Artegall

“ So harassed was he with their assailing, that he threw away his shield, a most dishonourable thing for any knight to do, and one that marks him with shame without end. When Sir Artegall saw in what an evil plight the man stood, he rode forward to his help, yet he was himself so rudely assailed that he was constrained to give place for a while. But when Talus began to use his iron flail, then the multitude fled for their lives, being scattered as the wind scatters the chaff on a threshing-floor. ”

“ But Britomart pursues her into her stronghold, whence she manages to rescue Artegall and, after setting him free, bids him continue his adventurous quest.
Sir Artegall and his faithful squire soon after see a maiden flee before two knights, but, before they can overtake her, they notice how a new-comer slays one pursuer while the other turns back. Urged by the maiden, Artegall kills the second persecutor, and only then discovers that the knight who first came to her rescue is Arthur. ”

“ So Clarin, promising that she would use her best endeavour to win Sir Artegall to such thoughts as her lady desired, departed on her errand. She had recourse to all the arts she knew to win his favourable regard, and one day she said to him: “Sir Knight, you have had but an evil fortune; you sit drowned in despair, and yet you might raise yourself, if you were but willing, to something better.” ”

“ Then said Sir Artegall: “Fair lady, you cast a very great blemish on your beauty, if you change a plighted faith. Is there aught on earth so dear and so precious as faith and honour? Love surely is dearer than life, and fame is more to be desired than gold; but a plighted troth is more to be honoured than even love or fame.” At this rebuke the lady seemed much abashed, and Sir Burbon, lifting her in his arms, set her on her steed, nor did she repulse him. ”

“ For a while she lay without speech or hearing; then, recovering herself, she would have assailed him with all her might, for never before had she endured such disgrace. But when her maidens saw it, for a great company, armed for battle, accompanied her, they thrust themselves between; for they deemed that she was not wholly in fit condition for fighting. Thus were Sir Artegall and Queen Radigund perforce kept apart. As for the rest, Talus, with his iron flail, drove them hither and thither, breaking their bows and marring their shooting, and they fled before him as sheep fly from a wolf. ”

“ But she went on pretending that she thought Artegall bad and cruel, just that she might hear his friend praise him.
[Pg 39] ‘There is no knight more brave than Artegall,’ said the Red Cross Knight. ‘Ladies who suffer wrong, and little children who have none to care for them, are always sure of having Artegall to fight for them. He is as good as he is brave, and as brave as he is good.’
Britomart loved the Red Cross Knight because he was so true to his friend, and more than ever she loved Artegall, the knight of the Mirror. ”

“ Then Talus unfolded the whole story of how Sir Artegall fought, and how he was vanquished, not by the strength of his adversary, but by his own compassion. When Britomart heard this same story, she was, so to speak, torn asunder by anger and grief, nor would anything content her but that she must straightway put on her armour, mount her horse, and ride forth to deliver Sir Artegall, Talus being her guide. After they had ridden for a space they came upon a knight who was riding slowly across the plain, a man well stricken in years, and of a very modest and peaceable bearing. ”

“ Sir Artegall decides he shall now abide by his own words, and that, since the sea conveyed the treasure-chest to his brother, he has no further claim upon it. Having thus settled this dispute, Artegall rides on until he meets a troop of Amazons about to hang an unfortunate man. At his bidding, Talus delivers this victim,—Sir Turpine,—a knight who came hither intending to fight the Amazons. Because the queen of these warrior-women has slain many men, Artegall challenges her to issue from her stronghold and fight with him. ”

“ As they turned this way and that, it chanced that a blow which Sir Artegall aimed at the Princess, glancing down the corslet which she wore, lighted on the back of her horse, wounding him so sorely upon the back, in the rear of the saddle, that she was compelled to alight. Not a whit was she dismayed at this mischance, and casting down her enchanted spear, betook herself to use sword and shield. And now the fortune of the fight changed somewhat, for he was not a little spent by long fighting on foot, and she, having been mounted hitherto, had the advantage. ”

“ But lo! of a sudden there fell upon them such a storm of arrows that they had perforce to halt.
“These women,” said Sir Artegall, “are stout fighters; let us be careful what we do.” And when they halted, the rout set upon them more fiercely than ever. As for Queen Radigund, when she saw Sir Turpine, and knew that he had escaped from the doom which she had decreed for him, and was now dealing blows to her women, she was carried away with rage, and flew at him headlong, as a lioness flings herself at an ox, and dealt him so fierce a blow as brought him headlong to the ground. ”

“ While these things were doing, Sir Artegall set forth to accomplish his task, having Talus with him as before. After he had journeyed awhile, he overtook an old man who was travelling alone, and perceived that he was the same that had attended the Lady Irene when she came to the court of Queen Gloriana. He had been a famous knight in his day, but had long since foregone the use of arms, being stricken with age.
“Hail, Sir Sergis,” he cried, “there lives no truer knight, I know; but tell me, what is your errand? How fares the Lady Irene? How comes it that you have left her? Is she in prison? ”

“ If Britomart finds Artegall bound in the enchanter’s spell, can she doubt, therefore, him whom she has seen in the magic glass? A Britomart does battle in his cause, and frees him from the evil power; a dame of less nobleness sits and watches the enchanted sleep, weeping night and day, or spurs away on her white palfrey to find some one more helpful than herself. But they are always faithful through the dark hours to the bright. ”

“ He had been a knight in his youth, yet had achieved no honour; only by his craft he had undone many men who were better than himself. Three sons he had, of the same temper as himself, full of fraud and guile. One of these, the eldest in birth, Guizor by name, had been slain by Sir Artegall in battle, not without his deserving, for he had sought to compass some treachery. And now this Dolon would have taken vengeance for this injury. Britomart he took for Sir Artegall, chiefly by reason of the page Talus, with the iron flail, whom he had seen in his company. ”

“ The Redcrosse knight to Britomart
describeth Artegall:
The wondrous myrrhour, by which she
in loue with him did fall.
Here haue I cause, in men iust blame to find, i
That in their proper prayse too partiall bee,
And not indifferent to woman kind,
To whom no share in armes and cheualrie
They do impart, ne maken memorie
Of their braue gestes and prowesse martiall;
Scarse do they spare to one or two or three,
Rowme in their writs; yet the same writing small
Does all their deeds deface, and dims their glories all. ”

“ Then the good old nurse comforted Britomart. She said she was sure that Artegall must be a real man, and not just a shadow, and that she would find him. Then she tucked the bedclothes round Britomart, and put out the flickering lamp. When Britomart, much comforted, had fallen quietly asleep, her nurse sat and watched beside her, and dropped some tears because Britomart was no longer a little baby-girl for her to take care of, but a grown-up girl who loved a knight. ”

“ Small shame it is to stoop if a man shall thereafter raise his head the higher. For a time, indeed, it might seem that the tyrant would prevail, so heavy was the shower of blows that he poured upon him, and so many the wounds which the great pole-axe made even through his armour. But ere long the occasion came for which the knight had waited. When the tyrant raised his arm high to strike what should be, he hoped, a mortal blow, Sir Artegall smote under his guard and drove his sword deep into his flank, so that the blood gushed forth in a great stream. ”

“ The queen charged first in the most furious fashion, as if she would have done her adversary to death out of hand. But he, having had much experience in such matters, was not carried out of himself by her rage, but was content to defend himself from her assault; the greater was her fury, the more calmly did he bear himself. But when her strength began to fail her, then he took the other part; even as a smith, when he finds the metal grow soft, plies his hammer with all his might. Even so did Sir Artegall deal blow upon blow as if she were an anvil ”

“ Thereupon Sir Artegall came forth and would fain know how the knight had been robbed of his horse. Then Sir Guyon told the story how, while he was busy setting right a grievous wrong, some knave had stolen his horse. “And now,” said he, “I challenge the knave who robbed me of it to deadly combat.” So he spoke, but Bragadocchio held back. He had no liking for such things.
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Then said Sir Artegall: “This is truly the law of knighthood, that if one man claim a thing and offer to make good his claim by might of arms, and the other will not, the judgment goes against the latter by default. ”

“ So does a bear stand over the carcase of an ox, and seem to pause awhile to hear its piteous crying. When Sir Artegall saw what had befallen Sir Turpine, he made all haste to help him, and dealt the queen so mighty a blow that it reft her of her senses ”

“ He was a bold knight, and told her to fly, or he would kill her.
‘Fly!’ proudly said Britomart. ‘Words only frighten babies. I will not fly. I will fight you!’
Then they fought, and with her spear Britomart gave the knight a terrible wound, and rode away, leaving him lying senseless on the shore.
Many other fights had Britomart as she sought Artegall, and always her magic spear made her the winner.
One day she came to a place where a great many knights were having a tournament.
A beautiful golden girdle, sparkling with jewels, was to be the prize for the knight that fought the best. ”

“ Having done this, she triumphantly bears him off to her castle, after ordering the execution of Sir Turpine and Talus, who contrive to escape. But Sir Artegall, being a prisoner, is reduced to slavery, forced to assume a woman's garb and to spin beside his fellow-captives, for the Amazon queen wishes to starve and humiliate her captives into submission to her will.
Having contrived to escape, Talus informs Britomart that her lover is a prisoner, whereupon she sets out to rescue him, meeting with sundry extraordinary adventures by the way, in which she triumphs, thanks to her magic spear. ”

“ Then said Glaucé: “Tell us, man of wisdom, what means she shall use, what ways she shall take, to find this man. Or has she no need of toil, but may sit still while her fate is fashioned for her?”
“The fates,” answered Merlin, “are firmly fixed; not the less it becomes those whom they concern to do their own endeavour, and to be fellow-workers with God.” Then he told Britomart the true name and lineage of Sir Artegall, how that he was son to Gorloïs, King of Cornwall in time past, and brother to Cador, then king of the same land. ”

“ The nurse said: ‘Let us dress ourselves in some of the armour that your father has taken from his enemies. You shall be a knight, and I will be your squire. Together we will ride to Fairyland and find Artegall.’
When Britomart was dressed in shining armour of silver and gold, she looked a very handsome, tall, young knight. Her nurse dressed her as carefully as she had dressed her long ago in her baby-clothes, and, when all her armour was on, she put into her hand a long spear. It was a magic spear, and there had never yet been born a knight who could sit on his saddle when it struck him. ”

“ It is while sojourning at Mercilla's elegant court that Artegall and Arthur see two youths appear to inform the queen that their mother Belge, or Belgium, a widow with seventeen sons, has been deprived of twelve of her offspring by a three-headed monster, Gereones (the personification of Philip the Second of Spain, the ruler of three realms) . This monster invariably delivers his captives into the hands of the Inquisition, by which they are sorely persecuted. Hearing this report, Arthur steps forward, offering to defend the widow and her children. ”

“ Take it therefore, with its saddle of gold, and let this boaster go horseless, till he can win a steed for himself.”
Much was Bragadocchio moved to be so shamed in the presence of all that company—so moved that for a while he laid aside his very cowardice, and broke forth into angry words against Sir Artegall. The knight made as if he would have slain the knave with his sword, but Sir Guyon stayed him. “Sir,” said he, “it would ill suit your dignity to vent your wrath on such a knave as this. The meetest punishment for him is to be put to open shame in the sight of all this company.” ”

“ But these also did Talus discomfit with his flail, pursuing them till Artegall himself bade him hold his hand, for he would settle the quarrel in more orderly fashion. Therefore he called a herald and bade him take a message to King Grantorto to this purport:
“I came not hither to fight against your people, but to maintain the cause of the Lady Irene against you in single combat. Do you therefore call your people back that they may suffer no further damage, but fix a time and place for us two to fight together in the cause of the Lady Irene.” ”