CHAPTER II
THE TOURNAMENT
Day after day the English knights were languishing. Abandoningthemselves to idleness, they spent many days in peace,tranquility, rest and enjoyment. So they would not be completelyidle and fall into languor, the King of England decided that asthe wedding had been arranged he would invite everyone to hiscourt and have a display of arms. The news of the greatcelebration that the king was preparing was spread throughout allthe Christian kingdoms.
It happened that a gentleman of ancient lineage, a native ofBrittany, was traveling in the company of many other gentlemenwho were going to the celebration. He fell behind the others,and went to sleep on his horse, because he was so weary from thelong journey he had made. His horse left the road and took apath that led him to the delightful spring of the hermit, who atthis moment was finding pleasure in a book entitled Tree ofBattles. As he read this book he constantly gave thanks to God,our Heavenly Father, for the singular favors he had won in thisworld by serving the order of chivalry.
While he was at this task he saw a man coming along the plain onhorseback, asleep. He stopped reading, and decided not to wakehim. When the horse was in front of the spring and saw thewater, it drew closer, wanting to drink, but because the reinswere tied to the saddle bow, it could not. And it struggled somuch that it was inevitable that the gentleman should awaken. Ashe opened his eyes, he found himself confronted by a hermit witha very long and completely white beard, his clothing torn,revealing a thin body.
The gentleman was astonished at such a sight, but with his goodsense he realized that it must be some man who led a saintlylife, and who had withdrawn to that place to do penance and savehis soul. He quickly dismounted and bowed deeply to him. Thehermit received him cordially, and they sat down in thedelightful, green meadow. The hermit began to speak:
"Gentle sir, I beg you upon your courtesy and gentility to tellme your name and upon what business you have come to this lonelyspot."
The gentleman quickly answered:
"Reverend Father, since your holiness wants to know my name, Iwill be very happy to tell it to you: I am called Tirant loBlanc. My father was lord of the March of Tirania, which facesEngland along the sea, and my mother was daughter of the Duke ofBrittany, and her name is Blanca, and so they decided to name meTirant lo Blanc. The news has spread among all the Christiankingdoms that the King of England has called for a court to beheld in the city of London, and that he has arranged a marriagewith the daughter of the King of France, who is the mostbeautiful maiden in all Christendom and has qualities that no oneelse possesses. I can give you an example: While I was in thecourt of the King of France, in the city of Paris, lastMichaelmas, the king was holding a great celebration because thatday the wedding had been agreed to. The king, the queen and theinfanta were all eating at the same table, and I can tell youtruly, sir, that as the infanta drank red wine, it could be seenas it passed down her throat because her skin is so very fair,and everyone there was astonished. Afterward it was said thatthe King of England wishes to become a knight, and that he willthen make knights of everyone who wishes to enter the order ofchivalry. I asked kings-of-arms and heralds why the king had notbeen made a knight during his wars with the Moors. And I wastold that it was because he had been defeated in all the battleshe undertook against the Moors until the appearance of thatfamous knight and conqueror, Count William of Warwick, whoquickly defeated the Moors and put all his kingdom at peace.They say, moreover, that on Saint John's day the queen will be inthe city of London and great celebrations will be held that willlast a year and a day, and so we thirty gentlemen in name and inarms have left Brittany, prepared to enter the order of chivalry.And as I came along the road, fortune decided that I would fallsomewhat behind because of my horse's weariness and because ofthe great hardships I have endured on the long journeys I havemade--for I left after the others. As I was thinking to myself Ifell asleep, and my horse left the main road and brought mebefore your reverence."
When the hermit heard the gentleman say that he was going inorder to receive the order of chivalry, he heaved a deep sigh andbegan to think, remembering the great honor chivalry had bestowedupon him for so long.
"I tell your lordship," continued Tirant, "even if there weremany more dangers in it than there are, that would not stop mefrom receiving the order of chivalry. No matter what happens tome, I will consider my death worthwhile if I die loving anddefending the order of chivalry and serving it with all mystrength so that I won't be reprimanded by good knights."
"My son," said the hermit, "because you so desire to receive theorder, do it with renown and fame. On the day you receive itperform a show of arms so that all your relatives and friendswill know that you are ready to maintain and serve the order ofchivalry. Now because the hour is late and your company is goingfar ahead, I think you should leave: you are in a foreign landand do not know the roads, and you run the danger of becominglost in the great forests hereabouts. I beg you to take thisbook and show it to my lord, the king, and to all the goodknights so that they may know about the order of chivalry. Andwhen you return, I pray you, my son, come by here and tell me whohave been made new knights, and about all the celebrations andfestivities that take place, so that I will know about them, andI will be very grateful to you."
And he gave him the book, taking his leave at the same time.
Tirant took the book with great joy, giving him many thanks andpromising to return, and Tirant said, as he left:
"Tell me, my lord: if the king or the other knights ask me who issending the book, what shall I say?"
The hermit answered:
"If you are asked such a question, say that it was someone whohas always loved and honored the order of chivalry."
Tirant bowed deeply to him, mounted his horse, and went on hisway.
Meanwhile his companions were wondering what could have become ofhim and why he was delayed. They were afraid that he might havebecome lost in the forest, and many of them turned back to lookfor him. They found him on the road, reading about thechivalresque acts written down in the book, and of all the orderof chivalry.
When Tirant reached the town where his companions were staying,he told them about the beautiful adventure Our Lord had taken himon, and how the saintly hermit had given him that book. And theyread all that night until morning when it was time to leave.
They traveled a day at a time until they reached the city ofLondon,where the king was with many knights. Many had come, bothfrom his own kingdom and from foreign lands, and no more thanthirteen days remained before the celebration of Saint John'sday.
When Tirant and his friends had gathered together they went topay homage to the king, who received them very cordially. Theinfanta was two days journey from there in a city namedCanterbury where the body of Saint Thomas of Canterbury lies. OnSaint John's day the celebrations began, and that day the kingwas seen with the infanta, his bride. These celebrations lasteda year and a day.
When the celebrations were over the king was married to theinfanta of France, and all the foreigners took their leave of theking and queen and returned to their own lands.
After Tirant left the city of London with his companions, heremembered the promise he had made to the hermit, and when theywere near the place where he lived, he said to them:
"Gentlemen, my brothers, I must go to where the hermit is."
And everyone in his company begged him to let them go too, forthey had a great desire to see the saintly hermit. Tirant wasmost content that they should, and they all set out on the roadtoward the hermit. At the time they arrived, the hermit wasunder the tree, in prayer.
When he saw so many people arriving he wondered who they couldbe. Tirant drew closer than the others, and when he was near hedismounted, and all the rest with him, and they approached thehermit with deep humility, kneeling and paying him the honor hedeserved. Tirant wished to kiss his hand, as did all the others,but he would not permit it.
The he
rmit, very attentive and courteous, paid them great honor,embracing them all and begging them to sit on the grass near him.And they answered that he should sit down and they would allremain standing, but the valorous gentleman would not allow itand made them all sit next to him. When they were all seated,they waited for the hermit to speak. The hermit, understandingthe honor they were paying him, said:
"I could not possibly tell you, magnificent gentlemen, howcontent I am at seeing so many good people. Please tell me ifyou are now coming from the court of my lord, the king. I wouldlike to know who became new knights, and about the celebrationsthat have taken place. And I beg you, Tirant lo Blanc, tell methe names of all these gentlemen here."
And he paused. Tirant turned to his companions, for there weremany of higher lineage and wealth, and he said to them:
"Oh, valiant knights! I pray you to answer the questions thatthe reverent hermit has asked us. I have told you many times ofhis wisdom and holiness; and he is a father of chivalry anddeserves great honor, so I beg you to speak to him."
They all answered:
"You speak, Tirant. Speak for us all, for the holy father metyou first."
"Then, since that is your pleasure," said Tirant, "and the fathercommands it, if I am wrong about anything, please correct me."
They all said they would.
Then the hermit said:
"I beg you, please tell me who was judged the best of the knightsand who was given the honor of this festive occasion?"
"My lord," said Tirant, "many gentlemen of great authority andpower came to these celebrations. There were kings, dukes,counts and marquis, nobles and knights and many gentlemen ofancient lineage; and almost all those who were not knights weregiven the order of chivalry. The Duke of Acquaviva put on adisplay of arms with great knightly spirit and many men were withhim, and from among them more than sixty gentlemen were knighted.This duke jousted on foot and on horseback, and he was alwaysvictorious. The brother of the Duke of Burgundy went into battlewith great courage like the virtuous knight that he is. Next theDuke of Cleve jousted, and he was highly praised. Many othergentlemen who came jousted like noble knights, and I can tellyou, sir, in all truth, that more than one hundred fifty knightswere killed.
"And I will tell your grace something astonishing: One day a boy(It looked to me like he was no more than fourteen or fifteenyears old, and everyone honored him, including the king, and theycalled him the high constable of England) came to the lodging ofthese gentlemen here and asked for me. He did not know my name,but he recognized me, and he begged me very graciously to lendhim my horse and arms because the king and the countess, hismother, did not want him to joust on foot or on horseback onaccount of the danger. He begged me so much and with such goodgrace, that I could not refuse him, and I told him that I wouldbe very pleased to give them to him.
"I tell you, sir, of all the knights who took up arms, there wasno one who performed as beautifully or as well as he did. Thefirst time he went out he caught his adversary in the middle ofthe headpiece so that most of the lance went through him. Whenthe knight was dead and the king heard that it was his constablewho had jousted so well, he sent for him. And the constable wasso frightened that he made excuses not to go, but finally he wentto the king, and the king reprimanded him severely. HisExcellency showed that he loved him very much, indeed, tellinghim that he had fought without his permission against a man ofenormous strength, the Lord of Escala Rompuda. And furthermore,he told him not to dare to joust anymore without his permission."
When the constable saw how severely the king was reprimandinghim, he angrily said: 'Well, my lord, is it true then that eventhough I've received the order of chivalry, I must be held as theleast of all knights because Your Majesty will not let me joustfor fear that I might die? Since I am a knight I must do theworks of a knight, the same as all good knights. If Your Majestydoesn't want me to face the danger of weapons, order me to goaround dressed like a woman with the queen's maidens. Doesn'tYour Majesty know that when my father and lord, William, Count ofWarwick, held the royal scepter he conquered the Moors? And hetook me by the hair and made me kill a Moor even when I wasyoung, because he wanted to make me a conqueror, soaked withblood, and leave me that for a legacy? My lord, if I want toimitate my father in chivalry, Your Highness should not stop me.I beg Your most serene Majesty to give me leave to combat aknight tomorrow, hand to hand, to the death.'
"Then the king said:
"'I truly believe that this will be the best knight in the world,or he will be the worst, because his life will not last long.And by the faith I owe to chivalry, I will not allow that tohappen. Since fortune has allowed you to be victorious, youshould content yourself with the battle prize.' And he would nothear another word."
Then the hermit said:
"Tell me, since you have spoken so much about this constable, whowas honored above all the knights?"
Tirant was quiet,and would not reply.
"Tirant, my son," said the hermit, "why don't you answer myquestion?"
A knight named Diafebus stood up and said:
"Sir, I will tell you the truth: the one judged best of all thebattles was Tirant lo Blanc. He was also the first to receivethe order of chivalry from the king, and he was the first tojoust. On that day he was taken to a hall and given a chair madeentirely of silver. Then the Archbishop of England came beforehim, and with the king and all the others there, he said:
"'You, sir, who are receiving the order of chivalry, do you swearthat you will defend ladies and maidens, widows, orphans, andeven married women with all your power if they should ask youraid?'
"When he had sworn the oath, two great lords, the mightiestthere, took hold of his arms and led him before the king. Theking laid the sword on his head and said: 'May God and my lord,Saint George, make you a good knight' And he kissed him on themouth.
"Then seven maidens came in, dressed in white, representing theseven joys of Virgin Mary, and they strapped his sword on him.Then came four knights, the most dignified to be found,representing the four evangelists, and they put spurs on him.Afterward the queen came, and she took him by one arm, and aduchess took the other, and they led him to a beautiful platformand seated him in the royal chair. Then the king sat on oneside, and the queen on the other, and all the maidens and knightssat around them, below. Next a very abundant collation wasbrought. And this, sir, is the procedure that was held for allthose who were made knights."
"Tell me, if you will, about the jousts Tirant participated in."
"My lord, on the eve of the appointed day, Tirant went to wherethe twenty-six knights were. When he was at their door hedelivered a document stating that any knight who wanted to joustagainst him would have to battle until one of them had drawnblood twenty times, or until either of them gave up. Hisconditions were immediately accepted, and we returned to ourlodging. The next day all the maidens came for him and took himto the list, fully dressed in his armor. The king and queen werealready on the cenotaphs when Tirant came in completely coveredwith armor, except for his head. In his hand he held a fan thathad the crucifixion of Jesus Christ painted on one side, and thefigure of Our Lady painted on the other.
"When Tirant was in the middle of the field he made a deep bow tothe king and the queen, and then he went to each of the fourcorners of the list, and made the sign of the cross at eachcorner with the fan. He found the defender at the far end of thelist, and Tirant went to the other end of the field. Wheneveryone was quiet the king ordered them to begin. Quickly theydug in their spurs, lances in the sockets, and they clashed sofiercely that their lances flew to pieces. Afterward they turnedand charged many times with many singular encounters. On theirtwentieth turn the defender struck the beaver of Tirant's helmetand bent it, wounding him in the neck, and if the lance had notbroken our knight would be dead. He and the horse fell to theground. Tirant quickly got up and another horse was brought tohim that was better than the first, and he begged the judges togive him permi
ssion to get another lance. Tirant had a verythick lance brought to him, and the other man did the same, andthey clashed with a mighty blow, and Tirant's lance passedcompletely through the other man so that he fell to the ground,dead. The maidens took Tirant's horse by the reins, and led himwith honor back to his lodging. They removed his armor andlooked at the wound on his neck, and they made the doctors cometo care for him. The maidens tended to Tirant very well becausethey were very happy that the first knight to joust for a maidenhad been the victor.
"The king and all the great lords went into the palisade wherethe dead knight lay, and with a great procession they carried himto the Church of Saint George where they had made a chapel forthose who died jousting. And in this chapel only knights couldbe buried.
"My lord, when Tirant was well again, he gathered all his companyonce more, and we went to the twenty-five knights. He gave thema written document stating that he wished to fight a knight onfoot and to the death, and they accepted. Tirant went into thelist armed in the normal fashion, with an ax, a sword, and adagger. When they were inside the pavilion everything necessarywas prepared. The sunlight was divided so that it would notshine into one man's eyes any more than into the other's.
The king came with the other assistants and they went up to thecenotaphs, while each of the knights stood armed at the gate ofhis pavilion, their axes in their hands. When they saw the king,they knelt to the ground on one knee, paying deep reverence tothe king and queen, which showed plainly that they were veryworthy knights, and all the maidens knelt on the ground andbegged our Lord to give victory to their knight.
"When the people were quiet, the trumpets sounded and the heraldscried out that no man or woman should dare speak, cough, or makeany noise at all under penalty of losing their life.
"When the announcement had been made, the two men came at eachother, using their weapons so valiantly that it was impossible toknow who was winning. The battle lasted a long time, andbecause the defender was so hard pressed he grew short of breath.Finally he reached a point where he could no longer hold up hisax, and his face showed that he would prefer to make peace ratherthan do battle. When Tirant saw the condition his adversary wasin, he took his ax with both hands, and gave him such a blow onthe helmet that he stunned him and the man could not keep hisfooting. Then Tirant went up to him and gave him a mighty pushthat knocked him to the ground. When he saw him in such apitiful state, he removed the helmet from his head, using hisdagger to cut the cords it was tied with, and he said:
"'You can see, virtuous knight, that your life is in my hands, soyou command me. Tell me if you want to live or die. I will havemore consolation from good than from evil, so command my righthand to have mercy on you and forgive you, and not to harm you asmuch as it could."
"'I am more hurt,' said the knight, 'by your cruel words, full ofvainglory, than I would be of losing my life. I would rather diethan ask forgiveness from your haughty hand.'
"'My hand is accustomed to forgiving conquered men,' said Tirant,'and not to harming them. If you wish, I will very willinglyfree you from all the harm I could cause you.'
"'Oh, what a wonder it is,' said the knight who was lying on theground, 'when men are victorious because of luck, or someoneelse's misfortune. Then they're loose with all kinds of words.I am the knight of Muntalt, reproachless, loved and feared bymany, and I have always had mercy on men.'
"'I want to use these things you've mentioned in your favor,'said Tirant, 'because of your great virtue and goodness. Let usgo before the king, and on your knees, at my feet, you will haveto ask me for mercy, and I will forgive you.'
"In a great rage the knight began to speak:
"'God forbid that I should commit an act that's so shameful to meor mine, or to that eminent lord of mine, Count William ofWarwick, who gave me this bitter order of chivalry. Do whateveryou please with me, because I would rather die well than livebadly.'
"When Tirant saw his ill will, he said:
"'All knights who want to use arms to acquire renown and fame arecruel, and have their seat in the middle of hell.'
"He pulled out a dagger and stuck the point of it in his eye, andwith his other hand he gave a mighty blow to the hilt of thedagger that made it come out the other side of his head. What avalorous knight this one was, preferring death to shame and thevituperation of the other knights!
"After some days it happened that their Majesties, the king andqueen, were resting in a meadow near the river, dancing andenjoying themselves. A relative of the queen, named Fair Agnes,was there. She was the daughter of the Duke of Berri, and themost graceful maiden I have ever seen. My lord, on that day thisFair Agnes wore a very pretty bauble between her breasts. Whenthe dances were over, in the presence of the king and queen andall the knights, Tirant went up to the genteel lady and kneeling,he said:
"'My lady, knowing of your great worth in lineage as well asbeauty, grace and wisdom, and all the other virtues that can befound in a body more angelical than human, I would like to serveyou. I would consider it a great favor if you gave me the baubleyou're wearing between your breasts. If you give it to me, Iwill accept it and wear it in your honor and service. And Iswear before the altar and on the order of chivalry, to combat aknight on foot or on horseback, to the death, armed or unarmed.'
"'Oh Holy Mary be with me!' said Fair Agnes. 'You want to joustto the death for such a small thing of so little value? So thatyou will not lose the prize of your good works and the order ofchivalry, I shall willingly consent in the presence of the kingand the queen. Take the bauble with your own hands.'
"Tirant was very happy with the reply of Fair Agnes. Since thebauble was tied on with her dress straps, it could not be removedwithout untying them, and when he did, his hands could not helptouching her breasts. Tirant took the bauble in his hand andkissed it. Then he fell to his knees, and said:
"'I give you many thanks, my lady, for this great gift. I amhappier with it than if you had given me the entire kingdom ofFrance. And I swear to God that whoever takes the bauble from mewill leave his life in my hands.'
"And he put it on the crest of the cap he wore.
"The next day, while the king was at mass, a French knight namedLord Vilesermes came. He was a very brave man and veryexperienced in weapons, and he said to Tirant:
"'Knight, wherever you are from, you have been far too daring intouching the glorified body of Fair Agnes, and no knight in theworld ever made such a wicked request. You must return thebauble to me willingly or by force. It is my right to possess itbecause since infancy I've loved, served and venerated this lady.And if you will not give it to me, your life will not last long.'
"'To my way of thinking,' said Tirant, 'it would be a greatoffense if I gave away what was given to me freely, and what myown hands untied. In truth, I would be considered the most vileknight ever born if I did such a thing. And yet, knight, yourevil tongue shows that you are far too haughty, and I will haveto pull you down.'
"The knight attempted to take the bauble away from him, butTirant was ready. He pulled out a dagger he carried, and all theothers lay hold of their weapons. A fight broke out, and beforethey could be separated twelve of the knights and gentlemen weredead. The queen, who was nearest to them and heard the noise andthe loud cries the people were making, placed herself between themen to separate them. And I can give you a good account becauseI was wounded four times and many others were wounded too. Whenthe king found out about it, everything had quieted down. Butbefore three days had gone by, the French knight sent a page witha letter for Tirant, and it said the following:
"'To you, Tirant lo Blanc.
"'If you dare to confront the danger of weapons that arecustomary among knights, let us make an agreement: armed orunarmed, on foot or on horseback, dressed or naked, in whateverway you feel most comfortable, your sword and mine will fight tothe death. -- Written by my hand and sealed with the secret sealof my arms.
"'Lord Vilesermes.'
"Af
ter Tirant had read the letter, he took the page into a room,and giving him one thousand gold coins he made him promise not totell anyone about this. When the page had gone, Tirant wentalone to see a king-of-arms, and he took him three miles away andsaid to him:
"'King-of-arms, by the trust that has been given to you and bythe oath you swore on the day you were given this office, you arebound to hold secret what I am going to tell you, and to adviseme well and faithfully about the use of weapons.'
"The king-of-arms, whose name was Jerusalem, answered:
"'My lord, Tirant, I promise you by the office I hold and by theoath I have sworn, to keep everything you tell me secret.'
"Then Tirant showed him the letter, and made him read it. Whenhe had finished, Tirant said to him:
"My good friend, Jerusalem, I will be very honored to satisfy thedesire of that virtuous knight, Lord Vilesermes. But since I amyoung and I know nothing about the practice and custom ofchivalry (for I've just turned twenty years old), and I trustyour great discretion, I want your advice. And don't think thatI've told you this out of cowardice or fear. I wouldn't want tobe condemned by the king who has instituted certain laws aboutthe jousts in his kingdom, or by good knights for being weak inthis matter.'
"The king-of-arms answered:
"Oh, knight, virtuous young man, beloved by everyone! I willgive you the advice you are asking me for. You, Tirant lo Blanc,can fight this knight without any reproach from the king, judgesor knights, since you are the defender and he is the one whobegan this wickedness. Do you know when you would be at fault?If you had been the challenger. So perform like a good knight,and always show the bold spirit of a knight to the people. Gointo battle quickly, and have no fear of death.'
"'I feel very comforted by your advice,' said Tirant. 'Now Iwant to beg you earnestly, Jerusalem, by the office you hold, tobe judge of the battle between Lord Vilesermes and me, and tohave jurisdiction over it all so that you will bear true witnessabout everything that happens between him and me.'
"Jerusalem said:
"'I will be very happy to arrange it. But according to therequirements of our office I could not be your judge, and I willtell you why: No knight, king-of-arms or herald who gives advicecan be a judge. Not even my lord, the King of England, if he isthe judge of a battle, should say favorable words about anyone.And if he did he could be called an unjust judge, and that battleshould not take place. But so that neither you nor he will losethe battle prize, I will find you a competent judge who will besuspect in nothing. He is a member of our office, and his nameis Claros of Clarence--a man who is very knowledgeable aboutarms.'
"'I know him well,' said Tirant, 'and I am satisfied with him ifLord Vilesermes agrees, because he is a good king-of-arms and hewill give the honor to the one who earns it. I want him to beinformed about everything because Lord Vilesermes sent a page tome with this letter, and if I sent him an answer in the same wayit could be found out easily and the battle would not come to theconclusion that he and I want. So let us do this: let us go backto my lodgings, and I will give you a 'carte blanche' signed bymy hand, and sealed with my coat of arms. And you will arrangethe battle so that it's all to his advantage. Since he is thechallenger and I am the defender, and he is giving me the choiceof weapons, as he says in the letter, I willingly renounce thechoice, and I will let him choose whatever pleases him most. Iwill do only what you say and order. And no matter how cruel theweapons he chooses, you will tell him that I agree: that way myglory will be even greater.'
"Tirant went back to his lodging with the king-of-arms, and heimmediately drew up the 'carte blanche.' That is, it was signedby his hand and sealed with his arms; and he gave it toJerusalem, the king-of-arms.
"The king-of-arms departed to arrange the battle, and he searchedthroughout all the king's and queen's estates. When he saw thathe could not find Lord Vilesermes he went into the city and foundhim in a monastery of friars, where he was making confession.After he had confessed, Jerusalem called him aside and asked himto come outside the church so that they could talk, for in such aplace it is not fitting to speak of criminal things. They leftthe church and the consecrated ground at once, and Jerusalembegan to speak:
"'Lord Vilesermes, I would feel very honored if I could arrangepeace and harmony between you and Tirant lo Blanc. But if you donot wish to come to an agreement, here is your letter and hisanswer, a 'carte blanche,' sealed and signed by his hand. Hecommanded me, as part of my office, to come to you to arrange thebattle in this way: concerning the weapons, he says that you areto be given the power to choose whatever pleases you, providedthey are equal and without trickery. And the battle should takeplace this evening, if possible.'
"'I am very satisfied,' said Lord Vilesermes, 'with Tirant.Nothing but complete virtue could be expected of him. I acceptthe power that you give me on his behalf to choose the weaponsand the battle. It will be this way:
"'It is my decision that the battle will be on foot, in shirtsmade with cloth from France, both of us having paper shields, andon our heads a garland of flowers, with no other clothing at allon our bodies. The offensive weapons for both of us will beGenoese knives with a cutting edge on both sides, and very sharppoints. In this way I will combat him to the death. And I amastonished at you, king-of-arms, when you try to make peace outof discord. Our minds are made up to go into battle, and youtalk to me of peace.'
"'What I said,' said the king-of-arms, 'is part of my office: notto want the death of any honorable knight.'
"'Since we agree, I accept the battle with Tirant.'
"'I am happy that you are in agreement,' said the king-of-arms.'Let us go get the weapons and everything you need beforenightfall.'
"They both went immediately to buy the knives, and they had themwell keened, with very sharp points. Then they found cloth fromFrance, and they quickly had the shirts cut and sewn. They madethem a little long, and the sleeves cut short--up to theelbow--so that their movements in battle would not be hindered.Then they took a sheet of paper, and cut it down the middle andwith each half they made a shield. Imagine what sort of defensea half sheet of paper could make!
"When they had finished it all, the knight said to theking-of-arms:
"'You have arranged the battle, and you are here on Tirant'sbehalf. But I want no one to take my side except God alone, andmy own hands which are used to bathing themselves in the nobleblood of war. So you take some of the weapons, and I will takethe ones you've left.'
"'Lord Vilesermes, I'm not here to take anyone's side. Even ifyou were to give me all that you have, I wouldn't defraud myhonor or my office. Let's do what we have to do; otherwise, giveme my leave and find someone else you trust.'
"'Upon my Lord and Creator, king-of-arms, my words didn't havethe meaning you're giving them. I only wanted us to go tobattle, because I see nighttime coming on. Since you're ourjudge, arrange things quickly.'
"'My lord, I'll tell you how it's going to be,' said theking-of-arms, 'I can't be a judge between you since I've advisedyou and Tirant, and I could be reprimanded as an unjust judge ifI did. But I'll get another competent judge that both you and hecan trust, whose name is Claros of Clarence. He's aking-of-arms, and he knows a great deal about war and arms. Hecame a short while ago with the Duke of Clarence, and he is a manwho would rather die than do anything against his honor.'
"'I'm satisfied with everything,' said the knight, 'as long asthe matter is equal and it is secret.'
"'I give you my word,' said the king-of-arms, 'not to tell thisto anyone at all except to Claros of Clarence.'
"'Now,' said the knight, 'take the weapons and give them toTirant, and let him choose the ones he likes best. I will waitfor you in the hermitage of Saint Mary Magdalene. So that ifanyone in my company should see me, I can pretend that I'm thereto pray.'
"Jerusalem left and went looking everywhere for Claros ofClarence, king- of-arms. When he found him he told himeverything, and the man said he was very willing to do it. Butthe
sun had already gone down, and it was growing late now, andhe did not want to endanger two knights in the dark night.Instead he would be willing to be judge the morning of the nextday, when the king was at mass and everyone was resting.
"Jerusalem went back to Tirant and told him how the battle was totake place and about the weapons he had chosen, and he said thathe was to take whichever of the two he liked better. And in themorning while the king was at mass, the battle would take place.
"'Since the battle will not take place this evening,' saidTirant, 'I don't want to have the weapons in my possession. If Ishould defeat or kill him I would not want people to say that Ihad performed some trickery on the weapons while I had themduring the night, and that that was the reason I defeated him.Give them back to Lord Vilesermes, and tomorrow when the battletakes place, have him bring them.'
"When Jerusalem heard Tirant speak that way, he looked into hisface and said:
"'Oh, virtuous knight, versed in arms! You are worthy of wearinga royal crown: I cannot believe that you will not be victoriousin this battle.'
"The king-of-arms left Tirant and went to the hermitage where theother knight was, and he told him that the hour was growing late,and the judge could not decide the battle well if it was notdaytime, but that they had arranged it for the following day whenthe king would be at mass. Lord Vilesermes said that he wassatisfied with that.
"Early in the morning the kings-of-arms got the two knights andtook them to the middle of a forest where no one would be able tosee them. When they saw that they were ready, Jerusalem said:
"'Knights of great virtue, this is your death, and yoursepulcher. These are the weapons chosen by this knight andaccepted by Tirant. Let each take whichever ones he pleases.'
"And he placed them on the lovely meadow grass.
"'Now,' said Claros of Clarence, 'gentlemen of great nobility andchivalry, you are in this isolated place. Expect no help fromrelatives or friends. You are at the point of death, so placeyour hope only in God and in your virtue. I want to know who youwish to serve as judge of this battle.'
"'What?' said Lord Vilesermes. 'Didn't we agree that it would beyou?'
"'And you, Tirant, who do you want to be judge?'
"'I want it to be the one Lord Vilesermes wants.'
"'Since you want to have me as your judge, you must swear by theorder of chivalry to obey all my commands.'
"They swore that they would. After the oath, the knight said toTirant:
"'Take the weapons you like and I will go into battle with theones you leave behind.'
"'No,' said Tirant. 'You have been holding them, and they werebrought here in your name. You are the challenger, so you choosefirst, and then I will take mine.'
"And the knights stood there, arguing about ceremony; the judgepicked up the weapons to put an end to the dispute. He put someof them on the right side and the others on the left. Then hepicked up two straws, one of them long, and the other short. Thejudge said:
"'Whoever gets the longest one, take the weapons on the right;and whoever gets the short one, the weapons on the left.'
"When they had each picked up the weapons, they quickly took offall their clothes and put on the painful shirts that could wellbe called hair-cloths of sorrow. The judge made two lines on thefield and he placed one of the men on one line and the other manon the other, and he ordered them not to move until he said to.They cut a tree's branches so that the judge could be on a sortof cenotaph. When everything was ready the judge went to LordVilesermes and said:
"'I am judge by the authority you have given to me, and it is myduty to warn you and beseech you not to come to such a narrowstrait as this. Remember God and don't die so desperately. Asyou know, the justice of our Lord does not pardon a man whobrings on his own death, and he is condemned for all eternity.'
"'Let's stop all the talk now,' said the knight. 'Each of usknows his worth and what he can do, both in the temporal life andin the spiritual one. Have Tirant come here to me, and it mightbe possible for us to come to an understanding.'
"'I don't think that what you're asking is reasonable,' said thejudge. 'You are equals: why should he come to you? But in anycase, Jerusalem, go and ask Tirant if he wants to come and talkto this knight.'
"Jerusalem went to Tirant, and asked him if he wanted to gothere. Tirant answered:
'"'If the judge is commanding me to go, I will, but for thatknight over there I wouldn't take a step backward or forward foreverything he's worth.'
"Jerusalem told him how the judge was obligated to do everythingpossible to make peace between the knights. Then Tirant said:
"'Jerusalem, tell the knight that I see no reason why I shouldhave to go to him. If he wants something from me, let him comehere.'
"He took the answer to him, and then the judge said:
"'All right. It seems to me that Tirant is doing what he shoulddo. But, knight, you can go to the middle of the field, andTirant will come there.'
"So it was done that way. When they were facing each other, LordVilesermes said:
"'Tirant, if you want to have peace with me, and if you want meto forgive you because of your youth, I'll do it--on conditionthat you hand over the bauble of that illustrious lady, DonaAgnes of Berri, to me, along with the knife and the paper shieldso that I can show it to the ladies. Because you know very wellthat you're not worthy of having anything at all from such alofty and virtuous lady as she is. Your station, lineage andcondition aren't good enough even to allow you to take off herleft slipper. They're not even enough to raise you to my rank;in fact, it was out of kindness that I decided to do combat withyou.'
"'Knight,' said Tirant, 'I'm not unaware of who you are, or whatyou can do. But this is not the time or place for us to discussthe merits of our lineages. I am Tirant lo Blanc: when a swordis in my hand, no king, duke, count, or marquis can deny me.That is known throughout the world. But anyone can easily findthe seven capital sins in you. Let's go to battle and do what wecame here for, and let's not go on with unnecessary and worthlesswords: if even one of my hairs fell to the ground, I wouldn'tsurrender it to you, much less allow you to pick it up.'
"'Since you don't want to reach an agreement,' said the judge,'do you want life or death?'"
Lord Vilesermes said:
"'I am very sorry about the death of this haughty young man.Let's go to battle, and let each one go back to his place.'
"The judge got up on the cenotaph that had been made withbranches, and he shouted:
"'Go now, knights, and let each of you act like a valiant andgood knight!'
"They went at each other in a fury. The French knight carriedhis knife high, in front of his head, and Tirant held his justabove his chest. When they were close to each other, the Frenchknight struck hard at the middle of Tirant's head. Tirantparried and struck back, and he dealt him a blow on top of hisear that almost dug into his brain. The other man struck Tirantin the middle of his thigh, and the wound gaped about ahandsbreadth. He quickly stabbed him again in his left arm, andthe knife sunk in as far as the bone. They both fought so hardthat it was dreadful. And they were so close to each other thatwith every swing they took they drew blood. It was a pitifulsight for anyone who saw the wounds of the two men: their shirtshad become completely red from all the blood they lost.Jerusalem repeatedly asked the judge if he wanted him to makethem stop fighting, and the cruel judge answered:
"'Let them come to the end of their cruel days, since that's whatthey want.'
"'I am convinced that at that very moment both of them wouldrather have had peace than war. But since they were very braveand very courageous knights they fought ceaselessly, withoutmercy. Finally Tirant saw that he was near death because of allthe blood he was losing, so he drew as close to the other man ashe could, and stabbed him in the left breast, straight into hisheart. The other man dealt him a mighty slash to his head,causing him to lose the sight of his eyes, and he fell to theground before the other one. And if the Fren
chman had been ableto hold himself up when Tirant fell, he could easily have killedhim if he had wanted. But he did not have enough strength, andhe immediately fell dead on the ground.
"When the judge saw that the knights were lying there so still,he got down from the cenotaph, and going up to them, he said:
"'Upon my word, you two have behaved like good and very honorableknights: no one could find fault with you.'
"And he made the sign of the cross twice over each of them, andtaking two sticks he made a cross and laid it over the twobodies. Then he said:
"'I see that Tirant's eyes are still open a little, and if heisn't dead he's very near to it. Jerusalem, I charge you to stayhere and guard these bodies, and I'll go to the court to give thenews to the king.'
"He found the king leaving mass, and in everyone's presence, hesaid:
"'My lord, in truth, there were two most valiant knights in YourMajesty's court in the morning, and now they are so near deaththat there is no hope for them.'
"'Who are these knights?'
"'My lord,' said Claros of Clarence, 'one is Lord Vilesermes andthe other is Tirant lo Blanc.'
"'I am very displeased,' said the king, 'by this news. Let us goout there before we eat to see if we can help them.'
"'In faith,' said Claros, 'one has already departed from thisworld, and I believe the other will soon join him--that is howbadly they were wounded.'
"When the relatives and friends of the knights heard the newsthey gathered up their arms and rushed as quickly as they could,on foot and on horseback, and our Lord God gave us the grace toget there before the others. We found Tirant so covered withblood that he was unrecognizable, and he had his eyes slightlyopen.
"When the others saw their lord lying dead, they quickly rantoward our knight, wanting to take his life, and we defended himvery well. We split our group into two parts, and, with ourbacks to each other, we kept his body between our lines. Therewere many more of them than of us, but every place they advancedthey found their way blocked. At the same time they shot arrowsand one of them struck poor Tirant, who was lying on the ground.
"The high constable arrived immediately, with many men, and heseparated us. Soon afterward the king came with the tournamentjudges. When they saw the knights, one dead and the otherseemingly in the throes of death, they ordered no one to movethem until they had held counsel.
"While the king was in council, listening to the tale of Clarosof Clarence and Jerusalem, the kings-of-arms, the queen arrivedwith all the ladies and maidens. When they saw them they weptfor the deaths of two such singular knights. Fair Agnes turnedto Tirant's relatives, and said:
"'Knights who love Tirant, are you doing so little for your goodfriend and relative that you let him leave life like this?That's the way he'll die, lying on the cold ground, his bloodpouring out. A half hour more, and he won't have a drop of bloodleft in his body.'
"'My lady, what would you have us do?' said a knight. 'The kinghas commanded, under penalty of death, that no one should dare totouch them or move them from here.'
"'Oh, poor me!' said Fair Agnes. 'Our Lord does not want asinner to die, and the king does? Have a bed brought, and puthim on it until the king finishes his counsel: the wind isgetting into his wounds and will make him worse.'
"The relatives immediately sent for a bed and a tent. While theywere getting it, Tirant was continually nauseous because of thewounds and because of all the blood he was losing. When Agnessaw how much pain Tirant was in, she said:
"'In all conscience, I should not be blamed by father or mother,by brothers and sisters, or other relatives, or by our lords theking and queen, because I am doing this with pure intentions.'
"She removed the clothes she was wearing, which were of whitevelvet, and she put them on the ground, and had Tirant placed ontop of the clothing. Then she begged many of her maidens to takeoff their clothes and lay them over Tirant. When Tirant felt thewarmth of the clothes he opened his eyes wider than before. FairAgnes sat down and took his head and put it in her lap, saying:
"'Oh, poor me, Tirant! What an unlucky bauble it was that I gaveyou. If I had known that something like this would happen, Iwouldn't have given it to you for anything in the world. I begyou, knights, bring the body of Lord Vilesermes here, next to me.Even though I did not love him while he was alive, I do want tohonor him in his death.'
"They quickly brought him to her, and putting his head on theleft side of her lap, she said:
"'Lord Vilesermes spent seven years of his life trying to win me,and this is his reward. He performed extraordinary acts ofchivalry out of love for me, and he wanted to marry me. But I amof greater lineage and wealth, and I refused to consent tosomething that was for his pleasure and satisfaction. And nowthe poor knight is dead because of jealousy.'
"The king came out of his council, having heard the completestory from the kings-of-arms, and he had the three archbishops,the bishops and all the clergy come in a solemn procession fromthe city, to honor the dead knight. Tirant's relatives haddoctors and a bed and tent brought, and everything else that wasneeded. They found that he had eleven wounds in his body, andfour of them were critical.
"After Tirant had been treated and all the clergy had arrived,the king and the judges ordered the dead knight placed in the boxthat the dead are carried in, covered with a beautiful gold cloththat was used for knights who die in battle. Tirant went behindhim, carried on a large shield. Even though his hand was uselessand he could not use it or hold it up, it was decided to tie itto a stick, with the bare sword that he had killed him with inhis hand.
"In this fashion the clergy went first, and afterward came thedead knight with all the knights on foot. Then came the kingwith all the great titled lords. Then came Tirant the way I havedescribed, with the queen following, and all the ladies andmaidens. Then came the High Constable with three thousand armedmen. They went to the Church of Saint George, and here they verysolemnly held a requiem mass.
"When the king and queen left the church with all the others,they accompanied Tirant to his lodging, and every day the kingwent to see Tirant until he had completely recovered. That iswhat was done to all the wounded. And thirty maidens were givento Tirant to serve him continually.
"At the hour of vespers the king and the queen went to the Churchof Saint George, and had Tirant brought there, and after vespersthe king had the following proclamation read:
'As we, judges of the tournament, have been given license by theking to judge all the battles that will be held within the timeestablished by His Majesty we state and declare:
'Lord Vilesermes died like a good knight and we declare that heis to be buried and admitted to the holy mother Church, and thatthe glory of the battle will be given to Tirant lo Blanc.'
"When the judgement was published, the clergy sang a verybeautiful litany over the knight's sepulcher, and the honorsgiven him lasted till nearly midnight.
"Afterward they took Tirant to his lodging, with the king andqueen and all the others paying him great honor. And they alsohonored all the other victorious knights."
The White Knight: Tirant Lo Blanc Page 4
