THE WEDDING
During the night Tirant told the princess about all the
misfortunes he had suffered because of her love. Then he took
great pleasure in telling her about his prosperity and victory,
but finally he told her that he felt less glory in any of it than
he did in conquering her illustrious person. When she had
gathered her strength and her sweet anger was over, she told
Tirant about the life she had led while he was gone, and how
during this time she had never seen anyone laugh or take joy in
anything. Withdrawn from all delights, alone in continual
prayer, deep in religion because of her love, she had been able
to survive until they brought her the happy news of his arrival.
And they exchanged many other delicious words, full of loving
sighs.
The queen, who was responsible for this affair, saw that daylight
was near, and she realized that when people in love have some
pleasure, they do not think of anything that would disturb them.
She got up from her bed, anxiously, and went to where the lovers
were. She told them that since their night had been good she
hoped God would give them a good morning. They returned her good
wishes very graciously, and she found them very happy, taking joy
in one another. The queen said to Tirant:
"Lord of the Empire of Greece: Get up, it's already day. You
must leave as secretly as you can so that no one will see you."
Tirant would have liked that night to last a year. Many times,
while kissing the princess, he begged her to forgive him. The
princess answered:
"My lord Tirant, love obliges me to forgive you, on the condition
that you come back soon, for I cannot live without you. Now I
know what love is, and before I did not know."
The lady had barely uttered the last syllable of her loving words
when Tirant said:
"Your Highness will see how short the war will become so that I,
your captive, can wait on you with loving service."
And with a kiss of deepest love they parted. The queen took him
by the hand and led him through a back door into the orchard.
Saying very courteous words, they each went their way. Tirant
went to Hippolytus' quarters, and the queen went back to the
princess, and took Tirant's place in the bed. And there they
slept peacefully until well into the day.
Hippolytus' happiness was by no means slight when he saw his
master and lord Tirant. With the great love he had for him, he
threw himself at his feet, attempting to kiss them. Tirant would
not allow it, and lifted him from the floor, and embraced and
kissed him. They greeted each other at length, for they had not
seen each other since fate had carried off Tirant. Tirant told
Hippolytus to go to the palace and tell the emperor that he had
come and wished to speak with him secretly.
Hippolytus quickly went to the emperor and told him of Tirant's
arrival. The emperor thought Tirant must have come because of
very important matters, and he told Hippolytus to have him come
immediately. Hippolytus went to his quarters and told Tirant
what the emperor had said. The two relatives left Hippolytus'
lodging in disguise and went to the palace. They found the
emperor in his chamber as he was finishing dressing.
When Tirant was before His Majesty he threw himself at his feet,
to kiss them. The great lord would not permit it, and instead
took Tirant by the hand, lifted him from the floor and kissed him
on the mouth. Tirant kissed his hand, and the emperor took his
hand and led him to another chamber where he made him sit at his
side. Tears ran down the emperor's cheeks because of his great
happiness, and because of all the losses he had suffered--which
he knew well would not have happened if Tirant had been there.
Tirant said:
"Most excellent Sire, the Moorish sultan and the Grand Turk have
sent me on this mission which has many conditions that affect
Your Majesty.
Since it would be very presumptuous of me to give a reply without
the express license of Your Majesty, I entreat your grace that it
be examined carefully in the council and a decision be reached
about what is to be done, so that if it should be brought up in
the future, I would not be held to blame. The Moorish sultan and
the Grand Turk are asking Your Majesty for a truce of three
months, or for longer if Your Majesty wishes. And if you want a
lasting peace for one hundred one years, they will be happy to
form an alliance with Your Majesty to be friends of your friends
and enemies of your enemies."
The emperor answered:
"Our virtuous captain and son: We hold you in such high esteem
and trust that we would have accepted whatever you decided. But
to please you, I will hold counsel on the matter."
The great emperor ordered the council to meet quickly so that
Tirant could return to camp. Taking his leave of the emperor,
Tirant went to pay his respects to the empress and the princess.
He found them together in the princess's chamber because she was
pretending to be sick, and the empress had come to be with her.
The empress was very glad to see Tirant. The princess pretended
to greet him coldly so as not to arouse suspicions about what had
happened the night before. They spoke of many things, and the
princess especially asked Tirant if he had any news about the
arrival of the Queen of Ethiopia. Tirant answered:
"My lady, three days ago I received a letter, by messenger, from
King Escariano. He asked me not to do battle with the Moors
until he arrived. And he assured me that he would be here in two
weeks."
The princess answered:
"Captain, there is nothing I desire more than to see this queen.
I hear that her beauty is greater than that of anyone in the
world."
Tirant answered:
"My lady, they told you the truth. After Your Majesty I don't
think a more beautiful or more virtuous woman can be found
anywhere. She has the same desire you do: her only reason for
coming here is because of all the perfection she has heard about
Your Majesty."
While Tirant, the empress and the princess were speaking,
Stephanie, Duchess of Macedonia, came into the chamber. With the
absence of her husband, she had entered religion and did not want
to leave it until that fortunate day when she hoped all her
troubles would end. She threw herself at Tirant's feet and cried
aloud, tears flowing down her cheeks. Tirant would not allow the
duchess to kneel. He took her arm and raised her from the floor.
Then he embraced her and kissed her, and said:
"I promise you, on my order of chivalry, that before a month has
gone by the Duke of Macedonia and all the others will be out of
prison and they will be here. That is the sole reason I came."
When the Duchess of Macedonia heard Tirant's words, she threw
herself at his feet, wanting to kiss them. Tirant would not
allow it, and lifting her from the floor he kissed her again.
Then, taking her hands, they sat down and told each other about
their past difficulties.
While the captain was entertaining the ladies and consoling the
Duchess of Macedonia, the emperor called for a council meeting
and explained the mission that the sultan and the Turk had sent
Tirant on, just as Tirant had told it to him. When all the
council members learned the good news there were arguments and
disagreements among them. Finally, after much deliberation, they
sent for the emperor and said to him:
"Your Majesty, we advise you to make a lasting peace with the
sultan and with the Turk and with all the other great lords in
their company, with the stipulation that they put themselves in
Your Excellency's power as your prisoners. And they must not be
released until they have carried out all their promises, and the
other Moors have left, unarmed and on foot."
The emperor was very happy with this decision since it was such
good advice. He went to the princess's chamber where he found
Tirant, and taking him by the hand, he had him sit by his side in
great friendship, and told him what he wanted.
"Tirant, my captain and son, our council has come to the decision
we mentioned. So, I beg you to depart as quickly as you can to
give reply to the embassy."
Tirant said he would do as he was ordered, and he took his leave
of the emperor. He went to the empress and the princess and bade
them farewell, and they begged him to do everything he could to
liberate the Empire of Greece. Tirant replied:
"My ladies, may Our Lord grant that it be done as quickly as Your
Excellencies wish."
He took his leave of the princess, and the queen accompanied him
to the door of his chamber to tell him that as soon as it was
dark he should go through the orchard door and come to her room
where he could talk to the princess. Tirant said he would do as
she commanded.
After Tirant had left the ladies he went to Hippolytus' room to
wait for the dark of night so he could have his heart's desire.
Alone and in disguise, when the time was right he crept softly
through the familiar orchard toward the queen's chamber, and
there he found the princess, with the queen, waiting for him.
The princess greeted him with great happiness, and the three of
them went into the chamber.
Tirant gamboled with the princess and they passed the time in
amorous solace and delicious chatter until it was time for bed.
The princess got into bed first, and the queen dismissed all the
ladies and put valiant Tirant at the side of his lady, who
treated him with more love than she had the night before. After
the queen had placed them in the list and they were in delicious
battle, she left to go to sleep, trusting that they would be in
such agreement that the battle would never come to an end.
Tirant did not sleep the entire night, like a brave knight who
understands that one who is valiant in battle must be valiant in
bed. As day drew near Tirant said to the princess:
"My lady and my life, I must go. I promised His Majesty the
emperor that tomorrow, at break of day, I would be in my camp."
The princess answered:
"My lord and my love, your departure grieves me deeply. If it
were possible I would never let you out of my sight. If I felt
pain before, now it will be a thousand times worse. Do me the
grace, my lord, not to delay your return unless you want to cut
short my life, for I cannot live without you."
When Tirant had her permission he got up from the bed and
dressed, and with kisses of deep-felt love along with tears he
left the princess. Going out the back gate of the orchard, he
went to Hippolytus' lodging. Hippolytus got up, and quickly
escorted Tirant to the city gates so they would be opened for
him. Tirant went to the ocean and boarded the galley that left
the port secretly and rowed to the encampment.
The sun had been up scarcely an hour when the galley was in sight
of the camp. The entire camp knew the captain had returned, and
the King of Sicily and the King of Fez rode with their men to
escort Tirant, and they took him to his triumphal tent with great
honor. Tirant explained to them everything His Majesty the
emperor had decided, and they were all very content.
The morning of the following day the captain asked the kings and
grandees to come to mass. They all quickly went to his tent with
many knights. After mass he sent word to the ambassadors of the
sultan and the Turk to come, as he wanted to give them an answer.
The ambassadors were very glad to receive the news. Dressed in
Moorish fashion, and accompanied by many noble knights from
Tirant's camp, the great lords went with great pomp and gravity
to the tent of the valiant captain. Before they left their tent
the ambassadors put their mounts and servants in readiness so
that when they had the reply from Tirant they could return to
their camp.
When the ambassadors were in the presence of the valiant captain
they bowed deeply to him and Tirant paid them as much honor as he
thought they deserved. When they were seated before him, Tirant
gave the following reply:
"Do not be astonished that the answer has been so long in coming,
for I wanted to consult His Majesty, the emperor, about your
embassy. He, with great benignity and clemency, has had
compassion on you. As you well know, your life or death is in
our hands. So that you may know how great is the humanity and
clemency of the emperor, he is content to spare your lives and
grant you mercy in this fashion: The sultan and Turk, with all
the kings and lords in your camp, will place themselves in the
emperor's power as prisoners. There you will stay until such a
time as you have restored all the lands you have taken from the
empire. At the same time you will bring to him all the prisoners
and captives in the lands of the sultan as well as the Turk. And
His Majesty the emperor is willing to let all the Moors leave who
are in your camp, but on foot and unarmed. And if you are not
satisfied with the emperor's mercy, you can all prepare to die,
for I promise you that not one of you will be spared."
On the morning of the following day the Moors held council
regarding the reply they should give to Tirant, and the council
decided to acquiesce to everything Tirant asked for. The
ambassadors delivered the reply to Tirant, saying that the sultan
and the Turk, with the counsel and will of all the rest, were
content to do everything his lordship had asked.
Soon all those who were to be hostages rode in, and there were
twenty-two in all, all titled and of high nobility. I will not
give their names here so that I will not take up too much space,
but I can tell you that because of their great hunger they were
hardly slow in coming down the road. They all presented
themselves to Tirant, and bowed deeply. Tirant welcomed them,
paying them great honor, and gave them a magnificent banquet.
After the banquet, Tirant put all the prisoners on two galleys,
and then he went on board himself to go with them.
The two galleys sailed away from the camp, and quickly reached
Constantinople. When the captain was near the port of
Constantinople, and the people in the town heard that Tirant was
coming in triumph, bringing the highest lords of the Moorish
people as prisoners, they were the happiest people in the world.
Everyone ran to the ocean to see the prisoners. An immense crowd
gathered, both men and women, shouting:
"Long live our blessed captain! May God protect and prolong his
life, for he has freed us from so much misery!"
Tirant refused to leave the galleys until the emperor sent
Hippolytus along with other knights. When Hippolytus was on the
galley with Tirant, he told him:
"My lord, His Majesty, the emperor, has sent me to your lordship,
and he begs you to come on land."
Tirant said he would be happy to do what he commanded. The
captain quickly had the galleys draw near to land and they
lowered the ladders. Then Tirant had all the prisoners disembark
with him. When they were on land they met all the officials and
magistrates of the city who received them with great honor, and
Tirant with great reverence. They all left the shore together
and went to the emperor's palace, and the populace followed them.
When they were in the palace square they saw the emperor up above
on the cenotaph, seated in the imperial chair, with the empress
to his left, and the princess to the right of the emperor, but a
little lower, as a sign that she would be the successor to the
empire. When Tirant and the prisoners were in view of the
emperor, they all knelt to the ground; then they went up to the
cenotaph where the emperor was. They made another deep bow, and
Tirant moved to the front.
When he stood before the emperor he threw himself at his feet to
kiss them, but the emperor would not allow it. Instead he took
him by the arm, lifted him from the ground and kissed him on the
mouth, and Tirant kissed his hand. The Turk and the other great
lords did the same. The emperor received them with great
humanity, and ordered them taken to the other cenotaph.
The tables were prepared immediately, and each was seated
according to his station. The emperor wanted Tirant to eat at
his table, and the five of them ate there: the emperor, the
empress, the princess and Tirant, and the Queen of Fez. The
emperor ordered the prisoners to be served with great honor and
reverence, for even though they were infidels they were still men
of great dignity and station. And it was all done well, with a
great abundance of precious foods and wines of different kinds.
They were astonished, and they said that the Christians were more
experienced than the Moors in eating.
When they had eaten, Tirant asked the emperor's permission to go
to the Moorish camp and have the Moors sent to Turkey. The
emperor agreed. Tirant took his leave of the empress and the
princess, and he withdrew to the galleys, and sailed to the fleet
in front of the Moorish camp. When the admiral saw Tirant
approaching he commanded the trumpets, pipes and horns to be
blown, and they greeted the captain with loud cries. The admiral
went on board the captain's ship and said to him:
"Sir, what does your lordship require?"
Tirant answered:
"Have all the ships come near shore, and all the Moors will go to
Turkey."
The admiral said he would carry out the order. He returned to
his ship and gave the signal for all the ships to draw in to
shore. And it was done very quickly. Tirant had a man that he
had brought from the sultan put ashore, and he told the Moors to
go aboard the ships without fear, and that they would go to
Turkey. The Moors, who wanted nothing else in the world because
of their great hunger, quickly gathered and left behind their
horses and arms, with their tents still standing, containing all
their booty. When the ships were loaded with Moors, they carried
them over to their land: It was very near as they only had to
cross the Bosphorus; then they returned for more. You can
imagine how many men there were, for four hundred vessels,
including ships and galleys and other vessels made ten crossings.
When the men of Tirant's camp learned that all the Moors were
gone, they all ran as fast as they could to take a share of the
booty. After the men on the vessels had taken the Moors across,
they went ashore and they still had time to take part of the
booty. It could truly be said that that camp was the richest one
there had ever been, for they had captured and robbed the entire
Empire of Greece, and they had it all right there, and a lot of
good it did them! And the men who found themselves with that
booty were rich for the rest of their lives.
When the entire Moorish camp had been sacked, Tirant ordered all
the men back to their camp. He kept only the King of Sicily and
the King of Fez with him, along with some other barons who wanted
to pay homage to the emperor. They left the Moors' camp and went
overland to the illustrious city of Constantinople, while the
ships sailed into the port of the city.
After the emperor had left the table and the prisoners had eaten
their fill, he ordered Hippolytus to take all the prisoners to
the top of the palace towers which were prepared for them.
Hippolytus went to the cenotaph where the prisoners were and told
them to go with him. They came down from the cenotaph and
followed Hippolytus as he led them up to the towers. Hippolytus
put the Moorish sultan and the Grand Turk in a beautiful chamber.
Then he told them:
"Sirs, His Majesty the emperor commands your lordships to rest
here, and to be a little patient if you are not being treated as
befits your worthiness."
The sultan replied:
"Virtuous knight, we are grateful to His Majesty the emperor for
the great honor he is doing us, because he is not treating or
regarding us as prisoners, but as brothers. We are deeply
obligated to him for this, and when we are given our liberty and
our power again, we shall serve him in everything he commands."
Afterward Hippolytus ordered the four pages never to leave the
chamber, and to serve them with all respect in everything they
commanded. Then he ordered guards to keep watch over the tower.
Hippolytus took the rest of the prisoners and placed them in the
other towers where they were given very nice chambers and
servants to serve them, and they were very content. And he gave
them good guards so that they would be well served and well
guarded.
The emperor went to the palace with all the ladies and gave
orders that nothing on the square should be touched, because he
had been advised by Tirant that the King of Sicily and the King
of Fez would be coming to pay him their respects. He ordered
Hippolytus to arrange for good lodgings in the city, and
Hippolytus, who was virtuous and discreet, carried out everything
the emperor commanded him.
A few days later the emperor was told that Tirant was coming with
the King of Sicily and other lords, and that they were a league
away from the city. The emperor had Hippolytus and all the
officials from the city, along with the nobles and knights who
were there, go out to receive them. When they were at the
palace, Tirant, the King of Sicily and the others dismounted.
The new guests were astonished at the great beauty of the ladies,
especially of the princess.
After they had entertained the ladies, the emperor was told that
the dinner was ready. Later they cleared the tables, and the
dances began. The square was full of people from the city who
were looking at such a beautiful celebration. Others were
dancing, and it was lovely to see such a victory celebration. In
the city there were also other kinds of dances and games, for the
emperor had ordered celebrations held for a week.
Tirant would not leave the side of the King of Sicily during all
these festivities. Instead they slept and ate together
continuously-- the better to cover up what had taken place
between him and the princess. The others spent the eight days
celebrating. Every day Tirant told the princess of his love, and
begged Her Highness to arrange the marriage so that they could
enjoy its delights without fear.
The princess answered:
"Oh, most virtuous of all men! Don't beg me for the one thing I
want most in the whole world, and don't think me so ungrateful
that I've forgotten what your great nobility has brought us.
Please, my lord, do not become angry because you have to wait for
the culmination of our happiness, for you have already won a
glorious victory over me. Just think how it has been to your
glory and that of your men that you have recovered the entire
empire, and conquered and killed so many Moorish kings and lords.
Now the only thing your lordship lacks is to have dominion over
all the empire as part of your matrimony. Since you have
returned to me, and you are the mainstay of my life, I promise to
renounce the crown in your favor, and to complete our wedding
vows with you as emperor since my father, being advanced in
years, wants me to rule in his stead."
Tirant would not allow the lady to continue, and with a loving
heart he said:
"Even if I could, I find it difficult to accept your gracious and
generous offer. May the Divine Power not permit me to commit
such great folly as to take the crown of the empire during the
emperor's lifetime. I only ask His Majesty to keep me as a son
and servant, and the captive of his daughter. I want nothing
else in this world."
When Tirant finished these words of love, tears sprang from his
lady's eyes. Throwing herself into his arms, and clinging from
his neck, she kissed him many times. After a moment she said:
"My lord and my life, no tongue could express the perfection and
virtues of your noble person, and now I truly understand that you
are unique in all the world. May you long possess the crown of
the Greek Empire, and may I be able to serve you all your life."
And they departed with many words of mutual love.
Tirant spent the night in amorous thoughts, waiting for Phoebus
to arrive in the east, spreading its luminous rays over our
horizon. At the proper time the captain went before the emperor,
and said:
"Your Majesty remembers the promise given by the sultan and the
Turk to Your Excellency, of restoring to your power all the lands
they occupy in the Greek Empire. So, great lord, if Your
Majesty will grant me permission, I will leave to take possession
of them for Your Majesty. If fortune favors us, Sire, Your
Excellency will command all the land that your predecessor, the
emperor Justine, commanded."
The emperor answered:
"We are well aware of the many services and honors you have done
for us and for the entire empire, and we are greatly indebted to
you. We would therefore like to give you and your people the
entire empire while we are still alive, and furthermore we wish
to give you our daughter Carmesina as your wife, if you will
accept her. For we are at such an age that we are no longer able
to rule, much less to defend the empire."
When Tirant heard the emperor's kind words he threw himself at
his feet and kissed them with great humility and love, and he
said:
"My lord, may heaven never permit Tirant lo Blanc, Your Majesty's
humble servant, to commit such an error as to allow Your Highness
to lose the command of your empire during your lifetime; before
that should happen I would rather die. But Sire, if you would do
me the grace of giving me something that is worth much more, as
Your Majesty has offered, I would value it more than if you gave
me ten empires."
Seeing his great gentility, the emperor took him by the arm,
lifted him from the floor and kissed him on the mouth, and Tirant
kissed his hand. The emperor took Tirant's hand and led him to
the chambers of the princess, who was with all her ladies,
entertaining the King of Sicily. When the great emperor came
into the room everyone stood up and bowed to him. As the emperor
sat down he made the princess sit at his right, Tirant at his
left, and the King of Sicily in front of them. The emperor then
turned to his daughter, and said:
"My daughter, you're aware of the great service and high honors
Tirant here has bestowed on us. And that he has liberated the
entire empire from all the hardships that the Moors have
inflicted on us. As we realize that we do not have enough to
offer him for all he has done for us, we have decided that we
have nothing dearer or of greater value or that we love more than
you yourself. So we have offered you to him, and I beg and
command you, my dear daughter, to take him as your husband and
lord: that will be the way you can best serve me."
The lady answered with a gracious and modest continence:
"Most merciful and kind lord, it is to my glory that Your Majesty
has placed me in such high esteem that I am a worthy reward for
all the services and honors which valiant Tirant has done for
Your Majesty and for everyone in the empire. Even though I am
not worthy to remove his shoe, when one thinks of all the unique
qualities and virtues he possesses, I hope he will accept me as
his servant and his captive, for I am ready to do whatever Your
Majesty or he commands me."
The emperor sent for the archbishop of the city to betroth them
immediately. And this gracious union was a matter of no slight
happiness, for during a long while Tirant and the princess could
not speak, so inflamed with true love were they. As soon as the
archbishop arrived, the emperor ordered him to betroth his
daughter and Tirant, and he did so.
When the betrothal was completed, there was much celebrating and
great happiness throughout the city. A marvelous feast was
prepared as suited such a betrothal, and music was performed by
many groups from the towers and through windows of the great
halls. The foreigners and everyone in general took great
pleasure in this betrothal, for they had faith that the bold
spirit of Tirant would allow them to live in peace. And the
celebrations, both in the palace and in the city, lasted a week.
The emperor sent a proclamation throughout the city, with many
trumpets and drums, that they should all consider Tirant his
successor and the Caesar of the empire. And he made them swear
that after his death they would hold him as their emperor and
lord. And from that time forward the new Prince Tirant was named
Caesar of the Greek Empire.