“Brave knights,” said Oger, “thou canst not ignore the fact that the Duke de Naimes and myself have personally done all we could to stop this war, and that it would have terminated long since if the emperor had listened to our advice; this being so, we have some cause to ask thee to return our swords into our hands, and that if thou wilt also render all that thou hast taken from Charlemagne into our hands, he will grant thee a truce of two years.” “Noble lords, and sir knights,” responded Maugis, “gladly will I grant thy request, and willingly will I return unto Charlemagne all that has been taken from him, on the condition of two years’ truce, and I can only hope and pray that during this time a final peace will be concluded.” Then Maugis gave to each knight his own sword, and put into the possession of the Duke de Naimes all the treasure of the emperor that had been taken from him. The generosity and nobility of character Maugis had shown in this matter awoke the friendly feeling and admiration of every peer of Charlemagne’s court. Even the emperor was affected almost to tears, and a general demand arose that the war be ended and peace be granted the brave young men. A certain number of the courtiers went to Montaubon and endeavored to persuade Maugis to appear again before the emperor, now that his heart had been somewhat softened, and endeavor to secure peace, and when Maugis, though strongly persuaded, hesitated, the Baron de Estouville even offered to remain at Montaubon as a hostage, and the Duke de Naimes, in behalf of all the knights present, guaranteed Maugis should return uninjured, then Maugis, finally, decided to go, though much against the advice of Yolande, who would have him absolutely refuse. When the party at last set out and had covered half the distance to the camp of Charlemagne, Oger and the Duke de Naimes, after consulting Maugis, rode forward to see Charlemagne, in order to prepare him for the coming interview. Unhappily, fate seemed to pursue the dove of peace all through the career of Maugis and his brave brothers; no sooner did the horizon brighten for them than dark clouds would again gather and the storm beset them more furiously than ever. In this case it was Pinabel, an intimate of Ganelon, who, seeing what was going on, mounted his horse and hastened to the emperor, that he might arrive there first and prejudice him against the project of the two knights. By making false reports, all kinds of calumnies, and above all, by appealing to the well-known weakness in the character of Charlemagne, his self-pride, appeals to which he was always susceptible, it hardly needed the lies and misrepresentations in addition to persuade him that the coming of Maugis was an insult if not a treachery. So furious was the emperor made by the crafty deceits of Pinabel, that he summoned Olivier, saying: