Chapter 91

What Amadis sent to the King of Bohemia. 

[Detail of the eastern tower of the Charles Bridge in Prague. Its construction began in 1357. Photo by Sue Burke.]
 
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Amadis, as the one who bore the weight of great duty, especially regarding his lady, never thought about anything but how to acquire what would be needed, and he had a mission for Isanjo, a very honorable knight with great discretion. When Amadis won Firm Island, he found him serving as its governor, a position held by members of his family, as the second book of this story has told in greater detail.

Amadis took him aside and told him:

“My good lord and great friend, I have known your virtue and good sense and constant desire to protect my honor since I first met you, something which I must reward when the time comes. I have thought about giving you a little work, because considering who I would send you to, no other messenger is appropriate. Ye would need to go immediately to King Tafinor of Bohemia with my letter and the credentials that shall be given to you, and in great detail ye should tell him what has happened and how much faith and hope I have in his favor. And I trust in God that your diplomacy will achieve great success because he is a very noble king and, with great love and affection, he offered to put himself at my disposal when I left his court.”

Isanjo answered:

“My lord, I am willing and prepared to be at your service and to do much more, and so this journey I hold more as an honor than as a difficulty or labor. And as for me, my lord, ye may be sure that in this as in everything that augments your estate I would place my person even at the point of death. In this, my lord, the documents need only be created and I shall leave whenever you consider it best.”

Amadis thanked him with great love, understanding that the good will with which he responded ought not be considered as anything inferior to good deeds, for deeds spring from good will and good will is fundamental to good works.

With that arranged, Amadis wrote a letter to the King, and it said:

“Noble King Tafinor of Bohemia, if in the time when I was in your court as a knight errant I was able to be of some service to you, I consider myself well paid by the honors and good deeds that I received from you as well as from all your people. And if now I write in hopes of your kindness by asking for your help in my time of need, I do so thinking of nothing other than knowing of your noble will and great virtue. During the brief time I found myself in your court, I always saw you ready to pursue every just thing in accord with all virtue and good conscience. Because this knight shall explain the situation on my behalf more extensively and how it came about, I ask hope after giving him credence, the consequence of his envoy will have the effect on you that such a request from you would have on me.”

When the letter and the credentials were read, Isanjo prepared a ship and departed immediately as he had been ordered. And it may be said that his journey was well employed, given the men that this good King sent to Amadis, as shall be recounted farther on.

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