University of Virginia Library

III.14. CHAPTER XIV

HOW THE KING CAME ASHORE — FRIAR HUGH — JOINVILLE ACCOMPANIES THE KING INTO HIS OWN TERRITORY, AND THEN RETURNS HOME, VISITING HIS KINSFOLK ON THE WAY — HOW TIBALD OF NAVARRE AND CHAMPAGNE MARRIED THE KING'S DAUGHTER.

AFTER we had been ten weeks at sea, we touched at a port which is two leagues distant from the castle called Hyères, which belonged to the Count of Provence (who afterwards was King of Sicily). The Queen and all the council were of one opinion, that the King should land there, because it was his brother's territory.

The King answered us, that he should certainly not leave his ship until he reached Aigues Mortes, which was in his own territory. To this the King held all Wednesday and Thursday, and we could not get our way with him. These ships of Marseilles have two rudders so cunningly connected with two tillers, that one can turn the ship.

about right or left, as readily as one could guide a horse. On one of these steering-tillers the King was sitting on the Friday, and he called me and said, "Seneschal, what do you think about this business?" I said to him, "Sir, it would serve you right, if the same thing happened to you as it did my Lady of Bourbon. She would not land at this port, but put out to sea again for Aigues Mortes, and at sea she remained for seven weeks afterwards." Then the King called his council, and repeated to them what I had said; and asked, what they advised doing? and they all advised him to land; for it would be most unwise of him to risk himself, his wife and children at sea again, now that he was out of it.

The King yielded our advice, whereat the Queen was greatly delighted.

At the castle of Hyères the King to landed from off the sea, with the Queen and his children. Whilst the King was tarrying at Hyères, procuring horses to take him to France, the Abbot of Cluny (who afterwards was Bishop of Olenus) made him a present of two palfreys, which nowadays would be worth about five hundred pounds, one for himself,

and the other for the Queen. After he had presented them, he then said to the King: " Sir, I shall come -morrow and talk over my business with you." When the next day came, the Abbot returned, and the King heard him very attentively for a long while. When the Abbot was gone, I came to the King, and said: " I want to ask you, if you please, whether you heard the Abbot of Cluny any the more favourably for his having given you those two palfreys yesterday? " The King reflected for some time, and said, "Well, yes, I did." "Sir," said I, " do you know why I asked you this question? " " Why? " said he. " Because, Sir, I would advise you, after you be come into France, to forbid all your sworn councillors to accept anything from those who have any business to transact with you; for you may be sure that, if they do, they will give a more ready and attentive ear to those who give them gifts; just as you did to the Abbot of Cluny." The King summoned a full council; and told them by the way what I had said to him; and they said, that I had given him very good advice.

The King heard talk of a barefoot friar named

Brother Hugh; and because of his great reputation, the King sent for this friar, that he might hear him speak. On the day that we reached Hyères, we looked along the road by which he was coming, and saw an immense crowd of people, both men and women, following him. The King had him to preach. The first part of the sermon was about men of religion, and ran as follows: " Sirs" said he " I see many men of religion in the King's Court and about his person. It is of these" said he "that I will speak first. They are not in a state to work out their salvation: or else the Holy Scriptures lie; and that cannot be. For the Holy Scriptures tell us, that a monk cannot live out of his cloister without deadly sin, any more than a fish can live out of water. Those religious men who are with the King, may say, that this is their cloister; in that case I say to them that it is the biggest cloister that ever I saw, for it stretches to both sides of the sea. And if they say, that in this cloister one can live a strict life for the salvation of one's soul, there I do not believe them; for when I have dined with them, it was off divers sorts of flesh, and good strong wines; wherefor I am quite sure that had they been in their cloister, they would not have been so well off as they are with the King."

He instructed the King in his sermon, how he should behave himself for his people's happiness; and at the end of his sermon, he said, that he had read the Bible and those books that compare with the Bible, but that in no book, whether of believers or infidels, did he ever find that any kingdom or lordship was ever overthrown nor changed hands, save from lack of justice. " Therefor," said he, " let the King, now that he is going to France, see to it, that he deal so justly with his people, as to keep the love of God; so that God may not take the kingdom of France away from him so long as he lives."

I said to the King, that he should keep him amongst us as long as he could; but the Friar would do nothing for him. Then the King took me by the hand; and said: " Let us go and entreat him again." We went to him, and I said to him: "Sir, do what my lord asks you, and stay with him as long as he is in Provence." But he answered me very wrathfully, " Certainly, Sir, I shall not do so.

I will rather betake me to some place where I shall be more pleasing to God than in the King's company." He stayed one day with us, and the next day went away again; and now, as I have since heard, he lies in the city of Marseilles, where he performs many fine miracles.

On the day that the King left Hyères, he walked down on foot from the castle, because the slope was very steep; and walked on some distance, until, not being able to get his own palfrey, he was obliged to mount mine. And when his palfreys came up, he rounded on Poynce, the squire, very tartly. When he had rated him thoroughly, I said to him, " Sir, you ought to put up with a good deal from Poynce, for he served your father and your grandfather before you." " Seneschal," said he, " it is not he that has served us, but we that have served him, by tolerating him about us, with his bad faults. King Philip my grandfather told me, that one should reward one's servants, one more and another less, according as to how they perform their service; and he used to say, moreover, that no one could be a good ruler of a land, if he did not know how to refuse as boldly as to grant. And I teach you this," said the

King, " because the world is so greedy in asking, that there are but few who regard their soul's salvation nor their worldly honour, so long as they can transfer their neighbour's goods to themselves, by fair means or by foul."

The King travelled through the county of Provence to a city called Aix-in-Provence, where it was said that the body of Magdalen was laid. And we went into a very lofty cave in a rock, where they said that the Magdalen had dwelt as a hermit for seventeen years.

When the King reached Beaucaire, and I saw him in his own territory and dominion, I took leave of him, and travelled home by way of my niece the Dauphine of Viennois, and my uncle the Count of Châlons, and his son the Count of Burgundy; and when I had stayed for a while at Joinville, and put my affairs in order, I set out to join the King, whom I found at Soissons; and he welcomed me so heartily that all who were there were astonished. There I found Count John of Brittany and his wife (the daughter of King Tibald) who offered her homage to the King for such rights as she laid claim to in Champagne; and the King appointed a

day for her and King Tibald II, who was there, to come to the Parliament at Paris; that the case might be heard, and justice done between the parties. To the Parliament came the King of Navarre and his council, and likewise the Count of Brittany.

At this Parliament, King Tibald asked for my Lady Isabel, the King's daughter, to have to wife. There was a good deal of talk among our people of Champagne because of the affection which they had seen the King show me at Soissons; so I did not hesitate to go to the King of France to speak about this marriage. "Go," said he, "first make peace with the Count of Brittany, and then we will see about your marriage." And I told him, that he ought not to allow that to interfere. And he replied, that nothing should induce him to conclude the marriage, until peace should have been made; for he would not have it said that he married his children to the disheritage of his barons.

I reported these words to Queen Margaret of Navarre and the King her son and the rest of their council; and thereupon they hastened to make peace. And after peace was concluded, the King

of France gave his daughter to King Tibald; and the wedding was celebrated at Melun, with great pomp and solemnity; and thence King Tibald took her to Provence, where they were met and welcomed by a great number of barons.