THE ROYAL HOUSE OF FRANCE - outriders poetry project

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© 2009 Max Wickert
stairs, and all his lords followed him. Upon arriving in the courtyard, he called the justicer and
demanded to know why he was bringing Floravant back. The justicer answered, “At the command
of the queen.” Then the assembled people, throwing themselves upon their knees in the courtyard,
cried for mercy. The king, possessed by the devil, commanded him to do as he was told, calling him
a disobedient and traitor servant, so the justicer went on his way to bring Floravant to the gallows to
be hanged. The queen, hearing the king’s command, fell on her knees before him and said: “My
dear lord, how long did you yearn to have a son! And God gave you one, and now for a small
offense He takes him away from you. O my lord, either kill me, his wretched mother, alongside
him, or give him back to me alive!” The king, pierced by great sorrow, answered her: “My queen, O
my queen, if you continue to speak of this, I will have you burned at the stake.” She, seeing him
adamant in this opinion, saw Salard standing not far from the king, threw herself to her knees at
Salard’s feet. Salard bade her rise, and the Queen said, sobbing: “O most noble duke, the fame of
you and your ancestors is resplendent throughout the world, for your family was the first who
fought for our Faith. I beseech you, let not a little point of honor blot out the glory of so much
fame, so that it will afterwards be said: Salard had the King of France’s son hanged for so trivial a
fault. Rather, make peace with Floravant and impose on him some penance for his offense. Have
him banished from the kingdom; if you do this, I promise that if you ever come back, I will make
you my kinsman and give you our daughter for a wife.” Salard, hearing the queen’s words, was
moved to pity by her promises. He took her by the hand, and gave his solemn pledge palm to palm,
and so did she. Salard said: “What do you wish me to do?” She answered; “Ask the king for
mercy.”
Salard came before the king and said: “Your Sacred Majesty, you have condemned whoever asks for
mercy within three days to lose his head, therefore I will not ask for mercy. But I myself will give