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
Tirant took his leave of the infanta and went to the king and
told him:
"I see the ambassadors from France in great anguish about this
wedding so I have come to Your Majesty to beg you to either have
it take place, or give the ambassadors your leave so that they
can return to their king. And if it will not make Your Majesty
angry to have me speak with my lady, the infanta, on Your
Highness' behalf, I believe that she will be inclined to do
whatever Your Majesty commands."
"If God gives health to my soul and my body," said the king,
"that will please me. I beg you to go to her and make the
request on my behalf and your own."
Tirant left the king and went back to the infanta. He found her
combing her hair, and he told her about the conversation he had
had with the king. Then the infanta said:
"My lord Tirant, I have complete confidence in your nobility and
virtue, so I am putting this entire matter in your hands, and I
will agree to everything. If you want it done now, I will do
it."
Tirant saw how willing she was, and he saw Philippe at the door,
waiting to accompany the infanta to mass. He asked the infanta
to have the maidens leave because he wanted to tell her other
things in Philippe's presence. The infanta ordered the maidens
to go, and they were very surprised to see the infanta speaking
so docilely to Tirant.
When all the maidens were gone, Tirant opened the door to the
chamber and had Philippe enter.
"My lady," said Tirant, "here is Philippe who has a greater
desire to serve your ladyship than all the princesses in the
world, and so I beg your grace, here on my knees, to kiss him as
a sign of good faith."
"Oh, Tirant!" said the infanta. "These are the words you wanted
to tell me? Your face reveals what you bear in your heart. When
my king and my father commands it of me, then I will do it."
Tirant motioned to Philippe, who quickly took her up in his arms,
and carried her to a lounge that was there, and kissed her five
or six times. The infanta said:
"Tirant, I placed no little trust in you. What have you made me
do? I thought of you as a brother and you have put me in the
hands of someone I am still unsure of--I do not know whether he
will turn out to be my friend or my enemy."
"Your words are cruel, my lady. How can Philippe be an enemy to
Your Excellency if he loves you more than his own life, and
desires to hold you in that bed where he slept this evening,
completely nude, or in your chemise? You can be certain that
this would be the greatest blessing in the world. So, my lady,"
continued Tirant, "allow Philippe, who is dying of love for you,
to enjoy part of the glory that he has desired so much."
"May God not permit it," said the infanta, "and may He keep me
from an error like that. I would think of myself as vile if I
gave my consent to such a thing."
"My lady," said Tirant, "Philippe and I are here only to serve
you.
Let your benign grace have a little patience."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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