bare in his hande a branche of an olive tree in token of peas / And whan they came to the gate, they founde it open for theym /

For Reynawde had seen theym come fro ferre. Wherfore he commaunded that the wycket sholde be open. And whan the barons sawe the lityll gate open / thei went in to the towne / and came to the palays / And whan Reynawde wyste that they were come within the palais, he wente and layd hymselfe doun on a bed wyth his legges crossed, and sware god & his moder that he sholde not praye Charlemagne of noo thyng, For he had doon hym to grete harme. For thrughe the kynge charlemagne he had lost his goode cosin mawgis, & mountalban / that he loved somoche. This hangynge, cam there the messagers of kynge Charlemagne a fore Reynawd / Whan the duke Naymes, that was the formeste, sawe Reynawde, he saluted hym honourably. [et puis luy dist, Sire dieu soit auecques vous et vous gard de mort et de prison, F. orig. F. vii. back.] [folio E.E.vi.a] And after, he sayd to hym / 'Syre Reynawde, the kynge sendeth you worde by vs / that ye sende hym agayn Rychard the duke of normandy / And more over, he sendeth you worde, that yf ye wylle deliver hym mawgis, ye shall have peas wyth hym all the dayes of his liffe / And he shall delivere you agayne all your londes. And he shall kepe bothe your children in his courte wyth hym, & shall make them knightes wyth his owne handes' / 'My lordes,' sayd Reynawde / 'ye be ryght welcome to me, as the knyghtes of the worlde that I oughte to love beste. But I merveylle me gretely of charlemagn / that sendeth me thise wordes; for every man knoweth well that I have not mawgis / But by hym I have loste hym / And wolde god that I had here Charlemagne, as well as I have Richarde of normandy / And yf he wolde not graunte me peas wyth hym / I promyse you he sholde leve his hede for a pledge / Soo sholde I be thenne avenged of all the grete harmes and dommages that he hathe doon to me /

syth that I have be made knyghte of hym / Lordes, I wende that Charlemagne had be more curteys than he is. For yf I had wyste that he wolde have be soo felle vpon me ¹and my brethern,¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] I sholde well avenged it vpon hym / But it is to late to repente me that I dyde not doo / Wherfore, that ye voyde oute of my paleys, and goo telle your kynge that I have not mawgys / But I have loste hym for hym / and also yf I had hym he sholde not have hym / And by cause I have thus loste my goode cosyn mawgys for hym / I shall make tomorowe Richard the duke of normandy to be hanged vpon the cheef gate of this cyte, in the dyspyte of hym; for no lenger respyte he shal not haue of me, how be it that he is of my linage. & I telle you / com nomore here / nor no man of Charlemagne / For I promyse you, I shall stryke of the [folio E.E.vi.b] hedes of as many as shall come from hym to me, ³wythoute ony fayle.'³ [^3—3 car puis que lon este en folie lon la doit maintenir, F. orig. F. viii. back.]

Whan ogyer the dane sawe Reynawde soo angry, and that he answerde soo proudly, he merveylled sore / And drewe hymselfe by Reynawde / and sayd to hym / 'Fayr cosin, I praye you that ye wylle shewe to vs Rycharde of normandy / to the ende that we maye telle Charlemagne that we have seen hym.' 'Ogyer, I have well vnderstande you,' sayd Reynawde, 'but ye shall never see hym afore that I have hanged hym. And yf Charlemagn be angri wyth me for it / lete him avenge it yf he canne / ¹for I defye hym & all his power;¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] and goo you hens anone! For, by my soule, yf ye abyde here ony lenger, it shall repente you full sore' / And whan the barons sawe that Reynawde was soo fervently wrothe / they durst noo lenger tary there, but toke leve of hym / and wente oute of the cyte / and

wente lightly to the ooste of Charlemagne that awayted after theym. Whan the kynge sawe the barons come, he sayd to theym, 'Lordes, ye be welcome / what tydynges brynge you? have ye not seen Rycharde of normandy?' 'Syre,' sayd the duke naymes / 'Reynawde dooth you to wyte, that aslong as he maye ryde vpon bayard / ye shall not have mawgys / for he hathe loste hym by you / And for vengaunce to be taken of the same / Reynawd sendeth you worde by vs, that he shall hange tomorowe rycharde of normandy vpon the gret gate of his towne; and thus shall be doon of all your men that he shall take. and yet he sayeth more / yf he had you aswell as he hathe rychard of normandy / that yf ye wolde not graunte hym peas, ye sholde leve with hym your hede for a pledge.' [ne aultre chose nen prendroit, F. orig F. viii. back.] Whan rowlande herde the wordes that naymes had reported to his vncle charlemagne / he sayd / 'Syre, be not displaised of that I shall telle you / me semeth that ye shall [folio E.E.vii.a] never see the duke Rycharde; and all for your pryde. Syre, we fynde in holy scrypture that god curseth the frute that never is rype / thus shall it be by you, that never wylle rype, nor condescende to noo peas wyth the four sones of aymon, the best knyghtes of the worlde / that so many tymes have praied for it humbly & full pyetously / Wherfore I swere to you vpon all halowes, that yf the duke rycharde be hanged / ye shall lose honour & worship all your liff dayes.' Whan charlemagne herde his nevewe rowlande speke thus, that sayd that rycharde of normandy sholde be hanged, he was soo myschevously an angred, that he gnewe the nayles of his handes / for grete wrathe / And ye oughte to wyte that charlemagne was soo angry atte that tyme / that yf he had had ony maner of staffe in his hande / he wolde have gladly smyten rowlande /

But whan he saw that he myght not accomplisshe his wylle / he called his barons / and sayd to theym / 'Lordes, ye wene to make me a-ferde wyth your wordes / I am no childe for to be thus abasshed / and soo I swere you by my feythe, that yf Reynawd were soo hardy to doo ony harme vnto richarde of normandy, I sholde hange hym wyth myn owen handes / he & all his linage, that none sholde be lefte a live' / [ne Il ne se sauroit eschapper en espaigne qui este tant grant, F. orig. G. i.]

Ryght sore wrothe was the kynge charlemagne whan he herde telle that reynawde wolde make Rycharde the duke of normandy to be hanged / But whan ogyer herde charlemagne swere thus, that sholde hange all the linage of Reynawde / he cowde not absteyne himself, but that the teres felle doun fro his eyen; and thenne he sayd to the bysshop turpyn, 'Syre, what thynke you by our kyng, that sayeth by his grete pryde that he shall hange vs all; for all that he dothe, procedeth but of enuye & pride / but god sende me deth yf I care for his wrathe! for if reynaud hathe not lied to vs, he shall [folio E.E.vii.b] doo be hanged to morowe rycharde of normandy in suche a place where as Charlemagne shall mowe see hym hange wyth his eyen' / This hangyng, the duke naymes sawe that the kynge was angry, and he sayd to hym / 'Syre, wyte it that we all be sore abasshed, that ye threte vs of one parte, & reynawd of the other / And I merveylle me not of reynawde, for he is soo wrothe, for by cause that ye have made hym lose mawgys, that noo man myghte be more / And I promyse you, for grete angre he shall make rycharde of normandy to be hanged; and as to you, namly, he wolde stryke of your hede yf he had you in the cas that he hath rycharde now / and yf he hangeth rycharde, what maye we doo therto / that ye threten vs somoche therfore / wherfore I counseyll all my

felawes that are of the linage of reynawd, that we goo our wayes, and that we lete you shyfte of the werre of the four sones of aymon' / 'By god,' sayd thother peres of fraunce, 'naymes speketh well, ¹and he gyveth vs good counseylle' /¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.]

Thenne whan Charlemagne sawe his barons soo sore moved / he wyste not what he shold doo, but gaff theim leve to wythdrawe theym selfe vnto the morowe, ¹that they sholde retorne to him;¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] and he hymself went to his bed / but al nyghte he coude not fall a slepe / but wentled in his bed without ony rest / and wyst not what to doo / and whan the daye cam, he rose from his bed, and sent for all hys barons. And whan thei were come, he sayd to theim, 'Lordes, what shall we doo of reynawde, that wylle hange the duke rycharde of normandy afore myn eyen?' 'Syr,' sayd thenne the duke naymes, 'for noughte seketh one counseyll, that will not put it to effecte / why aske ye counseyll, sin that ye wylle doo noo thing but after your owne hede / but, & ye wylle byleve me, I swere you on my feith that all good shal com therof / Sir, make peas with [folio E.E.viii.a] reynawde, and ye shall have the duke rycharde / and also ye shall have the good love of all your men / for there is none but he is wery of the werre / and they have raison.' 'Naymes,' sayd the kynge, 'I wylle not doo it! holde your peas therof, for that shall be the last worde that ever I shall saye' / 'Syre,' sayd rowland / 'by my soule ye doo grete wrong / for yf ye suffre the good duke rycharde to be hanged, that somoche hathe loved you & doon grete honour, it shall be to you grete shame; and soo I swere to you vpon all halowes, that yf I see hange rycharde of normandy, I shall parte out of your oste fro your servyse / and I shall goo soo ferre that ye shall never have helpe of me' / 'Rowlande,' sayd oliver, 'wene not that I shal

abyde after that ye are goon / for the kyng dooth grete wronge to reynawde our cosin' / Full sore an angred was the kinge to here thise wordes; but he helde thenne his peas, & sayd never a worde. And wyte it, all thoost was moved by cause thei fered sore leest reynawde shold make rycharde of normandy to be hanged / for he was wel beloved of the folke of charlemagn / & also he was of a grete kynred & a noble linage.

This mornynge, thenne, reynawde that was wythin ardein, [dordonne, F. orig.] after that he had herde his masse / he called his thre bredern, & sayd to theym, 'My bredern / It gooth full yll wyth vs that we can have noo peas with charlemagn / but sith it is thus com / by the feyth that I owe to the olde aymon, oure fader, I shall angre him ryght sore / For I am sure, yf he had vs in his handes, he wolde vtterly dystroye vs wythout pyte / And therfore I am dysposed for to doo the worste that I can agenste hym. For now, afore his eyen, I shall hange ye duke Rycharde of Normandy / For I am well sure that Charlemagne shall wexe fyre angry for it, whan he shall see hym' / 'Broder,' sayd alarde, 'I praye you, as moche as [folio E.E.viii.b] I can, that ye wylle not [omitted, F. orig.] doo as ye saye, For I shall hange hym myselfe yf ye wylle.' 'brother,' sayd reynawd, 'I wylle wel.' 'Now commaunde,' sayd alarde, 'that the gibet be dressed all hie vpon the gate, that charlemagn & all his oost may see him.' Shortly to speke, reynawd dyde doo make the gybet in suche a place that charlemagne myghte see it as well as he had be by / And wyte it, that rowlande was the firste man that perceyved it / and whan he sawe this, he began to crye as hie as he myghte / 'Syre, sire! now see how they wylle hange the duke richarde wyth grete shame / alas, he hathe shrewedly enployed his tyme in your servyse, And now he is full

yll rewarded for it / and also it is a shrewed ensample to all them that serve you!' 'Alas,' sayd oliver, 'now shall the goode duke rycharde be hanged wyth grete shame, for I see the gybet righted vp' / 'Holde your peas,' sayd charlemagne, 'they doo all this but for to make me abasshed, and that they myghte have peas wyth me; but for all this, thei shall not have it / and soo I promyse you they dare doo hym noo harme of his body.' Thus recomforted charlemagne hymself, wenynge that reynawd had not durst hange the duche richarde. This hangynge, rowlande, [oliver, F. orig. G. ii. back.] that had the thyng at herte, behelde alwayes towarde the towne, and sawe that men ryghted the ladder to the gybet / thenne sayd he to oliver, [Rolant, F. orig. G. ii. back.] 'Ha, oliver, [Rolant, F. orig. G. ii. back.] true felawe & good frende, yonder I see the ladder that is set vp all redi for to hang richarde of normandy / full yll he hathe bestowed his good servyse wyth charlemagne.' 'Syre oliver,' sayd rowland, 'ye saye well trouthe, god save Richarde!'

After that the ladder was ryghted to the gybet above, vpon the hyghe gate ³of ardeyne³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig.] / Reynawde called ten of his folke / and sayd to theym, 'Galantes, goo fet me the duke rychard / For I wylle that he be hanged Incontynente.' [folio F.F.i.a] 'Syre,' sayd they 'we shall doo your commaundement.' And they wente in to the chambre wh[e]re the noble duke of normandy was / and founde hym playng atte the ches wyth yonnet, the sone of Reynawd / and thenne thise men toke hym, and sayd / 'Syre duke, com forth! for Reynawde hathe commaunded that ye shall be hanged incontynent.' Whan the duke rycharde of normandy herde thyse felawes speke thus to hym, he loked vpon theym over the sho[l]der / and wolde not answer to theym, but sayd, 'my fair yonnet, hast you for to

playe, for it is tyme that we goo to dyner' / And whan thise galantes sawe that rycharde of normandy answered noo worde vnto theym / they began to take hym on everi side, & said to hym / 'Aryse vp, duke rycharde / for in dyspyte of charlemagn that loved you somoche, ye shall be hanged now' / Whan the duk rycharde saw that thise sergauntes had hym thus by the arme / and helde in his hande a lady of yvery, wherwyth he wolde have gyven a mate to yonnet / he wythdrewe his arme, & gaff to one of the sergauntes suche a stroke wyth it in to ye forhede that he made him tomble over & over at his fete. and thenne he toke a roke, & smote a nother wythall vpon his hede that he all to broste it to the brayn. and after that, he smote another of theim wyth his fiste so grete a stroke that he breake his necke, and felle deed to therthe / And whan the other sawe theyr felawes thus arayed, they began to renne awaye. And whan rycharde sawe theym goo, he cryed to theim: 'Fle, rybawdes, goddys curse have you / come not here again' / And whan he had said soo, he sayd to yonnet, that was all abasshed / 'Playe well, my childe / for ye shall be mated / I trowe thise truauntes were dronken, that thus wolde have had me awaye, but I have well gyven theim their parte.' And whan yonnet herde him saye so / he durst not speke agenst [folio F.F.i.b] it, by cause he sawe hymselfe soo sore an angred / but played wyth his roke that he sholde not be mated / but he myght not save the mate / Whan the duke rycharde had mated yonnet, he called a yoman that was there / and sayd to hym / 'Goo, take thise carles that lien here deed, and caste theim oute at the wyndowes' / The yoman dyde incontynente his commaundement. For he durst doo noo thyng there agenst, for doubte he sholde have fare as the other, that he had seen slayen in his presence /

Alarde was the same tyme oute of the castell, and awayted that rycharde were brought to hym, that he mighte goo hange hym / and he saw how the deed were cast doun oute of the wyndowes of the towre / wherof he was wrothe, and wente to reynawde, & sayd to hym / 'Syre, I knowe that the duke rycharde wylle not lete hymselfe be take. and ryght dere it shall coste or he be broughte to the gybet / see how he hathe slayne your men / and how he hath caste theym oute atte the towre at the wyndowes' / 'Brother,' sayd reynawde, 'the duke rycharde is to be doubted in his takynge / lete vs goo to the helpe of our folke, for elles they ben in daungeur of their lives' / And thus as they wolde have goon / they that he had sente for to take rycharde came there vnto hym. and whan they saw reynawde, they sayd to hym, 'By god, sire, the duke rycharde shall not be take wythoute grete stryfe, For he hathe slayne thre of our felawes / and whan we saw that / we fledd awaye, and lefte hym playeng wyth your sone yonnet.' Whan reynawd vnderstode this / he was ryght angry for it, and sware by all halowes, that yf he had not peas that day wyth charlemagne / rycharde of normandy sholde not scape hangyng, what somever it sholde hap therof / And whan he had sayd thise wordes, he went towarde the towre where richard [folio F.F.ii.a] was / and his bredern went wyth him / for thei wold not leve him. and also XL men well armed, for to take the duke rycharde, yf he wolde defende hymself / whan reynawd was come to the gate of the towre, he made it to be opened, & went in, and whan he was wythin, he sayd to the duke rychard, 'Vassall, why have you slayn my men?' 'cosin,' sayd richarde, 'now here me, if it playse you / It is trouth that X rybawdes cam here ryght now / and layd hande vpon me; and they sayd, that ye had thus commaunded theym / whiche thyng

I cowde not byleve. For, & ye had sayd soo, it sholde have be spoken outrageously. soo made I theim to flee oute of this chambre in grete haste / and slewe of theim I wote not how many, be cause I myghte not absteyn me [Puis les fis jecter hors de sceans par ses fenestres, F. orig. G. iii. back.] / and yf it semeth you that I have doon amys, soo take ye amendes vpon me. But I wyll wel, that ye wite that I wolde not have don to you suche a shame as ye have doon to me, yf I had had you as ye have me. reynawde, yf I have doon amys in ony maner / I am redy to make amendes for it / but ye knowe it is no reyson that no carle shall iudge suche a man as I am / for that longeth to a kyng, to a duke, or to an erle. the custume is suche ye wote it well / Yf the kerles have harme [harmt, orig.] / be it that have medled theym wyth it, none ought to blame me therfore' / 'By god, rycharde,' sayd thenne reynaud, 'ye shall saye what ye wyll, but trust me yf I have not this daye peas wyth charlemagne, I shall make you to be hanged in suche a place where that charlemagn may see you' [et si ne vous pour donner ayde ne secours, F. orig. G. iii. back.] / And whan reynawd had sayd this, he made richard to be take / and made his hande to be bounde fast, and after sayd to him, 'I telle you, on my feyth, that if I have not this daye my peas wyth charlemain, that for no prechinge that ye can make, nor for noo man of the worlde, I shall not leve, but I shall make you deye a shamfull deth.' 'By my [folio F.F.ii.b] soule, reynawd,' sayd richard, 'I fere me not that ye shall doo that ye saye, for ye dare not doo it as long as charlemagn is a live' / Whan reinaude herde the duke richard speke thus / he was so wrothe that he loked all blacke in the face for angre / and thenne he said to richarde, 'by that god that made me, ye shalle soone knowe what I dare do, & whether I am cowarde

or hardy' / And thenne he made hym to be brought whereas the galohous were righted / and thenne he sayd to hym / 'Rychard, I wyl that of two thynges [thtnges, orig.] ye chose thone yf ye lust / that is, that ye make me have peas with charlemagn, or elles that ye helpe me agenst him / and, but yf ye doo this / wyte that I shall make you hanged & strangled, and I shall not leve you for all this that ye be of my linage. And yf ye wylle take my parte agenste the kynge Charlemagn, ye shall be deliverde forthwyth.' [car puis apres feray grant dommage a charlemaigne se vous me volez ayder de tout vostre pouvoir, F. orig. G. iv.] ¶ 'By god, reynawd,' sayd thenne rycharde, 'now have I herde you speke like a childe / wene ye that I shall do that ye saye for fere of deth? certes, nay. for the kyng charlemagn is my sovereyn lorde, and of him I holde myn herytage / and thoughe he dothe wronge to leve me here / I oughte not to faile hym therfore [mais le tort quil aura de moy il le trouvera au jour du Jugement, F. orig. G. iv.] / But, & ye wylle do well / lene me a messager, the whiche I shall sende to charlemagn & to his barons, for to wyte yf he be disposed for to lete me deye here shamfully.' 'By my feyth, rycharde,' sayd reynaud, 'ye speke now wysely' / and thenne he called one of his folke, & sayd to hym, 'Goo & do that rycharde of normandy shall telle you.' 'My frende,' sayd rychard to the messager, 'ye shall goo to charlemain, & tell him on my behalve / that I praye hym as to my sovereyn lorde, that yf ever he loved me, that he wylle pardonne reynaude. And I shall take vpon me to make amendes for hym / yf he hathe in ony thynge mysdoon agenste hym / as the twelve peres of fraunce shall iudge him / And yf he wylle not doo soo, that he [folio F.F.iii.a] wylle loke hederwarde / And he shall see me hange shamfully / Of that other parte, ye shall saye to rowland, & to all my felawes,

that yf ever they loved me, that thei wylle shew to charlemagn that it shal be a grete shame to hym, yf he suffreth that I deye thus shamfully' / 'syre,' sayd the messager, 'doubt not, I shall doo your message well' / After thise thynges thus sayd / the messager wente oute of the towne to the oost of charlemagn, the whiche he founde [en son pavillon, F. orig. G. iv.] full of thought / And whan he sawe him / he made hym reuerence / and after sayd to hym, 'Syre, [dieu vous saul aussi la belle compaigne, F. orig. G. iv. back.] wyte it that richarde the duke of normandy recomendeth hym humbly to you / and prayeth you as hertly as he can, & as to his sovereyn lorde, that yf ever ye loved hym, that ye wylle shewe it now / for he mystreth well of it / For yf reynawd have not peas this daye, torne your sighte vpon yonder gate, after that I am com home agen / and ye shall see him hange shamfully' / And whan the messager had sayd this to the kynge / he loked abowte him, and sawe the twelve peres / and sayd to theim, Fyrst to rowlande / and after to the other / 'Lordes, the duke rycharde prayeth you, rowlande, and all ye in generall, that yf ye ever loved hym, that ye wylle praye Charlemagne that he wylle make peas wyth reynawd, or otherwyse he is deed without mercy' / And whan rowlande herde this, he spake fyrste to the kyng, and sayd, 'Syre, for god I praye you / suffre not that ye be blamed. Ye knowe well that how the duke rycharde is one of the beste knyghtes of the worlde, and he hathe best served you at your nede. For god, sire, make peas wyth reynawde / for to recover suche a knyght as is the duke rychard of normandy / for grete shame it were to you for to lete hym thus deye.' And whan the duke naymes, and the bysshop turpyn, ogyer, escouffe, the sone of oedon / and olivere of vyen herde [folio F.F.iii.b] Rowlande

speke soo, They beganne to saye to the kynge / 'By god, sire, yf ye wylle not make peas with reynawd for to recover our felawe the duke Rycharde of normandy / ye shall lose moche by it / For wythin shorte tyme ye shall see your londe dystroyed afore you' /

Whan Charlemagne sawe that his peres were thus moved for love of Rycharde of normandy / and that they accorded all for to make peas / he wende for to have goon oute of his mynde / And sware by grete wrathe as a man mad, that Reynawde sholde never have peas with hym / but yf he had mawgys to doo his wylle wyth hym. And whan he had sayd so, he tourned hym towarde the xii peres of fraunce, and sayd to theym, 'My frendes, take noo fere for Rycharde of normandy / For Reynawde sholde sooner lete to be drawe one of his eyes oute / than he sholde do him ony harme or shame' / 'Syre,' sayd the bysshop Turpyn / 'ye are besyde your selfe / For ye see all redy that Rycharde is iudged to dethe' / 'Bysshop,' sayd Charlemagne, 'ye speke well folyshly. Knowe ye not well that Rycharde of normandy is of the linage of Reynawde. I promyse you he dare not doo hym harme by noo maner' / 'By god, syre,' sayd Oliver, 'ye have well payed vs by your sayenge. Why dare not Reynawde hange the duke Rycharde? For I knowe somoche by him that, yf he had you as he hathe Rycharde / He durste well hange yourselfe and all vs.' 'Syre Oliver,' sayd the messager / 'I swere you on my feyth, that Reynawde ceased not all this daye to praye the duke Richarde that he wolde forsake charlemagne / and he sholde save his life, wherof the duke Richarde of normandy wolde doo noo thyng / but spake grete wordes to Reynawde.' And whan the messager had sayd thus / he sayd to the kynge, 'Syre, gyve me leve to goo, of it playse [folio F.F.iv.a] you, and telle me what I shall saye to rychard of normandy from you.'

'Frende,' sayd Charlemagne, 'ye shall telle hym on my behalve, that he put noo doubte in noo thynge, For Reynawde shall not be soo hardy to doo hym ony harme.' Whan the messager, that was a wyse knyght, vnderstode charlemagne, he cowde not absteyn hymselfe, but he sayd to hym / 'Syre emperour, ye be overproude; but I promyse you that reynawde setteth lityll by your pride / and I make you sure that alarde wayteth well for my comynge agen / For he wolde not take a hundred thousande pounde for to leve rychard, but that he sholde hange hym his owne handes' / And assone as he had sayd soo / he went his wayes wythoute ony leve takynge of the kynge, streyghte to ardeyn.

Whan the xii peres sawe the messager goo wyth an ill answere / they were full sory for it. 'Ha, godys,' sayd ogyer, 'how the devyll the kynge is felle, & harde of herte / that wylle nother peas nor concorde / I am well sure that his pryde shall be cause of a shamfull dethe to rychard.' 'Oger,' sayd rowland, 'ye saye trouth, but, & I see him hang, god never helpe me at my nede yf I abyde after it wyth charlemagne whiles I live' / and whan he had sayd soo, he went to thother peres, & sayd to theim, 'Lordes, what shall we doo / shall we lete thus rycharde be hanged? our felawe, one of the best knyghtes of the worlde, & moost hardy / for thrughe his prowes he is there as he is. Never noo fowle worde issued oute of his mouth / alas, we shall now see hym hange wyth grete shame. certes, yf we suffre it, we ben shamed for ever.'

Rowland, [Roluand, orig.] as a man dysperate, cam thenne to the kyng all wrothe, & sayd to hym in this maner / 'Syr, by my soule, I goo now oute of your servyse wythout your leve.' and after he sayd to ogyer, 'Oger, what wyll ye doo / wyll ye com [folio F.F.iv.b] wyth me / and leve

this devyll here / For he ys all beside hymselfe' [Pour ce que luy avons tant obey et tant de fois prie et pour ce il sen tient si fier et si orguilleux, F. orig. G. v. back.] / 'By my hede, rowlande,' sayed ogyer, 'ye saye trouthe / I shall never in my liffe abyde wyth hym / but I shall go gladely wyth you where ye wylle. And I shall not leve you for no man in the worlde / syth that he suffreth that suche a valiaunte man shall deye, as is the duke Rycharde of normandy, that he loved somoche. He sholde soone doo soo by vs / for he is a man that hathe in him nother love nor pyte.' And whan Olyver of vyenne vnderstode thise wordes, he stode vp / and sayd / 'Lordes, I wylle goo wyth you / I have dwelled here to longe.' 'And I also,' sayd the duke Naymes / and like wyse Escouff the sone of oedon / And whan the byshop turpyn sawe this / he casted a grete sighe, and sayd, 'By my feythe, Charlemagn, It is evyll to serve you / For of gode servyse ye doo yelde an evyll rewarde / as it is well seen now by the duke Rychard of normandy, that hathe served you so well and so truly / And yf I dwelle ony lenger with you, I praye god punysshe me for it.'

Thenne whan Charlemagne saw his peres that were soo sore moved wyth angre agenste hym / he sayd to theym / 'Lordes, have noo doubte of noo thynge / For the duke Richarde shall have no harme.' 'Syre,' said the duke naymes, 'ye doo grete wronge for to saye soo / for a fole never byleveth ²tyll he fele sore.² [^2—2 tant quil a pris, F. orig.] wene you to make vs foles wyth your wordes / We see the galohous made vp for to hange our felaw / wherfore I tell you that a mischef take me if I dwel wyth you ony lenger.' whan the duke Naymes had sayd soo, he went oute of the pavylion of charlemagn, and in likewise all the peres of fraunce wyth him / and went in to his tent, the whiche he made to be pulde doun incontynent

/ And whan they of the oost of Charlemagn sawe that, they were sore [folio F.F.v.a] affrayed. And ye oughte to wyte that they were so sore moved wythin a lityll while, that there abode in the oste of charlemagn not one baron nor knyghte, but oonly the pour simple gentylmen / and comyn people. Whan Rowlande sawe this, he wente on his wayes wyth the other peres / And wyte it, atte that hour the oost of Charlemagne was made lesse than it was afore by XL thousande men.

Reynawde, that was vpon the hyghe gate of Ardeyn, sawe soo grete nombre of folke comyng togyder / soo called he to hym the messager, that was but comen fro charlemagn / and sayd to hym in this maner / 'Come here, messager, telle me what Charlemagne hathe sayd to you.' 'Syre,' sayd the messager, 'wyte it that ye have myssed of peas / For Charlemagne wylle noo thynge of it, But he sendeth you worde by me, that ye be not soo hardy (vpon the eyen of your hede) to doo ony harme to the duke Rycharde of normandy' / And whan he had sayd this / he tourned hym towarde the duke Rycharde, and sayd to hym, 'Syre duke, now maye ye knowe how moche Charlemagne loveth you / Wyte it for certeyn that ye gate nother helpe nor socours of hym; and for the love of you, Rowlande and all the other peres of fraunce ben full sore an angred wyth hym. For ye maye perceyve it well by their tentes that ben pulled doun / And soo I am sure that the moost parte of the oost shall departe for the love of you / And soo shall not abyde there, but oonly the erle Guynellon and his linage / For theyr tentes ben ryghted, and all thother broughte doun' / Whan reynawde wyste that the frenshmen were angri wyth Charlemagn for the love of the duke rychard of normandy / he chaunged his corage, and cowde not kepe hym from wepyng. And after he tourned hym towarde Rycharde of normandy,

and sayd to hym, [folio F.F.v.b] 'for god, my cosin, I praye you to pardonne me the grete shame that I have doon to you' / 'Reynawde,' sayd Richarde, 'I blame you not, for I wote well ye can not doo therto / For the grete pryde & cruelnes of Charlemagn is causer of all this.' Whan reynawde had cryed mercy to the duke Rycharde / he vnbounde him; and alarde & guycharde cam to helpe him / for they were all glad that richarde was deliverde / notwythstandynge afore that they were dysposed for to make hym deye shamfully / And whan they had doon, Reynawd sayd / 'cosyn rychard, lene vpon this walle, and we shal loke what charlemagn wylle doo' / 'Syre,' sayd the duke rycharde, 'ye saye wel, lete vs see it' /

Whan Charlemagn sawe that his barons went awaye as it is sayd / he was sory for it, that he wexed almoste madde all quycke for angre, and helde a demye launce in hys hande, the whiche beganne to gnawe wyth his teeth, so angry he was. And whan his wrathe was a lityll goon / he called a knyghte, and sayd to hym / 'Now lighte on horsback lightely / and ryde after rowlande & after the other barons, & telle theim in my behalve, that they com speke wyth me, and I shall be demened as they wylle theymself / and that I shalle pardonne reynawd yf they wylle come agen to me.' 'Syre,' sayd the knyghte, 'blessed be god, that hath brought you to this mynde.' And thenne this knyghte toke an horse, and rode hastely after the twelve peers of fraunce. [si roydement quil sembloit que la terre deust fendre dessoulz les piedz de son cheval, F. orig. G. vi. back.] And whan Reynawde, that was wyth the duke rychard vpon the gate of ardeyne, apperceyved this, [chevallier qui cheuavchoit si roydement, F. orig.] he sayd to the duke of normandy / 'cosin, I see come a knyghte [moult vistrement, F. orig.] oute of the

pavylion of charlemagn / I byleve that he gooth to the twelve peres of Fraunce for to make theym to retourne agayne / I wene we shall [folio F.F.vi.a] have this daye peas, and god byfore' / 'Syre,' sayd Richard, [Reynawde, orig.] 'ye shall have peas mawgre all theim that letteth it / I oughte to love derely my felawes that ben cause to kepe me from dethe / and also to have peas.' Wyte it that the knyghte rode so faste that he overtoke Rowland / and all the other peres, and sayd to theym, 'Lordes, the kynge sendeth you worde by me that ye wylle retourne agayne / and he shall pardonne reynawde for the love of you / And for goddys love come lightely / For he never lefte wepyng syth that ye wente your waye from hym.' 'Naymes,' sayd Rowland, 'lete vs retourne agayn / For I hold the peas made / wherof this sorowfull werre shal faylle that hathe lasted soo longe.' Whan the duke Naymes herde Rowlande saye soo / he was glad of it, and Ioyned his handes towarde heven, and sayd / 'Good lorde Ihesus, blessed be the tyme that it hathe playsed for to tourne the corage of our kyng / and that this vnhappy werre is broughte atte an ende.' And whan the duke naymes had sayd this / they retourned agayn towarde charlemagn.

And whan reynawd apperceyved that the twelve peres wente agayn to Charlemagne / he sayd to the duke Rychard of normandy, 'Cosyn, the barons retourne agayne / I by-leve that the peas shall be made, and that we shall mowe well goo soone at our liberte. now shall reynawd may say that I & my bredern ben at his commaundemente / and shall be as longe as we ben men an live.' Well gladde were the barons on the one parte / and of the other, By cause that god had suffred that the peas sholde be made / And whan charlemagn sawe his barons come agen, he went agenste theym & sayd / 'Bi god, my lordes, ye are welle full

of grete pryde that ye make me to be com peasible ¹wyth reynaud¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] agenst my wyl; ye knowe that I have hated him somoche that I maye not see him, [folio F.F.vi.b] but I shall be angry by cause of his pryde that is soo grete. Wherfore, yf ye wylle that I make peas wyth him, I wyll that he goo into the holy londe pourly clothed on fote / And soo I wylle have his horse bayarde. And I shall retourne agayne to his bretherne all their livelode oute of my handes. Therfore, yf thus he wylle doo / I shall falle to peas, and accorde wyth him, and elles not. For I make myn a vowe to god that I shall never do otherwyse therin / than I telle you now. And therfore loke well whiche of you shall doo this message.' 'Syre,' sayd the duke Naymes / 'I shall goo to Reynawde wyth a good wylle / yf it be your playsure that I goo to hym.' 'Naymes,' sayd Charlemagne / 'It playseth me well' / And thenne Incontynent the duke Naymes rode to ardeyne [dordonne, F. orig.] / And whan Reynawde saw hym come, he knewe hym well / and wente hym agenst / and soo dyde the duke rycharde / and all the brethern of Reynawde / Whan the duke Naymes sawe the noble barons come agenste hym, he lighted from his horse anone / and wente and kyssed theym all, and after he had doon soo, he sayd / 'Reynawde / Charlemagne sendeth me to you with his gretynge' / 'God yelde hym,' sayd Reynawde / 'Now have I that I have desired soo longe / Naymes, shall I have peas?' 'Ye,' sayd the duke naymes, 'vndre a condycyon / whiche I shall telle you. It is that ye must goo pourly clothed, and beggyng your brede for goddys sake in to the holy londe, and soo shall ye leve bayarde wyth charlemagne / And this doon ye shall have peas / And he shall gyve agayn your heritages to your brethern.' 'Duke Naymes,' sayd Reynawde, 'ye be ryght welcome /

And I promyse you that I am redy to doo the commaundemente of the kynge. And yf he wylle have of me ony thynge more by ony wyse, I shall in every poynt fulfylle his wylle if it be possyble / [folio F.F.vii.a] for me to doo it / Now shall I be a goode trewaunt / for I can well aske brede whan me nedeth' / Whan the duke Naymes herde Reynawde speke thus, he was well gladde of it, and so was the duke Rycharde, that they sawe the noble Reynawd agreed to the wylle of Charlemagne / soo moche as for to be-come a poure begger for to have peas. And after that Reynawde was thus accorded herto, he went into his stable and toke bayarde, and deliverde hym to the duke Naymes / and thenne he toke his baner, and bare it on high vpon the highe towre in token of peas. And whan Charlemagne sawe the baner of Reynawde, he shewed it to rowlande / 'Ha god,' sayd Rowlande / 'how meke is Reynawde, and good of kynde, to have made peas in this maner of wyse. Blessed be Ihesus that hathe gyven hym that wylle for to goo now a fote, wherof I playne hym sore' / 'Rowlande,' sayd ogyer / 'Reynawde is a lambe full of mekenes / and in him are all the gode condycyons that a knyghte oughte to have.' This hangynge, came there the duke naymes that broughte bayarde wyth hym / and presented hym to charlemagne / and sayd to hym / 'Syre, Reynawde is redy for to doo all that ye have commaunded hym / and he shal departe to morow yf ye wyll, syth your playsure is soo.' 'I wylle well,' sayd charlemagne / 'but telle me where is the duke Rycharde, For I wylle knowe it.' 'Syre,' sayd the duke Naymes / 'wyte that the duke Rycharde fareth well, and is abyden wyth Reynawde / for he wylle conveye hym whan he gooth' / And wyte that reynawde, thys hangynge, made grete chere wyth his folke at his ease, and after sayd to theym / 'Lordes /

I beseche you be not sory that I goo / for I have made this peas more for you than for me. I praye you that ye holde well togyder till I com agen.' And whan he had sayd this to theim / he wente to his chambre, & [folio F.F.vii.b] vnclothed hymselfe from his goode raymentes / and caste vpon him a pour mantell, and a payer of bygge shone wel clouted / and made be broughte to hym a palster well yrened for to bere in his hande. And ye muste wyte that the duke rycharde was stylle wyth hym, to whome reynawde commended his wyfe and hys chyldren / and all his brethern / And that he wolde praye the kynge that he sholde have theym for recomended / And whan he had arrayed hymselfe so he came towarde the halle to the duchesse hys wyfe.

Whan the noble duchesse clare sawe her husbonde soo arayed in his beggers clothynge / she toke suche sorowe for it that she felle doun in a swonne to the erthe as she had be deed. And whan reynawde saw her falle, he ranne for to take her vp / and after sayd to her, 'Lady, for god take it not soo sore at your herte / For I shal soone come agen, and god byfore / And wyth you shall my brethern abyde that shall serve you as theyr lady / And soo I telle you that I am so glad of the peas, that me semeth that I am come agen all redy / Madame, my dere wyfe, I praye god kepe you from all evylles' / And with thys he kissed her full swetly / and thenne he toke on his waye. And whan the duchesse sawe hym go, she toke for it soo grete sorowe that she swouned agen / and abode thus a longe while, that all her gentylwymen wene she had ben dead / And after she was come agen to herselfe she made grete mone for her lorde reynawde. For she scartched her face / and pulled her heres from her hede for grete sorow / And whan she had made soo moche sorowe / she sayd, 'O gode husbonde reynawde, whos

like is not in all the worlde of goodnes / god be wyth you / For I wote wel that I shall never see you.' And whan she had sayd thise wordes she went in to her chambre, & toke all her noble raymentes & caste theym [folio F.F.viii.a] in a fyre; and whan they were all brente, she toke a poure smocke, and caste it [hit, orig.] abowte her / And sayd she sholde never were no other clothes tylle she sawe her lorde husbande agen.

After that reynawd had taken leve of his wyfe / he departed. the duke rychard, his bredern, and his folke conveied hym a grete waye / alwayes spekyng that it was pyte to here / and whan reynawd thoughte that they had goon ferre ynough with him, he torned him towarde theim, & sayd, 'Lordes, I praye you humbly that ye retorne home agen / for aslong as ye be wyth me I am not at my ease / goo your waye in the name of god, & recomforte my wife the duchesse, that wepeth so sore. & to you, my bredern, I comende her & my children also.' Wyte it that whan reynawde had sayd this / there was none that cowde take leve of him, soo full of sorrowe they were / except alarde, that sayd to him, 'My dere broder, I praye you hertly that ye come shortly agen / for your departyng is so hevy to me that I trowe I shall deye for sorow' / and whan alard had sayd soo, he enbrased his brother, & toke leve of hym, makynge grete sorow. and so dyde rycharde of normandy, to whome reynawd sayd / 'my cosin, I comende you ones my wyfe agen, & my children / and all my bredern, For they ben of your blode; well ye knowe it.' 'Reynawd,' sayd the duke rycharde / 'I promyse you, & swere as a knyghte, that I shall helpe & deffende theym agenst all men except agenst the kyng; and doubt not for theym, for thei shall want noo thyng.' ¶ Now leveth the history to speke of Reynawd, that went to the holy londe arayed as ye have herde /

And retorneth to speke of hys brethern, how they came to the kynge Charlemagne / wyth the duke rycharde of normandy /

CHAPTER XXIII.

¶ How after that reinaude was departed fro ardein [dordonne, F. orig.] to make his viage beyonde see clothed pourli as a pilgrim, [pilgirm, orig.] asking [folio F.F.viii.b] his mete for god sake, the duke of normandy toke alarde, [baiart, F. orig.] guycharde, & rychard / and brought [t]hem wyth him to charlemagne / whiche receyved theim honourably / and toke vp his siege / and went agen to parys. But whan he came to the cite of lege, vpon the ryver of meuze / he made bayarde to be caste in it / with a mylle stone at the necke of hym. But men sayen that baiard scaped oute / and that he is a live yet in the forest of ardeyn.

In this party sheweth the history, that whan reynaude had put hymselfe to the waye as ye have herde / Richarde of normandy & his brethern came agen to ardeyn, [dordonne, F. orig.] full sory ⁵for reynawd⁵ [^5—5 omitted, F. orig.] / where as they founde the good duchesse clare, that made grete sorowe ⁵for her lordes departynge.⁵ [^5—5 omitted, F. orig.] And whan they were come agen there / the duche richard toke the duchesse by the hande, and began to recomforte her / and soo many fayr wordes he sayd vnto her that she slaked a lityll her sorowe / and after this, the duke rycharde sayd to the brethern of reynawd in this maner / 'Lordes, goo make you redy, and we shall goo to charlemagn.' 'Sir,' sayd the thre brethern / 'lete vs, whan it playse you.'

and thenne they went, & toke on the beste clothyng that they had; And I promyse you they were thre fayr knyghtes. and after they were well appareylled / they mounted eche of theym vpon a palfrey of hye price, right fayr, without ony armes / And for to speke shortely, they issued oute of ardein, [dordonne, F. orig.] & cam to the pavylion of charlemagn / and whan the kyng sawe theim, he was right glad, Soo commaunded all his barons that they sholde goo agenste theim / 'Ha, god,' sayd rowland / 'now comen the thre brethern well sory / certes, they haue a cause / for they have loste theyr helpe, socour, & hope. Now I see that the duke richard cometh with theim / wherof he dooth wel / for he is their kinnesman.'

[folio G.G.i.a] Ye oughte to wyte that the thre bredern of reynawde came to the pavylion of charlemagne welle honestly arayed. and whan they were afore the kyng, thei kneled humbly at his fete / and alarde speke firste, & sayd / 'Syre, reynawd our broder recomendeth him humbly to your good grace, and salveth you as his soverayne lorde / and he sendeth you Rycharde, the duke of normandy, whiche ye see here; and soo he prayeth you that ye wylle have vs for recomended / for he hathe taken his waye towarde the holy londe for taccomplyshe your commaundement.' 'Frende,' said the kyng charlemagn, 'ye be ryght welcom / Syth that it playseth our lorde that we shall be frendes, I shall doo for you, and shall brynge you all to honour, as it aperteyneth to suche knyghtes as ye ben / And yf god wylle bringe reynawd sauf agen from his vyage, I shall holde hym as dere as I doo myn owne nevew rowlande / for he is replenyshed wyth grete worthynes' / 'Syre,' sayd rycharde, 'god brynge hym agen!' Whan the kyng had thus spoken wyth the bredern of reynawde / he cam to the duke richarde of normandy, &

kyssed him more than X tymes / and whan he had feested hym ynoughe, he sayd to hym / 'Duke richarde, I praye you that ye wyll telle me what pryson gaaff you reynawde, and what metes for to ete?' 'Syr,' sayd the duke of normandy, 'by the feyth that I owe to god & to you, I had better pryson, & was more at my ease, than ever knyght was, for I was served of the same that reynawd was / and somtyme better; and soo I promyse you, sire, that the gentyll duchesse, his wife, made me grete chere and good company wyth her two fayr children / Sir, I beseche you, yf ever ye love me, that ye wylle worshyp Alarde & his brethern, yf it playse you, For they have doon to me grete honoure / And they [thye, orig.] have gyven me grete yeftes / And yf it playse you, ye [folio G.G.i.b] shall have the goode duchesse and her children for recomended, for she is the humblest lady of the worlde / and the moost wise' / 'Rycharde,' sayd charlemagn, 'wyte it that I shall not faylle theym aslonge as life shall be in my body / and whan the children of reynawd shal be in age for to be made knightes, I shall dowbe theym to it myn owne handes wyth grete worshyp / and god spare me liffe, and soo shall I gyve theym landes ynoughe for to mayntene theyr astate' / 'Gramercy, sir,' sayd the duke rycharde / 'and god yelde you!'

Whan they had devysed all ynoughe of the thynges afore sayd, the kynge charlemagne commaunded that he sholde be dyslodged; and anone his commaundemente was doon, and thenne every man put hymself to the waye towarde his countrey. And whan the kynge sawe that it was tyme, he mounted on horsbacke, and toke on hys waye towarde the cyte of lege / and whan he was come in lege, he lodged hym vpon the brydge of the ryver of meuze. and whan the mornynge was come / he made be broughte afore hym

the goode horse of reynawd, bayarde / And whan he saw hym he began to saye in this wyse / 'ha, bayarde / bayard / thou hast often angred me, but I am come to the poynt, god gramercy for to avenge me / and I promyse the thou shalt now abye it full dere the tourment & felony that I have often tymes had by the.' And whan the kynge had sayd so / he made a grete mylstone to be fastened at the necke of bayarde / and thenne made hym to be caste from the brydge doun in to the [reviere de muse, F. orig. H. ii.] water / And whan bayarde was thus tombled in the ryver, he sanke vnto the botome of it. And whan the kynge sawe that, he made grete Ioye, and soo sayd, 'Ha, bayarde, now have I that I desired, and wysshed soo longe / For ye be now deed, but yf ye drynke oute all the water' / And whan the frenshe men [folio G.G.ii.a] sawe the grete cruelnes of Charlemagn, that avenged himselfe vpon a pour beest, they were yll contente / And thenne spake the bysshop Turpyn, and sayd / 'Ogyer of danmarke, what thynke you by charlemagn? he hathe well shewed atte this tyme a grete parte of his grete felony' / 'sire,' sayd ogyer, 'ye saye trouth / he hathe doon to grete foly for to make dey suche a goode beest as this horse was' / 'Syr,' sayd oliver to rowlande / 'Charlemagne is now woxen all folisshe' / 'ye saye full trouth,' sayd rowland, 'I perceyve it full well' / and for to say the trouthe, there was none of the twelve peres, but he wepte for love of the good horse bayarde / But whosomever was sory for it / charlemagne was glad of it. Ye oughte to know that, after that bayarde was cast in the ryver of meuze / he wente to the botom, as ye have herde / and myghte not come vp for by cause of the grete stone that was at his necke, whiche was horryble hevy / and whan bayarde sawe he myght none other wyse scape, he smote soo longe and soo harde wyth his fete vpon the myll stone that he braste it / and came

agen above the water / and began to swimme / soo that he passed it all over at the other side. And whan he was come to londe, he shaked hymselfe for to make falle the water from hym, and began to crye hye, and made a merveyllous noyse / and after, began to renne so swyftely as the tempeste had borne hym awaye / and entred in to the grete foreste of ardeyne. And whan the kyng charlemagn sawe that bayarde was escaped, he toke soo grete sorowe for it, that almoste he lost his wytte for angre; But all the barons were glad of it. Thus, as ye have herde, escaped bayarde oute of the handes of Charlemagne / And wyte it for very certein that the folke of that countrey sayen / that he is yet a live wythin the wood of ardeyne. But wyte it, whan [folio G.G.ii.b] he seeth man or woman, he renneth anone awaye, soo that noo body maye come nere hym / And after all thyse thynges, the kynge Charlemagne, as angry as he was, departed from meuze, and wente in to a chapell that was nyghe / and called to hym all his barons, and gaaff theym leve to goo in to theyr countreys, wherof they were ryght gladde / For they were sore desyrynge for to see theyr wyves, theyr chyldren, and theyr londes [mais a tant laisse le compte a parler de charlemaigne et de ses barons et retourne a parler du noble regnault qui este en son voiage pour aler aultre mer, F. orig. omitted in Caxton.] /

CHAPTER XXIV.

¶ How Reynawde [fust departy de dordonne de ses freres de sa femme et enfans en moult grans regretz et lamentacions pour aler oultre mer acomplir son voiage ou saint sepulcre il ... F. orig. H. ii. bk.] founde mawgys his cosyn, as he wente by the waye for to accomplisshe his vyage to the holy sepulcre, in the countrey of Constanstynoble / And how thei wente together to Iherusalem / whiche the

admyralle of perse had taken by treyson vpon the crysten. But reynawde & his cosyn mawgys dyde somoche wyth the folke of the countrey, that the cyte Iherusalem was goten agayne by the crysten people.

Now telleth the histori that, after that reynaud was departed from ardeyne [dordonne, F. orig.] for to goo in to the holy londe, he wente soo moche by his iourneys that he came to Constantynoble, and lodged hym in an holy womans howse / whiche served hym as well as she cowde / and gaffe hym suche mete as god had gyven to her / And after, she washed his fete as she was wounte to doo to other pylgrymes / And whan this good woman had doon soo / she toke Reynawde by the hande / and broughte him into her owne chamber / and sayd to him / 'Good man, ye shall lie here, for in my other chambre ye maye not be / for there is a poure pylgrym that is sore syke.' 'Dame,' sayd reynawde, 'lete me see that pylgryme that ye speke of, whiche is soo syke.' 'wyth a gode wille,' sayd the poure woman, 'ye shall see hym. For I promyse [folio G.G.iii.a] you there is grete pyte in hym.' And thenne she toke reynaude by the hande, and brought hym to the pylgryme that was in his bedde / And whan reynawde sawe hym, he knew wel that it was his cosyn mawgys, wherof he was ryght glad; soo beganne he to speke to hym / and sayd / 'Frende, how is it wyth your persone?' And whan mawgis herde reynawde speke to hym, he lepte oute of his bedde, as he never had be seke, and enbrased reynawde more than twenti tymes, and after sayd to hym, 'Cosyn, how is it wyth you / and what adventure bryngth you here in this poure clothynge that ye have on / telle me, yf it playse you / have ye had peas wyth

the kynge Charlemagne?' 'Cosyn,' sayd reynawde / 'ye, by suche a maner as I shall telle you.' And thenne he rehersed hym all the maner as ye have herde above / and all the treaty that he had wyth Charlemagne [sans laisser ung seul mot, F. orig. H. iii.] /

Whan mawgys vnderstode the wordes of Reynawde, he was ryght gladde of it / And thenne he enbraced agayne reynawd, and sayd to him, 'I am now hole, for the gode tydynges that ye have broughte to me, And therfore I am dysposed to goo wyth you / and doubt not we shall not dey for hungre / for I am mayster for to begge [bedge, orig.] brede' [Et moy se dist regnault seullement que je aye fain, F. orig. H. iii.] / And the goode woman sawe that thyse two pylgrymes made so grete feest the one to the other, she thoughte it myghte none otherwise be but thei were of grete linage, and that they had had some grete a doo togyder, and she sayd to theym / 'Fayre lordes, I see that ye knowe well eche other / wherfore I pray you telle me what ye be / and from whens ye come.' 'Goode woman,' sayd mawgys, 'syth that ye wylle knowe of our beynge / I shall telle you a parte of it / Wyte it thenne that we ben two pour gentylmen that are banysshed oute of fraunce, Soo muste we goo in suche habyte as ye see in to the holy [folio G.G.iii.b] londe; and we ben cosins germain / and we shall doo our vyage togyder, yf it playse god.' And whan the lady, ⁵that gode woman,⁵ [^5—5 omitted, F. orig. H. iii. back.] vnderstode this / she had grete ioye / Thenne made she to brynge theym mete ynoughe / and wyne / Mawgys, that syn so long had dronken noo wyne, dranke some that nyghte for love of Reynawde. Shortly to speke, none myghte say nor thynke how grete fest made the two cosyns to eche other. And whan the daye was come, Reynawde & mawgys arose / and toke leve of the holy lady, and put theymselfe to the waye. And

wyte that somoche wente the two pylgrymes by theyr iourneyes, that they came nyghe the cyte of Iherusalem, and were but a lityll myle fro it / soo that they myght see well the temple and the towre of davyd, and the moost parte of Iherusalem. And whan mawgys & reynawde sawe that, they were ryght gladde of it / and yelded graces vnto god that he had suffred theym to come soo nyghe the holy cyte. Whan they had doon thus theyr prayers / they wente on theyr waye for to have goon wythin Iherusalem; But they were goon but a lityll whan they sawe a grete oost abowte the cyte, evyn afore the towre of davyd / Where were many pavylions of the crysten, that were there for to fyghte with the admyrall of Perce, that by force helde the cyte of Iherusalem / Reynawde dyde tary whan he sawe the oost that was afore the cyte, and sayd to hys cosyn mawgys, 'Cosyn, what folke is yonder, as ye thynke / for it semeth a grete oost a fore Iherusalem / are thei sarrasyns or crysten? what saye you?' 'Surely,' sayd mawgys, 'I canne not telle, and I am sore merveylled what it maye be' / Thus as reynawde and mawgys spake togyder / there cam an olde man rydyng [sus ung rousin, F. orig. H. iv.] that way that came from the oost. And whan reynawde sawe hym [folio G.G.iv.a] he wente hym agenste / and sayd to hym / 'God save you, gode man / telle me, and playse you, What be they afore the holy cyte; are they crysten or sarrasyns?' 'Pylgryme,' sayd the olde man, 'they ben crysten that have beseged Iherusalem / and canne not take it / but ye maye well goo wythoute parell' / 'Now telle me,' sayd Reynawde, 'who is wythin Iherusalem' / 'Wyte it,' sayd the olde man, 'that the admyrall of perce hathe taken it by treyson.' 'And how hathe he taken it by treyson?' sayd reinawde. 'Wyte,' sayd the olde man, 'that the admyrall arrayed hym as a pylgryme, and many of his folke wyth hym / and wente

in to the cyte one after a nother / And whan they were all wythin, they blewe an horne ryght hyghe, and set hande to theyr swerdes / and foughte strongly, soo that they were maysters of the cyte or ever the kynge thomas cowde be armed, nor his folke / the whiche cowde not save theymselfe wyth suche fewe folk / as was lefte hym a live / ¹but he was taken prysoner¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] / and anone all the countrey rose vp, and have beseged the cyte as ye see; and I truste wyth the grace of god that the cyte shall be take shortly' / 'Now telle me,' sayd reinawde, 'yf they of the cyte come oute often vpon the crysten.' 'Ye,' sayd the olde man, 'for they ben moche folke wythin; and the thynge that most greveth vs, is that our folke have noo hede nor noo lorde. And ye wote well that folke that have noo hede nor noo lorde can doo but lityll goode' / And whan reynawde herde this worde, he began to smyle, and after he sayd / 'Fare well, goode man / we wylle goo there for to see what shall happe of it' / And whan he had sayd soo, he toke on his waye wyth his cosyn mawgys / and ceassed not tyll they were comyn wythin the oost / And whan they were come there / every man loked vpon reynaude, that was soo fayr a pylgrym, ¹and so talle a man.¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] And reynawd loked here [folio G.G.iv.b] and there / and wyste not where to put hymselfe. Thenne he advysed hym, and sayd to mawgys / 'My cosin, we must see that we have a lityll reede or some other thynge / for to make vs a lodges there at one corner of the walle' / and whan reynawde had sayd so / mawgys ceassed not tyll he had made a lityll lodges / This hangyng, that they made theyr lodges / thadmyralle of Perce yssued oute of Iherusalem wyth well thre thousande fyghtyng men / And entred in to the crysten oost towarde saynt stevyns chirche.

And thenne whan the good erle of rames, & walleran of fayete, & geffrage of Nazareth sawe that, they ranne anone to theyr harneys. And I telle you that therle Iaffas of rames was soone armed, sooner than thother, and incontynente he ranne vpon the turkes / and began to crie 'Iaffa' as hie as he cowde / and smote vpon the persans / and dommaged theim sore, for he was a valiaunt man in armes. And whan all they of the oost were armed / thenne began there a bataylle of the one parte, and of the other, ryght cruell / Thenne came there [le conte de rames monte sus ung destrier, F. orig. H. iv. back.] geffrage of nazareth / whiche entred amonge the thyckest of the sarrasyns, and began faste to smyte theym deed [ainsi comment loupz les brebiz, F. orig. H. iv. back.] to the erthe / Shortly to speke, this batayll was ryght grete & mortall / for there were many speres broken, & many sheldes cloven; and of the one parte and of the other, many men overthrowen to the grounde. And ye oughte to wyte that [geoffroy de nazareth, F. orig. H. iv. back.] walleraven of fayete smote there deed mani a panym, [et de turcz, F. orig.] soo that it was wonder to see his faytes of armes / for noo persante durste abide afore hym / And whan the admyralle sawe this / he sayd to hymselfe / that he sholde never set noo thynge by hymselfe / but he sholde avenge vpon geffray that soo tourmented his folke. [Amiral de perse eust moult le cueur dolant de ce quil veoit que geoffroy luy faisoit a luy et a ses gens, F. orig. H. iv. back.] And anone he toke a spere in his hande / and went agenste geffray / And whan [folio G.G.v.a] geffraye sawe that, he ranne asprely vpon hym / and thei gafe eche other suche strokes in their sheeldes, that bothe theyr speres flewe in many peces [si se en contrerent si grans conps lung contre lautre quil enconuint tomber lamiral, F. orig. H. iv. back.] / and wyth this cours was thadmiralle

miralle overthrowen from his horse to therthe, but geffraye of nazareth abode in the arsons of his sadle / And whan the admyrall sawe hym on the grounde, he was angry for it / soo rose he vp lightely, & set hande to his swerde, and made grete semblaunte for to deffende hymself. and whan geffraye of nazareth sawe thys / he torned hym towarde thadmyralle, & smote hym so grete a stroke with his swerde vpon his helme, that he astonyed hym / And whan geffray sawe that he made no defence / he bowed his body towarde hym, and toke the admyrall by the helme, & wolde have broughte him awaye / And whan thadmyralle sawe that he was take, he cryed 'Perce' as lowde as he myghte, soo that his folke herde hym, & ranne there as he was / and deliverde hym from the handes of geffray, and set hym vpon a horse, & brought him wyth theym / whan thenne reynawd sawe that the bataylle was soo cruell, he sayd to mawgis, 'Alas, cosyn, yf I had my harneys, I sholde goo gladly socour our folke, for it is that thyng that I have moost desired / as that I myghte bere armes agenste the sarrasins' / 'Thenne,' sayd mawgys to hym, 'ye are not wyse to say so / ye wote how we ben traveylled of our pylgrimage / and that it is tyme that we rest vs a lityll / And also the werre shall not be ended soo soone / but that ye may prove yourselfe in armes afore the holy cyte ¹of Iherusalem be wonne¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. H. v.] / wherfore I pray you rest yourselfe this nyghte / and to morowe, & god byfore, we shall be fyght our enmyes / for I have delibered that I shall be noo hermyte aslonge as we ben togyder, but I shall helpe you wyth all my power. But one thynge I telle you, that never whyle I live, I shall cast noo charme [folio G.G.v.b] more, for I have promysed it god, & all the sayntes, to whom I pray to kepe me therfro / but I telle you that I love you so hertly, that if I sholde be dampned / yet shold I com

out of my hermytage for to socour you yf ye had nede' / 'My cosin,' sayd reynawde, 'I thanke you of your good wyll / and I knowe well ye saye trouth, that we have mystre of reste / but I can not kepe myself / but I must goo to batayll [en nulle guise, F. orig. H. v.] / Alas, that I have not bayarde, & flamberde my good swerde / for I shold do thys daye that god shold conne me thanke of it' / Ryght sory was reynawde that he had nother horse nor harneys for tohelpe the crysten folke.

Thys hangyng, that reynawd & mawgys spake togyder, therle of rames, geffray of nazareth, & walleraven [conte de Jaffes, F. orig.] made grete slaughter of the turkes & of the persans. And whan thadmyrall sawe this, [Il en fust moult dolant ... F. orig. H. v.] he withdrewe his folke agen in to the cyte of Iherusalem / For he myghte noo lenger suffre the grete harme and hurte that the crysten made hym / And whan the crysten sawe that the sarrasyns were dyscomfyted / thei chased theym sharply / and slewe so many of theim that none canne telle the nombre / And thenne therle Iaffras, that was a worthy knyghte & a wyse / he wente to the gate of saynt stevyn / and kepte him there wyth his folke. And whan the turkes came for to save theymself wythin Iherusalem / therle Iaffa went agenst theim / and kept the passage that they myght not entre at theyr ease wythin the cyte / and there agen were many of theym slayne. And whan the admirall saw that, he was an angred for it, and toke a nother way to the cyte, towarde the gate foere / and it happed thenne that the turkes passed afore the lodges of reynawd, and by the grete prees & stampyng of their horses ye lodges of reynawde was broken and marred / Wherof reynaude was angry. [folio G.G.vi.a] Thenne Reynawde loked abote hym / and founde noo thynge for

to fyghte wythall / but a forke that susteyned vp their lodges / that was grete & stronge. And he toke it anone with bothe his handes, & mounted vpon a walle that was bi the waye; and as the turkes passed by, he layed vpon theim wyth that grete staff / and smote theim doun two & two at ones, as swynes. and to say the trouthe / reinaude being thus vpon that broken wall, slewe moo than a hundred of theym as they passed bi hym. And whan mawgys sawe that reinawde dyde soo well / he toke his palster & cam vpon the wall by hym, and began to smyte wyth both his handes soo grete strokes / that they that he raught felle deed to the grounde. While that reinaude & mawgis dyde thise faytes of armes, cam there therle of rames & geffray of nazareth, that followed after the sarrasyns wyth all dyligence, Whiche sawe the grete quantyte of deed sarrasins / that reynawde & mawgys had slayen vpon the way by their prowes / in so moche that almoste men cowde ryde nomore that way, for the grete hepe of turkes that lay deed there, wherof the sarrasins were sore abasshed. [que sus les mors, F. orig. H. v. back.] thenne the erle of rames shewed to geffray of nazareth the grete slaughter that the two pilgrymes had doon, [sur le chemin, F. orig. H. v. back.] & merveylled of him that helde the forke, that he was soo grete & soo valiaunt a man / and in like wyse that other that helde the palster, that was not so grete. 'See,' sayd he, 'how the way is covered abowte theym wyth this cursed folke; I byleve that they ben felawes.' 'Ha, goddis,' sayd geffray / 'I merveylle what folke they are. I byleve that god hathe sente theym to vs for our savynge / or elles they ben over hardy fooles, seenge that they ben all naked / and fere not the deth.' 'Syre,' sayd the erle of Rames / 'What so ever they ben, they doo like worthy men. God

all mighty kepe theym from hurte, dangeur, [dargeur, orig.] and from [folio G.G.vi.b] evyll combraunce / For they have well greved our enmyes; And I shall never be at myn ease tyll that I have spoken wyth theym, for to wyte what folke they be / and fro whens they come.'

Grete was the chasse that the erle of Rames, geffraye of Nazareth, and walleraven [et le conte de Jaffes, F. orig. H. vi.] made after the turkes & persans, For ryght grete slaughter they made of theym or they were wythdrawen wythin Iherusalem / For they lefte not the chasse tyll they were wythin the gate foree / Whan reynawde sawe that all the sarrasyns were passed / he caste after theym his grete staffe / for he cowde doo no more to theym. And after he bethoughte hym / and descended from the walle / and sayd he wolde not lese his forke, and fet it agayn / for it sholde serve for to make his lodgys as it dyde byfore. This hangynge, the erle of Rames came from the chasinge agayne / and soughte the two pylgrymes for to speke wyth theym / and he founde theym where they were makyng of theyr lodges / Thenne he behelde theym well, and sayd no thynge. And whan he sawe that they were soo grete and so well shapen / pryncypally reynaud / for he waunted noo thing, he lighted from his horse and toke theym by the hande, and made theym to sitte beside him / Whan they were set, the erle sayd to Reynawde / 'My frende, I praye you telle me trouthe of that I shall aske you / By the feyth that ye owe to the temple where ye purpose to goo, telle me your names, and what ye be, and of whens ye come / and why ye goo soo pourly arrayed.' 'Syre,' sayd reynawde, 'syth that it playse you to wyte of our beynge / and of our name / I shall telle it you wyth a goode wylle / Now wyte it that I am called reynawde of mountalban,

but charlemagn hathe casted me therfrom wrongfully. the duke aymon is mi fader, & am now com in to [folio G.G.vii.a] the holy londe for to serve our lorde agenste his enmyes, for thus hathe commaunded me doo, Charlemagne, my soverayn lorde / whan I made peas wyth hym. And that worse is, I muste nedes come thus pourly arrayed, as ye see, beggynge my brede where soo ever I goo or come / where agenst I wolde never goo for to have peas' / Whan the erle of Rames vnderstode reynawde, he was gladde of hym / and heved vp his handes toward hevyn / ²and thanked god² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig.] / and after sayd / 'O, noble knyghte Reynawde of mountalban, the beste knyghte of the worlde, take here my homage / For I gyve myselfe vnto you, and all my goodes' / And whan reynaude sawe this, he sayd to the erle of rames, 'Stande vp / for ye prouffer me owterage' / 'By god,' sayd the erle, 'I shall never aryse tylle ye have graunted me a thynge.' 'Syre,' sayd reynawd, 'I graunte it you wyth a goode wyll, and wyth gode herte' / 'Gramercy,' sayd the erle / and thenne he stode vp and sayd to reynawde, 'Is it trouth that ye have peas wyth the grete kyng charlemagne / Alas, where ben your brethern, the worthy knyghtes / and mawgys your cosyn, in whome ye have soo grete truste, and your goode horse bayarde?' 'Syre,' sayd reynawde, 'wyte that I had peas wyth the kynge Charlemagne of the werre that so longe hathe lasted, by suche maner as I shal tel you / that it is, that I muste come here in suche clothyng as ye see vpon me. and here is mawgys my cosyn, that is comen heder wyth hys free wylle / for he is not constrayned therto / for the kynge charlemagn weneth he be deed longe a go, and my brethern ben abyden wyth my wyffe & my children, For the kynge hathe retourned all our livelode vnto them agayne' / And

whan the erle vnderstode the trouthe of all, he was ryght gladde of it / soo that he beganne to crye wyth [folio G.G.vii.b] a highe voyce, 'Ha, duke Reynawde of mountalban / how gretely be you welcome here to vs / as the moost valiaunte knyghte of the worlde / blessed be the good lorde that hathe conduytte you hether / And I praye you for god that ye receyve my homage / so shall ye save the worshyp of the kynge thomas, that is now prysoner there wythin the cyte [a ses felons mescreans le quel Il ont prins despuis que sommes cy-devant, F. orig. H. vii.] / for and ye be our capytayne and our hede / I put noo doubte but we shall soone take Iherusalem, And thus shall the kynge Thomas be delivered ³oute of the handes of the false sarrasyns'³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig.] /

There came all the barons of Surry, that were full gladde of the comynge of reynawde of mountalban, to whome they made grete reverence, and feested hym ryght highly. And shortly to speke, they all prayed hym to be theyr lorde / and hede captayne / and that he wolde guyde theym as therle of Rames had doon afore / And whan reynawde sawe that all the barons of Surry desyred & prayed hym so sore for to receyve theyr homages, he sayd vnto theym / 'Lordes, syth that it playseth you for to doo me this grete honour / I take it, sauff alwaye the ryght of kynge Thomas / whyche is your soverayne lorde.' 'Syre,' sayd the barons, 'we wyll have it thus' / And thenne he receyved theyr homages / and whan he had receyved theym / the erle Rames kneled byfore hym, and sayd, 'Syre, I wylle that ye gyve me now that thynge that ye have graunted me.' 'Syr,' sayd Reynawde, 'say what it is / and ye shall have it.' 'Syre,' sayd therle of rames, 'it is that ye wylle woushesauff

to be lodged in my pavylyon, and that ye spende none other good but myn / And yf ye wylle gyve ony thynge / I shall deliver it to you / and I shall gyve you syx of my knyghtes for to serve you' [de tout leur pouvoir, F. orig. H. vii.] / 'Good erle of rames / gramercy of the worshyp that ye doo to me' [de si beaux dons car Il ne sont mye a reffuser, F. orig. H. vii.] / thenne the [folio G.G.viii.a] erle toke Reynawde by the hande, and broughte hym in to his pavylion / and made hym to be served as his soverayne lorde. And whan all the barons had conveyed Reynawde to the pavylion of the erle of Rames, they toke leve of hym, and wente agayne in to theyr pavylions / and thanked god that he had sente theym suche a knyghte ⁴and soo valiaunte a man to be theyr capytayne and theyr lorde⁴ [^4—4 omitted, F. orig. H. vii.] / And thenne, whan the erle of rames sawe that all the barons were goon to theyr pavylions, he made to be broughte there many good horses & fayr palfrays, and ryche raymentes of dyverse colours, furred wyth ryche furres, and all maner of good harneys / for the werre; curaces, and ryche helmes / and noble swerdes / and grete plente of plate, bothe of fyne golde & of sylver; and all thys he presented to reynawde / But he wolde take noo thynge but onely a complete harneys for his body / and a swerde that he chose there amonge all, and an horse. And all the remenaunte he made to be dealed to the poure knyghtes ⁵that had mystre of it⁵ [^5—5 omitted, F. orig. H. vii. back.] / and whan the erle of rames sawe that Reynawde had taken but one horse, one harneys, & one swerde / he sayd vnto him / 'Syre, for god take on you a nother raymente / for ye wote well it apperteyneth not to suche a man as ye be for to goo clothed as ye doo.' 'Syre,' sayd reynawde / 'pardonne me & it plaise you / for I shall never were none other rayment but

this that I have now on / tyll that I have kyssed the holy sepulcre wherin god was put after that he was broughte doun from the crosse' / 'Syre,' sayd thenne the erle, 'doo as ye wyll' / And thenne he wente to mawgys, & sayd to hym, 'I praye you put awaye this cap & this hode / and take other raymentes' / 'Syre,' sayd mawgys thenne, 'I praye you be not dysplaysed / yf I fulfylle not your desyre at this time, for I tell you that I have promysed [a nostre seigneur, F. orig. H. vii. back.] that I shal were no [folio G.G.viii.b] other clothe as longe as I live, ³but suche as the same is'³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig. H. vii. back.] / Thenne whan the erle sawe that Reynawde nor mawgys wolde not take none other raymentes for noo thynge that he cowde saye vnto theym, he was sory for it. And thenne he made the tables redy for to goo to souper / And whan they had souped, the erle Rames called walleraven of ffayet, and geffray of nazareth [et le conte Jaffez, F. orig. H. vii. back.] / and sayd to theym, 'Now thynke for to doo well, syth that god hathe sente to vs suche socour' [que de regnault et de maugis. Et me semble que en lonneur de dieu nous devons faire ceste nuyt chescun en sa tente grant lumiere de sierges en louant dieu du secours quil nous a envoye. F. orig. H. vii. back.] / And whan the barons herde the erle speke thus / they answerde, 'we shall doo our beste, by the grace of god' / And thenne every man wente to his pavylion, and made grete plente of torches to be fyred, soo that it was merveilles of the light that was in the oost / and every man began to daunce & disporte theymselfe abowte theyr tentes & pavylions a longe while, ⁶for ioye of the comynge of reynawde⁶ [^6—6 omitted, F. orig. H. viii.] / And whan the turkes that kept the towre of davyd saw the grete light that was in the oost of the crysten / thei were all merveylled of it. Thenne some of theim went & shewed it to theyr mayster & lorde / And whan thadmyrall

herde the tidynges / he began to crye hie, & said / 'O machomet, what eileth now that vnhappy folke that make soo grete feest / I byleve that they ben as the swāne is whan he shall deye, for I am sure they shall one of thise dayes be all slayn / and therfore thei make so grete ioye.' And whan barbas the admyrall had sayd this, he sware by machomet, afore all his barons, that he shold make an yssue on the morowe for to hewe all the cristeyn in peces. 'Syr,' sayd an olde paynim / 'beware your flesshe well of a grete kerle that is there newe come amonge theym, the whiche bereth a grete forke in his hande / For yf he hit you, ye are but deed. I am well sure that all they of thoost make this ioy for that lorden' / 'I know hym not,' said thadmyrall to ye panym, [folio H.H.i.a] 'but and I can hit hym wyth my branke of stele / I shall make hym leve his grete hede behynde hym for a pledge ²tylle he cometh agen² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. H. viii.] / for he is naked, and therfore he maye not endure agenste me.'

Whan the kynge Thomas, that was there prysoner, sawe the grete feest & the ioye that the crysten made, he wyste not what he sholde thynke / but sayd to hymselfe / 'Ha, goddys, what have now my folke that they make suche a noyse / and suche a sporte / Alas, doo they not remembre me / I byleve better ye than nay, for the feest that they make now is for somwhat.' Wyte it that they of Rames & of Iapphes / and of all the countrey aboute Iherusalem, whan thei sawe the grete lighte, they wende that the cyte had be sette a fyre; and some were sore a ferde leest thoost had a doo. Thus was all the countrey abasshed / but they that were in the oost cared but lityll for it / And whan they had sported theymselfe ynough, they ordened the watche / and after went to reste. And whan the daye was come, the barons rose

and wente to the pavylion of reynawde / whiche was vp & redy. and they salved hym reverently / and after sayd vnto hym thus / 'Syre, what thynke ye that we must doo? shall we assaylle the cyte or noo' / 'Lordes,' sayd the duke reynawde / 'me semeth that it were goode for to gyve to it a sawte, For we have grete avauntage a fore hande, for he that shall deye in the sawtynge of the holy cyte, he shall be saved wythout doubte.' whyles that the barons devysed thus togyder for to gyve a sawte to the cyte / the admyrall of perce made to open the gate foree, and yssued oute of the towne wyth ten thousande fyghtynge men well armed / And whan reynawd & the barons of surry knewe it, they ranne to theyr harneis / Reinawde was armed incontynente / and toke his helme & his swerde, [folio H.H.i.b] and lighted vpon his horse that therle of Rames had given him. And whan reynawde was on horsbacke / mawgys armed hym also / and mounted on horsbacke, and began to crye, 'Barons of surry, be not dysmayed in noo wise / for I promyse god I shall never retourne to be hermyte, yf the turkes be not dyscomfyted & overthrowen' / And after he had said soo, he wente to geffraye of nazareth, & sayd to hym / 'Baron, kepe you by reynawde; for yf all thother knyghtes in the feliship were suche as ye be, barbas sholde be dyscomfyted or none.' and whan all the barons were all armed & well on horsbacke / thei ordeyned theyr bataylles as well as they cowde. And thenne came thadmyrall barbas, that smote in to thoost of the cristen. The fyrste bataylle of the sarrasyns was conduytted by a kynge / that had to name margarys, that was lorde of the towre of Talles, whiche was ryght cruell, and bare in his armes a dragon pyctured wyth an horryble figure.

Whan the kynge margarys sawe it was tyme to smyte vpon the crysten / he spored his horse wyth his spores & ranne agenst reynawde / And whan reynawde saw him come / he sayd to therle of rames, 'here cometh one to seke his dethe wyth grete hast; ye have don me grete honour, but this kynge shall have dyshonour for your love at the first' / And whan reynawd had sayd this / he spored his horse / and ranne agenst margarys so harde that nother shelde nor quyras coude not save hym, but he shoved his spere thrughe the breste & overthrewe sterke deed to the grounde / and whan reynawde had gyven that grete stroke, he sayd, 'Goo thy waye to helle, the devylle spede the, and bere felishyp to thy predesessours that went there afore the!' and after, he put hande to the swerde, & smote another sarrasyn [sarrasyns, orig.] soo harde thrughe the helme that he clove him to the teeth / and forth withal he raughte a nother [folio H.H.ii.a] vnder the bavere soo that he made his hede to flee fro the sholders / And whan he had slayn thise thre, he cried, 'mountalban / ³vpon thise paynyms!'³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig. I. i.] And whan mawgis herde him / he put himself amonge the turkes soo courageusly / that the fyrste that he encountred he sent hym doun in to helle, and thenne toke his swerde in his hande & dyde merveylles of armes [et lors commenca a frapper a destre et a fenestre, F. orig. I. i.] / soo that he slewe soo many turkes that reynaude & the barons merveylled gretly. thenne sayd reynaude to therle of rames, 'what saye you by my cosin mawgys / sawe you ever soo good an hermyte' / 'By my soule,' sayd therle, 'he is to be comended / blessed be the wombe that bare him, & thour that ye ben come in to this londe / for now I am wel sure that Iherusalem shall be recovered, and the kynge Thomas deliverde oute of prison, ³wyth the grace of god'³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig. I. i.] /

Whan therle of rames had sayd this to reynawd / he spored his horse wyth the spores, & smote a turke suche a stroke that he made thyren of his spere to apere at the backe of hym, that felle deede to therth / and after he toke his swerde in his hande, & began to crie 'rames' as hie as he cowde, sayeng, 'Barons, smyte now a goode, for the persans shall be now vtturli discomfyted / yf god kepe the valiaunt reynaude of mountalban & his valiaunt cosin mawgys / Now is thour come that the traytour barbas shall fynysshe his life, that thus betrayed the holy cyte of Iherusalem by his false wytte.' Thenne dyde sette on the barons of the londe, whiche began to make merveylles of armes agenst the sarrasins / Who had seen that tyme reynawde & mawgys, how they made waye to theym that cam after theym, he wold have merveylled gretly / For I promyse you none durste abyde afore theim, were he never so hardy or valiaunt, but he was slayn of theym. After reynawde & mawgys was therle of rames, geffraye of nazareth, & walleron of fayete [et le conte de Jaffes, F. orig.] wyth their [folio H.H.ii.b] folke, and they made merveylles of armes agenst their enmyes. and whan the sarrasins sawe that thei cowde not abide the grete dommage of ³that the cristen³ [^3—3 que regnault et maugis, F. orig. I. i. back.] bare to theim / they put theymself to flight towarde the cyte / [pour avoir garison. Et disoient que a mahommet ne pleut quilz actendissent le grant villain. Car il les mectoit tous a mort, F. orig. I. i. back.]

Whan thadmyrall barbas saw that his folke were discomfyted, he was angry / for it, and sayd / 'hoursons! why do ye flee thus away / knowe ye not that I am your lorde, that shall defende you agenst this vnhappy cristens / Where is margarys becom that I see hym not?' 'sire,' sayd one of the sarrasins, 'he is deed at the first iousting that he made' / and whan thadmyrall herde this, he wende to have gon out of his

wyt, and sayd, 'who is that hath borne me soo grete harme as to slee the noble kyng margarys / Is it not the grete kerle with the forke' / 'ye, sir,' sayd his folke / 'for he is called the best knyghte of the worlde / and also he hath brought this daye to deth many of your men with his handes' / Moche sori was thadmyrall for the dethe of margaris, and swore the god mahom that he shold perse the hert in his bely / And whan he had made this othe, he gaaf the spores to the horse, & put himselfe to the medle / and the first he recountred was walleron of faiete, to whom he gaff suche a stroke thrugh the sheelde that he made his spere hede to apere oute at the backe of hym, & slewe him deed to therth. And whan thadmyrall had gyven that stroke, he put hande to his swerde & shoved him amonge the thyckest / crieng 'perce' as hie as he cowde / and sayd, 'barons! smyte vpon this vnhappy cristen, for now shall they be discomfyted.' And whan therle Iaffas & geffray of nazareth sawe that thadmyralle fared soo fowle wyth the crystens / they put theym in to the prees amonge the sarrasins, and there was grete slaughter made of bothe partyes; but at the laste the crystens had ben shreudly handled yf Rey naude and mawgis [folio H.H.iii.a] had not come lightly there / Reynaude, that sawe this harde batayll, shoved himself among the thickest, as a wolfe amonge a flocke of shepe, and smote a persante that was cosin to thadmyrall / that had to name Orrende, & gaffe him suche a stroke wyth his swerde / that he made his hede to flee well a spere lengthe from his body, wyth helme & all / And after he smote a nother that was nevew to malbon / soo that he slew both horse & man ²with one stroke² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. I. ii.] / To say the trouth, reynaude made there soo grete merveylles of armes, that all the paynyms were sore abasshed / for he had his shelde caste behynde

his backe, & helde the rayne of his horse aboute his arme, & helde his swerde wyth bothe his handes, and habandonned hys body, smityng merveyllous strokes on ether side vpon ye sarrasyns, soo that he smote noo stroke but he slewe ¹a turke or¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. I. ii.] a paynym / And whan thadmyralle sawe the grete greeff that reynawd bare to his folke, he sware his god appolin / he sholde never ete mete tyll he had slayn the grete vylayne / 'Syre,' sayd thenne the kyng alebrondy to him, 'I pray you leve this enterprise, for I telle you for very certeyn that yf ye goo afore him he shall kille you wyth one stroke.' Thenne sayd thadmyrall to hym / 'yf I had now a good guysarne in my hande, he sholde as lityll endure myn efforte as shold a boye / For & I brynge hym not doun / I shall never requyre to bere ony armes more, nor to ryde vpon ony horse more' /

Moche cruell & harde was the medlinge [dune part et daultre, F. orig. I. ii.] / mawgis was there that made grete occysion fro thone side & fro thother. And whan reynawd saw mawgis that dyde so well, he was glad; and so smote he a turke vpon his helme suche a stroke / that he cloved his hede in two peces / and soo he smote a nother at the sides so that he cleved all his rybbes / and cut all togyder a sonder his body / and after this he smote a [folio H.H.iii.b] nother soo that he hewed his hede clene of, and one of his armes; and whan he had slayn thise thre wyth one enpraynt, he cried, 'mountalban,' sayeng, 'smyte, barons / for the sarrasins, both turkes & persans, ben deed & overthrowen / and thynke to avenge your lord thomas / whiche is soo excellent a kyng.' And whan thadmyrall barbas herde crie 'mountalban' / this worde abasshed hym more than ony other thyng / for he knew well thenne that he that his men called 'the grete

carle ¹wyth the forke'¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] was the valiaunt reynawd of mountalban / of whome he had herde speke of many tymes afore that / and that he was the best knyght of all the worlde / and whan he knew this / he wolde full fayn have be agen in perce; and thenne he toke his waye anone towarde the cyte as a man discomfyted ¹& overthrowen¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] / and drewe to the gate foere for to have gon in to it [pour soy garentir de regnault, F. orig. I. ii.] / but the valiaunt erle of rames pursued hym so nygh that he suffred hym not goo at his wylle / And whan thadmyrall sawe that he was soo sore pursued / he was aferde to be take / and soo smote his horse wyth his spores, & gate into the cyte wyth grete payn, and lefte all his folke behynde, ¹& saved himself;¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] but the moste parte of his men were there slayn [Car regnault et maugis et le conte de rames et geoffroy de nazareh et le conte de Jaffes en firent si grant destruction que peu eschappa, F. orig. I. ii. back.] / And whan reynawde wyst that thadmyrall of perce was soo scaped / he was ryght sory for it; and thenne he loked abowte him, & sawe there a grete pece of tymbre that had XV fote of lengthe / he lighted doun a fote and toke the balke and trussed it vp afore hym vpon his horse necke, as lightly as it had be som pece of welowe. Thenne he sayd to theim that had victory as wel as he, 'Lordes, folow me yf it playse you.' 'wyth a good wyll,' sayd the barons / 'for we shall never leve you nother for deth nor for liffe.'

Now wylle I telle you why Reynawd dyde take the balke a foresayd / Ye oughte to wyte / that Reynawd [folio H.H.iv.a] bethought well that thadmyrall barbas sholde not make the gate to be shet after hym / for love his folke shold com in that were out, and therfore bare reynaude the grete balke or beme, to the ende that yf he founde the gate open, he sholde put it vnder the

porte colisse, that it sholde not be shet lightly agen. And after he had bethought himself therof, he went on his waye ¹wyth the cristens¹ [^1—1 luy et tous les aultre barons, F. orig.] as fast as they cowde renne toward the gate ²of Iherusalem² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig.] / where thadmyralle had saved hymself / and whan he came there, he sawe the gate open, wherof he was glad; soo toke he thenne his beme, & put it vnder the port colisse / soo that it myght not be lete doun / nor the gate cowde not be shet nother. But ye maye well knowe that reynawd dyde not this wythout grete traveylle, for there was so many bodyes both quycke & deed in his waye / that he myght not well helpe hymself; but one thyng helped hym well; for whan the sarrasins sawe hym, they were soo ferde of hym that they made hym waye / and fled all afore hym.

Whan the noble knyght [knyghht, orig.] reynaude sawe that the porte colisse was well faste vpon the beme that he had brought there, wythout ony taryeng he put hande to his swerde and put himselfe wythin Iherusalem. And whan he was in, he began to crye as hie as he myght / 'mountalban, ²mountalban! the cyte is wonne'² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig.] / and made there soo moche of armes that mawgys, the erle of Rames / ²and many other barons² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig.] gate in by fyne force / And whan the sarrasins sawe that the crystens were wythin the cyte / they putte themself so to flighte, and hydde theym wythin the houses / where as they myght, for to save theyr lives / and alwayes reynaude was at the gate for to kepe thentre / They that were vpon the grete towre ⁴of davyd,⁴ [^4—4 du portal, F. orig. I. iii.] cryed fast to the other sarrasins that they sholde shet the gate / sayenge that yf the grete lorden entred [folio H.H.iv.b] wythin they sholde be all lost / And whan reynawde sawe that a grete parte of the cristens were wythin Iherusalem, he sayd to mawgis

/ 'Cosyn, kepe well this passage, and I shall goo at a nother gate for to make it open' / 'Cosyn,' [Sire, F. orig.] sayd mawgis, 'goo your waye hardely / and doubte noo thynge / I shall well kepe this path.' Thenne departed reynaude, acompanyed wyth many valiaunt cristens, and went vnto a nother gate, whiche he founde wel garnysshed wyth panyms; but reynawd, thrughe his prowes, put theim anone to flighte, and gate the gate open. Thus as ye here was doon / for all ye sarrasins lost their lives / and was recovered agen the cyte of Iherusalem / thrughe the grete prowes of the noble Reynawde of mountalban / And whan thadmyrall sawe this / he wende to have wexen mad all quycke, and fared as he had be oute of his wytte, and cursed his goddis mahomet ²& appolin,² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. I. iii.] and pulled his heres of his berde, ²and rente all his raimentes,² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig. I. iii.] and [Quant Il eut asses demene son dueil Il dist, F. orig. I. iii.] / after he sayd / 'By apollo, sovereyn god, yf thomas helpe me not to save my life / I shal make him to be slayn incontynent.' and thenne he sent for the kyng thomas, & sayd vnto hym, 'Kynge thomas, ye must chuse of two thynges thone / that is, that ye must save my liff that I maye go to perce agen wyth two [troisiesme, F. orig.] of my men in my felishyp, or elles ye to be now cast oute of thise wyndowes doun' / Thenne sayd the kyng thomas / 'and playse you, ye shall have pacyence that I may speke wyth my folke.' 'goo on,' sayd thadmyrall, 'to theym at this wyndow, For noo ferder ye shall not goo, and deliver you lightly' / Thenne wente the kynge thomas to the wyndowes, and sawe reynawde of mountalban & mawgys come, that cam all the formest for to sawte the towre of davyd / where he was prysoner to the admyrall / And whan he sawe reynawde & mawgis the formest of all, he knewe them [folio H.H.v.a] not / and loked

ferder / and sawe therle of Rames behynde theym, whiche he knewe not well / and thenne he aspyed geffraye of nazareth, [et le conte Jaffes, F. orig. I. iii. back.] wherof he was glad whan he saw hym, and thenne he began to crie / ²'Lorde of nazareth,² [^2—2 Seigncurs, F. orig.] loke vp to your kynge that is here prisoner; thadmyrall barbas sendeth you worde, that yf ye lete hym not goo sauff in to his countree & royaume of perce wyth two of his men with him / he shall cast me now doun oute of this wyndowes' / Thenne answerde to hym therle of rames / 'ha, good kyng, god save you / ye wote well that a good man ought not to make ony lie. It is trouthe that yesterday we made our governer & maister of that lord that ye see here afore vs / whiche is the best knyght of the worlde, and to him ye must showe your nede, for wythoute hym / we maye noo thyng.' And whan the kyng thomas vnderstode this tidynge, he wexed almost out of his wyt for sorow / by cause he wende none other but he shold dey an evyll deth. thenne sayd he to the erle of rames in grete angre, 'Ha, erle of rames / have ye betrayed me soo / that ye have made a nother lorde than me.' 'Syr,' sayd therle to hym agen, 'doubte noo thynge, for we have doon soo / your right & honoure is alway saved in this behalve; nor ye shall not lese noo thyng of your owne / for the good knyght hath ynoughe in fraunce, and ye must knowe that he hathe taken this cyte, he & his felawe; and take noo suspection of him, nor of vs / for I am sure he shall doo evyn as ye wylle yourself / for he is here for none other cause but for to deliver you / for assone as he shall have visite the holy sepulcre of our lorde, he shall goo agen to fraunce.' Thenne sayd the kyng thomas / 'lordes, how is the knight named?' 'Syre,' sayd therle of rames, 'he is called Reynaude of mountalban / the sone of the duke

aymon, and the beste knyghte of the worlde. For he is suche a knyghte that the grete kyng Charlemagn myght never greve him / and yet [folio H.H.v.b] have they mayntened the werre XV. [.XVII., F. orig. I. iii. back.] yeres ³& more,³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig. I. iii. back.] thone agenst thother / and soo hath he doon soo many noble & grete faytes of armes duryng that werre, that the renommee therof is flowen over alle the worlde' / 'Erle of rames,' sayd the kyng / 'I pray you that ye will tell him in my behalve, thys that I have said ³to geffray of nazareth.'³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig. I. iii. back.] 'sire,' said therle, 'with right good wylle I shall doo soo.' And thenne he went to reynawde, and shewed to him all that the kyng had sayd. 'lordes,' sayd reynawde, 'we shall not doo soo / but lete vs sawte the towre / for at the worst fall / we shall alwayes well have that apoyntment that thadmyrall asketh / And soo I telle you, yf we sawte well / the towre shall be lightly wonne by force of armes / and we shall deliver the kyng thomas at our owne wylle / and soo shall we slee barbas that thrughe treyson toke the cyte.' 'sire,' sayd therle rames / 'we shall doo your commaundement / doubte not of it.' [Moult estoit regnault preudomme car Il ne voloit point de mauluais plait ... F. orig. I. iv.] Thenne commaunded reynawde that the tower sholde be sawted of all sides, and made ⁵grete plente [pleute, orig.] of⁵ [^5—5 omitted, F. orig.] ladders to be righted agenst it, and he hymselfe began first to clime vp, with his shelde for to cover him with; and after hym went mawgys, & thenne therle of rames / and after theim geffray of nazareth, & well thirty [.XX., F. orig. I. iv.] knyghtes more; ⁸and men with crosbowes & other archers abode byneth for to shote vpwarde / where they sawe the sarrasins loke out⁸ [^8—8 Le viel conte de Jaffes demoura au bas auecques les archiers et arbalestiers, F. orig. I. iv.] / and whan thadmyrall sawe reynawde that wold have com

in to the towre, he was sore a ferde / soo wyst he not what he sholde doo, but ranne to the kyng thomas & caught hym by the neck, & sayd to hym / 'By apollo, thou & I shall lepe both atones oute of this wyndowe' / 'sire,' sayd the kyng / 'kyll not yourself nor me also / for I shall make the sawte to ceasse' / 'I wyll well that ye doo soo,' sayd thadmyrall / 'but ye shall com with me' / Soo toke him by the [neck [Jambes, F. orig. I. iv. Neck in Copland Ed.] ] & had him to the wyndow, and sayd all hie, Reynawd of mountalban, I shall angre you / For I shall caste [folio H.H.vi.a] the kyng thomas doun yf ye pardonne me not / and I shall slee myself wyth him, for I maye well deye after suche a kinge' / And whan the duke reynawde sawe that the kynge thomas hyng thus / the hede dounwarde, ³all redy for to fall³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig.] / he had grete pite of hym, and sayd to himselfe / 'Ha, good lorde, what shall I doo / for if I leve the sawte it shall be grete shame / for the towre is almost taken / and of the other parte it shall be grete mysshap yf the good kynge thomas take dethe for it.' Thus, as reynawd was vpon the ladder thynkynge what he myght best doo / all the barons of the londe began to crye to reynawde, 'swete sir, for god suffre not that our kyng lese his liff [si honteusement, F. orig. I. iv. back.] / soo it were grete shame to vs & to you also.' 'Lordes,' sayd reynawde, 'by the feyth that I owe to my bredern & to my cousin mawgis, I wolde not that the kyng sholde take deth for me' / and whan he had sayd so / he cam doun fro the ladder, and after cryed to thadmyrall / 'Leve the kyng thomas & doo hym no harme / for ye shall be delivered bi suche a covenaunt that ye and your two [troys, F. orig. I. iv. back.] men shall goo on fote in to perce, & ye shall leve here all your goodes.' 'By mahom,' sayd thadmyrall, 'I wyll not doo soo / but shall ride on horsbacke, I & my ii [troys, F. orig. I. iv. back.] men / and so

shall ye gyve me saufconduyt vpon your feyth, and yf ye wylle not doo thus, I shall lete fall doun the kyng thomas.' 'Admyrall,' sayd reynaude, 'that ye aske, I graunt it to you vpon my feyth / for ye have wyth you suche a pledge that ye shall not be touched at this tyme for me.' thadmyrall was ryght glad whan he herde reynaude speke thus; so drew he vp the kyng thomas agen, & sayd to hym, 'kynge thomas, ye shall goo quyte fro me;' and thenne he went doun wyth the kynge / and opened the gate / and wente oute, he & his two [troys, F. orig. I. iv. back.] men / There was made grete ioye bitwene the king thomas and Reynawde, And after, of all the other barons of [folio H.H.vi.b] surre / and the grete thankes that the kynge dyde to reynaude & to mawgis are not for to be named; and the langage that was bytwene theim are to longe to be recounted. After this, thadmyrall toke his saufconduyt & went his waye towarde perce. Here of hym is made none other mencyon. and after he was goon / the kyng thomas, reynaude, & wyth all thothre barons went togyder in to the towre / and whan they were com vp / the kynge thomas kneled afore reynaude. 'sire,' sayd reynaude, 'ye ought not to doo soo.' 'Yes, verely,' sayd the kyng / and whan reynaude sawe that / he wexed red for shame, & toke vp the kyng [par la main .. F. orig. I. iv. back.] / and thenne the kyng colled him & sayd, 'Blessed be our lorde, that brought you in this londe, For ye have socoured Iherusalem the holy cyte / ⁴& brought myselfe out of the sarrasins handes⁴ [^4—4 et moy oste de prison, F. orig. I. iv. back.] / Now tell me, & playse you, yf ye have made peas wyth charlemagn the grete kyng of fraunce / that hath doon you soo grete hinderaunce.' 'sire,' sayd reynaude, 'ye / and by cause of the peas I am com here / beggynge my bred, & pourli arayed' [comme voyez, F. orig. I. v.] / and whan the king thomas

herde him speke, he had grete pyte of hym / and sware by the holy sepulcre that he sholde araye hym honourably, as to hym apperteyneth, for to retourne ¹in to fraunce¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. I. v.] / after that the kyng had said this worde, they cam doun fro the towre of davyd for to go to the holy sepulcre. And ye oughte to wyte that they made grete feest thrughe out the cyte of that was soo be-fall / Thenne went they all to the holy sepulcre / for to yelde thankes to our lorde of the cyte, that was recovered fro thandes of the sarrasins. [felons payens, F. orig. I. v.] And whan all this was doon, the barons of surre toke leve of the kyng, of reynaude, & of mawgys / and after went every man to his place in theyr countrey / And the kyng toke reynaude & mawgis / and broughte theim to his palays / where he fested theim a hundred dayes honourably. [folio H.H.vii.a] And this hangyng, he shewed theym all the countrey ¹about Iherusalem;¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. I. v.] and whan reynawde had sported him ynoughe wyth the kyng thomas / he wolde departe for to goo agen in to the marches of fraunce / And whan the kyng sawe that, he gaff to reynawd many riche yeftes / as horses / silkes, golde and silver / and many other thynges in grete plente. and ye oughte to wyte that mawgys wolde take noo thyng / nor chaunge his hermytes araye in no wyse, but arayed hym agen as a pilgryme & bare fote, wherof reynawd was sory / The kinge made a shyp be redy honourably atte the haven of Iaphes. [pour enmener regnault. Quant tout fust prest le bon roy thomas convoya regnault jusques au port de Jaffes. Et aussi le conte rames et geoffroy de nazareth qui estoient bien dolans du departement de regnault. Quant ilz furent au port de Jaffes ... F. orig. I. v.] Reynawd, full tenderly wepyng, toke leve of the kyng & of his barons / and entred in to the ship / And wyte it, that by fortune of wedryng, they were well eyght monethes vpon the see [sans peuvoir prendre terre, F. orig.] / and at last they

toke lond at a towne called palerne; and whan they had taken lond / reynaude commaunded that ye ship shold be vnlade / and all thus as they vnladed the ship, the kyng of palerne / ¹whiche was called simon of puyll,¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] lokyng out at a wyndow of his castell [et vist comment lon dechargoit la nef. Lors dist a ung chevallier qui la estoit le quel se appelloit Symon de pueille et a ceulx qui entour luy estoient .. F. orig. I. v. back.] / thenne sayd to theym that were about hym / 'I see yonder in the haven a ship setteth her gode a londe, and it can not be but there must be som grete man in it / for I see horses that ben had out, & grete riches / I can not say what it may be, but it were pilgrymes.' Thenne he commaunded a horse for to be made redy, for he wolde sporte hymselfe to the haven side. [pour congnoistre que ce feroit pour le loger auecques luy, F. orig. I. v. back.]

The valiaunt kynge simon of puyll, wythout ony more taryenge / came to the see syde [sus son cheval .. F. orig.] wyth many a noble knyghte in his company / And w[h]an he was come to the haven / he founde reynawde, that was come a londe. and assoone as the kynge sawe him / he knewe him well / wherof he was right glad / And also reynawde knewe well the gode kynge Symon. Soo thenne enbraced they eche wyth other, [folio H.H.vii.b] made grete chere thone to thother / 'Reynaude,' sayd the kynge, 'ye be ryght welcom / I pray you com lodge in my castell, for thadmyrall barbas is entred in my londe, & wasteth it dayly. I fought yesterday wyth hym / but he drove me out of the feelde shamfully, & dyde grete harme to my folke. and I am sure he shall come to besege me tomorow; and I had thoughte to have sende for socours towarde charlemagn / but sith that god hath brought you here / I fere not the kyng, ¹nother his admyrall¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] of perce' / 'Syre,' sayd reynawde, 'I make you sure I shall helpe you wyth all my

power. and if thadmyrall come tomorow, he shall not mysse of batayll, for I shall never ete brede tyll I have dyscomfyted him.' [mal entra oncques en peulle luy et ses gens, F. orig. I. v. back.] Thenne the kynge simon brought reynawd to his palays / where he made him gode chere / and thus as simon ²fested reynawde² [^2—2 le roy de peulle faisoit grant feste pour lamour de regnault, F. orig. I. v. back.] / cam there a knyghte that was called ymes / that sayd to the kyng simon, 'Sir, thadmyralle of perce [nomme barbas, F. orig.] is come byfore palerne wyth soo grete folke that all therth is covered wythall.' whan the kyng vnderstode thise tydynges, he was sory for it, & reynawde glad. Thenne sayd reynawde to the kyng, 'sire, I pray you be not abasshed of noo thyng, for this day shall ye be avenged, and god before, & the holy sepulcre, fro whens I cam but late.' and whan the kyng herde reynawd speke so, he made be cryed that every man sholde arme himself. [et fist esmouvoir la ville, F. orig. I. vi.] and whan reynawde sawe that, he sent for his harneis, and armed hym / and sware the body of god he sholde doo greef to thadmyrall that daye / sithe that he had founde hym agen. and whan mawgis saw reynawd wolde arme him for to fight, he sayd to him / 'My cosin, I am yet dysposed for your love to bere armes, for I cowde not suffre you in dangeour.' And whan the kyng simon herde mawgis speke so, he said him grete thanke / and went & embraced hym, & after sayd / 'By my soule, here is a good hermyte / For [folio H.H.viii.a] whan it was nede, he put well hande to the swerde' / 'sire,' said reynaude, 'ye saye well trouth / and I promyse you men shold fynde in the worlde but fewe suche knyghtes as he is one' / After all thise thynges sayd / every man toke his harneys; and the kyng all armed went to mawgis, & sayd all laughyng,

'My frende mawgis, I pray you that ye wyll bere my standarde this day' [car a meilleur chevallier que vous ne la scauroie vailler, F. orig. I. vi.] / 'syre,' answerde mawgis, 'yf ye take me it, I promyse you I shall have it in suche a place that ye shall swete or ever ye shall com to me.' And whan the kyng herde mawgys speke so, he was right glad therof / and thenne he toke him his baner. And whan mawgys had it in his hande, he sayd to the kyng / 'sire, now folowe me that wyll / for this day shall thadmyrall be dyscomfyted, yf it playse god' / And whan mawgis had said soo / he gaffe the spores to his horse, & put hymself amonge the sarrasins as a lion. Reynaude followed him nyghe, & recounted a persan, whom he smote wyth his spere soo grete a stroke that he made hym tomble deed to the grounde, ²wherof thother were sore abasshed;² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig.] & after he put hande to his swerde, & shoved himself in to the gretest prees, and smote on eyther side of hym vpon the persans soo merveyllouse strokes that they were gretly merveylled wyth it, for all they that he hit / he brought theim to their endynge / and whan thadmyrall sawe the grete efforte of armes that Reynawde made agenste his folke, he sayd to a nevewe of his that was by hym / 'By mahom, I sawe not yesterdaye that grete man of armes / nother he that bereth now the baner ²of symon² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig.] / from whens the devyll are they com that soo gretly greveth vs / I see wel they be som straunge knyghtes / I am alle redy soo ferde of theim that all the blode in my body trembleth.' This hangyng, the king simon & reynawd made grete slaug[h]ter of sarrasins [Et Illecques eut vue merveilleuse meslee d'une part et daultre ... F. orig. I. vi. back.] / But whan thadmyrall sawe that his folke [folio H.H.viii.b] bare theimself soo yll, he wyst not whether he wolde flee or abyde / Thenne cam reynaude brekyng

the prees / that cryed as lowde as he cowde 'mountalban' / And whan thadmyrall herde that crie / he was soo sore a ferde that he wyst not whether to goo, but said, 'by machone & by appolin, I byleve that this devyll helpeth himself wyth som devilry, For I lefte hym in Iherusalem, and now he is here.' [ou je lay trouve par mon peche et sommes en voye de estre perduz se mahom ne nous ayde, F. orig. I. vi. back.]

Thenne whan thadmyrall barbas knew that he that made soo grete greeff to his folke, was reynawde [reyynaude, orig.] of mountalban / he shoke all for fere, & sayd to his nevewe, 'By machomet my god, we have doon yll to come here for to make werre agenst the kynge simon, sith that he hath this devyll reynaude of mountalban; for his like is there not in all the world of knyghthode. now wold I be well in my ship in the myddes of the see / for if I abyde him, he shall make an ende of me.' 'Syr,' sayd his folke, 'have noo doubte of that grete vylayn / For & he come ones in our handes, he shall not lightly scape vs.' 'lordes,' sayd thadmyrall / 'ye wote not what ye saye; ye know not the grete prowes of reynawde; for & we were ten tymes moo folke than we ben / yet sholde not we endure agenst him. and therfore, by the feyth that I owe to machomet, I wylle abyde here noo lenger.' And whan he had sayd thise wordes / he torned the bridell / and assone as he myghte, fled towarde his galleys, and all his folke after hym. And whan reynaude sawe that the paynyms were discomfyted, he began to crie / 'after, mawgis, after / for the truauntes ³are dyscomfyted.'³ [^3—3 sont tous mors, F. orig. I. vii.] And whan he had sayd so, he put himself to the chase, and the kyng simon after him / and went castynge doun sarrasins as bestes / And wyte that they slewe soo many of theym [autant quilz peussent estre es gallees ... F. orig. I. vii.] / that men shold not bileve the nombre / but

they cowde not take thadmyrall, ¹for he was the formest¹ [^1—1 se sauvast dedens sa nef, F. orig. I. vii.] /

[folio I.I.i.a] Barbas, thadmyralle of Perse, whan he founde hymselfe saved in his ship / he began to loke a londe, & sawe the grete dommage that reynawd & mawgis made of his folke / for all the shores of the see were full of sarrasins slayne, wherof he had grete sorowe. Soo began he to pulle his heres of his berde / and cursed thour that ever he was borne / Reynawde cam to the shores, & sawe thadmyralle was saved / wherof he was full sory, & wyst not what he sholde doo more to him / but he made to be cast boltes of wilde fyre in to the galley of the admyrall, soo that he brent the moste parte of it / and barbas was fayne to entre in to a nother shyppe. And ye oughte to wyte that all the sarrasins that bode a londe, lost their lives / Whan the kyng Symon saw that he was to his above of hys enmyes, he was ryght glad of it / soo ranne he & enbraced reynawd, & after sayd to hym / 'Reynawde, I knowe well that I am kyng by your prowes / for & ye had not be, thadmyralle barbas had dystroyed me, and had made an ende of me / wherfore it is reyson that ye be rewarded for it / And therfore, reynawd, I make you lorde of all my goodes & of all my londe' / thenne sayd reynawd, 'Syre, I thanke you moche of your good wylle / For we be not that have dyscomfyted the sarrasins. It was god, & none other, for we be not soo puyssaunt, I & mawgys, for to doo it wythout hym' / And whan they had thus spoken togyder a longe while at the see side / the kynge toke reynawd wyth the one [tone, orig.] hande, & mawgys wyth thother / and went towarde the cite. And whan they were com there / the kyng made the gayn to be broughte, and presented it to reynawd

& to mawgys / wherof reynawde & mawgys wolde take no thing, but gaf it to the pour knyghtes / and incontynent mawgys toke agen his hermytes wede / ¹Thenne began the feest to be the [there in Copland.] grete¹ [^1—1 Puis apres la feste commenca et les dances et tous aultres esbatements par toute lacite ... F. orig. I. vii. back.] [folio I.I.i.b] for the victory that god had gyven theim / The chere that the kyng made to reynaude in his paleys is not for to saye, for it was grete. and for to make shorte tale / Reynawd was honourably feested the space of four dayes / And thenne he wolde departe / and asked leve of the kyng / wherof the kyng was full sory / by cause he wold byde no lenger. and whan he saw that he wolde goo, he gaff hym many fayr yeftes, and made his shyp to be garnysshed wyth moche good vytaylles. And whan this was doon / Reynawd toke leve of the kyng simon [omitted, F. orig.] & of his barons / and the kyng conveyed reynawd to the ship. And whan he came to the partyng / the kyng simon kyssed reynawd, [et puis maugis, F. orig. I. viii.] sore wepyng / and after went agen to palerne / and reynawde dyde doo hale vp saylle, & toke the see / and ceassed never tyll he came to rome. and there they toke londe, and he & mawgis went & confessed theym to the pope. and whan thei were confessed / they retourned agen in to the shyp / and toke theyr waye towarde fraunce / Shortly to speke, they dyde soo moche by theyr iourneis, that they cam to ardeyne about none. and whan the peple of ardeyn [dordonne, F. orig. I. viii.] wyst that reynaude & maugis were comyng, they were never soo glad / and went to alarde, & sayd, 'wyte that your broder reynaude, our lorde, is come / and also mawgis, your cosin, hole & sounde / ⁴thanked be god!'⁴ [^4—4omitted, F. orig.]

And thenne whan alarde & his brethern herde thise tydynges of theyr broder reynaude that was come, they had almost swoned for grete ioye that thei had, and anone wente to the gate of the towne agenst their broder / but they founde hym that he was alredy wythin the towne / and whan they sawe hym / they ranne hym agenst. and alarde enbraced him fyrst, wepyng / and after kyssed hym by grete love; and in like wyse dyde guycharde & richarde / and thenne they kyssed mawgis, their good cosin / And whan thei had thus [folio I.I.ii.a] welcomed him, they went togyder in the paleys / and whan they were there / alarde sayd to reynaude, 'Fayre broder, [vous soyez le tresbien venu ... F. orig. I. viii.] telle vs how ye have founde our cosin mawgis.' 'Broder,' sayd reynawde, 'I found him in constantyn noble by fortune.' and thenne he began to reherse vnto theym alle his adventures that he had sin he becam pylgryme / and whan he had tolde all / he loked on his broder alarde in his face, & sawe he [ehe, orig.] was pale, whiche gaff him susspectyon, & sayd / 'Fayr broder, how is it with my wyff & my children? I merveylle me moche that I see theym not here' / 'broder,' sayd alarde, 'have noo doubte for theim / for they ben hole & sounde at mountalban / and wyte it, that sith your departynge we have doo repayre agen the towne / and have doon garnysshe the castell wyth vitayll ynoughe / for fere of werre, yf ony thynge had happed vs amys.' And thenne whan reynawde herde good tidynges of his wyff & his children, he was right glad of it; and soo he kneled doun and thanked god of it.

Whan reynaude knew that his wife & his children were well, it recomforted hym moche / and began to make good chere; but whan he sawe that his

bredern made noo grete ioye, [mais faisoient macte chiere .. F. orig. I. viii.] he merveilled moche / soo torned himself towarde alarde that sighed sore, & sayd to hym, 'Broder, I awayte for to here som hevy tidynges; I trowe that that ye have tolde me is not trouthe; and yf ye telle me not how is it of all, I shall goo fro myself / and therefore I pray you tell it me, for I wyl knowe it' / And alarde sawe that reynawde helde hym so short, he began to wepe full tendrely, and thenne said vnto hym / 'Sire, sith that it playse you that I telle you the trouthe / I shall doo soo / Wyte it that my lady, your wiff, is deceassed oute of this worlde ²vnto god.² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig.] For ever sin that ye departed, she ceassed not her sorowe for no thynge that we cowde doo or shew [folio I.I.ii.b] vnto her / And thenne she cast all her clothyng in to a fyre, & wolde never were vpon her / but a sory mauntell & a smocke; and soo longe she wept & sorowed, day & nyght, that she deyed at last / wherof I am sory for it, for she was the goodlyest & fayrest of all the worlde.' Whan reynaude vnderstode thise wordes, he swouned doun to therth for grete sorow that he toke at his hert of the deth of ²the good duchesse clare,² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig.] his wyfe / and whan he was come agen to hymselfe, he began to wepe, and sayd, 'Ha, kynge charlemagne, how well maye I hate you, for by you have I lost my wyff / for she is deed by cause she see that ye chassed me out of fraunce wyth soo grete shame as to make me goo a fote / begging my brede like a trewaunt / but I know well that my sinnes ben cause of all this.' [A dont qui eut fust liez maugis ne fust pas joyeux. Si fust si marry quil ne scauoit que faire, F. orig. I. viii. back.] And whan reynaude had made his mone / he sayd to alarde, his broder / 'fayr broder, I pray you come & shewe me the tombe where my wyff is begraven?, 'broder,' sayd alard, 'wyth a gode wille I shall doo

soo.' And thenne he broughte him to the chirche where his gode wyfe the duchesse was buryed / And whan reynawde came there / he swouned thre tymes vpon her tombe; and whan he was come agen to hymself / began to make grete sorow / for he rented his clothes & pulled his heres / And whan he had sorowed longe / he sayd, as a man replenysshed wyth sorowe, 'Ha, god, what a pilgryme I am! I byleve there is none in the worlde more vnhappy than I am. Now see I well that I have lost all my ioye & my comforte / sith that I have loste the fayreste lady of the worlde, & the goodliest' [que oncques fis dieu ne men scet ne gre ne grace. F. orig. I. viii. back.] / And as he was spekynge thise wordes / came there his children / aymonet & yonnet, that kneled byfore theyr fader. And whan reynawd sawe theym knelinge a fore hym, he wende his herte sholde have breste. Soo toke he them vp, and kyssed theym by grete love, all wepynge, and after [folio I.I.iii.a] sayd to theim, 'My fayr children, see that ye be good men / for I fere me that ye shall mysse me soone.' and whan reynawd had said this to his children, he began to make more sorow than he had doon afore, & soo dide mawgis. Thenne began ye sorowe thrughe all the towne right grete, and lasted x dayes without ceasse / and whan cam to the xiii. [onziesme jour, F. orig. L. i.] daye / Reynawde toke his waye towarde mountalban / that was almost as well peopled as it was or the werre beganne / And mawgys habandouned never reynawd whersomever he went, but he went alwayes on fote in his hermytes aray / and as they went thus to mountalban / the bredern of reynawd & his children went on fote for to bere company to mawgis their cosin. And whan they of mountalban knewe the comynge of their lorde / they were right glad of it / and made all the stretes for to

be hanged wyth fayr clothes; [et de plusieurs riches draps tant de foye que de laine, F. orig. L. i.] and they cam agenste hym all togyder, makyng grete ioye / and made hym grete reverence, and welcomed him honourably / and reynawde receyved theim gladly, & made theim good chere / For at that tyme he dyssymuled his sorowe that he had at his hert, bycause he sholde not discomforte his folke, that soo grete ioye made for his comynge there. And also they of mountalban welcomed mawgis honourably / by cause they loved hym of olde very well. And thenne they brought reynaude, makyng grete ioye, vnto the castell / and whan reynaude founde hymselfe wythin his castell of mountalban, he was glad of it, and came to a wyndow & loked doun in to the towne / and saw that it was as well pepled as ever it was / and had merveylle of whens somoche peple was com there for to dwelle; & he was right glad of it / for he wende never to have seen mountalban in that plight ²as it was byfore the werre began.² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig.] [Et pendant ceulx de montauban demenoient grant feste merveileusement mais regnault ne pouvoir faire bonne chiere pour chose quilz sceussent faire, F. orig. L. i.] After that the feest was ended, reynaude called his bredern, & said [folio I.I.iii.b] vnto theim / 'Lordes, I holde me distroyed for love of the gode duchesse / whiche I have loste, wherof I am right hevy for it, for love of the grete goodnes that I have knowen in her / I make my vowe to god, that never while I live I shall never mary agen.' 'cosin,' sayd mawgis / 'ye doo well / but I praye you recomforte yourself / for ye knowe well that a thyng that maye not be amended must be lefte alone' / 'cosin,' sayd reynawde, 'ye saye well / and I shall doo soo' / Whan reynawd, his bredern, & mawgis had doon grete chere that daye at mountalban, mawgis on the morow next toke leve of his cosins, & went agen to his hermytage; and

whan he wolde departe / he sayd to reynaud, 'Cosin, remembre you well, that for you are dede soo many folke / for whom ye be beholden to pray god that he wylle have mercy on their soules' / and whan mawgys had sayd soo / he toke his waye, & wolde not suffre no body to conveye him; and he dyde somoche by his iourneys that he came to his hermytage / where he lived a holy life; for after he was com agen to his hermytage / he ete never but herbes & rotes of the wode; and in this maner of wyse lived maugis the space [spade, orig.] of vii. yeres, that he sawe nother man nor woman / And whan it cam to the viii. yere, the good mawgis deceassed fro this worlde / aboute ester. Ihesu for his pite pardonne his soule! ¶ Here leveth the history to speke of mawgis, whom god pardonne, and tourneth to speke agen of reynaud, of his bredern, and of his children, how they were made knyghtes.

CHAPTER XXV.

¶ How reynaude sent his two sones to the kyng charlemagne moche honourably / for to be made knyghtes at paris.

In this party sheweth thistory / that after that mawgis was retorned to his hermytage, Reynawde was ever after sory for hym & also for his wyffe. But he [folio I.I.iv.a] recomforted hymselfe aswell as he myght wyth his bredern. A longe while abode reynaude wyth his bredern, makynge as good chere as he cowde / and wyte it, that about that tyme deyed tholde duke aymon, whiche lefte grete goodes to hys children. But shortly to speke, reynaude departed & gaaff all his goodes, as well that that he had of his owne / as that was fallen bi the deth of his fader aymon, vnto his bredern, except

oonly that he reteyned for hymself ¹the castell & towne of¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. L. ii.] mountalban / and founde the wayes that thei were all maryed noble & richely. Who that sholde speke of the bredern of reynaude & of theyr dedes, it were to longe to be recounted. Reynawd thenne dwelled longe at mountalban wyth his children / whiche he endoctryned & taughte in all good & vertuous maners aswell as he cowde, and norysshed theym tylle that they were men / and cowde bere both sheelde and spere. And vpon a daye he had theym to the feelde on horsbacke / and made to be brought there speres & sheeldes for to assaye theymself / and toke wyth hym xx. knyghtes / whom, whan thei were comen in the feelde / he made his children to iouste wyth / And ye ought to wyte that the two sones of reynaude iousted aswell as thoughe they had be hauntyng the werre x. yeres & more. And when reynawd saw that they dyde so wel, he called theym afore hym / and afore the knyghtes, & sayd to theim / 'My fayr children / thanked be our lorde / ye ben talle men, and well made of body / It is now tyme that ye were made knyghtes; wherfore I wyll that ye goo serve the kynge charlemagn, our soverayn lorde / whiche shall make you knyghtes. For of more noble hande ye can not be dowbed to the noble ordre of knyghthode.' 'Syr,' sayd aymonet / 'we are redy to fulfylle your wylle in every thynge that ye commaunde vs' / 'fader,' sayd yonnet, 'ye saye well to vs / for it is tyme that [folio I.I.iv.b] we folowe the werres; but sith it is your playsure to sende vs to charlemagn, we must goo there honourably / but it can not be wythout grete cost' / 'My sone,' said reynaude, 'care not for the cost / for we have good ynoughe / gramercy our lorde, for to bring you there acordyng to your astate; and I promyse you / I shall sende you there or I be vii. nyghte

elder, as honourabli as ony went thider sin my tyme' / 'fader,' sayd the children / 'we are redy to goo whan it plaise you' / Whan reynaude had said this to his children, he went home agen to mountalban well ioyfull of his two sones that proved so well; and whan he was wythin his castell, he called his stiwarde & said to him / 'Stywarde, I commaunde you that ye araye my chyldren honorably & richely of dyverse maners of clothynge, ¹& of thinges that longeth to theim¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] / for I wyll sende theim to ye court of the kyng charlemagne, for to be made knyghtes of him / and see that they goo as honestly ²as ony went thider this xx. yeres'² [^2—2 quil en y ala jamais point, F. orig. Z. ii. back.] / 'My lorde,' sayd the stiwarde / 'I shall well doo your commaundement, sith that it plaiseth you / for ye have ynoughe clothes full riche of your owne of diverse colours.'

Whan the stiwarde herde the commaundement of his mayster / wythout ony tarieng / he dyde right well alle that was commaunded him by reynaude / for he made to be redy many palfreys & coursers well barded & covered wyth riche clothe of golde, wyth belles of silver & gylte in grete plente / and purveyd for two goode harneyses all complete / ¹for speres & swerdes, & for all suche other thynges as aperteyneth¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] for the two yong bachelers. Shortly to speke, it was not possyble to aray better two yonge squyres than the ii. yonge sones of reynaude were by the purvyaunce of his stiwarde / and whan all thinges were redy / he brought theym bifore his maisters. [a regnault son maistre, F. orig. Z. ii. back.] And whan reynande sawe this, he was glad, & sayd, 'by god, [folio I.I.v.a] stywarde / I conne you thanke / that ye have purveyd so well for mi children.' and reynawd made V.C knyghtes

well redy to bere company to his sones. And whan they were all redy, reynaude caled his sones, & sayd to theym / 'my fare sones, ye be well apoynted / thanked be god, and here is a fayr bende of noble men to bere you feliship / And therfore ye shall now go to the court of charlemain our grete kynge, whiche shall make you grete chere & honour for my love. my chyldren, ye be of hie linage & right noble, and therfore beware that ye doo noo thing agenst your noblenes / ne that myght retourne to ony shame to me nor to your linage / and I commaunde you vpon the feyth that ye owe to me, that the monei that I deliver to you now / ye dyspende it honestly, and spare not to doo good therwyth to pour gentylmen & yonge bachelers ¹that wold fayn com to worship¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] / and whan ye have all spended it honestly / sende to me for more, and ye shall have ynoughe; and above this, I charge you that ye serve god alwayes afore ony thing that ye have a doo; [je vous sa recommande les pouvres crestiens, F. orig. Z. ii. back.] and that ye speke no worde fowll out of your mouth to no ladi nor to damesell / worship your better, & love your neyghbour, and soo shall you be praysed of every man. Moreover, I charge you that ye live frendly togyder as ii bredern ought to doo / and to you, yonnet, my fayr sone / I commaunde you that ye bere honour & reverence to your [chier, F. orig.] broder / for he is your elder / that know ye well.'

Thenne sayd yonnet, 'fader, be you sure I shall serve my dere broder as I wold doo you / that are my lorde & my ¹dere¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] fader.' 'By my feyth, fayr sone,' ¹sayd reynaud¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] / 'yf ye doo soo, ye shall be praysed for it, [toute vostre vie, F. orig. Z. iii.] whersomever ye com or goo. But yet one thyng I forbede you / that ye speke not to moche,

for yf ye doo the contrary / the frenshemen shall saye / that ye be not like in condycions to your parentage' [car jamais nous ne sermonoyent volentiers, F. orig. Z. iii.] / 'Fader,' sayd the [folio I.I.v.b] children, 'we have suche a trust in our lorde god that he shall kepe vs from all thyng that is contrary to his wylle, and that we shall soo governe vs / that ye shall gladly avowe vs for your children / and all they of the court of charlemagne shall love vs, but yf they wylle do wrong' / And whan reynaude herde his children speke soo, he was right glad therof, and drewe theim aside, & sayd vnto theym / 'My fayr children, ye goo now in to fraunce / remembre well hereafter all whiche I shall telle you now / Ye must knowe that there ben in the court of the kynge charlemaine a grete linage of folke that never loved vs but litill, the whiche are of grete power / thei be of maunte / I charge you that ye nor goo nor com wyth theym / for noo thing that they can telle you / and if they hurt you by ony wyse, see that ye revenge yourself wysly, and shew theim that ye be the sones of reynaude of mountalban' / 'Fader,' sayd the children / 'doubt not we shall not suffre that ony outerage be doo to vs, yf we maye.' 'Fayr children,' sayd reynaude / 'knele afore me' / and they kneled anone byfore their fader; & Reynawde gaff theim his blessinge, and after kissed theym wepyng many tymes, & gaaff theym leve / and after torned him towarde his knyghtes, & sayd, 'My lordes, I commende to god, & praye you that ye tende well my children / and suffre not that ony wrong be doon to theim to your power / for ye know well that we ben hatred in fraunce; and I pray you gyve theim alwayes good counseylle / and that they be alwaies courteys, gentyll, & liberall of their goodes / for a prince covetous was never praised.' and whan reynaud

had sayd this, he wythdrew him sore wepyng ¶ Thus leveth thystory to speke of reynawd & of his bredern, and retorneth to shew of his children, that were goon to the court of the kyng charlemagn.

CHAPTER XXVI.

¶ How after that the kynge [folio I.I.vi.a] charlemagn had receyved full swetly the sones of reynawd, thei fought with the sones of folques / and discomfited them in thile of our lady, wythin paris, bycause thei had layd treison vpon reynaud their fader / for cause that he had slayn folques in the playn of valcolours /

Now sheweth the tale, that after that aymonet & yonnet were departed [de montauban, F. orig. Z. iii. back.] fro their fader, thei rode somoche by their iourneis / that they cam to paris / and lodged theim by the paleys / And whan thei were lodged / the ii children clothed theimself honestly, & all their folke / and thenne thei went wyth their feliship, holdyng eche other by thandes, to the paleys [Et devez scauoir quilz ressembloient bien enfans de prince, F. orig. Z. iii. back.] / And whan the barons of charlemagn sawe com the two bredern so richely arayed, & suche a goodly feliship of knyghtes after theim, they merveylled gretly what thei myght be / so sayd thone to thother / 'here be two fair children, and by liklihode they shold be bredern / and they must be of som hie linage' / The barons thenne folowed theym / whan they mounted to the palays / And they entred wythin the grete halle, where they founde the kyng charlemagn / that devysed with som of his barons; and there was the duke naymes, richard of normandi, salamon of breten, ogyer

of denmarke, therle ganellon / and also constans & rohars / whiche two hated reynaud of mountalban right sore, for they were the sones of foulques of morillon, that Reynaud had slayn in the playne of valcolours, when he ¹& his bredern¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] defended theim so well at the roche mountbron / Thise ii. bredern, constans & rohars, had grete name in the courte / but their hertes were full false / and the kynge charlemagn loved theim well for their prowes & grete knightehode / Wyth charlemagn were also many other grete pryncis & barons / wherof the boke maketh noo mencyon, ¹For it were to longe a thynge to be recounted¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] /

[folio I.I.vi.b] Thenne whan the ii bredern, ¹the sones of Reynawd of mountalban,¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] were com in to the hall / they sawe the kinge among his barons. soo went they vnto hym, & kneled doun afore hym, and kyssed his fete / and thenne aymonet spake first, & sayd / 'Syre, god gyve you good liff & longe / and kepe from evyll all your noble company / Syre, we are com to you for to have thordre of knyghthode / ¹yf it playse your gode grace to give it vs¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] / for of noo better hande than is yours we can not have it; wherfore, sir, we beseche you humbly for god, & for the love of our fader, that it wille plaise you to reteyne vs in your servyse vnto the tyme ye gyve the sayd ordre of knyghthode' / 'Who ben you,' sayd the king, 'that speke thus?' 'sire,' ¹sayd aymonet¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] / 'we are the sones of reynawde of mountalban' [a qui dieu doint bonne vie, F. orig. Z. iv.] / And whan the kyng charlemagne vnderstode that they were the sones of reynaude, [de montauban, F. orig.] he rose vpon his fete lightly, & receyved theim honourably, and after sayd vnto theim, 'My children, ye be right welcom / and how fareth your fader?' 'sire,' sayd the children /

'he dooth well, thanked be god / and he recomendeth him right humbly to your good grace, besechyng you that ye will have vs for recomended / and we have left him at mountalban / but he draweth now sore to age.' 'Thus gothe the worlde, my children' / sayd the kyng, 'every man muste take in it an ende.' Moche glad was the kyng charlemagne of the comyng of the two sones of reynawd, [de montauban, F. orig.] and right gladly he loked vpon theym for the love of their fader; for the more he behelde theim, and the more fayrer he founde theym, & better liked theym, and well he loved theim, bycause they were like the fader; and whan he had loked vpon theim ynoughe / he sayd to his barons / 'Lordes, if the children wold forsake their fader / they cowde not, for never children were more like to him / than they;' [Et cuyde quilz feront une fois bonnes gens se ilz vivent leur cage, F. orig. Z. iv.] and whan he had sayd soo, he torned toward [folio I.I.vii.a] the children / and said to theim / 'Fayr children, ye shal be made knyghtes at all tymes whan ye wyll / for the love of your fader, my good frende / and I shall gyve you moo londes than your father hathe, and for love of you / I shall make an hundred knyghtes more wyth you, for ye ben of suche a stocke come / that ye ben worthy to be honoured, praised, & holden dere' / And thenne whan the duke naymes, rowlande, & olivere that came there, & all the other peres of fraunce saw that they were the two sones of reynawd of mountalban, they were ryght glad of it / and thenne every man kyssed theym by grete love, and asked theym how reynaude & his bredern dyde / 'Lordes,' ⁴sayd aymonet,⁴ [^4—4 omitted, F. orig.] 'what are you that be so glad of our comyng' / 'children,' sayd the duke naymes / 'we ben all you[r] kinnesmen.' And thenne the duke naymes tolde theim all their names / and whan the children knewe what they were / thei meked theymself

byfore theim honestly; and after, yonnet sayd to theim / 'Lordes, our fader greteth you well, and prayeth you that ye wylle have vs for recomended as your kynnesmen.' And thenne whan the barons herde the two children speke soo wysly / they were glad of it, & also of their comynge. But the ii. sones of foulques of moryllon were full sory & wroth for it. 'bi my soule,' said constans to his broder rohars, 'the fader of thise two children slewe our fader / wherof the hert in my body swelleth highe for angre that I see theim here; nor my eyen can not loke vpon theim' [Et si ne feray jamais liez jusques je naye ung occis, F. orig. Z. iv. back.] / 'broder,' sayd rohars, 'nor I nother, by my trouth / but I counseyll not that we fyghte wyth theim not here, for it were foly. But lete vs awayte a tyme & place covenable / for sith that they shall dwelle here / we shall avenge vs vpon theym' / 'Broder,' sayd constans, 'lete vs doo one thing that I shall telle you / whiche is easy for to doo, that ye shal call thone of treyson, & I thother, saieng [folio I.I.vii.b] that theyr fader slewe our fader by treyson. And also we shall prove that their fader wrought treyson agenst the kinge charlemagn' / 'Broder,' sayd rohars / 'ye speke well: we must suffre a while tyll we see how they shall bere theimself in court / for & they doo ony otherwyse than they ought to doo, we shall mow kille theim, & be not blamed for it.' After this doon / ye ought to knowe that the children of reynaude of mountalban / bare theimself full honestly in court, for all ye barons loved theim dere, save oonly the two sones of foulques of morillon, wherof aymonet & yonnet perceyved it right well / and spake not wyth theim / nor haunted theim not. It was grete merveylle of the grete yeftes that ³the sones of aymon³ [^3—3 les enfans de regnault, F. orig. Z. v.] gaff to the barons & gentylmen of the court charlemagn, as were fayr

horses, & harneys, & many clothes of silke of dyverse colours / and in likewyse they gaff to the ladyes & gentilwymen fair gownes of clothe, of gold, & of silver. And of thother part they kept a grete astate & goode hous to all pour gentylmen & esquyres / and dyde somoche good that they were gretly praysed of every man / What sholde I telle you more / the children of reynaude dyde somoche in the court of the kyng charlemain, that of all the worlde they were loved / and pryncipally of the kynge charlemagn / Whan the kyng sawe that they behaved theym soo well & so wysly in his court / he was ryght glad of it, soo loved he theim moost of ony yong knightes of his court, and made theim his keruers afore him / And thenne whan the ii sones of folques sawe that the kyng loved theim so moche, they were full angry / in somoche that they wexed mad all quycke for it / and soo sware by grete angre that they shold slee theim, or ever they sholde goo from the courte. It happed soo that on wytsondaye evyn, as the kynge was atte Parys, and wolde [folio I.I.viii.a] kepe open court, and there were aymonet & yonnet wyth thother barons in the hall / This hanging, aryved there a knighte of almayn, that presented to the kyng a fayr knyff, after the facyon of the londe. thenne called the kyng yonnet, & gaaff it hym by grete love / and whan yonnet had receyved this yefte of the kyng, & as he sholde have goon to his place agen, he shoved constans wyth his elbow agenst his wyll; and whan constans sawe that yonnet had doon soo / he had grete dyspite at it / and sayd, 'what is this? must there be somoche set bi thise two boyes, the sones of a traytour / whiche ben not worthe a roten apple / and thys one is all redi becom soo proude that he hath now shoved me wyth his elbow by grete envy & pryde.' moche other langage constans sayd by yonnet, whiche he

ought not for to saie. And whan yonnet herde that constans had called him the sone of a traytour / he was sore an angred. So cam he to hym, & sayd, 'constans, ye have lerned a fowle crafte / that ys, that ye can speke shrewdly wythoute a cause lawfull. why for I have herde that ye have called me & my broder the sones of a traytour / and that the kyng knowethe well that our fader slewe yours by treyson / wherof I wylle ye wyte that ye lie falsly / but your fader dyde assaylle our by treyson / as a traytour / come of the linage of traytours. But god wold not that my fader sholde deie soo, nor myn vncles. My fader slewe your fader, it is trouth; but it was in his defendyng of his body / and he dyde thenne as a noble knyghte / as he is / and yf ye be soo hardy that ye wylle mayntene that he dyde it by treyson / here I cast now my gage afore this noble companye / sayeng that ye have lied falsly / ¹save the reverence of the kinge, and of his felishyp.'¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.]

Thenne whan the kyng charlemagn sawe that none of the barons sayd noo thynge of the striffe of yonnet [folio I.I.viii.b] and of constans / he was angry for it, & sayd / 'Constans, ye doo grete wrong for to saye that I & the twelve peres of fraunce knowe well that reynaude of mountalban slewe your fader by treyson. holde your peas,' sayd charlemagne. 'For yf ye knewe well how the matere is, ye sholde not speke of it / wherefore I commaunde you, in asmoche as ye fere to angre me, that ye make amendes to yonnet of that ye have sayd / or elles voide incontynent my court & my royame / for ye have trowbled all my courte / wherof I am not contente.' And whan rohars herde this that the kyng charlemagn had sayd to constance his broder / he was angry, and soo rose on his fete and sayd, 'Sire, I am redi for to prove vpon aymonet that his fader slew our fader by treyson, and here is my gage' /

'Rohars,' [Constans, F. orig. Z. vi.] sayd Charlemagne, 'here ye take a wronge waye, and it shall be to you over late whan ye shall repente it.' whan aymonet & yonnet vnderstode thyse wordes / they kneled afore charlemagn, & sayd to him / 'Sir, for god we pray you right humbly that ye take the gages that rohars hath cast / for wyth goddys grace we shall well defende our fader of the treyson / that they put vpon him.' 'Children,' sayd the kyng / 'sith it playse you that I take theim / I shall doo soo' / and thenne the kyng charlemagn toke the gages / and constans avaunced hymself & sayd / 'Sire, we vnderstonde that we shall fyght two & two, thone agenst thother.' ¶ whan the kyng charlemayn had taken the gages of bataylle of constans & of rohars, he asked theym who shold be their seurtes? thenne lept forth the traytour guenellon, berenger, escouff of morillon, lion of pignabell, and gryfon of haute braunche / the whiche sayd vnto kyng charlemagn, 'Syre, we wyll be suretes for constans & rohars, for they be of our linage' [Si ne leur devons faillir. F. orig. Z. vi.] / 'Lordes,' sayd charlemagn, 'I take theim you to kepe; And I charge you to brynge theym agayn to the [folio K.K.i.a] court whan tyme shall be.' 'Syre,' sayd the suretees, 'we shall doo as ye commaunde vs.' and whan the kyng had receyved the suretees of constans & of rohars / aymonet & yonnet came forth / and sayd in this manere / 'Syre, here ben our gages, how that we will defende that our fader slew never foulques of moryllon by treyson.' 'Children,' sayd the kyng charlemain, 'ye speke well / but I must have surete of you, as I have of [ef, orig.] ye other party / yf I wyll doo reyson' / Thenne lept forth rowland, oliver, the duke naymes of bavyre, ogier of denmarke, richarde of normandy, & escouff the sone of oedon, whiche sayd to ye

kyng / 'Syre, we ben suretees for the sones of reynaude / and we shall present theym to you at the daye of bataille' / 'Sire,' [Seigneurs, F. orig. Z. vi. back.] sayd the kyng charlemagn, 'it playseth me well; but the children of reynaude ben not yet knyghtes as ye knowe, but by the feyth that I owe to god, they shall be to morowe, [de ma main, F. orig. Z. vi. back.] and thenne we shall sende our lettres to reynawd, that he come for to see the bataylle of his children / for this daye fourthy dayes I devyse it.' Whan came at thevyn, the kyng charlemain made be called his stywarde, & sayd to hym / 'Goo, and brynge me to morowe the sones of reynaude / for I wylle that they ben tomorow named knyghtes / and see that they ben well honourde / for I wylle doo this for the love of their fader; and pourvey soo that thei have eche of theim a good courser, [ou parlefroy, F. orig. Z. vi. back.] and gode harneis ⁴mete for their bodyes'⁴ [^4—4 omitted, F. orig.] / Whan the stywarde herde the commaundement of the kyng charlemagn / he dyde well the tenour therof / and whan the mornynge came/the stywarde brought aymonet & yonnet well apoynted / and in there company all suche other as the kynge ⁴for their love⁴ [^4—4 omitted, F. orig.] wolde make knyghtes [Lesquelz il auoit fait veiller celle nuyt en leglise de nostre dame, F. orig. Z. vi. back.] that daye / And whan they were afore the kyng, aymonet & yonnet requyred thordre of knyghthode / to whome the kyng gaff it wyth good hert, and in like wyse to the [folio K.K.i.b] other for love of theim; and thenne was a grete feest made that daye / And whan the feest was / finysshed / charlemagn toke a messager / whiche he sente to reynawde of mountalban, and sent him worde that he sholde come to the court wyth gode company / for his children were called of treyson / by the sones of foulques of morillon, sayeng, that he had slayen their

fader by treyson / and how his children had caste their gages, sayeng that they had lied falsly. [Comment gens traictres extraitz de traictres par droicte lignee, F. orig. Z. vi. back.]

Thenne whan the duke reynawd [de montauban, F. orig. Z. vii.] herde thise tidinges that charlemayne sente hym, he merveylled of it sore. Thenne sent he for all his bredern by his letters that they sholde com to him in armes, for it was nede / And whan the bredern of reynaude vnderstode thise tydynges / wythout ony tarieng they came to ³their broder at³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig.] mountalban / And whan reynaude sawe theim, he was glad / and kyssed theym, thone after the other / and after, he tolde theym all that the kynge charlemagn had gyve him to knowe; and whan the bredern of reynaude vnderstode it / they merveylled of it. 'Broder,' said richarde, 'doubte not / for the mater shall come better than ye wene of / by the grace of god / I counseylle that we goo to the court of the kyng charlemagn. For whan we shall be there, we shall soone vnderstonde the kynges mynde, and what his wylle is towarde you; and I promyse you yf he hath doon ony wrong to our nevewes, ³your children³ [^3—3 omitted, F. orig.] / god never have mercy on my soule / but I shall slee hym / what happe therof.' 'Broder,' sayd reynawde, 'I wylle well that we goo to parys; and whan we shall be there / we shall well vnderstonde how the kyng charlemagn bereth hymself towarde my chyldren.' 'Brother,' sayd alarde / 'ye speke well & wysly / and me semeth after myn advyse that we ought to goo thider wythout ony long taryenge.' And thenne whan they were therto acorded, [folio K.K.ii.a] they departed from mountalban wyth right a noble company / and so moche they rode by their iourneis that they cam to the cite of parys. And whan thei were comen there, all the xii. peres of fraunce knewe

anone of their comynge, and went agenst theim / and brought wyth theym aymonet & yonnet, and receyved reynawd & his bredern wyth grete ioye & honour / And thenne whan reynawd saw his two fayr sones, he sayd to theim in this wyse / 'My children, now shall it be seen yf ye be my sones or noo; for and ye be my children / ye shall avenge me of that grete shame that thise traytoures put vpon me wythout a cause.' 'Fader,' sayd the children, 'doubte not therof / for & they were ten agenst vs / yet shall we overcom theim ¹by the grace of god¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] / For every man knoweth well that ye be as true a knyghte as ony is in the worlde' / And whan the kyng charlemagn knewe the comyng of reynawd, that was come so well acompanyed, he was glad of it / and sent worde to reynawd that he shold come to hym, the whyche thyng reynawd dide / And whan the kyng saw hym, he made him good chere, and with good hert / and also to his bredern / And whan reynawd had be with the kyng a longe while, he toke leve of hym, & went to his lodges agen / And whan he was there, he called his bredern & his chyldren, & sayd to theim / 'My sones, come hider / telle me how the kyng charlemain bereth hymself towarde you, and what he sayeth of this quarell that ye have vnder-take / I must knowe the trouthe of it' / 'Fader,' said the children, 'wite it that the king charlemagn loveth vs moche / and he entreteyneth vs above all other honourabli / for the love of you that he loveth right moche, as he sayeth.' And thenne thei tolde him how he had made theim knyghtes [moult honnorablement, F. orig. Z. vii. back.] / and how he susteyned their quarell agenst the traytours and all other.

[folio K.K.ii.b] When reynawde and his bredern herde the children speke thus / thei were glad of it / for

they doubted lest charlemagn wolde have faren yll wyth theym / And whan reynaude of mountalban wyst that the [grant, F. orig.] kyng had borne himself soo well towarde his sones, he sayd that he sholde serve hym evermore as his soverayn lorde / And on the morowe [au matin, F. orig. Z. vii. back.] reynawde went to see the kynge at his risynge from his bed, & thanked hym moche of the grete worshyp that he had doon to his children. Thenne sayd Charlemagn to hym, 'Reynawde, ever sin that I sawe that ye dyde my commaundement with good wylle, and that ye were obeyeng to me / I dyde cast all my angre from me, & all the evyll wylle that I had agenste you / and I wylle that ye wyte that I am well yours, and shall be aslonge as I live in this worlde, for I take ³you for one of my best frendes'³ [^3—3 pour men amy, F. orig. Z. vii. back.] / And whan Reynawde herde the debonairte ⁴& the kynde wordes of the kynge,⁴ [^4—4 de Charlemaigne, F. orig. Z. vii. back.] he cast hymself to the fete of hym / and in likewyse dyde all his bredern, and thanked hym moche / and wyte that reynaude & his bredern abode in paris wyth grete ioye ⁵& playsure⁵ [^5—5 omitted, F. orig.] vnto the daye of the bataylle that shold be of his children / And this hangyng, reynawde had doon make good harneys for his children, and had pourveyed two goode horses for theym /

Whan the daye of the bataylle was come, the children of foulques of moryllon cam & presented theim afore the kyng redy for to fyghte. And whan the kyng sawe theym / he sayd to theym / 'Children, ye have had evyll counseylle ⁶to callenge the sones of reynawd of mountalban as ye have doon.⁶ [^6—6 de faire ung si fort appel, F. orig. Z. viii.] For I am sure it shall repente you / but thys is not the fyrste fawte that your linage hathe doon / nor it shalle not be the laste / I fere me of it.' And whan therle

ganellon and all they of the linage of foulques of morillon herde the [folio K.K.iii.a] kynge speke soo, they were so gretely abasshed / that they wyste not what they sholde doo / but kepte all theyr peas, and answerde noo worde. And thenne sayd constans to the kynge, 'Syre, we praye you for god that ye wylle telle vs the place where we shall fighte agenste our enmyes' [et comment nous devons faire cest assauoir se nous combatrons deux contre deux ou ung contre ung, F. orig. Z. viii.] / Thenne stode vp the duke naymes of bavyre / and sayd / 'Syre, constans speketh well; ye must devyse ³the place, and where they shall fyghte two agenst two / or one agenst a nother alone.'³ [^3—3 que lon doit faire, F. orig. Z. viii.] 'Naymes,' sayd the kynge / 'I wylle that ye Iudge this matere' / 'sire, [dist le duc naymes, F. orig.] syth that it playse you soo / I shall bespeke it wyth a goode wylle. ⁵Syre,' sayd the duke naymes⁵ [^5—5 omitted, F. orig.] / 'me semeth / because that constans hathe callid the sones of reynaude ⁶to batayll bothe for one matere⁶ [^6—6 traictres sans riens nommer et rohars lautre, F. orig. Z. viii.] / that they oughte to fyghte two agenst two / and all foure togyder.' 'Syre,' sayd reynawde / 'the duke naymes sayth ryght well' [et juge leaulment, F. orig. Z. viii.] / 'By my feythe, reynaude,' sayd the kynge charlemagne / 'and I graunte it soo /but I wylle that the bataylle be made in the Isle of our lady wythin savoyne, to morowe in the mornynge' / And whan kynge charlemagne had sayd thus / the barons toke leve of hym / and eche of theym wente to their lodgys, and reynawd also, the whiche toke his two sones wyth hym. and the two sones of foulques of moryllon wente also wyth theyr frendes. [et parens, F. orig.] Whan reynaude & his bredern had souped / and had made goode chere / he made brynge harneys ynoughe, and made alarde & rycharde / and his two chyldren,

¹aymonet & yonnet,¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] to be armed. And thenne he made to be shewed to aymonet & to yonnet how they sholde defende theymselfe of theyr enmyes, and in what maner they sholde assaylle theym / And whan this was doon / reynaude dyde sende his chyldren to saynte vyctor, and the traytours went to saynt germayn, ²for to watche [folio K.K.iii.b] that nyghte.² [^2—2 des prez, F. orig. Z. viii. back.] And whan the daye came, a bysshop, that was of the linage of constans & of rohars, sange masse afore his cosins; and the bysshop turpyn sayd masse a fore the sones of reynawd [de montauban, F. orig.] / whiche was wyth theym at saynt vyctor / and also the twelve peres of fraunce / And whan the yong knightes had herde the masse, they came all in their harneys to the palays byfore the kynge charlemagn / And whan the kynge sawe theym / he called his nevewe rowlande, & oliver, the duke naymes of bavere, & richarde of normandy, and sayd to theym, 'Lordes, ye ben all my men. I commaunde you vpon the trouth that ye owe to me, that ye goo kepe the feelde by suche maner that my honoure be saved bi it, and that ye kepe to every man his ryght / For by the feith that I owe to god / yf there be ony man soo hardy that wylle doo ony owtrage / I shall angre hym ryght sore / Wherfore I wylle that ye passe the water of sayne in to the ysle wyth the fyghters, and that ye bere wyth you the halowes for to make theym swere thervpon, afore they shall entre in to the feelde / that they goo to it all in goode quarelle truly.' 'Syre,' sayd the barons / 'we shall doo your commaundemente, and also we shall kepe therin well your honour / for we ben bounde therto.' 'Lordes,' sayd the kyng charlemagn, 'ye speke well, [et loyaulment, F. orig. Z. viii. back.] but ye muste take gode hede well to all / For there shall be grete folke gadred of

the one parte / and of the other / wherfore I fere me that some medlynge shall hap amonge theym / For rohars is full of grete treyson, and all his frendes, I know it well. And of the other parte / Reynawd & his brethern are right puyssaunt & wyse / and have grete power wyth theym, and they wylle not see theymselfe wronged. and namely, Richarde the broder of reynawd / For & he be ones angry / he spareth [folio K.K.iv.a] nother kynge nor erle. And therfore I fere hym moost of all the other, for he wolde ones have slayn me / I am yet wel remembred therof / Of reynaude I doubte noo thynge / for he is in every thynge resonable.' [et bien amesure, F. orig. Z. viii. back.] 'Syre,' sayd the duke naymes, 'be not dysmayed of noo thynge, for we shall kepe well your ryght & your honour wythoute to doo [dooo, orig.] ony wronge to ony body' / This hangynge, the children of foulques of moryllon went to the sayd isle / where as the kynge charlemagne had tolde theym that they sholde fyghte / And whan they were passed over the ryver in to the ysle wyth theyr horses, they bounde theym / and thenne they set theymselfe doun vpon the fayr grasse / waytynge after theyr adverse party. Now here what the traytours had ordeyned / Ye oughte to wyte that while the kynge charlemagne had spoken wyth his barons ⁴as ye have herde,⁴ [^4—4 omitted, F. orig.] Berenger, ardocke, & gryffen of haute braunche dyde put theymself in a busshe / nyghe by the sayd isle of our lady / and had proposed that yf the sones of reynawde had the beter of the feelde agenst the two other sones of moryllon / that thenne they sholde yssue oute vpon theym wyth a ryght grete nombre of folke, for to slee theym shamfully.

Whan thenne reynawde sawe that it was tyme that his sones sholde goo to the isle for to

accomplisshe theyr bataylle / he called aymonet, and sayd to hym / 'Come hyder, fayr sone. ye be the eldest/ and therfore ye oughte to be honoured a fore the yonger brother. holde, I gyve you flamberde, my goode swerde / by the whiche ye shall take vengaunce of thyse traytours / For ye ben in the right / and they in the wronge.' 'Fader,' sayd aymonet, 'ye may be in a surete that ye shall see thys daye suche a thyng that shall be to your hertes ioye, for [folio K.K.iv.b] we shall brynge the traytours to theyr shamfull dethe / ²and it plaise god'² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig.] / And whan reynaud herde his sone soo valiauntly speke, he was glad / and kissed hym / and thenne he gaff hym his benedyctyon / and in lyke wyse to yonnet. And whan he had don this, he broughte his brethern & his children to ye isle of our lady. And whan they were over, he & his bredern came agen towarde the kyng / But as they wolde have goon / there came a messager that ascryed to reynaud as lowde as he mighte / 'Reynawde, haue mercy on thy children / For yf thou see not well to theym they be lost / Wyte that gryffen of haute braunche is embusshed wyth a grete nombre of folke by the isle for to slee thy chyldren' / And whan reinawde vnderstode thise wordes, he blustred rede in his face all for angre / and said / 'Ha, swete fraunce / that it is grete dommage that ye maye never be wythout traytours' / And whan he had sayd this / he called his brother richarde / and said to hym, 'Fair broder, goo wythout taryeng / and arme yourself / and doo arme all our folke, and thenne brynge theym to the isle, and yf the false traytour griffen of hautbraunche come for to greve my children, slee hym incontynent. and whan ye be there, doo that ye may be seen of bothe partyes / And for god kepe well, yf the sones of foulques of moryllon have the better, that ye helpe not

in noo wyse my children, but lete theim deye yf it come soo. For it were grete dyshonour for us yf ye dyde otherwise' / 'Broder,' sayd rycharde / 'lete me alone therof / our worship shall be saved by the grace of god. For I wolde not helpe if it came soo, for all the goode of the worlde / For all our live dayes we sholde be rebuked for it, and all our linage also' / And whan rychard had sayd soo / he departed fro his brothern / and went & armed hym & all his folke / and [folio K.K.v.a] thenne thei lighted on horsbacke, and went anone there as reynaude had sayd. This hangynge, went reynawde [a paris, F. orig. M. i. back.] to the kynge in hys paleys / and whan the kynge sawe him / he sayd to him, 'Reynawd, ye be right welcom.' 'Syre,' sayd reynaude / 'god encrease your honour' / And whan charlemagn saw not rycharde wyth his brethern, he toke some susspectyon of him, & sayd to reynaude, 'Where is your broder richarde, that he is not here wyth thother?' / 'Sire,' sayd reynaude, 'he is goon there as I have sent hym, but take noo susspectyon at all for hym' / 'nomore I doo not,' sayd Charlemagne, 'as longe as ye be alive; but we must goo vpon the towre of sayne for to see the bataylle of your children' / 'lete vs goo there, sire,' sayd reynaude, 'whan it playse you' / Thenne went they vpon the towre, and wyth theym the bysshop turpyn, salamon of breteyne, ogier the dane, guydellon of bavere, & many other barons.

Thus as the kynge charlemagn was goon vpon the towre for to see the bataylle / he loked, & sawe come [richart, F. orig. M. ii.] the broder of reynaud / and a grete company of men armed / and whan charlemain sawe hym he knewe hym well / for he bare his owne cote of armes. and richarde had doon soo, for bi cause he sholde be knowen / And whan charlemagne sawe this / he was

all abasshed of it / and thenne he called reynawde, & sayd to hym, 'What wylle ye doo, reynaude? wille ye dishonour me? have ye forgoten all redi your trouth?' 'Syre,' sayd reynaude, 'nay, save your reverens / but I wylle serve you & worshyp you as my soverayn lord' / 'whi,' said the kyng charlemagn, 'is rycharde goon in to the isle of our lady wyth soo grete felishyp for to breke the feelde? of the whiche thynge / I shall be dyshonoured' / 'Syre,' sayd reynawd, 'have noo doubte therof / for I take god to surete & waraunt that knoweth alle [folio K.K.v.b] thynges / that rycharde shall doo no thynge that shall torne to your dishonour ne to noo dommage to you / and I shall telle you why my broder rycharde hathe put himself in armes. ye must wyte that the traitour gryffen of haute braunche is embusshed vnder saynt marcell in a garden, with a grete nombre of folke armed / that wyll breke your felde for to slee my children / And therfore hathe my broder rychard armed him for to socour theym yf nede be / and yf ye see that rycharde doo ony thynge agenst your wylle & commaundement / here I am that vpon me take the vengaunce' / 'Is it trouth,' sayd charlemagn, 'that gryffen hathe doon soo as ye saye' / 'ye,' sayd reynawd, 'verely / for I wolde not telle you otherwyse' / Ryghte angry was charlemagne whan he herde that reynawde had tolde hym / Thenne he sware god, & all his sayntes / that yf he myght take gryffen of haut braunche / that he sholde make him to be hanged, and all his folke wyth him. He called thenne salamon & the erle of poytees, & guydellon of bavyere, & said to theym, 'Lordes, make me anone a thousande knyghtes to be armed / For I wylle goo in to the isle for to see the pryde of thise traytours. And I swere you by saynte Iames, yf I maye, they shall doo me noo more dyshonoure; and yf I can fynde theym / they shall abye it full derely' /

'Syr,' sayd reynaude, 'ye speke like a kynge.' The barons thenne dyde that the kyng charlemagn had sente in to the isle, saw rycharde wyth his folke in armes [or avez vous bien dist. Passes vous mesmes en lisle et qui fera oultre vostre commandement quil soit pugny a la rigueur tellement que ung chescun y preigne exemple. Lors les gens du roy sen alerent sus lisle ainsi que le roy lauoit commande la ou Ilz trouverent richart qui sestoit mis en tel lieu que chescun le pouvoir bien voir, F. orig. M. ii.] / And whan rowlande sawe [richart qui estoit en armes, F. orig. M. ii.] that they were armed / he was not well contente wyth it, and sayd to the other barons that were come wyth hym for to kepe the feelde, 'What wylle rycharde doo / blame have the kynge yf he take not vengaunce vpon reynaude of that they have doon agenst his commaundement.' 'by my feyth,' sayd oliver & the duke naymes, 'ye saye well' / Thenne sayd ogyer / 'lordes, I promyse [sur ma foy, F. orig. M. ii. back.] [folio K.K.vi.a] that Reynawd knoweth noo thynge of that that rycharde dooth' / Thus as the peres of fraunce were spekynge of that richarde was come to the feelde ⁵in armes,⁵ [^5—5 omitted, F. orig.] Gryffen yssued out of his busshement wyth his folke, by cause he was a ferde that richarde wold greve the children of foulques of moryllon. And whan rowlande saw him / he cried to hym with a hye voys, 'By god, traytour, this shall not avaylle you, for afore that ony stroke be gyven of theym, they shall make theyr othe / and ye shall abye full derely that ye have doon.' Right sory was rowland whan he sawe the fowle treyson that gryffen wolde have broughte abowte / This hangyng, cam there charlemagn wyth a grete company of folke well armed, and whan he sawe rowland, he sayd to hym, 'Nevewe, why doo ye suffre the outrage that the sones of foulques of morillon wolde doo to the children of reynawd of mountalban / I blamed reynawd / by cause his broder had armed him, but I knowe now well

that they had reyson.' 'Sir,' sayd roulande, 'none can beware of traytours' / 'nevew,' sayd charlemagn, 'ye saye trouth / but by the feyth that I owe to god, I shall make theym all to be hanged in dyspyte of all theyr linage, oonly for the treyson that they have doon this daye' / 'by god, sire,' sayd rowlande, 'ye shall doo well.' And thenne cam there reynawd vpon a palfrei wythout swerde; and whan rouland sawe hym / he sayd to hym, 'Sir reynaude, is it your wille that richarde your broder is come hither in armes' / 'sire roulande,' sayd reynaude / 'ye verely / For noo thynge that I have doon shall not be hyd from you. Ye have now seen the treyson that the traytours wolde have wroughte agenst my children / And therfore whan I knewe theyr falshode / I commaunded my brother Rycharde that he sholde put hymselfe shortly in armes wyth my men, for to socour theim if the traytoures [folio K.K.vi.b] came theym vpon. And yf ye thynke that Rycharde or I have doo amys in ony thynge, soo lete the kynge make iustyce of it' / 'By my soule,' sayd rowlande, 'nother you nor your broder be not to be blamed / but ye have doon as good knyghtes sholde doo / And I promyse you that your enmyes shall be this day broughte to shame & confusion' /

Whan Rycharde of mountalban sawe charlemagne / he knewe well that he was come for to kepe the feelde, and that the traytours sholde not conne doo ony thinge to his nevews / Soo sayd he to his folke, 'lete vs take of our harneys, For sith that the kynge is here hymselfe, we nede not to wayte here noo more' / Thenne wente rycharde & his folke, and dysarmed theym / and whan rycharde had doon soo / he lighted agen vpon his horse / and came agen over the ryver of sayne, swymmynge vnto the forsayd isle. [la quelle chose vist charlemaigne, F. orig. M. iii.]

and whan he was on londe, he spored his horse / and made hym to lepe thre or four lepes afore the com pany / and thenne he cam streyghte afore the kyng, and made to hym reverens honourably / Whan the kynge sawe richarde / he sayd to hym / 'and ye, richarde, wylle ye dishonoure me / that are come in armes for to breke my feelde?' 'Syre,' sayd rycharde, 'save your grace, for I never thoughte it / but wyte it well for certeyn, that yf griffen of haute braunche had come for to greve myn nevewes, I wolde have made his forhede for to swete. Syre, ye be our soverayn lorde, so oughte ye to mayntene & kepe vs / and soo shall I telle you a thynge afore al your barons, that yf ye byleve the traytours of Maunt / ye shall ones repente it / I am well apayed that ye / [&] your twelve peres have seen the treyson of griffen of hautbraunche, how he wold have slayn myn nevews' / 'Ha, bi god,' [richart, F. orig. M. iii.] sayd charlemagne, 'ye saye trouth, he is [folio K.K.vii.a] well worthy to be blamed. and I telle you they that shall be overcome shall be hanged / nor shall not be saved for none of theyr linage' / 'Sire,' sayd rycharde, 'it playseth me well, but I telle you that yf I sholde deye / I sholde never suffre my nevews to be wronged' / 'By my hede,' sayd the kynge / 'ye shal see that I shall do reyson to every party / For I shall bryng theym togyder / lete god helpe the ryght!' Thenne whan charlemagne had sayd soo / he wente to the two chyldren of foulques of moryllon / and sayd to theym / 'Now, lordes, hyghe you of that ye have to doo / goo and swere vpon the halowes, that iustly ye entre in this quarell' / 'Syre,' sayd they, 'we shall doo it wyth ryght good wylle / for the children of reynawde ben deed, but yf that they confesse / that their fader slew our fader by treyson.' Thenne spake the bysshop turpyn, and sayd / 'lordes, come hither / and swere

vpon the halowes / and see to that ye forswere not yourself / For he that forswereth hymselfe shall be overthrowen [et mort, F. orig. M. iii. back.] / ²noo doubte therof'² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig.] / whan the bysshop turpyn had sayd this, the two sones of foulques of moryllon kneled doun afore thalowes / and sware that reynawde of mountalban had slayn theyr fader by treyson / and after they had made theyr oth, they kyssed the halowes / and offred two besans of golde / and thenne wente & lighted vp on their horses. And thus as they lighted / they were to nye eche other, soo that thone hurted the other soo harde that thei felle doun almoost bothe to the erthe. And whan reynawde sawe this, he sayd to thother barons, 'here is an evyll token; I byleve that they ben forsworne.' Thys hangyng, came the chyldren of reynaude, that kneled afore the halowes, & swore that the two sones of foulques had lied falsely all that they had sayed / And thenne they putte theyr handes vpon [folio K.K.vii.b] the halowes / and offred a ryche gyfte. and the bysshop turpyn gaaff theym the benedyctyon / and in like wyse the kynge charlemain / and all the other barons / and thenne of reynawde / and of his brethern / And after they wente & mounted vpon their horses lightly.

Whan the foure champyons were vpon theyr horses, they made none other taryeng / but gaaff the spores to their horses, and ranne the one agenste thother, & smote eche other in their sheeldes so sore that the speres flew in peces wythout that ony of theym felle to the grounde. And whan they had broken theyr speres, they set hande to theyr swerdes / Thenne aymonet, that helde flamberde in his hande, sayd to yonnet his brother / 'I praye you, brother /thynke to doo well / For yf ye helpe me, they shall be vtterly shamed & dyscomfyted, as traytours as they

ben' / 'Broder,' sayd yonnet, 'doubte not / for I shall never faylle you to the dethe; and also we oughte to recomforte vs / For we ben in the right / and they ben in the wronge' / Whan the two brethern had spoke ynoughe, they went bothe atones vpon theyr enmyes / wyth theyr swerdes in their handes. And thenne aymonet overtoke constans wyth flamberde his swerde / and gaaff hym suche a stroke that the swerde slided vpon the vyser / and kut it and his nose a sondre. And whan aymonet sawe the nose of his enmye falle to the erthe, he mocked hym, and sayd, 'By god, constans / it is worse wyth you than it was afore, for ye shall never be wythout a mocke for that, that this stroke hath doon to you / Flamberde that slewe your fadre / and soo shall it doo you, & it playse god.' And whan rohars sawe that his brother was so sore wounded, he ranne vpon yonnet / and gaaff hym soo myghty a stroke vpon his [folio K.K.viii] helme / soo that yf it had not be of goode stele, he had slayne hym wythoute faylle / This hangynge, aymonet ranne agayne vpon constans / and gaaff hym suche a stroke vpon his helme / that he made hym to bowe his backe vpon the sadle / and for the grete myghte of the stroke the horse muste nedes falle doun vpon his knees / and smote his mussell in to the erth / And whan the horse felte that stroke, he rose lightely vp agen all afrayed / and began to renne thrughe the medowes magre of his mayster, as madde, nor constans had not the myghte to rule hym / by cause he was amased & astonyed of that stroke / that he had receyved / And thenne aymonet & yonnet wente both vpon rohars, and beganne to fare fowle wyth hym. And whan rohars sawe hymself soo sharpely handled / he began to crye wyth a hie voys, 'Broder! where be you? shall ye lete me thus to be slayn falsly?' Constans, that

ranne thorughe the medowe, was comen agen to hymself, and apeased his horse a lityll, herde his broder crye / Soo came he agayn to hym / and smote aymonet vpon his helme a grete stroke; but the helme was goode, and dommaged hym not / And whan constans sawe that he had not slayne aymonet wyth his stroke / he wende to have goon oute of his wytte; and of the other parte, he saw the place that was all covered wyth the blode of his broder / soo wyst not constans what to doo / For aymonet gaaffe hym soo moche to doo.

Thys hangyng, yonnet toke rohars by the helme, and wolde have strangled hym bi fyne force / But whan constans saw that / he spored his horse wyth the spores, and shoved hym bytwene rohars & yonnet, soo that it was force to yonnet to lete goo his prise, wolde he or noo / And whan aymonet sawe that constans had delivered rohars from the handes of yonnet / he wente, and ranne vpon constans, [folio K.K.viii.b] and smote him wyth flamberde vpon his sheelde soo harde that he made of it two peces / Shortly to speke / the children of reynawde hasted somoche the ii. sones of foulques of morillon that thei began to lese place, and were soo wery / that they asked none other / but to rest theimself / But aymonet & yonnet had none other wylle but for to fight styll / and I telle you for certein, that they were all iiii. soo sore wounded that they loste moche blode, for thei had fought longe [sans eulx repouser ne les ungs ne les aultres, F. orig. M. iv. back.] / and whan constans had soiourned a lityll / he cam vpon aymonet, & gaffe him suche a stroke, [sus lespaulle .. F. orig. M. iv. back.] soo that he made him a grete wounde / but no deed wounde. And whan aymonet saw hym so wounded he gaff constans soo grete a stroke vpon the ere, that he bare it awaye wyth all the iawe bone / whan charlemain

saw that grete stroke, he myght not forbere / but he sayd / 'By god, now is he worse arayed thanne he was byfore / for the two sones of foulques of morillon ben shamed & confuse.' 'Syre,' said reynaud, 'thei have well deserved it / for thei have forsworne theymself falsly.' This hangyng, yonnet went vpon Rohars / and gaff him so grete a stroke vpon his helme, [lelme. orig.] that he brake it, and made his swerde to entre in his hede a fynger depe / Wyte it that the bataille lasted longe thone agenst the other. and it happed that by force of fightynge / thone agenste the other / they were fightyng two & two togyder, well a bowe shot from eche other / and soo made they two bataylles. For aymonet fought agenst constans, and yonnet faughte agenst robars, whiche was sore greved, for yonnet had brought him to therthe / and whan yonnet sawe that he had brought doun rohars / he said that it were shame to fighte with hym on horsbacke agenst hym on fote, soo lighted he doun for to fyght wyth rohars / But whan he had habandouned his horse / Incontynent, the sayd horse ranne to the horse of rohars, [folio L.L.i.a] and wold have strangled hym / and whan charlemagn saw that, he began to lawghe wyth it, & sayd / 'By my feyth, we have iii. bataylles; but I see well that yonnet hath broughte rohars soo lowe that he maye noo more.' [mais va en recullant, car il ne peult plus souffrir les grans coups que yonnet luy donne, F. orig. M. v.] Whan rohars sawe that he myght nomore endure the grete strokes of yonnet / he began to crye, & sayd, 'Ha, fayr broder constans / where are ye that ye com not & helpe me that are soo good a knyght, and that toke first the quarell in hande / wherof it goth full evyl wyth vs. For yf ye socour me not now, I shall deye incontynent' / and whan constans herde his broder crye thus / he left aymonet / and went toward yonnet / for to helpe his

broder / but wyte it well that he went not very sounde from aymonet / for he had made him moo than xx. woundes / and whan constans was com to his broder, incontynent, he ranne vpon yonnet with his horse. And whan aymonet sawe that / he began to crye after constans, & sayd / 'By my soule, he baptysed you full yll that named you constans. For I sawe never more cowarde than ye be that soo renneth awaye for fere of me' / and whan he had sayd soo / he ranne after for to socour his broder yonnet. And whan he was come there / he went a fresshe vpon constans / and constans vpon him / the whiche gaff him a grete stroke vpon his helme, but the stroke slided vpon the horse, & slew hym wyth all / And whan aymonet sawe hym a grounde / he righted hym quye[k]ly, & smote constans vpon his helme, & it was soo harde that flamberde cowde not entre in it, and ye stroke slided vpon the viser / and brest it, and a grete parte of his visage, soo that the teeth were seen playnly, and wyth that felle the stroke vpon the horse necke / soo that he kut it in two / ¹and soo felle thorse deed to the erth¹ [^1—1 et constans cheust a terre moult felonneusement mais incontinent se releva au mieulx quil peust, F. orig. M. v.] /

Sore abasshed was constans ²whan he sawe his horse slayn.² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig.] and thenne aymonet sayd to him / 'By god, false [folio L.L.i.b] traytour, now shalt you deye / ye dide yll whan ye called ever my fader of treyson, whiche is as true a knyghte as is ony in all the world / but now is the daye come that ye shall aby it full dere.' And whan reynaude herde his sone speke thus / he was right glad of it, and thanked god therof hertly / and whan aymonet sawe constans vpon his fete agen, he went him vpon / and hasted him right sore with grete strokes, so that constans had no power to strike one stroke more / but he wente abacke here & there for to eschewe the

strokes of aymonet / And whan constans sawe that, he wyste noo more what to doo, he cast his sheelde to therthe, and toke aymonet by the wast for to wrastle wyth hym. And whan aymonet sawe this he was not aferde of it, for he was strong & lighte / soo toke he constans by the helme, and drewe it towarde hym wyth suche myght / that he pulled it from the hede of him. And whan constans sawe hym so sore handled / he cried vpon his broder rohars, & sayd, 'ha, broder, socour me, for I have noo power for to defende myself' / Whan rohars herde his broder calle thus / he was full sory that he myght not helpe hym, for he had loste soo moche blode that he myght not well stande on his fete, but alwayes he forced hymself somoche / that he came vnto his broder constans / and wende for to have smyten aymonet from behynde, but he dyde not, by cause aymonet sawe hym come, and went & smote hym suche a stroke [parmy les espaulles .. F. orig. M. v. back.] that he felde hym to the erthe / And thenne went agen vpon constans / and gaaff hym suche a stroke / that ²he smote almoste his lefte arme of.² [^2—2 quil luy trancha tout le visaige, F. orig. M. v. back.] Thenne began constans to cry, & sayd / 'ha, fayr broder, socour me, or elles I am deed' / 'Broder,' sayd rohars, 'I can gyve you nother socours nor helpe, for I am myself nere goon' / And whan charlemagn sawe this, he sayd, 'by god, now are deed the sones of foulques of moryllon by theyr [folio L.L.ii.a] false wyt.' 'Syre,' sayd ogyer, 'ye oughte not to recke / for they mayntened a false quarell.' 'ye saye trouth,' sayd charlemagn. 'Now their falshode apereth well.' Whan reynaude saw that his chyldren were to their above, he was right gladde of it / but soo was not ganellon / for he was soo angry for it, that he became as blacke as a moure. Thenne called the said ganellon, berenger, hardocke, henry of lion, & pygnabell

of moryllon, & sayd to theym, 'Lordes, now be we all dishonoured / for the sones of foulques of moryllon are dyscomfyted. I wolde fayn socour theym yf I durste / but I fere to sore the kyng that is there wyth grete puyssance' / 'Syre,' sayd hardres or hardocke / 'woo is me for it / but we can not doo none other thynge as for this tyme, therfore we must refreyne our wrath, and shewe a good face / to thende that noo medling falle not vpon vs / and lete vs abyde tyll tyme come / that we may avenge vs herof.'

This hangyng, aymonet sawe that he had smyten constans a deed wounde / soo was he right glad of it. 'By god, broder, ye have doon yll that ye have slain this false traitour / for I wold have slain hym myn owne handes; but sith ye have brought it soo ferre, make an ende of hym atones, & I shall goo slee rohars' / 'Broder,' sayd aymonet, 'ye speke well, now goo slee thone & I the other, for thus oughte men to do wyth traytours' / Thenne ranne the two bredern vpon theyr enmyes that leye on grounde / that is to wyte, vpon constans, to whom he sayd all on hie, by cause all they that loked vpon sholde here it / 'Telle me, constans, false traytour / why dyde ye calle my fader of treyson, wythstandyng that men know well that he is one of the trueste knyghtes of the worlde / And that he slewe your fader in his body defendynge / where as your fader had purchaced for to have slayn him by treyson. [folio L.L.ii.b] Now telle me your falshode, and confesse your treyson afore the kynge / ²or elles I shall now cut your throte'² [^2—2 ou autrement vous estes mort, F. orig. M. vi.] / 'Aymonet,' sayd constans, 'for god have mercy on me / For I yelde me to you' / and thenne he toke hym his swerde / And whan aymonet had the swerde of the sayd constans / he toke hym vp and broughte hym afore the kyng charlemagn, to whom

he sayd, 'Syre, holde this traytour, & doo wyth hym as reyson requyreth' / and whan charlemagn sawe this, he was glad of it, & sayd to aymonet, 'Frende, ye have doon wel your devour, I can no more aske of you / and wyte it that whan thother is vaynquyshed / I shall gare theym bothe to be hanged.' 'Syre,' sayd aymonet / 'doo your wylle wyth theim' / And whan he had sayd soo, he went agen to his broder yonnet for to helpe hym, holdynge his swerde in his hande ¹all blody wyth the blode of constans,¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] & said to rohars / 'By god, false traytour, ye shal deye here anone' / and wolde have smyten hym / but yonnet that sawe that / sayd to his broder / 'Fayr broder, slee hym not / nor touche him / but goo your way & rest yourself, for I wyll conquere hym by my self, as ye have doon yours' / 'Broder,' sayd aymonet, 'ye saye yll / for it was ordeyned that we sholde eche helpe other.' and whan yonnet saw that his brother wolde nedes helpe agenste his wylle, he sayd vnto hym, 'Fayr broder, I make myn a vowe to god / yf ye touche rohars I shal never love you' / 'broder,' sayd aymonet, 'ye saye not well, but I shall forbere me sith it playse you soo; but I promyse you, yf I see you in dangeour, I shall helpe you yf ye sholde slee me' / 'Broder,' sayd yonnet, 'I wylle well.' And thenne aymonet wythdrewe him a lityll a backe, and thenne ranne yonnet vpon rohars / that rose vp agen for to defende hymselfe / thenne gaaffe yonnet to hym soo grete a stroke vpon the sholder / that the arme wyth the sholder bone felle clene of to the grounde, [folio L.L.iii.a] and his swerde wythall. whan yonnet had gyven that stroke / he put his swerde agen to the sheth, & said to rohars, 'Thou false [straytour, orig.] traytour, thou must now confesse wyth thy owne mouth that reynawd my fader is noo tratour [tratoiur, orig.] / but he is one

of the truest knyghtes of the worlde, and yf you wylte not doo soo / thou shalte deye incontynent' / and whan he had sayd soo, he toke rohars by the helme & pulled him to hymwarde so harde that he drew it fro his hede, and began to smyte hym with the pomell of his swerde vpon the bare hed [de moult grans coups, F. orig. M. vi. back.] / And whan rohars sawe that he was soo shrewdely handled / he began to crye, & sayd / 'good lorde, have mercy on my soule, for I know well that it is doon wyth my body.' And whan constans herde his broder saye soo / he began to wepe, for he cowde none other doo / and whan yonnet / saw that rohars wolde not forsake that he had said / nor wolde not crye him mercy, he smote hym wyth his owne swerde soo harde that he toke awaye thone legge from the body of hym, and thenne he put his fote vpon hym and sayd, 'Now anone, false traytour, confesse your falshode / or elles ye be now deed,' to the whyche thynge rohars answerde not; and whan yonnet sawe that / he smote hym the hede of / Whan aymonet sawe that his broder yonnet had sleyn rohars / he was glad of it / and went to hym and sayd, 'Broder, ye have doon valiauntly / lorde gramercy, that ye have slayn soo this traytour' / the two bredern toke eche other by the hande & went to charlemagne, to whom aymonet sayd in this wyse, 'Syre, like it you that we have doon / for we be redy for to doo moche more for you yf ye commaunde us.' 'Fayr sones,' sayd charlemagne / 'ye nede not to doo more, For ye have doon ynough / for constans is overcome / and rohars deed / Now goo reste yourselfe / and see that ye have goode [godde, orig.] leches for your woundes / And I promyse you that I shall doo [folio L.L.iii.b] wyth the traytours as it perteyneth.' And thenne charlemagn commaunded that constans shold behanged / and the body of his broder by him / and

whan the kyng had gyven this commaundement, constans was anone taken, & the body of his broder, and were drawen at horses taylles byfore all their linage / and thenne were hanged as they had well deserved. whan they were hanged, charlemagne sayd, 'Lordes, wyte that I wold not for a grete thyng that it went otherwyse.' wyte it that whan ganellon sawe hange the ii. sones of folques, that were his nevews / he was sore an angred for it, that he almost had lost his wit / Thenne called he hardres, berenger, & malger, that wyste more falshode than lucyfer, henry of lion, pynabell, & geffray, men that never dyde good, & sayd to them, 'Lordes, ye see how charlemagn hath doon to vs grete dyshonour, for he hath doon hange our kynsmen shamfully / but we shall see yet the day that this shame shall be avenged.' he sayd trouth, the traytour, For he betrayed afterwarde the xii peres of fraunce / and made theim all deye at the bataylle of rouncevals.

After thise thynges above sayd, reynaude of mountalban sawe that his children had vaynquesshed the children of foulques / he was right glad of it, & thanked moche our lord god therof / thenne he & his brethern went to theim and asked how they dyde / 'fader,' sayd the children, 'we do right wel, lorde gramercy' / Thenne alarde & guycharde behelde their woundes, wherof they were glad / This hangyng, cam there charlemagn; & the children cam him agenst, and kneled afore hym. thenne charlemagn asked theim, 'children, how is it wyth you? be ye sore wounded' / 'Syr,' sayd the children, 'it is well with vs, thanked be our lorde & you / we shall soone be hole' / Thenne the kyng sent for all his leches, & sayd to theim that they sholde [folio L.L.iv.a] loke the woundes of aymonet & of yonnet, the whiche thinge they dyde without ony tarieng / and after they sayd to the kyng that they made noo doubt

of theim, & that they sholde be soone hole. And after that the iustice was doon of the sones of foulques of moryllon, Reynawde abode in paris till his children were hole / and whan thei were hole, they wente to ye palays to see the kyng charlemagn, the whiche made theym good chere, and gaff theim many fayr yeftes, as ben castelles & fortresses of grete name. Thenne reynaude & his bredern asked leve of the kyng / and he gaff it theym agenst his wylle, and prayed theim that they wold com see hym agen / 'sire,' sayd reinawde / 'we shall doo gladly your commaundement' / Whan reinaud had taken leve of the king, & also his bredern & children, they toke on their waye towarde mountalban / and they dyde so moche by their iourneis that they cam to bourdeus / And whan reynaud had rest him a lityll, he called his children afore his bredern, & said to theim / 'my children / here what I wylle saye to you / I ordeyn at this tyme that yonnet shall have arden [dordonne, F. orig.] for his part, & aymonet mountalban / for it is not long agoo sin I herde saye that god sayd / that the tree that bereth fruyt shall never deye. wyte it that I have offended god gretly / and me semeth that the tyme is now com that I sholde amende myself, for I fere sore my pour soule / wherfore I shall doo my devour for to yelde it agen to that blessed lorde that made it after hys ymage.' and whan his bredern herde speke thys, they knewe well what he wolde doo / and therfore they began to make grete sorow / And whan reynaud sawe that, he sayd to theym, 'forsothe, sires, ye are not wyse to make suche sorowe, for ye know not yet what I wylle doo / see ye not that I am yet wyth you, wherof are ye abasshed / be not ye ryche ynough / there is nother of you / but may kepe a thousand [folio L.L.iv.b] horses in his stable / Of the other parte, thoughe I am now hole of my body / thanked be our lorde / yet

wylle I gyve in my life to my children their parte / to the ende that they fall not in discorde after my dethe; and therfore I wylle that eche of you know fromhens forthon what he shall have.' And whan reynawde had thus ordeyned for his children / yonnet departed from his fader¹ wyth his blessinge¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. M. viii.] / and wente to ardeyn, [dordonne, F. orig. M. viii.] where they of the londe receyved him to be their lorde, & made to him fewt & homage / And after that yonnet was gon, reinawd & his bredern wyth aymonet went to mountalban / and whan they of mountalban sawe their lorde / they were right glad, & receyved him honourably. And whan the feste was passed, Reynawd commaunded all his subgettes that thei sholde make their homage vnto his sone aymonet / and whan al this was doon, and that nyghte was come / every man went to bed / And thenne reynawde entred his chambre & walked in it tyll it was mydnyght passed. thenne reynaude vnclothed hymself all naked / and toke a cote of sory russet vpon his flesshe wythout ony shert, and therupon a grete mantell of the same. And thus arayed, barefote, and wythout ony wepyn, but oonly a staaf in his hande for to defende him from the dogges, yssued out of his chambre / and went oute of ye paleis / and came to the gate of the towne / and made it to be opened / and whan the porter sawe his lorde soo yll, & in soo pourly araye and barefote, he sayd to him / 'Syre, alas, whether goo ye thus wythoute felishyp, and soo yll apoynted? I wylle goo awake your brethern, & my lorde your sone / for ye be in grete dangeour of theves, by cause ye have nother armour nor wepyn for to defende yourself.' 'frende,' sayd reynaude, 'lete alone / goo not there / For my truste is in god, that he shall kepe me from all dangeour. But thou shalte telle my [folio L.L.v.a] bredern whan

thou seest theym tomorow, that I grete them well / & to my sone also / and that they thynke alwayes to do well / and that they love eche other as they oughte for to doo; and soo telle theym that thei shalle never see me more as I trowe, For I goo to save my soule, yf god gyve me the grace to doo soo; and soo shall I deye whan it playse god / For thrughe my cause are deed many a man, wherof I fele my pour soule greved sore, and therfore wyll I bere peyn on my body / for it doyng penaunce all the remnaunt of my life / and yf I may save my soule, I aske none other thyng' / And whan reynaude had sayd this, he loked on his fynger, & toke a rynge wyth a precyous stone, whiche was well worth v. [cent. F. orig.] marke, and gaff it to the porter, & sayd to him, 'My frende, ye be well rewarded of your servyse that ye have doon to me.' 'Syre,' sayd the porter, 'gramercy of this yefte / but alas, sir, ye put now all your countree in grete sorowe for your departynge!' [or nous est grant mal advenu car nous sommes du hault ou bas, F. orig. M. viii. back.] and thenne he began to wepe right sore. This hangyng, went reynaude on his waye, thus arayed as ye have herde; and as he wente / the porter loked evermore after hym by the lighte aslonge as he myght see hym; and whan he myght nomore see hym / he felle doun in a swoune to the erthe, and was thus a longe while / And whan he was come agen to hymselfe, he made grete mone / and sin sayd / 'Ha, god, whether gooth now my lorde soo pourly arayed' / and after he had made grete sorow a longe while / he shet the gate agen, and went in to his house / And whan he was there, he loked vpon the rynge that reynaude had gyven hym, and knewe well that it was a ryche yefte / wherof he was glad. ¶ We shall leve here to speke a lityll of the valiaunt reynaud of mountalban, that gooth for

to save his soule, and to doo penaunce for his sinnes thorughe the wodes lokynge dounwarde / and we shall speke of [folio L.L.v.b] his bredern / and of his sone aymonet /

CHAPTER XXVII.

¶ How after that reynaud was goon from mountalban [en guise de pellerin ... F. orig. M. viii. back.] never for to retorne, [apres ce quil eust departiz ses bien a ses enfans ... F. orig. M. viii. back.] his bredern & his sone aymonet made grete sorow / ⁴whan they knew of it / that he had not take leve of theym.⁴ [^4—4 quant ils sceurent quil estoit party, F. orig. M. viii. back.]

Now sheweth thystory / that whan the morowe came, & that aymonet & his vncles were vp, thei went to ye chirche / wenyng to haue reynaud there as they were wounte. And whan they sawe him not come to matynes, they merveylled sore, and there was com his chapeleyn for to saye matynes there wyth hym / the whiche, whan he founde not his mayster in the chirche / he was al abasshed, & spered after him to his bredern. 'Syre,' said alard / 'I wene he be seke, for god lete vs goo see how he dooth,' and thenne they went to seke him in his chambre, where they founde hym not / wherof they wende all to have ben dysperate / 'Lordes,' sayd alarde, 'now be we lost / for here ben his gownes, his shertes, his shone, his swerde, & all his armours; now is he goon fro vs / I see it well, in pour araye: god be wyth hym!' And as they were thus makynge their mone / cam in the porter that made grete sorowe for the love of his mayster reynawd / And whan he was come in to the chambre, he began to crie as he had be from hymselfe, & sayd, 'Fayr lordes,

what shall we do sith that we have lost our lorde? For he is goon his wayes wulwarde & barefote, wyth a sory staff in his hande / and he sendeth you gretyng by me, and prayeth you for god, that yf ever ye loved him / that ye wyll worshyp eche other, & that everi man have his part as he hath devysed it / And he dooth you to wyte that ye shall never see hym, for he is goon to save his soule / and soo hathe he gyven me the rynge of his fynger, that ye maye see here' /

[folio L.L.vi.a] Whan alarde, guycharde, & richarde, and aymonet herde thyse tydynges / they toke soo grete sorowe at hert that they felle doun in a swoune to the erthe. And whan they were come agen to theymselfe / they beganne to make a right grete sorowe, and so merveillouse, that he that had seen it / his hert had be full harde / but he sholde have wepte for pyte. 'Alas,' sayd alarde, 'my fayr brother reynawde / ye have lefte vs in moche grete sorowe. Certes it had be moche better for vs that ye had sleyne vs all / than for to have lefte vs in this wise / For fromhens forthe we be noo thynge.' and whan he had sayd soo / he felle agen in a swoune. And whan he was com agen to himself, he pulled his heres of his berde, & scratched his visage [moult ydeusement, F. orig. N. i.] / 'Alas, my broder!' sayd richarde, 'how shall we now live wythout you / Alas! now have we lost him bi whom we have had so grete honour in this worlde. alas, my broder! ther is not your leke vnder the cope of heven, that ever bare swerde, sheelde, or spere / sith that we have lost you, we maye saye, farewell the ioye of this world' / And whan he had said soo, his hert swelled so that he lost his speche, so that he cowde not speke a good while after. Of aymonet & of guycharde / what shall we saye / I promyse you, none can telle ne reherse half of the sorow that they made / so that it was grete pyte to

beholde. Grete sorow was made of all four for the love of reynawd, that was goon as ye have herde / praynge our lorde to be wyth him, & to recomforte his bredern. But presently leveth the [h]istory to speke of alarde, guycharde, rycharde, & aymonet that were at mountalban / makyng their mone / and retorneth to speke of reynaude, that was goon at his adventure / sekyng his brede for to save his soule.

CHAPTER XXVIII.

¶ [Comment apres ce que regnault fust party de montauban pour son ame saulver, il ala a colongne .. F. orig. N. i. back.] How reynawde went to coleyn vpon the ryne, where he founde that men edefyed the chirche of saynte peter. And [folio L.L.vi.b] there toke hym a wylle for to serve there the masons for the love of oure lorde / and dyde so / but at the last thother laborers had so grete envy by cause he dide better his devour than thei, & that he was better loved than they of the maisters, for the good servyse that he dyde / that they slew him, & put hym in a sacke, & casted him in the water of ryne. But bi the wylle of god / his body apered above the water, makyng grete myracles [guerissant de toutes maladies .. F. orig. N. i. back.] / soo that he was named a saynte that day that he was buried.

In this party sheweth thistory, that whan reynawd was departed from mountalban / he toke his way

thorugh the wodes, & went a long while that he ete but apples & medlers wylde all that daye. and whan the nyghte was com, he layd him doun vnder a tree / and as he wold slepe, he made the signe of the crosse vpon him / and recomended to our lorde, & slept tyll it was daye. and whan the daye appered, reynaude rose vp & went on his waye thrughe the wode / and went evermore thrugh the travers of the wodes wel the space of viii dayes / wythoute ony other mete / but wylde frute. and soo longe he went by his iourneis that he cam oute of the wodes / and incontynent he fonde a hous of religyon, where he abode that night / the monkes wold have gyven him mete / but he toke no thyng but brede & water. and whan the daye cam, he went on his waye / and dyde somoche day bi daye that he cam to coleyn vpon the ryn / And whan Reynawde was come to the cyte / he founde the chirche of saynte peter a makynge / where were many masons [de plusieurs sortes, F. orig. N. ii.] ²& many laborers, that served theim.² [^2—2 omitted. F. orig.] And whan he sawe this / he went in to it, and kneled byfore the hie auter / and made his prayers [a nostre seigneur, F. orig. N. ii.] by grete devocyon / And as he was thus knelinge full besely aboute his orisons / It came sodenly in to his mynde that [folio L.L.vii.a] he wold abyde there and serve the masons for thonour of god & of saynt peter / And whan he had made his praier, he rose, & began to loke the place well, & vpon the werkmen that wrought there / and sayd to hymself, that it was better to serve the masons [au mostier de nostre seigneur, F. orig. N. ii.] / than to walke styll in the forest amonge the wylde bestes. And whan reynawde had bethought hym well, he went to the mayster mason, & sayd to hym / 'Maister, I am a stranger, & have noo goodes of the worlde / wherof I may live / yf it playse you

I shall serve the masons of suche thynges as theim nedeth for their werke as a pour laborer nedeth' / And whan the mayster mason herde reynawd speke soo, and saw he was a tall man & wel made / he answerde to him swetly in this wyse / 'my frende, ye seme not to be yssued of a pour hous / for ye are more like a kyng than a mason ¹or laborer,¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig. N. ii.] wherfore I dare not put you in werke by noo wyse, notwythstandyng that ye be thus pourly arayed' / 'Mayster,' sayd reynaude, 'care not therfore, for & it playse you / I shalle serve you truly after my power' / 'My frende,' sayd the mayster of the werke, 'sith it playse you to doo soo / it plaiseth me ri[g]ht well / but I wyll not reteyn you for that pryse that I do knaves, for I shall paye you in conscyence after the werke that ye shall doo' / 'mayster,' sayd reynaude, 'I am wel content.' Thenne the mayster mason said to hym, 'my frende, goo helpe thise four that ye see there, that may not bere the stone / for thei be but truauntes' / 'mayster,' sayd reynaude, 'be not angri wyth the pour folke, for I wyll goo fetche it to you anone' / 'frende,' said the maister, 'peyn not yourselfe therto, for it is not in your puissaunce wythoute ye had more helpe than thilke knaves, For the stone is of grete weyght' / 'mayster, ²lete me alone,' sayd reynaude, 'I shall brynge it to you.'² [^2—2 vous aurez la pierre incontinent sans ayde daultruz que de moy si dieu plait et tous les sains, F. orig. N. ii. back.] and whan reynaude had said soo / he cast his mantell fro him & cam to the iiii men that helde [folio L.L.vii.b] the stone, & sayd to theym / 'Lordes, & playse you / goo fet another stone, & I shall bere the same.' 'frende,' sayd the four men, 'ye saye well yf ye can / and we wylle lete you doo wyth a goode wylle' / Thenne reynawd toke vp the stone, & charged it vpon his necke / and bare it vpon

the walle where it sholde be set / and whan thother laborers saw that, they were abasshed, & merveylled gretly of it / and began to saye thone to thother, 'here is wonder! fro whens may this devylle becom / we shall never winne but lityll aslonge as he is wyth vs here.' And whan the mayster masons sawe reynaude bere soo grete a stone & soo hevy / he was glad of it; and whan reynaude had brought the stone there as it sholde be set, the mayster sayd to hym, 'frende, put not doun the stone yet from you' / 'Syr,' sayd reynawde, 'I shall well holde it in my armes as longe as ye wyll.' thenne the mayster made the place redy there as the stone shold be set. and whan he was redy / he sayd to reynaude, 'lete goo the stone, my frende, whan ye wyll / and blessed be god & thour that ever ye were borne.' and whan reynaude had set doun the stone, the mayster commaunded hym that he shold fette him morter / 'wyth a good wille,' sayd reynaude. Thenne came reynaude doun, & laded of the morter more than x. other men sholde have doon / and bare it to the mayster mason, & sayd to hym / 'Mayster, care not for noo thing / for I shall serve you well of all thyng that ye nede, by the grace of god. and see that ye werke as fast as ye can / for I shall bryng you more stones & morter myself alone than ye shall conne ocupye, but ye haste you well' / and whan the mayster mason herde reynaude speke thus / he was merveylled, & sayd / 'By my soule, frende, yf ye doo half that ye say, ye shall doo ynoughe.' thenne went reynaude agen, & brought vp so many stones that he made wyth it a grete hepe vpon the walles, ¹ynoughe for to ocupye at [folio L.L.viii.a] ones all the masons that were there¹ [^1—1 devant les maistres ... F. orig. N. iii.] / and thenne reynawd sayd to theim / 'Fayr maysters, thynke to werke well / for whan thise stones ben layd

& this morter occupyed, I shall brynge you more.' And whan the masons herde hym speke soo / thei began to saye amonge theym that the chirche of saynte peter had founde a goode laborer / and that he oughte to be well rewarded. 'By my feyth, mayster,' sayd reynaude, 'I care not for noo money' / and whan came at evyn that the laborers sholde leve werke & receyve their money, the mayster mason set hym doun for to paye the laborers, whiche toke v. [viii. F. orig.] penys a daye. thenne the mayster called reynaude, & sayd to hym / 'Com hider, my fayr frende, take here what it playse you / for ye have served better than ony of thother' / thenne [Reynawde] put hymselfe forthe / and toke a peny, sore agenst his wylle / And whan the mayster sawe that, he sayd to hym / 'by the body of god, my fayr frende, ye shall have xx more / for elles my conscyence sholde becharged wyth your labour; & yf ye wylle werke, ye shal every daye have somoche / for there was never soo good a laborer as ye be one.' 'Mayster,' sayd reynawde, 'yf ye wylle that I shall werke ony more / gyve me but one peny / whiche shal be for to bye brede for to susteyne wythall my body / for this that I doo / I doo it for the love of god, & for none other.' frende,' sayd the mayster, 'I wylle not trouble you nomore; doo as ye wylle' / Thenne toke reynawde leve of the mayster mason, and went to the towne for to get hymself a lodgynge, & boughte a peny worthe of brede. and soo had he nomore to his souper but brede & a lityll water. And whan he had eten / he went & leyed him upon a lityll strawe ²for to take his rest that nyght.² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig.] and whan the day was com, reynaude rose vp & wente to his werke, & founde no body there / and thenne he wente to the chirche, & sayd his prayers afore an ymage of our lady. [folio L.L.viii.b] This

hangyng, the masons cam for to goo to their werke; and whan they were vpon the walle / they asked yf the stronge man were not come. 'Mayster,' answerde reynaude, 'I am here; wylle ye ony thyng?' 'frende,' sayd thenne the mayster mason / 'brynge vs stones & morter.' 'sire,' sayd reynawde / 'I shall wyth a good wille, & that anone' / Thenne fet he stones & morter in grete plente / ¹and brought it vp vnto theim¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] / and I promyse you that reynawd laded more atones than xv. other dyde / And thus served reinawde the masons in the chirche of saynt peter at coleyn many dayes; and every daye at evyn he toke his peny of the mayster, & nomore, for to bye hym brede with, as ye have herde / for he ete never but bred, & dranke water / Thus lived Reynawde there a longe while, servyng there the masons, as it is sayd, for the love of god & of saynte peter / and dyde so truly his devour, that thother labourers had grete envy at hym, for they were all set at nought for the love of hym of the masons / for the grete servyse that he dyde to theym / Sore an angred were thother laborers whan they sawe that they were all thus forsaken & all set aside, & sayd to eche other in this wyse / 'By god, we ben dyffamed bi thys grete knave, that doth somoche labour / and therfore we be put a side of the maysters. the grete devyll broughte hym well here, for we shall never gete noo thyng aslonge as he is here, for he serveth all the masons alone of al that thei nede for to have, and thus we ben left alone.' thenne sayd one of theim / 'My felawes, yf ye wylle byleve me / we shall slee him.' 'How saye ye that,' sayd a nother / 'ye wote well it is impossible to vs to doo soo, for he is horryble stronge / and if we set vpon hym, he shall kylle vs all.' 'frende,' said he, 'I shall tell you how we shall doo soo / See you

yonder vawte by the grete hous?' 'ye,' said thother / 'wyte it that that grete knave goth & slepeth [folio M.M.i.a] there every nyghte whan we are goon home / And therfore, yf ye wylle byleve me / we shall goo this nyght there where he is a slepe / and we shall take eche of vs a pykeaxe, or elles an hamer / and therwith we shall dasshe the brayn out of his hede / and whan we have thus slayn hym / we shall put hym in a grete sacke, & shall cast him wythin the ryver / ²that is there nyghe² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig.] / and thus shall be nomore herde of hym' / and whan thother laborers herde this traitour speke, thei accorded all to his counseylle / and they dyde as they were purposed soner than they wende thei sholde have do / For at noone, whan the masons left werke & went to their dyner, the poure reynawd went & rested hymself vnder the vawt, where he was wonte to rest hymself every nyghte. And whan the traytours saw that, they cam to him that first had spoken the treyson, & toke him a grete hamer of a mason in his hande; ²and they spyed that reynaud was fallen a slepe. this traitour wyth the hamer went to reynawde softly,² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig.] & smote hym wyth the hamer well depe in to the brayn / And whan Reynawd felte the stroke that the traytour had gyven hym / he set his armes in maner of a crosse vpon his brest, & said in this maner / 'O, good lord Ihesu criste, have mercy on my soule / and wylle pardonne theim that have broughte me to my dethe' / and whan he had sayd thise wordes / the soule departed oute of the body. And whan the traytours had thus slayn reynawd, they put him in to a grete sacke, that they had ordeyned therfore / and thenne they laded the carte wherin they brought the stones wyth the body of hym, and soo caryed hym to the ryver of ryne, wherin they cast hym. And whan they had doon soo / they laded the

carte wyth stones, & brought theym to the chirche werke as thei were wonte to doo / and as thei were by the way / thei met the mayster mason / that said [folio M.M.i.b] to theym / 'By my feyth, galantes, I conne you now thanke, for ye mende yourselfe, For ye have doon grete dyligence sith dyner / that ye have laden soo many stones / and that ye ben soo ferre wyth theym to the werke warde' / 'Mayster,' sayd the traytours / 'mocke not wyth vs soo; but goo to your purse & gyve vs som drynkynge money' /

Sore merveylled was the mayster, of that he sawe his laborers more dyligent than they were acustumed / thenne the labourers began to say to the mayster of the werke / bi maner of a mocke / 'where is that grete lorden, that he helpeth not now / I holde hym goon wythout leve, by cause he myght not labour noo lenger / For we herde saye / that he sholde never ceasse tyll he had founde hys wyfe agen.' And whan the maister mason herde that / he was sory, & sayd to theym agen, 'By my feyth, I byleve that ye have chassed hym awaye; but I promyse you yf I can wyte that ye have doon soo / It were better for you that ye were at Iherusalem' / 'Mayster,' sayd the laborers, 'ye maye well saye to vs what ye wille / but we dyde never saye oughte to hym that sholde dysplayse hym' / and whan the noble reynaude was thus caste in to the river of ryne by the laborers of the chirche of saynt peter, ye must wite that he wente not to the botome of the water / but wente harde above the water alonge the streme. And at that [hour] our lorde shewed for him a fayr myracle. For all the fysshe of the ryver gadred theym abowte the corps / and by the grete strenghte of the fysshes it was taried, ²and went noo ferder with the² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig.] streme / by the wille of our lorde / And the grete fysshes put theymselfe vnder hym, and bare hym vpon

the water, soo that he apered to every mannis syghte / And there the fysshes bare him soo vp vnto nyghte. And whan the nighte was come / apered abowte the corps a grete quantyte of torches by [folio M.M.ii.a] the vertue of our lorde / and angelles that song there so melodyously, that they that herde it wolde never have goon fro it. And to saye trouthe / there was soo grete lighte abowte the corps / that all they that saw it, wende that all the water of the ryne had be a fyre / and whan the folke of the cyte saw soo grete a myracle they ranne all thyther / bothe men & wymen & children / And also the archbyshop of saynte peter wente thyther wyth all his colege in a fayr processyon / syngyng by grete devocyon / and taryed vpon the ryne / for they durste not goo noo ferther / and they sawe the fysshes that bare vp the corps above the water. And whan they that were there sawe that / they were abasshed / ²and merveylled gretly what it myghte be,² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig.] and beganne to saye the one to the other / 'God! what may he be, for whom our lorde sheweth so fayr a myracle' / 'Lordes,' sayd the archebysshop / 'I shall telle you as myn avyse gyveth me / Wyte it that it is the body of some saynte that our lorde wylle have worshypped, that is come here from somwhere / whiche god wylle not that he be loste / nor drowned in the water / See ye not how the fysshes holde hym above the water / by the vertue of our lorde' / Thenne the bysshop commaunded that men sholde goo see what it was, and anone folke went there wyth botes, and they founde that it was the grete man that was one of the labourers wyth the masons in the chirche of saynte peter / And whan the mayster of the werke saw this, he was gretly abasshed / and went to theim that had slayn him, and sayd to theym, 'Ye hoursons, false traytours! ye have slayn the good man / saye ye the trouth / for yf ye denye it, I shall prove it vpon you' / And whan the

laborers herde the mayster mason speke thus / they began al to crye, and said, 'By god, mayster / we have doon it withoute doubte / for envye that we had atte hym. And therfore [folio M.M.ii.b] lete vs be drowned, hanged, or drawen, or what iustyse ye wylle / For we have well deserved to be punysshed' / And whan the archebysshop herde the traytours soo speke, he began to wepe tendrely, and all colege also. And the archbysshop was counseylled that he sholde lete goo the murderers at theyr adventure for to doo penaunce of their sinnes, the whiche thynge the archbysshop dyde wyth a goode wylle. Thenne was the body of reynawde broughte to londe, and was put vpon a carte for to bere hym to the chirche / whereas he was had worshipfully with fair processyon. And whan the corps was in the chirche, the archebysshop made hym redy for to synge the masse by grete devocyon. And whan the servyce was doon, the archbysshop wolde have goon a processyon wyth the corps aboute the chyrche, and commaunded four lordes that were there that they sholde bere the corps / And thenne the barons wolde have don his commaundement / but whan they cam therto / they coude not move the corps / by noo strengthe that they coude put therto. Sore merveilled were the barons whan they saw that, and sayd to [till, orig.] eche other / 'Now may we well knowe that we be not worthy to touche thys holy corps. For we be wycked synners / wherfore lete vs go to shryve, and put ourself in good astate' / And while they spake thus togyder / ³the corps rose vp of hymselfe / and was borne / noo man knoweth how, oute of the chirche in to the carte whiche anone moved / and wente his waye streyghte oute of the cyte, wherof they were all gretly merveylled.³ [^3—3 le charret se partist tout seul par laid de nostre seigneur nondaultre et se mist a cheminer moult fort au devant de tout le peuple. Quant le clergie vist ce ils commencerent a plourer tendrement apres le charret qui sen aloit ainsi que ouy avez. Vous denez scavoir que quant le charret se mist a cheminer quil passa devant la tombe la ou lon le voloit enterrer, mais il passa tout oultre que lon ne le peult arrester et sortie hors de la cite de coullongne, F. orig. N. v.] and whan the carte was oute of coleyn, he

went a pas all the hie waye. And whan the peple sawe that / they began all to wepe by cause the corps wolde not abyde / Thenne sayd the archebysshop to theym / 'Syres, now may ye well see that this is a holy corps, by the grete myracles that god sheweth by hym [folio M.M.iii.a] now / and all this daye a fore vs all / wherfore lete vs goo after hym for to worshyp hym / For it were not well doon for to lete hym goo thus alone' / 'My lorde,' sayd the peple / 'ye saye well' / and thenne all the clerge & all the comen peple, lityll & grete, that myghte goo, folowed the corps. [saint.] And ye oughte to wyte, that in all the cyte of colen abode nother man nor woman / but went wyth the corps, and all the clergy folowed after, singyng in grete devocyon. Soo moche wente the carte that he came to a lityll towne that is called croyne, and there he abode styll. And ye must wyte that our lord dyde shew there many fayr myracles for the love of the holy body / For all sike peple, of what siknes it was, that cam there for to worshyp the holy body / were hole incontynent / This happed of the noble knyghte Reynawde of mountalban / as ye have herde. And ye ought to wyte that the renomme of the holy body was soo spred all aboute, that folke cam to croyne, where it abode, [pour la volente de dieu, F. orig. N. v. back.] from ferre ways for to seke hym / and he made there so fayr myracles / that of all the royame, [de France, F. orig N v. back.] & of all almayn, folke drew theder. And somoche were worthe the offrynges / that were doon there wythin a short while / that of a litil chapell there as the body rested / whiche was of our lady, is now a royall chirche & a grete.

And whan the holy body was abyden in this lityll chapell, as it is sayd, where god made contynuelly myracles / tharchebysshop of coleyn & all the clerge cam [a croyne. Quant larcevesque vist que le corps estoit delibere de demourer illecques il vit au corps ... F. orig. N. v. back.] to the corps, and vncovered his visage, that every body sholde see hym / that cam there, yf haply that ony man or woman myghte knowe hym for to have his name / for none cowde name him, but the holy corps / But there cam noo man that cowde knowe hym. And whan the archbysshop sawe that no body cowde saye what he was / he was sory for it / for if he had knowen his name, he wolde have put hym [folio M.M.iii.b] in a shryne of golde, by cause of the grete myracles that he made dayly; for he made ye deef to here / the blinde to see / the lame to go, & right mani that were dombe he made to speke / and often tymes apered tapres of wexe brennyng about the corps. [En celluy temps que larcevesque et tout son clergie gardoient a croyne le corps saint, ainsi que vous ay compte, F. orig. N. vi.] ¶ Now shal ye here how the noble reynaud was knowen / Ye oughte to wite that the bredern of reynaud / that is to wyte, alarde, guychard, & rycharde, were on a day vpon a mountain soo sory that they cowde not comforte theymself / bycause they cowde not here noo tydynges of theyr broder reynaud / Thenne cam a pylgrym forthby that salved the barons. 'Pylgrym,' sayd alard / 'fro whens come ye / yf ye wote ony newes, telle it vs, I praye you' / 'Lordes,' sayd the pylgrym, 'wyth a gode wylle I shall telle you that I knowe. Wyte it that I com out of almayn, from a towne that is called croyne, by colein vpon the ryne, where I have seen many grete myracles doon of god, for the love of a man that cam to the cyte but late ago, the whiche was so grete / that every body sayth there that he was a gyaunt / and wyte ye, that whan he

cam there / that he sawe men make the chirche of saynt peter / soo dyde he presente there his servyse to the mayster mason, the whiche reteyned hym gladly / Shortly to saye, this grete man dyde wonder of berynge of stones & of morter. For he bare more atones than XV. [dix, F. orig.] other of the laborers that were there wyth him; and he was all day wythout mete, saff at evyn / he toke a peny that he gate, for nomore he wold have for his labour a daye, and therwyth he boughte hym brede, and dranke none other to it but water / ²and thenne went to his rest vpon a lityll strawe vndre a grete vawte² [^2—2 omitted, F. orig.] / And ye must wyte that this grete man was well loved of the maysters masons of the sayd chirche, whiche wold often have gyven hym mete & wyne / and more mony. But he wolde never take noo thynge [folio M.M.iv.a] but a peny oonly by the daye for to bye hymself brede, as I tolde you afore / He served so well all the masons there, that they were more contente of hym alone / than of the other laborers. And whan the laborers sawe that they were soo lityll set by / for love of this grete man / they were sore an angred / and toke grete envy at him / and conspyred togyder for to slee hym shamfully / Soo dyde they aspye hym where he slepte vnder ⁴the sayd vawte⁴ [^4—4 ung grant voultre sus ung peu de paille entredeux, F. orig. N. vi. back.] / while the mayster masons were goon to dyner / And thenne one of theym came to hym with a grete hamer in his hande / and brayned him. thenne they put hym in a sacke, & caryed hym in a cart to the ryver of the ryne / where they cast hym / And wyte that whan they had doon soo / our lorde shewed there a grete myracle / For all the fysshes of the ryne assembled theym aboute the corps / and made it abyde in one place above the water. And whan the nyghte was com, angelles were herde there / that songe melodyously

the servyse of the deed soo hie, that all they of the cite myghte here theym / and it semed that all the water about hym had be in a fyre of the grete light that was seen there / Thenne cam the archebysshop of colen wyth all his colege, & made the corps to be taken / and broughte in a carte vnto the chyrche. And whan he was there / tharchbysshop sange masse / for this was in the mornynge. And whan the servyse was doon, the archebysshop sayd to four lordes that were there / that they sholde take vp the corps for to have hym to his grave wyth fayre processyon / But thise foure barons cowde never move hym / from the place where he was. ¹But the corps, incontynent to every bodys sight, that was there was broughte in to the carte agayne / wyth the twynkeling [folio M.M.iv.b] of an eye, and sodeynly the carte departed¹ [^1—1 Et en ce faisant le charret sen partist dillecques tout a par foy ... F. orig. N. vi. back.] / and wente awaye a lone oute of the towne / as goode a pas as ten horses had drawen at it, whiche was sore agenste the wylle of the people, that wept full tenderly bycause it wolde not abyde with theym / But all they of the cyte / bothe lityll & grete, wente a processyon after it / vnto a lityll towne / where the corps of the grete man abode stylle, whiche is called croyn, in a lityll chapell of our lady / where he dooth now many a fayre myracle; for I ensure you that all the sike that seke hym there be made hole / and retourne to theyr home in goode helthe. And soo have I lefte there the archebysshop of coleyne / and all the clergy that hathe doo make of the offerynges that ben gyve there to thys holy corps, a fayr place / and a royall chirche / there as the sayd chapell of our lady was afore' /

Whan alarde, guycharde / and rycharde herde the pylgryme speke soo / they beganne all thre to

wepe full sore for pyte that they had of theyr brother Reynawde / for well they knewe it was he of whom the pylgryme spake / 'Alas, my brethern,' sayd rycharde, 'now be we well dystroyed / and vndoon for ever; For I knowe well that it is our dere broder that we have soughte soo longe' / Wyte it that the thre brethern made there soo grete sorowe, that it canne not be rehersed / And whan they had made this grete sorowe / they toke leve of the pylgryme / ¹and thanked hym,¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] and wente to make theym redy / and thenne toke theyr waye towarde croyne, by Coleyne on the ryne / And they dyde soo moche by theyr iourneys / that they came to Croyne / And lighted byfore the chirche, they and theyr folke / where they founde soo grete a flowynge and gaderynge of the people, and soo grete prese [folio M.M.v.a] of folke, that wyth grete peyne they myght entre wythin the chirche. And whan the knyghtes were wythin, they wente nyghe the holy corps, that was vpon a fayr bere all vncovered, and sawe soo grete light abowte the corps as there had ben a hundred torches / Thenne went they as nyghe him as thei cowde for to loke hym in the face / and anone they knewe that he was their broder / and wyth that thei loked vpon hym, they felle doun all in a swoune to therthe. And whan tharchbisshop sawe that, he was sore abasshed, & sayd to some of his colege / 'Sires, I byleve that we shall soone knowe that we have desired soo longe / For I wene that thyse lordes knowe well this holy corps' / This hangyng, were the thre bredern comen agen to theymselfe / and began to crye and fare as they had ben mad / thenne sayd alarde, all wepyng in thys maner, 'Alas, what shall we now caytyff knyghtes doo, pour of honour & of all wele, sith that we have lost our broder, by whom we were so sore doubted & dred / Alas, dere broder! who was soo hardy to laye honde on

you? I byleve that he knew not your debonairte & kyndnesse / for he wolde not have slayne you so cruelly' / And thenne he torned him towarde his two bredern & sayd / 'My fayr bredern, we ought well to be sory / sith we have lost our broder reynaude / that was all our hope, our trust, & comfort.' 'Alas,' sayd rycharde, 'broder reynaude, why had ye ever that courage for to habandoune vs as ye dyde / seeng that ye loved vs somoche. Alas, ye stale awaye yourself by nyghte / for to come amonge thandes of the murderers that have slayne you soo cruelly / Alas, they wyste not the grete dommage that is of your dethe!' Whan the thre bretherne had wepte ynoughe, in grete sobbynges and lamentacyons for the love of theyr dere broder [folio M.M.v.b] Reynawde / they went and [kissed] the corps on the mouthe, the one after the other; and wyth this thei felle doun agen in a swoune / And whan thei were come agen to theymself / rycharde began to crye, & saye / 'Alas, fair bredern, now ben we lost for ever / For we shall no more be set by, nother doubted nor drede more than children / wherfore I saye that we shold slee ourself / to the ende that we maye be wyth you, for we oughte not to live after your deth' / Wyte it that who had be there, he sholde have had an harde hert, but he sholde have wepte for to see the thre bredern make theyr mone. [et non sans cause, F. orig. N. vii. back.]

Whan the archebysshop and the burgeys that were there, sawe the grete sorow that the thre knyghtes made, the good archebisshop [arehebysshep, orig.] came to theym, and sayd / 'Lordes, be ye not dysplaysed of that I shall saye to you! Syres, to my semynge, ye doo not well for to make soo grete sorowe, nor to discomforte yourself so moche as ye doo / but rather ye shold make

grete ioye / and be glad for your broder, that is a saynt in hevyn, the whiche hathe suffred martyrdom in the servyse of our lorde / wherof ye maye see that he rewardeth hym well for it. For ye see now byfore your eyen the grete myracles that he dooth. wherfore I praye you that ye wyll recomforte your selfe. And telle vs, yf it playse you, what ye ben / and how is this holy body named, and what his name was whan he lived in this worlde / to the ende that his name be wryten abowte his tombe.' And whan his bredern herde the archebysshop speke thus, they began a lityll to leve theyr sorowe / and thenne alarde, that was theldest after reynawd, sayd to hym, 'Lorde, sith it playse you to knowe what we be, & how this corps is called, I shall telle it you wythoute fawte / Ye muste wyte that this corps was called, ¹whan he was amonge us alive¹ [^1—1 omitted, F. orig.] / Reynawde of mountalban, the ryght [folio M.M.vi.a] worthy knyghte; and [we three th [[ ] from Ed. 1554, corrected. A piece cut out of Caxton's edition.] ]at ben here are his brethern. And well I wote that ye have herde speke of the four sones of aymon / the whiche charlemagn the grete, kynge of fraunce, werred soo longe.' Thenne whan the archebysshop / and the people herde that they were the four sones of aymon / of the whiche all the world spake / and that the holy corps was the goode reynawde of mountalban / the noble & valiaunt knyghte / they began al to wepe for pyte and for ioye / by cause they sawe all byfore theym the moost noble & worthyest knyghte of the worlde / that in his life was more to drede than ony man alive, that was deed in the servyse of our lorde / doinge penaunce. After that thise thre brethern had thus lefte a lityll theyr sorowe / they made their broder to be layd in his tombe, that was ryght ryche, that the archebysshop had doon make /

where the holy corps resteth yet at this daye / as evydently is knowen / and he is called saynt Reynawde the marter / The memory of hym was that tyme put in wrytynge auctentykly; and every yere is there kepte for hym grete solempnyte & feest. And after the sepulturynge of the holy corps, the brethern wente agen in to theyr countree.

My fayr lordes thenne, that this present boke shall rede or here, we shall praye god & the gloryous saynte Reynaude the marter / that he gyve vs grace to persevere / and contynue our liff in good werkes, by the whiche we may have at our endynge the liff that ever shall laste. [en gloire celestielle de paradis.]

AMEN