Chapter 133 [part 3 of 3]

[What Urganda told them about the future; and thus this great story comes to an end.] 

[Acabanse los quatro libros del esforzado y muy virtuoso cavallero Amadis de Gaula hijo del rey Perion y de la reyna Elisea: en los quales se hallan muy por estenso las grandes aventuras y terribles batallas en que sus tiempos por el se acabaron y vencieron: y por otros muchos cavalleros assi en su linaje como amigos suyos. El qual se emprimido en la muy noble y muy leal ciudad de Sevilla: por Jacobo Cromberger Alleman y Juan Cromberger. Acabose en el año del nacimiento de nuestro salvador Jesuchristo de Mil y quinientos y veynte y seys años. A veynte dias del mes de Abril. ✠ ]
 
+ 

Then Urganda left Oriana and returned to the knights, who were gathered together to plan the voyage each one would have to make, and she told them:

“My good lords, ye shall well remember how I departed from this island, when ye were together, and I told you the time would come when the young noble Esplandian would receive knighthood for a reason that was hidden to you, and then all of you would be called here again. This has been fulfilled, and your presence is testimony to that. Now I have come as I promised not only for that ceremony but to save you from the adversities and great labors that this search which ye are all prepared to make would place you in without achieving any results of the kind that ye desire.

“If all those who have been born into this world and all those yet to be born, were they alive and all attempted with complete diligence to find King Lisuarte, they could not possibly succeed due to the place where he has been taken. For that reason, my lords, do not let such folly and little discretion enter your hearts, since ye have been forewarned by me, and do not wish to know what the will of the most powerful Lord keeps all from learning, and to leave it to he to whom by His special grace it is permitted.

“And because delay can cause great harm, to accomplish what is necessary, come as ye are with the handsome young Esplandian, Talanque, Maneli the Moderate, the King of Dacia, and Ambor, son of Angriote d’Estravaus, to be my guests tonight and part of tomorrow inside that great ship which seems to be a dragon.”

When those lords heard what Urganda told them, they all fell silent and no one knew how to respond. Things she had said in the past had come true, so they well believed that this would, too. For that reason, without debate, they agreed to comply with what she had ordered, considering it to be best. They immediately mounted their horses and she her palfrey, taking with them Esplandian and the other young noblemen, and they went to the port, where Urganda said that they could go with her in the skiffs to enter the Great Dragon, and so it was done.

When they had arrived and entered that great ship, Urganda went with them into a grand and fine hall where tables had been set for them to eat. She entered a chapel at the end of the hall with the young men, which was adorned with gold and valuable stones, and there she ate with them while damsels played sweet tunes on musical instruments. After they had dined, Urganda left the young men in the chapel and came out into the great hall where the lords were, and asked them to go to the chapel and provide company to the novice knights.

After a while, Urganda returned with a coat of mail in her hands, and behind her came her niece Solisa with a helmet, and Solisa’s sister Julianda with a shield. And this armor was not like those of other novice knights, who usually began their knighthood wearing white. This was blacker and darker than anything else could be. Urganda went to Esplandian and told him:

“Young nobleman, more fortunate than any other of thy time, wear this armor in accordance with the sorrow and sadness in thy mighty and brave heart thou hast for thy grandfather the King. For just as in the past those who took the order of chivalry established and considered good that new joy be marked by new white armor, I hold it proper to give sad black armor in grief, because at their sight thou shalt recall and give remedy to their forlorn color.”

Then she put the chain mail on him, which was strong and well made. Solisa put the helmet on his head, and Julianda put the shield on its strap around his neck. Then Urganda looked at Amadis and said:

“For good reason these knights could ask why this armor lacks a sword. But ye will not, my good lord, for ye know where ye found it and how long it has been waiting, placed there by she who in her time had no equal in the magical arts, but who met a disastrous and sorrowful end none other than by the treacherous love she had for the man whom she loved more than she loved herself. With that enchanted sword he will have the power to undo and dissolve all other enchantments when the hilt is held by his mighty hand, and he shall do such things so that those deeds that until now have shone bright shall be diminished and placed into obscurity.”

When Esplandian was dressed in his armor, as ye hear, four damsels entered the chapel, each bearing suits of armor as bright and shining as the moon, worked and decorated with many precious stones and with black crosses. Each one of them armed one of those young noblemen, and with Esplandian in the middle of them, they knelt before the altar of the Virgin Mary and kept vigil over their weapons. As was the custom at the time, they all had their head and hands bare.

Esplandian among them was so handsome that his face shone like the rays of the sun, and those who were with him were astonished to see him. He knelt and with great devotion and humility asked Mary to intervene with Her glorious Son to help him and direct him in such a way that in His service he could fulfill everything required by the great honor he was undertaking, and that by the grace of His infinite goodness, he rather than anyone else would restore King Lisuarte to his honor and realm, if he were alive.

So he spent all the night saying only those prayers and many other orisons, believing that neither strength nor courage, no matter how great they were, would be more useful than what might be granted there.

Thus the night passed, as ye have heard, with all men and women there holding vigil with those novice knights. When morning came, on top of the Great Dragon appeared a very ugly and feeble dwarf with a large trumpet in his hand, and he played it so loudly that its sound was heard in most of the island, thus everyone was alerted and came out on the walls and in the towers of the castle, and many other people came to the rocks and heights from which they could watch. And the ladies and damsels who were in the great tower in the garden quickly climbed up to the top where they could see what could have made such a mighty sound.

When Urganda saw them ready, she had the lords there climb up to where the dwarf was, and then she took the four novice knights and Esplandian with her and came up behind them, and after her came six damsels dressed in black with six golden trumpets. When they had all climbed up, Urganda said to the giant Balan:

“My friend Balan, as nature wished to distance thee from all those of thy lineage by making thee so different from their customs, bringing thee to know reason and virtue, which until now none of thy ancestors could find, it can be said that this came to thee as a gift or grace. So, for the affection and love that I recognize in thee for Amadis, I wish thee to be granted another distinction among these outstanding knights, a distinction that no one else shall achieve now or in the future, which is that by thy hand this young man shall be made a knight. His great feats shall be testimony to the truth of my words and shall make permanent the glory that thou shalt attain in conferring knighthood to he who shall be so prestigious and superior over all other fine knights.”

The giant, when he heard this, looked at Amadis without responding, as if he felt hesitant to comply with what that lady had said. Amadis, when he saw this, immediately realized that his consent was needed, and he said with great humility:

“My good lord, do as Urganda says, for we must all obey her orders without contradiction.”

Then the giant took Esplandian’s hand and said:

“Handsome youth, dost thou wish to be a knight?”

“I do,” he said.

Then he kissed him and put on his right spur and said:

“May the powerful Lord who put so much of His form and grace in thee, more than has ever been seen in anyone else, make thee such a good knight that very rightly I may from now on keep a fourth vow, which I make now: that I shall never perform this ceremony for anyone else.”

When that was done, Urganda said:

“Amadis, my lord, if by chance ye think of instructions that ye wish to give this novice knight, speak now, for soon he shall depart from your presence.”

Amadis, who knew the ways of Urganda and that she would not make that admonishment without good reason, said:

“Esplandian, my son, when I was passing through the islands of Romania and arrived in Greece, I received from that great Emperor many honors and gifts, and after I left his presence I received many more, as these lords have seen, to meet my and their needs. For that reason I am obliged to serve him all my life, and among the great honors that I achieved there was one that I must consider more highly than the rest.

“It is that the very beautiful Leonorina, the Emperor’s daughter, the most gracious and beautiful damsel that could be found in the entire world, and Queen Menoresa and other ladies and damsels of great estate all took me with them in their chambers with such delight and joy and care for me as if I were the son of the emperor of the world, knowing nothing more about me than that I was a poor knight. When I departed, they asked from me a boon: that if I could, I would see them again, and if I could not, I would send a knight from my lineage who could serve them.

“I promised to do so, and because I am not in a position to fulfill my word, I commend thee to do so. If God in His mercy allows thee to accomplish what we all wish, bear this in mind and release my promise from where it is being held prisoner by such a high lady. And so that they may believe that thou art he who comes in my place, take this beautiful ring, which she took from her hand to put on mine.”

Then he gave the ring that the Princess had given him with a precious stone that matched the one in a fine crown, as the third part of this story recounts. Esplandian knelt before him and kissed his hands, saying that what he had been ordered to do, he would carry out if God considered it good. But this he would not fulfill as quickly as they both thought. Instead, the knight passed through many perils out of his love for this beautiful Princess, only knowing what he had heard tell of her, as shall be recounted to you further on.

When this was done, Urganda said to Esplandian:

“Handsome son, make these young men your knights, for very soon they shall repay you for the honor that they receive from your hand.”

Esplandian did as she commanded in such a way that on that morning all five received the order of knighthood. Then the six damsels ye have heard about played such a sweet song on their trumpets, so delightful to hear, that all those lords, including the five novice knights, fell asleep, senseless to everything. And the Great Dragon blew such thick black smoke from its nostrils that no one who was watching could see anything other than darkness.

But a short time later, not knowing by what way or means, all those lords found themselves in the garden beneath the trees where Urganda had encountered them when she arrived. When the smoke had dispersed, the Great Dragon was no longer to be seen, nor did they know what had happened to Esplandian and the other novice knights, which frightened them all.

When those lords understood what had happened, they looked at each other, and it seemed everything had happened in a dream. But Amadis found beside his right hand a manuscript which said:

“Ye Kings and knights who are here, return to your lands, bring joy to your souls and rest to your spirits. Leave esteem at arms, fame, and honor to those who have begun to climb high on the wheel of inconstant fate. Be content with what ye have achieved so far, for fate, more with you than with any others of your time, has been pleased to hold still and firm its perilous wheel.

“Thou, Amadis of Gaul, who from the day that thy father King Perion made thee a knight at the request of thy lady Oriana, defeated many knights and strong and brave giants, placing thy person in great danger at every moment until today, filling with fear the brute and fearsome vermin terrified at the courage of thy mighty heart, from here on give repose to thy fatigued limbs, for thy favorable fortune has turned the wheel from thee to Esplandian, leaving all others beneath him, granting him a place at the top.

“Begin now to taste the bitter elixir that kingdoms and realms attract and that shall soon arrive, for just as with only thy person and arms and horse, living the life of a poor knight who gave aid to many who greatly needed thy help, now with great estates, which promise false rest, thou shalt become he who shall need great help, aid, and protection. And thou, who until now only concerned thyself with gaining fame, believing with that to repay the debt to which thou wert obligated, shalt find thy thoughts and concerns now spread among so many and so varied matters that many times thou shalt wish to be returned to that earlier life with only your dwarf to command.

“Take thy new life now with more concern for governance than for battle. Leave arms to he whom victories are granted by the high Judge, who has no one above Him to revoke His sentence, for thy great feats at arms so famous throughout the world shall become dead before thine eyes, and many who know no better shall say that the son killed the father. But I do not speak of that natural death to which we are all obliged, rather of that which erases the glory won by passing through many great dangers and greater anguish. If anything remains, it cannot be called glory or fame but their shadow.”

When that manuscript had been read, they spoke at length among themselves about what they should or could do, and their opinions were varied, although in effect they were limited. But Amadis told them:

“My good lords, although it is forbidden to give credence to enchanters and those wise in such arts, the things that we have witnessed and experienced in the past from this lady should give us true hope in what is to come, for while above all else the Lord has the power to know and make possible all things, some of what with difficulty we could not otherwise see may be permitted to be made manifest to Urganda and shared before it happens, as has so far been proven in many ways.

“And for that reason, my good lords, I consider it proper for us to carry out what she has advised and ordered. Return to the realms ye have recently won. My brother, King Sir Galaor, and my uncle, Sir Galvanes, should take Brandoivas with them and go to see Queen Brisena so she may learn from them with what will we meant to carry out her orders and why we have chosen not to act. And from her they may learn what more she would be pleased to have us do.

“I shall remain here with my cousin Agrajes until we hear news, and if our help and aid is needed, we shall learn of it faster if we are together, and wherever duties take anyone, let others know if they should come.”

To all those lords and knights, what Amadis said seemed like a good plan, so they put it to work. King Bruneo and Sir Cuadragante, Lord of Sansuena, returned to their realms, taking their very beautiful wives Melicia and Grasinda with them. King Galaor and Sir Galvanes, with Brandoivas, went to London, where Queen Brisena was. Amadis, Agrajes, and Grasandor remained at Firm Island, and with them was the mighty giant Balan, lord of the Isle of the Vermilion Tower, whose will was not to leave Amadis until they learned some news about King Lisuarte, and to undertake whatever venture and labor that they might wish to give him.

With thanks to God.

Thus ends the four books of the courageous and very virtuous knight Amadis of Gaul, son of King Perion and Queen Elisena, in which are found detailed the great adventures and terrible battles which in his time he carried out and won: and those of many other knights both of his lineage and of his friends. Which was printed in the very noble and loyal city of Seville: by Jacobo Cromberger of Germany and Juan Cromberger. Concluded in the year of the birth of our savior Jesus Christ at one thousand and five hundred and twenty and six years. At twenty days in the month of April.
+

Thus ends this great story

What a long, wonderful trip it’s been. Thank you for taking it with me. 

Your translator, Sue Burke, at the Convento de San Marcos in León, Spain, originally the headquarters of the knights of the Order of Santiago. Photo by Jerry Finn.
 
+

Back in January 2009, I began posting this translation of a book that left a deep mark on European literature. Next week, I’ll post the end of the final chapter.

It’s a cliffhanger, I’m afraid. The sequel to Amadis of Gaul is The Exploits of Esplandian, the story of Amadis’ son, and it’s often called the fifth book of the series because Amadis of Gaul is actually made up of four books. Alas, I won’t be translating the book about Esplandian, which would take almost four more years. Other projects await me.

However, I have published the first book of Amadis in paper and ebook formats through Amazon, and I’ll do the same for the remaining three. This blog will still be available for everyone to enjoy, and I’m happy that so many people are reading it. If I can help you, the reader, in any other way, please ask.

Regarding the Chapter 133 cliffhanger, I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but Esplandian promptly collects his magic sword from the island of the Peak of the Enchanting Damsel, then travels to the Forbidden Mountain to rescue his grandfather, King Lisuarte, who was kidnapped by the sister of Arcalaus the Sorcerer. After that, Esplandian goes on a series of adventures, especially to protect the city of Constantinople from the Persians. And he eventually marries Princess Leonorina. Their sons, grandsons, great-grandsons etc. also become great knights.

In all, 13 books were published in Spain between 1508 and 1551 to carry on the tales of the family of Amadis. Others were written in Italy, Germany, France, and Portugal over the coming century. In addition, in Spain alone, 65 more novels of chivalry about other knights were published, including Don Quixote de la Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes in 1605. And we must not forget the many earlier tales of chivalry, such as the King Arthur cycle, that came to us from the Middle Ages.

This book, Amadis of Gaul, serves as a foundation and nexus for a genre of literature that remains alive and well in our own time as “sword and sorcery.” I hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as I have. Courage, adventure, love, and knights in shining armor: our world has changed, but we have not. We all still love a good story.

Thank you again for being an essential part of this adventure.

+

Chapter 133 [part 2 of 3]

[How lords and kings came to Firm Island to help search for King Lisuarte.] 

[The coat of arms of Henry VII in 1504, including the red dragon of Cadwaladr, who was the last King of the Britons. From the National Archives.]
 
+ 

When the letter had been sent, Queen Brisena promptly took to the road with those knights for London because that city was the capital of the entire kingdom, and if some uprising were to happen, it would more likely be there than anywhere else. But that was not so. Instead, as the news spread everywhere, people were so upset that both the great and lowly, men and women, left their towns and, as if they were bereft of their senses, wandered shouting through the countryside, weeping and calling for their lord the King in such numbers that all the forests and mountains were filled, and many ladies and damsels with their hair in tangles wailed for he in whom they had always found protection and help.

Oh, how fortunate should kings consider themselves if their vassals with such love and great suffering felt their loss and hardship, and even more fortunate if their subjects would and should to do this because their kings meant as much to them as did this noble King! But sadly, times today are much unlike those of the past, given the little love and less true feelings that people hold for their kings. And this shall cause the world’s climate to be more frail, for if the greatest part of virtue is lost, it cannot bear the fruit it should, as if it were exhausted soil, and neither deep plowing nor the best seeds can prevent thistles and thorns and other useless weeds from growing in it.

Then let us pray to the powerful Lord to remedy it, and if He is not pleased to listen to us and finds us unworthy, may He hear those who are still to be forged and have not yet appeared in this existence, and let them be born with such charity and love as had been kindled in better times in the past, and let kings be without ire and passions, and treat and sustain them with a just and merciful hand.

Returning then to our purpose, the story tells that this news flew quickly to all places that had business with Great Britain by those who spent most of their time sailing the sea, so soon it was known in the lands where were found Sir Cuadragante, Lord of Sansuena; and Sir Bruneo, King of Arabia; and the other lords who were their friends. They considered how much it would weigh on Amadis to rectify any losses to the King or the kingdom if uprisings were to occur, and they agreed that since the conquests had been completed and everything was under control, to go together to Firm Island to meet with Amadis and do whatever he might order.

With that agreement, Sir Bruneo left his kingdom to his brother Branfil and Sir Cuadragante his to his nephew Landin, and taking all the soldiers they could and leaving behind what was necessary to protect those lands, they boarded ships and set out to sea, among them the giant Balan, who was well loved and esteemed by all.

They traveled so fast with such a favorable wind that twelve days after they had left, they arrived at the port of Firm Island. When Balan saw the great dragon that Urganda had left there, as this story has recounted, he was very amazed by such a extraordinary thing and would have been much more astonished if those with him had not told him the reason for it. At the time that those lords docked, Amadis was with his lady Oriana, and he did not wish to leave her side. When Brandoivas had arrived on behalf of Queen Brisena with the letter, as ye have heard, and Oriana learned what had happened to her father, her pain and sadness were so overwhelming that soon she was in danger of losing her life.

When he was told about the arrival of the fleet in which those lords came, he asked Grasandor to receive them and tell them why he could not come. Grasandor did so, and he arrived on horseback at the port to find that the lords had disembarked: Sir Galaor, King of Sobradisa; Sir Bruneo, King of Arabia; Sir Cuadragante, Lord of Sansuena; and the giant Balan, Sir Galvanes, Angriote d’Estrauvaus, Gavarte of the Fearful Valley, Agrajes, Palomir, and so many other knights of great skill at arms that it would be vexing to recount.

Grasandor told them of Amadis’ situation, and asked them to take lodging and rest that night, and the next day he would come out to take charge of the situation, since everyone knew what had happened. They all agreed and did so, and immediately they went to the castle to take lodging in its rooms. And Agrajes and his uncle Sir Galvanes brought Balan with them to do him all the honors they could.

When the night was over and they had heard Mass, they all went to the garden where Amadis was. When he learned they were there, he left his lady a bit more calmed with his cousin Mabilia and sister Melicia and Grasinda, and came out of the tower to meet them. When he saw them all together, now kings and great lords who had survived so many confrontations and dangers as they had with such good health, although his face was sad for what had happened with King Lisuarte, his heart felt great joy, more than if all of that had been won for him alone, and he went to embrace them and all of them to embrace him. But he to whom he showed the greatest love was the giant Balan, whom he embraced many times, honoring him with great courtesy.

Since they were all together, King Galaor, who felt the loss of King Lisuarte as if it were his father King Perion, said that without any delay they ought to agree about what to do regarding King Lisuarte, because he, if Amadis permitted him, wished to begin to search immediately without rest or repose day and night until he lost his life or saved the King if he were still alive.

Amadis told him:

“My good lord brother, it would be a great injustice if that King who was so good, so honorable, and so helpful to good men, were those good men not to rescue him in his extreme need. In addition to the great kinship I have with him and which obliges us all to do as ye say, merely his virtue and great nobility deserve to be served and aided in his adversity by all those who have virtue and good understanding.”

Then they called Brandoivas to come before them and tell them what had been done in the search for the King, and to instruct them in how the Queen would be best served and made most content. He told them everything he had witnessed and how such a great number of people who at the time when the King was lost came out to search for him, that they ought to believe that if in that forest or even in all his kingdom he were being held prisoner, there was nowhere he could have been hidden. Instead the Queen and everyone else could only believe that he had been taken across the sea or had been drowned in the sea, for the search had been so rapid that there would not have been time to bury him.

It seemed to him that since the entire kingdom had felt such sentiments and remained at the Queen’s service with true love and good will, expecting nothing to the contrary, that they with the great fleet they had there ought to depart to many places where, given that fortune had always been favorable with other things they had undertaken, it would not wish to change its ways in this  one in which they were putting so much urgency and affection.

To all those lords, the counsel that Brandoivas gave them seemed good, and they agreed to do so. They asked Amadis to take care to direct them to the parts of the sea and lands they should search so that nothing would be overlooked, and to quickly take them before Oriana, for by her hands they wished to swear and promise to never cease the search until they could bring news about her father the King, alive or dead, and with that they hoped to bring consolation to her sadness.

As they were all about to enter the tower, a man came who told them:

“My lords, a lady has left the Great Dragon, and she must be Urganda the Unrecognized, for no one else could be so powerful to come in and out of it.”

When Amadis heard this, he said:

“If it is her, she is very welcome, and we should be more pleased to see her than anyone else at such a time as this.”

Then they sent for their horses to receive her, but they did not do that fast enough. Urganda had already disembarked on her palfrey, led by two dwarves holding the reins, and arrived at the gate to the garden. When those lords saw her, they came to her, with King Galaor leading them, and he took her from the palfrey in his arms and placed her on the ground. They all greeted her and honored her with great courtesy, and she told them:

“Ye may well believe, my good lords, that to find you here together does not seem surprising to me, since when I departed from you I told you that for a matter unknown to you this would happen. But let us not speak of that now, and before I say anything more to you, I wish to see and console Oriana, because I feel her anguish and pain more than I feel my own.”

Then they all went with her to Oriana’s chamber. When Oriana saw them come through the door, she began to weep bitterly, and she said:

“Oh my lady and good friend! Knowing all the things that are to come, how ye could not prevent such a great misfortune from overcoming that King who loves you so? Now I know that because ye have failed him, everyone else shall also fail.”

And covering her face with her hands, she fell onto the estrado. Urganda came to her and, kneeling, took her by the hands and said:

“My beloved lady and child, do not complain nor be so afflicted, for the empires and great estates with which ye are adorned and provided always bring with them such tribulations, otherwise no one could possess them. If it were otherwise, we to whom the powerful Lord has given little could rightly complain. He has made us all of the same stuff and with such a nature that we are obliged to the same vices and passions and in the end are equal at death; but he has made us so different regarding worldly goods, some asa lords and others as vassals under such subjection and humility that rightly or wrongly we suffer imprisonment, death, banishment, and other innumerable punishments according to the will and wishes of those who have the power over others.

“And if those who are thus subjugated and oppressed feel any consolation for their despair, it is nothing other than to see the whims of fortune that bring such perilous falls. As all this is ordained and permitted by his Royal Majesty, so are all other things in the world that surrounds us, and no power given discretion nor wisdom can of itself move a single point of it. And so my very beloved lady, by compensating the bad with the good and the sad with the happy ye shall give great rest to your fatigue.

“And regarding what ye say to me about your father the King, it is true that it was made manifest to me earlier, as with veiled words I said before I departed from here. But it was not in my power to prevent what had been ordained, but what is granted to me in this visit shall be put to work: which is, with the help of the great Lord, to bring the remedy to this great sadness that has come over you.”
+

Chapter 133 [part 1 of 3]

How, after King Lisuarte returned to his lands from Firm Island, he was taken prisoner by enchantment, and what happened regarding that. 

[King John hunting a deer with hounds. A miniature from the Law Codes of Henry I from 1321, held as part of the Cotton Manuscripts at the British Library.]
 
+ 
 
The story tells that after King Lisuarte departed from Firm Island with his wife, Queen Brisena, leaving behind their newlywed daughters and the other ladies who were married at the same time, as ye have heard, he went directly to his town of Fenusa because it was a seaport and surrounded by forests that held a great deal of wild game, a very healthy and happy place where he often went to relax. And when he was there, in order to give some rest and repose to his spirit for its recent labors, he soon began to give himself over to hunting and other sports that provided him with the greatest pleasure, and so he passed a long period of time.

But when this began to tire him, as with all things of the world when a man follows them for too long, he turned his thoughts to the past and how great knights had once filled his court, and the great adventures these knights had, and how they brought him such great honor and fame that he was renowned and praised to the heavens throughout the world. And although at his age he should have sought repose and relaxation, his will had been infused and habituated to a different kind of life for so very long that it could not be content.

Due to the thoughts of the sweetness of past glory and the bitterness of not having nor being able to acquire it in the present, his mind was so grieved that at times he seemed to have lost his good judgement and could not take joy or consolation in anything that came to him. And what most aggravated his spirit was remembering how his honor had been so much diminished due to past battles and events with Amadis, so that now everyone said that more out of necessity than virtue he had ended that conflict.

So with these thoughts, melancholy fell over him in such a way that this man, who had been so powerful, graced, humane, and feared by all, became sad, pensive, and withdrawn without wishing to see anyone at all, as happens to most of those who pass their time in good fortune without suffering setbacks or obstacles to trouble them. Their strength weakens, and they cannot withstand nor know how to resist the hard and cruel blows of adverse fortune.

The King customarily heard Mass each morning, and with only his good and valued sword on his belt, would traverse the forest on horseback with a crossbowman for a long time, brooding, and at times shooting with the crossbow, and that seemed to give him rest. Then one day it happened that when he was some distance from the town in the thick forest, he saw a damsel coming toward him on a palfrey as fast as it could gallop through the brush, shouting for God to help her. Seeing her, he rode toward her and said:

“Damsel, what has happened to you?”

“Oh, my lord,” she said, “by God and by mercy help my sister, whom I left behind with an evil man who wishes to rape her!”

The King felt sorry for her and said:

“Damsel, guide me, and I shall follow you.”

Then they turned down the same road she had come from, as fast as she could spur her palfrey. They rode until, through the thick brush, the King saw an unarmed man holding a damsel by her hair and pulling on it to drag her down, and she was screaming. The King arrived on horseback shouting for him to release the damsel. When the man saw him coming near, he let her go and fled into the thick brush. The King followed on horseback, but he could not go far because of the branches. When he realized that, he dismounted as fast as he could with the desire to capture him and give him the punishment such an insult deserved, for he thought the man could be from his realm.

He ran behind him, shouting at him, and when they had passed through the underbrush, he found a wide clearing where he saw that a tent had been pitched, which the man he was chasing had entered. The King came to the tent door and saw a lady, and the man who had fled behind her, as if he thought she would protect him. The King said:

“Lady, is this man in your company?”

“Why do ye ask?” she said.

“Because I wish you to give him to me so I may do justice, because if not for me, there where I found him he would have raped a damsel.”

The lady said:

“Knight, enter and I shall hear what ye say. And if it is as ye say, I shall give him to you, for ever since I was a damsel I have held my honor in great esteem, and I would not allow any other damsel to be dishonored.”

The King quickly went to where the lady was, and at the first step he took inside the tent, he fell to the ground as insensible as if he were dead. Then the damsels arrived whom he had followed, and with the lady and the man who was there, they picked up the King, who was unconscious. Two other men came from the trees and took down the tent. They all went to the seashore, which was close by and where they had a ship so well hidden beneath tree branches that it could hardly be seen. They put him on board and set sail. This was done quickly and secretively in a place where no one could see them or know what was happening.

The King’s crossbowman, who was on foot, had not been able to follow the King because he had left too fast to rescue the damsel, and when he reached the horse, he was amazed to find it alone. He entered the brush as fast as he could searching everywhere, but he found nothing. Soon he found the clearing where the tent had been, and from there he returned to the horse, mounted it, and rode for a long time from one end of the forest to the other and along the seashore.

And because he had found nothing, he decided to return to the town, and when he neared it and people there saw him, they thought the King had sent him for something, but he said nothing and rode until he had arrived where the Queen was. He dismounted and hurried into the palace. When he saw her, he told her everything he had seen regarding the King and how he had searched diligently without finding him.

When the Queen heard this, she was very upset and said:

“Oh, Holy Mary! What will become of my lord the King if I have lost him to some misfortune!”

Then she had her nephew King Arban and Cendil of Ganota called and told them the news. They remained cheerful, giving her hope that there was nothing to fear, for there was no danger to the King because he could have quickly become lost in the forest in his haste to avenge the damsel. And since he knew that area, where he had often gone to hunt, he would not take long to return. If he had left the horse, it was only because the trees were so thick that it was not useful.

But fearing the truth more than they showed, they quickly went to arm themselves and mount their horses, and they had all the townspeople come with them, and as fast as they could they entered the forest bringing the crossbowman to guide them, and the townspeople, who were many, spread out everywhere. But neither they nor those knights, despite all their efforts in their search, learned anything about what had happened to the King.

The Queen spent the entire day waiting with great disturbance and alteration to her spirit for some news, but no one dared to return with the little results they had found. Instead, everyone in that town and all those in the region, when they learned what was happening, never ceased to search with great diligence.

When night came, the Queen decided to send messengers and letters as fast as she could to as many places as she could. She spent the night sleepless. At dawn, Sir Grumedan and Giontes arrived, and when the Queen saw them, she asked them if they knew anything about their lord the King. Sir Grumedan said:

“We know nothing more than what they told Giontes and me in the lodge where we were hunting, that many people were searching for him. Thinking we could learn some news here, we decided not to go anywhere else. But since we have learned nothing here, we must immediately join the search.”

“Sir Grumedan,” the Queen said, “I cannot find rest nor repose nor aid, nor can I think of what this may mean. And if I were to stay here, I would die of anguish, and so I have decided to go with you, because if good news were to come there, I will learn it faster there than here, and if it does not, I shall not cease to undertake the labor that I rightly must until I die.”

Then she ordered them to bring her a palfrey. With Sir Grumedan, Sir Giontes, and a lady who was the wife of Brandoivas, they went to the forest as fast as they could and rode in it for three days, always lodging in a town, where, if it were not for Sir Grumedan, she would not have eaten at all, but with his great effort he made her eat a little. Every night she sleep dressed beneath trees, for although they found some homes, she did not wish to enter them, saying that her great anguish would not let her.

At the end of that time, it happened that among the many people they met in the forest they found King Arban of North Wales, very sad and fatigued, and his horse so weak and tired it could not carry him. When the Queen saw him, she said:

“Good nephew, what news do you bring of my lord the King?”

Tears came to his eyes and he said:

“My lady, nothing more than what I knew when I left your presence. And believe, my lady, that so many of us are searching and we have looked with so much urgency and labor that it would be impossible not to find him if he were on this side of the sea. But I think that if he has suffered some trickery, he would not have been kept in his kingdom. And truly, my lady, I was always worried by his strange behavior, so withdrawn into himself and so careless about his safety, because princes and great lords who govern and control many people cannot use their position so justly and clemently that they will not be feared, and where there is fear but not love, then hatred soon arrives.

“For this reason, they must be very careful about their safety, so that smaller men do not dare to do anything against their grandeur, for otherwise, often they would not have thought about such things. May God be pleased in His mercy to put me where I may see him and say this and many other things, and I have hope that God will do so. And ye, my lady, should have that hope, too.”

When the Queen heard this, she lost her senses and fainted dead away, falling from her palfrey. Sir Grumedan jumped off his horse as fast as he could and took her in his arms. He held her for a long time, for she seemed more dead than alive to him. When she regained consciousness, she said with great pain and an abundance of tears:

“Treacherous and terrifying fortune, hope of the miserable, cruel enemy of the prosperous, perturbation of worldly things, what could I praise of thee? If in the past thou madest me lady of many realms, obeyed and attended by many people, and above all joined by marriage to such a powerful and virtuous King, in a single moment by taking him thou hast carried off and robbed me of everything, and if in losing him thou leavest me worldly goods, that gives me no hope to recover rest nor pleasure, but instead to cause me much greater pain and bitterness, because if I valued them and gave them consideration, it was only because of he who ruled and protected them.

“Truly, with much greater cause I could thank thee if thou wert to leave me as one of these simple women without fame or pomp because I would forget my petty and minor troubles and shed my tears for the harsh cruelty done to others. But why shall I complain about thee? Thy trickery and mighty reversals, bringing down those who thou hadst raised up, are so plain to all that they should complain not about thee but about themselves for having trusted thee.”

So the noble Queen sat on the ground and mourned, and her foster father, Sir Grumedan, on his knees, holding her hands, consoled her with very sweet words, as he in whom all virtue and discretion dwelled, with the pity and love he had shown when she was in a crib. But consolation was not needed since she fainted so many times that she was without sense and almost dead, which caused great pain to those who saw her.
And when after a time her spirit had recovered some strength, she said to Sir Grumedan:

“Oh my faithful and true friend, I beg thee that just as in my first days thy hands gave reason for my growth, now in my final days may thy same hands receive my death.”

Sir Grumedan, seeing that a reply would not be needed due to her condition, was quiet and said nothing. Instead, he decided it would be good to take her to a town where she might get some help. So he did, and he and the knights who where there put her on her palfrey, and Sir Grumedan rode behind the saddle holding her in his arms, and they took her to the houses of some huntsmen who guarded the forest for the King. They immediately sent for beds and other comforts so she might rest. But she never wished to be anywhere other than in the poorest bed that they found there. She spent several days without knowing where to go nor what to do with herself.

When Sir Grumedan saw her more reposed, he said:

“Noble and powerful Queen, where has your great discretion fled at the time when ye need it the most, when so unadvisedly ye seek and ask for death, forgetting that with it all worldly things shall perish? What aid would it be for your so beloved husband if your spirit left your flesh? By chance with that would ye buy his health and remedy for his ailments? Instead, truly, it is entirely contrary to what wise people ought to do, for valor and discretion was established and provided for such challenges by the most high Lord, and more with great courage and diligence than with excessive tears ought the fates of friends to be aided. If I were to offer you a way to help him, I would have ye know how I have considered the matter.

“Ye well know, my lady, that besides the knights and many vassals that live in your realms who with great affection and love, follow, and comply with your orders, from the blood of your royal house hangs almost all Christendom today, both in its strength and in its great empires and domains rising above all else like the heavens over the earth. Then, who would doubt that these people, knowing of this great troubling venture, would not like yourself wish to bring remedy to it? And if your husband the King is in these lands, we who are his people will supply that remedy, and if by chance he is across the sea, what land is so desert nor what people so brave that they could refuse to offer aid for him?

“And so, my good lady, setting aside the things that bring more harm than good, taking consolation and counsel again, let us continue in what can benefit and bring health and aid to this affair.”

When the Queen heard what Sir Grumedan said, she turned from death to life. And knowing that he spoke in complete truth, she set aside her tears and great complaints and decided to send a messenger to Amadis, who was nearest at hand, confident that his good fortune would as at other times bring remedy to this matter. She immediately sent Brandoivas to look for Amadis as fast as he could and to give him her letter, which read:

Letter from Queen Brisena to Amadis

“If in times past, fortunate knight, this royal house was protected and defended by your great courage, in this present time, with greater obligation than ever, with great affection and affliction, ye are called. If the great benefits received from you were not rewarded as your great virtue deserved, be content, because the just Judge, powerful in all things, in our defect has wished to pay you by raising up your affairs to the heavens and bringing ours down below the earth. Know ye, my very beloved son and true friend, that just as lightning in the dark night redoubles the vision of the eyes in which it blazes, if it suddenly departs, it leaves them in greater shadows and darkness than before; and so having before my eyes the royal personage of King Lisuarte, my husband and lord, who was light and flame for them and all my senses, being snatched from me in a moment, has left them with bitterness and abundant tears, and they soon may expect death. And because the matter is so painful that neither my strength nor my judgment can write of them, I leave that to the discretion of my messenger. I bring this letter to an end, as well as my sad life if the remedy for it is not seen soon.”

When the letter was finished, she ordered Brandoivas to tell Amadis more extensively the unfortunate news, and he immediately departed with the will that a very faithful servant like him ought to have.
+

Summary, Chapters 115 to 132

Wars are won, weddings are celebrated, and the story continues. 

A carrack, a three- or four-masted ocean-going sailing ship that was developed in the 14th and 15th centuries in Europe. Christopher Columbus’ ship the Santa María was a carrack.
 
+

Summary to Chapter 115

Amadis has provoked a war with King Lisuarte. The King sent his daughter, Oriana, off in a fleet of ships to marry the Emperor of Rome, and Amadis and his friends attack the fleet, defeated it, and take Oriana to safety at Firm Island, which belongs to Amadis. Few people know that Oriana and Amadis are secretly in love. In fact, they even have a son named Esplandian, who has been raised since infancy by a holy hermit named Nasciano.

For the war, King Lisuarte has received aid and troops from the Emperor of Rome, among other allies. Amadis is supported by his old friends and by new friends he made during his years of travel as a knight errant. They have sent troops and supplies, and his army is led by his father, King Perion.

Meanwhile, Arcalaus the Sorcerer, who is a sworn enemy of Amadis, has raised his own army, allying with King Arabigo of Arabia. They plan to wait until the other two armies have exhausted themselves fighting, and then will swoop down and conquer them both.

After some hard battles, in which Amadis kills the Emperor of Rome, both sides have suffered great losses, but Lisuarte’s side is so weakened that he knows he will be defeated if another battle is held. At this time, the hermit Nasciano comes to make peace. With permission from Oriana, he tells Lisuarte that she and Amadis are married and that the boy Esplandian is his grandson. Nasciano then speaks to Amadis and Perion, and they all agree to peace.

Chapter 115

The armies of King Perion and King Lisuarte withdraw. Lisuarte has known for some time that Arcalaus and King Arabigo are present with an army, but he does not know where. As Arcalaus is about to attack Lisuarte’s troop, Esplandian and a friend are riding to Lisuarte to deliver a message. They see Arcalaus’s troops charging down a mountainside toward the remains of Lisuarte’s army, which is retreating as fast as possible to take refuge in a town.

Esplandian rides to the other camp and informs Perion and Amadis, and Amadis gathers up some troops and gallops off to rescue King Lisuarte, followed by Perion and the rest of the army.

Chapter 116

King Lisuarte and his men fight bravely, suffer bad casualties, and barely make it inside the walled town. They hold off their besiegers for the rest of the day. But they are few, and the town’s wall is in poor shape. They cannot resist for long.

Chapter 117

Amadis and his men ride all night, arrive at dawn, and attack. By then the troops of Arabigo and Arcalaus have entered the city. Lisuarte and his men are fighting to the death, when Amadis’s troops, cheering “Gaul! Gaul!” sweep in and are victorious. Arcalaus and King Arabigo are captured. King Lisuarte and Amadis greet each other with an embrace. King Perion arrives, and with Nasciano’s help, a lasting and joyful peace is negotiated.

Chapter 118

Everyone is told that Amadis and Oriana were secretly wed, and Amadis pledges to be a loyal and loving son-in-law to King Lisuarte. Esplandian is surprised and pleased to learn that Lisuarte and Perion are his grandfathers and Amadis is his father.

Chapter 119

King Lisuarte goes back to Great Britain to bring his wife and younger daughter to Firm Island for the wedding between Amadis and Oriana. The younger daughter will marry the new Emperor of Rome.

Chapter 120

King Perion and his troops return to Firm Island, where formal weddings are planned between Amadis and Oriana, and between other fine ladies and brave knights and royalty.

Chapter 121

Sir Bruneo of Bonamar, Angriote d’Estravaus, and Branfil sail to Gaul. There they pick up Amadis’ mother and brother to return with them to Firm Island for the wedding. While at sea, they encounter a ship carrying the Queen of Dacia, whose son-in-law has taken her kingdom by treachery. The three knights go off to right that wrong while the others continue to Firm Island.

Chapter 122

Sir Bruneo of Bonamar, Angriote d’Estravaus, and Branfil, with the Queen of Dacia, travel to her kingdom, and by their courage and superior military tactics, manage to retake it for the Queen and her two sons.

Chapter 123

King Lisuarte and his family arrive at Firm Island, to great joy and festivities. Then to everyone’s surprise, Urganda the Unrecognized, a sorceress who has helped Amadis often in the past, arrives in a huge smoking dragon as a ship.

Chapter 124

Amadis arranges weddings between worthy knights and fine ladies.

Chapter 125

On the morning before the wedding day, Oriana and some other ladies take the tests of the Enchanted Arch of Loyal Lovers and the Forbidden Chamber, which no one can enter. Only Oriana passes them both, breaking the spell, and the wedding feast is held in the beautiful Forbidden Chamber.

Chapter 126

Urganda the Unrecognized delivers a prophecy that Esplandian will be outstanding when he becomes a knight, then she sails off, but she leaves the dragon to serve Esplandian when the time comes. Kings, Queens, knights, ladies, and other nobles return home. Others make plans to take the kingdoms of Arabiga and Sansuena, whose leaders have been killed or captured in the most recent war.

Chapter 128

Now at peace at Firm Island, Amadis is out hunting one day when he is approached by Darioleta, a lady who serves his father and who has arrived in a boat. An evil giant has killed her son and taken her family prisoner. Amadis rushes off with her to rescue them. The giant is named Balan, and because Amadis had killed his father some time ago in a war, Balan wants to kill Amadis. Without revealing who he is, Amadis challenges the giant, and in a difficult fight, Amadis defeats Balan but does not kill him. The giant’s troops attack, and Amadis takes shelter among some rocks.

Chapter 129

When the giant recovers consciousness in his castle, he reminds everyone that he had promised that the knight would be safe, regardless of the outcome of the fight. He has Amadis brought to the castle, surrenders, and promises to make amends to Darioleta. He is shocked to learn that his opponent is Amadis, and to keep his word, Balan offers him his friendship.

Meanwhile, back at Firm Island, a friend of Amadis, a knight named Grasandor, goes in search of Amadis. He has a complicated adventure during his travels, and finally finds Amadis.

Chapter 130

Amadis and Grasandor set sail for Firm Island and on the way visit an island called the Peak of the Enchanting Damsel. The damsel is long gone, but she left behind an enchanted treasure, and Amadis wants to see if he can break the enchantment. On the island’s mountaintop, they realize the treasure is meant for Esplandian, but as they are leaving, they encounter Gandalin, Amadis’s former squire, now a knight. He is pursuing a knight who stole a damsel and who might be hiding on the island. They find him and the damsel, and Amadis manages to reconcile everyone.

When they return to Firm Island, Amadis is met by a lady who gets him to pledge to help her release her husband, who is imprisoned. Then he learns that her husband is Arcalaus. Against his will, he lets Arcalaus go, who promises to be his mortal enemy again, although eventually the sorcerer’s virtuous wife convinces him to live in peace.

Balan, meanwhile, now that he is a friend to Amadis and his family and friends, goes to help Sir (now King) Galaor and other kings and knights in their fight to conquer the kingdom of Arabigo.

Chapter 131

Balan is welcomed by Galaor and all the others, and Balan pledges his help.

Chapter 132

Balan persuades his old friend, King Arabigo, to surrender his kingdom. Then Balan and other knights go on to conquer the Kingdom of Sansuena, and the story returns to what has been happening to King Lisuarte.
+

Chapter 132

Which tells of Agrajes’ reply to the giant Balan. 

[The city walls of Ávila, Spain. Photo by Elena F D.]
 
+ 
 
Agrajes answered him and said:

“My good lord Balan, I wish to respond to what ye said about your enmity with my lord and cousin Amadis, now that these lords and I have rendered thanks for what ye have promised, and if my answer does not conform to your will, accept it as a knight, for although I may not be your equal in matters of arms, perhaps by being older and having used them longer, I know more than you about how to use them.

“And I say that knights who with just cause enter into confrontations and in them do their duty without failing in anything that reason requires of them, thereby fulfilling what they swore to do, are to be much praised because they lack nothing in their will and deed. But those who seek to go beyond the limits of reason and into fantasy will be judged as more arrogant and delusional than strong and courageous by those who have achieved honor.

“It is well-known to all, and, my lord, it cannot be unknown to you, the manner of death of your father, for had fate consented to his daring to take King Lisuarte as he did, he would have been famous and praised to the heavens, and the dishonor and disdain for those who served and aided that King would have been placed in the abysm. And so ye should not have been surprised that Amadis, envious of the glory that your father hoped to reach, wished it for himself, as all good men should and ought to do.

“Thus a death such as this, considering that each man sought to do what he ought and with it to achieve great praise, should not be the cause for vengeance by anyone, for a great deal of honor is put forth to pardon deeds done faithfully.

“So, my lord, regarding your father, and regarding what happened with you and Amadis, no just cause for complaint can be found, since ye and he fully complied with everything knights ought to do. And if any blame can be made, it is to fate, which was pleased to favor him with more help and preference than to you.

“Finally, my dear friend, consider it good that while your honor has remained complete and faultless, ye have won the friendship of that noble knight and all these lords and brave knights that ye see here and many others that ye could see if ye found yourself to be in need of them.”

When the giant Balan heard this, he said:

“My lord Agrajes, although no admonishment was necessary for the satisfaction of my will, I thank you deeply for what ye have said to me because, although in this case it could have been excused, that is no reason for future cases to be given such an excuse. And ceasing to speak more of this as a forgotten thing of the past, it would be good if we were to reach agreement in how to bring an end to this confrontation with the courage and care that men must have who leave the safety of their homes to conquer distant lands.”

Sir Galvanes said:

“My good lord, these knights should go to their lodgings, for it is time to sup, and ye should rest tonight. Tomorrow, when your tents have been put up and your men settled, then with your advice the order shall be given for what should be done.”

And so all those lords went to their camps, and Sir Galvanes and King Galaor remained with the giant, and that night he supped pleasantly with them in the great and fine tent ye have heard of. And when supper was over, the King went to his tents and they remained and slept in fine beds.

When morning came, the giant told Sir Galvanes that he wished to mount and circle the city to see how it was laid out and where it would be best to fight. Sir Galvanes made this known to King Galaor, and the both went with him. Because of the city’s large population, it had many great towers and fortified walls. It was the capital of all that great realm including the Islands of Landas, and the main residence of the kings as they ruled in succession and strove to make it grow in population and to fortify it as much as they could. Thus it was exceptionally grand and strong.

When they had examined it, Balan said to them:

“My lords, how do ye think we can undertake such a great thing as this?”

Sir Galaor said:

“There is nothing greater nor stronger in the world than a man’s heart, and if those inside are courageous, I greatly doubt that we could take the city by force. But since whenever there are many men there always comes great discord, especially when fortune goes against them, and weakness comes quickly to those in discord, I have no doubt that just as other impregnable places are lost for this reason, this city shall be lost.”

As they were speaking of these and other things, all three went together to the encampments of Sir Cuadragante and Sir Bruneo and their other companions, where they were considering where they could best launch an attack. When they had neared Agrajes’ tents, the good and courageous Enil came to them and said:

“My lord Balan, Agrajes asks you to see King Arabigo, whom I hold prisoner in my tent and who wishes to speak with you, for when he was told about your arrival, he sent with great affection and love to ask Agrajes to give him permission and to beg you to see him.”

The giant told him:

“Good knight, I am very happy to do so, and it may be that this visit will obtain better results than great confrontations from which more is expected.”

So they all went to Enil’s tent. King Galaor and Sir Galvanes left to join Sir Bruneo, and the giant dismounted and entered the room where King Arabigo was, which was decorated with fine carpets and drapery, and he was dressed nobly, for Agrajes had ordered him to be served as a king. But he wore such strong and heavy shackles that he could not take a single step. When the giant saw him, he knelt before him and wished to kiss his hands, but the King pulled him close and embraced him, weeping, and said:

“My friend Balan, how do I seem to thee? Am I that great king whom thy father and thou often visited, finding me in court accompanied by high princes and knights and my other royal friends, as thou often didst, expecting to conquer and reign over a large part of the world? Truly, I rather think thou wouldst consider me a lowly man, a prisoner, captive, dishonored, placed under the power of my enemies, as thou well seest. And what brings the greatest pain to my sad heart is that those from whom I hoped for the greatest aid, such as thee and other mighty giants whom I considered friends, instead I see coming to put an end and finish to my total destruction.”

Having said that, he could no longer speak due to the many tears that overcame him. Balan told him:

“Manifest it is to me, for my eyes had seen it so, that it was true what thou, good King Arabigo, have said about seeing thee well accompanied and honored with much preparation and expectation to conquer great realms. And if now I see thee so changed and altered, do not doubt that my spirit has also felt a great alteration, because although my estate is much different in greatness compared to thine, I do not fail to feel the cruel and heavy blows of fortune, for thou already knowest, good King, how the very courageous Amadis of Gaul killed my father Madanfabul.

“And when I most hoped vengeance to come for that death, my adverse and contrary fortune wished that by this same Amadis I was defeated and subjugated by force of arms, he having the liberty to give me death or life. And because the great degree of anguish and sadness that subjugates thee does not put thee in a situation to listen to such a long account about it as I could tell thee, be it enough to know that by being defeated by he whom I so much wished to defeat and kill with my own hands if I could have, I have come here where with such legitimate cause that I could match or exceed thy tears with those my presence could cause thee to spill, for no less than thou would I need consolation.

“But knowing the great and varied turns the world takes, and how discretion is given to follow reason, I undertook to befriend the man who was my greatest mortal enemy, for I could not do otherwise since I had just cause and left no obligations undone by weakness. And if thou, noble King, takest my counsel, thou shalt do so because I know very well it would be good for thee, and I, as he whom in rigor and discord must be thine enemy, could be in concord thy loyal friend.”

He, when he heard this, said:

“What concord could I make over losing my kingdom?”

“To content thyself,” the giant said, “with the best thou couldst obtain.”

“Would it not be better,” he said, “to die than to see myself diminished and dishonored?”

“Because death takes away all hope,” Balan said, “and often with life and the passage of time desires are satisfied and great losses are remedied, it is a much greater advantage to procure life than to desire death among those who can make from their losses greater advantage than dishonor.”

“Balan, my friend,” the King said, “I wish to be guided by thy counsel, and I place everything that thou seest to do about it in thy hands. And I ask thee that although outside thou provest to be my enemy in my absence, when thou comest to my presence in this prison thou seest and advisest me as a friend.”

“So I shall do,” the giant said, “without fail.”

Then he bid him farewell, took Enil, and went to Sir Bruneo of Bonamar’s tent, where he found King Galaor, Agrajes, Sir Galvanes, and many other knights of great estate, who received him and welcomed him with much pleasure. He told them that because he had talked with King Arabigo about things they ought to know of, they should decide if it was necessary to have some other men there. Agrajes told him it would be good to call for Sir Cuadragante, Sir Brian of Monjaste, and Angriote d’Estrauvas, and so they came with other knights of great renown.

Then, the giant told them everything that had happened with King Arabigo, leaving nothing out. Although Balan pledged to remain and help those men through life and death, he thought that if King Arabigo would be content with one of the most distant of the Islands of Landas and would deliver the rest without any more loss of men, such an agreement and ceasing of hostilities would be good, especially since the Kingdom of Sansuena was still to be won, where its troops and fortresses would prove difficult.

The lords thanked the giant sincerely for what he had said, and they considered him very sensible, for they would not have thought nor believed a man of his lineage would have such discretion. And that was reasonable to think, because previously giants’ great and oversized arrogance had left no place where discretion and reason could find a home. But the difference between Balan and other giants was that his mother Madasima was so very noble, as this story has told, and having only this one son from her husband Madanfabul, she worked very hard, although against the will of her husband, who was vile and arrogant, to raise him under the discipline of a great and wise man she brought from Greece. With that upbringing and with the one provided by his mother, who was very noble in all things, he became so gentle and discreet that few men could have been more reasonable than him, nor have had such veracity.

Those lords reached an agreement among themselves, and they decided that if what that giant had said could be put into effect, it would be an advantage and much relief to them, although King Arabigo would retain a portion of that kingdom. They told Balan that knowing the love and goodwill he had come there with and discussing their situation, rather by him than by anyone else they would conform their wills to make a treaty with the King.

Here it should be noted that if in great divisions there are no people of goodwill who seek to find a remedy, the result is a recrudescence of deaths, prisoners, theft, and other things of infinite evil.

When the giant heard this, he spoke with King Arabigo, and while the recounting of the agreements and discussions must be omitted both for their length and to avoid straying from the purpose of the story, it was agreed that King Arabigo would relinquish that great city and the surrounding territory within his realm, and of the three Landas Islands, he would take for himself the most distant and northerly, which was called Liconia, and he would be its King. The other islands would be relinquished with the rest, and Sir Bruneo would become the King of Arabia.

This was carried out and approved by King Arabigo’s nephew, who was defending the kingdom, as ye have heard, and by all the city’s other leaders, relinquishing everything as had been agreed. King Arabigo was freed, who, with great fatigue and anguish in his heart, left by sea to the island of Liconia, and Sir Bruneo was proclaimed King of Arabigo with great pleasure and rejoicing, both by his own supporters and by his opponents, who when they came to know of his excellence and great courage, expected to receive many honors and protection from him.

When this was done, as the story has recounted, for a brief time they remained there to rest and relax with King Bruneo, organize their battalions, and do all the other things that would be necessary for their journey. Then they left on their way to the town of Califan, which was the closest to their camp.

But the people of Sansuena, when they learned the city of Arabia had been taken and King Arabigo had reached an agreement with those troops, feared what it meant, and they united a great many troops, both knights and footmen, because that kingdom was great and the forces in it numerous and well-armed and experienced at war, which arrogant and scandalous kings always have for their use in frequent confrontations. When they saw so many men united, their hearts grew with great arrogance and daring. They organized their battalions led by captains who were the leading men of the kingdom, and they left to meet their enemies before they could reach the town of Califan.

The two sides met each other and there was a very brave and cruel battle, and many men on both sides were harmed. During it occurred amazing feats of arms, and many knights and other men were killed. But what those outstanding knights and the brave and valiant giant did there could not in any way be fully recounted, and both by their great deeds and by the courage of their brave hearts the men of Sansuena were defeated and destroyed in such a way that most of them were killed or wounded in the field, and the others so beaten that even in places like fortresses they did not dare to defend themselves. And so Sir Cuadragante and all the other lords and men, although many were dead or injured, remained and controlled the battlefield without encountering any defenders or resistance.

If this story does not tell you more extensively the great acts of knighthood and the brave and mighty deeds that occurred in all those conquests and battles, the reason for it is because this story is about Amadis, and if the great deeds are not by him, there is no cause to tell about those of others except almost in summary. By any other means not only would the writing, being long and prolix, make its readers angry and annoyed, but the readers could not rightly follow what happened to both sides. So with greater reason it must fulfill its main purpose, which is the courageous and valiant knight Amadis, rather than dwelling on others who regarding the story should only be mentioned.

For this reason, nothing more will be said, except that when this great and dangerous battle had been won, soon the great realm of Sansuena was subjugated, so the places where the weakest wills had no hope for any aid, and the strongest were obtained by great combat, and all were required to take Sir Cuadragante as their lord.

But now we shall leave them very content and satisfied by their victories, and we must tell you the story about King Lisuarte, who has not been mentioned for a long while.

+

Chapter 131

How Agrajes, Sir Cuadragante, and Sir Bruneo of Bonamar, with many other knights, came to see the giant Balan, and what happened. 

[From the Roman du Roy Meliadus de Leonnoys, produced in Naples, Italy, in about 1352. King Meliadus was the father of Tristan in the Arthurian legend. At the British Library.]
 
+ 
 
When they learned the giant had arrived, Agrajes, Sir Cuadragante, and Sir Bruneo of Bonamar took Angriote d’Estravaus, Sir Gavarte of the Fearful Valley, Palomir, Sir Brian of Monjaste, and many other knights of high esteem who were there to help win those realms, as ye have heard, and they all went to the encampment of King Galaor and Sir Galvanes, where the giant was lodging. They found him in Sir Galvanes’ tent, which was as fine and well-worked as any emperor or king could have had, and which he had acquired from his wife Madasima, who had inherited it from her father Famongomadan.

Each year, Famongomadan had ordered the tent be erected in a field in front of the Castle of the Boiling Lake, and he had his son Basagante sit on a fine platform with all his relatives, who were numerous and who obeyed Famongomadan like a lord for his great might and wealth. His vassals and many other people whom he had subjugated by force of arms kissed his hand as King of Great Britain. With that thought he had sent word to King Lisuarte to ask for Oriana to wed his son Basagante, and because he would not give her, Famongomadan had initiated a very cruel war at the time that Amadis killed them both when he rescued Leonoreta, Oriana’s sister, and the ten knights who were being held prisoner with her, as the second book of this story has recounted at length.

When these knights arrived, the giant was disarmed and wearing a cape of yellow silk finely decorated with golden roses. And as he was large and handsome and in the flower of maturity, he seemed attractive to everyone, and even more so after they had spoken, because they knew the coarse character of giants, who by nature were very disagreeable and arrogant and not given to obey reason, and they had not expected that any giant could be as completely different as Balan was. They appreciated him much more for this than for his great valor, although many of them knew the great feats at arms he had done, because great courage without good manners and discretion is often abhorrent.

As they were all together in that great tent, the giant looked at them and they seemed so outstanding that he could not believe that anywhere else there could have been so many and such fine knights. And when he saw that they had become quiet, he said:

“If ye are surprised that I have come here to your aid unexpectedly, since ye had very little hope or prospect for it, so am I. Truly, I would not by any means have believed that I would find a reason to cease to be your mortal enemy and opponent until my death. But as the execution of plans is in the hand of God rather than in the hand of those who wish to carry them out with rigor, among the many mighty and difficult battles that happened to my honor I was overcome during one that constrained my intentions at the start and in the end changed my own will to hold in honor what for all the days of my life I had considered dishonor to the point of requiring vengeance.

“When the thing I had most desired in this world was fulfilled, then my time of great ire and rigor and severity was ended and satisfied not by the way I had expected but by the way my most contrary fate was pleased to take. As ye know, I am the son of the valiant and courageous knight Madanfabul, lord of the Island of the Vermilion Tower, whom Amadis of Gaul, when he was called Beltenebros, killed in the battle fought between King Lisuarte and King Cildadan.

“And as I am the son of such an honorable father and was utterly obligated to avenge his death, never could I forget the deep desire of the way to carry this out: to take the life of the man who took it from my father. And when I had the least hope of that, fortune, along with the bravery of that knight, brought him to my grasp, arriving alone in my realm with no one to aid him, and by him and his great fortitude I was defeated and treated with the greatest courtesy by the man in whom fortitude and courtesy are fulfilled more than anyone alive.

“As a result, the great and mortal enmity I had felt became even greater friendship and true love, which has given me cause to come, as ye see, knowing that there might be a need for troops in this army, and believing that the honor and advantage for you will in its greater part come to him.”

Then he told them from the beginning everything that had happened to him with Amadis, and the battle they fought, and all the rest that occurred, leaving nothing out, as this story has recounted to you. And finally he told them that until that war was over, he would not leave their company, and when it was ended, he wished to go immediately to Firm Island, as he had promised Amadis.

All those lords took great pleasure in hearing what he said because, although Gandalin had told them how Amadis had fought with the giant and defeated him, they did not know the reason for it until he had recounted it. And they were very pleased by his arrival, both for the worth of his personage and for the numerous and very good men of war he had brought with him, which they needed, given those they had lost in previous confrontations. They gave him great thanks for the good will with which they had been offered out of love for Amadis.

+

Chapter 130 [part 5 of 5]

[What Balan did as soon as he could leave his bed.] 

[Knights with a lance and a crossbow, page 361r from the Codex Manesse, made in Germany in 1304. At the Universitätisbliothek Heidelberger.]
 
+ 

But now the story shall cease to speak of Amadis and Grasandor and shall recount what was done by the giant Balan of the Island of the Vermilion Tower. The story says that two weeks after Amadis and Grasandor left the Island of the Vermilion Tower, where they had left the giant Balan injured, he arose from his bed and ordered many precious jewels be given to Darioleta and her husband and daughter, and a very fine ship in which they could leave. And he sent with them his son Bravor as he had promised Amadis.

Immediately after they had left, he had a great fleet prepared with his ships, of which he had many, and other ships he had taken from those who had traveled there, and he had them loaded with weapons and men and all the provisions they would hold, and he went out to sea with very favorable weather.

He traveled so fast without any difficulty that ten days later he arrived at the port of a small village called Licrea in the realm of King Arabigo. There he learned about the lords who had the great city of Arabia very well besieged, especially after Sir Galaor, King of Sobradisa, arrived with Sir Galvanes. He immediately had all his men disembark with their horses and arms, and the crossbowmen and archers, and all the other equipment for an encampment. He left the fleet with enough guards to keep it safe and went directly to the place where he knew that King Sir Galaor and Sir Galvanes were.

When they learned he was coming from the giant’s messengers, they and a great many companions mounted and went out to receive him. The giant arrived with his very good company of men and himself, wearing fine armor riding a handsome large horse, and few could have looked as good and handsome as he appeared in his grandeur.

They already knew what had happened between him and Amadis, for Gandalin had told them. Sir Galaor placed Sir Galvanes ahead, although he was not equal in rank, because he was much older and because of the great lineage from which he came and for his fine personality: Amadis and his brothers and Agrajes had always treated him with great courtesy for those things. The giant did not know him for he had never seen him, although he knew a great deal about everything he had done because Madasima, Galvanes’ wife, was a niece of Balan’s mother, who was also named Madasima, as ye have been told.

And when he arrived, the giant said:

“My good lord, are ye Sir Galaor?”

“No,” he said, “I am Sir Galvanes, who greatly esteems you.”

Then the giant embraced him and said:

“My lord Sir Galvanes, given how we are of the same family, we should not have let so much time pass without meeting, but I had an enemy with whom ye had a great friendship, which gave cause to that delay. But now this has been ended by the hand of he who in discretion and courage has no equal.”

King Galaor arrived laughing and with good will embraced him and said:

“My good friend and lord, I am he for whom ye ask.”

Balan looked at him and said:

“Truly your appearance is a good witness to that, for ye resemble he who has given me cause to wish to know you.”

The giant said that because Amadis and Galaor greatly resembled each other in so many ways that they were often mistaken for each other, except that Sir Galaor was a little taller and Amadis a bit broader.

This done, they rode with King Galaor between them and went to their encampment, and Sir Galvanes brought Balan to his tent while his lodging was being prepared, where both of them were served as they should and ought to be.

+

Chapter 130 [part 4 of 5]

[How Amadis was deceived by a lady, and what he sorrowfully had to do.] 

[Door in the prison at Yedikule Fortress, built in 1458 in Istanbul, Turkey. Photo by Sue Burke.]
           
+ 

The story says that after Amadis and Grasandor left Gandalin at the foot of the Peak of the Enchanting Damsel, they sailed through the sea without trouble or delay. They arrived at the great port of Firm Island one morning, and they mounted their horses armed as they had come.  Before they rode up to the castle, they entered to pray in the monastery at the foot of the hill, which Amadis had ordered built when he left for Poor Peak, as he had promised before the image of the Virgin Mary that had been in the hermitage at that time.

When they reached its gate, they found there a lady dressed in black, with two squires and their palfreys nearby. They greeted her, and she greeted them. And while Amadis and Grasandor were kneeling before the altar, the lady learned from people in the monastery that he was Amadis, and she waited for him at the door of the church. When she saw him coming, she came to him weeping, knelt on the ground, and said:

“My lord Amadis, are ye not the knight who aids those who have tribulations and misfortune, especially ladies and damsels? Truly, if it were not so, ye would not have fame in all parts of the world and be spoken of with such praise. For I, as one of the saddest and most unfortunate of women, ask mercy and pity from you.”

Then she grasped the hem of his coat of mail with both hands so firmly that he could not take a single step. Amadis tried to make her stand, but he could not, and he said:

“My dear lady, tell me who ye are and what ye wish my help for, and given your great sorrow, although I were to fail all other ladies, for you alone I would place my person in all danger and peril that might come my way.”

The lady told him:

“Who I am ye shall not know until I am certain that ye shall answer my plea, but what I seek is that being married to a knight whom I dearly love, his great misfortune and mine have brought him to be imprisoned by the greatest enemy he has in the world, and he cannot leave it nor be returned to me except by yourself. And believe that my knees shall not be raised from this ground nor my hands taken from this mail, unless ye were to make me do so with great disrespect and discourtesy, until ye grant me that which I seek.”

When Amadis saw her thus and heard what she said, he did not know how to respond, for he was afraid of giving his word for something that later would cause him great shame, but seeing her weep so fiercely and hold so tightly to his chain mail with her knees on the ground, he was moved to such great pity that he forgot to get assurance that his aid would be for a just cause, and he said:

“Lady, tell me who ye are, and I promise to take your husband from where he is being held prisoner and give him to you if I can carry it out.”

Then the lady grabbed his hands and by force kissed them, and she said to Grasandor:

“My lord knight, see what Amadis has promised me.” And then she said, “Know, my lord Amadis, that I am the wife of Arcalaus the Sorcerer, whom ye hold prisoner. I ask you to give him to me and to put him someplace where I need not fear to lose him again, for ye are the greatest enemy he has, and if I can, I shall change him from your mortal enemy into your friend.”

When Amadis heard this, he was very upset to see himself deceived by that lady with such trickery, and if he could have found an honorable means to refuse to comply, he would have taken it gladly, fearing more the danger and harm that this evil knight could bring to many people who did not deserve it, than what Arcalaus could bring to him. But seeing the great cause the lady had and by no means could she be blamed, being obliged to save her husband, and above all wishing that his word and truth in no way be considered doubtful, he decided to do what she asked and told her:

“Lady, ye have asked me for a lot, and ye may be certain that it is a greater challenge for me to bend my will to consent to what ye ask, than to embolden my heart to take your husband by force of arms from wherever he might have been and whatever risk it involved. And I can well say that from the moment in which I became a knight, I have never offered service and aid to a lady or damsel as much against my will as this.”

Then he and Grasandor mounted their horses, and Amadis told the lady to follow them, and they rode up to the castle.

When Oriana and Mabilia knew they had arrived, the great pleasure and joy they felt could not be told. And immediately they and all the ladies who were there came out to receive them at the entrance to the garden where they dwelled. The acts and courtesies with which Amadis and his lady received each other will be excused from recounting because, although until now as lovers they were worth mentioning, being married, they should be forgotten, although they continued to occur with true love.

Olinda the Prudent and Grasinda embraced Amadis and Grasandor, and together they all went to their chambers, which they had in the great tower that ye have heard of, for in that garden they had enjoyed great pleasure as those who loved each other with their whole hearts.

Amadis ordered that the lady be given lodging and everything she needed. And the next morning they all heard Mass with Grasinda in her chambers, and when it had been said, Arcalaus’s wife asked Amadis to fulfill his promise. He told her he considered that good. Then they all went together to the fortress where Arcalaus was held in an iron cage. After Amadis had spoken with him in the town of Lubaina when they captured him, he had never wished to see him again, nor had those ladies seen him, for they had never left their garden except for when they came out to receive King Lisuarte and to attend their own weddings.

And when they arrived, they found him dressed in a short tunic lined in fine fur from animals hunted on the island, which Sir Gandales, Amadis’ foster father, had him given for winter. He was reading a book that Gandales had sent that offered very good examples and teachings of how to handle adversities of fortune. He had a very long gray beard, and he was of large build with an ugly face that always looked enraged, and when he saw them coming, it became even more so. The ladies were very frightened to see him, especially Oriana, who remembered when he had taken her by force and Amadis had released her from the hands of Arcalaus and four other knights, as the first book of this story has told.

When they arrived, he ceased reading and stood up, and he saw his wife but said nothing. Amadis told him:

“Arcalaus, dost thou know this lady?”

“Yes, I know her,” he said.

“Art thou pleased she has come?”

“If it is for my good,” he said, “thou mayest judge. But if it bears no more fruit than it seems, it is to the contrary. I have made myself determined to suffer all ill that may come to me, and I have subjugated my heart, so unless what I see may give me hope for some rest, it will cause me greater pain.”

Amadis told him:

“If with her arrival thou art freed from this prison, ought thou to thank me for it and acknowledge it from now on?”

“If by thine own will thou sent for her to do what thou sayest,” he said, “I shall always appreciate it greatly. But if she has come without thy pleasure or knowledge and if thou hast promised her something, I cannot give thee thanks because good works that owe more to necessity than charity are not worthy of much merit. And for that I urge thee to tell me, if thou wilt, what moved her and thee to come see me with these ladies.”

Amadis told him:

“I shall tell thee the truth about everything that has happened, and I ask thee to speak in the same manner in response.”

Then he told him how his wife had by trickery asked him for a boon, and how she had asked him to release him, and all the rest of how he responded, and he did not leave anything out.

Arcalaus told him:

“However it may affect my situation, I shall tell thee the complete truth of how I feel, since thou wishest to know. In Lubaina I asked for pity and mercy from thee, and if thou wouldst have restored me to my free will, thou mayest truly believe that for my entire life I would have been obliged to thee and thou wouldst have always found in my deeds true friendship. But thou art now doing what thou does not desire but cannot avoid, and with enmity thou doest me this good deed, so I accept it and hold it in the degree it deserves, for thou wouldst consider me unworthy and of a weak heart if I gave thee thanks for what I must wish thee ill.”

“I have taken great pleasure in what thou hast said,” Amadis said, “and thou speakest the truth, for by taking thee from here thou owest me nothing, because, truly, I was determined to hold thee here for a long time, thinking this was the most appropriate way to give thee the punishment thou deservest rather than for you to do harm to many who did not deserve it. But by the promise that I gave to thy lady, I shall order thee released from this prison and set free.

“I ask one thing of thee, that although in thy heart and deeds thou dost not forgive me and shalt always treat me as the enemy that in the past thou hast always considered me, that thou forgivest all the others that never did thy harm. And do this for the Lord who, when thou wert with the least hope for liberation and I to give it to thee, thought it good to remedy thy ills, which he does with His boundless mercy for those wicked men after he has tested them, because with such lashes and fatigues He puts and end to the works that are contrary to His service.

“When they understand that, He does them good for what remains of their lives in this world and blessings and pleasure in the world to come. And if they do the contrary, He does the contrary and executes justice with the punishment they deserve and gives them no hope nor remedy to their souls after they leave their unfortunate bodies.”

Arcalaus told him:

“In what regards thee, it is clear that in no way could I wish thee well nor cease to do what ill I could to thee. Regarding the others thou speakest of, I do not know what I shall do because my habits are so established, and with all the wrong I have done, I have little hope that the Lord of whom thou speakest will give me any of His grace without merit on my part. Yet without His grace my disposition could not withstand nor weigh such a thing so hard and foreign to its desires.

“And if that were not so, I would not do it by thy counsel so that thou wouldst not win the glory that thou hast won from all others. If I have received any mercy from God, it is none other than to give thee no mercy nor a place in my heart, for when I with such humility asked thee to release me, He instead wished that it would come at thy sorrow and much against thy will, so there is nothing left that I might bear for thee.”

The ladies were very frightened to hear what Arcalaus had said to him, and they begged Amadis not to release him, because he would do greater wrong before God by causing that vile man to go free so he could freely execute his evil desires than by keeping him prisoner and going against his promise.

Amadis told them:

“My ladies, often it happens that people are corrected and reformed by great adversities, holding in their souls the mighty and firm hope and mercy of God, but others who lack that hope and mercy cause their own desperation, whereby they are condemned without remedy. And this could happen to Arcalaus if I held him here any longer, knowing that there is no way within him to be corrected and reformed by this means. I shall keep my word and promise, and I shall leave this to the Lord, Who in a moment may bring him to His holy service as He has done for many worse sinners.”

With that they ended their discussion, and on Amadis’ orders the lady was placed in the iron cage with her husband so that she could keep him company that night, and he and the ladies returned to the garden tower. The next morning he ordered Isanjo, the island’s governor, be called, and asked him to take Arcalaus and his wife from prison and give them a horse and arms, and to order Insajo’s sons with ten knights to escort him safely to wherever he would be content and his wife satisfied that what she had asked had been done. It was carried out and Isanjo’s sons went with him to his castle called Valderin, and left him there.

And as they were about to leave, he told them:

“Knights, tell Amadis that wild beasts and brute animals may be put in jails, but not knights such as myself. He should protect himself well from me, for I soon hope to avenge myself on him, even though he may have the help of that vile whore Urganda the Unrecognized.”

They told him.

“May ye soon return down this road to where ye came from.”

And with that they returned home.

Ye may believe here that this lady, Arcalaus’s wife, was very pious and fearful of God, and all her husband’s deaths and cruelties caused great sorrow and pain to her heart, and she sought forgiveness for them as best she could, and by her merits she achieved the grace to take her husband from a place where no one else in the world could have done. So a good lady and devoted wife must be highly appreciated and esteemed for often by her our Lord permits that her estate, husband, and children are protected from great danger.

As ye hear, Amadis and Grasandor were at Firm Island with great pleasure in their hearts, where soon Darioleta arrived with her husband, daughter, and her husband Bravor, which greatly increased their joy.

+