THE ROYAL HOUSE OF FRANCE - outriders poetry project

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© 2009 Max Wickert
they saluted him in royal fashion and told him that Marsilius was keeping Duke Gerard’s four sons
as prisoners and would surrender them to the king in exchange for peace.
When Charles heard these tidings, he said to Gerard: “You cursed renegade, have you nothing to say
to me?” He answered: “I am sorry that I did not hang them with my own hands, for, if they had not
betrayed me, I would have driven you from the realm of France.” Then the ambassadors related
how Gerard had tried to hang them and King Marsilius had saved them.
For this reason a peace was concluded. On the next day, Gerard’s four sons were surrendered to
Charles. The Saracens were given leave to depart without battle, and Marsilius swore to pay Charles
a tribute of ten thousand écus each year (meaning those gold coins that are called écus 70 ). He was
granted leave by Charles and returned to Spain. Charles entered Vienne and bestowed its rule upon
Rainier, Arnaut, Guiscard and Miles, ordering Duke Gerard to be brought before Pope Leo in
Rome, and so it was done.
The Pope had the soles of his feet examined to see whether he bore the mark of the fiery cross 71 .
Since he did not, he had him prayed over until he converted. The Pope had him buried up to his
neck and kept in this condition for a day. Then he had him dug up again and rebaptized, naming
him Melioranus 72 . But this did the opposite, for it made him worse rather than better. Since he
seemed sincere in his repentance, the Pope once again gave him his blessing, reendowed him with
the lordship of Burgundy, and sent him back to Charles. Charles confirmed what the Pope had
done. (The Pope in those days was Leo, Bernard of Clairmont’s son and Roland’s bodily uncle.)
70
Écus: an anachronism, since the first écu was not minted until 1336. The coin enjoyed common currency in
Andrea’s Florence.
71
Fiery cross: Heretics who irrevocably repudiated their faith supposedly bore this mark, and thus could not be
saved from the stake. The omitted chapter 146 makes it clear that Gerard refused this mark out of prudence
rather than scruple.
72
Melioranus: orig. Migliorano, literally “Betterman”