TIRANT SUCCORS THE KNIGHTS OF RHODES
The news of the great deeds of Tirant preceded him, and when he arrived
in Brittany he was received with great honor in the city of Nantes by
the Duke of Brittany and a multitude of people. One day, while Tirant
was engaged in conversation with the duke, two knights arrived from
the court of the King of France, who related how the Knights of Saint
John had left Jerusalem when that city fell, and established themselves
on the island of Rhodes. The Sultan of Cairo was highly displeased
that Christians should live on that island and made preparations to
capture it. The Genoese, discovering the intentions of the Sultan, and
realizing what an important seaport it afforded, planned to conquer
it for themselves, but their designs and plans were discovered by the
Knights of Rhodes and frustrated. The captain of the unsuccessful
Genoese venture then sailed to Beirut, where the Sultan was at that
time, and told all that had happened. It was then agreed that the
Sultan in person should go to Rhodes with as large an army as possible.
One hundred and fifty thousand Moors were taken to the island, and
they destroyed everything on it, except the city, which they besieged.
The port of the city was blockaded so that no food could reach the
inhabitants. The Grand Master of the Knights, seeing that their plight
was daily becoming more and more critical, sent letters to the Pope,
the Emperor, and to all the Christian kings and princes, begging them
to come to their aid. The King of France received one of these appeals,
but paid little attention to it. (Chaps. 97-99)
Tirant, however, was eager to give them help. He interviewed mariners,
from whom he learned that it was possible to reach the castle of
Rhodes. Encouraged by this information, he bought a large ship and
ordered it to be well armed and loaded with provisions. Tirant’s
intentions were to go to Jerusalem after having succored Rhodes.
Philip, the youngest son of the King of France, an awkward and not very
intelligent youth, desired to visit the Holy City, and Tirant was very
glad to have him as companion. When all was ready, they embarked and
the boat proceeded on its way. The first landing was made at Lisbon.
They were cordially received by the King of Portugal and remained at
his court for ten days. Then they resumed their voyage. They passed
Cape Saint Vincent without incident, but upon entering the Strait of
Gibraltar, they were attacked by a large number of Moorish ships.
But Tirant’s ship was so large and so well defended, especially by a
certain mariner named Cataquefaras, that it finally escaped from its
pursuers. Many of the men on the ship, including Tirant and Philip,
were wounded, and the vessel was badly damaged. It landed at an
uninhabited island, where the crew repaired the ship. Then they again
set sail, and followed the shores of Barbary. Not only Moorish but also
Genoese ships attacked and harassed them until they came near Tunis.
Tirant’s vessel landed at Palermo in Sicily to take on more provisions.
The royal family of Sicily gave Tirant and Philip a hearty welcome,
and during their stay an interesting love affair developed between
Philip and the princess Ricomana, which Tirant took great pleasure
in promoting. Much of his time was spent at the elbow of Philip,
preventing or rectifying awkward blunders. Finally he spoke to the king
in behalf of Philip. The king was delighted at the prospect of uniting
the House of Sicily with that of France, and requested Tirant to write
to the French king in regard to the matter. (Chaps. 99-104)
One day the news came to Sicily that the city of Rhodes was in dire
distress and would fall within a few days, unless food and help should
come at once. The loading of provisions was then rapidly completed.
The day before setting sail, the King of Sicily asked Tirant to permit
him to embark on his boat, for he, too, wished to go to Jerusalem.
Tirant was delighted to have him as companion on the voyage. Finally
they set sail, and in four days crossed the Gulf of Venice and were
in sight of Rhodes. They directed the vessel to the Castle of Saint
Peter, and there anchored to await favorable winds and weather. When
the desired winds came up, they again set sail. They started during the
night, and at dawn were very near the city of Rhodes. When the hostile
fleet saw the ship coming, they thought it was one of theirs. They soon
discovered their mistake, but it was too late. They were not able to
stop the ship, which, with all sails unfurled, was dashing towards the
castle. It succeeded in reaching its destination, and when the Knights
of St. John saw it, and noticed its strange banner, they knew it must
be a ship that had come to bring them relief. The provisions were soon
unloaded and the knights felt certain that, for some time at least,
starvation could not compel them to surrender. (Chap. 104)
The Grand Master sent samples of the provisions to the Sultan to show
him that they had food to spare. A mariner with great cunning and skill
succeeded in setting fire to the ship of the captain who was in command
of the hostile fleet, and the conflagration caused consternation among
the foe. The rainy season set in, and the cold days of winter were near
at hand. On account of these things, the Sultan gave orders to raise
the siege, saying however that he would return the following year. The
unfortunate Sultan, when he arrived at home, was accused of cowardice
by his vassals, and thrown in the house of the lions, where he met a
horrible death. When the people of Cyprus heard that the siege had been
raised, many vessels laden with all kinds of provisions sailed from
Famagosta to the city of Rhodes. Never before had such abundance of
food and supplies come to this place. (Chaps. 104-107)
A few days after the raising of the siege, two Venetian galleys arrived
at the city of Rhodes. They were carrying pilgrims to Jerusalem.
Tirant, the King of Sicily, and Philip made arrangements to make their
voyage to the Holy City in one of these galleys. The Grand Master
wished to reward Tirant for the timely relief that he had brought,
but our hero would accept payment neither for the vessel nor for the
provisions. The honor that he had won was sufficient reward for him.
When the Venetian galleys resumed their voyage, Tirant, the king,
Philip, and Diaphebus were among the passengers. They landed at Jaffa
and afterwards at Beirut. At the latter place the pilgrims disembarked
and made their way to Jerusalem, where they remained for two weeks.
After having visited all the holy places, they went to Alexandria. One
day, while Tirant and the king were walking through the city, they came
upon a wretched Christian captive. Tirant went to the owner of the
poor slave and paid him the ransom demanded. Then he had it announced
throughout the city that all those who held Christian slaves would
recover ransom if they brought them to the inn where he was staying.
In two days he ransomed four hundred and seventy eight captives, and
took all of them with him to the city of Rhodes, where he gave them new
garments. The discarded clothes he sent to Brittany, in order that,
after his death, they might be hung in the chapel with the shields of
the knights that he had vanquished in England. He told the liberated
slaves that they were welcome to follow him, but if they preferred to
stay in Rhodes, or wished to go elsewhere, they were free to do so.
He gave them money, and they, in their great joy, threw themselves at
his feet, kissing these and then his hands. From Rhodes, Tirant and his
royal companions sailed directly for Sicily, where they arrived a few
days later. (Chaps. 107-109)
When the king landed, he found waiting for him forty knights who had
come as ambassadors from the King of France. They gave him a letter
from their royal master, in which the latter expressed his approval
of the proposed marriage of Philip and Ricomana. Shortly afterwards
the nuptials of the youngest son of the King of France with the only
daughter of the King of Sicily were celebrated in great solemnity and
splendor. The festivities, which consisted of tournaments, jousting,
dances, and other forms of entertainment, continued for a whole week.
(Chaps. 109-111)