THE ROYAL HOUSE OF FRANCE - outriders poetry project

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© 2009 Max Wickert
for King Pepin and all the city are shouting, ‘Death to the Maganza traitors!’ Already more than
sixty of your servants have been killed, and King Pepin goes accompanied by Bernard of Clairmont
and King Philip of Hungary and Morand of Riviera and all the people of the city.” Then Gryphon,
Guinam, Ptolemy and Spinard fled the city, with their many retainers, even as they were set upon by
the men that arrived with King Philip of Hungary. King Pepin had Falisetta taken into the square,
with both her sons, and commanded that she be burned along with both these children born in
adultery. But King Philip and Bernard and Morand, as well as the queen, begged him to have pity
on the two youngsters. He was unwilling to consent, and they were about to be thrust into the fire,
when all the people began to cry out: “Your Sacred Majesty, have pity on these two innocents!”
King Philip asked King Pepin for the mercy that the people of Paris demanded, and he granted
them mercy, saying: “God grant that mercy for you bode no evil to me and the realm of France!”
So did Lanfroy and Ulric escape the flames, but Falisetta was burnt. And she was ever after by all
men called Falsetta, because of the falsehood she had employed.
16: The Defeat of Gryphon and His Brothers [summary]
King Pepin now sent four thousand men, led by Bernard of Clairmont, Morand, Raymond of Trier and Raymond of
Spain, to bring Bertha from Lambert’s house. Gryphon of Poitiers and his brothers, with five thousand loyal
Maganza knights, interrupted their flight when they learned of the plan and split their forces in two to intercept the
king’s army. Bernard, after finding Bertha, prudently also decided to split his forces. He himself rode ahead with two
thousand, leaving the other two thousand to guard Bertha, who herself dons armor. Bernard’s division encounters half
the Maganza force, led by Ptolemy and Spinard, engages them in battle and kills Spinard. Gryphon, leading the rest
of the Maganzas, meanwhile attacked the king’s other division, led by Morand and the two Raymonds. As the two
battles were raging simultaneously, Bertha, seeing Ptolemy attacking Bernard, struck him dead with her lance. On the
king’s side, Raymond of Spain was gravely wounded by Gryphon. At battle’s end, a thousand of the king’s knights
lie dead and many were wounded, but Gryphon and Guinam suffered a loss of two thousand before they fled to
Maganza with the remainder.
After the victory had been celebrated in Paris, King Philip and his wife returned to Hungary. Bertha, now pregnant,
was once more Pepin’s queen. She loved him tenderly, and for love of him also cared devotedly for his two bastard
children, Lanfroy and Ulric.