¶ How Rychards hors cam & passed' thurgh thexcersyte of the admyral, & was seen & knowen of the peres of Fraunce, in soo moche that they thought that duc Rychard' had' been deed'; & how the brydge of Mantryble was kepte: capitulo iij
Rychard̛ of Normandye wyth his swerde in hys fyste rode hastely, & the sarasyns whych ranne after hym came and̛ fonde theyr kyng deed, of whome the hede was on that one syde of the waye, & the body on that other. It byhoueth not to recounte the sorowe that they were in, whan the chyef of alle the sarasyns of myght and̛ parentage was descomfyted̛ and̛ slayn; and̛ for thyng that they coude do, they coude not reteyne Rychards hors. & the fyrst that [sign. h iij, col. 2] sawe the hors come rennyng was thadmyral, whiche called gorant, sone of kyng̛ grehier, & also sortybrant of conymbres, & sayd to them: "by my god̛ appolyn, whan I wel aduyse and̛ remembre me, I ought wel to loue my neuewe Claryon, and̛ holde hym dere emonge al other. I see wel that he hath put to deth the messager of the Frensshe men: that it is trouthe, ye may see his hors that yonder cometh." and̛ thadmyrall commanded that he sℏold hastely be taken. but whan the hors saw that they wold haue taken hym, he ranne and̛ smote out, & cessed not tyl he cam to the yate of the castel in whyche the barons of Fraunce were enclosed̛. & whan the frensshe men sawe thus the hors come, whyche was longyng to rychard̛, they were al affrayed̛ and̛ moeued̛, and̛ came & opened̛ the gate, and̛ anone he entred̛ in; and̛ after that the yate was sℏette, they arenged̛ them aboute the sayd̛ hors, for compassyon of sorowe, wepyng̛ pyetously. ¶ And̛ Duc Naymes spake fyrst and̛ sayd̛: Page 154 "Ha, Richard of Normandye! I praye to god that he be in thy comfort and̛ that he haue pyte of thy soule. I knowe wel that for thy deth we shal neuer haue socoure, Ne of thy partye*. ["of thy partye:" = so far as thou art concerned. Fr. de ta part.] we shal neuer haue none helpe." Roulland̛ and̛ Olyuer heryng these [sign. h iij, back] wordes, & also the other, wepte bytterly. here-vpon came florypes the curtoys in grete heuynes, and̛ sayd̛ to them: "Lordes, in the honour of god, leue your lamentyng̛ and̛ sorowe: we knowe not yet the trouthe of the mater." thus as they were in these grete thoughtes, the Sarasyns came, whyche had̛ lefte Rychard̛ ryde forth, And̛ in grete sorowe & torment brouȝt the body of kyng̛ Claryon. And̛ whan thadmyral sawe them come, he beyng̛ in the ethroclytes in hys entendement,*. [Fr. Et quant ladmiral les vit venir tout ethroclite en son entendement. I can make nothing of "the ethroclytes."] cryed̛ and sayd̛: "and how is it? is myn neuewe in good̛ poynte?" The sarasyns ansuerd̛: "Syr admyral, we may not lye to you. Claryon is dede, it nedeth nomore to demaunde therof." Thadmyral heryng thoo wordes, fyl doun to therth al in a traunse, and̛ he swouned̛ more than iiij tymes as he had̛ been dede. thus emonge al the sarasyns was a grete wepyng̛, & made grete sorowe. The sarasyns thus makyng thys lamentacyon, the barons of fraunce herde and̛ vnderstood̛ them, & specially florypes, which knewe better the langage. & after that sℏe knewe the cause of theyr sorowe, sℏe came to the barons, and sayd to them in spekyng to rolland: "Syr, knowe ye wherfore the sarasyns demene suche sorowe? it is trouth that Rychard̛ your messager [sign. h iij, back, col. 2] hath slayn the kyng claryon & wonne his hors, to whom is none lyke ne pareylle of bounte in al the world̛.*. ["To whom there is none like or equal in goodness in the world:" Fr. quil non y a point de pareil.] & as wel for þedeth of claryon as for the losyng of the hors, they demene & make al thys sorowe & torment that ye see & here. Wherfore I praye you that euery man doo hys deuoyr, to lede a good lyf and̛ to make good chyere." Olyuer sayd to rolland Ioyously: "O my felawe of Page 155 armes, ye knowe not how glad I am of these tydynges that we here, & I ensure you by my soule that I am as sure to passe thys daunger that we be in, as though I were in the strengest castel of fraunce. blessyd be richard of god, for he hath borne hym nobly!" and semblably sayd̛ al the other his felawes. After that richard rode thus, thadmyral made a man to come to hym named̛ Orages,*. ["Orages:" in Sir Ferumbras, 3823, Malyngras; in the Sowdone, 2145, Espyard.] & made hym to take a dromedary hastely, & comanded hym to bere his lettres to galafre, which kept the stronge brydge of mantryble: "I charge the to renne as faste as the dromydary may bere the, to mantryble, and̛ say to Galafre wherfore he suffred̛ the messagers of charles to come ouer the brydge, the whyche haue doon to vs so moche greuaunce and̛ ennoyaunce, as thou can wel telle to hym. & I swere by mahon my god̛, that he dyd̛ a grete folye. & sythe on that other parte the [sign. h iiij] messager of the frensshe men goeth thyder, and̛ yf he recounte his message to Charles, it myght happen he shold put me in subgectyon, Therfore say to galafre that he kepe soo wel the brydge, that noo persone passe: and̛ say to hym more ouer, that, yf he do otherwyse, I shal put oute hys eyen, and̛ make hym deye shamefully." "Syr admyral." sayd̛ Orages the messager, "I shal do your commaundemente; and I assure you I shal ryde as moche waye in one day as that other shal do in foure dayes. for. for to ryde an hondred̛ leghes contynuelly, I shal neuer be wery." And̛ thus he departed from the admyral vpon a dromydary, & taryed̛ not tyl he came to mantryble, and̛ spake to Galafre, sayeng̛: "Galafre, I shal not hyde fro the that the admyral is not contente wyth the, by cause thou suffredest the frenssℏ men to passe ouer the brydge, whyche haue doon to hym grete dommage, for they be lodged in the chyef toure, & holden in their subgectyon the goddes, with floripes his douȝter, and̛ haue slayn Page 156 many of the moost valyaunte of the courte of thadmyral. & the cause wherfore I am thus hastelye come, is thys: After me cometh a messager, whyche is one of the barons of Fraunce, whyche gooth for to fetche ayde, vnto Charles theyr [sign h iiij, col. 2] kyng̛; the whyche hath slayne kyng̛ Claryon. wherfore kepe wel thys passage that he passe not. For yf thou doo otherwyse, thou sℏalt not conne fynde the manere to saue thy lyf, but that thou sℏalt deye vylaynsly." Of these wordes Galafre was perturbled̛ and̛ replenysshed of yre, & for hys angre he made moche foule chyere, and began to scumme at the mouth lyke a bore enchaffed̛, and̛ took a staffe, and̛ had̛ smyton the messager yf it had̛ not be letted̛ by them that were presente. ¶ Neuertheles he mounted̛ vpon a tourrette, and with the sowne of a trompette he assembled̛ many men of armes, whyche were in nombre xv M, whyche were anone of horsback, and̛ passed̛ the brydge. And̛ whan they were ouer, it was anone lyfte vp, and they wente and̛ rode here and̛ there for to recountre þe messager of the frenssh men, yf by aduenture they myȝt fynde hym.
