HOW OLIVER AND HIS COMRADES FARED
The Saracens that had charge of Oliver and the other knights did not
halt till they came to a rich city, Aygremore by name. Being arrived
there they made a great braying of trumpets at the gate. Balan, who
was father to Fierabras, hearing this came to the gate, and seeing
there Brullant, said to him, "Tell me, Brullant, my friend, how you
have fared. Have you taken King Charles, and put his Peers to
flight?" Brullant answered, "I have no such tidings for you, Sir
Admiral. We have been discomfited by King Charles, and Fierabras
your son was overcome in single fight by one of the King's Barons,
and has been made a Christian man."
When the Admiral heard this, he was greatly troubled, and fell into a
swoon. Being recovered from this, he made a great complaint of his
ill-fortune, and lamented over his son, as one who never having been
vanquished before had now suffered defeat. And at last, so great was
his rage, he cried, "Now if this be true, and Fierabras my son is
lost to me, verily I will strike out the brains of this false god
Mahomet, who having promised me so much has fulfilled so little."
And he threw himself in an agony upon the ground.
After a while, his anger having now somewhat cooled, he said to
Brullant, "Tell me now, was Fierabras my son vanquished by one of
these knights whom I now see before me? If it be so, show the man to
me." So Brullant showed to him Oliver, and Balan was fain to admire
him, so tall he was and strong and fair. Nevertheless he cried,
"Bring him hither to me, and I will cut him to pieces." When the
others understood that it was his purpose to put Oliver to death,
they were greatly troubled. But Oliver comforted them saying, "We
are not in such ill case as you think. But mark this one thing that
I counsel you. Tell not your true names to the Admiral. If he once
knows that we are Peers of France, he will have no pity upon us, and
we shall die." But the Saracens knew not what he said. After this
Balan commanded that the prisoners should be brought before him,
having been first bound with cords and blindfolded. This being done,
he said to Oliver, "Tell me now your name and country, and mind that
you say nothing that is false."
Oliver answered, "I am a poor knight, Eugenes by name, born in
Lorraine, my father being a yeoman, and these my comrades whom you
see are poor knights also, and we have taken service with the King,
hoping thus to get advancement and reward." Balan was very wroth to
hear this. "I thought," he cried, "that I had five of the best and
bravest knights in France, and that having these I possessed, as it
were, the keys of France." And he said to his chamberlain, "Strip
these men of their raiment and bind them to that pillar yonder, and
bring me darts well pointed with iron that I may shoot at them for my
sport." But Brullant stood up and said, "Sir Admiral, I beseech you
to hear me; it is now eventide, and too late to do justice in proper
form; your lords and councillors also are not here; delay therefore
this matter to the morrow, when the thing shall be known and your
judgment better approved, for that these men rightly deserve such
punishment I do heartily believe. Consider also that King Charles
may be willing to give up Fierabras in exchange for these knights.
Wherefore you would do well to keep them without harm."
"This is good counsel," said the Admiral. "Send for Brutamont, and
let him take these men in charge." Now Brutamont was keeper of the
King's prison.
Then Brutamont thrust these French knights into the prison, which was
a dungeon so deep that no light could enter it. A horrible place it
was, in which were nourished serpents and toads and all manner of
venomous beasts, and there was a most evil stench in it. Also the
water of the sea flowed in when the tide was high, and at this time
it was so deep in the dungeon that it came up even to the shoulders
of the prisoners. As for Oliver the salt water made his wounds,
which were many and grievous, to smart beyond all bearing. He was
therefore in evil case, and most certainly had died but for Gerard of
Montdidier, who kept him up so that he should not drown. And indeed
they were all in great peril of drowning, and doubtless had so
perished, but that there were in the dungeon two pillars, fifteen
feet or thereabouts in height, upon which they climbed, lifting up
Oliver also, for of his own strength he could not have done it.
Loudly did he lament, crying out that his father Reyner should never
more see him alive. But Gerard comforted him, saying, "It is not for
a brave knight to complain. Let us rather trust in God.
Nevertheless I wish that we had each of us a good sword in his hand.
I vow to God that we would slay not a few score of Saracens before
they should put us again into this dungeon."
Now the Admiral had a daughter, Floripas by name, a very fair damsel,
and not yet married. She was of a reasonable stature, and as bright
as a rose in May. Her hair was like shining gold, and her eyes
bright as the eyes of a falcon, and the eyebrows above them fine and
straight, her nose shapely, her cheeks well rounded, fair as a
fleur-de-lys, but with delicate colour of rose; her mouth small and
delicate with a chin suitably fashioned, and her shoulders straight
and her bosom of a most dainty curve. She was clad in a robe of
purple broidered with gold, of noble aspect, and of such a virtue
that no one wearing it could be harmed by any poison. Such was
Floripas to behold. So fair was she, that if a man had fasted for
three days or four and should then look upon her, he should be as
well satisfied as with abundance of meat and drink.
The maiden hearing the complaints of the French knights felt a great
pity for them. So she went from her chamber to the hall, and twelve
maidens that waited upon her followed. And when she came to the hall
she found a great lamenting, and asking the cause she heard that her
brother Fierabras had been vanquished in battle and taken prisoner.
Thereupon she cried aloud, and wept bitterly, and all that were in
the hall wept with her.
After that the maiden's grief was somewhat spent, she sent for
Brutamont the jailer, and demanded of him who were these men that he
had in the dungeon. "Madam," said he, "they are French knights,
servants of King Charles, and they have wrought great harm to our
people, and done dishonour to our gods. This also they have added to
their crimes, that they have helped to slay Fierabras your brother.
One of them there is who is as seemly a man as ever I beheld; 'twas
he, I am told, that prevailed over your brother." Then said
Floripas, "Open now the dungeon, for I would fain know how they
fare." But Brutamont answered, "Not so, madam; the place is foul and
loathsome, and so dark that you could not see the men. Also your
father has strictly charged me that I should suffer no one to come
near to the prison, and least of all a woman, seeing that many are
deceived and shamed by women."
Floripas was very wroth to hear such words, "Thou evil beast!" said
she; "dost use such speech to me?" And she called her chamberlain
and bade him fetch her a staff. Which when he had brought, she smote
Brutamont the jailer so mighty a blow upon the head that he fell to
the ground a dead man.
Then Floripas bade them light a torch and open the door of the
prison. And when she saw the prisoners how they had climbed upon the
pillars, as has been told, she said, "Tell me now, my lords, who you
are and how you are named." Oliver answered, "Fair lady, we are men
of France, and knights of King Charles, and having been brought
hither have been put by the Admiral into this horrible dungeon.
Better had we been slain in battle than that we should rot in this
place!" Floripas, who for all that she was not a Christian woman,
was of great courtesy and compassion, said to them, "Now I promise
that I will take you out of this prison, only you must engage to do
what I demand of you." And Oliver said, "That will we do, madam,
right gladly. We are true men and faithful, nor have we ever been
aught else, nor will be. Give us arms in our hands, and set us where
we may fight with these Saracens. Verily they shall be ill content
with us."
"Now," answered Floripas, "methinks you boast overmuch. Here are you
in prison, and you boast yourself against them that are at liberty.
'Tis better for a man to be quiet than to talk so foolishly." Then
spake Gerard, "Lady, he that is so kept in prison will oft use light
words that he may forget his pain." Then Floripas said to Gerard,
"You excuse your fellow right courteously. I trow that you have a
flattering tongue wherewith to win a maiden's heart." "You speak
truly, lady," cried William the Scot; "you shall not find his peer
for three hundred miles and more."
After this Floripas sent her chamberlain to fetch a rope, which she
let down into the dungeon. When the prisoners saw it they put it
first round Oliver, and Floripas and her chamberlain drew him up out
of the water with no little labour. After him the others were drawn
up more easily. Having so rescued them, she took them by a secret
way into her own lodging, which was a very fair and spacious abode,
marvellously adorned with all manner of paintings, as of the sun and
the moon and all the host of heaven, with woods and mountains and
living creatures of all kinds, made, as some will have it, by the son
of Methuselah. This dwelling stood on a black rock, altogether
surrounded by the sea, and near to it was a garden of which the
flowers and fruits never failed. There were precious herbs also
which availed to cure all manner of sickness and maladies, save only
the malady of death.
Now Floripas had a governess, by name Maragonde. Maragonde said to
the maiden, "Madam, I know these Frenchmen well. That is Oliver, son
of Reyner, the same that has vanquished Fierabras your brother; that
yonder is Gerard of Montdidier, and this William the Scot. Now may
Mahomet send his curse upon me if I do not straightway tell your
father, the lord Admiral." When Floripas heard these words she
changed colour, being moved to much anger, which nevertheless she
hid. Then she called the woman to come to her where she stood by a
window; when she was come she struck her to the ground with a great
blow, and calling her servant, bade him throw her into the sea, for
she much feared her father and his malice. "Go now, spiteful
wretch," said Floripas when she saw Maragonde sink in the water, "You
have your reward."
This done, she greeted the Frenchmen right courteously, and when she
saw how Sir Oliver was covered with blood, she gave him a draught of
a certain herb that is named Mandegloire, which when he had drunk he
was immediately made whole. Then the knights were refreshed with
baths and were furnished with goodly apparel, and had entertainment
of meat and drink. And when they were satisfied, she said to them,
"My lords, I know full well who you are, that this, for instance, is
Sir Oliver who vanquished Fierabras my brother; yet I have showed you
this great kindness, nor this without danger to myself. Now there is
a certain knight in France whom I have long loved, Guy of Burgundy by
name, he is the goodliest man that ever I saw, and is of the kindred
of Charlemagne and of Roland. I saw him at Rome when my father the
Admiral took that city, and then and there gave him my heart, when he
had struck down to the earth a certain Lucifer that was chief of the
pagan warriors. For the sake of this Guy I will become a Christian,
and if I may not have him to my husband, I will never marry. Now
therefore I beg that you will help me in this matter." Then said
Gerard of Montdidier, "Madam, give us arms, and we will put the
Saracens to flight." But Floripas was prudent and said, "Rest
awhile, my friends, for it will need much counsel before it can be
seen what you had best do."