Part 43 (1/2)
”You shall know all,” she says, ”your surgeon now Commands you silence, rest and soft repose, You shall be sound, prepare my guerdon meet,”
His head then laid she in her bosom sweet.
CXV Vafrine devised this while how he might bear His master home, ere night obscured the land, When lo, a troop of soldiers did appear, Whom he descried to be Tancredi's band, With him when he and Argant met they were; But when they went to combat hand for hand, He bade them stay behind, and they obeyed, But came to seek him now, so long he stayed.
CXVI Besides them, many followed that enquest, But these alone found out the rightest way, Upon their friendly arms the men addressed A seat whereon he sat, he leaned, he lay: Quoth Tancred, ”Shall the strong Circa.s.sian rest In this broad field, for wolves and crows a prey?
Ah no, defraud not you that champion brave Of his just praise, of his due tomb and grave:
CXVII ”With his dead bones no longer war have I, Boldly he died and n.o.bly was he slain, Then let us not that honor him deny Which after death alonely doth remain:”
The Pagan dead they lifted up on high, And after Tancred bore him through the plain.
Close by the virgin chaste did Vafrine ride, As he that was her squire, her guard, her guide.
CXVIII ”Not home,” quoth Tancred, ”to my wonted tent, But bear me to this royal town, I pray, That if cut short by human accident I die, there I may see my latest day, The place where Christ upon his cross was rent To heaven perchance may easier make the way, And ere I yield to Death's and Fortune's rage, Performed shall be my vow and pilgrimage.”
CXIX Thus to the city was Tancredi borne, And fell on sleep, laid on a bed of down.
Vafrino where the damsel might sojourn A chamber got, close, secret, near his own; That done he came the mighty duke beforn, And entrance found, for till his news were known, Naught was concluded mongst those knights and lords, Their counsel hung on his report and words.
CXX Where weak and weary wounded Raymond laid, G.o.dfrey was set upon his couch's side, And round about the man a ring was made Of lords and knights that filled the chamber wide; There while the squire his late discovery said, To break his talk, none answered, none replied, ”My lord,” he said, ”at your command I went And viewed their camp, each cabin, booth and tent;
CXXI ”But of that mighty host the number true Expect not that I can or should descry, All covered with their armies might you view The fields, the plains, the dales and mountains high, I saw what way soe'er they went and drew, They spoiled the land, drunk floods and fountains dry, For not whole Jordan could have given them drink, Nor all the grain in Syria, bread, I think.
CXXII ”But yet amongst them many bands are found Both horse and foot, of little force and might, That keep no order, know no trumpet's sound, That draw no sword, but far off shoot and fight, But yet the Persian army doth abound With many a footman strong and hardy knight, So doth the King's own troop which all is framed Of soldiers old, the Immortal Squadron named.
CXXIII ”Immortal called is that band of right, For of that number never wanteth one, But in his empty place some other knight Steps in, when any man is dead or gone: This army's leader Emireno hight, Like whom in wit and strength are few or none, Who hath in charge in plain and pitched field, To fight with you, to make you fly or yield.
CXXIV ”And well I know their army and their host Within a day or two will here arrive: But thee Rinaldo it behoveth most To keep thy n.o.ble head, for which they strive, For all the chief in arms or courage boast They will the same to Queen Armida give, And for the same she gives herself in price, Such hire will many hands to work entice.
CXXV ”The chief of these that have thy murder sworn, Is Altamore, the king of Samarcand!
Adrastus then, whose realm lies near the morn, A hardy giant, bold, and strong of hand, This king upon an elephant is borne, For under him no horse can stir or stand; The third is Tisipherne, as brave a lord As ever put on helm or girt on sword.”
CXXVI This said, from young Rinaldo's angry eyes, Flew sparks of wrath, flames in his visage s.h.i.+ned, He longed to be amid those enemies, Nor rest nor reason in his heart could find.
But to the Duke Vafrine his talk applies, ”The greatest news, my lord, are yet behind, For all their thoughts, their crafts and counsels tend By treason false to bring thy life to end.”
CXXVII Then all from point to point he gan expose The false compact, how it was made and wrought, The arms and ensigns feigned, poison close, Ormondo's vaunt, what praise, what thank he sought, And what reward, and satisfied all those That would demand, inquire, or ask of aught.
Silence was made awhile, when G.o.dfrey thus,-- ”Raymondo, say, what counsel givest thou us?”
CXXVIII ”Not as we purposed late, next morn,” quoth he, ”Let us not scale, but round besiege this tower, That those within may have no issue free To sally out, and hurt us with their power, Our camp well rested and refreshed see, Provided well gainst this last storm and shower, And then in pitched field, fight, if you will; If not, delay and keep this fortress still.
CXXIX ”But lest you be endangered, hurt, or slain, Of all your cares take care yourself to save, By you this camp doth live, doth win, doth reign, Who else can rule or guide these squadrons brave?
And for the traitors shall be noted plain, Command your guard to change the arms they have, So shall their guile be known, in their own net So shall they fall, caught in the snare they set.”
Cx.x.x ”As it hath ever,” thus the Duke begun, ”Thy counsel shows thy wisdom and thy love, And what you left in doubt shall thus be done, We will their force in pitched battle prove; Closed in this wall and trench, the fight to shun, Doth ill this camp beseem, and worse behove, But we their strength and manhood will a.s.say, And try, in open field and open day.
Cx.x.xI ”The fame of our great conquests to sustain, Or bide our looks and threats, they are not able, And when this army is subdued and slain Then is our empire settled, firm and stable, The tower shall yield, or but resist in vain, For fear her anchor is, despair her cable.”
Thus he concludes, and rolling down the west Fast set the stars, and called them all to rest.
TWENTIETH BOOK
THE ARGUMENT.