CHAPTER III
SICILY
Tirant and his companions journeyed until they reached the cityof Nantes. When the Duke of Brittany heard that Tirant wascoming with his relatives, he went out to welcome him with allthe city magistrates and many knights, and they paid him thehighest honor they could, for he had been the best knight of allthose who had been at the festivities in England. The duke fetedhim, and Tirant was held in high esteem by all the people in theland.
One day while Tirant was with the duke and many other knights,relaxing and talking, two knights came from the King of France.The duke asked if there was any news from the court, and theytold him that the Genoese had invaded the island of Rhodes, andthat the Christians there were in need of help.
The news had reached the King of France, and he had lamentedloudly, but did very little. Then the knights left the court ofthe King of France, and came to the Duke of Brittany. The dukeshowed compassion for the Grand Master and the religious atRhodes, and he told everyone there that he would send ambassadorsto the King of France. Then, if the king wanted to sendassistance to the Grand Master of Rhodes, and if he wanted him togo as captain, he would do it very willingly and he would spendtwo hundred thousand crowns of his own money on it.
The morning of the following day they chose four to beambassadors: an archbishop, a bishop, a viscount, and Tirant loBlanc. When the ambassadors were before the King of France, theyexplained their mission, and he told them that in four days hewould give them an answer. A month went by and they still didnot know what he intended to do. Finally he told them that atthe moment he could not intervene in these things because he wasoccupied with other matters that were more important to him. Theambassadors returned with the reply.
When Tirant saw that so many Moors were on Rhodes and that no onewas sending help, he talked to many sailors, asking if he coulddo something. They told him that if he would go, he could helpthem very much, and that he would not have to enter the castle ofRhodes from the dock, but would be able to go in another way.
Tirant bought a large ship, and had it well stocked and armed.It happened that Tirant had become a good friend of the five sonsof the King of France. The youngest of them all, whose name wasPhilippe, was somewhat unlearned, and was considered gauche, sothe king thought very little of him, and no one ever spoke abouthim. A gentleman who served him, knowing that Tirant had a shipand was going to Rhodes and then to Jerusalem, wanted to go therevery much. So he told Philippe:
"My lord, knights who want honor should not stay in theirparents' home while they're young and able, especially if theyare younger than their brothers, and their father ignores them.Think of that famous knight, Tirant lo Blanc: After the greathonor he received in the battles he won in England, he is nowpreparing a large ship to go to Rhodes and to the holy land ofJerusalem. Oh, what glory it would be for you if you and I wouldleave here secretly, without saying a word to anyone until wewere on the ship, one hundred miles out to sea! And Tirant issuch a virtuous knight that he will obey you and honor you assomeone from your house deserves."
"My good friend, Tenebroso, I know that the advice you are givingme is good," said Philippe, "and I will be very happy if we cando it."
"It seems to me," said the gentleman, "that I should go toBrittany first, to where Tirant is preparing the ship. We aresuch good friends that I will ask him to let me go along to theholy land of Jerusalem, and I'll ask him what things will beneeded for me and two squires. After we have his decision we'llput everything we need on the ship,"
Philippe was very satisfied with this, and he said:
"Tenebroso, while you go talk to Tirant I'll get all the money Ican, and clothing and jewels,"
The following day the gentleman left with two squires, andTenebroso journeyed until he came to where Tirant was. They werevery happy to see each other, and Tenebroso told him the reasonfor his visit. Tirant was highly pleased, for he knew thatTenebroso was a very valiant gentleman and very discreet, and hevalued his company. He answered him:
"My lord and brother, Tenebroso, my worldly goods, myself, theship, and everything I have are at your service."
When Tenebroso heard Tirant say this, he was the happiest man inthe world, and he gave many thanks to Tirant for his greatgentility.
He left one of his servants there to prepare a room inside theship where they could eat and sleep, and where Philippe couldstay secretly. Tenebroso set out again, riding until he was backwith Philippe who was waiting for him in great anticipation.Philippe was very pleased at Tirant's answer. Tenebroso told himto get ready to leave, and Philippe said that he already hadeverything he needed to take.
The following day Philippe went to his father, the king, and inthe queen's presence he begged him to allow him to go to Paris tosee the fair, which was two days' journey from there. The kingtold him coolly:
"Do whatever you like."
He kissed his hand, and then the queen's hand. They set out ontheir journey very early in the morning, and finally they reachedthe sea port. Philippe slipped into a room on the ship withoutletting anyone see him. When the ship had weighed anchor andthey were two hundred miles out to sea, Philippe revealed hispresence to Tirant. Tirant was very surprised at this, butbecause they were so far out to sea, they had to continue ontheir course toward Portugal, and they arrived at the city ofLisbon. When the King of Portugal learned that Philippe, son ofthe King of France, was on the ship, he sent a knight whograciously begged him to come ashore to rest from the long seavoyage. Tirant and Philippe dressed in their finery, andaccompanied by many knights and gentlemen who had come withTirant, they left the ship and went to the palace. When the kingsaw Philippe he embraced him and paid him great honor, and didthe same to the others. They remained in the king's court tendays.
When they decided to leave, the king had them fill the ship witheverything they needed. From there Tirant sent a gentleman tothe King of France with letters explaining what had happened tohis son. When the King of France learned that his son was insuch good company he was very pleased, and the queen wasespecially happy, because so much time had passed with themknowing nothing that they thought he was either dead or hadentered some monastery.
Philippe took his leave of the King of Portugal, and the ship setsail, reaching the Cape of Saint Vincent to pass through theStraits of Gibraltar. There they encountered many Moorishvessels, and when they saw the ship, all the vessels went intoformation. They attacked it fiercely, and the combat lasted halfa day, with many men from both sides dying. After Tirant's menhad rested, they renewed the battle, and it was very fierce. NowTirant's ship was much larger and lighter than any of those ofthe Moors, but it was alone, while there were fifteen of theothers, large and small, and all of them carried weapons.
One very able sailor on the ship, named Cataquefaras, had saileda great deal, and he was very clever and valiant. When he sawthat the situation was taking a turn for the worse, he took manyropes from the ship and made a net. He placed those ropes fromstern to prow and around the mast, and he put them up so highthat the men did not find their weapons hindered in any way;instead it kept them from being taken prisoner. For the missilesthat the Moors launched were so many and so thick that it was agreat marvel to see, and if the ship had not been covered by thatnet of ropes, it would have been completely filled with stonesand iron bars. In that way it was protected so that no stonecould pass through it; instead, when a stone hit against theropes, it bounced into the sea. What else did this sailor do?He took up all the mattresses that he found on the ship, and hecovered the forecastles and the sides of the ship, and as themissiles fell on top of the mats they could not damage the ship.And he did still more. He took boiling oil and tar, and whenthe ships drew alongside, they threw the oil and boiling tar withladles, causing grave injuries to the Moors, who had to drawapart from the ship. But still they passed through the entireStraits of Gibraltar, fighting night and day. There were so manymissiles, darts and spikes that the sails were pinned
to theship's mast when the Moors left them. They were very near land,and certain that the ship would run aground, stern first, nearthe city of Gibraltar. But the sailors were so capable that theyquickly put the ship around and raised the sails. Then theypassed out of the Straits and entered the great sea.
Philippe, Tirant and many others were wounded in these battles.They went to a deserted island near the land of the Moors, andthere they tended to their wounds and repaired the ship as wellas they could. Then they sailed along the Barbary Coast wherethey fought many battles with Genoese and Moorish vessels untilthey were close to Tunis. There they decided to go to the islandof Sicily to take on wheat. They went to the port of Palermowhere the king and queen were, with their two sons and a verybeautiful daughter named Ricomana, a very intelligent maiden ofmany virtues. When the ship was in port, they made a scribedisembark along with five or six men, with orders to tell no oneabout Philippe or Tirant, but rather to say that their ship hadcome from the west and was on its way to Alexandria with somepilgrims who were going to the Holy Sepulcher.
When the king learned that they had come from the west he had thescribe from the ship and all the others called before His Majestyso he could have news of those lands. Before the king, they toldabout the great battles they had had with the Moors and Genoesein the Straits of Gibraltar, and forgetting at that momentTirant's words, they mentioned that Philippe, son of the King ofFrance, was there, in the company of Tirant lo Blanc. When theking heard that Philippe was on that ship, he had a great woodenbridge, covered with cloth and satin, constructed from land tothe ship. And to pay him honor, the king went on board the shipwith his two sons, and implored Philippe and Tirant to come onland and rest a few days from the great hardships they hadendured at sea, and from their battles with the Moors. Philippeand Tirant thanked him and told him that, to please him, theywould go with His Majesty.
The king brought them to the city, furnished them with very nicequarters, and had them served excellent dishes and other thingsmen need who have been at sea.
Philippe, following Tirant's counsel, told the king that theywould not stay in their room until they had seen the queen. Andthe king was very pleased. When they were upstairs in thepalace, the queen, along with her daughter, the princess,received them very graciously. And when they returned to theirlodgings they decided that she was everything a king's daughtershould be.
Afterward, everyday at mass or after eating, they were with theking and especially with the infanta, who was so pleasant to theforeigners who came and went, that everyone spoke of her greatvirtue. And by speaking with the infanta everyday at the king'scourt, Philippe grew very enamored of her, as she did of him.But Philippe was so shy when he was in her presence that hescarcely dared speak, and when she asked him questions, he didnot know how to respond to some of them. Tirant quickly answeredfor him and said to the infanta:
"Oh, my lady, what a thing love is! That Philippe! When we arein our lodgings or away from here his lips never tire of praisingYour Majesty, and when you are present he is overcome with love,and finds it difficult to speak. In truth, I tell you, if I werea woman and I found someone with his genteel quality, and I knewhe was of a long and good lineage, I would forget everyone elseand would love only him."
"Oh, Tirant," said the infanta. "Your words sound nice, but ifit turns out that he is vulgar by nature, what pleasure would itbe for a maiden to have everyone laugh at him. For love's sake,don't tell me such things; I would prefer a man who was prudentand discreet, rather than for him to be vulgar and avaricious."
"My lady," said Tirant, "you are right, but he doesn't fit thatdescription. He's young and of tender years, but he's old in thebest sense, generous, more valiant than anyone, and very amiableand gracious. During the night he gets up and doesn't let merest the way I would like. If I want to give him pleasure I haveonly to speak of Your Majesty. If this isn't love, tell me, whatcould it be? My lady, love someone who loves you. He is the sonof a king, like you, and he loves you more than his life. If hedoes not talk as much as Your Grace would like, that is a virtue.Guard yourself, my lady, from those men who boldly dare to courta maiden. That kind of love is not good love: it comes and goes.And men like those are called corsairs, because they make bootyof everything. My lady, give me a man who appears before hislady with great fear and shame, with his hands trembling, and whocan scarcely utter a word."
"Tirant," said the infanta, "because of your great friendshipwith Philippe, you are right to honor him so much. With yournoble order of chivalry, you can do nothing but what is expectedof you, and that's why I think highly of you. But don't imaginethat I'm a woman who is easily convinced. I have to put my handsin up to the elbows in the sense of knowing his manners, hisstation and condition, and if he could bring me happiness.Although I'm happy when I see him, experience tells me that heseems vulgar and avaricious, and both of those vices areincurable."
"I beg Your Highness to give me an audience, and not to be angryat what I say to you. I see ambassadors from the Pope coming tothe court to arrange a marriage between Your Highness and hisnephew (and some wonder if he isn't his son). And I also seeambassadors from the King of Naples, the King of Hungary, and theKing of Cyprus. Although I may not have the power of the mostChristian King of France, I would like to talk to your father andYour Highness about the wedding. I see that you are wise anddiscreet, my lady. But because of your perfection you deserve tobe on the imperial throne and subject to the crown of France: itis of greater height than the Roman Empire."
At this time the queen arrived and interrupted their delightfulconversation. After a few moments the queen said to Tirant:
"Virtuous knight, scarcely an hour ago the king and I werespeaking of you and your chivalrous deeds, and the king wishes toplace an undertaking in your charge that is very important to himand to me.
And I regard you so highly that if you attempt it you will surelycome out of it with honor. But to avoid all doubts I will putforth all the obstacles there that I can."
"My lady," said Tirant, "Your Excellency speaks in such a covertmanner that I don't know what to reply, unless Your Highness cangive me a clearer explanation. But whatever I can do for YourExcellency, with the consent of the king, I'll do it mostwillingly, even if it should be to carry the cross on my back."
The queen gave him many thanks. Tirant took leave of the queenand the infanta, and when he was at his lodgings he was sorrythat the ship was not repaired so that he could departimmediately.
Tirant saw a ship on the high seas. He wanted to have newsbefore going to dine, and he sent an armed brigantine that leftvery swiftly and then returned. They told him that this shipcame from Alexandria and Beirut, and that it had touched on theisland of Cyprus, but that it had not been able to land atRhodes, because there were so many Moors that held it besieged onland and sea. Many Genoese vessels were guarding the port, andthe city of Rhodes was in such straits that they had no bread toeat. It had been three months now since the Grand Master oranyone in the castle or the city had eaten. They ate nothing buthorse meat, and the day they could find even that was afortunate one. They truly believed that in a few short days theywould have to surrender to the Moors.
When Tirant heard this news, he reflected at length. And hedecided to load the ship entirely with wheat and other victuals,and embark to give aid to Rhodes. He quickly sent for merchants,and he gave them so much money that they loaded the ship withwheat, wine and salted meat.
When the king learned of this he sent for Tirant, and said:
"The glory of your undertaking puts all the princes ofChristianity to shame who have refused to aid the master ofRhodes. I would like to go with you to Jerusalem (in disguise sothat no one would recognize me). That would please me more thanif you gave me a kingdom, and I would be in your debt for therest of my life. So I beg you with great love, don't refuse thisto me."
When the king had finished, Tirant said:
"If it should become necessary, I will
treat Your Highness as myown lord, as though I had served you all my life. As for goingon my ship, my lord, the ship, my possessions, and myself allbelong to Your Excellency, and you may command and ordereverything as if it were your own."
And so they agreed. When the king had seen the ship, he askedfor his room to be prepared near the mast, because a ship issafer there when disaster strikes.
Every day the king and Tirant discussed many things, and finallythey spoke about Philippe. Tirant wanted to arrange a marriagebetween him and the infanta, and for him to have the dowry theking had mentioned. The king favored a union with the house ofFrance, but he said:
"Tirant, I won't make a decision about any of these things untilI know what my daughter thinks. If she agrees, then I willconsent to the marriage. I will be very happy to talk to thequeen and to my daughter, and if they agree, the wedding will beheld before we leave."
The king had the queen and his daughter brought to his chambers,and he said to them:
"The reason that I had you come here, my queen and my daughter,was to tell you about a journey I will be making soon. I havedecided to go with Tirant to Jerusalem, and so that no one willknow me I am taking along only one gentleman to serve me. Andbecause my life and death are in the hands of God, our HeavenlyFather, I would like to see you well married, my daughter. Ifyou like the king's son who is here, and who would unite us withthe greatest king in Christianity, I am certain that withTirant's aid and counsel and Philippe's willingness, everythingcan be arranged satisfactorily."
"It seems to me," said the infanta, "that Your Majesty knows itwill be two weeks before the ship's cargo is loaded and it'sready to weigh anchor. In that time, Your Highness, with thecounsel of my uncle and your brother, the Duke of Messina, youcan take care of the matter, because the duke is expected heretonight or tomorrow."
"You speak well, my daughter," said the king, "and what you sayis reasonable."
"Pardon me, Your Highness," said the infanta, "but since YourExcellency has decided to go on this saintly journey, you shouldhold a great celebration so that Tirant and all the men with himwill be more willing to serve you when you are at sea, andbesides if it reaches the ears of the King of France, he willknow that Your Highness is showing consideration to his son,Philippe. Next Sunday a celebration could be held that wouldlast three days; the tables could he set night and day, andthere would always be enough food on them for everyone who wantedto attend.'
"In faith, my child," said the king, "you've thought it outbetter than I could have, and I am very happy to do it, But I'mvery busy planning my journey, and I want to leave the kingdom insuch a good state that no one will note my departure, and besidesthere could be many problems when we are in the land of theMoors. So I would like you, my child, to plan this and be incomplete charge of it ."
The king immediately had the steward and the purchasers broughtin, and he told them to do everything his daughter, Ricomana,commanded, and they said they would be happy to.
The infanta planned everything very well, and many differentdishes were chosen. Now the infanta held this celebration solelyto see how Philippe would conduct himself at the table.
The infanta gave instructions that on the day of the great feastthe king, the queen, Philippe and she would eat together at atable above the others, and that the Duke of Messina, Tirant, andall the counts and barons and others would eat at a table belowthe king's. The evening before the celebration the king sent twoknights to Philippe and Tirant, asking them to go with him tomass and to dinner the following day. And they humbly acceptedthe invitation.
In the morning they dressed in their finest clothing, and alltheir men did the same, and then they went to the palace and paidhomage to the king. The king received them very kindly, and hetook Philippe's hand, as did the Duke of Messina to Tirant, andthey went to the church. When the king was at his chapel, theyasked his permission to accompany the queen and his daughter, andthe king gave his consent. As they walked with the ladies,Philippe took the infanta's arm so that he could be closer toher, and Tirant never left Philippe's side for fear that he woulddo or say something foolish that would annoy the infanta.
When the mass was finished and the king and all the others hadgone back to the palace, the dinner was ready. The king sat inthe center of the table with the queen at his side. To honorPhilippe, the king had him sit at the head of the table, with theinfanta facing him. Tirant wanted to remain standing in order tobe near Philippe, but the king said to him:
"Tirant, my brother, the Duke of Messina is waiting for you, andhe doesn't want to sit down without you."
"My lord," said Tirant, "if you please, tell him to take a seat,because at a feast like this it's fitting that I should serve theking's son."
The infanta was impatient, and with a rather cross look on herface she said to him:
"Don't bother yourself about being at Philippe's skirts all thetime, Tirant. In my father, the king's house, there are enoughknights to serve him so that you don't have to do it."
When Tirant heard the infanta speaking so heatedly and saw thathe had to leave, he put his mouth to Philippe's ear and said tohim:
"When water is brought to the king, and you see the infantagetting up and then kneeling and holding the vessel for him, youdo what she does, and be careful not to do anything gauche."
He said that he would, and Tirant left him. When they were allseated, the king's water bowel was brought, and the infanta kneltand held the laver. Philippe tried to do the same, but the kingwould not allow it. And the same happened with the queen. Whenit was the infanta's time to wash, she took Philippe's hand sothat they could wash together, and Philippe courteously and withgentility, said that it was not seemly. Then he knelt andattempted to hold the dish for her, but she refused to wash untilthey both washed together. Then the bread was brought and placedbefore the king and the others, and no one touched it as theywaited for the dinner to be brought. When Philippe saw the breadbefore him he quickly took a knife, and picking up a loaf ofbread he cut through it and made twelve large pieces. When theinfanta saw such a sight she could not contain her laughter. Theking and everyone there, including the serving boys, made greatsport of Philippe, and since the infanta was laughing too, it wasinevitable that it should come to Tirant's attention, because hedid not take his eyes from Philippe for a moment. Standing up,he ran from the table and said:
"By heaven, Philippe must have stained his honor with some greatfoolishness."
He went to his side at the king's table, and saw the slices ofbread that Philippe had cut. When he saw that neither the kingnor anyone else had touched their bread, he immediatelyunderstood the reason for the outbursts of laughter. Tirantquickly picked up the slices of bread; then he reached into hispocket, took out twelve gold ducats and put one ducat on eachslice, and he had them given to the poor. When the king and theinfanta saw what Tirant had done, they all stopped laughing.The king asked Tirant the meaning of what he had done.
"My lord," said Tirant, "when I have finished what I must do Iwill tell Your Highness."
Tirant gave out all the bread slices, each one with its ducat,and he put the last one to his mouth, said an Ave Maria over it,and gave it away. The queen said:
"I would like very much to know about this ceremony."
Tirant answered:
"My lord, Your Excellency and all the others are astonished atwhat Philippe began and I have finished, and you've all mockedhim. The reason for it, since Your Highness wants to know, isthat the most Christian kings of France, because of all theblessings they've received from the immense goodness of Christour Lord, began this tradition: Before any of their childrenentered the order of chivalry, they were not allowed to eat thefirst loaf of bread that was put in front of them at dinner untilthey had cut it into twelve slices, and placed a silver "real" oneach one, and had given it to the poor in memory of the twelveapostles. Then, after the order of chivalry had been bestowed onthem they would put a piece of gold on each slice. And e
ven downto today everyone in the house of France continues the custom.And, my lord, that's why Philippe cut the bread and made twelveslices, one for each apostle."
"Praise God," said the king, "that sort of charity is the mostbeautiful I've ever heard of. I'm a crowned king and I don'tgive as much in alms in a month."
Dinner came, and the infanta told Tirant to go back and eat.Philippe saw what he had done wrong and how discreetly Tirant hadremedied it, and he was very careful with the meal, and ate onlyas the infanta did.
When they left the table, the infanta began to talk to one of herladies whom she deeply trusted, and with a little anger mixedwith love, she began to lament:
"Look at what a sad state I'm in, to have this Tirant as theenemy of my desires: I can't talk alone to Philippe for even anhour. Tell me, Tirant, why do you make me so mad? You must knowhow nice it is to be alone with the person you love. Now, poorme, when I want to sleep I cannot, night is longer than I wouldlike it to be, nothing that I eat tastes sweet to me--insteadit's as bitter as gall. If this is life, what can death be?"
And the love-struck maiden lamented, tears flowing from thoseeyes that had sparked many flames in Philippe's heart. While theinfanta had this sad face, the king and his brother, the Duke ofMessina, came into her chambers.
When they were in the room the king, seeing such grief in herface, said to her:
"What's wrong, my daughter? Why are you crying?"
"And don't I have reason to, Sire? Your Grace is about to leave.What am I to do all alone? Who will be here to console me? Howwill my soul find peace?
The king tenderly consoled his daughter as best he could. Thenthey went to the queen. The four held counsel, and the kingsaid:
"I beg you, Duke, tell me what you think of this marriage withPhilippe."
"Sire," said the duke, "since Your Highness and Philippe aregoing on this holy pilgrimage, I feel that this marriage shouldtake place only with the consent of his father and mother."
Tirant was then put in charge of writing letters to the King ofFrance, and he explained all the details of the marriage pact, ifthe king would agree. The King of Sicily then prepared abrigantine to go to the mainland with the letters.
At the same time, Tirant's ship was loaded with wheat and otherprovisions. When the brigantine was ready to depart, the kingpretended he was going on it, and he had the news spread that hewas going to Rome to talk to the Pope. That night Tirant had theking and Philippe brought on his ship, and when all the men wereon board, Tirant went to take his leave of the princess andeveryone in the court. Tirant then set sail at night, and infour days he was within sight of Rhodes.
When the Genoese saw the ship coming, they thought it was one ofthe two they had sent to bring provisions to their camp. Theycould not imagine that any other ship would dare to come into themidst of as many ships as were in the port. The ship approached,and as it drew near it unfurled all its sails. This, and theshape of the ship, made the Genoese realize that it was not oneof theirs, and they hurried to prepare to attack. But the shipwas so close that none of their ships had time to raise theirsails, and this ship swiftly sailed through all of them at fullmast. However, they used lances, spikes and bombards, and allthe weapons used at sea. Then Tirant ordered the helmsman andthe pilot not to turn the ship, but to head the prow straightinto land. And they did, at full speed.
When the people in the city saw the ship beach itself, theythought it was the Genoese coming to take the city. All the menran there and bravely attacked it. They were also being attackedby the ships at sea, and they were in dire straits until a sailorquickly took one of Tirant's flags and raised it. When thepeople from the city saw the flag they stopped fighting. Thenone of the men told them that the ship had come to help them.Hearing that the captain of the ship was French, and that theship was loaded with wheat for them, the people on land went totell the Grand Master.
When the Grand Master discovered that it was Tirant, he was veryanxious to see him, because he had heard of his fame. He senttwo knights of the Order to the ship, to ask Tirant to come onland. Tirant told them to tell the Grand Master confidentiallythat the King of Sicily and Philippe, son of the King of France,were on his ship and that they were going on a holy pilgrimage toJerusalem, and to ask if they would be safe on his land. TheGrand Master promised to keep their presence secret. Then theking and Philippe disembarked, in disguise, and went to the roomsthat were prepared for them. Tirant then went on land,well-outfitted. When Tirant was with the Grand Master theytalked at length. The Grand Master told him how the sultan wasbesieging them on land, day and night, and that the Genoese weredoing the same by sea; that they were at the point ofsurrendering because of their great hunger, and they could notlast much longer. They had eaten all the horses and otheranimals, including the cats, and it would be a wonder to find onestill alive.
Tirant then had many barrels of wheat brought from the ship, andhe asked the Grand Master to have it distributed among all thepeople, and he said there was still more for the castle. Theyalso gave them the oils and the vegetables and meat, and all theother supplies.
That night Tirant and his men stood watch over the port. TheGenoese ships--especially the captain's ship--were very close toland. It was nearly midnight when a sailor approached Tirant andsaid:
"Sir, what would your grace give to someone who, tomorrow night,set fire to the ship that's so close to shore, and that they saybelongs to the Genoese captain?"
"If anyone could do that," said Tirant, "I would gladly give himthree thousand gold crowns."
"Sir," said the sailor, "if you promise me, on your word as aknight, to give them to me, I will do everything I can. And ifI'm not able to do it I will become your slave."
"My friend," said Tirant, "I don't want you to put anyobligations on yourself: the shame you will bring if you don't doit, will be punishment enough for you. As for me, I promise youon my order of chivalry, that if you set it on fire tomorrow, Iwill give you everything I said I would, and more."
The sailor was very satisfied because he knew he could do it,with all the skill he had both on sea and land. In the morninghe prepared everything he needed.
When the Grand Master had heard mass, he went to see the king,Philippe and Tirant, and they spoke at length about the war andabout many things regarding the city which I will not go into soas not to be tiresome. A very old knight of the Order, who hadcome with the Grand Master, said:
"It seems to me, gentlemen, since you have brought enoughsupplies to last the city several days, that my lord, the GrandMaster, should make a gift for the sultan of many different kindsof foods, in order to make him lose any hope he has of taking usby hunger."
All the great lords praised the old knight's advice, and theorder was immediately given to send him four hundred hot loavesof bread straight from the oven, wine, honey and sugarsweetmeats, three turkeys, chickens and capons, honey, oil, andall the other things they had brought.
When the sultan saw the present, he said to his men:
"Damn this present and the traitor who sent it! This will bringthe perdition of my honor, and will be my ruin."
When it was nearly midnight, and very dark, the sailor hadeverything ready to set the captain's ship on fire, and he did itthis way:
The sailor had fixed a very strong capstan into the ground nearthe sea. Then he put a thick rope in a boat along with a hempcord as thick as a man's finger. He got into the boat, and twomen rowed for him. When they were so near the ship that theycould hear the men on the poop deck talking, they stopped rowing.He took off all his clothes and tied a cord around his waist.Then he took a very sharp knife so that he could cut any cords heneeded to, and he put it in back of him so it wouldn't bother himwhen he swam. He attached one end of the cord to the knifesheath, and he told the men in the boat to keep feeding him line.When everything was ready he slipped into the water, and swamuntil he was so close to the ship that he could hear the men onwatch talking. Then he swam underwate
r so that no one would seehim, and he reached the rudder. He looped the cord through aniron ring under the rudder, and swam underwater back to his boat.He took the end of the cord and tied it to one end of the thickrope and he held it up and greased it thoroughly. Then he took achunk of grease for the bar, to let it slide through easily andnoiselessly.
Finally he gave orders to the men, and swam back to the ship andgreased the bar. The men on the boat stuck an iron pin throughthe cord and pulled until the pin caught on the ring. And thesailor knew that the other end of the rope was in the boat. Whenhe thought it was time, they rowed back to land. He tied one endof the rope to the capstan, and the other end was tied to a largeboat, a type of whaling boat, that had been filled with firewoodand candlewood, all soaked with oil so it would burn well.
They set it afire, and let it catch well. Then one hundred menwere set at the capstan, and they began to turn it with all theirstrength. And with the power from the capstan it all happened soquickly that the large boat had barely started to move whensuddenly it was flush against the side of the ship. With thehuge fire on it sending out enormous tongues of flame, it quicklyset fire to the ship with such a fury that nothing in the worldcould have put it out. The men on the ship thought only ofgetting away in small boats. Others threw themselves into thesea to swim to the other ships, while many were burned to deathbecause they did not have time enough to get off, and the firecaught many others sleeping.
When it was daylight Tirant took three thousand crowns and gavethem to the sailor, along with a silk garment lined with martensand a brocade doublet. The sailor thanked him very much and wasvery pleased.
Then the sultan summoned his captains, both on sea and land. Hetold them what had happened, and also about the present the GrandMaster had sent him to show how well supplied the city was witheverything it needed and more. And as winter was setting in, thecold weather and rain were beginning to bother them. So theydecided to raise camp and go back, but with the intention ofreturning another year.
He quickly ordered the camp trumpets and pipes to play, and theships to raise their sails and come near the island, because hewould be there to get all the men.
When Tirant saw the Moors raising camp, he armed himself, andwith all his men he left the city and went to the camp. He setfire to the palisades and huts so that if they came back theywould have to build them again.
Then the sultan set sail and returned to his land. The lordsthere were well informed about the reason he was returning, andthey went together to see him. They took him prisoner, and puthim in a lion's den where he died horribly. Then they choseanother sultan. The new sultan ordered all the Genoese ships toform a large armada with all the men who had come from Rhodes,along with many more, and he had them advance on Greece. And soit was done. And the Grand Turk was also invited, and he camewith many soldiers on horseback and on foot. In the two armieswere seventeen thousand Moors.
And as soon as they set foot in Greece, they took over manyvillas and castles, and seized sixteen thousand small children,and sent them all to Turkey, to the land of the sultan, to beraised in the Mohammedan sect. And they sent many ladies andmaidens into perpetual captivity.
And the Island of Rhodes was freed from the power of the infidel.
When the people at Cyprus knew that the sultan's armada had leftthe city of Famagusta, they quickly loaded many ships with wheat,oxen, sheep and other victuals, and they took it all to Rhodesbecause of the great hunger there. Many other places also sentsupplies. And in a short time the city and the island had somuch that all the elders said they had never seen or heard theirancestors tell of so great an abundance on the Island of Rhodes.
A few days after the sultan had gone, two galleys arrived fromVenice, loaded with wheat, and carrying pilgrims to the holy landof Jerusalem. When Tirant learned about it he went to tell theking and Philippe, and they were very happy to hear it.
That night the king and Philippe and Tirant said farewell to theGrand Master and boarded the Venetian galleys with the few peoplewho came with them, for all the others stayed at Rhodes.Diafebus, Tirant's relative, did not want to stay behind; nor didTenebroso, so he could serve Philippe.
They made such good time that in a few days they reached the portof Jaffa, and leaving there, as the weather was fair and the seawas calm, they reached Beirut with no trouble. All the pilgrimsdisembarked there and found good guides: there was a guide forevery ten people. When they were in Jerusalem together, theystayed two weeks to visit all the holy places. Then they boardedthe galleys again and raised the sails, and they had such goodweather that they reached the island of Sicily in only a fewdays.
There was great rejoicing among the Sicilians at the return oftheir lord, and a courier was sent to the queen to tell her ofthe king's arrival. The king asked about the queen's health, andabout his daughter and two sons, and his brother, the duke. Theyanswered that they were all very well, and they told him how theKing of France had sent forty knights as ambassadors, with acompany of gentlemen.
They rested there a few days because they were very tired fromthe sea voyage. After they had rested, the king and all thecompany set off for Palermo where the queen was staying.
On the day that he was to arrive, his brother, the duke, came outfirst, accompanied by very fine people. Then came thearchbishop, with all the clergy. Then came the queen,accompanied by all the ladies of honor in the city; then, after amoment, the infanta Ricomana came with all her maidens and thoseof the city, very well dressed, and they were a wonderful sightto behold; then came the forty ambassadors of the King of France,wearing gold chains and dressed in garments of crimson velvetwhich reached to their feet.
When the king had greeted the queen, and his daughter had paidhim reverence, Philippe and Tirant bowed to the queen. Philippetook the infanta's arm, and they went to the palace. On the waythe forty ambassadors came to pay their respects to Philippebefore they did to the king, and Tirant said to Philippe:
"My Lord, tell the ambassadors to go and pay reverence to theking before they speak with you."
Philippe told them, and the ambassadors replied that they hadbeen instructed by their lord, the King of France, his father, togo to the king and give him the letters they were bringing afterthey had paid obeisance to him. And Philippe again told themthat above all they should go to the king before speaking withhim.
"Since Philippe wishes it," said the ambassadors, "we will do ashe commands."
When the king reached the palace with all the people, theambassadors from the King of France went to pay him reverence,and they gave him the letters. The king received them verywarmly, and paid them great honor. Then they went to Philippeand honored him, as was their duty, because he was the son oftheir own ruler. Philippe regaled them, and there was greatrejoicing.
After the celebration for the king's arrival was over, theambassadors explained their mission, which had three parts.First, that the King of France was very pleased to have his sonPhilippe marry the infanta Ricomana, as Tirant had arranged.Second, that if the King of Sicily had a son, he would give adaughter of his to him as his wife, together with one hundredthousand crowns as a dowry. Third, that he had asked the pope,the emperor, and all the princes of Christianity to send him aid,because he had decided to march against the infidel, and allthose to whom he had sent word had offered to help him. And onbehalf of their lord, the King of France, they were asking himto give assistance, and if his lordship decided to send an armadahe should make Philippe captain and send him too.
The king's reply was that as far as the marriage was concerned hewas very pleased, but as to the rest he would hold counsel.
When the infanta learned that her father had consented to hermarriage with Philippe, she said to herself:
"If I can find some defect in Philippe that shows that he'sgauche or avaricious, he will never be my husband. From now on Iintend to devote every moment to discovering the truth."
And while the infanta was deep in thought, a
maiden in whom shehad complete confidence came into her chambers, and said to her:
"Tell me, my lady, what is Your Highness thinking about thatmakes you look so disturbed?"
The infanta answered her:
"I'll tell you. My father, the king, has given his consent tothe ambassadors from France for the wedding, and I have a deepsuspicion that Philippe is gauche, and that he may even beavaricious. And if he is, in the slightest, I wouldn't be ableto stay in the same bed with him for an hour; instead I wouldbecome a nun or go into a convent. I've done everything I couldto get to know him, but because of that traitor, Tirant, fortunehasn't been with me. Yes; I Pray God that I'll see him boiledand fried because that day when the bread was cut I would reallyhave known Philippe if it hadn't been for him."
When Philippe received the money his father had sent, he dressedup in elegant clothing, and he wore many jewels and gold chainsand other valuable jewelry.
On the day of Our Lady, in August, the king invited Philippe andall the ambassadors, and everyone who held a title in his land todine. When the king was sitting at the table it began to rainvery hard. The infanta was very pleased, and she said:
"Now I can find out what I want to know."
When the tables were cleared the minstrels came, and they danceda while before the king and queen. Then came the collation. Theking went into his chambers to rest, but the infanta would notstop dancing for fear that Philippe would leave.
When it was nearly time for vespers the skies cleared and the suncame out, and then the infanta said:
"It's such a nice day, wouldn't it be a fine idea for us to goriding through the city?"
Philippe quickly answered:
"My lady, why would you want to ride through the city in thisterrible weather? If it starts to rain again you'll getdrenched."
Tirant saw through the infanta's wiles, and he tugged atPhilippe's coattails to make him be quiet. The infanta caught aglimpse of the signal Tirant was making, and she became veryangry. She ordered the horses brought out, and they all sent forthe animals. When the infanta was mounted she almost turned herback on Philippe, but kept sight of him out of the corner of hereye. And Philippe said to Tirant:
"Send for another suit of clothes so that this one won't beruined!"
"Oh," said Tirant, "the clothes be damned! Don't worry aboutyour clothing. If this suit gets dirty, there will be anotherone."
"At least," said Philippe, "see if there aren't two pages whowill carry my coattails so they won't drag along the ground."
"For the son of a king," said Tirant, "you're very stingy! Hurryalong now, the infanta is waiting."
Then Philippe, very troubled, started out. While the infanta,who had been watching them talk, wasn't able to make out theirwords.
So they rode through the city, and the infanta enjoyed herselfimmensely, seeing how the clothes of that miserly Philippe weregetting wet, and how he was always looking at them. The infanta,to have more pleasure, told them to bring the falcons and theywould go a little way out to the outskirts and hunt some quail.
"Don't you see, my lady?" said Philippe. "This is no time forhunting. There's nothing but mud and water everywhere."
"Oh, you niggardly fellow!" said the infanta. "This oaf stillwon't do anything that I want.'
But she paid no attention to him, and went out of the city andfound a peasant. She took him aside and asked him if some riveror canal was not close by. The peasant answered:
"My lady, straight ahead, not far from here, you'll find a largecanal that will come up to a mule's groin."
"That's just what I'm looking for."
The infanta went ahead, and they all followed her. When theycame to the water, the infanta rode through it, and Philippestayed behind and asked Tirant if there were any servants whowould hold up the tails of his clothing.
"I'm tired of your prattle. Don't worry: I'll give you mine.The infanta has gone through and she's riding ahead. Hurry, andgo to her side."
And Tirant laughed out loud so that it would look as thoughPhilippe had been telling him a joke. When they had gone throughthe water, the infanta asked Tirant what he was laughing at.
"In faith, my lady," said Tirant, "I was laughing at a questionPhilippe has been asking me all day long, before we left YourHighness's chambers, then when we were riding, and now as we wentthrough the water. He asked me what love is and where it comesfrom. The second thing he said to me is: Where does love abide?I tell you, on my word, that I don't know what love is or whereit comes from, but, my lady, the true and loyal love thatPhilippe feels for you does not retreat from anything."
"Let's go back to the city," said the infanta.
As they went through the water, she watched to see if the two menwere talking together again. Philippe, seeing that his clotheswere already soaked, was unconcerned as they rode through thewater. And the infanta was very much relieved, and believedeverything Tirant had said to her. But her soul was still notentirely at ease, and she went to Tirant and said to him:
"I'm in a situation where fortune holds me in its hands. I wouldrather renounce my life and possessions than take a husband whois gauche, vile and avaricious. And I want to tell you in alltruth, Tirant, that my fortune has always been adverse. Now if Itake this man for a husband, and he turns out not to please me, Iwould find myself having to do very desperate things, because itis my opinion that it's better to live alone than to live with abad companion."
Tirant quickly replied:
"Philippe is one of the best knights in the world today. He isyoung, more genteel than any other man, courageous, generous andmore wise than gauche. That's been his reputation wherever we'vegone, among knights, duennas and maidens. Even the Moorish womenwho saw him, loved him and wanted to serve him. If you doubt it,look at his face, his hands, his feet, and his entire body. Andif you would like to see him completely naked, I can arrange thattoo, my lady. I know that Your Highness loves him deeply, for heis loved by all people. You are to blame, my lady, if you don'thave him by your side in a bed perfumed with benjamin, civet, andpure musk, and on the following day if you complain to me abouthim I will suffer whatever torment Your Highness decides."
"Oh, Tirant," said the princess. "I would be very happy if Icould have someone who would please me. But what use would it beif I had a statue at my side who could only give me pain anddesperation?"
At this moment they reached the palace and found the king in thehall, speaking with the ambassadors from France. When he saw hisdaughter he took her by the hand and asked where she had been.Dinner was ready, and Philippe and the ambassadors took theirleave of the king and the infanta, and went to their chambers.
After dinner they began to dance, and the infanta purposefullycaused the dancing to continue until late at night. The king sawthat it was past midnight, and he left without a word so that hewould not disturb his daughter's pleasure. And as it began torain the infanta sent word to the king, asking him to permitPhilippe to remain that night, and to sleep in the palace withher brother, the infante. The king answered that that wasagreeable to him.
After the king had left, the dancing ended and the infante beggedPhilippe to stay there that night to sleep because most of thenight was already past. Philippe answered that he was deeplygrateful, but that he would go to his lodgings.
The infanta took hold of his clothes and said:
"Since it is my brother, the infante's, wish for you to stayhere, this will be your lodging tonight."
Tirant said:
"Since they are so fond of you, stay here to give them pleasure,and I'll stay with you so that I can serve you."
"That won't be necessary, Tirant," said the infanta, "because inthe house of my father, my brother, the infante, and myself,there will be no lack of people to serve him."
Seeing how angrily she spoke, Tirant realized that they did notwant him, and he left with the others for his lodging. When theyhad gone, two pages came with torches and asked Philippe if itwas hi
s desire to go to sleep. And he answered that he would dowhatever his lady, the infanta, and her brother commanded. Theysaid that it was time now. Philippe bowed to the infanta andfollowed the pages, who led him to a room where there were twobeds.
The king had ordered a very special canopy made entirely ofbrocade, to be given to his daughter on her wedding day, and hehad another placed in a room to serve as its model. When thebrocade canopy was finished, the two beds were placed next toeach other, and the coverlet was of the same brocade. And on itthey put the sheets for the wedding, with embroidered pillows, sothat it was an exceptional bed. The other bed in the same roomwas entirely white, and there was a great difference between thetwo.
When Philippe saw such a luxurious bed he was astonished, and hethought it better to lie down on the other one. That evening,while dancing, he had slightly torn his stocking, and he thoughtthat his servants would not come as soon as he would get up inthe morning. The pages had been well instructed by the infanta,who was in a place where she could see very well what Philippewould do. Philippe said to one of the pages:
"Please go bring me a needle and a little bit of white thread."
The infanta had seen him give orders to the page but she did notknow what he was asking for. Then the page went to the infanta,and she had them give him a needle with a little thread. Thepage took it to him, and found him pacing from one end of theroom to the other, and he did not say one word to the second pagewho was there.
When Philippe had the needle he went to a torch and opened ablister that was on his hand. The infanta immediately thought hehad asked for the needle because of the blister. He put it onthe bed where he had decided to sleep. Philippe then took offhis clothing and sat on the bed. After the pages had removed hisstockings, Philippe told them to go to sleep and to leave a torchlit for him.
They did so, closing the door. Philippe got up from where he wassitting in order to get the needle and sew his stocking, and hebegan to look for it from one end of the bed to another. Hegloomily lifted the coverlet, and he twisted and turned it somuch that it fell on the floor. Then he lifted up the sheets andtore the entire bed apart without finding the needle. He thoughtabout making up the bed again and sleeping in it; but when he sawit all undone, he said to himself:
"Oh well. Won't it be better for me to sleep in the other oneinstead of making this one up again?"
A very singular needle was that for Philippe. He lay down in thebed of rich covers. The infanta, who had seen the entiredisplay, said to her maidens:
"Upon your life, look how great the knowledge of foreigners is,especially Philippe. It was my intention to test him, as I havedone other times, with these two beds. I thought that ifPhilippe were gauche and avaricious he would not dare sleep in abed like this one, but instead would lie down in the other whichis more plain. He has done something quite different: he hastorn apart the plainest one and has thrown its covers on thefloor, and he has gone to bed in the best one to show that he isthe son of a king. Now I can see that Tirant is a loyal knightwho has always told me the truth."
And with this thought, she left to go to bed.
Very early in the morning Tenebroso came to Philippe's chamberswith his pages, and brought him more clothing so that he couldchange. When the infanta was dressed and still fastening herskirt, she sent for Tirant and with a show of great happiness shetold him:
"I have come to realize how special Philippe is. I have seenwith my own eyes his speech and royal manners, and that he isvery generous. Until now I felt very hesitant about giving myconsent to this marriage, but from now on I will do everythingHis royal Majesty, my father, commands me."
Tirant heard the infanta's words, and he was the happiest man inthe world. He quickly answered:
"I am very happy that Your Excellency has come to know the truth.I am going to speak with my lord, the king, immediately in orderto bring the matter to a swift conclusion."
Tirant took his leave of the infanta and went to the king andtold him:
"I see the ambassadors from France in great anguish about thiswedding so I have come to Your Majesty to beg you to either haveit take place, or give the ambassadors your leave so that theycan return to their king. And if it will not make Your Majestyangry to have me speak with my lady, the infanta, on YourHighness' behalf, I believe that she will be inclined to dowhatever Your Majesty commands."
"If God gives health to my soul and my body," said the king,"that will please me. I beg you to go to her and make therequest on my behalf and your own."
Tirant left the king and went back to the infanta. He found hercombing her hair, and he told her about the conversation he hadhad with the king. Then the infanta said:
"My lord Tirant, I have complete confidence in your nobility andvirtue, so I am putting this entire matter in your hands, and Iwill agree to everything. If you want it done now, I will doit."
Tirant saw how willing she was, and he saw Philippe at the door,waiting to accompany the infanta to mass. He asked the infantato have the maidens leave because he wanted to tell her otherthings in Philippe's presence. The infanta ordered the maidensto go, and they were very surprised to see the infanta speakingso docilely to Tirant.
When all the maidens were gone, Tirant opened the door to thechamber and had Philippe enter.
"My lady," said Tirant, "here is Philippe who has a greaterdesire to serve your ladyship than all the princesses in theworld, and so I beg your grace, here on my knees, to kiss him asa sign of good faith."
"Oh, Tirant!" said the infanta. "These are the words you wantedto tell me? Your face reveals what you bear in your heart. Whenmy king and my father commands it of me, then I will do it."
Tirant motioned to Philippe, who quickly took her up in his arms,and carried her to a lounge that was there, and kissed her fiveor six times. The infanta said:
"Tirant, I placed no little trust in you. What have you made medo? I thought of you as a brother and you have put me in thehands of someone I am still unsure of--I do not know whether hewill turn out to he my friend or my enemy."
"Your words are cruel, my lady. How can Philippe be an enemy toYour Excellency if he loves you more than his own life, anddesires to hold you in that bed where he slept this evening,completely nude, or in your chemise? You can be certain thatthis would be the greatest blessing in the world. So, my lady,"continued Tirant, "allow Philippe, who is dying of love for you,to enjoy part of the glory that he has desired so much."
"May God not permit it," said the infanta, "and may He keep mefrom an error like that. I would think of myself as vile if Igave my consent to such a thing."
"My lady," said Tirant, "Philippe and I are here only to serveyou.
Let your benign grace have a little patience."
And Tirant caught her hands while Philippe attempted to make useof his own resources. The infanta cried out, and the maidenscame and calmed them down.
When the infanta had laced up her garments, she dressed veryelegantly, and Philippe and Tirant accompanied her and the queento mass. And there, before mass, they were engaged. Thefollowing Sunday the wedding was held with great ceremony, andcelebrations took place which lasted a week, with jousts,tournaments, dances, and buffoonery, night and day.
In this way the infanta was entertained, and she was very pleasedwith Tirant, and much more with Philippe whose work was sowonderful that she never forgot it.
When the wedding celebrations were over, the King of Sicilydecided to lend his assistance to the King of France, and he hadten galleys and four large ships armed, and gave the men sixmonths' wages. Tirant bought a galley, but he refused to acceptwages or to associate with anyone, because he intended to act onhis own. When the galleys were armed and well stocked with food,they received word that the King of France was in Aigues-Morteswith all the vessels of the King of Castile, of Aragon, Navarreand Portugal.
Philippe was chosen captain, and the infante of Sicily went withhim, and they found themselves in the port o
f Savona with shipsfrom the pope, the emperor, and everyone who had offered theiraid. They all left together and sailed until they came to theisland of Corsica where they found the King of France. Therethey took on water, and they approached the great city of Tripoliin Libya before dawn, and no one in the entire armada knew wherethey were going with the exception of the king. But when theysaw the king's ship turning and everyone taking up arms, theyrealized that that was their destination. Then Tirant, who wason his galley, went to the king's ship on a skiff. He climbedaboard with many others, and they found the king arming himselfand preparing for mass.
During the reading of the Gospel, Tirant knelt before the kingand begged him to let him make a vow, and the king gave hisconsent. Tirant placed himself at the feet of the priest who wassaying mass, and knelt down, and the priest took up the missaland turned it toward the king. Tirant, while kneeling, put hishands on the book and said:
"By the grace of Almighty God, I belong to the order of chivalry.As a knight who wants to attain honor, I make my vow to God andall the saints in paradise, and to my lord, the Duke of Brittany,captain-general of this armada, that I will be the first to touchland and the last to return."
Afterward Diafebus vowed to write his name on the gates to thecity of Tripoli.
Then another knight made a vow that he would go so near the wallthat he would put an arrow inside the city.
Another knight stood up and vowed that he would enter the cityand take a Moorish maiden from her mother's side, that he wouldput her on the ship and give her to Philippa, the daughter of theKing of France.
Another knight vowed that he would place a flag on the highesttower in the city.
On the king's ship there were many knights--more than fourhundred fifty. And where there are many, envy and ill will areengendered, for the sin of envy has many branches. Many weremoved by the desire to make Tirant break his vow, and they madepreparations with boats and vessels and small galleys to be thefirst to reach land.
There were so many Moors that when they saw such a great armadathey positioned themselves near the sea to stop the Christiansfrom reaching land. All the galleys pressed forward toward land,and they were so close that their sides nearly touched.
When they were so near to land that they could throw down theladders, all the ships turned about so the men could disembark.But Tirant ordered his galley to head in to land, prow first.When he felt the ship touch land, Tirant, who was standing,armed, on the prow, jumped into the water. The Moors saw him andran toward him to kill him; but Diafebus and others defended him.Many armed men and many sailors leapt after him in order to go tohis aid.
As soon as the king's galley and the others had turned about,they lowered their ladders. But who dared disembark when theysaw so many Moors? The greatest fight was where Tirant stood.Virtue, goodness, strength and wisdom were in the king and hismen who, as valiant knights, climbed down the ladders, and theirhaste to attack the Moors was so great that many fell into thesea. When all the men were on land, they gave the Moors greatbattle, and many men from both sides died.
As soon as the Moors attempted to take refuge in the city, manygood knights went in and took five streets of the city, but theywere unable to take more. All the knights fulfilled their vowson those five streets that they took, and they loaded the shipsand the galleys with the great booty that they had taken. But sogreat was the aid that the Moors received that they could notpush on.
When they had to withdraw, therein lay the great danger, and manyof them died.
When they were all on board, Tirant remained behind, because hehad not yet fulfilled his vow. His galley had now debeached, andits ladder was on land, waiting for Tirant to board. A knightwho was searching for honor, and who well deserved it for hisvirtues, was named Ricart lo Venturos, and he remained behindwith Tirant. Ricart said to Tirant:
"All the men are on board or are dead. Only you and I are stillhere. You had the glory of being the first of the conquerors,because your feet were the first to touch this cursed land. Butdon't forget how I defended you many times from danger. Let mego on board the galley first, so that we can be equals in honorand fame and brotherhood, for at times a person who wants allworldly glory loses everything."
"There is no time to waste on words," said Tirant. "Life ordeath is in your hands. I will be considered victorious if bothof us die at the hand of these infidels, and I'm sure that oursouls will be saved if we die with our faith firm, like goodChristians, defending ourselves. So give me your hand, Ricart,and let us die like knights."
The two knights were in the sea up to their chests because of thelances, darts, spears and stones that were being hurled at them.When Ricart saw that Tirant was going up to the shore to attackthe Moors, he caught him by the coat and brought him back intothe water, and said:
"I know of no knight in the world as fearless as you are. Andsince I see how great your courage is, do this: Put your foot onthe ladder first, and then I will be first to climb up."
The king was in great anguish, afraid that those two knightswould be lost. Tirant wanted to give him part of the honor, sohe put his right foot on the ladder. Then Ricart went up first,and Tirant was the last of all, and so he fulfilled his vow.
There was much discussion about these two knights: some said thatTirant had fulfilled his vow, and the king and many others paidhim high honor. When Ricart saw that they all were honoringTirant, he said:
"If the matter is duly judged by the code of chivalry, who shouldthe honor and glory be given to, if not to me? Tirant was acoward in battle even when fortune aided him, so the prize forthis act should be given to no one but me. I am barefoot, and Iwill never again put shoes on my feet until His Majesty, theking, and the noble knights make a decision about this. It iswell known that after all the men had retreated, Tirant and Istayed behind alone on the shore. He and I argued at lengthabout who would be the first to go on board. When he saw that Idid not want to, he put his foot on the ladder before I did. Andso, my lord, may it please Your Highness to summon your sacredcouncil, and let Your Majesty give the honor to the one itbelongs to, as it rightfully and justly belongs to me. And ifYour Highness does not want to judge this case, I say in thepresence of everyone that I am a better knight than Tirant, and Iwill fight him, man to man, to the death.'"
The king answered:
"Ricart, no good judge can decide anything if he does not listento all sides first, and this cannot be done without Tirant here."
This conversation came to Tirant's attention, and he brought hisgalley alongside the king's ship. When he came aboard, the kingwas in his chambers, sleeping. When Ricart heard that Tirant hadcome, he went up to him and said:
"Tirant, if you dare to say that I'm not a better knight than youare, I offer to do battle with you to the death." And he threwhis gloves at him as a challenge.
When Tirant saw that he wanted to fight him with so littleprovocation, he raised his hand and dealt him a hard blow. Thenoise they raised was so loud that the king had to come up withhis sword in hand. When Tirant saw the king, he went up to theforecastle, and from there he defended himself, and he said tothe king:
"Sire, Your Majesty should punish this shameless knight who isthe instigator of all evil. He has never found himself in ajoust, much less seen the flash of an angry sword before hiseyes, and now he wants to fight me to the death over nothing. Ifhe defeats me he will have defeated all the chivalresque acts Ihave accomplished to my glory and honor. And if I am the victorI will have conquered a man who has never borne arms."
After he had said these words he swung safely down to his galleyon a rope. If the king had been able to put his hands on him atthat moment, because he committed such an outrageous act on hisship, it would not have been surprising if he'd had his headremoved from his shoulders.
The king departed with the entire armada from Tripoli in Libya,and went toward Cyprus, sacking the Turkish coast and setting itred with blood and flames, and they loaded all the ships
with themany riches they had taken. When they reached Cyprus they wentto the city of Famagusta, took provisions of food and turnedtoward Tunis. There the king disembarked and they pressed thecity hard in combat. Tirant and his men attacked a tower whichhad a deep moat at its foot, and Tirant fell into it. Ricart washeavily armed to see if he could take revenge on Tirant. When hereached the tower he saw Tirant lying in the moat. Ricart leaptinto the moat, wearing all his armor, and helped Tirant get up.Then he said:
"Tirant, here stands your mortal enemy who can give you death orlife. God forbid that I should let you die at the hands of theMoors, when I can give you aid."
And he pulled him out, for they would surely have killed him ifthey had found him there. When he was out, Ricart said to him:
"Now you are free, Tirant. Protect yourself from death as wellas you can, because you can be sure that I will do everything inmy power to kill you."
"Virtuous knight," said Tirant, "I have seen your great goodnessand courtesy, and I know that you saved me from a cruel death. Ikneel to the ground and beg your forgiveness for the way Ioffended you. I give you my sword so that you can take whatevervengeance you like on me."
When the knight heard such humble words, he forgave him and washappy to be his friend, and from that time on they were goodfriends, and were inseparable in life, until death.
After the king had taken and sacked the city of Tunis, Ricartwould not go onto the king's ship, but went on Tirant's galleyinstead. When the king and the knights heard what had happened,they praised both of them because each had shown great gentility,
After the King of France left the city of Tunis, they turnedtoward Sicily to see his daughter-in-law and to disembark inPalermo. When the King of Sicily learned of his arrival, he hada great celebration prepared for the King of France. The King ofSicily went on board his ship, and when they met they were bothdelighted. They went on land where the daughter-in-law waswaiting, and the father-in-law and daughter-in-law met joyfully.The king gave her many presents and held her hand all day longand would not let her leave his side. And as long as the King ofFrance remained there, each day, before the infanta arose, hewould send her some expensive gift: one day brocades, anothersilks, gold chains, trinkets, and other jewels of great value.The King of Sicily presented the King of France with one hundredvery beautiful and unique horses, which the King of France made agreat show of appreciation over. And the King of Sicily had hisdaughter go on board the ships personally and inspect them to seehow well they were stocked with food, and to supply them witheverything they needed. The King of France thought highly ofwhat his daughter-in-law was doing, and he was very pleased tosee that she was a very discreet and diligent woman who was onboard the ships from morning to night, and that she did not eatuntil they had been supplied.
When the ships were filled and the horses were put on board, theKing of France took his leave of the King of Sicily, the queenand the infanta, and departed, taking the Prince of Sicily withhim, and when they were in France he gave him one of hisdaughters for a wife.
The armada left the port of Palermo and turned toward Barbary,and moving along the shore line they came to Malaga, Oran andTlemcen. They passed through the Strait of Gibraltar, then wentto Ceuta, Alcazar Segur, and Tangier. As they turned along theother coast of Cadiz, Tarifa and Gibraltar, they went byCartagena, for in those days the entire coast was in the hands ofthe Moors. From there they went by the islands of Ibiza andMajorca, and then they went to the port of Marseille todisembark. The king gave liberty to all the ships except theones belonging to his son, Philippe; he wanted him to go alongand see his mother, the queen. Tirant went with them, and fromthere he went to Brittany to see his father and mother and hisrelatives.
After a few days, while the King of France held the wedding forhis daughter and the prince of Sicily, he wanted Philippe toreturn to his wife. Philippe received word that the King ofSicily's other son had renounced the world, and become a friar.Philippe begged his father, the King of France, to send forTirant to accompany him to Sicily. The king wrote letters to theDuke of Brittany and to Tirant, asking him to go with Philippe toSicily, and asking the duke to plead with him earnestly. WhenTirant saw the petitions of two such great lords, he was obligedto obey their commands, so he left Brittany and went to the courtof the king. The king and queen begged him earnestly to go withPhilippe; and he very graciously gave his consent.
Philippe and Tirant left the court and went to Marseille wherethey found the galleys well stocked. They boarded them, and hadsuch a good voyage that in a few days they reached Sicily. Theking, the queen and the infanta were very happy to see them.
The White Knight: Tirant Lo Blanc Page 6
