THE ROYAL HOUSE OF FRANCE - outriders poetry project

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© 2009 Max Wickert
After Dudon had returned to his territory of Maganza, he at once began hastily to gather great sums
of gold and silver, and to hire many armed men. While he was doing so, King Angelus of France
died, leaving his son Pepin.
Hearing this, Dudon went to France to speak with Pepin. He swore fealty to him, with the
provision that he would assist him against Bevis of Hampton, recalling to Pepin the death of his
father, Rainier, who had been slain at Paris in the presence of King Angelus by Guy of Hampton.
And he told him how he had slain Duke Guy to be avenged, and how Bevis had taken the reign of
Hampton from him.
King Pepin, hearing Dudon promise him vassalage, desirous of making him his man, little seeing
that he was doing more harm than good, promised to give him substantial assistance, and ordered
ambassadors to be sent throughout his realm to assemble a great army. Those of Aragon and other
parts of Spain, fearing that Pepin wished to wage war against them, on account of the army that they
heard he was gathering, sent their ambassadors to King Pepin, and he concluded a six-month truce
with them all. Then, with a great army on shipboard, he crossed into England to the port of
Hampton and landed with fifty-thousand knights, of whom ten thousand were Dudon’s. The made
camp outside the city of Hampton. Bevis had heard of their coming, and had strongly reinforced the
cities garrison and walls and moats and battlements, and had three-thousand and five hundred
knights in his pay.
King Pepin had ordered his army in four divisions, each under its own commander. The first he had
given to Otho of Trier, with ten thousand knights: he bore the blazon of Duke Guy of Hampton,
who had given it to him when they were both in Spain. When Pepin ordered him to lead the first
division against the enemy, he replied: “Gladly, but not against friends.” The second division he