THE ROYAL HOUSE OF FRANCE - outriders poetry project

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© 2009 Max Wickert
many armed men from the Spanish provinces entered Saragossa to aid King Galafron, and all waited
anxiously for the morning.
King Polynor returned to his camp and went to see King Bramant, who asked him about the battle.
Polynor replied that the combat would be doubtful and extremely dangerous, and that it seemed
best to him to lift camp or to reach a truce so long as they still had the prisoners. King Bramant was
astonished and they long paced back and forth in his tent. Then the asked King Galafron who this
Mainet might be who carved before Galeana. Galafron replied: “I do not know him, except as my
servant.” King Bramant said: “How can it be that you have servants in your family whom you do
not know?” He answered: “It has been five years since he came here together with this knight
whom you hold prisoner. I think he is now about twenty-two years old. Since he was much
younger then, I did not care to inquire who he was.” Bramant then said: “Tell me, Aragonez: who is
this youth?” Morand replied: “I do not know who he might be, but when I came to Barcelona, I
met on the road by an inn and we became companions. He told me he was Catalan.” And Morand
swore by Mahomet that he did not know who he was. Bramant then had him completely fettered in
irons and threatened him with death.
That evening Polynor said to Bramant: “I certainly think that it will be better for us to make truce
and depart, for I have found that young man to be the braves knight in the world. I fear that if we
fight him, he will beat us and gain the victory.” Bramant answered haughtily: “I go fight him myself,
so that you may get some rest.” Polynor, no less haughty than he, answered: “If you swear to me by
Mahomet and on your knighthood that, if I die, you will fight him to death, I shall go into battle
tomorrow.” King Bramant gave his word and they went to bed.