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+{"source_document": "", "creation_year": 1470, "culture": " English\n", "content": "Produced by Robert S. Rudder\nThe White Knight:  Tirant lo Blanc\nwritten and copyrighted by Robert S. Rudder\nJoanot Martorell and Marti Johan d'Galba.\nThe White Knight: Tirant lo Blanc.\nRobert S. Rudder.  1556 Lafayette Rd.  Claremont, CA. 91711.\nrrudder@lausd.k12.ca.us\nTHE WHITE KNIGHT: TIRANT LO BLANC\nby\nJohanot Martorell\nand\nMarti Johan d'Galba\n Edited and Translated\nby\nRobert S. Rudder\n For\nJose Rubia Barcia\nFriend and colleague at UCLA\nA true \"caballero andante\"\n TABLE OF CONTENTS:\nINTRODUCTION\nCHAPTER I.  COUNT WILLIAM OF WARWICK\nCHAPTER II.  THE TOURNAMENT\nCHAPTER III.  SICILY\nCHAPTER IV.  CONSTANTINOPLE\nCHAPTER V.  THE BATTLEFIELD\nCHAPTER VI.  A TRUCE\nCHAPTER VII.  IN THE PRINCESS'S BED\nCHAPTER VIII.  THE BETROTHAL\nCHAPTER IX.  WIDOW REPOSE\nCHAPTER X.  THE BARBARY COAST\nCHAPTER XI.  PLAERDEMAVIDA\nCHAPTER XII.  CONQUEST\nCHAPTER XIII.  THE WEDDING\nCHAPTER XIV.  DEATH\nCHAPTER XV.  AFTERMATH DEO GRATIAS\nINTRODUCTION\n\"Tirant lo Blanc is the best European novel of the fifteenth\ncentury,\" says Damaso Alonso in his excellent study.(1)    Miguel\nde Cervantes, writing from the 17th century, affirms: \"as far as\nstyle is concerned, this is the best book in the world.\"(2)  If\nthis is so, why has the novel all but disappeared from view?\nSome place the blame on the language of the original: Catalan,\nwhose literature is not widely read in the original tongue.\nOthers say it is the fault of the erotic scenes ~~ too shameful\nfor the polite society of earlier times.  To my mind, a heavily\ncontributing factor is its rhetoric.  As Joseph Vaeth says:\n\"Within this work may be found religious and philosophical\ndiscourses, speeches and disputations...; formal debates...;\ndocuments and papers...; formal challenges and replies...;\ndramatic lamentations; long and fervent prayers; and allusions to\nclassical Latin authors, to biblical characters and to figures\nprominent in medieval literature.\"  He goes on to say that if the\nnovelist had omitted many of these elements, \"his book would in\nthat case have been reduced to approximately one-fourth of its\npresent size, but quite probably it would now be considered a\nmasterpiece of narration and dialogue.\"(3)\nSuch has been the aim of this translation:  The story line has\nbeen slightly abridged, but the most dramatic change is that most\nof the rhetoric has been eliminated.  If the reader's literary\npalate is tickled by this version, and if he would like to read\nthe entire manuscript in English, he is referred to the version\nby David Rosenthal or to the even more complete translation by\nRay La Fontaine.(4)\nWho was the author of this spicy, brutally realistic novel of\nkings and knights of the fifteenth century?  We know that Joanot\nMartorell, son of the king's chamberlain, Francesc Martorell, was\nborn in Valencia in about 1413.  He lived in England during the\nyears 1438 and 1439, and also traveled to Naples.  Death came to\nhim in 1468.  During his life he wrote several letters of combat,\nand he began to write his novel Tirant lo Blanc in about 1460.\nWhether or not he actually finished the book is still a matter of\ndebate, for it was not published during his lifetime.  Another\nwriter, Marti Joan de Galba, adds his name as a second author,\nand says that he wrote the last one-fourth of the book.  But he\ndied six months before it was published, and his contribution, if\nany, is questionable.\nAnd what was the success of this novel?  Only 715 copies were\nprinted on its initial run in 1490, and apparently all were sold.\nA second edition did not appear until 1497.  An abridged\ntranslation into Spanish was finally produced in 1511, and no\nfurther Spanish editions appeared until the 20th century.(5)  It\nwas translated into Italian in the 16th century, into French in\nthe 17th century, and finally into English late in the 20th\ncentury.\nOf interest is the fact that soon after the appearance of Tirant\nlo Blanc, and throughout the 16th century, Spain was flooded with\nnovels of chivalry.  But these were of quite a different nature.\nAlthough the major characters are also knights highly instilled\nwith the code of chivalry, they become involved in fantastic\nadventures filled with dragons, enchanters, and the like,\nfollowing the lead of the French romances that were translated\ninto Spanish beginning in the 13th century.  These Spanish novels\nof chivalry were produced in such great numbers and read so\nwidely that no less than Spain's great mystic, Saint Teresa of\nAvila, was for a time a voracious reader of them.\nWhile Tirant lo Blanc had no literary followers until Cervantes\nmore than one hundred years later, it does have the honor of\nbeing \"the earliest existing romance of chivalry printed in the\nPeninsula.\"(6)  This being so, from where did Joanot Martorell\nreceive his inspiration?  Although Professor Henry Thomas notes\nthat \"the tracing of sources...(may be only) one degree higher\nthan the hunting of cats,\"(7) we feel impelled to relate some of\nthe more important discoveries of literary scholarship.  The\nfirst section of the book is in imitation of an English romance,\n\"Guy of Warwick\", in which England fights off a Danish invasion.\nWhen Tirant lo Blanc appears for the first time, asleep on his\nhorse, and stumbles upon the hermit who explains at great length\nthe order of chivalry, the entire section (which this present\ntranslation omits) is taken from Ramon Lull's Libre del Orde\nd'Cauayleria.(8)  Tirant himself may be an amalgamation of\nseveral historical figures: Roger de Flor, Richard Beauchamp,\nLouis IX, Peter II of Aragon, Joan Hunyadi lo Blanch of Hungary,\netc.  Tirant's adventures in Africa closely parallel many people,\nevents and place names from Ramon Muntaner's Chronica.(9)\nMore important than any of these \"sources\", however, is this\nquestion:  What did Martorell do with the material that came to\nhim from books, from life, and from his imagination?\nCervantes, writing more than one hundred years after Tirant lo\nBlanc was published, was sufficiently impressed to talk about it\nin his Don Quixote not once, but on two separate occasions, in\nfairly glowing terms.(10)  Furthermore, some readers have pointed\nout scenes that appear to be similar in both books: both Philippe\nand Don Quixote find holes in their stockings, which leads one\ninto great searching for a lost needle, and the other into even\ndeeper depression; there is a cat-howling episode in both books,\netc.  And there is one other way that Tirant lo Blanc points the\nway toward the Quixote: in the framework.  Cervantes uses a\ndevice often found in the novels of chivalry that preceded his\nwork, stating that his book is no more than a \"translation\" from\nanother language.  (While, in fact, the authors of those books\nare simply advertising the next novels they intend to write in\nthe series, much as the \"Hardy Boys\" or \"Nancy Drew\" series\nadvertise in the final pages of each novel.)  But in the Quixote\nthe device has a far deeper purpose: Cervantes informs us that\nDon Quixote is a flesh and blood figure whose real-life\nadventures appear in several Arabic histories, and one in\nparticular, by a certain Cide Hamete Benengeli.  With the aid of\na translator, Cervantes says, he is now bringing the story of Don\nQuixote's life back into the Spanish tongue.  What we have here\nis, of course, a ploy to make the characters seem more real, and\nCervantes makes this assertion with a broad wink, for while we\nare \"suspending our disbelief,\" we also know that it is nothing\nmore than his artistry.\nAnd what of Tirant lo Blanc?  According to Martorell's\ndedication, his book is also a translation: from the English\noriginal, he is translating into Portuguese, and from the\nPortuguese into Catalan.  But where is the English original from\nwhich this book is simply a translation?  There is no character\nin English literature or history named Tirant lo Blanc, and\ndiscounting the beginning pages, taken from the \"Guy of Warwick\"\nromance, there is no book in English from which this one has\nbeen translated.  As for the translation into Portuguese, there\nis no book about Tirant in that language.  So why does Martorell\ntell us all this?  (Although, as we have noted, other novels of\nchivalry speak of themselves as \"translations\", all were printed\nafter the publication of Tirant lo Blanc.)  Is this novel then,\nwhich Cervantes so admired, also presenting us with a \"true\nhistory\" which has been \"translated\" in a way similar to the\nQuixote?  Within Tirant lo Blanc we also find allusions to\nhistorians who have \"originally\" set these words down.  For\nexample: \"Here the book returns to the emperor...\"\n\"Hippolytus... performed singular acts of chivalry which this\nbook does not relate, but defers to the books that were written\nabout him.\"  Is there any difference between this and the\nstatements of Cervantes about his characters?  (\"Here Cide Hamete\nBenengeli leaves him for an instant and returns to Don\nQuixote...\"  \"The history goes on to tell that when Sancho\nsaw...\")  But we are given no broad wink from Martorell.  It is\nall true, he tells us, and there is nothing more to be said.\nThat Martorell died before the work was published, and that Marti\nJoan de Galba may have made some additions before it was finally\npublished, does not clarify the matter.  For De Galba also\naffirms that the book is no more than a translation from the\nEnglish to the Portuguese, and from that language into the\nValencian tongue, and that he is merely finishing what Martorell\nwas unable to complete.\nThere are no broad winks.  But the characters belie the\n\"history\": They come to life as no straight-forward, factual\nhistory can bring its subjects to life.  As Damaso Alonso so\naccurately puts it: this fifteenth century work \"is precisely\nthat whip that could excite Cervantes' imagination.  Tirant was\nnot yet the modern novel, but in it were many elements, and\nfurthermore, essential elements of what would become the modern\nnovel.\"(11)\nHaving read this novel, who could forget the characters that\nMartorell has brought to life?  Who would not feel grief at the\ndeath of Tirant and the princess, no less united in soul than\nCalisto and Melibea in Spain (making their appearance a few short\nyears later in Fernando de Rojas' masterpiece, La Celestina),\nthan Romeo and Juliet in England, and no less tragic.  And in\nremembering Tirant, who would not smile at the thought of him\nserving as a go-between for Prince Philippe and the infanta,\nRicomana.  Could anyone be more delightful than the forthright\nPlaerdemavida (whose name translates literally as\n\"Pleasure-of-My-Life\") -- surely one of the best delineated\ncharacters in any literature.  Or anyone more villainous than the\nodious Widow Repose -- a figure stamped indelibly on our minds,\nwearing her ridiculous red stockings and hat in the bath.\nAs Cervantes says:  \"In (Tirant lo Blanc) knights eat and drink,\nsleep and die in their own beds, and make their wills before they\ndie...\"  And his praise for Tirant is also borne out by the\ncharacters in the Quixote.  For in many of that book's most\nmemorable episodes, they too eat and drink (and regurgitate),\nthey sleep (when someone or something does not awaken them to a\nnew adventure), Don Quixote makes out his will (to the\ncontentment of some of the beneficiaries), and finally he dies in\nhis bed (and Cervantes warns us that no one should try to revive\nhim: \"For me alone Don Quixote was born, and I for him... We two\nalone are as one.\"  This identification of the author with his\nwork was felt no less keenly by Martorell.  As he says in his\ndedication: \"And so that no one else may be blamed if errors are\nfound in this work, I, Johanot Martorell, knight, alone wish to\nbear the responsibility, and no one else with me, for this work\nhas been set down by myself alone...\"\nIf Don Quixote's Dulcinea did not exist until she took form in\nhis (or in Cervantes') mind, or the windmill that was a giant, or\nthe Cave of Montesinos, they have now come into existence in the\nmind of every reader of that novel.  So may Tirant and his men,\nthe princess, the emperor, Plaerdemavida, also come to life\nalongside the gentle and not so gentle folk of Cervantes, in\nevery reader's imagination.  Let me leave the reader with these\nwords about Tirant lo Blanc by Cervantes: \"Take him home and read\nhim, and you will see that what I have said of him is true.\" (12)\nFinally, a word about this English translation which brings\nMartorell's work full circle, back into the English language from\nwhich he says he has translated it.  My work was begun in 1976,\nand completed in 1982.  Shortly afterward, the English\ntranslation by David Rosenthal appeared, which includes most of\nthe \"philosophical discourses, speeches\", etc. that I have\npurposefully omitted.  So my translation lay unmolested in a box\nduring these past several years while the computer has been\ndeveloping at breakneck speed, now allowing this great 15th\ncentury novel to be read, electronically, throughout the world.\n(What would Joanot Martorell say...?)  And more \"finally\",\nthanks to the many people who have supported me on this project\nand on others in the past: To Walter Pattison who awakened me to\nthe excitement and beauty of Spanish literature; to my late\nfriend, Arturo Serrano Plaja, who made a valiant attempt to\nrefine my taste, and who guided me throughout the years; to my\nmany colleagues and friends at the University of Minnesota; and\nalso to good memories of several of my colleagues at UCLA: my\ndear friend, the late Richard Reeve, John Crow, the late Donald\nFogelquist, Julio Rodgriguez Puertolas, Enrique Rodriguez Cepeda,\nCarlos Otero, Paul Smith, and of course the incredibly fine man\nto whom I dedicate this translation, and who helped me in my\ndarkest hours: Jose Rubia Barcia.  There being so many, if I have\nneglected anyone in particular, I pray and know that they will be\nmore than understanding.  Vale\nRobert S. Rudder Claremont, California Nov. 1995\nNOTES\n (1) Primavera de la literatura europea (Madrid: Ediciones\nGuadarrama, 1961). p. 237.\n(2) Don Quixote.  Tr. Walter Starkie.  (London: Macmillan, 1957),\n(3) Tirant lo Blanc: A Study of Its Authorship, Principal Sources\nand Historical Setting (N.Y.: AMC, 1966), pp. 159-60.\n(4) David H. Rosenthal (N.Y.: Shocken, 1984). Ray La Fontaine\n(New York: Peter Lange, 1993).  Although Rosenthal's translation\nappeared in print first, the fact is that La Fontaine's more\ncomplete translation preceded it, lying in hibernation, much as\nmy own manuscript, since 1974.\n(5) Madrid: Alianza, 1969.  Tr. by J. F. Vidal Jove.\nIntroduction by Mario Vargas Llosa.  Also, further editions of\nthe 1511 translation by Martin de Riquer (1947-49; 1974) and by\nF. Buendia (1954).\n(6) Henry Thomas, Spanish and Portuguese Romances of Chivalry\n(Cambridge: University Press, 1920), pp. 32-33.  It should also\nbe noted that El cavallero Cifar, although not in print until\n1512, was probably composed at the beginning of the 14th century.\nAmadis de Gaula, the model for so many imitations, and not\nprinted until 1508, was in manuscript form in the 14th century.\n(8) See the English translation by William Caxton: The Book of\nthe Ordre of Chyualry. Westminster: William Caxton, 1484?  And\nreprinted several times.  For these and other medieval\ntranslations from the Spanish, the reader may wish to consult my\nbibliography: The Literature of Spain in English Translation. New\nYork: Ungar, 1975.\n(9) See the English translation by Lady Goodenough: The Chronicle\nof Muntaner. London: Hakluyt Society, 1920-21.\n(10) After his initial words of praise (\"a treasure of delight, a\nmine of entertainment,... the best book in the world\"), Cervantes\nadds this puzzling phrase: \"the author deserves to be praised,\nfor he did not deliberately commit all these follies, which had\nthey been intentional would send him to the galleys for the rest\nof his life.\" [Starkie's trans., p. 90]  Here, he is apparently\ncondemning the book, although, in the next breath, the curate\nrecommends the book to the barber: \"Take him home and read\nhim...\"  And in a later chapter Cervantes speaks of \"the never\nenough to be praised Tirante the White.\"  So what are we to make\nof this apparently condemnatory phrase about the \"galleys\"?\nScholarship has provided some ingenious theories to negate the\ncondemnation, to wit: it is not a statement, but a question; the\ngalleys are less a punishment than a death sentence would be; it\nis not Cervantes' opinion, but the curate's; the word galleys\nactually refers to \"galley-proofs\" and mean that the work should\nremain in print forever, etc.  (See, for example, Patricia J.\nBoehne, The Renaissance Catalan Novel [Boston: Twayne, 1989],\nAntonio Torres Alcala, El realismo del Tirant lo Blanch y su\ninfluencia en el Quijote [Barcelona: Puvill, 1979?], and the\nstudies by Martin de Riquer.)  Very interesting theories, but we\nare no more certain of the meaning behind Cervantes' words than\nwhen we first read them: they remain a puzzle.  However, the\nnovel Tirant lo Blanc also speaks to us: Do we feel that the\nnovel is utter nonsense and badly written, or is it moving, at\ntimes exciting, often humorous?  In short, is it good literature?\nThrough our own eyes we can make a judgement about the meaning of\nthose apparently incongruous words of Cervantes.\nCHAPTER I\nCOUNT WILLIAM OF WARWICK\n In the fertile, rich and lovely island of England there lived a\nmost valiant knight, noble by his lineage and much more for his\ncourage.  In his great wisdom and ingenuity he had served the\nprofession of chivalry for many years and with a great deal of\nhonor, and his fame was widely known throughout the world.  His\nname was Count William of Warwick.  This was a very strong knight\nwho, in his virile youth, had practiced the use of arms,\nfollowing wars on sea as well as land, and he had brought many\nbattles to a successful conclusion.\nThe count found himself at the advanced age of fifty-five, and\nmoved by divine inspiration he decided to withdraw from the\npractice of arms and make a pilgrimage to the holy land of\nJerusalem.  This virtuous count wanted to go, because he felt\nsorrow and contrition for the many deaths he had caused in his\nyouth.\nThat evening he told the countess, his wife, about his plans, and\nalthough she was virtuous and discreet, she became very upset at\nthe news because she loved him so much.  In the morning the count\nhad all his servants, both men and women, come to him, and he\nsaid:\n\"My children and most faithful servants, it is the will of His\nDivine Majesty that I should leave you, and the time of my return\nis uncertain.  Since the journey will be very dangerous, I want\nto pay each of you now for all the good services you have\nrendered to me.\"\nHe had a large chest full of money brought out, and to each of\nhis servants he gave much more than he owed, so that they were\nall very satisfied.  Then he gave the countess all his land and\nall his rights.  And he ordered that a ring of gold be made with\nhis and the countess's coat of arms on it, and this ring was made\nin such a way that it was divided into two parts.  Each part was a\ncomplete ring in itself, showing half the coat of arms of each of\nthem, and when the two halves were joined together the entire\ncoat of arms could be seen.\nWhen all this had been done, he turned to the virtuous countess,\nand said kindly:\n\"I know that you will accept my departure with love and patience,\nand if it is God's will, my journey will soon be over.  I am\nleaving in your charge everything I have.  And here is half of\nthe ring I had made.  I beg you dearly to hold it in my stead,\nand to guard it until I return.\"\n\"Oh, dear!\" cried the countess.  \"Then it's true, my lord, that\nyou are leaving without me?  At least allow me to go with you so\nthat I can serve you.  I would rather die than go on living\nwithout you.  Just when I was thinking that all my misfortunes\nwere over, I see that my unhappiness is only increasing.  I'm\nleft with only this poor son as a pledge from his father, and his\nsad mother must be consoled with him.\"\nShe seized her small son by the hair and pulled it, and then\nslapped his face, saying:\n\"Cry, my child, for your father's departure, and you will be good\ncompany to your mother.\"\nThe tiny infant, who had been born only three months before,\nburst out crying.  The count, seeing both mother and child in\ntears, felt deeply grieved, and he could not hold back his own\ntears.  And for some time he could not speak, while all three of\nthem wept.\nThe count took his leave of her, kissing her again and again,\ntears running freely from his eyes.  He said farewell to the\nother ladies, and when he left he took only one squire with him.\nLeaving his city of Warwick, he boarded a ship, and sailed with a\ngood wind, and as time passed he arrived safely at Alexandria.\nThere he disembarked and made his way to Jerusalem.  When he\nreached Jerusalem he confessed his sins, and with great devotion\nhe received the precious body of Jesus Christ.  Then he entered\nthe holy sepulchre of Jesus Christ and prayed there fervently and\ntearfully, with great contrition for his sins.\nAfter visiting all the other sanctuaries, he returned to\nAlexandria.  Then he boarded a ship and went to Venice.  When he\nwas near Venice he gave all the money still in his possession to\nhis squire who had served him well, and he arranged a marriage\nfor him so that he would not want to return to England.  Then he\nhad his squire spread the news that he had died, and he arranged\nfor merchants to write to England that Count  William of Warwick\nhad died while returning from the Holy Land of Jerusalem.\nWhen the countess heard the news, she felt deeply grieved, and\nwent into mourning, and she arranged for the funeral rites that\nsuch a virtuous knight deserved.  With the passing of time, the\ncount returned alone to his own land, having let his hair grow\ndown to his shoulders, while his beard, completely white, reached\nto his waist.  He was dressed in the habit of the glorious Saint\nFrancis, and lived from charity, and he secretly entered a devout\nhermitage of Our Lady which was very close to his city of\nWarwick.\nThis hermitage was in a lovely spot on a high mountain, with a\ndense thicket of trees, and a clear running spring.  The count\nretired to this solitary place, and lived alone to escape the\nmaterialistic world and to do penance for his sins.  Living from\ncharity, he went to his city of Warwick once a week to beg for\nalms.  With his thick beard and long hair the people there did\nnot recognize him, and he went to the countess, his wife, to beg.\nWhen she saw him asking for charity so humbly, she made them give\nhim more than they gave any of the others.  And he spent his\npoor, miserable life this way for some time.\nSome time later the great King of Canary was filled with anger\nbecause some pirate ships had plundered a village that belonged\nto him.  He left his land with a large armada, and sailing with a\nfavorable wind he reached the fertile, peaceful shores of\nEngland.\nIn the dark of night the entire fleet entered the port of\nSouthampton and all the Moors went ashore very quietly.  When\nthey were on land, they put their troops in order and began to\nattack the island.\nWhen the peace-loving king received the news, he gathered as many\nmen as he could to put up a resistance, and went into battle with\nthe Moors.  The fighting was great, indeed: many men died,\nespecially the Christians.  Because the Moors were greater in\nnumber, the forces of the English king were destroyed.  He had to\nretreat with his remaining men, and he took refuge in a city\ncalled Saint Thomas of Canterbury where that holy body now rests.\nThe King of England mustered more men, and he learned that the\nMoors were conquering the island, killing many Christian men and\ndishonoring the women and young girls, making captives of them\nall.  When this Christian king discovered that the Moors held the\npass near a watercourse, he placed his forces in a passage at the\nhour of midnight.  But he did not do it very secretly, and the\nMoors heard of it, and held back until it was broad daylight.\nThen they pressed them in a very cruel battle where many\nChristians died, and those whose lives were spared fled with the\nunfortunate king, while the Moorish king remained in the camp.\nGreat was the misfortune of this Christian king who lost nine\nbattles, one after another, and had to withdraw to the city of\nLondon.  When the Moors learned of it they laid siege to the\ncity.  Every day there was heavy fighting until finally the poor\nking was forced to leave London, and he went toward the\nmountains, passing through the city of Warwick.\nWhen the countess heard that the king was fleeing to that city,\nshe had food and everything necessary prepared for the night.\nThe countess, who was a very prudent woman, began to think of how\nshe could strengthen her city so that it would not be lost so\nquickly, and as soon as she saw the king she said to him:\n\"Virtuous king, I see that your grace, and all of us on this\nisland, are in great danger.  But Sire, if Your Highness would\nlike to remain in this city, you will find it abundant in\nprovisions and everything necessary for war.  My lord and\nhusband, William of Warwick, who was count in this land,\nprovided this city and his castle with arms as well as bombards,\ncross-bows and culverins, and many other kinds of artillery.  And\ndivine Providence, in its mercy, has given us a great abundance\nof fruit from the land for the last four years.  So your grace\nmay be safe here.\"\n\"I am very happy\", said the king, \"to stay here, and I pray you,\ncountess, to arrange things so that my army will have everything\nthey need.\"\nThe countess and two of her ladies immediately left the king, and\nwent with the magistrates of the city through the houses, making\nthem bring wheat and barley and everything necessary.  When the\nking and his men saw what a great abundance there was of\neverything, they were very pleased.\nWhen the Moors discovered that the king had left the city of\nLondon, they pursued him until they learned that he had taken\nrefuge in the city of Warwick.  On the way the Moors attacked and\ntook a castle called Killingworth, two leagues from where the\nking was.  Since they had now conquered a great part of the\nkingdom, the Moorish king appeared with all his forces before the\ncity of Warwick.  The wretched Christian king, seeing that there\nwas no hope, did not know what to do: he climbed to the top of a\ntower in the castle, and watched the huge body of Moors burning\nand destroying villas and castles, killing as many Christians as\nthey could, both women and men.  Those who were able to escape\ncame running and shouting toward the city.  Their terrible\nscreams could be heard a good half league away, and it would have\nbeen better for them to die than to become captives of the\ninfidels.\nAs the king watched the immense suffering and destruction, he\nthought he would die from all the grief he felt.  Unable to look\nany longer at the desolation, he came down from the tower and\nwent into a small chamber where he began to sigh deeply.  Tears\nran from his eyes, and he lamented more gravely than any man had\never done.  The stewards were outside the chamber listening to\nthe king's agony, and when he had cried and lamented at length,\nhe said:\n\"Lord, Thy compassion and pity will not allow for this.  Thy\nmercy will not allow Thy Christian people, great sinners though\nthey may be, to be afflicted by the scourge of the Moors.\nRather, defend and preserve them and let them be returned to Thy\nholy service so that they may serve Thee and praise Thee and\nreturn glory unto Thee.\"\nWhile the poor king was lamenting, he put his head down on the\nbed, and it seemed to him that he saw a very beautiful lady\ncoming through the doorway to his chamber, dressed in white\ndamask, holding a small child in her arms.  Following her were\nmany other ladies, all singing the Magnificat.  When he had\nfinished his prayer, the lady walked toward the king, and placing\nher hand upon his head, she said:\n\"Oh, king, be doubtful of nothing.  Be very confident that the\nSon and the Mother will help you in this great trial.  The first\nman you see with a long beard who asks you for alms in the name\nof God, kiss him on the mouth as a sign of peace, and beg him\ngraciously to put aside the habit, and make him captain over all\nthe people.\"\nThe poor king awoke and saw nothing.  He was astonished at the\ndream, and he thought about it a great while, remembering\neverything he had seen.  Then he left the chamber, and there\nstood all the principal knights, who told the king:\n\"Your grace, all the Moors have set up their tents in front of\nthe city.\"\nThe king did everything possible to have the city well guarded\nthat night.\nThe following morning the hermit-count climbed the high mountain\nto gather herbs for his sustenance, and he saw the great number\nof Moors teeming over all the land.  He left his desert\nhabitation and went into the city.\nThe poor old man, who had spent several days on a diet of nothing\nbut herbs, saw that the city was in deep sorrow, and he went to\nthe castle to beg alms from the countess.  When he was inside the\ncastle he saw the king coming from mass, and when he saw him so\nnearby, he sank to his knees and begged him in God's name to give\nhim alms.  The king remembered the dream and helped him up.  Then\nhe kissed him on the mouth, took hold of his hand and led him\ninto a room.  When they had sat down, the king said to him:\n\"I beg you to help and advise us in our time of need, for I see\nthat you are a holy man and a friend of Jesus Christ.  I beg you\ndearly, if you love God and if you have charity in your heart,\ncast off the clothing you are wearing for penance, and dress\nyourself in the clothes of charity, which are arms.  For with\nGod's help and your command we will have a glorious victory over\nour enemies.\"\nWhen the king had finished these words, the hermit began to\nspeak:\n\"My lord, I am astonished that your grace is asking me, a poor,\nweak man, for advice and help.  As Your Excellency can see, my\nold, weak body is in a state of decrepitude because of its many\nyears and the harsh life I've led so long on the mountain, eating\nonly herbs and bread.  I don't have the strength to bear arms.  I\nbeg Your Excellency to allow me to decline.\"\nThe king became very pained at this answer, and said:\n\"Reverend Father, I kneel at your feet and with these tears I\nagain beg you, if you are a steadfast Christian, to have\ncompassion on me, a miserable king, and on all Christians.  All\ntheir hope and mine is in the mercy of God and in your great\nvirtue.  Don't refuse me this.\"\nThe painful tears of the king moved the hermit to pity, and his\nheart softened.\nAfter a brief pause while the hermit made the king rise, he said:\n\"Out of love for you, my king, I will obey your commands and try\nto save you and your kingdom.  And, if necessary, I will place\nmyself in the thick of battle, old as I am, to defend\nChristianity and bring the haughty Mohammedan sect to its knees,\nwith the understanding that Your Excellency will be guided by my\nadvice.\"\nThe king answered: \"Reverend Father, since you grant me so much\ngrace, I promise you, on my word as king, that I will not go one\nstep beyond your orders.\"\n\"Now, my lord,\" said the hermit, \"when you are outside in the\ngreat hall, show a happy and very content face to the knights and\nall the people, and speak to them very complacently.  And when\nyou dine, eat well and enjoy yourself, and show much more\nhappiness than you ordinarily do, so that all those who have lost\nhope will regain it.  For a lord or a captain should never wear a\nsad face, no matter how great an adversity there may be, so that\nhis people will not be discouraged.  Have some Moorish garments\nbrought to me, and you shall see what I am going to do.  When I\nwas on my way to the Holy Land of Jerusalem I stayed in\nAlexandria, and in Beirut they taught me the Moorish tongue,\nbecause I was there many days.  In Beirut I learned to make\nexplosives of certain materials that delay six hours before they\nignite, but when they do, they could burn up the entire world,\nand all the water in the world would not be able to extinguish\nthem, unless oil and pine resin is used.\"\n\"It is astonishing,\" said the king, \"that they can only be\nextinguished with oil or pine resin.  I thought water would put\nout any fire in the world.\"\n\"No, my lord,\" said the hermit.  \"If your grace will allow me to\ngo to the castle gate, I will bring you a special substance, and\nwith clear water or wine you will be able to light a torch.\"\n\"In faith,\" said the king, \"I will take great pleasure in seeing\nit.\"\nThe hermit immediately went to the castle gate since, when he\nentered, he had seen quicklime there, and he picked up a little\nsod and came back to the king.  Then he took some water, and\nthrowing it on the quicklime he lighted it the way a straw lights\na candle.\nThe king said: \"I would never have been able to believe such a\nthing if I had not seen it with my own eyes.  Now I am certain\nthere is nothing that men cannot do.  I beg you, Reverend Father,\nplease tell me what we need to make the explosives.\"\n\"My lord,\" said the hermit, \"I will go and buy it, because it is\nmuch better to know if the materials are good, and I have made\nthem many times with my own hands.  When they are made, Sire, I\nwill go to the Moors' camp alone, and put the explosives near the\nking's tent.  At the hour of midnight the explosives will ignite\nand all the Moors will run there to put out the fire, and your\ngrace will be armed and waiting with all your men.  When you see\nthe huge fire, attack them with all your forces, and your\nlordship may be sure that ten thousand of your men will cause\nconfusion among one hundred thousand of theirs.\"\nThe hermit's words pleased the king, and he gave deep thanks for\nhis offer, and was very happy.  He immediately gave orders that\neverything the hermit had commanded should be carried out.\nThe hermit, who had left the king, soon returned with the things\nthey needed for the explosives, and he said to the king:\n\"My lord, there is only one element we lack, but I know that the\ncountess has it.  When her husband, William of Warwick, was\nalive, he had a great deal of it since it can be used for many\nthings.\"\nThe king said: \"Then I want both of us to go to the countess now\nto get it.\"\nThe king sent word to the countess that he wanted to speak with\nher.  When the countess came out of her room she saw the king and\nthe hermit.\n\"Countess,\" said the king, \"by your grace and virtue, be so kind\nas to give me a little sulfur, the kind which causes heat and\ndoes not burn itself up, the kind that the count, your husband,\nput into the torches so that no matter how much the wind blew\nthey would not go out.\"\nThe countess answered: \"Who told your grace that my husband,\nWilliam of Warwick, could make torches like that with that kind\nof flame?\"\n\"Countess,\" said the king, \"this hermit standing here.\"\nAnd the countess quickly went to the weapons chamber, and she\nbrought back so much of it that the king was highly pleased.\nWhen the king had returned to the great hall where the meal was\nalready prepared, he took the hermit by the hand and sat down at\nthe table, making the hermit sit at his side, honoring him as he\ndeserved.  The king's courtiers were astonished at the great\nhonor the king was bestowing upon the hermit, and the countess\nwas even more astonished because she was accustomed to giving him\nalms.  And she said to her ladies:\n\"Oh, how angry I am at my great ignorance!  Why did I not honor\nthis poor hermit much more?  Now I see that he must be a man who\nhas led a very holy life.\"\nRising from the table, the King of England gave the hermit\npermission to go and make the explosives.  A few days later, when\nthey were finished, the hermit went to the king and said to him:\n\"Sire, if your grace will give me leave, I will carry out our\nplan.\nYour Excellency should have all the men get ready.\"'\nThe king said that he would.  In the dark of night the hermit\nchanged into the Moorish clothing that was prepared for him.  He\nwent out through a back door of the castle very secretly, and no\none saw him.  Then he went into the Moors' camp.\nWhen he thought the time right, he threw the explosives into the\ncamp, near the tent of a great captain who was a relative of the\nMoorish king.  And when it was almost midnight the fire broke\nout, and it grew so great and so terrible that everyone was\nastonished at the enormous flames.  The king and the other Moors,\nunarmed, hurried to where the fire was greatest in order to put\nit out.  But instead of being extinguished, the more water they\nthrew on it, the more brightly it burned.\nWhen the King of England saw the huge fire, he went out of the\ncity, armed, and with the few men he still had he attacked the\nMoors.  And they brought such great destruction to them that it\nwas fearful, and they spared no one.\nWhen the Moorish king saw such a large fire and so many of his\nmen dead, he mounted a horse and fled.  He took shelter in a\ncastle he had taken, named Killingworth, together with all those\nwho had escaped the camp, and they recovered their resolve.\nHe and all the other Moors were astonished at how they had been\ndefeated, and they could not understand what had caused such a\ngreat disaster, because their forces were fifty times greater\nthan those of the Christians.  When the Moors fled, the\nChristians pillaged their camp, and day was upon them when they\nentered the city victoriously.\nAfter four days had passed, the Moorish king sent his emissaries\nwith a letter challenging the King of England, and it said the\nfollowing:\n\"To you, Christian king who rules the isle of England, I, Abraim,\nking and lord of Canaria, say that if you wish the war between\nyou and me to end, and the killing between your people and mine\nto cease, let us have a joust, king against king, under the\nfollowing pacts and agreements:  If I should defeat you, you will\nhold all England under my power and command, and you shall give\nme two hundred thousand pieces of gold in tribute each year.  And\nif fortune decides that you are the conqueror, I shall return to\nmy own land, and you will remain in yours in peace, and you and\nall your people will enjoy full peace and tranquility.  And in\naddition I shall restore to you all the cities and castles that I\nhave won and conquered by my own victorious hand.\n\"These words are not spoken for vainglory or out of disdain for\nthe royal crown, but so that God Who is great may give to each\nthat share which, by his merits, he will deserve.\"\nTwo great Moorish knights, whom the King of Canary was sending to\nthe city of Warwick as envoys to the King of England, left the\ncastle of Killingworth, and before they departed, they sent a\nmessenger to the city to request safe conduct.\nWhen the messenger came to the gates of the city the guards told\nhim to wait a little while, and they would return with the reply.\nOne of the guards quickly went to the king to tell him.  After\nthe king had held a brief counsel, he told the guard to let him\nin.  When the messenger was inside the city, the Count of\nSalisbury spoke to him and said:\n\"Messenger, on behalf of His Majesty, the king, I can tell you\nthat the envoys may come without danger and in safety, for they\nwill not be harmed in any way.\"\nAnd the count gave him a silk garment and one hundred pieces of\ngold.  The messenger departed, very content, and before the\nenvoys came, the hermit said to the king:\n\"My lord, let us put fear into the hearts of these Moors.  Your\nMajesty should order two grandees to go out to the gate and\nreceive the envoys.  And let many men, very well armed, but\nwithout helmets, go with them.  Have three hundred men at the\ngate to guard it, armed like the others.  And let all the ladies\nand maidens who are able, old as well as young, hang banners in\nthe windows and on the roofs, as tall as the women's chests, and\neach of these women should put armor on her head.  When the\nenvoys pass by they will see the coats of mail shining, and will\nthink they are all warriors.  Have the three hundred guarding the\ngate follow them by other streets, and let them appear in the\nsquare and on the corner.  Then, after the envoys have passed by,\nlet them do the same again and again until they reach Your\nHighness.  And you may be sure that they will be frightened when\nthey see so many soldiers after the battle they have lost.\nSeeing the great number of men, they will believe that many have\ncome from Spain or France or Germany to help us.\"\nThe king and all his council thought very highly of the hermit's\nwords.  It was decided that the Duke of Lancaster and the Count\nof Salisbury should receive the envoys, and that four thousand\nmen should go with them, each wearing a garland of flowers on his\nhead.  They went a good mile out of the city to receive the\nenvoys.\nThen the Duke of Bedford said:\n\"Tell us, Father, since there are so many ceremonies to be\nperformed for the envoys, how should they find the king, clothed\nor naked, armed or unarmed?\"\n\"That would be a good question,\" said the hermit, \"if there were\nnot so much anger behind your words.  But I see the meaning of\nyour words, and that they are intended more for malice than good.\nIt is because I am old and a hermit that you are trying to\nbesmear my advice and belittle me before my lord the king.  Hold\nyour tongue.  If you do not, I shall put a bridle in your mouth\nthat will make you stop at every turn.\"\nAt this, the duke rose to his feet, drew his sword, and said:\n\"If it were not because you are so old and you wear the habit of\nSaint Francis, I would take this sword and cut your skirts right\nup to the waist.\"\nThen the king rose angrily to his feet, seized the duke and took\nthe sword out of his hand, and had him imprisoned in the tower.\nAll the other noble lords there calmed the hermit, telling him\nthat because of his age and the habit he wore he should be\nforgiving, and he was content to forgive.  But the king would\nnot, in spite of all the pleas of the hermit and the other noble\nlords.\nIn the midst of these troubles, news was brought to the king that\nthe Moorish envoys were approaching, and those who had been\nchosen went out quickly as they had arranged.\nWhen the envoys stood before the king, they gave him the letter,\nand the king commanded that it be read in everyone's presence.\nThe hermit drew near to the king and said to him:\n\"Your Highness, accept the challenge.\"\nThen the king said:\n\"I agree to the battle, in accordance with the conditions your\nking sets down.\"\nHe begged the envoys to remain there until the following day when\nhe would give them the formal reply.  He showed them to very\ncomfortable chambers and gave them everything they needed.\nThen the king convoked a general council, and while it was being\nprepared, the hermit, along with the other lords, went to the\nking.\nHe knelt at the king's feet and kissed his hands and feet, and\nvery humbly begged him to give him the keys to the tower so that\nhe could release the duke.  The hermit pleaded so much, as did\nthe other lords, that the king was obliged to give them to him.\nThen the hermit went with the others to the tower where the duke\nwas imprisoned, and there they found a friar hearing his\nconfession, because he was certain he would be killed.  When he\nheard the door open he was so startled that he felt he was losing\nhis mind, for he thought they were coming to take him out to\nexecute him.\nWhen the hermit saw him he said:\n\"My lord, duke, if you and I have spoken harmful words to each\nother, I beg you to forgive me, for I most willingly pardon you.\"\nWhen they had made their peace they all returned to the council\nwhere the king and all the dukes, counts and marquis were, and\nthey read the letter from the Moorish king once more.  Because\nthe king and all the others loved and revered the hermit and they\nsaw that he led a saintly life, and that he expressed himself\nwell and was knowledgeable about arms, they all agreed that he\nshould be the first to speak, and this led to the following\ndiscourse.\n\"I will tell you my opinion, although I realize that I am not\nworthy to speak of such things since I know little of the use of\narms.  Because of the weak disposition of my lord, the king, who\nis young and has a weak constitution and is sickly, although he\nhas the courage of a virtuous knight, it would not be fitting or\njust for him to do battle with a man as robust as the Moorish\nking.  Instead, let the Duke of Lancaster, who is the uncle of my\nlord king, undertake this battle, and let our king grant to him\nthe scepter and the royal crown so that the Moorish king will not\nbe deceived and so that he may combat a true king.\"\nScarcely had the hermit spoken these last words when three dukes\nsprang to their feet in great anger: the Duke of Gloucester, the\nDuke of Bedford, and the Duke of Exeter.  And they began to cry\nloudly that they would not consent for the Duke of Lancaster to\nenter into battle and be made king, because each of them was more\nclosely related to the king, and it was more just for them to do\nbattle than the Duke of Lancaster.\nThe king would not permit any further discussion, and he said:\n\"It is not my pleasure that any of you should take my place in\nbattle.  Since I have accepted, I wish to carry it out alone.\"\nA baron stood up and said the following:\n\"Sire, may Your Excellency forgive me for what I am about to say.\nWe will never consent to what Your Highness has said.  If our\nHeavenly Father has indeed given you the desire, he has taken\nfrom you the strength.  We all know that Your Highness is not\nready for such a formidable and arduous battle as this will be.\nLet your grace be ruled by our counsel and will.  If we believed\nthat Your Excellency were disposed for such an undertaking, we\nwould very willingly have agreed to what Your Highness has\ncommanded.\"\nAll the other barons and knights praised what this baron had\nsaid.\n\"My most faithful vassals and subjects,\" said the king, \"since it\nis not to your liking, and you see that I am not fit to combat\nthe Moorish king, I give you my thanks for the great love you\nhave shown me, and I submit to your will.  But it is my wish and\nmy command that no one, under pain of death, shall be so bold as\nto say that he will take my place in battle, except the one I\nshall choose.  Unto him I shall give the crown, the kingdom and\nthe royal scepter.\"\nThen the king said:\n\"Dukes, counts and marquis, and all the rest of my most faithful\nsubjects, I am relinquishing my station, the scepter and the\nroyal crown, and my title to my beloved father hermit.\"\nHe removed the garments, and said:\n\"As I relinquish these royal robes, and put them on the father\nhermit, in the same way I relinquish my throne and my station to\nhim.  I beg him to accept, and to do battle for me with the\nMoorish king.\"\nWhen the hermit heard the king say these words, he arose quickly\nbecause he wished to speak, and all the great lords who were\nthere also stood and gathered so closely to the hermit that they\nwould not let him speak, but instead removed the habit he was\nclothed in and made him dress in the royal robes.  As the king\nturned over all his power to the hermit, it was duly noted in the\npresence of all the council and with the consent of all the\nbarons.  When the hermit king heard the pleas of all those in the\ncouncil, he accepted the kingdom and the battle, and quickly\nasked them to bring him armor that would fit him well.  They\nbrought him many suits of armor, but of all the ones they\nbrought him there was none he was pleased with.\n\"In faith,\" said the hermit king, \"nothing will stop this battle,\neven if I have to go dressed in only my shirt.  I beg you, my\nlords,\" said the hermit king, \"to be so good as to go to the\ncountess and entreat her by her great virtue and kindness, to\nlend me the armor of her husband, Sir William of Warwick, which\nhe wore when he went into battle.\"\nWhen the countess saw so many dukes, counts and marquis, and the\nentire council of the king approaching, and she heard the reason\nthey had come, the virtuous countess gave them a suit of armor\nof little value.  When the king saw it, he said, \"This is not the\none I asked for.  There is another that is much better.\"\nAll the barons returned once more to the countess and asked for\nthe other armor, and the countess told them that there was no\nother.  When the king heard the answer, he said:\n\"My lords and my brothers, let us all go, and we shall try our\nluck.\"\nWhen they were all before the countess, the king said:\n\"Countess, out of your great kindness and gentility, I beg you to\nlend me the armor of your husband, Sir William of Warwick.\"\n\"Sire,\" said the countess, \"may God take this child from me, for\nI have no other dear thing in the world: I have already sent the\narmor to you.\"\n\"That is true,\" said the king, \"but this is not what I asked for.\nLend me the armor that is in the small chamber in your bedroom,\ncovered by green and white damask.\"\nThe countess knelt, and said:\n\"Sire, by your mercy and your grace, I beg Your Majesty to tell\nme your name and how you came to know my lord and husband, Count\nWilliam of Warwick.\"\nThe king answered: \"My lady, because you wish me to tell you, I\nwill.  I was in his company continually, for in the wars we were\nbrothers in arms.\"\nThe countess immediately replied:\n\"I beg your lordship to forgive me for not doing all that I could\nhave for Your Highness when you were a hermit.  If I had known\nhow close you were to my lord, William of Warwick, I would have\nhonored you much more and given you more of my possessions than I\ndid.\"\nThe king was very content with the words of the countess:\n\"Where there is no error there is no need to beg forgiveness.  I\nonly ask you, out of your great virtue and genteelness, to lend\nme the armor I have asked you for.\"\nThe countess immediately had other armor brought to him, covered\nwith blue brocade.  When the king saw it, he said:\n\"Countess, my lady, how well you have kept the arms of your\nhusband!  In spite of all the supplications that these lords and\nI have made to you, you have been unwilling to lend them to us.\nThese are the ones which William of Warwick used in tournaments;\nthe ones I want are hanging in the alcove, and are covered with\nwhite and green damask, with the emblem of a lion wearing a\ngolden crown.  And if my entering there would not anger you,\ncountess, I am sure that I would find them.\"\n\"Oh, wretched me!\" said the countess.  \"It's as though you had\nbeen raised in this house!  Your grace may indeed go in and look,\nand take everything you wish.\"\nWhen the king saw her willingness he thanked her, and they all\nwent into her chamber and saw them hanging there.  The king had\nthem brought to him, and he had them repaired.\nThe battle was arranged for the following day.  In the evening\nthe king went to the main church and stayed there all night,\nkneeling before the altar of the holy Mother of God, Our Lady,\nwith all his armaments upon the altar.  When it was full\ndaylight, he very devoutly heard mass.  After mass he had himself\nfitted with armor inside the church, and ate a partridge in order\nto fortify himself.  Then he went out to the field.\nWhen the hermit king was in the field he saw the Moorish king\nwith all his foot soldiers and horsemen.  All the Moors climbed\nto the top of a hill to view the battle, and the Christians\nremained near the city.  The hermit king held a well sharpened\nlance and had a small shield on his arm, along with his sword and\na dagger.  The Moorish king had a bow and arrow, a sword, and on\nhis head was a helmet wrapped with a turban.\nWhen the two brave kings were in the field, they charged at each\nother.  The Moorish king quickly shot an arrow which hit the\ncenter of the hermit king's shield, passing freely by him near\nhis arm, and at once the Moorish king shot another which hit him\nin the thigh, but with the armor the hermit king was wearing the\narrow could not penetrate it completely.  The hermit king hurled\nthe lance at him when they were near.  The Moorish king was very\nskillful with his arms: when he saw the lance coming he deflected\nit with his bow.  By this time the hermit king had drawn so near\nthat the Moorish king could not shoot more arrows.  When he was\nso close that he could almost touch him with his hand, the hermit\nking cried out in a loud voice:\n\"If You help me, Lord, it will not matter if all the Moors in the\nworld attack me.\"\nWhen the Moorish king saw him so near, and realized that he could\nnot shoot any arrows, he felt that he had lost.\nAfter the hermit king had thrown the lance, he quickly reached\nfor his sword, and drawing as close to the Moorish king as he\ncould, he gave him a mighty blow on the head.  But he did him\nlittle harm because of the thick turban the Moorish king wore!\nThen the hermit king struck him a mighty blow with his sword,\ncutting off his arm, and as he plunged his sword fully into his\nside the Moorish king fell to the ground.  As quickly as he\ncould, the hermit king cut off his head.  Then he picked up his\nlance and stuck the head on the end of it, and rode back into the\ncity in triumph.\nImagine what rejoicing there was among the Christians, the women\nand the young girls, when they thought they were now released\nfrom their captivity!  When the king was inside the city he had\nthe doctors brought to him, and they ministered to his wounds.\nOn the morning of the following day the king held his council in\nthe bed where he lay, and it was decided that two knights would\nbe sent as envoys to the Moors, to tell them that they wished to\nobserve the pacts they had all agreed to and sworn to, and that\nthey could go to their own lands in safety, with all their ships\nand clothing and jewelry, and that no one in the kingdom would\nharm them.\nThe envoys departed, and when they were with the Moors they\nexplained their mission to them.  They were given lodging, and\nwere asked to await the reply.  The Moors told them this in order\nto do them great harm, for they were now very vengeful because of\nthe death of their king.\nAmong them a great dispute arose over whom they would make king.\nSome wanted Cale-ben-Cale, others wanted Aduqueperec,\ncousin-german of the dead king.  Cale-ben-Cale was chosen king,\nand he immediately ordered the envoys seized, along with all who\nhad come with them, and he had them put to death.  They cut off\ntheir heads, put them inside a packsaddle, and sent them to the\ncity on a mule.  The guards who were in the city towers saw two\nhorsemen driving the mule on.  When they were near the city they\nabandoned the mule and galloped away.  The captain of the guards\nsaw them and ordered ten men on horseback to go and see what it\nwas all about.  When they got there they wished they had not gone\nout to see such a terrible thing, and they immediately went to\ntell the king and his entire council.  When the king heard the\nnews he was very much taken aback, and he said:\n\"Oh, cruel infidels: you who have little faith, for you cannot\ngive what you do not have!  Now I make a solemn vow, wounded as I\nam, never to enter a covered building, except to hear mass at a\nchurch, until I have driven these Moors from the entire kingdom.\"\nHe quickly had his clothing brought to him, and he left his bed\nand had the trumpets sound.  The first to leave the city was the\nking, and he had all the men who were more than eleven years old\nand less than seventy summoned, and under penalty of death they\nall had to follow him.  That day his tents were raised on the\nvery spot where the Moors had been defeated, and the king had a\ngreat deal of artillery for war brought out.\nWhen the virtuous countess learned that the king had proclaimed\nsuch a summons, and that those who were more than eleven years\nold were to follow him, she was very upset, for she realized that\nher son was included.  So she hurried to where the king was, and\nfell to her knees on the hard ground.  Then, with a grieving\nvoice, she began to say:\n\"Have pity on me.  I have nothing of value except this son who is\nso young that he cannot help you.  Grant me this favor in memory\nof your great friendship and love for my virtuous husband.  And\nlet me remind your grace of the alms that I used to give you when\nyou were a hermit.  Please hear my supplications, and leave my\nson with me.  His father is dead, and the only thing I have to\nconsole me is this poor son.\"\nThe king saw the countess's error, and quickly replied:\n\"I would very much like to obey you, Countess, if your petition\nwere honorable and just.  But it is well known that men must\nlearn to use arms, and they must know the practice of war, and\nthe gentle ways of this blessed order of chivalry.  It is\ncustomary for men of honor to begin to use arms when they are\nvery young, for they learn better at that age than at any other.\nAnd because he is now at the best age in the world to see and\nunderstand the great honors that knights achieve, I wish to keep\nhim in my company as my own son.  He must come with me, and\ntomorrow I shall dub him a knight so that he may imitate the\nvirtuous actions of his father, William of Warwick.\"\n\"I am called mother only by this son of mine,\" said the countess,\n\"and if he dies in battle, what will become of me, for I shall\nhave lost my husband and my son and all that I had in this\nmiserable world?\"\nWhen the countess had finished, her son began to speak:\n\"Madam, I beg you, please do not cry for me.  You know that I\nhave now reached an age when I have to leave the protection of my\nmother's wings, and that I am worthy of bearing arms and going\ninto battle to show the mettle I am made of, and who my father\nwas.  If it is God's will, He will keep me from harm and will\nallow me to carry out such actions that He will be pleased, and\nthey will give consolation to my father's soul, and your grace\nwill be made happy.\"\nWhen her son had gone, the countess went into the city, weeping,\nand many virtuous women of the city went with her, consoling her\nas best they could.\nThat night the king had the camp well guarded, and he allowed no\none to take off their armor.  In the morning, when the sun came\nout, he had the trumpets sound, and they moved the camp to within\nhalf a league of where the Moors were.  When the tents were set\nup he let the men rest.  This happened after the noon hour.\nWhen the Moors learned that the Christians had come out of the\ncity, they were astonished, because a short time before they had\nnot dared take a step outside the city, and now they came looking\nfor them.  Some captains said this was because of the great\ncruelty of their king, Cale-ben-Cale, who had killed the\nChristian ambassadors so cruelly, and they said that they might\nbe recruiting men from Spain or France:\n\"That is why they are coming so near, and you can be sure that\nany of us they capture will be cut to shreds.\"\nOne of the ambassadors who had taken the letter to convene the\njoust, said:\n\"They paid us many honors, and as soon as we were in the city we\nsaw great numbers of men in the towers, the squares, in the\nwindows and on the rooftops.  It was astonishing to see so many\narmed men.  By Mohammed, I would guess there were two hundred\nthousand soldiers.  And this wicked king killed their ambassadors\nwithout reason.\"\nAfter all the captains had heard the words of this ambassador,\nthey talked to the other Moors who had gone into the city with\nhim, and when they knew the truth of the situation, they killed\nCale-ben-Cale and chose a new king.  Nonetheless, they armed\nthemselves for battle and went in sight of the Christians.\nThe sun was nearly down, but they still decided to go up a nearby\nhill.  When the hermit king saw them, he said:\n\"In faith, they're afraid of us.  That's why they've gone up to\nsuch a high place.  Let everyone do what I do, and with Divine\nhelp we will have vengeance on our enemies.\"\nHe took a basket in one hand, and a spade in the other, and went\nin front of them all.  When the great lords saw the king do this,\neach of them did the same, and followed him.\nBefore leaving the city, the virtuous king had procured\neverything necessary for the war.  Around the palisade he dug a\ndeep ditch that led to a large water hole, and they left a great\nentryway in the middle, through which one hundred fifty men could\npass at one time.  On the other side they dug another ditch that\nled to a high cliff.\nThe king said:\n\"Since we've finished, and there are only two hours left till\ndawn, you, Duke of Gloucester, and you, Count of Salisbury, go\nquickly to the countess, and ask her to give me two large barrels\nthat belong to William of Warwick.  They are full of copper\nspikes, and she will find them upstairs, in the weapons room.\"\nThey went there quickly and begged and commanded her, on the\nking's behalf, so that she gave them to them, even though she was\nupset with the king because he had not given her son back to her.\nBut she realized how great their needs were, and so she did it,\nalthough she could not help saying:\n\"Lord, have mercy on me!  What's going on that this king knows so\nmuch about my house?  There's nothing I have that has to do with\nweapons or war that he doesn't know about.  I don't know if he is\nonly guessing or if he's a wizard.\"\nThe barons had the barrels of spikes loaded onto carts, and took\nthem to the camp.  When they were before the king, they told him\neverything the countess had said, and the virtuous king burst out\nlaughing, and he smiled and joked with them at length.\nAfterward he had the spikes taken to the gate, and they placed\nthem on the ground so that when the Moors came through, they\nwould stick into their feet.  He also had many holes, like wells,\ndug, so that if they escaped one danger they would fall into\nanother.  And the Christians worked at this all night long.\nWhen daylight broke, the Moors began to beat drums, and they blew\ntrumpets and pipes, and shouted their battle-cries, and with\ngreat joy they streamed down the mountain to attack the\nChristians.  The hermit king ordered all the men to lie down on\nthe ground, and pretend to be asleep.  When they were almost\nwithin range of bombards they all got up, and gave signs of being\nunprepared for battle.  When the Moors were inside the entryway,\nthe king said:\n\"Gentlemen, do not dismay, I beg you.  Let's turn our backs, and\npretend to run away.\"\nWhen the Moors saw them fleeing, they rushed forward as quickly\nas they could.  They ran inside the entryway which, as we have\nmentioned, they could not pass through because the copper spikes\nstuck into their feet.  When the virtuous hermit king saw the\nMoors inside the entryway he made his men slow down, like an\nexpert in war and weaponry, and he saw the Moors stopping because\nof the wounds from the spikes, while others were falling into the\nwells that were covered by branches with dirt piled on top.  Then\nthe king began to shout with a loud voice:\n\"Oh knights of honor, take your eyes from the city, and turn your\nfaces to the enemies of the Christian faith.  Let us attack with\ngreat courage, for this day is ours.  Give them a cruel battle,\nand grant mercy to no one!\"\nThe king was the first to strike a blow; then the others\nfollowed.  The Moors saw the Christians doing battle savagely\nwhile they were all unable to move because of their wounds, and\nso they were forced to die, and great destruction was wrought\nunto them.  Those who were coming behind saw how the Christians\nwere slaughtering the Moors, and they fled back to the castle\nthey had come from, without offering resistance.\nThe king pursued them, killing and beheading as many as he could\ncatch.  When the king was worn out from his wounds, he stopped\nfor a moment and they captured a very tall Moor of enormous\nproportions.  After the king had knighted the countess's son, he\nwanted him to kill that Moor.  And very bravely the boy stabbed\nhim with his sword until he killed him.  When the king saw that\nthe Moor was dead he took the boy by the hair and threw him on\ntop of the Moor, and rubbed him hard against the man, filling his\neyes and face with blood, and he made him stick his hands into\nthe wounds, and in that way he baptized him in the blood of the\nMoor.  He grew up very bravely, and in his time in a large part\nof the world there could not be found so worthy a knight.\nWhen the good king saw that the battle was won, he began to\npursue the Moors, and he killed all those he caught.  This was\nthe greatest destruction and slaughter of men that took place in\nthat time, for ninety-seven thousand Moors died in the space of\nten days.  Since the king could not walk well because of his\nwounds, they brought him a horse so he could ride.\n\"In truth, I shall not,\" said the king.  \"All the others are\ngoing on foot, and if I went on horseback it would be very\nunjust.\"\nThey went along slowly until they came to the castle where the\nMoors had barricaded themselves, and here they made camp and\nrested that night.  In the morning, when it was broad daylight,\nthe king ordered the trumpets blown, and all the men armed\nthemselves.  The king put on his royal tunic and went in front of\nall the rest, and they charged the castle.  They were met by\ncross bows and spears and rocks that were thrown down on them\nfrom the top of the castle.  And the king pressed on so hard\nthat he went ahead alone, without anyone being able to help him.\nThe countess's son shouted loudly:\n\"Run, knights of honor!  Let us run and help our king and lord\nwho has placed himself in great danger!\"\nAnd he took hold of a small shield that a page was carrying, and\njumped into the moat to go to where the king was.  The others,\nseeing the small boy going by, all rushed forward at the same\ntime to get to the other side, and many knights died or were\nwounded.  But the small boy, with the aid of Our Lord, suffered\nno harm.\nWhen they had all crossed over they gathered a great deal of\nwood, and they set fire to the door of the castle.  The boy began\nto shout as loudly as he could, and he said:\n\"Oh, English ladies!  Come out, and regain your lost liberty: the\nday of your redemption has come.\"\nThree hundred nine women were inside the castle.  When they heard\nthat voice they all ran to the back door of the castle, for there\nwas a huge fire at the other one and all the women were welcomed\nby the Christians, and among them were many noblewomen.\nWhen the Moors saw the great fire, and that the entire castle was\nburning, they wanted to surrender, but the valiant king would not\npermit it.\nInstead, he wanted them all to die by fire and the sword.  And\nthose who came running out of the castle were either quickly\nkilled, or the spears forced them back inside.  In this way\ntwenty-two thousand Moors were killed and burned that day.\nThe hermit king left the castle with all his men, and they went\nthrough all the kingdom to those places the Moors had taken.\nThey did not find one Moor that they wanted to spare, and they\nwent all the way to the port of Southampton where they found all\nthe vessels and ships on which they had come.  Afterward the king\nordered that any Moor who came to the island of England, no\nmatter what his business might be, should die without mercy.\nWhen they had retaken the entire kingdom, the king's vow was\nfulfilled and all the people went into the city of Warwick.  When\nthe countess learned that the king was coming she went out to\nwelcome him with all the ladies and maidens of the city, since\nnot one man had stayed there except the sick and wounded.  When\nthe countess was near the king, she fell to her knees, and all\nthe other women shouted with a loud voice:\n\"Welcome, victorious King!\"\nThe virtuous gentleman embraced them all, one by one, and took\nthe countess's hand, and they walked along, talking, until they\nwere inside the city.  The countess thanked him profusely for all\nthe honor he had bestowed on her son, and then she thanked all\nthe other great lords.\nHaving rested for a few days, the hermit king was in his chamber\none day, thinking to himself.  Since he had ended the war, and\nthe entire kingdom was at peace, he decided to reveal who he was\nto his wife, the countess, and to all the others, so that he\ncould return the royal scepter to the first king, and go back to\nhis penance.\nHe called his chamberlain, and giving him the half-ring he had\ndivided with the countess before going to Jerusalem, he told him\nto speak to her and give her the ring.  The chamberlain quickly\nwent to the countess, and kneeling before her, he said:\n\"My lady, one who has loved and continues to love you sends you\nthis ring.\"\nThe countess took the ring, and when she looked at it she turned\npale.  She ran into her chamber and opened a box where she kept\nthe other part of the ring.  She put the two parts together, and\nsaw that they were one piece, revealing the family arms.  She\nunderstood that it belonged to her husband, the count, and she\ncried out:\n\"Tell me, sir, where is my husband, the Count of Warwick?\"\nAnd she tried to find the door to leave the chamber, but in her\nconfusion she could not.  Then she fell to the floor in a faint.\nWhen the chamberlain saw what a state the countess was in, he ran\nto the king in fright.  The king said:\n\"My friend, what's wrong?  What news do you bring me?\"\nThe chamberlain fell to his knees before him, and said:\n\"I dearly wish you had not sent me.  I don't know what special\npower that ring has, or if it was made by sorcery and your\nworship took it from the Moors, because as soon as the countess\nplaced it on her finger she fell to the floor, dead.\"\nThe king got up from his seat and quickly went to her chamber\nwhere he found her more dead than alive, with all the doctors at\nher side.  As soon as the countess regained consciousness, and\nsaw her husband and king, she quickly got up and knelt before him\nto kiss his feet and his hands.  But he would not allow it, and\ninstead he took her arm and lifted her from the floor, and\nembraced and kissed her many times.  Then he revealed who he was\nto all the lords in the kingdom, and to the entire town.  And all\nthe lords and ladies came to honor the king and their new queen.\nWhen the son learned that the king was his father, he hurried to\nthe chamber and knelt and kissed his hands and feet many times\nover.\nThere were great celebrations, and after nine days four hundred\ncarts arrived, loaded with gold and silver, jewels, and very\nvaluable items which they had found in the Moors' possession.\nThe king ordered the jewels, the gold, and the silver to be given\nto four lords: the Duke of Gloucester, the Duke of Bedford, the\nCount of Salisbury, and the Count of Stafford.\nAfter this had been done the king called a general council for\nthe following day.  When they were all present, the king came\ninto the council chamber in his royal robes, the crown on his\nhead and the scepter in his hand, and sitting down, he said:\n\"My lord and king, Your Highness must be content with the grace\nthat almighty God has given you, for with the help of your\nvassals you have recovered the entire isle of England.  And so,\nin the presence of all these worthy lords, I return to you the\nkingdom, the crown, the scepter and the royal robes.\"\nHe immediately removed the garments and dressed again in his\nhabit.\nThe king and all the barons recognized his great virtue and\ngentility, and gave him many thanks.  The king asked him to\nremain in his court, and offered to make him Prince of Wales, but\nhe excused himself, saying that he would not leave God's service\nfor the vanities of this world.  Then he left the king and those\nin the court, and went to his village, about a league from the\ncity, and there he rested for a few days.\nWhen the countess learned that her husband had gone, she left the\ncastle without saying a word to the king or to anyone, and went\nwith her ladies and maidens to be with her husband.\nWithin a few days the king and his people were ready to leave.\nThen the hermit-count told his son to go with the king, and to\nserve him fully.  And if disagreements arose in the kingdom, in\nno case should he turn against his king and lord.\nAfter the king had left for London, the countess begged her\nhusband:\n\"My lord, let me stay with you so that I may serve you.  Let us\nmake a hermitage separated into two parts, with a church in\nbetween.\"\nSo much did the countess implore him that the count was forced to\nobey her.  The countess then wanted to go to another site that\nwas lovely, with many trees and a beautiful, clear spring, and in\nthe middle of that fine meadow was a pine tree of striking\nbeauty.  And everyday all the wild beasts of the forest came to\ndrink from that clear spring.\nWhen the hermitage was finished, and the count and countess were\nabout to go and live in it, the Count of Northumberland arrived,\nas an ambassador of the king, to ask them to go to London, for\nthe king was to marry the daughter of the King of France.  And if\nthe count could not go, the countess was requested to go, for she\nwas needed to teach the queen the customs of England.\nThe count-hermit answered:\n\"Ambassador, tell His Majesty, the king, that I would he very\nhappy to serve His Excellency, but I cannot abandon the vow I\nhave made to serve God.  As for the countess, her presence there\ncan take the place of both of us.\"\nThe countess would have preferred to remain behind and serve her\nhusband, but when she saw her husband's wishes, and realized her\nduty to the king, she agreed to go.  The count left them with\nmany tears and went to the hermitage.  And every day, after\nprayer, he went underneath the beautiful tree to see the animals\ndrink from the clear spring.\nCHAPTER II\nTHE TOURNAMENT\n Day after day the English knights were languishing.  Abandoning\nthemselves to idleness, they spent many days in peace,\ntranquility, rest and enjoyment.  So they would not be completely\nidle and fall into languor, the King of England decided that as\nthe wedding had been arranged he would invite everyone to his\ncourt and have a display of arms.  The news of the great\ncelebration that the king was preparing was spread throughout all\nthe Christian kingdoms.\nIt happened that a gentleman of ancient lineage, a native of\nBrittany, was traveling in the company of many other gentlemen\nwho were going to the celebration.  He fell behind the others,\nand went to sleep on his horse, because he was so weary from the\nlong journey he had made.  His horse left the road and took a\npath that led him to the delightful spring of the hermit, who at\nthis moment was finding pleasure in a book entitled Tree of\nBattles.  As he read this book he constantly gave thanks to God,\nour Heavenly Father, for the singular favors he had won in this\nworld by serving the order of chivalry.\nWhile he was at this task he saw a man coming along the plain on\nhorseback, asleep.  He stopped reading, and decided not to wake\nhim.  When the horse was in front of the spring and saw the\nwater, it drew closer, wanting to drink, but because the reins\nwere tied to the saddle bow, it could not.  And it struggled so\nmuch that it was inevitable that the gentleman should awaken.  As\nhe opened his eyes, he found himself confronted by a hermit with\na very long and completely white beard, his clothing torn,\nrevealing a thin body.\nThe gentleman was astonished at such a sight, but with his good\nsense he realized that it must be some man who led a saintly\nlife, and who had withdrawn to that place to do penance and save\nhis soul.  He quickly dismounted and bowed deeply to him.  The\nhermit received him cordially, and they sat down in the\ndelightful, green meadow.  The hermit began to speak:\n\"Gentle sir, I beg you upon your courtesy and gentility to tell\nme your name and upon what business you have come to this lonely\nspot.\"\nThe gentleman quickly answered:\n\"Reverend Father, since your holiness wants to know my name, I\nwill be very happy to tell it to you: I am called Tirant lo\nBlanc.  My father was lord of the March of Tirania, which faces\nEngland along the sea, and my mother was daughter of the Duke of\nBrittany, and her name is Blanca, and so they decided to name me\nTirant lo Blanc.  The news has spread among all the Christian\nkingdoms that the King of England has called for a court to be\nheld in the city of London, and that he has arranged a marriage\nwith the daughter of the King of France, who is the most\nbeautiful maiden in all Christendom and has qualities that no one\nelse possesses.  I can give you an example: While I was in the\ncourt of the King of France, in the city of Paris, last\nMichaelmas, the king was holding a great celebration because that\nday the wedding had been agreed to.  The king, the queen and the\ninfanta were all eating at the same table, and I can tell you\ntruly, sir, that as the infanta drank red wine, it could be seen\nas it passed down her throat because her skin is so very fair,\nand everyone there was astonished.  Afterward it was said that\nthe King of England wishes to become a knight, and that he will\nthen make knights of everyone who wishes to enter the order of\nchivalry.  I asked kings-of-arms and heralds why the king had not\nbeen made a knight during his wars with the Moors.  And I was\ntold that it was because he had been defeated in all the battles\nhe undertook against the Moors until the appearance of that\nfamous knight and conqueror, Count William of Warwick, who\nquickly defeated the Moors and put all his kingdom at peace.\nThey say, moreover, that on Saint John's day the queen will be in\nthe city of London and great celebrations will be held that will\nlast a year and a day, and so we thirty gentlemen in name and in\narms have left Brittany, prepared to enter the order of chivalry.\nAnd as I came along the road, fortune decided that I would fall\nsomewhat behind because of my horse's weariness and because of\nthe great hardships I have endured on the long journeys I have\nmade--for I left after the others.  As I was thinking to myself I\nfell asleep, and my horse left the main road and brought me\nbefore your reverence.\"\nWhen the hermit heard the gentleman say that he was going in\norder to receive the order of chivalry, he heaved a deep sigh and\nbegan to think, remembering the great honor chivalry had bestowed\nupon him for so long.\n\"I tell your lordship,\" continued Tirant, \"even if there were\nmany more dangers in it than there are, that would not stop me\nfrom receiving the order of chivalry.  No matter what happens to\nme, I will consider my death worthwhile if I die loving and\ndefending the order of chivalry and serving it with all my\nstrength so that I won't be reprimanded by good knights.\"\n\"My son,\" said the hermit, \"because you so desire to receive the\norder, do it with renown and fame.  On the day you receive it\nperform a show of arms so that all your relatives and friends\nwill know that you are ready to maintain and serve the order of\nchivalry.  Now because the hour is late and your company is going\nfar ahead, I think you should leave: you are in a foreign land\nand do not know the roads, and you run the danger of becoming\nlost in the great forests hereabouts.  I beg you to take this\nbook and show it to my lord, the king, and to all the good\nknights so that they may know about the order of chivalry.  And\nwhen you return, I pray you, my son, come by here and tell me who\nhave been made new knights, and about all the celebrations and\nfestivities that take place, so that I will know about them, and\nI will be very grateful to you.\"\nAnd he gave him the book, taking his leave at the same time.\nTirant took the book with great joy, giving him many thanks and\npromising to return, and Tirant said, as he left:\n\"Tell me, my lord: if the king or the other knights ask me who is\nsending the book, what shall I say?\"\nThe hermit answered:\n\"If you are asked such a question, say that it was someone who\nhas always loved and honored the order of chivalry.\"\nTirant bowed deeply to him, mounted his horse, and went on his\nway.\nMeanwhile his companions were wondering what could have become of\nhim and why he was delayed.  They were afraid that he might have\nbecome lost in the forest, and many of them turned back to look\nfor him.  They found him on the road, reading about the\nchivalresque acts written down in the book, and of all the order\nof chivalry.\nWhen Tirant reached the town where his companions were staying,\nhe told them about the beautiful adventure Our Lord had taken him\non, and how the saintly hermit had given him that book.  And they\nread all that night until morning when it was time to leave.\nThey traveled a day at a time until they reached the city of\nLondon,where the king was with many knights.  Many had come, both\nfrom his own kingdom and from foreign lands, and no more than\nthirteen days remained before the celebration of Saint John's\nday.\nWhen Tirant and his friends had gathered together they went to\npay homage to the king, who received them very cordially.  The\ninfanta was two days journey from there in a city named\nCanterbury where the body of Saint Thomas of Canterbury lies.  On\nSaint John's day the celebrations began, and that day the king\nwas seen with the infanta, his bride.  These celebrations lasted\na year and a day.\nWhen the celebrations were over the king was married to the\ninfanta of France, and all the foreigners took their leave of the\nking and queen and returned to their own lands.\nAfter Tirant left the city of London with his companions, he\nremembered the promise he had made to the hermit, and when they\nwere near the place where he lived, he said to them:\n\"Gentlemen, my brothers, I must go to where the hermit is.\"\nAnd everyone in his company begged him to let them go too, for\nthey had a great desire to see the saintly hermit.  Tirant was\nmost content that they should, and they all set out on the road\ntoward the hermit.  At the time they arrived, the hermit was\nunder the tree, in prayer.\nWhen he saw so many people arriving he wondered who they could\nbe.  Tirant drew closer than the others, and when he was near he\ndismounted, and all the rest with him, and they approached the\nhermit with deep humility, kneeling and paying him the honor he\ndeserved.  Tirant wished to kiss his hand, as did all the others,\nbut he would not permit it.\nThe hermit, very attentive and courteous, paid them great honor,\nembracing them all and begging them to sit on the grass near him.\nAnd they answered that he should sit down and they would all\nremain standing, but the valorous gentleman would not allow it\nand made them all sit next to him.  When they were all seated,\nthey waited for the hermit to speak.  The hermit, understanding\nthe honor they were paying him, said:\n\"I could not possibly tell you, magnificent gentlemen, how\ncontent I am at seeing so many good people.  Please tell me if\nyou are now coming from the court of my lord, the king.  I would\nlike to know who became new knights, and about the celebrations\nthat have taken place.  And I beg you, Tirant lo Blanc, tell me\nthe names of all these gentlemen here.\"\nAnd he paused.  Tirant turned to his companions, for there were\nmany of higher lineage and wealth, and he said to them:\n\"Oh, valiant knights!  I pray you to answer the questions that\nthe reverent hermit has asked us.  I have told you many times of\nhis wisdom and holiness; and he is a father of chivalry and\ndeserves great honor, so I beg you to speak to him.\"\nThey all answered:\n\"You speak, Tirant.  Speak for us all, for the holy father met\nyou first.\"\n\"Then, since that is your pleasure,\" said Tirant, \"and the father\ncommands it, if I am wrong about anything, please correct me.\"\nThey all said they would.\nThen the hermit said:\n\"I beg you, please tell me who was judged the best of the knights\nand who was given the honor of this festive occasion?\"\n\"My lord,\" said Tirant, \"many gentlemen of great authority and\npower came to these celebrations.  There were kings, dukes,\ncounts and marquis, nobles and knights and many gentlemen of\nancient lineage; and almost all those who were not knights were\ngiven the order of chivalry.  The Duke of Acquaviva put on a\ndisplay of arms with great knightly spirit and many men were with\nhim, and from among them more than sixty gentlemen were knighted.\nThis duke jousted on foot and on horseback, and he was always\nvictorious.  The brother of the Duke of Burgundy went into battle\nwith great courage like the virtuous knight that he is.  Next the\nDuke of Cleve jousted, and he was highly praised.  Many other\ngentlemen who came jousted like noble knights, and I can tell\nyou, sir, in all truth, that more than one hundred fifty knights\nwere killed.\n\"And I will tell your grace something astonishing: One day a boy\n(It looked to me like he was no more than fourteen or fifteen\nyears old, and everyone honored him, including the king, and they\ncalled him the high constable of England) came to the lodging of\nthese gentlemen here and asked for me.  He did not know my name,\nbut he recognized me, and he begged me very graciously to lend\nhim my horse and arms because the king and the countess, his\nmother, did not want him to joust on foot or on horseback on\naccount of the danger.  He begged me so much and with such good\ngrace, that I could not refuse him, and I told him that I would\nbe very pleased to give them to him.\n\"I tell you, sir, of all the knights who took up arms, there was\nno one who performed as beautifully or as well as he did.  The\nfirst time he went out he caught his adversary in the middle of\nthe headpiece so that most of the lance went through him.  When\nthe knight was dead and the king heard that it was his constable\nwho had jousted so well, he sent for him.  And the constable was\nso frightened that he made excuses not to go, but finally he went\nto the king, and the king reprimanded him severely.  His\nExcellency showed that he loved him very much, indeed, telling\nhim that he had fought without his permission against a man of\nenormous strength, the Lord of Escala Rompuda.  And furthermore,\nhe told him not to dare to joust anymore without his permission.\"\nWhen the constable saw how severely the king was reprimanding\nhim, he angrily said: 'Well, my lord, is it true then that even\nthough I've received the order of chivalry, I must be held as the\nleast of all knights because Your Majesty will not let me joust\nfor fear that I might die?  Since I am a knight I must do the\nworks of a knight, the same as all good knights.  If Your Majesty\ndoesn't want me to face the danger of weapons, order me to go\naround dressed like a woman with the queen's maidens.  Doesn't\nYour Majesty know that when my father and lord, William, Count of\nWarwick, held the royal scepter he conquered the Moors?  And he\ntook me by the hair and made me kill a Moor even when I was\nyoung, because he wanted to make me a conqueror, soaked with\nblood, and leave me that for a legacy?  My lord, if I want to\nimitate my father in chivalry, Your Highness should not stop me.\nI beg Your most serene Majesty to give me leave to combat a\nknight tomorrow, hand to hand, to the death.'\n\"Then the king said:\n\"'I truly believe that this will be the best knight in the world,\nor he will be the worst, because his life will not last long.\nAnd by the faith I owe to chivalry, I will not allow that to\nhappen.  Since fortune has allowed you to be victorious, you\nshould content yourself with the battle prize.' And he would not\nhear another word.\"\nThen the hermit said:\n\"Tell me, since you have spoken so much about this constable, who\nwas honored above all the knights?\"\nTirant was quiet,and would not reply.\n\"Tirant, my son,\" said the hermit, \"why don't you answer my\nquestion?\"\nA knight named Diafebus stood up and said:\n\"Sir, I will tell you the truth: the one judged best of all the\nbattles was Tirant lo Blanc.  He was also the first to receive\nthe order of chivalry from the king, and he was the first to\njoust.  On that day he was taken to a hall and given a chair made\nentirely of silver.  Then the Archbishop of England came before\nhim, and with the king and all the others there, he said:\n\"'You, sir, who are receiving the order of chivalry, do you swear\nthat you will defend ladies and maidens, widows, orphans, and\neven married women with all your power if they should ask your\naid?'\n\"When he had sworn the oath, two great lords, the mightiest\nthere, took hold of his arms and led him before the king.  The\nking laid the sword on his head and said: 'May God and my lord,\nSaint George, make you a good knight' And he kissed him on the\nmouth.\n\"Then seven maidens came in, dressed in white, representing the\nseven joys of Virgin Mary, and they strapped his sword on him.\nThen came four knights, the most dignified to be found,\nrepresenting the four evangelists, and they put spurs on him.\nAfterward the queen came, and she took him by one arm, and a\nduchess took the other, and they led him to a beautiful platform\nand seated him in the royal chair.  Then the king sat on one\nside, and the queen on the other, and all the maidens and knights\nsat around them, below.  Next a very abundant collation was\nbrought.  And this, sir, is the procedure that was held for all\nthose who were made knights.\"\n\"Tell me, if you will, about the jousts Tirant participated in.\"\n\"My lord, on the eve of the appointed day, Tirant went to where\nthe twenty-six knights were.  When he was at their door he\ndelivered a document stating that any knight who wanted to joust\nagainst him would have to battle until one of them had drawn\nblood twenty times, or until either of them gave up.  His\nconditions were immediately accepted, and we returned to our\nlodging.  The next day all the maidens came for him and took him\nto the list, fully dressed in his armor.  The king and queen were\nalready on the cenotaphs when Tirant came in completely covered\nwith armor, except for his head.  In his hand he held a fan that\nhad the crucifixion of Jesus Christ painted on one side, and the\nfigure of Our Lady painted on the other.\n\"When Tirant was in the middle of the field he made a deep bow to\nthe king and the queen, and then he went to each of the four\ncorners of the list, and made the sign of the cross at each\ncorner with the fan.  He found the defender at the far end of the\nlist, and Tirant went to the other end of the field.  When\neveryone was quiet the king ordered them to begin.  Quickly they\ndug in their spurs, lances in the sockets, and they clashed so\nfiercely that their lances flew to pieces.  Afterward they turned\nand charged many times with many singular encounters.  On their\ntwentieth turn the defender struck the beaver of Tirant's helmet\nand bent it, wounding him in the neck, and if the lance had not\nbroken our knight would be dead.  He and the horse fell to the\nground.  Tirant quickly got up and another horse was brought to\nhim that was better than the first, and he begged the judges to\ngive him permission to get another lance.  Tirant had a very\nthick lance brought to him, and the other man did the same, and\nthey clashed with a mighty blow, and Tirant's lance passed\ncompletely through the other man so that he fell to the ground,\ndead.  The maidens took Tirant's horse by the reins, and led him\nwith honor back to his lodging.  They removed his armor and\nlooked at the wound on his neck, and they made the doctors come\nto care for him.  The maidens tended to Tirant very well because\nthey were very happy that the first knight to joust for a maiden\nhad been the victor.\n\"The king and all the great lords went into the palisade where\nthe dead knight lay, and with a great procession they carried him\nto the Church of Saint George where they had made a chapel for\nthose who died jousting.  And in this chapel only knights could\nbe buried.\n\"My lord, when Tirant was well again, he gathered all his company\nonce more, and we went to the twenty-five knights.  He gave them\na written document stating that he wished to fight a knight on\nfoot and to the death, and they accepted.  Tirant went into the\nlist armed in the normal fashion, with an ax, a sword, and a\ndagger.  When they were inside the pavilion everything necessary\nwas prepared.  The sunlight was divided so that it would not\nshine into one man's eyes any more than into the other's.\nThe king came with the other assistants and they went up to the\ncenotaphs, while each of the knights stood armed at the gate of\nhis pavilion, their axes in their hands.  When they saw the king,\nthey knelt to the ground on one knee, paying deep reverence to\nthe king and queen, which showed plainly that they were very\nworthy knights, and all the maidens knelt on the ground and\nbegged our Lord to give victory to their knight.\n\"When the people were quiet, the trumpets sounded and the heralds\ncried out that no man or woman should dare speak, cough, or make\nany noise at all under penalty of losing their life.\n\"When the announcement had been made, the two men came at each\nother, using their weapons so valiantly that it was impossible to\nknow who was winning.  The battle lasted a long time, and\nbecause the defender was so hard pressed he grew short of breath.\nFinally he reached a point where he could no longer hold up his\nax, and his face showed that he would prefer to make peace rather\nthan do battle.  When Tirant saw the condition his adversary was\nin, he took his ax with both hands, and gave him such a blow on\nthe helmet that he stunned him and the man could not keep his\nfooting.  Then Tirant went up to him and gave him a mighty push\nthat knocked him to the ground.  When he saw him in such a\npitiful state, he removed the helmet from his head, using his\ndagger to cut the cords it was tied with, and he said:\n\"'You can see, virtuous knight, that your life is in my hands, so\nyou command me.  Tell me if you want to live or die.  I will have\nmore consolation from good than from evil, so command my right\nhand to have mercy on you and forgive you, and not to harm you as\nmuch as it could.\"\n\"'I am more hurt,' said the knight, 'by your cruel words, full of\nvainglory, than I would be of losing my life.  I would rather die\nthan ask forgiveness from your haughty hand.'\n\"'My hand is accustomed to forgiving conquered men,' said Tirant,\n'and not to harming them.  If you wish, I will very willingly\nfree you from all the harm I could cause you.'\n\"'Oh, what a wonder it is,' said the knight who was lying on the\nground, 'when men are victorious because of luck, or someone\nelse's misfortune.  Then they're loose with all kinds of words.\nI am the knight of Muntalt, reproachless, loved and feared by\nmany, and I have always had mercy on men.'\n\"'I want to use these things you've mentioned in your favor,'\nsaid Tirant, 'because of your great virtue and goodness.  Let us\ngo before the king, and on your knees, at my feet, you will have\nto ask me for mercy, and I will forgive you.'\n\"In a great rage the knight began to speak:\n\"'God forbid that I should commit an act that's so shameful to me\nor mine, or to that eminent lord of mine, Count William of\nWarwick, who gave me this bitter order of chivalry.  Do whatever\nyou please with me, because I would rather die well than live\nbadly.'\n\"When Tirant saw his ill will, he said:\n\"'All knights who want to use arms to acquire renown and fame are\ncruel, and have their seat in the middle of hell.'\n\"He pulled out a dagger and stuck the point of it in his eye, and\nwith his other hand he gave a mighty blow to the hilt of the\ndagger that made it come out the other side of his head.  What a\nvalorous knight this one was, preferring death to shame and the\nvituperation of the other knights!\n\"After some days it happened that their Majesties, the king and\nqueen, were resting in a meadow near the river, dancing and\nenjoying themselves.  A relative of the queen, named Fair Agnes,\nwas there.  She was the daughter of the Duke of Berri, and the\nmost graceful maiden I have ever seen.  My lord, on that day this\nFair Agnes wore a very pretty bauble between her breasts.  When\nthe dances were over, in the presence of the king and queen and\nall the knights, Tirant went up to the genteel lady and kneeling,\nhe said:\n\"'My lady, knowing of your great worth in lineage as well as\nbeauty, grace and wisdom, and all the other virtues that can be\nfound in a body more angelical than human, I would like to serve\nyou.  I would consider it a great favor if you gave me the bauble\nyou're wearing between your breasts.  If you give it to me, I\nwill accept it and wear it in your honor and service.  And I\nswear before the altar and on the order of chivalry, to combat a\nknight on foot or on horseback, to the death, armed or unarmed.'\n\"'Oh Holy Mary be with me!' said Fair Agnes.  'You want to joust\nto the death for such a small thing of so little value?  So that\nyou will not lose the prize of your good works and the order of\nchivalry, I shall willingly consent in the presence of the king\nand the queen.  Take the bauble with your own hands.'\n\"Tirant was very happy with the reply of Fair Agnes.  Since the\nbauble was tied on with her dress straps, it could not be removed\nwithout untying them, and when he did, his hands could not help\ntouching her breasts.  Tirant took the bauble in his hand and\nkissed it.  Then he fell to his knees, and said:\n\"'I give you many thanks, my lady, for this great gift.  I am\nhappier with it than if you had given me the entire kingdom of\nFrance.  And I swear to God that whoever takes the bauble from me\nwill leave his life in my hands.'\n\"And he put it on the crest of the cap he wore.\n\"The next day, while the king was at mass, a French knight named\nLord Vilesermes came.  He was a very brave man and very\nexperienced in weapons, and he said to Tirant:\n\"'Knight, wherever you are from, you have been far too daring in\ntouching the glorified body of Fair Agnes, and no knight in the\nworld ever made such a wicked request.  You must return the\nbauble to me willingly or by force.  It is my right to possess it\nbecause since infancy I've loved, served and venerated this lady.\nAnd if you will not give it to me, your life will not last long.'\n\"'To my way of thinking,' said Tirant, 'it would be a great\noffense if I gave away what was given to me freely, and what my\nown hands untied.  In truth, I would be considered the most vile\nknight ever born if I did such a thing.  And yet, knight, your\nevil tongue shows that you are far too haughty, and I will have\nto pull you down.'\n\"The knight attempted to take the bauble away from him, but\nTirant was ready.  He pulled out a dagger he carried, and all the\nothers lay hold of their weapons.  A fight broke out, and before\nthey could be separated twelve of the knights and gentlemen were\ndead.  The queen, who was nearest to them and heard the noise and\nthe loud cries the people were making, placed herself between the\nmen to separate them.  And I can give you a good account because\nI was wounded four times and many others were wounded too.  When\nthe king found out about it, everything had quieted down.  But\nbefore three days had gone by, the French knight sent a page with\na letter for Tirant, and it said the following:\n\"'To you, Tirant lo Blanc.\n\"'If you dare to confront the danger of weapons that are\ncustomary among knights, let us make an agreement: armed or\nunarmed, on foot or on horseback, dressed or naked, in whatever\nway you feel most comfortable, your sword and mine will fight to\nthe death.  -- Written by my hand and sealed with the secret seal\nof my arms.\n\"'Lord Vilesermes.'\n\"After Tirant had read the letter, he took the page into a room,\nand giving him one thousand gold coins he made him promise not to\ntell anyone about this.  When the page had gone, Tirant went\nalone to see a king-of-arms, and he took him three miles away and\nsaid to him:\n\"'King-of-arms, by the trust that has been given to you and by\nthe oath you swore on the day you were given this office, you are\nbound to hold secret what I am going to tell you, and to advise\nme well and faithfully about the use of weapons.'\n\"The king-of-arms, whose name was Jerusalem, answered:\n\"'My lord, Tirant, I promise you by the office I hold and by the\noath I have sworn, to keep everything you tell me secret.'\n\"Then Tirant showed him the letter, and made him read it.  When\nhe had finished, Tirant said to him:\n\"My good friend, Jerusalem, I will be very honored to satisfy the\ndesire of that virtuous knight, Lord Vilesermes.  But since I am\nyoung and I know nothing about the practice and custom of\nchivalry (for I've just turned twenty years old), and I trust\nyour great discretion, I want your advice.  And don't think that\nI've told you this out of cowardice or fear.  I wouldn't want to\nbe condemned by the king who has instituted certain laws about\nthe jousts in his kingdom, or by good knights for being weak in\nthis matter.'\n\"The king-of-arms answered:\n\"Oh, knight, virtuous young man, beloved by everyone!  I will\ngive you the advice you are asking me for.  You, Tirant lo Blanc,\ncan fight this knight without any reproach from the king, judges\nor knights, since you are the defender and he is the one who\nbegan this wickedness.  Do you know when you would be at fault?\nIf you had been the challenger.  So perform like a good knight,\nand always show the bold spirit of a knight to the people.  Go\ninto battle quickly, and have no fear of death.'\n\"'I feel very comforted by your advice,' said Tirant.  'Now I\nwant to beg you earnestly, Jerusalem, by the office you hold, to\nbe judge of the battle between Lord Vilesermes and me, and to\nhave jurisdiction over it all so that you will bear true witness\nabout everything that happens between him and me.'\n\"Jerusalem said:\n\"'I will be very happy to arrange it.  But according to the\nrequirements of our office I could not be your judge, and I will\ntell you why: No knight, king-of-arms or herald who gives advice\ncan be a judge.  Not even my lord, the King of England, if he is\nthe judge of a battle, should say favorable words about anyone.\nAnd if he did he could be called an unjust judge, and that battle\nshould not take place.  But so that neither you nor he will lose\nthe battle prize, I will find you a competent judge who will be\nsuspect in nothing.  He is a member of our office, and his name\nis Claros of Clarence--a man who is very knowledgeable about\narms.'\n\"'I know him well,' said Tirant, 'and I am satisfied with him if\nLord Vilesermes agrees, because he is a good king-of-arms and he\nwill give the honor to the one who earns it.  I want him to be\ninformed about everything because Lord Vilesermes sent a page to\nme with this letter, and if I sent him an answer in the same way\nit could be found out easily and the battle would not come to the\nconclusion that he and I want.  So let us do this: let us go back\nto my lodgings, and I will give you a 'carte blanche' signed by\nmy hand, and sealed with my coat of arms.  And you will arrange\nthe battle so that it's all to his advantage.  Since he is the\nchallenger and I am the defender, and he is giving me the choice\nof weapons, as he says in the letter, I willingly renounce the\nchoice, and I will let him choose whatever pleases him most.  I\nwill do only what you say and order.  And no matter how cruel the\nweapons he chooses, you will tell him that I agree: that way my\nglory will be even greater.'\n\"Tirant went back to his lodging with the king-of-arms, and he\nimmediately drew up the 'carte blanche.' That is, it was signed\nby his hand and sealed with his arms; and he gave it to\nJerusalem, the king-of-arms.\n\"The king-of-arms departed to arrange the battle, and he searched\nthroughout all the king's and queen's estates.  When he saw that\nhe could not find Lord Vilesermes he went into the city and found\nhim in a monastery of friars, where he was making confession.\nAfter he had confessed, Jerusalem called him aside and asked him\nto come outside the church so that they could talk, for in such a\nplace it is not fitting to speak of criminal things.  They left\nthe church and the consecrated ground at once, and Jerusalem\nbegan to speak:\n\"'Lord Vilesermes, I would feel very honored if I could arrange\npeace and harmony between you and Tirant lo Blanc.  But if you do\nnot wish to come to an agreement, here is your letter and his\nanswer, a 'carte blanche,' sealed and signed by his hand.  He\ncommanded me, as part of my office, to come to you to arrange the\nbattle in this way: concerning the weapons, he says that you are\nto be given the power to choose whatever pleases you, provided\nthey are equal and without trickery.  And the battle should take\nplace this evening, if possible.'\n\"'I am very satisfied,' said Lord Vilesermes, 'with Tirant.\nNothing but complete virtue could be expected of him.  I accept\nthe power that you give me on his behalf to choose the weapons\nand the battle.  It will be this way:\n\"'It is my decision that the battle will be on foot, in shirts\nmade with cloth from France, both of us having paper shields, and\non our heads a garland of flowers, with no other clothing at all\non our bodies.  The offensive weapons for both of us will be\nGenoese knives with a cutting edge on both sides, and very sharp\npoints.  In this way I will combat him to the death.  And I am\nastonished at you, king-of-arms, when you try to make peace out\nof discord.  Our minds are made up to go into battle, and you\ntalk to me of peace.'\n\"'What I said,' said the king-of-arms, 'is part of my office: not\nto want the death of any honorable knight.'\n\"'Since we agree, I accept the battle with Tirant.'\n\"'I am happy that you are in agreement,' said the king-of-arms.\n'Let us go get the weapons and everything you need before\nnightfall.'\n\"They both went immediately to buy the knives, and they had them\nwell keened, with very sharp points.  Then they found cloth from\nFrance, and they quickly had the shirts cut and sewn.  They made\nthem a little long, and the sleeves cut short--up to the\nelbow--so that their movements in battle would not be hindered.\nThen they took a sheet of paper, and cut it down the middle and\nwith each half they made a shield.  Imagine what sort of defense\na half sheet of paper could make!\n\"When they had finished it all, the knight said to the\nking-of-arms:\n\"'You have arranged the battle, and you are here on Tirant's\nbehalf.  But I want no one to take my side except God alone, and\nmy own hands which are used to bathing themselves in the noble\nblood of war.  So you take some of the weapons, and I will take\nthe ones you've left.'\n\"'Lord Vilesermes, I'm not here to take anyone's side.  Even if\nyou were to give me all that you have, I wouldn't defraud my\nhonor or my office.  Let's do what we have to do; otherwise, give\nme my leave and find someone else you trust.'\n\"'Upon my Lord and Creator, king-of-arms, my words didn't have\nthe meaning you're giving them.  I only wanted us to go to\nbattle, because I see nighttime coming on.  Since you're our\njudge, arrange things quickly.'\n\"'My lord, I'll tell you how it's going to be,' said the\nking-of-arms, 'I can't be a judge between you since I've advised\nyou and Tirant, and I could be reprimanded as an unjust judge if\nI did.  But I'll get another competent judge that both you and he\ncan trust, whose name is Claros of Clarence.  He's a\nking-of-arms, and he knows a great deal about war and arms.  He\ncame a short while ago with the Duke of Clarence, and he is a man\nwho would rather die than do anything against his honor.'\n\"'I'm satisfied with everything,' said the knight, 'as long as\nthe matter is equal and it is secret.'\n\"'I give you my word,' said the king-of-arms, 'not to tell this\nto anyone at all except to Claros of Clarence.'\n\"'Now,' said the knight, 'take the weapons and give them to\nTirant, and let him choose the ones he likes best.  I will wait\nfor you in the hermitage of Saint Mary Magdalene.  So that if\nanyone in my company should see me, I can pretend that I'm there\nto pray.'\n\"Jerusalem left and went looking everywhere for Claros of\nClarence, king- of-arms.  When he found him he told him\neverything, and the man said he was very willing to do it.  But\nthe sun had already gone down, and it was growing late now, and\nhe did not want to endanger two knights in the dark night.\nInstead he would be willing to be judge the morning of the next\nday, when the king was at mass and everyone was resting.\n\"Jerusalem went back to Tirant and told him how the battle was to\ntake place and about the weapons he had chosen, and he said that\nhe was to take whichever of the two he liked better.  And in the\nmorning while the king was at mass, the battle would take place.\n\"'Since the battle will not take place this evening,' said\nTirant, 'I don't want to have the weapons in my possession.  If I\nshould defeat or kill him I would not want people to say that I\nhad performed some trickery on the weapons while I had them\nduring the night, and that that was the reason I defeated him.\nGive them back to Lord Vilesermes, and tomorrow when the battle\ntakes place, have him bring them.'\n\"When Jerusalem heard Tirant speak that way, he looked into his\nface and said:\n\"'Oh, virtuous knight, versed in arms!  You are worthy of wearing\na royal crown: I cannot believe that you will not be victorious\nin this battle.'\n\"The king-of-arms left Tirant and went to the hermitage where the\nother knight was, and he told him that the hour was growing late,\nand the judge could not decide the battle well if it was not\ndaytime, but that they had arranged it for the following day when\nthe king would be at mass.  Lord Vilesermes said that he was\nsatisfied with that.\n\"Early in the morning the kings-of-arms got the two knights and\ntook them to the middle of a forest where no one would be able to\nsee them.  When they saw that they were ready, Jerusalem said:\n\"'Knights of great virtue, this is your death, and your\nsepulcher.  These are the weapons chosen by this knight and\naccepted by Tirant.  Let each take whichever ones he pleases.'\n\"And he placed them on the lovely meadow grass.\n\"'Now,' said Claros of Clarence, 'gentlemen of great nobility and\nchivalry, you are in this isolated place.  Expect no help from\nrelatives or friends.  You are at the point of death, so place\nyour hope only in God and in your virtue.  I want to know who you\nwish to serve as judge of this battle.'\n\"'What?' said Lord Vilesermes.  'Didn't we agree that it would be\nyou?'\n\"'And you, Tirant, who do you want to be judge?'\n\"'I want it to be the one Lord Vilesermes wants.'\n\"'Since you want to have me as your judge, you must swear by the\norder of chivalry to obey all my commands.'\n\"They swore that they would.  After the oath, the knight said to\nTirant:\n\"'Take the weapons you like and I will go into battle with the\nones you leave behind.'\n\"'No,' said Tirant.  'You have been holding them, and they were\nbrought here in your name.  You are the challenger, so you choose\nfirst, and then I will take mine.'\n\"And the knights stood there, arguing about ceremony; the judge\npicked up the weapons to put an end to the dispute.  He put some\nof them on the right side and the others on the left.  Then he\npicked up two straws, one of them long, and the other short.  The\njudge said:\n\"'Whoever gets the longest one, take the weapons on the right;\nand whoever gets the short one, the weapons on the left.'\n\"When they had each picked up the weapons, they quickly took off\nall their clothes and put on the painful shirts that could well\nbe called hair-cloths of sorrow.  The judge made two lines on the\nfield and he placed one of the men on one line and the other man\non the other, and he ordered them not to move until he said to.\nThey cut a tree's branches so that the judge could be on a sort\nof cenotaph.  When everything was ready the judge went to Lord\nVilesermes and said:\n\"'I am judge by the authority you have given to me, and it is my\nduty to warn you and beseech you not to come to such a narrow\nstrait as this.  Remember God and don't die so desperately.  As\nyou know, the justice of our Lord does not pardon a man who\nbrings on his own death, and he is condemned for all eternity.'\n\"'Let's stop all the talk now,' said the knight.  'Each of us\nknows his worth and what he can do, both in the temporal life and\nin the spiritual one.  Have Tirant come here to me, and it might\nbe possible for us to come to an understanding.'\n\"'I don't think that what you're asking is reasonable,' said the\njudge.  'You are equals: why should he come to you?  But in any\ncase, Jerusalem, go and ask Tirant if he wants to come and talk\nto this knight.'\n\"Jerusalem went to Tirant, and asked him if he wanted to go\nthere.  Tirant answered:\n'\"'If the judge is commanding me to go, I will, but for that\nknight over there I wouldn't take a step backward or forward for\neverything he's worth.'\n\"Jerusalem told him how the judge was obligated to do everything\npossible to make peace between the knights.  Then Tirant said:\n\"'Jerusalem, tell the knight that I see no reason why I should\nhave to go to him.  If he wants something from me, let him come\nhere.'\n\"He took the answer to him, and then the judge said:\n\"'All right.  It seems to me that Tirant is doing what he should\ndo.  But, knight, you can go to the middle of the field, and\nTirant will come there.'\n\"So it was done that way.  When they were facing each other, Lord\nVilesermes said:\n\"'Tirant, if you want to have peace with me, and if you want me\nto forgive you because of your youth, I'll do it--on condition\nthat you hand over the bauble of that illustrious lady, Dona\nAgnes of Berri, to me, along with the knife and the paper shield\nso that I can show it to the ladies.  Because you know very well\nthat you're not worthy of having anything at all from such a\nlofty and virtuous lady as she is.  Your station, lineage and\ncondition aren't good enough even to allow you to take off her\nleft slipper.  They're not even enough to raise you to my rank;\nin fact, it was out of kindness that I decided to do combat with\nyou.'\n\"'Knight,' said Tirant, 'I'm not unaware of who you are, or what\nyou can do.  But this is not the time or place for us to discuss\nthe merits of our lineages.  I am Tirant lo Blanc: when a sword\nis in my hand, no king, duke, count, or marquis can deny me.\nThat is known throughout the world.  But anyone can easily find\nthe seven capital sins in you.  Let's go to battle and do what we\ncame here for, and let's not go on with unnecessary and worthless\nwords: if even one of my hairs fell to the ground, I wouldn't\nsurrender it to you, much less allow you to pick it up.'\n\"'Since you don't want to reach an agreement,' said the judge,\n'do you want life or death?'\"\nLord Vilesermes said:\n\"'I am very sorry about the death of this haughty young man.\nLet's go to battle, and let each one go back to his place.'\n\"The judge got up on the cenotaph that had been made with\nbranches, and he shouted:\n\"'Go now, knights, and let each of you act like a valiant and\ngood knight!'\n\"They went at each other in a fury.  The French knight carried\nhis knife high, in front of his head, and Tirant held his just\nabove his chest.  When they were close to each other, the French\nknight struck hard at the middle of Tirant's head.  Tirant\nparried and struck back, and he dealt him a blow on top of his\near that almost dug into his brain.  The other man struck Tirant\nin the middle of his thigh, and the wound gaped about a\nhandsbreadth.  He quickly stabbed him again in his left arm, and\nthe knife sunk in as far as the bone.  They both fought so hard\nthat it was dreadful.  And they were so close to each other that\nwith every swing they took they drew blood.  It was a pitiful\nsight for anyone who saw the wounds of the two men: their shirts\nhad become completely red from all the blood they lost.\nJerusalem repeatedly asked the judge if he wanted him to make\nthem stop fighting, and the cruel judge answered:\n\"'Let them come to the end of their cruel days, since that's what\nthey want.'\n\"'I am convinced that at that very moment both of them would\nrather have had peace than war.  But since they were very brave\nand very courageous knights they fought ceaselessly, without\nmercy.  Finally Tirant saw that he was near death because of all\nthe blood he was losing, so he drew as close to the other man as\nhe could, and stabbed him in the left breast, straight into his\nheart.  The other man dealt him a mighty slash to his head,\ncausing him to lose the sight of his eyes, and he fell to the\nground before the other one.  And if the Frenchman had been able\nto hold himself up when Tirant fell, he could easily have killed\nhim if he had wanted.  But he did not have enough strength, and\nhe immediately fell dead on the ground.\n\"When the judge saw that the knights were lying there so still,\nhe got down from the cenotaph, and going up to them, he said:\n\"'Upon my word, you two have behaved like good and very honorable\nknights: no one could find fault with you.'\n\"And he made the sign of the cross twice over each of them, and\ntaking two sticks he made a cross and laid it over the two\nbodies.  Then he said:\n\"'I see that Tirant's eyes are still open a little, and if he\nisn't dead he's very near to it.  Jerusalem, I charge you to stay\nhere and guard these bodies, and I'll go to the court to give the\nnews to the king.'\n\"He found the king leaving mass, and in everyone's presence, he\nsaid:\n\"'My lord, in truth, there were two most valiant knights in Your\nMajesty's court in the morning, and now they are so near death\nthat there is no hope for them.'\n\"'Who are these knights?'\n\"'My lord,' said Claros of Clarence, 'one is Lord Vilesermes and\nthe other is Tirant lo Blanc.'\n\"'I am very displeased,' said the king, 'by this news.  Let us go\nout there before we eat to see if we can help them.'\n\"'In faith,' said Claros, 'one has already departed from this\nworld, and I believe the other will soon join him--that is how\nbadly they were wounded.'\n\"When the relatives and friends of the knights heard the news\nthey gathered up their arms and rushed as quickly as they could,\non foot and on horseback, and our Lord God gave us the grace to\nget there before the others.  We found Tirant so covered with\nblood that he was unrecognizable, and he had his eyes slightly\nopen.\n\"When the others saw their lord lying dead, they quickly ran\ntoward our knight, wanting to take his life, and we defended him\nvery well.  We split our group into two parts, and, with our\nbacks to each other, we kept his body between our lines.  There\nwere many more of them than of us, but every place they advanced\nthey found their way blocked.  At the same time they shot arrows\nand one of them struck poor Tirant, who was lying on the ground.\n\"The high constable arrived immediately, with many men, and he\nseparated us.  Soon afterward the king came with the tournament\njudges.  When they saw the knights, one dead and the other\nseemingly in the throes of death, they ordered no one to move\nthem until they had held counsel.\n\"While the king was in council, listening to the tale of Claros\nof Clarence and Jerusalem, the kings-of-arms, the queen arrived\nwith all the ladies and maidens.  When they saw them they wept\nfor the deaths of two such singular knights.  Fair Agnes turned\nto Tirant's relatives, and said:\n\"'Knights who love Tirant, are you doing so little for your good\nfriend and relative that you let him leave life like this?\nThat's the way he'll die, lying on the cold ground, his blood\npouring out.  A half hour more, and he won't have a drop of blood\nleft in his body.'\n\"'My lady, what would you have us do?' said a knight.  'The king\nhas commanded, under penalty of death, that no one should dare to\ntouch them or move them from here.'\n\"'Oh, poor me!' said Fair Agnes.  'Our Lord does not want a\nsinner to die, and the king does?  Have a bed brought, and put\nhim on it until the king finishes his counsel: the wind is\ngetting into his wounds and will make him worse.'\n\"The relatives immediately sent for a bed and a tent.  While they\nwere getting it, Tirant was continually nauseous because of the\nwounds and because of all the blood he was losing.  When Agnes\nsaw how much pain Tirant was in, she said:\n\"'In all conscience, I should not be blamed by father or mother,\nby brothers and sisters, or other relatives, or by our lords the\nking and queen, because I am doing this with pure intentions.'\n\"She removed the clothes she was wearing, which were of white\nvelvet, and she put them on the ground, and had Tirant placed on\ntop of the clothing.  Then she begged many of her maidens to take\noff their clothes and lay them over Tirant.  When Tirant felt the\nwarmth of the clothes he opened his eyes wider than before.  Fair\nAgnes sat down and took his head and put it in her lap, saying:\n\"'Oh, poor me, Tirant!  What an unlucky bauble it was that I gave\nyou.  If I had known that something like this would happen, I\nwouldn't have given it to you for anything in the world.  I beg\nyou, knights, bring the body of Lord Vilesermes here, next to me.\nEven though I did not love him while he was alive, I do want to\nhonor him in his death.'\n\"They quickly brought him to her, and putting his head on the\nleft side of her lap, she said:\n\"'Lord Vilesermes spent seven years of his life trying to win me,\nand this is his reward.  He performed extraordinary acts of\nchivalry out of love for me, and he wanted to marry me.  But I am\nof greater lineage and wealth, and I refused to consent to\nsomething that was for his pleasure and satisfaction.  And now\nthe poor knight is dead because of jealousy.'\n\"The king came out of his council, having heard the complete\nstory from the kings-of-arms, and he had the three archbishops,\nthe bishops and all the clergy come in a solemn procession from\nthe city, to honor the dead knight.  Tirant's relatives had\ndoctors and a bed and tent brought, and everything else that was\nneeded.  They found that he had eleven wounds in his body, and\nfour of them were critical.\n\"After Tirant had been treated and all the clergy had arrived,\nthe king and the judges ordered the dead knight placed in the box\nthat the dead are carried in, covered with a beautiful gold cloth\nthat was used for knights who die in battle.  Tirant went behind\nhim, carried on a large shield.  Even though his hand was useless\nand he could not use it or hold it up, it was decided to tie it\nto a stick, with the bare sword that he had killed him with in\nhis hand.\n\"In this fashion the clergy went first, and afterward came the\ndead knight with all the knights on foot.  Then came the king\nwith all the great titled lords.  Then came Tirant the way I have\ndescribed, with the queen following, and all the ladies and\nmaidens.  Then came the High Constable with three thousand armed\nmen.  They went to the Church of Saint George, and here they very\nsolemnly held a requiem mass.\n\"When the king and queen left the church with all the others,\nthey accompanied Tirant to his lodging, and every day the king\nwent to see Tirant until he had completely recovered.  That is\nwhat was done to all the wounded.  And thirty maidens were given\nto Tirant to serve him continually.\n\"At the hour of vespers the king and the queen went to the Church\nof Saint George, and had Tirant brought there, and after vespers\nthe king had the following proclamation read:\n'As we, judges of the tournament, have been given license by the\nking to judge all the battles that will be held within the time\nestablished by His Majesty we state and declare:\n'Lord Vilesermes died like a good knight and we declare that he\nis to be buried and admitted to the holy mother Church, and that\nthe glory of the battle will be given to Tirant lo Blanc.'\n\"When the judgement was published, the clergy sang a very\nbeautiful litany over the knight's sepulcher, and the honors\ngiven him lasted till nearly midnight.\n\"Afterward they took Tirant to his lodging, with the king and\nqueen and all the others paying him great honor.  And they also\nhonored all the other victorious knights.\"\n\"May you have joy and consolation from what you most love,\" said\nthe hermit.  \"For you have told me how Tirant has been the victor\nover three knights he defeated.\"\n\"My lord,\" said Diafebus, \"he has done even more singular deeds\nthat I have not yet told your grace.\"\n\"I would be very pleased,\" said the hermit, \"if you would tell me\nabout them.\"\n\"My lord, your holiness should know that two months after Tirant\nhad gotten out of his bed and could bear arms again, something\nvery strange happened to him.\n\"The Prince of Wales came to the celebration with a large retinue\nof noblemen.  His lodgings were near the city wall, and as he is\na great hunter he had many greyhounds.  One day the king went to\nhis lodging with three or four knights to greet him, because when\nthey were children they had been great friends and they were very\nclose relatives.  The prince wanted to joust, and when he saw the\nking he begged him to have the tournament judges come to counsel\nhim.  Tirant was returning from the city, and when he was in\nfront of the prince's lodgings a greyhound broke its chain and\ngot out of its cage, and it was so fierce that no one dared to go\nnear it.\n\"As Tirant was passing through the middle of the square he saw\nthe greyhound running swiftly toward him to attack him.  He\nquickly dismounted and pulled out his sword.  When the greyhound\nsaw the sword, it turned back and Tirant said:\n\"'I don't want to lose my life or my honor for an animal.'\n\"And he mounted his horse again.  The king and the judges were\nstanding where they could see him.  The Prince of Wales said:\n\"'In faith, my lord, I recognize that evil tempered greyhound,\nand since he's loose, if the knight that just went by is brave,\nwe'll see a pretty battle between them.'\n\"'I believe,' said the king, 'that that is Tirant lo Blanc, and\nsince he's made it run away one time I don't think it will dare\nto go near him again.'\n\"When Tirant had gone twenty steps further, the greyhound again\nran at him in a rage, so Tirant had to dismount again, and he\nsaid:\n\"'I don't know whether you're a devil or under a spell.'\n\"He took out his sword, and ran toward it, and the greyhound ran\nin circles around him, but it didn't dare go near him for fear of\nthe sword.\n\"Now, said Tirant, 'since I see that my weapons make you afraid,\nI don't want anyone to say that I fought you with superior arms.'\n\"He threw his sword behind him.  The greyhound made two or three\nleaps, and ran as swiftly as it could.  It picked up the sword\nwith its teeth and carried it off a distance.  Then it came\nrunning back at Tirant.\n\"'Now,' said Tirant, 'I'll attack you with the same weapons you\nwant to use against me.'\n\"They struggled together in a fury, and bit each other mortally.\n\"The greyhound was huge and sublime, and it made Tirant fall to\nthe ground three times, and three times it nearly knocked him\ndown.  This struggle of theirs lasted half an hour, and the\nPrince of Wales commanded his men not to go near to separate them\nuntil one of them was defeated.\n\"Poor Tirant had many bites on his legs and on his arms.  Finally\nTirant grabbed it around the neck with his hands and squeezed as\ntightly as he could, sinking his teeth into its throat with such\nferocity that it fell to the ground, dead.\n\"The king quickly came out with his judges and picked Tirant up\nand carried him to the prince's house, and there they had the\ndoctors come to minister to him.\n\"When the queen and the maidens heard about Tirant, they quickly\ncame to see him.  When the queen saw how badly he was hurt, she\ntold him:\n\"'Tirant, honors are won by danger and work.  You get out of one\nbad situation, and you fall into another.'\n\"'Most serene lady, full of all human and angelic perfection, let\nYour Majesty be the judge of my sin,' said Tirant.'  I was not\nintending to bring harm to anyone when a devil in the form of a\ndog appeared before me with his master's consent, and decided to\nsatisfy my desire.'\n\"'You shouldn't be sad at all, no matter how many misfortunes\nbefall you,' said the queen, 'for here you show your virtue all\nthe more.'\n\"At this moment the king and the judges came out, and they told\nTirant that as they had seen the battle between him and the\ngreyhound, and since he had thrown away his sword and the two\nwere equal in arms, the judges were giving him the honor and the\nprize in battle, as if he had defeated a knight.  And they\ncommanded the kings-of-arms, heralds, and messengers to announce\nthroughout the city the honor that was bestowed on Tirant that\nday.  And when they took him to his lodging they gave him those\nhonors that are given in other battles.\"\n \"I am very content with everything you have told me,\" said the\nhermit.  \"As long as I have lived in this miserable world I have\nnever heard of such great celebrations.\"\nWhen they thought it was time to go, they all took their leave of\nthe father-hermit, each thanking the other.\nAnd from this time forward the hermit is never mentioned again.\nCHAPTER III\nSICILY\n Tirant and his companions journeyed until they reached the city\nof Nantes.  When the Duke of Brittany heard that Tirant was\ncoming with his relatives, he went out to welcome him with all\nthe city magistrates and many knights, and they paid him the\nhighest honor they could, for he had been the best knight of all\nthose who had been at the festivities in England.  The duke feted\nhim, and Tirant was held in high esteem by all the people in the\nland.\nOne day while Tirant was with the duke and many other knights,\nrelaxing and talking, two knights came from the King of France.\nThe duke asked if there was any news from the court, and they\ntold him that the Genoese had invaded the island of Rhodes, and\nthat the Christians there were in need of help.\nThe news had reached the King of France, and he had lamented\nloudly, but did very little.  Then the knights left the court of\nthe King of France, and came to the Duke of Brittany.  The duke\nshowed compassion for the Grand Master and the religious at\nRhodes, and he told everyone there that he would send ambassadors\nto the King of France.  Then, if the king wanted to send\nassistance to the Grand Master of Rhodes, and if he wanted him to\ngo as captain, he would do it very willingly and he would spend\ntwo hundred thousand crowns of his own money on it.\nThe morning of the following day they chose four to be\nambassadors: an archbishop, a bishop, a viscount, and Tirant lo\nBlanc.  When the ambassadors were before the King of France, they\nexplained their mission, and he told them that in four days he\nwould give them an answer.  A month went by and they still did\nnot know what he intended to do.  Finally he told them that at\nthe moment he could not intervene in these things because he was\noccupied with other matters that were more important to him.  The\nambassadors returned with the reply.\nWhen Tirant saw that so many Moors were on Rhodes and that no one\nwas sending help, he talked to many sailors, asking if he could\ndo something.  They told him that if he would go, he could help\nthem very much, and that he would not have to enter the castle of\nRhodes from the dock, but would be able to go in another way.\nTirant bought a large ship, and had it well stocked and armed.\nIt happened that Tirant had become a good friend of the five sons\nof the King of France.  The youngest of them all, whose name was\nPhilippe, was somewhat unlearned, and was considered gauche, so\nthe king thought very little of him, and no one ever spoke about\nhim.  A gentleman who served him, knowing that Tirant had a ship\nand was going to Rhodes and then to Jerusalem, wanted to go there\nvery much.  So he told Philippe:\n\"My lord, knights who want honor should not stay in their\nparents' home while they're young and able, especially if they\nare younger than their brothers, and their father ignores them.\nThink of that famous knight, Tirant lo Blanc: After the great\nhonor he received in the battles he won in England, he is now\npreparing a large ship to go to Rhodes and to the holy land of\nJerusalem.  Oh, what glory it would be for you if you and I would\nleave here secretly, without saying a word to anyone until we\nwere on the ship, one hundred miles out to sea!  And Tirant is\nsuch a virtuous knight that he will obey you and honor you as\nsomeone from your house deserves.\"\n\"My good friend, Tenebroso, I know that the advice you are giving\nme is good,\" said Philippe, \"and I will be very happy if we can\ndo it.\"\n\"It seems to me,\" said the gentleman, \"that I should go to\nBrittany first, to where Tirant is preparing the ship.  We are\nsuch good friends that I will ask him to let me go along to the\nholy land of Jerusalem, and I'll ask him what things will be\nneeded for me and two squires.  After we have his decision we'll\nput everything we need on the ship,\"\nPhilippe was very satisfied with this, and he said:\n\"Tenebroso, while you go talk to Tirant I'll get all the money I\ncan, and clothing and jewels,\"\nThe following day the gentleman left with two squires, and\nTenebroso journeyed until he came to where Tirant was.  They were\nvery happy to see each other, and Tenebroso told him the reason\nfor his visit.  Tirant was highly pleased, for he knew that\nTenebroso was a very valiant gentleman and very discreet, and he\nvalued his company.  He answered him:\n\"My lord and brother, Tenebroso, my worldly goods, myself, the\nship, and everything I have are at your service.\"\nWhen Tenebroso heard Tirant say this, he was the happiest man in\nthe world, and he gave many thanks to Tirant for his great\ngentility.\nHe left one of his servants there to prepare a room inside the\nship where they could eat and sleep, and where Philippe could\nstay secretly.  Tenebroso set out again, riding until he was back\nwith Philippe who was waiting for him in great anticipation.\nPhilippe was very pleased at Tirant's answer.  Tenebroso told him\nto get ready to leave, and Philippe said that he already had\neverything he needed to take.\nThe following day Philippe went to his father, the king, and in\nthe queen's presence he begged him to allow him to go to Paris to\nsee the fair, which was two days' journey from there.  The king\ntold him coolly:\n\"Do whatever you like.\"\nHe kissed his hand, and then the queen's hand.  They set out on\ntheir journey very early in the morning, and finally they reached\nthe sea port.  Philippe slipped into a room on the ship without\nletting anyone see him.  When the ship had weighed anchor and\nthey were two hundred miles out to sea, Philippe revealed his\npresence to Tirant.  Tirant was very surprised at this, but\nbecause they were so far out to sea, they had to continue on\ntheir course toward Portugal, and they arrived at the city of\nLisbon.  When the King of Portugal learned that Philippe, son of\nthe King of France, was on the ship, he sent a knight who\ngraciously begged him to come ashore to rest from the long sea\nvoyage.  Tirant and Philippe dressed in their finery, and\naccompanied by many knights and gentlemen who had come with\nTirant, they left the ship and went to the palace.  When the king\nsaw Philippe he embraced him and paid him great honor, and did\nthe same to the others.  They remained in the king's court ten\ndays.\nWhen they decided to leave, the king had them fill the ship with\neverything they needed.  From there Tirant sent a gentleman to\nthe King of France with letters explaining what had happened to\nhis son.  When the King of France learned that his son was in\nsuch good company he was very pleased, and the queen was\nespecially happy, because so much time had passed with them\nknowing nothing that they thought he was either dead or had\nentered some monastery.\nPhilippe took his leave of the King of Portugal, and the ship set\nsail, reaching the Cape of Saint Vincent to pass through the\nStraits of Gibraltar.  There they encountered many Moorish\nvessels, and when they saw the ship, all the vessels went into\nformation.  They attacked it fiercely, and the combat lasted half\na day, with many men from both sides dying.  After Tirant's men\nhad rested, they renewed the battle, and it was very fierce.  Now\nTirant's ship was much larger and lighter than any of those of\nthe Moors, but it was alone, while there were fifteen of the\nothers, large and small, and all of them carried weapons.\nOne very able sailor on the ship, named Cataquefaras, had sailed\na great deal, and he was very clever and valiant.  When he saw\nthat the situation was taking a turn for the worse, he took many\nropes from the ship and made a net.  He placed those ropes from\nstern to prow and around the mast, and he put them up so high\nthat the men did not find their weapons hindered in any way;\ninstead it kept them from being taken prisoner.  For the missiles\nthat the Moors launched were so many and so thick that it was a\ngreat marvel to see, and if the ship had not been covered by that\nnet of ropes, it would have been completely filled with stones\nand iron bars.  In that way it was protected so that no stone\ncould pass through it; instead, when a stone hit against the\nropes, it bounced into the sea.  What else did this sailor do?\nHe took up all the mattresses that he found on the ship, and he\ncovered the forecastles and the sides of the ship, and as the\nmissiles fell on top of the mats they could not damage the ship.\nAnd he did still more.  He took boiling oil and tar, and when\nthe ships drew alongside, they threw the oil and boiling tar with\nladles, causing grave injuries to the Moors, who had to draw\napart from the ship.  But still they passed through the entire\nStraits of Gibraltar, fighting night and day.  There were so many\nmissiles, darts and spikes that the sails were pinned to the\nship's mast when the Moors left them.  They were very near land,\nand certain that the ship would run aground, stern first, near\nthe city of Gibraltar.  But the sailors were so capable that they\nquickly put the ship around and raised the sails.  Then they\npassed out of the Straits and entered the great sea.\nPhilippe, Tirant and many others were wounded in these battles.\nThey went to a deserted island near the land of the Moors, and\nthere they tended to their wounds and repaired the ship as well\nas they could. Then they sailed along the Barbary Coast where\nthey fought many battles with Genoese and Moorish vessels until\nthey were close to Tunis.  There they decided to go to the island\nof Sicily to take on wheat.  They went to the port of Palermo\nwhere the king and queen were, with their two sons and a very\nbeautiful daughter named Ricomana, a very intelligent maiden of\nmany virtues.  When the ship was in port, they made a scribe\ndisembark along with five or six men, with orders to tell no one\nabout Philippe or Tirant, but rather to say that their ship had\ncome from the west and was on its way to Alexandria with some\npilgrims who were going to the Holy Sepulcher.\nWhen the king learned that they had come from the west he had the\nscribe from the ship and all the others called before His Majesty\nso he could have news of those lands.  Before the king, they told\nabout the great battles they had had with the Moors and Genoese\nin the Straits of Gibraltar, and forgetting at that moment\nTirant's words, they mentioned that Philippe, son of the King of\nFrance, was there, in the company of Tirant lo Blanc.  When the\nking heard that Philippe was on that ship, he had a great wooden\nbridge, covered with cloth and satin, constructed from land to\nthe ship.  And to pay him honor, the king went on board the ship\nwith his two sons, and implored Philippe and Tirant to come on\nland and rest a few days from the great hardships they had\nendured at sea, and from their battles with the Moors.  Philippe\nand Tirant thanked him and told him that, to please him, they\nwould go with His Majesty.\nThe king brought them to the city, furnished them with very nice\nquarters, and had them served excellent dishes and other things\nmen need who have been at sea.\nPhilippe, following Tirant's counsel, told the king that they\nwould not stay in their room until they had seen the queen.  And\nthe king was very pleased.  When they were upstairs in the\npalace, the queen, along with her daughter, the princess,\nreceived them very graciously. And when they returned to their\nlodgings they decided that she was everything a king's daughter\nshould be.\nAfterward, everyday at mass or after eating, they were with the\nking and especially with the infanta, who was so pleasant to the\nforeigners who came and went, that everyone spoke of her great\nvirtue.  And by speaking with the infanta everyday at the king's\ncourt, Philippe grew very enamored of her, as she did of him.\nBut Philippe was so shy when he was in her presence that he\nscarcely dared speak, and when she asked him questions, he did\nnot know how to respond to some of them.  Tirant quickly answered\nfor him and said to the infanta:\n\"Oh, my lady, what a thing love is!  That Philippe!  When we are\nin our lodgings or away from here his lips never tire of praising\nYour Majesty, and when you are present he is overcome with love,\nand finds it difficult to speak.  In truth, I tell you, if I were\na woman and I found someone with his genteel quality, and I knew\nhe was of a long and good lineage, I would forget everyone else\nand would love only him.\"\n\"Oh, Tirant,\" said the infanta.  \"Your words sound nice, but if\nit turns out that he is vulgar by nature, what pleasure would it\nbe for a maiden to have everyone laugh at him.  For love's sake,\ndon't tell me such things; I would prefer a man who was prudent\nand discreet, rather than for him to be vulgar and avaricious.\"\n\"My lady,\" said Tirant, \"you are right, but he doesn't fit that\ndescription.  He's young and of tender years, but he's old in the\nbest sense, generous, more valiant than anyone, and very amiable\nand gracious.  During the night he gets up and doesn't let me\nrest the way I would like.  If I want to give him pleasure I have\nonly to speak of Your Majesty.  If this isn't love, tell me, what\ncould it be?  My lady, love someone who loves you.  He is the son\nof a king, like you, and he loves you more than his life.  If he\ndoes not talk as much as Your Grace would like, that is a virtue.\nGuard yourself, my lady, from those men who boldly dare to court\na maiden.  That kind of love is not good love: it comes and goes.\nAnd men like those are called corsairs, because they make booty\nof everything.  My lady, give me a man who appears before his\nlady with great fear and shame, with his hands trembling, and who\ncan scarcely utter a word.\"\n\"Tirant,\" said the infanta, \"because of your great friendship\nwith Philippe, you are right to honor him so much.  With your\nnoble order of chivalry, you can do nothing but what is expected\nof you, and that's why I think highly of you.  But don't imagine\nthat I'm a woman who is easily convinced.  I have to put my hands\nin up to the elbows in the sense of knowing his manners, his\nstation and condition, and if he could bring me happiness.\nAlthough I'm happy when I see him, experience tells me that he\nseems vulgar and avaricious, and both of those vices are\nincurable.\"\n\"I beg Your Highness to give me an audience, and not to be angry\nat what I say to you.  I see ambassadors from the Pope coming to\nthe court to arrange a marriage between Your Highness and his\nnephew (and some wonder if he isn't his son).  And I also see\nambassadors from the King of Naples, the King of Hungary, and the\nKing of Cyprus.  Although I may not have the power of the most\nChristian King of France, I would like to talk to your father and\nYour Highness about the wedding.  I see that you are wise and\ndiscreet, my lady.  But because of your perfection you deserve to\nbe on the imperial throne and subject to the crown of France: it\nis of greater height than the Roman Empire.\"\nAt this time the queen arrived and interrupted their delightful\nconversation.  After a few moments the queen said to Tirant:\n\"Virtuous knight, scarcely an hour ago the king and I were\nspeaking of you and your chivalrous deeds, and the king wishes to\nplace an undertaking in your charge that is very important to him\nand to me.\nAnd I regard you so highly that if you attempt it you will surely\ncome out of it with honor.  But to avoid all doubts I will put\nforth all the obstacles there that I can.\"\n\"My lady,\" said Tirant, \"Your Excellency speaks in such a covert\nmanner that I don't know what to reply, unless Your Highness can\ngive me a clearer explanation.  But whatever I can do for Your\nExcellency, with the consent of the king, I'll do it most\nwillingly, even if it should be to carry the cross on my back.\"\nThe queen gave him many thanks.  Tirant took leave of the queen\nand the infanta, and when he was at his lodgings he was sorry\nthat the ship was not repaired so that he could depart\nimmediately.\nTirant saw a ship on the high seas.  He wanted to have news\nbefore going to dine, and he sent an armed brigantine that left\nvery swiftly and then returned.  They told him that this ship\ncame from Alexandria and Beirut, and that it had touched on the\nisland of Cyprus, but that it had not been able to land at\nRhodes, because there were so many Moors that held it besieged on\nland and sea.  Many Genoese vessels were guarding the port, and\nthe city of Rhodes was in such straits that they had no bread to\neat.  It had been three months now since the Grand Master or\nanyone in the castle or the city had eaten.  They ate nothing but\nhorse meat, and the day they could find even that was a\nfortunate one.  They truly believed that in a few short days they\nwould have to surrender to the Moors.\nWhen Tirant heard this news, he reflected at length.  And he\ndecided to load the ship entirely with wheat and other victuals,\nand embark to give aid to Rhodes.  He quickly sent for merchants,\nand he gave them so much money that they loaded the ship with\nwheat, wine and salted meat.\nWhen the king learned of this he sent for Tirant, and said:\n\"The glory of your undertaking puts all the princes of\nChristianity to shame who have refused to aid the master of\nRhodes.  I would like to go with you to Jerusalem (in disguise so\nthat no one would recognize me).  That would please me more than\nif you gave me a kingdom, and I would be in your debt for the\nrest of my life.  So I beg you with great love, don't refuse this\nto me.\"\nWhen the king had finished, Tirant said:\n\"If it should become necessary, I will treat Your Highness as my\nown lord, as though I had served you all my life.  As for going\non my ship, my lord, the ship, my possessions, and myself all\nbelong to Your Excellency, and you may command and order\neverything as if it were your own.\"\nAnd so they agreed.  When the king had seen the ship, he asked\nfor his room to be prepared near the mast, because a ship is\nsafer there when disaster strikes.\nEvery day the king and Tirant discussed many things, and finally\nthey spoke about Philippe.  Tirant wanted to arrange a marriage\nbetween him and the infanta, and for him to have the dowry the\nking had mentioned.  The king favored a union with the house of\nFrance, but he said:\n\"Tirant, I won't make a decision about any of these things until\nI know what my daughter thinks.  If she agrees, then I will\nconsent to the marriage.  I will be very happy to talk to the\nqueen and to my daughter, and if they agree, the wedding will be\nheld before we leave.\"\nThe king had the queen and his daughter brought to his chambers,\nand he said to them:\n\"The reason that I had you come here, my queen and my daughter,\nwas to tell you about a journey I will be making soon.  I have\ndecided to go with Tirant to Jerusalem, and so that no one will\nknow me I am taking along only one gentleman to serve me.  And\nbecause my life and death are in the hands of God, our Heavenly\nFather, I would like to see you well married, my daughter.  If\nyou like the king's son who is here, and who would unite us with\nthe greatest king in Christianity, I am certain that with\nTirant's aid and counsel and Philippe's willingness, everything\ncan be arranged satisfactorily.\"\n\"It seems to me,\" said the infanta, \"that Your Majesty knows it\nwill be two weeks before the ship's cargo is loaded and it's\nready to weigh anchor.  In that time, Your Highness, with the\ncounsel of my uncle and your brother, the Duke of Messina, you\ncan take care of the matter, because the duke is expected here\ntonight or tomorrow.\"\n\"You speak well, my daughter,\" said the king, \"and what you say\nis reasonable.\"\n\"Pardon me, Your Highness,\" said the infanta, \"but since Your\nExcellency has decided to go on this saintly journey, you should\nhold a great celebration so that Tirant and all the men with him\nwill be more willing to serve you when you are at sea, and\nbesides if it reaches the ears of the King of France, he will\nknow that Your Highness is showing consideration to his son,\nPhilippe.  Next Sunday a celebration could be held that would\nlast three days; the tables could he set night and day, and\nthere would always be enough food on them for everyone who wanted\nto attend.'\n\"In faith, my child,\" said the king, \"you've thought it out\nbetter than I could have, and I am very happy to do it, But I'm\nvery busy planning my journey, and I want to leave the kingdom in\nsuch a good state that no one will note my departure, and besides\nthere could be many problems when we are in the land of the\nMoors.  So I would like you, my child, to plan this and be in\ncomplete charge of it .\"\nThe king immediately had the steward and the purchasers brought\nin, and he told them to do everything his daughter, Ricomana,\ncommanded, and they said they would be happy to.\nThe infanta planned everything very well, and many different\ndishes were chosen.  Now the infanta held this celebration solely\nto see how Philippe would conduct himself at the table.\nThe infanta gave instructions that on the day of the great feast\nthe king, the queen, Philippe and she would eat together at a\ntable above the others, and that the Duke of Messina, Tirant, and\nall the counts and barons and others would eat at a table below\nthe king's.  The evening before the celebration the king sent two\nknights to Philippe and Tirant, asking them to go with him to\nmass and to dinner the following day. And they humbly accepted\nthe invitation.\nIn the morning they dressed in their finest clothing, and all\ntheir men did the same, and then they went to the palace and paid\nhomage to the king.  The king received them very kindly, and he\ntook Philippe's hand, as did the Duke of Messina to Tirant, and\nthey went to the church.  When the king was at his chapel, they\nasked his permission to accompany the queen and his daughter, and\nthe king gave his consent.  As they walked with the ladies,\nPhilippe took the infanta's arm so that he could be closer to\nher, and Tirant never left Philippe's side for fear that he would\ndo or say something foolish that would annoy the infanta.\nWhen the mass was finished and the king and all the others had\ngone back to the palace, the dinner was ready.  The king sat in\nthe center of the table with the queen at his side.  To honor\nPhilippe, the king had him sit at the head of the table, with the\ninfanta facing him.  Tirant wanted to remain standing in order to\nbe near Philippe, but the king said to him:\n\"Tirant, my brother, the Duke of Messina is waiting for you, and\nhe doesn't want to sit down without you.\"\n\"My lord,\" said Tirant, \"if you please, tell him to take a seat,\nbecause at a feast like this it's fitting that I should serve the\nking's son.\"\nThe infanta was impatient, and with a rather cross look on her\nface she said to him:\n\"Don't bother yourself about being at Philippe's skirts all the\ntime, Tirant.  In my father, the king's house, there are enough\nknights to serve him so that you don't have to do it.\"\nWhen Tirant heard the infanta speaking so heatedly and saw that\nhe had to leave, he put his mouth to Philippe's ear and said to\nhim:\n\"When water is brought to the king, and you see the infanta\ngetting up and then kneeling and holding the vessel for him, you\ndo what she does, and be careful not to do anything gauche.\"\nHe said that he would, and Tirant left him.  When they were all\nseated, the king's water bowel was brought, and the infanta knelt\nand held the laver.  Philippe tried to do the same, but the king\nwould not allow it.  And the same happened with the queen.  When\nit was the infanta's time to wash, she took Philippe's hand so\nthat they could wash together, and Philippe courteously and with\ngentility, said that it was not seemly.  Then he knelt and\nattempted to hold the dish for her, but she refused to wash until\nthey both washed together.  Then the bread was brought and placed\nbefore the king and the others, and no one touched it as they\nwaited for the dinner to be brought.  When Philippe saw the bread\nbefore him he quickly took a knife, and picking up a loaf of\nbread he cut through it and made twelve large pieces.  When the\ninfanta saw such a sight she could not contain her laughter.  The\nking and everyone there, including the serving boys, made great\nsport of Philippe, and since the infanta was laughing too, it was\ninevitable that it should come to Tirant's attention, because he\ndid not take his eyes from Philippe for a moment.  Standing up,\nhe ran from the table and said:\n\"By heaven, Philippe must have stained his honor with some great\nfoolishness.\"\nHe went to his side at the king's table, and saw the slices of\nbread that Philippe had cut.  When he saw that neither the king\nnor anyone else had touched their bread, he immediately\nunderstood the reason for the outbursts of laughter.  Tirant\nquickly picked up the slices of bread; then he reached into his\npocket, took out twelve gold ducats and put one ducat on each\nslice, and he had them given to the poor.  When the king and the\ninfanta saw what Tirant had done, they all stopped laughing.\nThe king asked Tirant the meaning of what he had done.\n\"My lord,\" said Tirant, \"when I have finished what I must do I\nwill tell Your Highness.\"\nTirant gave out all the bread slices, each one with its ducat,\nand he put the last one to his mouth, said an Ave Maria over it,\nand gave it away.  The queen said:\n\"I would like very much to know about this ceremony.\"\nTirant answered:\n\"My lord, Your Excellency and all the others are astonished at\nwhat Philippe began and I have finished, and you've all mocked\nhim.  The reason for it, since Your Highness wants to know, is\nthat the most Christian kings of France, because of all the\nblessings they've received from the immense goodness of Christ\nour Lord, began this tradition: Before any of their children\nentered the order of chivalry, they were not allowed to eat the\nfirst loaf of bread that was put in front of them at dinner until\nthey had cut it into twelve slices, and placed a silver \"real\" on\neach one, and had given it to the poor in memory of the twelve\napostles.  Then, after the order of chivalry had been bestowed on\nthem they would put a piece of gold on each slice.  And even down\nto today everyone in the house of France continues the custom.\nAnd, my lord, that's why Philippe cut the bread and made twelve\nslices, one for each apostle.\"\n\"Praise God,\" said the king, \"that sort of charity is the most\nbeautiful I've ever heard of.  I'm a crowned king and I don't\ngive as much in alms in a month.\"\nDinner came, and the infanta told Tirant to go back and eat.\nPhilippe saw what he had done wrong and how discreetly Tirant had\nremedied it, and he was very careful with the meal, and ate only\nas the infanta did.\nWhen they left the table, the infanta began to talk to one of her\nladies whom she deeply trusted, and with a little anger mixed\nwith love, she began to lament:\n\"Look at what a sad state I'm in, to have this Tirant as the\nenemy of my desires: I can't talk alone to Philippe for even an\nhour.  Tell me, Tirant, why do you make me so mad?  You must know\nhow nice it is to be alone with the person you love.  Now, poor\nme, when I want to sleep I cannot, night is longer than I would\nlike it to be, nothing that I eat tastes sweet to me--instead\nit's as bitter as gall.  If this is life, what can death be?\"\nAnd the love-struck maiden lamented, tears flowing from those\neyes that had sparked many flames in Philippe's heart.  While the\ninfanta had this sad face, the king and his brother, the Duke of\nMessina, came into her chambers.\nWhen they were in the room the king, seeing such grief in her\nface, said to her:\n\"What's wrong, my daughter?  Why are you crying?\"\n\"And don't I have reason to, Sire?  Your Grace is about to leave.\nWhat am I to do all alone?  Who will be here to console me?  How\nwill my soul find peace?\nThe king tenderly consoled his daughter as best he could.  Then\nthey went to the queen.  The four held counsel, and the king\nsaid:\n\"I beg you, Duke, tell me what you think of this marriage with\nPhilippe.\"\n\"Sire,\" said the duke, \"since Your Highness and Philippe are\ngoing on this holy pilgrimage, I feel that this marriage should\ntake place only with the consent of his father and mother.\"\nTirant was then put in charge of writing letters to the King of\nFrance, and he explained all the details of the marriage pact, if\nthe king would agree.  The King of Sicily then prepared a\nbrigantine to go to the mainland with the letters.\nAt the same time, Tirant's ship was loaded with wheat and other\nprovisions.  When the brigantine was ready to depart, the king\npretended he was going on it, and he had the news spread that he\nwas going to Rome to talk to the Pope.  That night Tirant had the\nking and Philippe brought on his ship, and when all the men were\non board, Tirant went to take his leave of the princess and\neveryone in the court.  Tirant then set sail at night, and in\nfour days he was within sight of Rhodes.\nWhen the Genoese saw the ship coming, they thought it was one of\nthe two they had sent to bring provisions to their camp.  They\ncould not imagine that any other ship would dare to come into the\nmidst of as many ships as were in the port.  The ship approached,\nand as it drew near it unfurled all its sails.  This, and the\nshape of the ship, made the Genoese realize that it was not one\nof theirs, and they hurried to prepare to attack.  But the ship\nwas so close that none of their ships had time to raise their\nsails, and this ship swiftly sailed through all of them at full\nmast.  However, they used lances, spikes and bombards, and all\nthe weapons used at sea.  Then Tirant ordered the helmsman and\nthe pilot not to turn the ship, but to head the prow straight\ninto land.  And they did, at full speed.\nWhen the people in the city saw the ship beach itself, they\nthought it was the Genoese coming to take the city.  All the men\nran there and bravely attacked it.  They were also being attacked\nby the ships at sea, and they were in dire straits until a sailor\nquickly took one of Tirant's flags and raised it.  When the\npeople from the city saw the flag they stopped fighting.  Then\none of the men told them that the ship had come to help them.\nHearing that the captain of the ship was French, and that the\nship was loaded with wheat for them, the people on land went to\ntell the Grand Master.\nWhen the Grand Master discovered that it was Tirant, he was very\nanxious to see him, because he had heard of his fame.  He sent\ntwo knights of the Order to the ship, to ask Tirant to come on\nland.  Tirant told them to tell the Grand Master confidentially\nthat the King of Sicily and Philippe, son of the King of France,\nwere on his ship and that they were going on a holy pilgrimage to\nJerusalem, and to ask if they would be safe on his land.  The\nGrand Master promised to keep their presence secret.  Then the\nking and Philippe disembarked, in disguise, and went to the rooms\nthat were prepared for them.  Tirant then went on land,\nwell-outfitted.  When Tirant was with the Grand Master they\ntalked at length.  The Grand Master told him how the sultan was\nbesieging them on land, day and night, and that the Genoese were\ndoing the same by sea; that they were at the point of\nsurrendering because of their great hunger, and they could not\nlast much longer.  They had eaten all the horses and other\nanimals, including the cats, and it would be a wonder to find one\nstill alive.\nTirant then had many barrels of wheat brought from the ship, and\nhe asked the Grand Master to have it distributed among all the\npeople, and he said there was still more for the castle.  They\nalso gave them the oils and the vegetables and meat, and all the\nother supplies.\nThat night Tirant and his men stood watch over the port.  The\nGenoese ships--especially the captain's ship--were very close to\nland.  It was nearly midnight when a sailor approached Tirant and\nsaid:\n\"Sir, what would your grace give to someone who, tomorrow night,\nset fire to the ship that's so close to shore, and that they say\nbelongs to the Genoese captain?\"\n\"If anyone could do that,\" said Tirant, \"I would gladly give him\nthree thousand gold crowns.\"\n\"Sir,\" said the sailor, \"if you promise me, on your word as a\nknight, to give them to me, I will do everything I can.  And if\nI'm not able to do it I will become your slave.\"\n\"My friend,\" said Tirant, \"I don't want you to put any\nobligations on yourself: the shame you will bring if you don't do\nit, will be punishment enough for you.  As for me, I promise you\non my order of chivalry, that if you set it on fire tomorrow, I\nwill give you everything I said I would, and more.\"\nThe sailor was very satisfied because he knew he could do it,\nwith all the skill he had both on sea and land.  In the morning\nhe prepared everything he needed.\nWhen the Grand Master had heard mass, he went to see the king,\nPhilippe and Tirant, and they spoke at length about the war and\nabout many things regarding the city which I will not go into so\nas not to be tiresome.  A very old knight of the Order, who had\ncome with the Grand Master, said:\n\"It seems to me, gentlemen, since you have brought enough\nsupplies to last the city several days, that my lord, the Grand\nMaster, should make a gift for the sultan of many different kinds\nof foods, in order to make him lose any hope he has of taking us\nby hunger.\"\nAll the great lords praised the old knight's advice, and the\norder was immediately given to send him four hundred hot loaves\nof bread straight from the oven, wine, honey and sugar\nsweetmeats, three turkeys, chickens and capons, honey, oil, and\nall the other things they had brought.\nWhen the sultan saw the present, he said to his men:\n\"Damn this present and the traitor who sent it!  This will bring\nthe perdition of my honor, and will be my ruin.\"\nWhen it was nearly midnight, and very dark, the sailor had\neverything ready to set the captain's ship on fire, and he did it\nthis way:\nThe sailor had fixed a very strong capstan into the ground near\nthe sea.  Then he put a thick rope in a boat along with a hemp\ncord as thick as a man's finger.  He got into the boat, and two\nmen rowed for him.  When they were so near the ship that they\ncould hear the men on the poop deck talking, they stopped rowing.\nHe took off all his clothes and tied a cord around his waist.\nThen he took a very sharp knife so that he could cut any cords he\nneeded to, and he put it in back of him so it wouldn't bother him\nwhen he swam.  He attached one end of the cord to the knife\nsheath, and he told the men in the boat to keep feeding him line.\nWhen everything was ready he slipped into the water, and swam\nuntil he was so close to the ship that he could hear the men on\nwatch talking.  Then he swam underwater so that no one would see\nhim, and he reached the rudder.  He looped the cord through an\niron ring under the rudder, and swam underwater back to his boat.\nHe took the end of the cord and tied it to one end of the thick\nrope and he held it up and greased it thoroughly.  Then he took a\nchunk of grease for the bar, to let it slide through easily and\nnoiselessly.\nFinally he gave orders to the men, and swam back to the ship and\ngreased the bar.  The men on the boat stuck an iron pin through\nthe cord and pulled until the pin caught on the ring.  And the\nsailor knew that the other end of the rope was in the boat.  When\nhe thought it was time, they rowed back to land.  He tied one end\nof the rope to the capstan, and the other end was tied to a large\nboat, a type of whaling boat, that had been filled with firewood\nand candlewood, all soaked with oil so it would burn well.\nThey set it afire, and let it catch well.  Then one hundred men\nwere set at the capstan, and they began to turn it with all their\nstrength.  And with the power from the capstan it all happened so\nquickly that the large boat had barely started to move when\nsuddenly it was flush against the side of the ship.  With the\nhuge fire on it sending out enormous tongues of flame, it quickly\nset fire to the ship with such a fury that nothing in the world\ncould have put it out.  The men on the ship thought only of\ngetting away in small boats.  Others threw themselves into the\nsea to swim to the other ships, while many were burned to death\nbecause they did not have time enough to get off, and the fire\ncaught many others sleeping.\nWhen it was daylight Tirant took three thousand crowns and gave\nthem to the sailor, along with a silk garment lined with martens\nand a brocade doublet.  The sailor thanked him very much and was\nvery pleased.\nThen the sultan summoned his captains, both on sea and land.  He\ntold them what had happened, and also about the present the Grand\nMaster had sent him to show how well supplied the city was with\neverything it needed and more.  And as winter was setting in, the\ncold weather and rain were beginning to bother them.  So they\ndecided to raise camp and go back, but with the intention of\nreturning another year.\nHe quickly ordered the camp trumpets and pipes to play, and the\nships to raise their sails and come near the island, because he\nwould be there to get all the men.\nWhen Tirant saw the Moors raising camp, he armed himself, and\nwith all his men he left the city and went to the camp.  He set\nfire to the palisades and huts so that if they came back they\nwould have to build them again.\nThen the sultan set sail and returned to his land.  The lords\nthere were well informed about the reason he was returning, and\nthey went together to see him.  They took him prisoner, and put\nhim in a lion's den where he died horribly.  Then they chose\nanother sultan.  The new sultan ordered all the Genoese ships to\nform a large armada with all the men who had come from Rhodes,\nalong with many more, and he had them advance on Greece.  And so\nit was done.  And the Grand Turk was also invited, and he came\nwith many soldiers on horseback and on foot.  In the two armies\nwere seventeen thousand Moors.\nAnd as soon as they set foot in Greece, they took over many\nvillas and castles, and seized sixteen thousand small children,\nand sent them all to Turkey, to the land of the sultan, to be\nraised in the Mohammedan sect.  And they sent many ladies and\nmaidens into perpetual captivity.\nAnd the Island of Rhodes was freed from the power of the infidel.\nWhen the people at Cyprus knew that the sultan's armada had left\nthe city of Famagusta, they quickly loaded many ships with wheat,\noxen, sheep and other victuals, and they took it all to Rhodes\nbecause of the great hunger there.  Many other places also sent\nsupplies.  And in a short time the city and the island had so\nmuch that all the elders said they had never seen or heard their\nancestors tell of so great an abundance on the Island of Rhodes.\nA few days after the sultan had gone, two galleys arrived from\nVenice, loaded with wheat, and carrying pilgrims to the holy land\nof Jerusalem.  When Tirant learned about it he went to tell the\nking and Philippe, and they were very happy to hear it.\nThat night the king and Philippe and Tirant said farewell to the\nGrand Master and boarded the Venetian galleys with the few people\nwho came with them, for all the others stayed at Rhodes.\nDiafebus, Tirant's relative, did not want to stay behind; nor did\nTenebroso, so he could serve Philippe.\nThey made such good time that in a few days they reached the port\nof Jaffa, and leaving there, as the weather was fair and the sea\nwas calm, they reached Beirut with no trouble.  All the pilgrims\ndisembarked there and found good guides: there was a guide for\nevery ten people.  When they were in Jerusalem together, they\nstayed two weeks to visit all the holy places.  Then they boarded\nthe galleys again and raised the sails, and they had such good\nweather that they reached the island of Sicily in only a few\ndays.\nThere was great rejoicing among the Sicilians at the return of\ntheir lord, and a courier was sent to the queen to tell her of\nthe king's arrival.  The king asked about the queen's health, and\nabout his daughter and two sons, and his brother, the duke.  They\nanswered that they were all very well, and they told him how the\nKing of France had sent forty knights as ambassadors, with a\ncompany of gentlemen.\nThey rested there a few days because they were very tired from\nthe sea voyage.  After they had rested, the king and all the\ncompany set off for Palermo where the queen was staying.\nOn the day that he was to arrive, his brother, the duke, came out\nfirst, accompanied by very fine people.  Then came the\narchbishop, with all the clergy.  Then came the queen,\naccompanied by all the ladies of honor in the city; then, after a\nmoment, the infanta Ricomana came with all her maidens and those\nof the city, very well dressed, and they were a wonderful sight\nto behold; then came the forty ambassadors of the King of France,\nwearing gold chains and dressed in garments of crimson velvet\nwhich reached to their feet.\nWhen the king had greeted the queen, and his daughter had paid\nhim reverence, Philippe and Tirant bowed to the queen.  Philippe\ntook the infanta's arm, and they went to the palace.  On the way\nthe forty ambassadors came to pay their respects to Philippe\nbefore they did to the king, and Tirant said to Philippe:\n\"My Lord, tell the ambassadors to go and pay reverence to the\nking before they speak with you.\"\nPhilippe told them, and the ambassadors replied that they had\nbeen instructed by their lord, the King of France, his father, to\ngo to the king and give him the letters they were bringing after\nthey had paid obeisance to him.  And Philippe again told them\nthat above all they should go to the king before speaking with\nhim.\n\"Since Philippe wishes it,\" said the ambassadors, \"we will do as\nhe commands.\"\nWhen the king reached the palace with all the people, the\nambassadors from the King of France went to pay him reverence,\nand they gave him the letters.  The king received them very\nwarmly, and paid them great honor.  Then they went to Philippe\nand honored him, as was their duty, because he was the son of\ntheir own ruler.  Philippe regaled them, and there was great\nrejoicing.\nAfter the celebration for the king's arrival was over, the\nambassadors explained their mission, which had three parts.\nFirst, that the King of France was very pleased to have his son\nPhilippe marry the infanta Ricomana, as Tirant had arranged.\nSecond, that if the King of Sicily had a son, he would give a\ndaughter of his to him as his wife, together with one hundred\nthousand crowns as a dowry.  Third, that he had asked the pope,\nthe emperor, and all the princes of Christianity to send him aid,\nbecause he had decided to march against the infidel, and all\nthose to whom he had sent word had offered to help him.  And on\nbehalf of their lord, the King of France, they were asking him\nto give assistance, and if his lordship decided to send an armada\nhe should make Philippe captain and send him too.\nThe king's reply was that as far as the marriage was concerned he\nwas very pleased, but as to the rest he would hold counsel.\nWhen the infanta learned that her father had consented to her\nmarriage with Philippe, she said to herself:\n\"If I can find some defect in Philippe that shows that he's\ngauche or avaricious, he will never be my husband.  From now on I\nintend to devote every moment to discovering the truth.\"\nAnd while the infanta was deep in thought, a maiden in whom she\nhad complete confidence came into her chambers, and said to her:\n\"Tell me, my lady, what is Your Highness thinking about that\nmakes you look so disturbed?\"\nThe infanta answered her:\n\"I'll tell you.  My father, the king, has given his consent to\nthe ambassadors from France for the wedding, and I have a deep\nsuspicion that Philippe is gauche, and that he may even be\navaricious.  And if he is, in the slightest, I wouldn't be able\nto stay in the same bed with him for an hour; instead I would\nbecome a nun or go into a convent.  I've done everything I could\nto get to know him, but because of that traitor, Tirant, fortune\nhasn't been with me.  Yes; I Pray God that I'll see him boiled\nand fried because that day when the bread was cut I would really\nhave known Philippe if it hadn't been for him.\"\nWhen Philippe received the money his father had sent, he dressed\nup in elegant clothing, and he wore many jewels and gold chains\nand other valuable jewelry.\nOn the day of Our Lady, in August, the king invited Philippe and\nall the ambassadors, and everyone who held a title in his land to\ndine. When the king was sitting at the table it began to rain\nvery hard.  The infanta was very pleased, and she said:\n\"Now I can find out what I want to know.\"\nWhen the tables were cleared the minstrels came, and they danced\na while before the king and queen.  Then came the collation.  The\nking went into his chambers to rest, but the infanta would not\nstop dancing for fear that Philippe would leave.\nWhen it was nearly time for vespers the skies cleared and the sun\ncame out, and then the infanta said:\n\"It's such a nice day, wouldn't it be a fine idea for us to go\nriding through the city?\"\nPhilippe quickly answered:\n\"My lady, why would you want to ride through the city in this\nterrible weather?  If it starts to rain again you'll get\ndrenched.\"\nTirant saw through the infanta's wiles, and he tugged at\nPhilippe's coattails to make him be quiet.  The infanta caught a\nglimpse of the signal Tirant was making, and she became very\nangry.  She ordered the horses brought out, and they all sent for\nthe animals.  When the infanta was mounted she almost turned her\nback on Philippe, but kept sight of him out of the corner of her\neye.  And Philippe said to Tirant:\n\"Send for another suit of clothes so that this one won't be\nruined!\"\n\"Oh,\" said Tirant, \"the clothes be damned!  Don't worry about\nyour clothing.  If this suit gets dirty, there will be another\none.\"\n\"At least,\" said Philippe, \"see if there aren't two pages who\nwill carry my coattails so they won't drag along the ground.\"\n\"For the son of a king,\" said Tirant, \"you're very stingy!  Hurry\nalong now, the infanta is waiting.\"\nThen Philippe, very troubled, started out.  While the infanta,\nwho had been watching them talk, wasn't able to make out their\nwords.\nSo they rode through the city, and the infanta enjoyed herself\nimmensely, seeing how the clothes of that miserly Philippe were\ngetting wet, and how he was always looking at them.  The infanta,\nto have more pleasure, told them to bring the falcons and they\nwould go a little way out to the outskirts and hunt some quail.\n\"Don't you see, my lady?\" said Philippe.  \"This is no time for\nhunting.  There's nothing but mud and water everywhere.\"\n\"Oh, you niggardly fellow!\" said the infanta.  \"This oaf still\nwon't do anything that I want.'\nBut she paid no attention to him, and went out of the city and\nfound a peasant.  She took him aside and asked him if some river\nor canal was not close by.  The peasant answered:\n\"My lady, straight ahead, not far from here, you'll find a large\ncanal that will come up to a mule's groin.\"\n\"That's just what I'm looking for.\"\nThe infanta went ahead, and they all followed her.  When they\ncame to the water, the infanta rode through it, and Philippe\nstayed behind and asked Tirant if there were any servants who\nwould hold up the tails of his clothing.\n\"I'm tired of your prattle.  Don't worry: I'll give you mine.\nThe infanta has gone through and she's riding ahead.  Hurry, and\ngo to her side.\"\nAnd Tirant laughed out loud so that it would look as though\nPhilippe had been telling him a joke.  When they had gone through\nthe water, the infanta asked Tirant what he was laughing at.\n\"In faith, my lady,\" said Tirant, \"I was laughing at a question\nPhilippe has been asking me all day long, before we left Your\nHighness's chambers, then when we were riding, and now as we went\nthrough the water.  He asked me what love is and where it comes\nfrom.  The second thing he said to me is: Where does love abide?\nI tell you, on my word, that I don't know what love is or where\nit comes from, but, my lady, the true and loyal love that\nPhilippe feels for you does not retreat from anything.\"\n\"Let's go back to the city,\" said the infanta.\nAs they went through the water, she watched to see if the two men\nwere talking together again.  Philippe, seeing that his clothes\nwere already soaked, was unconcerned as they rode through the\nwater.  And the infanta was very much relieved, and believed\neverything Tirant had said to her.  But her soul was still not\nentirely at ease, and she went to Tirant and said to him:\n\"I'm in a situation where fortune holds me in its hands.  I would\nrather renounce my life and possessions than take a husband who\nis gauche, vile and avaricious.  And I want to tell you in all\ntruth, Tirant, that my fortune has always been adverse.  Now if I\ntake this man for a husband, and he turns out not to please me, I\nwould find myself having to do very desperate things, because it\nis my opinion that it's better to live alone than to live with a\nbad companion.\"\nTirant quickly replied:\n\"Philippe is one of the best knights in the world today.  He is\nyoung, more genteel than any other man, courageous, generous and\nmore wise than gauche.  That's been his reputation wherever we've\ngone, among knights, duennas and maidens.  Even the Moorish women\nwho saw him, loved him and wanted to serve him.  If you doubt it,\nlook at his face, his hands, his feet, and his entire body.  And\nif you would like to see him completely naked, I can arrange that\ntoo, my lady.  I know that Your Highness loves him deeply, for he\nis loved by all people.  You are to blame, my lady, if you don't\nhave him by your side in a bed perfumed with benjamin, civet, and\npure musk, and on the following day if you complain to me about\nhim I will suffer whatever torment Your Highness decides.\"\n\"Oh, Tirant,\" said the princess.  \"I would be very happy if I\ncould have someone who would please me.  But what use would it be\nif I had a statue at my side who could only give me pain and\ndesperation?\"\nAt this moment they reached the palace and found the king in the\nhall, speaking with the ambassadors from France.  When he saw his\ndaughter he took her by the hand and asked where she had been.\nDinner was ready, and Philippe and the ambassadors took their\nleave of the king and the infanta, and went to their chambers.\nAfter dinner they began to dance, and the infanta purposefully\ncaused the dancing to continue until late at night.  The king saw\nthat it was past midnight, and he left without a word so that he\nwould not disturb his daughter's pleasure.  And as it began to\nrain the infanta sent word to the king, asking him to permit\nPhilippe to remain that night, and to sleep in the palace with\nher brother, the infante.  The king answered that that was\nagreeable to him.\nAfter the king had left, the dancing ended and the infante begged\nPhilippe to stay there that night to sleep because most of the\nnight was already past.  Philippe answered that he was deeply\ngrateful, but that he would go to his lodgings.\nThe infanta took hold of his clothes and said:\n\"Since it is my brother, the infante's, wish for you to stay\nhere, this will be your lodging tonight.\"\nTirant said:\n\"Since they are so fond of you, stay here to give them pleasure,\nand I'll stay with you so that I can serve you.\"\n\"That won't be necessary, Tirant,\" said the infanta, \"because in\nthe house of my father, my brother, the infante, and myself,\nthere will be no lack of people to serve him.\"\nSeeing how angrily she spoke, Tirant realized that they did not\nwant him, and he left with the others for his lodging.  When they\nhad gone, two pages came with torches and asked Philippe if it\nwas his desire to go to sleep.  And he answered that he would do\nwhatever his lady, the infanta, and her brother commanded.  They\nsaid that it was time now.  Philippe bowed to the infanta and\nfollowed the pages, who led him to a room where there were two\nbeds.\nThe king had ordered a very special canopy made entirely of\nbrocade, to be given to his daughter on her wedding day, and he\nhad another placed in a room to serve as its model.  When the\nbrocade canopy was finished, the two beds were placed next to\neach other, and the coverlet was of the same brocade.  And on it\nthey put the sheets for the wedding, with embroidered pillows, so\nthat it was an exceptional bed.  The other bed in the same room\nwas entirely white, and there was a great difference between the\ntwo.\nWhen Philippe saw such a luxurious bed he was astonished, and he\nthought it better to lie down on the other one.  That evening,\nwhile dancing, he had slightly torn his stocking, and he thought\nthat his servants would not come as soon as he would get up in\nthe morning.  The pages had been well instructed by the infanta,\nwho was in a place where she could see very well what Philippe\nwould do.  Philippe said to one of the pages:\n\"Please go bring me a needle and a little bit of white thread.\"\nThe infanta had seen him give orders to the page but she did not\nknow what he was asking for.  Then the page went to the infanta,\nand she had them give him a needle with a little thread.  The\npage took it to him, and found him pacing from one end of the\nroom to the other, and he did not say one word to the second page\nwho was there.\nWhen Philippe had the needle he went to a torch and opened a\nblister that was on his hand.  The infanta immediately thought he\nhad asked for the needle because of the blister.  He put it on\nthe bed where he had decided to sleep.  Philippe then took off\nhis clothing and sat on the bed.  After the pages had removed his\nstockings, Philippe told them to go to sleep and to leave a torch\nlit for him.\nThey did so, closing the door.  Philippe got up from where he was\nsitting in order to get the needle and sew his stocking, and he\nbegan to look for it from one end of the bed to another.  He\ngloomily lifted the coverlet, and he twisted and turned it so\nmuch that it fell on the floor.  Then he lifted up the sheets and\ntore the entire bed apart without finding the needle.  He thought\nabout making up the bed again and sleeping in it; but when he saw\nit all undone, he said to himself:\n\"Oh well.  Won't it be better for me to sleep in the other one\ninstead of making this one up again?\"\nA very singular needle was that for Philippe.  He lay down in the\nbed of rich covers.  The infanta, who had seen the entire\ndisplay, said to her maidens:\n\"Upon your life, look how great the knowledge of foreigners is,\nespecially Philippe.  It was my intention to test him, as I have\ndone other times, with these two beds.  I thought that if\nPhilippe were gauche and avaricious he would not dare sleep in a\nbed like this one, but instead would lie down in the other which\nis more plain.  He has done something quite different: he has\ntorn apart the plainest one and has thrown its covers on the\nfloor, and he has gone to bed in the best one to show that he is\nthe son of a king.  Now I can see that Tirant is a loyal knight\nwho has always told me the truth.\"\nAnd with this thought, she left to go to bed.\nVery early in the morning Tenebroso came to Philippe's chambers\nwith his pages, and brought him more clothing so that he could\nchange.  When the infanta was dressed and still fastening her\nskirt, she sent for Tirant and with a show of great happiness she\ntold him:\n\"I have come to realize how special Philippe is.  I have seen\nwith my own eyes his speech and royal manners, and that he is\nvery generous.  Until now I felt very hesitant about giving my\nconsent to this marriage, but from now on I will do everything\nHis royal Majesty, my father, commands me.\"\nTirant heard the infanta's words, and he was the happiest man in\nthe world.  He quickly answered:\n\"I am very happy that Your Excellency has come to know the truth.\nI am going to speak with my lord, the king, immediately in order\nto bring the matter to a swift conclusion.\"\nTirant took his leave of the infanta and went to the king and\ntold him:\n\"I see the ambassadors from France in great anguish about this\nwedding so I have come to Your Majesty to beg you to either have\nit take place, or give the ambassadors your leave so that they\ncan return to their king.  And if it will not make Your Majesty\nangry to have me speak with my lady, the infanta, on Your\nHighness' behalf, I believe that she will be inclined to do\nwhatever Your Majesty commands.\"\n\"If God gives health to my soul and my body,\" said the king,\n\"that will please me.  I beg you to go to her and make the\nrequest on my behalf and your own.\"\nTirant left the king and went back to the infanta.  He found her\ncombing her hair, and he told her about the conversation he had\nhad with the king.  Then the infanta said:\n\"My lord Tirant, I have complete confidence in your nobility and\nvirtue, so I am putting this entire matter in your hands, and I\nwill agree to everything.  If you want it done now, I will do\nit.\"\nTirant saw how willing she was, and he saw Philippe at the door,\nwaiting to accompany the infanta to mass.  He asked the infanta\nto have the maidens leave because he wanted to tell her other\nthings in Philippe's presence.  The infanta ordered the maidens\nto go, and they were very surprised to see the infanta speaking\nso docilely to Tirant.\nWhen all the maidens were gone, Tirant opened the door to the\nchamber and had Philippe enter.\n\"My lady,\" said Tirant, \"here is Philippe who has a greater\ndesire to serve your ladyship than all the princesses in the\nworld, and so I beg your grace, here on my knees, to kiss him as\na sign of good faith.\"\n\"Oh, Tirant!\" said the infanta.  \"These are the words you wanted\nto tell me?  Your face reveals what you bear in your heart.  When\nmy king and my father commands it of me, then I will do it.\"\nTirant motioned to Philippe, who quickly took her up in his arms,\nand carried her to a lounge that was there, and kissed her five\nor six times.  The infanta said:\n\"Tirant, I placed no little trust in you.  What have you made me\ndo?  I thought of you as a brother and you have put me in the\nhands of someone I am still unsure of--I do not know whether he\nwill turn out to be my friend or my enemy.\"\n\"Your words are cruel, my lady.  How can Philippe be an enemy to\nYour Excellency if he loves you more than his own life, and\ndesires to hold you in that bed where he slept this evening,\ncompletely nude, or in your chemise?  You can be certain that\nthis would be the greatest blessing in the world.  So, my lady,\"\ncontinued Tirant, \"allow Philippe, who is dying of love for you,\nto enjoy part of the glory that he has desired so much.\"\n\"May God not permit it,\" said the infanta, \"and may He keep me\nfrom an error like that.  I would think of myself as vile if I\ngave my consent to such a thing.\"\n\"My lady,\" said Tirant, \"Philippe and I are here only to serve\nyou.\nLet your benign grace have a little patience.\"\nAnd Tirant caught her hands while Philippe attempted to make use\nof his own resources.  The infanta cried out, and the maidens\ncame and calmed them down.\nWhen the infanta had laced up her garments, she dressed very\nelegantly, and Philippe and Tirant accompanied her and the queen\nto mass.  And there, before mass, they were engaged.  The\nfollowing Sunday the wedding was held with great ceremony, and\ncelebrations took place which lasted a week, with jousts,\ntournaments, dances, and buffoonery, night and day.\nIn this way the infanta was entertained, and she was very pleased\nwith Tirant, and much more with Philippe whose work was so\nwonderful that she never forgot it.\nWhen the wedding celebrations were over, the King of Sicily\ndecided to lend his assistance to the King of France, and he had\nten galleys and four large ships armed, and gave the men six\nmonths' wages.  Tirant bought a galley, but he refused to accept\nwages or to associate with anyone, because he intended to act on\nhis own.  When the galleys were armed and well stocked with food,\nthey received word that the King of France was in Aigues-Mortes\nwith all the vessels of the King of Castile, of Aragon, Navarre\nand Portugal.\nPhilippe was chosen captain, and the infante of Sicily went with\nhim, and they found themselves in the port of Savona with ships\nfrom the pope, the emperor, and everyone who had offered their\naid.  They all left together and sailed until they came to the\nisland of Corsica where they found the King of France.  There\nthey took on water, and they approached the great city of Tripoli\nin Libya before dawn, and no one in the entire armada knew where\nthey were going with the exception of the king.  But when they\nsaw the king's ship turning and everyone taking up arms, they\nrealized that that was their destination.  Then Tirant, who was\non his galley, went to the king's ship on a skiff.  He climbed\naboard with many others, and they found the king arming himself\nand preparing for mass.\nDuring the reading of the Gospel, Tirant knelt before the king\nand begged him to let him make a vow, and the king gave his\nconsent.  Tirant placed himself at the feet of the priest who was\nsaying mass, and knelt down, and the priest took up the missal\nand turned it toward the king.  Tirant, while kneeling, put his\nhands on the book and said:\n\"By the grace of Almighty God, I belong to the order of chivalry.\nAs a knight who wants to attain honor, I make my vow to God and\nall the saints in paradise, and to my lord, the Duke of Brittany,\ncaptain-general of this armada, that I will be the first to touch\nland and the last to return.\"\nAfterward Diafebus vowed to write his name on the gates to the\ncity of Tripoli.\nThen another knight made a vow that he would go so near the wall\nthat he would put an arrow inside the city.\nAnother knight stood up and vowed that he would enter the city\nand take a Moorish maiden from her mother's side, that he would\nput her on the ship and give her to Philippa, the daughter of the\nKing of France.\nAnother knight vowed that he would place a flag on the highest\ntower in the city.\nOn the king's ship there were many knights--more than four\nhundred fifty.  And where there are many, envy and ill will are\nengendered, for the sin of envy has many branches.  Many were\nmoved by the desire to make Tirant break his vow, and they made\npreparations with boats and vessels and small galleys to be the\nfirst to reach land.\nThere were so many Moors that when they saw such a great armada\nthey positioned themselves near the sea to stop the Christians\nfrom reaching land.  All the galleys pressed forward toward land,\nand they were so close that their sides nearly touched.\nWhen they were so near to land that they could throw down the\nladders, all the ships turned about so the men could disembark.\nBut Tirant ordered his galley to head in to land, prow first.\nWhen he felt the ship touch land, Tirant, who was standing,\narmed, on the prow, jumped into the water.  The Moors saw him and\nran toward him to kill him; but Diafebus and others defended him.\nMany armed men and many sailors leapt after him in order to go to\nhis aid.\nAs soon as the king's galley and the others had turned about,\nthey lowered their ladders.  But who dared disembark when they\nsaw so many Moors?  The greatest fight was where Tirant stood.\nVirtue, goodness, strength and wisdom were in the king and his\nmen who, as valiant knights, climbed down the ladders, and their\nhaste to attack the Moors was so great that many fell into the\nsea.  When all the men were on land, they gave the Moors great\nbattle, and many men from both sides died.\nAs soon as the Moors attempted to take refuge in the city, many\ngood knights went in and took five streets of the city, but they\nwere unable to take more.  All the knights fulfilled their vows\non those five streets that they took, and they loaded the ships\nand the galleys with the great booty that they had taken.  But so\ngreat was the aid that the Moors received that they could not\npush on.\nWhen they had to withdraw, therein lay the great danger, and many\nof them died.\nWhen they were all on board, Tirant remained behind, because he\nhad not yet fulfilled his vow.  His galley had now debeached, and\nits ladder was on land, waiting for Tirant to board.  A knight\nwho was searching for honor, and who well deserved it for his\nvirtues, was named Ricart lo Venturos, and he remained behind\nwith Tirant.  Ricart said to Tirant:\n\"All the men are on board or are dead.  Only you and I are still\nhere.  You had the glory of being the first of the conquerors,\nbecause your feet were the first to touch this cursed land.  But\ndon't forget how I defended you many times from danger.  Let me\ngo on board the galley first, so that we can be equals in honor\nand fame and brotherhood, for at times a person who wants all\nworldly glory loses everything.\"\n\"There is no time to waste on words,\" said Tirant.  \"Life or\ndeath is in your hands.  I will be considered victorious if both\nof us die at the hand of these infidels, and I'm sure that our\nsouls will be saved if we die with our faith firm, like good\nChristians, defending ourselves.  So give me your hand, Ricart,\nand let us die like knights.\"\nThe two knights were in the sea up to their chests because of the\nlances, darts, spears and stones that were being hurled at them.\nWhen Ricart saw that Tirant was going up to the shore to attack\nthe Moors, he caught him by the coat and brought him back into\nthe water, and said:\n\"I know of no knight in the world as fearless as you are.  And\nsince I see how great your courage is, do this: Put your foot on\nthe ladder first, and then I will be first to climb up.\"\nThe king was in great anguish, afraid that those two knights\nwould be lost.  Tirant wanted to give him part of the honor, so\nhe put his right foot on the ladder.  Then Ricart went up first,\nand Tirant was the last of all, and so he fulfilled his vow.\nThere was much discussion about these two knights: some said that\nTirant had fulfilled his vow, and the king and many others paid\nhim high honor.  When Ricart saw that they all were honoring\nTirant, he said:\n\"If the matter is duly judged by the code of chivalry, who should\nthe honor and glory be given to, if not to me?  Tirant was a\ncoward in battle even when fortune aided him, so the prize for\nthis act should be given to no one but me.  I am barefoot, and I\nwill never again put shoes on my feet until His Majesty, the\nking, and the noble knights make a decision about this.  It is\nwell known that after all the men had retreated, Tirant and I\nstayed behind alone on the shore.  He and I argued at length\nabout who would be the first to go on board.  When he saw that I\ndid not want to, he put his foot on the ladder before I did.  And\nso, my lord, may it please Your Highness to summon your sacred\ncouncil, and let Your Majesty give the honor to the one it\nbelongs to, as it rightfully and justly belongs to me.  And if\nYour Highness does not want to judge this case, I say in the\npresence of everyone that I am a better knight than Tirant, and I\nwill fight him, man to man, to the death.'\"\nThe king answered:\n\"Ricart, no good judge can decide anything if he does not listen\nto all sides first, and this cannot be done without Tirant here.\"\nThis conversation came to Tirant's attention, and he brought his\ngalley alongside the king's ship.  When he came aboard, the king\nwas in his chambers, sleeping.  When Ricart heard that Tirant had\ncome, he went up to him and said:\n\"Tirant, if you dare to say that I'm not a better knight than you\nare, I offer to do battle with you to the death.\" And he threw\nhis gloves at him as a challenge.\nWhen Tirant saw that he wanted to fight him with so little\nprovocation, he raised his hand and dealt him a hard blow.  The\nnoise they raised was so loud that the king had to come up with\nhis sword in hand.  When Tirant saw the king, he went up to the\nforecastle, and from there he defended himself, and he said to\nthe king:\n\"Sire, Your Majesty should punish this shameless knight who is\nthe instigator of all evil.  He has never found himself in a\njoust, much less seen the flash of an angry sword before his\neyes, and now he wants to fight me to the death over nothing.  If\nhe defeats me he will have defeated all the chivalresque acts I\nhave accomplished to my glory and honor.  And if I am the victor\nI will have conquered a man who has never borne arms.\"\nAfter he had said these words he swung safely down to his galley\non a rope.  If the king had been able to put his hands on him at\nthat moment, because he committed such an outrageous act on his\nship, it would not have been surprising if he'd had his head\nremoved from his shoulders.\nThe king departed with the entire armada from Tripoli in Libya,\nand went toward Cyprus, sacking the Turkish coast and setting it\nred with blood and flames, and they loaded all the ships with the\nmany riches they had taken.  When they reached Cyprus they went\nto the city of Famagusta, took provisions of food and turned\ntoward Tunis.  There the king disembarked and they pressed the\ncity hard in combat.  Tirant and his men attacked a tower which\nhad a deep moat at its foot, and Tirant fell into it.  Ricart was\nheavily armed to see if he could take revenge on Tirant.  When he\nreached the tower he saw Tirant lying in the moat.  Ricart leapt\ninto the moat, wearing all his armor, and helped Tirant get up.\nThen he said:\n\"Tirant, here stands your mortal enemy who can give you death or\nlife.  God forbid that I should let you die at the hands of the\nMoors, when I can give you aid.\"\nAnd he pulled him out, for they would surely have killed him if\nthey had found him there.  When he was out, Ricart said to him:\n\"Now you are free, Tirant.  Protect yourself from death as well\nas you can, because you can be sure that I will do everything in\nmy power to kill you.\"\n\"Virtuous knight,\" said Tirant, \"I have seen your great goodness\nand courtesy, and I know that you saved me from a cruel death.  I\nkneel to the ground and beg your forgiveness for the way I\noffended you.  I give you my sword so that you can take whatever\nvengeance you like on me.\"\nWhen the knight heard such humble words, he forgave him and was\nhappy to be his friend, and from that time on they were good\nfriends, and were inseparable in life, until death.\nAfter the king had taken and sacked the city of Tunis, Ricart\nwould not go onto the king's ship, but went on Tirant's galley\ninstead.  When the king and the knights heard what had happened,\nthey praised both of them because each had shown great gentility.\nAfter the King of France left the city of Tunis, they turned\ntoward Sicily to see his daughter-in-law and to disembark in\nPalermo.  When the King of Sicily learned of his arrival, he had\na great celebration prepared for the King of France.  The King of\nSicily went on board his ship, and when they met they were both\ndelighted.  They went on land where the daughter-in-law was\nwaiting, and the father-in-law and daughter-in-law met joyfully.\nThe king gave her many presents and held her hand all day long\nand would not let her leave his side.  And as long as the King of\nFrance remained there, each day, before the infanta arose, he\nwould send her some expensive gift: one day brocades, another\nsilks, gold chains, trinkets, and other jewels of great value.\nThe King of Sicily presented the King of France with one hundred\nvery beautiful and unique horses, which the King of France made a\ngreat show of appreciation over.  And the King of Sicily had his\ndaughter go on board the ships personally and inspect them to see\nhow well they were stocked with food, and to supply them with\neverything they needed.  The King of France thought highly of\nwhat his daughter-in-law was doing, and he was very pleased to\nsee that she was a very discreet and diligent woman who was on\nboard the ships from morning to night, and that she did not eat\nuntil they had been supplied.\nWhen the ships were filled and the horses were put on board, the\nKing of France took his leave of the King of Sicily, the queen\nand the infanta, and departed, taking the Prince of Sicily with\nhim, and when they were in France he gave him one of his\ndaughters for a wife.\nThe armada left the port of Palermo and turned toward Barbary,\nand moving along the shore line they came to Malaga, Oran and\nTlemcen.  They passed through the Strait of Gibraltar, then went\nto Ceuta, Alcazar Segur, and Tangier.  As they turned along the\nother coast of Cadiz, Tarifa and Gibraltar, they went by\nCartagena, for in those days the entire coast was in the hands of\nthe Moors.  From there they went by the islands of Ibiza and\nMajorca, and then they went to the port of Marseille to\ndisembark.  The king gave liberty to all the ships except the\nones belonging to his son, Philippe; he wanted him to go along\nand see his mother, the queen.  Tirant went with them, and from\nthere he went to Brittany to see his father and mother and his\nrelatives.\nAfter a few days, while the King of France held the wedding for\nhis daughter and the prince of Sicily, he wanted Philippe to\nreturn to his wife.  Philippe received word that the King of\nSicily's other son had renounced the world, and become a friar.\nPhilippe begged his father, the King of France, to send for\nTirant to accompany him to Sicily.  The king wrote letters to the\nDuke of Brittany and to Tirant, asking him to go with Philippe to\nSicily, and asking the duke to plead with him earnestly.  When\nTirant saw the petitions of two such great lords, he was obliged\nto obey their commands, so he left Brittany and went to the court\nof the king.  The king and queen begged him earnestly to go with\nPhilippe; and he very graciously gave his consent.\nPhilippe and Tirant left the court and went to Marseille where\nthey found the galleys well stocked.  They boarded them, and had\nsuch a good voyage that in a few days they reached Sicily.  The\nking, the queen and the infanta were very happy to see them.\nCHAPTER IV\nCONSTANTINOPLE\n After a week, while the king was in council, he remembered a\nletter the emperor of Constantinople had sent him, telling about\ncertain troubles.  He summoned Tirant, and had it read in his\npresence, and it said the following:\n\"We, Frederick, Emperor of the Empire of Greece by the immense\nand divine majesty of the sovereign and eternal God, extend\nhealth and honor to you, King of the great and abundant island of\nSicily.  By the pact made by our ancestors, sealed, signed and\nsworn by you and by me through our ambassadors: We do notify your\nroyal personage that the sultan, the Moorish renegade, is inside\nour empire with a great army, and in his company is the Grand\nTurk.  They have overpowered a large part of our realm, and we\nhave been unable to lend assistance, for because of my old age I\ncannot bear arms.  After the great loss we have suffered of\ncities, towns and castles, the dearest possession I had in this\nworld was killed -- my first born son who was my consolation, and\na guardian of the holy Catholic faith -- doing battle against the\ninfidel, to his great honor and glory and to mine, And as a\ngreater misfortune, he was killed by his own men.  That sad,\npainful day was the perdition of the imperial house and of my\nhonor.  It is known to me and is common knowledge that in your\ncourt you have a valiant knight, whose name is Tirant lo Blanc;\nhe belongs to the brotherhood of that singular order of chivalry\nsaid to be founded on that glorious saint, the father of\nchivalry, Saint George, on the island of England.  Many singular\nacts worthy of great honor are told about this knight and are\ncelebrated throughout the world, and they are the reason we ask\nyou to beg him on your behalf and mine to come to my service, for\nI shall give him all my possessions he may desire.  And if he\nwill not come I pray Divine Justice to make him suffer my pain.\nOh, blessed King of Sicily!  As you are a crowned king, have pity\non my pain so that the immense goodness of God will keep you from\na similar situation, for we are all subject to the wheel of\nfortune, and there is no one who can detain it.\"\nWhen the emperor's letter was finished, and Tirant had heard it,\nthe king said:\n\"You should thank Almighty God, Tirant, my brother, for He has\ngiven you such perfection that your name reigns throughout the\nworld.  I place my trust in your generosity, and so I dare to beg\nyou on behalf of the Emperor of Constantinople and myself.  And\nif my pleas have no effect on you, at least have pity on that\nunfortunate emperor so that he will not lose his imperial\nthrone.\"\nWhen the king had said this, Tirant replied:\n\"If Your Majesty commands me to go serve that prosperous emperor\nwho reigns in Greece, I will do it because of the great love I\nhold for Your Highness.  But, Sire, I can only do as much as a\nman can do; that is plain to God and to the whole world.  And I\nam even more astonished at that great emperor--who has passed\nover all the excellent kings, dukes, counts, and marquis in the\nworld who are more knowledgeable and more valiant than I am in\nthe art of chivalry--that he should pass over them for me.\"\n\"Tirant,\" said the king, \"I know very well that there are good\nknights in the world, and you should not be forgotten among them.\nIf, by chance, their honor should be examined, among the\nemperors, kings, and expert knights, the prize, honor and glory\nwould be given to you as the best of them all.  So I beg you as a\nknight to go and serve the imperial state, and I advise you to do\nso as if you were my son.\"\n\"Since Your Majesty commands and advises me to do this,\" said\nTirant, \"I will go.\"\nThe king ordered all the galleys to be stocked with everything\nthey would need.  And when the king told the emperor's\nambassadors that Tirant was willing to go, they were the happiest\nmen in the world, and they heartily thanked the king.\nAs soon as the ambassadors had reached Sicily they were ready to\noffer a salary to the men.  They gave half a ducat each day to\nthe crossbowmen, and a ducat to the soldiers.  And since there\nwere not enough men in Sicily, they went on to Rome and Naples,\nand there they found many men who accepted wages very willingly,\nand they also bought many horses.\nTirant took his leave of the king and queen, and of Philippe and\nthe infanta.  And with all the men on board, they let a favorable\nwind fill the sails, and they sailed quickly over a calm sea\nuntil one morning they found themselves before the city of\nConstantinople.\nWhen the emperor heard that Tirant had arrived, he was happier\nthan he had ever been, and he said that he felt as if his son had\ncome back to life.  As the eleven galleys neared shore, all the\ncries of happiness made the entire city resound.  The emperor\nwent up on a great cenotaph to watch the galleys come in.  When\nTirant learned where the emperor was, he had two large flags of\nthe King of Sicily brought out, and one of his own.  He had three\nknights come out in armor, each of them with a flag in his hand,\nand every time they passed in front of the emperor they lowered\nthe flags until they nearly touched the water, while Tirant's\ntouched it each time.\nThis was a sign of greeting, and because of the emperor's dignity\nthey humbled themselves so lowly before him.  When the emperor\nsaw this, which was something that he had never seen before, he\nwas very pleased.\nWhen Tirant was on land he found the Count of Africa waiting for\nhim on shore with many men, and he welcomed him with great honor.\nThey then made their way to the platform where the emperor was.\nAs soon as Tirant saw him he knelt to the ground, along with all\nhis men, and when they reached the middle of the platform they\nbowed again.  When he was six feet away he knelt and tried to\nkiss his foot, and the worthy lord would not permit it.  He\nkissed his hand, and the emperor kissed him on the mouth.\nWhen they had all bowed to him, Tirant gave him the letter from\nthe King of Sicily.  After the emperor had read it in everyone's\npresence, he spoke to Tirant:\n\"This is no small happiness I feel at your arrival, virtuous\nknight.  So that everyone will know how grateful I am to you, I\nam bestowing on you the imperial and general captaincy over the\nsoldiers and over justice.\"\nHe offered him a rod made of solid gold, and on its enamel head\nwas painted the coat of arms of the empire.  When Tirant saw that\nit was the emperor's will he accepted the rod and the captaincy,\nand kissed his hand.  The trumpets and minstrels began to play by\norder of the emperor, and they announced throughout the city by\nimperial proclamation how Tirant lo Blanc had been chosen captain\nby command of their lord, the emperor.\nAfter all this the emperor came down from the cenotaph to go back\nto the palace, and they passed by a very beautiful lodging that\nhad been prepared for Tirant and his men.  The emperor said:\n\"Captain, since we are here, go into your chambers so that you\ncan rest a few days from the hardships you have endured at sea.\"\n\"What, my lord!  Do you imagine that I would be so ill mannered\nas to leave you?  My consolation is to accompany Your Majesty--to\nHell itself, and even better, to the palace.\"\nThe emperor had to laugh at what Tirant had said.  And Tirant\ncontinued:\n\"My lord, if it please Your Majesty, when we are in the palace,\nallow me to go and pay my respects to the empress and to your\nbeloved daughter, the infanta.\"\nThe emperor gave his consent.  When they were in the palace the\nemperor took him by the hand and led him to the empress's\nchamber.  They found her in the following condition: the chamber\nwas very dark, for there was no light at all, and the emperor\nsaid:\n\"My lady, here is our captain who has come to pay you his\nrespects.\"\nShe replied in a very weak voice:\n\"Very well.  He is welcome.\"\nTirant said:\n\"My lady, it is by faith that I must believe that the one\nspeaking to me is the empress.\"\n\"Captain,\" said the emperor, \"whoever holds the captaincy of the\nGreek Empire has the power to open windows, and to look everyone\nin the face, to remove the mourning they bear for a husband,\nfather, son or brother.\"\nTirant asked for a lighted torch to be brought, and it was done\nimmediately.  When the light was cast on the room the captain\ndiscovered a pavilion entirely in black.  He went up to it,\nopened it, and saw a woman dressed in coarse cloth with a large\nblack veil over her head that covered her entirely, down to her\nfeet.  Tirant removed the veil from her head so that her face was\nuncovered, and when he saw her face he knelt to the ground and\nkissed her foot and then her hand.  She held a rosary in her\nhand, made of gold and enamel; she kissed it and then had the\ncaptain kiss it.  Then he saw a bed with black curtains.  The\ninfanta was reclining on the bed, dressed in a black satin skirt\nand covered with a velvet garment of the same color.  A woman and\na maiden were sitting at her feet on the bed.  The maiden was the\ndaughter of the Duke of Macedonia, and the woman was called\nWidow Repose, and she had nursed the infanta with her own milk.\nIn the back of the room he saw one hundred seventy women and\nmaidens, all with the empress and the infanta Carmesina.\nTirant approached the bed, made a deep bow to the infanta, and\nkissed her hand.  Then he opened the windows.  And it seemed as\nthough all the women were coming out of a long period of\ncaptivity: they had been plunged into darkness a long while\nbecause of the death of the emperor's son.  Tirant said:\n\"My lord, speaking by your leave I will tell Your Highness and\nthe empress my idea.  I see that the people in this notable city\nare very sad and troubled for two reasons.  The first is because\nof the loss of the prince, your son.  Your Majesty should not be\ntroubled, for he died in the service of God, upholding the holy\nCatholic faith.  Instead you should praise and give thanks to the\nimmense goodness of God, our Lord, because He gave him to you and\nit was His wish to take him from you for His own good, and He has\nplaced him in the glory of paradise.  The second reason they are\nsad is because all the Moors are so nearby that they are afraid\nof losing their possessions and their lives, and as a lesser evil\nthat they will become captives of the infidel.  That is why Your\nHighness and the empress must show smiling faces to everyone who\nsees you: to console them in their grief so that they will gather\ncourage to fight against the enemy.\"\n\"The captain's advice is good,\" said the emperor.  \"It is my wish\nand my command that men as well as women shed their mourning\nimmediately.\"\nWhile the emperor was talking, Tirant's ears were attentive to\nwhat he was saying, but his eyes were contemplating the great\nbeauty of Carmesina.  As the windows had been closed it was very\nwarm, so her blouse was partly open, exposing her breasts like\ntwo apples from the garden of Eden.\nThey were like crystal and allowed Tirant's eyes to gain\nentrance, and they remained prisoners of this free person\nforever, until death separated them.  The emperor took his\ndaughter Carmesina by the hand and led her from the room.  The\ncaptain took the empress's arm, and they went into the other room\nwhich was very nicely decorated and completely covered with works\nof art depicting the following love-stories: Floris and\nBlanchfleur, Thisbe and Pyramus, Aeneas and Dido, Tristram and\nIsolde, Queen Guinevere and Lancelot, and many more whose loves\nwere displayed in very subtle and artistic paintings.  And Tirant\nsaid to Ricart:\n\"I never thought there could be as many wondrous things on this\nearth as I am seeing.\"\nBy this he meant, more than anything, the great beauty of the\nprincess.  But Ricart did not understand him.\nTirant took his leave of the others and went to his chambers.  He\nentered a bedroom and put his head on a pillow at one end of the\nbed.  It was not long before someone came to ask him if he wished\nto dine.  Tirant said he did not, and that he had a headache.  He\nwas wounded by that passion that traps many.  Diafebus, seeing\nthat he was not coming out, went into the room and said:\n\"Captain, please, tell me what's the matter.  I'll be glad to\nhelp you if I can.\"\n\"My cousin,\" said Tirant, \"the only thing wrong is that the sea\nair has left me with ardor.\"\n\"Oh, captain!  Are you going to keep things hidden from me?  I\nhave been the archive of all your good and bad fortune, and now\nare you keeping secrets from me?  Tell me, I beg you.  Don't hide\nanything from me.\"\n\"Don't torment me even more,\" said Tirant.  \"I have never felt a\nworse illness than I do now.\"\nHe turned over from shame, not daring to look Diafebus in the\nface, and no other words could come out of his mouth except:\n\"I am in love.\"\nAs he said this, tears flowed from his eyes.  When Diafebus saw\nhow ashamed Tirant was he understood why, because Tirant had\nalways reprimanded all of his kinsmen and all his friends on the\nsubject of love.  And as Diafebus thought of the remedies for\nthis illness, he said:\n\"Although you may think that it is difficult and strange to be\nsubjugated by the yoke of love, you may be sure that no one can\nresist it.  And so, my captain, the more intelligent a man is,\nthe more he should hide his thoughts, and not reveal the pain and\nanguish that are attacking his mind.\"\nWhen Tirant saw the good advice that Diafebus was giving him, he\ngot up, feeling ashamed, and they went in to dinner, which was\nexcellent, because the emperor had planned it.  But Tirant could\nnot eat.  The others thought he was still feeling the ill effects\nof the sea.  And because of his great passion, Tirant left the\ntable and went into his room, sighing and ashamed of the\nconfusion that was overcoming him.\nDiafebus took another knight, and they went to the palace, not to\nsee the emperor but to see the ladies.  The emperor, who was\nsitting near a window, saw them passing by, and sent word for\nthem to come up.  Diafebus and the other knight went up to the\nemperor's rooms, and found him with all the ladies.  The emperor\nasked what had become of their captain, and Diafebus told him\nthat he felt a little ill.  When he heard it he was very\nconcerned, and told his doctors to go at once to see him.\nWhen they returned, the doctors told the emperor that his illness\nhad only been caused by the change of air.  The magnanimous\nemperor begged Diafebus to tell him about all the celebrations\nthat had taken place in England with the marriage of the king to\nthe daughter of the King of France, and about all the knights who\nhad jousted, and which ones had been victorious in the field.\n\"My lord,\" said Diafebus, \"I would be very grateful if Your\nMajesty would excuse me from telling about these things.  I\nwouldn't want Your Highness to think that because I'm a relative\nof Tirant I would favor him.  I will tell you what truly\nhappened.  And as proof, I have all the acts signed by the king,\nand the judges of the camp, and by many dukes, counts and\nmarquis, kings-of-arms, and heralds.\"\nThe emperor begged him to have them brought immediately.\nDiafebus sent for them and told the emperor extensively about all\nthe celebrations, and he did the same about the jousts.\nAfterward they read the acts and they saw that Tirant had been\nthe best of all the knights.  The emperor was very pleased, and\nhis daughter Carmesina even more so, as were all the ladies who\nwere listening very attentively to all the magnificent\nchivalresque acts of Tirant.  Afterward they wanted to know\nabout the wedding of the princess of Sicily and the liberating of\nthe Grand Master of Rhodes.\nWhen everything had been explained the emperor held counsel, as\nhe usually did for a half hour in the morning and one hour in the\nevening.  Diafebus wanted to go with him, but the valiant lord\nwould not permit it and told him:\n\"It is a well known fact that young knights have a greater desire\nto be with the ladies.\"\nHe left, and Diafebus stayed behind, and they spoke of many\nthings.\nPrincess Carmesina begged her mother, the empress, to let them go\nto another room where they could enjoy themselves, since they had\nbeen inside a long while in mourning for her brother.  The\nempress said:\n\"My child, you may go wherever you please.\"\nThey all went to a marvelous hall built completely with\nbrick-work, done artfully and with delicate craftsmanship.  When\nthe princess was in the hall, she drew apart from the others with\nDiafebus, and they began to talk about Tirant.  When Diafebus saw\nthat she was speaking of Tirant with such interest, he quickly\nsaid:\n\"Take everything that I say as a loyal servant, and keep it in\nthe most secret part of your heart: It was only the fame of Your\nHighness that brought Tirant here to see you and serve you.\nDon't imagine, Your Highness, that we have come at the request of\nthe valiant King of Sicily, or because of the letters your\nfather, the emperor, sent to the King of Sicily.  And Your\nHighness should not imagine that we have come to test ourselves\nin the exercise of arms, or because of the beauty of the land, or\nto see the imperial palaces.  Your Highness, the reason for our\ncoming was none other than the desire to see you and to serve\nYour Majesty.  And if wars and battles take place, it will all be\nto win your love and admiration.\"\n\"Oh, wretched me,\" said the princess.  \"What are you saying to\nme?  Shall I grow vain, thinking that all of you have come\nbecause of love of me, and not for the love of my father?\"\n\"In faith,\" said Diafebus, \"on that I could swear that Tirant,\nour brother and lord, begged us to come with him to this land to\nsee the daughter of the emperor, whom he desired to see more than\nanything in the world.  And the first time his eyes rested on\nYour Highness he was so overcome by the vision of Your Excellency\nthat he took to his bed.\"\nWhen Diafebus said these things to the princess she became\nwithdrawn and remained deep in thought, and could not speak.  She\nwas half beside herself, her angelic face blushing, for feminine\nfragility had so overtaken her that she could not utter a word.\nAt that instant the emperor arrived and called Diafebus, and they\nspoke of many things until the emperor wished to dine.  Diafebus\nexcused himself, approached the princess, and asked Her Majesty\nif she would like to command him to do anything.\n\"Yes,\" she said, \"take these embraces of mine and keep them for\nyourself, and give part of them to Tirant.\"\nDiafebus drew near to her and did what she commanded.\nWhen Tirant heard that Diafebus had gone to the palace and was\ntalking to the princess, he wanted very much for him to come back\nso that he could have news of his lady.  When he came into the\nroom, Tirant got up from the bed and said:\n\"My good brother, what news do you bring me of the lady who has\ncaptured my heart?\"\nWhen Diafebus saw Tirant's great love, he embraced him on behalf\nof his lady, and told him their entire conversation.  Then Tirant\nwas happier than if he had been given a kingdom, and he\nrecuperated so well that he ate well and was happy, and longed\nfor morning to come so he could go and see her.\nAfter Diafebus had left the princess, she remained lost in\nthought, and she had to leave her father's side and go into her\nchambers.  The daughter of the Duke of Macedonia was named\nStephanie.  She was a young lady whom the princess loved deeply,\nbecause they had been raised together from the time they were\nvery small, and they were both the same age.  When she saw that\nthe princess had gone into her chambers, she left the table and\nfollowed her.  When they were together the princess told her\neverything Diafebus had said to her, and about the great passion\nshe felt from Tirant's love.\n\"I tell you that I have been more pleased by the vision of this\nman than all the men I have ever seen in the whole world.  He is\ntall, of excellent disposition, and he shows his great spirit by\nhis manners, and the words that come out of his mouth are\ndelightful.  I think he is more courteous and agreeable than\nanyone I have ever known.  Who wouldn't love a man like that?\nAnd to think that he came here more out of love for me than for\nmy father's sake!  Truly, my heart is inclined to obey all his\ncommands, and the signs indicate that he will be my life and my\nsalvation.\"\nStephanie said:\n\"My lady, from among those who are good, choose the best.\nKnowing his extraordinary feats of chivalry, there is no lady or\nmaiden in the world who would not love him and obey his every\nwish.\"\nWhile they were engaged in this delightful conversation, the\nother maidens came in, along with Widow Repose, who was very\nconcerned with Carmesina since she had suckled her.  She asked\nthem what they were discussing, and the princess said:\n\"We were talking about what that knight was saying--about the\ngreat celebrations and honors that were given in England to all\nthe foreigners who were there.\"\nAnd they spent the night speaking of these and other things so\nthat the princess slept neither a little nor a great deal.\nThe following day Tirant put on a cloak of gold braid, and in his\nhand he carried the gold captain's stick.  All the rest of his\ncountrymen dressed in brocades and silks, and they all went to\nthe palace.\nWhen the emperor heard that his captain had come, he told them to\nlet him enter.  As he came in the emperor was dressing and the\nprincess was combing his hair.  Then she brought him water to\nwash his hands, as she did every day.  The princess was dressed\nin a skirt of gold thread.\nWhen the emperor had finished dressing he said to Tirant:\n\"Tell me, captain, what was the illness you were suffering from\nyesterday?\"\n\"Your Majesty, my affliction was brought about entirely by the\nardor of the sea, for the winds of these lands are finer than are\nthose of the west.\"\nThe princess replied before the emperor could speak:\n\"Sire, that ardor does no harm to foreigners if they behave as\nthey should; instead it brings them health and a long life.\"\nAs she spoke these words she looked steadfastly at Tirant,\nsmiling at him so that he could see she had understood him.\nThe emperor and the captain left the chamber together, talking as\nthey went, and the princess took Diafebus' hand, and holding him\nback, she said:\n\"After what you told me yesterday I have not slept all night\nlong.\"\n\"My lady, what can I tell you?  We've had our share as well.  But\nI am very happy that you understood Tirant.\"\n\"How could you think,\" said the princess, \"that Greek women are\nof less worth than the French?  In this land all women understand\nyour Latin, no matter how obscurely you speak.\"\n\"That is why,\" said Diafebus, \"we are more content having\nconversations with intelligent people.\"\n\"As far as conversations go,\" said the princess, \"you will soon\nsee the truth, and you'll see if we understand your wiles.\"\nThe princess ordered Stephanie to bring other maidens to keep\nDiafebus company, and many young ladies quickly appeared.  When\nthe princess saw him well engaged, she went back into her chamber\nto finish dressing.  Meanwhile Tirant accompanied the emperor to\nthe great church of Saint Sophia, and then left him there saying\nprayers, and returned to the palace to be with the empress and\nCarmesina.  When he was in the great hall he found his cousin\nDiafebus there, surrounded by many maidens, and telling them\nabout the love between Philippe and the daughter of the King of\nSicily.  Diafebus was so accustomed to being in the company of\nmaidens, that it seemed as though he had been raised with them\nfrom birth.\nWhen they saw Tirant come in they all stood up and welcomed him;\nthen they made him sit with them, and they talked of many things.\nThen the empress came out, and she took Tirant aside and asked\nhim about his illness.  Tirant told her that he was much better\nnow.  It was not long before the princess came out.\nTirant took the empress's arm because, as captain, he held\nprecedence over the others.  There were many counts and marquis\nthere, men of high position, and they went to the princess to\ntake her arm, and she said:\n\"I want no one at my side except my brother Diafebus.\"\nThey all left her, and he took her arm.  But God knows that\nTirant would much rather have been near the princess than near\nthe empress.  As they went to the church, Diafebus told the\nprincess:\n\"Look, Your Highness, how spirits attract.\"\nThe infanta said:\n\"Why do you say that?\"\n\"My lady,\" said Diafebus, \"because Your Excellency has on a\nsequined dress, embroidered with large pearls, and the\nsentimental heart of Tirant brings what it needs.  Oh, how\nfortunate I would feel if I could place that cloak over this\ndress!\"\nAs they were very near the empress, he pulled Tirant's cloak.\nWhen he felt his cloak being tugged, he stopped, and Diafebus\nplaced the cloak over the princess's dress, and said:\n'My lady, now the stone is in its place.\"\n\"Oh, wretched me!\" said the princess.  \"Have you gone mad, or\nhave you lost your senses?\"  Are you so shameless that you say\nthese things in front of so many people?\"\n\"No, my lady,\" said Diafebus.  \"No one hears or notices or sees\nanything, and I could say the Pater Noster backward and no one\nwould understand me.\"\n\"You must,\" said the princess, \"have learned about honor in\nschool, where they read that famous poet, Ovid, who speaks of\ntrue love in all his books.  If you knew what tree the fruits of\nlove and honor are plucked from, and if you knew the customs of\nthis land, you would be a very fortunate man.\"\nAs she was saying this they reached the church.  The empress went\nbehind the curtain, but the princess did not want to go in,\nsaying that it was very hot.  The truth was that she did not go\nin so that she could observe Tirant at her pleasure.  He went\nnear the altar where there were many dukes and counts, and they\nall gave him the honor of being first because of his station.  He\nsaid mass on his knees, and when the princess saw him kneeling on\nthe ground, she took one of the brocade pillows that had been\nplaced there for her, and gave it to one of the maidens to give\nto Tirant.  The emperor saw his daughter performing that\ncourteous act, and he was very pleased.  When Tirant saw the\npillow that the maiden was giving him to kneel on, he stood up\nand then, with his cap in his hand, he bowed deeply on one knee\nto the princess.\nDo not imagine that during the entire mass the princess could\nfinish saying her Hours as she looked at Tirant and all his men\ndressed in the French fashion.  When Tirant had gazed at the\nstriking beauty of the princess, he let his mind play over all\nthe ladies and maidens he could remember seeing, and he thought\nto himself that he had never seen or hoped to see anyone as well\nendowed by nature as she, for in lineage, in beauty, in grace, in\nwealth, along with infinite wisdom, she seemed more angelic than\nhuman.\nWhen mass was finished they returned to the palace, and Tirant\ntook his leave of the emperor and of the ladies, and went to his\nquarters with his men.  As they reached their quarters he went\ninto his chamber and fell upon the bed, thinking of the\nprincess's great beauty.  And her beautiful features only served\nto make him feel worse: so that while he had felt one pain\nbefore, he now felt one hundred.  Diafebus went into the chamber,\nand when he saw him with such a sad face he said:\n\"My captain, you are the most extraordinary knight I have ever\nseen in my life.  Anyone else would hold a great celebration for\nall the joy they had when they saw their lady.  And the flattery\nand honor she paid you--more than to all the great lords there.\nAnd then she presented the brocade pillow to you with such grace\nand love in everyone's presence.  Here, when you should feel like\nthe most fortunate man in the world, you seem to have lost all\nreason.\"\nWhen Tirant heard Diafebus' comforting words he said in a\nmournful voice:\n\"The reason my heart is grieving is that I am in love, and I\ndon't know if my love will be returned.  This is what torments me\nmost, and makes my heart colder than ice.  I have no hope of\ngaining my desire, because fortune always opposes those who are\nin love.\"\nWhen Diafebus saw how tormented Tirant was, he would not let him\ncontinue, and he said:\n\"If you keep on behaving that way, infamy will follow you the\nrest of your life.  And if this should reach the emperor's ears,\nGod forbid, what would happen to you and the rest of us?  He\nwould say that you fell in love with his daughter the day you\narrived in order to bring shame to his entire realm, the crown\nand the empire.  So, my captain, use your discretion, and don't\nlet anyone guess you're in love.\"\nTirant listened to the wise words of Diafebus, and he was very\nglad to have the advice of his good friend and relative.  He\nthought for a moment, and then got out of bed and went to the\nhall to join his men who had been surprised at Tirant's\ndiscourteous behavior.\nAfter they had eaten he begged Diafebus to go to the palace and\ngive the infanta some very singular Hours he had, from Paris,\nwhich had solid gold covers and were very delicately decorated.\nThey also had an ingenious lock so that when the key was removed\nno one could see where it opened.  Diafebus wrapped the Hours and\ngave them to a page to carry.  When Diafebus was in the palace he\nfound the emperor in the ladies' chamber, and following Tirant's\ninstructions, he told him:\n\"Your Majesty, your captain begs your permission to go see the\nMoorish camp within a few days.  And he also sends Your Highness\nthese Hours.  If you don't care for them, he says they should be\ngiven to one of the infanta's maidens.\"\nAs soon as the emperor saw them he was astonished at their\nuniqueness.  \"This,\" said the emperor, \"can only belong to a\nmaiden of the royal family.\"\nHe gave them to his daughter, Carmesina.  She was very happy\nbecause the Hours were so beautiful, and also because they were\nTirant's, and she stood up and said:\n\"Sire, would Your Majesty approve if we sent for the captain and\nthe minstrels, and had a small party?  The mourning and this\nsadness have lasted such a long time.\"\n\"My dearest daughter, don't you know that I have no other\nconsolation in this world except you and Isabel, the Queen of\nHungary who, for my sins, is absent from my sight?  And since my\nson died I have no other worldly good but you.  All the happiness\nyou can have will bring me peace in my old age.\"\nThe infanta quickly sent a page for Tirant and had Diafebus sit\nnext to her.  When Tirant received his lady's command he left his\nquarters and went to the emperor, who asked him to dance with his\ndaughter, Carmesina.  The dancing lasted nearly till evening when\nthe emperor wanted to dine.  Then Tirant returned to his lodging\nvery happily, because he had danced continuously with the infanta\nand she had said many delightful things to him.\nThe following day the emperor held a great banquet for Tirant.\nAll the dukes, counts and marquis ate at the table with him, the\nemperor and his daughter.  The rest ate at other tables.  When\nthe meal was over there was dancing.  After they had danced for a\nwhile came the collation.  Then the emperor had them mount their\nhorses so he could show Tirant the entire city.\nAfterward the emperor called for a general council, and he told\nhis daughter to be there because many times he had said to her:\n\"My daughter, why don't you come to the council often so that you\nwill know how it is conducted?  After I die you will need to know\nhow to rule your land.\"\nThe princess went, both to see how the council was run and to\nhear Tirant talk.  And when everyone was seated at the council,\nthe emperor spoke to Tirant.\n\"I beg you, captain, to prepare for battle with our enemies, the\nGenoese.  We have received news that Genoese ships, coming from\nTuscany and Lombardy, have reached the port of Aulis, filled with\nsoldiers, horses and provisions.  Our own ships have reached the\nisland of Euboea, and I believe they will soon be here.\"\nTirant took off his cap and said:\n\"Command me to go against the Genoese whenever you wish, Your\nMajesty.  I am ready.\"\n\"I'll tell you what you must do for now,\" said the emperor.  \"Go\nto where my judgment seat is.  I want you to sit on it, listen to\nthe cases brought before you and judge them with mercy.\"\nOne of the members of the council named Montsalvat stood up and\nsaid:\n\"Sire, Your Majesty should take a closer look at these matters,\nfor there are three obstacles.  First, the Duke of Macedonia\nshould not be deprived of his rights: he has the captaincy, and\nit is his privilege since he is closer to the throne.  Second, it\nshould not be given to a foreigner who has no official position\nin the empire.  Third, before the soldiers leave here they should\nmake a pilgrimage, bearing gifts to the island where Paris stole\nHelen, for that is how the Greeks were victorious over the\nTrojans in ancient times.\"\nThe emperor could not tolerate the knight's foolish words, and he\nsaid very angrily:\n\"If it were not for the respect I have for our Heavenly Father I\nwould have you beheaded.  It would fit all your merits, and it\nwould be a sacrifice to God and an example to this world, because\nyou are a wicked Christian.  It is my command that Tirant, who is\nour captain now, be above all our captains: he deserves it\nbecause of his virtue and shining chivalry.  The Duke of\nMacedonia, who is cowardly and inept at war, never knew how to\nwin a battle.  The person I designate will be captain, and anyone\nwho contradicts him will receive my punishment in such a way that\nthey will be remembered throughout the world.\"\nThe emperor stood up, and would not hear another word from\nanyone.  He had a proclamation read throughout the city that\nanyone having a complaint against anyone else should go to the\nhall of justice the following day and from that day forward, and\njustice would be meted out.\nThe following day the captain sat on the imperial judgment seat,\nand heard everyone with a complaint, and made judgments on them\nall.  For from the time the Grand Turk and the Moorish sultan\nhad come into the empire no justice at all had been given.\nTwo weeks after Tirant came, all the emperor's ships arrived,\ncarrying men, wheat and horses.  Before the arrival of the ships\nthe emperor presented the captain with eighty-three large and\nbeautiful horses, and many suits of armor.  Tirant had Diafebus\ncome up first so he could choose from the weapons and horses.\nThen Ricart made his choice, and finally all the others, while\nTirant took nothing for himself.\nTirant was deeply in love with the princess, and his suffering\nincreased daily.  His love was so great that when he was with her\nhe did not dare talk to her about anything concerning love.  And\nthe day for his departure was drawing near, for they were waiting\nonly for the horses to recover from the hardships they had\nendured at sea.\nThe discreet princess knew about Tirant's love.  She sent a page\nto ask Tirant to be at the palace at noon because that was the\ntime when all the others would be resting.  When Tirant received\nhis lady's command, he was the happiest man in the world.  He\nimmediately sent for Diafebus, to give him the news, and to tell\nhim that she wanted only the two of them to go.  Diafebus said:\n\"Captain, I am very pleased at this beginning, even though I\ndon't know what the end will bring.\"\nAt the appointed hour the two knights went up to the palace and\nquietly entered the princess's chamber, hoping to have victory.\nWhen she saw them she was very happy.  She stood up and took\nTirant's hand, and made him sit next to her.  Then Diafebus took\nStephanie by one arm and Widow Repose by the other, and led them\naside so they would not hear what the princess was saying to\nTirant.  The princess smiled and softly said:\n\"Since you are a foreigner I would not want you to come to any\nharm unknowingly.  I know you came to this land at the bidding of\nthe King of Sicily, because he had confidence in your merits.\nBut he could not tell you of the danger that might befall you,\nbecause he did not know about it.\"\nTirant answered:\n\"So that you will not think me ungrateful for what you are\ntelling me, I kiss your hands and feet, and I promise to do\neverything Your Highness commands me.\"\nTirant begged her to give him her hand so he could kiss it, but\nshe would not.  Then he insisted several times, and when he saw\nthat she still would not, he called Widow Repose and Stephanie.\nTo satisfy the captain they begged her to allow him to kiss her\nhand.  She did it this way: not wanting to let him kiss the back\nof her hand, she opened it so he would kiss the palm.  Because\nkissing the palm is a sign of love, and kissing the back of the\nhand is a sign of dominance.  Then the princess said to him:\n\"Blessed knight, may merciful God keep you from the hands of that\nravenous lion, the Duke of Macedonia: he is a cruel and envious\nman, and very knowledgeable about treachery.  He is infamous for\nthe fact that he has only killed people wickedly.  It is well\nknown that he killed that valiant knight, my brother.  When my\nbrother was fighting courageously against the enemy, he came up\nbehind him and cut the straps of his helmet so that his head\nwould be uncovered, and he was killed by the Moors.  A great\ntraitor like him should be feared.  And so, virtuous knight, I\nadvise you, when you are in battle, be wary of him.  Don't trust\nhim even while you are eating or sleeping.\"\nIt happened one day at dinner time that Tirant found the empress\nand the princess still at the table.  He came into the hall and\nserved the empress and her daughter as steward and cup-bearer,\nsince this was his privilege as captain.  When Tirant saw that\nthe meal was nearly over, he asked the empress to clear up a\nmatter he was uncertain about.  The empress answered that if she\ncould she would do it very gladly.\n\"Tell me, my lady,\" said Tirant, \"for a knight, which is most\nhonorable, to die well or to die badly, since he must die?\"\nAnd he said not a word more. The princess said:\n\"Holy Mother of God!  What a question to ask my mother.  Everyone\nknows it's better to die well than to die badly.\"\nThen Tirant struck the table with his clenched fist and muttered,\n\"So be it,\" so softly that they could barely hear him.  Without\nanother word he got up and went to his lodgings.  And everyone\nwas left astonished at Tirant's behavior.\nThe following day the princess was feeling very upset by what\nTirant had said.  In the morning, while the emperor was at mass\nwith all the ladies, Tirant went into the church for prayer, and\nhe told the emperor:\n\"Sire, the galleys are ready to go to Cyprus to bring back\nprovisions.  Does Your Majesty want them to leave?\"\nThe emperor said:\n\"I wish they were one hundred miles out to sea right now!\"\nTirant quickly went to the port to give the order for them to set\nsail.  When the princess saw Tirant leaving, she called Diafebus\nand asked him to give Tirant the message that after he had eaten\nhe should come to see her immediately, because she wanted very\nmuch to talk to him, and that later they would dance.\nWhen Tirant heard the news he considered at once what it might\nmean.  He had the most beautiful mirror bought that could be\nfound, and put it inside his sleeve.  When he thought it was\nabout time, they went to the palace and found the emperor talking\nto his daughter.  The emperor saw them coming and sent for his\nminstrels, and they danced for a good while.  After watching them\nfor a time the emperor withdrew to his chambers.  The princess\nimmediately stopped dancing, and taking Tirant by the hand they\nsat at a window.  The princess said:\n\"Virtuous knight, I have great pity for you, seeing how disturbed\nyou are.  Tell me, I beg you, what is troubling you.\"\n\"My lady, since Your Highness is forcing me to tell you, I can\nonly say that I am in love.\"\nHe said nothing more, and lowered his eyes.\n\"Tell me, Tirant,\" said the princess, \"who is the lady that is\ncausing you so much pain?  If I can help you in any way, I will\nbe very glad to.\"\nTirant put his hand in his sleeve, drew out the mirror, and said:\n\"My lady, the face you will see here can bring me life or death.\"\nThe princess quickly took the mirror, and with hurried steps she\nwent into her chamber, thinking she would find a portrait of some\nwoman in the mirror.  But she saw only her own face.  Then she\nwas astonished that a lady could be courted in this way, without\nwords.\nWhile she was happily reflecting on what Tirant had done, Widow\nRepose and Stephanie came in.  They found the princess sitting\nwith the mirror in her hands, and they said to her: \"My lady,\nwhere did you get such a pretty mirror?\"\nThe princess told them about the way Tirant had declared his love\nfor her, and she said she had never heard of it being done\nbefore:\n\"Not even in all the story books I've read have I ever found such\na graceful declaration.  How knowledgeable these foreigners are!\"\nWidow Repose answered:\n\"Tell me, my lady, should Your Highness be paying as much\nattention as you are to a servant your father has taken into his\nhouse nearly out of charity, and who was thrown out by that\nfamous king of Sicily, along with other foreigners wearing gold\nand silk clothes they've borrowed?  Do you want to lose your good\nreputation for a man like him?\"\nThe princess was very upset by what the Widow had said, and she\nwent into her chambers nearly crying.  Stephanie went with her,\ntelling her not to be so upset, and consoling her as best she\ncould.\n\"Isn't it terrible?\" said the princess.  \"Here I am, scolded by\nthe very mistress who nursed me!  What if she had seen me doing\nsomething really bad?  I believe she would have sent out a crier\nto advertise it in the court and to the entire city.  I trust God\nthat her wicked, dishonest, cursing tongue will have the\npunishment it deserves.\"\n\"It's normal,\" said Stephanie, \"for maidens in the court to be\nloved and courted, and for them to have three kinds of love:\nvirtuous, profitable and vicious.  The first one, which is\nvirtuous, is when some grandee loves a maiden, and she feels very\nhonored when others know that he dances, jousts, or goes into\nbattle for her love.  The second is profitable, and it is when\nsome gentleman or knight of ancient and virtuous lineage loves a\nmaiden and sways her to him with gifts.  The third is vicious,\nwhen the maiden loves the gentleman or knight for her own\npleasure, and he is generous in words that give her life for a\nyear, but if they go too far they can end in a heavily curtained\nbed among perfumed sheets where she can spend an entire winter's\nnight.  This last kind of love seems much better to me than the\nothers.\"\nWhen the princess heard Stephanie say such witty things, she\nbegan to smile and most of her melancholy left her.  While they\nwere talking the empress asked where her daughter was, since she\nhad not seen her for a long time.  She went out into the hall and\nmet the empress who asked her why her eyes were red.\n\"My lady,\" said the princess, \"all day long today I've had a\nheadache.\"\nShe made her sit on her knees, and kissed her at length.\nThe following day Tirant said to Diafebus:\n\"My brother, go to the palace, I beg you, and talk to the\nprincess.\nSee if you can find out how she felt about the mirror.\"\nDiafebus went at once and met the emperor going to mass.  When it\nwas over Diafebus went up to the princess, and she asked him what\nhad become of Tirant.\n\"My lady,\" said Diafebus, \"he left his lodging to go sit in the\njudgment seat.\"\n\"If you only know,\" said the princess, \"the trick he played on\nme!  He declared his love for me with a mirror.  Just let me see\nhim and I'll tell him a few things he won't like \"\n\"Oh my good lady!\" said Diafebus.  \"Tirant brought a flaming log\nand found no wood to burn here.\"\n\"Yes,\" said the princess, \"but the log has gotten wet.  However,\nhere in this palace you'll find a bigger and better one that\ngives much more warmth than the one you're talking about.  It's a\nlog called Loyalty, and it's very tender and dry, and it gives\nhappiness to anyone who can warm themselves by it.\"\n\"My lady, let us do this,\" said Diafebus.  \"If it pleases Your\nHighness, let us take some of yours which is good and dry, and\nsome of ours which is wet and moist, and let us make a shape in\nyour likeness and Tirant's \"\n\"No,\" said the princess, \"it isn't a good idea to make two\nopposites into one.\"\nAnd they joked in this way until they had returned to her\nchamber.  Then Diafebus took his leave and went back to his\nlodgings where he told Tirant everything he and the princess had\nsaid.\nAfter they had eaten Tirant knew that the emperor must be asleep,\nso he and Diafebus went to the palace.  Through a window\nStephanie saw them coming, and she quickly went to tell the\nprincess:\n\"My lady, our knights are coming now.\"\nThe princess came out of the chamber.  When Tirant saw his lady,\nhe made a deep bow before her.  The princess returned his\ngreeting with a less pleasant expression than usual.  Tirant was\nnot very happy at the lady's expression, and in a low voice, he\nsaid:\n\"Lady, full of perfection, I beg Your Excellency to tell me what\nyou are thinking.  I don't believe I have seen Your Highness\nbehave this way for many days.\"\n\"My behavior,\" said the princess, \"cannot please God, and much\nless the world, but I will tell you the reason, and your lack of\nknowledge and goodness will be revealed.  What will people say\nabout you when they hear of this?  That the emperor's daughter,\nwho is in such a lofty position, has been courted by his captain\nwhom he loved deeply and trusted.  You have not kept the honor\nand reverence you are obligated to have for me.  Instead you have\nacted with bad faith and dishonest love.\"\nShe got up to go back into her chambers.  When Tirant saw that\nshe was leaving he caught up to her, took hold of her shawl, and\nbegged her to listen to him.  Stephanie and Diafebus pleaded with\nher so much that she sat down again, and Tirant said:\n\"If there was any fault, you must forgive me, for love has\nabsolute control over me.  Doesn't Your Highness remember the day\nwhen the empress was present and I asked if it was better to die\nwell or to die badly?  And Your Majesty answered that it was\nbetter to die well than badly.  I knew that if I did not let you\nknow of my suffering, one night they would find me dead in the\ncorner of my room, and if I did tell you, I would come to the\npoint where I am now.  And so, on my knees, I ask only that after\nmy death your angelic hands dress me, and that you write letters\non my tomb that say this: Here Lies Tirant lo Blanc Who Died of\nGreat Love.\"\nHis eyes became a sea of tears, and sighing painfully he got up\nfrom the princess's feet, and left the chamber to go to his\nlodging.  When the princess saw him leaving so disconsolately,\nshe began to cry uncontrollably, and she sighed and sobbed so\nthat none of her maidens could console her.  Then she said:\n\"Come here, my faithful maiden, you know how to have pity on my\ntorment.  Poor me, what shall I do?  I think he is going to kill\nhimself.  That's what he told me, and his heart is so lofty and\nnoble that he will do it.\nHave pity on me, my Stephanie; go run to Tirant and beg him for\nme not to do anything, for I am very displeased at what he told\nme.\"\nThe princess was crying helplessly while she said this.  To carry\nout her lady's wishes, Stephanie took a maiden with her and went\nto Tirant's lodging, which was very near the palace.  She went to\nhis room and found him taking off a brocade cloak, with Diafebus\nat his side, consoling him.\nWhen Stephanie saw him in his doublet she thought he had taken\noff his clothes to place his body in the grave.  Stephanie threw\nherself at Tirant's feet as if he were her real lord, and she\nsaid to him:\n\"My lord, Tirant, what are you trying to do to yourself?  Her\nMajesty was saying all that just to tease you, I swear it.\"\nShe was silent and said no more.  When Tirant saw Stephanie\nkneeling down, he at once knelt beside her.  He did this because\nshe was a maiden who served the emperor's daughter, and even more\nbecause she was the emperor's niece, daughter of the Duke of\nMacedonia, the greatest duke in all Greece.\nTirant replied:\n\"Death does not bother me when I think I'll be dying for such a\nlady.  By dying I will come back to life in glorious fame, for\npeople will say that Tirant lo Blanc died of love for the most\nbeautiful and virtuous lady in the world.  So, my lady, I beg you\nto go away and leave me with my pain.\"\nThe princess was in undescribable anguish when she saw that\nStephanie was not coming back with news of Tirant.  Not being\nable to endure it, she called one of her maidens, named\nPlaerdemavida.  She took a veil and put it over her head so she\nwould not be recognized, and went down the stairs to the garden.\nWith the garden door open, she went to the house where Tirant\nwas, without being seen by anyone.  When she saw Tirant and\nStephanie on their knees, talking, she knelt down too and said:\n\"I beg you, Tirant, if my tongue said things that offended you,\ndo not keep them in your heart.  I want you to forget everything\nI told you in anger, and I beg your forgiveness.\"\nWhen Tirant saw his lady speaking with so much love, he was the\nhappiest man in the world.  Stephanie said\n\"Since peace has been made, my lady, I promised him that Your\nHighness would let him kiss your hair.\"\n\"I will be very happy,\" said the princess, \"to have him kiss my\neyes and my forehead if he promises me, upon his word as a\nknight, not to do anything untoward.\"\nTirant promised very willingly, and swore it, and their sadness\nturned into great happiness and contentment.  The princess,\naccompanied by Tirant and Diafebus, quickly went to the garden.\nThe princess told Plaerdemavida to have all the other maidens\ncome, and in a short time they were all in the garden, and Widow\nRepose with them.  She had seen all the moves and suffered deeply\nbecause of the princess, and with her own involvement in the\nmatter she had even more to think about.  The emperor soon saw\nTirant and his daughter in the garden.  He went down to the\ngarden and said to Tirant:\n\"Captain, I sent for you at your lodging, but they didn't find\nyou there.  I'm glad to see you here.\"\n\"My lord,\" said Tirant, \"I asked for Your Majesty, but they told\nme Your Highness was sleeping.  So that I wouldn't awaken you I\ncame here with these knights to dance or practice some sport.\"\n\"What a black, evil sport we have!\" said the emperor.  \"We must\nhold a council: it is very important.\"\nHe gave the order for the council bell to be rung.  When everyone\nin the imperial council was together, the emperor had the\nemissary come forward, and said that everyone should know the bad\nnews because it was not something that could be kept secret.\nThen he ordered the emissary to explain his mission.  Making a\nhumble bow he said:\n\"Most excellent lord, last Thursday night, fourteen thousand men\ncame on foot and concealed themselves in a large meadow.  Because\nof all the water there the grass grew very tall, and no one\ncould see them.  When the sun rose we saw horses and Turkish\nhorsemen who must have numbered, in all, one thousand four\nhundred, more or less, together in a part of the water.  The Duke\nof Macedonia, a very haughty man of little intelligence as his\nactions show, had the trumpets blow so that everyone would mount\ntheir horses.  The constable and the others, who know more about\nwar than he does, protested and told him not to leave.  But no\nmatter what they said he would not obey anyone.  He went up to\nthe river with all his men, and he ordered them to cross, both\nthose on horseback and those on foot.  The water came up to the\nhorses' cinches and there were even places where they had to\nswim.\n\"Near the enemy's side there was a bank that the horses had great\ndifficulty in climbing, and the enemy met them there.  At the\nslightest advance that the soldiers or their horses made, they\nquickly fell into the water and were not able to get up, and they\nwere all swept down river.  If the duke had only gone one mile\nupstream all his men would have been able to get across without\ngetting wet.  The enemy drew back a little so that the men would\ncome across, and they pretended to retreat to a small hill there,\nand the duke used all his forces to try to take them.  When the\nmen in ambush saw the Greeks fighting so boldly, they came out\nfuriously and fell into the thick of the Christians, spilling\ntheir blood.  The duke could not take the fierce battle any\nlonger and he secretly fled without doing much harm to the enemy.\nAnd those who were able to escape went with him.\n\"After their victory the Moors laid siege to the city.  The Grand\nTurk himself came, along with the Moorish sultan and all the\nkings that had come to aid them, and all the dukes, counts and\nmarquis of Italy and Lombardy who were mercenaries.  As soon as\nthe sultan heard the news he gave himself the title of Emperor of\nGreece, and said he would not lift the siege until he had taken\nthe duke and all those with him prisoner, and that he would then\ncome here to attack this city.  I can tell you, Sire, that the\nduke has provisions for only one month, a month and a half at\nmost.\nSo, my lord, Your Majesty must look into what we should do about\nall this.\"\nTirant said:\n\"Tell me, knight, upon your honor, how many men were lost in\nbattle?\"\nThe knight answered:\n\"Captain, it is known that of the men killed in battle, those who\nwere drowned and those taken prisoner, we've lost eleven thousand\nseven hundred twenty-two men.\"\nThe emperor said:\n\"Captain, I beg you to do whatever has to be done, out of\nreverence for God and love of me, so that you can leave in\nfifteen or twenty days with all your men to help those miserable\npeople.\"\n\"Oh, Sire!\" said Tirant.  \"How can Your Majesty say that we won't\nhave left in twenty days?  In that time the enemy could attack\nthe city, and they are so powerful that they could invade it.\"\nTirant again asked the emissary how many men there might be in\nthe enemy's forces.  The emissary answered:\n\"In faith, there are many Turks and they are very skillful in\nwarfare, and are cruel, ferocious men.  In our opinion and\naccording to what some prisoners say, they number more than eight\nhundred thousand.\"\n\"My feeling,\" said Tirant, \"is that a royal proclamation should\nbe read throughout the city.  All those who have hired themselves\nout, and those who want to, should go to the Imperial House to\nreceive their payment, and they should all be ready to leave in\nsix days.\"\nThe emperor thought that was good advice, and he thanked Tirant.\nAs soon as the proclamation was read, all the grandees outside\nthe city were notified and they were all soon there with their\nhorses rested.  And those who had come from Sicily were ready.\nThe bad news of the losses that had been sustained ran throughout\nthe city, and many of the townsfolk, both men and women, gathered\nin the market square.  Some were crying for their brothers,\nothers for their sons, some for their friends and relatives, and\nstill others for the destruction of the empire.  Most of the\nempire was lost, and the hope of the emperor and those around him\nwas placed only in God.  They were afraid there would be great\nstarvation and thirst because of the enemy's victory, and that\nthe city would be burned, and they could imagine themselves in\ncaptivity and miserable slavery.  Two of the empire's barons\ntold the emperor that he should send his daughter Carmesina to\nHungary to be with her sister.\nWhen Tirant heard these words, his face turned pale as death.\nAll the maidens and even the emperor noticed, and he asked Tirant\nwhat had made his color change so much.\n\"Sire,\" said Tirant, \"I've had a bad stomachache all day today.\"\nThe emperor had his doctors come immediately to give him some\nmedicine.  When the emperor saw that Tirant was all right, he\nturned to Carmesina and said to her:\n\"My daughter, what do you think of the things the council has\nsaid about you?  In my opinion, it would be a good idea, because\nif the empire and all its people were lost, you would be safe.\"\nThe discreet lady answered her father, saying:\n\"Oh, merciful father!  Your Highness should not allow me to be\nseparated from you.  I prefer to die near Your Majesty and in my\nown land than to be wealthy and living a life of pain and sorrow\nin a foreign land.\"\nWhen the emperor heard such discreet and loving words from his\ndaughter he was very pleased.\nOn the morning of the following day the banners were blessed with\na great procession and celebration.  All the men armed themselves\nand mounted their horses to depart.\nWhen the emperor saw all the men outside he called the captain\nfrom his window and told him not to leave.  He wanted to talk to\nhim, and he had some letters for him to give to the Duke of\nMacedonia and a few others.  As soon as the foot soldiers and\nthose on horseback were outside the city, Tirant returned and\nwent upstairs to the emperor's chambers.  He found him in his\nchamber with the secretary, writing, and did not want to disturb\nhim.\nWhen the princess saw Tirant, she called to him and said:\n\"Captain, I see that you are ready to leave.  I pray that God\nwill give you an honorable victory.\"\nTirant knelt before her and thanked her for her words.  And he\nkissed her hand as a token of good luck.  Then the princess said:\n\"Is there anything you would like from me, Tirant, before you\nleave?  Tell me if there is, for I will grant you whatever you\nwish.\"\n\"My lady,\" said Tirant, \"I would only like Your Highness to do me\nthe favor of giving me this blouse you are wearing, because it is\nclosest to your precious skin.  And I would like to take it off\nwith my own hands.\"\n\"Holy Mary, protect me!\" said the princess.  \"What are you\ntelling me?  I'll be very happy to give you my blouse, my jewels,\nmy clothes, and everything I have.  But it would not be right for\nyour hands to touch me where no one else has ever touched.\"\nShe quickly went to her room, and took off the blouse and put on\nanother.  She went out to the great hall where she found Tirant\njoking with the maidens.  She took him aside and gave him the\nblouse, kissing it many times to make him more content.  Tirant\ntook it very happily and went to his lodging.  And he told the\nmaidens:\n\"If the emperor calls me, tell him I'll be right back, that I've\ngone to arm myself so that I can leave quickly.\"\nWhen Tirant was at his lodging he finished arming himself, and he\nfound Diafebus and Ricart there.  They had come back to put on\nthe coats of arms that had been made, of metal plates.\nThen the three knights went to take their leave of the emperor\nand of all the ladies.  When they went upstairs they found the\nemperor waiting for the captain to come, because he wanted to\ndine with him.  When the emperor saw Tirant, he said:\n\"Captain, what coat of arms is this that you're wearing?\"\n\"My lord,\" said Tirant, \"if you knew what was in it, you would be\nastonished.\"\n\"I would like very much to know about it,\" said the emperor.\n\"Its force,\" said Tirant, \"is to do well.  When I left my land a\nmaiden gave it to me, and she is the most beautiful maiden in the\nworld.  I'm not speaking in offense of the princess here, or of\nthe other ladies of honor.\"\nThe emperor said:\n\"It is true that no good feat of arms was ever accomplished\nunless it was for love.\"\n\"I promise you,\" said Tirant, \"on my word as a knight, that in my\nfirst battle I will make friends and enemies marvel at it.\"\nThe emperor sat down to eat, as did the empress and her daughter,\nand the captain sat beside her.  And he had the two knights sit\nat another table with all the ladies and maidens.  Then they all\nate with great pleasure, and especially Tirant who shared a plate\nwith his lady.\nCHAPTER V\nTHE BATTLEFIELD\n Tirant then took his leave of all the ladies and the others\nthere.  When the three knights were outside the city they gave\ntheir chargers to the pages and mounted other horses.  Within a\nshort time they reached the soldiers.  Each knight went to his\nsquadron, and Tirant went from one squadron to another, directing\nthem constantly to stay in order.\nThat day they traveled five leagues.  They set up their tents in\na beautiful meadow where there was water.  After they had eaten,\nTirant had two thousand pikesmen keep watch until midnight, and\nhe sent men along the road to see if they heard soldiers or\nanything else.  Tirant kept watch over the camp, moving from\nplace to place.  At the hour of midnight he had two thousand\nother pikesmen take the place of those on watch, and he would not\nlet them have pages, but made them all arm as if they were going\ninto battle at any moment.\nWhen Tirant was in a war he never took off his clothes except to\nchange his shirt.  Every morning, two hours before sunrise, he\nhad the trumpets blow for the men to saddle their horses and to\nhold mass.  Then the entire camp would arm themselves and quickly\nmount.  At dawn they would all be ready to leave.  They kept up\nthis routine until they were a league and a half from the enemy,\nin a city named Pelidas, which was in danger daily of\nsurrendering to the powerful Turks.\nWhen they found out that soldiers were coming to their aid they\nwere very happy, and they opened the gates to the city.  The\ncaptain did not want to go in during the day so they would not be\nseen, but he did not do it secretly enough to avoid being heard.\nAnd the first to be notified that soldiers had gone into the city\nof Pelidas was the Grand Turk, but he did not know how many there\nwere.  The Grand Turk went at once to tell the Moorish sultan,\nwho sent four men toward the city of Pelidas as spies to find out\nwhat they could about the men who had gone in.\nThe next day Tirant took a man with him who knew the countryside\nvery well, and they rode out as secretly as they could, and drew\nnear the camp by back roads.  From a hill they could see both the\ncity and the camp.\nThe Moorish sultan was at one end, and the Grand Turk at the\nother.\nThey recognized him by the large, painted tents they saw.  When\nthey had looked the situation over very carefully, they returned\nto the city.  On the way back they saw the Moorish guards.\nWhen they were back in the city and had dismounted, Tirant went\nto the square where he found most of the townspeople, and he told\nthem:\n\"Come here, my brothers.  We have just been spying on the enemy\ncamp, and on our way back we saw four of the camp guards.  For\neach guard you bring to me alive I'll give you five hundred\nducats, and if you bring his head I'll give you three hundred.\nHow many of you want to go?\"\nSeven men who knew the land well volunteered immediately.  They\nleft at night so no one would see them, and when they had\ntraveled a good distance one of them said:\n\"Why don't we go to the spring near here, and cover ourselves\nwith branches?  The Moors are certain to come here to drink\naround noon with all this heat, and that way they'll fall into\nour hands.\"\nThey agreed to do that, and they kept a very close watch from\ntheir hiding place.  When the sun came out they saw the Moors on\ntop of the hill.  As the sun grew hotter they became thirsty and\nwent to the spring for water.  When they arrived one of the\nChristians who was hidden said:\n\"Let's not move until they have drunk and are full of water: that\nway they won't be able to run very fast.\"\nAnd that is what they did.  When the Moors had drunk and eaten\ntheir fill the Christians fell upon them with loud cries, and\nimmediately caught three of them.  One tried to escape.  When\nthey saw that they could not catch him they shot at him with a\ncrossbow.  The arrow pierced his side, and he fell to the ground.\nThey cut off his head and stuck it to the point of a lance.  Then\nthey tied the hands of the others and took them to their captain.\nWhen Tirant saw them he was very pleased, and he took the three\nMoors and had them closely guarded.\nTirant had ordered everyone to eat early that day, and to saddle\nthe horses and arm themselves so they would be ready to leave.\nHe had all the men go out of the city in order, both the foot\nsoldiers and those riding horses.  Behind them came three\nthousand men with the mares.  When they were near the Moors' camp\nhe had all the soldiers go to one side so the mares could pass by\nwithout the other horses sensing them.\nWhen the mares were at the entrance to the camp all the foot\nsoldiers went in with them, and they divided into two groups: one\nwent toward the Moorish sultan and the other toward the Grand\nTurk.  Then the camp horses noticed the mares: some got loose,\nothers broke their halters, and others tore out the stakes that\nheld them fast.  You should have seen the horses running loose\nthrough the camp: some here, some there, and all of them after\nthe mares.\nWhen this melee had gone on for a good while and the entire camp\nwas in confusion because of the horses, Tirant came and fell on\npart of it with half his men.  Then the Duke of Pera and his men\nattacked the other side, calling on that glorious knight, Saint\nGeorge.\nFinally the Moorish sultan and the Grand Turk and their men fled\nto the mountain while the others went to the plain.  Tirant\npursued them relentlessly, and he and his men killed everyone\nthey caught, giving quarter to no one.  All those who went to the\nmountain reached it safely, and those who went to the plain were\neither killed or taken prisoner.\nThey pursued them for three leagues, and those heading for the\nmountain (where the road was shorter) came to a river with a\nwooden bridge where they could cross safely.  When the sultan and\nsome of his men had crossed over and they saw the Christians\nclose behind, they broke the bridge in the middle.  Then those\nwho had not yet crossed were lost while those who had already\ncrossed the bridge were safe.\nThe Duke of Macedonia heard of Tirant's victory, and how none of\nthe enemy were left except those who were badly wounded and could\nnot flee.  So he and his men went out and sacked the camp, and\nthey found large amounts of gold and silver, clothing, weapons\nand many jewels.  When they had taken everything, they put their\nbooty in the town.  The duke left soldiers to guard it, and he\ngave orders that if Tirant or any of his men came, they should\nnot be allowed inside.  When they had put away everything they\nhad stolen, the duke took the route to the plain, and he and his\nmen were astonished at all the dead bodies they saw.\nThe guards at the camp told the captain that armed men were\napproaching quickly.  Tirant had all his soldiers mount their\nhorses, and he prepared for battle, thinking that the enemy had\nregrouped in the villages that belonged to them.  They went out\nto meet them, and when they were near they recognized each other.\nTirant took the helmet off his head and gave it to a page, and\nall the other captains did the same.  When they were close to the\nduke, Tirant dismounted and walked up to him, paying him great\nhonor.  The duke did not move at all except to put his hand on\nhis head without saying a word.  This made all the others very\nangry, and none of them would dismount for him.  Tirant remounted\nhis horse and tried many times to talk to him, but the duke\nscarcely uttered a word.  But all the other knights and gentlemen\npaid great honor to the dukes and to Tirant.  Then they rode\ntogether until they were near the tents.\nTirant said to the duke:\n\"Sir, if your lordship would like to stay in that meadow where\nthere are very beautiful trees and you would be near the river,\nI'll have the men who are there move to another place.\"\nThe duke answered:\n\"I don't want to be near you.  I prefer to go to a place farther\naway.\"\n\"You can do that,\" said Tirant, \"but I said what I did out of\nkindness, thinking that you deserved it.\"\nThe duke would not listen to him, and turned his horse about\nwithout a word.  He set up his tents a mile upriver.\nAfter he dismounted Tirant sent three of his knights to the duke,\nand when they were there they said to him:\n\"Sir, our captain has sent us to your lordship to ask if you\nwould like to eat with him.  He knows that your lordship will\nhave better food here, but you can have his more quickly, because\nall you have to do is wash your hands and sit down to eat.\"\n\"Oh, what a bother for nothing!\" said the duke.  \"Tell him that I\ndon't want to.\"\nAnd he turned his back to them very haughtily.  When the\nemissaries had mounted their horses to go, the duke told them:\n\"Tell Tirant that if he wants to come and eat with me, I would\nprefer that to eating with him.\"\n\"Sir,\" said Diafebus, \"if there is no fire lit in your entire\ncamp, what could you offer him?  You couldn't give him anything\nbut food for chickens and drink for oxen.\"\nThe duke answered angrily:\n\"I can give him chickens, capons, partridge and pheasant.\"\nThe knights refused to listen to him anymore, and they wheeled\nabout.\nAfter they had gone, a knight said to the duke:\n\"You didn't understand, sir, what that knight said to you.  He\ntold you that you would serve his captain food for chickens and\ndrink for oxen.  Do you know what he meant by that?  Food for\nchickens is grain, and what oxen drink is water.\"\n\"On my father's grave!\" said the duke.  \"You're right.  I didn't\nunderstand.  Those foreigners are very haughty.  If I had\nunderstood him I would have made him leave with his hands on his\nhead.\"\nWhen Tirant heard what the reply was, he sat down to dine with\nthe dukes, counts and marquis who were already there.\nThe morning of the following day the captain had a large and\nbeautiful tent raised, with a bell on top.  That tent was only\nfor mass and council meetings, and he had it set up in a meadow\nbetween the duke's camp and his own.  When the time came to say\nmass, Tirant courteously sent word to the duke to see if he would\nlike to come to mass.  The duke haughtily answered no, but the\nother grandees came very happily.  After mass they held council,\nand it was decided that the Marquis of Saint George, the Count of\nAcquaviva, and two barons should go to the Duke of Macedonia as\nambassadors.  When they were with him the Marquis of Saint George\nsaid:\n\"Duke, you should not be surprised to see us: our captain and the\nillustrious dukes, counts and marquis have sent us here.  We want\nyou to give us a share of the treasure you took from the enemy\ncamp.\"\nAnd he said no more.\n\"How overjoyed I am,\" said the duke, \"to hear idiotic words from\nsuch ignorant people!  How could you think I would do such a\nthing when we have been battling day and night with sweat and\nblood against our enemy?\"\nThe ambassadors got back on their horses, and in the camp they\nfound the captain and the grandees holding a meeting in the\ncouncil tent.  Then the marquis told them about the duke's reply,\nand he said:\n\"Let us all mount our horses: an insult like this can't be\nforgotten!\"\nThe marquis quickly left the tent and armed himself, as did all\nthe others.\nWhen the captain saw the disturbance in his camp, he was very\nupset and he immediately had a proclamation made that no one,\nunder penalty of death, should mount their horses.  Then he went\nup and down, seizing the knights, and he begged the dukes and\nmarquis not to do this, because if they became involved in a\nquarrel, the Turks they had taken prisoner would fall upon them.\nWhen the disturbance had subsided, Tirant ordered them to go to\nthe battle site, and take the clothing from all the dead bodies\nthey found and to keep it.  Some of the knights asked why, and he\ntold them that at some time they might be able to use it.\nAs the Moors were being defeated in battle and were fleeing,\nDiafebus thought about how to bring renown and fame to Tirant, in\nthe present and the future.  He went to him and asked him for the\ncaptain's ring.  Tirant removed his glove, took off the ring and\ngave it to him.  Diafebus halted for a moment even though the\nothers were pressing forward, and he stopped one of his squires\nwho was a good and faithful man, and gave him the ring.  He\ninstructed him about everything he was to say to the emperor and\nto Carmesina, and then to all the others.\nTo carry out his master's order, the squire wheeled his horse\nabout, dug in his spurs and galloped away without stopping until\nhe was in Constantinople.\nWhen he stood before the emperor, he knelt and said:\n\"My lord, I have good news.  Give me my reward.\"\nAfter the emperor promised to do so, Pyramus gave him the ring,\nand told him all about the battle, and how they had conquered the\nTurks--which had been like a miracle.\nThe following day the sultan sent three ambassadors to Tirant.\nThey put a sheet of paper on a stick and held it up as a signal\nfor safe-conduct.  When they were inside the tent the ambassadors\nwere welcomed by the captain and all the others, and they gave\nthe sultan's letter to Tirant.  He had it read in everyone's\npresence, and it said the following:\n\"I, Armini, great sultan of Babylonia, and lord of three empires.\nGlorious Tirant lo Blanc, Captain of the Greeks and defender of\nthe Christian faith, we salute you. And we declare to you, by\ncounsel and deliberation of the Grand Turk and the five kings\nhere under my power and command, with another ten who are in my\nown land, that if you ask me for a lasting peace or a treaty of\nsix months, we will offer you our \"white face\" to show our\nhonesty and the six months of peace, out of reverence for all\npowerful God, in the old manner.  Written in our camp on the\neastern shore on the second day of the moon and of the birth of\nour holy prophet Mohammed, etc.\"\nAfter the letter had been read, Tirant told the ambassadors to\nexplain their embassy.  One of the ambassadors, Abdalla Salomon,\nstood up, bowed, and said:\n\"We have been sent to you, Tirant lo Blanc, captain of the Greek\npeople, as representatives of the magnanimous and glorious lords,\nthe Grand Turk and the sultan.  After the great number of deaths\nyou brought to our soldiers, you imprisoned a small child, the\nbrother in law of our sovereign lord, the great sultan, his\nwife's brother, along with many other virtuous knights. We beg of\nyou, on behalf of the thing you love most in this world, to give\nus the child.  If you will not do this for love, ask a ransom for\nhim, in silver or gold, and it will be granted.\"\nTirant replied:\n\"Since you hold up to me the thing I love most in the world, and\nyou ask for a prisoner, I'll give him to you and forty more along\nwith him.  As for the other part of your embassy, I'll hold a\nmeeting with my men, and then I will give you an answer.\"\nTirant summoned his constables and told them to go with the\nambassadors to select forty-one prisoners for release.\nThen Tirant addressed all the great lords there:\n\"Illustrious princes and lords.  We've seen the request of the\nsultan and the Turk.  Do you think we should grant them the truce\nthey are asking for?\"\nFirst the Duke of Macedonia spoke:\n\"Most egregious and noble lords.  This is more my business than\nit is the rest of yours because I am closer to the imperial\ncrown.  It's my advice and my demand that we grant them the\nsix-month truce they're asking for, and even longer if they wish,\nand even peace if they want it, whether the emperor likes it or\nnot.\"\nThe Duke of Pera couldn't stand to hear anything more from the\nDuke of Macedonia--for they were at odds with each other because\neach of them wanted to take the princess as his wife--and he\nsaid:\n\"Gentlemen, it seems to me that for His Majesty the emperor's\nbenefit, and for the well being of the entire empire and the\nrepublic, we shouldn't offer them peace or a truce.\"\nMany felt they should accept a truce, but most agreed with the\nDuke of Pera.\nThen Tirant said:\n\"Since His high Majesty, the emperor has given me the right to\nspeak in his place, I tell your lordships that I don't think it\nwould help anyone to have a truce with these evil people.  All\ntheir blood that's been spilled is because of your might, and\nthat's the reason they're asking for peace or for a six- month\ntruce.  Because during that time, gentlemen, you know that\nthey'll be waiting for the Genoese ships to bring foot soldiers\nand cavalry.  And in that time they would fill this land with\nsuch great numbers of men that afterward all the power of\nChristianity wouldn't be enough to throw them out.\"\nThe Duke of Macedonia spoke up and said:\n\"Tirant, if you don't want to have a truce, I do, and I'll make\none.  And I advise everyone to make it with me.\"\n\"Duke,\" said Tirant, \"don't make disorder out of what the emperor\nhas ordered.  If you try to do that, I'll have you seized and\ntaken to His Majesty, the emperor.\"\nThen the duke stood up, his eyes moist, and he left the tent and\nwent to his camp, and Tirant and his men went to their own.\nNext to a spring of very fresh water that ran beside their camp,\nTirant set up a canopy, with many tables placed around the\ncrystalline spring.\nTirant had the ambassadors served at one table, and the prisoners\nthat had been released to them at a lower table on the left; all\nthe dukes and lords, low on the right.  And they were served\nsplendidly with chickens and capons, pheasant, rice and couscous,\nand many other dishes and very fine wines.  The ambassadors were\nvery pleased, seeing how Tirant had the dukes and himself served\nwith such ceremony.\nThen they all went to the council tent, and Tirant gave them the\nfollowing reply:\n\"You tell the Moorish sultan and the Grand Turk that I will in no\nway give them peace now unless they face Mecca and swear in the\npresence of all the good knights that in six months they and all\ntheir men will leave the empire and will return the lands of the\nempire that they have occupied.\"\nThen Ambassador Abdalla Salomon stood up and said: \"Since you\ndon't want to give us peace, wait for the fifteenth day of the\nmoon.  For on that day such a multitude of Moorish soldiers will\ncome here that the earth will not be able to hold them up.\"\nAfter they had departed Tirant ordered Diafebus to go to\nConstantinople that night with many soldiers, on foot and on\nhorseback, and all the prisoners.\nWhen Diafebus reached the city, the emperor and all the others\nacknowledged Tirant as the victor, and all the knights were\npraised, and the victory was celebrated with great joy.  Diafebus\ndelivered four thousand three hundred prisoners to the emperor on\nTirant's behalf so that the Greeks would see his virtue and great\ngenerosity.  The emperor had them taken and carefully guarded.\nThe following day the emperor took fifteen ducats for each\nprisoner from his treasury, and delivered them to Diafebus to\ngive to Tirant.\nWhen the princess knew that Diafebus was free from his duties she\nsent word to him to come to her chambers.  There was nothing\nDiafebus wanted more than to be able to talk to her and to\nStephanie with whom he was very much in love.  When the princess\nsaw him she quickly said to him:\n\"My good brother, what news do you bring me from that virtuous\nknight who holds my heart captive?  When will the time come that\nI can see him and have him near me without being afraid?  You\nknow that I want to see him more than anything in the world.\"\nDiafebus answered:\n\"Your Excellency's loving words would have turned that famous\nknight's sadness to joy if he had heard them, and would lift his\nspirit to the highest heaven.\"\nThe princess was very pleased by what Diafebus said about Tirant.\nThen Stephanie said:\n\"You've spoken, and now it's my turn.  Please listen to what I\nhave to say.  Tell me, my lady, who but Tirant is worthy of\nwearing the crown of an emperor?  Who else but Tirant deserves to\nbe your husband?  Why didn't God make me the emperor's daughter?\nWhy didn't he make you Stephanie and me Carmesina?  I can assure\nyou that I wouldn't refuse him anything.  If he lifted up my\nskirt I would lift up my blouse for him, and I would satisfy him\nin every way I could.  If Your Highness takes some foreign king,\nhow do you know that he won't give you a life of pain?  And if\nyou want someone from this land, I'll talk against my father.\nBecause with his rank he should be your husband, but when you\nwant to play, he'll be snoring; and when you want to talk he'll\nbe asleep.  If you take the Duke of Pera, why he's not even your\nage.  This is what Your Highness needs: Someone who knows how to\nkeep you and your whole empire from danger.  Who else can defend\nand increase it the way he is doing?  He's the one who will make\nyou run all around your bedroom, sometimes completely naked and\nother times in your nightshirt.\"\nThe princess laughed, delighted at what Stephanie was saying.\nDiafebus said:\n\"Lady Stephanie, by your nobility, tell me the truth: if it were\nTirant's good fortune for the princess to take him as a husband,\nwho would you take?\"\n\"My lord Diafebus,\" said Stephanie, I can assure you that if\nfortune had the princess become Tirant's wife, I would take his\nnearest blood relative.\"\n\"If it were by blood line, it would have to be me, especially\nbecause I am as obedient to your grace as Tirant has been to the\nprincess who, with her beauty and dignity, deserves to rule the\nworld.  So please accept me as steward of your chamber, and kiss\nme as a token of faith.\"\n\"It would be neither honest or just,\" said Stephanie, \"for me to\ngrant you anything without the command of my lady who has raised\nme from an early age, especially in Her Majesty's presence.\"\nDiafebus knelt on the floor, and with his hands pressed together\nbegged the princess, devoutly and with humility, as if she were a\nsaint in paradise, to permit him to kiss her.  But for all his\npleading, she would not give him permission.  Stephanie said:\n\"Oh, hardened and cruel heart!  Your Majesty never wants to lean\ntoward mercy no matter how much you are begged.  I will never be\nhappy until I see Tirant with my own eyes.\"\n\"Oh, brother Diafebus!\" said the princess.  \"Don't ask me for\nunjust things now.\"\nWhile they were saying these pleasant words, the emperor sent for\nDiafebus to have him go quickly back to the camp.\nThe guards then came from their watch at sea and told the emperor\nthat five large ships were coming from the east.  The emperor,\nafraid that they were Genoese, stopped Diafebus from going that\nday, and had many men board their own ships and galleys in port.\nWhen the other ships approached, the emperor learned that they\nhad been sent by the Grand Master of Rhodes, with soldiers on\nboard.\nThe good prior leapt down to the land along with many knights of\nthe white cross.  Diafebus was at the port, near the sea, waiting\nfor them.  When they met they recognized each other, and Diafebus\npaid them great honor.  Together they went to the great palace of\nthe emperor, and found him seated on his throne.  Bowing, the\nprior of Saint John said:\n\"Your Excellency, knowing that the greatest of all knights,\nTirant lo Blanc, is in the service of Your Majesty as\ncaptain-general of all the empire, the Grand Master of Rhodes has\nsent two thousand paid soldiers, on foot and on horseback, to\nserve Your Highness for the space of fifteen months.\"\nThe emperor was very happy at their arrival.  After they had\nrested for four days they left with Diafebus for the camp.  When\nthey were five leagues away, they learned that Tirant had gone\nforward to take a well- defended plaza, and they heard the loud\npounding of bombards.  When Tirant saw a part of the wall broken,\nhe dismounted and gave battle on foot, and he went so near the\nwall that a large rock was thrown at his head, and he was felled.\nHis men struggled to pull him out of the moat, and at this moment\nDiafebus and the prior came to the villa.\nThe Turks, inside, were terrified when they saw so many men\ncoming, and they lost all hope.  After Ricart had taken Tirant to\nsafety, he again attacked the villa mightily, and they broke\nthrough by sheer force.\nThe Turks, far from any hope of victory, fell into a rage and\nprepared to die fighting.  But as the Christians took the villa,\nthey killed every Turk they saw without mercy, and so they were\nall given the terrible knife.  The Prior of Saint John arrived in\ntime for the attack on the villa, and his men shared in the\nbooty, and this indicated to them that they would be victorious.\nThey went to the cot where Tirant was lying, and explained to him\neverything the Master had commanded them.\nTirant thanked them and the Grand Master for the noble help they\nwere bringing.  But he said these words very wearily: he could\nbarely speak because of the great pain he felt in his head.  The\ndoctors came, and they took sheep's heads and cooked them in\nwine, and applied this to Tirant's head with cloths.  And the\nfollowing morning he was well.\nFor a few days the men in the field rested.  When the moon was in\nits fifteenth day, the Turks came just as the ambassador had said\nthey would.  They came up next to a bridge, with their encampment\nremaining on one side, and Tirant's camp on the other side, the\nbridge being broken in the middle.  When all the men were\ntogether, they numbered two hundred seventy battalions.\nWhen they were all ready, they had the bombards set in place.\nThe following day their firing was so loud and came so often that\nTirant found it necessary to shift his encampment to the top of a\nhill, very close to the river, where there were springs of pure\nwater and large expanses of meadowland.  At times all the\nbombards fired together.  And although it was a very clear day,\nthe sky grew dark, for they had more than six hundred bombards,\nboth small and large, despite the fact that they had lost so many\nwhen they were defeated.\nWhen Tirant's men so saw many of them, they were frightened at\nthe large number of men on horseback and on foot.  There were\nmany who wished they were one hundred leagues from there.\nWhen the sultan saw that he could not cross the river to engage\nthe Christians in battle, he quickly had the bridge repaired.\nWhen Tirant saw them repairing the bridge, he took four of his\nmen a league distant to a large stone bridge, and at each end of\nthe bridge there was rocky ground and a castle.  When the sultan\nhad conquered all that land, he saw that bridge, but Lord Malvei,\nthe gentleman who was lord of the two castles, would never make a\npact with him, no matter how much he promised.  For he never\nwanted to deny or be ungrateful to God or to his natural\nlord--the emperor.  Instead, from those castles at the bridge,\nthey often waged war against the villas and cities the Turks had\ntaken.  As a result, the sultan was forced to make a wooden\nbridge so that his men could cross over to carry out the conquest\nof the empire.\nWhen Tirant reached the castle, he spoke with the knight whose\nname was Malvei and who had a very valiant son.  The father\noccupied one castle, and his son the other.  They each had thirty\nhorsemen, and with the war they had become very wealthy.  The\nson, whose name was Hippolytus, became a great friend of Tirant\nand almost never left his side.  The father and son begged Tirant\nto grant him the honor of chivalry, and he did so.\nThen Tirant had many trees in the woods cut down, the driest they\ncould find.  They measured the width of the river and they made\nbeams, nailing them together with heavy spikes, and they made\nthem so long that they reached across the river.  And they put\nthose beams underneath the stone bridge, and from one beam to\nanother they nailed heavy joists, and over the joists they nailed\nwooden slabs.  It was smooth from one end to the other, and it\nwas well caulked with pitch.  When this raft was finished, they\nput a chain at each end and attached it to the stone bridge.  And\nthey covered it well with green branches in order to hide it.\nWhen the Turks had finished repairing their bridge, the men began\nto cross it on foot, little by little.  But they readied the\nbombards so that, if the Christians came, they could defend the\nbridge and the soldiers who had already gone across.  When Tirant\nsaw the Turkish soldiers crossing, the men in his camp were very\ndisheartened, but he encouraged them and raised their spirits.\nHe had the trumpets blown so that everyone would mount their\nhorses, and they shifted their camp near the stone bridge.  When\nthe Turks saw Tirant's camp being raised, they assumed that they\nwere fleeing out of fear, and they went across more\nenthusiastically.\nWhen the sultan and the Grand Turk had gone across with all their\narmies, their battalions in order, one after the other, they made\ntheir way toward the Christians.  When Tirant saw that they were\nnear, he crossed over the stone bridge and waited for them.  The\nMoors, seeing them on the other side, quickly returned to their\nwooden bridge.  When they had crossed it, they made their way\nupriver to meet him and wage battle.  And Tirant, when he saw\nthem near, raised camp and went back to the other side.\nThis went on for three days.\nThe Turks held council, and the King of Egypt said:\n\"Give me one hundred thousand soldiers and I'll go to one side of\nthe river, and all of you can stay on the other side, and at the\nsame time that I engage them in battle, as quickly as you can,\nyou must come to my aid.  This way, we will be victorious.\"\nAll the captains and nobles praised the wise words of the King of\nEgypt, but the sultan answered:\n\"It's foolish to say that you will take them on with one hundred\nthousand men, even though they have even fewer.  You take half\nour men, and I will take the other half.  And whoever engages\nthem first will do so, and if the other half will bravely help\nus, we will have true glory and honor.\"\nAnd the discussion ended.\nThe kings took one half of the men, and the sultan took the other\nhalf and crossed the bridge.  When Tirant saw how their forces\nwere divided, with the river in between, he said:\n\"This is exactly what I wanted.\"\nHe raised his encampment that was on the side of the kings and\nhad all the tents and carts placed inside the two castles with\nall the pages.  And Tirant held his men back until nightfall.\nAnd before the sun had passed the columns of Hercules, Tirant\ncrossed the bridge to the side where he had first been, and he\nhad the foot soldiers climb a hill that was in line with the head\nof the bridge.  When the foot soldiers were up, he had the men\nwith weapons also go up, one squadron behind the other.  The\nsultan, who was on that side, seeing that almost all the men had\ngone up the side of the hill to give battle, and that there were\nonly four squadrons remaining, went swiftly toward them and\nattacked them, making them flee up the hill, and sixty Christians\nwere killed.  Tirant retreated, battling all the time, and night\nfell.  The Turks came down to the foot of the hill and set up\ntheir tents.\nWhen Tirant went up the hill, he found all the knights and nobles\nabsolutely disconsolate.  They were running here and there,\ncrying and moaning, with sad, woeful countenances.  When Tirant\nsaw them acting that way, he called them all together and said:\n\"I only want to tell you that if you will put your effort into\nthis, with the aid of Our Lord and His Holy Mother, Our Lady, I\nwill make you victorious over your enemies within three hours.\"\nNearly all were consoled by the captain's words, except for the\nDuke of Macedonia who, before the battles were finished, sent a\nsquire of his with instructions about what he should tell the\nemperor.  When he reached the city, he dismounted and left his\nhorse, indicating that he had fled the battle-site and that he\nhad tears in his eyes.  When he was in the palace, he found many\npeople there, and he said:\n\"Where is that poor man they call the emperor?\"\nWhen he was informed that Albi, the Duke of Macedonia's squire,\nhad arrived, the emperor quickly came out of his chambers.  When\nAlbi saw the emperor he fell to the ground, pulling his hair and\nlowering his eyes and face, and he said mournfully:\n\"It has been your will to degrade your captains and vassals, and\nto honor foreigners of ill repute, men who are known for no\ndeeds, and who wear shoddy tunics.  Oh, Emperor!  You are lost\nand so are all your people, for it has been your wish to take\naway the succession of the empire from that famous and\nillustrious nobleman, the Duke of Macedonia, to give it to a vile\nforeigner who has led himself and all the men in the camp to\ntheir destruction, and has run away, and we don't know where he\nis.  This is what the person who was the emperor deserved!  For\nthe Moors have them trapped on a small hill, and they have no\nbread or wine, or even water for the horses.  By now they must\nall be dead.  I am going to leave with my great pain, and you,\nwho were the emperor, must remain with your own.\"\n\"Oh, woe is me!\" cried the emperor.  And he went into his\nchambers and fell upon his bed, lamenting.\nThe princess approached her father to comfort him, but there was\nno one to console the empress and the other maidens.  Rumors of\nthe bad news ran throughout the city, and everyone broke into\nloud wailing for the friends and relatives they believed had been\nkilled.  Let us leave them to their weeping and see what is\nhappening to Tirant.\nHaving bolstered his men's spirits with his words, they were very\noptimistic, trusting the great judgement of the captain.  Tirant\nleft the encampment at the top well guarded, and took a man with\nhim and went down the back side of the mountain without being\nseen.  When he was at the bottom, he left his armor under a tree,\nand cautiously stole up to the castle of Lord Malvei.  He picked\nup two stones, one in each hand, and just as they had agreed, he\nsignaled by hitting them together.  When Lord Malvei heard the\nsignal, he opened the gates of the bridge.  Tirant went in, and\nfound everything that had been prepared.  First he had a great\ndeal of oil and tar poured into a wooden bucket, along with pitch\nand quicklime and other things that would help make a fire, and\nhe gathered a good deal of dry wood, and he had it all spread on\ntop of the wooden raft he had made, and tied two long ropes to\neach of the chains of the raft.  The two men got into a small\nfishing boat, and each of them held one of the ropes.  When the\nraft was untied, the current carried it downriver, and whenever\nit would become stuck on one side of the river one of the men\nwould pull on a rope to free it.  Tirant told them not to light\nthe fire until they were near the bridge.\nWhen the Turks saw such huge flames in the river, they believed\nthey were lost, and the sultan and all his men abandoned their\ncamp.  Fleeing as quickly as they could, they ran toward the\nwooden bridge.  As the sultan had a good horse, he first waited\nuntil the fire reached the bridge, and then he went across, and\nmany men followed him.  And if the two men had followed the\ncaptain's orders and waited to light the fire, all would have\nbeen killed or taken prisoner.  In their rush to cross to the\nother side, many Moors and their horses fell into the water.  The\nfire was so great that the entire bridge quickly burned down.\nAnd twenty-two thousand or more men were unable to cross the\nbridge.\nWhen Tirant observed the fire going down the river, he cautiously\nworked his way back to his troops.  He found nearly all of them\nmounted, wanting to get their enemies' booty.  But Tirant would\nnot allow it, telling them:\n\"We would gain no honor now.  Tomorrow we will have the honor and\nthe booty.\"\nIn spite of all that had happened, Tirant had a very tight watch\nset that night, saying:\n\"Not all of them could have gotten across.  In their desperation,\ncouldn't they fall on us?\"\nWhen the clear day broke and the sun appeared on our horizon, the\ncaptain had the trumpets blown, and everyone mounted.  They had\nthe carts and the pages brought out, and all the men went back\ndown to their former camp, and from there they saw what was left\nof the enemy.\nDiafebus, seeing the pitiful state of the Turks, took the ring\nfrom Tirant's hand, and Tirant said to him:\n\"Cousin, what are you doing?\"\nDiafebus said:\n\"I want to send Pyramus to the emperor.  They haven't had word\nfrom us for so long!\"\n\"I beg you, cousin,\" said Tirant, \"send word to him that we need\nflour and supplies before we run out.\"\nPyramus left.  When he reached the city of Constantinople, he saw\neveryone looking very sad and oppressed, and all the women were\ncrying.  He went into the palace, and it was worse: their faces\nwere scratched, their clothing torn.  Of all those who saw him,\nno one said a word to him.  When he spoke to anyone, they would\nnot answer.  He thought the emperor must have died, or the\nempress, or their daughter.\nHe went further inside, into a hall, and recognized the emperor's\nchamberlain, and he ran to him, laughing.  The chamberlain said:\n\"With all your unbridled happiness, how dare you come to the\nemperor's chamber?\"\n\"Friend,\" said Pyramus, \"don't be angry with me: I don't know\nwhat is making everyone sad here.  Let me talk to the emperor,\nand if he is sad, I will make him happy.\"\nWithout saying another word, the chamberlain went into the\nempress's chamber where he found the emperor with his daughter\nand the maidens, the windows closed and all of them in mourning.\nThe chamberlain said:\n\"Sire, one of those reprobate traitors with that reprobate\nknight, Tirant lo Blanc, is at the door.  His name is Pyramus,\nand I am certain he has fled the battle with his lord.  He says\nhe wants to talk to Your Majesty.\"\nThe emperor said:\n\"Tell him to get out of here, and to leave my lands.  And if I\nfind him or any of his master's men, I will have them thrown down\nfrom the highest tower in the palace.\"\nAnd as the emperor spoke these words, imagine how the pain in the\nprincess's heart grew twofold.  For no matter how much harm\nTirant might have done, she could not completely forget him.\nAfter the chamberlain told Pyramus about the emperor's response,\nPyramus said:\n\"In faith, I will not leave.  For my lord Tirant has committed no\ntreachery, nor have any of his men.  If the emperor will not\nlisten to me, tell the princess to come out here to the chamber\ndoor, and I will tell her things that will make her very happy.\"\nThe chamberlain told the emperor what Pyramus had said.  Then the\nemperor told Carmesina to go out and talk to him, but that she\nwas not to let him come inside the chamber.  When the princess\ncame out to the hall with such a sad face, Pyramus knelt and\nkissed her hand, and then he began to speak:\n\"My most excellent lady, I am startled by the great change I see\nin Your Majesty, in everyone in the palace and in the entire\ncity.  I'm very astonished because I don't know what has caused\nthis, and no one I've asked has been willing to tell me.  If His\nMajesty, the emperor, doesn't want that famous knight, Tirant lo\nBlanc, to be his captain, tell me, and we will quickly leave the\nempire.\"\nWhen the distressed princess had listened to Pyramus words, with\ntears in her eyes she told him everything the duke's squire had\nsaid.  When Pyramus heard such wickedness, he put his hands to\nhis head and answered:\n\"My lady, have the ones who brought you such news, and caused the\nemperor so much pain, put into prison.  And arrest me if the\ntruth isn't that Tirant has been victorious and caused the sultan\nto flee, and burned down the bridge, and has more than twenty\nthousand of the enemy trapped near the river.  If all this isn't\ntrue, let them cut me to pieces.\nAnd as greater proof, here is the captain's seal that Tirant gave\nme.\"\nWhen the princess heard such glorious news, she quickly ran into\nthe chamber where her father was, and told him everything Pyramus\nhad said.  The poor emperor, with all the excessive happiness he\nfelt, fainted and fell from his chair.  The doctors were\nsummoned, and they restored him to consciousness.  He had Pyramus\nbrought in, and as soon as he heard the news from his lips, he\nhad all the bells in the city rung, and everyone went to the\nchurch, and there they gave praise and thanks to God, Our Lord,\nand to His Holy Mother, for the victory that had been achieved.\nWhen they returned to the palace, the emperor had the duke's\nsquire imprisoned.  Then Pyramus begged him to have the ships\nleave quickly with provisions for the encampment.  The following\nday Pyramus left with many words of praise for Tirant and for\nmany others.  When this emissary returned with the news, Tirant\nwas amazed at what the Duke of Macedonia had done.\nThe day Pyramus left, the Turks, having lost all hope, realized\nthat they could not carry on the battle.  So to choose the lesser\nof two evils, they decided to let themselves be taken prisoner.\nLuckily, the wise Moor, Abdalla Salomon, was still with them, and\nthey decided to send him as ambassador to Tirant once more.  He\nput a rag on the end of a lance, and when Tirant saw it, he\nanswered immediately.  Abdalla Salomon went up to Tirant's camp,\npresented himself, and very humbly said:\n\"If your lordship, magnanimous captain, would do us the grace of\nsparing our lives, you would be regarded as glorious among your\nenemies.  I beg you  to act with all the virtue you have in you.\"\nThe captain had the Moor and all who were with him come into his\ntent, and he fed them.  And they certainly needed it.  Then the\ncaptain met with all the great lords, and they agreed with what\nTirant said to them. He had Ambassador Abdalla summoned, and gave\nhim the following reply:\n\"I don't think it will be very long before I'll give the sultan\nand all the others a fitting punishment, but so that they will\nsee that I don't wish to harm them as much as I could, I'll be\nsatisfied if they will bring all their offensive and defensive\nweapons to the middle of that meadow.  And I don't want them all\nbrought together, but one hundred at a time, and then they can\nbring the horses.  That's the way I want it done.\"\nThe ambassador took his leave of the captain, and went back and\ndid everything Tirant had ordered.\nWhen all the weapons had been laid down, the captain had them all\nbrought to the camp, and then all the horses were brought up.\nThe Turks were very pleased that he didn't have them all killed,\nbecause they thought that even if they were held captive, they\ncould be ransomed.  Tirant had them come, unarmed, to the foot of\nthe mountain, and there he gave them food in abundance while his\nmen kept them guarded.  Then Tirant went down to them and seized\nthe Christian dukes, counts and knights among them, and he had\nthem come with him up to his camp.  He made them go into a tent,\nand they were well-served with everything necessary for human\nsustenance.  But many were not pleased that the captain was\npaying them so much honor when they did not deserve it, for they\nhad come to help Moors against Christians.  And when Tirant's men\nsaid so to their faces, they recognized their error, and stopped\neating.\nTirant held the prisoners this way until the ships arrived.\nTwo days later the ships came loaded with provisions.  After they\nhad unloaded everything, the captain consulted with the others,\nand they decided to transfer all the prisoners to the ships and\nhave them taken to the emperor.  The High Constable was put in\ncharge of them, and they set out.  The constable had the sails\nraised, and with a favorable wind they reached the port of\nConstantinople in only a few days.  The emperor and all the\nladies were at the windows, watching the vessels as they\napproached.  The constable had the prisoners disembark, and he\ntook them to the palace.  The constable went up to where the\nemperor was, and kissed his hands and feet.  And delivering the\ngood wishes of the captain, he presented the prisoners.\nThe magnanimous lord received them very happily, and indicated\nhow pleased he was with the captain.  And placing the prisoners\nunder heavy guard, the emperor had the constable go into this\nchambers where the empress and the princess were.  He asked him\nabout everything at the encampment, and the constable told him,\nadding:\n\"Tonight or tomorrow, Diafebus will be here, with the noblemen\nthat he is bringing as prisoner.\"\n\"What!\" said the emperor.  \"Are there still more?\"  And his\nhappiness grew greater than ever.\nThe following day Diafebus entered the center of the city with\nhis prisoners, while his trumpets and tambourines played.  The\nemperor and all the people were astonished at the great multitude\nof prisoners.\nWhen they were at the square in front of the palace, the emperor\nwas at a window.  Diafebus bowed deeply to him, and quickly went\nup to his chambers to kiss his hand, and then did the same to the\nempress and the princess.  After he had embraced all the ladies,\nhe turned back to the emperor and gave him the good wishes Tirant\nhad sent.  When the emperor had spoken at length with Diafebus,\nhe had the prisoners placed in the strongest towers they had.\nWhen Diafebus had the opportunity, he went to the princess's\nchamber and found her with all the maidens.  When the princess\nsaw him, she got up to go to him.  Diafebus hurried toward her,\nand knelt and kissed her hand, saying:\n\"This kiss is from someone whom Your Highness has condemned to a\nstronger prison than the one that the prisoners I have brought\nare in.\"\nAs the maidens approached, he could say nothing further for fear\nthat they might hear him.  But she took him by the hand and they\nwent to a window- seat.  Then the princess summoned Stephanie,\nand Diafebus said:\n\"Your Highness should not forget such a noble knight, and the\nlack of liberty he has had since the moment he saw you.\"\nSmiling, the princess answered:\n\"Oh Diafebus, my brother!  I receive your words as the vassal of\nyour lord, and I return his wishes just as strongly, and even\nmore so.\"\nAs they were speaking, the emperor came in and saw Diafebus\ndeeply involved in conversation with his daughter, and he said:\n\"Upon my father's bones, what a wonderful sight to see how these\nmaidens like to hear of the exploits of these good knights.\"\nAnd he told his daughter to leave the room and go out to the main\nplaza in the market-place.  Diafebus went with the emperor; then\nhe came back to escort the empress and the princess.  When they\nwere in the market-place they saw a large cenotaph that the\nemperor had made, entirely covered with cloth of gold and silk.\nWhen all the ladies had been seated, the emperor commanded that\nall the prisoners be brought out, and they were ordered to sit on\nthe ground, Moors as well as Christians.\nThen the people were silenced, and the following proclamation was\nread:\n\"We, Frederick, by divine grace Emperor of the Greek Empire of\nConstantinople.  So that it may be known and made manifest to the\nwhole world how these wicked knights and unfaithful Christians\nhave accepted payment from the infidel, and taking up arms have\nunited with them in waging war against Christianity.  They are\ndeserving of great punishment, and of being removed from the\norder of chivalry and disinherited by the nobility from which\nthey are descended.  So that it may be a punishment for them and\nan example for all others, we pronounce them traitors to all\nChristians here present.  And we sentence them to be dealt with\nas all such traitors against God and the world.\"\nWhen the sentence had been read, twelve knights came out dressed\nin long robes and hoods, and the emperor dressed in a similar\nfashion.  Then they had the men rise from the ground, and they\nwere brought up to the cenotaph where they were armed and then\ndegraded as is done with evil knights, and then they were\nreturned to prison.  Then the emperor said:\n\"Let there be justice, and let us show mercy to no one.\"\nThe Duke of Macedonia's squire was brought out with a large chain\naround his neck.  And he was condemned to die, hanging upside\ndown, for all the anguish he had caused.  When Diafebus saw the\nsquire, he hurried to the emperor and knelt at his feet, begging\nhim not to have the squire killed so that wicked people could not\nsay that it was done because he had spoken badly about his\ncaptain.  When the princess saw that Diafebus' words were futile,\nshe too came and knelt at the emperor's feet to beg him.  And\nwhen that proved futile, the empress and all the maidens came to\nplead for his life as well.  The emperor said:\n\"Who has ever seen a death sentence revoked that has been handed\ndown by the general council?  I have never done it, nor will I do\nit now.\"\nThe princess caught his hands, pretending to kiss them, and she\nstealthily removed the ring from his finger without his noticing\nit, and said to him:\n\"It is not Your Majesty's custom to be so cruel as to sentence\nanyone to die with such pain.\"\nThe emperor said:\n\"My child, change his death sentence as you wish.\"\nThe princess handed the ring to Diafebus, and he rode swiftly to\nwhere they were holding the execution, and gave the ring to the\nconstable.  The squire was already on the ladder, about to be\nexecuted, and Diafebus grabbed him and took him to his lodging.\nWhen Diafebus left to go to the palace, the squire quickly ran to\nthe monastery of San Francisco where he became a friar.\nThe next day, the emperor sent all the Turks who had not been\nransomed to other places to be sold: Venice, Sicily, Rome and\nItaly.  Those that could not be sold were traded for arms, horses\nor food.\nWhen it came time for the constable and Diafebus to leave, the\nemperor took as much gold from his treasury as he had received\nfrom the ransom of the prisoners, and sent it along with them for\nthe captain.\nThe day before they were to leave, Diafebus discovered that the\nemperor had retired, and he went to the princess's chamber.  The\nfirst one he met there was Stephanie, and he bowed deeply on one\nknee and said:\n\"Gentle lady, I would consider myself the most fortunate man\nalive if you would accept me as your closest servant.  I love you\nabove all the ladies in the world.\"\nAt that moment the emperor's chamberlain came in and told him\nthat the emperor wished to speak with him.  Diafebus begged\nStephanie to wait for him there, and said that he would return as\nquickly as he could.\nWhen the emperor saw Diafebus, he told him that he and the\nconstable were to leave before nightfall.  Diafebus returned to\nthe chamber and found his lady deep in thought and with tears in\nher eyes, because she knew that the emperor summoned him only to\ntell him that he must leave.  Diafebus, seeing her so\ndisconsolate, tried to show her that it was hurting him even more\nto leave.\nWhile they were consoling each other this way, the princess came\ninto the chamber from the treasure tower, wearing a blouse and a\nskirt of white damask, her hair falling down to her shoulders\nbecause it was so warm.  When she saw Diafebus she tried to turn\nback, but Diafebus blocked her way.\n\"Shall I tell you something?\" said the princess.  \"I don't care\nwhat happens in your presence.  You are like a brother to me.\"\nPlaerdemavida spoke up:\n\"My lady, can Your Highness see Stephanie's face?  It looks like\nshe's been blowing on a fire: her face is as red as a rose in\nMay.  I can't imagine that Diafebus' hands were idle while we\nwere in the tower.  We should have known he'd be here!  She was\nhere with the thing she loves most.  I tell you, if I had a\nlover, I'd play with him too, the way both of you do.  But I'm a\nbarren woman, and I have no one to love.  Lord Diafebus, do you\nknow who I love with all my heart?  Hippolytus--Tirant's page.\nAnd if he were a knight, I'd love him even more.\"\n\"I promise you,\" said Diafebus, \"that in the next battle I take\npart in, he will be made a knight.\"\nAnd they joked this way for a long while.  Then the princess\nsaid:\n\"Do you know something, Diafebus?  When I turn around and look\neverywhere in the palace and I don't see Tirant, I feel as though\nI'm dying.  I want you to take him all my good wishes, and along\nwith them--wrapped up so that no one will see them--half the load\nof gold a horse can carry so that he may spend it as he wishes.\nAnd when it is gone, I will give him even more.  I don't want him\nor his men to lack for anything.  Also, an aunt of mine left me a\ncounty called Sant Angel in her will.  I want Tirant to have it,\nand for him to be named the Count of Sant Angel.  So if it\nbecomes known that I love Tirant, at least they will say that I\nam in love with a count.\"\nDiafebus was astonished when he heard the princess uttering words\nfilled with so much love, and he said:\n\"I don't feel capable of thanking you for the honor you are\nbestowing on Tirant.  So I beg you, on behalf of that famous\nknight and then on behalf of all of us of his lineage, allow me\nto kiss your hands and feet.\"\nStephanie was so bursting with love that she could not contain\nherself any longer, and she said:\n\"I'm envious of what Your Excellency is doing for that glorious\nknight, Tirant.  And since I must imitate Your Highness, allow me\nto give everything I have to Diafebus here.\"\nAnd she got up and went into her chamber.  There she wrote out a\ndocument that she placed in her bosom, and then she went back out\nto the princess.\nMeanwhile, Diafebus had been pressing the princess to allow him\nto kiss her.  But the princess would not give her consent.  Then\nDiafebus said:\n\"Oh, how blind I've been! I would have given my life a hundred\ntimes to do some service for Your Majesty.  And Your Highness\nwill not allow me the pleasure of even a small part of the fruit!\nFrom now on, find yourself another brother and servant to be at\nyour side.  And don't imagine for a minute that I'll say anything\nto Tirant on your behalf, and even less that I'll take him the\nmoney.  As soon as I reach camp, I'll take my leave of him and go\nback to my own country.  But someday you'll be sorry I left.\"\nJust then the emperor came into the chamber and told Diafebus\nthat he should get ready to leave that same evening.\n\"Sire,\" said Diafebus, \"I've just come from our lodging, and\neveryone is ready to leave.\"\nThe emperor then brought him out of the chamber and led him\nthrough the palace, reminding both him and the constable of what\nthey were to do.\n\"Oh, poor me!\" said the princess.  \"Look how angry Diafebus was!\nI don't think he'll want to do anything for me now.  Stephanie,\nbeg him for my love not to be angry.\"\n\"I certainly will,\" said Stephanie.\nPlaerdemavida spoke up:\n\"Oh what a strange one you are, my lady.  At a time when we're at\nwar, you don't know how to hold the friendship of these knights.\nThey put themselves in danger to defend Your Highness and the\nentire empire, and you raise a ruckus over a kiss!  What's wrong\nwith kissing?  In France it doesn't mean anything more than a\nhandshake.  If he wanted to kiss you, you should have let him.\nAnd you should have done the same even if he had wanted to put\nhis hand under your skirts, when there are times of great need\nlike we have now.  Later on, when we have peace, then you can\nmake virtue out of vice.  Good woman, good woman, how deceived\nyou are!\"\nStephanie had already left, so the princess went to her room and\nbegged her to go and bring back Diafebus:\n\"Now I'm afraid he really will leave just the way he said he\nwould.\nAnd if he goes away, it won't be surprising if Tirant leaves too.\nAnd even if he doesn't, because of his love for me, many others\nwill go too.  And then, just when we thought we were winning, we\nwould lose.\"\n\"Don't make things so hard,\" said Plaerdemavida.  \"Don't send\nanyone else, Your Highness.  It would be better if you went\nyourself on the pretext of seeing the emperor.  Then talk to him,\nand his anger will disappear quickly.\"\nThe princess hurried to her father and found him talking.  When\nhe had finished, she took Diafebus aside and pleaded with him not\nto be angry with her.  Diafebus replied:\n\"Madam, it has to be one of two things: either kiss or leave.  If\nyou give me what I'm asking for, then you can command me to do\nanything, just or unjust, and I will do it.\"\n\"Since you won't wait for the one who holds my heart captive,\"\nsaid the princess, \"kiss, kiss.\"\nDiafebus knelt on the hard floor and kissed her hand.  Then he\nwent over to Stephanie and kissed her three times on the lips for\nthe Holy Trinity.\nStephanie said:\n\"Since at your great insistence, and by command of my lady, I\nhave kissed you, I give you my permission to take possession of\nme, but only from the waist up.\"\nDiafebus was not slow to follow her request.  He immediately put\nhis hands on her breasts, touching her nipples and everything\nelse that he could.  His hands then found the document, and\nthinking it was a letter from a rival suitor, he stopped cold,\nalmost losing his senses.\n\"Read what is written there,\" said Stephanie, \"and lose your\nsuspicions.\"\nThe princess took the document from Diafebus' hand and read it:\n\"I, Stephanie of Macedonia, daughter of the illustrious Prince\nRobert, Duke of Macedonia, promise you, Diafebus of Muntalt, to\ntake you as my husband and lord.  And looking toward our\nmarriage, I bring you the duchy of Macedonia with all the rights\nbelonging thereto.  In testimony of which I sign and seal my name\nin my own blood.\n\"Stephanie of Macedonia.\"\nThis Stephanie was not the Duke's daughter.  Her father was a\nglorious prince, and a very worthy and wealthy knight.  He was\nthe emperor's first cousin, and this was his only child.  When he\ndied, he left the duchy to her, stating in his will that it was\nto be given to her when she was thirteen years old.  In order to\nhave more children, her mother had then married the Count of\nAlbi, and he had taken the title of Duke of Macedonia.\nBy now this maiden was fourteen years old.\nWhen night fell and they were all ready to leave, Diafebus,\nhappier than we can say, took his leave of the emperor and all\nthe ladies, and especially of Stephanie, begging her to think of\nhim while he was away.  And she kissed him many times, in front\nof the princess and Plaerdemavida.\nWhen they were back again with Tirant, he was very glad to see\nthem.  Diafebus and the constable gave him the money the emperor\nhad sent.\nBy now the Turks were desperate, and they cursed the world and\nfortune that had brought them so much pain.  By their\ncalculations they had lost, between the dead and those taken\nprisoner, more than one hundred thousand men.  In their anger\nthey held counsel to decide how they might kill Tirant.  It was\ndecided that the King of Egypt should kill him, because he was\nmore skilled at arms than any of the others.\nThe following day he called a council of all the great kings,\ndukes, counts, and all the Christians, and they gathered in the\nmiddle of a large meadow.  When they were all there, the King of\nEgypt said:\n\"If you want me to challenge him to a battle to the death, he is\na very spirited knight and he will not be able to refuse.  Then,\nwhen he's here, we'll fight.  If you see me getting the better of\nhim, leave us alone, and I will kill him.  But if he is beating\nme, shoot him down with an arrow.  In either case, he will die\nand so will everyone who comes with him.\"\nThey were all pleased by what the king said.  When the council\nwas over, the King of Egypt went into his tent and prepared to\nwrite a letter.\nNow the sultan had a servant who had been born a Christian in the\ncity of Famagosta, and who had been taken prisoner at sea when he\nwas very young.  And with his youth and lack of discretion, they\nhad made him become a Moor.  When he grew older, he realized that\nthe Christian law was better than the Mohammedan sect, and he\ndecided to go back to the Christian faith.  He did it the\nfollowing way.  He prepared his arms and a good horse, and set\nout for the bridge of stone were Lord Malvei was.  When he was an\narrow shot away, he put his headdress on the tip of his lance,\nasking for safety.  When the men in the castle saw that it was\nonly one man, they offered him safety.  But when the Moor was\nnear, an archer who knew nothing about the guarantee of safety,\nshot an arrow that wounded the horse.\nLord Malvei was very upset, and he promised the Moor that if the\nhorse died they would give him a better one.  The Moor told him\nhow he had come there to become a Christian, and that he wanted\nto talk to the great captain.  They agreed that he should return\nthe following day and that Lord Malvei would advise Tirant.  The\nMoor was very pleased, and went back to the camp.  The sultan\nasked him where he had been and how his horse had been wounded.\nThe Moor replied:\n\"Sir, I was bored here, so I went over to the bridge.  I saw a\nChristian on horseback and rode toward him.  When I was close to\nhim, he shot an arrow at me.  I spurred my horse on and caught up\nto him and knocked him to the ground.  Then I dismounted and\nprepared to kill him.  On his knees he begged my forgiveness.  So\nI pardoned him and we became good friends.  And he has promised\nto tell me everything that is happening in the Christian camp.\"\n\"This is excellent news to me!\" said the sultan.  \"Go back\ntomorrow and find out if they intend to fight more, or if they\nare going back to the city of Constantinople.\"\nThe next day the Moor took one of the sultan's best horses and\nrode to the bridge, where he was taken inside the castle.  Tirant\nsoon arrived and paid reverence to Lord Malvei and his son, and\nthen embraced Lady Malvei, and gave honor to the Moor.  The Moor\ntold him that he wanted to become a Christian and to serve him.\nThey went to the church, and there he was baptized with the name\nCipres of Paterno.  Then he said:\n\"Sir, now that I have been baptized a true Christian, I wish to\nlive and die in this holy faith.  I will stay here if you like,\nor I will go back to the camp and tell you what is happening\nevery day.  No one in all our camp knows what is going on better\nthan I, because all the council meetings are held in the sultan's\ntent, and I am a member of the council.\"\nTirant begged him to go back, and to advise Lord Malvei as often\nas he could about the Turk's plans.  He agreed, and said:\n\"I beg you, captain, let me have some sort of sweetmeats so I can\ngive them to the sultan.  For he likes to eat these things, and\nwith this as an excuse, I'll be able to come and go easily, and\nhe won't suspect me.\"\nThe Lord of Malvei said:\n\"I can give them to you.\"\nAnd he had dates and sweetmeats brought in a box, and gave them\nto Cipres de Paterno.\nWhen he had returned, the sultan asked him for news about the\nChristians.  He replied that his friend had told him that they\ndid not intend to leave.\n\"Until your lordship changes your camp site.  And sir, I was\ngiven these dates and sweetmeats.\"\nThe sultan was very pleased at what he had brought, and had him\ngo often.  So he went and told Lord Malvei everything he knew,\nand Lord Malvei kept Tirant informed.  Cipres of Paterno swore\nnever again to serve the sultan.\nWhen the King of Egypt had the letter of battle drawn up, he\nordered a messenger to take it to Tirant, the captain of the\nGreek army.  It said the following:\n\"From Abenamar, by the will of God, King of Egypt, to you, Tirant\nlo Blanc, captain of the Greek army.\n\"I challenge you to battle, man to man, on foot or on horseback\nwhichever you desire to your own advantage, before a competent\njudge.  We will do combat until one of us is dead, so that I may\npresent your head to my lady.  If you wish to answer this letter,\ngive your reply to Egypt, my messenger, and that will suffice to\nshow your agreement, and to bring our battle to the end that I\ndesire.\n\"Written in our camp on the eastern shore, the first day of this\nmoon, and signed.\n\"King of Egypt\"\nAfter Tirant held counsel in his tent, he answered the King of\nEgypt's letter in the following way:\n\"I vow to God and my lady, and to the honor of chivalry, that\ntwenty days into August, four days before or after, I will be on\nthe eastern shore, before your camp, with all the power to do\nbattle if you should wish it.  Written by my hand and sealed with\nmy coat of arms in the camp called Transimeno.  The fifth of\nAugust.\n\"Tirant lo Blanc.\"\n Here the book returns to the emperor who wanted very much to\nhave news of the camp.  He saw seven sailing ships approaching,\nand when they had docked he learned that they came from Sicily,\nand that they were bringing four thousand soldiers and many\nhorses which the King of Sicily was sending.  The reason for this\nI shall now relate.\nAs we have said previously, the eldest son of the King of Sicily\nwas in France, married to the daughter of the King of France.  He\nwas virtuous and discreet, and his father-in-law would not allow\nhim to leave the court because of his great love for him.  It\nhappened then that this son fell ill, and died.  When his father,\nthe King of Sicily, learned of his death he was very sad.  The\nother son who had become a friar, did not want to leave the\nreligious life to be king after the death of his father. The king\nwas very upset when he saw that his son would not obey him, and\nhe fell sick to his bed.  Realizing that he was dying, he put his\nsoul and his kingdom in order, and in his will he named his\ndaughter, Philippe's wife, to be his successor.\nWhen Philippe found himself king, remembering Tirant's help and\nhonor, he decided to go to his aid with the greatest forces he\ncould muster.  But his wife, the queen, and everyone in his\nkingdom pleaded with him not to go that year, because the queen\nwas with child.  Seeing their great opposition, he decided to\nstay.  He sent in his place, as captain, the Duke of Messina,\nwith five thousand soldiers on foot and on horseback.  Because of\nher dealings with Tirant, the queen sent him two thousand\nsoldiers and made the Lord of Pantanalea their captain.\nWhen the soldiers had been given lodging, the emperor said:\n\"I have decided to go to the camp to make peace between the Duke\nof Macedonia and our captain.  If I don't, they'll kill each\nother some day.  Since this sort of thing has happened twice\nalready, we have to guard against a third time.  If I get the\nDuke of Macedonia in my hands, I swear I'll cut off his head.\"\nThen the emperor ordered all his men to prepare to leave.\n\"What, my lord!\" said the empress.  \"Are you going with so few\nmen?\"\nThe emperor replied:\n\"These barons from Sicily are here, and they'll go with me.\"\nAll the emperor's servants quickly made ready.\nThe following night, while the princess was asleep, Stephanie\ncame to her bed.  She woke her and said:\n\"My lady, I dreamt that I saw Diafebus, and that he told me:\n'Stephanie, my love, Tirant and I are so fortunate to have you\nhere!  Just being able to see you makes us sure we'll defeat the\nTurks.'  So, my lady, when I woke up I came here to tell Your\nHighness that, if you wish, we can quickly satisfy your desires.\nAnd they'll know first hand how great our love is: we will go to\nthem when they can't come to us.\"\nThe princess said:\n\"Give me my chemise, and don't say another word.\"\nShe quickly dressed, and then she went to the emperor's chambers.\nHe had not yet gotten up, and she told him:\n\"My lord, the maidens are afraid, hearing about the war, and\nespecially about the battles.  So, Your Majesty, please don't\nrefuse me a favor.  You should grant it to me for two reasons:\nFirst, Your Majesty should not go anywhere without me because of\nyour age, for I love you more than anyone, and if Your Majesty\ngot sick I could serve you and be at your bedside, because I know\nyour nature better than anyone.  The second reason is that it's\nnature's course that whoever is born first should die first,\nalthough sometimes we see the contrary.  And if I go with Your\nMajesty I could see and know about war, and in case the need\nshould arise in the future I would not be afraid.\"\nAt first the emperor tried to dissuade her, but when she\ninsisted, he said:\n\"My daughter, since you want it so much, I'll give my consent.\"\nOn the day they left, the princess dressed in a skirt with gold\nbraid, and armed herself in a coat of mail she had had made for\nher.  She mounted a large white horse, and with a staff in her\nhand she went as captain over her people.  In her company were\nsixty of the most beautiful and elegant maidens in the entire\ncourt.  She made Stephanie the commander, while the Duke of\nPera's daughter, Saladria, had the position of marshal.\nComtesina was lord constable, and Plaerdemavida carried the\nemblem.  Eliseu carried the large banner, Widow Repose was usher\nof the chamber, and each of the others had their own office.  And\nthis is how they rode until they reached Tirant's tent.\nWhen the emperor was situated in the camp tents, he sent word to\nLord Malvei, asking him to come talk with him.  As soon as he\nreceived the request, he quickly went to pay homage to the\nemperor.  He told him all about Tirant and the virtuous acts that\nhe did every day, and the princess was very pleased to hear the\npraises of Tirant.  Lord Malvei asked him if he would like to\nstay at his castle, because he would be very safe there.  So he\nwent, while all the Sicilian barons set up their tents near the\nriver.\nLord Malvei covertly sent one of his men to the Valley of\nEspinosa to tell the captain that the emperor had come with his\ndaughter and with the barons of Sicily.  Tirant kept it secret\nuntil the following day so that no one would leave with the\nexcuse of going to see the emperor or their relatives.  He told\nonly Diafebus in great secrecy.\nWhen it was midnight, or very near it, everyone mounted their\nhorses.  He had the foot soldiers go first, with Diafebus as\ntheir captain, and with 400 lancers, their horses completely\ndecorated.  Tirant earnestly charged Diafebus to stay behind some\nrocks about a league from the enemy camp, and for him and his men\nnot to show themselves even if they saw that the battle was lost.\nEven if he saw that they were killing him, they were not to come\nout to help.  Still not satisfied, he made him swear not to move\nuntil he gave the command.\nEach division put their men in order.  Tirant did the following:\nAll the horses were put in a row so that not one head was in\nfront of another.  And everyone was in order except the Duke of\nMacedonia who refused to obey any of the captain's orders.  The\nemperor's flags were in the middle.  The Duke of Sinop was at the\nend of one wing, and the Duke of Pera was at the other end.\nMeanwhile the captain went up and down the line urging the men to\nkeep in order, for if they did, with the help of Our Lord he\nwould make them victorious that day.\nWhen the sultan saw the Christians preparing for battle, he\nquickly put all his forces in order: All the men with lances were\nput in front; next came the archers and crossbowmen; then the\nChristians that the Grand Turk had hired to fight for him, on\nhorses which were nicely covered and with large plumes, and they\nwere more than fifteen paces behind the crossbowmen.  The Turks\nwere last of all, and they had more than four hundred bombards.\nThey thought that with the bombards they would kill more than\nseven hundred men.  When all the men were in place the King of\nEgypt sent a messenger to Tirant to thank him for keeping his\npromise, and to tell him that he would kill him or take him\nprisoner on that day.  He said Tirant would taste the point of\nhis lance very soon, and he would see how bitter it tasted.\nTirant answered that he would be very happy to see how it tasted\nbecause he had so much sugar that he would not notice any bitter\ntaste at all, but that that day he would engage him in battle,\nand he would spill his blood.\nTirant again urged his men on.  He took away their fear, and gave\nthem hopes of having a glorious victory.  The Turks shot one\nbombard, and the blast went wide without touching anyone.  Tirant\nhad a small axe tied to his arm with a silk cord, and in his hand\nhe held a small banner, and he signaled with it.  The Duke of\nPera, who commanded one wing, turned his men toward the flags in\na very slow and orderly way, so that their backs were to the\nenemy.  At the other end of the wing was the Duke of Sinop, and\nhe held his men steady.  When the men under the Duke of Pera had\nturned and were in order again, Tirant signaled with the small\nbanner, and the men under the Duke of Sinop turned around in the\nsame orderly way.  Then they were all facing the mountain, where\nDiafebus was, with their backs to the enemy.  They spurred their\nhorses forward at a gallop, always in a very orderly way, with\nnone of the horses going ahead of the others, When the Turks saw\nthem going back, they began to shout:\n\"They're running away!  They're running away!\"\nThe foot soldiers threw away their shields, others their lances,\nand others their crossbows, to run after their Christian enemies.\nThe men on horseback threw off the coverings so that their horses\ncould run more swiftly.  From time to time Tirant turned and saw\nall the men coming, wave after wave, in confusion, and so he was\nunconcerned about anything except for his troops to continue\nmoving in a very orderly way.  And the Moors with good horses\ncame close enough to throw their lances at their backs.\nWhen the emperor, who was up in the tower, saw his men fleeing,\nhe believed that the battle was lost.  All that night the maidens\ndid not take off their clothes, and prayed earnestly, begging the\nConqueror of Battles and His Holy Mother to give the Christians\nvictory.\nWhen Tirant saw the foot soldiers falling far behind, and that\nthey had passed the place where Diafebus was, Tirant raised the\nbanner he was carrying and they all stopped.  Then each squadron\ndrew a stone's throw apart from the one next to it.  When the\nTurks saw them stop, they realized they had been tricked.  Tirant\nordered the Duke of Pera to attack first, and he charged into the\nenemy.  When Tirant saw the enemy coming with reinforcements, he\nhad the Marquis of Saint George lead an attack, then the Duke of\nSinopoli.  And so many men were killed that it was an astonishing\nsight to see.\nTirant saw that half his men had been involved in the attacks,\nand they were still winning.  Then, in the melee, he saw the King\nof Cappadocia killing many Christians (He recognized him by his\ncoat of arms: a gold lion with a banner), and he took a lance and\nspurred toward him.  When the king saw him coming he did not turn\nhis back, but waited for him in anticipation.  And when they met,\nit was with such force that both they and their horses fell to\nthe ground.  They both got up bravely, and slashed at each other\nwith their swords.  But so many men were fighting aground them\nthat they could not fight well.  Then the Turks helped their king\nmount again.  Pyramus went in front of the king so Tirant could\nmount, and the others surrounded him, defending him until the\nsquadron of Count Plegamans could attack.  This squadron came to\nwhere the captain was, and they helped him mount behind Lord\nAgramunt who took him out of the thick of battle.  Since many\nhorses had lost their riders and were running loose, they caught\none and gave it to their captain, and he quickly went back into\nthe fray.\nThe captain commanded all the squadrons to attack, some on the\nright and some on the left.  Then they saw helmets falling to the\nground, and many knights from both sides were being killed or\nwounded.  It was a startling sight to see.  Tirant attacked too,\nfirst in one place, then in another.  And he did not fight in\nonly one place, but in many, helping wherever he was needed.\nThe King of Egypt was able to see Tirant fighting very bravely.\nHe drew apart from the battle, and the Kings of Cappadocia and\nAfrica came out with him.  The King of Egypt asked them to leave\nthe others and try to kill only Tirant.  And with this accord\nthey returned to the battle.  While Tirant was fighting, the Duke\nof Macedonia came up behind Tirant, and plunged his sword into\nhis neck, under the helmet.  Hippolytus and Pyramus saw it, and\ncried:\n\"You traitor!  Why are you trying to kill one of the best knights\nin the world?\"\nThe three kings had lances, and they worked their way forward\nuntil they saw Tirant.  They galloped toward him, but only the\nKing of Egypt and the King of Cappadocia were able to reach him.\nThe clash was so great that both Tirant and his horse fell to the\nground.  The horse had seven wounds.\nThe King of Africa attacked the Duke of Macedonia who was\nfighting near Tirant, and the king plunged his lance into the\nduke's chest with such force that it came out the other side, and\nthat is how he paid for his wickedness.\nTirant was on the ground with his horse lying on his leg, and he\ncould barely get up.  But with a great effort he stood up, and\nthe beaver fell from his helmet, for a lance hit him there, and\nanother hit his left vambrace.  If it had not been for his own\nsoldiers then, he would have been killed.  The King of Egypt saw\nhim on the ground, and quickly tried to dismount.  When his leg\nwas on the saddlebow Lord Agramunt plunged a lance into his\nthigh, and it came out the other side.  The wound left him in\ngreat pain, and he fell to the ground.  When Tirant saw him\nstretched out on the ground like that he ran toward him, but with\nall the men fighting he could not reach him.  The king stood up\nagain and picked up a lance that he found lying on the ground,\nand he made his way forward until he was able to hurl his lance\nat Tirant.  Tirant was hit in the cheek, and since he had no\nbeaver, four of his teeth were knocked out, and he lost a great\ndeal of blood, but that did not stop him, and he continued to\nfight.  Hippolytus saw him on foot, wounded, and he made his way\nto him.  Then he dismounted as quickly as he could, and said:\n\"My lord, take my horse, I beg you.\"\nTirant was fighting at one end of the wing, moving away from the\nthick of battle little by little.  He mounted, and said to\nHippolytus:\n\"What will you do?\"\nHippolytus answered:\n\"Sir, save yourself.  Even if they kill me, my love for you is\nsuch that I will consider it worthwhile.\"\nTirant turned back to the fighting, looking to see if he could\nfind the King of Egypt, but because of his painful wound the king\nhad left the battle.  When Tirant saw that he could not find him,\nhe fought the others.  It was much later, while he was still\nfighting, that he encountered the King of Cappadocia.  When this\nking saw him he went out to meet him, and with his sword he\nslightly cut the hand that held the axe.  Then Tirant drew so\nnear to him that he struck him on the head with his axe, and\ncaved in his helmet, and the king fell to the ground, half dead.\nTirant quickly dismounted, and cut the straps of his helmet.\nA knight came up and cried out:\n\"My lord, do not kill the king.  Since he is mortally wounded and\nis near death, be merciful and give him the short time he has\nleft to live.\nYou have done enough by defeating him.\"\nTirant said:\n\"What moved you to want mercy on our enemy who has done\neverything possible to kill me?  Now is the time only for\ncruelty.\"\nAnd he removed the helmet and cut off his head.  Tirant's axe\nstood out from all the others, for it was red, dripping blood\nfrom the men he had killed.  The ground was covered with dead\nmen, and was completely red from all the blood that had been\nspilled.  Tirant mounted his horse again, and when the Turks saw\ntheir king killed, they fell upon him in great numbers, trying to\nkill him.  Tirant was badly wounded, and was again knocked from\nhis horse.  He quickly stood up, not at all overcome by the fall\nor frightened because of his wounds.  He went into the thick of\nthe fray on foot, fighting to help his men, and he again mounted\nhis horse.\nThis was a harsh and terrible battle, and by now it was nearly\ntime for vespers.\nDiafebus was cursing Tirant for putting him there, and he said:\n\"He always wants the honors for himself, and he won't share them\nwith anyone else.  He's left me here as though I weren't good for\nanything.  But by God, I want part of the honor.  Let's go!\" he\nsaid.  \"Let's go into battle without being afraid of any danger.\"\nHe and his men came out from their concealment and they attacked\nvery boldly.  The Turks saw so many men coming out (when they had\nthought there were no more), and they became very dejected.\nThe sultan left the battle because he was slightly wounded, and\nhe said to his men:\n\"I see that our forces are losing.  I think it's better for us to\nflee than to die.\"\nWhen Tirant saw the sultan and his men fleeing with their banners\nhe rode after them and killed many of them.  This battle lasted\nfrom daybreak until three hours after noon.  There were so many\nMoors that the Christians grew weary from killing them.\nThe captain and most of his men reached the city that formerly\nbelonged to the Marquis of Saint George.  It had been lost to the\nKing of Egypt, and he kept it well supplied.  When the King of\nEgypt saw that the battle was lost, he had fled with the others,\nand he felt so much pain from the wound in his thigh that he had\nto leave the sultan and his men, and stop there.  When Tirant\narrived it was nearly dark. They stayed in camp until the\nfollowing day.  That evening they all had their wounds attended\nto, and many died during the night.  But on that eastern shore\nthere had never been such a harsh and deadly battle: many women\nbecame widows, and many young maidens lost their fathers, but\nthey were filled with the hope of being set free from slavery.\nThe following day Tirant had the men take up arms, and they\nattacked the city, but the Turks defended themselves very well,\nfor they had very good men inside.  After four unsuccessful\nattacks, the Marquis of Saint George rode around the entire city\nand came to the Jewish quarter.  There he called out to a Jew\nnamed Jacob.  When the Jew heard the marquis' voice, he realized\nit was his lord, and he ran to open the gate for him.  The\nmarquis and his men quickly rode into the city, and they took\nhalf of it before the King of Egypt or the other Moors knew what\nhad happened.\nThe marquis sent word to Tirant to stop fighting and to come in\nthrough the Jewish quarter because the city had already been\ntaken.  When Tirant and his men came in through that gate, he\nfound that the marquis' forces had already defeated all the\nTurks, and that he had the King of Egypt trapped in a thicket of\ntrees where he was continuing to fight, wounded as he was.  When\nthe marquis had captured the king, he sent word to the captain to\ncome and behead his enemy, the King of Egypt.  The captain\nreplied that he would never kill a man who was being held\nprisoner.  Whereupon the marquis seized the king by the hair, and\nslit his throat with a knife.\nEven though Tirant was victorious that day, he would allow no\ncelebrations to take place.  He only said in everyone's presence:\n\"If Diafebus had done what I ordered him to, I would have killed\nthe sultan and taken prisoner all the great dukes who were there,\nand I would be lord of the entire empire.\"\nGetting back to the emperor, the great pain he felt when he\nthought Tirant had lost the battle was changed into relief\nbecause Lord Malvei sent one of his men on horseback for news of\nthe battle.  He returned with the news of what had happened, and\nhow the captain had gone after the fleeing Turks.\nA few moments later the emperor mounted his horse to go with the\nbarons of Sicily, and the princess wanted to go with him.  When\nthey were in the Moorish camp they found all the tents with all\nthe wealth inside, and the men wanted to loot them, but the\nemperor would not allow it.  Instead he had the Lord of\nPantanalea and Lord Malvei hold all the booty for safekeeping\nuntil the men who had conquered the camp were notified.\nWhile the emperor was in the Moors' camp, the princess saw a\nlittle black boy at a distance.  She rode toward him and quickly\ndismounted and went into the tent where the little black boy had\ngone to hide.  Grabbing him by the hair, she took him out to the\nemperor and said:\n\"Now I can boast in front of our captain about how I have been a\nvaliant lady-knight, who went boldly into the enemy camp, and\ntook a Turk prisoner.\"\nThe emperor and all the others were very amused at his daughter's\nwit.\nDiafebus saw that Tirant was angry with him, and so he did not\ndare show himself out of shame.  When the emperor heard of the\nglorious battle from others but not from Diafebus, he told the\nprincess:\n\"Since I've had no news from Diafebus, I fear that he may be\ndead.\"\nWhen Stephanie heard this, she burst into tears.  On their return\nto the castle of Malvei, she sent a man to find out what had\nhappened to Diafebus, along with a letter that said:\n\"My love for you demands that I have news from you.  For I have\nheard that you may be dead.  So I beg you, my lord, to come here\nquickly.\nAnd if something has happened to you, I want to die with you.\"\nWhen Diafebus saw this letter from his lady, he was overjoyed.\nHe took the letter to Tirant's room.  When Tirant had read it, he\nsent for the messenger and asked him about the emperor and the\nvirtuous princess.  The messenger told him everything that had\nhappened in the camp, and how the princess had gone armed into\nthe Moors' tents and had captured a black, and that she was\nholding him under guard.\n\"To show him to your lordship, as soon as she can see you.\"\nTirant was very pleased, and he ordered Diafebus to go to His\nMajesty, the emperor.  And Diafebus rode off very quickly.\nWhen he reached the castle of Malvei, he went directly to the\nemperor.  The entire castle heard that Diafebus had come, and the\nmaidens quickly went to see him--especially Stephanie.  They\nfound him in the emperor's chamber, talking about the battle.\nThe emperor asked how many men were killed, and Diafebus said:\n\"I don't know the number of Turks who are dead, but from here to\nthe city of Saint George you can't travel on the main road: it's\ntoo full of corpses.  But of our forces I can give you an exact\naccount, because the captain has had all their bodies gathered\nand buried.  We found the Duke of Macedonia dead from a lance\nwound, and the Duke of Babylonia, the Marquis of Ferrara, and the\nMarquis of Guast, Count Plegamans.  These are the main ones.\nThere are also many other knights who were killed, among them the\nHigh Constable.  In all, one thousand two hundred thirty-four men\ndied.\"\nThe emperor was very pleased with Tirant's accomplishments, and\ndid not know how to reward him.  Diafebus remained there,\npretending he was ill, and the emperor had him taken care of as\nwell as he would have his own daughter. Tirant stayed in the\ncamp, guarding it well.\nMeanwhile the sultan and all those who had escaped with him went\ninto the city of Bellpuig.  The sultan remained there, feeling\nsafe, but for two weeks he kept to his room, crying over the\nbattle they had lost, and lamenting the death of the King of\nCappadocia.  But he still knew nothing of the death of the King\nof Egypt and he was anxious to hear any news.  Cipres of Paterno\nsaid to him:\n\"Sir, does your lordship want me to go? If I can talk to my\nfriend, I'll know everything there is to know.\"\nThe sultan begged him very much, in front of all who were there,\nto go.\nUnder his jubbah Cipres wore a tunic of white damask  that Tirant\nhad given him with the cross of Saint George embroidered on it.\nWhen he was on the road and the Moors couldn't see him, he took\noff the jubbah and sat on it while he rode.  When the Christian\nspies along the road saw him, they thought he was one of their\nown, and they did not stop him.  In the city, he asked where the\ncaptain's lodgings were.  The captain was very glad to see him,\nand asked what news there was.\n\"Sir,\" said Cipres of Paterno, \"they've found 103,700 men missing\nfrom their ranks, who have either been killed or taken prisoner.\nIf you had pursued them, you would have taken them all, for their\nhorses were too tired to go on.  They had to stop halfway along\nthe road to Bellpuig and spend the night: many were wounded, many\nwere fatigued, and many died that night since there were no\ndoctors to attend them: the cold entered their wounds, and there\nthey died.\"\n\"Do you have any other news?\"\n\"Yes, sir,\" said Cipres of Paterno.  \"Seven ships have come from\nTurkey, loaded with wheat, barley and other foods.  And they say\nfor a certainty that the Grand Caramany is on them with fifty\nthousand soldiers and horsemen, and that he's bringing his\ndaughter to give her as a wife to the sultan, and that in his\ncompany is the King of Upper India.\"\n\"Have they unloaded those seven ships yet?\" asked Tirant.\n\"No, sir,\" said Cipres.  \"The wind has been against them, and\nthey haven't been able to make port.\"\nThey spoke of many other things, and after Cipres of Paterno had\nreturned to the sultan, he told him about the death of the King\nof Egypt.  And there was great wailing among the Moors, for he\nwas much loved.\nTirant took a man with him who knew the land well, and which\nsecret roads they could travel by to avoid difficulties.  When\nthey were in sight of the sea, they saw the city of Bellpuig at\nthe top of a high mountain, and the ships, their sails turning to\nand fro in the wind, unable to make port.  Tirant returned\nquickly, and learned that the emperor, along with all the barons\nfrom Sicily, had gone out to conquer the many villas and castles\nnearby.  Then he and the Duke of Pera left with a party of\nsoldiers, and he left the rest with the Marquis of Saint George\nas their captain.  When Tirant was near the castle of Malvei, he\nlearned that the princess had remained inside with her maidens,\nand with Diafebus as their protector.  So he sent Hippolytus\ninside with a message.  When Hippolytus was before the princess,\nhe knelt and kissed her hand and said:\n\"Your Majesty, my lord sends me to beg Your Highness to give him\nsafe- conduct so that he may come and go from here freely.\"\nThe princess replied, \"Oh, new knight.  Doesn't the good captain\nknow that we are all under his captaincy and in his care?\"\nThen Hippolytus stood and embraced all the maidens.  And don't\nthink that Plaerdemavida was displeased to see Hippolytus.\nMeanwhile the princess took pen and ink, and wrote:\n\"With my own hand I sign this document.  I will in no way limit\nyour freedom to come and go as you wish.  September 7, in the\nCastle of Malvei.\"\nWhen he had the document in hand, Tirant quickly went up to the\ncastle where he found the princess in a great hall.  She took the\nDuke of Pera by one hand, and Tirant by the other, and sat\nbetween them.  And they spoke of many things.  They talked about\nhow the emperor had been taking villas and castles, and they\ndecided to go and help the emperor in the morning.  And the\nprincess said:\n\"If you go to where the emperor is, I'm going too.\"  And she had\nthem bring out her prisoner, saying: \"Do you think that when I've\nbeen in hard- fought battles the way you have, I don't know how\nto take prisoners from among our cruel enemies?\"\nAnd saying these things, they went in to dine.  But the princess\nate very little, for she could not keep her eyes off Tirant.  The\nduke began to talk to the lady of the castle and to Widow Repose,\ntelling them about the battles they had won under Tirant's\nleadership.  And Widow Repose's love of Tirant grew even\nstronger, but she was afraid to show it.  While they were talking\nPlaerdemavida came up, and sitting at Tirant's feet, she said:\n\"My lord and captain, no one loves you as I do.  I feel\ncompassion for you, for none of these ladies has told you to lay\ndown your weapons.  In faith, that shirt you are wearing is well\ntrampled.  I saw it being put on and taken off, well-perfumed,\nand now I see it all torn and smelling of iron and steel.\"\nThe princess said:\n\"Give me that hand that has not had mercy on the deaths of the\nMoorish Kings, our enemies.\"\nStephanie took his hand and placed it in the princess's lap.\nWhen she saw it on her knees, she bent over and kissed it.\nTirant said:\n\"If Your Highness would give me leave to kiss your hands whenever\nI wished, oh how fortunate I'd be.  And I would be even more so\nif I could kiss your feet and your legs.\"\nThe princess took his hands again, and said:\n\"From now on, Captain, I want your hands to do as they will with\nme: that is your right.\"\nShe quickly got up because they had spent the greater part of the\nnight there.  And so that the duke and the others would have no\nreason to gossip, they went with her to her room where she bid\nthem all a good night.  And the duke and Tirant slept in the same\nbed.\nThe following morning the trumpets blew, and they all armed\nthemselves and mounted their horses.  The princess wanted to go\nwith them, and they rode until they found the emperor, who was\nattacking a well fortified city.  With Tirant's men helping, they\nentered the villa and killed and made prisoner of many.\nThe following day the emperor held council to decide where they\nshould attack next.  The captain spoke, and said:\n\"Sire, it would be better if Your Highness would go with the\nbarons of Sicily back to the palace with all the prisoners we've\ntaken.  The Duke and I will take charge of guarding and\nconquering the nearby cities and villas.  And Your Majesty can\nsend us the supplies we need.\"\nWhen they were back in the castle, the emperor summoned Tirant,\nand then had the princess and the other maidens come, and he\nsaid:\n\"Captain, since fortune has been so contrary to our High\nConstable, the Count of Bitinua, who is dead, who do you think we\nshould choose as our next constable?\"\nTirant knelt and said:\n\"My lord, if Your Majesty would be pleased to give the office of\nHigh Constable to Diafebus, I would consider it a great favor.\"\n\"I will do as you wish,\" said the emperor.  \"Because of my\naffection for you, and because of his many merits, from this\nmoment on, I grant to Diafebus the office of High Constable.  And\nto you I give the County of Sant Angel, which I take from my\ndaughter and bestow upon you.  Tomorrow I will have a celebration\nwhere you will take the title of count.\"\nTirant replied:\n\"Sire, I give you infinite thanks for doing me such a great\nhonor, but I will accept it only if I can give the title in turn\nto Diafebus, my closest relative.\"\n\"It makes no difference to me what you do with it afterward, as\nlong as I have offered it and you have accepted it.\"\nThen Tirant knelt and kissed the emperor's hands and feet for his\nhonor.\nThe morning of the next day the emperor wanted mass held in the\nmiddle of a meadow, and he wanted Diafebus between himself and\nhis daughter.  After mass the emperor put the ring on Diafebus'\nhand and kissed him on the mouth.  Then all the trumpets began to\npeal very loudly, and a king- of-arms cried out in a loud voice:\n\"This is the most eminent and virtuous knight, Count of Sant\nAngel and High Constable of the Greek Empire.\"\nAfterward the dances and festivities began, and all day long the\nprincess did nothing but dance with the High Constable.  When it\nwas time to eat the emperor had the High Constable sit at his\nright, and the duke sat on his left, while the princess sat to\nthe right of the constable.  Tirant acted as steward since he was\ngiving the celebration.  The ladies ate at other tables, and the\nbarons and knights ate at their right.  Next were all the\nsoldiers.  And that day all the prisoners ate at tables to honor\nthe celebration.  Tirant even had the horses eating barley mixed\nwith bread.\nWhen the dinner was half finished, Tirant summoned the\nkings-of-arms and heralds, and gave them a thousand ducats.  And\nall the trumpets were pealing, and they came before the emperor's\ntable and cried out, \"Largesse, largesse!\"\nAfter the meal the repast was held with many sugared dainties.\nThen they all rode, armed and holding the constable's banners,\njousting before the emperor.  They held a beautiful display of\narms without getting hurt.  And they went like this up to the\nplace where the sultan usually held camp, and came back very\nhappily.\nWhen they thought it was time to have the evening meal, they held\nthe festivities in that same place, and they were very well\nserved with many varied dishes.  During the entire meal, as\nTirant was serving it, he seemed very sad.  The princess had him\ncome over to her, and she whispered in his ear:\n\"Tell me, Tirant, why are you so sad?  Your face shows that\nsomething is wrong.  Tell me, what it is, please!\"\n\"My lady, I have so many troubles that they could not be counted.\nMy life is worth nothing.  Your Highness is leaving tomorrow, and\nI will be left behind in great sadness, knowing that I will not\nsee you.\"\n\"It is only right,\" said the princess, \"that anyone who causes\nmisfortune should suffer for it.  You are the one who brought it\non: You advised the emperor to go back to the city with all the\nprisoners.  I've never seen such bad advice given by any man who\nwas in love.  But if you would like me to pretend I am sick for\ntwo or three weeks, I will do it because of my love for you, and\nI'm sure the emperor will wait because of his love for me.\"\n\"But what will we do,\" said Tirant, \"with all these prisoners we\nhave here?  I can't find any way to relieve my pain.  Sometimes I\nfeel like taking poison, or dying a sudden death, to escape this\nanguish.\"\n\"Don't do any such thing, Tirant,\" said the princess.  \"Go talk\nto Stephanie, and see if she can do something to help that won't\nbe difficult for me, and will bring you relief.\"\nTirant quickly went to Stephanie and told her his troubles.  And\nthey, and the constable, agreed that when everybody was resting\nand the maidens were asleep, the two men would come to the\nchamber and there they would decide what they could do to give\nrelease to their passion.\nWhen it was night, and time for everyone in the castle to be\nasleep, the maidens had gone to bed.  All the ladies were\nsleeping with Widow Repose; there were only five sleeping in the\nroom they had to pass through.\nThe princess and Stephanie were in their chamber, and when\nPlaerdemavida saw that the princess did not want to go to sleep,\nand then she heard her putting perfume on, she quickly thought\nthat there was going to be a night of merry-making.\nWhen the time came, Stephanie picked up a lighted candlestick in\none hand, and went to the bed where the five maidens were\nsleeping, and she looked at them all, one at a time, to see if\nthey were asleep.  Plaerdemavida wanted to see and hear\neverything that would happen, and she tried to stay awake.  And\nwhen Stephanie came with the candlestick, she closed her eyes and\npretended to be sleeping.  When Stephanie saw that all the ladies\nwere asleep, she quietly opened the door so that no one would\nhear her, and she found the two knights already waiting at the\ndoor more devoutly than the Jews await the Messiah.  As they came\nin, she put out the light and took the constable's hand.  She led\nthe way, with Tirant following the constable, until they came to\nthe door of the chamber where the princess was waiting for them,\nalone.\nWhen Tirant saw how beautifully she was dressed, he bowed deeply\nto her, and with one knee on the ground, he kissed her hands many\ntimes, and they exchanged amorous words.  Later, when they felt\nthat it was time for them to go, they said goodnight and went\nback to their room.  Who could sleep that night, some because of\nlove, and others because of pain.\nAs soon as it was light everyone got up, because the emperor had\nto leave that day.  When Plaerdemavida was up she went to the\nprincess's chamber and found her dressing.  Stephanie was\nsitting on the floor, not yet finished dressing, because her\nhands would not help her tie on her hat, and her eyes were half\nclosed so that she could scarcely see.\n\"Holy Mary, help me!\" said Plaerdemavida.  \"Tell me, Stephanie,\nwhat kind of behavior is this.  What's wrong with you?  I'll go\nget the doctors so they can bring you back to health.\"\n\"That's not necessary,\" said Stephanie.  \"My illness won't last\nlong.  It's only a headache.  The air from the river last night\nmade me ill.\"\n\"Be careful about what you're saying,\" said Plaerdemavida.  \"I'm\nafraid you may die.  And if you die, your death will be criminal.\nBe careful about pain in your heels, I've heard doctors say about\nus women that pain comes to our heels first, then our feet, then\nit comes up to our knees, and our thighs, and sometimes it goes\ninto our secret place.  There it brings us a great deal of pain,\nand it goes up to our head from there.  And don't think that this\nsickness comes often, as the great philosopher Galen says--a very\nwise doctor, for it only comes once in a lifetime.  Even though\nit's an incurable illness, it is never deadly, and there are many\ntreatments if a person wants to try them.  What I'm telling you\nis true, and you shouldn't be astonished that I know about\nsickness.  If you show me your tongue I'll be able to tell you\nwhat your illness is.\"\nStephanie stuck out her tongue.  When Plaerdemavida had seen it\nshe said to her:\n\"I would swear by everything my father taught me that you lost\nblood last night.\"\nStephanie quickly answered:\n\"You're right.  I had a nosebleed.\"\n\"I don't know if it came out of your nose or your heel,\" said\nPlaerdemavida, \"but you've lost blood.  And my lady, if Your\nMajesty would like, I'll tell you a dream I had last night, as\nlong as Your Highness will promise me that if I say something\nthat annoys you, you'll forgive me.\"\nThe princess was delighted by what Plaerdemavida had said, and\nlaughing, she told her to say whatever she liked, that she\nforgave her.  And Plaerdemavida began to tell about her dream.\n\"I'll tell Your Majesty everything I dreamed.  As I was asleep in\na side chamber with four maidens, I saw Stephanie come in with a\nlighted candle so that it wouldn't shine too brightly, and she\ncame up to our bed and saw us all sleeping.  The truth is that I\nwas half asleep: I don't know if I was asleep or awake.  In my\ndream I saw how Stephanie opened the chamber door very quietly so\nthat she wouldn't make any noise, and she found my lord Tirant\nand the constable there, waiting.  They were dressed in their\ndoublets, with cloaks and swords, and they wore woolen stockings\non their feet so they wouldn't make any noise when they walked.\nWhen they came in, she put out the light, and went in front,\nholding the constable's hand.  After him came your knight.  She\nwas like a blindman's guide, and she put them in your chamber.\nYour Highness was all perfumed, dressed and not naked.  Tirant\nheld you in his arms and carried you around the room, kissing you\nover and over again, and Your Highness was saying, 'Stop it,\nTirant, stop it!'  And he put you on a bed.  And Plaerdemavida\nwent up the bed and said, 'Oh, in the bed!  If only the people\nwho knew you before could see you now!'  And it seemed to me that\nI got out of bed in my chemise and went up to that hole in the\ndoor, and that I watched everything you were doing.\"\nThe princess laughed, and said:\n\"Was there more to your dream?\"\n\"Holy Mary, yes!\" said Plaerdemavida.  \"Let me go on, and I'll\ntell you the whole thing.  My lady, you said, 'Tirant, I let you\ncome here so you could have a little rest, because of the great\naffection I feel for you.'\nAnd Tirant wasn't sure he would do what you told him.  And you\nsaid: 'Don't refuse me what I'm asking of you, because my\nchastity that I've kept can pride itself on being free of all\nsin.'  'I felt sure,' said Tirant, 'that you would be in\nagreement with my wishes without being afraid of any future\ndanger, but since Your Highness is displeased, I will do whatever\nYour Majesty desires.'  And you made him swear that he would not\nanger you in any way: 'And even if you wanted to, the anguish\nyou would give me would be enormous--I would curse you all the\ndays of my life, for when virginity is lost it cannot be\nregained.'  I dreamed that you and he said all these things to\neach other.  Then, in my vision, I saw how he kissed you again\nand again and untied the cord over your bosom, and that he\nquickly kissed your breasts.  After he had spent some time\nkissing you he tried to put his hands under your skirts, and you,\nmy good lady, would not permit it.  And I think that if you had\nallowed it his oath would have been in danger.  Your Highness\nsaid to him, 'The time will come when what you want so much will\nbe given to you, and my virginity, intact, will be yours.'  Then\nhe put his face next to yours, and with his arms around your\nneck, and yours around his, like vines on a tree, he received\nyour loving kisses.  Later, still dreaming, I saw how Stephanie\nwas on that bed, and it seemed to me that her legs were turning\nwhite, and she said many times, 'Oh, my lord, you're hurting me!\nHave a little pity on me; don't kill me.'  And Tirant was saying\nto her, 'Stephanie, why do you want to put your honor in jeopardy\nby screaming so loudly?  Don't you know that walls sometimes have\nears?'  And she grabbed the sheet and stuffed it in her mouth and\nbit down on it with her teeth so she wouldn't scream.  But after\na short while she couldn't help giving out a loud shriek and\nsaying, 'Poor me, what shall I do?  The pain is making me scream.\nFrom what I can see you've decided to kill me.'\n\"Then the constable closed her mouth.  When I heard that sweet\nmoan I cursed my misfortune because I wasn't the third one with\nmy Hippolytus.  The more I thought about it, the more it grieved\nme, and it seems to me that I took a little water, and washed my\nheart, my breasts, and my stomach to take away pain.  And as my\nsoul looked through the hole I saw how, after a second, Stephanie\nheld out her arms and gave up, in surrender.  But still she said:\n'Go away, you cruel, unloving man.  You have no pity or mercy on\nmaidens until you've taken away their chastity.  Oh, you\nfaithless man!  If I decided not to forgive you, what punishment\nwould you deserve?  And all the while I'm complaining about you,\nthe more I love you.'\n\"She called to the princess and Tirant, and showing them the\nshirt, she said: 'Love must make amends for this blood of mine.'\nShe said this with tears in her eyes.  After all this, when day\nwas approaching, Your Majesty and Tirant consoled her as well as\nyou could.  Then, when the roosters started to crow again, Your\nHighness begged Tirant to go so that you would not be seen by\nanyone in the castle.  And Tirant begged Your Highness to release\nhim from his oath so that he could achieve the glorious triumph\nthat he desired, as his cousin had done.  Your Highness refused,\nand you were victorious in the battle.  When they had gone I woke\nup.  I didn't see a thing, not Hippolytus or anyone else, but I\nbegan to think that it might really have happened, because I\nfound my breasts and my belly wet with water.  My pain increased\nso much that I began to toss and turn in bed like a sick man who\nis about to die.  So I decided to love Hippolytus with all my\nheart, and pass my life in pain, just as Stephanie is doing.\nShall I keep my eyes closed with no one coming to give me relief?\nLove has disturbed my feelings so much that I'll die if\nHippolytus doesn't come to my aid.  If I could at least spend my\nlife sleeping!  By heaven, it's a trial to wake up when you're\nhaving a good dream.\"\nThe other maidens had gotten up, and they came into the chamber\nto help their lady dress.  After mass the emperor left with the\nbarons of Sicily, and the Duke of Pera, and all the prisoners.\nTirant and the constable accompanied them a good league.  The\nemperor told them to go back, and since he had told them once\nalready, they had to do it.  After Tirant had taken his leave of\nthe emperor and the barons, he approached the princess and asked\nif Her Majesty wanted something.  The princess lifted the veil\nshe wore in front of her face and her eyes could not help\nshedding tears, and she could say nothing but:\n\"Perhaps...\"\nAnd she could say no more because the words would not come, and\neverything was sobs and sighs of farewell.  She let the veil fall\ncompletely over her face so that her sadness would not reach the\nears of the emperor or the rest of the people.\nNo one could remember anything ever having happened to any knight\nlike what happened to Tirant who, after he had said farewell to\nthe princess, fell off the horse he was riding.  As soon as he\nhad fallen he got up and raised his hand toward the horse, saying\nthat it was the one that was hurt.  The emperor and many others\nsaw it and ran to him.  And he pretended to be looking at the\nhorse's hoof.\nThe emperor said to him:\n\"How did you happen to fall?\"\nAnd Tirant told him:\n\"My lord, I thought my horse was hurt, and I started getting down\nto see what was wrong with it, and the stirrup broke.  But it's\nnothing to be surprised at, my lord, to see a man fall: a horse\nhas four feet and it falls down: all the more reason for a man to\nfall since he has only two.\"\nHe quickly mounted again, and each went his way.  Tirant came to\nthe castle of the Lord of Malvei.  He ordered the constable and\nhalf of the men, both those on horse and on foot, to go to the\ncamp and guard it.\n\"I'll go,\" said Tirant, \"to the port where the ships are, and\nhave them unloaded.  And if I see that there isn't enough I'll\nsend them to the city again, or to Rhodes.\"\nBy night Tirant was in the port, and he found the ships almost\nunloaded.  The ships' masters and the sailors were very happy at\nthe captain's visit, and they told him that the seven Genoese\nships had sailed into the port of Bellpuig.\n\"We have all been very cautious because we were afraid they would\ncome here and attack us.\"\nTirant said:\n\"That shows they are afraid of you, since they haven't dared to\nattack.  Shall we make them more afraid than they already are?\"\nThey took a fishing boat and armed it.  And they sent it out to\nsee how many men there could be, more or less, on the ships, and\nhow many vessels were in port.  That night he had all the wheat\nunloaded.  By morning the spy-boat returned with the news that\nthere were seven large ships, and that they had unloaded all the\nhorses; that all the men were on land, and that now they had\nbegun to unload the wheat and other food.\n\"By the Lord who sustains the whole world,\" said Tirant, \"I will\ndo everything I can, since they've taken off the horses, to eat\nof their wheat.\"\nHe quickly had the ships prepared, and many soldiers and bowmen\nboarded them.  Tirant struck out to sea that night.  It was no\nmore than thirty miles from one port to another.  When day broke,\nclear and beautiful, the men on land saw Tirant's five ships, and\nthinking that they were part of those coming with the Grand\nCaramany they paid no attention to them at all.  As the ships\ncame into port each of them attacked another ship, and many men\njumped aboard the others.  Then they attacked the two remaining\nships, and since few men were aboard they took them all with very\nlittle trouble and without anyone being killed.  Then they\nbrought back all the ships loaded with wheat and barley, salted\noxen and wine from Cyprus.  I can assure you that in the\nChristian camp it was very helpful and timely since, because of\nall the fighting, they had no wheat or meat unless it came to\nthem by sea.  Tirant gave the wheat to the Lord of Malvei; all\nthe rest he had transported to the camp at the city of Saint\nGeorge.\nWhen Tirant returned from the attack he spoke to the Turks who\nhad been made his prisoners on the ship, and asked them for news\nabout Turkey.  They told him that it was true that the Grand\nCaramany was coming with a great armada, along with the King of\nUpper India, and that the Caramany was bringing his daughter, who\nwas a maiden of great beauty, to give to the sultan for his wife.\n\"And he is bringing many maidens with him, of high station, and\nthe betrothed of the Great Turk's son is with them.\"\nOne of the Turks said:\n\"When we docked at the port they told us that a devil of a\nFrenchman was here as captain of the Greeks and that he is\nwinning all their battles, and they say he is called Tirant.  In\nfaith, he may do all those great things they say he does, but his\nname is ugly and vile because Tirant means a robber of goods, or\nmore properly, a thief.  And believe me, his actions will do\njustice to his name.  Because according to a letter that the King\nof Egypt wrote, he didn't dare fight him man to man, and it also\nsaid that he was in love with the emperor's daughter.  When he's\nwon the battles, he'll get the emperor's daughter pregnant, and\nthen the wife, and then he'll kill the emperor.  That's the way\nthe French are: they're evil people!  And then you'll see that,\nif the Turks and the Christians let him live long, he'll make\nhimself emperor.\"\n\"Upon my word,\" said Tirant, \"you have spoken the truth: these\nFrench are very evil people.  And he'll do even worse than you've\nsaid, because he's a real thief, and he travels the roads to rob.\nAnd you'll certainly see him get the emperor's daughter pregnant,\nand he'll take the throne, and afterward who will stop him from\nraping all the maidens?\"\n\"By heaven,\" said the sailor, \"I see that you know him well, and\nyou know about the treachery he's done and that he will do.\"\nHippolytus was standing there, and he drew his sword to cut off\nthe man's head, but Tirant got up quickly and took the sword away\nfrom him.  And Tirant, continuing to speak badly of himself, made\nhim talk more.  The sailor said:\n\"I swear by the water I was baptized with that if I could catch\nthat traitor, Tirant, the way I've caught many others, I'd have\nhim hanged from the highest mast on the entire ship.\"\nTirant laughed, and was very amused by what the sailor said.  If\nit had been someone else instead of Tirant, they would have dealt\nseverely with him, or would have hanged him.  But Tirant took a\nsilk jacket and thirty ducats and gave them to him, and as soon\nas they were on land, he freed him.  Imagine how the poor sailor\nmust have felt when he discovered that it was Tirant!  He knelt,\nand begged his forgiveness.  And Tirant very willingly forgave\nhim.\n The following day the barons from Sicily came to the camp.  When\nthey were at the castle of Malvei they saw many carts carrying\nbombards to the port.  They were told that the captain was at the\nport, and they went there, knowing that he wanted to go to sea.\nThey begged him to allow them to go along.  The captain was glad\nto, precisely because they were from the islands, and they knew\nhow to sail.  He gave orders to his captains and had many men go\non board the ships, both soldiers and crossbowmen.  Although the\nships were not very large, they were armed with good men, and\nthey were well supplied.  Other ships were loaded with wheat,\nhorses, and as many men as they could carry.\nSoon they saw a galley with sails unfurled and oars driving it\non, and they quickly realized that enemy ships were approaching.\nThe captain had all the men go on board, and they carried the\nbombards and everything they needed on board.  When it was nearly\nvespers the ships could be seen from the port.  Then the\ncaptain's ship moved out in front of all the others.  When the\nTurks saw it they shouted with joy, saying that that ship would\nsoon be theirs.  The Grand Caramany had his daughter and all the\nother women come out on deck so they could see the ship they\nwould capture.  A few minutes later the Lord of Pantanalea's ship\nmoved out, and then the Duke of Messina's ship.  And the Turks'\nand Genoese's shouts of joy grew louder.\nThe Grand Caramany said to his daughter:\n\"Choose one of the ships you see.  I'll give it to you; I want it\nto be yours.\"\nShe asked for the first one she had seen, and it was promised to\nher.  Then Lord Agramunt's ship came out, then Hippolytus's, and\nthey all came out, in order, one at a time.  The good Prior of\nSaint John came out last because he was captain of the rear\nguard.  When he came out it was nearly dark of night.  When the\nGenoese saw the twelve large ships, they were astonished,\nwondering where they had come from.  Afterward came all the\nwhaling ships, and all the ship's boats; then the fishing boats.\nThe boats that had no mast raised a long staff or an oar, and\nfastened it down tightly, and at the top of the staff they put a\nlight inside a lantern.  The captain's ship first raised a lamp\nat the stern.  Then all the other vessels, large and small, did\nthe same, following the captain's orders, and when all the lights\nwere lit there were seventy-four.  The enemy saw all the lights,\nand thinking every light was a large ship, they said:\n\"This must be the armada of the Grand Master of Rhodes, and the\narmada of the King of Sicily.  When they heard we were here they\nmust have gotten together this great armada to try to destroy\nus.\"\nSo they decided to flee and go back to Turkey.\nWhen morning came Tirant did not see any of the vessels, except\nthe Grand Caramany's ship.  When it was nearly noon he reached\nthe ship, and they went into battle.  The Turks threw quicklime\nat them to blind them.\nThen they hurled boiling oil with iron ladles.  Both sides threw\nboiling pitch at each other, and they did not stop day or night.\nMany men on both ships died, and there were so many broken\nlances, shields, darts, arrows and spears that the dead bodies\nthrown in the sea could not sink.\nNow let us leave them fighting, and see what the other barons and\nknights are doing.  The eleven ships did not see the captain's\nship because he had put out his light.  But they sighted ten\nships within reach of a bombard, and they pulled alongside.\nHippolytus did not want to draw close to any of them; instead he\nsailed windward and observed the battle.  He saw that Lord\nPantanalea's ship was being defeated, and that so many Turks had\nclimbed on board that they outnumbered the Christians.  Then\nHippolytus attacked the enemy ship, and since most of the Turks\nwere now on the other ship and had taken everything except the\npoop castle, Hippolytus and his men went on board the Turks'\nship, and all the dead and wounded Turks and Genoese they found,\nthey threw into the sea.  Then they assisted Lord Pantanalea, and\ntheir help was like a dose of medicine.  Hippolytus consoled\nthem, urging them to take heart, and he removed fear from the\nfearful, and gave them all courage and new hope.  Soon he left,\nand went back to his ship to help those who most needed his aid.\nWhen Lord Pantanalea saw that there was no one left on the Turk's\nship, he divided his men between the two ships, and he set sail\nin pursuit of the ships that were fleeing, and was the first to\nreach them.  He attacked one ship, and while they were in combat\nanother ship arrived.  It surrendered immediately, so that he had\nthree ships.  The eleven ships did the same to the two galleys so\nthat they took fourteen ships, and there were two that they made\nbeach themselves.  The others escaped.\nNow let us see what Tirant is doing, for I can still see them in\nbattle.  They began fighting at noon and continued all night long\nuntil the following day.  They fought twenty-seven times, and\nTirant, alone and without help, fearlessly attacked time after\ntime.\n\"I will take you,\" said Tirant, \"or I will die trying.\"\nDuring the fighting Tirant was wounded in the arm by a spear.\nThen, when he tried to climb the forecastle an arrow struck him\nin the thigh.\nThe Turks well needed to wound him, for in great desperation\nthree Turks leaped inside the forecastle, but they were no sooner\ninside than they were thrown into the water.\nWhen the Grand Caramany saw that his men were losing badly, he\nhad a case full of money, jewelry and clothing brought up. He had\nhis daughter dressed in a jubbah with gold brocade, and he tied a\ngolden silk rope around her neck. He had the case full of jewelry\nand all their riches tied to the other end of the rope, and he\nthrew his daughter and the case into the sea.  Then he threw all\nthe other maidens on board into the waters.\nThen he and the King of Upper India went into the daughter's\nchamber, leaving the ship entirely deserted.  They lay their\nheads on the bed, and covering themselves, they awaited their\ndeath.\nWhen the ship was completely taken, Tirant, wounded as he was,\nwent on board and asked for the Grand Caramany.\n\"Captain,\" said one of the gentlemen from the captain's ship,\n\"he's hiding below decks with his head covered, waiting to be\nkilled. And the King of Upper India is with him.\"\n\"The king is here?\" asked the captain.\n\"Yes, sir.  Both of them are here.\"\n\"Have them come up,\" said the captain.  \"I want to talk to them.\"\nAnd the gentleman carried out the captain's order.  But the Grand\nCaramany refused to go, saying that he preferred to die in his\ndaughter's chamber instead of on deck.\n\"No,\" said the king.  \"Let us go up and die like men.\"\nBut he wouldn't go until the gentleman had to use a little force\nwith him.  Tirant honored them like kings because he was such a\nhumane knight.\nHe had them sit while he stood, but with the wound in his thigh\nhe could not remain standing long, so he had to sit down.\nAnd very kindly, he said:\n\"Your cruelty has been very great, and the most cruel death would\nnot be enough for what you deserve--and especially you, Grand\nCaramany, for you have killed your daughter and other Moorish\nwomen so cruelly and with such inhumanity.  They would have\nfallen into the hands of a man who would have given them their\nfreedom.  And although you are not worthy of forgiveness, the\nemperor is such a man that he will spare your lives.\"\nAnd he said no more.\nThe Grand Caramany replied:\n\"You say I killed my daughter.  I don't have to answer for that\nto you or to anybody.  I would rather see her dead than\ndishonored by you or any of your men.  And I don't want anyone\nenjoying my jewelry or my treasure.  And don't think you're going\nto sway my heart, because I'm ready to throw my body into the\nbitter sea or give it up to the earth before I would do anything\nyou told me to.\"\nInstead of answering the Grand Caramany, Tirant politely asked\nthem to go on board his ship, and they had to do it in spite of\nthemselves.  When the captain had them inside, he divided up the\nfew men he had left between the two ships, and they set sail.  He\nunplugged the ship's scuppers, and such a gush of blood came\npouring out that it seemed as though the ship was full of it.  On\nthe Turk's ship there wasn't a living soul except for the two\nkings.  And on the captain's ship, out of four hundred eight men,\nonly fifty-four survived, and sixteen of those were wounded.\nCHAPTER VI\nA TRUCE\n As Tirant came near the port of Transimeno they saw the whaling\nships that had been with the Turkish armada quickly entering the\nport of Bellpuig, shouting out the bad news about the capture of\nthe kings, and the loss of the armada and all its men.  When\nTirant reached port, he found many of his ships there, and many\nof the enemy's that had been captured.  After Tirant had been\nthere for two days, all his men had returned except Hippolytus.\nEarlier, when Hippolytus had not been able to find his captain,\nhe thought Tirant must have gone toward Turkey, so he ordered his\npilot to set that course.  While not finding the captain, he did\nsee a new ship from the armada.  When he followed the ship, it\nfled and stopped at an island that was nearly unpopulated.  The\nwind was against it, and the men abandoned ship and made land by\nboat.  When Hippolytus drew alongside, he captured the ship that\nwas empty of men but full of riches, and took possession of it.\nWhen the captain saw that everyone was there except Hippolytus,\nhe sent out three ships to search for him.  And they found him\ncoming back with his prize.  When the captain got news of it, and\nsaw that he was returning with such great honor, he was very\ncontent.\nThis Hippolytus turned out to be a very valiant knight, generous\nand courageous.  And he accomplished singular acts in his life\nbecause he tried to imitate his master and lord.\nWhen Lord Malvei learned that Tirant had come back triumphant and\nvictorious, he was very glad, and he rode out to meet him.  But\nbefore going, he sent one messenger to the emperor and another to\nthe camp, and then everyone rejoiced.  On hearing the news, the\nemperor had all the bells in the city rung, and there were great\ncelebrations.\nWhen Lord Malvei found Tirant, he advised him to go to the\nemperor as soon as he could.  And there was nothing Tirant wanted\nmore, because he wanted to see the princess.  He assembled all\nthe men who had been with him, and they set sail.\nWhen they were in sight of the city of Constantinople, the\nemperor was told that their captain was coming with the entire\narmada, and the ships were already in sight.  The emperor quickly\nhad a wooden bridge constructed that extended thirty paces out\nover the water, entirely covered with rich satin cloths.  And he\nhad a cenotaph placed in the center of the marketplace, covered\nwith brocade and silk, for himself, the empress, the princess and\nall the maidens.  And from the cenotaph to the end of the bridge\nwhere they would disembark, he had cloth of red velvet put down\nso that the captain would step on silk instead of on the ground.\n(And when it was over, whoever managed to take a piece of silk\nwas able to keep it, and many hands were wounded with swords and\nknives as they tried to cut a piece of silk.)\nAs the ships came into port, the captain's ship drew alongside\nthe wooden bridge, and he came out with the Grand Caramany on his\nright, the King of Upper India on his left, and all the barons in\nfront.  They were met by all the townspeople, and led in a great\nprocession to the marketplace where the emperor and all the\nladies were.\nWhen Tirant was up on the cenotaph with the emperor, he knelt and\nkissed his hand, and he told the Grand Caramany to kiss his hand.\nBut the Caramany answered that he would not; then Tirant\nimmediately dealt him such a hard blow to the head with his\ngauntlet that the Caramany was forced to put his head to the\nground, and Tirant said to him:\n\"Dog, you son of a dog, now you're going to kiss his feet and his\nhand whether you want to or not.\"\n\"I won't do it of my own free will, or even by force,\" said the\nGrand Caramany.  \"And if you and I were in a different place, I'd\nshow you what it means to come close to a king. You still don't\nknow how far my power extends.  But I swear to you by our holy\nprophet, Mohammed, and by this beard, that if I ever get my\nfreedom back, I'll make you kiss the feet of one of my blacks.\"\nAnd he said no more.  But his companion, the other king, so that\nhe would not be dealt the blow too, knelt on the hard ground and\nkissed his hand and foot. Then the emperor had them seized and\nplaced under a stiff guard inside an iron cell.\nThe emperor and all the ladies came down from the cenotaph, and\nthey went to the great church of Saint Sophia.  Tirant took the\nempress by the arm and escorted her, and she said to him:\n\"Captain, you are the most glorious man in the world.  If only\nyou had come to the kingdom of Germany in my time, when my father\nwas emperor of Rome, in those days when I was wooed by a thousand\nsuitors.  If I had seen you, out of the thousand I would have\nchosen you.  But now that I am old and belong to another, my hope\ncomes along too late.\"\nThe princess heard all these things, and when they got to the\npalace, she said to Tirant:\n\"That old mother of mine is pitying herself, and she would like\nto play too.  She thinks that if you had come in her day, she\nwould be worthy of your love.\"\nThen the emperor came out and asked the captain about his wounds.\nTirant answered that they felt a little feverish:\n\"And I think the sea voyage has made my fever rise.\"\nThe emperor ordered the doctors to take him to his quarters.\nWhen they had treated him they told him to stay in bed so that\nhis arm would not be permanently injured.  Tirant followed the\ndoctors' advice, and the emperor visited him every day, and told\nthe empress and his daughter to visit him twice a day, in the\nmorning and in the afternoon.  Widow Repose, moved more by love\nthan mercy, served him continually.\nNow let us go back and see how the Turks are dealing with the\nChristians who stayed in the camp.  After they heard of the cruel\nbattle between the captain and the Grand Turk, they often came to\nthe city of Saint George and killed or captured many Christians.\nThey made many forays, engaging them in a cruel war, so that very\nfew survived if they fell into their hands.  How the Christians\nsuffered when they thought about Tirant not being there, and that\nthey would have to go out and fight without him.  Not even wise\nDiafebus or Lord Agramunt could save their lives by placing\nthemselves in the most dangerous positions during the battles.\nAnd they all cried out for Tirant as if he were a saint.  They\nnever felt safe, but were terrified of the Turks, because the\ngreat courage they had had during their victories when Tirant had\nbeen there, was lost now that he was gone.  And they offered a\nspecial prayer to Our Lord to help Tirant, for they felt that all\ntheir hope lay with him.\nAt this time, in the palace, the doctors were coming to Tirant's\nroom.  The empress had finished her hours, and she and the\nprincess and other ladies went to Tirant and asked the doctors\nwhen they would allow Tirant to come to the palace.\n\"My lady,\" answered the doctors, \"he'll be able to walk in three\nor four days.\"\nWhen the princess was back in her chamber, a sweetness came into\nher heart because of her great love for Tirant, and she fell to\nthe floor in a swoon.  When the maidens saw her lying on the\nfloor they raised such a cry that it reached the emperor's ears,\nand he came running, thinking the world was about to collapse\naround him.\nHe saw his daughter sprawled on the ground as though dead, and he\nthrew himself over her, crying piteously.  The mother had placed\nher daughter's head in her lap, and was crying and wailing so\nthat the entire palace heard her, and her face and clothing were\nbathed in tears.  Word was quickly sent to the doctors who were\nin Tirant's lodging.  A gentleman came who told them, in secret:\n\"Come quickly.  The princess is in such a state that you'll be\nlucky to find her still alive!\"\nThe doctors hurried to the princess's chamber.  Tirant sensed\nthat something had happened to the princess because of the outcry\nthe men and women were making.  He got up quickly, sick as he\nwas, and went to the princess's chambers, where he found her\nconscious and lying in bed.\nHe learned that the doctors had used all their efforts to bring\nback her health.  When the emperor saw that his daughter had\nrecovered, he went to his rooms with the empress, and the doctors\nwent with him because they saw that he was exhausted from what\nhad happened to his daughter.  Tirant went into the chamber,\nnearly out of his mind, and when he saw the princess lying on the\nbed, he said, pitifully:\n\"I have never felt greater pain than now, when I thought I might\nlose the greatest treasure I had in the world.  I heard shouts,\nand as soon as I thought of Your Majesty I said to myself, 'If\nsomething is wrong with her, she'll let me know.'  But I've come\nmyself to see what Your Highness' illness is.\nThe princess quickly replied:\n\"Tirant, my lord, you alone were the cause of my illness: it was\nbrought on by the thought of your love.  Love already has more\npower over me than I would like.  I beg you to go see the emperor\nso that he won't know that you came to see me before you did\nhim.\"\nShe put her head under the covers, and told Tirant to put his\nthere too.  Then she told him:\n\"Kiss my breasts to bring me consolation and to give you peace.\"\nAnd he did it very willingly.  After he had kissed her breasts,\nhe kissed her eyes and her face.  Then Tirant left, very content.\nWhen he was in the emperor's chambers, and the doctors saw him,\nthey reprimanded him soundly because he had gotten out of bed\nwithout their consent.  Tirant answered:\n\"Even if it cost me my life, I wouldn't refrain from coming to\nsee His Majesty, the emperor, for anything in the world.  When I\nsaw you leaving my side so quickly, I could only suppose that he\nwas in some great difficulty.\"\nMeanwhile, the men in Tirant's camp were desperate because of his\nillness, and they had no hope for victory without him.  The\nsultan sent ambassadors to the camp to deal with Tirant.  When\nthey arrived the captain was not there, and they were\ndisappointed.  They sent a message to the emperor, and he told\nthem to come and see him, for they would be allowed to come and\ngo safely.\nSo they went to the emperor, and he welcomed them very\ngraciously.  He honored them highly because the King of Armenia\nwas with them as an ambassador, and he was the brother of the\nGrand Caramany.  Abdalla Salomon, who was more knowledgeable than\nthe others, was asked to speak, and he said:\n\"My lord, we are sent to Your Majesty by that feared and most\nexcellent and great lord of the Mohammedan sect, the great Sultan\nof Babylonia, and also by the Grand Turk and Lord of the Indies,\nand the other kings in his camp.  We come before Your perfect\nMajesty for three things (not counting the first, which is to\nknow about your health, life, honor and condition).  The first\nis: a three month truce will be given to you, on land and sea, if\nyou would like it.  The second: knowing that this virtuous\ncaptain of the Christians has captured that powerful lord, the\nGrand Caramany, with his mighty sword, and the King of Upper\nIndia who was with him, if you would like to give him to us, we\nwill pay three times his weight in gold as ransom.  And we will\ngive you one and a half times the weight of the King of Upper\nIndia.  Let us come to the third item: If Your Excellency would\nlike a treaty of peace (with no iniquity or ill will; but only\npeace and love), he will think of you as a father, and you can\nthink of him as a son.  And as a token of that peace you would\ngive him your daughter, Carmesina, as his wife--under this\ncondition: if a son is born to them he will have to be raised in\nthe sect of our holy prophet, Mohammed; and if a daughter is\nborn, she will be given to the mother to live under Christian\nlaw.  He will live under his law, and the princess under hers.\nIn this way we can put an end to all our misfortunes, and as a\nreward for such a marriage he will give you all the cities, towns\nand castles that he has taken in your empire.  In addition, he\nwill make a lasting peace with you and your people.  And he will\ndefend you against anyone who tries to harm you.\"\nThe emperor held counsel, and then invited all the ambassadors\nin.  He told them that out of love and consideration for the\nMoorish sultan and the Grand Turk, he would sign the three month\npeace treaty, but about the other things he would reserve\njudgment.\nOne day, while Tirant was in the princess's chamber, with many\nother maidens there, he said:\n\"Oh, Tirant!  Why are you hesitant about dying when you see the\nfather in alliance with his council against his daughter?  To\nthink that so much beauty, virtue and grace, along with greatness\nof lineage, will be subject to a Moorish enemy of God and our\nholy law, and it will be destroyed and fall into decay!\"\nThe princess quickly answered:\n\"How could you think that I would subject myself to a Moor, or\nthat I would stoop to be a friend of a Moorish dog?  They have as\nmany wives as they like and not one of them is really a wife,\nbecause they can leave them whenever they wish.  Forget all those\nthoughts, virtuous knight, and trust your Carmesina.  She will\ndefend all your rights just as you have defended hers.  And you\ncan command me in everything you wish, as if you were my lord.\"\nAnother day Tirant was going to the princess's chamber and he met\nPlaerdemavida.  He asked her what the princess was doing, and she\nanswered:\n\"Oh, you saint!  Why do you want to know what my lady is doing?\nIf you had come earlier you would have found her in bed.  And if\nyou had seen her the way I've seen her, your soul would be in\nparadise.  The more a person sees what he loves, the more he\nwants it.  That's why I think it's more delightful to see\nsomething than to imagine it.  Come in if you'd like: you'll find\nher dressed in her skirt.  I want to talk to you about my own\ndesire: Why doesn't my Hippolytus come with you?  It's hard to\nthink that I hurt inside when today's pleasure shouldn't be put\noff for later.\"\n\"Maiden,\" said Tirant, \"I beg you to tell me in all truth if the\nempress or anyone else I should fear is inside.\"\n\"I wouldn't tell you one thing if it were something else,\" said\nPlaerdemavida.  \"It would be bad for both of us: You for going\nin, and me for letting you go.  I know that the princess doesn't\nwant your love for her to go unrewarded.  And since I know how\nmuch you hunger for your heart's desire, I want to help you.\"\nThen Tirant went into the chamber and found the princess combing\nher hair.  When she turned and saw him she said:\n\"Who gave you the right to come in here?  You shouldn't come into\nmy room without my permission: if the emperor knew about this he\ncould charge you with disloyalty.  I beg you to leave: my breast\nis trembling in fear.\"\nTirant paid no attention to the princess's words, but took her in\nhis arms and kissed her again and again on her breasts, her eyes\nand her mouth.  When the maidens saw Tirant playing with their\nlady that way they were silent, but when they saw Tirant putting\nhis hand under her skirt they came to her aid.  While they were\nfrolicking this way the empress was coming to her daughter's\nchamber to see what she was doing, and with their games they did\nnot hear her until she was at the chamber door.\nTirant quickly lay on the floor and they spread clothes over him.\nThen the princess sat on top of him, and began combing her hair.\nThe empress sat down at her side, nearly on Tirant's head.  Only\nGod knows how shamefully afraid Tirant was then!  He was in\nanguish while they talked about the celebrations they were\nplanning, until a maiden came with the Hours.  Then the empress\ngot up and withdrew to one side of the room to say the Hours.\nThe princess was afraid the empress might see him, and did not\ndare move.  When the princess had finished combing her hair, she\nput her hand under the clothes and combed Tirant's hair, and from\ntime to time he kissed her hand and took the comb away.  All the\nmaidens went in front of the empress, and then Tirant got up\nquietly and left with the comb the princess had given him.\nWhen he was outside the room, thinking he was safe and that no\none had seen him, he saw the emperor and a chamberlain coming\ndirectly to the princess's chamber.  When Tirant saw them passing\nthrough the great hall he panicked and quickly went back into the\nprincess's chamber and said to her:\n\"My lady, help me.  The emperor is coming.\"\n\"Oh!\" said the princess.  \"We get out of one bad situation, and\nthen go into one that's even worse.  I told you what would\nhappen, but you're always coming at the worst times.\"\nShe quickly had the maidens stand in front of the empress again,\nand they quietly led him to another chamber.  There they put\nmattresses on top of him so that if the emperor came in, as he\noften did, he would not see him.  When the emperor came into the\nchamber he found his daughter combing her hair.  He stayed there\nuntil she had finished and the empress had said her Hours, and\nall the maidens were dressed.  When the princess was at the\nchamber door she asked where her gloves were.  Then she said:\n\"Oh, I put them in a place none of you knows about.\"\nShe and her maidens went back inside the chamber where Tirant\nwas, and took off all the mattresses covering him.  Then he\njumped up and caught the princess in his arms, dancing around the\nroom with her and kissing her again and again.\n\"Oh, how beautiful you are!  I have never seen a maiden as\nperfect as you.  Your Majesty is so superior to all women in\nknowledge and discretion that I'm not surprised the Moorish\nsultan would want to have you in his arms.\"\n\"Appearances are deceiving,\" said the princess.  \"I'm not as\nperfect as you say I am.  That light shining in your eyes is\nlove.  Kiss me and let me go; the emperor is waiting for me.\"\nTirant could not answer her because the maidens were holding onto\nhis hands so he could not muss her hair with his playing around.\nWhen he saw her leaving, and that he could not touch her with his\nhands, he stretched out his leg and put it under her skirt so\nthat his shoe touched her where it should not, and he put his leg\nbetween her thighs.  Then the princess ran out of his chamber to\nbe with the emperor, and Widow Repose took Tirant out through the\ngarden door.\nWhen Tirant was in his own lodging he took off his shoes and\nstockings.  Then he had the stocking and shoe that had touched\nthe princess embroidered with pearls, diamonds and rubies worth\nmore than twenty-five thousand ducats.\nOn the day of the joust he wore the shoe and stocking, and\neveryone who saw it was amazed at the fine jewels, for a shoe\nlike that had never been seen before.  And on that foot he wore\nno armor, but only on the left foot.  As a crest for his helmet,\nhe wore four golden rods, the Holy Grail. And upon that was the\ncomb the princess had given him, with a motto that read: \"There\nis no virtue but that which exists in her.\"\nEveryday Tirant was in the court, talking and taking his ease\nwith the emperor and much more so with the ladies.  And he\nchanged clothes every day, but he always wore the same stocking.\nOne day the princess said to him in a mocking tone:\n\"Tell me, Tirant this custom you have of wearing an embroidered\nstocking on one foot but not on the other, is it something they\ndo in France or in some other place?\"\nThis was the day the festival had ended, and they were on their\nway to Pera.  And the princess said these words with Stephanie\nand Widow Repose close by.\n\"What, my lady!  Doesn't Your Majesty know what this custom\nmeans?  Doesn't Your Excellency remember that day when the\nempress came in and I was hidden with your maiden's clothing on\ntop of me, and the empress nearly sat on my head?  Afterward your\nfather came in, and you hid me in the little chamber under the\nmattresses, and when they were gone, while I was playing with\nYour Highness, since I couldn't reach you with my hands, my foot\nhad to take their place, and I put my leg between your thighs,\nand my foot touched higher up, where my soul wishes to find its\nhappiness.\"\n\"Oh, Tirant!\" said the princess.  \"I remember very well what you\ntold me that day, and my body still bears the marks.  But the day\nwill come when, just as you have one leg embroidered today, you\nwill be able to embroider both of them, and you may place them\nwhere you will, at your pleasure.\"\nWhen Tirant heard her saying these words so full of love, he\nquickly dismounted from his horse, saying that his gloves had\nfallen, and he kissed her leg above her skirt, and said:\n\"The place were grace was granted should be kissed.\"\nAs soon as they reached the city of Pera, and when they were\nabout to don their armor, they saw nine galleys approaching land.\nThe emperor would not allow the tournament to begin until they\nfound out where the galleys were from.  The galleys put into port\nin less than an hour, and they turned out to be French. Their\ncaptain was a cousin of Tirant.  He had been a page to the king,\nand the king had made him Viscount of Branches.  This viscount\nhad decided to come and help his cousin in his battles against\nthe infidel, and he and other nobles had come, along with five\nthousand French archers that the King of France had given to\nthem.  And each of the archers had a page and a squire.  And when\nthe galleys had docked at Sicily, the king there had given them\nmany horses.\nThe emperor postponed the tournament for the following day.  Then\neight hundred knights with gold spurs came out to the grounds,\nand no one was allowed to participate if he had not been dubbed a\nknight and unless he wore silk or brocade or gold trappings.  The\nDuke of Pera was captain of half the men, and Tirant commanded\nthe other half.  So that each would know who the other was, they\nhad small flags attached to their helmets, some green and others\nwhite.  Tirant had ten knights enter the field of battle, and the\nduke ten others, and they began to fight very well.\nThen twenty entered, then thirty, and they began to mix together.\nEach of them did as well as he possibly could in using his\nweapons.  Tirant kept an eye on his men, and when he saw that\nthey were not doing well, he entered the fray with his lance\npoised, and he went against another knight so ferociously that he\nthrust his lance completely through him and it came out the other\nside.  Then he drew his sword and dealt terrible blows all around\nso that he seemed like a ravenous lion, and all the onlookers\nwere amazed at his great strength and spirit.\nThe emperor was very satisfied at this singular display of arms.\nWhen it had gone on for nearly three hours, the emperor came down\nfrom the cenotaph, mounted a horse and quickly rode into the fray\nto separate the men, because he saw that tempers were rising, and\nmany were wounded.  After all the knights had disarmed\nthemselves, they went to the palace.  There they talked about\ntheir singular display of arms, and the foreigners said they had\nnever seen such valiant men.  The sultan's ambassadors, who had\nseen them, were filled with wonder.\nThat night the emperor returned with his men and all the ladies\nto the city of Constantinople.  The following day, after mass,\nthey all went to the market place which was as nicely decorated\nas it had been the first day.  When the sultan's ambassadors\narrived, and everyone was present, the emperor gave them this\nreply:\n\"Nothing brings greater anguish than to have His Majesty hear\nabominable words that offend God and the world.  I pray that His\nimmense goodness will not permit me to do things against His holy\ncatholic faith, like giving my daughter as wife to a man who is\noutside our law.  For all the treasure that the Grand Caramany\nand the King of Upper India could pay, they cannot have their\nliberty unless they restore all my empire to me.\"\nWhen they had heard these words the ambassadors stood up and took\ntheir leave, and went back to the sultan.\nAfter the celebration was over and the ambassadors had gone, the\nemperor held war councils many times.  Tirant fostered his\nromance, and was very insistent about staying near the princess\nbecause he saw that the end of the truce was approaching.  The\nemperor indicated that he wanted the captain to be in camp to\ntake charge of the men, and the captain showed that he was\nattending to the men going with him so that they would be ready,\nsince he was very eager to confront the Turks.\nTirant pleaded insistently with the princess to give him the\nsatisfaction he wanted.  The princess saw how great Tirant's\npassion was, and she said:\n\"Tirant, I know full well what you want, but my reputation is\nspotless.  Tell me, what gave you the hope of being in my bed?\nJust to imagine it is great infamy.  If I gave in to you, I\ncouldn't hope that it would not be known.  What could I use to\nexcuse my transgression?  I beg you, Tirant, my lord, do not rob\nme lightly of my tender virginity.\"\nAnd she would say no more.  Tirant was rather stunned by the\nprincess's words which showed how little she loved him.  For he\nthought he had progressed in his love affair, and now he found it\nwas entirely the opposite.\nWhile they were talking the emperor came into the chamber, and\ntook his daughter Carmesina by the hand.  They went upstairs\ntogether to the treasure-tower to take out money and give it to\nTirant so that he would go to the camp.\nWhen they had gone Tirant was left with the maidens.  He thought\nabout what the princess had said to him, and he realized that\nWidow Repose had overheard his secret, and everything he had said\nto her.  Tirant decided to see if he could win the Widow over\nwith promises, and with warm and tender words he said:\n\"I believe I have been offended by my lady.  I want to do great\nservices for the princess so that she will see that I am worthy\nof her love.  Although Stephanie already has many possessions and\ngreat wealth, I would like to give her even more.  I would give\nWidow Repose a duke or count or marquis for a husband, and as\nmany possessions as would make her happy.  And I would like to do\nthe same for Plaerdemavida and all the other ladies.\"\nStephanie thanked Tirant for herself and for all the other women.\nWidow Repose said to Stephanie:\n\"You thank him for yourself.  I know how to thank him on my own.\"\nAnd, smiling, she turned to Tirant and said:\n\"Thank you very much for your thoughtfulness.  But I want no\nother husband, no matter how great a lord he is, except the one I\nadore day and night.  He has not killed me yet, but he has given\nme reason to die.  I won't say any more about that because this\nisn't the time or place.\"\nWhen Widow Repose finished, Plaerdemavida said:\n\"My lord and captain, don't you know that repentance follows sin?\nYou've come to my lady's rooms, and found them like a tomb, since\nyou can find no mercy in them.  Please don't lose hope, I beg\nyou.  Rome wasn't built in a day.  Are you discouraged because of\nsome trifle my lady said to you?  When you're in a hard-fought\nbattle, you're like a lion, and you always come out victorious,\nand yet are you afraid of a lone woman who, with our help, you'll\nconquer?  Do you remember that pleasant night in the castle of\nMalvei when I was dreaming?  You saw how mercifully you dealt\nwith that situation.  I'm only trying to tell you that we'll all\nhelp you in this affair.  And I know what the solution is: you\nhave to mix in a little force, because your fear--which comes\nfrom ignorance--stops you from using it.  It's a terrible thing\nfor maidens to have to say those awful words: 'I like it.'  I'll\nwork as hard as I can for you in this affair, I promise you.  And\nI think that as a just reward--very inferior to my work--I\ndeserve to have your grace help with the love of my Hippolytus.\nBut I'm more than a little afraid, because I can see where his\nwayward steps are taking him, and I don't like the way he's going\nat all.  I'm afraid of the danger he'll place himself in, because\nhe is a very good swordsman, and he strikes not at the legs but\nat the head.  And he knows much more than I have shown him.\"\nTirant brightened up a little at Plaerdemavida's jokes, and he\nstood up to tell her:\n\"Maiden, it looks to me as though, instead of hiding your\nadvances toward Hippolytus, you don't care who knows about them.\"\n\"What do I care if everybody knows?\" said Plaerdemavida.  \"You\nmen think that just because we're maidens we won't dare to say\nanything.  It's your nature to be good at first, and then bad\nafterward.  You're like the ocean: when someone starts to go in\nthe water it seems soft, and then later, when he's all the way\nin, it's a torrent.  That's the way love begins: at first you're\nsoft, and later on you're harsh and terrible.\"\nWhile they were talking, the emperor came in.  He took Tirant by\nthe hand and led him out of the room, and they talked at great\nlength about the war.  When it was time to eat, Tirant and his\nmen went to their quarters.\nThat night, when the princess wanted to go to bed, Widow Repose\nsaid to her:\n\"My lady, if Your Majesty knew about the things Tirant said to us\nladies, you would be amazed.  He took me aside and told me things\nabout Your Excellency that I am loathe to repeat, because his\nwords show how little he cares for you.\"\nWidow Repose's words had a great effect on the princess.  Without\nletting her say another word, she put her cloak back on, and they\nwent into a tiny chamber where no one could overhear them.  First\nthe Widow told her what Tirant had said to all the ladies, and\nhow he wanted to arrange honorable marriages for them all.  Then,\nwith great wickedness and deceit, the evil Widow gave vent to her\nmalice:\n\"Tirant is a cruel man.  He doesn't have the good sense of the\nothers, but he is more shameless and daring.  If Your Highness\nknew what he says about you, you would never be able to love\nhim.\"\n\"Tell me at once,\" said the princess, \"and don't make me suffer\nso.\"\n\"He spoke to me secretly,\" said Widow Repose, \"and he made me\nswear on the Gospel that I wouldn't say a word to anyone.  But\nsince you are my mistress, and I would be going against the\nloyalty I owe you, any oath I've made is worthless.  First, he\ntold me that Stephanie and Plaerdemavida are in alliance with him\nso that, with your consent or by force, he will possess Your\nMajesty.  And if you don't do it of your own free will, he'll\nplunge his sword through your neck and kill you cruelly, and then\nhe will do the same thing to your father.  He will steal all your\ntreasure and they'll get on their ships and go back to their\nland.  And with the treasure they carry off, the clothing and\njewels, they'll find maidens there who are much more beautiful\nthan Your Highness, for he says that you don't look any better\nthan a serving girl and that you are completely shameless: that\nyou'll give it to anyone who wants it.  Watch out for your\nvirtue, my lady.  You can see what that mad traitor thinks of\nYour Highness!  And that faithless man says even more: that he\ndidn't come to this land to fight, and that he has been hurt too\nmany times because of his misfortune of knowing you and your\nfather.  Do you think, my lady, that that way of talking is\nproper for knights?  Look at what he thinks of the honor of Your\nExcellency and the emperor, who have granted him so many benefits\nand honors.  Anyone who says things like that should burn in\nflames!  Do you know what other things he says?  That he doesn't\nlove any woman alive, unless it's for her wealth.  He says many\nother wicked things too.  I remember he told me that if he ever\nhad another night like that one in Malvei, even if he made you a\nthousand promises, he wouldn't keep any of them.  With your\nconsent or by force, he would take you, and then he would say to\nyou, 'You evil woman, I don't thank you, now that I've had my\npleasure.'  Oh, my lady, my heart cries blood when I think of all\nthe terrible things he said about Your Highness!  That's why, my\nlady, I want to give you some advice even though you haven't\nasked me for it.  There's no one who has more compassion for you\nthan I have.  I cradled you in my arms and fed you from my own\nbreast, and Your Highness has hidden from me to entertain that\nwicked Tirant.  You've had more faith in Stephanie and\nPlaerdemavida than in me: and they have betrayed you and sold\nyou.  Oh, poor you!  How they've defamed you, and they'll do it\neven more from now on!  Keep away from friendships like those\nsince you know the truth, because what I tell you is the Gospel\nitself.  You must swear that you'll never tell a soul about these\nthings I've told Your Majesty.  I'm afraid that if that traitor,\nTirant, hears about it, he'll have me killed and then he'll\nleave.  So, my lady, make pretenses, and break off your\nfriendship with him little by little, because if Your Highness\nsuddenly stopped seeing him, he would think that I told you.  And\nthose two ladies deserve to be whipped.  Don't you see how big\nStephanie's belly is?  I'm astonished that the emperor hasn't\nnoticed it.  And the same will happen to Plaerdemavida.\"\nThe princess was very upset.  With tears flowing from her eyes,\nshe began to lament angrily:\n\"Oh, God!  Where is Your justice?  How is it that fire does not\ndescend from heaven to turn that cruel, ungrateful Tirant into\nashes?  He was the first knight that I considered my master.  I\nthought he would bring an end to all my troubles, and now I see\neverything turned around.  Oh, who would ever have thought that\nwords like these could come from the mouth of such a virtuous\nknight?  What have I done to him, to make him want the deaths of\nmy father and my mother and their miserable daughter?  Oh,\nTirant!  What happened to the love we shared?  What crime did I\ncommit for you to think me vile and abominable?  Did you really\nsay that you love no lady or maiden unless it's for her wealth,\nand that you want to take my virginity by force?  Oh, if I wanted\nto be cruel, before the sun came up your chamber would be full of\nblood; yours and the blood of all your men.\"\nAnd she said no more.  But hearing the call for matins, she\nadded:\n\"Widow, let's go to bed, even though I'll get little sleep\ntonight with the great hate I have for Tirant--the one I used to\nlove so much.\"\nThe Widow answered:\n\"My lady, I beg you, please.  Don't say a word about this to\nanyone.  Who knows what might happen?\"\n\"Don't worry,\" said the princess.  \"I'll protect you.\"\nWhen they were in their chamber, Stephanie saw them come in, and\nsaid:\n\"It looks to me, my lady, as though you've had a great deal of\npleasure listening to the Widow--you've been with her so long.\nI'd like to know what you're thinking about.\"\nThe princess climbed into bed without answering, and began to cry\nbitterly.  When the Widow had gone, Stephanie asked her why she\nwas crying.  The princess told her:\n\"Stephanie, let me be, and take care that this doesn't happen to\nyou.\"\nStephanie was surprised at this, not knowing what it could mean.\nShe did not reply, but drew close to her as she usually did.  All\nthat night the princess could not sleep a wink and cried and\nlamented continually.\nIn the morning she got up, ill, because of her lack of sleep.\nNonetheless, she forced herself to go to mass.\nWhen Tirant learned of her condition, and when Stephanie told him\nabout her tears and crying all night long, he was very surprised,\nand wondered what he had done.  Going up to the princess, he\nsaid:\n\"If Your Excellency would like to tell me what is wrong, I would\nbe very pleased.\"\nTirant could say no more because of the great emotion that he\nfelt, and the princess softly began to say the following words:\n\"I will spend the rest of my life hiding the cause of my grief.\nAnd don't think that it doesn't cost me a great deal of effort to\nkeep such terrible pain hidden.\"\nShe could say no more because the doctors came, along with the\nempress.  Tirant took his leave to go to his lodgings, immersed\nin thought about what the princess had told him, and he felt\ndistressed.  He could not eat, and did not want to leave his\nchamber until the constable went to the palace and spoke at\nlength with Stephanie and Plaerdemavida.  He told them what great\nanguish Tirant was in because of what the princess had said to\nhim.\n\"How can we help him,\" said Stephanie, \"if everything I mend by\nday the Widow tears apart at night?  If it weren't for the Widow,\nI would have had him in her chambers, not once, but a hundred\ntimes, like it or not, the way I did that night in the castle of\nMalvei.\"\nAs they finished talking, they went into the princess's chamber.\nShe was deeply involved in conversation with Widow Repose, and\nStephanie could not talk to her.  The emperor, knowing that the\nconstable was there, thought that Tirant must be there too.  So\nhe had them summoned, and as they had to hold counsel, the\nemperor said:\n\"Let us go to Carmesina's chambers, and we will see how she is,\nbecause she has not felt well all day long.\"\nThe constable went first, then came the emperor and Tirant, and\nthen everyone in the council who wished to go.  They found the\nprincess playing cards with the Widow, withdrawn to a corner of\nthe chamber.  The emperor sat at her side, asking about her\nillness, and she quickly answered him:\n\"Sire, as soon as I see Your Majesty, my illness suddenly\ndisappears.\"\nThen she turned her eyes on Tirant and smiled.  The emperor was\nvery happy at Carmesina's words, and much more so when he saw her\nin such a good mood.  They spoke of many things, and the princess\nanswered everything Tirant said to her, because Widow Repose had\nadvised her to be nice to Tirant.\nWhat the Widow wanted was not for Tirant to return to his\ncountry, but to lose hope of having the princess, and for him to\nlove the Widow instead.  That is why she spoke so wickedly to the\nprincess.\nWhen it was nearly night, the emperor and all his men went to\ntheir chambers, and the next day the emperor expressed his regret\nthat all the men had to leave for the camp.  Tirant and his men\ngot ready as quickly as they could.  While Stephanie was talking\nwith the princess that evening, she gave her the news about\nTirant, and the princess quickly said to her:\n\"Be quiet, Stephanie.  Don't make me any angrier.  All those who\nmake appearances of love are not made exactly of gold.\"\nStephanie tried to talk but she would not let her.\nSo two or three days went by, and the princess showed a smiling\nface to everyone, including Tirant, because she knew that soon\nthey would have to leave.  And to the emperor she said:\n\"Sire, here is Tirant, your virtuous captain, who will shortly do\nto the sultan what he did to the Caramany and the King of Upper\nIndia, or what he did to the King of Egypt.  If everyone in the\nworld went into battle, he would certainly be the only one to win\nhonor and lasting fame.  And that is worthy of a singular prize,\nfor he is a great warrior, and he has gone into battle with true\ncourage.\"\nThe emperor said:\n\"Virtuous captain, I thank you for all the honors you have\nbrought me, and I beg you to do the same from now on, or better,\nfor this is the hope I place in you.\"\nWhen Tirant heard so many superfluous words, and saw that the\nprincess had brought them on, almost in mockery, he could utter\nonly:\n\"Perhaps.\"\nTirant wanted to go to his chambers, and he went down a\nstaircase, into a room where he found the High Constable,\nStephanie and Plaerdemavida in animated conversation.  Tirant\nwent to them and said:\n\"My sisters, what are you talking about?\"\n\"My lord,\" answered Stephanie, \"about how little love the\nprincess is showing your lordship when you are about to leave.\nNow, more than ever, she should be showering you with love.\nThen, my lord, we talked about what will happen to me if you go\naway.  Because the empress said to me last night, 'Stephanie, you\nare in love.'  I blushed and shamefully lowered my eyes.  That\nwas a sign of assent, since I was silent, because at first I\ndidn't know what love was, except for that night at Malvei.  And\nif you leave there will be little good fortune and a miserable\ngift of love for me except for all the pain I'll have for\ncompany.  Oh, poor me!  That's the way I will be\npunished--because of your wrongdoing.\"\n\"My lady,\" said Tirant, \"didn't I tell you that the day we left I\nwould beg the emperor, in the presence of the empress and the\nprincess, to give his consent to this marriage?  The constable\nwill be here, and then we will hold your wedding.\"\n\"And how will I get along,\" said Stephanie, \"when you aren't\nhere?  There won't be any celebration or dancing or festivities\nat all without your lordship here.\"\n\"Who wants festivities at a wedding if there weren't any at the\nengagement?\" said Tirant, \"Leave the partying and merrymaking for\nthe bed.\"\nWhile they were talking, the emperor came down with Carmesina.\nTirant thought that this was a good time to tell the emperor.  So\nhe went over to the emperor, and in Carmesina's presence he sank\nto one knee, and humbly began the following plea:\n\"With deep humility I beg Your Majesty, and the empress, and the\nprincess, to hold the marriage of the maiden Stephanie of\nMacedonia to my singular brother, the Count of Sant Angel and the\nHigh Constable of Your Highness, because marriages like these are\na union of the deepest kind of love.\"\nThe emperor replied:\n\"I am going to delegate my power to my daughter here so that she\ncan ask her mother's consent.\"\nAnd he left without another word, while the princess stayed\nbehind with them.  When Stephanie saw that the emperor had gone\nso quickly, she assumed that he did not approve of the marriage,\nand she left the princess, Tirant, the constable and\nPlaerdemavida, and went into a chamber alone and began to cry.\nTirant took the princess's arm, and went with the constable and\nPlaerdemavida to the empress's chambers.  There Tirant and the\nprincess asked the empress to give her consent to this marriage,\nsince the emperor had agreed, and she answered that she would be\nvery happy to.  They immediately called all the court to\nStephanie's betrothal.  They all gathered in the great hall,\nalong with a cardinal who had been summoned to marry them.  Then\nthey sent word for the bride to come, and they found her still\ncrying because she had heard no news until they came looking for\nher and told her that the emperor and all the others were waiting\nfor her.\nThe betrothal was celebrated with dances and a sumptuous feast.\nThe emperor wanted the wedding to take place the following day so\nthat Tirant's departure would not be delayed, and so it was done.\nGreat celebrations were held with jousts and dances and gaiety.\nAnd everyone was happy except poor, miserable Tirant.\nThe night of the wedding, Plaerdemavida caught five little\nkittens and put them by the window where the bride was sleeping,\nand they meowed all night long.  After Plaerdemavida had put the\ncats there she went to the emperor's chambers and said to him:\n\"My lord, come to the bride's chamber quickly: the constable must\nhave hurt her terribly because I heard some loud cries.  I am\nreally afraid that he may have killed your dear niece, or at\nleast hurt her badly; and since Your Majesty is such a close\nrelative of hers it's you who should go to her side.\"\nPlaerdemavida's words were so amusing that the emperor dressed\nagain and the two of them went to the door of the bridal chamber\nand listened.  When Plaerdemavida saw that they were not talking,\nshe quickly called out:\n\"My lady, my bride, how is it that you aren't crying out or\ntalking now?  It must be because in that battle your pain (That\npain that reaches down to your heels, and won't let you shout\nthat delightful 'Oh!') and your even greater haste are over.\nIt's a great pleasure, if you listen to what the maidens say.\nSince you're so quiet, that's a sign that you've finished the\nmeal, bone and all.  It will be bad for you if you don't do it\nagain.  The emperor is right here, listening for you to cry out\nbecause he's afraid you might be hurt.\"\nThe emperor told her to be quiet, and not to say he was there.\n\"I certainly will not,\" said Plaerdemavida.  \"I want them to know\nthat you're here.\"\nThen the bride began to cry out and to say that he was hurting\nher and for him to be still, and Plaerdemavida said:\n\"My lord, everything the bride is saying is a lie.  Her words\ndon't come from the heart.  They sound false to me, and they're\nnot to my liking.\"\nThe emperor could not contain his laughter at Plaerdemavida's\ndelicious remarks.  Then, when the bride heard them laughing so\nhard she said:\n\"Who put those wretched cats out there?  Put them somewhere else,\nI beg you: they won't let me sleep.\"\nPlaerdemavida replied:\n\"That I certainly won't do.  Didn't you know that I can get live\nkittens out of a dead cat?\"\n\"Oh, what a lively young lady!\" said the emperor.  \"How my heart\nis warmed by the things you say.  I swear to you by the Almighty\nthat if I didn't already have a wife I would have no other girl\nbut you.\"\nThe empress had gone to the emperor's chamber and found the door\nclosed, and no one was there but a page who told her that the\nemperor was at the door of the bridal chamber.  Then she went\nthere and found him with four maidens.  Plaerdemavida saw the\nempress coming, and before anyone could talk she said:\n\"Hope to die quickly, my lady: listen to what my lord the emperor\nsaid to me--that if he didn't already have a wife he would have\nno one but me.  And since you're in my way, fall down dead right\nnow--as quickly as you can.\"\n\"Oh, you wicked child!\" said the empress.  \"Is that the sort of\nthing you say to me?\"  And turning to the emperor: \"And you, you\nblessed saint, what do you want another wife for? To give her\ntaps instead of thrusts? Don't you know that no lady or maiden\never died from being tapped?\"\nAnd, joking, they went back to their chambers happily, and the\nempress and the maidens returned to theirs.\nThe next day, in the morning, everyone was happy, and they highly\nhonored the constable and the bride.  They took them to the main\nchurch where they heard mass with great honor.  When they had\nread the scripture the preacher mounted the pulpit and gave a\nsolemn sermon.\nWhen the sermon and the mass were finished, they had the\nconstable put on the clothing of the duchy of Macedonia, and they\ndisplayed the flags of that duchy.  On his head they put a crown\nmade entirely of fine silver, and they crowned Stephanie in the\nsame way.\nWhen these things were finished they left the church, riding\nthrough the city with flags flying in the wind.  The emperor,\nwith all the ladies and all the grandees, dukes, counts and\nmarquis, and many others on horseback, rode around the entire\ncity.  Afterward they all went outside the city to a beautiful\nmeadow where there was a shining spring called Holy Spring.\nAfter the flags were blessed, they baptized the duke and duchess\nof the kingdom of Macedonia by pouring perfumed water on their\nheads.\nThe duke went to the Holy Spring, and the emperor took water from\nthe spring and baptized him again, giving him the title of Duke\nof Macedonia.  Then the trumpets sounded, and the heralds\nshouted:\n\"This is the illustrious Duke of Macedonia, of the great lineage\nof Rocasalada.\"\nAt that moment three hundred knights with golden spurs came, and\nthey all made a deep bow to the emperor, and paid great honor to\nthe Duke of Macedonia.  And from this moment on he was no longer\ncalled Constable.  These three hundred knights separated into two\ngroups, and each knight took the most beautiful lady or the one\nthat was most to his liking.  They held them with the reins of\nthe horses they were riding on.  And each of them, in order, rode\nforward: first those of highest station and lineage, and then\nthose who wished to joust.  And when they met, one would tell the\nother to give up the lady they had, or he would have to joust\nwith him, and the one who broke the other's lance first would\ntake his lady.\nWhile the knights were engaged in these games, the emperor went\nto the city of Pera where the celebration was prepared.  It was\nalready past noon, and the knights had not yet returned, so the\nemperor went to the top of a high tower.  He had a great horn\nblown that could be heard more than a league away, and when the\nknights heard the horn, they all set out on the road to Pera.\nThen three hundred other knights came out, dressed in the same\ncolor of garments, and they blocked the road.  A very singular\ndisplay of arms took place there which greatly pleased the\nemperor.\nAll the ladies and maidens who had been taken prisoner fled to\nthe city and left the knights.\nThe combat between the knights lasted more than two hours as the\nemperor did not want to stop it, and when they had broken all\ntheir lances they fought with swords.  The emperor called for the\ntrumpets to sound, and they all separated, each group to a\ndifferent side.  When the knights were separated, each sought out\nhis lady, and they could not find them.  Then they began to say\nthat the other knights had taken them prisoner, and each of them\ncomplained to the empress and the princess about the ladies they\nhad lost.  They answered that they knew nothing, and that they\nbelieved the other knights had them hidden.  Then these knights,\nvery furious, raised their swords and spurred toward the others,\nand they began to fight again.\nWhen it had gone on for a good spell, they saw the ladies on the\npalace walls.  A trumpet sounded, and they all gathered together\nand attacked the palace mightily, and the women defended it.  But\nthe men outside broke in by force of their arms.  When they were\ninside the great patio they divided into two groups, and taking a\nking-of-arms, they sent him to the knights who had come most\nrecently, demanding that they leave, for they were each there to\nget back their lady, along with the ones they had won.  They\nanswered that they would not leave for anything in the world.\nThey wanted their share of what was due to them, as they had\nplaced themselves in such grave danger of death.  After this,\nthey held combat on foot inside the palace, and it was a\ndelicious sight to see, for some were falling here and others\nthere.  Others delivered marvelous blows with their axes, and\nwhoever lost his axe could not fight again, nor could anyone\nwhose body or hand touched the floor.  They fought in such a way\nthat it became a fight of ten against ten, and then it was\nbeautiful to see.  Finally the emperor had them separated, and\nthen they were all disarmed in the great hall, and there they\ndined.  When it was a half hour before sunset they began to\ndance, and they held a long and pretty dance.  They took the\nprincess and all the ladies, and dancing, they went to the city\nof Constantinople.\nAfter the meal Tirant gathered all those of his lineage,\nthirty-five knights and gentlemen who had come with him or the\nViscount of Branches.  They went to kiss the foot and hand of the\nemperor, thanking him for the great kindness he had done them in\ngiving his beautiful niece to Diafebus for his bride.  And after\nthey had all thanked him, the emperor smiled and said:\n\"Because of the great virtue I see in you, Tirant, I love you\ndeeply.  And I would not want anyone to marry a relative of mine\nif he were not of the lineage of Rocasalada.  I would have begged\nyou to take Stephanie, my niece, as your wife, along with the\nduchy of Macedonia, so that you would be more united with the\ncrown of the Empire of Greece, and I would have given you many\nother things.  At the time that I offered it, you did not want to\nbe a count; instead you gave it to your relative.  And now I\nwould have given you the duchy, along with a lady who is a\nrelative of mine, and you did not want that either.  I don't know\nwhat you're waiting for!  If you want me to give you my empire,\ndon't count on it: I need it.\"\nTirant replied:\n\"The greatest glory I could have is to leave an inheritance to my\nrelatives and friends.  As an inheritance of my own I want\nnothing more than a horse and arms, so Your Highness will have to\nwork a great deal to make me rich.\"\nThe old emperor was pleased by Tirant's words.  Turning to his\ndaughter, the emperor said:\n\"I have never known a knight with as much virtue as Tirant.  If\nGod gives me life I will see him crowned a king.\"\n CHAPTER VII IN THE PRINCESS'S BED\nAfter the celebrations were over, Diafebus, the Duke of\nMacedonia, lived in the emperor's palace.  The following day the\nduke invited all those of his lineage, Rocasalada, to dine.\nWhile the guests were eating, the emperor told his daughter to go\nto the duchess' chamber since all the foreigners from Brittany\nwere there.\n\"The duke is attempting to pay them honor, and celebrations like\nthis are useless if there are no maidens present.\"\nThe princess replied:\n\"My lord, I will obey Your Majesty's command.\"\nAccompanied by many ladies and maidens she started toward the\nduchess' chamber.  With great malice Widow Repose went up to her,\nand said:\n\"Oh, my lady!  Why does Your Highness want to go where these\nforeigners are?  Do you want to disturb their dinner?  When they\nsee Your Excellency no one will dare eat in your presence.  You\nand your father want to honor them and give them pleasure, and\nyet you do them great harm.  For all of them would prefer to see\nthe wing of a partridge than all the maidens in the world.  Your\nHighness should not act so freely, going to such a place, since\nyou are the emperor's daughter.  Think highly of yourself if you\nwant to be well thought of by other people.  It's a bad sign when\nI see Your Excellency always with that fool, Tirant.\"\n\"Don't I have to obey what my father, the emperor, orders me to\ndo?\" said the princess.  \"I don't think anyone would blame me for\nobeying my father's command.\"\nBut she went back to her own chamber without visiting the\nduchess.  When everyone had eaten, Plaerdemavida decided to see\nTirant and talk to the duchess.  Seeing Tirant sitting there,\ndeep in thought, she went over to him, and to console him she\nsaid:\n\"Captain, my lord, my soul suffers deeply when it sees you so sad\nand lost in thought.  Tell me, your grace, how I can help, for I\nwill not fail you even if my life were in the balance.\"\nTirant was very grateful to her.  The duchess approached them,\nand asked Plaerdemavida why the princess had not come.\nPlaerdemavida answered that Widow Repose was the cause, for she\nhad scolded her at length.\nAnd she would not tell what the Widow had said about Tirant so\nthat he would not explode in anger.\n\"I wish,\" said Tirant, \"that she were a man.  Then I could repay\nher for all the wicked things she says.\"\n\"Would you like to do it properly?\" asked Plaerdemavida.  \"Let's\nleave the wickedness aside and get right down to business; the\nremedies will come later.  I'm well aware that we won't\naccomplish anything if we don't mix in a little force, so I'll\ntell you what I think.  Her Highness told me to prepare a bath\nfor her the day after tomorrow.  So when everyone is eating I'll\ntake you into the chamber where she takes her bath in such a way\nthat no one will see you.  When she comes out of the bath and\ngoes to sleep I'll be able to place you by her side in the bed.\nAnd just as you are serious and skillful on the battlefield you\nmust be the same way in bed.  This is the quickest road for\ngetting what you want.  If you know a better one, speak up, don't\nhold your tongue.\"\nThe duchess said:\n\"Let me talk to her first, and I'll see what sort of answer she\ngives.  Your idea will have to be the last thing we do to get\nwhat we want.\"\nTirant spoke:\n\"I wouldn't want to do anything that would offend my lady.  What\ngood would it do me to have my desire with Her Highness if it's\nagainst her will?  I would rather undergo a cruel death than make\nHer Majesty angry in any way, or do anything against her wishes.\"\n\"In God's faith, I don't like what I'm hearing from you,\" said\nPlaerdemavida.  \"If the desire to love exists in you, you won't\nrun away from the narrow path I'm offering you.  My experience\nspeaks for itself, and it desires to serve you and bring you all\nthe good I can--even more than I can.  But I see that you're\ngoing off in a strange direction.  You want to go down a dead-end\nstreet.  From now on you go find someone else to take care of\nyour problem.  I don't want to have anything more to do with it.\"\n\"Maiden,\" said Tirant, \"I beg you, please, don't be angry.  Let's\nput our minds together and do what's best.  If you fail me in\nthis, there's nothing left for me to do but go off, hopeless,\nlike a madman.\"\n\"Not even the angels,\" said Plaerdemavida, \"could give you better\nadvice than I have.\"\nThey decided that the duchess should go to the princess's chamber\nto see if it was possible for him to talk to her.  When they got\nthere they found her in her room, combing her hair.  Then the\nduchess thought up some youthful mischief: she went into a room\nthat the princess would have to pass through when she came out of\nher chamber.  She lay down at the foot of the bed and leaned on\nher elbow, very dejected.  When the princess heard that she was\nthere, she sent word for her to come into the chamber, but the\nduchess did not want to go.  And Plaerdemavida, who had contrived\nit all this way, told her:\n\"Leave her alone.  She can't come.  She's very sick and I don't\nknow what's wrong with her.  She's very sad.\"\nWhen the princess had combed her hair, she came out of the\nchamber and saw the duchess with a very sad face.  She went over\nto her and said:\n\"Oh, my dear sister!  What's wrong?  Please, I beg you, tell me\nquickly, for I feel very bad about your illness, and if I can\nhelp you in any way, I will.\"\n\"I'll tell Your Highness what hurts me, for I am prepared to lose\nmy life in this matter.  It's impossible for me to go back on the\npromise I made, by your command, to Tirant in the castle of\nMalvei.  So, my lady, I beg Your Excellency not to allow me to\nremain a perjurer or for you to be the cause of my downfall, for\nI will have to be on bad terms with the duke and with Tirant.\"\nAs the duchess said this, tears flowed from her eyes.  The\npainful tears of the duchess moved the princess to pity, and she\nforgot much of the anger she felt for Tirant.  With a humble\nvoice she answered tenderly:\n\"Duchess, you have to realize that I am just as sad as you are.\nBut, my lady and sister, don't grieve any longer, for you know\nthat I love you more than anyone in the world, and I will behave\nfrom now on as God wills.  Since you want me to talk to Tirant, I\nwill, out of love for you, even though I have little desire to do\nanything for him.  If you knew how he treats me and all the\nthings he's said about me, you would be astonished.  I'll put up\nwith him because of the great danger we're in, and because we all\nneed him.  But I swear to you by this blessed day that if it\nweren't for that I would never allow him in my presence again.\nWho would think that such ingratitude could exist in such a\nvirtuous knight.\"\nThe duchess replied with the following words:\n\"My lady, I am astonished that Your Highness could believe that a\nknight as noble and virtuous as Tirant could have said even one\nword to offend Your Majesty.  If his ears had heard anything\nspoken against you, he would have killed everyone including\nhimself.  So don't even think, Your Highness, that Tirant is the\nway he's been described to you.  Some miserable person has led\nyou to believe a false story, and is trying to destroy the\nreputation of the best knight in all the world.\"\nPlaerdemavida stepped in and said:\n\"My lady, take that vice of having bad thoughts about Tirant out\nof your head, for if anyone in the world deserves merit, it's\nTirant.  Who is the half-wit who could make Your Majesty believe\nthat a knight exists who can even compare to him in glory, honor\nand virtue?  There is no one (unless they wanted to lie) who\ncould say (unless it's with great wickedness) that Tirant would\nsay anything but good things about Your Excellency.  Forget what\nwicked people say, and love the one you should love, for it will\nbe to your great glory to possess such a virtuous knight.  Love\none who loves you, my lady, and leave the wicked talk to that\ndevil, Widow Repose.  She's the one who's causing all this\ntrouble, and I trust God that it will all fall back on her.  I\nhave only one hope in this world: to see her whipped through the\nstreets of the city, naked, with cow entrails hanging down her\nshoulders, her eyes and her face.\"\n\"Be quiet,\" said the princess.  \"You just think Widow Repose is\ntelling me all this, but she's not.  I'm the one who can see all\nthe terrible things that could happen.  But in spite of it all,\nI'll do whatever you tell me.\"\n\"If you listen to my advice,\" said Plaerdemavida, \"I'll tell you\nto do only things that will bring you honor.\"\nAnd so they left.  The duchess went back to her chambers and\nfound Tirant there, and she told him everything that had\nhappened.  Tirant, very happy, went to the great hall where the\nemperor, the princess and the empress were, with all the ladies,\nand they danced there for a good while.  And the princess\ncontinually entertained Tirant.\nAfter the dancing was over, when the princess withdrew to dine,\nWidow Repose approached her.  With no one around to hear, she\nsaid:\n\"It hurts me to see how much love permits, and I curse the day\nyou were born.  For many people constantly turn their eyes to\nYour Majesty, and then to me, and they say to me three times:\n'Oh, Widow!  Oh, Widow Repose!  How can you allow a man who is a\nforeigner to carry off Carmesina's virginity?'  Just imagine if\nsomeone who hears words like those doesn't have the right to\ngrieve and to despair of their life?  How could you think, my\nlady, that such a thing could be done without bishops and\narchbishops knowing of it?  I'm only telling you all this, my\nlady, to bring it to mind again, for I've already told you about\nit several times.\"\nShe decided to say no more, and waited to see what the princess\nwould say.  The princess was brimming with emotion at this\nmoment, but she had no time to reply to the poisonous words of\nthe wicked Widow because the emperor was at his table, waiting\nfor the princess, and he had sent word for her to come twice\nalready.\nThe princess said:\n\"Madam Widow, to be able to give an answer to everything you have\ntold me would be a delicious meal for me.\"\nShe left the chamber, and when the duchess, who was waiting to\nfind out if Tirant could go to her that night, saw her come out\nso agitated and flushed, she did not dare say a word to her.  But\nwhen Plaerdemavida saw her in that state too, and also saw the\nWidow following behind, she said to her:\n\"Oh, my lady, I've always noticed that when the sky turns red\nit's the sign of a storm.\"\n\"Shut up, you madwoman,\" said the princess.  \"You're always\nspouting nonsense.\"\nYou can imagine how the princess must have appeared, for when the\nemperor saw her he asked her why she looked that way, and if\nanyone had made her angry.  The princess answered:\n\"No, my lord.  Since I left Your Majesty's side I've been lying\ndown in my bed, because my heart has been in pain.  But thanks to\nOur Heavenly Father I have found a cure for my ache.\"\nThe emperor commanded the doctors to oversee her diet, and they\nordered pheasant for dinner, which is gentle meat for the heart.\nThe duchess sat at her side, not to eat, but to be able to talk\nto her and to tell her that Tirant was waiting for her in his\nchamber with good news.  When the meal was over, the duchess\nleaned toward her and whispered:\n\"What is open has the seal of truth, and what is done secretly,\nas the Widow does, shows evil.  A vassal cannot deceive his\nmaster, and since the Widow is my vassal, I want her death, for\nher actions deserve great punishment.\"\n\"My duchess,\" said the princess, \"I love you very much, and I\nwill do as much for you as one can reasonably do for her\nsister--even more.  Leave Widow Repose alone, because even though\nshe's your vassal, she's not to blame for anything.\"\nThe duchess said:\n\"Give me an answer to that matter of Tirant: Do you want him to\ncome tonight?  I'm sure that's what he's hoping for so anxiously.\nDon't tell me no, upon your life.\"\n\"I'll be very happy for him to come this evening,\" said the\nprincess.  \"I'll wait for him here and we shall dance, and if he\nwishes to tell me anything, I'll listen to him.\"\n\"Oh, my dear girl,\" said the duchess.  \"Now you want to change\nthe game on me.  I'm only telling you that if you want that\nvirtuous man, Tirant (without whom you can gain neither blessings\nor honor) to come see you, the same way he did that pleasant\nnight in the castle of Malvei-- let's see if you can catch my\nmeaning now!\"\n\"I can't think at all when you mention Tirant's name to me,\" said\nthe princess.  \"You may certainly tell Tirant that I beg him, as\na knight full of faith and virtue, to stop tempting my soul which\nhas been crying tears of blood for many days.  But after he comes\nhere it will be I who will consent, and in a greater way than he\nimagines.\"\n\"Oh, my lady!\" said the duchess.  \"If Your Excellency wishes to\ndo battle with Tirant, place yourself in his arms again with the\nsame fear you felt that night at Malvei, with the promises and\noaths you swore to him.\"\n\"Shall I tell you something, my sister and my lady?\" said the\nprincess.  \"I want to keep my reputation and my honor as I value\nmy life.  And this I intend to do with God's help.\"\nThe duchess left very angrily, and when she saw Tirant she told\nhim about her lady's bad disposition.  Tirant's anguish increased\nto an even greater degree than usual.\nWhen the emperor had dined, knowing that Tirant was in the duke's\nchamber, he sent for him and said to the princess:\n\"Send for the minstrels so that the knights can enjoy themselves.\nThe time for their departure has been set.\"\n\"No,\" said the princess.  \"I feel more like going to bed than\ndancing.\"\nShe immediately took leave of her father and withdrew to her\nchamber so that she would not have to talk to Tirant.  Widow\nRepose, who had heard her say these words, was very satisfied\nwith what she had done.  Plaerdemavida went to the duchess'\nchamber and said to Tirant:\n\"Captain, put no hope in this lady as long as Widow Repose is\naround her.  They've already withdrawn to her chamber, and are\nspeaking together about your affairs.  You'll never get your way\nwith her unless you do what I'm going to tell you: Tomorrow\nshe'll take her bath, and I will be so clever that at night I'll\nput you in her bed.  You'll find her completely naked.  Do what\nI'm telling you, for I know she'll never say a word.  Where the\nduchess used to sleep, I've taken her place now that she's no\nlonger there.  Since this is the case, let me take care of it.\"\n\"Maiden,\" said Tirant, \"I am extremely grateful to you for all\nyour gentility, and for what you are telling me, but there is one\nthing you should know about me: I wouldn't use force against a\nlady or maiden for anything in the world, even if it should cost\nme the crown of the Empire of Greece, or of Rome, or of the\nentire Kingdom of Earth.  I prefer to go through the pain and\ntrial of pleading with her, for I am completely convinced that\nshe was created in Paradise.  Her gracefulness shows that she is\nmore angelic than human.\"\nHe said no more.  Plaerdemavida, showing her anger to Tirant,\nsaid:\n\"Tirant, Tirant, you will never be brave or feared in battle if\nyou don't mix a little bit of force in when you love a lady or a\nmaiden.  Since you have a good and genteel hope, and you love a\nmaiden valiantly, go into her room and throw yourself down on her\nbed when she's naked or in her nightshirt, and wound her boldly,\nbecause among friends no towel is necessary.  And if you don't do\nit, I won't be your ally any longer, for I know many knights who\nhave deserved honor, glory and fame from their ladies because\nthey had their hands ready and valiant.  Oh Lord, how wonderful\nto have a tender maiden, about fourteen years old and completely\nnaked, in your arms!  Oh Lord, how wonderful to be in her bed,\nkissing her all the while!  Oh Lord, how wonderful if she's of\nroyal blood!  Oh Lord, how wonderful to have an emperor as her\nfather!  Oh Lord, how wonderful to have her rich and generous,\nand free of all infamy!...  Now what I want most of all is for\nyou to do what I tell you.\"\nBy this time most of the night was gone and they wanted to lock\nup the palace, so Tirant had to leave.  When he had said\ngoodnight to the duchess and was already going out, Plaerdemavida\nsaid:\n\"Captain, my lord, I wouldn't be able to find anyone who would do\nas much for me: Go to sleep, and don't come back from the other\nside.\"\nTirant burst out laughing and said to her:\n\"You have such an angelic nature, you're always giving good\nadvice.\"\nAnd so they went their separate ways.\nThat night Tirant thought about everything the maiden had said to\nhim.  The next morning the emperor sent for the captain, and he\nimmediately went and found him dressing, and the princess had\ncome to wait on him.  She was wearing a brocade skirt, with no\ncloth covering her breasts, and her hair, loosened somewhat,\nalmost reached to the ground.  When Tirant approached the emperor\nhe was astonished to see as much perfection in a human body as he\nsaw in her then.  The emperor said to him:\n\"Captain, in God's name, I beg you to do everything possible so\nthat you can leave with your men soon.\"\nTirant was so impressed by the vision of this striking lady that\nhe was stupefied and could not speak.  After some time had passed\nhe recovered and said:\n\"I was thinking about the Turks when I saw Your Majesty, so I\ndidn't hear you.  Your Highness, tell me what you want me to do,\nI beg you.\"\nThe emperor was surprised to see him so distracted, but since he\nhad understood so little he thought that that must be the case,\nfor he had seemed entranced for half an hour.  The emperor\nrepeated what he had said, and Tirant answered:\n\"My lord, Your Majesty should know that the crier is running\nthroughout the city, telling everyone that the departure is set\nfor Monday, and today is Friday.  So we will be leaving very\nsoon, my lord, and nearly everyone is already prepared.\"\nTirant stood behind the emperor so that he would not see him, and\ncovering his face with his hands, he looked at the princess.  She\nand the other maidens laughed out loud while Plaerdemavida stood\nin front of the emperor, and taking the emperor's arm, she turned\nhim toward her and said:\n\"If you have done anything noteworthy it's because of Tirant, who\nconquered the Grand Turk and made him lose the false and terrible\nmadness he had about ruling the entire Greek empire.  He also\nintended to conquer the old emperor here with pretty words, and\ninstead the Turkish kings and the sultan desperately ran for\nsafety to the great fortress in the city of Bellpuig.  And not at\ntheir leisure, but swept along by the fear that took control of\ntheir feet.  He has won renown by his own virtue, and if I had\nthe royal scepter and were lord of the Greek empire, and if\nCarmesina had come from my body, I know very well whose wife I\nwould make her.  But all of us girls are foolish like this: we\nwant nothing but honor, position, and dignity, and as a result\nmany of us come to a bad end.  What good would it do for me to\nbelong to the line of David if I lost what I had for lack of a\ngood man?  And you, my lord, try to save your soul, since you've\nspared your body in battles in the past, and don't even think\nabout giving any other husband to your daughter but...  Do I have\nto say it?  I won't...  I must: the virtuous Tirant.  Take this\nconsolation while you're alive, and don't expect it to be done\nafter your blessed days are over, because the things that nature\nwills and that are ordered by God must be consented to.  That way\nyou'll have glory in this world and paradise in the next.\"\nThen she turned to the princess, and said:\n\"You who are of such lofty blood, take a husband soon--very soon.\nIf your father won't give you one, I will, and I'll give you none\nother than Tirant.  For it's a wonderful thing to have both a\nhusband and a knight, whoever can have one.  This man is greater\nthan all the others in prowess.  If you don't think so, Your\nMajesty, look at the disorder of your empire and the point it had\nreached before Tirant came to this land.\"\n\"Please be quiet, girl,\" said Tirant, \"and don't say such\noutlandish things about me.\"\n\"Go on out to your battles,\" said Plaerdemavida, \"and let me be.\"\nThe emperor answered:\n\"By the bones of my father, the emperor Albert, you are the most\nextraordinary maiden in the world, but the further you go, the\nmore I like you.  And now, as a present, I'm going to give you\nfifty thousand ducats.\"\nShe knelt to the ground and kissed his hand.  The princess was\nvery disturbed by what she had said, and Tirant was somewhat\nembarrassed.  When the emperor had finished dressing he went to\nmass.  As they came out from mass Tirant had an opportunity to\ntalk to the princess, and he said to her:\n\"Anyone who makes a promise puts himself in debt.\"\n\"The promise,\" said the princess, \"was not made in the presence\nof a notary.\"\nPlaerdemavida, who was standing nearby, heard the princess's\nreply, and quickly said to her:\n\"Let's have none of that: a promise to fulfill love doesn't\nrequire any witnesses, and even less a notary.  What a miserable\nstate we'd be in if we had to have it in writing every time!\nThere wouldn't be enough paper in the world!  Do you know how\nit's done?  In the dark and without witnesses, because the\nlodging is never missed.\"\n\"Oh, this madwoman!\" said the princess.  \"Do you always have to\ntalk to me about the same thing?\"\nNo matter how much Tirant spoke to her, no matter how he pleaded,\nshe would do nothing for him.\nWhen they were in the chambers, the emperor called Carmesina and\nsaid to her:\n\"Tell me, my daughter, those things Plaerdemavida said--where do\nthey come from?\"\n\"I'm sure I don't know, my lord,\" said the princess.  \"I never\nspoke of such a thing to her.  But this madwoman is impertinent\nand she says anything that comes into her head.\"\n\"She's no madwoman,\" said the emperor.  \"In fact, she's the most\nsensible maiden in my court.  She's a good girl, and she always\ngives good advice.  Haven't you noticed when you've come to the\ncouncil chambers that when you make her talk she is always very\ndiscreet?  Would you like to have our captain for your husband?\"\nThe princess blushed shamefully, and could not utter a word.\nAfter a moment, when she had recovered, she said:\n\"My lord, when your captain has finished conquering the Moors,\nthen I will do whatever Your Majesty commands me.\"\nTirant went to the duchess' chamber, and sent for Plaerdemavida.\nWhen she was there, he said:\n\"Oh, genteel lady!  I don't know what help you can give me: My\nsoul is in discord with my body, and unless you can cure my\nillness I don't care whether I live or die.\"\n\"I'll do it tonight,\" said Plaerdemavida, \"if you do as I say.\"\n\"Command me, maiden,\" said Tirant, \"and may God increase your\nhonor.  The things you said when the emperor was here, about the\nprincess and me: who told you to say them?\"\n\"You, and my lady, and the emperor too: You're all thinking the\nsame thing,\" said Plaerdemavida.  \"When he asked me, I gave him\neven better reasons why you're worthy of having the princess as a\nwife.  To what better man could she be given than to you?  And he\nagrees with everything that I say.  I'll tell you why, in strict\nconfidence: He's in love with me, and he would pull up my chemise\nif I'd let him.  He's sworn to me on the Bible that if the\nempress was dying, he would take me as a wife in a minute.  And\nhe told me: 'As a sign of our pact, let's kiss; this kiss will be\nvery little, but it's better to have something than nothing.'\nAnd I answered him: 'Now that you are old, you're a lecher.  When\nyou were young, were you virtuous?'  Only a few hours ago he gave\nme this string of fat pearls, and now he's with his daughter,\nasking her if she wants you for a husband.  Do you know why I\nsaid that to him?  Because if you go to her chamber at night and\nit's your bad fortune to cause a commotion, and they try to\ncharge me with something, I'll have an alibi.  I'll say: 'My\nlord, I already told Your Majesty.  The princess ordered me to\nlet him in.'  And that way no one will be able to say anything.\nSo that you can see my good will and how much I want to help and\nhonor your grace, when the emperor is dining, come to me.  I\npromise to put you in my lady's bed, and in the refreshing night\nyou'll see how solace comes to those who are in love.\"\nWhile they were talking, the emperor, knowing that Tirant was in\nthe duchess' chamber, sent for him, and interrupted their\nconversation.\nWhen Tirant held counsel with the emperor, they spoke at length\nabout war and what things would be needed, and at that time they\nwere all dressed in readiness for battle.  When the dark shadows\nof night had fallen, Tirant came to the duchess' chamber, and\nwhile the emperor was with the ladies, Plaerdemavida went into\nthe chamber very happily, took Tirant by the hand and led him\naway.  He was dressed in a jacket of red satin, with a cloak over\nhis shoulders and a sword in his hand.  Plaerdemavida put him in\nthe chamber.  A large box was there with a hole she had made so\nhe could breathe.  The bath had been prepared, and it stood in\nfront of the box.  After the ladies had eaten, they danced with\nthe gallant knights.  When they saw that Tirant was not there\nthey stopped dancing, and the emperor retired to his chamber\nwhile the ladies departed, and left the princess alone with her\nladies-in-waiting in her chamber where Tirant was.  Plaerdemavida\nopened the box under the pretext of taking out a sheet of\ndelicate linen for the bath, and she left it slightly open,\nputting clothing on top so that none of the other women would see\nhim.  The princess began to take off her clothes, and\nPlaerdemavida prepared her seat which had been placed directly in\nfront so that Tirant could see her clearly.\nWhen she was completely naked Plaerdemavida brought a lighted\ncandle to give pleasure to Tirant, and looking at all of her body\nand everything that was in view, she said:\n\"In faith, my lady, if Tirant were here and could touch you with\nhis hands the way I am, I believe he would prefer that to being\nmade ruler of the kingdom of France.\"\n\"Don't believe it,\" said the princess.  \"He would rather be king\nthan touch me the way you are.\"\n\"Oh, my lord Tirant!  Where are you now?  Why aren't you standing\nhere, nearby, so that you can see and touch the thing you love\nmost in this world and in the world beyond?  Look, my lord\nTirant, here are the locks of my princess; I kiss them in your\nname, for you are the best of all knights in the world.  Here are\nher eyes and her mouth: I kiss them for you.  Here are her\ncrystalline breasts: I hold one in each hand, and I kiss them for\nyou.  See how small, how firm, how white and smooth they are.\nLook Tirant, here is her belly, her thighs and her secret place.\nOh, wretched me, if I were a man I would want to spend my last\ndays here.  Oh, Tirant!  Where are you now?  Why don't you come\nto me when I call you so tenderly?  Only the hands of Tirant are\nworthy to touch where I am touching, and no one else, because\nthis is a morsel that there is no one who would not like to choke\non.\"\nTirant was watching all this, and could not have been more\npleased by the fine wit of Plaerdemavida's comments, and he felt\nsorely tempted to come out of the box.\nWhen they had been there some time, joking, the princess stepped\ninto the bath and told Plaerdemavida to remove her clothes and\njoin her.\n\"I will, under one condition.\"\n\"What's that?\" asked the princess.\nPlaerdemavida answered:\n\"That you consent to have Tirant in your bed for one hour while\nyou're in it.\"\n\"Hush!  You're mad!\" said the princess.\n\"If you please, my lady, tell me what you would say if Tirant\ncame here one night without any of us knowing it?\"\n\"What else could I tell him,\" said the princess, \"but beg him to\nleave, and if he wouldn't go, I would keep quiet rather than be\ndefamed.\"\n\"In faith, my lady,\" said Plaerdemavida, \"that's what I would do\ntoo.\"\nWhile they were saying these things, Widow Repose came in, and\nthe princess begged her to join her in the bath.  The Widow\nremoved all her clothing except her red stockings and a linen hat\non her head; and although she was very pretty and well endowed,\nthe red stockings and the hat on her head made her so ugly that\nshe looked like a devil, and it is true that any lady or maiden\nyou see in that sort of attire will look very ugly to you no\nmatter how genteel she may be.\nWhen the bath was finished they brought the repast to the\nprincess, which was a pair of partridges, and then a dozen eggs\nwith sugar and cinnamon.  Afterward she lay down in her bed to\nsleep.\nThe Widow went to her chamber with the other ladies except for\ntwo who slept in the chamber.  When they were all asleep,\nPlaerdemavida got up from the bed and she led Tirant from the box\nin her nightshirt, and made him take off all his clothing,\nquietly, so that no one would hear him.  And Tirant's heart,\nhands and feet were trembling.\n\"What's this?\" said Plaerdemavida.  \"There's not a man in the\nworld who is valiant with weapons, but who isn't afraid when he's\nwith women.  In battle there's not a man alive you're afraid of,\nand here you tremble at the sight of one lone maiden.  Don't\nworry, I'll be with you the whole time.  I won't leave your\nside.\"\n\"By the faith I owe our Heavenly Father, I would be happier to\njoust ten knights to the death than commit an act like this.\"\nThe maiden took him by the hand, and he followed her, trembling,\nand said:\n\"Maiden, all my fear is really shame, because of the extreme good\nwill that I desire for my lady.  I would much rather go back than\ncontinue on when I think that Her Majesty knows nothing about any\nof this.  When she sees what's happening she will be completely\nfrightened, and I would rather die than offend Her Majesty.\"\nPlaerdemavida was very angry with Tirant's words, and she said:\n\"Oh, you faint-hearted knight.  Does a maiden frighten you so\nmuch that you're afraid to go near her?  Oh, unlucky captain.  Do\nyou have so little courage that you dare say such words to me?\nPluck up your courage.\nWhen the emperor comes, what story will you invent to tell him?\nI'll have you discovered, and God and the whole world will know\nthat you have spoken ill, and let me remind you that this time\nyou'll lose your honor and your fame.  Do what I tell you and\nI'll give you a secure life and have you wearing the crown of the\nGreek Empire, because the time has come when I can tell you only\none thing: to go quickly and take those steps that will lead you\nto the princess.\"\nSeeing the frankness in Plaerdemavida's words, Tirant said:\n\"Let's go on without delay, I beg you, and let me see that\nglorified body.  And since there's no light I'll see her only\nwith the eyes of the imagination.\"\n\"I've used great ingenuity to bring you here,\" said\nPlaerdemavida, \"so conduct yourself in a proper way.\"\nAnd she let go his hand.  Tirant discovered that Plaerdemavida\nhad left him, and he did not know where she was because there was\nno light in the room.  She made him wait half an hour, barefoot,\nand in his shirt-sleeves.  He called to her as softly as he\ncould, and she heard him perfectly well but did not answer.  When\nPlaerdemavida saw that she had made him grow quite cold, she had\npity on him, and going up to him she said:\n\"That's the way people who aren't in love are punished.  How\ncould you imagine that any lady or maiden of high or low station,\nwouldn't want to be loved?  Anyone who can go in by honest or\nsecret roads, by night or by day, through a window, a door or a\nroof, is thought of highly.  I wouldn't be unhappy if Hippolytus\nwould do it to me.  And I wouldn't be upset if he would take me\nby the hair, and drag me through the room, with my consent or\nwithout it, and make me be quiet, and I would let him do anything\nhe wanted.  I would rather know that he's a man.  In other things\nyou should honor, love and serve her; but when you're alone in a\nroom with her, that's no time to be polite.\"\n\"In faith, maiden,\" said Tirant, \"you've pointed out my defects\nto me better than any confessor could, no matter how great a\nteacher of theology he might be.  Take me to my lady's bed\nquickly, I beg you.\"\nPlaerdemavida took him there, and made him lie down beside the\nprincess.  The head of the bed did not touch the wall, and when\nTirant was lying down, the maiden told him to be still and not to\nmove until she said so.  Then she stood at the end of the bed,\nand she put her head between Tirant and the princess, facing the\nprincess.  Because the sleeves of her blouse bothered her, she\nrolled them up, and taking Tirant's hand, she placed it on the\nprincess' breasts, and he touched her nipples, and her belly, and\nbelow.  The princess awoke, and said:\n\"My heaven, what a bother you are!  Can't you let me sleep?\"\nPlaerdemavida, with her head on the pillow, said:\n\"Oh!  You're a very difficult lady to take.  You've just come out\nof the bath, and your skin is so smooth and nice that it makes me\nfeel good just to touch it.\"\n\"Touch all you like,\" said the princess, \"but don't put your hand\nso far down.\"\n\"Go back to sleep,\" said Plaerdemavida, \"and let me touch this\nbody that's mine, because I'm here in Tirant's place.  Oh,\nTirant, you traitor!\nWhere are you?  If you had your hand where I have mine, wouldn't\nyou be unhappy!\"\nTirant had his hand on the princess' belly, and Plaerdemavida had\nher hand on Tirant's head, and when she saw that the princess was\nasleep, she loosened her grip, and then Tirant touched at will,\nand when she was about to wake up, the girl squeezed Tirant's\nhead, and he stopped.  They spent more than an hour at this play,\nand he did not cease touching her.  When Plaerdemavida saw that\nshe was deep in sleep she removed her hand completely from\nTirant, and he carefully tried to accomplish his desire.  But the\nprincess began to wake up, and half asleep, she said:\n\"But what are you doing, you wretched girl?  Can't you let me\nsleep?  Have you gone mad, trying to do what's against your\nnature?\"\nIt was not long until she knew that it was more than a woman, and\nshe refused to surrender to him and began to cry out.\nPlaerdemavida covered her mouth and whispered in her ear so that\nnone of the other girls would hear her:\n\"Hush, my lady, you don't want to be dishonored.  I'm terribly\nafraid that the empress will hear you.  Be quiet: this is your\nknight who is ready to die for you.\"\n\"Oh, you wicked girl!\" said the princess.  \"You've had no fear of\nme or shame of the world.  Without my consent you've put me in a\nvery bad situation and defamed me.\"\n\"What's done is done, my lady,\" said Plaerdemavida.  \"It seems to\nme that being quiet is the only solution for you and me: it's the\nsafest thing, and what's best in this case.\"\nTirant softly pleaded with her as well as he could.  She found\nherself in a difficult situation, because love was conquering her\non the one hand, and fear on the other, but since fear was\nstronger than love, she decided to be still and she said nothing.\nWhen the princess first screamed, Widow Repose heard her, and she\nwas fully aware that the cause of that scream had been\nPlaerdemavida, and that Tirant must be with her.  And she thought\nthat if Tirant was seducing the princess, she couldn't accomplish\nher own desire with him.  Now everyone was silent and the\nprincess was not saying a thing, but instead was defending\nherself with graceful words so that the pleasant battle would not\ncome to an end.  The Widow sat bolt upright in her bed and cried\nout:\n\"My daughter, what's wrong?\"\nShe woke up all the girls, shrieking loudly and making so much\nnoise that the empress heard it.  They all got up, some entirely\nnaked and others in their nightshirts, and quickly ran to the\ndoor of the bedchamber which they found closed fast, and they\ncried out for a light.  At the very moment that they were\npounding on the door and calling for light, Plaerdemavida seized\nTirant by the hair, and pulled him from the place where he would\nhave liked to end his life.  She led him to a small chamber and\nmade him jump to a rooftop there.  Then she gave him a hemp rope\nso that he could drop down to the garden and from there could\nopen the gate.  She had it very well prepared so that when he\ncame he could leave by another door before daybreak.  But the\ndisturbance and the cries of the Widow and the girls were so loud\nthat she could not let him out the way she had planned, and she\nwas forced to let him out by the roof.  So, giving him the long\nrope, she quickly turned and closed the window and then went back\nto her lady.\nTirant turned around and tied the rope securely, and in his haste\nto leave without being seen or heard, he did not watch carefully\nto see whether or not the rope reached the ground.  He let\nhimself slide down the rope which hung more than thirty-five feet\nfrom the ground.  He had to let go because his arms could not\nhold the weight of his body, and he hit the ground so hard that\nhe broke his leg.\nLet us leave Tirant stretched out on the ground, unable to move.\nWhen Plaerdemavida returned, they brought the light, and all the\nwomen came in with the empress who immediately asked what the\ndisturbance was and why she had cried out.\n\"Madam,\" said the princess, \"a huge rat jumped up on my bed and\nran over my face, and I was so frightened that I screamed.  He\nscratched my face with his claws, and if he had gotten my eye,\nyou can imagine what damage he would have done!\"\nNow that scratch had been made by Plaerdemavida when she covered\nher mouth so she would not scream.  The emperor had gotten up,\nand he entered the princess's chamber with his sword in his hand,\nand hearing about the rat, he looked through all the rooms.  But\nthe maiden had been discreet: When the empress came in and was\ntalking to her daughter, she jumped out onto the roof and quickly\nremoved the rope.  She heard Tirant moaning, and immediately\nrealized that he had fallen, and she went back to the chamber\nwithout saying a word.  There was so much noise throughout the\npalace, between the guards and the palace officials, that it was\na wonder to hear and to behold; and if the Turks had entered the\ncity the disturbance would not have been any greater.  The\nemperor, who was a very discreet man, suspected that this had to\nbe more than a rat, and he even looked into the coffers.  Then he\nhad all the windows opened, so that if the maiden had not been\nquick about removing the rope he would have found it.\nWhen the duke and duchess, who knew what was going on, heard all\nthe noise, they thought Tirant had been discovered.  Imagine how\nthe duke must have felt, thinking that Tirant was in such a\ndifficult situation, and that he must have been killed or\nimprisoned.  He quickly armed himself to help Tirant since he had\nhis weapons there, and he said:\n\"Today I'll lose my entire kingdom because Tirant is in such a\nbad situation.\"\n\"And look at me,\" said the duchess.  \"I don't have enough\nstrength in my hands to put on my blouse.\"\nWhen the duke was armed he left his room to see what was\nhappening, and to find out where Tirant was.  And as he was going\nout he saw the emperor returning to his chamber.  The duke asked\nhim:\n\"What is it, Sire?  What's the cause of this disturbance?\"\nThe emperor answered:\n\"Those foolish maidens who aren't afraid of anything.  According\nto what they say, a rat climbed over my daughter's face, and she\nsays it left a scratch on her cheek.  Go back to sleep, you're\nnot needed here.\"\nThe duke went back to his room and told the duchess, and they\nwere both very relieved that nothing had happened to Tirant.\nThen the duke said:\n\"For the love of Our Lady, I went out of here in such a state\nthat if the emperor had imprisoned Tirant I would have killed him\nand everyone who came to his aid, and then Tirant or I would have\nbeen emperor.\"\n\"But it's best that it turned out as it did,\" said the duchess.\nShe quickly got up and went to the princess's chamber.  When\nPlaerdemavida saw her, she said:\n\"My lady, please, I beg you, stay here, and don't let anyone\nspeak badly of Tirant.  I'll go and see how he is.\"\nWhen she was out on the roof she did not dare speak for fear that\nsomeone would hear her, and she heard him moaning loudly, and\nsaying:\n\"I can feel myself descending toward the dark and gloomy palaces.\nAnd since I cannot restore my miserable life with all my sighs,\nI'm content to die, because life without you, dear princess, is\ncompletely unbearable.  Oh Lord and eternal God!  You who are all\nmerciful, grant me the grace of dying in the arms of that most\nvirtuous princess, so that my soul may be more content in the\nnext world.\"\nAt this moment Hippolytus knew nothing about Tirant's actions,\nbut he was aware of the great uproar in the palace that was\nspreading throughout the city.  Seeing that Tirant was inside the\npalace and that he had told everyone he was sleeping in the\nduke's chamber that night, and with the viscount and Hippolytus\nknowing about his love for the princess, they had all the men\ntake up arms.  Lord Agramunt said:\n\"I can only think that Tirant must have done some mischief in the\nprincess's chamber, and news of it has reached the emperor, and\nall of us will take part in the wedding along with him.  So we\nmust prepare ourselves quickly to help him if we have to.\nBecause in all the nights he's slept here nothing unusual has\nhappened, and as soon as he's outside you see what a great outcry\nthere is in the palace.\"\nHippolytus said:\n\"While you're arming yourself I'll go to the palace gate to see\nwhat's happening.\"\n\"Hurry,\" said the others.\nWhen they were all outside, the viscount followed Hippolytus.\n\"My lord,\" said Hippolytus, \"you go to the main gate and I'll go\nto the one in the garden.  Whoever discovers what is really\nhappening--what all this noise is about--will go and tell the\nother one.\"\nThe viscount said he thought that was a good idea.  When\nHippolytus was at the gate to the garden, thinking he would find\nit locked, he stood, listening, and he heard a mournful voice\ncrying.  It sounded like a woman's voice, and he said to himself:\n\"I would much rather hear Tirant than this woman's voice, whoever\nshe is.\"\nHe stood, looking to see if he could scale the wall.  When he saw\nthat it was impossible, he went back to the gate with an easy\nheart, thinking it must be a woman.\n\"Let her wail, whoever she is--lady or maiden,\" said Hippolytus,\n\"for this has nothing to do with my lord Tirant.\"\nHe left and went to the plaza where he found the viscount and\nothers who wanted to know what had caused the disturbance.  But\nby now the cries had subsided a great deal, and the disturbance\nhad been quelled.  Then Hippolytus explained to the viscount how\nhe had been at the garden gate and had not been able to go in,\nand that he had heard what seemed to be a woman's voice moaning,\nand he did not know who it was, but that he thought the woman was\nthe cause of all the outcry.\n\"If it please you, let's go there,\" said the viscount, \"and if\nshe's a lady or a maiden who needs help, let's give it to her if\nwe can, because it's our obligation under the 'laws of\nchivalry.'\"\nThey went to the garden gate, and heard the loud laments coming\nfrom inside the garden, but they could not understand what was\nbeing said or recognize the voice: with all the pain she was in,\nher voice was altered.  The viscount said:\n\"Let's break down the gate.  It's night, and no one will know we\ndid it.\"\nBut the gate was unlocked, because during the night, not\nimagining that so much harm would be done, Plaerdemavida had left\nit that way so that Tirant could open it easily whenever he\nliked.\nAnd they both pushed against the gate with all their might, and\nit flew open easily.  The viscount went in first and walked\ntoward the voice which sounded so strange.\nThe viscount said:\n\"Whoever you are, I beg you in God's name, tell me if you're an\nerrant spirit or a mortal body who needs help.\"\nTirant thought it must be the emperor and his men, and so that he\nwould not be recognized, and they would leave, he disguised his\nvoice, even though the pain he was in had already disguised it,\nand he said:\n\"In my time I was a baptized Christian, and I am condemned to\nwander because of my sins.  I am an invisible spirit, and if you\nsee me, the reason will be that I am taking on form.  The evil\nspirits here are stripping off my flesh and my bones and throwing\nthem in the air piece by piece.  Oh, what a cruel torture I am\nsuffering.  If you come any closer to me, you will share in my\npain.\"\nThey were very frightened when they heard these words, and they\nmade the sign of the cross and recited the Gospel of Saint John.\nThe viscount spoke so loudly that Tirant heard him:\n\"Hippolytus, do you think we should go to our chambers and get\nall our armed men and some holy water, and then come back here to\nsee what this is?\"\n\"No,\" said Hippolytus, \"we don't need to go back to our chambers\nfor anything.  We both have the sign of the cross on our swords:\nlet me go there.\"\nWhen Tirant heard the viscount call Hippolytus' name, he said:\n\"If you are Hippolytus, a native of France, come to me and have\nno fear.\"\nThen Hippolytus took out his sword, and holding the handle in\nfront of him, he made the sign of the cross and said:\n\"As a true Christian, I fully believe in the articles of the\nCatholic faith, and everything that the holy Roman church\nteaches: in this holy faith I want to live and die.\"\nHe went closer in great fear, but the viscount was even more\nafraid, and did not dare to approach.  And in a soft voice Tirant\ncalled to him and said:\n\"Come closer.  I am Tirant.\"\nAt that he became even more frightened, and was ready to go back.\nTirant saw this, and raising his voice he said:\n\"Oh, what a cowardly knight you are!\"\nHippolytus recognized him when he spoke, and ran up to him and\nsaid:\n\"Oh, my lord, is it you?  What misfortune brought you here?\"\n\"Don't be worried, and don't say anything,\" said Tirant.  \"But\nwho is that with you?  If he's of the lineage of Brittany, have\nhim come here.\"\n\"Yes, my lord,\" said Hippolytus.  \"It's the viscount.\"\nHe called him, and when the viscount saw Tirant he was amazed at\nthe adventure and at everything he had said to them during the\ntime they had not recognized him.\n\"Let's not waste words,\" said Tirant.  \"Hurry and take me away\nfrom here.\"\nTogether they lifted him in their arms and took him out of the\ngarden and closed the gate.  Then they carried him to his lodging\nand lay him under the portico.\n\"I'm in more pain than I've ever felt before,\" said Tirant.  \"Of\nall the times I've been wounded and near death, my body has never\nfelt so much pain.  I'll need to have doctors without the emperor\nknowing about it.\"\n\"My lord,\" said Hippolytus, \"may I give you some advice?  You are\nso badly hurt that it can't be kept hidden, especially with the\ndisturbance in the palace.  Mount your horse if you can, my lord,\nand let's go to the palaces of Bellestar where your horses are.\nWe'll make everyone think that your horse fell on you and broke\nyour leg \"\nThe viscount answered:\n\"It's true, my cousin and lord, Hippolytus is right.  Otherwise\nthe emperor will certainly hear about it. I would be happy if,\nafter you're cured and we've accomplished our aims, we returned\nto our lands.\"\n\"My lord viscount,\" said Tirant, \"this is no time to talk about\nthese things, but you, Hippolytus, have them bring the animals\nhere secretly, and bring the horse with the smoothest gait.\"\nLet us return to the princess.  Plaerdemavida stayed out on the\nroof until she saw them carry Tirant away.  Then she went into\nthe room where the princess was with the duchess and all the\nladies.  The empress was astonished that there should be such a\ngreat uproar in the palace over a rat, and sitting on her bed she\nsaid:\n\"Do you know the best thing for us to do, ladies?  Since the\npalace is calmed down again, let's go back to sleep.\"\nThe princess called Plaerdemavida and whispered to her, asking\nwhere Tirant was.\n\"My lady, he's gone,\" said Plaerdemavida, \"and he's in great\npain.\"\nBut she did not dare tell her that he had a broken leg, or what\nhe had said.  She was very pleased that they had not seen or\nfound him.  The empress got up, and Widow Repose said:\n\"It would be a good idea, my lady, to tell your daughter to sleep\nwith you, so that if the rat came back it wouldn't frighten her\neven more.\"\nThe empress answered:\n\"What the Widow says is true.  Come, my child: you will sleep\nbetter with me than by yourself.\"\n\"No, my lady. Let Your Excellency go on: the duchess and I will\nsleep together.  Don't spend a bad night on my account.\"\nThe empress said:\n\"Come with me. I'm getting cold standing here.\"\n\"My lady, since you insist,\" said the princess, \"you go on, and\nI'll come soon.\"\nThe empress left, telling her to come right away.  The princess\nturned to the Widow and said angrily:\n\"Now I know how much you're to blame.  Who gave you the right to\ntell my mother that I should go and sleep with her, and to\ndeprive me of my pleasure?  From what I can see, you don't live\nby virtue, but by envy and malice.\"\nThe Widow replied\n\"I'll tell you what I've done wrong.  I honored and loved you\nmore than you liked: that's how I'm to blame.  Do you imagine, my\nlady, that I have no feelings for Tirant, and that I didn't see\nhim letting himself down by the rope, and it breaking, and him\nfalling so hard I think he broke his legs and his ribs?...\"\nShe began to cry miserably, and threw herself to the ground, and\npulled her hair, saying:\n\"The best of all knights is dead!\"\nWhen the princess heard these words, she said three times:\n\"Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!\"\nAnd she fell to the floor in a faint.  She had cried out the name\nof Jesus so loudly that the empress, who was in her chamber,\nasleep in her bed, heard it.  She quickly got up and hurried to\nher daughter's chamber.  She found her there, unconscious, and\nnothing helped to revive her.  The emperor had to get up, and all\nthe doctors came.  But still the princess did not regain\nconsciousness, and three hours passed before she did.  The\nemperor asked how his daughter had come to such a state.  They\ntold him:\n\"My lord, she saw another tiny rat, and because her imagination\nwas dwelling on the one she had seen on her bed, when she saw\nthis one she suffered a terrible shock.\"\n\"Oh, old emperor, sad and embittered!  In my last days must I\nsuffer so much pain?  Oh, cruel death!  Why don't you come to me\nwhen I want you so?\"\nWhen he had said this he lost consciousness and fell in a faint\nbeside his daughter.  The cries and shouts were so great\nthroughout the whole palace that it was astonishing to see and\nhear the laments the people were making: and this disturbance was\ngreater than the first.\nTirant, standing before the portico waiting for the animals to be\nbrought, heard such loud cries that he thought the sky was\nfalling in.  He quickly mounted, full of pain and anguish, and\nthe pain grew as he became fearful that the princess might have\ncome to some harm.  Hippolytus took a cloth and wrapped his leg\nso that the cold would not get into it.  So, as best they could,\nthey rode to the gates of the city.  The guards recognized Tirant\nand asked him where he was going at this hour.  He answered that\nhe was going to Bellestar to look after his horses because he\nwould soon be leaving for the camp.  The gates were quickly\nopened for him and Tirant went on his way.  When they had ridden\nhalf a league, Tirant said:\n\"I am deeply afraid that the emperor has done the princess some\nharm because of me.  I want to go back and help her in case she\nneeds me.\"\nThe viscount said\n\"In faith, you're in fine condition to help her!\"\n\"My dear viscount,\" said Tirant, \"I feel no pain now!  You know\nthat a greater injury makes a lesser one diminish.  I beg you,\nplease, let's go back to the city so that we can help her in case\nshe needs us.\"\n\"You've lost your mind,\" said the viscount.  \"You want to go back\nto the city so that the emperor will find out what you've done.\nWe'll be doing well enough if we can keep this from the people so\nthat they won't blame you for it.  You can be certain that if you\ngo back you won't escape injury or death if things are the way\nyou say they are.\"\n\"Since I'm the cause of all the trouble,\" said Tirant, \"is it\nunreasonable for me to have the punishment?  I'll consider my\ndeath worthwhile if I die for such a virtuous lady.\"\n\"God help me,\" said the viscount, \"I won't let you go back even\nif I have to use force.  Isn't the duke there, and if he hears\nsomething that puts the princess in danger or dishonors her,\nwon't he go and help her?  Now you see what sad love-affairs lead\nto.  Let's not stay here any longer.\nThe more time we lose, the worse it is for you.\"\n\"Since you don't want to let me go back,\" said Tirant, \"do me a\nfavor.  You go, and if anyone harms her, kill them all and show\nmercy to no one.\"\nTirant begged the viscount so much that he had to return to the\ncity, and as he turned back he said softly so that Tirant didn't\nhear, but so Hippolytus could understand:\n\"By Heaven, I wish I didn't have to concern myself with any lady\nor maiden, but only arrange for the doctors to come.\"\nTirant went on ahead with Hippolytus.\nCHAPTER VIII\nTHE BETROTHAL\n When the viscount was at the gates of the city, the guards would\nnot let him in until he said that the captain had fallen from his\nhorse and he was in a hurry to summon the doctors.  He couldn't\nfind them as quickly as he wanted because they were all with the\nemperor and his daughter.  When they had taken care of the\nemperor they took everything they needed for Tirant, and they did\nnot dare tell the emperor that his captain was injured.  But the\nviscount did everything he could to see the princess, so that he\ncould tell Tirant how she was.\nWhen she had regained consciousness, she opened her eyes and\nsaid:\n\"Is the one who holds my soul captive dead?  Tell me quickly, I\nbeg you. Because if he's dead, I want to die with him \"\nThe empress, who was upset by all the anguish she felt for her\ndaughter, could not understand her, and she asked what she had\nsaid.  The duchess was holding her on her knees, and she answered\nthe empress:\n\"My lady, the princess is asking if the rat is dead.\"\nThe princess, her eyes closed, again said:\n\"I didn't say that.  I asked if the one who is my hope is dead.\"\nThe duchess answered in a loud voice:\n\"He's not dead: they never caught him.\"  And turning to the\nempress, she said: \"She's delirious.  This illness has the effect\nof turning the wisest people into madmen who don't know what\nthey're saying.\"\nHer delirium subsided, and two doctors went with the viscount and\nthe duke.  When the princess found out, she cried:\n\"Oh, my lord Tirant!  Father of chivalry!  Now the lineage of\nRocasalada has fallen, and the house of Brittany has lost so\nmuch.  You are dead!  Dead!  For anyone who has fallen from as\ngreat a height as you cannot hope to live long.  Why couldn't I\nhave suffered the harm, since I was the cause, and you would find\nyourself free from these dangers?\"\nThe duchess was very agitated, both because of the princess's\nillness and Tirant's injury.  She did not want to say anything\nmore for fear of the maidens who were nearby.  The doctors left\nquickly without saying anything to the emperor so that he would\nnot have a relapse, because his constitution was very delicate.\nWhen the doctors reached Tirant they found him lying on a bed in\ngreat pain.  They looked at his leg and found it completely\nbroken, the bones protruding from the flesh.  With their\nministrations Tirant fainted three times, and each time they had\nto revive him.  The doctors treated him as best they could the\nfirst time and said that under no circumstances should he be\nmoved from his bed, because his life was in danger.  Then they\nwent back to the palace.  The emperor asked them where they had\nbeen, since he had not seen them at mealtime.  One of them\nanswered:\n\"My lord, your captain has been injured, and we went to Bellestar\nto minister to him.\"\nThe emperor said;\n\"And how was he hurt?\"\n\"My lord,\" said the doctor, \"they say that early this morning he\nleft the city to go to where his horses are so that Monday\nmorning everyone would be ready to leave.  He was riding a\nSicilian horse and, galloping along the road, he fell in a trench\nand hurt his leg.\"\n\"Holy Virgin Mary,\" said the emperor.  \"Tirant has no lack of\ntroubles.  I want to go see him immediately.\"\nWhen the doctors heard the emperor's decision--that he wanted to\nleave--they detained him for a day so that he would have time to\nrecover.  The emperor saw that the doctors advised against it, so\nhe decided to stay.  He went to the princess's chambers to ask\nabout her illness and to explain what had happened to Tirant.\nWhat grief the princess felt in her heart!  But she did not dare\nshow it for fear of her father, and her own pain seemed as\nnothing when she thought of Tirant's suffering.\nThe emperor stayed with his daughter until dinnertime.  The\nfollowing day, seeing the doctors pass by from a window and\nknowing that they were going to see Tirant, he called to them to\nwait.  Then he mounted and went with them and saw their second\ntreatment.  From what he saw he understood at once that Tirant\nwould not be able to go to the encampment for a long time.  When\nthey had finished their treatment, the emperor said:\n\"I can't begin to tell you how much grief I feel.  As soon as I\nheard about your injury I knew how great my misfortune was,\nbecause I had placed all my hope in your leadership.  I had\nenvisioned the blood of those cruel enemies of mine and of the\nholy Catholic faith being shed by the strength of your arm, and\nthe blow of your sword.  But now, when they hear that you are not\nthere, they will be afraid of no one and will overrun my entire\nempire.\"\nTirant weakly said:\n\"My lord, you don't need my sword and my leadership.  In your\nempire you have courageous knights who can take on the enemy\nright now.  But it only seems right to me, since you are pressing\nme so much, that I should go to the camp.  My lord, I will be\nready to go on the day we had set.\"\nWhen the emperor heard him say that, he was very happy, and he\ntook his leave and returned to the city.  When the empress saw\nhim she said:\n\"My lord, tell us the truth about our captain.  How is he?  Is he\nnear death, or is there hope for him?\"\nIn the presence of the princess and the maidens the emperor said\nto the empress:\n\"My lady, I don't think he's in danger of dying, but there is no\ndoubt that he's in a bad way.  The bones in his leg are sticking\nout through the skin, and it's a terrible sight to see.  But he\nsays he will be ready to leave Monday.\"\n\"Holy Mother of Jesus!\" said the princess.  \"What is Your Majesty\ntrying to do?  You want a man who is so badly hurt that he's at\ndeath's door to go to the encampment and end his days while he's\non the road?  How could he help the soldiers?  Do you want to put\nhis life and the entire empire in danger too?  No, my lord;\nthat's no way to fight these battles.  It's better to have him\nalive than dead, because with him living all your enemies will be\nafraid, and once he's dead they won't be afraid of anything.\"\nThe emperor went into the council chamber where they were waiting\nfor him, and they all agreed from what he had seen of Tirant that\nhe should not be moved.\nAfter the emperor had left Bellestar, where Tirant was, Tirant\nimmediately ordered a box made so that he could be carried in it.\nWhen it was Sunday evening and the duke and all the others had\ngone back to the city, and without anyone knowing of it except\nHippolytus, Tirant ordered the viscount and Lord Agramunt not to\ndisturb him until they were ready to depart.  They had not an\ninkling that Tirant would commit such an act of folly as to\nleave.\nTirant gave one doctor a large amount of money to go with him,\nbut the other doctor ordered him not to move and would not go\nalong.  Tirant had them put him in the box, and using shafts to\ncarry it on their shoulders, they left for the encampment.\nBefore he left he ordered them to tell everyone who came from the\ncity that since he had not been able to sleep at night he was\nresting.  Some who came to see him went back, and others stayed,\nwaiting for him to awaken.  When it was noon the Duke of\nMacedonia who was a close relative, as was the viscount, wanted\nto go inside.\nSaying that anyone who was wounded should not sleep so much, they\nforced their way in and discovered that he was gone.  They\nquickly mounted their horses and rode after him, and they sent\nword to the emperor, telling how his captain had obeyed his\ncommand, and cursing the emperor and all of his kind.  When the\nemperor heard the news, he said:\n\"By the living God, he carries out his promises!\"\nWhen the duke and the viscount overtook him and learned that he\nhad passed out on the road five times, they reprimanded the\ndoctor and Hippolytus, and said they cared nothing for him.\n\"And you, Hippolytus,\" said the duke, \"of our lineage of\nRocasalada and of the kindred of Brittany, to allow our master\nand lord to leave!  The day his life ends we will all be lost and\nno one will ever hear of us again.  You deserve the worst sort of\nreprimand.  If I had no fear of God or felt no sense of worldly\nshame, I'd do worse to you with this sword than Cain did to Abel:\nYou miserable knight!  Get away from me, or upon my word of honor\nyou'll get the punishment you deserve.\"\nAnd turning to the doctor he gave vent to his anger.\n\"I lose all patience when I think of the outrageous act of this\ndoctor who put the light of Rocasalada in mortal danger.\"\nAnd the duke rode furiously at the doctor, his sword raised,\nwhile the doctor attempted to flee to save his miserable skin,\nbut it gained him nothing because when he reached him he brought\nthe sword down on his head so hard that it split in half, down to\nhis shoulders, and his brains flew out.\nWhen the emperor received news of the death of such a singular\ndoctor he quickly rode to Tirant, and found him in a hermitage\nwhere the duke had put him: there he was being given everything\nhe needed.  When the emperor saw Tirant's condition he took great\npity and had all his doctors come there to see how his leg was.\nThe doctors found it much worse and they told him that if he had\ngone one league further, either he would have died or had to have\nhis leg cut off.\nAll the barons in the empire came to see him.  The emperor held\ncouncil there and they decided that since Tirant could not go,\nall the men should leave the next day.  Tirant said:\n\"My lord, I think Your Majesty should give two months' wages to\nall the men, and since they will only serve one and a half\nmonths, everyone will be happy, and they'll put up a better\nfight.\"\nThe emperor answered that he would do it immediately, and he\nsaid:\n\"This evening I've received letters from the Marquis of Saint\nGeorge in our camp, telling me that great numbers of Moors have\ncome.  It says here that the King of Jerusalem, who is a cousin\nof the Grand Caramany has come, and with him are his wife and\nchildren and some sixty thousand soldiers from the land of\nEnedast, a very fertile and abundant province.  As soon as a male\nchild is born there, he is raised with great care.  When he is\nten years old they teach him to ride and to fence.  Then they\nteach him to fight, and throw a lance.  And last, they teach him\nhow to butcher, so that he will get used to cutting up meat and\nwill not be afraid of spilling blood.  This makes them cruel, and\nwhen they are in battle and capture Christians, they quarter them\nand haven't the slightest feeling of pity about flesh or blood.\nThe King of Lower India has come here, and they say he is the\nbrother of the prisoner from Upper India; he is a very rich man\nand he's bringing forty-five thousand soldiers with him.  Another\nking, called Menador, has come with thirty-seven thousand\nsoldiers.  The King of Damascus has come with fifty-five\nthousand.  King Veruntament has come with forty-two thousand.\nAnd many others have come with them.\"\nTirant replied:\n\"Let them come, my lord.  I have so much faith in the divine\nmercy of Our Lord and in His most Holy Mother, Our lady, that,\neven if there were twice as many as there are, with the help of\nthe singular knights Your Majesty has, we would be victorious\nover them.\"\nWhen they had finished their conversation, the emperor commended\nTirant to God, and ordered the doctors to leave him alone and to\nallow him to depart.\nThe princess was very upset by Tirant's injury.  When it was\nMonday, all the soldiers were ready to leave.  The Duke of Pera\nand the Duke of Macedonia were in charge of leading all the men.\nWhen they reached the camp of the Marquis of Saint George, the\nothers were very happy to see them.  Tirant stayed in the\nhermitage, waiting for the doctors to give him permission to go\ninto the city.  Lord Agramunt who never wanted to leave him\nalone, remained with him, for he said that he had left his\ncountry only for love of him, and that he would not leave him\nwhile he was injured.  Hippolytus stayed in his company, and went\nto the city every day for whatever he needed, but especially to\nbring news about the princess to Tirant.  And when they wanted to\nmake him eat or do other things the doctors prescribed, they\nwould say it was for the princess, and he would do it\nimmediately.\nAfter this had happened to Tirant, the princess often reprimanded\nPlaerdemavida for what she had done, and wanted to shut her up in\na dark room to have her do penance there; but she defended\nherself with choice words, or with jokes, saying:\n\"What will your father say if he finds out?  Do you know what\nI'll tell him?  That it was you who told me what to do, and that\nTirant has stolen your virginity.  Your father wants me to be\nyour stepmother, and I can assure you that when I am I'll punish\nyou.  When that valiant knight, Tirant, comes again, you won't\ncry out the way you did the last time.  Instead you'll be quiet,\nand you won't move.\"\nThe princess became very angry, and told her to shut her mouth.\n\"Since you're speaking to me so harshly, my lady, I want to leave\nYour Highness' service, and I'm going to go back to my father,\nthe count.\"\nShe immediately left the chambers and gathered up all her\nclothing and jewels.  Leaving the Widow of Montsant, who was in\nthe court, in charge, and without saying a word to anyone, she\nmounted a horse and with five squires she rode to where Tirant\nwas.\nWhen the princess discovered that Plaerdemavida had gone, she was\nvery upset and wanted her to return.  She sent men in all\ndirections to make her come back.\nPlaerdemavida rode by back roads to the hermitage where Tirant\nwas, and when he saw her he forgot his pain.  When Plaerdemavida\nwent up to him and saw how much his appearance had changed, she\nwould not hold back her tears.  And with a weak voice she said:\n\"Oh, I am the most miserable person in the world!  I am so sorry\nwhen I think of your injury, because I am to blame for all the\nharm that has come to the best knight in the world.  I can only\nask you for mercy.\"\nWith a sigh Tirant said:\n\"Virtuous maiden, there is no reason at all for you to ask my\nforgiveness: you're not to blame for anything, and even if you\nwere, I would pardon you not just once but a thousand times,\nbecause I know how much affection you've always had for me.  I\nwon't say another word about this because I want to know what the\nprincess has been doing while I've been gone.\nI'm sure Her Highness's love has grown weak, and she probably\ndoesn't want to see me again.\"\nPlaerdemavida, with a smile, told him she was very happy to do\nhim such a service, and in a soft voice she said:\n\"After you left there was so much shouting and such a tumult in\nthe palace that the emperor got out of bed.  He went looking\nthrough all the rooms furiously, with a sword in his hand, saying\nwhether it was a mouse or a man he would kill it without mercy.\nThe empress went back to her chambers to sleep.  The love-sick\nWidow went to the princess with her own wickedness, because she\nis related to the old witch who brings only harm to those who\nlove her.  With a false expression of compassion on her face she\ntold her: 'My lady, I saw Tirant lower himself by a rope, and\nhalf-way down it broke; and he fell from such a height that he\nwas smashed to pieces.'  And she began to wail very loudly.\nWhen the princess heard the news she could say only, 'Jesus,\nJesus, Jesus,' three times, and immediately her spirit left her.\nI don't know where it went or on what business, because she was\nsenseless for three hours.  All the doctors came, but they\ncouldn't revive her, and at that moment the emperor thought he\nwas losing everything that nature and fortune had given him.  And\nthe tumult and cries in the palace were even greater than they\nhad been the first time.\"\nThen she told him everything she and the princess had said to\neach other.\n\"All her anger is feigned.  She can't make up her mind about how\nto behave the first time she sees you: Whether or not to show\nthat she is bothered by your injury.  Because she says that if\nshe smiles at you, you'll want to come back every day, and if she\ndoesn't, you will be angry with her.\"\nTirant replied:\n\"What crime does Her Highness say that I've committed besides\nloving her?  Her Majesty would do me a great favor if she would\njust grant me a visit.  I believe that then most of her anger\nwould disappear.\"\nPlaerdemavida answered:\n\"My lord, do me a favor.  Write her a letter, and I'll work with\nher so that she'll give you an answer.  That way you'll be able\nto know what she is thinking.\"\nAs they were talking, the men that the princess had sent in\nsearch of Plaerdemavida entered the chamber.  When they saw her\nthey told her what the princess had ordered them to do.\nPlaerdemavida answered:\n\"Tell my lady that she can't force me to serve her.  I want to go\nto my parents' home.\"\n\"If I had found you someplace else,\" said the knight, \"I would\nhave forced you to go back.  But I don't imagine the captain will\nbe happy if the princess's will isn't carried out, and as a\nvirtuous knight he will take care of the situation.\"\n\"Don't doubt for a minute,\" said Tirant, \"that my lady will be\nserved in every way.  This maiden will quickly go with you.\"\nTirant had ink and paper brought, and with the great pain he felt\nin his leg he could not write as well as he wanted to, but in\nspite of his injury he wrote the following words of love:\n\"Who knows the great perfection that I see in Your Majesty, and\nin no one else?  The fear I have of not having Your Highness'\nlove makes me feel twice as much pain, because if I lost Your\nMajesty I would lose everything.  You must know that in you all\nperfection is contained.  My petition is based on that moment\nwhen you heard about my injury and said, 'Jesus, Jesus,\nJesus!'--which has moved me deeply.\"\nWhen Plaerdemavida had left Tirant, and the princess knew that\nshe was coming, she ran to the landing of the stairs and said to\nher:\n\"Oh, my beloved sister!  What made you so angry that you wanted\nto leave me?\"\n\"Why, my lady!\" said Plaerdemavida: \"Your Excellency swept me\nfrom your mind and didn't want to see me again.\"\nThe princess took her by the hand, and led her to her\nbedchambers.  She turned to the men who had brought her, and\nthanked them.  When they were inside the chambers the princess\nsaid:\n\"Don't you know, Plaerdemavida, that disagreements between\nparents and their children often reach heights of anger, and that\nthe same thing happens between brothers or sisters?  Even if you\nand I had words, that's no reason for you to be angry with me.\nYou know very well that I love you more than all the maidens in\nthe world, and you know all my secrets as you do my heart.\"\n\"Your Majesty spins very fine words,\" said Plaerdemavida, \"but\nyour actions are bad.  You want to believe Widow Repose and all\nher wickedness, and you won't listen to me or anyone else.  She\nwas the cause of all this trouble.  I remember that night when my\nlord Tirant broke his leg and Your Highness fainted: there was\nnothing but tears and anguish.  But the Widow was the only one\nwho was glad.  Your Excellency has many virtues, but you lack\npatience.\"\n\"Let's stop talking about these things now,\" said the princess.\n\"Tell me about Tirant: How is he?  When can I see him?  The\nhappiness he brings me makes me think about him more than I would\nlike to.\"\n\"Since the time he left you, all the memories of Your Excellency\nmake him sigh and grieve.  You can be sure that no one deserves\nyou as much as Tirant does.  And he sends you this letter.\"\nThe princess took it very happily, and when she had read it she\ndecided to write an answer:\n\"I tried to beg you several times not to steal my chastity; and\nif my words did not move you to pity, my tears should have.  But\nyou brought so much pain to your princess.  The sound of my last\nwords was carried to the ears of Widow Repose, and the empress\ncame.  I don't know how it was that I said, 'Jesus, Jesus,\nJesus,' and I threw myself in the duchess' lap because I hated\nlife...\"\nWhen she had finished her answer she gave it to Hippolytus.  When\nHippolytus returned to Tirant, he gave him the letter.  Tirant\nwas very pleased to get it.  He had paper and ink brought to him,\nand despite his injury he wrote the following letter:\n\"Now is the time when all things are at rest, except I who am\nawake, thinking of Your Highness and how you have forgotten about\nall the years I have been in love with you.  But I give thanks to\nGod for allowing me to know a maiden who is so full of\nperfection.  And I see full well that no one but myself deserves\nYour Majesty's beauty.  If you feel that I am worthy of reply, I\nam prepared to obey everything Your Excellency commands me.\"\nWhen Tirant had finished writing the letter he gave it to\nHippolytus and begged him to give it to the princess in\nPlaerdemavida's presence, and to get a reply if possible.\nHippolytus gave the letter to the princess as he had been\ncommanded, and the princess took it, very pleased.  As the\nempress came to see her daughter at that moment, she could not\nread it immediately.  But when she saw that the empress was\nengaged in conversation with Hippolytus, asking him about\nTirant's injury, and him answering her, the princess got up from\nwhere she had been sitting and went into her chamber with\nPlaerdemavida to read the letter.\nAfter they had spoken at length about Tirant's illness, the\nempress said to Hippolytus:\n\"Your face looks quite altered, Hippolytus, thin and discolored.\nThe illness of such a valiant knight as Tirant must bring grief\nto all his relatives.  I have been suffering greatly too.  At\nnight I wake up, filled with anxiety.  Then, after I remember his\ninjury, I go back to sleep.\"\nHippolytus quickly answered:\n\"If I were near a lady, and found myself in her bed, I wouldn't\nlet her have as much rest as Your Majesty gets, no matter how\ndeeply she slept.  But it doesn't surprise me in Your Majesty:\nyou sleep alone, and no one says a word to you.  That's what is\nmaking my face so thin, not Tirant's illness.  Everyday I ask Our\nLord with all my heart to take away these painful thoughts that I\nkeep having.  Only those who know what love is have a real\nknowledge of what suffering means.\"\nThe empress presumed that Hippolytus must be in love and that all\nthe sadness in his face was nothing but the passion of love.  She\nthought also that since Plaerdemavida had said many times that\nshe loved Hippolytus, she must be the one he was troubled about.\nAnd the empress unhesitatingly asked Hippolytus who the lady was\nthat was causing him so much grief.\n\"Tell me, who is bringing you so much sadness?\"\n\"My bitter misfortune,\" said Hippolytus.  \"And here, where I am,\ndon't let Your Majesty think that my life is in less danger than\nTirant's.\"\n\"In case you should tell me,\" said the empress, \"I would keep it\nto myself always.\"\n\"Who would dare reveal his grief,\" said Hippolytus, \"to a lady of\nsuch excellence?\"\n\"There is no one,\" said the empress, \"who should not listen to\nwhat another wants to say.  And the loftier one's position, the\nmore humbly he should listen.\"\n\"My lady,\" said Hippolytus, \"since you want to know: love, it's\nlove that I have, and it's not clothing that I can remove.\" \"I'm\nnot lacking in knowledge,\" said the empress, \"about what you're\nsaying.  You say you're in love, and I ask you: With whom?\"\n\"I don't have my five senses,\" said Hippolytus, \"to tell you.\"\n\"Oh, man of little understanding\" said the empress.  \"Why don't\nyou say what it is that's making you suffer?\"\n\"There are four things,\" said Hippolytus, \"that surpass all\nothers in excellence, and the fifth is the knowledge of truth.\nIt is Your Majesty whom the heavens have foretold that I should\nlove all the days of my life...\"\nHaving said this he did not dare raise his face again, and he\nsaid nothing more.  As he was leaving, the empress called him,\nbut because of his shame he did not dare turn around.  Hippolytus\nthought to himself that if she asked him why he didn't stop he\nwould say he did not hear her.  He went to his room thinking that\nhe had spoken wrongly and acted even worse, and he was deeply\nrepentant of what he had said.\nThe empress stood there, thinking about what Hippolytus had told\nher.\nWhen Hippolytus knew that the empress had gone back to her\nchambers, he felt both ashamed and frightened at how daring he\nhad been.  He wished he were already gone so that he would not\nhave to face the empress again.  But he had to return to the\npalace for the princess's reply.  He went into her chambers and\nfound her on Plaerdemavida's knees, with other maidens who felt\naffection for Tirant.  Hippolytus begged her for a reply to the\nletter he had brought.  The princess said to Hippolytus:\n\"Since the messenger is faithful, I beg you to excuse me from\nwriting my reply.  You may tell him that I will make arrangements\nwith the emperor for us to go and see him one day this week, and\nif it pleases the Divine Being he will soon he well again, and we\nwill be excused from this task.\"\nHippolytus answered:\n\"My lady, your heart shows that you have no compassion.  From all\nthe harm you have caused him you could tell him just this little\nbit of good news that he hopes to hear from you.\"\nThe princess replied:\n\"Since I don't want to show my lack of knowledge, I will keep\nquiet, but your over-loose tongue ought to be answered.\nPlaerdemavida, pull out three hairs from my head, and give them\nto Hippolytus so that he will give them to my master, Tirant.\nAnd tell him, since I cannot write to him, to take the hairs as\nhis answer.\"\n\"God help me if I'll take them,\" said Hippolytus, \"unless you\ntell me what they mean and why there are three of them and not\nfour, or ten instead of twenty.  For God's sake, my lady!  Does\nYour Highness think we are following the old customs when these\nniceties were the rule?  Back then a maiden who had a love-sick\nswain, and who was in love with him, would give him a bouquet of\nperfumed flowers or a hair or two from her head, and the poor\nfellow considered himself very fortunate.  I know very well that\nmy lord Tirant would like to take hold of you in bed, naked or in\nyour nightgown, and he wouldn't care a jot if your bed wasn't\nperfumed.  But if Your Majesty is going to give me three hairs to\ntake to Tirant, well, I'm not used to carrying things like that:\nsend them with someone else, and let Your Excellency tell me with\nwhat hope they've come out of your head.''\n\"I'll be glad to tell you,\" said the princess.  \"One hair stands\nfor the great love I've always had for him above all people in\nthe world, and it was so much that I forgot my father and my\nmother, and if you press me, I nearly forgot God; and I wanted to\noffer him my body along with everything I own.  The second one\nstands for all the grief he is causing me.  The third one means\nthat I know well how little he loves me.  Now you know completely\nwhat the hairs mean, and with your wickedness you won't take them\nwith you.\"\nShe took them out of his hands, and very angrily tore them apart\nand threw them on the ground, and tears burst from her eyes and\nran down her breasts.  When Hippolytus saw that the princess had\nbecome angry over such a slight matter, he said with a humble\nexpression:\n\"It's true that you were held in your mother's chamber, but you\nwere not violated.  Tell me, my lady, how can you blame Tirant\nfor having attempted such a singular act?  Who could condemn him\nto any punishment?  If he is lost, more than ten thousand\nsoldiers will be lost, and they will be sorely needed to bring\nthe war to a successful conclusion.  Look how many men the King\nof Sicily has at the service of Your Highness; and the\nGrand-Master of Rhodes, the Viscount of Branches--how many men\nhe's brought.  Well, if Tirant weren't here, none of those men\nwould stay.  Then you'll see if Widow Repose will fight the\nbattles for you and your father.\"\nTo help Hippolytus in Tirant's favor, Plaerdemavida said:\n\"It would have been better for me if I had never known of Your\nMajesty's existence.  You don't love the person who deserves it\nas you should.  How can I serve you with a willing spirit if I\nsee such ingratitude in you?  If Your Excellency could feel that\nglory that many maidens have experienced, if God would grant that\nI might show you the glory that lovers feel in this life, and the\npleasure it brings with it, then you would be worthy of being\namong the privileged ones who have loved well, and you would be\ndeserving of eternal praises in this life.  But Your Excellency\nis like a person who smells the odor of meat but does not taste\nit.  If Your Highness would taste its sweetness and the pleasure\nit brings in this instance, when you died you would rise again in\nglorious renown.  But my lady, since I see that you don't love my\nlord Tirant, there's no reason for you to love any of his men.\nThere will come a time when you will cry over him and his\nfriends, and you'll tear your eyes from your face, and curse the\nday and night for the rest of your life.  I know that the day\nTirant can ride again, seeing Your Highness' great unhappiness he\nwill go back to his country, and all the others will follow him\nbecause of the affection they have for him.  You will be left all\nalone as you deserve, and the entire empire will be lost.  And\nwhen you're dead and you appear before the judgment seat of your\nLord, He will ask for an account of your life with words like\nthese:\n\"'It was by My command that man was made in My image, and from\nman's rib a female companion was made.  And, moreover, I said:\nIncrease and multiply and fill the earth.  Carmesina, I have\ntaken your brother from you so that you would be at the head of\nthe empire.  Now tell me, what account do you give to me\nconcerning that which I encharged to you?  Have you left behind\nsons to defend the Catholic faith and increase the numbers of\nChristians?'  What are you going to answer?\" said Plaerdemavida.\n\"Oh, my lady, you will not be able to give a good reply!  I'll\ntell you what your reply will be: 'Oh Lord, full of mercy and\npity!  You Who are so merciful, forgive me!'  And the guardian\nangel will make you say these words: 'It is true, Lord, that I\nloved a knight who was very virtuous in arms, whom Your Holy\nMajesty sent to us to rescue Your Christian people from the hands\nof the infidel.  I loved him and I held him in great devotion,\nand I wanted him for a husband, as my beloved.  And I had a\nmaiden in my service whose name was Plaerdemavida, who always\ngave me good advice and I did not want to accept it.  She put him\nin my bed one night and, like a fool, I cried out.  And when I\nrealized what was happening I stopped shouting, and was quiet.  A\nwidow who heard me scream began to cry out and woke up the entire\npalace, so a great deal of anguish and pain followed because of\nmy fear.  Later they begged me to give in to the knight, but I\nnever would.'  And they'll have to leave you in hell along with\nWidow Repose.  And when I leave this life there will be a great\ncelebration in paradise, and they will give me a seat in the\neternal glory of the Highest, and as an obedient daughter I will\nbe crowned with the other saints.\"\nThe emperor entered the room without anyone seeing him.  He\nstayed near his daughter for a little while, and then he took\nHippolytus by the hand, and they spoke of the war and of the\ncaptain's illness.  As they were talking they passed through a\nroom where the empress was, and at that moment Hippolytus would\nhave liked to have been a day's journey away.  When she saw him\nshe smiled and looked at him fondly.  Then she got up from where\nshe was sitting and approached the emperor, and the three of them\nstood, talking of many things.  They dwelt especially on the\ncruel misfortune in which their son departed from this miserable\nworld in the flower of his youth, and the empress began to cry.\nMany old knights who formed part of the council entered the\nchamber, and they consoled the empress.  Then they told\nHippolytus of the great valor the emperor had shown when they\nbrought him the news that his son had died.  The good man, on\nhearing of the death of his son, had answered the cardinal and\nthe others who brought him the news:\n\"Be assured that what you are telling me is nothing new, because\nI bore him to die.  It is the law of nature to receive life, and\nto relinquish it when it is asked of us.\"\nThe emperor withdrew to one side of the chamber to speak with\nsome of his council, and Hippolytus remained with the empress.\nWhen she saw that he was silent she thought it must be because he\nfelt embarrassed.  And she said:\n\"Although I can't speak to you in as fine a manner as I would\nlike, you will understand it much better than my lips could\nexpress it.  I beg you to tell me who made you say what you did.\nTell me if it came from your master Tirant, so that if I decided\nto love you he could make better use of the power that he wants.\nI'm dying to know.\"\nHippolytus quickly replied, lowering his voice:\n\"I'll tell you everything.  I was with the emperor, and we came\ninto these chambers, and when I saw Your Majesty I nearly fell to\nthe ground.  I was afraid the emperor would notice, because at\nthat moment fear and shame were battling within me.  Afterward I\nsighed, and I saw that Your Highness was laughing pleasantly at\nmy sigh.  My lady, I beg you not to make me say anything further,\nbut command me to do anything dangerous, and Your Majesty will\nsee how steadfast Hippolytus is.  As for what Your Majesty said\nabout Tirant, I swear to you that neither Tirant nor my confessor\n(which is even worse) knew any such thing about me.\"\n\"Hippolytus, you must tell me your thoughts openly.  Love doesn't\nrecognize nobility, lineage or equality; it doesn't differentiate\nbetween people in high and low positions.  You can be sure that\nno matter how criminal your words were, I wouldn't tell them to\nthe emperor or to anyone else on earth.\"\nHippolytus plucked up his courage, and in a whisper, he said:\n\"Because of my great attraction for you, my lady, I often wanted\nto reveal my deep love for Your Majesty.  But fear stopped me\nfrom telling you my feelings until now, since you are the most\nexcellent of all things excellent.  But if love makes me speak\nindiscreetly, you must suffer it patiently, and must punish me\nwith tender words.  Tell me, I beg you, how I must behave in your\nhonor.\"\nThe empress replied:\n\"You've given my heart many worries and cares.  I'm wondering\nwhat has given you hope of having me since the distance between\nour ages is so great.  If it became known, what would they say\nabout me?  That I've fallen in love with my grandson.  Any maiden\nwould be overjoyed to be loved by you.  But I would rather\nsomeone else had your love, without any crime or infamy, than for\nme to perish because of love.\"\nThe empress could say no more since the emperor had gotten up\nfrom where he was sitting.  He went over to the empress and took\nher by the hand, and they went in to dine.\nThat night Hippolytus could not talk to the princess, but he\nspoke with Plaerdemavida, and she said to him:\n\"What were you talking to the empress about for so long?  You two\nare always together.\"\n\"It's nothing,\" said Hippolytus.  \"She was just asking about our\ncaptain.\"\nEarly the next day, Hippolytus left without a reply from the\nprincess.  When Tirant saw him, he said:\n\"It's been five days since I've seen you.\"\n\"My lord,\" said Hippolytus, \"the emperor made me stay there, and\nso did the princess, and while we were out walking we talked\nabout you.  Everyone intends to come see you.  That's why the\nprincess decided not to give you any answer, because her visit\nwill be so soon.\"\nTirant said:\n\"That is very good news.\"\nHe had the doctors come, and begged them to take him to the city\nsince he was feeling so well.\n\"I can tell you, truly, that I'll get better in one day in the\ncity than I could here in ten.  Do you know why?  I was born and\nraised near the sea, and sea air is very healthy for me.\"\nAll the doctors agreed, and two of them went to tell the emperor.\nThe emperor then rode to where the captain was, and Tirant was\ntaken to the city in four days in a bier carried on the shoulders\nof four men.\nWhen he was in his chambers, the empress and all her ladies went\nto see him.  They were very happy that he was feeling better, and\nall the ladies from the palace as well as the city often visited\nhim.  But the empress, who was warned by one of her maidens she\ntrusted much more than the others, seldom left her daughter alone\nwhen she was in Tirant's room, and so they had little time to\ntalk about their love.  In the meantime Plaerdemavida came every\nday, trying to find a way for the battle to come to a conclusion.\nLet us stop talking about Tirant now, and return to the\nencampment.\nWhen the truce ended, the war began, cruel and savage, for the\nTurks knew about Tirant's injury.  Every day they came near the\ncity of Saint  George where the camp was, and every day there\nwere fierce battles, and many men from both sides were killed.\nEach day the emperor wrote to them to tell them how Tirant was,\nand to encourage them.  He told them that Tirant was getting out\nof bed now to strengthen his leg and to help him recover.  They\nall felt comforted, especially the Duke of Macedonia, who loved\nhim dearly.\nTirant was getting better daily, and he could walk through his\nchambers with the aid of a staff.  Almost every day the ladies\ncame to see him and keep him company, and the princess\nentertained him.  And do not think that Tirant wanted to be\nhealed very soon; this was because of the lovely sight that he\nhad daily of the princess.  He had few thoughts about going to\nwar; instead it was his wish to fulfill his desire with his lady,\nand as for the war--let someone go there who wanted to.\nAs the emperor and the empress were in Tirant's room, he could\nnot talk to the princess without being overheard by the empress.\nSo he called Hippolytus and quietly said to him:\n\"Go outside and then come back in shortly and go to the empress's\nside.  Start talking to her about whatever you think will please\nher most, and I will see if I can talk to the princess about my\nlove for her.\"\nHippolytus returned as he had agreed, and went to the empress,\nand quietly said to her:\n\"I always want to be near Your Excellency.  This is because I\nlove you so much, and I beg you to grant me a boon that will\nincrease my honor and my fame.  If I am loved by Your Majesty,\nthen there will be no one more fortunate than I.\"\nAnd he said no more.\nThe empress replied:\n\"Your great virtue is making me go beyond the bounds of chastity.\nIf you swear to me by all that is holy that you will say nothing\nof this to the emperor or to anyone, you will have everything you\nlike.  In the still of night wait for me quietly on the roof near\nmy chamber.  And if you come, have no doubts, for I love you\ndearly, and I will not be late unless death itself stands in my\nway.\"\nHippolytus tried to tell her about one thing he was afraid of,\nand the empress told him that to think of every possible danger\nwas a sign of weakness in spirit.\n\"Do what I tell you, and don't worry about another thing now.\"\nHippolytus answered:\n\"My lady, I will be happy to do everything Your Majesty commands\nme.\"\nWhen they had finished their conversation the empress left\nTirant's lodgings with all the other ladies.  And when they were\nin the palace, the empress said:\n\"Let us go visit the emperor.\"\nWhen they were together with him they conversed pleasantly.\nAfterward the empress stood up, feeling the anguish of her new\nlove, and she said to Carmesina:\n\"Stay here with these maidens and keep your father company.\"\nThe empress then went to her chambers and told her maidens to\nhave the stewards come, as she wanted to change the satin\ncurtains and put up others fringed in silk, saying:\n\"The emperor told me that he would like to come here, and I want\nto entertain him a little since he has not come for a long time.\"\nShe quickly had the entire chamber furnished with linens of silk\nbrocade.  Then she had the chamber and the bed sprinkled with\nperfume.\nAfter they had eaten, the empress retired, saying she had a\nheadache, and in everyone's presence a maiden named Eliseu said\nto her:\n\"My lady, does Your Highness want me to call the doctors to help\nminister to you?\"\n\"Do as you like,\" said the empress, \"but summon them in such a\nway that the emperor does not find out, so that he will have no\nexcuse for not coming tonight,\"\nThe doctors came quickly and took her pulse, and they found it\nvery rapid, because she hoped to do battle with a young knight,\nand she was fearful.  The doctors said:\n\"My lady, Your Majesty should take a few sweetened\nhemp-seeds with a glass of malmsey: that will help your headache\nand make you sleep.\"\n\"As far as sleeping is concerned, I don't think I'll do much of\nthat with my illness.  The way I'm feeling I'll probably be\ntossing and turning all over the bed.\"\n\"My lady,\" said the doctors, \"if that happens to Your Majesty,\nsend for us right away.  Or if you wish we'll stand watch at the\ndoor to your chamber or there inside so that we can look at your\nface from time to time.\nAnd we'll do this all night long.\"\n\"I won't accept that offer right now,\" said the empress.  \"I want\nthe whole bed to myself, and I don't want any of you looking at\nmy face.  The illness I have won't stand for anybody to be\nwatching.\"\nThe doctors left.  When they were at the door they told her not\nto forget the comfits and to moisten them well with malmsey.  The\nempress was so obedient that she ate a large box of them.  Then\nshe had her bed sprinkled with perfume, and she had civet put on\nthe sheets and pillows.  When this was done and she was perfumed,\nshe told her maidens to go to sleep and to close the door to\ntheir chamber.\nIn the empress's chamber there was a sitting room where she\nalways went to dress, and in the sitting room was a door that\nopened out to the roof where Hippolytus was.  When she got out of\nbed Eliseu heard her and quickly got up, thinking something was\nwrong, and when she was in the chamber she said:\n\"Why did Your Highness get out of bed?  Are you feeling worse?\"\n\"No,\" said the empress.  \"I'm fine, but I forgot to say the\ndevout prayer that I always pray every night.\"\nEliseu said:\n\"My lady, would you be so kind as to tell it to me?\"\n\"I'll be happy to,\" said the empress.  \"This is it: At night, at\nthe first star you see, you must kneel down on the ground and say\nthree 'Our Fathers' and three 'Hail Marys' in reverence to the\nthree Kings of the Orient, that just as they were guided and\nguarded while they were watching and sleeping, and when they were\nin the hands of King Herod, that they will give you grace to be\nfree from infancy and so that all your affairs will be prosperous\nand increase in all that is good.  Now don't disturb me in my\ndevotions.\"\nThe maiden went to her bed and the empress went into the sitting\nroom.  When she saw that the maiden was in bed she put a dress of\ngreen velvet lined with sable on over her chemise.  Then she\nopened the door to the roof and saw Hippolytus crouched down so\nthat no one would see him.  That made her very pleased as she\nthought that her honor would be safe.  When Hippolytus saw her,\nhe got up quickly and went to her.  He knelt on the ground and\nkissed her hands and tried to kiss her feet.  But the worthy lady\nwould not permit it, and instead kissed him again and again on\nthe mouth.  She then took his hand and showed him great love and\ntold him to come to her chamber.  Hippolytus said:\n\"My lady, Your Majesty must excuse me, but I will not go to your\nchamber until my desire has a taste of its future glory.\"\nAnd he took her in his arms, and laid her on the floor, and there\nthey enjoyed the climax of their love.\nAfterward they went into the sitting room very happily.\nHippolytus, with great joy, gave her true peace, and with a happy\nspirit and loving expression, he said:\n\"If I dared to say what glory I feel at this moment with the\ngreat perfection I've found in Your Majesty, I don't believe my\ntongue would have enough power to express it.\"\nThe empress, smiling, replied:\n\"Although my mind finds itself tormented, I will not complain\nabout you, or even less about God or myself, because I have been\nable to win you.\"\n\"My lady,\" said Hippolytus, \"now is not the time for words.  Let\nus go to bed, and there we will speak of other matters that will\nincrease your delight, and will be of great consolation to me.\"\nAfter he had said this, Hippolytus quickly stood naked.  Then he\nwent to the genteel lady and removed the clothing she had on so\nthat she was left in her chemise.  And whoever saw her in this\nway would recognize that she was like a maiden, and that she\npossessed as much beauty as can be found in this world.  Her\ndaughter, Carmesina, resembled her in many ways, but not in all,\nfor this lady's beauty, in her time, surpassed that of her\ndaughter.  The young gallant took her by the arm and placed her\non the bed, and there they remained, talking and sporting as\nlovers do.  When half the night had passed, the lady heaved a\ndeep sigh.\n\"Why is Your Majesty sighing\" said Hippolytus.  \"Is it because I\ndid not satisfy you?\"\n\"It is quite the opposite,\" said the empress.  \"The feelings I\nhave toward you have increased even more.  At first I thought of\nyou as a good man, and now I find you much better and more\nvaliant.  The reason for my sighing has been only that I am\ngrieved because they will hold you as a heretic.\"\n\"What, my lady!\" said Hippolytus.  \"Why should I be considered a\nheretic?\"\n\"Because,\" said the empress, \"you have fallen in love with your\nmother.\"\n\"'My lady,\"' said Hippolytus, \"no one knows how worthy you are\nbut me.\"\nThe two lovers spoke of these things and of many others, with all\nthe delights and sweet words that two people in love enjoy.  They\ndid not sleep the whole night through, and morning was nearly\nupon them.  The empress had spoken the truth when she told the\ndoctors that she would sleep very little that night.  Now, tired\nfrom staying awake, they slept, for the new day had arrived.\nWhen the day was fully upon them the maiden Eliseu, who was\ncompletely dressed by now, entered the empress's chambers to ask\nher how she was, and if she wanted anything.  When she approached\nthe bed she saw a man lying at the side of the empress, her arm\nunder the gallant's head, and his mouth to her breast.\n\"Oh, Holy Mary help me!\" said Eliseo.  \"Who is this traitor who\nhas deceived my lady?\"  She was tempted to cry out, loudly: \"Kill\nthe traitor who, by cunning and deception, has entered this\nchamber to possess the delights of this bed!\"  Then she thought\nthat no one would be so bold as to enter there against the\nempress's will.  She tried as hard as she could to see who it\nwas, but it was impossible because he had his head hidden.  She\nwas afraid that the other maidens might enter the chamber to wait\non the empress as they usually did, so Eliseu went in to where\nthey were sleeping, and said to them:\n\"My lady bids you not to leave the room so that you will not make\nany noise, because sleep has not yet satisfied her eyes.\"\nAfter half an hour had passed the doctors came to see how the\nempress was.  The maiden went to the door and said the lady was\nresting because during the night she had been a little ill.\n\"We will stay here,\" said the doctors, \"until Her Majesty\nawakens.  That is the emperor's command.\"\nThe maiden did not know how to remedy the situation, nor whether\nshe should awaken her or not.  She was filled with indecision\nuntil the emperor knocked on the chamber door.  The maiden,\nupset, and without sufficient patience or discretion, went\nanxiously to the bed and cried out, softly:\n\"Wake up, my lady, wake up!  Death is approaching!  Your poor\nhusband is knocking at the door and he knows that you have\noffended him.  Who is this cruel man who lies at your side and\nbrings so much grief?  Is he an unknown king?  I pray to God\nAlmighty that I will see him with a crown of fire on his head.\nIf he is a duke I hope to see him end his days in prison.  If he\nis a marquis, I hope to see his hands and feet eaten.  If he is a\ncount, he should die by evil weapons.  If he is a viscount, may a\nTurk's sword slice him through from his head down to his navel.\nAnd if he is a knight, sailing at the sea's will, may he end his\ndays in the deep.\"\nWhen the empress found herself awakened by such an evil noise,\nwhich was worse than a trumpet, she lay motionless, unable to\nutter a word.  Hippolytus did not understand the maiden's words,\nbut he did understand her tone of voice.  And so that no one\nwould recognize him, he put his head under the blanket.  When he\nsaw what great anguish his lady was in he put his arm around her\nand made her duck under the blanket, asking her why she was so\nfrightened.\n\"Oh, my son!\" said the empress.  \"Get up: the emperor is at the\ndoor, and your life and mine are in God's hands at this very\nmoment.  And if I cannot speak to you, or you to me, forgive me\nwith all your heart, as I do you, because now I see that this day\nhas been the beginning and the end of all happiness and delight,\nand the final hour of your life and mine.\"\nWhen Hippolytus heard the empress saying these words, he began to\nfeel very sorry for himself, because he had never been in a\nsituation like this before.  Young as he was, he joined the\nempress, serving her up tears instead of advice and aid.  But he\nbegged the maiden to bring him the sword that was in the sitting\nroom, and plucking up his courage, he said:\n\"Here I shall become a martyr before Your Majesty, and deliver up\nmy spirit.\"\nAt that instant the empress heard no noise whatsoever, and she\nsaid to Hippolytus:\n\"Go hide in that sitting room, my son.  I will delay them, and\nyou can escape with your life.\"\n\"I wouldn't abandon Your Majesty even if they gave me the whole\nGreek Empire four times over.  I will give my life and everything\nI have before I leave Your Highness, and I beg you to kiss me as\na token of faith,\" said Hippolytus.\nWhen the empress heard these words her pain increased, and with\nthe increase of pain she felt her love increasing.  As she heard\nno noise at all she went to the chamber door to see if she could\nhear soldiers or some other bad sign.  Through a small crack in\nthe door she saw the emperor and the doctors discussing her\nillness, and she realized that there was no danger.  She ran back\nto Hippolytus and pulling his ears, she kissed him hard.  Then\nshe said:\n\"My son, by the great love I have for you I beg you to go into\nthat sitting room until I can make up an excuse for the emperor\nand the doctors.\"\n\"My lady,\" said Hippolytus, \"in all things I will be more\nobedient to you than if you had bought me as a captive, but don't\nask me to leave here, because I don't know if they will harm\nyou.\"\n\"Don't worry,\" said the empress.  \"It's not what Eliseu told me,\nat all.  There would be a great uproar in the palace if it were.\"\nHippolytus quickly went into the sitting room, and the empress\ngot back into her bed and had the doors to the chamber opened.\nThe emperor and the doctors went to her bed and asked about her\nillness and how she had spent the night.  The empress answered\nthat her headache and the pain in her stomach had not let her\nsleep all night long, and she had not been able to rest until the\nstars in the sky had disappeared.\n\"Then, since I could no longer stay awake, I slept, and now I\nfeel much happier than before.  And I believe that if that\npleasant dream had lasted longer, I would feel even better.  But\nin this world a person cannot be completely happy: with the\npainful awakening this maiden has given me, my spirit is in more\nanguish than I can say.  If I could go back to the way I was, it\nwould be a great consolation to me.  I could touch and hold in my\narms the things I love and have loved most in this world.\"\nThe emperor said:\n\"Tell me, my lady, what was it that you held in your arms?\"\nThe empress answered:\n\"My lord, the greatest blessing that I have ever had in the\nworld.  I fell asleep, and soon it seemed to me that I was up on\nthe roof in my chemise, saying the prayer that I always pray to\nthe three Kings of the Orient.  And when I had finished the\nblessed prayer, I heard a voice telling me: 'Do not go, for in\nthis place you will possess the grace you are asking for.'  And\nsoon I saw my beloved son coming toward me, accompanied by many\ngentlemen, all dressed in white, and they held Hippolytus by the\nhand.  Surrounding me, the two of them caught up my hands and\nkissed them, and they wanted to kiss my feet, but I would not let\nthem.  And as we sat on the roof we exchanged many words which\ngave me great delight, and they were so many and so delicious\nthat they will always remain in my heart.  Afterward we entered\nthe chamber, and I held him by the hand.  My son and I got into\nbed, and I put my right arm around his shoulders, and his mouth\nkissed my breasts.  I have never had such a pleasant sleep.  And\nmy son said to me, 'My lady, since you cannot have me in this\nmiserable world, take my brother Hippolytus as your son, for I\nlove him as much as I love Carmesina.'  And when he said these\nwords he was lying beside me, and Hippolytus was obediently\nkneeling in the middle of the chamber.  I asked him where his\nroom was, and he told me that he was among the martyred knights\nin paradise, because he had died in battle against the infidel.\nAnd I could not ask him more because Eliseu woke me up with a\nsound more strident than a trumpet.\"\n\"Didn't I say,\" said the emperor, \"that all her talk was only\nabout her son?\"\n\"Oh, my lord,\" said the empress, \"it has hurt no one more than\nme.  I held him in this arm; his pleasant mouth was touching my\nbreasts; and the dreams you have in the morning often come true.\nI think he still may not have left.  I would like to try to go\nback to sleep to see if he will talk to me again.\"\n\"I beg you,\" said the emperor, \"put this madness out of your\nhead, and get up out of bed.\"\n\"I beg you, my lord,\" said the empress, \"for my health and\npleasure, let me rest a little.  My eyes are clouded from lack of\nsleep.\"\n\"My lord,\" said the doctors, \"it would be better if Your Majesty\nwould leave and we let her sleep, because if we take this\npleasure from her it would not be surprising if her illness got\nmuch worse.\"\nThe emperor left, and so did all the maidens in the chamber\nexcept Eliseu.  When the doors were closed the empress had\nHippolytus come back in, and she said to the maiden:\n\"Since fortune has permitted you to know about this matter, I\ncommand you to serve Hippolytus, even more than myself, with all\nyour heart.  Stay in that sitting room until we have slept a\nlittle.  I shall favor you more highly than all the others, and I\nwill marry you to a man of higher station than the others.\nAfterward Hippolytus will give you so many of his possessions\nthat you will be very satisfied.\"\n\"Heaven help me,\" said Eliseu, \"but I have no desire to serve\nHippolytus, and even less to love and honor him, but since Your\nMajesty commands me, I'll do it.  Otherwise I wouldn't stoop to\nthe floor to pick up a needle for him.  I tell you, since the\ntime I saw him lying next to Your Majesty, I have never felt more\nill will for any man in the world than I feel for him.  I would\nlike to see a lion eat up his eyes, his face, and all the rest of\nhim!\"\nHippolytus answered:\n\"Maiden, I never meant to make you angry.  I want to love you and\ndo more for you than for all the other maidens in the world.\"\n\"Do it for the others,\" said Eliseu, \"but don't bother with me.\nI don't want anything that belongs to you.\"\nAnd she quickly went into the sitting room, and began to cry.\nThe two lovers stayed in bed so long that it was nearly time for\nVespers when they got up, and they found the maiden still crying.\nWhen she saw them coming into the sitting room she stopped her\nwailing, and the empress consoled her and begged her not to say\nanything about what Hippolytus had done.\n\"My lady,\" said the maiden, \"Your Majesty needn't worry about me.\nI would die before I'd tell anybody anything without your\ncommand.  As for the second thing, have no fear: I will serve\nHippolytus in every way I can, out of consideration for Your\nMajesty.\"\nThe empress was satisfied, and she left Hippolytus in the sitting\nroom and went back to her bed.  Then she commanded the chamber\ndoors to be opened.  Soon her daughter was there, along with all\nthe maidens, the emperor and the doctors.  And again she told\nthem about her pleasant dream.\nThe meal was served, and the empress ate like someone who was\ntired from walking a long distance.  The maiden was diligent in\nserving Hippolytus, and she gave him some pheasants to eat.  And\nwhen he did not want to eat, she begged him on behalf of her\nlady.  Hippolytus spoke to her and joked, but she would not\nanswer him unless it was something to do with her service.\nHere was the empress, not moving from her bed until the following\nday when the emperor had already eaten lunch.  After she had\ndressed she went to chapel to hear mass, and there was a great\ndispute among the priests as to whether they should read the\nscriptures, because it was already past noon.\nHippolytus remained in the sitting room with this pleasure for a\nweek.  When the lady saw that he was quite exhausted, she asked\nhim to leave, telling him to return to her chamber another day\nafter he had rested, and he could take her as he pleased.  And\nfrom a box where she kept her jewelry the empress took out a gold\nchain, and put it around his neck, saying:\n\"Pray God that I may live, Hippolytus, because I will be\nsurprised if I don't put a crown on your head before many years\nhave passed.  Now, for love of me, wear this.  Since it will be\nin view you will remember someone who loves you as much as she\ndoes her own life.\"\nHippolytus knelt to the ground, thanked her, and kissed her hand\nand her mouth and said:\n\"My lady, how could Your Majesty deprive yourself of such an\nexquisite jewel to give it to me?  If it were mine I would give\nit to Your Highness where it would be put to better use.  I beg\nyou to keep it.\"\nThe empress answered:\n\"Hippolytus, never refuse what your lover gives you.\"\n\"Then, my lady, how will you command my life?  What do you want\nme to do?\"\n\"I beg you to leave.  I am terribly afraid that tomorrow the\nemperor may enter this sitting room and find you here.  Go now,\nand let this fear of mine pass.  There will be other days when\nyou can return.\"\nLet us leave these endearments of hers for Hippolytus now, and\nreturn to Tirant to see how his love is doing.  When his leg was\nmended he often went to the palace without anyone's help.  His\nonly obstacle was that the doctors would not let him go as often\nas he would have liked.  The emperor often asked them how many\ndays it would be before he would be entirely well so that he\ncould leave for battle.  They told him that he would soon be well\nenough to ride.  When Tirant knew how much the emperor wanted him\nto go, he felt great anguish because he could not have his desire\nor at least some contact with the princess.\nThe passion that the Widow carried inside had not been revealed\nuntil that time.  But when she learned from the emperor that\nTirant would be leaving soon, she thought that she might be able\nto persuade him to take her along to the camp with the excuse\nthat she would serve him there.  And if this was impossible, her\ndiabolical plans were to spread a seed throughout the court\ncalled discord.  She went to the princess and said:\n\"Did you know, my lady, that Tirant told me as we were leaving\nmass that he wanted to talk to me.  I told him that I would be\nglad to talk to him if I could have Your Majesty's permission.  I\nthink he realizes that he will be leaving soon, and he wants to\nsee if he can commit some treachery against Your Highness.  He is\nthinking to himself: If he can do it, well and good, and if he\ncan't, then when he's gone he'll forget all about you.  He told\nme the other day that that's the way he is, and he laughed as\nthough he had said something wonderful.\"\n\"Then let's do this,\" said the princess.  \"You go talk to him,\nand we'll see if there is some treachery in his heart.  Your\nadvice is good: I should be careful with him.\"\n\"But, my lady,\" said the Widow, \"if I'm to find out what's really\nin his heart, you must not leave this room until I come back.\"\nThe Widow went out, called a page and told him:\n\"Tell Tirant that the princess is here, in this chamber, and is\nvery anxious to talk to him.\"\nThe page quickly went to tell him.  When Tirant heard that his\nlady had asked him to come, he did not wait for anyone to go with\nhim.  The Widow was watching carefully to see when he would come,\nand as soon as she saw him she pretended to be coming out of the\nprincess's chamber at that very moment, and she went up to him\nand said:\n\"Unfortunately, the empress just took the princess to her\nchambers, and they are talking right now.  I asked her to send\nfor you because just as Jesus Christ enlightened his disciples,\nso you spread light to everyone whenever you are in the palace,\nand as soon as you leave we feel sad.  The princess told me to\ncome and keep you company until the empress is gone.  So let's\nsit down until Her Highness comes: I don't want you to hurt your\nleg on my account.\"\nThey sat in the drawing room, and Tirant said:\n\"Calling to mind, my lady, what you just said to me, the\nconsolation you feel when you see me, I thank you very much for\nsaying that.  Take this chain as proof of my affection, I beg\nyou, so that when you look at it you'll think of me, because I\nwant to do a great deal for you.\"\nThe Widow answered:\n\"There's no one who doesn't know how you hurt your leg, but\nbecause of their situation they don't want to offend you or make\nyou angry, and because of the war they hide their feelings and\npretend not to know anything.  If they were certain there would\nbe peace, Carmesina would be the first to throw you into\neverlasting and bitter grief.  Are you so blind that you can't\nsee the dishonest things that are plotted and carried out in this\npalace?  It all seems so vile and abominable to me that I won't\nagree to any of it.  That's why they don't like me.  I know for a\nfact that you're not highly regarded the way you should be.  Tell\nme, wouldn't it be better for you to love a woman who was expert\nin the art of loving, and very honest, even if she weren't a\nvirgin?  She would follow you across the sea and over land, in\nwar and in peace.  She would serve you in your tents both night\nand day, and would never think of anything but how to please\nyou.\"\n\"Tell me, my lady,\" said Tirant, \"who is the woman who would\nperform such remarkable services for me?\"\n\"Oh, wretched me!\" said the Widow.  \"Why are you trying to make\nme suffer more than I already do?  Haven't I said enough?  Don't\npretend that you don't understand what's so clear.  I've tried to\nfind a time when we wouldn't be interrupted by anyone to reveal\nmy pain to you.  It seems to me that I've made my intention known\nto you very clearly, and the knight who is so graciously offered\nsuch a gift can feel very fortunate.\"\nTirant did not hesitate to reply:\n\"To satisfy you, I'll answer your kind words.  It makes me angry\nthat I can't do what you are asking because your words are filled\nwith so much love.  But my free will is captive, and even if I\nwanted to, my five senses would not allow it.\"\n\"Everything I've told you was only to test your patience, and to\nshow you, Lord Tirant, how much I want to serve you.  I think you\nshould be aware of all the things you don't know.  I don't want\nyou to be deceived by the princess's actions: she no longer has\nany honor, and she has none of her father's or her mother's honor\neither.  She could have satisfied her appetites honestly with a\nvaliant and virtuous knight like you, or with many others who are\nin love with her, but the sky, the earth, the sea and the sands\nabominate the sin she has committed (and still commits daily).\nOnly Our Lord would permit such an abominable crime of adultery\nwithout punishing her!  If you knew what I know you would spit in\nher face.\nBut why should I try to exaggerate such an ugly crime with\nunnecessary words?  She has become involved with Lauseta--that's\nhis name.  He's a black slave, a Moorish gardener who takes care\nof the orchard.  And don't think, your grace, that all these\nthings I've told you are simply fables, because I'll let you see\nit with your own eyes.  She has made me live with this enormous\npain for a long time.  How many kinds of herbs have I gone to\npick, and then placed them inside her to destroy the fetus in her\ninfamous stomach!  Oh wretch, the poor thing was punished because\nof my sin!  And its body wasn't buried, but instead made its trip\ndown the river.  What else could I do so that the grandchild\nwould not be seen by the emperor, its grandfather?  She has the\npleasure, if it can be called that, and I have the blame.\"\nTirant, with all the melancholy he felt, said:\n\"Widow, your words have gone straight to my miserable heart.\nThey hurt me more deeply than I have ever been hurt before.  I\nbeg you, virtuous lady, show me the cause of my pain, because\notherwise I couldn't believe words that sound so unreasonable.\nIt seems impossible that such a celestial person would freely\nplace her beauty in the hands of a black savage.\"\nThen he was silent.  Widow Repose was very worried because Tirant\ndid not fully believe her false words.  During this conversation\nthe emperor came into the chamber, and when he saw Tirant, he\ntook him by the hand, and they both went into a room to talk\nabout the war.  The Widow was left alone, and she began to say to\nherself:\n\"Since Tirant did not believe me, this deception I have planned\nwon't succeed.  But I'll make him give in to me, even if I have\nto sell my soul to the devil to do it.\"\nFurious, she swept into the princess's chamber.  Then, feigning\nlaughter, she showed her the gold chain Tirant had given her, and\nshe said:\n\"You'd be astonished, my lady, if you knew his latest whim.  He\nwants to bring a galley here, and carry you off to his land by\nforce.\"\nAnd she continued to invent stories almost in mockery.  When the\nprincess saw that she was mocking Tirant, she became inwardly\nvery angry, and she left and went to her sitting room.  She began\nto think a great deal about Tirant and how deeply she loved him,\nand of the gifts that he gave to her ladies because of her.  The\nthought of how much she loved him made her reflect deeply, and\nbrought her bitter pain.  After thinking for a long time, she\ndressed and went out to the hall to talk to Tirant, because she\nknew that he would soon have to leave for the field of battle.\nWidow Repose waited for Tirant, and said to him:\n\"My captain, I would like to have your word that you will not\ntell the princess, even in jest, what I said to you.  Before\ntwenty-four hours have gone by I will let you see it with your\nown eyes.\"\n\"Widow,\" said Tirant, \"I will be very happy if you show me.  And\nso that you will have complete confidence in me, I promise by the\nblessed Saint George, in whose name I hold the honor of\nchivalry, not to tell a soul.\"\nAs the emperor turned he saw the Widow, and said to her:\n\"Go quickly and tell the empress and my daughter to go to the\norchard right away.  I'll be waiting for them there.\"\nSoon all the ladies were with the emperor, and they talked about\nmany things, including how the emperor had sent the order to the\ncamp for two thousand lancers to come and accompany the captain.\nWhen the princess heard the news she became very agitated, and\npretending that she had a headache, she said:\n\"I will not deprive myself just because the captain is here; I'll\nlet my hair down even though he's present.\"\nThen she let down all her hair, allowing it to hang loose--and it\nwas the most beautiful hair any maiden ever had.  When Tirant saw\nit in all its splendor he was astonished, and his love doubled in\nstrength.  The princess was dressed that day in a skirt of white\ndamask.  At that moment her hands were struggling with the cord\nof her skirt, and she seemed to be in great anguish as she walked\nalone through the orchard.  The emperor tried to question her\nabout her illness, and asked if she wanted the doctors to come.\nShe answered no, that:\n\"My illness requires neither doctors nor medicine.\"\nAt this moment Widow Repose got up from where she was sitting,\nand taking a companion and two squires along as her escorts, she\nwent to a painter's house and told him:\n\"Since the festival of Corpus Christi is near, I would like to\nput on a play.  You're the best painter in the world: Could you\nmake a mask of flesh color according to my instructions?  It\nshould be over a fine, black skin that would look like Lauseta,\nthe gardener of our orchard.  It should have hair on its face,\nsome white and some black, and I'll put gloves on my hands so\nthat I will appear entirely black.\"\n\"Madam,\" answered the painter, \"that can be done, but I have a\ngreat deal of work right now.  However, if you pay me well, I'll\nput aside all my other work so that I can serve you.\"\nThe Widow reached into her purse and gave him thirty ducats in\ngold so that he would do a good job.  And he made it with the\nexact shape and features of Lauseta.\nWhen the princess had strolled through the garden at length, she\nsaw Lauseta pruning an orange tree, because it was his job to\nwork in the garden, and she went up to him to talk to him.  The\nWidow, who had returned by now, was watching Tirant, and she made\na sign to him so that he would notice that his lady was talking\nto the Negro, Lauseta.  Tirant turned around (for he was at the\nemperor's side), and saw the princess speaking animatedly with\nthe black gardener, and he said to himself:\n\"Oh, that wicked Widow!  She's still trying to make me believe\nthat what she told me is the truth!  No matter what she says or\ndoes, no one can tell me that the princess would do such a\nterrible thing, and nothing in the world will make me believe it\nunless I see it with my own eyes.\"\nAt that moment the emperor called a maiden and said to her:\n\"Come here, Praxidis,\"--for that was her name.  \"Go over to my\ndaughter and ask her to call the captain and tell him that she\nwants him to leave for the camp soon.  Often young knights will\ndo more for ladies than they will for themselves.\"\nThe princess replied that she would, since His Majesty had asked\nher to.  After she had spent a while talking with Lauseta about\nthe orange trees and the myrtles, she went back to strolling\nthrough the garden.  When she was near the emperor she called to\nTirant and told him that she was tired, and she asked him to take\nher arm so they could walk through the garden together.  God\nknows how happy Tirant felt when the princess said this to him.\nAnd when they were some distance from the others, Tirant said:\n\"I have only you in my thoughts now, and I spend day and night\nthinking of you.  If fortune would like to have a little pity on\nme, let it allow me to have only a part of my desire, because\nthen I will become the most glorious knight who ever lived.  All\nI need is a little hope from Your Excellency.\"\nThe virtuous lady kept her pain secret, and replied:\n\"Tirant, my lord, harbor no doubt whatsoever about what I tell\nyou, because even if I have occasionally been cruel with you, I\ndon't want you to think I have not always been with you in\nspirit.  I have always loved you and looked on you as a god, and\nI can tell you that as my age increases so does my love.  And now\nthe time has come when you can know fully whether I love you,\nfor I want to give you the prize of your love.  And I beg you,\nplease, to guard my honor as you do your own life.\"\nTirant's heart was filled with happiness when he saw that this\nlofty lady had shown her great love for him, and that he was on\nthe path of possessing the crown of the Empire of Greece.  He\nfelt that he could conquer the entire world, and he wanted to\ntell his cousin Diafebus, the Duke of Macedonia, about it,\nbecause he thought everyone would feel just as delighted as he\ndid.  And as a greater pledge, he took out a reliquary he\ncarried, and he made the princess place her hands there, asking\nher to declare that she would marry him, and she very happily\nswore it.  Then Tirant said:\n\"My lady, I make the same oath to be faithful and true to you and\nnever to forget you for anyone else in the world.\"\nWhen all this had been done, Tirant knelt down on the ground to\nkiss her hands because he was more afraid of offending her than\nof a saint.  The princess said:\n\"To keep my honor and my reputation I am holding back what you\nmost desire.  After your great victory, we will take that sweet,\ndelicious fruit of love which is plucked in matrimony, and you\nwill wear the crown of the Empire of Greece.\"\nIn a trembling voice, Tirant said:\n\"I am so anxious to have what I desire most in the world that\nevery hour I wait seems like a thousand years.  I would like to\nchange that future time to the present.\"\nThe princess, with a kind face, quickly answered:\n\"I cannot completely resist your entreaties without offending\nyou.  But shame and fear hold me back, telling me to keep myself\nfrom losing what I will never be able to recover.  I beg you, let\nus leave this conversation so the emperor will not begin to\nwonder about me.  You talk to Plaerdemavida, and whatever you\ndecide I will agree to.\"\nThey kissed many times without anyone seeing them, because the\norange trees were between them and the emperor, and protected\nthem from everyone's view.  When they returned to the emperor,\nthe princess saw him deep in thought and said to him:\n\"My lord, what are you thinking about?\"\nThe emperor answered:\n\"My daughter, I want to hold a celebration tomorrow in Tirant's\nhonor.  For every battle he has won on land and on sea, I want\nthat many flags placed in our Church of Santa Sofia, and for\nevery castle, villa and city he has conquered, I want that many\nstandards placed around the high altar with Tirant's coat of\narms.  For he has brought this empire so many benefits, showing\nhimself to be truly a lover of the public good and a conqueror of\nthe world.\"\nThe emperor sent for all those in his council and told them what\nhe wanted, and they all praised him, saying it would be a very\ngood thing to do.  When they had made their calculations they\nfound that in four and one half years he had conquered three\nhundred seventy-two villas, cities and castles.\nWhen the emperor held his council and Tirant found out that he\nwas discussing these things, he did not want to be present, and\nhe went to his chambers.  On leaving the orchard, Tirant said to\nHippolytus:\n\"Tell Plaerdemavida to go out to the great hall.  I have to talk\nto her.\"\nHippolytus took the message, and she quickly went there.  Tirant\nembraced her, and smiling, he took her hand.  When they had sat\ndown by a window he said:\n\"I have been with Her Highness and we have exchanged many words\nof love, and she promised to do whatever you and I decided.  I\nwas to tell you all my concerns, and tonight I would speak with\nHer Majesty.  We held hands and solemnly swore that as long as\nshe and I should live I would be her servant, husband and lord,\nand I would have a resting place of perpetual glory and delight\nin her chambers, in her bed.\"\nPlaerdemavida listened to Tirant.  She thought for a moment, and\nthen said:\n\"I was not born among the lower classes in Rome.  My mother was\nborn in that city, and my ancestors were noble citizens of Rome.\nTirant, lord of the world, why did you speak to me so timidly?\nIs your grace unaware of what you have in me?  My heart, my body,\nmy will and all my thoughts have no other purpose in this world\nthan to serve your grace.  I won't say anything more to you\nbecause a knight who is waiting to go into battle shouldn't be\nworn out by words.  But when the emperor is dining I'll go to\nyour rooms and give you news that will please you very much.\"\nThen Tirant kissed her eyes and her face with great joy.  He left\nher, and Plaerdemavida went back to the garden where she found\nthe princess with the emperor.  The emperor went into the upper\nchambers, and Plaerdemavida and the princess entertained\nthemselves and decided what time Tirant should come.  The\nprincess told her everything that she had said and done with\nTirant, and Plaerdemavida was very glad to see how happy her lady\nwas.\nThe hour arrived when the emperor was to dine, and Tirant did not\nforget to go to the palace quickly.  He met Plaerdemavida coming\ndown the stairs to his quarters.  She told him how it was to be\ndone, and what time he should come.  Then they went back the way\nthey had come.\nAfter everyone in the palace had retired and was asleep, the\nprincess got up from her bed, and the only ones with her were\nPlaerdemavida and another named Lady Montblanc who knew all about\nthe affair.  The princess put on a dress that the emperor had\nordered made for her wedding.  Neither he nor anyone else had\never seen it, and it was the most beautiful dress anyone had ever\nseen at that time.  Her gown was of crimson satin embroidered\nwith pearls.  Her mantle was lined with ermine, and on her head\nshe wore a stunning imperial crown.  Plaerdemavida and Lady\nMontblanc took lighted torches in their hands, and waited for\nTirant to come.  When the clock struck eleven (which was the\nhour that he was awaiting so anxiously), he quickly went to the\ngarden gate.  Climbing the stairs to the sitting room, he found\nLady Montblanc with the lighted torch, and as soon as she saw him\nshe knelt before him and said:\n\"Of knights, the best, and the most beloved in the world by a\nbeautiful lady.\"\nAnd Tirant replied:\n\"Maiden, may your wishes be fulfilled.\"\nThey both went up to the sitting room and waited there until\nPlaerdemavida came in, happier and more content than Paris was\nwhen he carried off Helen.  They went into one chamber while the\nprincess was coming in from another door, and they met very\nhappily, and Tirant knelt on the ground, and she did likewise.\nThey remained like this for some time.  Then they kissed, and\ntheir kiss was so delicious that one could have walked a mile\nwhile they had their lips pressed together.  Plaerdemavida saw\nthe danger in their dilatoriness, and went up to them and said:\n\"I declare you good and loyal lovers, but I will not leave this\nbattlefield until you are lying in bed together.  And I won't\ndeem you a knight if you make peace before spilling blood.\"\nThey stood up, and the princess took the crown from her head and\nplaced it on Tirant's head.  Then she fell to her knees and said:\n\"Oh Lord God, Jesus Christ, all powerful and merciful, Who,\nhaving pity on mankind, came down from heaven to earth and took\non human form in the virgin womb of the most Holy Virgin Mary,\nYour Mother and Our Lady, and Who died on the tree of the true\ncross to redeem the sins of mankind, and came back to life on the\nthird day by Your own power, in a glorified body, true God and\ntrue man!  May it please Your most Holy Majesty to allow my lord\nTirant to possess this crown, with the title and reign over all\nthe Empire of Greece, after the death of my father, inasmuch as\nYour divine goodness has granted him the grace to have retaken it\nand freed it from the infidel.  And may this be done in honor,\npraise and glory of Your most Holy Majesty and of Your most Holy\nMother, and for the benefit of the holy Catholic faith.\"\nWhen she had finished her prayer, the princess got up and took\nsome scales that the emperor used for weighing gold coins, and\nshe said:\n\"My lord Tirant, good fortune has decided that on this day I will\nsubmit to your power of my own free will, and without my mother's\nand father's consent, or that of the people of Greece.  Here I\nhold some scales of perfection: on the right side is love, honor\nand chastity; on the other side is shame, infamy and grief.\nChoose which of these pleases you most, Tirant.\"\nAs one who always wished to serve honor, Tirant took the scale on\nthe right hand side, and said:\n\"Before I was given news of Your Majesty I had heard of your\nvirtues, which as I now know would be too many to mention.  For\nYour Highness practices virtue continually and has such great\nbeauty that it is far greater than that of all other ladies in\nthe world.\"\nThen, holding up the scale on the right, he said:\n\"I place love and honor above the crown and the scale with all\nthe firmness that it has.  And I beg you dearly to speak no more\nof this.  Rather, with true will, let our marriage take place.\"\nThe princess answered:\n\"You have embraced the scale of love and honor.  Now I beg you to\npreserve my chastity, and for the present do not violate it.\nOtherwise, what will the emperor say, and my mother, and the\nentire country who think of me as a saint?  What will they say of\nme?  There will be no one who can trust Carmesina.  And when you\nare gone away, if I am offended by anyone, who will I go to for\nhelp?  A brother or a husband?  And if I become with child, what\ncounsel could I take?\"\nTirant could no longer withstand the tears of the princess, and,\nsmiling, he replied:\n\"My lady, I have been waiting so long to see you in your\nnightgown or completely naked on a bed.  I don't want your crown\nor your kingdom.  But give me all my rights which belong to me,\nas our Holy Mother Church commands with the following words: 'If\na maiden gives herself in true matrimony, he who is able but does\nnot have copulation after marriage is in mortal sin.'  As for me,\nmy lady, if you love my body you should love my soul too, and\nYour Majesty should not willfully cause me to sin.  You know very\nwell that if a man goes into battle while he's in mortal sin, God\nwill not come to his aid.\"\nAnd as he was saying these words Tirant was not slow about\nremoving her clothing: he unfastened her skirt while he kissed\nher again and again, saying:\n\"Every hour that we're not in bed is like a year to me.  Since\nGod has given me such a treasure, I don't want to lose it.\"\nPlaerdemavida exclaimed:\n\"Oh, my lord!  Why wait until you are in bed?  Do it on top of\nher clothes so that they can be a more certain witness.  We'll\nclose our eyes and say that we saw nothing.  If you wait for Her\nHighness to take off her clothes you'll have to wait until\nmorning.  Afterward Our Heavenly Father could punish you as a\nknight unworthy of love.  Heaven help you if you should fail at a\ntime like this.  Seeing that you were such a polite lover, Our\nHeavenly Father wouldn't want to give you a morsel like this\nagain, nor would He have anything to give you.  There's no man in\nthe world who wouldn't swallow it, even if he knew for a\ncertainty that he would choke to death.\"\nThe princess answered:\n\"Be quiet, you enemy of all goodness!  I would never have\nthought, Plaerdemavida, that you could be so cruel.  Up to today\nI've always thought of you as a mother or a sister, but now you\nare like a stepmother because of the reprehensible advice you're\ngiving about me.\"\nAt this point Tirant had finished removing her clothing, and he\ntook her in his arms and placed her on the bed.  When the\nprincess saw herself in such a situation, and that Tirant, who\nhad taken off his clothes, was at her side working with the\nartillery to penetrate the castle, she saw that she could not\ndefend it by the strength of her arms.  She thought that perhaps\nwith feminine arms she could resist him, and with her eyes\npouring forth tears she began to lament:\n\"You are trying to keep me from loving you.  You want to use your\nabsolute power over me and make me very angry.  Tirant, open the\neyes of your understanding, and look at the misfortune that\nawaits you, and when you recognize it, give way to reason, and\nrestrain your lustful appetite.\"\nThe princess made all these and other laments with her eyes\npouring forth tears.  Tirant saw all the tears and the discreet\nwords of his lady, and he decided to make her content that night\nand to follow her will.  Although all night long the two lovers\nslept very little, but rather played and found amusement now near\nthe head of the bed and now near its foot, caressing each other\ncontinually, both of them very content.  When it was nearly\ndaybreak and the people in the palace were beginning to stir, the\nprincess said:\n\"For my own satisfaction I would that the day had not come so\nquickly, and it would be my pleasure if this delight could last a\nyear, or never end.  Arise, Tirant, lord of the Empire of Greece,\nfor tomorrow, or whenever it pleases you, you may return to the\nsame place.\"\nTirant got up very reluctantly, and said:\n\"I shall do what you command, but I fear that my desire will\nnever be satisfied, and my thoughts are very restless.\"\nSo that no one should see or hear him, he left full of passion\nand anguish, kissing her wildly at the moment of their parting.\nWhen he was gone Plaerdemavida was so distraught that she could\nbear no more.  The princess sent for her and had Lady Montblanc\nsummoned, and both knew what had taken place between her and\nTirant.\n\"God help me!\" said Plaerdemavida.  \"Your Highness had the\npleasure and Tirant the delight, and I the sin.  But it grieves\nme so much that there was no consummation that I feel I shall die\nfrom anger.  Bring that skinny, spineless knight to me, and\nyou'll see what I say to him!  I shall never again do anything\nfor him; instead I will try to stand in his way whenever I can.\"\n\"In faith,\" said Lady Montblanc, \"he has shown great virtue as\nthe most valiant and courteous knight he is, for he has wished to\nforego his pleasure rather than anger my mistress.\"\nThey spoke of this at length until it was bright daylight and the\nemperor sent word to the empress and to his daughter that all the\nladies should dress in their finery, and then they should all\ncome to the festivities being held for Tirant.  He also sent word\nto all the knights and ladies of the city so that they would go\nto the palace.  God knows well that in that instance the princess\nwould have liked more to sleep than to leave her chambers.  But\nfor love of Tirant and so that the celebration could take place,\nshe left her bed and dressed very beautifully, and they went out\nfrom the great hall where they found the emperor with all his\nretinue of nobles and knights and ladies of the city.\nWhen the procession was ready, they went through the city with\nthe two hundred seventy-two flags in front, until they came to\nthe church.  Tirant went up to the princess, and she received him\nwarmly, but she could only say:\n\"Tirant, my lord, all that I have is yours.\"\nTirant did not dare answer her because the empress and the others\nwere near.  The mass was begun with great solemnity.  On\nadministering the holy water they set up one flag; after\nconfession another was put in place; then, at psalm or scripture\nreading they put up another one.  Finally, when the mass was\nover, all the flags were in place.  Tirant did not want to sit in\nhis usual place, or even next to the emperor.  Instead he went\ninto a chapel with his Hours in his hand, and from there he could\nsee the princess very well.  In truth, Tirant said very few Hours\nat that mass.  I could not tell you about the princess, but as\nlong as the holy service lasted she did not take her eyes from\nTirant.\n CHAPTER IX  WIDOW REPOSE\n After the service was over and everyone had eaten, there was\ndancing in the square.  While they were dancing the princess went\nto the palace, to her chamber, to change clothes, and she had\nthem close the door.  When she was in her tunic she went up to\nthe treasure tower with two maidens.  There the three of them\nweighed out a load of ducats.  The princess gave them to\nPlaerdemavida to carry to Tirant's rooms.  When she had dressed\nagain she went back to where the emperor was.  She went up to him\nand to Tirant who was nearby.  She whispered in Tirant's ear so\nthat the emperor would not hear:\n\"Your hands have caressed me so much that there is no part of my\nbody that does not remember your touch.\"\nTirant answered:\n\"It is very fortunate for me that my hands have learned something\nnew.\"\nThe emperor said:\n\"What are you two talking about so secretly.\"\n\"My lord,\" said the princess, \"I was asking Tirant if there would\nbe jousts at this celebration.  He told me there would not, and\nthat they were waiting to hold them against the Turks.\"\n\"That is the best news I could possibly hear,\" said the emperor.\n\"Do you feel well enough to be able to leave?\"\n\"Yes, by the Holy Virgin!\" said Tirant.  \"When the celebration is\nover, I will take the doctors with me, and I'll be able to go.\"\nThey spoke of other things until Plaerdemavida came and signaled\nfrom a distance.  When the emperor began to talk to other people\nTirant quietly went to Plaerdemavida to ask her what she wanted.\nShe answered:\n\"It is only logical that you've lost the prize of all your\nefforts so many times, my lord, with your neglect and lack of\npersistence.  You don't deserve to be rewarded any further since\nyou're satisfied with what you have, and you've lost it through\nyour own fault.  As far as I'm concerned, I don't want to be\ninvolved in your love affairs any longer.  You don't need me--you\nneed Widow Repose: she'll give you what you deserve.  I'm not\nbound to do anything more for you: you are the most disloyal,\nunworthy knight who was ever born.  And that you can't deny.  If\nI were a knight, I would fight you.  You were in bed with a\nmaiden in your arms--the most beautiful, most pleasing, the\nworthiest lady who ever lived--and you shouldn't have left her\njust because she begged you to or because she shed tears.  And if\nshe went there a virgin, I saw her leave a virgin--to your shame\nand confusion.  The great error you committed will hurt me all my\nlife.  There is no lady or maiden in the world who wouldn't\nconsider you the lowest of men if she knew what you have done.  I\ndon't want to talk about this anymore: I've already said enough.\nI only want to tell you that when the emperor sits down to\ndinner, you'll have to be there.  I've just now come from your\nchambers, and here's the key to your room.  I beg you to go there\nquickly.  I brought the keys so that no one could read what\nyou'll find written there.\"\nTirant took the keys, and wanted to reply to what Plaerdemavida\nhad told him, but it was impossible because the emperor was\ntelling him to come right away.  When he was there the emperor\ntold him that he was to sit alone at the table.  The emperor, the\nempress, the princess, and all the maidens waited on him.  And\nthere was no knight or lady who dared approach to serve him,\nbecause they were all in their seats waiting to hear what an old\nknight who was very experienced in arms would say.  He was a very\neloquent and great reader who began to recite all the\nchivalresque deeds that Tirant had performed.  The men and women\nforgot to eat as they listened to the great honors that Tirant\nhad achieved up to that day.  When Tirant had finished eating,\nthe knight stopped reading-- and his recitation had lasted more\nthan three hours.\nWhen evening arrived, the dinner was as abundant as the afternoon\nmeal had been.  After the dancing there were farces and short\nplays, as were required at such festivities.  These festivities\nlasted almost the whole night through, and the emperor did not\nwant to leave until dawn.  The princess was never bored at the\ncelebration because she could see and talk to Tirant.  And Tirant\nbarely dared to talk to the princess for fear of the emperor who\nwas very near, but he told her quietly:\n\"My lady, last night was certainly more enjoyable to me than\ntonight is.\"\nPlaerdemavida quickly interjected:\n\"My lord, your words are fine, but not your actions.\"\nThen, when the emperor saw that dawn was breaking he got up and\nwanted everyone to go with him to escort Tirant to his chambers.\nTirant thanked him for the great honor he was paying him, and he\nwanted to escort the emperor to his chambers, but the worthy lord\nwould not permit it.\nWhen Tirant was in his chambers he thought that because\nPlaerdemavida was so unhappy with him she had probably written\nhim some letter, but when he went into his room he saw a heap of\ngold on the floor.  He was astonished at the princess's great\nvirtue, and he thought more highly of her good will than he did\nof the gift.  He had Hippolytus come, and ordered him to\nsafeguard it.\nWhen it was time for mass all the lords went, and Tirant found no\nway to talk to the princess, to thank her for what she had sent\nhim, until after dinner.  After eating they told the emperor that\nsince he had slept so little the night before he should go and\nrest, and that when it was time for the festivities they would\nall return.  As the ladies went back to the palace Tirant drew\nnear to the princess and told her:\n\"I haven't the spirit to talk, nor can my tongue express all the\nwords of love that befit the works of honor that Your Majesty\nbestows on me every day.\"\nShe quickly replied, although she did not dare to speak much\nbecause the emperor was passing by.  She only said to him:\n\"You are my lord; I am in your power.  Decide what you will do\nwith me: make war or peace.  If I don't help you, who are my\nlord, whom would I help?  What I do now is little, if you\nconsider what I plan to do.  But if you want more, the doors to\nthe treasure are open for you, and closed for anyone else.\"\nWith Tirant again thanking her, they reached the emperor's\nchambers, and the emperor went inside with the ladies.  Only\nWidow Repose remained outside.  She stood at the head of the\nstairs, waiting for Tirant.  With her feminine malice she was\nprepared to commit an unspeakable crime.  When she saw Tirant she\nput on a sympathetic face, and with graceful gestures designed to\nmake him love her, she said:\n\"I'm not surprised that you want to conquer the world: you've\nalready captivated me.  With the pity I have for your grace, I\nwant to help you.  So, my lord Tirant, if you'd like to be in a\ncertain secret place after two o'clock, you'll be able to see\neverything I've told you about.\"\nTirant said that was agreeable to him, and that he would be\nready.  The Widow left Tirant at once.  Behind the garden she and\na very old woman had a house already prepared, and she had her\nfurnish it nicely with a bed, as would befit Tirant.  When the\nraging Widow saw that the time had come, she went looking for\nTirant secretly, and she made him swear at length, and then\ndisguise himself.  Then they went to the old lady's chambers.  In\nthe chamber was a small window overlooking the garden, and\nthrough it a person could see everything that went on in the\ngarden; but the window was very high, and only by climbing a\nladder could you see out.  The Widow brought two large mirrors,\nand put one at the window and the other one lower, in front of\nTirant, facing the first mirror.  And everything that appeared in\nthe top one was reflected in the lower one.\nWhen the Widow had done this and had left Tirant in the room, she\nwent quickly to the palace, and found the princess sleeping in\nher bed.  The Widow said to her:\n\"Get up, my lady.  My lord, the emperor, sent me to tell you that\nthe doctors want you to get out of your bed and not to sleep so\nlong.  After you stayed up so late last night, and having eaten\nlunch, if you sleep now with this warm weather it could endanger\nyour health.\"\nShe opened the windows of the chamber so that she would not\nsleep, and the princess permitted her to because of her father's\ntender words.\nWhen she was up she put on a brocade tunic with the top\ncompletely unbuttoned, no kerchief over her breast, and her hair\nhanging loose over her shoulders.  Then the Widow said to her:\n\"The doctors think it would be good for you to go down to the\ngarden and see all the greenery, and we'll entertain ourselves\nthere with some games so that your drowsiness will pass.  I have\na costume for the festival of Corpus Christi that looks like your\ngardener.  Plaerdemavida likes these things very much and she\nwill put it on, and will tell you her usual witty things.\"\nThe princess went down to the garden with the Widow and two\nmaidens while Tirant was watching the mirror carefully.  He saw\nthe princess coming with the maidens, and watched as they sat\ndown near a small stream.  The Widow had foreseen everything, and\nshe had sent the black gardener to the city of Pera so that he\nwould not be in the garden.\nThe Widow helped dress Plaerdemavida, and put the mask on her\nthat had been made to look exactly like the black gardener; and\nshe went into the garden wearing his clothing.  When Tirant saw\nher coming he thought that it was in fact the Moorish gardener,\ncarrying a spade over his shoulder.  He began to dig, and soon\napproached the princess.  He sat at her side, and took her hands\nand kissed them.  Then he put his hands on her breasts and\ntouched her nipples, and made overtures of love.  The princess\nbroke into great peals of laughter, and all her weariness left\nher.  Then he drew her even closer and put his hands under her\nskirts, while all the maidens laughed, as they listened to\nPlaerdemavida's amusing words.  The Widow turned toward Tirant\nand twisted her hands as she spat on the ground, indicating the\nloathing and pain she felt for what the princess was doing.\nImagine poor, miserable Tirant, who the day before had been so\npleased at having won a lady of such high rank as his betrothed,\nthe thing he desired most in the world, and then to see his\nmisery, his affliction and his pain with his own eyes.  And when\nhe began to think, he wondered if the mirrors were reflecting a\nfalse image, and he broke them and looked inside to see if they\ncontained something evil made by the art of necromancy, but he\nfound nothing of the sort.  He wanted to get up to the window to\nfind out if he could see more, and to discover how those games\nwould end, and he saw that there was no ladder, because the Widow\nhad been afraid that he might do this and she had hidden it.\nTirant, finding no other recourse, took the bench from in front\nof the bed and stood it up.  Then, taking a cord that he cut from\nthe curtains, he passed it over a beam and pulled himself up by\nit.  He saw how the black gardener had taken the princess by the\nhand, and was leading her to a hut in the garden where he kept\nhis gardening tools and a bed to sleep on.  Plaerdemavida led her\ninto that room, where they looked through everything, including\nthe clothing which the black man kept in a chest.  After a time\nthe princess came out, as the Widow and a maiden were walking\nnear the hut.  When they saw her, the Widow went over to the\nmaiden and gave her a scarf.  To go ahead with the game and make\neveryone laugh, she said to her:\n\"Put it under the princess's skirts.\"\nWhen she was in front of Her Highness, the maiden knelt on the\nground as the Widow had instructed her, and put the rag under her\nskirts.  And the princess' naivete played into the hands of the\nWidow's malice.  When Tirant saw such a heinous thing, he was\ncompletely aghast, and with a voice full of anguish, he began to\nlament:\n\"Oh, fortune, enemy of all who want to live upright in this\nworld: Now, when I had achieved such a marriage, you have let me\nbe dishonored by a man of the most vile condition and nature that\ncould be found.  Oh, princess, my lady!  I would never have\nbelieved that in a maiden of such tender years there could be so\nlittle shame and boldness that you would commit such an\nabominable sin.\"\nAt this moment Widow Repose came in.  She had waited a short time\nat the door, and when she heard Tirant's lament, she said:\n\"Now all the things I have begun are coming to pass.\"\nWhen she entered the room she saw that Tirant was in great\nanguish, his pillow full of tears, continuing his lamentations.\nShe sat down near him to see if Tirant wanted to say anything to\nher, and ready to do whatever he said.  When the Widow saw that\nTirant was not changing his tone, she said to him:\n\"That lover of all dishonesty won't leave her abominable life, no\nmatter how much you beg or threaten her.  Her only desire is to\nsatisfy her lust.  What can I do, poor me?  With these breasts,\"\nand she pulled them out so that Tirant would see them, \"I nursed\nthat lady.\"\nShe let them hang out like this for a good while, pretending that\nwith her lamentations she had forgotten to cover them.  Then she\nadded:\n\"Lord Tirant, take comfort from me.  Oh, Almighty God, Holy\nTrinity!  With great anguish in my soul, with great anger and\nmany tears, I revealed those thoughts that ran through my mind\nalmost every day.  But at night, alone in my room, I would find\nmyself drying my tearful eyes--with sackcloth so that I would\nfeel the pain even more.\"\nTirant quickly replied:\n\"Your love, Widow Repose, can't be compared to mine, because\nyours is diminishing: It grows smaller and smaller, while mine is\nincreasing.  But I have more reason to grieve than any lover\nbecause in one day's time I have reached the highest peak of love\nthat fortune could grant me, and the next day I have been the\nmost confused and downtrodden lover in the entire world.  My eyes\nhave seen a black Moor easily possess what I have not been able\nto have by supplications or by all the dangers and hardships I\nhave endured.  A man as unlucky as I should not go on living, so\nthat he will not have to trust any maid or maiden.\"\nHe got up from the bed as though to leave, and the Widow said to\nhim:\n\"My lord, rest a while.  There are many people outside, and I\nvalue my life so much that I would not want anyone to see you\nleaving.  I'll go to the window and tell your grace when it is\nsafe to go.\"\nTirant went slowly back to the bed, never ceasing to ponder his\ngrief.  The Widow went into the room of the old mistress of the\nhouse and quickly took off her clothing and dressed in a perfumed\nblouse, and a skirt of black velvet.  With her blouse completely\nunfastened she went into the bedchamber and lay down beside\nTirant very boldly and shamelessly, and said:\n\"If you knew the hardships my soul endures for love, you could\nnot help but have pity on me.  Where will you find greater\naffection than mine in any woman?  It would be more to your glory\nto have me always in your chambers or in your tents, serving you\nin every way that I can, than to love a false maiden who is given\nover to a black captive Moor.  Take me as a servant and as one\nwho loves you more than her own life.\"\n\"My lady,\" said Tirant, \"please don't torment my sad soul.  I\ncan't give an answer to anything you've said.  I can only tell\nyou that I could not forget Her Majesty any more than I could\nrenounce my faith.\"\nThe Widow said:\n\"Since you don't want to love me, at least let me lie next to you\na while, completely naked.\"\nShe quickly removed her tunic, which was already unfastened.\nWhen Tirant saw her in her chemise, he leapt out of bed, flung\nopen the door, and went back to his quarters with great pain.\nAnd the Widow was left with no less.\nWhen Tirant was in his room his emotion was so great that he did\nnot know what to do, and as he walked back and forth tears flowed\nfrom his eyes.  And so he did nothing for three hours but pace,\nlie down and get up again.  Then he left the room full of anger.\nAs secretly as he could he went in disguise to the garden gate,\nand in the orchard he found the black gardener who had arrived\nonly shortly before.  He saw him in the doorway of his room,\nputting on a pair of red pants.  When Tirant saw him, he looked\naround, and no one else was in sight.  Then he seized him by the\nhair, pushed him into the room and cut off his head.  He returned\nto his room without anyone seeing him, because everyone was in\nthe square where the celebration was taking place.  Tirant then\nsaid:\n\"Oh, just and true God!  You who correct our faults, I ask of you\nvengeance and not justice for this lady.  Tell me, pitiless\nmaiden, was my disposition less agreeable to your desires than\nthis black gardener?  If you had loved as I thought you did, you\nwould still be mine.  But you never did love me.\"\nLet us leave Tirant in his lament now, and return to the emperor\nwho, with all the ladies, was getting ready for the celebration.\nAt this moment a message arrived, telling him about an\nunfortunate event that had happened in the camp three days\npreviously.\nThe Duke of Macedonia and the Duke of Pera were captains of the\ncamp, and they often went out to do battle against the Turks.\nBut the Turks were afraid of all the water that the Christians\nreleased.  They often fought, and many men from both sides died.\nBut for every ten Christians who died, three hundred Turks died.\nThe reason for this was that when the Turks came into the city of\nSaint  George, the Christians released all the river waters, and\nfrom the canals the ground was like clay so that the horses could\nnot get out of it, and the men on foot could not escape.\nBut one day the Turks decided to come four thousand strong, armed\nwith spades and baskets, and picks, vinegar and fire to cut\nthrough the mountain so that the water would spread down the dry\nriver bed, and would leave them free.  Further on, a league from\nwhere the Turks were, was a large section of a toppled wall where\nthere was no one.  All the Moorish soldiers went there at night.\nThe foot soldiers stayed in that deserted place while those on\nhorseback went into a forest half a league away so they would not\nbe seen.  In the morning the spies came and told the captains\nthat the Turks had arrived.  They held council, and they all\nagreed to mount and ride against the Turks.\nFirst they sent out scouts, who came back with the news that the\nenemy was going to try to cut through the mountain to control the\nwater.  The Christians went there.  As soon as they arrived the\nfoot soldiers began skirmishes that lasted a long time, so that\nmany men from both sides died.  Finally, when it was nearly noon,\nthe Turks found themselves too tightly pressed, and they\nabandoned their tools and took flight.  The Christians quickly\nwent to the pass half a league away, and there was so much water\nthere that they could not cross it except at great effort and\ndanger.  Then, when they did make their way across, the others\nwere at a great advantage.  At a gallop the Moors left all the\nfoot soldiers behind, with about five thousand men following them\nuntil they took refuge in the unpopulated village.  But it was\ntoo heavily populated for the Christians!  When the Turks\nregrouped at the broken wall, the Duke of Macedonia said:\n\"Gentlemen, I don't think we should go any further.  We don't\nknow what kind of an ambush may be in store for us: the enemy is\nalways thinking of how they can do us the most harm.\"\nThe Duke of Pera, who was the other captain, was very envious,\nand he said maliciously:\n\"Duke of Macedonia, you have very little experience in arms, and\nhere you are telling us about the danger we could run into.  Turn\nback and flee: you would be better off with women in the city\nthan here!\"\nThe Duke of Macedonia did not want to create discord among the\nmen, and have them start fighting among themselves.  So he tried\nto hold his tongue, but he could not restrain himself, and he\nanswered:\n\"Duke of Pera, you would be better off if you kept quiet.  Who\nhas been honored in battle?  I, the Duke of Macedonia, am known\nas a conqueror, while the Duke of Pera is held in low esteem\nbecause of the battles he has engaged in.\"\nThe other knights and grandees interrupted the argument, and made\nthem stop.  Some wanted to advance and others to retreat.  But in\nthe end they had to go on, because the Duke of Pera said:\n\"Whoever wants to come with me or go back is free to do so.\"\nAnd he started out, so all the others felt they had to follow\nhim.  When they reached the deserted village, the Turks on top of\nthe wall defended it bravely.  There was a ditch there, and they\nhad to dismount and fight with lances, because they had no other\narms.  While they were doing this, the forces of the sultan and\nthe Turk came out, some through one gate and some through\nanother, and they caught them in the middle.  There was a great\nslaughter, and they captured many of them.  I can say about this\nsad adventure that everyone who dismounted was killed or taken\nprisoner, and only one knight was able to escape.  With this\nvictory the Turks returned to the city of Bellpuig and put their\ncaptives in strong prisons.\nThis news reached the emperor while he was in the hall waiting\nfor the ladies to come so they could go to the square for the\ncelebrations.\nThe emperor, in the presence of all who were there, cried:\n\"Oh, disconsolate widows, lament, tear out your hair, scratch\nyour faces, dress in mourning!  For the flower of chivalry has\ndied, and it will never be recovered.\"\nThe crying, the wailing, was so great in the palace that it soon\nspread throughout the city.  And the festivities turned into\nmourning and lamentations.\n Then the emperor sent for Tirant to give him the sad news and\nshow him the letters he had received.  When the chamberlain came\nto Tirant's door, he heard him crying out:\n\"Oh, poor me!  Oh, cruel fortune!  Why have you done these things\nto me?  To think that that excellent lady would give herself to a\nblack Moor, the enemy of our faith.  Would that I had never seen\nsuch a thing--the woman I loved most in the world and hoped to\nserve.  Oh, you wicked Widow!  I wish I had never known you, for\nyou will be the cause of my death and destruction!\"\nThe emperor's chamberlain heard him talking and crying, but he\ncould not make out the words because the door was closed.  But to\ndo the emperor's bidding, he called out:\n\"Oh, captain!  The emperor is calling you and wishes to see you.\"\nWhen the chamberlain returned to the emperor, he said:\n\"Sire, your captain already knows about the terrible things that\nhave happened.  I heard him grieving piteously!\"\nThe captain came to the chamber and saw the princess lying on the\nground with the doctors gathered around her.  When he saw her\nlike this, he could not help but exclaim, \"Why are you allowing\nthis lady to die without helping her?  Even though her guilt\ncannot be excused, I still pray God that she will live longer\nthan I.\"\nThe doctors didn't understand him, and thought he was bewailing\nthe bad news.  And Tirant thought everyone was crying because of\nthe princess.  Then he turned and saw the empress who had torn\nall the veils from her head.  At another side he saw the emperor\nsitting on the floor, still as a statue.  He had the letters in\nhis hand, and motioned Tirant over and gave them to him.  When\nTirant read them, he said:\n\"It's worse than I thought.\"\nThen he began to console the emperor.  At this moment the\nprincess regained consciousness.  She opened her eyes, and begged\nTirant to come to her.  The princess made him sit next to her and\nsaid:\n\"Oh, my last hope!  If you truly love me, don't let your life and\nmine be taken from this world until the day that all the dukes,\ncounts and marquis are recovered who have been killed or placed\nin cruel prisons.\"\nWhile she was speaking, two men who had fled the camp came in,\nand she could say no more, nor could Tirant answer.  They told\nthem in detail about the destruction, and about the terrible\nargument between the Duke of Macedonia and the Duke of Pera, and\nhow five thousand knights had been killed or taken prisoner.  The\nemperor, his eyes brimming with tears and barely able to speak,\nbegan to lament:\n\"Oh, unlucky captains!  You, more willful than wise, have ignored\nmy counsel.  Find comfort in a cruel prison, thinking that you\nwill never again see your emperor, for your actions have not been\nwell thought out.\"\nThe emperor got up from his seat, and went into a chamber, tears\nspringing from his eyes, his head in his hands.  When the\nprincess saw how he was grieving, she lost consciousness.  The\nwisest doctor of them all said:\n\"I have little hope for this lady's life.  She has fainted three\ntimes and now I cannot feel her pulse.\"\nWhen Tirant heard the doctor say these words, he quickly said:\n\"Oh, cruel death!  Wouldn't it be better and more just for you to\ncome to me first, instead of letting me see her die?  Even though\nshe has deeply hurt me, I want to keep her company.\"\nAnd with extreme grief he fell to the ground and all the weight\nof his body fell on the leg which had been broken, and it broke\nagain, and was even worse than before.  Blood came out of his\nnose and his ears, and especially from his leg, and it was a\nwonder that he did not lose his life.  They quickly went to tell\nthe emperor, and he said:\n\"It is not at all surprising, for of all his relatives there is\nnot one left who is not dead or being held prisoner.  But this is\nmy consolation, because to get his relatives and friends out of\nprison he will perform admirable feats.\"\nThe emperor began to go to Tirant when he saw his daughter lying\nhalf dead.  And he said:\n\"God help me, I don't know which of them to help first.\"\nBut he had his daughter lifted up and placed in her bed, and then\nTirant was put in a beautiful room.  They quickly removed his\nclothing and treated his leg, straightening it a little.  And he\nwas completely unaware of everything they did for him, because he\nwas unconscious for thirty-six hours.  When he regained\nconsciousness, he asked who had brought him there, and Hippolytus\ntold him:\n\"What, my lord!  Don't you know what a great fright you brought\nus?\nYou've been unconscious for two days, and haven't had anything to\neat.  Your body can't hold up that way, so please take what the\ndoctors order you to have.\"\n\"I don't want anything that will bring my health back,\" said\nTirant.  \"I want only death.\"\nThey quickly went to tell the emperor, and the princess\noverheard, for she had now regained consciousness.  Then Tirant\nsaid:\n\"Tell me how the princess is.\"\nHippolytus answered:\n\"Very well, my lord.  She's recovered now.\"\n\"I'm sure she is,\" said Tirant.  \"Her illness could not be great.\nA few days ago she had things she wanted a great deal, but now I\ndon't think she will brag much about them.  She's not the first\nto do this, nor will she be the last.  I know very well that\nshe's not made of iron. Oh, how painful it is for a man not to be\nable to share his grief.\"\nAt this moment the emperor came in, followed by all the ladies\nwith the empress, and they all asked him how he was.  But he did\nnot want to answer anyone.  They were all astonished that he had\nnot answered the greetings of the emperor or the ladies, and\ncontinuing to show his grief he began to lament:\n\"Oh, Son of God, all powerful Jesus.  I am dying of love, and You\nwished to die for love, to free mankind.  You suffered so much\npain, lashings, wounds and torments, and my pain was the sight of\na black Moor.  Outside of You, Lord, who can compare with my\nlove?  Lord, Your Holy Mother, and Our Lady, suffered great pain\nat the foot of the cross, and I stood with a cord in my hand,\nwith two mirrors that represented, Lord, the greatest pain that\nany Christian has ever endured.\"\nThe emperor and all the ladies were in the room, along with the\ncardinal and many other clergymen, and they were all astonished\nat the pious words they heard Tirant saying.\nThen Tirant lowered his head, and began to lament again, because\ndeath was calling him.  The doctors ordered many things for him,\nbut they did not help.  Hearing of his illness, an old Jewess\ncame to the emperor, and very boldly said:\n\"Your Majesty sees that Tirant's life is near its end, all the\ndoctors have given up hope, and I am the only one who can help\nhim.  Call the soldiers together, and have them start shouting\nand go into his chambers and beat their swords against their\nshields.  When he wakes up and sees so many armed men and hears\nthem shouting, and he asks what is happening, you can tell him\nthe Turks are at the gates of the city.  Then all those thoughts\nof his will disappear, and with that virtue he has and out of\nfear of being shamed, he will get up.\"\nThe emperor sent for his doctors and his wise men and explained\nwhat the Jewess had advised.  They all agreed that it would be\nworth trying.\nThe shouting and the uproar were so loud in the city that Tirant\nheard it even before they came into his chamber.  The Jewess, who\nstood at the head of the bed, told him:\n\"Get up, my captain.  Don't be afraid of death.  Here are your\nenemies, the Turks, at the gates to the city, and they're coming\nto take revenge on you.\"\nWhen Tirant heard the old lady saying this, he said:\n\"Is it true that the Turks are so close?\"\n\"They're even closer than you think,\" said the Jewess.  \"Get up.\nGo to the window, and you'll see what they plan to do to you.\"\nTirant immediately called for his clothes, and he had his leg\nbound with towels.  Then he put his armor on as best he could and\nmounted his horse, along with many other men.  He was so ready\nand willing to fight that his illness went almost entirely away.\nThe emperor and the doctor who were there told him to take some\nrestoratives, and that would make him better able to do battle.\nHe did everything they advised him, and then he realized that it\nhad all been contrived to help him get over his illness.  Tirant\nsaid:\n\"Praise be to God: a woman has delivered me from the arms of\ndeath, for another woman had killed me.\"\nWith all the noise the soldiers raised, the princess ran to her\nmother's chamber.  They saw the emperor coming back with Tirant,\nand all the ladies looked out the windows to see what had\nhappened.  When Tirant was in front of the princess's window he\nlifted his head and put both hands over his face.  The empress\nasked her daughter why Tirant had covered his face, because the\nonly reason that was ever done was when a love affair had gone\nwrong.  The princess answered that she didn't have any idea.\nAfter they had gone by and were at the palace door, the emperor\ndismounted, and Tirant begged his leave to go to his lodging.\nThe emperor did everything he could to make Tirant dismount,\ntelling him he would be given everything he needed in the palace,\nbut Tirant insisted on leaving.  The princess wondered why Tirant\ndid not want to stay in the palace despite all the emperor's\npleas, for he had wanted to many times before.  She also wondered\nwhy he had covered his face.\nWhen Tirant reached his lodging, he immediately went to his room\nand called Lord Agramunt and Hippolytus.  He begged them to arm\nand provision ten galley ships.  They said they would, and\nleaving Tirant, they stocked the galleys.\nAfter Tirant had eaten, he arranged everything for his departure.\nHe ordered all his men to go by land to the castle of Malvei, and\nsaid he would go by sea and they would meet there.  When it was\nevening and the doctors had left, they told the emperor that\nTirant was all right.  When it was nearly the hour for prayer,\nthe princess, upset that she did not see Tirant, asked\nPlaerdemavida and Lady Montblanc to go to Tirant's lodging to\nfind out what was wrong.  As the maidens were coming, one of\nTirant's pages saw them and quickly went into Tirant's chambers\nand said:\n\"Cheer up, my lord, two gallant ladies are coming with a message\nfrom the princess.\"\n\"Go right away,\" said Tirant, \"and tell them I am all right but\nthat I'm sleeping.\"\nThe page did what he was told, for Tirant did not want to see\nthem.\nWhen the maidens returned to the palace with the reply, the\nprincess insisted so much that her mother and the emperor went to\nTirant's lodging, and when Tirant heard that the emperor was\ncoming he gave two pages instructions about what to do.  When the\nemperor was at the door to his chamber, the more clever of the\npages said:\n\"Your Majesty should not come into the chamber because of the\ncaptain's sickness.  He has not rested for so many days that he\nis catching up on all the rest he needs now.  He is nearly\ndrenched with sweat, and it would be good for a doctor to come in\nwithout awakening him.\"\nTirant quickly got into bed, and he moistened his face with a wet\ncloth and pretended to be asleep.  The doctor came in, and when\nhe left again he told the emperor:\n\"My lord, it would be very harmful for us to awaken him now.  Why\ndoesn't Your Highness go now.  Tomorrow morning you can come back\nand visit him.\"\nThe princess could not take it calmly when she was not able to\nsee Tirant, but she had to return with the emperor.  When Tirant\nknew that they had all gone, he quickly got up and had all his\nclothing gathered and taken to the galley.  At midnight he\nsecretly went on board, and he would have liked to cast anchor\nthen, but the ship was not ready.\nIn the morning, when the sun came up, the emperor heard the\ngalley trumpets giving the signal for the men to go on board.\nTirant sent Lord Agramunt to the emperor as his courier, and when\nhe was before him he gave him the following message:\n\"Your captain has gone on board one of the galleys, and has\nordered the ships to go to the port of Transimeno.  He will go by\nship to the castle of Malvei while the soldiers go there by land.\nI have been sent here to tell Your Highness about his decision to\nleave.\"\nThe emperor answered:\n\"Knight, I am very happy to have this good news, and I give many\nthanks to Divine Goodness for bringing health to our captain so\nthat he can leave.  This is what I wanted most in the world after\nthe salvation of my soul.\"\nLord Agramunt kissed his hand and begged his leave.  Then he went\nto the empress's chamber and bade her farewell, and did the same\nto the princess.  When the empress saw that Hippolytus would have\nto go, and the princess saw that Tirant was leaving, they shed\nbitter tears, especially the princess because Tirant was going\nwithout a word to her.  They quickly went to the emperor's\nchamber to see if it was true that they were leaving, and the\nemperor told them everything.  The princess urged the emperor to\ngo to the water's edge so that she could go along, and the\nempress did not dally.  The emperor reached the sea before they\ndid, and he went on board the ship, begging Tirant to do\neverything he could for the empire.  Tirant spoke to him very\nkindly, and said he would do everything he could, and the emperor\nfelt very relieved.\nAll the soldiers advised the emperor to go back on land quickly\nbecause a black cloud with thunder and lightning was coming their\nway.  So the emperor went on land.  The princess was sorry that\nshe had not been there when her father went on the galley so that\nshe could have gone too and talked with Tirant.  By now the sea\nwas so choppy that the women were not allowed on board, nor would\nher father have given his permission.  The princess, sighing\ndeeply, and with tears streaming from her eyes, had no recourse\nother than to beg Plaerdemavida to go on board the galley and\nfind out why Tirant had left so secretly, without saying anything\nto her, and why he had placed his hands over his face as he\npassed by, and also why he had not wanted to stay in the\npalace--which he had wanted to do so many times before.\nPlaerdemavida understood exactly what her lady wanted, and she\ngot on a boat with Hippolytus and some others who were with him.\nThe pain that the empress felt as she saw Hippolytus going on\nboard the galley cannot be described.  When Plaerdemavida was on\nboard, Tirant paid no attention to her.  But she insisted, and\nsaid to him:\n\"Oh, cruel knight!  Who has turned your thoughts?  To leave such\na virtuous lady, who has more dignity and virtue than anyone in\nthe world, without so much as telling her goodbye!  If you want\nher life to be sad and to hasten her death, don't go back on\nland, and don't look at her.  But if you want to restore her\nbitter life, let her see your lordship for a short time.\"\nWhen she had said this she could no longer hold back her tears,\nand she wrapped her cloak around herself, and moaned softly but\nwould say no more.  Tirant wanted to reply to what Plaerdemavida\nhad told him, and very softly so that no one could hear him he\nsaid:\n\"Her beauty and discretion so far surpasses all the others that\nonly a madman could compare anyone else with her.  But I saw this\nlady with the black gardener, Lauseta, and she was not thinking\nof me at all.  First I saw them kissing, and I was offended by\nthe sight.  Then I was even more shocked when I saw them\nembracing like lovers and going into a chamber.  When they came\nback out Widow Repose knelt down at her feet and put a silk scarf\nhigh under her skirt.  Painful thoughts attacked my mind when I\nsaw how he treated her.  I don't know why I didn't kill someone\nright then, but the wall was in my way.  But I could not take the\nterrible jealousy of the black gardener out of my mind, and I cut\nthrough his neck with my sword.  Still the pain kept increasing\nso much that I was beside myself, and I went into my chamber,\npretending to be terribly tired so I would be left alone.  And\nnow I want to be in the sea; I want my body to float, unburied,\non the waves until it reaches the princess, so that she can dress\nme in my shroud with her delicate hands.\"\nThen he would say no more.  When Plaerdemavida heard what was\nbothering Tirant and that the black gardener had been killed, and\nno one would know who did it unless she told them, she was very\nagitated.  Still she forced herself to smile, and with Hippolytus\nthere, she said:\n\"Even if you did see it, it was all a game to cheer up the\nprincess.  Widow Repose got some costumes from the plays for the\nCorpus Christi festivals, and I dressed up like our gardener.\"\nAnd she told him everything that had happened.\nTirant was astonished by it all, and said he could not believe\nit.  The maiden laughed, and said:\n\"My lord, the best thing would be for me to stay here while\nHippolytus goes to my room.  Under my bed he will find all the\nclothing of the black gardener.  And if I'm not telling the\ntruth, you can throw me into the ocean.\"\nTirant told Hippolytus to take the keys and go, and to come back\nquickly because the sea was very choppy.  Hippolytus did what\nTirant commanded.  When he came back with the clothing, the ocean\nswells were so high that Hippolytus could not board the galley,\nand Plaerdemavida could not go back on land.  They threw a rope\nto the ship and tied the clothing of the black gardener to it so\nthat it could be pulled up to the galley.  When Tirant saw the\nmask and the clothing, he saw all the wickedness of Widow Repose.\nHe then swore in everyone's presence that if he could go on land\njust then, he would have her burned before the emperor, or he\nwould do to her what he had done with the black man.  Then Tirant\nbegged Plaerdemavida to forgive the bad thoughts he had had about\nthe princess, and about her, and when she was with Her Highness\nto beg her forgiveness.  Plaerdemavida agreed, very graciously.\nSuddenly the sea became so stormy that the people who saw the\nboat Hippolytus was on, began to pray that it would not sink.  It\nheaded back to land, and the men on it were drenched while the\nboat was half-filled with water.  The wind and rain were so\nstrong and the waves were so high that the galley's ropes broke,\nand they were swept out to sea.  Two of the galleys remained\nthere; the people on them were saved, but the ships were lost.\nThe three galleys that found themselves in the middle of the\ntempestuous sea had their masts broken and their sails torn\napart.  A gust of wind threw one of the galleys into a small\nisland, and its men took refuge there.  Tirant's galley and the\nother one were leeward.  They could not make it to the island,\nand Tirant's galley found itself with its rudder smashed.  The\nother galley was nearby, and it split apart.  The men on board\nfell into the bitter sea, and all of them drown.\nTirant's galley continued toward Barbary, and the sailors lost\ntheir bearings and did not know what seas they were in, and they\nlamented loudly.  Tirant heard the great cries the sailors were\nmaking, and he saw the galley's boatswain, who was the best of\nall the sailors, commending his soul to God because a\ntackle-block had fallen on his head.  A galley slave got up and\nwent to Tirant, and with a great effort he said:\n\"My lord, order the men to bale out the water in the galley.\nHere is your staff of authority.  Hold it in your hand and run\nthrough the galley: the boatswain is dead, and all the men see\nthat they are very near death, and are fainting.  Do everything\nyou can to make them bale, because if we can get beyond the cape,\nwe can save our lives.  It is better for us to be captives of the\nMoors than to die.\"\nTirant lifted his head, and said:\n\"What seas are we in?\"\n\"My lord,\" said the galley-slave, as he pointed, \"those are the\nseas of Sicily, and these are the seas of Tunis.  And because you\nare a virtuous man I'm sorrier for you than I am for myself.  It\nis Fortune's will that we shall perish on this Barbary Coast, and\nin a case like this every man should beg forgiveness of the\nothers.\"\nTirant quickly got up, although the dreadful sea was crashing\nabout him so that he was barely able to stand.  Then he brought\nout the best clothing he had, and he dressed in it.  He took a\nsack containing a thousand ducats, and put a note inside that\nsaid: \"I beg whomsoever should find my body to give it an\nhonorable burial.  I am Tirant lo Blanc from Brittany, and of\nthat singular lineage of Roca Salada, High Captain of the Greek\nEmpire.\"\nBy now it was already past noon, and the further the galley went\nthe more water it took on.  The cries increased and death drew\nnear.  As they were near land the Moors saw the galley\napproaching, and they realized that it would run aground just\nwhere they wanted it, while the Christians knew that they could\nnot escape death or being captured.\nThe galley came close to land, and all the men threw themselves\ninto the sea to save their lives.  By this time it was nearly\ndark of night.  When Tirant saw the sailors jumping overboard he\ndecided not to leave the ship, no matter what might happen.  And\nby then there was no boat, rope or oar that had not been lost.\nTirant begged two sailors, faithful friends of his who had come\non the ship with him when it was stocked in Brittany, to take\ncare of the maiden.  They took off all her clothes, and by this\ntime nearly all the galley was underwater.  Taking up a corkwood\nplank, the sailor tied it across her breasts while the other man\nhelped her stand up.  The sea sent a wave crashing into\nPlaerdemavida and the sailors, and hurled them about.  The man\ncarrying the plank drowned in order to save her.  The other\nsailor helped the maiden as long as he could, and finally was\nforced to abandon her.  It was her good fortune to find herself\nnear land at night, and she could hear the loud noise the Moors\nwere making as they captured the Christians.  The maiden's feet\ntouched bottom, and since she was all alone she stopped and\ndecided not to go ashore.  Instead she went closer to land so\nthat she would not be in such deep water, but waves sometimes\ncame crashing over her head.  As she walked through the water\nclose to shore, she moved away from the shouts, afraid that she\nwould be killed.  For she saw that the Moors were killing each\nother as each one tried to capture the most prisoners.  And when\nlightning flashed, she could see the reflection of swords near\nthe sea.  She continued to walk in the water, completely naked,\nfollowing the shoreline, and whenever she heard anyone she would\nduck underwater, and stay there until they were gone.\nCHAPTER X\nTHE BARBARY COAST\nPoor Plaerdemavida, raw naked, continually called on Our Lady,\nthe Mother of God, imploring her to bring her some good person\nwho would help her. She continued to walk nearly half a league\nuntil she came upon some fishing boats.  She went into a hut and\nfound two sheepskins, and she tied them together with a thin\nstring and put them on, one in front and one in back, and in this\nway she found some protection from the cold.  Then she lay down\nto sleep a little while, for she was completely fatigued by her\ntravails in the ocean.\nWhen she awoke, finding herself alone, she began to weep and\nlament, tears streaming from her eyes, which did harm to her eyes\nand her voice, making her so hoarse that she could barely speak.\nThen, with timorous steps, she began to search out the roads of\ncruel fortune.  Dawn began to break and she heard a Moor coming\nalong, singing.  She hid near the road so that he would not see\nher, and when he had passed she saw his pure white beard and\nthought that perhaps this old Moor would give her counsel.  So\nshe approached the old Moor and told him all about her\nmisfortune.  The Moor was moved to compassion when he saw the\nmaiden who was young and nice looking, and he said to her:\n\"Maiden, I want you to know that long ago I was a captive of\nChristians in Spain, in a place called Cadiz.  The lady who held\nme captive was pleased with the services I performed for her.  It\nhappened that she had a son whose enemies came to kill him.  And\nif it had not been for me, they would have done it, because I\nlifted my lady's son from the ground, and with a sword in my hand\nI wounded two of them and made the others flee.  Because of this,\nmy lady gave me liberty.  She provided me with new clothing, and\ngave me money for my journey, and as I wished, she had me taken\nto Granada.  And because of the kindness that lady showed me, you\nwill have a place at my side.  I have a daughter who is widowed,\nand she will take you in with all the tenderness of a sister.\"\nPlaerdemavida immediately knelt on the ground and gave him many\nthanks.  The Moor removed his cloak and gave it to Plaerdemavida,\nand the two of them went to a place near Tunis, called Rafal.\nWhen the Moor's daughter saw the maiden, so young and helpless,\nshe felt great compassion.  Her father begged her to be the best\ncompanion to her that she could, and he told her:\n\"I want you to know, my daughter, that this girl is the daughter\nof that lady who gave me my freedom, and I want to repay my debt\nwith this maiden.\"\nBecause of the great love she had for him, his daughter took in\nthe poor maiden with deep affection.  She gave her a blouse and a\nMoorish garment with a head-dress.  And anyone seeing her would\nthink she was Moorish.\nLet us return now to Tirant who, shortly after Plaerdemavida was\nswept overboard with the two sailors in whose care Tirant had\nplaced her, stayed with a sailor until the galley was completely\nfilled with water and was going down.  Then Tirant decided to\njump into the sea with the sailor, and with the sailor's help he\nwould be able to reach shore.  Nevertheless, Tirant never thought\nhe would be able to avoid death, because when the Moors learned\nthat he was Tirant, the captain of the Greeks, who had done so\nmuch damage to the Turks, they would not leave him alive for all\nthe treasure in the world.  But with the aid of Divine Providence\nand the sailor, they made it to shore, for it was now night, and\ncompletely dark.  Crawling quietly on their hands and knees, they\ndrew away from the sounds of the Moors.  When they had gone some\ndistance, they no longer heard any people, and they went inland,\naway from the sea, and they came upon a vineyard that at that\ntime was full of grapes.  The sailor said:\n\"My lord, for God's sake, let's stop here in this delicious\nvineyard, and we can take a look at the land, and tomorrow we can\nstay here all day long.  Then tomorrow night, we can go wherever\nyour lordship commands, for I will not leave you in death or in\nlife.\"\nTirant gave in to his entreaties.  When their stomachs were full\nof grapes they saw a cave and went inside to sleep, naked as they\nwere.  When they awoke they felt very cold.  They got up, and to\nget warm they carried rocks from one place to another.  When the\nsun came out, Tirant's legs ached terribly.\nIt happened then that the King of Tremicen was sending as his\nambassador to the King of Tunis his best and most trusted knight.\nHe was the captain-general of all his land, and everyone called\nhim the commander of commanders.  This ambassador had been there\nmore than three months, and he and his men had been given lodging\nin a place that was lovely and abundant with animals to hunt.  It\nso happened that that morning he went out for sport with falcons\nand greyhounds.  While hunting, they pursued a hare which was\nvery tired of running after being chased by dogs and falcons, and\nsince it could find no other place to run, it went inside the\ncave where Tirant was.  One of the hunters saw it go in, and he\ndismounted at the entrance to the cave and saw Tirant stretched\nout on the ground inside, with no desire to budge.  The sailor\nhelped him catch the hare.  Then the hunter went directly out to\nthe captain, and told him:\n\"Sir, come with me.  Inside a small cave there is a man whose\nbody must be the most perfect nature has every formed.  But,\nunless my eyes deceive me, he has been hurt badly, and he seems\nmore dead than alive.\"\nThe ambassador went toward the cave, When the sailor saw so many\nmen coming, he left Tirant without saying a word, and fled very\nquietly, and the Moors did not see him.\nWhen the ambassador reached the cave, he stood looking at Tirant\nfor a long while, and feeling pity for him, he said:\n\"By our holy prophet, Mohammed, who has plucked you from such\ngrave danger and has brought you into my hands: since nature has\nformed your body with such singularity, I am sure that He has\ngiven you many virtues.  I have three sons, and you will be the\nfourth.\"  He called his second son and told him: \"Look on this\nman as your brother.\"  Then he said to Tirant: \"If you want to\nplease me, tell me what brought you here.  At the moment I am\nengaged in an undertaking for my eldest son.  They are trying to\ntake his betrothed from him, and I will not allow it, for she is\na very virtuous maiden, and the daughter of King Tremicen.  If\nMohammed gives me success in this dangerous undertaking, do not\nworry about your loss, no matter how great it may be, for I will\nmake you wealthy as soon as I return to my home.\"\nTirant stood and replied:\n\"Your Lordship, I am a gentleman, although I am not a prince or\nlord.  As a young man I went to seek my fortune in the Levant.\nThere I heard and believed the false and diabolical words of a\nwidow.  She had me enter an orchard at mid-day, and there she\nmade me witness the most evil sight I would ever behold.  I felt\nsuch unbearable suffering that with my own hands I took vengeance\non the greatest enemy of my life.  Then I boarded a ship and went\nto the Holy Land of Jerusalem to make amends for my sins.\nSailing on a galley from there, you can see my misfortune.  Saved\nby Divine Mercy from the stormy sea, I now beg your lordship's\nhelp.\"\nThe ambassador said:\n\"Take comfort.  I have a great deal of land and am very wealthy.\nAs soon as we get to my home, you will have everything you wish.\"\nHis son then took off his jubbah and gave it to him.  And they\nhad him sit behind the son on the horse, and took him to their\nvillage, where he was dressed in fine clothing of the Moorish\nstyle.  When Tirant found himself dressed so finely, and he had\nheard the kind words of the commander, he felt very comforted.\nThey wanted to travel by night, and the sky was blue and the moon\nfull and it lit up everything very clearly; so when the wind died\ndown they started off.  But the first step Tirant took as he left\nthe house, he fell flat on the ground, his arms outstretched.\nThen all the Moors said:\n\"This is a very bad sign.  Since this Christian has fallen with\nhis arms out to the sides, his life will not last long.\"\nTirant got up quickly, and hearing what the Moors were saying, he\nsaid:\n\"Your interpretation of this is wrong.  I am called Blanc or\nWhite.\nAnd the moon is clear, white and beautiful at this moment when I\nfell.  And the moon was straight over my head and arms, and it\nwas pointing to the road that I have to take, while my hands were\nopen and stretching out to the moon.  And this shows that I, with\nDivine Power, must conquer all of Barbary.\"\nThen all the Moors burst out laughing, and they took it as a joke\nand proceeded on their way, and finally they came to a castle.\nNow the ambassador's son (the one betrothed to the King of\nTremicen's daughter) was away; hearing that his father had sent\nhim a very good Christian prisoner, he ordered them to put Tirant\nin chains.\nAfter two months the ambassador received the reply from the King\nof Tunis and returned to the King of Tremicen whom he found\ndisconsolate.  It happened that King Escariano's land was on the\nborder of the kingdom of Tremicen, and he wanted the King of\nTremicen to give him his daughter as a wife along with all his\nwealth, and after his death he wanted his kingdom.  King\nEscariano was a very strong figure: He was completely black, and\na giant compared to other men.  A very powerful king, he had\nmany men and a great deal of wealth.  King Tremicen was weak in\nspirit, and he had sent word to King Escariano that his daughter\nwas already betrothed to the son of his head commander.\nFurthermore, she was with child, and he felt that he would not\nwant to raise another man's child in his house.  However, if he\nwas doing this only for his treasure, he was prepared to divide\nthat with him if he would leave him and his sons in peace.\nFinally, they could not come to an agreement, and King Escariano\nhad marched against him with all his forces: fifty-five thousand\nstrong, on horseback and on foot.\nNow this King of Tremicen had only about twenty thousand\nwarriors.  Knowing that the other king was near and was coming\nstill closer, he took up position in the mountains and waited for\nhim.  King Escariano came to a river, and as they forded it he\nlost many men.  But once across, they went up the mountains and\nfound the King of Tremicen at the highest part, and they besieged\nhim in a beautiful valley.  In this valley were three castles\nwith large villas and very strong fortresses.  This was where the\nKing of Tremicen lived with his wife and sons.\nTwo castles were on one side of the river, and one was on the\nother side, linked together by a huge stone bridge.  King\nEscariano attacked one castle repeatedly, and finally took it.\nThe King of Tremicen was in another castle that was much\nstronger, but he felt that all was lost.  The commander had fled\nfrom the battle and came to his own castle where Tirant was.\nThere he told his son:\n\"You would be better off dying than to see your beloved who is of\nroyal blood taken from you.  Go to your lord and serve him as a\ngood knight.\"\nThe son agreed, and rode off to the castle where he heard and saw\nthe battle.  Then, very happily, he and fifteen of his horsemen,\nwent into the castle where the king was.\nThe commander of commanders had fled out of fear, and he went\ninto the castle where Tirant was being held.  After he had\ndismounted, he asked his son about the Christian prisoner.  When\nhe was told that Tirant was in a prison cell and being carefully\nguarded, the commander became very angry.  He remembered what\nTirant had said as he left and fell on the ground: that he would\nconquer all of Barbary.  He had thought about those words many\ntimes, and he also considered that since Tirant was a Christian\nhe must be skillful at arms.  He went in to see him.  Realizing\nthat Tirant had more than enough reason to be angry with him, he\nsmiled and said:\n\"I beg you, valiant Christian, not to be angry if my son has\ntreated you badly.  I swear to you by the prophet Mohammed that\nit was not done by my command or consent.  Instead, it was my\nintention to look on you as a son.  I am hopeful that you will be\nable to help me.  And don't be surprised if I make a request of\nyou on behalf of my lord, even though you are a fugitive from\nbattle.  From your scars, I am sure that you, Christian, must\nknow a great deal about weapons, and you must have been in many\nwars.\"\nTirant replied:\n\"I won't hide my past from you.  In Spain I practiced the noble\ntradition of arms, and I can advise you and help you as much as\nanyone, and I will be one of the first to go into combat.\nForgive me for praising myself, but my works will be their own\nbest witness.  If this king has your king under siege you should\nnot be surprised, for that is the way with kings.  If you are\nafraid that the bombards will demolish the castle, I will destroy\nevery one they have.\"\nThe commander was very pleased with what Tirant told him, and\nhelped him get ready to leave.  He insisted that Tirant take\nwhatever materials he needed to destroy the bombards, and he also\ngave Tirant the best horse he had, and weapons, and plenty of\nmoney.\nTirant bought some very old whale bile, and then he took\nquicksilver, saltpeter, Roman sulfate and other materials, and\nmixed them together to make an unguent, and he put it in a box.\nThen they left the castle as secretly as they could, crossed the\nriver, and at night took refuge in the other castle.  Now this\ncastle was about one fourth a league from the one where the king\nwas.  When Tirant reconnoitered the land, he saw a stone bridge\ngoing across the river, and the enemy was positioned in the\nmiddle of the large orchard, so that no one dared cross over the\nbridge for fear of falling into the hands of the enemy.  Then\nTirant told the commander to give him a Moor who would not be\nrecognized and who could be trusted, and to deliver two hundred\nsheep to the Moor, and they were brought immediately.  Tirant\nthen dressed in a shepherd's cloak, as though he were the Moor's\nservant.\nKing Escariano knew that none of his adversaries could hurt him,\nand he had thirty-seven bombards, large and small, firing\ncontinually, three times a day; and they had already knocked down\nhalf the castle.\nThe Moor and Tirant went up a good league toward the bridge with\ntheir sheep, and they came right into the encampment.  They asked\na great deal more for each sheep than it was worth so that they\nwould not sell them quickly.  They stayed there three days,\nleading the sheep close to the bombards.  Tirant, under the\npretext that he was simply looking, went near them, and spreading\nsome of the unguent he had prepared over his hand, he put it on\nevery one of the bombards.  The unguent was made up of such\ningredients that whatever metal it came into contact with would,\nin the space of three hours, turn to rust.  So as soon as it was\nfired, any bombard or crossbow would break apart.\nThe following day, when they fired on the castle, all the\nbombards broke apart, and not one of them was left intact.  King\nEscariano was very surprised at this, and he took it as a bad\nsign.  Tirant and the Moor went back to the castle where the\ncommander was.\nThen Tirant ordered them to destroy one of the arches on the\nbridge, and there they put up a wooden drawbridge, with iron\nchains to raise and lower it.  When that was done huge beams were\nplaced on that part of the bridge and there they put up a\npalisade.  When that was ready, Tirant armed himself well and\nmounted a good steed, and with a good lance in his hand he rode\nright into the enemy's camp, and he found five Moors enjoying the\nsun.  Tirant rode toward them.  The Moors were unconcerned,\nseeing that he was coming alone, and they thought it was someone\nfrom their own camp.  And Tirant killed all five of them with his\nlance.  There was a great outcry, and the entire camp rushed into\naction: they armed themselves and mounted their horses.  Tirant\nconcerned himself only with killing anyone in his path.  When he\nsaw that the men were armed and on horseback, and that they were\ncoming against him, he retreated to the palisade while using his\nweapons continuously.  Once he was in the palisade, he quickly\ndismounted, and the Moors came up to him.  The men in the castle\ncame down to help Tirant, and there was a great skirmish where\nmany men died.  The men from the enemy camp pressed on so\nforcefully that Tirant had to retreat, and they lifted the\ndrawbridge for fear of the Moors.  Then the Moors broke apart the\npalisade, and Tirant had it built again during the night.  And\nso, every day, at all hours, they fought and many men from both\nsides were dying continually.\nOne day Tirant said to the commander:\n\"My lord, would you like me to rescue your king from the castle\nand bring him here to you, or to some other place where he will\nbe safe?\"\nThe commander answered:\n\"If you could do that for me, and bring my Moorish maiden and her\nbetrothed to me, I would make you the lord of everything I own.\nAnd even if you forgot about the king, that would not matter a\ngreat deal to me.\"\n\"Then, my lord,\" said Tirant, \"have two horses prepared, and\nbring a page whose face is well known.  Have them go under that\npine tree a half league from here with someone who can guide\nthem.\"\nIt was quickly done.  When day broke bright and clear, Tirant\nmounted his horse and with one hundred armed men he rode out of\ntheir stockade.\nThe other camp saw them and rode toward them.  The battle between\nthe two forces was fierce, and that day almost no one was left\nbehind in the enemy camp.  Then Tirant said to the commander:\n\"My lord, you stay here and show your face while I go where I\nhave to.\"\nHe dug in his spurs and galloped to where the page was waiting\nfor him.  When he got there his horse was spent.  He dismounted,\ngave it to the Moor, and took the fresh one that he had.  Then he\nand the page left, going through the orchard as cautiously as\nthey could so that no one would see them.  And he made the page\ngo first because the people in the castle did not know Tirant.\nFinally they came so close that the betrothed recognized the\npage, his younger brother, and told the men not to fire.  When\nthey were inside the castle the king came out to the hall to see\nhim and to pay him honor.\n\"My lord,\" said Tirant, \"you and your daughter mount our horses\nimmediately.  I'll take you to safety.\"\nThe king took the page's horse, and had the betrothed climb on\nits back; Tirant had the maiden climb on the back of his own\nhorse.  Then they raced out of the castle, galloping all the way,\nuntil they were a league from camp.  When night fell on them,\nthey rode more quickly.  The king knew the terrain very well, and\nhe went directly toward his strongest city: Tremicen.\nWhen they reached the city of Tremicen there was great rejoicing\nbecause the people had recovered their king.  The king had a fine\nroom arranged for Tirant where he was well served.  While he\nstayed there the king presented him with many gifts, and all the\nMoorish knights and others came to see him, and everyone was\nimpressed with his agreeable manner.\nOne day Tirant came to the palace to ask the king's permission to\ngo back to his lord, the commander, because he had given his word\nthat he would return.  The king answered:\n\"Virtuous Christian, do not leave me, I beg you.  I've sent for\nyour lord, the commander, and he will be here in ten days.  Help\nme prepare the city, and I promise to ransom you and give you\nyour freedom.\"\nTirant kissed the king's hands and feet, and said:\n\"My lord, I give you my word as a Christian that I will not leave\nyou until I have killed King Escariano, or taken him prisoner, or\nuntil I've made him flee from your kingdom.\"\nThe king's daughter, seeing the beautiful disposition of Tirant\nand the virtuous acts he had done for the king, her father, and\nfor her, and the praises that were bestowed upon him in\neveryone's presence, wished that God would do her the favor of\nhaving her betrothed die so that she could take Tirant for her\nhusband.\nAfter a few days had gone by, the commander of commanders came,\nand he was very happy when he learned that his son, and the king\nand his daughter, were out of that very grave danger.  After\nbowing to the king, he praised Tirant highly.  The king spoke to\nthe commander, asking him to give Tirant his freedom.  When it\nwas done, Tirant kissed the king's hands and feet, and said:\n\"Sir, I swear to you as a Christian that I will not leave Your\nGrace until I have killed King Escariano or taken him prisoner,\nor made him leave all your lands.\"\nThe king and the others were very content.\nWhen King Escariano learned that the King of Tremicen had\nescaped, his surprise turned to anger, and he set out to conquer\nthe entire kingdom.  And with his great power there were no\ncities, villas or castles that did not fall to him.\nHearing of this, the King of Tremicen often called his council\ntogether, and they reenforced the city, and gathered enough food\nto last them five years.  One day, during the council, Tirant\nsaid to the king:\n\"Sir, do this for me: let me go as an ambassador to see King\nEscariano, and I'll find out what sort of situation his men are\nin, and if we can somehow rout them.\"\nThey all praised his advice, but most of the council were afraid\nhe would cross over to the enemy camp, as many others had done.\nTirant got things ready, and with many men he went directly to\nKing Escariano.  When he was in the king's presence, he explained\nhis mission:\n\"The King of Tremicen has sent me here because on several\noccasions he has heard people speak very highly of you, and he is\ncertain that you are one of the wisest kings in the world.  For\nthat reason he is very astonished, and he wonders what has moved\nyou to take up arms against him.\"\nThe king immediately replied:\n\"I want your lord to know that I have attacked him for a just\nreason.  For no one, not your lord or anyone else, is unaware\nthat long ago a marriage pact was drawn up between his daughter\nand me, signed and with the marriage date agreed upon.  And now\nyour king has treated the matter lightly, and tried to shame me.\nI have told you this so you will know that this maiden, whom I\nlove and adore, is the cause for this war. And it will end with\nher and for no other reason.  This is my reply to you.\"\nAnd he turned his back, wanting to hear no more from Tirant.  So\nTirant left and went back to his lord, the King of Tremicen, and\ntold him of their entire conversation.  Then the king asked\nTirant if the enemy had many men.\n\"In faith,\" said Tirant, \"there are many, and more come to their\naid every day.  I wasn't able to see them all, but I would say\nmore than eighty thousand.\"\nThey held council, and decided that Tirant and the commander\nwould take ten thousand soldiers to another city called Asinac.\nBecause if that city fell, the entire kingdom would be lost.  So\nTirant went there and fortified that city well.\nThe king stayed on in the city of Tremicen which was well\nsupplied with everything he needed.  And in this way they waited\nfor the enemy to come.\nIt happened one day that a Jew who lived in the city of Tremicen,\nand was the wealthiest man in the city, left secretly and went to\nKing Escariano.  Very cunningly he told him:\n\"My lord, why are you plowing the sand?  Everything you are doing\nis useless unless you capture King Tremicen first.  Once he has\nfallen you will have power over the entire kingdom in two days.\nYou would not have to travel the dangerous roads in fear; instead\nyou and your men would be completely safe.  If your lordship will\nreach an agreement with me I will give you a victory over your\nenemies, and I will also put the king and his daughter in your\nhands.\"\nWhen King Escariano heard him say that, he took it as a joke, and\nhe answered:\n\"How could you possibly do all that?  But I'll tell you this: If\nyou do arrange it, I give you my word as king to make you the\nmost powerful man in my kingdom.  But I can't believe that you\ncould do what you said.  It would be better for you to go back:\ninstead of hurting them, you might bring me harm.\"\nThe Jew quickly replied:\n\"If Your Majesty will closely examine what I say, you'll\nunderstand that it's not a dream, but an infallible plan.  If it\nwill make you feel more secure, I will put my three sons in your\npower, and if I fail you are free to put them to a horrible\ndeath.  I will do this for Your Majesty under the following\nconditions: I have a daughter, and I want her to have an\nhonorable marriage (and I will give twelve thousand ducats as her\ndowry) with a Jew who sells oil in your camp.  If you will\narrange this for me, I promise to have you gain entry into the\ncity of Tremicen.  In my house there's a door that's next to the\nwall of the city, and it's under my care.  I can put one hundred\nthousand soldiers into the city through there.\"\nSo they agreed, and the king arranged with the Jew that they\nwould be in front of the city of Tremicen on the seventeenth of\nthe month, and at midnight they would go inside under the cover\nof darkness.\nAt the proper time the king and all his captains were in front of\nthe city of Tremicen, and the Jew did not forget the promise that\nwas made concerning his daughter's marriage.  He carefully opened\nthe door of the Jewry, and the king rushed in with all his men.\nThey went to the palace and fought, and finally they were able to\nget inside.  They killed the King of Tremicen, his sons, and all\nthe others.  They took no prisoners except for the genteel lady.\nThen they attacked the castle, but they were not able to take it.\nKing Escariano did not feel very safe there, so he left most of\nhis men inside the city to guard it, while he left with the King\nof Tremicen's daughter who was crying over the deaths of her\nfather, her brothers, and her betrothed.  Then he put her in an\nimpregnable castle.\nThe cruel news reached the commander and Tirant, and the Moors\ncried bitterly.  They felt that they were lost, and they began to\nsay that they should surrender to King Escariano.\nTirant told the commander:\n\"Sir, that is not the thing to do.  You have ten thousand\nsoldiers here, and you still have some castles and towns under\nyour command.  We can defend ourselves well here.\"\nThe commander agreed with Tirant's advice, but he still mourned\nthe death of his king, and that of his sons even more.  They\nwondered how the great destruction had happened, with the city\nbeing so well guarded.  And they learned the truth from a man who\nhad had his house looted, seven of his sons killed, while his\nwife and other children were being held under guard.  He told\nthem how the Jew had betrayed the city, and how King Escariano\nhad then ordered all the Jew's possessions taken.  Then this\nJewish traitor was placed in prison and tied up.  They removed\nall his clothing, cudgeled him, poured honey over him, and the\nnext day had him quartered and left for the dogs to eat.  For the\nking had said: Who can protect himself from a traitor?  The\ntreachery he had committed to his own lord, he could just as well\ndo to him and to the entire city if need be.\nTirant then learned that King Escariano had taken the King of\nTremicen's daughter to the very strong castle of Mont Tuber.  The\nnew queen was now being held in this castle with seventy men to\nguard her.\nOn a day following these cruel events, Tirant went to the city\ngate, worn with care.  He was thinking about what had happened to\nhis princess, and wondering what danger had befallen\nPlaerdemavida, and about how all his relatives were captives of\nthe Moors.  He did not know whether to leave, or even if the\nMoors would allow him to go.  While he was thinking of all this,\na Christian captive from Albania came out the gate, crying and\nlamenting because his master had cruelly whipped him, and was\nmaking him dig in an orchard of his near the city.  Tirant knew\nthe captive because he had talked to him several times, and\nconsidered him a discreet man.  He felt pity for him, and\nthinking that there was no one else he could trust, he called the\nslave over, and said to him:\n\"If you will do something for me, you will be given your freedom\nto leave, or to stay here if you wish.  However, you will have to\nlet yourself be whipped in our camp with a strap that will not\nhurt you very much, and you will have to have your ears cut a\nlittle.  With your help, we'll be able to take the castle of Mont\nTuber where the king is.  If it turns out as I think it will,\nyou'll be able to become a great lord.  And if it does not turn\nout well, I will still make sure you are given your liberty, and\nthat you have a good life.\"\nThe Christian captive answered:\n\"I want very much to have my freedom again, so I'll do what\nyou're asking.\"\nTirant thanked him, and said:\n\"I give you my word as a knight that I will not eat until you\nhave your freedom.\"\nTirant immediately left the captive and went to talk to the\ncommander.  With the money he had, he ransomed the captive for\none hundred ducats.\nOne day it happened that the king sent two men who told Tirant's\nforces that if they would come to terms with him he would be very\ngenerous to them.  The commander and Tirant told them that they\nwere not interested in any proposition; instead they wanted to\navenge the deaths of the King of Tremicen and his sons.  After\nthey had this discussion, Tirant had a meal brought out for them\nwhile the Albanian prepared to carry out the plan they had made.\nWhen the meal was over the Albanian went over to where the silver\nwas, and stole a large, gilded urn made of silver.  The guard\nbegan to shout so that Tirant, as he was talking with the men\nfrom the town, asked what all the uproar was about.  Then\neveryone saw the Albanian running with many men behind him, and\nthey saw them catch him and take him to the captain.  The guard\nhad hold of him by the hair, and he said:\n\"My lord, I would like you to pass judgment on this thief.  He\nstole this silver urn.\"\nTirant wanted the commander to speak first, and he said:\n\"My sentence is for him to be hanged.\"\nTirant then said:\n\"Commander, this is no time for us to be killing people unless\nit's in battle.  I beg you to change the sentence, and have him\nwhipped and his ears cut.\"\nSo they did what he said in the presence of the men from the\ntown.  After they cut his ears they tied the urn to his neck and\nwhipped him around the camp.  The third time around, when he was\nin front of the town, he pulled away violently, untied his hands\nand began running toward the town.\nThe guard who was running after him fell down purposefully so\nthat the Albanian had time to go inside the town.  The men on the\nwalls defended him with their crossbows so that no one could\ncatch him.  The townspeople took him up to the castle where the\nking was, and when they saw him naked and whipped, with his ears\ncut and bleeding, they felt sorry for him.  They gave him a shirt\nand other clothes, and the king had so much pity on him that he\nlet him keep the urn, and received him into his household.\nTirant pretended to be very angry at the Albanian's escape.  He\ntold the men there to ask the king to give the man back, and he\nsaid that if he would not do it, that he would cut off the hands\nand feet, nose and ears of every man they caught, and then he\nwould kill them.  The king answered that in no way would he give\nhim back, and that if he could catch Tirant he would do worse to\nhim than they had done to the captive.  Tirant would listen to no\nmore, and he left with all his men for the city they had come\nfrom.  The Albanian then told King Escariano:\n\"When I think of the cruel things they've done to me, and the\ninfamy that could come to me if it becomes known, my heart cries\nout for revenge on that treacherous, mad captain who was starving\nus to death.  If I committed a crime it was because I needed the\nmoney.  But, my lord, if Your Excellency will give me permission\nto come and go, I will bring you news every day about what your\nenemies are doing, what they are planning and where they go.\nThat way Your Highness can do the same thing to them that you did\nto that famous and illustrious King of Tremicen.\"\nThe king said:\n\"I will agree to that: You can come and go whenever you like.\"\nHe ordered all the guards to let him pass by at will.  The king\nasked some of his knights for advice concerning this matter, and\nthey all told him:\n\"My lord, this man has been hurt very badly by his own people,\nand he'll do anything to bring about their total destruction.\nBut still, it would be a good idea to keep an eye on him.\"\nThe Albanian left the castle by a back door so that no one would\nsee him, and went directly to Tirant and told him everything that\nwas said.  Tirant gave him seven doubloons, three and one half\nreals, and some loose change, a sword and a basket of peaches,\nbecause there were none in that town since Tirant had had all the\ntrees cut down to level the orchard around the villa.  And Tirant\ntold him:\n\"Tell the king, in secret so that he'll be more inclined to\nbelieve you, that I am having a great deal of bread kneaded\nbecause I plan to be there in three or four days.\"\nThe Albanian left Tirant, and when he was in the castle, King\nEscariano welcomed him.  The Albanian gave the peaches to the\nqueen, and the king was more pleased with them than if he had\ngiven her a villa, because he knew that the queen liked them, and\nhe had not seen her laugh or smile since she had been with him.\nAfter the Albanian had given her the gift he showed the king the\nmoney he had, and said to him:\n\"My lord, look at this money that I took from one of the men in\nthe enemy camp.  If I go there often I can bring many things,\nbecause a relative of mine is in the service of this wicked\ncaptain, and he secretly tells me everything he does.  My lord,\nhe told me that he is having a great deal of bread made and a\nlarge supply of food stored up in order to come here.  You have\ntime to get ready to attack and defeat him.\"\nThe Albanian's words pleased the king a great deal, and he said:\n\"Now I will see if your relative told you the truth.\"\nOn the third day Tirant came and stayed in the same place that he\nhad the other times.  The king placed great faith in the\nAlbanian's words and he decided to appoint him as one of the main\nguards of the castle.  As companions, he gave him six very loyal\nmen who had been in his service a long time.  When it was this\nAlbanian's turn to stand guard, he bought some sweetmeats and\ninvited all the men who were with him to eat and drink.  And he\nstood guard-duty every five days.\nTirant returned after having been away for three days, and they\ncontinually discussed peace with the king, but Tirant drew out\nfinalizing a treaty as long as he could.  This lasted two months,\nand Tirant was always coming and going, and he seldom attacked\nanyone.  The king often made the Albanian go to Tirant's camp so\nthat he would bring back fruits and sweet-meats for the queen.\nOne day he brought a mule loaded with wine, and a bloody sword.\nWhen he was before the king he said to him:\n\"My lord, I learned that the captain was having a great deal of\nwine brought to the city, and when I heard of it I went out to\nthe road.\nThere, one muleteer fell behind the others.  I hit him in the\nside with a stone, and he fell to the ground.  Then I struck him\nso many times that I left him for dead.  I took the sword and the\nmule from him, and it was loaded with the finest wine I have seen\nin many days.  So I beg you, my lord, please give me permission\nto set up a tavern here, and when this supply has run out, I will\nsteal or buy more, and I'll do all the harm, evil and dishonor to\nthem that I can.\"\nThe king was well pleased, and many Moors came to drink every\nday.  And every night that the Moor stood guard he took a large\ncask of wine up to the tower, and gave his companions a good deal\nto drink, and all the Moors were very happy to have him there.\nTirant talked with King Escariano and his men many times, going\nback and forth often with an escort of soldiers.  When he saw\nwith his own eyes how much King Escariano trusted the Albanian,\nTirant had a round container made of iron and put some holes in\nit.  When the night for the treachery arrived, and it was the\nAlbanian's turn to stand watch, the Albanian put hot coals inside\nthe container.  The wind came in through the holes which were so\nsmall that the fire did not go out.  Then he wrapped the\ncontainer in a piece of leather and held it to his chest.  When\nthey were in the tower, standing guard, and his companions began\ndrinking, the Albanian hid the container in a hole so that the\nfire would not go out.  They had some large drums, and they\nstayed there drinking and beating them until it was nearly\nmidnight.  There were special liqueurs in the wine to bring on\nsleep.  And with the pleasure of drink the guards slept so\nsoundly that they never awoke.  When the Albanian saw that the\ncounter-round had gone by and the guards were sleeping, he took\nout the fire-box, and hid its light with his cape.  Then he lit a\nstraw, and put it in a niche in the wall that faced the camp.  He\ndid this three times.  Tirant soon saw this signal which they had\nplanned in advance, and he quickly left the camp with only a few\nmen.  All the other men stayed behind, ready and armed, waiting\nto be called, and the commander stayed with them as their\ncaptain.  Because of all the water there, Tirant and his men had\nto pass near a tall tower, but the Albanian was making a great\ndeal of noise with the drums, and when Tirant passed close to the\ntower they were not heard.  When they were near and the guards\ncalled out, \"All clear, all clear,\" they quickly ran ten or\ntwelve steps, and when the guards were silent, they stopped.\nThey kept this up until they had passed by the first tower and\nreached the other tower.  Tirant made his men stop, and he went\nto the foot of the tower alone and found a cord that the Albanian\nhad thrown down.  He had tied the other end to his leg in case he\nfell asleep, so that when the cord was pulled he would wake up.\nBut he never stopped beating on the drums, and when he felt the\ncord moving he quickly went near the tower and pulled up a rope\nladder that he tied very tightly to the wall, and then he tied\nanother.  Tirant climbed the first one, and when he saw the\nguards sleeping he said to the Albanians:\n\"What shall we do with these men?\"\n\"My lord,\" he answered, \"leave them there.  They're in no\ncondition to do any harm.\"\nHowever, Tirant wanted to see for himself, and he found the six\nof them with their heads cut off, covered with blood.  When he\nsaw this he had his men come up, and he put one of them in charge\nof the drums.  There were one hundred sixty men, and they spread\nout over the tower.  Then, with the Albanian going first, they\nwent down to the warden's chamber.  When the warden saw all these\nmen coming he got up, completely naked, took a sword in his hand\nand tried to defend himself.  Tirant swung an axe down on his\nhead and split it in half, and his brains fell out onto the\nground.  His wife began to scream, and the Albanian, who was\nnearest did the same thing to her that Tirant had done to her\nhusband.  Afterward they went through the castle, and shot the\nbolts on the doors to the chambers, and the noise of the drums\nwas so loud that no one heard a sound.\nThey went up to the towers and the guards there thought they were\nthe watch, and said nothing to them.  And when they came near\nthey threw them off the castle through the merlons.  One of them\nfell onto the barbican and into the moat, and was saved.  Soon he\ngot up and went shouting through the villa and everyone woke up.\nThe news spread through the villa, but in the castle they still\ndid not know, except for one man who was fishing.  He heard the\nnoise and opened the windows of his chamber, and he heard many\npeople inside the castle.  Then he began to cry out, and his\nshouts were heard by those in the castle, but when they tried to\nleave their chambers they found the doors bolted.  The king, who\nhad been sleeping in the main tower, barricaded himself there\nwith the queen and a chamber-maid.\nWhen day broke they put many flags on the castle towers, and held\ngreat celebrations.  All the outsiders in the villa fled.  When\nthe commander saw that the castle had been taken and saw the\nothers fleeing, he attacked them and took many prisoners.  When\nhe returned, they stationed many men in the villa and others on\nthe barbicans and in the orchards near the villa.  When the\ncommander went up to the castle he saw that none of his men had\nbeen killed or wounded, and he was the most astonished man in the\nworld: he thought Tirant must be more angel than human, because\nnothing that he tried turned out to be impossible.\nThey searched the entire castle and found it full of many kinds\nof food: millet and wheat, sorghum and panic-grass--enough to\nlast seven years, with a sparkling spring of water that came out\nof a rock.  That night the king took pity on the queen, and\ncalling down from a window in the tower, he said:\n\"Which of you is the knight I can surrender to?\"\n\"Sir,\" said Tirant, \"here is the commander, and a very virtuous\nknight.\"\nThe king realized that this was the ambassador he had talked with\nso many times, and he said to him:\n\"Since you have been sent to me as an ambassador, give me your\npledge of safety so that I can do my duty as a knight and a\ncrowned king.\"\nTirant answered:\n\"I will guarantee your safety for a month after you surrender to\nme.  I give you my word.\"\nThe king felt as good about that as if he had been given absolute\nfreedom.  He came down from the tower, opened the door, and stood\nin the entryway, his sword in his hand.  And he said:\n\"Have them bring me that little child.\"  (This was a boy of no\nmore than five years of age, the son of a woman who baked bread.)\nWhen the boy was near him, he knighted the boy and kissed him on\nthe mouth.  Then, handing his sword to the boy, he placed himself\nin his power.\nThe commander then seized the king and took him to a room where\nhe had him put in chains.  This made Tirant very angry, but he\nsaid nothing so that he would not offend the commander.  When the\nking was in chains, they went into the main tower where they\nfound the queen in tears.\nTirant had one hundred thousand doubloons sent to Tunis to the\ncommander's cousin who was magistrate of the king of that region.\nHe begged him to release Lord Agramunt and all the others who\nwere on his galley.  The governor took them all out of captivity\nand sent them to Tirant.  When they were taken on land they lost\nall hope of ever being freed--until they saw their captain.  And\ndon't think they felt only a small mount of relief when they saw\nhim.  Tirant immediately asked his cousin, Lord Agramunt, if he\nhad seen Plaerdemavida.  He answered:\n\"Since that day we lost sight of the galley, I never heard\nanything about her again.  I'm afraid she died in the stormy\nsea.\"\nIt happened one day that the queen called Tirant to her chamber.\nNot knowing what she might want, Tirant went quickly.  When he\nwas there, the queen smiled and had him sit at her side.  Then\nshe said softly:\n\"My eyes have found their lost light, and when I raise my head I\nsee you as lord of the world, for heaven and earth and all things\nthat God has created obey you.  That night when you brought us\nout of the terrible prison, I found such pleasure in your\nvirtuous appearance, so handsomely formed, that I detested my\nbetrothed and could not continue to look at him.\nI beg you, sir, do me the honor of ruling this land at my side.\"\nTirant was astonished, and he immediately replied:\n\"It fills me with great love to serve you, but I must confess my\nsin: I have been in love with a maiden of high esteem for a long\nwhile, as she has been with me.  If I should betray her love, it\nwould be worse than death to me.  And there is one more reason\nthat I must not forget: you are a Moor and I am a Christian, and\nour marriage would not be lawful.\"\nWith tears in her eyes, the queen replied:\n\"You say that I am a Moor and you are a Christian, and that such\na marriage is impossible.  Let me tell you how it can be done:\nyou can easily become a Moor, and then the marriage can take\nplace.  As for the maiden you say you are in love with, I believe\nthat is simply an excuse, and the real reason is that I do not\nplease you.\"\nTirant reflected for a moment, and he saw a way by which\nChristianity would be exalted.  He decided to show the queen\ngreat love so that she would decide to become a Christian.  And\nsmiling, he said:\n\"My reason obliges me to keep the faith I have sworn.  But I beg\nof you, my lady, to receive baptism in the holy and true\nChristian faith, and with my help you will regain your kingdom.\nAnd for a husband I will give you a young and virtuous crowned\nking.  Although I cannot take you as a wife, since I already have\none, you would always be my friend.\"\nThe queen dried her tears and sighed:\n\"Your wise words have led me to this decision: give me baptism\nquickly, for you are the flower of all those who are baptized.\"\nWhen Tirant saw that the queen wanted to become a Christian, he\nquickly had a gold basin and a pitcher brought from the booty\nthey had taken from King Escariano.  Tirant had the queen's head\nuncovered, letting her hair fall loose, and it was so beautiful\nthat her face seemed more angelic than human.  Tirant had her\nkneel down, and he poured water over her head from the pitcher,\nand said:\n\"Maragdina, I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and\nthe Holy Spirit.\"\nThen she declared herself to be a good Christian, and there, in\nthe presence of everyone, four ladies who served the queen\nreceived holy baptism.  And they led very saintly lives.\nWhen King Escariano heard that the queen had become a Christian,\nhe sent for Tirant and told him:\n\"I tell you, Captain, since I see that my lady, the queen, has\nbecome a Christian, I want to follow her virtuous works.  So I\nbeg you to give me holy baptism, and to be my brother in arms for\nas long as we live, being friends of our friends and enemies of\nour enemies.\"\nAfter the queen had been baptized, and the king had been\ninstructed about Christianity, Tirant took the king out of prison\nand had him go down to the city.  There was a lovely square in\nthat villa, and Tirant had ordered them to make a pretty cenotaph\nthere, nicely decorated with brocade and satin cloths.  The king\nsat on a beautiful chair covered with brocade on the cenotaph,\nand a large silver bowl filled with water was placed at one end\nof the cenotaph.  Tirant had a very wide ladder constructed so\nthat everyone who wanted to be baptized could go up and down.\nKing Escariano's captains and all his men, peacefully and\nunarmed, left the camp on foot because they were very near the\nvilla.  When they came to the entrance, the captains and knights\nwent in first, then the others followed them.  When they were in\nthe square before the king's cenotaph, they all bowed deeply to\nhim, and asked what his lordship wanted of them.  With a strong\nvoice he said:\n\"My faithful vassals, relatives and brothers: Divine Mercy has\nhad pity on me and on all of you--if you wish it--for He has\nenlightened my soul and my understanding.  I have received many\nfavors from this captain: First, he has taken me out of prison\nand given me freedom.  Second, he has instructed me about the\nholy Catholic faith so that I know for a certainty that the sect\nof Mohammed is false and wicked, and all those who believe in it\nare going to total destruction and condemnation.  So I beg you\nand command you, as good vassals and brothers, to join me and\nreceive baptism.  Trust me: you will be receiving baptism for the\nsalvation of your souls.  Those who want baptism should not\nmove; those who do not want baptism, empty the square and leave\nroom for the others.\"\nAfter he had said this the king took off his outer garments in\neveryone's presence, remaining in his shirt.  Tirant led him to\nthe bowl, and pouring water from the pitcher over his head, he\nbaptized him, saying:\n\"King Escariano, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and the\nSon, and the Holy Spirit.\"\nThen Tirant baptized almost all the prisoners, for most of them\nwere close relatives of the king.  Afterward two captains and all\ntheir lineage were baptized: one of their people was called\nBencarag and the other Capcani.  On that day more than six\nthousand Moors were baptized by Tirant.  The others stayed there\nthe next day and the following days until they were all made\nChristians.  Few of them left, and the most vile were those who\ndid not receive baptism.\nThe news of all this was soon spread throughout Barbary, so that\nit reached the ears of the kings who were coming to King\nEscariano's aid.  Very angry, they advanced as quickly as they\ncould and took away his entire kingdom.  They gave it to the King\nof Persia, and immediately crowned him king.\nWhile these kings were conquering King Escariano's lands,\nmessengers came to him daily with the bad news that they were\ntaking his entire kingdom from him, and that he had only three\ncastles that were defending themselves and refusing to surrender.\nAfter King Escariano became a Christian, Tirant begged him to\ngive all the villas and cities he had taken from the King of\nTremicen back to the queen, to whom they belonged.  The king very\ngenerously did this, but then he begged Tirant, as a brother in\narms, to give the queen to him for his wife.  So one day Tirant\napproached the queen, and said:\n\"I beg you to take this king for your husband.  He loves you very\nmuch.  You already know him, and you would be much better off\nwith him than with someone who may not love you.\"\nThe queen listened to Tirant, and replied:\n\"I have complete trust in you, so I am putting myself and my\npossessions in your power.  I will do whatever you command me.\"\nTirant knelt on the ground and gave her many thanks.  He\nimmediately sent for the king and the friar, and in everyone's\npresence they were betrothed.  The following day they heard mass,\nbecause they were Catholic Christians.  After the wedding, which\ntook place with great solemnity--as corresponds to royalty--King\nEscariano took possession of the entire kingdom of Tremicen, as\nhusband of the queen, and she was happy because it was at\nTirant's command.  The king loved Tirant above all others, and\nthere was nothing that he would not do for him.  And Tirant\nlikewise loved the king and queen.\nWhile the king and Tirant were celebrating this new marriage,\nnews reached the king daily that the Moorish kings would soon\ntake the three castles, and that they would fall on him and on\nall the Christians, and would give them all cruel deaths.\nWhen Tirant heard of this, he said:\n\"Sir, we need to think of how we can save our lives.  Let's\ngather all our men and see how many are prepared to go into\nbattle.\"\n\"What?\" said the commander.  \"Do you think you're the lord of the\nwhole world?  You ought to be satisfied with imprisoning this\nmagnanimous king, and go on back to the land you came from.  Let\nus live according to our own law, and let the new Christians\nforget about this so-called holy baptism.  If these kings are\ncoming with so many troops, and they find us adhering to their\nlaw, they'll have mercy on us.\"\nKing Escariano turned to the commander in a rage, and he brought\nhis bare sword down on the commander's head so hard that his\nbrains spilled out onto the chamber floor, and he said:\n\"Oh, you dog, you son of a dog, born into a wicked sect!  This is\nthe payment such a vile person deserves!\"\nTirant was very displeased at the commander's death, and he felt\nvery angry.  But he held himself back and did not reprimand the\nking because he was afraid of causing more trouble.  Some people\nwere glad the commander was dead, and others were not.  But his\ndeath served to restrain many.\nTirant mustered all the men to see how many there were, and they\ncounted 18,230 horsemen and forty-five thousand foot soldiers.\nTirant paid them all.  Then they enlisted twenty-five thousand\nmore.  At the same time, four hundred forty horses and many arms\narrived from Tunis where they had disembarked after arriving from\nSicily.  And now Tirant was unafraid of attacking three thousand\nenemy horsemen.\nThe king and Tirant left the city with all their men to meet the\nenemy and see if they could resist them.  When they were three\nleagues away from them, at the top of a mountain, the Christians\ncould see all the Moorish forces that were coming.  They set up\ntheir tents in view of each other, and many embassies were sent\nback and forth.  The Moors sent word to King Escariano, telling\nhim and Tirant and all the other Christians to convert to\nMohammedanism, because if they did not, they would all die a\ncruel death.  When Tirant heard this, he mocked them and would\nnot give them a reply.  Then the ambassadors became very angry\nwith Tirant.\nThey had conquered all of King Escariano's realm, and now they\nwere going to attack him.  Tirant said:\n\"Sir, they've raised camp, so they'll be here tomorrow.  Your\nlordship can stay here in the city with half the men while I take\nthe other half, and we'll see how well organized they are.\"\n\"Oh, Tirant!  I would much rather go with you, and we can leave\nLord Agramunt here as the captain.\"\nTirant agreed, and made Lord Agramunt captain, telling him:\n\"Keep your horses saddled, and your men armed.  When you see a\nred flag with my arms painted on it, have all your men attack on\nthe right, and we'll destroy our enemy.\"\nTo reach the Christians, the Moors had to cross over a tall\nmountain that had many springs.  During that night and the\nfollowing day, Tirant went around the mountain and he could see\nall the Moors coming from a great distance.  Tirant rode into a\ndense thicket, and he had all the men dismount and take their\nease while he climbed a tall pine tree and watched the enemy come\nup the mountain.  They set up their tents near the springs, and\nthey were still a league away from the city.  The ones who\nfollowed behind set up camp at the foot of the mountain where\nthere were beautiful meadows and a canal.  The men here had about\nfour thousand horses.\nWhen Tirant saw that nearly half the enemy had dismounted, he and\nthe king attacked their camp and killed so many Moors that the\nnumber of corpses stretched out on the ground were a wonder to\nbehold.  And there would have been even more if night had not\nfallen.  The Moors up on the mountain heard the cries, but they\ndid not think the Christians would dare come so close to their\ncamp.\nThe morning of the following day, as soon as the sun came out,\nKing Meneador came down from the mountain, not suspecting that\nKing Escariano and Tirant would be there.  He thought, instead,\nthat these must be thieving marauders.  So he sent a messenger to\nthem, telling them to convert back to the Mohammedan faith or he\nwould hang as many of them as he found.\nTirant told the messenger:\n\"You tell your lord that I don't intend to answer his madness.\nBut if he's a crowned king, and brave enough to come down the\nmountain with his men, I'll let him feel the strength of the one\nhe wants to hang.\"\nThe messenger went back to his lord with the reply, and the king\nwas so enraged that he dug his spurs into his horse, and all his\nmen followed.  The battle was harsh and cruel.  After they had\nfought for a time, and there were many deaths on both sides, King\nMeneador retreated toward the mountain, and he sent for his\nbrother, the King of Lower India, to come to his aid.  When he\nwas there, King Meneador told him:\n\"Brother, these baptized Christians are fighting so hard that\nI've lost most of my men, and I'm slightly wounded too.  I won't\nhold myself as a knight unless I kill with my own hands a great\ntraitor who is their captain.  His armor and the vest he wears\nare damask green with three stars on each side.  On one side\nthey're gold and on the other side silver.  Around his neck he\nwears a gold Mohammed with a long beard.  And this Mohammed\ncarries a small child holding onto his neck as he crosses a\nriver.  And that must be the one who helps him in his battles.\"\nThe King of Lower India haughtily replied:\n\"Show him to me.  I will avenge you even if he has ten Mohammeds\nin his belly.\"\nHis men quickly mounted their horses and bore down upon the\nChristians.  Shouting wildly, like madmen, they went into battle,\nand soon you could see horses running around without riders.\nWhen Tirant broke his lance, he made use of his ax, and he\nwounded or gave death with every blow.  The two kings drew up to\nTirant and wounded him with the point of a sword.  Finding\nhimself wounded, Tirant cried out:\n\"Oh, king, you who have dealt me a deadly wound according to the\ngreat pain I feel, before I enter hell, you will go before me as\na messenger to open the gates, for I will send you there\nquickly!\"\nHe brought his ax down on the king's head, splitting it into two\nparts, and the king fell at the feet of his horses.  When the\nMoors saw his body on the ground, they struggled to pick it up.\nThis was the King of Lower India who had spoken so boastfully.\nWhen the other king saw his brother dead, he fought desperately.\nThe other kings were told of his death, the King of Bogia in\nparticular, for he had brought them together.  Then they raised\ncamp and set up their tents at the foot of the mountain.\nThe Christians, seeing how many men they had and that Tirant was\nwounded and in great pain, decided to leave during the night.\nThe following morning the Moors prepared to give battle, but they\nfound no one.  They followed the Christians' tracks and came to\nthe city where they had taken refuge.\nTirant had Lord Agramunt take his men out and do battle with\nthem, and many men died on both sides.  Then the Christians\nretreated back into the city while the Moors pounded on the gates\nwith their lances.\nThe following day Lord Agramunt led his men into battle, and many\ndied on both sides, and again they retreated into the city.\nTirant was troubled that he could not take part, and that they\nwere losing men, and he told the king:\n\"Sir, I don't think we should go out and do battle so often.\nWe're only losing men.\"\nAnd so they waited until Tirant was healthy again.  Then, when he\nwas nearly cured, he put on his armor and mounted his horse, and\nwith most of the men he attacked one side of the camp.  The\nMoors, in a tumult, came out to fight the Christians.  And that\nday, and many others that followed, Tirant came out the worst.\nWhen Tirant saw his men fleeing that day, and that he could not\nkeep them in order, he went to the river.  He saw the King of\nAfrica riding toward him wearing a helmet with a crown of gold\nand many precious stones.  His saddle was silver, and his\nstirrups gold, while his jubbah was crimson and embroidered with\nlarge oriental pearls.\nWhen the king saw Tirant's troubled face, he approached him and\nsaid:\n\"Are you the captain of the Christians?\"\nTirant did not reply, but instead looked at his men who had left\nhim, and all the dead bodies and banners scattered over the\nground.  That day, they had scarcely defended themselves against\nthe Moors.\nIn a loud voice that the Moors and the wounded could hear, he\ncried out:\n\"Oh, poor men!  Why do you bear arms?  Oh, sad, vile men: you\nwill be rightly condemned for this day on which you die so\nmiserably, and your reputation will suffer greatly!\"\nWhen the King of Africa heard him crying this way, he called out\nto his men:\n\"I'm going to cross the river, and I'll put this Christian dog in\nchains or I'll kill him.  If I need any assistance, come and help\nme.\"\nWhen the king had crossed over, he rode swiftly at Tirant, and\nstruck him so hard with his lance that Tirant's horse sank to its\nknees.  The lance passed through his brassard and his\nbreast-plate, and slightly pierced his chest.  Tirant was feeling\nsuch great pain for the dead men, and was thinking of the\nprincess, and he didn't notice the king until he had been\nwounded.  He drew his sword, since his lance had been broken at\nthe outset.  And they fought for a long space of time.  The king\nfought valiantly, and when it had lasted a long while, Tirant\nthrust hard at the king, but he could not reach him because the\nking's horse suddenly turned.  However, he caught the horse's\nhead and cut it off, so that the horse and the king tumbled to\nthe ground.  The king's men came to his aid, and mounted him on\nanother horse, even though Tirant tried to stop them.\nWhen Tirant realized that he could not hold out any longer, he\nseized a Moor and took away his lance.  Then he wounded the\nfirst, the second and the third men he encountered, and knocked\nthem to the ground; then he wounded the fourth, fifth and sixth\nand also knocked them down.\nThe Moors were astonished at the way one lone man bore arms.\nLord Agramunt was at a window in the castle, and he recognized\nTirant by his coat of arms and saw that he was fighting alone.\nAnd he cried out:\n\"Men, go quickly and help our captain.  He's about to lose his\nlife.\"\nThen the king went out with the few men he had.  Tirant was\nwounded in three places, and his horse had been struck many\ntimes.  For this reason Tirant was forced to retreat, but he did\nso against his will, and they pursued him right up to the gates.\nThe doctors arrived and had Tirant's armor removed, and they\nfound many wounds including three that were very dangerous.\nWhen the Moors saw that the Christians had withdrawn inside the\ncity, they tightened the siege and crossed over the river.  They\nbrought so many oxen and camels that they could not be counted.\nThey used these as an obstacle to the Christians in battle, for\ntheir horses could not run, and no one could enter or leave the\ncity.\nTirant was afraid they might mine under the castle.  He ordered\nthe men to make a countermine, and in all the lower rooms they\nwere to place brass basins.  This was done so that if a pickaxe\nwas about to come through a wall in that room, all the brass\nbasins would clang together and make a great noise.  After the\nbrass basins were set up, they began to work on the countermine.\nAfter a few days, when Tirant was well and ready to bear arms, a\nserving girl inside the castle was kneading flour, and she heard\nthe basins moving around, making noise.  She ran quickly to tell\nher mistress:\n\"I don't know what it is, but I've heard folks say that when\nbasins make a noise it's the sign of a storm or of bloodshed.\"\nThe lady was the wife of the captain of the castle, and she\nquickly went to tell her husband, and he told the king and\nTirant.\nSecretly, without making a sound, they went to the room, and saw\nthat what the girl had said was true.  They quickly armed\nthemselves and went into a chamber, and not even an hour went by\nbefore they saw light in the room.  The Moors who were digging\nthought no one in the castle had heard them, and they made the\nhole much bigger.  Then they began to come out of the mine.  When\nthere were more than seventy Moors in the room, the men from the\ncastle went in and slew and quartered everyone they found.  The\nones who could escape back through the mine certainly didn't\nstand around waiting for each other, but Tirant had many bombards\nfired into the mine, and everyone inside died.\nTirant saw that his men were nearly faint from hunger, and he\ndecided to do battle.  He told the king:\n\"Sir, I'll take half the men we have left, and you can take the\nother half.  I'll go into the little forest there, and as soon as\nthe sun comes up, you go out through the gate of Tremicen and go\nall around the city, and you attack the center of their camp\nwhile I attack from the other side, and we'll see if we can't\nconfuse them.  If we do, we can take over their camp.  But what\ndisturbs me most are the cattle: we'll have to go right through\nthem, and every time we do, they'll kill many of our horses.\"\nA Genoese who had been a slave on Tirant's galley when the ship\nwent down spoke up.  His name was Almedixer, and he was a very\ndiscreet man and was knowledgeable about many things.  He said:\n\"Captain, do you want me to make all the cattle run off so that\nthere won't even be a sign of one around?  The Moors will go\nrunning after them to get them back, and that will be the time to\nattack their camp and fall upon them.\"\n\"If you can do that,\" said Tirant, \"upon Carmesina's name I\npromise to make you a great lord and give you villas and castles\nand a great inheritance.\"\nThe king said to Tirant:\n\"Brother, if that's what you're going to do, I beg you to let me\ngo into the forest.  And when I see the banner flying from the\nhighest tower I'll attack the center of the camp.\"\nTirant agreed, and ordered everyone to shoe their horses and\nrepair their saddles.\nThe Genoese took the hair of many goats, and mutton fat, and he\ncrushed it all together and put it in shallow pans, and he filled\nmore than seventy of them.\nRight at the hour of midnight the king went into the forest\nwithout any of the Moors seeing him.  Almedixer took the pans of\ngrease he had made and went out of the castle at dawn, and put\nthem one next to the other.\nThen he set them on fire.  When the flames were going well, the\nwind blew the smoke toward the cattle.  And when they smelled the\nodor they stampeded through the middle of the camp, bringing down\ntents and injuring men and horses so that it seemed like all the\ndevils in hell were after them.  They even ran into each other so\nthat hardly an ox or camel was left uninjured.  Many Moors on\nfoot and on horseback pursued them to make them turn back, and\nall the Moors were astonished, not understanding what had caused\nthe stampede.\nWhen the oxen were gone, Tirant had the white and green flag\nraised.  The king saw the flag and rode out of the forest,\ncrying:\n\"Long live the Christians!\"\nAs they had planned, Tirant also attacked from the other side.\nThen the terrible, cruel battle unrolled.  Whoever saw it could\ntell the goings on of it all, for you could see thrusts of lance\nand sword being given and taken that brought awful grief, and in\na few hours excellent knights were lying dead on the ground.  All\nthe battles came together and made such a noise that it sounded\nlike the earth would fall in.  You could see Tirant here and\nthere, tearing helmets from men's heads and shields from their\nbodies, killing and wounding and doing the most astonishing\nthings in the world in his ever-burning fury.  King Escariano was\ndoing very well, for he was a very good knight, young and\ncourageous.  As for the Moors, there were some very good and\nvaliant knights, the King of Africa in particular who, because of\nthe death of his brother, threw himself against the Christians\nmost cruelly.  The King of Bogia was also a very courageous\nknight.\nThe battle was long and hard fought, and mercy was shown by none.\nEveryone was using their weapons, and it was a wonder to behold.\nWe mustn't forget about Lord Agramunt, for he fought so well that\nthe enemy feared him.\nIt happened that the King of Africa recognized Tirant by his\narmor and rode toward him, and they ran at each other, and both\nthe king and Tirant were knocked to the ground.  But Tirant\nfeared death and was the more spirited, and he got up first,\nwhile the king was still lying on the ground.  He reached down to\ncut the straps of his helmet, but before he could do so the Moors\nsaw their king on the ground, and it was a wonder that they did\nnot kill Tirant.  They pulled him off the king's body two times\nand threw him on the ground.  When Lord Agramunt saw Tirant in\nsuch great danger, he rode over to him and saw that the camp\ncommander was doing everything he could to kill Tirant.  Lord\nAgramunt turned to the commander, and they engaged in such a hard\nfought battle that every blow intended to bring death--one of\nthem to defend Tirant and the other to try to attack him--and\nboth of them were badly wounded.\nAlmedixer was near and cried out in alarm.  King Escariano raced\ninto the tumult and saw the King of Bogia standing over Tirant,\nabout to cut off his head.  These two kings were brothers, and\nKing Escariano recognized his brother, but still, when he saw\nTirant in that situation, he immediately thrust his lance into\nhis brother's back so powerfully that it went right through his\narmor and came out the other side, piercing his heart, and the\nKing of Bogia fell to the ground, dead.  Then the battle grew\nmore cruel than it had ever been, and on that day many men from\nboth sides died.\nThe battle went on very cruelly, throughout the day, but when\nnight fell, they broke apart.  The Christians went back into the\ncity very happily, because they had been victorious on the field.\nThey knew for a certainty that three kings had died in the\nbattle: the King of Bogia, King Geber, and the King of Granada.\nAmong the wounded, mention is made only of the King of Damascus\nand the King of Tana.\nThat night the men and horses rested, and before dawn the\nChristians were armed and ready, and the Moors were surprised\nthat they were eager to fight, because the Moors had not been\nable to bury their dead.  The battle took place on the second\nday, and it was very cruel and bloody.  Large numbers of Moors\ndied, but not very many Christians: for every Christian, one\nhundred Moors died.  The reason so many Moors were killed was\nbecause they weren't as well armed as the Christians, and their\nhorses and trappings weren't as good.  The battle lasted five\ndays, and the Moors couldn't endure it any longer because of the\nstench from the corpses, so they sent messengers to the\nChristians, asking for a truce.  King Escariano and Tirant felt\nvery pleased, and they agreed willingly.\nThe Moors then took their dead and threw them into the river,\neach with a note of identification attached so that downriver\ntheir relatives could bury them.  But there were so many dead\nbodies that the river was stopped up, and the water had to change\ncourse.\nThen the Moors went up the mountain while the Christians went\nback to the city.  During this truce the Marquis of Luzana\narrived; he was a servant to the King of France.  In Tunis he\nheard of Tirant's great victories, and he decided to go to him.\nThe Moors decided to leave one night before the truce was over,\nand go to the mountains of Fez where they could defend themselves\nagainst the Christians.  So, very unexpectedly, nearly at the\nhour of midnight, they broke camp and went on their way.  Early\nthe next morning the guards came running to the city gates to\nwarn the captain that the Moors were leaving.  When Tirant saw\nthat they had gone beyond the pass, he set himself to conquering\nall the kingdoms and lands this side of the pass.  After many\ndays had gone by, Lord Agramunt said to the captain:\n\"My lord, it seems to me that if we want to end this conquest\nquickly, I should go beyond the pass to conquer the villas,\ncastles and cities there.  After your lordship has taken over\nthese kingdoms, you can go over to that land, and you will easily\nbe the master of all Barbary.\"\nTirant was pleased with what Lord Agramunt told him.  He\nconsulted King Escariano, and they agreed that he should leave\nsoon.  Lord Agramunt departed with ten thousand men on horseback,\nand eighteen thousand foot soldiers.  When he had gone beyond the\npass he learned that the kings had left, and each had gone back\nto his own land.  Seeing that there were so few armed men in that\nland, Lord Agramunt began to conquer it, and he took over many\ncities, villas and castles, some willingly and others by force.\nThey came near a city called Montagata which belonged to the\ndaughter of the King of Belamerin (This king had died at the\nbeginning of the war) and to her betrothed.  When the people in\nthe city learned that the Christians were so nearby, they held a\ncouncil and decided to send the keys of the city to Lord\nAgramunt, and, very kindly, he took them and granted them\neverything they requested.  But when they were near the city, the\nrulers changed their minds and decided that they would die\nbefore they would surrender.\nWhen Lord Agramunt saw that he had been mocked, he decided to go\ninto battle, for he was as bold and hard as he could be.  As he\ncame close to a wall, they shot at him with a crossbow.  The\narrow hit him in the mouth and came out the other side.  When his\nmen saw him stretched out on the ground, badly wounded, they\nthought he was dead.  They put him on a shield and carried him to\nhis tent, and they fought no more that day.  Then Lord Agramunt\nmade a vow to God and to the holy apostles that because of the\nway they had deceived him and because of the great pain his wound\nwas causing him, he would not leave until the city was taken and\nhis sword had slain everyone: men and women, large and small, old\nand young.  And he quickly sent word to Tirant.\nWhen Tirant received the news that his cousin had been so badly\nwounded, he and all his men went to the city.  Before they could\ndismount he ordered them to attack the city, and the battle was\nso fierce and so harsh that they took a large tower--a\nmosque--attached to the city walls.  When night fell Tirant\nordered a halt to the fighting.  In the morning the Moors sent\nword to the captain that they would surrender on condition that\nthey be allowed to live by their own laws, and they would give\nthem thirty thousand gold crowns every year, and free all the\nprisoners they held.  Tirant answered that because of the act\nthey had committed against his cousin they would have to go to\nLord Agramunt, and whatever he decided would be done.\nWhen the Moors stood before Lord Agramunt, he would consent to\nnothing, no matter how much they pleaded with him.  Then the town\ndecided to send their lady and several maidens to see if they\ncould reach an agreement with him, since many times a maiden's\npleas are successful.  At this point the book presents an\nincident to relate the deeds of Plaerdemavida.\nCHAPTER XI\nPLAERDEMAVIDA\n By the great mercy of God, Plaerdemavida was saved from the\nshipwreck and taken to the city of Tunis, to the house of a\nfisherman's daughter, as was related previously.  Then, after two\nyears had passed the fisherman's daughter took a husband near\nthat city.  And while they held Plaerdemavida captive there, she\nalways lived very honestly, working gold and silk as the maidens\nof Greece are accustomed to doing.  It happened one day that her\nmistress went to the city of Montagata, and left Plaerdemavida to\nwatch the house.  She had gone to the city to make some\npurchases, and while she was there she went to talk to the king's\ndaughter, and she told her:\n\"My lady, I've been told that you are planning to marry, and that\nyou are supplying yourself with blouses embroidered with gold and\nsilk and other things proper for maidens.  I have a young slave\nwho is able to do what I have taught her from the time she was an\ninfant: to embroider all manner of things as befits young women.\nHere are some samples of what she can do.  If you want her, I\nwill give her to you for one hundred doubloons, even though I\nwill be losing all the training I have given her.\"\nThe princess, seeing the samples, wanted her very much, and she\nsaid that she would be happy to give her the one hundred\ndoubloons.  The Moor said:\n\"I'll be glad to give her to you for that price, on one\ncondition: you must tell her that I have loaned her to you for\ntwo months, because if she guessed that I had sold her, she would\nbe so sad that she would fall into despair.\"\nPlaerdemavida was placed in her hands and she came to love the\nprincess very much.  It happened a short time later that the city\nwas attacked, and the Moors took many Christians prisoner.  Among\nthe men they captured was a soldier who had been an oarsman on\nTirant's galley when it was lost.  Plaerdemavida recognized him,\nand she said:\n\"Aren't you one of the Christians who were on Tirant's galley\nwhen it went down at sea?\"\n\"My lady,\" said the man \"it's true: I was there, and I nearly\ndrowned.  I reached the shore half dead, and afterward I was\nbeaten, and bought and sold.  I went through great trials in\nthose days.\"\n\"What can you tell me about Tirant?\" said Plaerdemavida.  \"Where\ndid he die?\"\n\"By the Virgin Mary!\" said the prisoner.  \"He is very much alive.\nHe's right here.  He's the commander, and he's using all his\nmight to conquer this land.\"\nHe also told her that Lord Agramunt was wounded, and then she\nasked him:\n\"What became of Plaerdemavida?\"\n\"That maiden you're asking about,\" said the prisoner, \"it's\nbelieved that she died in the sea, and our captain has grieved\ndeeply over her.\"\nWhen she heard the news she ordered all the prisoners to flee.\nHearing that Tirant was alive and so near, she also wanted very\nmuch to escape, but considering how Tirant had conquered so much\nof the Barbary Coast, and thinking of the victories that were\ntold about the Christian captain, she was very happy.  For she\nhad known nothing about him and believed that he had drowned in\nthe sea.  She fell to her knees, raised her clasped hands to\nheaven and gave thanks and praise to God Our Lord for the great\nsuccess He had given to Tirant and to the new Christianity, for\nhe was making war on the enemies of Jesus Christ so bravely.  She\nbecame very hopeful that soon she would be out of captivity, and\nall the suffering she had gone through up to then seemed to be\nnothing to her: the thought that she would see Tirant consoled\nher that much.\nOn the day her mistress had to go and talk to the captains, she\ndisguised herself so well that no one would recognize her.  When\nthe lady was before the captain, she was accompanied by fifty\nmaidens, but Tirant would not listen to her and he sent her to\nhis cousin, Lord Agramunt.  And if he had replied badly to the\nambassadors, he gave an even worse reply to the lady.  Hopeless,\nthey went back, crying and lamenting loudly.  All that night, men\nas well as women did not cease their wailing and sighing.\nIn the morning Plaerdemavida told her mistress and the honorable\nmen of the city that if they would give her liberty to go out,\nshe would talk to the captain, and would tell him such things\nthat he would do anything she wished.  They agreed that she\nshould go, because they had lost all hope and had only that one\nday left.  That day Plaerdemavida dressed as a Moor, and painted\nher eyes so that she would not be recognized.  She took thirty\nwell dressed maidens with her.  At noon they left the city and\nwent to the camp, and there they saw Tirant at the door of his\ntent.  When he saw them coming he sent word that they should go\nto Lord Agramunt, and that he could do nothing since he had\nturned all his power over to him.   Plaerdemavida answered:\n\"Tell the captain that he should not refuse to see us, and even\nless to speak to us, because if that captain did such a thing he\nwould be cruel and unjust.  Since he is a knight and we are\nmaidens, in accordance with the order of chivalry he must aid us,\nand give us his advice and his support.\"\nThe chamberlain immediately took the reply back to the captain:\n\"Upon my word, my lord, there is a maiden with those Moors who is\nvery gracious.  She speaks the Christian tongue most beautifully.\nAnd if your grace would like to do me a very great favor for the\nservices I have performed for you, when we take the city I beg\nyou to make her a Christian and to give her to me for a wife.\"\n\"Have them all come here,\" said the captain.\nWhen they stood before him, they made a deep bow to him.\nPlaerdemavida, smiling, said:\n\"My captain, your generous heart cannot fail to act according to\nits custom.  Your nobility is full of mercy, and you must forget\nthe great crime of the ignorant inhabitants of this city, who\nwill fold their hands and kneel down and kiss your feet, begging\nyou for mercy.  Look, virtuous captain, I speak with the spirit\nof prophecy.  Do you remember that fortunate day when you were\ngiven the honor of chivalry in that prosperous court of the King\nof England?  And the singular battles you fought at that time and\nwon with great honor, with no trickery?  What should I say of\nPhilippe, son of the King of France?  In your great wisdom you\nmade him King of Sicily, and now he possesses the daughter, the\nkingdom, and the crown.  And when that blessed lord, who is of\ngreater excellence than anyone in the world, the Emperor of\nConstantinople, heard of your fame, he had you come to the city\nof Constantinople.  His high Majesty made you his captain, and\nyou showed the Turkish enemies your strength and power,\nconquering them time and time again.  I am a Moor who speaks by\nprophecy, and my heart cries tears of blood for those worthy\nknights, because now they are as good as dead.  Cry, miserable\npeople and lament the fact that Tirant lo Blanc has forgotten\nyou!  And it does not surprise me that he does not remember you,\nfor he has forgotten a lady (I won't say who she is, but I can\ncall her the greatest and best in all Christendom) in order to\nconquer this cursed land.\"\nTirant was quite astonished when he heard these words, and he\nbegged her to tell how she knew so much.\n\"Oh Tirant, how little mercy you are showing.  Go on pursuing\nthose fleeing kings so that you can have all of Barbary in your\nlap, and let us live in blessed peace.  Aren't you that prince of\nthe line of Roca Salada who went into battle that pleasant night\nin the castle of Malvei with that most serene princess, the\nbeautiful Carmesina?  And if my heart hasn't gone mad or I\nhaven't lost all my senses, it seems to me that I heard tell that\nHer Highness let you into her chambers at a very late hour.  She\nput her father's crown--that of the Greek Empire--on your head,\nand accepted you as her universal lord, with the help of a sad\nmaiden named Plaerdemavida.  You have given so little thought to\neither of them, it's as if you'd never known them.  Her Highness,\nwith you forgetting about her, is more dead than alive in the\nMonastery of Santa Clara, always calling out the name of Tirant\nin whom she has placed all her hope.  Oh, Tirant!  How you have\nshed all kindness.  You know full well that the Turks have\noverrun all of Greece, that all they have left to do is take the\ncity of Constantinople and seize the emperor, his wife and the\ngrieving princess.\"\nWhen Tirant heard the maiden say these things, he heaved a sigh\nfrom the depths of his heart as he remembered the lady he loved\nmore than anyone in the world.  He was so stricken that he fell\nto the ground, senseless.  When everyone saw their captain lying\nthere, his eyes filled with tears, they thought he had delivered\nup his spirit to God and his body to the ground.\nThe doctors came and said:\n\"Our captain must be very ill.  He looks as though he is near\ndeath.\"\nKing Escariano quickly had the maiden seized and her hands\ntightly bound.  When Plaerdemavida saw herself treated so badly,\nshe angrily said:\n\"Let me go to the captain.  I nourished him from my breast before\nyou ever heard of him.  Let me use the remedies I know, because I\ncan see that these ignorant doctors don't know how to help him.\"\nThe maiden quickly sat on the ground, unfastened her robes and\nthe blouse she was wearing down past her bosom, uncovering her\nbreasts.\nShe took Tirant's body, placed it in her lap, and lay his head on\nher breasts.  When the maiden saw Tirant open his eyes and sigh\ndeeply, she was very happy, and she said:\n\"Captain, my lord, for a long time you have been fighting us\nnight and day.  I don't want your grace to suffer such terrible\nhardships when I can free you from them.  Begin with me.  I am\nright here, a defenseless maiden, and your sword is very sharp.\nNow you can use your strong hand and bathe your sword with the\nblood of someone who, after God, wants to serve only you.\"\nTirant answered as well as he could:\n\"Maiden, it seems to me that you are like the bee that carries\nhoney in its mouth and a stinger in its tail.  I have heard\nthings from you that have left me astonished.  I want very much\nto know how news about that most serene princess has reached you.\nTell me, I beg you, and you can count on this: In consideration\nof Her Majesty, I will do such things for you that you will all\nleave here highly satisfied.\"\nPlaerdemavida was very happy at the captain's reply.  While they\nwere talking, Lord Agramunt came into the tent in a rage, with a\nbare sword in his hand.  He had been misinformed by King\nEscariano about how Tirant had fallen into a faint in the\nmaiden's arms.  When he saw Tirant in her lap and without\nnoticing his captain's condition, with a fierce face and a\nterrible voice, he cried:\n\"What is this poisonous woman doing here, this devil-worshipper?\nHow can you all stand by, seeing how she's killed him, and not\nbehead her?  Since the rest of you won't do it, I will.\"\nHe grabbed her by the hair and jerked back her head.  And he put\nhis sword by her neck to take away her life.  When Tirant saw the\nsword so close to the maiden, and heard her cry, he seized the\nsword with his hands.  Lord Agramunt, feeling the sword against\nsomething hard, thought it was the maiden's neck.  So he slashed\nas hard as he could, and put a large gash in Tirant's hands.  And\naccording to the doctors Tirant was very fortunate that he was\nnot badly injured.\nWhen Tirant saw that his cousin had shown him so little honor, he\nbecame very angry.  King Escariano made Lord Agramunt leave, and\nLord Agramunt lowered his eyes and became very ashamed.  Then he\nbowed deeply to the king and to Tirant, and left the tent.  And\nhis humility and shame went a long way toward cooling Tirant's\nanger and making him feel pity instead.\nThen Tirant turned toward the maiden and asked her very kindly if\nshe had been a captive in Constantinople, and he asked who had\ntold her so many things about the princess.  She quickly got up,\nand falling to her knees, she said:\n\"What is this, captain!  Have you lost your memory entirely?\nThere is a great deal of truth in the fact that where there is no\nlove there can be no remembrance.  What!  Aren't I poor,\nmiserable Plaerdemavida who, for your lordship, endured so much\npain and misery, and finally captivity?\"\nTirant's eyes flew open with recognition at once, and he would\nnot allow her to say another word, realizing full well at this\nmoment that she was Plaerdemavida.  He knelt to the ground before\nher, and embraced her and kissed her many times over.\nAfter they had embraced for a good while, Tirant ordered a\nbeautiful platform placed at the door of the tent, covered\nentirely with brocade cloth above, and with satin on the sides\nand floor.  Plaerdemavida was seated at the top step of the\nplatform, and covered with a mantle of crimson brocade lined with\nermine--one belonging to Tirant that he had ordered put on her\nsince she had completely torn her robes.  The lady of the city\nwas made to sit on the top step, and her maidens below, on the\nsatin cloths.  In this situation it seemed that Plaerdemavida was\nindeed a queen.\nTirant had taken the head-dress off her head, and now her hair\nhung loose over her shoulders.  He paid her such great honor that\neveryone thought Tirant was going to take her as his wife.  He\nhad a proclamation read throughout the entire camp that everyone\nshould come and kiss Plaerdemavida's hand, under penalty of\ndeath.  Then he had another proclamation made that everyone in\nthe city, men and women, were pardoned, and that each of them\ncould live under any law they wished, and that no one in the camp\nshould dare harm anyone from the city.  Afterward he had many\ndishes prepared, and held a general banquet so that everyone\ncould come who wished.  And the most singular celebration ever\nheld in a camp took place there, lasting eight days.\nPlaerdemavida begged the lady of the city to be baptized, and she\nanswered that she would do it.  Then Tirant asked her if she\nwould marry Melquisedic.  Plaerdemavida also pleaded with her,\nand the others insisted so much that she consented.  And the\nwedding was held with great celebrations.\nTirant often spent his time talking to Plaerdemavida.  One day,\nwhile they were talking about the princess and the emperor,\nPlaerdemavida scolded him, and asked him why he did not forget\nabout conquering Barbary and help the emperor and his daughter.\nTirant answered that he wanted to know for certain what the\nsituation was in the empire before he moved.  He begged\nPlaerdemavida to tell him what had happened to her after she was\nswept over the side of the galley.  With tears in her eyes,\nPlaerdemavida said:\n\"I beg you, lord Tirant, don't make me talk about it.  Whenever I\nthink about it I would rather die a hundred deaths than go on\nliving.\"\nWhen Tirant heard her speaking so painfully, he said:\n\"Rejoice, valiant maiden.  I promise you, by the lady who has\nbeen the cause of your misfortune, that I will repay you.  I will\nmix your blood with that of Roca Salada, and you will be reckoned\namong the women of Brittany, among whom you are certain to have\nthe title of queen.\"\nThere was a long argument between Tirant and this maiden about\nthe marriage he had decided upon, which was between her and Lord\nAgramunt.  He gave her many different reasons, citing very holy\nauthorities, so that Plaerdemavida finally submitted to Tirant's\nwill, and replied in a few words:\n\"Your servant is here, Lord Tirant.  Do with me according to your\nwill.\"\nTirant took a beautiful chain from his neck and placed it around\nPlaerdemavida's neck as a sign of her future marriage.  He had\nbrocade brought, and dressed her like a queen.  Then Tirant sent\nfor Lord Agramunt, and he begged him at length not to refuse what\nhe would tell him, since he had already made a promise.  Lord\nAgramunt answered him:\n\"Lord Tirant, I am astonished that you would plead with me about\nanything.  Just by commanding me you are doing me a great favor.\"\nTirant said:\n\"Cousin, I have decided to make you King of Fez and Bogia, and to\ngive Plaerdemavida to you as your wife.  You know how indebted\nall of us are to her for the work she has done for us.  She is a\nmaiden of great discretion who has lead a virtuous life, and it\nwill be very good for both of you.\"\nLord Agramunt answered:\n\"Cousin and lord, I had no thought of taking a wife, but it is\ntoo much grace and honor for your lordship to entreat me to do a\nthing that I should beg you for.  I kiss your hand and your\nfeet.\"\nTirant would not allow it.  Instead he took him by the arm,\nlifted him up, and kissed him on the mouth.  Afterward he thanked\nhim, both for the kingdoms and for the new wife.\nTirant felt more satisfied at having arranged this marriage than\nby all of his conquests in Barbary.  He quickly had Lady\nMontagata's palace decorated with beautiful gold and silk cloth,\nand he had all the musicians from that area come, with every kind\nof instrument that could be found.  Then he had many dainties and\nspecial wines brought to insure the success of the celebration.\nPlaerdemavida was very richly dressed, and her presence and\nappearance showed that she was a queen.  She was taken to the\ngreat hall where King Escariano and Tirant were, with many other\nbarons and knights, along with the wife of King Escariano and\nmany other ladies of rank.  After the wedding vows were exchanged\nthere was a great celebration with dances of different types and\nvery singular foods.\nWhile the celebrations lasted, Tirant had the table prepared for\neveryone who wished to eat, and for a week there was a great\nabundance of everything.\n CHAPTER XII\nCONQUEST\n When the celebrations were over Tirant had a large ship armed,\nand he had it loaded with wheat to send to Constantinople to help\nthe emperor.\nHe had Melquisedic, Lord of Montagata, brought to him, and he\ntold him to go on that ship as a messenger to the emperor.  He\ntold him to become well informed about the emperor's condition,\nand how the empire was, and about the princess.  He gave him\ninstructions and letters of credence, and he had him embark, well\noutfitted and better escorted.\nThen Tirant ordered his men to break camp, and to get all the\ncavalry and foot soldiers ready.  They filled the carts with food\nand all the supplies and weaponry necessary to fight the cities,\nvillas, and castles.\nThey went toward the city of Caramen, at the edge of Barbary and\nbordering on the black Kingdom of Borno.  Because three kings who\nfled from the battle scene had taken refuge in that city, while\nthe others had gone back to their own lands.  So the great\nnumbers of cavalry and foot soldiers went through the land,\nconquering castles, villas and cities.  Some were taken by force,\nand others surrendered willingly.  Many became Christian, while\nothers remained in their sect, and they were not harmed or\nwronged in any way.  Finally they reached the city where the\nkings had taken shelter.  There, Tirant's forces set up their\ntents and encircled the city at a distance of about two crossbow\nshots.\nTirant held council with King Escariano, Lord Agramunt, the\nMarquis of Luzana, the Viscount of Branches, and many other\nbarons and knights in the camp.  They chose a Spaniard from the\ntown of Oriola to be their envoy.  His name was Lord Rocafort,\nand he had been a captive on a Moorish galley until Tirant had\nfreed him.  They told him to observe how many men might be in the\ncity, and what condition they were in, and they give him detailed\ninstructions about everything he should do and say.\nAfter receiving assurances of safe-conduct, the envoy went to the\ncastle where the kings were.  These were the King of Fez, King\nMenador of Persia, and the King of Tremicen.  This last king was\nnephew to the other King of Tremicen, and had been chosen king\nwhen his uncle had been killed by King Escariano.  The other\nkings had died in the battles they had been waging.\nThe envoy stood before the kings who had gathered to listen to\nhis embassy, and without greeting them or showing them any\nreverence, he said:\n\"I have come to you who were powerful kings on behalf of the most\nChristian King Escariano and the magnanimous captain, Tirant lo\nBlanc, to notify you of the will of their lordships.  They say\nthat you and your forces must leave the city of Caramen and all\nof Barbary within three days.\"\nKing Menador of Persia gave the reply for the other kings:\n\"You can tell that traitor and renegade, King Escariano,\nMohammed's enemy and ours, and his friend Tirant lo Blanc, that\nwe won't leave the city, much less Barbary, for them.  And so\nthat they'll know how great our power is, let them be ready for\nbattle tomorrow because we'll come out of the city and give them\nterrible destruction.\"\nAs soon as King Menador had finished, Tirant's ambassador turned\nhis back and left without another word, and he went back to his\ncamp.  When he was with King Escariano and Tirant, he told them\nall about King Menador of Persia's reply.  Tirant immediately\ncalled together all the barons, knights and captains of both\ncavalry and foot soldiers.  When they were together, he told them\nto get ready because the Moors were going to do battle with them.\nThe following morning the Moors put their forces together in a\nbeautiful plain outside the city, and they began to move toward\nTirant's camp.  The Christians' spy saw the Moors coming, and ran\nto warn Tirant.  Tirant had all his cavalry ready and his foot\nsoldiers in order, and they went toward the Moors.\nWhen the battalions drew near each other, the trumpets and pipes\nbegan to sound, and the screams and shouts of both armies were so\ngreat that it seemed like heaven and earth would come together.\nTirant ordered his first battalion to attack, and the good\ncaptain Lord Rocafort went into battle so fiercely that it was a\nwonder to behold.\nThe King of Tremicen, who was captain of the first battalion of\nMoors also attacked so powerfully that the best knight in the\nworld could have done no better, and they fought so fiercely\nagainst the Christians that the Christians were beaten back.\nThen the second squadron of Moors attacked very savagely, and one\ncould see lances breaking, and knights and horses falling, and\nmany men lying dead on the ground, both Christians and Moors.\nTirant saw that the battle was going badly, and that his men were\nbeing beaten.  So he had four squadrons attack together, his\nbeing the only one that held back.  They attacked so powerfully\nthat in a few hours, before the enemy realized what had happened,\nthey had killed a great number of Moors.\nKing Escariano came face to face with the King of Fez, and their\nhorses clashed so mightily that they broke their lances.  They\nboth fell to the ground, and got up, fighting with their swords,\nlike lions.  When the two sides saw their king on the ground,\nthey rushed in to help them, and in the harsh battle that\nfollowed, many men died.\nThen Tirant attacked too, with his men, and you would have had to\nsee the great tumult and the terrible cries of the Moors who were\nnot able to resist the Christians.  King Menador of Persia, who\nhad gone into battle like a raging dog, came against Tirant, and\nhit his head with his sword so hard that he nearly knocked Tirant\nfrom his horse.\nTirant then raised his sword and brought it down so hard that he\ncut the king's arm completely off at the shoulder, and the king\nsoon fell to the ground, dead.\nDuring the battle it happened that Tirant came upon the King of\nTremicen, and gave him such a blow to the head with his sword,\nthat he knocked the king to the ground. And if it had not been\nfor the king's good helmet, he would have been dead.  Tirant went\non ahead, and the Moors picked up their king and lay him over a\nhorse, taking him quickly back to the city.\nWhen the battle had gone on for a long while, the Moors could not\nstand up against the Christians, and they had to turn and flee.\nWhen Tirant saw the Moors running away, he cried:\n\"The time has come, good knights, the day is ours!  Kill them\nall!\"\nThey rushed after the Moors who were trying to take refuge inside\nthe city.  But with all their efforts, the Moors could not avoid\nthe deaths of more than forty thousand of their men that day.\nWith the battle won, Tirant immediately had a galley armed in the\nport of One, and he entrusted a knight named Espercius as its\ncaptain.  This man was a native of Tremicen, and a good\nChristian.  Tirant charged him to go to Genoa, Venice, Pisa and\nMajorca (which at this time was a great trading center), and to\nenlist as many ships, galleys, caravels, and all kinds of\nvessels, as could carry many men.  He was to promise them a\nyear's wages, and take them to the port of Constantine in the\nkingdom of Tunis.  When Espercius was informed about everything\nhe was to do, he embarked on his journey.\n When Ambassador Melquisedic left Barbary he had such favorable\nweather that he reached Constantinople in a few days.  When the\nemperor was informed that a ship was in port, he immediately\nsent a knight to find out what ship it was, and what its purpose\nwas in coming.  The knight went to the port, boarded the ship and\nspoke with the ambassador.  Then he returned to the palace and\ntold the emperor that the ship had come from Barbary, that Tirant\nhad sent it, stocked with wheat, to His Majesty, and that a\nknight was on it whom Tirant had sent as his ambassador.\nWhen the emperor heard this news he felt very relieved because of\nthe straits they were in, and he gave thanks and praise to God,\nOur Lord, that he had not been forgotten.  The emperor\nimmediately commanded all the knights of the city to go and\nescort the ambassador that Tirant had sent, and they all went to\nthe port, and had them disembark.\nThe ambassador, accompanied by the people with him, came out,\nvery finely dressed.  When they were on land, they were received\nby the emperor's knights, who paid the ambassador high honors\nbecause of their great desire for Tirant to come.  They took him\nto the emperor and the empress who were in the emperor's chamber.\nThe ambassador bowed to the emperor, and kissed his foot and\nhand, and also the empress's hand.\nThey received them, smiling, and showing great pleasure at their\narrival.\nThe ambassador explained his mission to the emperor and his\ncouncil, and they were all astonished and comforted by Tirant's\ngreat prosperity in conquering Barbary.  Then the ambassador\nasked permission to go see the princess.  Hippolytus escorted him\nto the convent where she was staying, and he presented her with a\nletter from Tirant.  She felt very comforted by his words,\nconvinced that he would be coming to her soon.  Then she asked\nthe ambassador what news he had of Plaerdemavida: if she was dead\nor alive.  He told about her adventure in detail, and how she had\nmarried Lord Agramunt, and how Tirant had promised to make her a\nqueen.  Then he took his leave of the princess and went to the\nlodging.\nA few days later the emperor had a letter composed to Tirant,\nexplaining in detail the situation his empire was in: that the\nempire had been overrun by the Turks, and now all that remained\nwas the city of Constantinople, the city of Pera, and a few\ncastles.  He had the ambassador come before him, and gave him the\nletter.  Then he begged him earnestly to press Tirant to remember\nhim and to have compassion on his old age, and on all the people\nwho were in danger of renouncing the faith of Jesus Christ, and\non the women and maidens who lived in fear of being dishonored\nunless they had divine aid and his aid as well.  The ambassador\ntook his leave, kissing his feet and hand, and likewise the\nempress's.\nAfterward the ambassador went to the convent where the princess\nwas, and he told her that he had come to see Her Highness in case\nshe wished to command anything of him.  The princess told him she\nwas very pleased that he would be returning so soon, for she\ntrusted his goodness and gentility that he would do everything\npossible to make Tirant come quickly to free them from the great\ndanger they were in.  And she earnestly begged him to do this.\nThen she gave him a letter she was sending to Tirant.\nWhen their talk was over, the ambassador kissed the princess's\nhand, and took his leave of her.  As the ambassador had carried\nout all the things Tirant had entrusted to him, he boarded the\nship, and had the sails raised so they could be on their way.  In\na few days he reached the city where Tirant was, who received him\nvery happily.  Bowing, he gave him the emperor's letter.\nWhen Tirant had read the emperor's letter, he felt great\ncompassion for him.  His eyes filled with tears when he thought\nof his anguish, and he remembered the Duke of Macedonia and his\nother relatives and friends who were being held captive in the\nhands of the infidels because of him, and that they had no hope\nof escaping without him.  He also thought about all he had\nconquered in the Empire of Greece while he had been there, and\nthat it and much more had been lost in such a brief span of time.\nHe asked the ambassador about all that he had seen, and he told\nhim everything.  He also asked him about the princess and how she\nwas.  He answered that he had found her in the convent of Santa\nClara (for with his absence she had given herself over to the\nservice of God) and about how she also wore a veil over her face\nand led a very holy life, and how she had received him very\nhappily.\n\"She asked me how you were and what had happened to you, and she\nbegged me at length to plead with you not to forget her,\nespecially now that they were in danger of becoming prisoners of\nthe Moors.  And that if she had ever angered your lordship, she\nbegged you not to make her grieve for it.  That, as you were\nmerciful toward your enemies, you would treat her, who was your\nown, as well.  That you should think of her as your own flesh,\nand not forget her.\"\nAnd he told him many other things that the book does not relate.\nThe ambassador gave him the princess's letter, and it said the\nfollowing:\n\"After I read your letter, I was filled with infinite joy, and\ngreat happiness softened my sad heart.  The greatest peace, calm\nand joy I have felt after I lost your presence is this outpouring\nof my words, as I feel myself coming back to you.  For I have\nbeen, I am and will be your secret captive.  I thank you with all\nmy heart, for I know all that you have suffered because of me.\nAnd I forgive you for the false opinions you held about me, on\nthe sole condition that the African soil find itself abandoned by\nyou so that you will return to me and my deserted people.  Let me\nbring to your memory the crown of the Empire of Greece that\nawaits you; and my virginity which you so desired, and that is\nnow in danger of being stolen by some infidel; and I, your wife,\nwho am in danger of being taken captive.  I don't know what to\nsay, I don't know what to show you!  Until now my thoughts have\nbeen able to hold these deceptions: gazing at, kissing, adoring\nsome jewels and things that were yours, and finding my\nconsolation in them.  Then, going to the doors of my room,\nsaying: 'Here is where my Tirant sat, here he caught me, here he\nkissed me, here in this bed he held me naked.'  And so, rambling\nmost of the night and day, I ease my troubled mind.  Let these\nthoughts cease, then, for they avail me very little, and let\nTirant come, for he will be my true consolation, my end, the\nremedy and peace for my ills, and the redemption of the Christian\npeople.\"\nWhen Tirant had finished reading the princess's letter, he felt\ngreat agony from the pain and compassion he had for the emperor\nand for the princess, and in thinking of the Duke of Macedonia,\nhis cousin, being held prisoner, and of all his other relatives\nand friends.\nTirant then told King Escariano that they would leave and go to\nTunis.  Before they left, he gave the kingdoms of Fez and Bogia\nto Lord Agramunt.  Then all the men set out for Tunis.\nWhen the kingdom of Tunis learned that King Escariano and Captain\nTirant were coming with such a mighty force, they sent word to\nthem, begging them not to harm them.  Since their lord had died,\nthey would be happy to obey them and to do whatever they\ncommanded.  They willingly accepted, and entered the city of\nTunis very peacefully.  Tirant had them swear to accept King\nEscariano as their lord, and all the cities, villas and castles\nsurrendered to him.\nWhile Tirant was feeling very content, the news reached him that\nsix large ships had docked at the port of Constantine.  He\nimmediately sent Melquisedic, giving him many doubloons, and\nordered him to load the six ships with wheat, and send them to\nConstantinople.\nMelquisedic departed and quickly carried out Tirant's orders, and\nin a few days they were stocked, and they set sail.  Then Tirant\nhad King Escariano take possession of the kingdom of Tunis, and\nthey swore their allegiance to him as their king and lord.\nWhen all these things had been done, he felt like the happiest\nman in the world.  He begged King Escariano to go with him to\nConstantinople, with all his forces, to recover the Empire of\nGreece that the Moorish sultan and the Grand Turk had seized.\nAnd King Escariano told him that he would be very happy to carry\nout everything that he commanded.\nHe also told Lord Agramunt, King of Fez and Bogia, to go to his\nkingdoms and to enlist as many men as could go with him.  Lord\nAgramunt was very happy, and he left immediately.  Then King\nEscariano wrote letters to the entire kingdom of Tunis, to all\nthe captains and knights, telling them to be in the city of\nConstantine on a certain day with all their arms and everything\nthey needed for battle.  And in three months they were in the\ncity of Constantine.  There were forty-four thousand men on\nhorseback and one hundred thousand on foot from the kingdom of\nTremicen and from Tunis.  Then came the King of Fez and Bogia,\nLord Agramunt, with twenty thousand men on horseback and fifty\nthousand foot soldiers.\nWhile these men were coming, the galley of Knight Espercius\narrived with many ships, galleys and other vessels, from Genoa,\nSpain, Venice and Pisa, and there were even more.  When Espercius\ndisembarked from the galley, he told Tirant that he had carried\nout everything he had been charged with.  Tirant was very\nsatisfied at all this.  He quickly had the galley loaded, and he\ntold Espercius that he wanted him to go as his ambassador to the\nKing of Sicily, and he replied that he would do it gladly.\nTirant gave him instructions about what to say to the King of\nSicily, and Knight Espercius went aboard his galley and set out\nfor Sicily.\nA few days after the ambassador had left, all the ships were\ntogether in the port of Constantine, and when Tirant saw that he\nhad enough vessels, and that he would need no more, he paid for\nthe fleet for one year.  Then he immediately had thirty ships\nstocked with wheat and supplies from the Barbary Coast.  When the\nships were loaded, a day was set for all the armed men to meet.\nThose on horseback and those on foot, and all the people in the\ncity and many others came to a beautiful spot in front of the\ncity of Constantine.  Tirant had a very tall cenotaph made there\nso that all the people could be around it.  Then Tirant, King\nEscariano, the King of Fez and many other barons and knights went\nonto the cenotaph until it was completely filled.  The others\nstayed down below, and when the people were silent, Tirant spoke\nbriefly, and a friar gave a sermon.\nWhen the sermon was over, all the Moors who were not baptized\ncried out, asking for baptism.  Tirant immediately had large\nbasins filled with water, as well as conches, casks and tubs, and\nall the friars and clerics came, for Tirant had had many\nmonasteries and even more churches built in the cities he had\ntaken, and many clerics and friars had come from the Christian\nrealms.  Everyone was baptized--those who were leaving as well as\nthose who were staying behind--and in three days three hundred\nthirty-four thousand Moors--men, women and children--were\nbaptized.\nAfterward, Tirant went to talk to King Escariano, and he said to\nhim:\n\"I have been thinking, my lord and brother, that if it is to your\nliking, instead of going with us by sea you could return to your\nkingdom of Ethiopia, and enlist as many men as possible, foot\nsoldiers and cavalry, and I will go by sea with these men.  And\nwith you on one side and me on the other, we will catch the\nsultan and the Turk in the middle, and we will destroy them.\"\nKing Escariano said he would prefer to go with him, but that he\nunderstood how much aid he could give him with all his men, and\nhe was content to do so.  The book explains that this King\nEscariano was a very strong and valiant knight, and that he was\ntotally black.  For he was lord of the Negritos of Ethiopia, and\nwas called King Jamjam.  He was very powerful, owning many horses\nas well as great treasures, and he was well loved by his vassals.\nHis kingdom was so large that it extended to Barbary, and the\nkingdom of Tremicen, and on the other side to the Indies and\nAbyssinia through which the River Tigris passes.\nThen King Escariano prepared to depart with five hundred knights,\nand he and the queen took their leave of Tirant, and the King and\nQueen of Fez, and all the other barons.  Tirant accompanied him\nmore than a league, and then he returned to the city of\nConstantine to give the order for the men to ready themselves\nwith their horses and their entire army.  Here the history ceases\nto speak of Tirant, and it returns to Ambassador Espercius who\nwas going to the island of Sicily.\nAfter Ambassador Espercius left the port of Constantine, he had\nsuch favorable weather that in a few days he reached the island\nof Sicily.  He learned that the king was in the city of Messina,\nand he went there.  When he was near the port he dressed very\nwell and had all his men put on their finery.  Then he\ndisembarked and went to the king's palace.\nWhen he was before the king, he bowed, and the king honored him\nand asked the reason for his coming.  The ambassador answered:\n\"Most excellent sir, Tirant lo Blanc sends me to Your Majesty as\nhis ambassador.\"\nHe immediately gave the ambassador a very fine room, and he had\neverything he needed brought to him.  He also sent beef of an ox\nand pork and fresh bread to the galley for the men.\nOn the morning of the following day, after the king had heard\nmass, he summoned his council, and when they were seated in a\ngreat hall he told the ambassador to explain his mission.  The\nambassador said:\n\"Most excellent sir, Your Excellency is aware that Tirant lo\nBlanc was carrying on a war for the Emperor of Constantinople\nagainst the Moorish sultan and the Grand Turk.  It happened that\nthey took from the emperor all the lands Tirant had conquered,\nand so he has decided to take the mightiest force he can to\nConstantinople.  He begs Your Highness to go with him personally\nwith all your forces, to help carry out the conquest of the\nEmpire of Greece.  And since he has so much confidence in your\nlordship he will be here very soon.\"\nThe ambassador said no more.  The king quickly replied:\n\"Knight, it makes me very happy to know of the good fortune of my\nbrother Tirant, and I am very pleased to be able to help him.\"\nThe ambassador stood and thanked the king.  When they left the\nparley, the king had letters drawn up to all the barons and\nknights of Sicily, and to all the cities and royal villas, that\non a certain day they should send all their magistrates to the\ncity of Palermo, because he had decided to hold a general\nparliament there.\nOn the appointed day the king and all those who were invited were\nin Palermo, and when the parliament opened the king asked the\nentire kingdom for aid.  They were all happy to give their\nassistance, and those who could decided to go with him.  When the\nparliament was over, all who had decided to go quickly made\nready, and in a short time the king gathered four thousand\nhorses, and he had at his disposal a large fleet of ships and\nmany provisions.\nHere the book ceases to speak of the King of Sicily, who is\nputting all his ships in order, and gathering all the provisions\nand the horses and arms, and it returns to the six ships Tirant\nhad sent to Constantinople, loaded with wheat.\nAfter the six ships had left the port of Constantine they had\nsuch a favorable wind that in a few days they reached the Port of\nValona, which is in Greece.  There they received news that the\nsultan and the Turk had passed the Bosphorus with many ships and\ngalleys that they had sent for from Alexandria and Turkey, and\nthat they had laid siege to the city of Constantinople.  The\nemperor was extremely concerned, and all those in the city prayed\ncontinually to Jesus Christ to send Tirant so that they could be\nfreed from their captivity.  At the same time they felt very\nconfident because they were sure that Tirant was coming with all\nhis forces.  The princess returned to the emperor's palace to\nconsole her father, and she told him to gather courage, for Our\nLord would help them.  The emperor had made Hippolytus his\ncaptain-major, and every day he performed great acts of chivalry.\nIf it had not been for him, the sultan would have taken the city\nbefore Tirant arrived.\nWhen the captains of the six ships learned that the sultan's\nforces were about to fall on Constantinople they sent a courier\nby land to the emperor, informing him that they were there, in\nthe port of Valona, but that they did not dare go on to aid His\nMajesty out of fear of the Moorish army that was facing the city.\nHowever, they notified His Majesty that Tirant had already left\nthe city of Constantine and that he was coming with great haste\nto assist him.  In addition, they armed a brigantine and sent it\nto Tirant to warn him that the Turk and the sultan had laid siege\nto the city of Constantinople.  The brigantine left very secretly\nand steered for Sicily, and it had such favorable weather that in\na few days it reached the port of Palermo.\nAs soon as King Escariano had left Constantine, Tirant ordered\nall the horses, the food supplies and the people brought\ntogether.  The thirty ships stocked with wheat arrived, and he\nhad them filled with men.  When they were all on board, Tirant,\nthe King of Fez and Plaerdemavida went on the ship, along with\nall the knights who had been on land with Tirant.  When\neverything was ready, they sailed toward Sicily.\nWhen the brigantine that had come from the port of Valona saw\nTirant's fleet, it sailed out of the port and steered toward\nthem, asking for the captain's ship, and it was pointed out to\nthem.  When the brigantine was next to Tirant's ship they told\nhim that the six ships were in the port of Valona and that they\nhad not been able to pass by the sultan's fleet, and of the siege\nthat had been laid against the city.  This made Tirant very\nangry, and he sailed to the port of Palermo where he saw the\nships of the King of Sicily that began to celebrate with trumpets\nand bombards.  Those of Tirant answered them, and they raised\nsuch a din that it seemed as though the world was going to cave\nin.\nAs soon as Tirant's armada was in port and had laid anchor, the\nKing of Sicily came on board Tirant's ship and there they\nembraced and kissed.  The King of Sicily honored all the barons\nand knights who were on Tirant's ship, and he kissed and embraced\nthe King of Fez, and they all went on land together.  Tirant\nordered that no one on the ships was to go on land, since he\nwanted to leave the following day.  The King of Sicily had his\nqueen come to the sea, and she honored Tirant and the King of Fez\nand the queen, especially when she heard that she had been the\nservant of so virtuous a lady as the princess.  They all went to\nthe palace together, with a great multitude of ladies and\nmaidens, and other people who followed them.  When they were in\nthe palace a splendid meal was prepared for them, and they ate\ntheir fill with great pleasure from all sorts of victuals.\nWhen they left their tables, Tirant and the King of Sicily went\ninto a chamber.  The Queen of Sicily and the King of Fez, along\nwith his wife, remained in the hall with many ladies and\ngentlemen, and they began to dance and entertain themselves.\nTirant told the King of Sicily about all the misfortunes he had\nsuffered, and how afterward Our Lord had protected him and had\ngiven him a great victory, and how he had conquered all of\nBarbary.  Then he told him of the condition the emperor was in,\nand that he needed their aid immediately.  The King of Sicily\nanswered him:\n\"My brother and my lord, the horses and arms have been prepared,\nalong with most of the men.\"\nTirant answered:\n\"My brother and lord, I beg you to have a proclamation sent out\nthrough the city that everyone shall gather, as you wish to\ndepart this evening.\"\nThe King of Sicily immediately sent one of his chamberlains, and\nthe trumpeters went through the city commanding all those who\nwere to leave to gather together, and it was quickly done.\nTirant and the king went back to the hall with the queen, and\nthere they found a little diversion.  The Queen of Sicily drew\napart with the Queen of Fez, and embraced her, asking her many\nquestions about the princess, about her beauty and about the love\nbetween Tirant and the princess.  The Queen of Fez praised the\nprincess, saying she would never be able to tell of all her\nwonderful qualities.  She passed lightly over the love affair\nwith great discretion.  Then she began to flatter the queen--an\nart at which she was a master--telling her that after Her\nHighness, the princess, she was without equal in the world; that\nshe had never seen or heard of a lady with such a genteel mind or\nso much beauty as Her Majesty, and that she was very much in love\nwith her and her singular qualities; and she told her many other\nthings, all of which gave the Queen of Sicily great pleasure.\nAfter the party and celebrations had ended it was time to dine,\nand they ate with great satisfaction.  When they had left the\ntable, Tirant begged the King of Sicily to make ready quickly,\nand the king told him he would.  They took their leave of the\nQueen of Sicily and of all those who were staying with her.  The\nKing of Sicily entrusted the regency of the kingdom to a\ncousin-german of the queen, who was Duke of Messina, a good and\nvirtuous knight.  He made him viceroy, and put the queen and his\nentire household in his charge.\nWhen everything was done that was necessary, the king and Tirant\nand all their company gathered together, and the entire fleet,\nTirant's as well as that of the King of Sicily, set sail.  At the\nport of Valona the six ships loaded with wheat were waiting, and\nthey were very pleased when they saw Tirant's fleet.\nHere the book ceases talking about Tirant and continues with the\nstory of King Escariano.  As soon as King Escariano left Tirant,\nhe and his wife, the queen, rode until they came to his land--the\nKingdom of Ethiopia.  After he had rested a few days, he called\nall the barons and knights of his kingdom to the city of\nTrogodita, and he told them:\n\"It must have come to your knowledge that I was the prisoner of\nthe captain of the Christians: Tirant lo Blanc.  He is the best\nknight in the world, for he gave us our liberty and made us his\ncompanion in arms.  Furthermore, he has given me as my wife the\ndaughter of the King of Tremicen, along with that kingdom, and he\nhas also given to me the Kingdom of Tunis.  Now he must carry out\nthe conquest of the Greek Empire for the Emperor of\nConstantinople--because the sultan and the Grand Turk have taken\naway his entire empire.  So he has called on me, as his brother\nand servant, to help him with all my power.  Thus, I beg all of\nyou who are willing, to come with me to Constantinople.\"\nOne by one, they each responded that they loved him with a great\nlove, and that they would follow him and die for him, not only in\nConstantinople but to the ends of the world.\nKing Escariano thanked them all.  Then he sent messages to all\nthe cities and towns of his kingdom that all who wished to put\nthemselves at his service--both cavalry and foot soldiers,\ncitizens and foreigners--should come to the city of Trogodita.\nWhen they had all gathered there, King Escariano found that as\npart of his army he had at his command twenty thousand horsemen,\nstrong and able with weapons.  The queen also made ready, and\nthey left the city of Trogodita with their entire army.\nHere the book returns to Tirant lo Blanc's armada as they are\ngoing to Constantinople.\nWhen Tirant was at the port of Valona he sent a galley into the\nport and commanded the captains of the six ships to come out of\nthe port and follow the armada.  So they set sail and came out of\nthe port and followed the fleet.  When the armada was in the\ncanal of Romania it set its course for the port of Gigeo, which\nis the port of Troy, and there they waited for the rest of the\narmada to join them.\nTirant held counsel with the King of Sicily and the King of Fez\nand all the other barons and knights, for he knew that the\nsultan's entire armada was in the port of Constantinople, and\nthat they had more than three hundred vessels.  It was decided to\nsend a man overland who knew the Moorish language, and who would\ngo into Constantinople at night to inform the emperor that Tirant\nand his entire armada were in the port of Troy, a little more\nthan one hundred miles from Constantinople.  They did not want to\ngive him any sort of letter, so that if he were taken prisoner\nby the Moors they would not have any warning.  So they would tell\nhim everything he should say to the emperor.\nWhen the council was over Tirant called a knight from Tunis who\nhad been a Moor of the royal house.  His name was Sinegerus, and\nhe was a very ingenious and eloquent man, and a valiant knight.\nHe had been a captive in Constantinople, and knew the area well.\nTirant told him everything he was to say to the emperor and the\nprincess, and he gave him his seal so the emperor would have\nfaith in him.\nThis knight dressed himself in Moorish fashion as a lackey.  A\nbrigantine picked him up, and at night they put him ashore a\nleague from the Moorish camp that was laying siege to the city of\nConstantinople.  The knight carefully turned away from the\nencampment and set out for the city, but before he could escape\nhe fell into the hands of spies from the Moorish camp.  He spoke\nto them very discreetly in their language, and told them he was\none of them, and they let him pass.  When he reached the city,\nthe men who were guarding the gate seized him, thinking he was\nfrom the Moorish encampment.  He told them not to harm him\nbecause he was Tirant's ambassador, and that he was coming to\ntalk to the emperor.  The guards immediately took him to the\nemperor who, at that moment, was getting up from the dinner\ntable.\nWhen Sinegerus was before the emperor, he knelt and kissed his\nhand and foot, and gave him Tirant's seal.  The emperor looked at\nit and recognized Tirant's coat of arms.  Then the emperor\nembraced him, telling him he was very welcome.  Sinegerus said:\n\"Most excellent Sire, I was sent here by that great captain\nTirant lo Blanc who commends himself in grace and mercy to Your\nMajesty, for soon, with the help of God our Lord, he will free\nyou from all your enemies.  In addition, he begs you to put all\nyour cavalry in order, and have the city well guarded, for\ntomorrow morning he will attack the Moorish armada, and he fears\nthat when the Moors see their squadron lost they will mount a\npowerful attack against the city.  Tirant is coming with enough\nmight to take them and kill them all, and of this Your Majesty\nshould not have the slightest doubt.\"\n\"Friend,\" said the emperor, \"we feel very relieved by what you\nhave told us.  May our Lord grant us the grace that it will be as\nyou have said, for we have so much trust in the great virtue and\nchivalry of Tirant, that with the help of God he will fulfill our\ngood desire and his own.\"\nThe emperor immediately summoned Hippolytus, his high captain,\nand when he was before him he said:\n\"Our captain, you know that Tirant is in the port of Troy with a\ngreat squadron.  He has decided to attack the Moorish army\ntomorrow morning, and so it is very important that you quickly\ncall all the cavalry in the city and all the constables and\ncaptains of the foot soldiers, and that you have your men ready\nin case the Moors decide to attack the city.\"\nAfter the ambassador, Sinegerus, had explained his mission, he\nasked the emperor's permission to go pay reverence to the empress\nand the princess, and the emperor gave his consent.  When he had\nreceived permission he went to the empress' chambers where he\nfound her daughter with all the ladies.  The knight bowed to the\nempress and kissed her hand, and then the princess's hand.  Then,\nkneeling, he said:\n\"Ladies, my captain and lord Tirant lo Blanc sends me to kiss\nyour hands.  And he offers to come here very soon to pay his\nrespects to you.\"\nWhen the princess heard that Tirant was coming and that he was so\nclose, she became so happy that she nearly fainted.  For some\ntime she seemed delirious with happiness.  When she had\nrecovered, the empress and the princess rejoiced with the\nambassador.  They asked him about many things, especially what\nmen were coming in Tirant's company.\nThe ambassador answered that the King of Sicily was coming with\nhim with all his forces, and the King of Fez with all his forces\nand with his wife, the queen, whose name was Plaerdemavida.  And\nall the barons of the kingdoms of Tunis and Tremicen were coming.\nMany other knights who had accepted payment for their services\nwere coming from Spain, France and Italy because of the great\nfame and renown of Tirant.  And also that magnanimous King\nEscariano, the lord of Ethiopia, was coming overland.\n\"He is coming with a mighty army of men on foot and on horseback,\nand he is bringing his wife, the queen, with him.  She is very\ndesirous of seeing Your Excellency, Princess, because of the\ngreat beauty she has heard attributed to you.  For this queen is\none of the most beautiful women in the world, and possesses all\nvirtues.\"\nHe also told them how Plaerdemavida had married Lord Agramunt,\nand that she was coming so His Majesty the emperor and the ladies\nwould honor her for the wedding.  He explained to them at length\nhow Tirant had carried out the conquest of Barbary, and how he\nhad given away all that he had conquered and won, and had kept\nnothing.  And that everyone who saw him or heard of him adored\nhim.  He told them many other virtuous and praiseworthy things\nabout Tirant, which neither ink nor words would suffice to\ndescribe.\nWhen the empress and the princess heard about all Tirant's\nvirtues and singular acts, they were astonished at the great\ngrace that God, our Lord, had given him so that he was loved by\neveryone.  And they wept with happiness when they thought that he\nwould be the restorer and defender of the crown of the Empire of\nGreece.  For they were already beyond hope, and each of the women\nthought they would be made captives and dishonored by the enemies\nof the faith.  And they were very pleased when he told them about\nthe coming of the Queen of Ethiopia, especially the princess,\nbecause they had told her she was very beautiful and virtuous,\nand she wanted very much to have her friendship.  And they talked\nlate into the night.\nThe empress remained in her chamber and the princess went to her\nown.  The ambassador took her by the arm and accompanied her, and\nshe asked him why he had kissed her hand three times.  He\nanswered that it was by his lord Tirant's command, who begged her\nto please pardon him, for he would never dare come to her because\nof the great error he had committed.\nThe princess answered:\n\"Knight, tell my lord Tirant that where there is no error, there\nis no need for forgiveness.  But if he feels he has wronged me, I\nbeg him to correct it by coming here quickly, for it is the thing\nI desire most in this world.\"\nThe ambassador took his leave of the princess and went to the\nlodging that the emperor had prepared for him.  That night\nCaptain Hippolytus had a careful watch set up throughout the\ncity, and no one slept at all with their great fear of the Moors,\nand because they were looking forward to the battle Tirant would\ngive the Moorish army.\nHere the book stops talking of the emperor who is having the city\nwell guarded, and goes back to tell about Widow Repose, alias the\nDevil.\nWhen Widow Repose heard that Tirant was coming and that he was\nalready so nearby, she was stricken with such fear that she\nthought she was going to die, and she said that her heart felt\nterribly ill.  She went into her chamber, and there she lamented\nloudly, crying and striking her head and face, for at that moment\nshe felt she was dead, and she truly believed that Tirant would\ndeal a cruel sentence against her.  Since she knew that he had\nbeen informed by Plaerdemavida, she thought that if the princess\nknew of the heinous crime she had accused her of, how could she\npossibly face her?  On the other hand, she was still terribly in\nlove with Tirant, and thus she was driven mad.\nShe spent the entire night this way, fantasizing and struggling\nwithin herself, for she did not know what to do.  And it was not\nsomething she dared tell to anyone, nor could she ask for advice,\nbecause if she did they would all be her enemies.\nFinally she decided to poison herself in such a way that her\nwickedness would not be known, so that her body would not be\nburned or given to the dogs to eat.\nShe immediately took some arsenic that she had for making a\ndepilatory, and she put it in a glass of water and drank it.  She\nleft the door to her chamber open, undressed and lay down on the\nbed.  Then she began to cry loudly, saying that she was dying.\nThe maidens who were sleeping nearby heard the loud cries and\nquickly got up and went to the Widow's chamber, and there they\nfound her screaming continuously.\nThe empress and the princess got out of bed, and there was a\ngreat uproar in the palace.  The emperor got up quickly, thinking\nthe Moors had broken into the city with their weapons, or that\nhis daughter might have unexpectedly become ill.  He fainted, and\nthe doctors were summoned.  When the empress and the princess\nheard that the emperor had fainted, they left Widow Repose and\nwent running to the emperor's chamber where they found him more\ndead than alive.  Then the princess began to wail loudly, and it\nwas terrible to see her anguish.  The doctors came quickly and\nimmediately tended to him.  As soon as he regained consciousness\nhe asked what had caused all the disturbance, and if the Moors\nhad entered the city.  They told him no, but that Widow Repose\nwas having great dizzy spells, and that she was crying terribly\nand was very close to death.  The emperor ordered the doctors to\ngo, and to do whatever they could to save her.  The doctors went\nimmediately, and at the very minute they reached her chambers,\nshe surrendered her soul to Pluto's realm.\nWhen the princess learned that Widow Repose had died, she wailed\nloudly, because of her great love for her, for she had been\nnursed by her.  She had them place her in a beautiful coffin,\nbecause she wanted her to be given a very honorable burial.  In\nthe morning the emperor and all his court, the empress and the\nprincess and all the magistrates and honorable men of the city,\nescorted the body of the Widow to the great church of Santa\nSofia, and there they held a very solemn funeral.  Then the\nemperor and all the people went back to the palace.\nHere the book leaves off speaking of Widow Repose and returns to\nTirant.  After Tirant had put the knight Sinegerus ashore so that\nhe could warn the emperor, he had his entire fleet make ready.\nHe commanded his vessels to attack the ships, and the galleys to\nattack the galleys.  At the same time he ordered all the\ncaptains, when they attacked the Moors, to create a tremendous\nnoise with trumpets, pipes and horns, and the others with\nbombards and terrible cries to frighten them to death.\nWhen everything was ready he gave the order to set sail.  All the\nships very quietly left the port of Troy at daybreak and sailed\nall day and the following night.  Our Lord favored them so much\nthat the entire day was foggy and misty and neither the Moors nor\nthe people in the city could see them.  They came upon the\nMoorish fleet two hours before daybreak while the Moorish armada\nwas completely unsuspecting.  Then they attacked the Moorish\nfleet mightily, with a great explosion of trumpets, pipes and\nhorns and loud cries, and many bombards that they shot\nsimultaneously.  And the noise they made was so loud that it\nseemed as though the earth and the sky would cave in.  They built\ngreat bonfires on each ship that lit up the heavens.  When the\nMoors heard such a loud noise and saw the light and the ships\nbearing down on them, they were so frightened that they did not\nknow what they were doing, for they had been caught sleeping and\nunarmed.  All the ships were taken with little difficulty since\nthey were so alarmed that they gave no resistance.  And there was\nsuch a slaughter that it was a sight to see, for they beheaded\nevery man they found on the ships and spared no one.\nThose who threw themselves into the sea and swam ashore carried\nthe bad news to the sultan and the Turk.  When the Moors in the\ncamp learned that all the ships had been seized and all the men\nwere dead, and they had heard the noise and seen the fires, they\ndid not know who had done it and they were frightened.  They all\narmed and mounted their horses and prepared for battle, because\nthey were afraid they would be tricked as the ships were.  They\nwent down to the water's edge so that no one would come ashore.\nWhen Tirant saw that all the Moorish ships had been taken, he was\nthe happiest man in the world, and he knelt down, and with great\ndevotion he said:\n\"Great Lord, full of infinite mercy and grace, I give thanks to\nYour immense goodness for all the help You have given me.\nWithout losing one of my soldiers You have let me take three\nhundred ships.\"\nThis victory was won so quickly that when they had finished\ntaking the ships it had barely turned daylight.  When those on\nthe city wall heard the loud noise of the bombards and the\ntrumpets and shouting near the port, and saw so many lights, they\nwere astonished, for it seemed that all the might in the world\nwas there.  They realized that it was Tirant's armada that had\nattacked the Moorish fleet, and they were surprised that at that\nmoment the Moorish camp had not attacked the city.  And everyone\nin the city became excited when they realized that Tirant was\nattacking the Moorish ships.\nThe emperor heard the noise, got up quickly and mounted his\nhorse, along with the few who were in the palace at that time.\nHe went through the streets asking all the people to be ready to\ndefend the city if necessary.  The Moors were so upset by the\nlost ships and afraid of a landing that they paid little\nattention to the city.  They were trapped and could not turn\nback, and they thought they would all be dead or taken captive.\nThey carefully watched the shoreline so that no one from\nTirant's armada could come ashore.\nWhen the day was bright and clear, Tirant had his men board all\nthe ships that he had taken from the Moors, then they raised\ntheir sails and the entire armada left the port of Constantinople\nand made for the Black Sea along the Bosphorus.  Tirant thought\nthat if he cut off their way by land he could do whatever he\nwanted with them.  So he pretended to be leaving with the booty,\ntaking all the Moorish ships.\nThat day Tirant sailed toward the Black Sea until, in the\nevening, the Moors lost sight of the ships.  Tirant did this so\nthat the Moors would think he was leaving and would not try to\nstop them when they went ashore.  When the night was dark, Tirant\nhad his entire squadron turn back toward land.  He touched land\nfour leagues from the Moorish camp, and the men disembarked with\nall the horses and artillery they needed, and enough food for\ntheir encampment.  The Moors were completely unaware that they\nwere there and they left their ships well supplied.\nWhen all the men were ready and on horseback, they took several\nmules and went at least half a league from their ships along the\nbasin of a river, until they reached a large stone bridge.  Here\nTirant had all the men set up camp at the head of the bridge next\nto the river.  They had the river between them and the enemy so\nthat the Moors would not fall upon them during the night.  Tirant\nhad his tent set up on the bridge so that no one could go past,\nand he had many bombards installed on the bridge so that if the\nenemy came they would be well met.  He also sent his spies toward\nthe Moors' camp so that he would be forewarned if anyone came.\nAs soon as they were settled, Tirant took a foot soldier and\ndressed him like a Moor to deliver a letter to the emperor in\nConstantinople.  The letter told about his victories over the\nships of the Moorish sultan and the Grand Turk.  It said they had\ncaptured three hundred ships filled with food, and that he wanted\nto send the food to the emperor.  And finally it asked the\nemperor how much food the city had.\nWhen Tirant had finished the letter he gave it to the man he had\nchosen to go to Constantinople.  His name was Carillo, and he was\nGreek, a native of Constantinople, so he knew very well how to\nget there.  By night he took back roads to the city so that the\nMoors in the camp did not see him.  When he was at the gate the\nguards seized him and took him to the emperor.  He bowed, and\nkissed his hand and foot, and gave him Tirant's letter.  The\nemperor was very happy to get it, and he read it immediately, and\nthen praised God for His mercy.  He called the empress and his\ndaughter, the princess, and showed them Tirant's letter, and they\nwere very pleased that Tirant had captured the Moors' ships.\nThe emperor summoned his captain, Hippolytus, and showed him\nTirant's letter.  Hippolytus immediately left the emperor and\nwith other men a search was made, and they found that they still\nhad provisions for three months.  Hippolytus returned to the\nemperor and told him:\n\"Sire, we have enough supplies in the city to last three months,\nor even four, if necessary.  So, my lord, before we use up these\nsupplies, Tirant will have lifted the siege of the city.\"\nThe emperor called his secretary, and had him write a letter to\nTirant, explaining in detail what he had decided.  Then he called\nSinegerus, and said:\n\"Knight, I want you to take this letter to Tirant, and also to\ntell him everything you have seen.\"\nHe replied that he would.  When the ambassador Sinegerus had\ntaken the emperor's letter, he kissed his hand and foot and took\nhis leave.  Then he went to say goodbye to the empress and the\nprincess, and he found her in her chamber.  She begged him to\ntell Tirant about her, and she hoped he would think of her.  She\nwanted him to think of how many hardships they had suffered since\nshe had seen him.  In any case, she wanted to see him as soon as\npossible, and if she couldn't, she was sure she would die.  The\nknight answered that he would do everything she commanded, and he\nkissed her hand.  The princess embraced him, and he bowed and\nleft the palace.  He dressed as a Moor and took Carillo, who had\nbrought the letter to the emperor, as his companion.  They left\nthe city at twelve o'clock midnight, and took the same roads by\nwhich Carillo had come secretly, and no one in the Moorish camp\nsaw them.  At dawn they reached the bridge where Tirant had his\ncamp.  When the guards recognized them they let them pass, and\nthey went directly to Tirant's tent and found him already up.\nTirant was very happy to see them, and he asked Sinegerus for\nnews about the emperor and the empress, and his heart, the\nprincess.  He told him about everything he had seen, and what the\nemperor told him.  He also told him what the princess had said.\nWhen the sultan and the Turk discovered that Tirant had\ndisembarked and that he had set up camp on the stone bridge, they\nwere sure they were lost, for they saw that they could not escape\nby sea or by land without falling into Tirant's hands.  At the\nsame time, if they stayed there long they would die of hunger,\nbecause they did not even have enough food to last two months\nsince their ships had not been able to unload their cargo.  When\nthey saw the fate that was to befall them, like bold knights and\nwithout showing the least faintness of heart they held council to\nsee what could be done.\nIn this council there were terrible arguments.  Some advised them\nto attack the city: if they could take it they could hold fast\nthere until they received aid, for they could not imagine that\nthe city would not be well supplied.  Others said they should set\nup battle stations in front of Tirant's camp, because he was such\na valiant knight that he would be certain to do battle.  And they\nhad so many excellent cavalry that they could not help but defeat\nthem.  And even if they did not, it was better to die as knights\nthan to let themselves be trapped like sheep.  And if fortune\nsmiled on them and allowed them to be the victors in battle they\ncould go past safely and stay there until they had taken the\ncity.\nOthers were of the opinion that it would be better to send an\nembassy to Tirant so he would grant them a truce and let them go\npast.  They would all go to their land and leave the Empire of\nGreece behind, and they would also give back all the fortresses\nthey had taken, and all the prisoners and captives.  At the end\nof the council they decided to send an embassy to Tirant, and if\nhe would not let them go by, then they could take other measures:\nFirst they could attack the city, and if they could not take it\nthen their last recourse would be to die like knights with their\nswords in their hands.\nSo the council ended, and they chose as their ambassadors the son\nof the Grand Caramany and the Prince of Scythia, who were very\nknowledgeable about war.  They told them to estimate how many men\nTirant had and how many were ready and armed, and they gave them\ninstructions about everything they were to say and do.\nWith the ambassadors went two hundred unarmed men on horses.\nBefore they left they sent a messenger to Tirant's camp to ask\nfor safe passage, and it was granted to them.  The ambassadors\nthen set out on the road to the camp.\nMeanwhile, Tirant called the Marquis of Lizana, his admiral, and\ntold him to pay what was due to the hired ships.  And he was to\ndivide their provisions into three parts, taking some to the\ncastle of Sinopoli, and others to the castle of Pera, and the\nlast to the city of Pera, along with five hundred soldiers.  Then\nthe ships could return to their home ports.  He also commanded\nhim to arm the ships that had been taken from the Moors and his\nremaining ships, and to supply them well, and that were to go to\nthe city of Constantinople.\n\"And after they have unloaded their cargo, let them appear\nconstantly in view of the Moors' encampment and bombarded them\nand cause them as much harm as they can.\"\nThe admiral did this, and also ordered two well armed galleys to\nremain in the river, near Tirant's camp, in case he needed to\nsend them somewhere.  Then Tirant went to the tent of the Queen\nof Fez, and told her:\n\"My sister, I beg you to go with these ships to Constantinople,\nso that you can console the lady who holds my soul captive.  I am\nafraid that during this time, while I'm not able to go to her,\nsome harm may befall her, and that would be worse than death for\nme.\"\nThe gracious queen would not allow Tirant to speak.  Instead,\nwith a kindly face and soft voice, she said:\n\"My brother, to me your requests are commands.  I am deeply in\nyour debt because of the great benefits and honors I've received\nfrom you.\"\nThen Tirant embraced her and kissed her on the cheek, and said to\nher:\n\"My sister, I cannot thank you enough for the great love I see in\nyou.\"\nThe queen tried to kiss his hands, and Tirant would not allow it.\nLater, the morning of the following day, the queen went to depart\nwith all her maidens; and the King of Sicily, along with Tirant\nand five hundred armed men, accompanied her to the sea.  When the\nqueen had boarded a ship they took their leave of her and\nreturned to camp.  The admiral had all the ships set sail, and\nthey started on their way to Constantinople.\nThen the Moorish ambassadors reached Tirant's camp, and were\nastonished at all the horses and men there.  In Tirant's tent the\nson of the Grand Caramany explained his mission:\n\"You know, great captain, how many people are lost in battles of\nthis sort.  And many more would be lost in this one where graves\nare prepared for so many soldiers.  So, to avoid all that\ninhumanity we, ambassadors of our lord the sultan, and the Grand\nTurk, have come to learn what your lordship's intention is in\nthis matter.  If it please you, we would ask for a truce of three\nor more months, and if your generous person should wish it, a\nlasting peace for one hundred and one years.  They will be very\nhappy to be friends of your friends and enemies of your enemies,\nin brotherhood.  If this is done they will leave the empire of\nGreece, restoring to your dominion all cities, castles, towns and\nlands within the boundaries of Greece.  In addition, they will\nfree all Christian prisoners held in our power, and they will\ncomply with any other reasonable demand.  But if you do not wish\nto come to an agreement with them, you may be certain that they\nwill very quickly give you a terrible lesson with cruel weapons.\"\nAnd that was the end of his speech.\nTirant saw immediately that he had finally achieved the glory he\ndesired so much.  But with great discretion he did not agree at\nonce; he told them to rest, and that he would soon give them a\nreply.  So they took their leave, and Tirant's knights took them\nback to their tents with honor.\nLike a virtuous captain, Tirant sent word for his illustrious\nkings and dukes and noble chivalry to come to his tent the next\nday, for after mass he wanted to hold counsel concerning the\nembassy.  And as they all loved Tirant deeply, they quickly went\nto his tent.  After they had heard mass they each sat down\naccording to their rank, and when there was silence in the\ncouncil, Tirant said:\n\"Most illustrious and magnificent lords, your lordships are aware\nof the embassy sent by the Moorish sultan and the Grand Turk,\nasking us for a truce.  In the first place we must consider that\nthey are in bad straits.  We know that we have them in a position\nwhere they need food and other things necessary to survive.  My\nopinion is that we could not give greater service to His Majesty\nthe emperor than if we did not grant them a truce or any\nagreement at all.  Instead we should have them place themselves\nin our power with no assurances concerning their property or\ntheir lives.  And if they do not agree to this, let them do all\nthe harm they can, for we are certain we can make them perish\nfrom hunger.  Furthermore, if we want to do battle with them it\nis in our power, because we are much more powerful than they.\nHowever, I believe it would be great madness for us to battle\nthem, for they are desperate, and we could lose many of our own\nmen and put the entire country in danger.  My lords and brothers,\nmy opinion is this: we should give them no reply at all without\nconsulting His Majesty, the emperor, so that if anything of the\nsort should happen, we would not be blamed.  So I beg all your\nlordships, my brothers, to advise me about the reply that should\nbe given.\"\nAnd he finished his speech.\nIn the meantime the fleet left Tirant's camp to go to the\nillustrious city of Constantinople, and the wind and weather were\nso favorable that on that same day, two hours before Phoebus\nended his journey, they reached the city.  The noble citizens and\nthe townspeople, hearing the cries of happiness, ran to the wall\nto see the help they wanted so much.  The fleet came in, flying\nthe flags of His imperial Majesty and the valiant captain,\nTirant.  There was no less happiness inside the city, as they\nrang the bells and praised divine Providence.\nWhen the princess saw Plaerdemavida, her servant, coming so\ntriumphantly as a queen, she dismounted in order to pay her\nhonor.  The queen threw herself at her feet to honor her, but the\nlady would not allow that, and instead kissed her many times on\nthe mouth as a sign of her great love.  The night the virtuous\nQueen of Fez arrived at Constantinople the princess wanted her to\nsleep with her so they could talk at their leisure.  When they\nwere in bed the princess said:\n\"My virtuous sister and lady, my heart has been very anxious all\nthe time you were gone.  I couldn't write down all the reasons\nfor this, for I loved you more than all the ladies and maidens in\nthe world.  I found it impossible to live without you, especially\nwhen I thought that because of me you had died a frightening\ndeath at the terrible hands of the sea.  I beg you, my sister and\nlady, please tell me how I offended virtuous Tirant who so\ncruelly left the one who loved him more than her own life.  And\ndon't think that I am the way I was when you left me, because\nlove has won over me so that I am beside myself.  And I'm afraid\nthat if I don't see my Tirant soon my life will not last long.\"\nThe lady ended her pitiful words, weeping uncontrollably.  The\nvirtuous queen comforted her with tender words, and when the\nprincess had recovered, the queen said:\n\"My lady, Your Highness should rejoice at one thing: you are not\nat all to blame.  I told Tirant everything.  When he knew the\ntruth he was very confused and ashamed, and through me he asks\nYour Majesty to pardon him.  My lady, Your Highness should\nforgive him because he was deceived by someone who was deeply\ntrusted, and Your Majesty is unaware of her cruelty.  Trust me,\nmy lady, I have never failed you when you needed me.  I will soon\nhave him come here to pay you homage, for I know that he truly\nhas no other desire than to honor you and offer his services to\nYour Majesty.\"\n\"My sister,\" said the princess, \"I can see now that in the past\nwhen you were in my service, you gave me good advice and I didn't\nrealize it.  From now on I will do what you advise me.\"\nWhen the princess had finished, the queen said:\n\"My lady, if Your Highness will do this I promise to fulfill your\ndesire very quickly--even more than you wish.\"\nAnd with these words and others like them, they spent most of the\nnight.  The princess took great pleasure in the queen's words,\nfor it had been a long time since they had seen each other and\nthey had a great deal to talk about.  The queen said:\n\"My lady, let us give ourselves up to the night so that Your\nHighness will not grow tired.\"\nAnd they did.\nWhen virtuous Tirant held council with the great kings, dukes,\ncounts and barons about the reply they would give to the\nambassadors of the sultan and the Turk, the council decided\nunanimously that His Majesty the emperor should be consulted.\nTirant thought he had reached the end he so much desired to have\na justifiable reason for going and paying homage to the lady who\nheld his heart captive.\nThinking that this business was of great importance, and that it\naffected his honor more than it did the others', he decided to go\nalone, secretly, to the noble, beloved city to talk with His\nMajesty, the emperor, and to know his decision.  In that way\npeace could be brought to the Empire of Greece, and he could\nenjoy restful tranquility in the arms of his lady.\nWhen darkness of night fell, he spoke to the King of Sicily and\nthe King of Fez, and left the camp in their hands.  Then he went\non board a galley and sailed to Constantinople, which was some\ntwenty miles from Tirant's camp.  When Tirant reached the port\nand the galley was anchored, it was ten o'clock at night.  He\nordered the ship's commander not to leave.  Then he disguised\nhimself, and disembarked, and when he was at the city gates, he\ntold the guards to open them, that he was a servant of Tirant who\nhad come to speak to His Majesty, the emperor.  The guards let\nhim pass, and he went to the emperor's palace.  When he was\ninside they told him that the emperor had gone to bed.  Tirant\nwent to the Queen of Fez's chamber and found her praying.  When\nthe queen saw him she quickly recognized him and ran to embrace\nhim and kiss him, and she said:\n\"Lord Tirant, I can't tell you how happy I am that you are here,\nand now I have even more reason to thank God for hearing my\nprayers.  Come, my lord, so worthy of glory.  It is time now for\nyou to receive the payment for your honorable deeds in the arms\nof the lady who is your real happiness.  And if you don't do what\nI tell you to this time, I swear that you'll never have my help\nagain.  Instead I'll go back to my land as quickly as I can.\"\nTirant did not let the queen go on.  He said:\n\"My lady and sister, if I have disobeyed you in the past, I beg\nyou to forgive me.  I promise and swear to you, on the order of\nchivalry that I hold, that there will be nothing in the world\nthat you will command of me that I will not obey, even if I am\ncertain it will bring me death.  For I am very sure that you\nalways gave me good advice, if only I had taken advantage of it.\"\n\"Now then,\" said the queen, \"we shall see what you are able to\ndo.  You will have to go into a list in a closed field of battle,\nbecause I won't consider you a knight if I don't see you as the\nvictor in a delicious battle.  Wait here, and I will go talk to\nthe princess.  I'll ask her to come here tonight to sleep with\nme.\"\nThe queen quickly left Tirant and went to the princess's chamber,\nand found her ready to go to bed.  When the princess saw the\nqueen, she said:\n\"What has happened, sister, to bring you here in such a hurry?\"\nThe queen pretended to be very happy, and she put her head close\nto the princess's and said:\n\"My lady, please come sleep with me in my bed tonight.  I have\nmany things to tell Your Majesty.  A galley has come from\nTirant's camp, and a man came ashore and talked to me.\"\nThe princess very happily told her she would do it, because she\nhad slept with her other times, and the queen had also slept in\nher bed.  They did this when they wanted to talk freely without\nawakening the suspicion of the empress and the maidens.  The\nprincess took the queen's hand, and they went to her chamber.\nThey found it in good order and well perfumed, as the queen had\nprepared it.  The princess quickly got into bed because of her\ngreat desire to have news about Tirant, and her maidens helped\nher undress.  When the princess was in bed, they bade her a good\nnight--which they did not know was already prepared for her.\nWhen the maidens had left the bedroom the queen bolted the door\nherself and told her maidens to go to sleep because she was going\nto pray a little while, and she would go to bed later and did not\nwant anyone there.\nAll the maidens went into another chamber where they slept.  When\nthe queen had dismissed them all she went into the sitting room\nand said to Tirant:\n\"Glorious knight, strip yourself to your nightshirt, and go lie\nbeside the lady who loves you more than her own life.  Apply the\nspurs strongly and without mercy, as befits a knight.  And don't\ncome to me with any squeamishness, because I swear to you on my\nword as a queen that if you don't do it now you'll never get\nanother chance to have this much glory for the rest of your\nlife.\"\nWhen Tirant heard such beautiful words from the queen he knelt\ndown on the floor and kissed her hands and feet.  Then he said:\n\"My lady and my sister, you've bound my liberty with strong\nchains.\nWhat you are doing for me is so great that, even if I were your\ncaptive for the rest of my life, I don't believe I could repay\nwhat I owe you.\"\n\"My lord, Tirant,\" said the queen, \"don't waste time.  Take your\nclothes off right now.\"\nThe virtuous Tirant flung his clothes into the air, and in a\ntrice he was naked and barefoot.  The queen took him by the hand\nand led him to the bed where the princess was.  The queen said to\nthe princess:\n\"My lady, here is your adventurous knight whom Your Majesty loves\nso much.  Be a good companion to him, your grace, as one would\nexpect from Your Excellency.  You're not unaware of how many\ntrials and hardships he has gone through to win your love.  Make\nwise use of him, for you are the discretion of the world, and he\nis your husband.  And Your Majesty should think of nothing but\nthe present, because one never knows what the future will bring.\"\nThe princess answered:\n\"False sister, I never thought you would betray me like this.\nBut I have confidence in the virtue of my lord, Tirant, who will\nmake up for your great lack.\"\nAnd don't imagine that during this conversation Tirant was idle;\ninstead he applied himself to his labor.  The queen left them and\nwent to a bed in the chamber, to sleep.  When the queen had gone,\nthe princess turned to Tirant who was pushing forward in his\nbattle, and she said:\n\"Calm yourself, my lord, and don't try to use your bellicose\nstrength, because the strength of a delicate maiden is not so\ngreat that she can resist such a knight.  Upon your mercy, don't\ntreat me like this.  The struggle of love doesn't require great\nforce; it is not won by strength, but by ingenious flattery and\nsweet deception.  Stop your insistence, my lord; don't be cruel:\ndon't think that this is a camp or list of infidels; don't try to\nconquer someone who is already conquered by your goodness.  Let\nme have part of your manliness so that I may resist you.  Oh, my\nlord!\nHow can something which is forced give you pleasure?  Oh!  Can\nlove allow you to harm the thing that is loved?  Restrain\nyourself, my lord, upon your virtue and nobility.  Wait, poor\nthing!  The arms of love should not cut, nor should the enamored\nlance break or wound!  Have pity, have compassion on this\nsolitary maiden.  Oh, false and cruel knight!  I will cry out!\nWait, for I want to scream.  Lord Tirant, will you have no\ncompassion on me?  You are not Tirant.  Wretched me!  Is this\nwhat I desired so?  Oh, hope of my life, here is your dead\nprincess!\"\nAnd do not think that Tirant refrained from doing his work\nbecause of the pitiful words of the princess, for in a short time\nTirant was the conqueror in the delicious battle, and the\nprincess gave up her arms and swooned.  Tirant jumped out of bed,\nthinking he had killed her, and he went to call the queen so that\nshe would come and help him.  The queen got up quickly and took a\njar of water and sprinkled it on the princess's face, and rubbed\nher temples.  She recovered her senses, and giving a deep sigh,\nshe said:\n\"Even if these are the signs of love, they should not be used\nwith so much force and cruelty.  Now, lord Tirant, I must believe\nthat you did not love me with a virtuous love.  If only you had\nwaited for the day of solemnity and the ceremonial festivities to\nlawfully enter the doors of my chastity.\"\nThe queen did not wait for the princess to say any more, and with\na smiling face she said:\n\"Oh, my blessed lady!  How well you know how to act like you're\nhurt!  A knight's arms do no harm to a maiden.  May God give me a\ndeath like the one you pretend he's giving you!  May I be\nattacked by the illness you're talking about if by morning you\ndon't feel completely cured.\"\nThe princess was not entirely consoled at the loss of her\nvirginity, and since she did not want to answer the queen's\ninsane words, she kept quiet.  The two lovers spent the entire\nnight playing that happy sport that lovers play.\n CHAPTER XIII\nTHE WEDDING\n During the night Tirant told the princess about all the\nmisfortunes he had suffered because of her love.  Then he took\ngreat pleasure in telling her about his prosperity and victory,\nbut finally he told her that he felt less glory in any of it than\nhe did in conquering her illustrious person.  When she had\ngathered her strength and her sweet anger was over, she told\nTirant about the life she had led while he was gone, and how\nduring this time she had never seen anyone laugh or take joy in\nanything.  Withdrawn from all delights, alone in continual\nprayer, deep in religion because of her love, she had been able\nto survive until they brought her the happy news of his arrival.\nAnd they exchanged many other delicious words, full of loving\nsighs.\nThe queen, who was responsible for this affair, saw that daylight\nwas near, and she realized that when people in love have some\npleasure, they do not think of anything that would disturb them.\nShe got up from her bed, anxiously, and went to where the lovers\nwere.  She told them that since their night had been good she\nhoped God would give them a good morning.  They returned her good\nwishes very graciously, and she found them very happy, taking joy\nin one another.  The queen said to Tirant:\n\"Lord of the Empire of Greece: Get up, it's already day.  You\nmust leave as secretly as you can so that no one will see you.\"\nTirant would have liked that night to last a year.  Many times,\nwhile kissing the princess, he begged her to forgive him.  The\nprincess answered:\n\"My lord Tirant, love obliges me to forgive you, on the condition\nthat you come back soon, for I cannot live without you.  Now I\nknow what love is, and before I did not know.\"\nThe lady had barely uttered the last syllable of her loving words\nwhen Tirant said:\n\"Your Highness will see how short the war will become so that I,\nyour captive, can wait on you with loving service.\"\nAnd with a kiss of deepest love they parted.  The queen took him\nby the hand and led him through a back door into the orchard.\nSaying very courteous words, they each went their way.  Tirant\nwent to Hippolytus' quarters, and the queen went back to the\nprincess, and took Tirant's place in the bed.  And there they\nslept peacefully until well into the day.\nHippolytus' happiness was by no means slight when he saw his\nmaster and lord Tirant.  With the great love he had for him, he\nthrew himself at his feet, attempting to kiss them.  Tirant would\nnot allow it, and lifted him from the floor, and embraced and\nkissed him.  They greeted each other at length, for they had not\nseen each other since fate had carried off Tirant.  Tirant told\nHippolytus to go to the palace and tell the emperor that he had\ncome and wished to speak with him secretly.\nHippolytus quickly went to the emperor and told him of Tirant's\narrival.  The emperor thought Tirant must have come because of\nvery important matters, and he told Hippolytus to have him come\nimmediately.  Hippolytus went to his quarters and told Tirant\nwhat the emperor had said.  The two relatives left Hippolytus'\nlodging in disguise and went to the palace.  They found the\nemperor in his chamber as he was finishing dressing.\nWhen Tirant was before His Majesty he threw himself at his feet,\nto kiss them.  The great lord would not permit it, and instead\ntook Tirant by the hand, lifted him from the floor and kissed him\non the mouth.  Tirant kissed his hand, and the emperor took his\nhand and led him to another chamber where he made him sit at his\nside.  Tears ran down the emperor's cheeks because of his great\nhappiness, and because of all the losses he had suffered--which\nhe knew well would not have happened if Tirant had been there.\nTirant said:\n\"Most excellent Sire, the Moorish sultan and the Grand Turk have\nsent me on this mission which has many conditions that affect\nYour Majesty.\nSince it would be very presumptuous of me to give a reply without\nthe express license of Your Majesty, I entreat your grace that it\nbe examined carefully in the council and a decision be reached\nabout what is to be done, so that if it should be brought up in\nthe future, I would not be held to blame.  The Moorish sultan and\nthe Grand Turk are asking Your Majesty for a truce of three\nmonths, or for longer if Your Majesty wishes.  And if you want a\nlasting peace for one hundred one years, they will be happy to\nform an alliance with Your Majesty to be friends of your friends\nand enemies of your enemies.\"\nThe emperor answered:\n\"Our virtuous captain and son: We hold you in such high esteem\nand trust that we would have accepted whatever you decided.  But\nto please you, I will hold counsel on the matter.\"\nThe great emperor ordered the council to meet quickly so that\nTirant could return to camp.  Taking his leave of the emperor,\nTirant went to pay his respects to the empress and the princess.\nHe found them together in the princess's chamber because she was\npretending to be sick, and the empress had come to be with her.\nThe empress was very glad to see Tirant.  The princess pretended\nto greet him coldly so as not to arouse suspicions about what had\nhappened the night before.  They spoke of many things, and the\nprincess especially asked Tirant if he had any news about the\narrival of the Queen of Ethiopia.  Tirant answered:\n\"My lady, three days ago I received a letter, by messenger, from\nKing Escariano.  He asked me not to do battle with the Moors\nuntil he arrived.  And he assured me that he would be here in two\nweeks.\"\nThe princess answered:\n\"Captain, there is nothing I desire more than to see this queen.\nI hear that her beauty is greater than that of anyone in the\nworld.\"\nTirant answered:\n\"My lady, they told you the truth.  After Your Majesty I don't\nthink a more beautiful or more virtuous woman can be found\nanywhere.  She has the same desire you do: her only reason for\ncoming here is because of all the perfection she has heard about\nYour Majesty.\"\nWhile Tirant, the empress and the princess were speaking,\nStephanie, Duchess of Macedonia, came into the chamber.  With the\nabsence of her husband, she had entered religion and did not want\nto leave it until that fortunate day when she hoped all her\ntroubles would end.  She threw herself at Tirant's feet and cried\naloud, tears flowing down her cheeks.  Tirant would not allow the\nduchess to kneel.  He took her arm and raised her from the floor.\nThen he embraced her and kissed her, and said:\n\"I promise you, on my order of chivalry, that before a month has\ngone by the Duke of Macedonia and all the others will be out of\nprison and they will be here.  That is the sole reason I came.\"\nWhen the Duchess of Macedonia heard Tirant's words, she threw\nherself at his feet, wanting to kiss them.  Tirant would not\nallow it, and lifting her from the floor he kissed her again.\nThen, taking her hands, they sat down and told each other about\ntheir past difficulties.\nWhile the captain was entertaining the ladies and consoling the\nDuchess of Macedonia, the emperor called for a council meeting\nand explained the mission that the sultan and the Turk had sent\nTirant on, just as Tirant had told it to him.  When all the\ncouncil members learned the good news there were arguments and\ndisagreements among them.  Finally, after much deliberation, they\nsent for the emperor and said to him:\n\"Your Majesty, we advise you to make a lasting peace with the\nsultan and with the Turk and with all the other great lords in\ntheir company, with the stipulation that they put themselves in\nYour Excellency's power as your prisoners.  And they must not be\nreleased until they have carried out all their promises, and the\nother Moors have left, unarmed and on foot.\"\nThe emperor was very happy with this decision since it was such\ngood advice.  He went to the princess's chamber where he found\nTirant, and taking him by the hand, he had him sit by his side in\ngreat friendship, and told him what he wanted.\n\"Tirant, my captain and son, our council has come to the decision\nwe mentioned.  So, I beg you to depart as quickly as you can to\ngive reply to the embassy.\"\nTirant said he would do as he was ordered, and he took his leave\nof the emperor.  He went to the empress and the princess and bade\nthem farewell, and they begged him to do everything he could to\nliberate the Empire of Greece.  Tirant replied:\n\"My ladies, may Our Lord grant that it be done as quickly as Your\nExcellencies wish.\"\nHe took his leave of the princess, and the queen accompanied him\nto the door of his chamber to tell him that as soon as it was\ndark he should go through the orchard door and come to her room\nwhere he could talk to the princess.  Tirant said he would do as\nshe commanded.\nAfter Tirant had left the ladies he went to Hippolytus' room to\nwait for the dark of night so he could have his heart's desire.\nAlone and in disguise, when the time was right he crept softly\nthrough the familiar orchard toward the queen's chamber, and\nthere he found the princess, with the queen, waiting for him.\nThe princess greeted him with great happiness, and the three of\nthem went into the chamber.\nTirant gamboled with the princess and they passed the time in\namorous solace and delicious chatter until it was time for bed.\nThe princess got into bed first, and the queen dismissed all the\nladies and put valiant Tirant at the side of his lady, who\ntreated him with more love than she had the night before.  After\nthe queen had placed them in the list and they were in delicious\nbattle, she left to go to sleep, trusting that they would be in\nsuch agreement that the battle would never come to an end.\nTirant did not sleep the entire night, like a brave knight who\nunderstands that one who is valiant in battle must be valiant in\nbed.  As day drew near Tirant said to the princess:\n\"My lady and my life, I must go.  I promised His Majesty the\nemperor that tomorrow, at break of day, I would be in my camp.\"\nThe princess answered:\n\"My lord and my love, your departure grieves me deeply.  If it\nwere possible I would never let you out of my sight.  If I felt\npain before, now it will be a thousand times worse.  Do me the\ngrace, my lord, not to delay your return unless you want to cut\nshort my life, for I cannot live without you.\"\nWhen Tirant had her permission he got up from the bed and\ndressed, and with kisses of deep-felt love along with tears he\nleft the princess.  Going out the back gate of the orchard, he\nwent to Hippolytus' lodging.  Hippolytus got up, and quickly\nescorted Tirant to the city gates so they would be opened for\nhim.  Tirant went to the ocean and boarded the galley that left\nthe port secretly and rowed to the encampment.\nThe sun had been up scarcely an hour when the galley was in sight\nof the camp.  The entire camp knew the captain had returned, and\nthe King of Sicily and the King of Fez rode with their men to\nescort Tirant, and they took him to his triumphal tent with great\nhonor.  Tirant explained to them everything His Majesty the\nemperor had decided, and they were all very content.\nThe morning of the following day the captain asked the kings and\ngrandees to come to mass.  They all quickly went to his tent with\nmany knights.  After mass he sent word to the ambassadors of the\nsultan and the Turk to come, as he wanted to give them an answer.\nThe ambassadors were very glad to receive the news.  Dressed in\nMoorish fashion, and accompanied by many noble knights from\nTirant's camp, the great lords went with great pomp and gravity\nto the tent of the valiant captain.  Before they left their tent\nthe ambassadors put their mounts and servants in readiness so\nthat when they had the reply from Tirant they could return to\ntheir camp.\nWhen the ambassadors were in the presence of the valiant captain\nthey bowed deeply to him and Tirant paid them as much honor as he\nthought they deserved.  When they were seated before him, Tirant\ngave the following reply:\n\"Do not be astonished that the answer has been so long in coming,\nfor I wanted to consult His Majesty, the emperor, about your\nembassy.  He, with great benignity and clemency, has had\ncompassion on you.  As you well know, your life or death is in\nour hands.  So that you may know how great is the humanity and\nclemency of the emperor, he is content to spare your lives and\ngrant you mercy in this fashion: The sultan and Turk, with all\nthe kings and lords in your camp, will place themselves in the\nemperor's power as prisoners.  There you will stay until such a\ntime as you have restored all the lands you have taken from the\nempire.  At the same time you will bring to him all the prisoners\nand captives in the lands of the sultan as well as the Turk.  And\nHis Majesty the emperor is willing to let all the Moors leave who\nare in your camp, but on foot and unarmed.  And if you are not\nsatisfied with the emperor's mercy, you can all prepare to die,\nfor I promise you that not one of you will be spared.\"\nOn the morning of the following day the Moors held council\nregarding the reply they should give to Tirant, and the council\ndecided to acquiesce to everything Tirant asked for.  The\nambassadors delivered the reply to Tirant, saying that the sultan\nand the Turk, with the counsel and will of all the rest, were\ncontent to do everything his lordship had asked.\nSoon all those who were to be hostages rode in, and there were\ntwenty-two in all, all titled and of high nobility.  I will not\ngive their names here so that I will not take up too much space,\nbut I can tell you that because of their great hunger they were\nhardly slow in coming down the road.  They all presented\nthemselves to Tirant, and bowed deeply.  Tirant welcomed them,\npaying them great honor, and gave them a magnificent banquet.\nAfter the banquet, Tirant put all the prisoners on two galleys,\nand then he went on board himself to go with them.\nThe two galleys sailed away from the camp, and quickly reached\nConstantinople.  When the captain was near the port of\nConstantinople, and the people in the town heard that Tirant was\ncoming in triumph, bringing the highest lords of the Moorish\npeople as prisoners, they were the happiest people in the world.\nEveryone ran to the ocean to see the prisoners.  An immense crowd\ngathered, both men and women, shouting:\n\"Long live our blessed captain!  May God protect and prolong his\nlife, for he has freed us from so much misery!\"\nTirant refused to leave the galleys until the emperor sent\nHippolytus along with other knights.  When Hippolytus was on the\ngalley with Tirant, he told him:\n\"My lord, His Majesty, the emperor, has sent me to your lordship,\nand he begs you to come on land.\"\nTirant said he would be happy to do what he commanded.  The\ncaptain quickly had the galleys draw near to land and they\nlowered the ladders.  Then Tirant had all the prisoners disembark\nwith him.  When they were on land they met all the officials and\nmagistrates of the city who received them with great honor, and\nTirant with great reverence.  They all left the shore together\nand went to the emperor's palace, and the populace followed them.\nWhen they were in the palace square they saw the emperor up above\non the cenotaph, seated in the imperial chair, with the empress\nto his left, and the princess to the right of the emperor, but a\nlittle lower, as a sign that she would be the successor to the\nempire.  When Tirant and the prisoners were in view of the\nemperor, they all knelt to the ground; then they went up to the\ncenotaph where the emperor was.  They made another deep bow, and\nTirant moved to the front.\nWhen he stood before the emperor he threw himself at his feet to\nkiss them, but the emperor would not allow it.  Instead he took\nhim by the arm, lifted him from the ground and kissed him on the\nmouth, and Tirant kissed his hand.  The Turk and the other great\nlords did the same.  The emperor received them with great\nhumanity, and ordered them taken to the other cenotaph.\nThe tables were prepared immediately, and each was seated\naccording to his station.  The emperor wanted Tirant to eat at\nhis table, and the five of them ate there: the emperor, the\nempress, the princess and Tirant, and the Queen of Fez.  The\nemperor ordered the prisoners to be served with great honor and\nreverence, for even though they were infidels they were still men\nof great dignity and station.  And it was all done well, with a\ngreat abundance of precious foods and wines of different kinds.\nThey were astonished, and they said that the Christians were more\nexperienced than the Moors in eating.\nWhen they had eaten, Tirant asked the emperor's permission to go\nto the Moorish camp and have the Moors sent to Turkey.  The\nemperor agreed.  Tirant took his leave of the empress and the\nprincess, and he withdrew to the galleys, and sailed to the fleet\nin front of the Moorish camp.  When the admiral saw Tirant\napproaching he commanded the trumpets, pipes and horns to be\nblown, and they greeted the captain with loud cries.  The admiral\nwent on board the captain's ship and said to him:\n\"Sir, what does your lordship require?\"\nTirant answered:\n\"Have all the ships come near shore, and all the Moors will go to\nTurkey.\"\nThe admiral said he would carry out the order.  He returned to\nhis ship and gave the signal for all the ships to draw in to\nshore.  And it was done very quickly.  Tirant had a man that he\nhad brought from the sultan put ashore, and he told the Moors to\ngo aboard the ships without fear, and that they would go to\nTurkey.  The Moors, who wanted nothing else in the world because\nof their great hunger, quickly gathered and left behind their\nhorses and arms, with their tents still standing, containing all\ntheir booty.  When the ships were loaded with Moors, they carried\nthem over to their land: It was very near as they only had to\ncross the Bosphorus; then they returned for more.  You can\nimagine how many men there were, for four hundred vessels,\nincluding ships and galleys and other vessels made ten crossings.\nWhen the men of Tirant's camp learned that all the Moors were\ngone, they all ran as fast as they could to take a share of the\nbooty.  After the men on the vessels had taken the Moors across,\nthey went ashore and they still had time to take part of the\nbooty.  It could truly be said that that camp was the richest one\nthere had ever been, for they had captured and robbed the entire\nEmpire of Greece, and they had it all right there, and a lot of\ngood it did them!  And the men who found themselves with that\nbooty were rich for the rest of their lives.\nWhen the entire Moorish camp had been sacked, Tirant ordered all\nthe men back to their camp.  He kept only the King of Sicily and\nthe King of Fez with him, along with some other barons who wanted\nto pay homage to the emperor.  They left the Moors' camp and went\noverland to the illustrious city of Constantinople, while the\nships sailed into the port of the city.\nAfter the emperor had left the table and the prisoners had eaten\ntheir fill, he ordered Hippolytus to take all the prisoners to\nthe top of the palace towers which were prepared for them.\nHippolytus went to the cenotaph where the prisoners were and told\nthem to go with him.  They came down from the cenotaph and\nfollowed Hippolytus as he led them up to the towers.  Hippolytus\nput the Moorish sultan and the Grand Turk in a beautiful chamber.\nThen he told them:\n\"Sirs, His Majesty the emperor commands your lordships to rest\nhere, and to be a little patient if you are not being treated as\nbefits your worthiness.\"\nThe sultan replied:\n\"Virtuous knight, we are grateful to His Majesty the emperor for\nthe great honor he is doing us, because he is not treating or\nregarding us as prisoners, but as brothers.  We are deeply\nobligated to him for this, and when we are given our liberty and\nour power again, we shall serve him in everything he commands.\"\nAfterward Hippolytus ordered the four pages never to leave the\nchamber, and to serve them with all respect in everything they\ncommanded.  Then he ordered guards to keep watch over the tower.\nHippolytus took the rest of the prisoners and placed them in the\nother towers where they were given very nice chambers and\nservants to serve them, and they were very content.  And he gave\nthem good guards so that they would be well served and well\nguarded.\nThe emperor went to the palace with all the ladies and gave\norders that nothing on the square should be touched, because he\nhad been advised by Tirant that the King of Sicily and the King\nof Fez would be coming to pay him their respects.  He ordered\nHippolytus to arrange for good lodgings in the city, and\nHippolytus, who was virtuous and discreet, carried out everything\nthe emperor commanded him.\nA few days later the emperor was told that Tirant was coming with\nthe King of Sicily and other lords, and that they were a league\naway from the city.  The emperor had Hippolytus and all the\nofficials from the city, along with the nobles and knights who\nwere there, go out to receive them.  When they were at the\npalace, Tirant, the King of Sicily and the others dismounted.\nThe new guests were astonished at the great beauty of the ladies,\nespecially of the princess.\nAfter they had entertained the ladies, the emperor was told that\nthe dinner was ready.  Later they cleared the tables, and the\ndances began.  The square was full of people from the city who\nwere looking at such a beautiful celebration.  Others were\ndancing, and it was lovely to see such a victory celebration.  In\nthe city there were also other kinds of dances and games, for the\nemperor had ordered celebrations held for a week.\nTirant would not leave the side of the King of Sicily during all\nthese festivities.  Instead they slept and ate together\ncontinuously-- the better to cover up what had taken place\nbetween him and the princess.  The others spent the eight days\ncelebrating.  Every day Tirant told the princess of his love, and\nbegged Her Highness to arrange the marriage so that they could\nenjoy its delights without fear.\nThe princess answered:\n\"Oh, most virtuous of all men!  Don't beg me for the one thing I\nwant most in the whole world, and don't think me so ungrateful\nthat I've forgotten what your great nobility has brought us.\nPlease, my lord, do not become angry because you have to wait for\nthe culmination of our happiness, for you have already won a\nglorious victory over me.  Just think how it has been to your\nglory and that of your men that you have recovered the entire\nempire, and conquered and killed so many Moorish kings and lords.\nNow the only thing your lordship lacks is to have dominion over\nall the empire as part of your matrimony.  Since you have\nreturned to me, and you are the mainstay of my life, I promise to\nrenounce the crown in your favor, and to complete our wedding\nvows with you as emperor since my father, being advanced in\nyears, wants me to rule in his stead.\"\nTirant would not allow the lady to continue, and with a loving\nheart he said:\n\"Even if I could, I find it difficult to accept your gracious and\ngenerous offer.  May the Divine Power not permit me to commit\nsuch great folly as to take the crown of the empire during the\nemperor's lifetime.  I only ask His Majesty to keep me as a son\nand servant, and the captive of his daughter.  I want nothing\nelse in this world.\"\nWhen Tirant finished these words of love, tears sprang from his\nlady's eyes.  Throwing herself into his arms, and clinging from\nhis neck, she kissed him many times.  After a moment she said:\n\"My lord and my life, no tongue could express the perfection and\nvirtues of your noble person, and now I truly understand that you\nare unique in all the world.  May you long possess the crown of\nthe Greek Empire, and may I be able to serve you all your life.\"\nAnd they departed with many words of mutual love.\nTirant spent the night in amorous thoughts, waiting for Phoebus\nto arrive in the east, spreading its luminous rays over our\nhorizon.  At the proper time the captain went before the emperor,\nand said:\n\"Your Majesty remembers the promise given by the sultan and the\nTurk to Your Excellency, of restoring to your power all the lands\nthey occupy in the Greek Empire.  So, great lord, if Your\nMajesty will grant me permission, I will leave to take possession\nof them for Your Majesty.  If fortune favors us, Sire, Your\nExcellency will command all the land that your predecessor, the\nemperor Justine, commanded.\"\nThe emperor answered:\n\"We are well aware of the many services and honors you have done\nfor us and for the entire empire, and we are greatly indebted to\nyou.  We would therefore like to give you and your people the\nentire empire while we are still alive, and furthermore we wish\nto give you our daughter Carmesina as your wife, if you will\naccept her.  For we are at such an age that we are no longer able\nto rule, much less to defend the empire.\"\nWhen Tirant heard the emperor's kind words he threw himself at\nhis feet and kissed them with great humility and love, and he\nsaid:\n\"My lord, may heaven never permit Tirant lo Blanc, Your Majesty's\nhumble servant, to commit such an error as to allow Your Highness\nto lose the command of your empire during your lifetime; before\nthat should happen I would rather die.  But Sire, if you would do\nme the grace of giving me something that is worth much more, as\nYour Majesty has offered, I would value it more than if you gave\nme ten empires.\"\nSeeing his great gentility, the emperor took him by the arm,\nlifted him from the floor and kissed him on the mouth, and Tirant\nkissed his hand.  The emperor took Tirant's hand and led him to\nthe chambers of the princess, who was with all her ladies,\nentertaining the King of Sicily.  When the great emperor came\ninto the room everyone stood up and bowed to him.  As the emperor\nsat down he made the princess sit at his right, Tirant at his\nleft, and the King of Sicily in front of them.  The emperor then\nturned to his daughter, and said:\n\"My daughter, you're aware of the great service and high honors\nTirant here has bestowed on us.  And that he has liberated the\nentire empire from all the hardships that the Moors have\ninflicted on us.  As we realize that we do not have enough to\noffer him for all he has done for us, we have decided that we\nhave nothing dearer or of greater value or that we love more than\nyou yourself.  So we have offered you to him, and I beg and\ncommand you, my dear daughter, to take him as your husband and\nlord: that will be the way you can best serve me.\"\nThe lady answered with a gracious and modest continence:\n\"Most merciful and kind lord, it is to my glory that Your Majesty\nhas placed me in such high esteem that I am a worthy reward for\nall the services and honors which valiant Tirant has done for\nYour Majesty and for everyone in the empire.  Even though I am\nnot worthy to remove his shoe, when one thinks of all the unique\nqualities and virtues he possesses, I hope he will accept me as\nhis servant and his captive, for I am ready to do whatever Your\nMajesty or he commands me.\"\nThe emperor sent for the archbishop of the city to betroth them\nimmediately.  And this gracious union was a matter of no slight\nhappiness, for during a long while Tirant and the princess could\nnot speak, so inflamed with true love were they.  As soon as the\narchbishop arrived, the emperor ordered him to betroth his\ndaughter and Tirant, and he did so.\nWhen the betrothal was completed, there was much celebrating and\ngreat happiness throughout the city.  A marvelous feast was\nprepared as suited such a betrothal, and music was performed by\nmany groups from the towers and through windows of the great\nhalls.  The foreigners and everyone in general took great\npleasure in this betrothal, for they had faith that the bold\nspirit of Tirant would allow them to live in peace.  And the\ncelebrations, both in the palace and in the city, lasted a week.\nThe emperor sent a proclamation throughout the city, with many\ntrumpets and drums, that they should all consider Tirant his\nsuccessor and the Caesar of the empire.  And he made them swear\nthat after his death they would hold him as their emperor and\nlord.  And from that time forward the new Prince Tirant was named\nCaesar of the Greek Empire.\n CHAPTER XIV\nDEATH\n Tirant decided to leave as soon as he could in order to recover\nall of the Greek Empire, and put it in the emperor's power.  At\nthe same time it hurt him to think of being away from the\nprincess, for life without her was impossible.  He was tired of\nwar now, and he wanted peace and tranquility.  When he received\nnews that the magnanimous King Escariano was coming with many\nmen, and that he was in Pinxenais which borders on Greece, and is\nten days journey from Constantinople, he decided to go out to\nmeet him.\nAfter he had taken his leave of the emperor, the empress, and of\nhis princess and wife, he left the city of Constantinople, and\nwent to his camp with grandees and other nobles.  When the Caesar\nreached his camp he had the trumpets blow for the camp to be\nraised.  Everyone got ready, and the following morning they left\nthe bridge and went toward the place where King Escariano was.\nAs the powerful army was going along, many castles and villas\ndelivered themselves over to the Caesar (We omit their names to\navoid being prolix.).  Finally they reached the city of Strenes\nwhere King Escariano's army was resting.\nWhen King Escariano knew that his dear friend and brother at arms\nwas coming, he rode out with his grandees and met him on the\nroad.  They dismounted quickly, embraced and kissed very warmly.\nTirant told King Escariano that the King of Sicily and the King\nof Fez were with him.  King Escariano went to the other kings,\nand embraced and kissed them very courteously.  Then they mounted\ntheir horses again and went toward the city.  When they reached\nKing Escariano's tents, Prince Tirant and the kings dismounted in\nfront of the tent of the illustrious Queen of Ethiopia who\nwelcomed them, and embraced and kissed them all.\nThey decided to send the beautiful queen to the city of\nConstantinople, and five hundred soldiers made ready to go,\naccompanied by many nobles and knights.  The illustrious queen\ntook leave of her lord, King Escariano, Tirant, and the other\nkings and lords who escorted her for a league.  Then Tirant and\nthe others bade the queen farewell, and she continued on to\nConstantinople while Tirant and the others returned to the city.\nTirant and King Escariano immediately commanded their camps to be\nraised and each of them put their men in order.  They left the\ncity and went toward the province of Thrace.  They reached a city\ncalled Stagira, which is surrounded by walls adorned with\nbeautiful towers.  The city immediately opened all the gates to\nthem.  After all the renegade Greeks had been made good\nChristians again, they swore fidelity to the emperor.  And all\nthe Moors who did not want to be baptized were thrown out of the\ncity.  It was in this same city that the great philosopher\nAristotle had been born, and he was considered a saint.\nWhile Prince Tirant had his tents set up in this city and was\nresting, he sent two Moorish ambassadors through the outlying\nterritories, and to all the cities, castles and villas of the\nneighboring provinces.  They delivered up their keys and rendered\nhomage to Prince Tirant, and he replaced the captain of every\ncity, villa and castle.\nThey then left the city of Stagira and headed for Macedonia,\nstopping at a city called Olympus.  This city takes its name from\na nearby mountain, one of the highest in the world.  Here they\nwere better received than in any of the places they had been,\nbecause they knew that the Caesar was the cousin of Diafebus,\ntheir duke and lord.\nThe prince left the duchy of Macedonia, and they went to the city\nof Trebizond which delivered itself over immediately.  They\nbrought all the knights who were held prisoner here, and with\nthem was Captain Diafebus, Duke of Macedonia.  Prince Tirant\nasked for the Duke of Macedonia, and he was brought to him.  But\nhe was so changed that Tirant would never have recognized him:\nHis beard had grown down to his waist, and the hair on his head\nreached past his shoulders; he was thin and discolored, and his\nappearance was very different; he wore a yellow cloak, with a\nblue turban around his head.  All the other knights were dressed\nthe same way.  When the Duke of Macedonia was before the Caesar,\nhe threw himself at his feet, wanting to kiss them.  The Caesar\nlifted him up, and with tears running from his eyes, he kissed\nhim on the mouth.\nSoon the Marquis of Saint George presented himself before Tirant,\nand kneeling, he thanked him for freeing them.  Prince Tirant,\nwith great affection, lifted him from the ground and kissed him\non the mouth.  After the marquis, came the Duke of Pera, his\nbrother, and the prior of Saint John, and all the other knights.\nThe Caesar received them with great love, and honored them as\nthey deserved.\nAfter the illustrious Queen of Ethiopia left the city of Strenes,\nshe journeyed quickly to the renowned city of Constantinople.\nWhen the queen stood before the princess, she began to kneel, but\nthe princess caught her by the arm, raised her up, and kissed her\nwarmly three times.  Then she took her hand and made her sit at\nher side.\nThe princess was astonished at the queen's great beauty.  At the\nsame time the Queen of Ethiopia was startled by the beauty of the\nprincess.  Everyone in the court was impressed by the queen's\nbeauty, and they whispered about Tirant's great virtue in turning\ndown such a beautiful lady, for they were sure that she had asked\nhim to be her husband and lord of the kingdom of Tunis and of all\nBarbary, and he had left it all for love of the princess.\nAfter the Caesar had held celebrations for the Duke of Macedonia\nand his companions, he gave them their leave.  They left the city\nof Trebizond and went to the illustrious city of Constantinople.\nThere they were welcomed with honor by His Majesty the emperor,\nby the empress and all the ladies.  And the Duke of Macedonia was\nespecially welcomed by the duchess, his wife, who loved him more\nthan her life.  With the arrival of the prisoners, great\ncelebrations were held in the court.\nAfter the Duke of Macedonia had left the city of Trebizond with\nall his companions, Tirant quickly had all the others break camp,\nand he had King Escariano and all his men, and each captain with\nhis squadron, depart.  So one squadron left after another, in an\norderly fashion, and they went to the land of Bendin, six days\njourney away, and when the Caesar arrived there with his entire\narmy, they surrendered to him by order of the sultan and the\nTurk.\nWhen the captains had been placed in the city and in the\nfortress, they advanced and recovered the entire province of\nBlagay and all the land of Brina and all the land of Foxa and all\nthe land of Bocina, for each of these is a large province with\nmany cities, castles and villas, and they all surrendered\nwillingly to the Caesar.  They were accustomed to being subject\nto the Greek Empire, and they wanted to be so again because of\nthe bad treatment they had received from the Moors.\nThe Caesar left these provinces and recovered many other cities.\nFrom here he went to the Kingdom of Persia, and he took it by\nforce of arms, for it did not belong to the sultan or the Turk\nand it had its own king.  The virtuous Prince Tirant conquered\nmany other provinces and lands, and joined them under the\ndominion and power of the empire with such great triumph and\nvictory that it would be tiring to tell it all.  He recovered all\nof Greece, Asia Minor, all of Persia, all Selonich (which is\nGalipoli), Morea, Arca, the Cape of Arca, Valona.  And by sea he\nsent the fleet he had in Constantinople to take the islands, with\nhis admiral, the Marquis of Lizana, as its captain.  And he took\nall the islands which had belonged to the empire: Calistres,\nColcos, Oritige, Tesbrie, Nimocha, Flaxen, Meclotapace, and many\nother islands the book does not mention to avoid prolixity.\nAfter the admiral had conquered all the islands that once formed\npart of the empire, he had his entire fleet return to\nConstantinople, and they entered the city firing their bombards\nand shouting their greetings to the illustrious city.  The\ntownspeople ran to the sea wall to greet the fleet with joy.  The\nadmiral disembarked, accompanied by many well dressed knights and\nnoblemen, and they went to bow to His Majesty the emperor who\nreceived them very cordially, and they all kissed his foot and\nhis hand.\nWanting to reward many nobles and knights who had been released\nfrom their imprisonment, he gave them over in matrimony to\nmaidens of high station, all of them servants of the empress and\nthe princess, and he also gave them large estates so they could\nlive out their lives honorably.  When the engagements had been\nmade, their weddings were postponed until the day Prince Tirant\nwould be wed to the princess.\nBut Fortune would not permit a mortal body to have so much\ndelight and glory in this world.  For God did not create human\nnature to reach bliss and glory in this world, but instead to\nenjoy the glory of paradise.  No one ponders this: everyday\nvirtuous men perform illustrious acts worthy of immortal memory,\nas did this magnanimous and virtuous prince and valiant knight,\nTirant lo Blanc.  For with his great skill at arms and high\ndegree of intelligence, he conquered so many kingdoms and brought\nuncountable numbers of people in Barbary and in Greece into the\nHoly Catholic faith.  And yet, he was unable to see the finality\nof all that he had so desired and labored for.\nAmong so many other sorrows, I find it impossible to free my\nweary hands from setting down on white paper how fortune lets man\ngo unrewarded.  This, despite the fact the glorious actions of\nTirant bring me renewed anguish, for they did not bring him the\nprize he so richly deserved.\nSo then, after the Caesar had defeated and recovered the entire\nempire, and subjugated many other nearby provinces, he started\nback in great triumph to the city of Constantinople.  In his\ncompany went the magnanimous King of Fez and many other kings,\ndukes, counts, and marquis, and innumerable knights (who came\nwith him to share in the enormous celebration that would take\nplace upon his return, and out of love for King Escariano, and to\ncelebrate Tirant's wedding), and no one would leave his side.\nWhen the emperor received word that he was coming, he prepared an\nenormous celebration.\nWhen Tirant was one day's journey from Constantinople, in a city\ncalled Andrinopol, he stopped because the emperor had sent word\nto him not to come to the city until he should tell him.  While\nthe virtuous Caesar was enjoying himself in that city, finding\nsport and pleasure, and strolling with King Escariano and the\nKing of Sicily at a river's edge which ran alongside the walls of\nthe city, he felt such a great and powerful pain in his side that\nthey had to take him in their arms and carry him back into the\ncity.\nWhen Tirant was in his bed the six doctors who accompanied him\ncame to him--the best in the world--and four of King Escariano's.\nThey gave him many kinds of medicine, but these brought no\nrelief to his pain.  Then Tirant realized he was dying, and he\nasked for confession.  They had the confessor who accompanied him\ncome quickly.  He was a good priest of the Order of Saint\nFrancis, a teacher of holy theology, and a man of great\nknowledge.  While the Caesar was making confession the King of\nFez sent an urgent message to the emperor, giving His Majesty to\nknow that the Caesar was very ill, and that his doctors could not\nhelp him.  He begged his grace to send his own doctors very\nquickly, as he had great doubts that they would arrive in time.\nAfter the Caesar had confessed, he had the precious body of Jesus\nChrist brought to him.  He looked at it with great devotion, and\nwith tears in his eyes he prayed:\n\"Almighty Lord, humble, sweet and benign!  How can I thank You\nfor all the love You have shown to me, a weak creature?  I give\nYou infinite thanks, Lord, for all Your gifts.  And I humbly\nbeseech You, Lord, since You have saved me so many times from\ndanger (and You are now giving me death, which I accept most\nobediently, since it is Your holy will, in remission and penance\nfor my weaknesses), that You will grant me, Lord, forgiveness of\nmy sins in order to have Your absolution and mercy.\"\nAfter he had said these words, he received the holy body of Jesus\nChrist.  And the people in the room with him whispered that he\ndid not seem to be a knight, but rather a holy man.  When he had\ngiven restitution to his soul, he had his secretary come, and he\ngave his last will and testament in the presence of all those who\nwere with him.\n\"I, Tirant lo Blanc, of the lineage of Rocasalada and the House\nof Brittany, knight of the Garter, and Prince and Caesar of the\nGreek Empire, with an illness from which I fear I will die, but\nwith full knowledge, and firm and manifest word: with my lords\nand brothers at arms present, King Escariano, the King of Sicily,\nand my cousin-german, the King of Fez, and many other kings,\ndukes, counts and marquis, in the name of my Lord Jesus Christ, I\ndo make and leave the following final will and testament.\n\"I name as executors of this testament the virtuous and most\nexcellent Carmesina, Princess of the Greek Empire and my wife,\nand my dear cousin-german Diafebus, the Duke of Macedonia.\n\"I wish that one hundred thousand ducats be taken from my estate,\nand be distributed according to the wishes of my executors.\nMoreover, I encharge the said executors to take my body to\nBrittany, to the Church of Our Lady, where lie all those of my\nlineage of Rocasalada.\n\"I also desire and command that from my estate one hundred\nthousand ducats be given to each of the men of my lineage who are\nhere.  And of all my other property and rights which I have\ngained with Divine help, and which have been given to me by His\nMajesty, the emperor, I make as my beneficiary my servant and\nnephew Hippolytus of Rocasalada.  It is my wish that he take my\nplace, and be my successor.\"\nAfter Tirant had made his testament, he told the secretary to\nwrite a note to the princess with these words:\n\"Since death is so near to me, I want to write to you, dear lady,\nmy last, sad farewell.\n\"Fortune has not allowed me to have you--the prize for my deeds.\nAnd death would not be so painful to me if I could have ended my\nlife in your arms.\n\"But I beg Your Highness to go on living, so that you will keep\nthe great love that I have had for you.\n\"And since fortune has not allowed me to speak to you or to see\nyou--for I believe you would have cured me and saved my life--I\nhave decided to write you this letter, because death will not\ngrant me more time, so that at least you will be certain of my\ngreat love.  I cannot tell you more, for the great pain I am\nsuffering will not allow it.  I only beg of you to take in your\ncharge my relatives and servants.\n\"Your Tirant, who kisses your feet and hands, commends to you his\nsoul.\"\nAfter Prince Tirant had made his testament, he begged King\nEscariano, the King of Sicily and the King of Fez to carry him to\nConstantinople before his life ended.  For the greatest pain he\nfelt was that he might die without seeing the princess.  And he\nwas of the belief that if he saw her she would give him health\nand life.\nThe doctors gave their approval because, since they considered\nhim as good as dead, they thought that with the great consolation\nhe would feel if he saw the princess, whom he loved deeply,\nnature could have a more beneficial effect than all the medicines\nin the world.  They quickly put him on a litter, and he was\ncarried on men's shoulders very comfortably.  He was accompanied\nby all the kings and grandees, with only five hundred soldiers.\nAll the others remained in the city.\nWhen the emperor received the King of Fez's letter, he fell into\ndeep anguish and concern.  As secretly as he could he sent for\nhis doctors and the Duke of Macedonia and Hippolytus.  He showed\nthem the King of Fez's letter, and begged them to ride there\nquickly.  The Duke of Macedonia and Hippolytus left the imperial\npalace without a word to anyone, and went off with the doctors,\nfor the emperor feared that if the princess heard of it she would\nfaint and it could be very dangerous for her.\nWhen the Duke of Macedonia and Hippolytus, along with the\ndoctors, were half a day's journey from Constantinople, they met\nTirant on the road.  They dismounted, and the litter was laid on\nthe ground.  The Duke of Macedonia went up to Tirant and said:\n\"Cousin, my lord, how is your lordship?\"\nTirant answered:\n\"Cousin, I am most pleased that I have seen you before I died,\nfor my life is ending.  I beg you to kiss me, you and Hippolytus,\nfor this will be the last farewell I shall have from you.\"\nThe duke and Hippolytus kissed him, crying openly.  Then Tirant\ntold them that he commended his soul to them, and that he wished\nthem to hold more love for the princess, his wife, than they did\nfor himself.  The duke answered:\n\"My lord and cousin, is a knight as valiant as your lordship\ngrowing weak hearted?  Have faith in Our Lord, that He, in His\nmercy, will help you and bring you back to health.\"\nAs he was saying these words, Tirant cried out, loudly:\n\"Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!  Virgin Mary, guardian\nangel, angel Michael, defend me!  Jesus, into Your hands, Lord, I\ncommend my spirit.\"\nAnd with these words, he delivered up his noble soul, while his\nbeautiful body lay in the arms of the Duke of Macedonia.  The\ntears and wailing were so great from all who were there, that it\nwas a pity to hear them.  For Prince Tirant was loved by all.\nAfter they had cried for some time, King Escariano called the\nKing of Sicily, the King of Fez, the Duke of Macedonia,\nHippolytus, and some of the others, and they held counsel about\nwhat they had to do.  They all agreed that King Escariano, along\nwith the others in his company, should accompany Tirant's body to\nthe city, but that they should not go in, for as King Escariano\nhad not yet seen the emperor, it was not the time or place for\nthem to meet.  In addition, they decided to embalm Tirant's body,\nfor they had to take it to Brittany.\nThey departed with Tirant's body from the place where he had\ndied, and made their way toward the city of Constantinople.  By\nthe time they arrived it was well into the night.  They gathered\nat the city gate, and King Escariano took his leave of the King\nof Sicily, the King of Fez, the Duke of Macedonia and Hippolytus,\nand he returned with his men to the city he had come from,\nlamenting loudly, for King Escariano loved Tirant deeply.  The\nothers placed Tirant's body in a house within the city, where it\nwas embalmed by the doctors.\nAfter they had embalmed it, they dressed it and took it to the\nmain church of the city: Saint Sofia.  There a very large and\ntall cenotaph was prepared for him, covered entirely with\nbrocade, and on the cenotaph was a large bed.  There they placed\nTirant's body, stretched out on the bed, with his sword at his\nside.\nWhen the emperor learned that Tirant was dead, he rent his royal\ngarments.  Coming down from his imperial seat and lamenting over\nTirant's death, he said:\n\"Today is the day when our scepter is lost, and I see the crown\ntaken from my head and dashed to the ground.  Let everyone dress\nin deep black mourning, let all the bells ring at once, and let\neveryone wail over this loss, which is so terrible that my voice\nis scarcely able to speak of it.\"\nThe emperor spent the greater part of the night lamenting, and\nwhen day came he went to the church to pay him honor, and to make\na large tomb for him with the funeral rites that are normally\ngiven to great lords.  When the princess saw everyone crying she\nwas very surprised.  She wondered what the people in the palace\nand her maidens were crying about.  She thought her father, the\nemperor, might have died, and she got up quickly, dressed in her\nchemise, and looked out the window.  She saw the Duke of\nMacedonia, crying and tearing at his hair, and Hippolytus and\nmany others clawing at their faces, and hitting their heads\nagainst the walls.\n\"By the one God,\" said the princess, \"I beg you to tell me the\ntruth.  What is the cause of all this uproar and sadness?\"\nThe Widow of Montsant said:\n\"My lady, it is inevitable that you will hear of it at any\nmoment.  Tirant has passed from this life to the other.  At\nmidnight they took him to the church to give him a holy funeral\nas he deserves.  The emperor is there, crying and bemoaning his\ndeath, and is inconsolable.\"\nThe princess was left numb: She did not cry, she could not speak.\nShe could only moan softly and sigh, and after a moment she said:\n\"Give me the clothes my father had made for my wedding.\"\nThey were quickly brought.  When she had them on, the Widow of\nMontsant said:\n\"But my lady!  At the death of such an admirable knight who died\nin the service of His Majesty, the emperor, and of yours, are you\ngoing to dress that way, as if you were going to your wedding?\nEveryone else is dressed in mourning and sadness, because they\ncannot stop crying, and Your Highness, who should be the saddest\nand for whom it should mean the most, has dressed yourself in an\nunheard-of way.\"\n\"Don't worry yourself, Widow,\" said the princess.  \"You will know\nthe meaning of this when it is time.\"\nWhen she had dressed, the sad lady of the imperial palace came\ndown with all the ladies and maidens, and with steps hastened by\nthe anguish she felt, she went to the church where Tirant's body\nlay.  She stepped to the top of the great cenotaph, and when she\nsaw Tirant's body she felt her heart would break, and yet passion\nlifted her spirit and she went over to his bed with warm tears\nflowing from her eyes, and threw herself upon Tirant's body.  The\nsuffering woman kissed his cold body.  Everyone who heard her\nweep shed great tears of grief.  Then she said:\n\"I want to go looking for the soul of the one who was my Tirant\nin the blessed places where it rests.  And I do so want to keep\nyou company in death since in life, where I loved you so much, I\nhave not been able to serve you.  Oh, you ladies and maidens, do\nnot cry!  Save your tears for a more opportune time.  It's enough\nfor me to cry and lament, since these are my sorrows.\"\nWhen she had said these words, she fell upon the body in a faint.\nShe was quickly lifted away from the body, and the doctors helped\nher regain consciousness.  When she had recovered her senses, the\nlady again threw herself upon the body, kissing Tirant's cold\nmouth.  She tore at her hair and clothing, along with the skin of\nher breasts and her face, this sad lady, more grievous than any\nother.  Stretched out on his body, she kissed his cold mouth,\nmixing her warm tears with Tirant's cold ones.  She wanted to\ntalk, but could not, and she knew no words sad enough to express\nher grief.  With trembling hands she opened Tirant's eyes which\nshe kissed first with her mouth, and then filled with all the\ntears flowing from her own eyes.  And it seemed as though Tirant,\nwhile dead, was crying for the grief of the living Carmesina.\nAnd she was crying blood, for she had exhausted all her tears.\nSo she cried over his body-- she who had lost everything to him\nwho lost his life for her-- and with words that would be enough\nto break precious stones, diamonds and steel itself, she cried\ngrievously:\n\"Don't think, my soul, that I will keep you from Tirant for long.\nI will give burial to your body and to mine.  The dead bodies\nwill be embraced in one grave, and together we will share the\nsame glory in heaven.\"\nThe emperor, distressed by his daughter's words, said:\n\"My daughter's sorrow and tears will never end.  My good knights,\npick her up, and take her to my palace, and leave her in her\nchambers, either with her consent or by force.\"\nAnd so it was done.  Her father, desperate, went with her,\nsaying:\n\"My daughter, you are the lady of all I possess.  Do not go to\nsuch an extreme, for your grief is death to me.  Stop your crying\nand put on a happy face for the people to see.\"\nThe princess answered:\n\"Oh emperor, my lord, life-giver of this miserable daughter!\nYour Majesty truly wants to console my grief!  Oh, poor me, I\ncannot hold back my tears!\"\nWhen the poor father saw his daughter and the other women crying,\nhe could not bear to remain in her chambers, and with his\nterrible anguish he left.  Then the princess sat on the bed and\nsaid:\n\"Come, my faithful maidens, and help me undress, for there will\nbe time enough to cry.\"\nAnd she prepared her body in the most comely way she could, and\nsaid:\n\"I am the infanta who hoped to rule over the entire empire of\nGreece.  It is my duty to move everyone here to grief and\ncompassion for the death of the virtuous and blessed knight,\nTirant lo Blanc.  Oh, my Tirant, out of grief for your death let\nour right hands wound our breasts and tear at our faces so that\nour misery will be so much greater, for you were our shield and\nthe shield of the whole empire.  Oh sword of virtue, great was\nthe sorrow that was prepared for us!  And don't think, Tirant,\nthat I have wiped you from my memory: As long as I am alive I\nwill weep for your death.  Now, my dear maidens, help me to cry\nthis short time that is left of my life, for I cannot remain\nwith you long.\"\nThe crying and wailing was so great that it made the entire city\nresound.  When they saw the princess nearly more dead than alive,\nthey cursed fortune which had brought them such anguish.  The\ndoctors came and said she had all the signs of a dying woman: She\nfelt such grief for Tirant's death that blood was coming from her\nmouth.\nThe grieving empress came into the chamber, knowing that her\ndaughter was not well.  When she saw her in that state she\nsuffered such a shock that she could not speak.  When she had\nrecovered, she said:\n\"Oh, my daughter!  Is this the joy and happiness I hoped to have\nfrom you?  Is this the wedding your father and I and all the\npeople hoped to be consoled by?  Everywhere I turn I see nothing\nbut grief and sorrow!\nI see the poor emperor, lying on the floor; I see the ladies and\nmaidens, their hair unkempt, their skin covered with blood, their\nbreasts uncovered and scratched, crying throughout the palace,\nrevealing their grief to everyone.  I see the knights and\ngrandees, all in mourning, all lamenting, twisting their hands,\ntearing the hair from their head.  What a bitter day, so filled\nwith sadness!  I see all the orders of friars coming with pain in\ntheir voices, and not one of them can sing.  Tell me, what kind\nof celebration is this for everyone to run from it?  Scarcely\nanyone can talk without a grieving face.  Oh, sad is the mother\nwho bears such a daughter!  I beg you, my daughter, be happy and\nput an end to all this sadness.  This way you will give\nconsolation to your old and grieving father, and your sad,\nunfortunate mother who has raised you so delicately.\"\nAnd she could say no more, such was the grief that held her.\n\"How can Your Excellency tell me, my lady, to find consolation\nand rejoice if I have lost such a knight who was my husband and\nlord, and had no equal in the world?  Have my protector, my\nfather and lord, come so that he can see my death and my end, and\nso that part of his daughter will be left for him.\"\nWhen the sad father was there, she begged him kindly to sit at\none side and the empress at the other.  With her between them,\nshe said these words:\n\"I beg you all to have my father confessor come quickly.\"\nWhen he was there the princess told him:\n\"Father, I wish to make a general confession in the presence of\nall who are here.\"\n  Then the confessor had her make a general confession, and\nafterward he absolved her of all punishment and guilt.  When\nabsolution had been granted the princess asked that the precious\nbody of Jesus Christ be brought to her, and with great devotion\nand contrition she received it.  And all those in the chamber\nwere astonished at the great constancy and firmness of spirit the\nprincess had, and at the many prayers she said before the Corpus.\nThere was no heart of steel in the world who, hearing her words,\nwould not burst into tears.\nWhen the princess had given restitution to her soul she had the\nemperor's secretary come, and turning to her father, she said:\n\"Father and lord, if it please Your Majesty, I would like to\ndispose of my possessions and my soul.\"\nThe emperor answered:\n\"My daughter, I give you my leave to do whatever pleases you.\nFor if I lose you I lose my life and all good things on this\nearth.\"\nThe princess thanked him, and turning to the secretary, she\ndictated her will:\n\"I make, as executors of my will, Diafebus, Duke of Macedonia and\nStephanie, his wife.  And I beg and command them to place my body\ntogether with Tirant's in the place he will be buried.  For, as\nwe were not able to remain together in life, at least in death\nour bodies will be united until the end of the world.\n\"In addition, all my clothing and jewelry shall be sold, and the\nproceeds will be given to my maidens for their weddings.  As for\nall the other rights I have in the Greek Empire, I make the\nempress, my mother, the successor in my place.\"\nWhen the princess had put her possessions and her soul in order,\nshe said farewell to her father, the emperor, kissing his hands\nand his mouth again and again, and she did the same to her\nmother, the empress, asking their forgiveness and their blessing\nwith great humility.\n\"Oh unfortunate and miserable me!\" said the princess.  \"I see the\nemperor more dead than alive because of me.  On the one hand the\ndeath of Tirant pulls me, and on the other my father's death\npulls me: Each of them is winning me over.\"\nHer miserable father, his face wet with tears, saw that his\ndaughter was ready to die and could barely speak.  He heard her\nsay such painful words, and saw all the wailing that was going on\nin the chamber and throughout the palace.  He felt greatly\ndisturbed and was beside himself.  He tried to get up from the\nbed to go out, but he fell to the ground, senseless.  They picked\nhim up, unconscious, and put him on a bed in another chamber, and\nthere he ended his days before his daughter, the princess.\nBecause of the emperor's death there was loud wailing, and the\nnews reached the empress and the princess.  The empress ran as\nquickly as she could, but the emperor had already passed from\nthis life.  Imagine how the poor lady must have felt: to see her\nhusband, her daughter, and her son-in-law all dead!  And don't\nask me what grief there was in the palace.  So much\ntribulation--all in one day!\nThe princess said:\n\"Help me sit down on my bed, and you will hear my words.  You all\nknow that with the death of the emperor, my father, I am the\nsuccessor to the Greek Empire.  And so my knights, I command you,\nby the allegiance you owe to His Majesty, the emperor, and now to\nme, to bring my father's and Tirant's body here to me.\"\nAnd they had to do it.  The emperor was put on the right, and\nTirant on the left, while she was in between them.  She kissed\nher father many times, and Tirant many times more, and she cried\nin a miserable voice:\n\"Look, knights, you who suffer from love.  Take note of me and\nsee if I am not fortunate!  On one side I have an emperor, and on\nthe other the best knight in the world.  Look and see if I should\nnot go into the next world happy, for I will have such good\ncompany.  Come to me, my loyal sisters and companions, and kiss\nme, one by one.  Then you will feel a part of my misery.\"\nAnd they did.  First came the Queen of Ethiopia, then the Queen\nof Fez, then the Duchess of Macedonia, and then all her other\nmaidens and her mother's maidens.  They kissed her hand and her\nmouth, and they sadly bade the princess farewell, shedding many\ntears.  She had them bring her the cross, and looking at it\nsteadfastly, she said these words with great devotion:\n\"Receive the soul of Your servant, oh Lord, and free me from\ninfernal bonds and pains.  May I feel, oh Lord, the blessed rest\nof heaven and of eternal light, and may I deserve to have, among\nYour chosen saints, everlasting life and glory.  Oh God, full of\npure love and goodness.  You Who know only how to forgive.  Grant\nme, oh Lord, that my soul, drawn apart and stripped of earthly\nvices, may be placed in the company of those redeemed by You.  I\ngive myself to God Who created me.\"\nSaying these words, the princess gave up her spirit to her\ncreator.\n CHAPTER XV\nAFTERMATH\n The destruction of the very last of the lineage of the royal\nhouse of Greece was complete.  After going through so much past\nmisery with all its trials and hardships, they would have\nobtained a happy peace--if fortune had allowed it.  And so, no\none should depend on worldly prosperity, for it fails when it is\nmost unexpected.\nWhen the princess had passed on from this life, the wailing and\ncrying in the palace was so loud that it echoed throughout the\nentire city.  And the heartache felt for Tirant and the emperor\nwas renewed and redoubled.  The poor empress fell into such a\ndeep faint that the doctors could not revive her, and Hippolytus\nbeat his head and face, believing that she was dead.  Finally,\nwith all the remedies they tried, after more than an hour, she\nseemed to awaken slightly.  Hippolytus remained steadfast at her\nside in great anguish, rubbing her wrists and wetting her face\nwith rose water.  When she regained consciousness, they picked\nher up in their arms and carried her to her chamber, putting her\non a bed.\nHippolytus was always at her side, comforting her, and kissing\nher often to bring to mind the love they had continually had for\neach other.  The empress loved him more than her daughter and\nherself because of the great kindness and genteelness she had\nfound in Hippolytus who had always obeyed her every wish.  And\ndon't think that at that moment Hippolytus was feeling great\npain, for as soon as Tirant was dead he realized that he would be\nemperor, especially after the death of the emperor and his\ndaughter, for he had great confidence in the love the empress had\nfor him.  Putting aside all shame, she would take him as her\nhusband.\nAfter the empress had spoken a short while with Hippolytus, and\ntheir pain had been somewhat alleviated with kisses, she said to\nhim:\n\"My son and my lord, I beg you, as lord here, to order funerals\nheld for the emperor, my daughter, and Tirant, so that afterward\nyour desire and mine can be carried out.\"\nWhen Hippolytus heard such loving words he kissed her hand and\nher mouth, and said he would do everything Her Majesty commanded.\nHippolytus went to the princess's chamber where the three bodies\nwere lying, and on behalf of the empress he ordered them to take\nTirant to his cenotaph in the church immediately.  And it was\nquickly done.\nThen he ordered the surgeons to embalm the bodies of the emperor\nand the princess.  Hippolytus had another cenotaph put up in the\nChurch of Saint Sofia, much more beautiful and higher than\nTirant's, and he had the emperor's body brought to the cenotaph.\nHe had the princess put in Tirant's bed, on his right hand side.\nHe ordered a proclamation read throughout the city that all those\nwho wished to dress in mourning should go to a certain house in\nthe city, and there mourning cloth would be given to men as well\nas to women.  In the space of one day everyone in the palace and\nthe city, and all the foreigners were dressed in mourning.  In\naddition, Hippolytus decreed that all the clergy--friars,\nchaplains and nuns--within two days journey from Constantinople\nshould come to participate in the funerals of the dead, and one\nthousand two hundred were counted.\nThey decided that the burial should take place two weeks after\nthe emperor's death, and all the barons of Greece were summoned,\nso that they could be present for the emperor's funeral rites.\nThen he sent a message to King Escariano on behalf of himself and\nthe empress, inviting him to come and honor the burial of the\nemperor and his daughter, and his dear friend and brother Tirant.\nFor, since he had not been able to honor their wedding he would\nbe able to honor his burial.  King Escariano sent word to him\nthat he would do so, but that he had hoped to enter\nConstantinople with happier news.  And he left for Constantinople\nwith one hundred knights.\nWhile the people were arriving, Hippolytus had the King of\nSicily, the King of Fez, the Duke of Macedonia, the Marquis of\nLizana, and the Viscount of Branches and some others gather in a\nchamber.  Then he said to them:\n\"My lords and brothers, your lordships are not unaware of the\ngreat danger that has befallen us with the death of our father\nand lord, Tirant.  He expected to be emperor, and he would have\nennobled and enriched all those of our lineage.  Now that there\nis no hope of that, we must take counsel about what should be\ndone.  Your lordships realize that the entire empire is in the\nempress's power.  Although she is advanced in years, some great\nlord will be very pleased to marry her, and he will find it very\nagreeable to be emperor.  After her death, he will be the ruler,\nand he may treat foreigners (which is what we are) badly.  I am\nof the opinion that we should make one of us emperor, and all of\nus should help him; and the one who is elected will enrich the\nothers very well.  Now, I beg you, let each of you give your\nopinion.\"\nThen the King of Sicily said he felt it was a good idea that one\nof them should be made emperor, and that they should select\nwhoever was willing.  The King of Fez spoke, because he was the\neldest of their line, and he said:\n\"My lords and brothers, it seems to me good advice that one of us\nshould be chosen emperor.  But it is my opinion that we should\nfollow the dictates of Tirant's will, then the princess's, and\nwith these two wills we shall see who among us is indicated.\"\nEveryone agreed with what the King of Fez had said.  They sent\nfor the secretaries of Tirant and the emperor, and had the wills\nread.  When they had read them, they made the secretaries leave\nthe room, and the Duke of Macedonia spoke:\n\"My lords and brothers, as I see it, our selection is very clear\nand cannot be disputed.  I see that our good relative and lord\nleaves as recipient of all the rights he has earned in the Greek\nEmpire, Hippolytus here.  Further, I see that the princess has\nbestowed the entire empire on her mother.\nSo from what I see there is no other action we can take,\nconsidering the friendship we all know Hippolytus has with the\nempress, than for him to take her as his wife.  In that way he\nwill become emperor, and he will keep each of us in our station,\nfor he is our relative.\"\nThen the Marquis of Lizana spoke:\n\"Lords, I find the Duke of Macedonia's advice to be good, and\npraise it, for we all have wives, and furthermore it is Tirant's\ncommand.\"\nAll the rest praised him and agreed that Hippolytus should be\nchosen emperor and husband of the empress.  When Hippolytus saw\nthe gentility of his relatives, he praised them, and gave them\nmany thanks for their great love.  And he made a vow before God\nand Our Lady that if God granted that he become emperor, he would\nrepay them in such a way that they would all be very happy.  And\nthey decided that after the funeral rites were held for the dead,\nthey would raise him to the status of emperor, and would hold the\nwedding for him and the empress.\nTirant's relatives agreed, and the following night King Escariano\nentered Constantinople, dressed in mourning, with all his men.\nHe was received with great honor by Hippolytus, and by his wife,\nthe queen, who was very happy to see him.  Hippolytus placed him\nin the emperor's palace, in a beautiful apartment.  The King of\nSicily, the King of Fez, the Duke of Macedonia, and many other\nknights came to see him, and a great celebration was held.\nAfter this, King Escariano took his leave of them, and taking the\nqueen, his wife, by the hand, he went with Hippolytus to pay\nhonor to the empress.  When they were in her chamber, King\nEscariano bowed before the empress, and she warmly embraced him.\nShe took him by the hand, and had him sit at her side.  Then King\nEscariano said:\n\"I left my land in order to help Tirant lo Blanc recover the\nempire, and the queen, my wife, came only to attend the wedding\nof my brother Tirant and the virtuous princess.  Their deaths\nhave made me both sad and angry.  Now that they are gone, I am\nready to serve you for the rest of my life.\"\nThe empress hesitated, and then said softly:\n\"It is great glory for me that so magnanimous a king should say\nsuch words to me.  I thank you very much for coming, and even\nmore for helping us put an end to this conquest.  But with it I\nhave lost three of the best people in the world, and because of\nthis the rest of my life will be filled with sadness.\"\nThe empress could speak no more, and tears sprang from her eyes.\nKing Escariano also began to cry.\nThat night Hippolytus went to sleep with the empress, and he told\nher about his conversation with his relatives, and what they had\nall decided:\n\"That I should take you as my wife.  My lady, I know that I am\nnot worthy of being your husband, or even your servant.  But I\ntrust in Your Highness' love and virtue, and I hope that you will\naccept me as Your Majesty's captive.  And trust me, my lady, to\ndo well.  I will be so obedient to you that you can command me\nmore than ever before, for I never wanted anything but to serve\nyou.\"\nThe empress answered:\n\"Hippolytus, my son, you know how much I love you, and I will be\nvery pleased if you will take me as your wife.  But remember, my\nson and lord, even though I'm old you will never find anyone who\nloves you as much as I do.\"\nThen Hippolytus knelt to kiss her hands and feet, but she lifted\nhim up and embraced him and kissed him.  And they spent that\ndelicious night with little thought about those who were lying on\nthe cenotaphs for burial.\nIn the morning, before Phoebus had spread its shiny rays over the\nearth, the knight got up, full of new joy, for that night\nHippolytus had entertained his lady very well.  He arranged\neverything that was necessary for the burial.\nOn the appointed day all the barons and knights who were invited\nwent to the city of Constantinople.  On the first day they buried\nthe emperor with the most beautiful sacramental lights ever given\nto a prince.  To exalt the occasion there were many kings, dukes,\ncounts and marquis, and many noble knights.  All the people from\nthe city were there, lamenting over their good lord, and the\nclergy performed the ceremony, singing so that all were weeping.\nAnd on that day the emperor's body was solely buried.  The second\nday was reserved for the princess's burial, and the third for\nTirant's.\nThere was so much wailing and lamenting during those three days\nthat no one felt like crying for the rest of the year.  When the\nfuneral rites for the emperor were over, the emperor's body was\nplaced in a beautiful tomb which the emperor had ordered made\nsome time before.  The bodies of Tirant and the princess were\nplaced in a wooden coffin, for they had to be taken to Brittany.\nWhen this was done, the King of Sicily, the King of Fez, and the\nDuke of Macedonia went to King Escariano and told him all about\nthe council they had held with Tirant's relatives, and how they\nhad decided to raise Hippolytus to the status of emperor.  King\nEscariano said:\n\"I am very pleased by your decision.  I think Hippolytus is a\ngood and virtuous knight, and he deserves to be emperor.\"\nThen they asked him to go with them and carry the news to the\nempress, and he was glad to do so.  The three kings left with the\nDuke of Macedonia, and it was the noblest embassy that had ever\nbeen made to a man or a woman.  They entered the empress's\nchamber, and she welcomed them with great honor.  She took the\nhand of King Escariano and the King of Sicily, and they sat down\nin the imperial throne room, with the empress between the two\nkings.  They had agreed that King Escariano should explain their\nmission, and he began:\n\"As we deeply appreciate the honor of your illustrious person, we\nhope it will be agreeable to you to take a husband.  And we beg\nYour Majesty not to be angry at what I am going to tell you.\nYour Majesty knows what good condition the Greek Empire is in\nbecause of that singular knight, Tirant.  You know the rights\nthat His Majesty, the emperor, granted to him, and you know that\nhe left those rights to his nephew, Hippolytus.  And so we beg\nand advise Your Majesty to take Hippolytus as your husband and\nlord.  He is such a virtuous knight that Your Majesty will be\ngreatly loved and revered by him, and he is such a knight that he\nwill be able to rule and defend the empire, which has been\nreconquered through so much effort.\"\nThe empress then said very graciously:\n\"Great lords, I realize that you are my brothers, and I trust\nthat you would never advise me to do anything that would be\nharmful to me or my honor.  So I freely place myself in your\nlordships' hands to deal with me and my empire as though it were\nyour own.\"\nThey all bowed deeply to the empress and gave her many thanks.\nAnd they left, very satisfied with the empress' reply.  The three\nkings went with the Duke of Macedonia to Hippolytus' chamber, and\nhe received them very warmly.  They told him about the entire\nconversation they had had with the empress, and how she had\nagreed to do everything they wanted.\nHippolytus knelt, and thanked them, and he was very happy.  They\nquickly took him to the empress's chamber, and then had the\nbishop come from the city and marry them.  In attendance were the\nQueen of Ethiopia, the Queen of Fez, the Duchess of Macedonia,\nand all the ladies of the court.  They were all very pleased\nbecause of all the hard times they had had, and which they were\nafraid would continue.\nThe news that the empress had married Hippolytus ran through the\ncity, and everyone was glad.  They all gave thanks to God for\ngiving them such a good lord.  Everyone in the city liked\nHippolytus because in times of need he had been their captain,\nand he had treated them very well.\nSoon afterward the King of Sicily departed, and the emperor\nentreated the King of Fez and the Viscount of Branches to carry\nthe bodies of Tirant and the princess to Brittany.  They said\nthey would do it very willingly out of love for His Majesty and\nTirant.  The emperor commanded the admiral to put forty galleys\nin order so they would go in his honor.  And they were quickly\narmed and put in order.\nThe emperor had ordered a very beautiful wooden coffin made, all\ncovered with gold, and decorated so that it looked like the\nsepulcher of a great lord.  And he had the bodies of Tirant and\nthe princess placed inside, all dressed in brocade, with their\nfaces uncovered so that they seemed to be sleeping.\nHe had the coffin put on board a galley with all of Tirant's\nweapons and flags on it so that they could be placed upon the\nsepulcher where Tirant would lie, to serve as a perpetual\nmemorial.  And the emperor gave the King of Fez two hundred\nthousand ducats so that the sepulcher of Tirant and the princess\ncould be made in Brittany in accord with their great merit.  When\neverything was in order the King of Fez and the Queen set sail,\nand they had such good weather that in a few short days they\nreached Brittany very safely.\nThe King of Fez, the queen, and the Viscount of Branches, along\nwith many noblemen and knights, made port in a city called\nNantes, and here they were well received and entertained by the\nDuke of Brittany, and the Duchess.  They took the coffin with\nTirant and the princess, and with a great procession of many\nclerics, friars and monks they carried it to the high church of\nthe city, and it was placed in a tomb held up by four lions.\nThis tomb was worked in a very clear alabaster, and molded in\nfine gold were these words:\n The knight who in arms was phoenix\n And the lady most beautiful of all,\n Lie dead in this tomb,\n While their living fame resounds throughout the world:\n Tirant lo Blanc and noble Carmesina.\nAnd above the tomb these three verses were sculpted in gold:\n Cruel love that united them in life\n And has taken their life in great pain,\n After their death, encloses them in the sepulcher.\nWords could not express the mourning that took place in Brittany.\nThere was great mourning over his death by the Duke of Brittany\nand the Duchess and all Tirant's relatives when they learned of\nthe actions of everlasting renown he had performed and the great\nprosperity he had achieved.  The King of Fez had large amounts of\nmoney given in charity for the souls of Tirant and the princess.\nHe spent the two thousand ducats the emperor had given him very\nwell.  And he decided to return to his homeland, for he had\nstayed in Brittany six months to carry out everything the emperor\nhad encharged to him.\nThe King and Queen of Fez took their leave of the duke and\nduchess and all the relatives who were very sad to see them\nleave.  And the Viscount of Branches also took his leave of\neveryone.  They embarked on the galleys and set their course\ntoward the lands of the King of Fez.  Our Heavenly Father gave\nthem such good weather that in a few days they reached the port\nof Tangier.  And the King of Fez and the Queen disembarked with\nall their people.  The Viscount of Branches returned to\nConstantinople with the forty galleys, and was well received by\nthe emperor who was greatly desirous of knowing what had happened\nin Brittany.\nThe Viscount of Branches very discreetly told the emperor about\neverything that had been done, just as it had been directed by\nhis majesty.  The emperor was highly pleased, and immediately\nbought the county of Benaixi, which belonged to the princess, for\nthree hundred thousand ducats, and gave it to the Viscount of\nBranches as a reward for his works, Then he gave a large\ninheritance to all those who had married servants of the empress\nand the princess so that they could live well and honorably,\neach according to his station, and all were very happy.  Then he\narranged marriages for all his other knights.\nFortune favored Emperor Hippolytus so much, and he was such a\nvirtuous knight that he greatly increased the Empire of Greece,\nand he added to it many provinces that he conquered, and due to\nhis great diligence he amassed a very large treasure.  He was\ndeeply loved and feared by his subjects and also by the\nneighboring lords who lived near the empire.\nA few days after he was made emperor he had the Moorish sultan\nand the Grand Turk released from prison, along with all the other\nkings and lords who had been imprisoned with them.  They made\npeace and a truce for one hundred one years, and they were so\ncontent that they said they would come to his aid against the\nentire world.  Afterward the emperor had them go to Turkey aboard\ntwo galleys.\nThis Emperor Hippolytus had a long life.  But after the death of\nher daughter, the empress lived only three years.  After a short\ntime the emperor took another wife, who was the daughter of the\nKing of England.  This empress was extremely beautiful, humble,\nand a very virtuous and devout Christian.  The genteel lady bore\nEmperor Hippolytus three sons and two daughters, and the sons\nwere exceptional and valiant knights.  The eldest son was named\nHippolytus, like his father, and he lived his entire life a\nmagnanimous man and performed singular acts of chivalry which\nthis book does not relate, but defers to the books that were\nwritten about him.  But the emperor, his father, left all his\nrelatives and servants well provided for before he died.\nAnd when the emperor and the empress passed from this life they\nwere very old.  They both died on the same day, and were placed\nin a very luxurious tomb which the emperor had ordered made.  And\nyou may be sure that because of their excellent rule and their\ngood and virtuous life they are in the glory of paradise.\n DEO GRATIAS\nHere ends the book of the valiant and singular knight, Tirant lo\nBlanc, Prince and Caesar of the Greek Empire of Constantinople,\nwhich was translated from English into the Portuguese language,\nand afterward into the Valencian tongue by the magnificent and\nvirtuous knight, Johanot Martorell who, because of his death, was\nable to finish the translation of only the first three parts.\nThe fourth part, which is the end of the book, was translated at\nthe behest of the noble Isabel de Loris by the magnificent knight\nMarti Johan d' Galba.  If any defect should be found he wishes it\nto be attributed to his ignorance, and may Our Lord Jesus Christ,\nin His great goodness, grant him the glory of paradise as a\nreward for his works.  And he protests that if he has put some\nthings in this book that are not Catholic, he retracts them and\nsubmits them to the correction of the Holy Catholic Church.\nThis work was printed in the city of Valencia, the 20th day of\nthe month of November in the year of the Birth of Our Lord Jesus\nChrist 1490.", "source_dataset": "gutenberg", "source_dataset_detailed": "gutenberg -  The White Knight"}
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