Melusine. Part I

Cap. XXIX. How the kyng̘, of behayne sent a messager toward the king̘ of Anssay his brother. /

Thystorye sayth that a messager came to Lucembourgh fro the kyng̘ Federyk of behayne, that was moche valyaunt & a true man, whiche ryght strong̘ susteyned the feyth catholicaƚƚ ayenst the Sarasyns / It is so that the paynemes entred in to his land / and seeyng hym self not puyssaunt ynougℏ for to gyue them iourney of batayƚƚ, drew hym self & his peple with hym in to hys toune of Praghe / and had this kyng̘ Federyke but one only doughtir to his heyre, whiche was named Eglantyne / & certayn it is that he was brother to the king̘ of [folio 123b] Anssay. Wherfore he sent a messager to Lucembourgh there as the kyng of Anssay his brother was at that tyme. And shortly to speke, the messager came & directed his lettres to the king̘ of Anssay, whiche opened & redd̛ it / by the tenoure of whiche he vnderstode & knew the myschief where his brother was in / and sayd al on high in heryng̘ of eueryone there in this manere: 'Ha / a, Fortune, how art thou so peruerse & so crueƚƚ, certaynly wel is he deceyued þat trusteth in the nor in thy yeftes by no manere. it hath not suffysed the to haue ouerthrawen me fro the vppermost stepp of thy whele vnto the lowest / but vtterly wylt dystroye me for euer, whan my brother, whiche [is] one of the moost trewest & valiaunt kyng̘ in the world̛, thou wylt so dysempare & putte out fro his royaume, yf god of his grace purueye not of remedy therto' / and thenne he retourned hym self toward anthony, & sayd: 'Ha / right noble & valyaunt

prynce, it is now with me wers than euer was / For your noble cheualrye & puyssaunce haue not only mated me & made lasse myn honour, but also ye haue dyscomfyted with me the moost true & valiaunt kyng̘ that euer was of my lynee, & that more valyauntly hatℏ deffended the cristen feyth ayenst thenemyes of god. For Federyke, my brother, noble kyng̘ of Behayne, beyng sore oppressed & besieged within his toun of praghe by thinfideles & enemyes of god, writeth vnto me ful tenderly for help & socoure / alas, now your grete fayttes in armes haue kept me therfro, so that I may not help hym / how be it that al this commeth thrugh myn owne fawte & folysshe enterpryse, For god hath punysshed me lasse ynough than I haue deseruyd̛.' And thenne he bygan to make suche sorowe that grete pite it was to see./

[folio 124]

Thystorye sheweth in this partie that the duc Anthony was ryght dolaunt & sorowful whan he vnderstode the pyteous bewayllyng̘ of the king of Anssay, and said to hym in this manere: 'Sire, telle me why ye demene & make sucℏ dueyl.' By god,' sayd the kynge, 'wel I have cause / loke & see what the tenoure of this letre specyfyeth.' Thenne toke anthony the lettre and redde it al ouer, Wherby he vnderstode & knew the grete myserye & myschief wherin Zelodyus, kyng̘ of Craco, held Federyk̘, kyng̘ of Behayne, besieged within the Cite of praghe. And thenne the noble duc Anthony consideryng̘ the grete myschief wherinne the Cristen peple was hold by the puyssaunce of the paynemes, his herte was al replenyssed with pite, and said in hym self that yf he might the Sarasyns shuld bye fuƚƚ derly the peyne whiche they made the Cristen peple to bere / and be thenne said to the kynge: 'Sire, yf I wold helpe you for to socoure your brother, wold ye not be soone redy to goo thitherward̛?'

And whan the kyng̘ vnderstod̛ thoos wordes he kneled doune tofore the duc, & said: 'Sire, yf ye wyl graunte me so moche of your grace / I swere & promyse you feythfully that I shall make Regnald your brother kyng of Behayne after the decesse of my brother, whiche is elder than I almost xx^ti yere. For wete it that he hath none heyre sauf only a ryght fayre doughter, whicℏ is cleped Eglantyne / and she is about xv yere of age, & that pucelle shall I gyue, yf ye vouchesauf, to Regnauld your brother.' 'By my feyth,' said thenne Anthony, 'and I accorde therunto. / goo thanne hastly to Anssay and make your mandement, and be with vs ayen within this thre wykes, and lodge your peuple in yonder medowe, Where your tentes [folio 124b] as yet ben, and in the meane season I shal sende for my men, whiche are with a knygℏt of myn at the Leffe, where men had doon wrong̘ to hym.' And the king̘ ansuerde, 'Noble & curteys lord, her rewarde you therof, that suffred deth for vs and bytter passyon.' And thenne he toke his leue of the duc and of the duches, of Regnauld, & of aƚƚ the baronnye there, & syn mounted on horsback / and with his owne meyne rode tyl he came in to his land of anssay, sorowful for his losse & joyfuƚƚ for the socours that the Duc Anthony promysed to hym, for to helpe his brother ayenst the panemes & enemyes of god. /

The veray hystorye testyfyeth that so long̘ rode the kinge of Anssay that he came in his land̛, where he was welcommed of his baronnye / and soone went to vysyte & see his doughter Metydee, that was not yet two year old / and syn retourned with his barons / to whome he shewed al his affayre, and how he moste go socoure his brother; Also how Anthony & Regnald his brother shuld helpe hym therto with al theire pussaunce. 'By feyth,' said thenne the barons, 'syth it is soo that thoo two brethern medle with this enterpryse,

hit may not fare but wel. For ayenst theire puyssaunce & worthynes may none withstand nor abyde / hast you thenne to make your cryees & mandement, For we al shaƚƚ go with you.' Thenne made the kyng̘ his oost to be boden & sent for, & prayd al his frendes & alyez / & within a lytel space of tyme he assembled about seuene thousand fyghtyng men / and departed fro his royalme, whiche he lefte in good gouernaunce vnder a noble baron of the land̛. And syn dide so moche by his journeys, that at thende of thre wykes he came & lodged hym & his oost byfore Lucembourgh, [folio 125] in the medow where his tentes were lefte. And thenne were also cōme the dukes peuple, that were in nombre fyue thousand helmets and a thousand V.C. archers & crosbowe men, beside them of the duchery, that were in nombre thre thousand, of þe whiche anthony toke with hym two thousand̛ and the other he lefte behynd̛ for the sauegarde of the land̛ / of þe whiche he ordeyned chief captayne and protectour a noble baron of poytou / and that was the lord of Argemount. /