Poor Plaerdemavida, raw naked, continually called on Our Lady,the Mother of God, imploring her to bring her some good personwho would help her. She continued to walk nearly half a leagueuntil she came upon some fishing boats. She went into a hut andfound two sheepskins, and she tied them together with a thinstring and put them on, one in front and one in back, and in thisway she found some protection from the cold. Then she lay downto sleep a little while, for she was completely fatigued by hertravails in the ocean.
When she awoke, finding herself alone, she began to weep andlament, tears streaming from her eyes, which did harm to her eyesand her voice, making her so hoarse that she could barely speak.Then, with timorous steps, she began to search out the roads ofcruel fortune. Dawn began to break and she heard a Moor comingalong, singing. She hid near the road so that he would not seeher, and when he had passed she saw his pure white beard andthought that perhaps this old Moor would give her counsel. Soshe approached the old Moor and told him all about hermisfortune. The Moor was moved to compassion when he saw themaiden who was young and nice looking, and he said to her:
"Maiden, I want you to know that long ago I was a captive ofChristians in Spain, in a place called Cadiz. The lady who heldme captive was pleased with the services I performed for her. Ithappened that she had a son whose enemies came to kill him. Andif it had not been for me, they would have done it, because Ilifted my lady's son from the ground, and with a sword in my handI wounded two of them and made the others flee. Because of this,my lady gave me liberty. She provided me with new clothing, andgave me money for my journey, and as I wished, she had me takento Granada. And because of the kindness that lady showed me, youwill have a place at my side. I have a daughter who is widowed,and she will take you in with all the tenderness of a sister."
Plaerdemavida immediately knelt on the ground and gave him manythanks. The Moor removed his cloak and gave it to Plaerdemavida,and the two of them went to a place near Tunis, called Rafal.
When the Moor's daughter saw the maiden, so young and helpless,she felt great compassion. Her father begged her to be the bestcompanion to her that she could, and he told her:
"I want you to know, my daughter, that this girl is the daughterof that lady who gave me my freedom, and I want to repay my debtwith this maiden."
Because of the great love she had for him, his daughter took inthe poor maiden with deep affection. She gave her a blouse and aMoorish garment with a head-dress. And anyone seeing her wouldthink she was Moorish.
Let us return now to Tirant who, shortly after Plaerdemavida wasswept overboard with the two sailors in whose care Tirant hadplaced her, stayed with a sailor until the galley was completelyfilled with water and was going down. Then Tirant decided tojump into the sea with the sailor, and with the sailor's help hewould be able to reach shore. Nevertheless, Tirant never thoughthe would be able to avoid death, because when the Moors learnedthat he was Tirant, the captain of the Greeks, who had done somuch damage to the Turks, they would not leave him alive for allthe treasure in the world. But with the aid of Divine Providenceand the sailor, they made it to shore, for it was now night, andcompletely dark. Crawling quietly on their hands and knees, theydrew away from the sounds of the Moors. When they had gone somedistance, they no longer heard any people, and they went inland,away from the sea, and they came upon a vineyard that at thattime was full of grapes. The sailor said:
"My lord, for God's sake, let's stop here in this deliciousvineyard, and we can take a look at the land, and tomorrow we canstay here all day long. Then tomorrow night, we can go whereveryour lordship commands, for I will not leave you in death or inlife."
Tirant gave in to his entreaties. When their stomachs were fullof grapes they saw a cave and went inside to sleep, naked as theywere. When they awoke they felt very cold. They got up, and toget warm they carried rocks from one place to another. When thesun came out, Tirant's legs ached terribly.
It happened then that the King of Tremicen was sending as hisambassador to the King of Tunis his best and most trusted knight.He was the captain-general of all his land, and everyone calledhim the commander of commanders. This ambassador had been theremore than three months, and he and his men had been given lodgingin a place that was lovely and abundant with animals to hunt. Itso happened that that morning he went out for sport with falconsand greyhounds. While hunting, they pursued a hare which wasvery tired of running after being chased by dogs and falcons, andsince it could find no other place to run, it went inside thecave where Tirant was. One of the hunters saw it go in, and hedismounted at the entrance to the cave and saw Tirant stretchedout on the ground inside, with no desire to budge. The sailorhelped him catch the hare. Then the hunter went directly out tothe captain, and told him:
"Sir, come with me. Inside a small cave there is a man whosebody must be the most perfect nature has every formed. But,unless my eyes deceive me, he has been hurt badly, and he seemsmore dead than alive."
The ambassador went toward the cave, When the sailor saw so manymen coming, he left Tirant without saying a word, and fled veryquietly, and the Moors did not see him.
When the ambassador reached the cave, he stood looking at Tirantfor a long while, and feeling pity for him, he said:
"By our holy prophet, Mohammed, who has plucked you from suchgrave danger and has brought you into my hands: since nature hasformed your body with such singularity, I am sure that He hasgiven you many virtues. I have three sons, and you will be thefourth." He called his second son and told him: "Look on thisman as your brother." Then he said to Tirant: "If you want toplease me, tell me what brought you here. At the moment I amengaged in an undertaking for my eldest son. They are trying totake his betrothed from him, and I will not allow it, for she isa very virtuous maiden, and the daughter of King Tremicen. IfMohammed gives me success in this dangerous undertaking, do notworry about your loss, no matter how great it may be, for I willmake you wealthy as soon as I return to my home."
Tirant stood and replied:
"Your Lordship, I am a gentleman, although I am not a prince orlord. As a young man I went to seek my fortune in the Levant.There I heard and believed the false and diabolical words of awidow. She had me enter an orchard at mid-day, and there shemade me witness the most evil sight I would ever behold. I feltsuch unbearable suffering that with my own hands I took vengeanceon the greatest enemy of my life. Then I boarded a ship and wentto the Holy Land of Jerusalem to make amends for my sins.Sailing on a galley from there, you can see my misfortune. Savedby Divine Mercy from the stormy sea, I now beg your lordship'shelp."
The ambassador said:
"Take comfort. I have a great deal of land and am very wealthy.As soon as we get to my home, you will have everything you wish."
His son then took off his jubbah and gave it to him. And theyhad him sit behind the son on the horse, and took him to theirvillage, where he was dressed in fine clothing of the Moorishstyle. When Tirant found himself dressed so finely, and he hadheard the kind words of the commander, he felt very comforted.They wanted to travel by night, and the sky was blue and the moonfull and it lit up everything very clearly; so when the wind dieddown they started off. But the first step Tirant took as he leftthe house, he fell flat on the ground, his arms outstretched.Then all the Moors said:
"This is a very bad sign. Since this Christian has fallen withhis arms out to the sides, his life will not last long."
Tirant got up quickly, and hearing what the Moors were saying, hesaid:
"Your interpretation of this is wrong. I am called Blanc orWhite.
And the moon is clear, white and beautiful at this moment when Ifell. And the moon was straight over my head and arms, and itwas pointing to the road that I have to take, while my hands wereopen and stretching out to the moon. And this shows that I, withDivine Power, must conquer all of Barbary."
Then all the Moors burst out laughing, and they took it as a jokeand proceeded on their way, and finally they came to
a castle.Now the ambassador's son (the one betrothed to the King ofTremicen's daughter) was away; hearing that his father had senthim a very good Christian prisoner, he ordered them to put Tirantin chains.
After two months the ambassador received the reply from the Kingof Tunis and returned to the King of Tremicen whom he founddisconsolate. It happened that King Escariano's land was on theborder of the kingdom of Tremicen, and he wanted the King ofTremicen to give him his daughter as a wife along with all hiswealth, and after his death he wanted his kingdom. KingEscariano was a very strong figure: He was completely black, anda giant compared to other men. A very powerful king, he hadmany men and a great deal of wealth. King Tremicen was weak inspirit, and he had sent word to King Escariano that his daughterwas already betrothed to the son of his head commander.Furthermore, she was with child, and he felt that he would notwant to raise another man's child in his house. However, if hewas doing this only for his treasure, he was prepared to dividethat with him if he would leave him and his sons in peace.Finally, they could not come to an agreement, and King Escarianohad marched against him with all his forces: fifty-five thousandstrong, on horseback and on foot.
Now this King of Tremicen had only about twenty thousandwarriors. Knowing that the other king was near and was comingstill closer, he took up position in the mountains and waited forhim. King Escariano came to a river, and as they forded it helost many men. But once across, they went up the mountains andfound the King of Tremicen at the highest part, and they besiegedhim in a beautiful valley. In this valley were three castleswith large villas and very strong fortresses. This was where theKing of Tremicen lived with his wife and sons.
Two castles were on one side of the river, and one was on theother side, linked together by a huge stone bridge. KingEscariano attacked one castle repeatedly, and finally took it.The King of Tremicen was in another castle that was muchstronger, but he felt that all was lost. The commander had fledfrom the battle and came to his own castle where Tirant was.There he told his son:
"You would be better off dying than to see your beloved who is ofroyal blood taken from you. Go to your lord and serve him as agood knight."
The son agreed, and rode off to the castle where he heard and sawthe battle. Then, very happily, he and fifteen of his horsemen,went into the castle where the king was.
The commander of commanders had fled out of fear, and he wentinto the castle where Tirant was being held. After he haddismounted, he asked his son about the Christian prisoner. Whenhe was told that Tirant was in a prison cell and being carefullyguarded, the commander became very angry. He remembered whatTirant had said as he left and fell on the ground: that he wouldconquer all of Barbary. He had thought about those words manytimes, and he also considered that since Tirant was a Christianhe must be skillful at arms. He went in to see him. Realizingthat Tirant had more than enough reason to be angry with him, hesmiled and said:
"I beg you, valiant Christian, not to be angry if my son hastreated you badly. I swear to you by the prophet Mohammed thatit was not done by my command or consent. Instead, it was myintention to look on you as a son. I am hopeful that you will beable to help me. And don't be surprised if I make a request ofyou on behalf of my lord, even though you are a fugitive frombattle. From your scars, I am sure that you, Christian, mustknow a great deal about weapons, and you must have been in manywars."
Tirant replied:
"I won't hide my past from you. In Spain I practiced the nobletradition of arms, and I can advise you and help you as much asanyone, and I will be one of the first to go into combat.Forgive me for praising myself, but my works will be their ownbest witness. If this king has your king under siege you shouldnot be surprised, for that is the way with kings. If you areafraid that the bombards will demolish the castle, I will destroyevery one they have."
The commander was very pleased with what Tirant told him, andhelped him get ready to leave. He insisted that Tirant takewhatever materials he needed to destroy the bombards, and he alsogave Tirant the best horse he had, and weapons, and plenty ofmoney.
Tirant bought some very old whale bile, and then he tookquicksilver, saltpeter, Roman sulfate and other materials, andmixed them together to make an unguent, and he put it in a box.Then they left the castle as secretly as they could, crossed theriver, and at night took refuge in the other castle. Now thiscastle was about one fourth a league from the one where the kingwas. When Tirant reconnoitered the land, he saw a stone bridgegoing across the river, and the enemy was positioned in themiddle of the large orchard, so that no one dared cross over thebridge for fear of falling into the hands of the enemy. ThenTirant told the commander to give him a Moor who would not berecognized and who could be trusted, and to deliver two hundredsheep to the Moor, and they were brought immediately. Tirantthen dressed in a shepherd's cloak, as though he were the Moor'sservant.
King Escariano knew that none of his adversaries could hurt him,and he had thirty-seven bombards, large and small, firingcontinually, three times a day; and they had already knocked downhalf the castle.
The Moor and Tirant went up a good league toward the bridge withtheir sheep, and they came right into the encampment. They askeda great deal more for each sheep than it was worth so that theywould not sell them quickly. They stayed there three days,leading the sheep close to the bombards. Tirant, under thepretext that he was simply looking, went near them, and spreadingsome of the unguent he had prepared over his hand, he put it onevery one of the bombards. The unguent was made up of suchingredients that whatever metal it came into contact with would,in the space of three hours, turn to rust. So as soon as it wasfired, any bombard or crossbow would break apart.
The following day, when they fired on the castle, all thebombards broke apart, and not one of them was left intact. KingEscariano was very surprised at this, and he took it as a badsign. Tirant and the Moor went back to the castle where thecommander was.
Then Tirant ordered them to destroy one of the arches on thebridge, and there they put up a wooden drawbridge, with ironchains to raise and lower it. When that was done huge beams wereplaced on that part of the bridge and there they put up apalisade. When that was ready, Tirant armed himself well andmounted a good steed, and with a good lance in his hand he roderight into the enemy's camp, and he found five Moors enjoying thesun. Tirant rode toward them. The Moors were unconcerned,seeing that he was coming alone, and they thought it was someonefrom their own camp. And Tirant killed all five of them with hislance. There was a great outcry, and the entire camp rushed intoaction: they armed themselves and mounted their horses. Tirantconcerned himself only with killing anyone in his path. When hesaw that the men were armed and on horseback, and that they werecoming against him, he retreated to the palisade while using hisweapons continuously. Once he was in the palisade, he quicklydismounted, and the Moors came up to him. The men in the castlecame down to help Tirant, and there was a great skirmish wheremany men died. The men from the enemy camp pressed on soforcefully that Tirant had to retreat, and they lifted thedrawbridge for fear of the Moors. Then the Moors broke apart thepalisade, and Tirant had it built again during the night. Andso, every day, at all hours, they fought and many men from bothsides were dying continually.
One day Tirant said to the commander:
"My lord, would you like me to rescue your king from the castleand bring him here to you, or to some other place where he willbe safe?"
The commander answered:
"If you could do that for me, and bring my Moorish maiden and herbetrothed to me, I would make you the lord of everything I own.And even if you forgot about the king, that would not matter agreat deal to me."
"Then, my lord," said Tirant, "have two horses prepared, andbring a page whose face is well known. Have them go under thatpine tree a half league from here with someone who can guidethem."
It was quickly done. When day broke bright and clear, Tirantmounted his horse and with one hundred armed men he rode out oftheir sto
ckade.
The other camp saw them and rode toward them. The battle betweenthe two forces was fierce, and that day almost no one was leftbehind in the enemy camp. Then Tirant said to the commander:
"My lord, you stay here and show your face while I go where Ihave to."
He dug in his spurs and galloped to where the page was waitingfor him. When he got there his horse was spent. He dismounted,gave it to the Moor, and took the fresh one that he had. Then heand the page left, going through the orchard as cautiously asthey could so that no one would see them. And he made the pagego first because the people in the castle did not know Tirant.Finally they came so close that the betrothed recognized thepage, his younger brother, and told the men not to fire. Whenthey were inside the castle the king came out to the hall to seehim and to pay him honor.
"My lord," said Tirant, "you and your daughter mount our horsesimmediately. I'll take you to safety."
The king took the page's horse, and had the betrothed climb onits back; Tirant had the maiden climb on the back of his ownhorse. Then they raced out of the castle, galloping all the way,until they were a league from camp. When night fell on them,they rode more quickly. The king knew the terrain very well, andhe went directly toward his strongest city: Tremicen.
When they reached the city of Tremicen there was great rejoicingbecause the people had recovered their king. The king had a fineroom arranged for Tirant where he was well served. While hestayed there the king presented him with many gifts, and all theMoorish knights and others came to see him, and everyone wasimpressed with his agreeable manner.
One day Tirant came to the palace to ask the king's permission togo back to his lord, the commander, because he had given his wordthat he would return. The king answered:
"Virtuous Christian, do not leave me, I beg you. I've sent foryour lord, the commander, and he will be here in ten days. Helpme prepare the city, and I promise to ransom you and give youyour freedom."
Tirant kissed the king's hands and feet, and said:
"My lord, I give you my word as a Christian that I will not leaveyou until I have killed King Escariano, or taken him prisoner, oruntil I've made him flee from your kingdom."
The king's daughter, seeing the beautiful disposition of Tirantand the virtuous acts he had done for the king, her father, andfor her, and the praises that were bestowed upon him ineveryone's presence, wished that God would do her the favor ofhaving her betrothed die so that she could take Tirant for herhusband.
After a few days had gone by, the commander of commanders came,and he was very happy when he learned that his son, and the kingand his daughter, were out of that very grave danger. Afterbowing to the king, he praised Tirant highly. The king spoke tothe commander, asking him to give Tirant his freedom. When itwas done, Tirant kissed the king's hands and feet, and said:
"Sir, I swear to you as a Christian that I will not leave YourGrace until I have killed King Escariano or taken him prisoner,or made him leave all your lands."
The king and the others were very content.
When King Escariano learned that the King of Tremicen hadescaped, his surprise turned to anger, and he set out to conquerthe entire kingdom. And with his great power there were nocities, villas or castles that did not fall to him.
Hearing of this, the King of Tremicen often called his counciltogether, and they reenforced the city, and gathered enough foodto last them five years. One day, during the council, Tirantsaid to the king:
"Sir, do this for me: let me go as an ambassador to see KingEscariano, and I'll find out what sort of situation his men arein, and if we can somehow rout them."
They all praised his advice, but most of the council were afraidhe would cross over to the enemy camp, as many others had done.
Tirant got things ready, and with many men he went directly toKing Escariano. When he was in the king's presence, he explainedhis mission:
"The King of Tremicen has sent me here because on severaloccasions he has heard people speak very highly of you, and he iscertain that you are one of the wisest kings in the world. Forthat reason he is very astonished, and he wonders what has movedyou to take up arms against him."
The king immediately replied:
"I want your lord to know that I have attacked him for a justreason. For no one, not your lord or anyone else, is unawarethat long ago a marriage pact was drawn up between his daughterand me, signed and with the marriage date agreed upon. And nowyour king has treated the matter lightly, and tried to shame me.I have told you this so you will know that this maiden, whom Ilove and adore, is the cause for this war. And it will end withher and for no other reason. This is my reply to you."
And he turned his back, wanting to hear no more from Tirant. SoTirant left and went back to his lord, the King of Tremicen, andtold him of their entire conversation. Then the king askedTirant if the enemy had many men.
"In faith," said Tirant, "there are many, and more come to theiraid every day. I wasn't able to see them all, but I would saymore than eighty thousand."
They held council, and decided that Tirant and the commanderwould take ten thousand soldiers to another city called Asinac.Because if that city fell, the entire kingdom would be lost. SoTirant went there and fortified that city well.
The king stayed on in the city of Tremicen which was wellsupplied with everything he needed. And in this way they waitedfor the enemy to come.
It happened one day that a Jew who lived in the city of Tremicen,and was the wealthiest man in the city, left secretly and went toKing Escariano. Very cunningly he told him:
"My lord, why are you plowing the sand? Everything you are doingis useless unless you capture King Tremicen first. Once he hasfallen you will have power over the entire kingdom in two days.You would not have to travel the dangerous roads in fear; insteadyou and your men would be completely safe. If your lordship willreach an agreement with me I will give you a victory over yourenemies, and I will also put the king and his daughter in yourhands."
When King Escariano heard him say that, he took it as a joke, andhe answered:
"How could you possibly do all that? But I'll tell you this: Ifyou do arrange it, I give you my word as king to make you themost powerful man in my kingdom. But I can't believe that youcould do what you said. It would be better for you to go back:instead of hurting them, you might bring me harm."
The Jew quickly replied:
"If Your Majesty will closely examine what I say, you'llunderstand that it's not a dream, but an infallible plan. If itwill make you feel more secure, I will put my three sons in yourpower, and if I fail you are free to put them to a horribledeath. I will do this for Your Majesty under the followingconditions: I have a daughter, and I want her to have anhonorable marriage (and I will give twelve thousand ducats as herdowry) with a Jew who sells oil in your camp. If you willarrange this for me, I promise to have you gain entry into thecity of Tremicen. In my house there's a door that's next to thewall of the city, and it's under my care. I can put one hundredthousand soldiers into the city through there."
So they agreed, and the king arranged with the Jew that theywould be in front of the city of Tremicen on the seventeenth ofthe month, and at midnight they would go inside under the coverof darkness.
At the proper time the king and all his captains were in front ofthe city of Tremicen, and the Jew did not forget the promise thatwas made concerning his daughter's marriage. He carefully openedthe door of the Jewry, and the king rushed in with all his men.They went to the palace and fought, and finally they were able toget inside. They killed the King of Tremicen, his sons, and allthe others. They took no prisoners except for the genteel lady.Then they attacked the castle, but they were not able to take it.King Escariano did not feel very safe there, so he left most ofhis men inside the city to guard it, while he left with the Kingof Tremicen's daughter who was crying over the deaths of herfather, her brothers, and her betrothed. Then he put her in animpregnable castle.
The c
ruel news reached the commander and Tirant, and the Moorscried bitterly. They felt that they were lost, and they began tosay that they should surrender to King Escariano.
Tirant told the commander:
"Sir, that is not the thing to do. You have ten thousandsoldiers here, and you still have some castles and towns underyour command. We can defend ourselves well here."
The commander agreed with Tirant's advice, but he still mournedthe death of his king, and that of his sons even more. Theywondered how the great destruction had happened, with the citybeing so well guarded. And they learned the truth from a man whohad had his house looted, seven of his sons killed, while hiswife and other children were being held under guard. He toldthem how the Jew had betrayed the city, and how King Escarianohad then ordered all the Jew's possessions taken. Then thisJewish traitor was placed in prison and tied up. They removedall his clothing, cudgeled him, poured honey over him, and thenext day had him quartered and left for the dogs to eat. For theking had said: Who can protect himself from a traitor? Thetreachery he had committed to his own lord, he could just as welldo to him and to the entire city if need be.
Tirant then learned that King Escariano had taken the King ofTremicen's daughter to the very strong castle of Mont Tuber. Thenew queen was now being held in this castle with seventy men toguard her.
On a day following these cruel events, Tirant went to the citygate, worn with care. He was thinking about what had happened tohis princess, and wondering what danger had befallenPlaerdemavida, and about how all his relatives were captives ofthe Moors. He did not know whether to leave, or even if theMoors would allow him to go. While he was thinking of all this,a Christian captive from Albania came out the gate, crying andlamenting because his master had cruelly whipped him, and wasmaking him dig in an orchard of his near the city. Tirant knewthe captive because he had talked to him several times, andconsidered him a discreet man. He felt pity for him, andthinking that there was no one else he could trust, he called theslave over, and said to him:
"If you will do something for me, you will be given your freedomto leave, or to stay here if you wish. However, you will have tolet yourself be whipped in our camp with a strap that will nothurt you very much, and you will have to have your ears cut alittle. With your help, we'll be able to take the castle of MontTuber where the king is. If it turns out as I think it will,you'll be able to become a great lord. And if it does not turnout well, I will still make sure you are given your liberty, andthat you have a good life."
The Christian captive answered:
"I want very much to have my freedom again, so I'll do whatyou're asking."
Tirant thanked him, and said:
"I give you my word as a knight that I will not eat until youhave your freedom."
Tirant immediately left the captive and went to talk to thecommander. With the money he had, he ransomed the captive forone hundred ducats.
One day it happened that the king sent two men who told Tirant'sforces that if they would come to terms with him he would be verygenerous to them. The commander and Tirant told them that theywere not interested in any proposition; instead they wanted toavenge the deaths of the King of Tremicen and his sons. Afterthey had this discussion, Tirant had a meal brought out for themwhile the Albanian prepared to carry out the plan they had made.
When the meal was over the Albanian went over to where the silverwas, and stole a large, gilded urn made of silver. The guardbegan to shout so that Tirant, as he was talking with the menfrom the town, asked what all the uproar was about. Theneveryone saw the Albanian running with many men behind him, andthey saw them catch him and take him to the captain. The guardhad hold of him by the hair, and he said:
"My lord, I would like you to pass judgment on this thief. Hestole this silver urn."
Tirant wanted the commander to speak first, and he said:
"My sentence is for him to be hanged."
Tirant then said:
"Commander, this is no time for us to be killing people unlessit's in battle. I beg you to change the sentence, and have himwhipped and his ears cut."
So they did what he said in the presence of the men from thetown. After they cut his ears they tied the urn to his neck andwhipped him around the camp. The third time around, when he wasin front of the town, he pulled away violently, untied his handsand began running toward the town.
The guard who was running after him fell down purposefully sothat the Albanian had time to go inside the town. The men on thewalls defended him with their crossbows so that no one couldcatch him. The townspeople took him up to the castle where theking was, and when they saw him naked and whipped, with his earscut and bleeding, they felt sorry for him. They gave him a shirtand other clothes, and the king had so much pity on him that helet him keep the urn, and received him into his household.
Tirant pretended to be very angry at the Albanian's escape. Hetold the men there to ask the king to give the man back, and hesaid that if he would not do it, that he would cut off the handsand feet, nose and ears of every man they caught, and then hewould kill them. The king answered that in no way would he givehim back, and that if he could catch Tirant he would do worse tohim than they had done to the captive. Tirant would listen to nomore, and he left with all his men for the city they had comefrom. The Albanian then told King Escariano:
"When I think of the cruel things they've done to me, and theinfamy that could come to me if it becomes known, my heart criesout for revenge on that treacherous, mad captain who was starvingus to death. If I committed a crime it was because I needed themoney. But, my lord, if Your Excellency will give me permissionto come and go, I will bring you news every day about what yourenemies are doing, what they are planning and where they go.That way Your Highness can do the same thing to them that you didto that famous and illustrious King of Tremicen."
The king said:
"I will agree to that: You can come and go whenever you like."
He ordered all the guards to let him pass by at will. The kingasked some of his knights for advice concerning this matter, andthey all told him:
"My lord, this man has been hurt very badly by his own people,and he'll do anything to bring about their total destruction.But still, it would be a good idea to keep an eye on him."
The Albanian left the castle by a back door so that no one wouldsee him, and went directly to Tirant and told him everything thatwas said. Tirant gave him seven doubloons, three and one halfreals, and some loose change, a sword and a basket of peaches,because there were none in that town since Tirant had had all thetrees cut down to level the orchard around the villa. And Tiranttold him:
"Tell the king, in secret so that he'll be more inclined tobelieve you, that I am having a great deal of bread kneadedbecause I plan to be there in three or four days."
The Albanian left Tirant, and when he was in the castle, KingEscariano welcomed him. The Albanian gave the peaches to thequeen, and the king was more pleased with them than if he hadgiven her a villa, because he knew that the queen liked them, andhe had not seen her laugh or smile since she had been with him.After the Albanian had given her the gift he showed the king themoney he had, and said to him:
"My lord, look at this money that I took from one of the men inthe enemy camp. If I go there often I can bring many things,because a relative of mine is in the service of this wickedcaptain, and he secretly tells me everything he does. My lord,he told me that he is having a great deal of bread made and alarge supply of food stored up in order to come here. You havetime to get ready to attack and defeat him."
The Albanian's words pleased the king a great deal, and he said:
"Now I will see if your relative told you the truth."
On the third day Tirant came and stayed in the same place that hehad the other times. The king placed great faith in theAlbanian's words and he decided to appoint him as one of the mainguards of the castle. As companions, he gave him six very loyalmen who had been in his service a lon
g time. When it was thisAlbanian's turn to stand guard, he bought some sweetmeats andinvited all the men who were with him to eat and drink. And hestood guard-duty every five days.
Tirant returned after having been away for three days, and theycontinually discussed peace with the king, but Tirant drew outfinalizing a treaty as long as he could. This lasted two months,and Tirant was always coming and going, and he seldom attackedanyone. The king often made the Albanian go to Tirant's camp sothat he would bring back fruits and sweet-meats for the queen.One day he brought a mule loaded with wine, and a bloody sword.When he was before the king he said to him:
"My lord, I learned that the captain was having a great deal ofwine brought to the city, and when I heard of it I went out tothe road.
There, one muleteer fell behind the others. I hit him in theside with a stone, and he fell to the ground. Then I struck himso many times that I left him for dead. I took the sword and themule from him, and it was loaded with the finest wine I have seenin many days. So I beg you, my lord, please give me permissionto set up a tavern here, and when this supply has run out, I willsteal or buy more, and I'll do all the harm, evil and dishonor tothem that I can."
The king was well pleased, and many Moors came to drink everyday. And every night that the Moor stood guard he took a largecask of wine up to the tower, and gave his companions a good dealto drink, and all the Moors were very happy to have him there.
Tirant talked with King Escariano and his men many times, goingback and forth often with an escort of soldiers. When he sawwith his own eyes how much King Escariano trusted the Albanian,Tirant had a round container made of iron and put some holes init. When the night for the treachery arrived, and it was theAlbanian's turn to stand watch, the Albanian put hot coals insidethe container. The wind came in through the holes which were sosmall that the fire did not go out. Then he wrapped thecontainer in a piece of leather and held it to his chest. Whenthey were in the tower, standing guard, and his companions begandrinking, the Albanian hid the container in a hole so that thefire would not go out. They had some large drums, and theystayed there drinking and beating them until it was nearlymidnight. There were special liqueurs in the wine to bring onsleep. And with the pleasure of drink the guards slept sosoundly that they never awoke. When the Albanian saw that thecounter-round had gone by and the guards were sleeping, he tookout the fire-box, and hid its light with his cape. Then he lit astraw, and put it in a niche in the wall that faced the camp. Hedid this three times. Tirant soon saw this signal which they hadplanned in advance, and he quickly left the camp with only a fewmen. All the other men stayed behind, ready and armed, waitingto be called, and the commander stayed with them as theircaptain. Because of all the water there, Tirant and his men hadto pass near a tall tower, but the Albanian was making a greatdeal of noise with the drums, and when Tirant passed close to thetower they were not heard. When they were near and the guardscalled out, "All clear, all clear," they quickly ran ten ortwelve steps, and when the guards were silent, they stopped.They kept this up until they had passed by the first tower andreached the other tower. Tirant made his men stop, and he wentto the foot of the tower alone and found a cord that the Albanianhad thrown down. He had tied the other end to his leg in case hefell asleep, so that when the cord was pulled he would wake up.But he never stopped beating on the drums, and when he felt thecord moving he quickly went near the tower and pulled up a ropeladder that he tied very tightly to the wall, and then he tiedanother. Tirant climbed the first one, and when he saw theguards sleeping he said to the Albanians:
"What shall we do with these men?"
"My lord," he answered, "leave them there. They're in nocondition to do any harm."
However, Tirant wanted to see for himself, and he found the sixof them with their heads cut off, covered with blood. When hesaw this he had his men come up, and he put one of them in chargeof the drums. There were one hundred sixty men, and they spreadout over the tower. Then, with the Albanian going first, theywent down to the warden's chamber. When the warden saw all thesemen coming he got up, completely naked, took a sword in his handand tried to defend himself. Tirant swung an axe down on hishead and split it in half, and his brains fell out onto theground. His wife began to scream, and the Albanian, who wasnearest did the same thing to her that Tirant had done to herhusband. Afterward they went through the castle, and shot thebolts on the doors to the chambers, and the noise of the drumswas so loud that no one heard a sound.
They went up to the towers and the guards there thought they werethe watch, and said nothing to them. And when they came nearthey threw them off the castle through the merlons. One of themfell onto the barbican and into the moat, and was saved. Soon hegot up and went shouting through the villa and everyone woke up.The news spread through the villa, but in the castle they stilldid not know, except for one man who was fishing. He heard thenoise and opened the windows of his chamber, and he heard manypeople inside the castle. Then he began to cry out, and hisshouts were heard by those in the castle, but when they tried toleave their chambers they found the doors bolted. The king, whohad been sleeping in the main tower, barricaded himself therewith the queen and a chamber-maid.
When day broke they put many flags on the castle towers, and heldgreat celebrations. All the outsiders in the villa fled. Whenthe commander saw that the castle had been taken and saw theothers fleeing, he attacked them and took many prisoners. Whenhe returned, they stationed many men in the villa and others onthe barbicans and in the orchards near the villa. When thecommander went up to the castle he saw that none of his men hadbeen killed or wounded, and he was the most astonished man in theworld: he thought Tirant must be more angel than human, becausenothing that he tried turned out to be impossible.
They searched the entire castle and found it full of many kindsof food: millet and wheat, sorghum and panic-grass--enough tolast seven years, with a sparkling spring of water that came outof a rock. That night the king took pity on the queen, andcalling down from a window in the tower, he said:
"Which of you is the knight I can surrender to?"
"Sir," said Tirant, "here is the commander, and a very virtuousknight."
The king realized that this was the ambassador he had talked withso many times, and he said to him:
"Since you have been sent to me as an ambassador, give me yourpledge of safety so that I can do my duty as a knight and acrowned king."
Tirant answered:
"I will guarantee your safety for a month after you surrender tome. I give you my word."
The king felt as good about that as if he had been given absolutefreedom. He came down from the tower, opened the door, and stoodin the entryway, his sword in his hand. And he said:
"Have them bring me that little child." (This was a boy of nomore than five years of age, the son of a woman who baked bread.)
When the boy was near him, he knighted the boy and kissed him onthe mouth. Then, handing his sword to the boy, he placed himselfin his power.
The commander then seized the king and took him to a room wherehe had him put in chains. This made Tirant very angry, but hesaid nothing so that he would not offend the commander. When theking was in chains, they went into the main tower where theyfound the queen in tears.
Tirant had one hundred thousand doubloons sent to Tunis to thecommander's cousin who was magistrate of the king of that region.He begged him to release Lord Agramunt and all the others whowere on his galley. The governor took them all out of captivityand sent them to Tirant. When they were taken on land they lostall hope of ever being freed--until they saw their captain. Anddon't think they felt only a small mount of relief when they sawhim. Tirant immediately asked his cousin, Lord Agramunt, if hehad seen Plaerdemavida. He answered:
"Since that day we lost sight of the galley, I never heardanything about her again. I'm afraid she died in the stormysea."
It happened one day that the queen called Tirant to her chamber.Not knowing what sh
e might want, Tirant went quickly. When hewas there, the queen smiled and had him sit at her side. Thenshe said softly:
"My eyes have found their lost light, and when I raise my head Isee you as lord of the world, for heaven and earth and all thingsthat God has created obey you. That night when you brought usout of the terrible prison, I found such pleasure in yourvirtuous appearance, so handsomely formed, that I detested mybetrothed and could not continue to look at him.
I beg you, sir, do me the honor of ruling this land at my side."
Tirant was astonished, and he immediately replied:
"It fills me with great love to serve you, but I must confess mysin: I have been in love with a maiden of high esteem for a longwhile, as she has been with me. If I should betray her love, itwould be worse than death to me. And there is one more reasonthat I must not forget: you are a Moor and I am a Christian, andour marriage would not be lawful."
With tears in her eyes, the queen replied:
"You say that I am a Moor and you are a Christian, and that sucha marriage is impossible. Let me tell you how it can be done:you can easily become a Moor, and then the marriage can takeplace. As for the maiden you say you are in love with, I believethat is simply an excuse, and the real reason is that I do notplease you."
Tirant reflected for a moment, and he saw a way by whichChristianity would be exalted. He decided to show the queengreat love so that she would decide to become a Christian. Andsmiling, he said:
"My reason obliges me to keep the faith I have sworn. But I begof you, my lady, to receive baptism in the holy and trueChristian faith, and with my help you will regain your kingdom.And for a husband I will give you a young and virtuous crownedking. Although I cannot take you as a wife, since I already haveone, you would always be my friend."
The queen dried her tears and sighed:
"Your wise words have led me to this decision: give me baptismquickly, for you are the flower of all those who are baptized."
When Tirant saw that the queen wanted to become a Christian, hequickly had a gold basin and a pitcher brought from the bootythey had taken from King Escariano. Tirant had the queen's headuncovered, letting her hair fall loose, and it was so beautifulthat her face seemed more angelic than human. Tirant had herkneel down, and he poured water over her head from the pitcher,and said:
"Maragdina, I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, andthe Holy Spirit."
Then she declared herself to be a good Christian, and there, inthe presence of everyone, four ladies who served the queenreceived holy baptism. And they led very saintly lives.
When King Escariano heard that the queen had become a Christian,he sent for Tirant and told him:
"I tell you, Captain, since I see that my lady, the queen, hasbecome a Christian, I want to follow her virtuous works. So Ibeg you to give me holy baptism, and to be my brother in arms foras long as we live, being friends of our friends and enemies ofour enemies."
After the queen had been baptized, and the king had beeninstructed about Christianity, Tirant took the king out of prisonand had him go down to the city. There was a lovely square inthat villa, and Tirant had ordered them to make a pretty cenotaphthere, nicely decorated with brocade and satin cloths. The kingsat on a beautiful chair covered with brocade on the cenotaph,and a large silver bowl filled with water was placed at one endof the cenotaph. Tirant had a very wide ladder constructed sothat everyone who wanted to be baptized could go up and down.
King Escariano's captains and all his men, peacefully andunarmed, left the camp on foot because they were very near thevilla. When they came to the entrance, the captains and knightswent in first, then the others followed them. When they were inthe square before the king's cenotaph, they all bowed deeply tohim, and asked what his lordship wanted of them. With a strongvoice he said:
"My faithful vassals, relatives and brothers: Divine Mercy hashad pity on me and on all of you--if you wish it--for He hasenlightened my soul and my understanding. I have received manyfavors from this captain: First, he has taken me out of prisonand given me freedom. Second, he has instructed me about theholy Catholic faith so that I know for a certainty that the sectof Mohammed is false and wicked, and all those who believe in itare going to total destruction and condemnation. So I beg youand command you, as good vassals and brothers, to join me andreceive baptism. Trust me: you will be receiving baptism for thesalvation of your souls. Those who want baptism should notmove; those who do not want baptism, empty the square and leaveroom for the others."
After he had said this the king took off his outer garments ineveryone's presence, remaining in his shirt. Tirant led him tothe bowl, and pouring water from the pitcher over his head, hebaptized him, saying:
"King Escariano, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and theSon, and the Holy Spirit."
Then Tirant baptized almost all the prisoners, for most of themwere close relatives of the king. Afterward two captains and alltheir lineage were baptized: one of their people was calledBencarag and the other Capcani. On that day more than sixthousand Moors were baptized by Tirant. The others stayed therethe next day and the following days until they were all madeChristians. Few of them left, and the most vile were those whodid not receive baptism.
The news of all this was soon spread throughout Barbary, so thatit reached the ears of the kings who were coming to KingEscariano's aid. Very angry, they advanced as quickly as theycould and took away his entire kingdom. They gave it to the Kingof Persia, and immediately crowned him king.
While these kings were conquering King Escariano's lands,messengers came to him daily with the bad news that they weretaking his entire kingdom from him, and that he had only threecastles that were defending themselves and refusing to surrender.
After King Escariano became a Christian, Tirant begged him togive all the villas and cities he had taken from the King ofTremicen back to the queen, to whom they belonged. The king verygenerously did this, but then he begged Tirant, as a brother inarms, to give the queen to him for his wife. So one day Tirantapproached the queen, and said:
"I beg you to take this king for your husband. He loves you verymuch. You already know him, and you would be much better offwith him than with someone who may not love you."
The queen listened to Tirant, and replied:
"I have complete trust in you, so I am putting myself and mypossessions in your power. I will do whatever you command me."
Tirant knelt on the ground and gave her many thanks. Heimmediately sent for the king and the friar, and in everyone'spresence they were betrothed. The following day they heard mass,because they were Catholic Christians. After the wedding, whichtook place with great solemnity--as corresponds to royalty--KingEscariano took possession of the entire kingdom of Tremicen, ashusband of the queen, and she was happy because it was atTirant's command. The king loved Tirant above all others, andthere was nothing that he would not do for him. And Tirantlikewise loved the king and queen.
While the king and Tirant were celebrating this new marriage,news reached the king daily that the Moorish kings would soontake the three castles, and that they would fall on him and onall the Christians, and would give them all cruel deaths.
When Tirant heard of this, he said:
"Sir, we need to think of how we can save our lives. Let'sgather all our men and see how many are prepared to go intobattle."
"What?" said the commander. "Do you think you're the lord of thewhole world? You ought to be satisfied with imprisoning thismagnanimous king, and go on back to the land you came from. Letus live according to our own law, and let the new Christiansforget about this so-called holy baptism. If these kings arecoming with so many troops, and they find us adhering to theirlaw, they'll have mercy on us."
King Escariano turned to the commander in a rage, and he broughthis bare sword down on the commander's head so hard that hisbrains spilled out onto the chamber floor, and he said:
"Oh, you dog, you son of a dog, born into
a wicked sect! This isthe payment such a vile person deserves!"
Tirant was very displeased at the commander's death, and he feltvery angry. But he held himself back and did not reprimand theking because he was afraid of causing more trouble. Some peoplewere glad the commander was dead, and others were not. But hisdeath served to restrain many.
Tirant mustered all the men to see how many there were, and theycounted 18,230 horsemen and forty-five thousand foot soldiers.Tirant paid them all. Then they enlisted twenty-five thousandmore. At the same time, four hundred forty horses and many armsarrived from Tunis where they had disembarked after arriving fromSicily. And now Tirant was unafraid of attacking three thousandenemy horsemen.
The king and Tirant left the city with all their men to meet theenemy and see if they could resist them. When they were threeleagues away from them, at the top of a mountain, the Christianscould see all the Moorish forces that were coming. They set uptheir tents in view of each other, and many embassies were sentback and forth. The Moors sent word to King Escariano, tellinghim and Tirant and all the other Christians to convert toMohammedanism, because if they did not, they would all die acruel death. When Tirant heard this, he mocked them and wouldnot give them a reply. Then the ambassadors became very angrywith Tirant.
They had conquered all of King Escariano's realm, and now theywere going to attack him. Tirant said:
"Sir, they've raised camp, so they'll be here tomorrow. Yourlordship can stay here in the city with half the men while I takethe other half, and we'll see how well organized they are."
"Oh, Tirant! I would much rather go with you, and we can leaveLord Agramunt here as the captain."
Tirant agreed, and made Lord Agramunt captain, telling him:
"Keep your horses saddled, and your men armed. When you see ared flag with my arms painted on it, have all your men attack onthe right, and we'll destroy our enemy."
To reach the Christians, the Moors had to cross over a tallmountain that had many springs. During that night and thefollowing day, Tirant went around the mountain and he could seeall the Moors coming from a great distance. Tirant rode into adense thicket, and he had all the men dismount and take theirease while he climbed a tall pine tree and watched the enemy comeup the mountain. They set up their tents near the springs, andthey were still a league away from the city. The ones whofollowed behind set up camp at the foot of the mountain wherethere were beautiful meadows and a canal. The men here had aboutfour thousand horses.
When Tirant saw that nearly half the enemy had dismounted, he andthe king attacked their camp and killed so many Moors that thenumber of corpses stretched out on the ground were a wonder tobehold. And there would have been even more if night had notfallen. The Moors up on the mountain heard the cries, but theydid not think the Christians would dare come so close to theircamp.
The morning of the following day, as soon as the sun came out,King Meneador came down from the mountain, not suspecting thatKing Escariano and Tirant would be there. He thought, instead,that these must be thieving marauders. So he sent a messenger tothem, telling them to convert back to the Mohammedan faith or hewould hang as many of them as he found.
Tirant told the messenger:
"You tell your lord that I don't intend to answer his madness.But if he's a crowned king, and brave enough to come down themountain with his men, I'll let him feel the strength of the onehe wants to hang."
The messenger went back to his lord with the reply, and the kingwas so enraged that he dug his spurs into his horse, and all hismen followed. The battle was harsh and cruel. After they hadfought for a time, and there were many deaths on both sides, KingMeneador retreated toward the mountain, and he sent for hisbrother, the King of Lower India, to come to his aid. When hewas there, King Meneador told him:
"Brother, these baptized Christians are fighting so hard thatI've lost most of my men, and I'm slightly wounded too. I won'thold myself as a knight unless I kill with my own hands a greattraitor who is their captain. His armor and the vest he wearsare damask green with three stars on each side. On one sidethey're gold and on the other side silver. Around his neck hewears a gold Mohammed with a long beard. And this Mohammedcarries a small child holding onto his neck as he crosses ariver. And that must be the one who helps him in his battles."
The King of Lower India haughtily replied:
"Show him to me. I will avenge you even if he has ten Mohammedsin his belly."
His men quickly mounted their horses and bore down upon theChristians. Shouting wildly, like madmen, they went into battle,and soon you could see horses running around without riders.When Tirant broke his lance, he made use of his ax, and hewounded or gave death with every blow. The two kings drew up toTirant and wounded him with the point of a sword. Findinghimself wounded, Tirant cried out:
"Oh, king, you who have dealt me a deadly wound according to thegreat pain I feel, before I enter hell, you will go before me asa messenger to open he gates, for I will send you therequickly!"
He brought his ax down on the king's head, splitting it into twoparts, and the king fell at the feet of his horses. When theMoors saw his body on the ground, they struggled to pick it up.This was the King of Lower India who had spoken so boastfully.When the other king saw his brother dead, he fought desperately.
The other kings were told of his death, the King of Bogia inparticular, for he had brought them together. Then they raisedcamp and set up their tents at the foot of the mountain.
The Christians, seeing how many men they had and that Tirant waswounded and in great pain, decided to leave during the night.The following morning the Moors prepared to give battle, but theyfound no one. They followed the Christians' tracks and came tothe city where they had taken refuge.
Tirant had Lord Agramunt take his men out and do battle withthem, and many men died on both sides. Then the Christiansretreated back into the city while the Moors pounded on the gateswith their lances.
The following day Lord Agramunt led his men into battle, and manydied on both sides, and again they retreated into the city.Tirant was troubled that he could not take part, and that theywere losing men, and he told the king:
"Sir, I don't think we should go out and do battle so often.We're only losing men."
And so they waited until Tirant was healthy again. Then, when hewas nearly cured, he put on his armor and mounted his horse, andwith most of the men he attacked one side of the camp. TheMoors, in a tumult, came out to fight the Christians. And thatday, and many others that followed, Tirant came out the worst.When Tirant saw his men fleeing that day, and that he could notkeep them in order, he went to the river. He saw the King ofAfrica riding toward him wearing a helmet with a crown of goldand many precious stones. His saddle was silver, and hisstirrups gold, while his jubbah was crimson and embroidered withlarge oriental pearls.
When the king saw Tirant's troubled face, he approached him andsaid:
"Are you the captain of the Christians?"
Tirant did not reply, but instead looked at his men who had lefthim, and all the dead bodies and banners scattered over theground. That day, they had scarcely defended themselves againstthe Moors.
In a loud voice that the Moors and the wounded could hear, hecried out:
"Oh, poor men! Why do you bear arms? Oh, sad, vile men: youwill be rightly condemned for this day on which you die somiserably, and your reputation will suffer greatly!"
When the King of Africa heard him crying this way, he called outto his men:
"I'm going to cross the river, and I'll put this Christian dog inchains or I'll kill him. If I need any assistance, come and helpme."
When the king had crossed over, he rode swiftly at Tirant, andstruck him so hard with his lance that Tirant's horse sank to itsknees. The lance passed through his brassard and hisbreast-plate, and slightly pierced his chest. Tirant was feelingsuch great pain for the dead men, and was thinking of theprincess, and he didn't notice the king until he had beenwounded.
He drew his sword, since his lance had been broken atthe outset. And they fought for a long space of time. The kingfought valiantly, and when it had lasted a long while, Tirantthrust hard at the king, but he could not reach him because theking's horse suddenly turned. However, he caught the horse'shead and cut it off, so that the horse and the king tumbled tothe ground. The king's men came to his aid, and mounted him onanother horse, even though Tirant tried to stop them.
When Tirant realized that he could not hold out any longer, heseized a Moor and took away his lance. Then he wounded thefirst, the second and the third men he encountered, and knockedthem to the ground; then he wounded the fourth, fifth and sixthand also knocked them down.
The Moors were astonished at the way one lone man bore arms.
Lord Agramunt was at a window in the castle, and he recognizedTirant by his coat of arms and saw that he was fighting alone.And he cried out:
"Men, go quickly and help our captain. He's about to lose hislife."
Then the king went out with the few men he had. Tirant waswounded in three places, and his horse had been struck manytimes. For this reason Tirant was forced to retreat, but he didso against his will, and they pursued him right up to the gates.
The doctors arrived and had Tirant's armor removed, and theyfound many wounds including three that were very dangerous.
When the Moors saw that the Christians had withdrawn inside thecity, they tightened the siege and crossed over the river. Theybrought so many oxen and camels that they could not be counted.They used these as an obstacle to the Christians in battle, fortheir horses could not run, and no one could enter or leave thecity.
Tirant was afraid they might mine under the castle. He orderedthe men to make a countermine, and in all the lower rooms theywere to place brass basins. This was done so that if a pickaxewas about to come through a wall in that room, all the brassbasins would clang together and make a great noise. After thebrass basins were set up, they began to work on the countermine.
After a few days, when Tirant was well and ready to bear arms, aserving girl inside the castle was kneading flour, and she heardthe basins moving around, making noise. She ran quickly to tellher mistress:
"I don't know what it is, but I've heard folks say that whenbasins make a noise it's the sign of a storm or of bloodshed."
The lady was the wife of the captain of the castle, and shequickly went to tell her husband, and he told the king andTirant.
Secretly, without making a sound, they went to the room, and sawthat what the girl had said was true. They quickly armedthemselves and went into a chamber, and not even an hour went bybefore they saw light in the room. The Moors who were diggingthought no one in the castle had heard them, and they made thehole much bigger. Then they began to come out of the mine. Whenthere were more than seventy Moors in the room, the men from thecastle went in and slew and quartered everyone they found. Theones who could escape back through the mine certainly didn'tstand around waiting for each other, but Tirant had many bombardsfired into the mine, and everyone inside died.
Tirant saw that his men were nearly faint from hunger, and hedecided to do battle. He told the king:
"Sir, I'll take half the men we have left, and you can take theother half. I'll go into the little forest there, and as soon asthe sun comes up, you go out through the gate of Tremicen and goall around the city, and you attack the center of their campwhile I attack from the other side, and we'll see if we can'tconfuse them. If we do, we can take over their camp. But whatdisturbs me most are the cattle: we'll have to go right throughthem, and every time we do, they'll kill many of our horses."
A Genoese who had been a slave on Tirant's galley when the shipwent down spoke up. His name was Almedixer, and he was a verydiscreet man and was knowledgeable about many things. He said:
"Captain, do you want me to make all the cattle run off so thatthere won't even be a sign of one around? The Moors will gorunning after them to get them back, and that will be the time toattack their camp and fall upon them."
"If you can do that," said Tirant, "upon Carmesina's name Ipromise to make you a great lord and give you villas and castlesand a great inheritance."
The king said to Tirant:
"Brother, if that's what you're going to do, I beg you to let mego into the forest. And when I see the banner flying from thehighest tower I'll attack the center of the camp."
Tirant agreed, and ordered everyone to shoe their horses andrepair their saddles.
The Genoese took the hair of many goats, and mutton fat, and hecrushed it all together and put it in shallow pans, and he filledmore than seventy of them.
Right at the hour of midnight the king went into the forestwithout any of the Moors seeing him. Almedixer took the pans ofgrease he had made and went out of the castle at dawn, and putthem one next to the other.
Then he set them on fire. When the flames were going well, thewind blew the smoke toward the cattle. And when they smelled theodor they stampeded through the middle of the camp, bringing downtents and injuring men and horses so that it seemed like all thedevils in hell were after them. They even ran into each other sothat hardly an ox or camel was left uninjured. Many Moors onfoot and on horseback pursued them to make them turn back, andall the Moors were astonished, not understanding what had causedthe stampede.
When the oxen were gone, Tirant had the white and green flagraised. The king saw the flag and rode out of the forest,crying:
"Long live the Christians!"
As they had planned, Tirant also attacked from the other side.Then the terrible, cruel battle unrolled. Whoever saw it couldtell the goings on of it all, for you could see thrusts of lanceand sword being given and taken that brought awful grief, and ina few hours excellent knights were lying dead on the ground. Allthe battles came together and made such a noise that it soundedlike the earth would fall in. You could see Tirant here andthere, tearing helmets from men's heads and shields from theirbodies, killing and wounding and doing the most astonishingthings in the world in his ever-burning fury. King Escariano wasdoing very well, for he was a very good knight, young andcourageous. As for the Moors, there were some very good andvaliant knights, the King of Africa in particular who, because ofthe death of his brother, threw himself against the Christiansmost cruelly. The King of Bogia was also a very courageousknight.
The battle was long and hard fought, and mercy was shown by none.Everyone was using their weapons, and it was a wonder to behold.We mustn't forget about Lord Agramunt, for he fought so well thatthe enemy feared him.
It happened that the King of Africa recognized Tirant by hisarmor and rode toward him, and they ran at each other, and boththe king and Tirant were knocked to the ground. But Tirantfeared death and was the more spirited, and he got up first,while the king was still lying on the ground. He reached down tocut the straps of his helmet, but before he could do so the Moorssaw their king on the ground, and it was a wonder that they didnot kill Tirant. They pulled him off the king's body two timesand threw him on the ground. When Lord Agramunt saw Tirant insuch great danger, he rode over to him and saw that the campcommander was doing everything he could to kill Tirant. LordAgramunt turned to the commander, and they engaged in such a hardfought battle that every blow intended to bring death--one ofthem to defend Tirant and the other to try to attack him--andboth of them were badly wounded.
Almedixer was near and cried out in alarm. King Escariano racedinto the tumult and saw the King of Bogia standing over Tirant,about to cut off his head. These two kings were brothers, andKing Escariano recognized his brother, but still, when he sawTirant in that situation, he immediately thrust his lance intohis brother's back so powerfully that it went right through hisarmor and came out the other side, piercing his heart, and theKing of Bogia fell to the ground, dead. Then the battle grewmore cruel than it had ever been, and on that day many men fromboth sides died.
The battle went on very cruelly, throughout the day, but whennight fell, they bro
ke apart. The Christians went back into thecity very happily, because they had been victorious on the field.They knew for a certainty that three kings had died in thebattle: the King of Bogia, King Geber, and the King of Granada.Among the wounded, mention is made only of the King of Damascusand the King of Tana.
That night the men and horses rested, and before dawn theChristians were armed and ready, and the Moors were surprisedthat they were eager to fight, because the Moors had not beenable to bury their dead. The battle took place on the secondday, and it was very cruel and bloody. Large numbers of Moorsdied, but not very many Christians: for every Christian, onehundred Moors died. The reason so many Moors were killed wasbecause they weren't as well armed as the Christians, and theirhorses and trappings weren't as good. The battle lasted fivedays, and the Moors couldn't endure it any longer because of thestench from the corpses, so they sent messengers to theChristians, asking for a truce. King Escariano and Tirant feltvery pleased, and they agreed willingly.
The Moors then took their dead and threw them into the river,each with a note of identification attached so that downrivertheir relatives could bury them. But there were so many deadbodies that the river was stopped up, and the water had to changecourse.
Then the Moors went up the mountain while the Christians wentback to the city. During this truce the Marquis of Luzanaarrived; he was a servant to the King of France. In Tunis heheard of Tirant's great victories, and he decided to go to him.
The Moors decided to leave one night before the truce was over,and go to the mountains of Fez where they could defend themselvesagainst the Christians. So, very unexpectedly, nearly at thehour of midnight, they broke camp and went on their way. Earlythe next morning the guards came running to the city gates towarn the captain that the Moors were leaving. When Tirant sawthat they had gone beyond the pass, he set himself to conqueringall the kingdoms and lands this side of the pass. After manydays had gone by, Lord Agramunt said to the captain:
"My lord, it seems to me that if we want to end this conquestquickly, I should go beyond the pass to conquer the villas,castles and cities there. After your lordship has taken overthese kingdoms, you can go over to that land, and you will easilybe the master of all Barbary."
Tirant was pleased with what Lord Agramunt told him. Heconsulted King Escariano, and they agreed that he should leavesoon. Lord Agramunt departed with ten thousand men on horseback,and eighteen thousand foot soldiers. When he had gone beyond thepass he learned that the kings had left, and each had gone backto his own land. Seeing that there were so few armed men in thatland, Lord Agramunt began to conquer it, and he took over manycities, villas and castles, some willingly and others by force.
They came near a city called Montagata which belonged to thedaughter of the King of Belamerin (This king had died at thebeginning of the war) and to her betrothed. When the people inthe city learned that the Christians were so nearby, they held acouncil and decided to send the keys of the city to LordAgramunt, and, very kindly, he took them and granted themeverything they requested. But when they were near the city, therulers changed their minds and decided that they would diebefore they would surrender.
When Lord Agramunt saw that he had been mocked, he decided to gointo battle, for he was as bold and hard as he could be. As hecame close to a wall, they shot at him with a crossbow. Thearrow hit him in the mouth and came out the other side. When hismen saw him stretched out on the ground, badly wounded, theythought he was dead. They put him on a shield and carried him tohis tent, and they fought no more that day. Then Lord Agramuntmade a vow to God and to the holy apostles that because of theway they had deceived him and because of the great pain his woundwas causing him, he would not leave until the city was taken andhis sword had slain everyone: men and women, large and small, oldand young. And he quickly sent word to Tirant.
When Tirant received the news that his cousin had been so badlywounded, he and all his men went to the city. Before they coulddismount he ordered them to attack the city, and the battle wasso fierce and so harsh that they took a large tower--amosque--attached to the city walls. When night fell Tirantordered a halt to the fighting. In the morning the Moors sentword to the captain that they would surrender on condition thatthey be allowed to live by their own laws, and they would givethem thirty thousand gold crowns every year, and free all theprisoners they held. Tirant answered that because of the actthey had committed against his cousin they would have to go toLord Agramunt, and whatever he decided would be done.
When the Moors stood before Lord Agramunt, he would consent tonothing, no matter how much they pleaded with him. Then the towndecided to send their lady and several maidens to see if theycould reach an agreement with him, since many times a maiden'spleas are successful. At this point the book presents anincident to relate the deeds of Plaerdemavida.
CHAPTER XI
PLAERDEMAVIDA
By the great mercy of God, Plaerdemavida was saved from theshipwreck and taken to the city of Tunis, to the house of afisherman's daughter, as was related previously. Then, after twoyears had passed the fisherman's daughter took a husband nearthat city. And while they held Plaerdemavida captive there, shealways lived very honestly, working gold and silk as the maidensof Greece are accustomed to doing. It happened one day that hermistress went to the city of Montagata, and left Plaerdemavida towatch the house. She had gone to the city to make somepurchases, and while she was there she went to talk to the king'sdaughter, and she told her:
"My lady, I've been told that you are planning to marry, and thatyou are supplying yourself with blouses embroidered with gold andsilk and other things proper for maidens. I have a young slavewho is able to do what I have taught her from the time she was aninfant: to embroider all manner of things as befits young women.Here are some samples of what she can do. If you want her, Iwill give her to you for one hundred doubloons, even though Iwill be losing all the training I have given her."
The princess, seeing the samples, wanted her very much, and shesaid that she would be happy to give her the one hundreddoubloons. The Moor said:
"I'll be glad to give her to you for that price, on onecondition: you must tell her that I have loaned her to you fortwo months, because if she guessed that I had sold her, she wouldbe so sad that she would fall into despair."
Plaerdemavida was placed in her hands and she came to love theprincess very much. It happened a short time later that the citywas attacked, and the Moors took many Christians prisoner. Amongthe men they captured was a soldier who had been an oarsman onTirant's galley when it was lost. Plaerdemavida recognized him,and she said:
"Aren't you one of the Christians who were on Tirant's galleywhen it went down at sea?"
"My lady," said the man "it's true: I was there, and I nearlydrowned. I reached the shore half dead, and afterward I wasbeaten, and bought and sold. I went through great trials inthose days."
"What can you tell me about Tirant?" said Plaerdemavida. "Wheredid he die?"
"By the Virgin Mary!" said the prisoner. "He is very much alive.He's right here. He's the commander, and he's using all hismight to conquer this land."
He also told her that Lord Agramunt was wounded, and then sheasked him:
"What became of Plaerdemavida?"
"That maiden you're asking about," said the prisoner, "it'sbelieved that she died in the sea, and our captain has grieveddeeply over her."
When she heard the news she ordered all the prisoners to flee.Hearing that Tirant was alive and so near, she also wanted verymuch to escape, but considering how Tirant had conquered so muchof the Barbary Coast, and thinking of the victories that weretold about the Christian captain, she was very happy. For shehad known nothing about him and believed that he had drowned inthe sea. She fell to her knees, raised her clasped hands toheaven and gave thanks and praise to God Our Lord for the greatsuccess He had given to Tirant and to the new Christianity, forhe was making war on the enemies of Jesus Christ so bravely. Shebecame very h
opeful that soon she would be out of captivity, andall the suffering she had gone through up to then seemed to benothing to her: the thought that she would see Tirant consoledher that much.
On the day her mistress had to go and talk to the captains, shedisguised herself so well that no one would recognize her. Whenthe lady was before the captain, she was accompanied by fiftymaidens, but Tirant would not listen to her and he sent her tohis cousin, Lord Agramunt. And if he had replied badly to theambassadors, he gave an even worse reply to the lady. Hopeless,they went back, crying and lamenting loudly. All that night, menas well as women did not cease their wailing and sighing.
In the morning Plaerdemavida told her mistress and the honorablemen of the city that if they would give her liberty to go out,she would talk to the captain, and would tell him such thingsthat he would do anything she wished. They agreed that sheshould go, because they had lost all hope and had only that oneday left. That day Plaerdemavida dressed as a Moor, and paintedher eyes so that she would not be recognized. She took thirtywell dressed maidens with her. At noon they left the city andwent to the camp, and there they saw Tirant at the door of histent. When he saw them coming he sent word that they should goto Lord Agramunt, and that he could do nothing since he hadturned all his power over to him. Plaerdemavida answered:
"Tell the captain that he should not refuse to see us, and evenless to speak to us, because if that captain did such a thing hewould be cruel and unjust. Since he is a knight and we aremaidens, in accordance with the order of chivalry he must aid us,and give us his advice and his support."
The chamberlain immediately took the reply back to the captain:
"Upon my word, my lord, there is a maiden with those Moors who isvery gracious. She speaks the Christian tongue most beautifully.And if your grace would like to do me a very great favor for theservices I have performed for you, when we take the city I begyou to make her a Christian and to give her to me for a wife."
"Have them all come here," said the captain.
When they stood before him, they made a deep bow to him.Plaerdemavida, smiling, said:
"My captain, your generous heart cannot fail to act according toits custom. Your nobility is full of mercy, and you must forgetthe great crime of the ignorant inhabitants of this city, whowill fold their hands and kneel down and kiss your feet, beggingyou for mercy. Look, virtuous captain, I speak with the spiritof prophecy. Do you remember that fortunate day when you weregiven the honor of chivalry in that prosperous court of the Kingof England? And the singular battles you fought at that time andwon with great honor, with no trickery? What should I say ofPhilippe, son of the King of France? In your great wisdom youmade him King of Sicily, and now he possesses the daughter, thekingdom, and the crown. And when that blessed lord, who is ofgreater excellence than anyone in the world, the Emperor ofConstantinople, heard of your fame, he had you come to the cityof Constantinople. His high Majesty made you his captain, andyou showed the Turkish enemies your strength and power,conquering them time and time again. I am a Moor who speaks byprophecy, and my heart cries tears of blood for those worthyknights, because now they are as good as dead. Cry, miserablepeople and lament the fact that Tirant lo Blanc has forgottenyou! And it does not surprise me that he does not remember you,for he has forgotten a lady (I won't say who she is, but I cancall her the greatest and best in all Christendom) in order toconquer this cursed land."
Tirant was quite astonished when he heard these words, and hebegged her to tell how she knew so much.
"Oh Tirant, how little mercy you are showing. Go on pursuingthose fleeing kings so that you can have all of Barbary in yourlap, and let us live in blessed peace. Aren't you that prince ofthe line of Roca Salada who went into battle that pleasant nightin the castle of Malvei with that most serene princess, thebeautiful Carmesina? And if my heart hasn't gone mad or Ihaven't lost all my senses, it seems to me that I heard tell thatHer Highness let you into her chambers at a very late hour. Sheput her father's crown--that of the Greek Empire--on your head,and accepted you as her universal lord, with the help of a sadmaiden named Plaerdemavida. You have given so little thought toeither of them, it's as if you'd never known them. Her Highness,with you forgetting about her, is more dead than alive in theMonastery of Santa Clara, always calling out the name of Tirantin whom she has placed all her hope. Oh, Tirant! How you haveshed all kindness. You know full well that the Turks haveoverrun all of Greece, that all they have left to do is take thecity of Constantinople and seize the emperor, his wife and thegrieving princess."
When Tirant heard the maiden say these things, he heaved a sighfrom the depths of his heart as he remembered the lady he lovedmore than anyone in the world. He was so stricken that he fellto the ground, senseless. When everyone saw their captain lyingthere, his eyes filled with tears, they thought he had deliveredup his spirit to God and his body to the ground.
The doctors came and said:
"Our captain must be very ill. He looks as though he is neardeath."
King Escariano quickly had the maiden seized and her handstightly bound. When Plaerdemavida saw herself treated so badly,she angrily said:
"Let me go to the captain. I nourished him from my breast beforeyou ever heard of him. Let me use the remedies I know, because Ican see that these ignorant doctors don't know how to help him."
The maiden quickly sat on the ground, unfastened her robes andthe blouse she was wearing down past her bosom, uncovering herbreasts.
She took Tirant's body, placed it in her lap, and lay his head onher breasts. When the maiden saw Tirant open his eyes and sighdeeply, she was very happy, and she said:
"Captain, my lord, for a long time you have been fighting usnight and day. I don't want your grace to suffer such terriblehardships when I can free you from them. Begin with me. I amright here, a defenseless maiden, and your sword is very sharp.Now you can use your strong hand and bathe your sword with theblood of someone who, after God, wants to serve only you."
Tirant answered as well as he could:
"Maiden, it seems to me that you are like the bee that carrieshoney in its mouth and a stinger in its tail. I have heardthings from you that have left me astonished. I want very muchto know how news about that most serene princess has reached you.Tell me, I beg you, and you can count on this: In considerationof Her Majesty, I will do such things for you that you will allleave here highly satisfied."
Plaerdemavida was very happy at the captain's reply. While theywere talking, Lord Agramunt came into the tent in a rage, with abare sword in his hand. He had been misinformed by KingEscariano about how Tirant had fallen into a faint in themaiden's arms. When he saw Tirant in her lap and withoutnoticing his captain's condition, with a fierce face and aterrible voice, he cried:
"What is this poisonous woman doing here, this devil-worshipper?How can you all stand by, seeing how she's killed him, and notbehead her? Since the rest of you won't do it, I will."
He grabbed her by the hair and jerked back her head. And he puthis sword by her neck to take away her life. When Tirant saw thesword so close to the maiden, and heard her cry, he seized thesword with his hands. Lord Agramunt, feeling the sword againstsomething hard, thought it was the maiden's neck. So he slashedas hard as he could, and put a large gash in Tirant's hands. Andaccording to the doctors Tirant was very fortunate that he wasnot badly injured.
When Tirant saw that his cousin had shown him so little honor, hebecame very angry. King Escariano made Lord Agramunt leave, andLord Agramunt lowered his eyes and became very ashamed. Then hebowed deeply to the king and to Tirant, and left the tent. Andhis humility and shame went a long way toward cooling Tirant'sanger and making him feel pity instead.
Then Tirant turned toward the maiden and asked her very kindly ifshe had been a captive in Constantinople, and he asked who hadtold her so many things about the princess. She quickly got up,and falling to her knees, she said:
"What is this, captain! Have you lost your
memory entirely?There is a great deal of truth in the fact that where there is nolove there can be no remembrance. What! Aren't I poor,miserable Plaerdemavida who, for your lordship, endured so muchpain and misery, and finally captivity?"
Tirant's eyes flew open with recognition at once, and he wouldnot allow her to say another word, realizing full well at thismoment that she was Plaerdemavida. He knelt to the ground beforeher, and embraced her and kissed her many times over.
After they had embraced for a good while, Tirant ordered abeautiful platform placed at the door of the tent, coveredentirely with brocade cloth above, and with satin on the sidesand floor. Plaerdemavida was seated at the top step of theplatform, and covered with a mantle of crimson brocade lined withermine--one belonging to Tirant that he had ordered put on hersince she had completely torn her robes. The lady of the citywas made to sit on the top step, and her maidens below, on thesatin cloths. In this situation it seemed that Plaerdemavida wasindeed a queen.
Tirant had taken the head-dress off her head, and now her hairhung loose over her shoulders. He paid her such great honor thateveryone thought Tirant was going to take her as his wife. Hehad a proclamation read throughout the entire camp that everyoneshould come and kiss Plaerdemavida's hand, under penalty ofdeath. Then he had another proclamation made that everyone inthe city, men and women, were pardoned, and that each of themcould live under any law they wished, and that no one in the campshould dare harm anyone from the city. Afterward he had manydishes prepared, and held a general banquet so that everyonecould come who wished. And the most singular celebration everheld in a camp took place there, lasting eight days.
Plaerdemavida begged the lady of the city to be baptized, and sheanswered that she would do it. Then Tirant asked her if shewould marry Melquisedic. Plaerdemavida also pleaded with her,and the others insisted so much that she consented. And thewedding was held with great celebrations.
Tirant often spent his time talking to Plaerdemavida. One day,while they were talking about the princess and the emperor,Plaerdemavida scolded him, and asked him why he did not forgetabout conquering Barbary and help the emperor and his daughter.Tirant answered that he wanted to know for certain what thesituation was in the empire before he moved. He beggedPlaerdemavida to tell him what had happened to her after she wasswept over the side of the galley. With tears in her eyes,Plaerdemavida said:
"I beg you, lord Tirant, don't make me talk about it. Whenever Ithink about it I would rather die a hundred deaths than go onliving."
When Tirant heard her speaking so painfully, he said:
"Rejoice, valiant maiden. I promise you, by the lady who hasbeen the cause of your misfortune, that I will repay you. I willmix your blood with that of Roca Salada, and you will be reckonedamong the women of Brittany, among whom you are certain to havethe title of queen."
There was a long argument between Tirant and this maiden aboutthe marriage he had decided upon, which was between her and LordAgramunt. He gave her many different reasons, citing very holyauthorities, so that Plaerdemavida finally submitted to Tirant'swill, and replied in a few words:
"Your servant is here, Lord Tirant. Do with me according to yourwill."
Tirant took a beautiful chain from his neck and placed it aroundPlaerdemavida's neck as a sign of her future marriage. He hadbrocade brought, and dressed her like a queen. Then Tirant sentfor Lord Agramunt, and he begged him at length not to refuse whathe would tell him, since he had already made a promise. LordAgramunt answered him:
"Lord Tirant, I am astonished that you would plead with me aboutanything. Just by commanding me you are doing me a great favor."
Tirant said:
"Cousin, I have decided to make you King of Fez and Bogia, and togive Plaerdemavida to you as your wife. You know how indebtedall of us are to her for the work she has done for us. She is amaiden of great discretion who has lead a virtuous life, and itwill be very good for both of you."
Lord Agramunt answered:
"Cousin and lord, I had no thought of taking a wife, but it istoo much grace and honor for your lordship to entreat me to do athing that I should beg you for. I kiss your hand and yourfeet."
Tirant would not allow it. Instead he took him by the arm,lifted him up, and kissed him on the mouth. Afterward he thankedhim, both for the kingdoms and for the new wife.
Tirant felt more satisfied at having arranged this marriage thanby all of his conquests in Barbary. He quickly had LadyMontagata's palace decorated with beautiful gold and silk cloth,and he had all the musicians from that area come, with every kindof instrument that could be found. Then he had many dainties andspecial wines brought to insure the success of the celebration.Plaerdemavida was very richly dressed, and her presence andappearance showed that she was a queen. She was taken to thegreat hall where King Escariano and Tirant were, with many otherbarons and knights, along with the wife of King Escariano andmany other ladies of rank. After the wedding vows were exchangedthere was a great celebration with dances of different types andvery singular foods.
While the celebrations lasted, Tirant had the table prepared foreveryone who wished to eat, and for a week there was a greatabundance of everything.
CHAPTER XII
CONQUEST
When the celebrations were over Tirant had a large ship armed,and he had it loaded with wheat to send to Constantinople to helpthe emperor.
He had Melquisedic, Lord of Montagata, brought to him, and hetold him to go on that ship as a messenger to the emperor. Hetold him to become well informed about the emperor's condition,and how the empire was, and about the princess. He gave himinstructions and letters of credence, and he had him embark, welloutfitted and better escorted.
Then Tirant ordered his men to break camp, and to get all thecavalry and foot soldiers ready. They filled the carts with foodand all the supplies and weaponry necessary to fight the cities,villas, and castles.
They went toward the city of Caramen, at the edge of Barbary andbordering on the black Kingdom of Borno. Because three kings whofled from the battle scene had taken refuge in that city, whilethe others had gone back to their own lands. So the greatnumbers of cavalry and foot soldiers went through the land,conquering castles, villas and cities. Some were taken by force,and others surrendered willingly. Many became Christian, whileothers remained in their sect, and they were not harmed orwronged in any way. Finally they reached the city where thekings had taken shelter. There, Tirant's forces set up theirtents and encircled the city at a distance of about two crossbowshots.
Tirant held council with King Escariano, Lord Agramunt, theMarquis of Luzana, the Viscount of Branches, and many otherbarons and knights in the camp. They chose a Spaniard from thetown of Oriola to be their envoy. His name was Lord Rocafort,and he had been a captive on a Moorish galley until Tirant hadfreed him. They told him to observe how many men might be in thecity, and what condition they were in, and they give him detailedinstructions about everything he should do and say.
After receiving assurances of safe-conduct, the envoy went to thecastle where the kings were. These were the King of Fez, KingMenador of Persia, and the King of Tremicen. This last king wasnephew to the other King of Tremicen, and had been chosen kingwhen his uncle had been killed by King Escariano. The otherkings had died in the battles they had been waging.
The envoy stood before the kings who had gathered to listen tohis embassy, and without greeting them or showing them anyreverence, he said:
"I have come to you who were powerful kings on behalf of the mostChristian King Escariano and the magnanimous captain, Tirant loBlanc, to notify you of the will of their lordships. They saythat you and your forces must leave the city of Caramen and allof Barbary within three days."
King Menador of Persia gave the reply for the other kings:
"You can tell that traitor and renegade, King Escariano,Mohammed's enemy and ours, and his friend Tirant lo Blanc, thatwe won't leave the city, much less Barbary, for them. And sothat t
hey'll know how great our power is, let them be ready forbattle tomorrow because we'll come out of the city and give themterrible destruction."
As soon as King Menador had finished, Tirant's ambassador turnedhis back and left without another word, and he went back to hiscamp. When he was with King Escariano and Tirant, he told themall about King Menador of Persia's reply. Tirant immediatelycalled together all the barons, knights and captains of bothcavalry and foot soldiers. When they were together, he told themto get ready because the Moors were going to do battle with them.
The following morning the Moors put their forces together in abeautiful plain outside the city, and they began to move towardTirant's camp. The Christians' spy saw the Moors coming, and ranto warn Tirant. Tirant had all his cavalry ready and his footsoldiers in order, and they went toward the Moors.
When the battalions drew near each other, the trumpets and pipesbegan to sound, and the screams and shouts of both armies were sogreat that it seemed like heaven and earth would come together.Tirant ordered his first battalion to attack, and the goodcaptain Lord Rocafort went into battle so fiercely that it was awonder to behold.
The King of Tremicen, who was captain of the first battalion ofMoors also attacked so powerfully that the best knight in theworld could have done no better, and they fought so fiercelyagainst the Christians that the Christians were beaten back.Then the second squadron of Moors attacked very savagely, and onecould see lances breaking, and knights and horses falling, andmany men lying dead on the ground, both Christians and Moors.
Tirant saw that the battle was going badly, and that his men werebeing beaten. So he had four squadrons attack together, hisbeing the only one that held back. They attacked so powerfullythat in a few hours, before the enemy realized what had happened,they had killed a great number of Moors.
King Escariano came face to face with the King of Fez, and theirhorses clashed so mightily that they broke their lances. Theyboth fell to the ground, and got up, fighting with their swords,like lions. When the two sides saw their king on the ground,they rushed in to help them, and in the harsh battle thatfollowed, many men died.
Then Tirant attacked too, with his men, and you would have had tosee the great tumult and the terrible cries of the Moors who werenot able to resist the Christians. King Menador of Persia, whohad gone into battle like a raging dog, came against Tirant, andhit his head with his sword so hard that he nearly knocked Tirantfrom his horse.
Tirant then raised his sword and brought it down so hard that hecut the king's arm completely off at the shoulder, and the kingsoon fell to the ground, dead.
During the battle it happened that Tirant came upon the King ofTremicen, and gave him such a blow to the head with his sword,that he knocked the king to the ground. And if it had not beenfor the king's good helmet, he would have been dead. Tirant wenton ahead, and the Moors picked up their king and lay him over ahorse, taking him quickly back to the city.
When the battle had gone on for a long while, the Moors could notstand up against the Christians, and they had to turn and flee.When Tirant saw the Moors running away, he cried:
"The time has come, good knights, the day is ours! Kill themall!"
They rushed after the Moors who were trying to take refuge insidethe city. But with all their efforts, the Moors could not avoidthe deaths of more than forty thousand of their men that day.
With the battle won, Tirant immediately had a galley armed in theport of One, and he entrusted a knight named Espercius as itscaptain. This man was a native of Tremicen, and a goodChristian. Tirant charged him to go to Genoa, Venice, Pisa andMajorca (which at this time was a great trading center), and toenlist as many ships, galleys, caravels, and all kinds ofvessels, as could carry many men. He was to promise them ayear's wages, and take them to the port of Constantine in thekingdom of Tunis. When Espercius was informed about everythinghe was to do, he embarked on his journey.
When Ambassador Melquisedic left Barbary he had such favorableweather that he reached Constantinople in a few days. When theemperor was informed that a ship was in port, he immediatelysent a knight to find out what ship it was, and what its purposewas in coming. The knight went to the port, boarded the ship andspoke with the ambassador. Then he returned to the palace andtold the emperor that the ship had come from Barbary, that Tiranthad sent it, stocked with wheat, to His Majesty, and that aknight was on it whom Tirant had sent as his ambassador.
When the emperor heard this news he felt very relieved because ofthe straits they were in, and he gave thanks and praise to God,Our Lord, that he had not been forgotten. The emperorimmediately commanded all the knights of the city to go andescort the ambassador that Tirant had sent, and they all went tothe port, and had them disembark.
The ambassador, accompanied by the people with him, came out,very finely dressed. When they were on land, they were receivedby the emperor's knights, who paid the ambassador high honorsbecause of their great desire for Tirant to come. They took himto the emperor and the empress who were in the emperor's chamber.The ambassador bowed to the emperor, and kissed his foot andhand, and also the empress's hand.
They received them, smiling, and showing great pleasure at theirarrival.
The ambassador explained his mission to the emperor and hiscouncil, and they were all astonished and comforted by Tirant'sgreat prosperity in conquering Barbary. Then the ambassadorasked permission to go see the princess. Hippolytus escorted himto the convent where she was staying, and he presented her with aletter from Tirant. She felt very comforted by his words,convinced that he would be coming to her soon. Then she askedthe ambassador what news he had of Plaerdemavida: if she was deador alive. He told about her adventure in detail, and how she hadmarried Lord Agramunt, and how Tirant had promised to make her aqueen. Then he took his leave of the princess and went to thelodging.
A few days later the emperor had a letter composed to Tirant,explaining in detail the situation his empire was in: that theempire had been overrun by the Turks, and now all that remainedwas the city of Constantinople, the city of Pera, and a fewcastles. He had the ambassador come before him, and gave him theletter. Then he begged him earnestly to press Tirant to rememberhim and to have compassion on his old age, and on all the peoplewho were in danger of renouncing the faith of Jesus Christ, andon the women and maidens who lived in fear of being dishonoredunless they had divine aid and his aid as well. The ambassadortook his leave, kissing his feet and hand, and likewise theempress's.
Afterward the ambassador went to the convent where the princesswas, and he told her that he had come to see Her Highness in caseshe wished to command anything of him. The princess told him shewas very pleased that he would be returning so soon, for shetrusted his goodness and gentility that he would do everythingpossible to make Tirant come quickly to free them from the greatdanger they were in. And she earnestly begged him to do this.Then she gave him a letter she was sending to Tirant.
When their talk was over, the ambassador kissed the princess'shand, and took his leave of her. As the ambassador had carriedout all the things Tirant had entrusted to him, he boarded theship, and had the sails raised so they could be on their way. Ina few days he reached the city where Tirant was, who received himvery happily. Bowing, he gave him the emperor's letter.
When Tirant had read the emperor's letter, he felt greatcompassion for him. His eyes filled with tears when he thoughtof his anguish, and he remembered the Duke of Macedonia and hisother relatives and friends who were being held captive in thehands of the infidels because of him, and that they had no hopeof escaping without him. He also thought about all he hadconquered in the Empire of Greece while he had been there, andthat it and much more had been lost in such a brief span of time.
He asked the ambassador about all that he had seen, and he toldhim everything. He also asked him about the princess and how shewas. He answered that he had found her in the convent of SantaClara (for with his absence she had given herself over to theservice of God
) and about how she also wore a veil over her faceand led a very holy life, and how she had received him veryhappily.
"She asked me how you were and what had happened to you, and shebegged me at length to plead with you not to forget her,especially now that they were in danger of becoming prisoners ofthe Moors. And that if she had ever angered your lordship, shebegged you not to make her grieve for it. That, as you weremerciful toward your enemies, you would treat her, who was yourown, as well. That you should think of her as your own flesh,and not forget her."
And he told him many other things that the book does not relate.
The ambassador gave him the princess's letter, and it said thefollowing:
"After I read your letter, I was filled with infinite joy, andgreat happiness softened my sad heart. The greatest peace, calmand joy I have felt after I lost your presence is this outpouringof my words, as I feel myself coming back to you. For I havebeen, I am and will be your secret captive. I thank you with allmy heart, for I know all that you have suffered because of me.And I forgive you for the false opinions you held about me, onthe sole condition that the African soil find itself abandoned byyou so that you will return to me and my deserted people. Let mebring to your memory the crown of the Empire of Greece thatawaits you; and my virginity which you so desired, and that isnow in danger of being stolen by some infidel; and I, your wife,who am in danger of being taken captive. I don't know what tosay, I don't know what to show you! Until now my thoughts havebeen able to hold these deceptions: gazing at, kissing, adoringsome jewels and things that were yours, and finding myconsolation in them. Then, going to the doors of my room,saying: 'Here is where my Tirant sat, here he caught me, here hekissed me, here in this bed he held me naked.' And so, ramblingmost of the night and day, I ease my troubled mind. Let thesethoughts cease, then, for they avail me very little, and letTirant come, for he will be my true consolation, my end, theremedy and peace for my ills, and the redemption of the Christianpeople."
When Tirant had finished reading the princess's letter, he feltgreat agony from the pain and compassion he had for the emperorand for the princess, and in thinking of the Duke of Macedonia,his cousin, being held prisoner, and of all his other relativesand friends.
Tirant then told King Escariano that they would leave and go toTunis. Before they left, he gave the kingdoms of Fez and Bogiato Lord Agramunt. Then all the men set out for Tunis.
When the kingdom of Tunis learned that King Escariano and CaptainTirant were coming with such a mighty force, they sent word tothem, begging them not to harm them. Since their lord had died,they would be happy to obey them and to do whatever theycommanded. They willingly accepted, and entered the city ofTunis very peacefully. Tirant had them swear to accept KingEscariano as their lord, and all the cities, villas and castlessurrendered to him.
While Tirant was feeling very content, the news reached him thatsix large ships had docked at the port of Constantine. Heimmediately sent Melquisedic, giving him many doubloons, andordered him to load the six ships with wheat, and send them toConstantinople.
Melquisedic departed and quickly carried out Tirant's orders, andin a few days they were stocked, and they set sail. Then Tiranthad King Escariano take possession of the kingdom of Tunis, andthey swore their allegiance to him as their king and lord.
When all these things had been done, he felt like the happiestman in the world. He begged King Escariano to go with him toConstantinople, with all his forces, to recover the Empire ofGreece that the Moorish sultan and the Grand Turk had seized.And King Escariano told him that he would be very happy to carryout everything that he commanded.
He also told Lord Agramunt, King of Fez and Bogia, to go to hiskingdoms and to enlist as many men as could go with him. LordAgramunt was very happy, and he left immediately. Then KingEscariano wrote letters to the entire kingdom of Tunis, to allthe captains and knights, telling them to be in the city ofConstantine on a certain day with all their arms and everythingthey needed for battle. And in three months they were in thecity of Constantine. There were forty-four thousand men onhorseback and one hundred thousand on foot from the kingdom ofTremicen and from Tunis. Then came the King of Fez and Bogia,Lord Agramunt, with twenty thousand men on horseback and fiftythousand foot soldiers.
While these men were coming, the galley of Knight Esperciusarrived with many ships, galleys and other vessels, from Genoa,Spain, Venice and Pisa, and there were even more. When Esperciusdisembarked from the galley, he told Tirant that he had carriedout everything he had been charged with. Tirant was verysatisfied at all this. He quickly had the galley loaded, and hetold Espercius that he wanted him to go as his ambassador to theKing of Sicily, and he replied that he would do it gladly.Tirant gave him instructions about what to say to the King ofSicily, and Knight Espercius went aboard his galley and set outfor Sicily.
A few days after the ambassador had left, all the ships weretogether in the port of Constantine, and when Tirant saw that hehad enough vessels, and that he would need no more, he paid forthe fleet for one year. Then he immediately had thirty shipsstocked with wheat and supplies from the Barbary Coast. When theships were loaded, a day was set for all the armed men to meet.Those on horseback and those on foot, and all the people in thecity and many others came to a beautiful spot in front of thecity of Constantine. Tirant had a very tall cenotaph made thereso that all the people could be around it. Then Tirant, KingEscariano, the King of Fez and many other barons and knights wentonto the cenotaph until it was completely filled. The othersstayed down below, and when the people were silent, Tirant spokebriefly, and a friar gave a sermon.
When the sermon was over, all the Moors who were not baptizedcried out, asking for baptism. Tirant immediately had largebasins filled with water, as well as conches, casks and tubs, andall the friars and clerics came, for Tirant had had manymonasteries and even more churches built in the cities he hadtaken, and many clerics and friars had come from the Christianrealms. Everyone was baptized--those who were leaving as well asthose who were staying behind--and in three days three hundredthirty-four thousand Moors--men, women and children--werebaptized.
Afterward, Tirant went to talk to King Escariano, and he said tohim:
"I have been thinking, my lord and brother, that if it is to yourliking, instead of going with us by sea you could return to yourkingdom of Ethiopia, and enlist as many men as possible, footsoldiers and cavalry, and I will go by sea with these men. Andwith you on one side and me on the other, we will catch thesultan and the Turk in the middle, and we will destroy them."
King Escariano said he would prefer to go with him, but that heunderstood how much aid he could give him with all his men, andhe was content to do so. The book explains that this KingEscariano was a very strong and valiant knight, and that he wastotally black. For he was lord of the Negritos of Ethiopia, andwas called King Jamjam. He was very powerful, owning many horsesas well as great treasures, and he was well loved by his vassals.His kingdom was so large that it extended to Barbary, and thekingdom of Tremicen, and on the other side to the Indies andAbyssinia through which the River Tigris passes.
Then King Escariano prepared to depart with five hundred knights,and he and the queen took their leave of Tirant, and the King andQueen of Fez, and all the other barons. Tirant accompanied himmore than a league, and then he returned to the city ofConstantine to give the order for the men to ready themselveswith their horses and their entire army. Here the history ceasesto speak of Tirant, and it returns to Ambassador Espercius whowas going to the island of Sicily.
After Ambassador Espercius left the port of Constantine, he hadsuch favorable weather that in a few days he reached the islandof Sicily. He learned that the king was in the city of Messina,and he went there. When he was near the port he dressed verywell and had all his men put on their finery. Then hedisembarked and went to the king's palace.
When he was before the king, he bowed, and the king honored himand asked the reason for his coming. The ambas
sador answered:
"Most excellent sir, Tirant lo Blanc sends me to Your Majesty ashis ambassador."
He immediately gave the ambassador a very fine room, and he hadeverything he needed brought to him. He also sent beef of an oxand pork and fresh bread to the galley for the men.
On the morning of the following day, after the king had heardmass, he summoned his council, and when they were seated in agreat hall he told the ambassador to explain his mission. Theambassador said:
"Most excellent sir, Your Excellency is aware that Tirant loBlanc was carrying on a war for the Emperor of Constantinopleagainst the Moorish sultan and the Grand Turk. It happened thatthey took from the emperor all the lands Tirant had conquered,and so he has decided to take the mightiest force he can toConstantinople. He begs Your Highness to go with him personallywith all your forces, to help carry out the conquest of theEmpire of Greece. And since he has so much confidence in yourlordship he will be here very soon."
The ambassador said no more. The king quickly replied:
"Knight, it makes me very happy to know of the good fortune of mybrother Tirant, and I am very pleased to be able to help him."
The ambassador stood and thanked the king. When they left theparley, the king had letters drawn up to all the barons andknights of Sicily, and to all the cities and royal villas, thaton a certain day they should send all their magistrates to thecity of Palermo, because he had decided to hold a generalparliament there.
On the appointed day the king and all those who were invited werein Palermo, and when the parliament opened the king asked theentire kingdom for aid. They were all happy to give theirassistance, and those who could decided to go with him. When theparliament was over, all who had decided to go quickly madeready, and in a short time the king gathered four thousandhorses, and he had at his disposal a large fleet of ships andmany provisions.
Here the book ceases to speak of the King of Sicily, who isputting all his ships in order, and gathering all the provisionsand the horses and arms, and it returns to the six ships Tiranthad sent to Constantinople, loaded with wheat.
After the six ships had left the port of Constantine they hadsuch a favorable wind that in a few days they reached the Port ofValona, which is in Greece. There they received news that thesultan and the Turk had passed the Bosphorus with many ships andgalleys that they had sent for from Alexandria and Turkey, andthat they had laid siege to the city of Constantinople. Theemperor was extremely concerned, and all those in the city prayedcontinually to Jesus Christ to send Tirant so that they could befreed from their captivity. At the same time they felt veryconfident because they were sure that Tirant was coming with allhis forces. The princess returned to the emperor's palace toconsole her father, and she told him to gather courage, for OurLord would help them. The emperor had made Hippolytus hiscaptain-major, and every day he performed great acts of chivalry.If it had not been for him, the sultan would have taken the citybefore Tirant arrived.
When the captains of the six ships learned that the sultan'sforces were about to fall on Constantinople they sent a courierby land to the emperor, informing him that they were there, inthe port of Valona, but that they did not dare go on to aid HisMajesty out of fear of the Moorish army that was facing the city.However, they notified His Majesty that Tirant had already leftthe city of Constantine and that he was coming with great hasteto assist him. In addition, they armed a brigantine and sent itto Tirant to warn him that the Turk and the sultan had laid siegeto the city of Constantinople. The brigantine left very secretlyand steered for Sicily, and it had such favorable weather that ina few days it reached the port of Palermo.
As soon as King Escariano had left Constantine, Tirant orderedall the horses, the food supplies and the people broughttogether. The thirty ships stocked with wheat arrived, and hehad them filled with men. When they were all on board, Tirant,the King of Fez and Plaerdemavida went on the ship, along withall the knights who had been on land with Tirant. Wheneverything was ready, they sailed toward Sicily.
When the brigantine that had come from the port of Valona sawTirant's fleet, it sailed out of the port and steered towardthem, asking for the captain's ship, and it was pointed out tothem. When the brigantine was next to Tirant's ship they toldhim that the six ships were in the port of Valona and that theyhad not been able to pass by the sultan's fleet, and of the siegethat had been laid against the city. This made Tirant veryangry, and he sailed to the port of Palermo where he saw theships of the King of Sicily that began to celebrate with trumpetsand bombards. Those of Tirant answered them, and they raisedsuch a din that it seemed as though the world was going to cavein.
As soon as Tirant's armada was in port and had laid anchor, theKing of Sicily came on board Tirant's ship and there theyembraced and kissed. The King of Sicily honored all the baronsand knights who were on Tirant's ship, and he kissed and embracedthe King of Fez, and they all went on land together. Tirantordered that no one on the ships was to go on land, since hewanted to leave the following day. The King of Sicily had hisqueen come to the sea, and she honored Tirant and the King of Fezand the queen, especially when she heard that she had been theservant of so virtuous a lady as the princess. They all went tothe palace together, with a great multitude of ladies andmaidens, and other people who followed them. When they were inthe palace a splendid meal was prepared for them, and they atetheir fill with great pleasure from all sorts of victuals.
When they left their tables, Tirant and the King of Sicily wentinto a chamber. The Queen of Sicily and the King of Fez, alongwith his wife, remained in the hall with many ladies andgentlemen, and they began to dance and entertain themselves.Tirant told the King of Sicily about all the misfortunes he hadsuffered, and how afterward Our Lord had protected him and hadgiven him a great victory, and how he had conquered all ofBarbary. Then he told him of the condition the emperor was in,and that he needed their aid immediately. The King of Sicilyanswered him:
"My brother and my lord, the horses and arms have been prepared,along with most of the men."
Tirant answered:
"My brother and lord, I beg you to have a proclamation sent outthrough the city that everyone shall gather, as you wish todepart this evening."
The King of Sicily immediately sent one of his chamberlains, andthe trumpeters went through the city commanding all those whowere to leave to gather together, and it was quickly done.Tirant and the king went back to the hall with the queen, andthere they found a little diversion. The Queen of Sicily drewapart with the Queen of Fez, and embraced her, asking her manyquestions about the princess, about her beauty and about the lovebetween Tirant and the princess. The Queen of Fez praised theprincess, saying she would never be able to tell of all herwonderful qualities. She passed lightly over the love affairwith great discretion. Then she began to flatter the queen--anart at which she was a master--telling her that after HerHighness, the princess, she was without equal in the world; thatshe had never seen or heard of a lady with such a genteel mind orso much beauty as Her Majesty, and that she was very much in lovewith her and her singular qualities; and she told her many otherthings, all of which gave the Queen of Sicily great pleasure.
After the party and celebrations had ended it was time to dine,and they ate with great satisfaction. When they had left thetable, Tirant begged the King of Sicily to make ready quickly,and the king told him he would. They took their leave of theQueen of Sicily and of all those who were staying with her. TheKing of Sicily entrusted the regency of the kingdom to acousin-german of the queen, who was Duke of Messina, a good andvirtuous knight. He made him viceroy, and put the queen and hisentire household in his charge.
When everything was done that was necessary, the king and Tirantand all their company gathered together, and the entire fleet,Tirant's as well as that of the King of Sicily, set sail. At theport of Valona the six ships loaded with wheat were waiting, andthey were very pleased when they saw Tirant's fleet.
Here the book ceases talking ab
out Tirant and continues with thestory of King Escariano. As soon as King Escariano left Tirant,he and his wife, the queen, rode until they came to his land--theKingdom of Ethiopia. After he had rested a few days, he calledall the barons and knights of his kingdom to the city ofTrogodita, and he told them:
"It must have come to your knowledge that I was the prisoner ofthe captain of the Christians: Tirant lo Blanc. He is the bestknight in the world, for he gave us our liberty and made us hiscompanion in arms. Furthermore, he has given me as my wife thedaughter of the King of Tremicen, along with that kingdom, and hehas also given to me the Kingdom of Tunis. Now he must carry outthe conquest of the Greek Empire for the Emperor ofConstantinople--because the sultan and the Grand Turk have takenaway his entire empire. So he has called on me, as his brotherand servant, to help him with all my power. Thus, I beg all ofyou who are willing, to come with me to Constantinople."
One by one, they each responded that they loved him with a greatlove, and that they would follow him and die for him, not only inConstantinople but to the ends of the world.
King Escariano thanked them all. Then he sent messages to allthe cities and towns of his kingdom that all who wished to putthemselves at his service--both cavalry and foot soldiers,citizens and foreigners--should come to the city of Trogodita.When they had all gathered there, King Escariano found that aspart of his army he had at his command twenty thousand horsemen,strong and able with weapons. The queen also made ready, andthey left the city of Trogodita with their entire army.
Here the book returns to Tirant lo Blanc's armada as they aregoing to Constantinople.
When Tirant was at the port of Valona he sent a galley into theport and commanded the captains of the six ships to come out ofthe port and follow the armada. So they set sail and came out ofthe port and followed the fleet. When the armada was in thecanal of Romania it set its course for the port of Gigeo, whichis the port of Troy, and there they waited for the rest of thearmada to join them.
Tirant held counsel with the King of Sicily and the King of Fezand all the other barons and knights, for he knew that thesultan's entire armada was in the port of Constantinople, andthat they had more than three hundred vessels. It was decided tosend a man overland who knew the Moorish language, and who wouldgo into Constantinople at night to inform the emperor that Tirantand his entire armada were in the port of Troy, a little morethan one hundred miles from Constantinople. They did not want togive him any sort of letter, so that if he were taken prisonerby the Moors they would not have any warning. So they would tellhim everything he should say to the emperor.
When the council was over Tirant called a knight from Tunis whohad been a Moor of the royal house. His name was Sinegerus, andhe was a very ingenious and eloquent man, and a valiant knight.He had been a captive in Constantinople, and knew the area well.Tirant told him everything he was to say to the emperor and theprincess, and he gave him his seal so the emperor would havefaith in him.
This knight dressed himself in Moorish fashion as a lackey. Abrigantine picked him up, and at night they put him ashore aleague from the Moorish camp that was laying siege to the city ofConstantinople. The knight carefully turned away from theencampment and set out for the city, but before he could escapehe fell into the hands of spies from the Moorish camp. He spoketo them very discreetly in their language, and told them he wasone of them, and they let him pass. When he reached the city,the men who were guarding the gate seized him, thinking he wasfrom the Moorish encampment. He told them not to harm himbecause he was Tirant's ambassador, and that he was coming totalk to the emperor. The guards immediately took him to theemperor who, at that moment, was getting up from the dinnertable.
When Sinegerus was before the emperor, he knelt and kissed hishand and foot, and gave him Tirant's seal. The emperor looked atit and recognized Tirant's coat of arms. Then the emperorembraced him, telling him he was very welcome. Sinegerus said:
"Most excellent Sire, I was sent here by that great captainTirant lo Blanc who commends himself in grace and mercy to YourMajesty, for soon, with the help of God our Lord, he will freeyou from all your enemies. In addition, he begs you to put allyour cavalry in order, and have the city well guarded, fortomorrow morning he will attack the Moorish armada, and he fearsthat when the Moors see their squadron lost they will mount apowerful attack against the city. Tirant is coming with enoughmight to take them and kill them all, and of this Your Majestyshould not have the slightest doubt."
"Friend," said the emperor, "we feel very relieved by what youhave told us. May our Lord grant us the grace that it will be asyou have said, for we have so much trust in the great virtue andchivalry of Tirant, that with the help of God he will fulfill ourgood desire and his own."
The emperor immediately summoned Hippolytus, his high captain,and when he was before him he said:
"Our captain, you know that Tirant is in the port of Troy with agreat squadron. He has decided to attack the Moorish armytomorrow morning, and so it is very important that you quicklycall all the cavalry in the city and all the constables andcaptains of the foot soldiers, and that you have your men readyin case the Moors decide to attack the city."
After the ambassador, Sinegerus, had explained his mission, heasked the emperor's permission to go pay reverence to the empressand the princess, and the emperor gave his consent. When he hadreceived permission he went to the empress' chambers where hefound her daughter with all the ladies. The knight bowed to theempress and kissed her hand, and then the princess's hand. Then,kneeling, he said:
"Ladies, my captain and lord Tirant lo Blanc sends me to kissyour hands. And he offers to come here very soon to pay hisrespects to you."
When the princess heard that Tirant was coming and that he was soclose, she became so happy that she nearly fainted. For sometime she seemed delirious with happiness. When she hadrecovered, the empress and the princess rejoiced with theambassador. They asked him about many things, especially whatmen were coming in Tirant's company.
The ambassador answered that the King of Sicily was coming withhim with all his forces, and the King of Fez with all his forcesand with his wife, the queen, whose name was Plaerdemavida. Andall the barons of the kingdoms of Tunis and Tremicen were coming.Many other knights who had accepted payment for their serviceswere coming from Spain, France and Italy because of the greatfame and renown of Tirant. And also that magnanimous KingEscariano, the lord of Ethiopia, was coming overland.
"He is coming with a mighty army of men on foot and on horseback,and he is bringing his wife, the queen, with him. She is verydesirous of seeing Your Excellency, Princess, because of thegreat beauty she has heard attributed to you. For this queen isone of the most beautiful women in the world, and possesses allvirtues."
He also told them how Plaerdemavida had married Lord Agramunt,and that she was coming so His Majesty the emperor and the ladieswould honor her for the wedding. He explained to them at lengthhow Tirant had carried out the conquest of Barbary, and how hehad given away all that he had conquered and won, and had keptnothing. And that everyone who saw him or heard of him adoredhim. He told them many other virtuous and praiseworthy thingsabout Tirant, which neither ink nor words would suffice todescribe.
When the empress and the princess heard about all Tirant'svirtues and singular acts, they were astonished at the greatgrace that God, our Lord, had given him so that he was loved byeveryone. And they wept with happiness when they thought that hewould be the restorer and defender of the crown of the Empire ofGreece. For they were already beyond hope, and each of the womenthought they would be made captives and dishonored by the enemiesof the faith. And they were very pleased when he told them aboutthe coming of the Queen of Ethiopia, especially the princess,because they had told her she was very beautiful and virtuous,and she wanted very much to have her friendship. And they talkedlate into the night.
The empress remained in her chamber and the princess went to herown. The ambassador took her by the arm and acc
ompanied her, andshe asked him why he had kissed her hand three times. Heanswered that it was by his lord Tirant's command, who begged herto please pardon him, for he would never dare come to her becauseof the great error he had committed.
The princess answered:
"Knight, tell my lord Tirant that where there is no error, thereis no need for forgiveness. But if he feels he has wronged me, Ibeg him to correct it by coming here quickly, for it is the thingI desire most in this world."
The ambassador took his leave of the princess and went to thelodging that the emperor had prepared for him. That nightCaptain Hippolytus had a careful watch set up throughout thecity, and no one slept at all with their great fear of the Moors,and because they were looking forward to the battle Tirant wouldgive the Moorish army.
Here the book stops talking of the emperor who is having the citywell guarded, and goes back to tell about Widow Repose, alias theDevil.
When Widow Repose heard that Tirant was coming and that he wasalready so nearby, she was stricken with such fear that shethought she was going to die, and she said that her heart feltterribly ill. She went into her chamber, and there she lamentedloudly, crying and striking her head and face, for at that momentshe felt she was dead, and she truly believed that Tirant woulddeal a cruel sentence against her. Since she knew that he hadbeen informed by Plaerdemavida, she thought that if the princessknew of the heinous crime she had accused her of, how could shepossibly face her? On the other hand, she was still terribly inlove with Tirant, and thus she was driven mad.
She spent the entire night this way, fantasizing and strugglingwithin herself, for she did not know what to do. And it was notsomething she dared tell to anyone, nor could she ask for advice,because if she did they would all be her enemies.
Finally she decided to poison herself in such a way that herwickedness would not be known, so that her body would not beburned or given to the dogs to eat.
She immediately took some arsenic that she had for making adepilatory, and she put it in a glass of water and drank it. Sheleft the door to her chamber open, undressed and lay down on thebed. Then she began to cry loudly, saying that she was dying.The maidens who were sleeping nearby heard the loud cries andquickly got up and went to the Widow's chamber, and there theyfound her screaming continuously.
The empress and the princess got out of bed, and there was agreat uproar in the palace. The emperor got up quickly, thinkingthe Moors had broken into the city with their weapons, or thathis daughter might have unexpectedly become ill. He fainted, andthe doctors were summoned. When the empress and the princessheard that the emperor had fainted, they left Widow Repose andwent running to the emperor's chamber where they found him moredead than alive. Then the princess began to wail loudly, and itwas terrible to see her anguish. The doctors came quickly andimmediately tended to him. As soon as he regained consciousnesshe asked what had caused all the disturbance, and if the Moorshad entered the city. They told him no, but that Widow Reposewas having great dizzy spells, and that she was crying terriblyand was very close to death. The emperor ordered the doctors togo, and to do whatever they could to save her. The doctors wentimmediately, and at the very minute they reached her chambers,she surrendered her soul to Pluto's realm.
When the princess learned that Widow Repose had died, she wailedloudly, because of her great love for her, for she had beennursed by her. She had them place her in a beautiful coffin,because she wanted her to be given a very honorable burial. Inthe morning the emperor and all his court, the empress and theprincess and all the magistrates and honorable men of the city,escorted the body of the Widow to the great church of SantaSofia, and there they held a very solemn funeral. Then theemperor and all the people went back to the palace.
Here the book leaves off speaking of Widow Repose and returns toTirant. After Tirant had put the knight Sinegerus ashore so thathe could warn the emperor, he had his entire fleet make ready.He commanded his vessels to attack the ships, and the galleys toattack the galleys. At the same time he ordered all thecaptains, when they attacked the Moors, to create a tremendousnoise with trumpets, pipes and horns, and the others withbombards and terrible cries to frighten them to death.
When everything was ready he gave the order to set sail. All theships very quietly left the port of Troy at daybreak and sailedall day and the following night. Our Lord favored them so muchthat the entire day was foggy and misty and neither the Moors northe people in the city could see them. They came upon theMoorish fleet two hours before daybreak while the Moorish armadawas completely unsuspecting. Then they attacked the Moorishfleet mightily, with a great explosion of trumpets, pipes andhorns and loud cries, and many bombards that they shotsimultaneously. And the noise they made was so loud that itseemed as though the earth and the sky would cave in. They builtgreat bonfires on each ship that lit up the heavens. When theMoors heard such a loud noise and saw the light and the shipsbearing down on them, they were so frightened that they did notknow what they were doing, for they had been caught sleeping andunarmed. All the ships were taken with little difficulty sincethey were so alarmed that they gave no resistance. And there wassuch a slaughter that it was a sight to see, for they beheadedevery man they found on the ships and spared no one.
Those who threw themselves into the sea and swam ashore carriedthe bad news to the sultan and the Turk. When the Moors in thecamp learned that all the ships had been seized and all the menwere dead, and they had heard the noise and seen the fires, theydid not know who had done it and they were frightened. They allarmed and mounted their horses and prepared for battle, becausethey were afraid they would be tricked as the ships were. Theywent down to the water's edge so that no one would come ashore.
When Tirant saw that all the Moorish ships had been taken, he wasthe happiest man in the world, and he knelt down, and with greatdevotion he said:
"Great Lord, full of infinite mercy and grace, I give thanks toYour immense goodness for all the help You have given me.Without losing one of my soldiers You have let me take threehundred ships."
This victory was won so quickly that when they had finishedtaking the ships it had barely turned daylight. When those onthe city wall heard the loud noise of the bombards and thetrumpets and shouting near the port, and saw so many lights, theywere astonished, for it seemed that all the might in the worldwas there. They realized that it was Tirant's armada that hadattacked the Moorish fleet, and they were surprised that at thatmoment the Moorish camp had not attacked the city. And everyonein the city became excited when they realized that Tirant wasattacking the Moorish ships.
The emperor heard the noise, got up quickly and mounted hishorse, along with the few who were in the palace at that time.He went through the streets asking all the people to be ready todefend the city if necessary. The Moors were so upset by thelost ships and afraid of a landing that they paid littleattention to the city. They were trapped and could not turnback, and they thought they would all be dead or taken captive.They carefully watched the shoreline so that no one fromTirant's armada could come ashore.
When the day was bright and clear, Tirant had his men board allthe ships that he had taken from the Moors, then they raisedtheir sails and the entire armada left the port of Constantinopleand made for the Black Sea along the Bosphorus. Tirant thoughtthat if he cut off their way by land he could do whatever hewanted with them. So he pretended to be leaving with the booty,taking all the Moorish ships.
That day Tirant sailed toward the Black Sea until, in theevening, the Moors lost sight of the ships. Tirant did this sothat the Moors would think he was leaving and would not try tostop them when they went ashore. When the night was dark, Tiranthad his entire squadron turn back toward land. He touched landfour leagues from the Moorish camp, and the men disembarked withall the horses and artillery they needed, and enough food fortheir encampment. The Moors were completely unaware that theywere there and they left their ships well supplied.
When all the men were ready and
on horseback, they took severalmules and went at least half a league from their ships along thebasin of a river, until they reached a large stone bridge. HereTirant had all the men set up camp at the head of the bridge nextto the river. They had the river between them and the enemy sothat the Moors would not fall upon them during the night. Tiranthad his tent set up on the bridge so that no one could go past,and he had many bombards installed on the bridge so that if theenemy came they would be well met. He also sent his spies towardthe Moors' camp so that he would be forewarned if anyone came.
As soon as they were settled, Tirant took a foot soldier anddressed him like a Moor to deliver a letter to the emperor inConstantinople. The letter told about his victories over theships of the Moorish sultan and the Grand Turk. It said they hadcaptured three hundred ships filled with food, and that he wantedto send the food to the emperor. And finally it asked theemperor how much food the city had.
When Tirant had finished the letter he gave it to the man he hadchosen to go to Constantinople. His name was Carillo, and he wasGreek, a native of Constantinople, so he knew very well how toget there. By night he took back roads to the city so that theMoors in the camp did not see him. When he was at the gate theguards seized him and took him to the emperor. He bowed, andkissed his hand and foot, and gave him Tirant's letter. Theemperor was very happy to get it, and he read it immediately, andthen praised God for His mercy. He called the empress and hisdaughter, the princess, and showed them Tirant's letter, and theywere very pleased that Tirant had captured the Moors' ships.
The emperor summoned his captain, Hippolytus, and showed himTirant's letter. Hippolytus immediately left the emperor andwith other men a search was made, and they found that they stillhad provisions for three months. Hippolytus returned to theemperor and told him:
"Sire, we have enough supplies in the city to last three months,or even four, if necessary. So, my lord, before we use up thesesupplies, Tirant will have lifted the siege of the city."
The emperor called his secretary, and had him write a letter toTirant, explaining in detail what he had decided. Then he calledSinegerus, and said:
"Knight, I want you to take this letter to Tirant, and also totell him everything you have seen."
He replied that he would. When the ambassador Sinegerus hadtaken the emperor's letter, he kissed his hand and foot and tookhis leave. Then he went to say goodbye to the empress and theprincess, and he found her in her chamber. She begged him totell Tirant about her, and she hoped he would think of her. Shewanted him to think of how many hardships they had suffered sinceshe had seen him. In any case, she wanted to see him as soon aspossible, and if she couldn't, she was sure she would die. Theknight answered that he would do everything she commanded, and hekissed her hand. The princess embraced him, and he bowed andleft the palace. He dressed as a Moor and took Carillo, who hadbrought the letter to the emperor, as his companion. They leftthe city at twelve o'clock midnight, and took the same roads bywhich Carillo had come secretly, and no one in the Moorish campsaw them. At dawn they reached the bridge where Tirant had hiscamp. When the guards recognized them they let them pass, andthey went directly to Tirant's tent and found him already up.
Tirant was very happy to see them, and he asked Sinegerus fornews about the emperor and the empress, and his heart, theprincess. He told him about everything he had seen, and what theemperor told him. He also told him what the princess had said.
When the sultan and the Turk discovered that Tirant haddisembarked and that he had set up camp on the stone bridge, theywere sure they were lost, for they saw that they could not escapeby sea or by land without falling into Tirant's hands. At thesame time, if they stayed there long they would die of hunger,because they did not even have enough food to last two monthssince their ships had not been able to unload their cargo. Whenthey saw the fate that was to befall them, like bold knights andwithout showing the least faintness of heart they held council tosee what could be done.
In this council there were terrible arguments. Some advised themto attack the city: if they could take it they could hold fastthere until they received aid, for they could not imagine thatthe city would not be well supplied. Others said they should setup battle stations in front of Tirant's camp, because he was sucha valiant knight that he would be certain to do battle. And theyhad so many excellent cavalry that they could not help but defeatthem. And even if they did not, it was better to die as knightsthan to let themselves be trapped like sheep. And if fortunesmiled on them and allowed them to be the victors in battle theycould go past safely and stay there until they had taken thecity.
Others were of the opinion that it would be better to send anembassy to Tirant so he would grant them a truce and let them gopast. They would all go to their land and leave the Empire ofGreece behind, and they would also give back all the fortressesthey had taken, and all the prisoners and captives. At the endof the council they decided to send an embassy to Tirant, and ifhe would not let them go by, then they could take other measures:First they could attack the city, and if they could not take itthen their last recourse would be to die like knights with theirswords in their hands.
So the council ended, and they chose as their ambassadors the sonof the Grand Caramany and the Prince of Scythia, who were veryknowledgeable about war. They told them to estimate how many menTirant had and how many were ready and armed, and they gave theminstructions about everything they were to say and do.
With the ambassadors went two hundred unarmed men on horses.Before they left they sent a messenger to Tirant's camp to askfor safe passage, and it was granted to them. The ambassadorsthen set out on the road to the camp.
Meanwhile, Tirant called the Marquis of Lizana, his admiral, andtold him to pay what was due to the hired ships. And he was todivide their provisions into three parts, taking some to thecastle of Sinopoli, and others to the castle of Pera, and thelast to the city of Pera, along with five hundred soldiers. Thenthe ships could return to their home ports. He also commandedhim to arm the ships that had been taken from the Moors and hisremaining ships, and to supply them well, and that were to go tothe city of Constantinople.
"And after they have unloaded their cargo, let them appearconstantly in view of the Moors' encampment and bombarded themand cause them as much harm as they can."
The admiral did this, and also ordered two well armed galleys toremain in the river, near Tirant's camp, in case he needed tosend them somewhere. Then Tirant went to the tent of the Queenof Fez, and told her:
"My sister, I beg you to go with these ships to Constantinople,so that you can console the lady who holds my soul captive. I amafraid that during this time, while I'm not able to go to her,some harm may befall her, and that would be worse than death forme."
The gracious queen would not allow Tirant to speak. Instead,with a kindly face and soft voice, she said:
"My brother, to me your requests are commands. I am deeply inyour debt because of the great benefits and honors I've receivedfrom you."
Then Tirant embraced her and kissed her on the cheek, and said toher:
"My sister, I cannot thank you enough for the great love I see inyou."
The queen tried to kiss his hands, and Tirant would not allow it.
Later, the morning of the following day, the queen went to departwith all her maidens; and the King of Sicily, along with Tirantand five hundred armed men, accompanied her to the sea. When thequeen had boarded a ship they took their leave of her andreturned to camp. The admiral had all the ships set sail, andthey started on their way to Constantinople.
Then the Moorish ambassadors reached Tirant's camp, and wereastonished at all the horses and men there. In Tirant's tent theson of the Grand Caramany explained his mission:
"You know, great captain, how many people are lost in battles ofthis sort. And many more would be lost in this one where gravesare prepared for so many soldiers. So, to avoid all thatinhumanity we, ambassadors of our lord the sultan, and the Gra
ndTurk, have come to learn what your lordship's intention is inthis matter. If it please you, we would ask for a truce of threeor more months, and if your generous person should wish it, alasting peace for one hundred and one years. They will be veryhappy to be friends of your friends and enemies of your enemies,in brotherhood. If this is done they will leave the empire ofGreece, restoring to your dominion all cities, castles, towns andlands within the boundaries of Greece. In addition, they willfree all Christian prisoners held in our power, and they willcomply with any other reasonable demand. But if you do not wishto come to an agreement with them, you may be certain that theywill very quickly give you a terrible lesson with cruel weapons."
And that was the end of his speech.
Tirant saw immediately that he had finally achieved the glory hedesired to much. But with great discretion he did not agree atonce; he told them to rest, and that he would soon give them areply. So they took their leave, and Tirant's knights took themback to their tents with honor.
Like a virtuous captain, Tirant sent word for his illustriouskings and dukes and noble chivalry to come to his tent the nextday, for after mass he wanted to hold counsel concerning theembassy. And as they all loved Tirant deeply, they quickly wentto his tent. After they had heard mass they each sat downaccording to their rank, and when there was silence in thecouncil, Tirant said:
"Most illustrious and magnificent lords, your lordships are awareof the embassy sent by the Moorish sultan and the Grand Turk,asking us for a truce. In the first place we must consider thatthey are in bad straits. We know that we have them in a positionwhere they need food and other things necessary to survive. Myopinion is that we could not give greater service to His Majestythe emperor than if we did not grant them a truce or anyagreement at all. Instead we should have them place themselvesin our power with no assurances concerning their property ortheir lives. And if they do not agree to this, let them do allthe harm they can, for we are certain we can make them perishfrom hunger. Furthermore, if we want to do battle with them itis in our power, because we are much more powerful than they.However, I believe it would be great madness for us to battlethem, for they are desperate, and we could lose many of our ownmen and put the entire country in danger. My lords and brothers,my opinion is this: we should give them no reply at all withoutconsulting His Majesty, the emperor, so that if anything of thesort should happen, we would not be blamed. So I beg all yourlordships, my brothers, to advise me about the reply that shouldbe given."
And he finished his speech.
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The White Knight: Tirant Lo Blanc Page 8