THE ROYAL HOUSE OF FRANCE - outriders poetry project

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© 2009 Max Wickert
battle?” Then Balant grew somewhat angry and said: “Almont and Ulien and myself alone shall wait
for you and your whole Christian army. You will come to die in Aspramont at our hands.” After
these words, all rose from their seats, since the meal was done, and Balant asked leave of Charles to
depart. Charles said to Balant that he wished to send some additional words to King Almont, and
that he would send for him to deliver the message. Then he gave him into Duke Namo’s care. The
wise duke brought him to his palace, had him mount a horse, and took him to see the whole city.
The also went to see Saint Dennis, and in the evening he supped with Duke Namo in his chamber.
The slept together, and when they were abed they began to converse about faith in Christ and faith
in Mahomet. The wise duke was learned and a great friend of God, knew all the laws, and both the
Old and New Testaments, and began to preach to Balant as related in the next chapter.
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After Namo and Balant had lain down, King Balant, to learn what the faith of Christians was, began
by saying: “Duke Namo, surely your Christian faith is false, and faith in Mahomet is the true faith.
Whoever does not believe in Mahomet cannot be saved and is damned.” With this he began to
exhort the duke to adore Mahomet and Apollyon, and told him that King Anglant would make him
a great lord for the sake of his learning. “He will make you his counselor.” The duke, like a wise
man, stayed silent and listened to all this, and then answered him: “King Balant, I shall neither abuse
your faith nor praise my own. I only wish you to judge for yourself, when I have told you how our
faith took its origin.” And he began with the beginning of creation, how God made the world and
all the animals, and the heavens and the sun and the stars and the planets; how he parted the light
from the darkness, and made the fishes in the sea, and on the sixth day created man, called Adam,
and then made him sleep and from his rib created the lady Eve, and how he commanded them not
to eat the fruit of the Tree of Good and Evil; and how they were naked, and how the devil deceived
them, and they were driven from Paradise; how the world endured until Noah’s ark; how God