The White Knight: Tirant Lo BlancMartorell, Joanot
General
The White Knight: Tirant Lo Blanc
Martorell, Joanot
Adventure and adventurers -- Fiction; Adventure stories; Knights and knighthood -- Fiction
All the barons returned once more to the countess and asked for
the other armor, and the countess told them that there was no
other. When the king heard the answer, he said:
"My lords and my brothers, let us all go, and we shall try our
luck."
When they were all before the countess, the king said:
"Countess, out of your great kindness and gentility, I beg you to
lend me the armor of your husband, Sir William of Warwick."
"Sire," said the countess, "may God take this child from me, for
I have no other dear thing in the world: I have already sent the
armor to you."
"That is true," said the king, "but this is not what I asked for.
Lend me the armor that is in the small chamber in your bedroom,
covered by green and white damask."
The countess knelt, and said:
"Sire, by your mercy and your grace, I beg Your Majesty to tell
me your name and how you came to know my lord and husband, Count
William of Warwick."
The king answered: "My lady, because you wish me to tell you, I
will. I was in his company continually, for in the wars we were
brothers in arms."
The countess immediately replied:
"I beg your lordship to forgive me for not doing all that I could
have for Your Highness when you were a hermit. If I had known
how close you were to my lord, William of Warwick, I would have
honored you much more and given you more of my possessions than I
did."
The king was very content with the words of the countess:
"Where there is no error there is no need to beg forgiveness. I
only ask you, out of your great virtue and genteelness, to lend
me the armor I have asked you for."
The countess immediately had other armor brought to him, covered
with blue brocade. When the king saw it, he said:
"Countess, my lady, how well you have kept the arms of your
husband! In spite of all the supplications that these lords and
I have made to you, you have been unwilling to lend them to us.
These are the ones which William of Warwick used in tournaments;
the ones I want are hanging in the alcove, and are covered with
white and green damask, with the emblem of a lion wearing a
golden crown. And if my entering there would not anger you,
countess, I am sure that I would find them."
"Oh, wretched me!" said the countess. "It's as though you had
been raised in this house! Your grace may indeed go in and look,
and take everything you wish."
When the king saw her willingness he thanked her, and they all
went into her chamber and saw them hanging there. The king had
them brought to him, and he had them repaired.
The battle was arranged for the following day. In the evening
the king went to the main church and stayed there all night,
kneeling before the altar of the holy Mother of God, Our Lady,
with all his armaments upon the altar. When it was full
daylight, he very devoutly heard mass. After mass he had himself
fitted with armor inside the church, and ate a partridge in order
to fortify himself. Then he went out to the field.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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