The accent of truth still lingers in this remonstrance of the squire, who must, from all time, have lost his temper on finding his chevalier addicted to "papelardie" when he should have been fighting; but the priest had the advantage of telling the story and pointing the moral. This advantage the priest neglected rarely, but in this case he used it with such refinement and so much literary skill that even the squire might have been patient. With the invariable gentle courtesy of the true knight, the chevalier replied only by soft words:-- "Amis!" ce dist li chevalier, "Cil tournoie moult noblement Qui le servise dieu entent." In one of Milton's sonnets is a famous line which is commonly classed among the noblest verses of the English language:-- "They also serve, who only stand and wait." Fine as it is, with the simplicity of the grand style, like the "Chanson de Roland" the verse of Milton does not quite destroy the charm of thirteenth-century diction:-- "Friend!" said to him the chevalier, "He tourneys very nobly too, Who only hears God's service through!" No doubt the verses lack the singular power of the eleventh century; it is not worth while to pretend that any verse written in the thirteenth century wholly holds its own against "Roland":-- "Sire cumpain! faites le vus de gred? Ja est co Rollanz ki tant vos soelt amer!" The courtesy of Roland has the serious solidity of the Romanesque arch, and that of Lancelot and Aucassins has the grace of a legendary window; but one may love it, all the same; and one may even love the knight,--papelard though he were,--as he turned back to the altar and remained in prayer until the last mass was ended. Then they mounted and rode on toward the field, and of course you foresee what had happened. In itself the story is bald enough, but it is told with such skill that one never tires of it. As the chevalier and the squire approached the lists, they met the other knights returning, for the jousts were over; but, to the astonishment of the chevalier, he was greeted by all who passed him with shouts of applause for his marvellous triumph in the lists, where he had taken all the prizes and all the prisoners:-- Les chevaliers ont encontrez, Qui du tournois sont retournes, Qui du tout en tout est feru. S'en avoit tout le pris eu Le chevalier qui reperoit Des messes qu' oies avoit. Les autres qui s'en reperoient Le saluent et le conjoient Et distrent bien que onques mes Nul chevalier ne prist tel fes D'armes com il ot fet ce jour; A tousjours en avroit l'onnour. Moult en i ot qui se rendoient A lui prisonier, et disoient "Nous somes vostre prisonier, Ne nous ne pourrions nier, Ne nous aiez par armes pris." Lors ne fu plus cil esbahis, Car il a entendu tantost Que cele fu pour lui en l'ost Pour qui il fu en la chapelle.