Aucassin, the handsome boy, Glad with love and quick with joy, Leaves this bower of their rest; Nicolette he fondly prest In his arms upon his breast; He folded fast his pretty prize, Kissed her lips, and kissed her eyes, Kissed her lovely face all over,-- Laughing boy and happy lover. But all this must not last. "Dear Aucassin," The girl began, "To what country shall we go?" "Dear child," said he, "how should I know? Little, dearest, do I care, How we go, or when, or where,-- In this wood, or far away, If from you I do not stray." Then mountains high they passed, Passed through many lands, Till to the sea they found their way, And stood upon the sands By the shore. [_Now they tell it, and speak it, and talk it._] Aucassin and his darling then dismounted. He took his horse by the bridle, and her by the hand, and so they walked along the beach. By and by they saw some sailors, and made signals to them, and the men landed, and agreed to take them back with them to the ship. As soon as they were at sea, a terrible storm arose, so wonderful that it hurled them along from one country to another, till they came to a harbor at the castle of Torelore.[2] They asked what country it was, and were told it was the country of the King of Torelore. Then Aucassin asked if he were at war; and they said he was, and that it was a very cruel war. Then he thanked the sailors, and took leave of them; mounted his horse, with Nicolette before him, and so rode towards the castle. [Footnote 2: Torelore, or Turelure, so called, it is said, from the singularities of the people. Now, _Turelure_ is the refrain of an old French song, which means, "_always the same_," as; we might say, "So, so, so, so, so." The place is _Aigues Mortes_, known to tourists, but now five or six miles from the sea. Aigues Mortes was originally _Aquæ Mortuæ_, the name of a land-locked seaport.--E. E. H.] "Where is the king?" said he. "He is in bed," they said. "And where is his wife?" said Aucassin. "She is in the army, where she leads all the people of the country." When Aucassin heard this, he was very much amazed. He went to the palace, dismounted with Nicolette, begged her to hold his horse, and, with his sword at his side, went to the king's chamber. There he pulled the clothes off the bed, and threw them into the middle of the room. Then he seized a stick, and beat the king so heartily that you would have thought he would kill him. "Oh, oh, oh! my dear sir," cried the king. "What are you doing with me? Are you crazy, to beat a man so in his own house?" "By the heart of God!" replied Aucassin, "I will kill you, misbegotten dog, if you do not swear that no man in this country shall ever lie in bed as you do." The king took the oath; and Aucassin then said, "Now take me to the army, where your wife is."