[Western] Fw: The Ordination of Knighthood [Part One]

Charlie Cain / Larkin O'Kane larkinokane at cox.net
Tue Jun 10 16:32:26 PDT 2003


This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
--
[ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ]

The Ordination of Knighthood

That the wise speak is goodly gain,
For thereby do we win amain
Of sxense, of good and courtesy:
'Tis good to haunt the company
Of him who of his ways hat heed,
And hath no keep of folly's deed.
For as in Solomon we find,
The man that is of wisdom's kind
Doth well in every deed there is;
And if at whiles he doth amiss
In whatso wise, unwittingly,
Swift pardon shall he have thereby,
Whereas he willeth penitence.
But now I needs must draw me hence
To rhyming, and to tell in word
A tale that erewhile I have heard,
About a King of Paynemry
A great lord of the days gone by;
He was full loyal Saracen
And of his name hight Saladin.
Cruel he was, and did great scathe
Full many a time unto our faith,
And to our folk did mickle ill
Through pride of heard and evil will.
So on a time it fell out so
That 'gainst him to the fight did go
A Prince hight Hugh of Tabary,
Therewith was mickle company,
The Knights of Galilee, to hand;
For lord was he of that same land.
That day were great deeds done amain,
But nought was our Creator fain,
He that the lord of glory hight,
The we should vanquish in the fight;
For there was taken the Prince Hugh
And let along the streets and through,
And right before lord Saladin,
Who greeted him in his Latin,
For well he knew it certainly:
"Hugh, of thy taking fain am I
By Mahomet," so spake the King;
"And here I promise thee one thing,
That it behoveth thee to die
Or with great ransome thee to buy."
Then answered him the lord Sir Hugh,
"Since choice thou givest me hereto
Unto the ransom do I fall
If so be I have wherewithal."
"Yea," said the King, "then payest thou
An hundred thousand besants now."
"Ah Sir, this thing I may not do
If all my lands I sell thereto."
"Yet dost thou well,""Yea Sire and how?"
"Thu are of hardihood enow
And full of mighty Chivalry,
Thy lords shall nought gainsay it thee,
But with thy ransom deal they should
And give to thee a gift full good,
And in this wise quit shouldst thou be."
"Yet one thing would I ask of thee,
How may I get me hence away?"
Then thereto did Saladin say:
"Hugh, unto me shalt thou make oath
That by thy faith and by thy troth
To come again unto this place
Without fail in a two year's space,
And then to pay thy ransom clear,
Or come back to the prison here.
Thuswise from henceforth are thou guit."
"Sir," quoth he, "have thou tank for it
And all my faith I pledge thereto."
--




More information about the Western mailing list