Blanquerna

BENEDICTA TU IN MULIERIBUS

It was the cuAom of the Abbot Blanquerna to go often to visit the monk who had been Abbot before him, and like¬ wise the Bishop who dwelt in that farm wherein was also the monk aforesaid. It happened one day that the Abbot was passing through a great foreft, as he went to the farm wherein dwelt the monk and the Bishop. Upon the way was a fair fountain, beneath a lofty tree, in the shade whereof lay an armed knight who was going to seek adventure for the love of his lady. This knight had taken his helmet from his head by reason of the great heat. His horse was cropping the cool grass near the fountain ; and the knight was singing a new song in the which he spake ill of troubadours who had spoken ill of love, and who had not praised above all ladies that lady whom the knight

a. The Abbot Blanquerna heard the song and compre¬ hended the words thereof, and came to the place where the knight was singing. The Abbot dismounted, and took his seat near to the knight, and spake to him these words: “ It is the nature of love that it causes that thing to be loved which is pleasing and agreeable to man. It appears to me, according to the significance of thy song, that thou art enamoured of some lady. Her doft thou praise above all 249

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ladies else. I pray thee tell me, if there were another lady nobler and fairer and more beautiful than thine, wouldft thou love her more than that lady whom now thou loveft ? ’’ The knight left his singing, and answered the Abbot,

BENEDICT A TU IN MULIERIBUS

me using these arms, that we may see which lady is the fairer and more beautiful and worthy of the greater honour, thy reasons make me not to fear. Rather do I feel courage and Strength within me whereby I may compel thee to own that my Lady is fairer than thine.”

6. So between the Abbot and the knight there was a great dispute as to which of their ladies was the fairer. Both were of accord that each should praise his lady, that it might be seen of which of them could the greater praise be spoken. The Abbot desired that the knight should firft praise that lady whom he loved. So the knight praised his lady, saying these words : “ So fair and gentle is my lady that love has made me to overcome and vanquish many knights, and to honour my lady have I many times run into mortal danger; for her have I borne grievous hunger and thirft, heat and cold, and many trials have I suffered in my body to do her service. Wherefore, as all these things are greater and of greater worth than those where¬ with thou serveft thy lady, therefore, Sir Monk," said the knight, “ is it signified that if thy lady were fairer and worthier than mine thou wouldft do, and wouldft have done, greater things, and have borne greater trials, in the love and service of thy lady, than those things which I have done and suffered in praise of mine." Many other words, the which words it would take long to relate, spake the knight to the Abbot in praise of his lady.

7. “Sir Knight!” said the Abbot. “Many things could I relate to thee truthfully in praise of my Lady ; but one thing alone suffices for my Lady’s praise, and this will prove that she is fairer and more beautiful than thine. Therefore againft the things which thou haft said will I not speak, but will say alone in her praise : ‘ Blessed art thou among women.’ ” The knight desired that the Abbot should expound to him that article of praise aforesaid, so the Abbot expounded to him this thing which the angel Gabriel spake to Our Lady, in the words following:

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8. “ It was the will of the Son of God, and He was pleased to choose Our Lady Saint Mary above all other women, and to give her greater grace than that which is in any woman else ; for God took of the Virgin Saint Mary human flesh when He became incarnate within her, and she, being a virgin, conceived by the grace of the Holy Spirit in her womb God and man. This Lady is Mother both of God and man. The God of Whom she is the Mother is greater than all the creatures; and the Son of Man of Whom she is Mother is greater than all the creatures likewise, because He is one Person with the Son of God Who of all creatures is Creator. This is she that is my Lady, and she is the Head of our Order; and this one article of praise suffices to vanquish any other praise soever which can be uttered concerning any woman.”

9. Long did the knight reflefl upon the praise which the Abbot had spoken concerning Our Lady Saint Mary; and through the light of grace and the merits of the Abbot, the knight reflefted upon the vain and foolish love which he had borne to his lady, and how that through this love he was in mortal sin, and in peril of damnation, and how his lady had no power wherewith to defend him from the fire of hell, nor could give him as a reward the glory of heaven, nor could even lengthen his life. As the knight reflefted thus, he sighed and wept and spake these words :

10. “ How late, O love, art thou in filling this guilty sinner with love for that Lady who is the faireft!1 If I, O love, had known thee and loved thee, then had I been the servant and subjedl all the days of my life of that faireft Lady, whose servant is this monk that has done her honour in making her known to me as worthier than all women else. If in thee, O love, there were pity, or pardon, or gifts, 2 or patience, or charity or humility, couldft thou make me to be a servant of this faireft of women ? Or

■ niptrji,, Jo: a play upon word! which occur! frequently in the book.

BENEDICT A TU IN MULIERIBUS

would death ftay till I had done many things for love of her? ” These words and many more did the knight utter with such great contrition and devotion that the Abbot was moved thereby to devotion and to tears.

1 1. “ Sir Monk1 1 " said the knight, “ Tell me if it be possible that the Lady whom thou loveft would suffer me to love her, and to Strive for love of her with all my might, all the days of my life, in battles and combats, wherein I should ever be opposed to such as do her dishonour and deny her worth.” The Abbot answered the knight, “ The greater is the worth of the fairest of women, the more does she delight in a sinful man who suffers for her sake and becomes her servant and her lover; wherefore she is worthy to have honour above all ladies else." Great joy had the knight of this, and many tears did he shed, saying these

12. “No lettered man am I, nor am 1 versed in divers tongues, whereby through my words I may sing the praises of Our Lady to unbelievers; but with arms will I go and do honour to that Lady whom God has honoured above all women else. A new way will I make whereby Our Lady may be honoured. And this is that way, that I will go and do battle in the land of the Saracens againft some knight who is no servant of Our Lady; and when I have overcome him, another will 1 overcome also.” When the knight had spoken these words he took leave of the Abbot, and the Abbot gave him his blessing, and set for a name to that new rule which the knight had taken: “ Benedifta tu in mulieribus.”

13. Through the will of God it came to pass that this knight who had taken the service of “ Benedifta tu ” came to the country of a Saracen king. When he arrived there, he went, all armed, upon his fteed, to the palace of the king, saying that he desired to speak with him. The king

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was pleased to give the knight admittance, and caused him to be brought before him. When the knight came before the king, he spake to him in these words : “ The servant and the lover am I of a Lady who is worthier than all women else, and who through the grace of the Holy Spirit is Mother of God and Man. And with any man in thy Court who denies this honour to Our Lady will I here do battle, to the end that I may compel him to give due honour to Our Lady the Virgin Saint Mary, in whose service I am newly admitted knight.”

14. The Saracen king said to the knight that he be¬ lieved not that Our Lady was the Mother of God, but that he believed indeed that she was a holy woman and a virgin and the mother of a man that was a prophet; and that therefore he desired not that the knight should do battle, but rather that he should set before him arguments, since he denied to Our Lady that honour which the knight attributed to her. The knight answered the king and said that the greatest honour which Our Lady has is that of being the Mother of God ; and that he would do battle with every man who forbade that such honour should be paid to Our Lady. But since he was unlettered and knew not the Scriptures, therefore he desired not to answer the king by argument, but rather would he do battle by force of arms with all the knights of his court, one after the other.

IJ. Great wrath had the king againfl this knight who challenged all his court, and he commanded that he should be delivered up to a cruel death. But a Saracen knight said to the king that if this knight were put to death, excepting in battle, it would appear that there was defect of chivalry in his court; and he prayed the king to allow him to do battle with the knight. It pleased the king and all his court that battle should be done between these two knights. When they were on the field of battle, the Chriftian knight had remembrance of his Lady and said : “ Blessed art thou among women.” And he made before his face the sign of 2 54

BENEDICTUS FRUCTUS FENTRIS TUI the Cross, and set spurs to his horse, and wounded the Saracen knight ; and by force of arms overcame and slew him.

1 6. The king was moved with great wrath, and even so were all the rcfl. The king commanded that knight after knight should do battle with this Chriflian until they had vanquished him. So another knight entered the field, and all the day long they fought, yet neither of them van¬ quished the other. All that night the two combatants refled, and the king was arbiter in the battle, that it might not be said that by force of will the Chriflian knight was wronged therein. When the morrow came, both knights returned to the battle-field, and when the Chriflian knight was about to flrike the Saracen with his sword the Saracen declared himself vanquished, and acknowledged that Our Lady was worthy to be lauded and praised according as the Chriflian praised her. In the presence of all he spake these words, and said that he would fain be of the rule and order of “ Benedifla tu,” and that he was prepared to do battle with any other Saracen knight who denied to Our Lady her due honour. Great was the wrath of the king, and he commanded that both knights should be taken and put to death. So they became martyrs for Our Lady, who honoured them with the glory of her Son, because for her sake they had suffered martyrdom. Even so is she ready to honour all those who in like manner will do her honour.