THE ROYAL HOUSE OF FRANCE - outriders poetry project

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© 2009 Max Wickert
they fought with four of Gerard’s kinsmen. One of these was Lord Bussy and he had wounded Flamingon 66 . Still
burning with shame at this defeat, Flamingon now saw that Bussy had come to Paris unarmed and poorly attended.
He secretly conferred with his own men, proposing to be avenged by murdering Bussy. They at first opposed his
suggestion. “If we kill Bussy,” they said, “the quarrel between Charles and Gerard of the Thicket will erupt into open
war, and we shall find ourselves fighting Charles.” Flamingon answered: “The manner of Bussy’s death need never be
known,” and thus persuaded them to prepare an ambush in a forest near Troyes on the Burgundian border.
Bussy meanwhile took leave from Charles, once more begging him to forget Gerald’s insults and assuring him of his
own and Lord Clare’s good will. Charles embraced him tenderly and bade him goodbye. Roland, Namo, Ogier,
Ganelon, Astolph and many other barons escorted him for half a day. They dined at one of Roland’s castles and then
parted. Roland and the rest rode back to Paris; Bussy continued toward Burgundy.
Lord Bussy had received some fine hawks and hounds as parting gifts from Duke Namo. When he arrived in
Champagne, he prepared to go hunting in the forest of Troyes. Spies reported his movements to Flamingon who armed
a huge company and prepared the ambush. Suspecting nothing, Buss, a falcon on his wrist, was riding with his small
escort, when they were suddenly surrounded and attacked. Hopelessly outnumbered, Bussy fought bravely, but was cut
down. All his companions and all his horses, his hawks, and his hounds, were butchered also, and buried along with
their weapons into a deep ditch, with a great pile of tree trunks atop, so that there should be no sign of the deed. Only
two creatures escaped alive: a greyhound of Duke Namo’s and Lord Bussy’s own hunting brach. The greyhound,
bleeding from a wound in its haunch, found its way back to Paris. The brach scented out where her master was buried
and lay down there and would not move from the spot.
War with Gerard
The War Begins
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After Bussy’s death, letters were dispatched into several regions to await his coming. When he failed
to arrive, dispatches reached Gerard day after day that Bussy had not come. After some time had
passed, Gerard wondered why he did not return and sent a messenger to King Charles in Paris to
ask Charles why he had not send back his nephew. Charles heard out that messenger, and answered
that he was astonished, for twenty days had already passed since Bussy had left Paris. The
messenger hastened back to Duke Gerard. When he had told of his mission, all were seized with
wonder, whereupon Gerard summoned Lord Clare and said: “Charles has had your brother
66 Wounded Flamingon: For an account of this fight, see III.5-6 above.