The Soudan held his peace and thought awhile; and he saw well that Malakin was a worthy, and wise, and might well come to great honour and great good, and that well he might be worthied; so he said: “Malakin, by my law, thou hast craved me a great thing, for I love much my daughter, and no heir else have I, as thou wottest well, and as sooth is. She is born and come from the most highest kindred and the most valiant of France; for her mother is daughter of the Count of Ponthieu; but whereas thou art valiant, and much well hast served me, I will give her to thee with a good will, if she will grant it.” “Sir,” said Malakin, “against her will would I do nothing.” Then the Soudan let call the damsel, and she came, and he said to her: “My fair daughter, I have married thee, if so it please thee.” “Sir,” she said, “well is my pleasure therein, if thou will it.” Then the Soudan took her by the hand, and said: “Hold, Malakin! I give her to thee.” He received her gladly, and in great joy and in great honour of all his friends; and he wedded her according to the Saracen law; and he led her into his land in great joy and in great honour. The Soudan brought him on his road a great way, with much company of folk, so far as him pleased; then returned, and took leave of his daughter and her lord. But a great part of his folk he sent with her to serve them. Malakin came into his country, and much was he served and honoured, and was received with great joy by all his friends; and they twain lived together long and joyously, and had children together, as the history beareth witness. Of this dame, who was called the Fair Caitif, was born the mother of the courteous Turk Salahadin, who was so worthy and wise and conquering. Here ends the Story of Over Sea, done out of ancient French into English by William Morris. * * * * * Printed by BALLANTYNE, HANSON & CO. London & Edinburgh * * * * * Footnotes {1} _Nouvelles françaises en prose du xiii ième siecle_, par MM. L. Moland et C. D’Hericault. (Paris: Janet, 1856.) {2} I have given a version of it in my _English Fairy Tales_, and there is a ballad on the subject entitled _The Cruel Knight_. {3} See Clouston, _Book of Sindibad_, p. 279. {4} Figured in M. Ulysse Robert, _Signes d’infamie au moyen âge_, Paris, 1891. Lovers of Stevenson will remember the effective use made of this in _The Black Arrow_. {5} It has been suggested that the names of our heroes have given rise to the proverbial saying: “A miss (Amis) is as good as a mile (Amile),” but notwithstanding the high authority from which the suggestion emanates, it is little more than a pun. {6} For occurrences of this incident in sagas, etc., see Grimm, _Deutsche Rechtsalterthümer_, 168–70; in folk-tales, Dasent, _Tales from the Norse_, cxxxiv.–v., _n._ xviii