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[Illustration: "'Ah, my ill-starred blade!' he cried; 'no longer may I
be thy guardian!'" _Frontispiece_]
With Spurs of Gold
_Heroes of Chivalry and Their Deeds_
By
Frances Nimmo Greene
and
Dolly Williams Kirk
Boston
Little, Brown, and Company
1928
_Copyright, 1905,_
BY LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY
_All rights reserved_
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
PREFACE
These brief historical sketches were written primarily for young people,
though it is hoped that some older readers may find pleasure in renewing
their acquaintance with heroes of chivalry whose names are familiar
still, but whose deeds are recalled to mind but vaguely.
It is the purpose of the book to enliven the study of history by giving
the romantic details omitted in text-books, and to enable the readers to
form a more vivid and lifelike conception of the great men with whom it
deals and the turbulent and picturesque times in which they lived.
The endeavor of the authors has been to narrate events and portray
character accurately and impartially, but in the sympathetic spirit that
recognizes the wide difference between modern standards of conduct and
the ideals of the Middle Ages,--the spirit that strives to depict
vividly and adequately the fine, strong virtues and great deeds that won
for these knights the unbounded admiration of their own age, rather than
to dwell upon those traits and acts that are justly condemned by the
finer moral sense of the twentieth century. Emphasis is laid upon the
noble in character and deed rather than the ignoble, on the great rather
than the little.
In the preparation of the book many histories, chronicles, and legends
have been consulted, and it is hoped that a fair degree of accuracy has
been attained where the narrative belongs to the domain of history. The
stories of Roland and the Cid, of course, are largely legendary, and
there is evidently a considerable admixture of fiction in the
contemporary accounts of Godfrey and Richard. The authors have
endeavored to follow recognized historical authority closely when
practicable; but historians differ so widely among themselves that it is
often impossible to determine which version of events is most reliable.
No important fact has been stated without good historical authority, but
one or two minor incidents of Godfrey's life and crusade were taken from
Tasso's "Jerusalem Delivered." In the treatment of a few unimportant
events, some imaginative details and circumstances strictly in harmony
with the meagre historical record of facts have been added to give color
and interest to the narrative. Also in several instances where the
subject-matter of a conversation or speech is purely legendary, or is
given by historians in the third person, it has been put in the first
person in order to render the story livelier and more vivid. No other
liberties have been taken with facts as related by historians of
learning and repute.
CONTENTS
PAGE
INTRODUCTORY xi
"THIS IS THE RULE FOR THE GALLANT KNIGHT" 1
A STEED! A STEED! 3
ROLAND AND OLIVER 7
THE CID RODRIGO DIAZ DE BIVAR 51
THE CID'S WEDDING 84
GODFREY AND THE FIRST CRUSADE 89
THE TROUBADOUR 139
THE CARRIER DOVE 140
THE CAPTIVE KNIGHT 141
RICHARD COEUR-DE-LION 145
RICHARD'S LAMENT 196
THE LAST CRUSADER 198
THE CHEVALIER BAYARD 203
SIR PHILIP SIDNEY 255
SIDNEY IN TOURNAMENT 291
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
"'Ah, my ill-starred blade!' he cried; 'no longer
may I be thy guardian!'" _Frontispiece_
The Knighting of the Cid _Page_ 59
"'Look, my lord, my dear lord! the hound hath
found water!' cried Sigier" " 109
"There for months he was kept a close prisoner,
loaded with chains" " 190
"As Bayard lay thus, there was hardly an officer
among the Spanish who did not come to
speak kindly to him" " 251
Sir Philip Sidney and Penelope Devereux " 266
INTRODUCTORY
THE MOORS IN SPAIN
In the seventh century an Arab by the name of Mohammed, or Mahomet,
established a new religion in the East. This religion was called Islam,
meaning The Faith, and its followers were known as Mohammedans,
Mussulmans, or Moslems. The principal article of their belief is
expressed in the formula, "There is no God but Allah, and Mohammed is
his prophet."
The new faith spread rapidly, and Mohammed soon became the ruler of all
the people who received him as a prophet. His successors, called
Caliphs, or Khalifs, conquered Palestine, Syria, Persia, and northern
Africa. The inhabitants of the countries thus added to the Mohammedan
empire usually adopted the faith of their conquerors, and undertook to
carry it into other lands.
In 711 A. D., a body of these Mohammedans, under the leadership of
Tarik, crossed the strait between Africa and Spain and landed at the
place since known as Gibraltar (Jebel-el-Tarik, or The Rock of Tarik).
The invaders were met near Xeres by the Christians, under the command of
Roderick, King of the Visigoths, and the fierce battle of Jerez de La
Frontera, or Guadalete, took place. At the end of three days' fighting,
Roderick was slain, and the Christians were completely routed. Victory
after victory for Tarik followed, and in three short years all Spain,
except the extreme northern part, was in the hands of the invaders.
These victorious followers of Mohammed, though people of various
nationalities, were all designated by the Spaniards _Moors_, from the
name of a tribe that came from Morocco, or _Saracens_, from an Arabic
word meaning eastern. Often they were called simply _infidels_, meaning
unbelievers.
The Moors were not only skilled warriors, but a people of much
intelligence, and made far more rapid advances in civilization than the
Spaniards. They fostered education, and founded schools and libraries.
They possessed a considerable knowledge of astronomy, algebra,
chemistry, and natural history, and attained great excellence in the
arts of music, poetry, and architecture. They built splendid cities,
adorned with magnificent mosques and palaces. The wonderful mosque of
Cordova and the beautiful Alhambra at Granada remain to this day as
monuments of the Moorish skill in architecture.
Nor were the Moors cruel or tyrannical rulers. It was not often that a
Moorish emir or king ill-treated or persecuted his Christian subjects.
As a rule, the Christians were allowed more privileges and greater
freedom than was usually accorded to a conquered people in those days.
But the Spaniards were proud and intensely religious, and they bitterly
resented their state of subjection to a foreign and "infidel" people.
Again and again they attempted to overthrow the power of the Moors and
to drive them from Spain. For more than seven hundred years, war was
waged at intervals between the conquerors and the conquered. There could
be no permanent peace between Mohammedans and Christians, for each
people despised the religion of the other, and each was determined to
rule in Spain.
Gradually, Moorish Spain, at first under the rule of one emir, became
separated into a number of small kingdoms, which were often hostile to
each other. This state of disunion among the Mohammedans materially
aided the efforts of the Christians to regain control of Spain. Little
by little the Spaniards reconquered their native land. In 1492 A. D.,
Ferdinand and Isabella, sovereigns of Castile, Leon, and Aragon,
conquered Granada; and with the fall of Granada ended the long rule of
the Moors in Spain.
THE AGE OF CHARLEMAGNE
In the fifth century that part of Europe then called Gaul was invaded in
succession by three Germanic races. The Visigoths first conquered and
took possession of the southern part of the country. They were followed
by the Burgundians, who settled in the eastern portion. Then came the
terrible Franks, who were not content with seizing the northern
territory, but immediately began a war of conquest against the other two
tribes. The long conflict that followed ended at length in the triumph
of the Franks. These fierce Franks then established themselves firmly as
the ruling race, and in course of time Gaul came to be known as the land
of the Franks, or France.
The kingdom thus established by the Franks under their dreaded chief,
Clovis, flourished for a time; but eventually the kings of his line
became so weak in character and so wicked in conduct as to be unfit to
rule, and the country fell into a state of wretched disorder. At last
these Merovingian princes became so utterly incapable that the kingly
authority fell into the hands of certain state officials called "Mayors
of the Palace."
In the eighth century one of these mayors--a bold and energetic warrior,
by the name of Charles, or Karl--became in reality the ruler of France,
though a weak Merovingian prince still bore the empty title of king.
At that time the Mohammedans who had conquered Spain some years before
were seized with the ambition to conquer all Europe and add it to the
empire of Islam. Under the leadership of Abderrahman, Moorish governor
of Spain, these Saracens crossed the Pyrenees and invaded France. The
Christians of all races, roused by the greatness of the threatened
danger, ceased warring among themselves and rallied as one people to the
defence of their country and their religion. A large army under the
command of Charles, or Karl, ruler of the Franks, met the invaders near
Tours. There, in 732 A. D., was fought the famous battle of Tours, or
Poictiers, in which Charles and his Christian warriors utterly routed
the formidable Mohammedan army. By this great victory, the threatened
advance of the Moslem power was checked, and Europe was saved to the
Christian faith. The victorious general, Charles, because of this great
blow dealt to the _Infidels_, received the surname of Martel, or the
Hammer.
But the fame of Karl Martel, though great and well-deserved, is far
surpassed by the renown of his grandson, Charlemagne, or Charles the
Great. The kingship of France, Charlemagne inherited from his father,
Pepin, who, more ambitious than Karl Martel, dethroned the Merovingian
puppet king and made himself king in name as well as in fact.
Charlemagne, during his reign of forty-five years, added vast
territories to his Frankish kingdom by successful wars waged against
surrounding tribes of heathen Saxons, against the Moors in northern
Spain, the inhabitants of Bavaria, the Avars beyond that country, and
the people of Lombardy, in what is now Italy.
In the year 800 A. D., on Christmas Day, the great Frankish king was
crowned emperor by the Pope at Rome. He was hailed as a successor to the
Roman Caesars, the people shouting,--
"Long life and victory to Charles Augustus, crowned by God, the great,
pious, and pacific Emperor of the Romans!"
Charlemagne, in truth, well deserved the title of emperor, for at that
time his sway extended over France, northern Spain, northern Italy, the
greater part of Germany, Belgium, and Switzerland,--almost half of
Europe. But Charlemagne was more than a successful warrior, a conqueror
of nations. He was a man of powerful intellect, whose keen insight,
sound judgment, and iron will enabled him to rule wisely and well the
various races of his vast empire. Charlemagne was an earnest student and
a man of extensive learning for those days, familiar with Latin and
Greek, proficient in logic, rhetoric, music, astronomy, and theology.
Delighting in study himself, the emperor recognized the vital importance
of general education. By founding schools and compelling attendance upon
them, by himself setting an example of devotion to study, thus
encouraging others to intellectual pursuits, by inviting to his court
famous scholars from neighboring countries,--in every way possible,
Charlemagne endeavored to impress upon his people the value of mental
culture and the importance of education.
His court became the resort of learned men and renowned knights from
all lands, and the fame of Charlemagne spread far and wide. Poets
celebrated his achievements as a warrior, his virtues as a man, his
wisdom as a ruler. Nor was their praise unmerited. By the most wonderful
military genius, this chieftain of a wild Frankish tribe carried out his
ambitious project of establishing a great Christian empire. That he only
partially succeeded in his more noble purpose of civilizing the
barbarous tribes he ruled, was due solely to the magnitude of the task.
The zealous and splendid effort he made, the measure of success he
attained, in battling against the darkness and ignorance of his time,
entitle Charlemagne to a place among the truly great men of the world.
His greatness has stamped his name on the time, and the "Age of
Charlemagne" stands out in happy contrast to the darkness of preceding
and subsequent times.
THE CRUSADES
It was the custom in the earliest ages of Christianity for its followers
to make pilgrimages to Palestine. All pious Christians desired to visit
the land where Christ had lived and died for their redemption, and they
believed firmly that the blessing of God awaited those pilgrims who
made long and perilous journeys to worship at the tomb of their Lord.
These pilgrimages became much more numerous in the fourth century, when
the Roman emperor, Constantine, was converted to Christianity and put a
stop to the persecution of the Christians. This emperor and his mother,
Saint Helena, restored Jerusalem, and there erected magnificent churches
for the worship of Christ. Then, from all parts of the Christian world,
thousands of pilgrims journeyed to the Holy City in peace and safety.
But Jerusalem was not destined to remain in the hands of the Christians.
After having been taken by the Persians and retaken by the Christians,
the city yielded in the seventh century to the Mohammedans, under the
Caliph Omar, a successor of Mohammed. From that time on, Christians
living in Palestine and pilgrims from other countries were oppressed and
persecuted, and the pilgrimage to Jerusalem became both difficult and
dangerous. During the reign of Charlemagne, respect for the fame and
power of that great Christian emperor induced the celebrated Caliph
Haroun-al-Raschid to treat the Christians with mildness, and to allow
them to worship in peace at Jerusalem; but under the succeeding
Mohammedan rulers of Palestine, the Christians were subjected to every
manner of insult and outrage. Those courageous pilgrims who dared all
the perils of a journey to Jerusalem and returned home in safety, spread
abroad throughout Europe the sad story of their own trials, the
sufferings of their fellow-Christians in Palestine, and the desecration
of holy places.
These stories excited deep indignation and pious horror in all hearers,
for it was an age of intense religious faith and enthusiasm; and the
feeling arose in the hearts of Christian people that it was an
imperative religious duty to rescue the Holy Land and the Sepulchre of
their Lord from the Infidels. This feeling grew and spread and
strengthened into a religious conviction throughout Christendom. So when
Peter the Hermit, a monk returned from Palestine, traveled through
Europe, and preached eloquently the sacred duty of delivering the Holy
Land, he found everywhere enthusiastic hearers.
The people burned with zeal to undertake the pious task; and when Pope
Urban, at the Council of Clermont, in 1095 A. D., gave the sanction of
the Church to the enterprise, all Europe rushed to arms. Those who vowed
to do battle for the holy cause bore the sign of the cross, and hence
the expedition to Palestine was called a "crusade," from the Latin word
_crux_, meaning cross.
The history of this First Crusade is given in the sketch of Godfrey de
Bouillon, and that of the Third Crusade in connection with the story of
Richard Coeur-de-Lion. These two were the most famous crusades,
although others were undertaken at different periods. The last crusade
took place in the thirteenth century, under the leadership of Louis IX.
of France--Saint Louis--and was unsuccessful. After that time, the
Christians made no further attempt to rescue the Holy Land, and it is
still in the hands of the Mohammedans.
With Spurs of Gold
"THIS IS THE RULE FOR THE GALLANT KNIGHT"
Amend your lives, ye who would fain
The order of the knights attain;
Devoutly watch, devoutly pray;
From pride and sin, oh turn away!
Shun all that's base; the Church defend;
Be the widow's and the orphan's friend;
Be good and leal; take naught by might;
Be bold and guard the people's right;--
This is the rule for the gallant knight.
Be meek of heart; work day by day;
Tread, ever tread, the knightly way;
Make lawful war; long travel dare;
Tourney and joust for ladye fair;
To everlasting honour cling,
That none the barbs of blame may fling;
Be never slack in work or fight;
Be ever least in self's own sight;--
This is the rule for the gallant knight.
Love the liege lord; with might and main
His rights above all else maintain;
Be open-handed, just and true;
The paths of upright men pursue;
No deaf ear to their precepts turn;
The prowess of the valiant learn;
That ye may do things great and bright,
As did Great Alexander hight;--
This is the rule for the gallant knight.
EUSTACHE DESCHAMPS
(_Fourteenth century_).
A STEED! A STEED!
A steed! a steed! of matchless speed!
A sword of metal keene!
Al else to noble hearts is drosse--
Al else on earth is meane.
The neighing of the war-horse proude,
The rowling of the drum,
The clangour of the trumpet loude--
Be soundes from heaven that come.
And, oh! the thundering presse of knightes,
When as their war-cryes swelle,
May tole from heaven an angel bright,
And rouse a fiend from hell.
Then mounte! Then mounte! brave gallants all,
And don your helms amain;
Deathe's couriers, Fame and Honour, call
Up to the field againe;
No shrewish tear shall fill our eye
When the sword hilt's in our hand;
Heart-whole we'll parte and no whit sighe
For the fayrest of the land.
Let piping swaine and craven wight,
Thus weepe and puling aye;
Our business is like to men to fighte
And like to Heroes, die!
MOTHERWELL'S _Ancient Minstrelsy_
(_Author unknown_).
ROLAND AND OLIVER
THE TRAGEDY OF RONCESVALLES
"Roland is daring and Oliver wise,
Both of marvelous high emprise;
On their chargers mounted and girt in mail,
To the death in battle they will not quail."
ROLAND AND OLIVER
"Montjoie! Whoever heard that cry
Would hold remembrance of chivalry."
In days of old there lived a powerful Christian emperor by the name of
Charlemagne. His kingdom extended over the greater part of the territory
which now constitutes the countries of France, Germany, and Italy; and
the "Franks," as his people were called, followed him with a loving
loyalty that has been celebrated in song and story for twelve hundred
years. Around Charlemagne were gathered not a few knights whose names
will forever be remembered with that of their emperor, and whose deeds
will live as long as the chivalric instinct thrills the breast of man.
Now this great emperor, though loving and generous toward his subjects,
could yet brook no shadow of opposition; and when he discovered that his
beloved sister Bertha had, without his consent, wedded the knight,
Milon, he at once banished the disobedient pair from the land of
France.
Fleeing before the awful displeasure of Charlemagne, Milon and his wife
wandered about in foreign parts as mendicants, and at length took refuge
in a cave near a small town in Italy. Here, under these adverse
circumstances, a little son was born to them--one destined to be the
hero of two countries, the "Roland" of "the French Iliad" and the
"Orlando" of Italian song and story.
While Roland was yet a little lad, his father departed for unknown lands
to seek fame and fortune, leaving the boy and his mother to eke out a
scanty existence as best they might.
As Roland grew in years and in youthful graces, he became a favorite
with the peasant boys of the village, and, in spite of his ragged
clothes and his humble abode, was soon made their leader. But there was
one lad in Sutri who had no love for the stalwart young mendicant.
Oliver, son of the governor of the town, and consequently a youth of
high station, conceived quite a dislike for him, and a feud existed
between the two until it was ended by Roland in a most singular way.
Meeting the son of the governor on neutral ground one day, the fiery
young cave-dweller proposed that they settle their quarrel with their
fists. Oliver, being in no whit a coward, quickly consented. The contest
which ensued was a long and stubborn one, for the two lads were very
nearly equally matched in strength and endurance and courage. Finally,
however, the half-clad, disowned nephew of Charlemagne stood triumphant.
The quarrel was indeed settled; for Oliver, being a lad of mettle, and
loving and admiring valor wherever he found it, arose from his honorable
defeat the sworn friend and admirer of his doughty conqueror.
And the friendship of Oliver meant much to the poor lad who had defeated
him. It often meant food when he was hungry, and clothes when he was
cold, and always insured him support in all the boyish contests in their
native village. But, better than all these, it meant to Roland the
loyal, lifelong devotion of a comrade who became as part of his own
soul.
While Roland was yet only a stripling, the great emperor, Charlemagne,
passed through the town of Sutri, and while there dined in public on the
village green. Now the young Roland had not yet come to the age when he
could provide for his mother and himself. The times were hard with
them--especially hard on this great feast-day of the emperor, for they
were hungry, and knew not where to turn for food.
Now it chanced that Roland, fierce with the fierceness of the
half-starved, came suddenly upon some of the emperor's attendants just
as they were bearing trays of rich viands to place before their master.
The sight of food and the thought of his mother's sufferings instantly
swept all things else from the lad's mind. Rushing upon the attendants,
he wrested the viands from them, and made off to his mother's cave
before they could realize what had happened.
When the emperor was informed of the incident, his brows knitted in deep
thought, for he had dreamed a dream on the night before, which troubled
him sorely. He had seen the fierce, half-famished lad in his vision, and
had been warned to follow him.
After a moment's thought, Charlemagne dispatched three of his knights to
find the boy and bring him to the royal presence. The three who were so
commissioned had little trouble in finding the lad, but they came near
having a serious conflict with him when they attempted to enter,
uninvited, the cave he felt to be his castle. His mother, however,
restrained the impetuous youth with her pleadings, and the messengers
of Charlemagne entered.
When Bertha learned that the knights had come from the emperor, she
disclosed to them her own identity and the identity of the lad they had
come to seize. This was Roland's first knowledge of his great lineage,
and he heard and beheld as in a dream, as the knights knelt before his
mother and promised to obtain for her the emperor's pardon.
Dazed, dreaming still, the gaunt, sinewy lad took his way to
Charlemagne, in company with the knights who had been sent to fetch him.
But in the presence of his emperor,--his kinsman,--the dream feeling
passed, and Roland rose to the occasion with the pride and independence
of his race.
When the white-haired, careworn emperor looked upon his sister's son,
his heart went out to him with a great yearning; for the lad was tall
and strong, the lad was proud and unconquered. And Charles the Great
opened his empty arms and took the boy to his heart, nevermore to be
exiled from it.
Roland and his mother returned to France with the emperor to be, from
that time on, part of the royal household, and to enjoy riches and
honor.
But the great happiness that was Roland's was not without its heartache.
He and his beloved Oliver were completely separated by this change, and
drifted further away from each other with the drift of years.
As soon as Roland was grown to manhood, Charlemagne made him captain of
his "peers,"--the twelve knights who, for their bravery and their
trustworthiness, were chosen to be next to the emperor himself in
authority.
Among all the twelve, young Roland was the most daring, the most
impetuous. His splendid qualities won for him the hearts of the many;
but the few were jealous of him, and charged that he exercised undue
influence over the emperor and incited the white-haired Charlemagne to
deeds of daring and violence that were none of his own conceiving. Chief
among Roland's accusers was the envious Count Ganelon. Ganelon had
become step-sire to the young peer by wedding the widowed Bertha, but
the nearness of the tie between him and Roland only seemed to make him
yet more bent on injuring the emperor's favorite.
However much of truth there was in the charges of Roland's enemies, this
is certain,--he did become the very darling of the emperor's heart, and
he did perform such deeds of daring and prowess as made even the
knightly peerage of Charlemagne behold with wonder and amazement.
The first act of personal daring by which he distinguished himself was
his engaging and slaying the giant Ferragus. This achievement won for
Roland the hearts of the people, and led them to watch his crescent
glory with national pride.
Now in these days a terrible heathen enemy threatened the Christian
faith and civilization of Europe. Years before, several Mohammedan races
from Asia--dark, relentless, resistless--had swept over northern Africa,
and, crossing Gibraltar, overrun the fair land of Spain. North, east,
and west they spread, conquering the Christians and preaching their
heathen doctrines with fire and sword. So the beautiful and once
Christian Spain came to be ruled for many years by the invaders, who
founded cities, built palaces, and raised Moslem kings to her thrones.
Nor were the Mohammedans content here. They repeatedly attempted to
cross the Pyrenees Mountains and overrun the rest of Europe.
Now it chanced that just as a Moorish invasion seemed most imminent,
Charlemagne had serious trouble within his own kingdom. Guerin de
Montglave, Lord of Vienne and vassal to Charlemagne, revolted against
the emperor.
With his usual determination, King Karl dispatched a large army against
Guerin, and would have waged bloody war against him had not the peers
interposed and counselled otherwise. They represented to the emperor the
seriousness of beginning civil war when the Moors were daily threatening
invasion from the south, and finally succeeded in getting his consent to
a settlement of the quarrel with Guerin by single combat.
Guerin signifying his willingness to this plan, arrangements were soon
made for the combat. As all expected, Roland was chosen to maintain the
justice of the emperor's cause; and as both Roland's friends and enemies
wished a happy settlement of the quarrel with Guerin, the selection was
heartily approved.
Guerin de Montglave chose his youngest grandson to do battle for Vienne;
and many a smile was exchanged between Franks when they heard that this
young knight accepted with delight the honor that his grandsire
conferred upon him.
The combat was to be held upon a small island in the Rhone, and the
warriors of the two camps were accordingly grouped on opposite sides of
the river, as spectators.
When Roland and his antagonist faced each other at opposite ends of the
field, each armed from top to toe, each with his face concealed by his
visor, they were so nearly of the same size and bearing that they might
easily have been mistaken, the one for the other, but for the colors
that fluttered from their lances. Yet there was almost sorrow in the
ranks of Charlemagne's army for the young stranger knight so soon to be
laid in the dust,--for who could hope to match with Roland?
Their sympathy was all too soon changed to astonishment, for in hardly a
moment after the sound of the trumpet in signal for the onset, the
champions clashed together in the center of the lists with apparently
equal force. Both lances were shivered; both horses reeled from the
shock; both riders kept their seats; both banks of the Rhone echoed and
re-echoed with cheering.
The combatants dismounted and drew their swords. For two hours and more
they fought--stroke for stroke and thrust for thrust. The spectators
stood breathless with amazement. Neither champion showed sign of
weakening; neither gained advantage. Suddenly, with one mighty stroke,
Roland buried his blade in the shield of his antagonist so deep that he
could not withdraw it, and at almost the same instant the stranger
knight struck so fiercely upon Roland's breastplate that his sword
snapped off at the hilt.
Having thus disarmed themselves, the two antagonists rushed together,
each attempting to fling the other to earth. Long and full stoutly they
struggled; and when at last it became apparent to the now silent,
fearful spectators that neither would be likely to gain advantage, the
combatants each suddenly snatched at the other's helmet to tear it away.
Both succeeded. The straining spectators then beheld a most amazing
sight. The two antagonists fell apart for an instant and looked into
each others' uncovered faces, then rushed into each others' outstretched
arms. This time there was no striving; they were apparently embracing
each other in an ecstasy of delight.
And such was indeed the case, for the stranger knight was _Oliver_. For
nearly three hours had he and Roland striven against each other as
strangers and enemies. Now they were face to face and heart to heart
after the cruel striving--after years of separation. What wonder, then,
that cause and country were forgotten!
And in spite of cause and country and king and kinsman, the two boyhood
comrades could not be induced to oppose each other further. Happily for
all concerned, the trouble between Charlemagne and Guerin was settled in
a few days in peaceful conference.
Roland and Oliver, having thus found each other, refused to be separated
again; and the good emperor honored the redoubtable Oliver by making him
one of his peers.
No longer was Roland undisputedly first in valor at the court of
Charlemagne. Oliver had so grown in prowess since his first encounter
with Roland that he was now the peer of his friend in every point.
Indeed, so exactly equal were the achievements of these two that from
their story has come the well-known expression "a Roland for an Oliver,"
meaning, matching a deed with a deed as great. There was this difference
between them, however: whereas Roland was fearless to recklessness and
proud and presumptuous to his own destruction, Oliver was wise,
discreet, and modest. Yet this very difference seemed to bind them more
closely to each other. But there was a yet stronger and closer tie
between them in Alda, the beautiful sister of Oliver.
After their grandfather, Guerin, had repented of his revolt and again
become submissive to the emperor, Alda came with her brother to the
court of Charlemagne. Of all the ladies in the land she was the most
beautiful, and the gentleness which distinguished her brother was hers
in a marked degree. Many a mighty knight strove to win her favor; but
though she was kind to all, her smiles were reserved for her brother's
comrade, and erelong she became his promised wife.
Great was Oliver's delight to find that the friend who had been a
brother to him was to be his brother in yet another sense. King Karl,
too, consented joyously to the troth, for he loved the gentle Alda even
as he loved her courageous brother.
But no time was there then for marriage feasts and rejoicings. The
heathen were clamoring at the gates of Christendom, and it became the
duty of every knight of the true religion to bid a hasty farewell to his
lady and buckle on his sword.
All France rushed to arms, and not a moment too soon. Marsilius, Saracen
King of Spain, was preparing to cross the Pyrenees!
Long and bitter was the war which ensued, but Charlemagne saved France
to the Franks and to the true faith. But King Karl and his men were not
content with merely saving France from the infidels. At one time the
Frankish hosts crossed the Pyrenees and conquered nearly all of northern
Spain. For seven long years King Karl and his Franks warred in the
peninsula. Keep and castle went down before the Christians; city after
city capitulated to them; the land was theirs from mountain to sea,
except the single town of Saragossa, in which the Moslem king,
Marsilius, together with a powerful army, had taken refuge.
The beautiful Saracen city of Cordres was the last to fall before the
arms of Charlemagne. Long and stoutly did the besieged stronghold hold
out against the conqueror, but at last its gates were carried and its
towers and walls battered to earth.
"Not a heathen did there remain,
But confessed him Christian, or else was slain."
In celebration of the taking of Cordres, Charlemagne shortly afterwards
held court with great pomp and splendor in a beautiful orchard in the
heart of the conquered city.
It was the custom of the emperor to take counsel of his peers and
knights in all matters of import, and he now desired to discuss with
them how best to bring to a happy close this long and bitter war,--for
Marsilius was still in possession of Saragossa. With the fall of Cordres
the end seemed near at hand; and Charlemagne rejoiced, for he had grown
old and weary of strife, and he longed to return to his own again. No
less relieved at heart, his warriors gathered about him that day, eager
to plan some means of ending their cruel exile.
The sky was fair, as with the promise of yet fairer things; and the
olive-trees of Cordres spread out their branches above and about the
Christian hosts as if in token of the peace they so earnestly craved.
Seated upon a throne of beaten gold was the Emperor of ample France.
Proud, and mighty of frame was he, but the curls that rested on his
shoulders and the beard that flowed over his bosom were white as the
snow-caps of the Sierra Nevadas. Small wonder the Moslems believed that
two hundred winters had piled their snows upon his head!
The flower of Frankish chivalry pressed about him--fifteen thousand
doughty knights of France. Gorgeous carpets were spread upon the
greensward, upon which the cavaliers sat at games or practised fencing
with light arms. But nearest to the great Charlemagne--and dearest
too--were the two sworn comrades, Roland and Oliver.
King Karl had not yet opened the council when there rode into the
orchard twelve messengers from King Marsilius, each mounted upon a
snow-white mule, each bearing an olive-branch of peace. A gallant
company they seemed--fair and honest--as they alighted from their beasts
and knelt at the feet of the Christian emperor.
Great was the astonishment among the Franks to behold what seemed to
them a miraculous answer to their prayers for peace; and they listened,
spell-bound, as the leader of the heathens bowed to the earth and
said:--
"O king, may thy God of glory save thee! Our lord, Marsilius, doth send
greeting to thee. Much hath he mused on thy Christian law, and now he
hath determined to embrace it as his own. If it please thee to depart
from the land of Spain, where too long thou hast tarried, King Marsilius
will hasten after thee, and in thine own city of Aix, at Michaelmas,
will receive Christian baptism and swear fealty to thy royal self
forever. Our lord doth further say that, an so it please thee to hearken
unto him, he will lay much of his wealth at thy feet. Bears and lions
and dogs of chase will he send to thee; seven hundred camels that bend
the knee, and a thousand hawks also. Four hundred mules laden with gold
and silver such as fifty wains could scarce bear away shall be thine, so
it please thee to depart, O king!"
The Frankish lords stood silent.
King Charlemagne, never hasty of speech, bent his hoary head in thought
for many minutes. When he raised it again, a lofty look was on his face.
"Thou hast spoken well," he said, "but King Marsilius was ever a deadly
foe to us. How may we know that his fair promises will not lack of
fulfilment?"
"Hostages wilt thou, my lord?" cried the heathen. "Ten or twenty or more
will I give thee,--mine own son the first. King Marsilius will come to
redeem them, for he would fain be laved in the fountain of thy Christ."
"Yea, he may yet be saved!" cried the pious emperor. Then he caused good
cheer to be made for the Saracen emissaries. Twelve servitors were
detailed to attend their bidding, and they remained in the Christian
camp till morning.
Now when the dawn came, Charlemagne arose and attended mass, as was his
wont. Then he betook himself to the orchard, and again summoned his
barons around him. He had pondered much during the hours of darkness,
and was now determined to act as his lords advised.
A goodly company they gathered about him--Archbishop Turpin, the warlike
churchman, Duke Ogier bold, and Richard the Old were close about the
throne. Gerien and Gerier, brothers-in-arms, were there, and Roland and
his faithful Oliver, and many other knights, including, alas! Count
Ganelon.
Then Karl spoke to his barons concerning the offer of the Saracen king.
He reviewed the rich promises of Marsilius, and reminded the Christian
company of the heathen king's desire to be baptized, adding, however,
"I know not what may lie in his heart." When he had ceased speaking,
there arose a warning cry from the Franks--
"Beware! Beware!"
Scarcely was the word repeated when Count Roland came forward and faced
his uncle.
"Believe not this Marsilius!" he cried. "For full seven years we have
warred in Spain, and he hath been ever a traitor. Hast thou forgot the
time when he sent unto thee fifteen of his heathen bearing olive boughs
of peace and speaking flattering words, as now? Hast thou forgot that
when thou didst hearken unto his words and send two of thy chiefest
knights to treat with him, he did cause their heads to be stricken off?
War! I say. End as you began. Besiege him in Saragossa!"
Roland ceased, and the Franks were silent; but every eye was bent on him
as he stood in his youthful pride before the emperor. Right well beloved
was he among his people, for many a brave city had gone down before him.
There was not his peer for courage and spirit in all the Frankish hosts,
except, perhaps, the gentle Oliver. The emperor bent his head and mused.
Suddenly Count Ganelon sprang to his feet.
"Be not misled by me or others!" he cried, addressing the emperor. "Look
to thine own interest, my lord. King Marsilius assures thee of his
faith. He will be thy vassal, and receive thy Christian law even as
ourselves. Who counsels thee against this treaty cares not what death we
die. Good does not come from counsel of pride, my lord; list to wisdom,
and let madmen be."
Then the white-haired and reverend Duke of Naimes arose; there was than
he no better vassal in all France.
"My King," he said in deepest reverence, "well hath Count Ganelon made
reply. King Marsilius is broken and beaten in battle. Thou hast captured
his castles and shattered his walls; thou hast burned his cities and
slain his soldiers; it were a sin to molest him further. Receive the
hostages he offers, and send him in return one of thy Christian knights
to arrange terms of peace with him. It is time this war were closed."
"The duke hath spoken well!" the Franks exclaimed. The emperor paused,
then said, at length,
"Who, then, amongst you were best to take this mission?"
"I," said the duke, quickly. "I pray thee yield me thy royal grace."
"Nay," answered King Karl; "thou art my wisest counsellor. By my beard I
swear thou shalt not depart from my side."
"I," cried Count Roland, "will go right gladly."
"Not so," said Oliver; "thou art too fiery to play such perilous part. I
shall go myself, if the king so will."
"Silence, I command ye both!" said the king. "Neither of you shall
perform this errand." Then he commanded his knights to make a choice
from among their number for the perilous journey.
Again Roland spoke:
"Be it, then, my step-sire, Ganelon. In vain will ye seek for a meeter
man."
Instantly the Franks echoed Roland's choice, crying,
"So it please the king, it is right and just!"
Ganelon heard, and his rage against Roland was fierce indeed. He flung
his mantle from him, and faced the younger knight in a mighty wrath.
"Thou madman!" he cried. "What meaneth this rage against me? I am thy
step-sire, and thou doomest me to danger like this! So God my safe
return bestow, I promise to work thee ill as long as thou hast the
breath of life." Then Roland answered him haughtily--
"Am I known to reck of the threats of men? But this is work for the
sagest. So it please the king, I will go in thy stead."
At this, Count Ganelon's anger was deep and bitter indeed; and he
spurned the insulting offer of his step-son to go in his stead, after
which he turned to King Karl, saying,
"O righteous emperor! I stand ready to execute thy high command."
Then the emperor bade him go to King Marsilius with the terms of peace,
which were that he, the Moslem, was to hold half of Spain in vassalage
to Charlemagne; that the other half of the conquered territory was to be
ruled by the emperor's well-beloved Roland; and that Marsilius was to
journey to France at Michaelmas and receive Christian baptism.
Bitter indeed it was to Count Ganelon that his enemy should thus profit
by the perilous service to which he himself had been thus condemned, but
he was too proud to retreat in the face of danger.
Now, when all was arranged, the emperor handed Ganelon a missive to
Marsilius; he gave the count his right-hand glove also, in token of the
high authority with which he vested him.
As the count bent low to receive his commission, the emperor's glove
dropped to the ground, and the startled Franks whispered to one another:
"God! What is this? Evil will come of this quest." But it was treated as
an accident, and Ganelon passed on his journey.
And on that journey he held deep and evil converse with the heathen
concerning Roland and his overweening pride.
Now when the Saracen emissaries were returned to Saragossa, they stood
before Marsilius, crying, "Mahomet save thee!" and presented Ganelon,
who bore King Karl's answer.
When the Christian was summoned to speak, he gave his emperor's answer
boldly. Marsilius listened in silence to the terms of treaty till
Ganelon reached the part where Charlemagne declared that if his terms
were rejected, he would besiege Saragossa, and bear Marsilius captive to
France, there to die a "villainous death of shame." At this Marsilius
was sorely enraged, and, forgetting how serious were his straits, sprang
from his throne, and would have dealt death to the Christian had not his
wise nobles interposed and persuaded him to temper his wrath with
judgment.
When Marsilius was pacified, Ganelon was again asked for the terms of
the treaty, and he again gave them as they had been intrusted to him.
Much the heathen questioned him concerning King Karl, and he answered
without fear, always praising his emperor; but when Marsilius desired of
him the secret of Charlemagne's aggressive and warlike policy,--for the
emperor was past the age when men are given over to ambition,--Ganelon
assured him that Roland was the evil genius of the emperor, always
urging him to greater deeds of violence, always inciting him to greater
heights of power.
The wily heathen put the question several times, in as many forms, but
Ganelon's answer was always the same,--Roland ruled the emperor, and as
long as Roland lived, so long would Charlemagne slay and oppress. And he
ended significantly,--
"Whoso shall bring death to Roland shall wring from Karl his greatest
strength; he shall see the marvelous hosts of Franks melt away and leave
this mighty land at peace."
Then villainous heathen and treacherous Christian devised there a plan
by which the gallant Roland was to suffer death, and the Frankish power
in Spain was to be forever destroyed. It was Ganelon's evil brain that
conceived the plot; it was the heathen, Marsilius, who was to execute
it.
By his own terms of treaty, Charlemagne agreed to withdraw his Franks
from Spain; and to do this, it would be necessary for him to lead them
through a deep and narrow defile in the Pyrenees Mountains. Ganelon knew
full well that the emperor would intrust the rear-guard of his army in
the retreat to none but his valiant Roland, for there would be great
danger of the treacherous Moslems' falling upon the rear and dealing
slaughter among the retiring hosts. This fact Ganelon pointed out to the
Saracen king, and he undertook to have Roland placed in the rear-guard
of the Franks. He suggested that the Moslem hosts be massed together in
overwhelming numbers, ready to make a sudden descent upon the rear-guard
when Karl should be too far in front to save them.
Marsilius agreed eagerly, and in his joy at the thought of revenge, he
fell upon Ganelon's neck and kissed him. Then he bade his attendants
bring royal gifts, which he bestowed upon the traitor; after which they
both took a solemn oath to compass the fall of Roland,--Ganelon swearing
by the cross on his sword-hilt, and Marsilius by the Koran, the sacred
book of the Mohammedans.
The joyful Moslems closed around Ganelon, and he pledged them Roland's
death with many kisses, receiving from them costly gifts and great
riches. Then Marsilius made ready the riches he had promised to
Charlemagne, and sent them and twenty hostages, with Ganelon, to the
emperor.
So Count Ganelon came back to his emperor with treason in his heart and
a lie on his lips, and "Charles the Great" believed him.
Then all was astir in the Frankish camps; a thousand bugles sounded
retreat, and a hundred thousand faces were turned toward France and
home. There was eager joy in the Christian ranks that day, and the
mighty Karl sighed with relief,--
"My wars are done."
But the ambitious and fiery Roland was ill-satisfied, and Count Ganelon
carried in his breast fiendish hatred and jealousy.
From the nature of the country, and the plan of the march homeward, it
was plain to all that the rear of the army was the position most exposed
to danger; so it was of great concern to Charlemagne who should be left
to guard it. As was his custom in matters of great import, the emperor
took counsel with his knights as to who should be left to command the
rear-guard, and before any one else could speak, Count Ganelon
answered,--
"My liege, on my step-son let thy royal choice fall. Knight like him
thou hast none beside."
Roland heard, and he knew full well the deep hatred that prompted the
count's reply, but he made answer in full knightly fashion,--
"Sir step-sire, I thank thee that thou hast named me for this trust, and
I do assure thee that if King Karl lose aught in this retreat, our
swords shall tell the reason."
So it was settled as Ganelon and the Saracen king had schemed,--Roland,
the first of Charlemagne's peers and the darling of the emperor's heart,
was left to guard the rear of the retiring hosts; and the heathen,
silently, and by thousands and tens of thousands, were massing
together,--watchful, alert.
Count Roland hastened to make him ready. He donned a suit of peerless
armor, and hung his flower-emblazoned shield about his neck. Girt at his
side was his matchless "Durindana,"--the blade that had been given to
Charlemagne by an angel, who told the emperor that it must be the sword
of a valorous captain. Thus arrayed and armed, with the gold fringe of
his white pennon floating over his shoulders, Roland rode out on his
fiery "Veillantif"; and his men, as with one voice, exclaimed,--
"We will follow thee!"
The ones who followed him were the flower of the Frankish army,--twenty
thousand picked men. First chosen of all was Oliver, and among the
others was the valorous Archbishop Turpin.