THE ROYAL HOUSE OF FRANCE - outriders poetry project

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© 2009 Max Wickert
But he could not silence his crew, for Lampal rose to his feet and said: “King Anglant, what Balant
says cannot be true, since you have infinite numbers of men and have sent Troyan, your son, to the
other side of France. If Charles moves from Paris he will be pursued by Troyan, and if they hear of
such multitudes the city will not be able to withstand them and they will all fall into our hands.
There is no doubt that we, in a short time, will seize all of France and prove Balant a liar, who has
taken service with Charles.” Balant said: “At this time one may give comfort to Anglant by your
words, King Lampart, you old man; but, by my faith, by your own power you could not conquer
even one wretched castle for my lord, King Anglant. But have you forgotten the time when King
Florians of Roscia deprived you of your realm, and my lord sent you aid, a hundred thousand men,
and I was their commander, and we besieged Florians’ son, and when his father came to aid him, I
stood in his way so that he became my prisoner and surrendered your kingdom back to you? You
cannot deny this, for there are fifty-thousand of his men in this very camp to aid King Anglant.”
Then he turned to King Anglant and said: “My lord king, how many services I have rendered to
your crown! For all of them I am ill repaid at this moment. How many embassies I have performed
on your behalf! I have ventured my body in seven battles, so that you gained a realm by the least of
them, and I can show you many wounds on my body. Out of these realms, you have two-hundred-
thousand fighting men here by the Lighthouse of Messina. And the reward you give me for this is
that you suffer those whom I have made submit to you to offer me outrages, and you have never
caught me in a lie. Would to Mahound that what I say were a lie! But you shall see it proved in fact.
There is not a man in this host, from Almont on down, whom, if he said the contrary, I would not
defy to combat, to prove that all I say about the actions of France is true.”
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Now Almont rose to his feet and said: “Anglant, my dear father, Balant was never found to
undertake anything in opposition to your lordship, and therefore I much marvel, Triamides, that you