The Three Kings' Sons. Part I. The Text / edited from its unique MS, Harleian 326, about 1500 A.D. by F.J. Furnivall

King Philip of France and his Uncle prepare for Sicily.

THe kynge of ffraunce, þat wold be vnknowen, wolde not departe so sone as to the tothir did / hou-be-it he knewe of the departyng of many kynges and princes / and in what estate and richesse the kynge of Englond & the kynge of Scottes were departed yn. and many tymes was his vncle and he in communicacion for his purueaunce; and the kynge was the best diuiser that any man coude fynde: he devised [leaf 110] not as pore caitif, but as a kynge / so that there was noon, of what estate and condicion he was of / to be compared to him. Thre daies bifore, he had sent his seruauntes to take vp loggyng for the Duc of Burgoigne / enheritour and Regent of ffraunce, whiche hath in his company v. or vj. Mƚ horses, wherof there by vj. Dukes and xiiij. Erles, beside grete Barons

and noble knightes, that were in his company. He ordeyned than his vncle to take vpone him the playne armes of ffraunce, seyng, "that it ought to be so / for it shold be to him repreef to tournay in any other cote armour than in his owne" / The duc of Burgoigne, whiche entended no-thing so moche as the pleasir of his nevew, was content with alle that he wold ordeyne / how-be-it, he tolde him that folkes wolde speke moche therof / inasmoche as he was not crowned kynge, nor bare the name therof / Neuirtheles, in conclusioun, thus it was apointed / and thus it was done / And ther was noman in alle ffraunce that [wold] contrary the Dukes pleasir / hou-be-it, his day was not come, by a yere and more, of the vij. yere / and alle such murmur & wordes, dred the Duc. But it was sure at the ende, what-som-euir was saide, shold be to his grete honour / and alle thinge was arredied thus as y haue tolde you / and the kynge departed at suche tyme as he might come to the Emperour a ij. nightes bifore the Tourney and whan his herbegours came afore / and asked loggyng for so grete a nombre / themperour was abasshed, and meruailed moche / Than they tolde him how he was Regent of ffraunce, and enheritour / and noon but he apparaunt to be kynge / and so toke he him self / Of alle this, themperour had grete meruaile / & specially, sith he was so nere vnto him, that he had not before tyme sent noon embassat for the mariage of his doughtir.

Now cometh the tyme of the Dukes departyng / no man̄ may thinke the richesse that that tyme was at Parys, of he grete princes that were come thider / whos abilementes and purueaunce were to long to reherce / when alle was redy, the Duke departed / and they that he had in his conduyte / The kynge went alwey before or behinde / euery man praied god to sende the Duc good auenture, for moche was he biloued [leaf 110, bk.] amonges them; hou-be-it they had a litil grugge vnto him now / for this, that he bare the playne armes of ffraunce / and they praied god they might ones se the kynges sone a lyue amonges them / for than sholde he be fayne to leue thoos armes / Thus departed he, as y telle you. The Duc spedde his Iournay so, that he came in-to the Reaume of Sizile / and whan he ffirst entred in-to the Reaume, he was assertayned what kynges & prynces were there / and how the kynge of England was Ector; and the kynge of Scottes was Athis / that so longe had be in seruice there. The Duc knewe thies names wele, by reporte of his Neuewe / and had right grete ioie of them and assone as he might, he made relacion vnto the kynge, whiche had therof a meruailous gladnesse / thinkyng in himself / that suche

auenture had neuir be seen / that iij. kynges sones vnknowen shold be daily seruauntes yn one house to a knyght / Than thought he that this entent might not be had / for he thought before to haue had them bothe yn his house / though they had coste him the half of his Reaume / whiche now might not be / Than saide he to his vncle, "now shalƚ y ride ioyfully / for y shalƚ se the moost part of them that y loue" / Thus rode they til they came nere vnto the place where themperour was / and at the towne that he logged / next vnto themperour / there mette with him many noble men / that themperour had sent vnto him; and there dyned they with hym / and the Duc asked them many questions of the werres that had ben amonges them / and they tolde him, and also of the fortune of fferaunt, "whiche had ij. kynges in his seruice / whiche were the moost noble men of the worlde sauf one, whiche was in their company, that was named Le Surnome, whiche was the ffloure, and surmounted alle othir" / & there they reherced his persone, his worthynesse, and bounte / and alle the wele that coude be seid of any man / yit knewe not the Duc that it was his nevewe that was called Le Surnome. But assone as he might departe from them of Sizile / he came to his nevewe / & besought him on his feith to telle him how he was named whan he was in Sizile. and the kynge, that wold not displease his vncle, tolde him that his first name was Le Despurueu / but the Emperours doughtir had chaungid it, and named hym Le Surnome. And whan the Duc herde this / and knewe for trouthe it was he [leaf 111] of whom the grete renome sprange so ferre / he embraced him with grete ioie. and the kyng asked him what meved him so to do; and he tolde him the grete honour that he had herd spoken of him; and seid so moche, that the kynge wax alle rede & shamefast / and saide, "faire vncle, they that haue made this report, y suppose be my grete frendes; but parauenture ye shalle here suche tidynges, or ye go oute of this cuntre, that happily shalle not please you so moche." The Duc in his mynde praised him moche for that answere, & saide / "now wille ye go bifore or behinde" / "forsothe," saide the kynge, "y wolƚ go bifore / and not fer from you, but as a gentilman of youres" / The Duc was content with his pleasir / The Emperour had alwey hope to here som tidynges of Le Surnome. The ladies that had herd speke of the grete richesse, and of the grete lordes that shold come to the towne, besought themperour they might be at the wyndowes to se them come / Themperour was agreable. Themperesse, & hir doughtir, and alle the ladies, went forth / whan

they that were in the towne herd thies tidynges / euery man appointed him self in the best wise they coude / to ride forth and mete the Duc of Burgoigne. The kynge of ffraunce was araied as a squier, and set on the best hors that was in alle the company / and iij. or iiij. moo that knewe of his counselle, were araied in sute witℏ him / and eche one a visour bifore his face / Themperour, and the yong Turke, & alle the kynges & princes that were in the towne, rode oute to mete the Duc of Burgoigne / and within litil way of the towne, they mette with hym; and there was neither knigℏt nor squyer in his company, but he had outher trapoures or horsharneys of clothe of gold / or velewet embrowdird / there was neuir so grete richesse seen in Sizile bifore in one day / whan the yong kynge saw the kyng of Englond and the kyng of Scottes, he salewed them a ferre; & the hors wheron he rode was so plesaunt, that his maister might guyde him as he wold / and he made ij. or iij. lepes fulle manerly / the hors was plesaunt, and the man that was on hym moche more / he was loked on of many folkes / but noon knewe hym [as] he passed forthe. The Emperour came to the Duc, and salued him as perteyned to his estate / aftir acqueyntaunce, they rode alle togedir to the towne; and the yong kynge and his company was alway nere vnto [leaf 111, bk.] the Duc / At their comyng in-to the Towne, was not seen suche estate of richesse sitℏ the worlde began / the wyndowes and the stretes were alle hanged with riche clothes / and alle the wyndowes fulle of ladies & gentilwomen / and whan they shold passe by themperesse & hir faire doughtir, the yonge kynge knewe them wele y-nough, ye may wele thinke / the cawcy was to litil for his hors & him / for alle that was possible for hym or his hors to do / was done bifore the ladies ther; and it semed to as many as bihelde him / that he sate as easely as he had ben vpon a litil amblyng nagge / and the ladies & gentilwomen gaff their beholdyng moost vnto him / but the prese was suche, they lost the sight of him longe or they wold. and whan themperour came there as the ladies lay / he alight, and made to conduyte the Duc of Burgoigne vnto his logging, with many kynges & princis; & whan they had brought hym there, … Than the Duc knewe that themperour had supped / and that it was tyme to se the ladies, he departed from his loggyng / so accompanyed, that it was meruaile to se / he came to themperours paleis, where he founde themperesse accompanyed with grete nombre of ladies and gentilwomen / and so many faire, that it was a paradis to biholde them / but as the sonne passeth in beaute the sterres / so,

in beaute & behaving, passeth alle othir, the faire & good Iolant. The duc salued the ladies, as to their estate belonged; and than he felle in talkyng with this faire lady / whom he founde so wele assured in alle hir behauyng that he thought his nevewe wele fortuned to haue such chois / if his fortune might folow the remenaunt of his wille / for as him thought, she was nounpareilƚ of the world / The daunces began; the kynges and princes came to se the daunces / the halƚ was newe, made so grete and so plenteuous / that suche a-nothir was neuir seyen / The yong kynge of ffraunce was behinde alle othir, holdyng a knight of his by the arme / and bihelde the daunces, and specially his faire lady / and besought god his fortune might be as good as his wille; and biheld his ij. felawes disportyng them / & dauncyng among the ladies / trustyng / or long to / to be knowen there, asmoche to his hertes ease / as was to any of them / There was many of themperours court that compleyned [leaf 112] sore Le Surnome, whiche he him-self might here / seyng, "that they were nowe alle out of hope / and that they thought wele that he was outher dede or seke, seyng the promys that he had made to be there at that day / and if he were dede / it were the grettist pite of his dethe that euir was of any so pore a man in alle this worlde." Thise wordes herde many of the frenshmen̄; and tolde vnto the Duc their maister, the grete lawde that this man had, whiche was named Le Surnome. and themperour him-self spake of him, and had for him right grete sorowe / & so had alle the ladies and gentilwomen. The kynge of ffraunce, knowyng alle this / saide vnto suche as knewe his entente / "if euer he had hert to do wele / it was now tyme to shewe it at this tournay / and also he wist wele, without grete paine & trauaile this grete conqueste might not be made wele" / they smyled & seide / "they of this Reaume sey so euel of you / that we ar half in drede of your spede." "Truly," seide the kynge, "y shalƚ do aswele as y can" / Themperour praid the Duc of Burgoigne, on the morowe to suppe with hym and alle the princes of his company / ffor he had fested alle other straungers bifore / and this was the even of the tournay. The Duc graunted hym / and toke leue of him and of the ladies / and went to his loggyng / many were there that wold haue conueyed hym, but he wold not suffre them / and assone as he came to his loggynge / he founde leiser to speke with his Nevewe, saing vnto him / "that wele he had chosen / and yf there were any prowesse in him / he shold put him in payne now to do wele; for if in his defaute he lost suche a wele / he might be sure neuer to

recouere the semblable" / if the kynge were amorous to-fore / his vnkells wordes made him more; sayng vnto him / "ffaire vncle, myn armes shalle faile me, outher y shalƚ dye in the payne / or y shalƚ haue hir." The Duc began to laugℏ, and tolde him how themperour had praied him to soper on the next day / and alle the princes of his company / this nyght they went to rest. The kynge of ffraunce thought euery houre a yere / til the day of the tournay / and yit was there but one day therto. The ffelde was ordeyned by themperours commaundement, where the Tournay shold be / and placis apointed, & deliuerd to euery kynge and prince, to hang vp [leaf 112, bk.] theire tentes and pauilions. I had forgoten to reherce, howe that very night was shewed vnto the yong Turke / that, but if he were cristened / he might not be receyued vnto the tournay / He made many grete doutes, lest his suggetes wold destroie him, or chase him out of his Realme / and than the Emperour and alle the kynges and princis that were there, promised him aide, and to take his part, if any suche cause were / and in trust of their promesse, he bicame cristened on the morow / the kynge of Englond and the kynge of Scottes cristened him / and eche of them put othir to such worship, that they wold not gyue the Turke their owne name / so that he hight aftir neither of them, but was named Charles / also a grete part of his company bicame cristened. On the morow, did euery man set vp his Tentes & Pauylions / euery man in his owne quarter / But ouir alle othir, the Duc of Burgoignes Tente bare the brute / whiche was of the playne armes of ffraunce / and was valued at CCC Mƚ. scutes. that night came the Duc to soper to themperour / and the Emperour and the ladies made him grete chere; and at that soper, was speche of le Surnome, and was asmoche complayned as any man might be / The Emperour seide asmoche good of him as coude be thought / and tolde the Duc that he was cause of alle his honour / and rehersed his persone, maner, and condicions / and than wisshed him as mighti a kynge as any of his ij. ffelawes / and than saide he / "he promysed me to haue ben here agein at this day, if he had ben a lyve and at his liberte / wherfore y thinke verily he ys dede" / and in sayng thise wordes, the teeres felle from his yen. whan this faire lady herde speke of the dethe of Le Surnome, she coude not kepe hir from wepyng; and alle othir that there were, bemoned him moche. And whan the Duc saugh the grete loue that alle folkes had to his nevew / and herde his grete vertues rehersed, ye may be sure he had grete ioie / and saide to the

Emperour, "truly, sir, he hath wele employde his seruyse / and perauenture he may be seke without dethe; and if god wille, ye shal fulle wele se him hereaftir" / Thus, and in suche wordes, passid forth the soper / and aftir soper, the Duc, as though he were a litil envious of the preise that he herde of Le Surnome, saide vnto the faire Iolante, "Madame, me thinketh / Le Surnome wele vred / for whan he was spoken of this night / ye coude not kepe you [leaf 113] from wepyng / wherfore y suppose he be more in your grace than many othir" / "In good feith," quod she, "y loue him right wele; and so haue y grete cause / yf ye had in your company one that had done asmoche for you, as Le Surnome hath done for my lord my fadir, & for me / ye had an hard hert, if ye herde speke of his dethe / and were not sory" / The Duc sawe wele she was not pleased with his wordes. he was not sory, for he thought it touchid hir hert somwhat, & trustid within iij. daies after / the peas shold be made. anoon aftir, he toke his leve, saing, he most that night attende to his besinesse / that night came noon of the tothir Princis to the Emperour / for eche of them attendid that he had to do on the morow. The duc came to his loggyng; and assone as he might, went to the kynge his Nevewe, and tolde him what wordes he had herde of him that night / and what speche was bitwene him and the Emperours doughtir, saing, "sir, now do so, that this preyse and recommendacion may contynue." he answerd, "I pray god graunt me that grace." That night went he to rest / and on the morow rose vp be tymes, and went & herd masse, and than apointed them to be redy. [[Illumination: the Tournay: Knights charging; Iolante, &c. looking on.]]