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
The empress then went to her chambers and told her maidens to
have the stewards come, as she wanted to change the satin
curtains and put up others fringed in silk, saying:
"The emperor told me that he would like to come here, and I want
to entertain him a little since he has not come for a long time."
She quickly had the entire chamber furnished with linens of silk
brocade. Then she had the chamber and the bed sprinkled with
perfume.
After they had eaten, the empress retired, saying she had a
headache, and in everyone's presence a maiden named Eliseu said
to her:
"My lady, does Your Highness want me to call the doctors to help
minister to you?"
"Do as you like," said the empress, "but summon them in such a
way that the emperor does not find out, so that he will have no
excuse for not coming tonight,"
The doctors came quickly and took her pulse, and they found it
very rapid, because she hoped to do battle with a young knight,
and she was fearful. The doctors said:
"My lady, Your Majesty should take a few sweetened
hemp-seeds with a glass of malmsey: that will help your headache
and make you sleep."
"As far as sleeping is concerned, I don't think I'll do much of
that with my illness. The way I'm feeling I'll probably be
tossing and turning all over the bed."
"My lady," said the doctors, "if that happens to Your Majesty,
send for us right away. Or if you wish we'll stand watch at the
door to your chamber or there inside so that we can look at your
face from time to time.
And we'll do this all night long."
"I won't accept that offer right now," said the empress. "I want
the whole bed to myself, and I don't want any of you looking at
my face. The illness I have won't stand for anybody to be
watching."
The doctors left. When they were at the door they told her not
to forget the comfits and to moisten them well with malmsey. The
empress was so obedient that she ate a large box of them. Then
she had her bed sprinkled with perfume, and she had civet put on
the sheets and pillows. When this was done and she was perfumed,
she told her maidens to go to sleep and to close the door to
their chamber.
In the empress's chamber there was a sitting room where she
always went to dress, and in the sitting room was a door that
opened out to the roof where Hippolytus was. When she got out of
bed Eliseu heard her and quickly got up, thinking something was
wrong, and when she was in the chamber she said:
"Why did Your Highness get out of bed? Are you feeling worse?"
"No," said the empress. "I'm fine, but I forgot to say the
devout prayer that I always pray every night."
Eliseu said:
"My lady, would you be so kind as to tell it to me?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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