The Book of the Epic: The World's Great Epics Told in StoryGuerber, H. A. (Hélène Adeline)
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The Book of the Epic: The World's Great Epics Told in Story
Guerber, H. A. (Hélène Adeline)
Epic poetry -- Adaptations
To justify her mistress, the nurse-squire now explained to both men
how Britomart had seen Sir Artegall in the magic mirror, and was in
quest of him because fate destined him to be her spouse. Happy at
securing such a mate, Sir Artegall expressed deep joy, while Sir
Scudamore clamored to know what had become of his wife, and grieved to
learn she was lost. To comfort him, however, Britomart promised to
help him recover his beloved, before she would consent to marry. Then
all four proceeded to a neighboring castle, where Sir Artegall was
solemnly betrothed to Britomart, and where they agreed their marriage
would take place as soon as Amoret was found.
Meantime Timias, squire of Prince Arthur, seeking to trace the flying
damsel, overtook the grim forester, with whom he had a terrible
encounter. Sorely wounded in this fight, the poor squire lay in the
forest until found by the nymph Belphebe, a twin sister of Amoret,
who, in pity for his sufferings, bathed his wounds, laid healing herbs
upon them, and did all she could to save his life. To her
satisfaction, the wounded squire soon recovered consciousness, so she
conveyed him to her bower, where she and her nymphs attended him until
his wounds were entirely healed. During this illness Timias fell
deeply in love with Belphebe; but, deeming himself of too lowly
condition to declare his passion for a lady of high degree, he sorely
pined. Thereupon Belphebe renewed her efforts to cure him, until he
was strong enough to accompany her into the forest. They were hunting
there one day when Timias beheld a damsel fleeing from a misshapen
monster, whom he attacked, but against whom he could not prevail,
because the monster opposed the lady as a shield to every blow which
Timias tried to deal him. It was only by a feint, therefore, that
Timias made the monster drop the lady, and he would surely have been
slain by his opponent, had not his companion rescued him by a timely
arrow. A moment later Belphebe was horrified to see Timias madly
kissing the lady the monster had dropped. Without waiting to ascertain
why he was doing so, the angry nymph fled, but, had she lingered, she
would have discovered that Timias was kissing her own counterpart, for
he had rescued her twin sister Amoret, who, after wandering away from
the sleeping Britomart, had been seized by the monster from whose cave
she had just managed to escape.
Bewildered to see Belphebe--whom he thought he was embracing--rush
away, Timias now dropped Amoret to follow his charmer, but, owing to
his lack of familiarity with the forest pathways, he soon lost his
way. In his grief he built himself a hut and dwelt in the forest,
vowing not to go back in quest of Amoret, lest he thereby arouse the
jealousy of his beloved. But to beguile his sorrow he carved
Belphebe's name on every tree, and was kissing these marks when Prince
Arthur, seeing him thus occupied, fancied he had gone mad!
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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