University of Virginia Library

III.2. CHAPTER II

THE KING TAKES COUNSEL, WHETHER TO RETURN TO FRANCE, OR TO STAY IN THE HOLY LAND.

WHILST we were staying thus in Acre, the King sent for his brothers and the Count of Flanders and the other rich men one Sunday, and spoke to them as follows: " Sirs, my lady mother the Queen has sent to me and used her utmost entreaties, that I should go back to France; for my kingdom is in great danger, because I have no peace nor truce with the King of England. The men of this country, with whom I have talked, tell me, that, if I go, this country is lost; for all those that are in Acre will come away after me, for that no one will dare to remain in it with so few men. Therefore I beg you" said he "to think it over; and since the matter is a weighty one, I grant you a respite of a week from now, before you give your answer as to what you think best."

[The Legate] said to me: that he did not see how the King could possibly remain; and entreated me very particularly to share his ship.

I answered him, that: It was out of my power to do so, for that I possessed nothing, as he knew, having lost everything in the water when I was captured. And this answer I gave, not because I should not have very much liked to go with him, but because of something that my first cousin the Lord of Boulaincourt God rest his soul! said to me when I went over-seas. "You are going away over-seas" said he " Now, take care how you come back; for there is no knight, be he poor or rich, but will be dishonoured, if he return and leave in the Saracens' hands those poor servants of Our Lord in whose company he set out."

The Legate was angry with me, and told me, I ought not to have refused.

On the next Sunday we came again before the King; and then the King asked his brothers and the other barons and the Count of Flanders, what advice they meant to give him? to go? or to stay? They all replied: that they had charged my

Lord Guy Malvoisin with the advice that they wished to give the King.

The King ordered him to speak as they had charged him; and he said as follows: " Sir, your brothers and the rich men that are here, have considered the state of your affairs, and perceive, that it is impossible for you to remain in this country, with credit to yourself or to your kingdom. For, of all the knights who started in your company, of whom you led two thousand eight hundred to Cyprus, there are not in this town one hundred left. Wherefore they urge you, Sir, to get you gone to France, there to procure men and money, that you may return again speedily to this country, and avenge you on the enemies of God, who have kept you in their prison."

The King would not rest content with what Lord Guy Malvoisin had said, but asked the Count of Anjou, and the Count of Poitiers, and the Count of Flanders, and several other rich men who sat near them, and they all agreed with Lord Guy Malvoisin.

The Legate asked Count John of Jaffa, who was sitting among them, what was his opinion on the

matter. The Count of Jaffa begged him to refrain from asking: "For this reason " said he "that my castles are at stake; and if I urge the King to stay, it will be thought that I do so for my own ends." Then the King desired him in the most definite manner, to say what he thought; and he replied: That if the King could manage to hold his ground for the space of a year, he would gain great honour by remaining. Then the Legate asked those who sat beyond the Count of Jaffa; and they all agreed with Lord Guy Malvoisin. I was seated about the fourteenth off from the Legate. He asked me, what I thought about it, and I answered him, that I quite agreed with the Count of Jaffa. And the Legate said to me angrily: How was it possible for the King to hold the field with so few men as he had? I too replied in anger (for it seemed to me that his words were meant as a home thrust): "Well, Sir, I will tell you how, since you wish it. It is said, Sir whether truly or not, I do not know that the King has not yet spent any of his own money, only the money of the clergy. Now let the King bring some of his own money into use, and let him send and raise knights in the Morea and beyond the seas; and when they hear the news that the King is giving handsome pay, then knights will flock in to him from all quarters, so that he will be able to hold the field for a year, please God. And, through his staying, those poor prisoners will be delivered, who have been captured in the service of God and himself, who will never get out again, if the King goes away. "

There was not a man present but had some of his nearest and dearest in prison, so that no one took up my words; but instead, they all began to weep.

After me, the Legate put the question to my Lord William of Beaumont, who, at that time, was Marshall of France, and he said, that I had spoken very well. " And I will tell you why . . ." he began. But the good knight, Lord John of Beaumont, who was his uncle, and had a great desire to go back to France, shouted him down very rudely; and said to him: " What do you mean? you filthy fellow! Sit down again, and hold your tongue! " The King said to him: " Sir John, you do ill; let him speak." "Sir, I shall certainly not!"

He was obliged to be silent; and after that nobody else agreed with me, except the Lord of Chatenay.

Then the King said to us: " Sirs, I have heard you attentively; and I will give you my answer this day week, as to what I think fit to do."

No sooner had we left the place than I was attacked on all sides: " Well, Sir de Joinville, the King must be mad, if he listens to you, contrary to the whole council of the kingdom of France! " As soon as the tables were laid, I seated myself beside the King at the board, in the place where he always made me sit, when his brothers were not there. Not a word did he speak to me all the time that the meal lasted; which was not his wont, for he always took some notice of me at table. And truly I thought that he was angry with me, because I had said, that he had not yet spent any of his own money, whereas he spent it generously. Whilst the King was hearing his grace, I walked up to an iron-barred window, that was in a recess by the head of the King's bed, and stood with my arms thrust through the window-bars, thinking, that if the King went away to France, I would go and join the Prince of Antioch (who

considered me a kinsman, and had sent for me) until another expedition should come out to the country, by which the prisoners might be delivered, according to the advice that the Lord of Boulaincourt had given me.

As I was standing there, the King came and leant over my shoulder and placed both his hands upon my head. And I thought that it was Lord Philip of Annemoes, who had plagued me enough that day, because of the advice I had given the King; and I said: " Leave me in peace, Lord Philip! " By mishap, as I jerked my head, the King's hand slipped down over my face, and I recognised the King by an emerald that he wore on his finger. And he said to me: " Keep still; for I wish to ask you, how you could make so bold a young man like you as to venture to advise me to stay here, in opposition to all the great men and wise men of France, who advise me to go away."

" Sir," said I, "if I had such wickedness in my own heart, nothing should induce me to advise you to commit it." " Do you mean," said he, "that I should be doing a wrong thing if I went away?"

" So help me God; yes, Sir," quoth I. And he

said: " If I stay, will you stay? " And I told him: "Yes, by some means; either at my own charge or that of someone else." " Now you may be quite easy" said he "for I am very much obliged to you for the advice you have given me. But do not tell anybody, all this week." I was the easier for this conversation, and defended myself the more boldly against my assailants. They call the natives of that country "colts "; [1] so Lord Peter of Avalon sent me word that I must defend myself against those who called me a '`colt"; and I told them: I would rather be a colt than a turn-tail hack such as they were.

The next Sunday, we all came again before the King, and when the King saw that we were all arrived, he crossed his lips, and spoke to us as follows: (having first invoked the aid of the Holy Spirit as I suppose; for my lady mother told me that whenever I had anything I wanted to say, I must invoke the aid of the Holy Ghost, and cross my lips.)

The King's speech was on this wise: "Sirs," quoth he, " I thank you very much, all those of

you who have counselled my going to France; and I likewise give thanks to those who have counselled my staying; but I have reflected, that if I stay I see no risk of my kingdom coming to grief, for my lady the Queen has plenty of people to defend it. Moreover, I have considered what the barons of this country say: that, if I go away, the kingdom of Jerusalem is lost, since no one will dare to remain behind in it. And I have considered that on no account whatever should I permit the kingdom of Jerusalem to be lost, which I came hither to preserve and to conquer. And so my decision is, that here I am, and here I stay. Therefore I bid you you rich men that are here, and all other knights who are willing to stay with me, come and speak freely to me; and I will give you so much, that the fault shall be yours, not mine, if you will not remain."

Many who heard this speech were confounded; and there were many who wept.