Chapter 111 [part 1 of 2]

What happened on each side during the second battle, and why the battle was halted. 

[Depiction of England and France at war, c. 1415, from the Grandes Chroniques de France, at the British Library.]
 
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King Lisuarte placed King Arban of North Wales, Sir Guilan the Pensive, and the other knights in the vanguard, as ye have heard. And King Lisuarte with his battalion and King Cildadan were behind them, and the Emperor and all his men were farther back, each one in a column with its captains, as had been arranged.

King Perion gave the vanguard to his nephew Sir Brian of Monjaste, and he and Gastiles, with the standard of the Emperor of Constantinople, were behind him and all the other battalions arranged so that those that were farthest away on the first day of fighting now were at the front.

In these formations, they marched toward each other, and when they were close, trumpets played on both sides and the columns of Brian of Monjaste and King Arban of North Wales met each other so bravely that in the first attack more than five hundred knights fell to the ground, and their horses ran free through the field. Sir Brian found himself facing King Arban, and they struck each other hard and broke their lances, but did no further harm to each other. Then they put their hand to their swords and began to attack every way they could to do the most harm possible, as knights who had done so many times before and were experienced.

Norandel and Sir Guilan, working together, attacked the men on the opposing side, and as they were very brave and courageous, they caused great harm, and they would have caused even more if not for a knight related to Sir Brian and who had come with the men from Spain, named Fileno. He had with him many of the Spaniards, who were good men at war, and they attacked with such force in the area where Sir Guilan and Norandel were fighting that the Spanish knights pushed back them and all the others there, where Norandel and Sir Guilan did amazing feats to protect their men.

King Arban and Sir Brian were separated from their battalions and from each other due to the great press of fighting on the other side, and each of them began to encourage their men by attacking and bringing down their opponents. But as the Spanish knights were greater in number and had better horses, they held a great advantage, and if King Lisuarte and King Cildadan had not come to the rescue with their columns, their men could not have held the field and would have all been lost, but the arrival of those Kings compensated for the difference.

King Perion, when he saw the flag of King Lisuarte, said to Gastiles:

“Now, my good lord, let us move out, and keep watching that flag, as I shall do myself.”

Then they raced toward their enemy. King Lisuarte received them like he whose heart and courage had never failed; without any doubt ye may believe that during his lifetime there was never a king who better or more freely placed his body in danger over matters of honor, as ye can see throughout this great story in every battle and confrontation in which he is found.

Now, as these men were fighting in such a large number, who could tell you of the knightly deeds they did there? It would be impossible for whoever wished to tell the truth, for so many good knights were killed and injured there that the horses could hardly move without trampling them. Of King Lisuarte I tell you that as a man whose pride was hurt and holding his life as worthless, he charged into his enemies so courageously that few could be found who dared to await him. King Perion, coming from another area and performing amazing feats, by chance encountered King Cildadan, and when they recognized each other, they did not wish to attack each other. Instead they passed each other by and went on to attack whomever they found in front of them and sent many knights dead or injured to the ground.

When the Emperor saw such a great turbulence, he thought that the men on his side were in great danger, and he ordered the captains of his columns to attack as fast as they could, as he himself would, and this was carried out. All the battalions along with the Emperor charged at their opponents. But before they could arrive, those on the other side saw them coming and together they galloped as one across the field, so that they were all mixed among each other in such a way that they could not be organized nor protect their captains. Instead they rode so close together that they could not attack with their swords, and they fought hand to hand and tried to pull each other from their horses, and more of them died from being trampled than from injuries inflicted by men.

The confusion and noise was so great, along with the shouts and the clash of arms echoing in all the valleys of the mountains, that it seemed as if all the world were fighting there. And ye may truly believe that not all the world but most of Christendom and its best men were there, where it suffered so much damage on that day that for a very long time it could not recover.

Thus this should be taken as an example by kings and great lords. Before they do something, they should ponder and think carefully, putting great consideration into the problems that could result because under their command and due to their errors and fervor, blameless men can be injured and killed, as so often happens: and may their innocence carry their souls to a better place. Although those who caused this present destruction might survive, many deaths and great peril could be recounted, as came to pass on this occasion with King Lisuarte; he was very discreet and wise in all things, as ye have heard, but in this case he did not wish to take anyone’s advice but his own.

Great arrogance and rage can be found among those who have lordship over us that can place us in great anguish and suffering and tribulation, but because I believe these admonishments will be ignored, I shall place all this aside and return to our purpose, and I say that as the battle continued and many men died, the press was so great that neither side could prevail and all were occupied with fighting whomever they found in front of them.

Agrajes constantly tried to find King Lisuarte and had not seen him due to the great press and crowd of men, and going among the battles, he saw that Lisuarte had just brought down Dragonis in an encounter in which he broke his lance, and he had his sword drawn to attack him. Agrajes rode at him with his sword in hand and said:

“Attack me, King Lisuarte, for I am the one who despises thee most.”

When he heard that, the King turned to look and charged at him, and Agrajes at him, and they met each other so hard they could not strike a blow. Agrajes dropped his sword, which was attached by a chain, and seized the King’s arms, for, as has been said in other places in this story, Agrajes was the most aggressive knight with the most lively heart as there was in his time, and if courage like his was enough, there could not have been found a better knight in the world than him, and he was one of the best that could have been found in many places.

And as they gripped each other each trying to throw the other from his horse, Agrajes could have found himself in great danger because the King was larger and had greater strength, if it had not been for the intervention of King Perion, who came with Sir Florestan and Landin and Enil and many other knights. When they saw the situation Agrajes was in, they hurried to rescue him, and on the other side came Sir Guilan the Pensive, Norandel, Brandoivas, and Giontes, nephew of the King. Those men, even when they were charging on their horses and doing great deeds of knighthood elsewhere, always kept an eye out to look for the King, as was their responsibility. When these men arrived, they attacked with their swords since their lances had been broken, all of them so bravely that it was an astonishing thing to see, and both sides came together to rescue their own.

But the King and Agrajes were gripping each other so tightly that they could neither let go nor throw each other down, because the men on their side were in their way and helping them so they could not fall. And since the greatest press of battle and noise was there, many knights hurried there from both sides, among them Sir Cuadragante. When he arrived and saw the tumult and the King holding Agrajes, he charged roughly through them all and grabbed the King so bravely he almost knocked both of them down, but he did not dare to attack the King because he might have hit Agrajes, and he never let him go even though those who were defending the King gave him many blows.

King Arban of North Wales, who was coming with the Emperor of Rome, had not seen the King for a while, and when he arrived there and saw him in great danger, he was overcome and grabbed Sir Cuadragante tightly. And so all four were in each others’ grasp and around them were King Perion and his men, and from the other side Norandel and Sir Guilan and his men, and they never ceased fighting.

And as the situation was in great tumult and danger, on the side of King Lisuarte, the Emperor and King Cildadan intervened with more than three thousand knights, and on the other side, Gastiles and Grasandor with just as many companies of men. Each side arrived with such fury into the press and with such thunderous noise that by force they scattered those who were fighting, and those who were holding each other found they could finally let each other go. All four remained on horseback but were very tired and could barely hold themselves in their saddles. And so many men on King Lisuarte’s side had charged that the battle would have been lost if it had not been for the great skills of King Perion, Sir Cuadragante, Sir Florestan, and their other friends, who as courageous knights endured so much that it was a great marvel.

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Chapter 89

How Amadis sent a messenger to Queen Briolanja. 

 [Portrait of Simon de Varie by Jean Fouquet in a 1455 prayer book at the J. Paul Getty Museum.]
 
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The story says that after Amadis had dispatched the doctor Elisabad and had lodged Grasinda with Princess Oriana, he had Tantiles called, the majordomo of the beautiful Queen Briolanja, and he told him:

“My good friend, I would hope that on my behalf ye would labor is carefully in things for me as I would in things for you, and that is because, considering the extreme in which I have placed my honor, and how much it could be improved with careful preparation, and on the contrary how it could be discredited, I wish you to go to your lady and, since ye have seen everything and can tell her what she needs to know, try hard to have her order all her people and friends to be prepared for when they will be needed. And tell her that she knows that what involves me involves her, since if I were to fail, she would lose my services.”

Tantiles answered him:

“My Lord, I shall immediately do as ye order, and ye may be very sure that nothing would give my lady the Queen such pleasure as to know that the time had come to show you the great love and goodwill that she has to secure for you all ye would wish to ask from her and her entire kingdom. And have no worries about this, for I shall come when it is necessary with everything properly prepared that a great lady such as she is must send to he whom, after God, gave her her entire realm.”

Amadis thanked him sincerely and gave him a letter of credentials that was sufficient for him as a person who governed all her estate. Tantiles immediately went out to sea in the ship he had arrived in and did what shall further on be told.

After this was done, Amadis took Gandalin aside and told him:

“My friend Gandalin, thou hast seen how I need friends and family in this dire situation I could not avoid being placed in, and although I would feel very troubled to see thee depart from me, reason obliges me to do so. Thou hast seen how all these knights have agreed that all our friends be asked and advised so that when the time comes, they can sustain our honor. And although I have great hopes that many of them for whom I have done a great deal will wish to pay the debt they owe me, as thou knowest, I have even greater hopes in my father, King Perion, for he rightly or wrongly ought to provide aid for my concerns.

“Thou better than anyone else and without any difficulty canst tell him about everything that has happened to me, and how although there are many famous knights of grand lineage here, they all follow me and only me in their will and thoughts. It would be good if thou wert to leave soon to see him and tell him what thou hast seen and learned about the need in which I find myself. And in addition to these things, tell him that although I do not fear any armed force anywhere in the world in view of our own, it would be a hardship for him if I as his oldest son could not respond to these two princes if they were to attack me in the form and manner that I would be called to do.

“And because I understand that thou art aware of everything, it will not be necessary for me to tell thee more, except that before leaving, go speak with my cousin Mabilia to see if she would send something to her aunt and my sister Melicia, and see how my lady Oriana is, because although she would hide her feelings to others, only to thee would she reveal her true desire and will. And when this is done, leave immediately with these credentials that I have written for thee, which say:

“Thou shalt tell my lord the King that His Highness already knows how, after God wished by his hand that I became a knight, I never aspired to any other thing than to be a knight errant, and to do everything in my power to right the many wrongs and injustices that have been received especially by ladies and damsels, who above all else ought to receive aid. Because of that, I have placed my person in great labor and danger, without any other interest or hope except to serve God and to earn fame and praise. With this desire when I left his kingdom I went to travel to foreign lands, looking for those who needed my protection and defense and seeing new sights, where I had many adventures, as thou canst well tell him if he would wish to know of them.

“After much time had passed, I returned to this island and learned that King Lisuarte, with no fear of God and against the advice both of his own people and of others who were concerned for his honor and wished to serve him, with great cruelty and with a great loss to his reputation, wished to disinherit his daughter, the Princess Oriana, who after his days were done should be the lady of his realm, and instead to make a younger daughter the heir, who had no right to them, and to give Oriana to the Emperor of Rome as his wife. The Princess objected to this to all those who saw her and to others by messenger with great weeping and anguish so that they might have pity for her and not consent to the great injustice that was her disinheritance, and the just Judge, the Emperor of all things, heard her, and by His will and permission many princes and great knights were brought together on this island to give her help, for I, when I came, found them and from them learned of the great violence that was happening.

“Their agreement and advice held that since in things of this kind, more than in any other, knights are most obliged to act, and in this particular one they had to come to her aid. All that we had achieved until then with great personal danger and effort we would otherwise lose to this singular cause, since not merely reason required it but given the size and nature of the cause, our loss would be attributed more to cowardice and a lack of effort. And so it was done. In the battle the Romans were defeated and many of them killed and others taken prisoner, and we rescued the Princess along with all her ladies and damsels. We have agreed to send Sir Cuadragante of Ireland and my cousin Sir Brian of Monjaste to King Lisuarte to ask him on our behalf to be reasonable. If by chance he does not wish to do so, in the face of that danger, first his help and then the help of all our friends will be necessary, so I ask him to be ready with all of the men that he can when he is called for.

“And give my regards to my lady the Queen and ask her to send my sister Melicia here to accompany Oriana, so her nobility and great beauty will become known to all those who shall see her rather than just having heard of her.”

This done, he told him:

“Make preparations to go in any of these ships that thou findest best provisioned, and take someone to guide thee, and speak with my cousin Mabilia first, as I told thee.”

Gandalin said he would do so.

Agrajes spoke with Sir Gandales, Amadis’ foster father, and asked him to go see his father, the King of Scotland. In case the trouble of writing a letter was not necessary, because he had been in his service for such a long time and so trustworthy in all things that he was considered more a family member and advisor than a vassal. So it can be believed that this knight with full affection and diligence would procure with this trip its purpose for his foster son Amadis, who was the thing he most loved in the world. And what he did shall be told of further on.

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Chapter 87

How all the knights had a great desire to serve and honor Princess Oriana.

 [Portrait of Elizabeth Woodville, Queen consort of England, from about 1472.]
 
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It should rightly be known and never forgotten why these fine knights, along with many others who will be told of farther on, being high-born princes, with deep love and willingness wished to be in the service of this lady and put themselves in combat at great risk. By chance could it be they were willing to act because of the gifts they had received from her? Or because they knew about the secret and fulfilled love between her and Amadis and they were willing to act over that? Truly, I say that neither the one nor the other motivated them. Although she was of great high estate, at that time she had no means by which to give anyone any favors, since she was a poor damsel and possessed nothing. And with regard to the love between her and Amadis, this grand story, if ye have read it, testifies to it secret.

There is a reason, and do ye know what it is? It is because that Princess was always the most gentle, the most well bred, the most courteous, and above all had the most calm humility that could have been found at that time, and she always remembered to honor and properly treat everyone as they deserved. This is the snare and net with which great men and women catch those who have little reason to serve them, as we see every day, for without any self-interest they are praised and willingly beloved and obliged to serve, just as these lords were with that noble Princess.

Then what can be said here of those great men and women who treat with great disdain and excessive arrogance those who do not deserve it? I shall tell you: by choosing to treat those beneath them with surly replies and angry gestures, paying no attention to courtesy and favors, in return they are poorly regarded, disrespected, and vilified with the hope that some great reverse shall come to them for their disservice and anger. Oh, what a great error and what little wisdom ! Such a small favor it would be to speak graciously, how little a gentle gesture would cost, and what a great loss it is to fail to be loved and served by those whom they never gave any favor nor treated well!

Do ye wish to know what often happens to them as a result of this disdain and scorn? I shall tell you: since they squander and waste what they have where they ought not and without regard to place or time instead of being considered generous and liberal, they are considered foolish and indiscreet. Instead of honoring those who should be esteemed or humbling and subjugating themselves to their superiors or even their equals, they fail to obtain the virtue that service and very little effort could obtain.

But returning to our purpose, Brian of Monjaste finished speaking with Oriana and bowed to Queen Sardamira and the other princesses with Grasinda. Then Agrajes and Sir Florestan came to Oriana, and with great respect told her everything that the knights had asked them to. She considered it a sound agreement and told them she would leave it to them to do what must be done, since carrying that out was more a matter for knights than for damsels. She asked them to always bear in mind, in keeping with their honor, to try to achieve peace with her father, the King, over concerns that dealt with herself and her honor. When that was done, Oriana left Sir Florestan and Brian of Monjaste with Queen Sardamira and the other ladies, took Agrajes by the hand, and went with him to sit on the far side of the room.

She told him:

“My good lord and veritable brother Agrajes, although I have great faith and hope in your cousin Amadis and the other noble knights that, with every care and great diligence for their own honor, they will faithfully fulfill everything that involves myself, I have even more faith and hope in you. Indeed, I was raised for a long time in the house of your father, the King, where from him and from your mother, the Queen, I received much honor in many pleasures, above all giving me your sister, Princess Mabilia, about whom I can truly say that if our Lord God first gave me life, she has since given it to me many times. If not for her great discretion and consolation and assistance, given my suffering and above all my misfortune after the Romans came to my father’s court and caused me hardship, it would have been impossible to endure life.

“And for this as well as many other things, I am deeply obliged if God were to give me the means to satisfy my debt. And just as I hold it in my mind, I believe ye know that when the time comes I shall do what I have said, and this makes me want to share the secrets of my impassioned heart to you before I tell anyone else. And so I shall, and what is hidden to everyone else shall in time be made manifest to you.

“For the present moment I only ask of you as honestly as I can that ye set aside the anger and resentment that ye have for my father and that ye offer everything by your deeds and advice for peace and harmony between him and your cousin Amadis. Given the size of his heart and the enmity that has so long ago hardened it, I have to doubt whether anything reasonable expressed with a good heart can satisfy him. And if ye, my true brother and friend, can in some way remedy the situation, not only would many brutal deaths be prevented and avoided, but my honor and fame, which by misfortune is in dispute in many places, would be cleared with that proper and honest solution.”

Agrajes listen to this with great courtesy and humility and responded:

“It is only right that everything that ye have said, my lady, can and should be done, and know that my father, the King, and my mother wish to do all they can to raise your honor and estate, as now they shall do. And there is no reason to speak about my sister Mabilia and myself, for our deeds give testimony to our complete wish and desire to be at your service. And as for what ye have ordered me, my lady, I tell you truthfully that more than anyone else I am greatly unhappy with your father, the King. I am a witness to the great and outstanding services that my cousin Amadis and all we of his lineage have done for him. It is well known throughout the world, as it is also well known the King’s great failure to recognize and appreciate them.

“We never asked for any favor except for the island of Mongaza for my uncle Sir Galvanes, which was won by great honor in his court and by the greatest mortal peril to the life of he who won it, which ye, my good lady, with your own eyes saw. But with all that, we had not done enough, and neither the virtue nor the worthiness of my uncle was enough to achieve such a small thing and remain his vassals and under his command. Instead, he rejected us, ignoring our request with the same discourtesy as if we were enemies instead of in service to him.

“Because of this, I cannot deny that I would find no great pleasure in helping him in the great difficulty and need he has been placed, and by repenting of what he did everyone would understand how much he lost when he lost us, knowing the honor that our services had given him. But just as a man who denies and represses his own will gains before God more merit by acting in his service, so shall I, my lady, comply with what ye wish and deny and control my anger, because by doing this, which is so difficult for me, I may discover the other things that also hold me obliged to serve my anger. But this will require much temperance, because while I may be among those noblemen who places the enhancement of your honor above all things, many of them would find themselves weakened if they were to note it in me.”

“And that is what I ask, my good friend,” Oriana said. “As I well know, given the extreme of what has happened and with whom this great conflict is, not only is it necessary for the strong to make an effort to be weak, but for the very weak with great care to become strong. And because ye know much better than I how and when ye might act for good or ill, I leave it to you with that true love that exists between us.”

Thus they finished their conversation and they returned to where the ladies and knights were. Agrajes could not take his eyes off his lady Olinda, whom he loved with deep affection, which must be believed as true because on her behalf he had deserved to pass beneath the enchanted arch of the loyal lovers, as the second book in the story has recounted. But as he was of noble blood and upbringing, and as such among those who urgently met their obligations, setting aside passion and inclination to follow virtue, and knowing of the virtuous life that Oriana prefered to have, he chose to subjugate his will despite hardship until he saw how the negotiations underway would conclude.

And so they spent a while speaking about many things, and those knights, as they were very brave, shared their courage and eased the fears that women tend to have when they find themselves in such unusual circumstances. After having bid them farewell and delivered Oriana’s response to those whom she had sent it, with great diligence they began to get to work on what they had agreed to and send the emissaries to King Lisuarte. They had all decided Sir Cuadragante and Sir Brian of Monjaste could fulfill that task the best.

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The third book of Amadis of Gaul begins [part 1 of 3]

In which are told the great discords and troubles that the house and court of King Lisuarte suffered due to the bad counsel that Gandandel gave the King to harm Amadis and his family and friends; at the start of which the King ordered Angriote and his nephew to leave his court and all his lands, and sent them a challenge, which they took up, as shall be told here.

[Opening text to Book III from the 1539 edition of Amadis of Gaul, printed in Seville by Juan Cromberger.] 
 
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The story tells how, after the sons of Gandandel and Brocadan were killed at the hands of Angriote de Estravaus and his nephew Sarquiles, as ye have heard, the twelve knights and Madasima brought the victors to their tents with great joy. But King Lisuarte had left the window so he would not see his advisors’ sons die, not because he cared for them, since he already held their fathers in low esteem, instead because of the honor that any discredit to his court would bring to Amadis.

After several days, when he learned that Angriote and his nephew had begun to recover from their wounds and could mount a horse, he sent them a message telling them to leave his kingdom and not to travel in it anymore; if they did, he would respond. They complained bitterly to Sir Grumedan and the other knights in the court who had done them the honor of coming to see them, especially Sir Brian of Mojaste and Gavarte of the Fearful Valley. They said that since the King had forgotten the great services they had done for him, and had treated them ill and denied them his vassalage, it would be no surprise if they turned against him more for what was to come than for what had happened in the past.

They took down their tents and collected their people and got on the road for Firm Island. On the third day they found Gandeza, Brocadan’s niece and Sarquiles’ beloved, in a hermitage, where she had hidden. When she had learned of the all the evil that her uncle Gandandel was inciting against Amadis, as has been told, she had fled in fear. They were very pleased to find her, especially Sarquiles, who loved her dearly, and they brought her with them as they continued on their way.

King Lisuarte, who had left the window to avoid seeing the good fortune of Angriote and his nephew, entered his palace angrily because things had gone in favor of the honor and esteem of Amadis and his friends. And there he found Sir Grumedan and the other knights who had come from seeing them off to Firm Island, and they told him everything that Angriote and Sarquiles had said and their complaints about the King, which made him much more angry and upset. And he said:

“Although tolerance is highly appreciated and mostly useful, at times it gives occasion to greater errors, as in the answer that these knights have given me. If I had forsworn them the way they forswore me, I would not have shown them any good will or kind gestures and they would not have dared to say what they did to you or to come to my court or even to enter my lands. But as I did what reason obliged me, may God find it good and in the end give me the honor and make them pay for their madness. And I hope to have knights challenge them along with Amadis, who commands them all, so it may be shown what arrogance is worth.”

Arban, King of North Wales, who valued his service to the King, told him:

“My lord, ye ought to consider carefully what ye have said lest it be done. Ye should do so out of consideration of the great worth of those knights, and because God so clearly showed justice to be on their side. If it were not so, although Angriote is a fine knight, he could not have overcome the two sons of Gandandel as he did, who were considered brave and courageous. Nor could Sarquiles have overcome Adamas. So it seems that the righteousness of their cause granted them victory.

“Because of this, my lord, I would hold it well to have them in your service, for it does no king good to wage war against his own people when it can be avoided, and all the harm that it does to one side or the other, and all the men and property that are lost, the king himself loses without winning any honor because he has merely defeated or overcome his own vassals. And often such discords cause greater harm, because they give rise to new plans by the kings and great lords in neighboring lands, who had been subject to the king but now might think to free themselves and to take back much more than they had lost.

“And what should be most feared is to give vassals the opportunity to lose their dread and respect for their lords, who govern them with careful discretion, subjugating them with more love than fear, and treating and managing them the way a good pastor does his flock. But if they are put under more pressure than they can stand, it often happens that they will all jump at the first opportunity, and when these unfortunate events become known, they are difficult to remedy. And so, my lord, now is the time to remedy the situation before more anger is incited, for Amadis is so humble in all things regarding you that with a little effort you could bring him back, as well all those who left with him.”

The King told him:

“Ye speak well in all things, but I shall not give away that which I gave to my daughter Leonoreta, which is what they seek. And their power, although it is great, is nothing compared to mine. Do not speak about this to me again, but instead prepare your arms and horses to serve me. And tomorrow morning Cendil of Ganota shall depart to challenge the knights of Firm Island.”

“In the name of God,” they said. “May He do what He sees as right, and we shall serve you.”

Then they went to their lodgings, and the King remained in his palace.

Know ye that Gandandel and Brocadan had seen their sons die losing both this world and the next, and had suffered in a way that these days many people like them do not. They hoped that God or His mercy would let them amend themselves or His justice would make them pay for everything, for if they did not atone they would have no redemption. They decided to go to a small island that Gandandel owned that had few residents. They took their dead sons and their wives and their servants, and they filled two ships that would have gone to the island of Mongaza, had Gromadaza the giant not given up her castles. With their many tears and with the curses of those who saw them leave, they went to the port and departed to where this story shall make no more mention of them.

But it may be rightly believed that those whose evil deeds accompany them to old age will bear those sins to the end of their days unless the grace of the Lord on high, more by His holy mercy than by their merits, permits them the time to repent.

The King called all the great lords of his courts and the best knights to his palace, and complained about the insolent way that Amadis and his friends had spoken about him. He asked them to feel as anguished about it as he would feel if it had been said about them. They all said that they would serve him as their lord in anything he ordered. Then he called Cendil of Ganota forward and said:

“Mount your horse and ride with the credentials to Firm Island and present my challenge to Amadis and all those who wish to uphold Sir Galvanes. Tell them to beware of me, for if I can, I shall destroy them in body and possessions wherever I find them, as shall all my lords.”

Sir Cendil took the letter of credentials, armed himself, mounted his horse, and immediately took to the road, as one who sought only to comply with his lord’s orders. The King remained there for several days before going to another of his towns called Gracedonia because it well supplied in all things, which greatly pleased Oriana and Mabilia because it was near Miraflores. The time for Oriana’s childbirth was growing near, and they though that it could be done at Miraflores better than anywhere.

The twelve knights who accompanied Madasima traveled each day without pause until they were two leagues from Firm Island. There at a riverbank they found Amadis, who awaited them with fully two thousand three hundred knights, all well armed and on horseback. He received them with pleasure and showed great love and humility to Madasima. Amadis embraced Angriote many times, for he had already learned by a messenger sent by his brother, Sir Florestan, about the outcome of the battle.

And as they were happily together, they saw Sir Cendil of Ganota, the knight of King Lisuarte who was bringing the King’s challenge, coming down a road from a tall mountain. When he saw so many well-armed men, tears came to his eyes, thinking about how all those knights had left the service of the King, his lord, to whom he was a loyal friend and servant, knights by whom he had been honored and his estate increased.

But he wiped his eyes and put on the best face he could, and he was a handsome knight, well built and strong. He arrived and asked for Amadis, and they showed him where he was with Madasima and the knights who had accompanied her on the road. He rode toward them, and when they recognized him, they received him well, and he greeted them with great courtesy and told them:

“My lords, I have come to see Amadis and all of you with a message from the King, and since ye are all together, it would be well for you to hear it now.”

Then everyone came close to hear what he would say, and Cendil told Amadis:

“My lord, have this letter read.”

And when it was read, Amadis told him:

“Those were the credentials, now tell us the message.”

“My lord Amadis, my lord the King sends a challenge to you and all those in your family, and all those here, and those who plan to go to the Island of Mongaza. He tells you that from here on ye should protect your lands and estates and bodies, for he intends to destroy all he can; and he tells you to refrain from traveling in his lands, for anyone he captures he shall kill.”

Sir Cuadragante said:

“Sir Cendil, ye have said what ye were ordered to say to us, and ye have done so rightly. Since your lord threatens our bodies and estates, these knights may say what they wish, but tell him from me that although he is a king and the lord of great lands, I love my poor body as much as he loves his rich one, and I am no less noble than he, for he has no more royalty on both sides of his lineage than I, and if I must protect myself, he should protect himself and his lands from me.”

Amadis would have preferred a more conciliatory response, and told him:

“My lord Sir Cuadragante, let this knight get the responses of you and all those who are here, and since ye have heard the message, let the response be from all of us as our honor demands. And ye, Sir Cendil of Ganota, may tell the King that it will be very hard to do what he has said. Now come with us to Firm Island and test the arch of the loyal lovers, because if ye pass the test, ye shall be better loved and appreciated by your beloved and ye shall find her more disposed toward you.”

“If it pleases you,” Sir Cendil said, “I shall do so, but when it comes to love, I do not wish share what my heart knows.”

Then they all went to Firm Island, and when Cendil saw its high peak and large fort, he was astounded, even more when he came inside and saw the land so abundant. He realized that the whole world working together could not take that island. Amadis took him to his lodgings and did him great honors because he was high born.

The next day all those lords met and agreed to send a challenge to King Lisuarte, and to have it be delivered by a knight who had come with Dragonis and Palomir who was named Sadamon. The two brothers were the sons of Grasugis, King of Lower Germany, who was married to Saduva, sister of King Perion of Gaul, for these two, like all the rest, were of high lineage, sons of kings and dukes and counts, and had brought their father’s men and many ships to travel with Sir Galvanes to the Island of Mongaza.

They gave Sadamon a letter of credentials they had all signed, and they told him:

“Tell King Lisuarte that since he has challenged and threatened us, he should protect himself from us and all the harm we can do, and when the weather is favorable, we shall go to the Island of Mongaza. Although he is a great lord, we shall be there, where he will come to know how his strength compares to ours. And if he says anything to you, respond like a knight and say that we shall hold firm in what we say if it pleases God, so there shall be no path to peace because peace shall not be granted until Sir Galvanes is given the Island of Mongaza.”

Sadamon said he would do everything he as he had been ordered.

Amadis spoke with his foster-father, Sir Gandales, and told him:

“It would serve me if ye went to King Lisuarte and told him, without any fear, that I consider his challenge and threats to be minor, even less than he thinks. And if I had known how little he would appreciate the many services I did for him, I would not have put myself in such danger for him, and the arrogance and high rank with which he threatens me and my friends and family he holds by the blood of my body. I trust in God, Who knows all things, that his ingratitude will be remedied more by my efforts than by his affection. And tell him that although I won the Island of Mongaza for him, it shall not be lost because of me, nor shall I cause affront anywhere the Queen may be out of the respect she deserves. If he wishes my gratitude, he shall have it as long as I live in the same way that he has forgotten the past.”

Agrajes told him:

“Sir Gandales, try hard to see the Queen, and kiss her hands for me, and tell her that I order my sister Mabilia to return to me, for it is no longer necessary for her to be in the King’s house given the situation in which we find ourselves with him.”

These words by Agrajes weighed heavily on Amadis, because he knew Princess Mabilia would do all she could for his lady, and he did not want to see them separated any more than he would have separated his heart from his body. But he did not dare to say so because his secret love might have been discovered.

When this was done, the messengers left in the company of Sir Cendil of Ganota, and lodged pleasantly in towns along the way.
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