THE ROYAL HOUSE OF FRANCE - outriders poetry project

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© 2009 Max Wickert
King Armin had a tethered horse. It was the most beautiful horse in the world, and he had kept it
shut away and tethered for seven years because no man could tame it; although many had many
times tried to tame it, none had the hardihood to break it to the saddle.
Now that Bevis was at the court, King Armin went one day to see that horse, and Bevis saw him
coming and heard the king say: “I would give great gifts to whoever could tame it and ride it.” Bevis
said to him: “O that he were my horse now, for I would tame him and saddle him and ride him!”
The king understood him and said: “Augustine, by my faith, if you tame him, I would do much good
for you, and I would relieve you of your duties as a stable boy, and you would only have this one to
govern.”
So Bevis stripped to his doublet, took up a stick, and turned toward the horse. When he drew near
it, the horse reared and Bevis gave a shout into its ear, and the horse sought to lunge toward Bevis,
for it had a chain around its long neck. Bevis gave him a great blow and threw himself at the locks
of his mane, and give him a cuff on his left ear, so that the horse began to stumble. Bevis grasped
the chain and dragged him from the manger, led him into the courtyard, had him shod, saddled and
bridled him, and mounted. When he desired him to move, the horse made three leaps, but Bevis
had a great club and struck him on the croup and on the flanks, and the horse began to tremble and
went as Bevis wished.
He had him broken to the saddle in eight days and he rand and did whatever Bevis wished. He
became in all things so excellent, that a more excellent horse could be not found at its time. But he
refused to be ridden by any except Bevis. He grew so accustomed to him that, when Bevis spoke,
the horse obeyed him, so that many ignorant persons said that Bevis was a demon who had entered