The White Knight: Tirant Lo Blanc

served the profession of chivalry for many years and with a great deal of honor, and his fame was widely known throughout the world. His name was Count William of Warwick. This w

withdraw from the practice of arms and make a pilgrimage to the holy land of Jerusalem. This virtuous c

uous and discreet, she became very upset at the news because she loved him so much. In

uld leave you, and the time of my return is uncertain. Since the journey will be very da

land and all his rights. And he ordered that a ring of gold be made with his and the countess's coat of arms on it, and this ring was made in such away that it was divided into t

, he turned to the virtuous

journey will soon be over. I am leaving in your charge everything I have. And here is half of

serve you. I would rather die than go on living without you. Just when I was thinking that all my misfortunes were over, I see that my u

the hair and pulled it, and

r's departure, and you will be

nt, seeing both mother and child in tears, felt deeply grieved, and he could not hold

tears running freely from his eyes. He said farewell to the ot

barked and made his way to Jerusalem. When he reached Jerusalem he confessed his sins, and with great devotion he received the precious body of

his possession to his squire who had served him well, and he arranged a marriage for him so that he would not want to return to England. Then he had his squire sprea

ssing of time, the count returned alone to his own land, having let his hair grow down to his shoulders, while his beard, completely white, reached to his waist. He was dr

ld and to do penance for his sins. Living from charity, he went to his city of Warwick once a week to beg for alms. With his thick beard and long hair the people there did not recognize him, and he went t

ps had plundered a village that belonged to him. He left his land with a large armada,

ton and all the Moors went ashore very quietly. When they were on

fighting was great, indeed: many men died, especially the Christians. Because the Moors were greater in number, the forces of the English king were

stian king discovered that the Moors held the pass near a watercourse, he placed his forces in a passage at the hour of midnight. But he did not do it very secretly, and the Moors heard of it, and held back unt

city of London. When the Moors learned of it they laid siege to the city. Every day there was heavy fighting until fi

repared for the night. The countess, who was a very prudent woman, began to think of how she could stre

ns and everything necessary for war. My lord and husband, William of Warwick, who was count in this land, provided this city and his castle with arms as well as bombards, cross-bows and cul

, and I pray you, countess, to arrange things s

the city through the houses, making them bring wheat and barley and everything necessary. When

t part of the kingdom, the Moorish king appeared with all his forces before the city of Warwick. The wretched Christian king, seeing that there was no hope, did not know what to do: he climbed to the top of a tower in the castle, and watched the huge body of Moors burning and destroying villas

tion, he came down from the tower and went into a small chamber where he began to sigh deeply. Tears ran from his eyes, and he lamented more gravely t

inners though they may be, to be afflicted by the scourge of the Moors. Rather, defend and preserve them and l

ugh the doorway to his chamber, dressed in white damask, holding a small child in her arms. Following her were many other ladies, all

trial. The first man you see with a long beard who asks you for alms in the name of God, kiss him on the mout

hought about it a great while, remembering everything he had seen. Then he le

rs have set up their ten

possible to have the cit

er herbs for his sustenance, and he saw the great number of Moors teemin

s. When he was inside the castle he saw the king coming from mass, and when he saw him so nearby, he sank to his knees and begged him in God's name to give him alms. The

arly, if you love God and if you have charity in your heart, cast off the clothing you are wearing for penance, and dress yourself

shed these words, the

, my old, weak body is in a state of decrepitude because of its many years and the harsh life I've led so long on the mou

ery pained at thi

teadfast Christian, to have compassion on me, a miserable king, and on all Christians. All

ing moved the hermit to pi

hile the hermit made

essary, I will place myself in the thick of battle, old as I am, to defend Christianity and bring the haug

t me so much grace, I promise you, on my word as ki

gain it. For a lord or a captain should never wear a sad face, no matter how great an adversity there may be, so that his people will not be discouraged. Have some Moorish garments brought to me, and you shall see what I am going to do. When I was on my way to the Holy Land of Jerusalem I stayed in Alexandria, and in Beirut

n only be extinguished with oil or pine resin. I

go to the castle gate, I will bring you a special substance, a

ng, "I will take great

klime there, and he picked up a little sod and came back to the king. Then he took some

t seen it with my own eyes. Now I am certain there is nothing that men cannot do

Moors' camp alone, and put the explosives near the king's tent. At the hour of midnight the explosives will ignite and all the Moors will run there to put out the fire, and your grace will be armed and wa

or his offer, and was very happy. He immediately gave orders t

returned with the things they needed for

countess has it. When her husband, William of Warwick, was alive,

nt both of us to go to th

ted to speak with her. When the countess came

ur, the kind which causes heat and does not burn itself up, the kind that the count, your hu

hat my husband, William of Warwick, could mak

he king, "this her

pons chamber, and she brought back so mu

, making the hermit sit at his side, honoring him as he deserved. The king's courtiers were astonished at the great honor the king was bes

I not honor this poor hermit much more? Now I see t

mission to go and make the explosives. A few days later, when

ill give me leave, I w

hould have all th

oorish clothing that was prepared for him. He went out through a back door of t

lmost midnight the fire broke out, and it grew so great and so terrible that everyone was astonished at the enormous flames. The king and the other Moors, unarme

and with the few men he still had he attacked the Moors. And they brought

d a horse and fled. He took shelter in a castle he had taken, named Killingworth,

caused such a great disaster, because their forces were fifty times greater than those of the Christians. When

ent his emissaries with a letter challenging t

e following pacts and agreements: If I should defeat you, you will hold all England under my power and command, and you shall give me two hundred thousand pieces of gold in tribute each year. And if fortune decides that you are the conqueror, I shall

for the royal crown, but so that God Who is great may give

arwick as envoys to the King of England, left the castle of Killingworth, and b

with the reply. One of the guards quickly went to the king to tell him. After the king had held a brief counsel, he

n tell you that the envoys may come without danger a

pieces of gold. The messenger departed, very content,

oung, hang banners in the windows and on the roofs, as tall as the women's chests, and each of these women should put armor on her head. When the envoys pass by they will see the coats of mail shining, and will think they are all warriors. Have the three hundred guarding the gate follow them by other streets, and let them appear in the square and

caster and the Count of Salisbury should receive the envoys, and that four thousand men should go with them

uke of Bed

es to be performed for the envoys, how should they

and that they are intended more for malice than good. It is because I am old and a hermit that you are trying to besmear my advice and beli

se to his feet, drew

ar the habit of Saint Francis, I would take this

. All the other noble lords there calmed the hermit, telling him that because of his age and the habit he wore he should be for

ing that the Moorish envoys were approaching, and those w

tter, and the king commanded that it be read in everyone's

ss, accept t

he kin

accordance with the condi

when he would give them the formal reply. He showed them to v

d while it was being prepared, the hermit, a

e other lords, that the king was obliged to give them to him. Then the hermit went with the others to the tower where the duke was imprisoned, and there they found a friar hearing his confessi

ermit saw

armful words to each other, I beg you to f

om the Moorish king once more. Because the king and all the others loved and revered the hermit and they saw that he led a saintly life, and that he e

weak constitution and is sickly, although he has the courage of a virtuous knight, it would not be fitting or just for him to do battle with a man as robust as the Moorish king. Instead, let the Duke of Lanca

dford, and the Duke of Exeter. And they began to cry loudly that they would not consent for the Duke of Lancaster to enter into battle and b

ermit any further di

ould take my place in battle. Since I hav

up and said

sire, he has taken from you the strength. We all know that Your Highness is not ready for such a formidable and arduous battle as this will be. Let your grace be ruled by

nd knights praised wha

you my thanks for the great love you have shown me, and I submit to your will. But it is my wish and my command that no one, under pain of death, shall be

he kin

hful subjects, I am relinquishing my station, the scepter an

the garment

it, in the same way I relinquish my throne and my station to him. I

t he was clothed in and made him dress in the royal robes. As the king turned over all his power to the hermit, it was duly noted in the presence of all the council and with the consent of all the barons. When the hermit king heard the pleas of

eg you, my lords," said the hermit king, "to be so good as to go to the countess and entreat her by her great virtue

and she heard the reason they had come, the virtuous countess gave them a suit of armor of little value

ed for the other armor, and the countess told them that t

rs, let us all go, and

before the counte

gentility, I beg you to lend me the armo

ild from me, for I have no other dear thing in t

asked for. Lend me the armor that is in the small chamb

ess knelt

ajesty to tell me your name and how you came to k

to tell you, I will. I was in his company conti

s immediate

s when you were a hermit. If I had known how close you were to my lord, William of Warw

ontent with the wor

veness. I only ask you, out of your great virtue and g

or brought to him, covered with blue b

willing to lend them to us. These are the ones which William of Warwick used in tournaments; the ones I want are hanging in the alcove, and are covered with whi

h you had been raised in this house! Your grace may

y all went into her chamber and saw them hanging there. T

e altar of the holy Mother of God, Our Lady, with all his armaments upon the altar. When it was full daylight, he very devoutly heard mass. A

hill to view the battle, and the Christians remained near the city. The hermit king held a well sharpened lance and had a small shield on h

hit him in the thigh, but with the armor the hermit king was wearing the arrow could not penetrate it completely. The hermit king hurled the lance at him when they were near. The Moorish king was very skillful with his arms: when he saw the lanc

ill not matter if all the M

, and realized that he could not shoo

harm because of the thick turban the Moorish king wore! Then the hermit king struck him a mighty blow with his sword, cutting off his arm, and as he plunged his sword fully into his side the Mo

, when they thought they were now released from their captivity! When the king was i

sent as envoys to the Moors, to tell them that they wished to observe the pacts they had all agreed to and sworn to, and that they c

They were given lodging, and were asked to await the reply. The Moors told them this in ord

o death. They cut off their heads, put them inside a packsaddle, and sent them to the city on a mule. The guards who were in the city towers saw two horsemen driving the mule on. When they were near the city they abandoned the mule and galloped away. The captain of the guards saw them an

ave! Now I make a solemn vow, wounded as I am, never to enter a covered building, exc

ad all the men who were more than eleven years old and less than seventy summoned, and under penalty of death they all had to follow him. That

eleven years old were to follow him, she was very upset, for she realized that her son was included. So she hurr

great friendship and love for my virtuous husband. And let me remind your grace of the alms that I used to give you when you were a hermi

ountess's error, a

r of chivalry. It is customary for men of honor to begin to use arms when they are very young, for they learn better at that age than at any other. And because he is now at the best age in the world to see and understand th

nd if he dies in battle, what will become of me, for I shall have lo

had finished, her

am worthy of bearing arms and going into battle to show the mettle I am made of, and who my father was. If it is God's will, He will keep me from harm a

city, weeping, and many virtuous women of the ci

ing, when the sun came out, he had the trumpets sound, and they moved the camp to within half a league of

take a step outside the city, and now they came looking for them. Some captains said this was because of the great cruelty of their king

, and you can be sure that any of us

o had taken the letter to

quares, in the windows and on the rooftops. It was astonishing to see so many armed men. By Mohammed, I would

gone into the city with him, and when they knew the truth of the situation, they killed Cale-ben-Cale

ll decided to go up a nearby hill. Wh

up to such a high place. Let everyone do what I do, and

d went in front of them all. When the great lords saw the

e dug a deep ditch that led to a large water hole, and they left a great entryway in the middle, through which

king

unt of Salisbury, go quickly to the countess, and ask her to give me two large barrels that belong to Wi

to them, even though she was upset with the king because he had not given her son back to her. B

my house? There's nothing I have that has to do with weapons or war that he

When they were before the king, they told him everything the countess had said, and

rs came through, they would stick into their feet. He also had many holes, like wells, dug, so that if

down the mountain to attack the Christians. The hermit king ordered all the men to lie down on the ground, and pretend to be asleep. When they were a

beg you. Let's turn our bac

spikes stuck into their feet. When the virtuous hermit king saw the Moors inside the entryway he made his men slow down, like an expert in war and weaponry, and he saw the Moors stoppi

o the enemies of the Christian faith. Let us attack with great courage, f

nable to move because of their wounds, and so they were forced to die, and great destruction was wrought unto them. Those who were coming b

wanted him to kill that Moor. And very bravely the boy stabbed him with his sword until he killed him. When the king saw that the Moor was dead he took the boy by the hair and threw him on top of the Moor, and rubbed him hard against the man, filling

s the greatest destruction and slaughter of men that took place in that time, for ninety-seven thousand Moors died in th

ll the others are going on foot, and if I

rdered the trumpets blown, and all the men armed themselves. The king put on his royal tunic and went in front of all the rest, and they charged the castle. They were met by cross bows and spears a

and help our king and lord who ha

ng was. The others, seeing the small boy going by, all rushed forward at the same time to get to the other

l of wood, and they set fire to the door of the castle.

nd regain your lost liberty: the

l ran to the back door of the castle, for there was a huge fire at the other one an

entire castle was burning, they wanted to surr

ning out of the castle were either quickly killed, or the spears forced them bac

Moor that they wanted to spare, and they went all the way to the port of Southampton where they found all the vessels and ships on which they had

learned that the king was coming she went out to welcome him with all the ladies and maidens of the city, since not one man had stayed ther

victorio

walked along, talking, until they were inside the city. The countess thanked him profusely

ded the war, and the entire kingdom was at peace, he decided to reveal who he was to his wife, the countess, a

rlain, and giving hi

him to speak to her and give her the ring. The chamberlain qu

ed and continues to love

box where she kept the other part of the ring. She put the two parts together, and saw that they were one p

e is my husband, th

e chamber, but in her confusion she could

ate the countess was in, he ran to

s wrong? What new

ll to his knees be

as, or if it was made by sorcery and your worship took it from the Moors, becau

and knelt before him to kiss his feet and his hands. But he would not allow it, and instead he took her arm and lifted her from the floor, and embraced and kissed her many times. Then he revealed who he was to all the lords in the kin

ery valuable items which they had found in the Moors' possession. The king ordered the jewels, the gold, and the silver t

When they were all present, the king came into the council chamber in his royal ro

with the help of your vassals you have recovered the entire isle of England. And so, in the presenc

the garments and dres

and offered to make him Prince of Wales, but he excused himself, saying that he would not leave God's service for the vanities of this wor

t the castle without saying a word to the king or to anyone,

count told his son to go with the king, and to serve him fully. And if disagree

t for London, the coun

serve you. Let us make a hermitage separate

er site that was lovely, with many trees and a beautiful, clear spring, and in the middle of that fine meadow was a

ved, as an ambassador of the king, to ask them to go to London, for the king was to marry the daughter of the King of France.

t-hermit

ve His Excellency, but I cannot abandon the vow I have made to serve God.

nd realized her duty to the king, she agreed to go. The count left them with many tears and went to the hermitage.