eternall Maiestie of Heauen neuer to proffer the like iniurie againe but to liue in brotherly coÌ„cord and vnitie till the dissolution of their earthly bodyes So in all hast they went vnto the King and certefied him of all things that had happened and falling vpon theyr knées before his Maiestie requested at his hands the honour of Knighthood and leaue to depart in the pursute of their Father and the other Champions that were fallen in great distresse The King purposing to accomplish their desires and to fulfill their requests presently condiscended and not onely gaue them the honour of Knighthood but furnished them with rich abiliments of warre answerable to their magnanimious mindes First he frankly bestowed vppon them thrée stately Palphryes bred vpon the bright mountaines of Sardinia in collour like to an Irone gray bewtifyed with siluer hayres and in pace more swifter then the Spanish Ginets which be a kinde of horse ingendred by the winds vpon the Alpes that be certaine craged mountaines that deuide the Kingdomes of Italy and Spaine in bouldnes and courage they were like to Beucephalus the horse of Macedonian Alexander or to Caesars steedes that neuer daunted in the field for they were trapped with rich trappings of golde after the Moroco fashion with Saddels framed like vnto Irone chaires with backs of Stéele and their foreheads were beautified with spangled plumbes of purple feathers whereon hung many golden pendants the king likewise bestowed vpon them thrée costly swoords wrought of purest Lidian stéele with Launces bound about with plates of brasse at the toppes thereof hung silken Streamers beautified with the English Crosse being the crimson bâ—dge of Knight hood and honor of aduenterous champions Thus in this Royall manner rode these thrée young Knights from the City of London in companie of the King with a traine of Knights and gallant Gentlemen which conducted them vnto the Sea side where they left them vnto their future fortunes and returned backe to the English Couâ—t Now is Saint Georges sonnes noting 〈…〉 of the Seas making their first aduentures in the world that after â—ges might aplaude their atchiuement and inrole theyr fames in the records of honor heauen prosper them succesfully and gentle fortune smile vpon their trauailes for thrée brauer knightâ— did neuer crosse the seas nor make their aduentures into straunge Countries CHAP. III. How Saint Georges sonnes after they vvere knighted by the English King trauailed towards Barbarie and how they redeemed the Dukes Daughter of Normandie from rauishment that was assayled in a vvood by three tavvnie Negroes and also of the tragicall tale of the Virgins strange miserie vvith other acdents that happened MAny daies had not these thrée magnanimous knights indured y e dangers of the swelling waues but with a prosperous and succesfull winde they arriued vpon the territories of France where beeing no sooner safely set on shoare but they bountifully rewarded theyr Marriners betooke themselues to their intended trauells Now began their costly trapped Sâ—eeds to pace it like the scudding Windes and â—ith their warlike hooues to thunder on the beaten passages now began true honour to florish in their princely brests and the renowne of their Fathers atchieuements to incourage their desires Although but tender youth sate bunding on their chéekes yet portly manhood triumpht in their harts and althogh their childish armes as yet neuer tried the painfull aduentures of Knighthood yet bâ—re they high and princely cogitations in as great estâ—eme as when their Father â—lewe the burning Dragon in Aegypt for preseruation of their mothers life Thus trauelled they to the further Parts of the Kingdome of France guided onely by the direction of fortune without anie aduenture worth the noting till at last ryding through a mightie Forrest standing on the Borders of Lusitania they heard a farre off as it were the rufull cryes of a distressed woman which in this manner filled the ayre with the Eccho of her moanes Oh heauens sayd shee bee kinde and pittifull vnto a Maiden in distresse and send some happy passengers that may deliuer me from these inhumans monsters This wofull and vnexpected noyse caused the Knights to alight from their horses and to sée the euent of this accident So after they had tied their Stéeds to the bodie of a Pine trée by the reynes of their bridles they walked on foote into the thickest of the Forrest with their weapons drawne reaeie to withstand anie assailment whatsoeuer as they drew néerer to the distressed Uirgin they heard her breathe foorth this pittie moouing lamentation the second time Come come some curteous Knight or els I must forgoe that precious Iewell which all the world can neuer againe recouer These words caused them to make the more spéed and to run the néerest way for the Maidens succour At last they approached her presence where they found her tyed by the locks of her owne haire to the trunke of an orenge trée and thrée cruel and inhumane Negroes standing readie to despoyle her of her chastitie and with their lusts to blast the blooming bud of her swâ—ete and vnspotted Uirginitie But when Saint Georges Sonnes beheld her louelye countenance besmeareâ— in dust that before was as beautifull as roses in milke and heâ— christall eyes the perfed patternes of the Lampes of heauen inbrewd in floods of teares at one instance they ran vpon the Negroes and sheathed their angry weapons in their loathsome bowels the leachers being slaine their bloods sprinckled about the Forrest and their bodies cast out as a pray for rauenous beastes to féede vpon they vnbound the Mayden and like curteous Knightes demaunded the cause of her captiuity and by what meanes she came into that solitarie Forrest Most Noble Knights quoth shée and true renounded men at armes to tell the cause of my passed miseries were a pricke vnto my soule and the discourse thereof will burst my heart with griefe but considering your Nobilities the which I perceiue by your Princely behauiours and your kinde curtesies extended towards me being a Uirgin in distresse vnder the hands of these lustfull Negroes whom you haue iustly murdred shall imbolden me though vnto my hearts great griefe to discourse the first cause of my miserable fortune My Father quoth shee whilst gentle fortune smilde vpon him was a Duke and sole commaunder of the state of Normandy a countrie now scituated in the kingdom of Fraunce whose lands reuenewes in his prosperitie was so great that hee continually kept as stately a traine both of Knights and gallant gentlemen as any Prince in Europe whereat the King of France greatly enuied and by bloody warres deposed my Father from his princely dignitie who for sauegard of his life in company of mee hys onely heire and daughter betooke vs to these solletarie woods where euer since we haue secretly remained in a poore â—ell or hermitage y e which by our industrious paines hath béen builded with plants of Uines and â—aken bows and couered ouer head with
them a Gallie which was gouerned with eyght oares vpon a side and it made so great way that with a trice they were with them and hee saw that there were in her thrée Knightes in bright armour to whome Pollimus called with a loude voyce saying Moste curteous Knightes I request you to take me into your Gallie that being in her I may the better accomplishe my desire The Knightes of the Gallie passed by the Prince without making returne of any aunsweare but rather shewed that they made but little accompt of him These thrée knightes were the sonnes of the English champion which departed from their father in his iourny towards Babylon to set the King againe in his kingdome But now to follow our history the Prince of Constantinople séeing the little account they made of him with the great anger and fury that he receaued he tooke an ore in one hand and an other in the other hand and with such strength he stroke the water that he made the slothfull barke to flie and laboured so much with his oares that with a trice they were equall with the gally So leauing the oares with a light leape he put himselfe in the gally with his helme on and his shield at his shoulder and being within he said Now shall you doe that by force which before I vsing great courtesie you would not yéeld vnto This being said one of Saint Georges sonnes tooke the incounter in hand thinking it a blemish to the honor of knighthoode by multitudes to assaile him so the two braue knightes without any aduantage the one of the other made their encoūters so valiantly that it was a wonder to all the beholders The Prince of Constantinople stroake the Englishe Knight such a furious blow that he made him to decline his head to his brest and forced him to recoile backwards two or three steppes but he came quickly againe to himselfe and returned him so mighty a blow vpon his helme that he made all his teeth to chatter in his head which was pittifull to sée Then beganne betwixt them a merueilous and well foughten battle that al that beheld them greatly admired with great pollicy and strength they indured the bickering all that day and when they saw the darke and tenebrous night came vpon them they did procure with more courage and strength for to finish their battle The Prince of Constantinople puffing and blowing like a bell lifting vp his sword with both his handes and discharged it so strongly vpon his enemy that perforce hée made him to fall to the ground and therewithal offered to pull his helmet from his head But when the English Knight sawe himselfe in that sort he threwe his shielde from him and very strongly caught the other about the necke and held him fast so that betwixt them beganne a mighty and terrible wrestling tumbling and wallowing vp and downe the gally breaking their plankes and oares that it was straunge to beholde At this time the night began to be very darke whereby they called for lightes which presently were brought them by the Marriners in the meane time these knights did somewhat breath themselues although it was not much So when the Lightes were brought they returned to their late contention with new force and strength O heauens said Pollimus I cannot beléeue to the contrary but that this is Mars the God of war that doth contend in battle with me and for the great enuy he beares against me he goeth about to dishonour me And with these wordes they thickned their blows with great desperatenesse And althogh this last assault continued more then two houres yet neither of them did faint but at the last they both together lift vp their swoordes and charged them together the one vpon y e others helm with so great strength that both of them fell downe vppon the hatches without any remembrance The rest that did looke vpon them did beléeue verily that they were both dead by reason of the aboundance of bloud which came foorth at their visors but quickly it was perceaued that there was some hope of life in them Then presently there was an agréement made betwixt the Knightes of the gally and the Marriners of the barke that they should conioyne together and to trauell whither fortune would conduct thē in this order as you haue heard carried they these two Knightes without any remembrance But when the Prince of Constantinople came to himselfe with a loude voice he said Oh God is it possible to be true that I am ouercome in this first encounter assault of my knighthood Here I curse the day of my creation and the houre when first I merited the name of a knight henceforth I le bury all my honours with disgrace and spend the remnant of my life in base cowardice and in speaking these wordes he cast his eie aside and beheld the English knight as one newly risen from a trance who likewise breathed foorth these discontented spéeces Oh vnhappy son of S. George thou coward and of little valour I know not howe thou canst name thy selfe to be the son of the mightiest Knight in the world for that thou hast lost thy honour in this last assault This being said the two weary knights concluded a peace betwixt them and reuealed each to the other their names and liuing and wherefore they aduentured to trauell the which when it was known they sailed forwards that way whereas the dolorous woman went so in this sort they trauelled all the rest of the night that remained till such time as the day began to be cleare and straightway they descried land to which place with great hast they rowed And comming a land they found no vsed way but one narrow path the which they kept wherein they had not traueiled long when that they met with a poore simple countrey man with a great hatchet in his hand and he was going for to cut some firewood from high and mighty trées of whom they demaunded what countrey and land it was This countrey said hee is called Armenia but yet most curteous Knightes you must pardon me for that I doe request you to returne againe and procéede no farther if you doe estéeme of your liues for in going this way there is nothing to be had but death For that the Lord of this countrey is a furious monster called the two headed Knight and he is so furious in his tyranny that neuer any stranger as yet could escape out of his hand aliue And for proofe of his cruelty no longer then yesterday he brought hither a Lady prisoner who at her first comming on shoare all to be whipt and beat her in such sorte that it would make the tyrannous tyrant to relent and pitty her distresses swearing that eueryday he would so torment her till such time as her life and body did make their seperation Pollimus the Prince of Constantinople was very attentiue to the olde mans words thinking the Lady to be
Knights that were present at this vnhappie mischance so great it was that the walles of the Monasterie ecchoed and their pittifull shrikes ascended to the heauens But none was more gréened in mind than the afflicted English Champion who like a man distraught of sense in great furie rushed amongst the people throwing them downe on euerie side till he ascended vpon the scaffold approaching the dead bodie of Lucina hee tooke her vp in his armes and with a sorrowfull and passionate voyce he said O my beloued ioy and late my only hearts delight is this the Sacrifice wherein through thy desperatenes thou hast deceiued me who loued thée more than my selfe is this the respite that thou requiredst for seauen dayes wherein thou hast concluded thy own death and my vtter confusion Oh noble Lucina and my beloued Ladie if this were thy intent why didst not thou first sacrifice mee thy Seruant and Loue wholly subiected vnto thy deuine beautie Woe be vnto mee and woe bee vnto my vnhappie enterprise for by it is she lost who was made souereigne Ladie of my heart Oh Diana accursed by this chaunce because thou hast consented to so bloodie a tragedie by the eternall powers of heauen that neuer more thou shalt be worshipped but in euerie Countrey where the English Champion commeth Lucina in thy stead shall be adored For euermore will he séek to diminish thy name and blot it from the golroll of heauen yea and vtterly extinguish it in eternitie so that there shall neuer more memorie remaine of thée for this thy bloodie Tyrannie in suffering so lamentable a Sacrifice No sooner had he deliuered these speaches but incensed with furie he drew out his sword and parted the image of Diana in two péeces protesting to ruinate the Monasterie within whose walls the deuice of this bloodie Sacrifice was concluded The sorrow and extreame gréefe of the Romane Emperour so excéeded for the murther of his Daughter that he fell to the câ—rth in a senselesse swâ—und and was carried halfe dead with gréefe by some of his knights home to his Pallace where he remained spéechles by the space of thirtie dayes The Emperour had a Sonne as valiant in armes as anie borne Italian except Saint Anthonie This young Prince whose name was Lucius seeing his sisters timeles death and by what meanes it was committed he presently intended with a traine of a hundred armed Knightes which continually attended vpon his person to assaile the discontented Champions and by force of armes to reuenge his sisters death This resolution so incouraged the Romaine Knyghtes but especially the Emperors sonne that betwixt these two companies began as terrible a battle as euer was fought by any knights the fearcenes of their blowes so excéeded the one side against the other that they did resounde ecchoes and they yeelded a terrible noyse in the great woods This battell did continue betwixt them both sharp and fierce for the space of two houres by which time the valor of the encensed Champions so preuailed that most of the Romaine knights were discomfited and slaine some had their handes pared from their shoulders some had their armes and legs lopped off and some lay breathles wâ—ltring in their owne blouds in which incounter many a Romaine Ladie lost her husband many a widowe was bereaud of her Sonne and many a childe was left fatherles to the great sorrow of the whole country But when the valiant young Prince of Roome sawe his knightes discomfited and hee lefte alone to withstand so many noble Champions he presently set spurs to his horse and fled from them like to a heape of oust forced by a whirlewinde After whom the Champions would not persue accountting it no glory to their names to triumph in the ouerthrow of a single knigâ—â— but remained still by the scaffolde where they buried the sacrificed Uirgin vnder a marble stone close by the monasterie wall The which being done to their contentments Saint George ingraued this Epitaph vppon the same stone with the point of his dagger which was in this wise following Vnder this marble stone interd doth lye Luckles Lucina of beautie bright Who to maintaine her spotles chastitie Against the assailment of an English Knight Vpon a blade her tender breast she cast A bloodie offering to Diana chast SO when hee had written this Epitaph the Christian Champions mounted vpon their swift foote stéedes bad adieu to the vnhappie Confines of Italy hoping to finde better fortune in other Countries In which trauell wee will leaue them for a time and speake of the Prince of Rome who after the discomfiture of the Romane knights fled in such hast from the furies of the warlike Champions After which hee like a starued Lion trauersed along by the Riuer of Tybris filling all places with his melancholy passions vntill such time as hee entred into a thicke groue wherein he purposed to rest hys wearie limbes and lament his misfortunes After he had in this solitarie place vnlaced his Helmet and huried it scornfully against the ground the infernal Furies began to visite him and to sting his breast with motions of fierie reuenge In the end he cast vp his wretched eyes vnto heauen and said Oh you fatall torches of the elements why are you not clad in mournâ—full abiliments to cloake my wandring steps in eternall darknes shall I be made a scorne in Rome for my cowardise or shall I return and accompanie my Romane frends in death whose bloodes me thinkes I sée sprinkled about the fields of Italy Mee thinks I heare their bléeding soules fill each corner of the earth with my base flight therefore will I not liue to bée tearmed a fearfull coward but dye couragiously by mine owne hands wherby those accursed Champions shall not obtaine the conquest of my death nor triumph in my fall This being said he drew out his dagger and ryued hys heart in sunder The newes of whose desperate death after it was bruted to his Fathers eares hée interred hys bodie with his Sister Lucinaes and erected ouer them a stately Chappell wherein the Nunnes and ceremonious Monkes during all their liues sung Dirges for his Childrens soules After this the Emperour made proclamation through all his Dominions that if anie Knight were so hardie as trauell in pursute after the English Champion by force of armes bring him backe and deliuer his head vnto the Emperour he should not onely be held in great estimation through the Land but receaue the gouernment of the Empire after his decease Which rich proffer so encouraged the mindes of diuers aduenterous Knightes that they went from sundry Prouinces in the pursute of Saint George but their attempts were all in vaine CHAP. XIIII Of the triumphs tilts and turnaments that were solemnly held in Constantinople by the Grecian Emperour and of the honorable aduentures that wer there atchiued by the christian champions with other strange accidents that happened IN the Easterne Parts of the world the fame