Saladin and the order of Knighthood

It is good to talk to worthy men, for one can gain much thereby. He who takes note of their deeds need not be on his guard against folly, for one finds in Solomon that a wise man always carries out his works wisely; and if he errs at any time, he is not wise to do so when it constantly turns to folly.

Henceforth I wish to put my effort into rhyming and relating a tale I have heard told, of a king who was of great lordship in pagan lands, and who was a very loyal Saracen: his name was Saladin.

In the time of this king, the Saracens inflicted much damage on the people of our faith, by their pride and by their outrage, until on one occasion a prince came to the battle. His name was Hue of Tabarie, and he had with him a great company of the knights of Galilee, for he was lord of that country. They did great deeds of arms that day, but it did not please the Creator, Him who is called the King of Glory, for our men to have the victory, for Prince Hue was taken there, and led through the streets straight before Saladin. Saladin addressed him in his own language, for he knew it very well. "Hue, I am very pleased to hold you, said the King, by Mohammed, and I promise you one thing, and that is that you will either have to die or provide a great ransom." Prince Hue replied: "Since you have given me the choice, I will take the ransom, if I have anything to pay it with. - Yes, said the King, you will find me a hundred thousand bezants. - How, Sire? - You are of great bravery and full of great chivalry, and no worthy man will ever refuse to give you a fine gift if you ask for your ransom. Thus may you acquit yourself. - In that case, I wish to ask you how I can leave here." Saladin replied to him: "Hue, you will affirm to me by the religion that you hold and by your faith, that two years from now you will without fail have paid me your ransom, or you will return to prison. Thus can you leave here. - Sire, he said, many thanks. Thus I grant it you." Thereupon he begged leave to depart, for he wanted to return to his own country, but the King took him by the hand and led him into his chamber, and besought him gently: "Hue, he said, by the faith you owe to the god of your religion, apprise me, for I desire to know fully the manner (I would willingly know) in which knights are made. - Fair sire, he said, I will not. - Why? Sire, I will tell you: the holy order of knighthood would be ill employed in you, for you are vile as regards the religion of goodness, baptism and faith; and I would be undertaking great folly if I were to wish to bedeck and cover a dunghill with silken sheets so that it could never stink. I could on no account do it, and in the same way I would be making a mistake if I were to confer such an order on you. I would not dare to take this upon myself, for I would be much blamed for it. - Ha! Hue, he said, you would not. There is no wrong in this, for I hold you in my prison, and you must do my will, even if it displease you. - Sire, since I must do it, and since no counsel is of any avail, I will do it quite without resistance".

Then Hue began to teach Saladin all he was required to do: he had his hair and beard and face well prepared (this is proper for a new knight); then he made him enter a bath. Then the King began to ask him what this bath signified. Hue of Tabarie replied: "Sire, this bath in which you are bathing signifies this: just as the child leaves the font free from sin when he is brought from baptism, Sire, so you should leave this bath without any wickedness, for knighthood should bathe in honesty, in courtesy, and in goodness, and be beloved of all people. - This is a fine beginning, said the King, by the great god".

After this, Hue took him out of the bath and laid him in a fair bed, which was delightfully wrought. "Hue, tell me without fail the significance of this bed. - Sire, this bed tells you that by one's chivalry one should win a bed in Paradise, the kind that God grants to his friends, for this is the bed of rest; he who will not lie in it is indeed foolish".

When Saladin had lain a little while on the bed, Hue raised him up and clad him in white sheets made of linen. Then he said to King Saladin: "Sire, do not treat this as a jest: these white sheets that are close to your flesh give you to understand that a knight should always strive to maintain the cleanliness of his flesh if he wishes to come to God".

Afterwards, he clad him in a red robe. Saladin marveled greatly as to why the Prince did this to him. "Hue, he said straight away, what does this robe signify?" Hue of Tabarie replied: "Sire, this robe gives you to understand, quite simply, that you should spill your blood in order to defend God and his holy law. This is meant by the red. - Hue, he said, I am greatly impressed." Afterwards, he put on him fine hose of black silk. "Sire, he said, I surely give you all this as a reminder by way of these black overshoes that you always have in mind death, and the ground where you will lie, whence you came, and whither you will go. Your eyes should look to this, so that you do not fall into pride, for pride should not reign or reside in a knight; he should always strive for candour. - All this is very good to hear, said the King, and it does not displease me"

Then Hue arose and girded on him a small white belt. "Sire, this belt signifies that you should preserve in holiness your pure flesh, your loins, and your whole body, and keep your body pure, as in a state of virginity. You should not practice lechery, for a knight should cherish his body and keep it pure so that lie does not incur shame therefrom, for God much hates suchlike filth." The King replied: "This is fitting".

Afterwards, Hue attached to his feet a pair of spurs and then said to him, "Sire, as quickly as you would want your horse to be inclined to run when you Spur him on, to go everywhere at your will, now here and now there speedily, so these spurs, gilded all about, mean that you should always be of a mind to love God all your life, for thus do all knights who love him deeply from the heart they always serve him with a tender heart." Saladin was well pleased.

Then Hue girded the sword on him; Saladin asked him the significance of the blade. "Sire, Hue said, this is safeguard against the attack of the enemy. Just as you see here two edges that tell you that a knight should always possess justice and loyalty together, so this means, it seems to me, that he should protect the poor man so that the rich man cannot harm him, and support the weak man so that the stronger cannot bring him to shame. This is a deed of charity." Saladin, who had listened well to his words, assented to this.

Then Hue placed on his head a cap which was all white, and told him the meaning of it: "Sire, he said, now pay heed: just as you see this cap which is placed on your head to be without filth, and fair and white and clean and pure, so at the day of judgement you should promptly give back the soul to God, free from the sins of the body, pure and untainted by the follies unceasingly committed by the body in order to be deserving of Paradise, rich in delight; for 110 tongue can relate, nor ear hear, nor heart imagine the great beauties of Paradise that God grants to his friends".

The King listened to all this and then asked him if anything was lacking. "Sire, yes, but I dare not do it. - What is it, then? - It is the accolade. - Why have you not given it to me and told me its meaning? - Sire, he said, it is a reminder to the knight of him who dubbed him and ordained him, but I will not give it you, for I am here in your prison, and I should commit no wickedness, whatever is said or done to me; for this reason, I do not wish to strike you. You must just accept this. But I will still show you, teach and explain to you four special things that a new knight should possess and maintain all his life if he wants to come to God.

To begin with, he should not witness false judgement, nor be in any place where treason is done but that he leave it at once if he cannot prevent evil, he should soon turn away. The next thing is very fair: on no account should he deprive a lady or damsel of his protection, but if they need him, he should help them as best he can if lie wants to have esteem and praise I for one should honour ladies and carry out great deeds on their behalf. The next thing truly is that he should be abstemious; and in truth I tell you that he should fast on Fridays in the name of the memory of Jesus, who was struck by the lance for our redemption, and who pardoned Longinus. Throughout his life he should fast on this day for love of Him, unless he omits to do so on account of illness or company; and if lie cannot fast on this account, he should make amends for it towards God by giving alms or something else. the final thing is that he should hear mass every day; if lie has something, he should offer it, for the offering made at God's table is well placed, because it bears great virtue." The King heard then all that Hue told him and was very joyful because of it.

Then he arose and went just as he was into his palace. He found fifty emirs there, all from his country. Then he sat on his throne and Hue sat at his feet, but was soon raised up; the King placed him at his side and then spoke thus to him: "Hue, because you are a worthy man, I want to give you a fine gift. Be assured that if one of your people is taken in an encounter or a battle, he can go free for love of you, if you come to request it. And ride through my land freely and without hindrance; on the neck of your horse place your leg so that no-one troubles you. And I will return to you up to ten of your people now captive, if you wish to take them away from here. - Sire, he said, thank you, for this deserves thanks. But I do not wish to forget that you told me that I should ask any worthy men I might find to help me with my ransom. And I see here no man as worthy as you, fair sir King; so give me something, for it is fitting, since you taught me to ask." Then Saladin laughed, and said cheerfully: "You have made a very good start, for I will give you quite without deceit fifty thousand good bezants, for I do not want you to fail because of me." Then he got to his feet, and said to Prince Hue: "Go to each baron, and I will go with you. My lords, said the King, give us something with which this great prince may be acquitted." Then the emirs all around began to give so that he easily had his ransom, and so that the surplus was worth ten thousand bezants, so much did they give and promise him.

Then Hue took his leave, for he wanted to depart from the pagan lands. "You will not leave thus, said the King, until you have the remainder of that which was promised you - for the ten thousand pure gold bezants will be taken from my treasure." Then he told his treasurer to give him the bezants, and afterwards returned them to those who had given them; the treasurer weighed the bezants properly. Thus he gave them to Count Hue; he took them, whether he wanted to or not (for he did not want to take them away): he would rather have bought back his people who were in prison and in great wretchedness in the hands of the Saracens. When Saladin heard this, he swore by Mohammed that they would never be bought back. And when Hue heard him say this, he felt great anguish in his heart; but Hue dared not beseech the King any more, because he had sworn by Mohammed, and Hue did not want to anger him. Then he ordered the ten companions, whom he had sought to take back to his country, to prepare themselves, but he then stayed fully eight days in great joy and great ease. Then lie asked for safe conduct through the infidel lands.

Saladin provided him with a great company of his people: fifty of them led him properly through the pagan lands without pride and without wickedness, so that Hue and his companions were not troubled. Then they took the homeward path, going back to their own country, and thus did the Prince of Galilee return. But he sorrowed much on account of those of his people who had to stay there; yet he could not remedy this, and was as distraught as a man could be. Then he came to his country the last of the eleven. Next he shared out the great wealth he had brought with him, and gave it to many a man who grew rich from it. Lords, this tale should be welcome among good people, for it is of no worth to the others, who have no more understanding than sheep. By the faith I owe the God of Paradise, he would lose his jewels who casts them among swine. You may be sure that they would trample them and not appreciate them, for they would not know any better, and would thus err. He who related this tale to them would likewise be trampled and considered base in their estimation, unless they wished to learn anything from it.

In this tale, one may find two things worthy of praise: in the first place: how knights, whom everybody should honour, are made, for they have us all to guard and if it were not for knighthood, our lordship would be of little worth, for they defend Holy Church, and they uphold justice for us against those who would do us harm. I will not refrain from praising them; he who does not love them is very foolish. Our chances would be stolen from before us at the table of God, and nothing would ever stop it. But their justice, which defends us in their persons, is decisive. The good would never be able to endure if the wicked did not fear knights, and if there were only Saracens, Albigensians, and Barbarians, and people of evil faith who would do us wrong; but these fear knights, and one should hold them more dear and glorify and honour them, and rise up before them as soon as one sees them approaching. Certainly one should shame those who hold them in scorn, for I tell you in truth that the knight has the power to have and bear all his arms in Holy Church when he has to hear mass, so that no wicked person forbid the service of Mary's son nor the holy and worthy sacrament by which we have our salvation. And if anyone should speak ill of this, the knight is empowered to kill him. By the faith that I owe Almighty God, I still have to say a little more: it is given to the knight - and one should hold him more dear who properly understands this parable that I am boldly telling you - that if lie has acted according to his order, he can on no account fail to go straight to Paradise. For this reason I have taught you here to do what you should, to honour knights above all other men, except only those who perform the sacrament.

Another thing is truly that by this poem one can learn what happened to Count Hue, who was a very wise man and a worthy: Saladin honoured him much because he found him to be a worthy man, and caused much honour to be done him. For this reason it is good to strive to do as well as one can, for one can gain much good thereby.

Reading in Latin we find: to good works a good ending. Now let us pray tenderly to God, Him who made the firmament, that when we come to pass away we can end our days so well that we may have that tender joy which for the good is never-ending; and for him who wrote this that he may be with Jesus Christ; and in the honour of Holy Mary, all say Amen, Amen. Here ends the Order of Knighthood.

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