Blanquerna

Blanquerna continued on his way with great desire to find a place meet for his penitence. While he journeyed thus through the foreft he espied a road along the which walked a jefter* very poorly clad, his appearance and his manner bearing witness to his poverty and sadness of mind. Blan¬ querna enquired of the jefter wherefore his countenance thus bore witness to sorrow and grief. “ Sir ! ” said the jefter : “ I have come from a court wherein a noble baron of these parts has been of late dubbed knight. In that court I thought to find valour which should restore my poor garments, and should reward me for the sirventes3 that I

B LAN QUERN A

have made for long againSl those that are enemies of valour, and because I praised those that in this world maintain valour; but there was no reward given for valour in that court, nor to any of its lovers. For this cause I have fallen to thinking how I may compose another sirvente, wherein I may speak ill of valour and its servants.”

2. “ Fair friend 1 ” said Blanquerna : “ Ere thou makeft this sirvente, it behoves thee to have knowledge of valour and of those that are its servants, that thy words may con¬ tain truth.” “ Sir 1 ” said the jeSter : “ For long have I had knowledge of valour, and sought it in many lands, and it has never yet aided my poverty nor enabled me to leave the service of evil men.” “ Friend 1 ” said Blanquerna ; “ If valour were that which thou sayeft, it would of neces¬ sity be bound to help thee; for if it did not so it would not be valour. But it might be that that which thou nameSt valour is disvalour, evil and sin. Wherefore if evil, ill¬ speaking, ignorance and disvalour make thee to go about in poverty, then sayeft thou wrongly that valour has done thee injury or wrong.”

3. “ Sir 1 ” said the jefter: “ Since thou art so doughty a defender of valour I would have thee tell me what valour may be. Blanquerna answered and said that valour is valiancy1 of virtues againft vices, and it is that thing whereby comes utility and preservation againSt deception and sin. Comprehended in this valour are truth, liberality, courtesy, humility, moderation, loyalty, piety, knowledge and many virtues more, the which are daughters of faith, hope, charity, juftice, prudence, fortitude and temperance; of these is valour the daughter.” 2 While Blanquerna thus demonstrated the meaning of valour to the jefter, a knight passed by on foot, bearing his lance in his hand, and upon his back his sword. When he was near to them, the jefter

t‘W. The word intence, but the me: 'V. Other versioi

“ valiancy ” preserves

scfulness,” “ worth.” daughter of valour.”

OF VALOUR

said to Blanquerna that that knight was the emperor, for he knew him and had seen him many times. The jeSter and Blanquerna did reverence and honour to the emperor, who greeted them in very friendly fashion.

4. The jester enquired of the emperor what was the fortune that caused him thus to journey alone and on foot through the foreSL The emperor answered and related to them both how that in the chase he had pursued a wild boar for so long that he had become parted from his companions; and how that he had followed the boar into a dense foreSt, and the boar had slain his horse and he him¬ self had wounded the boar to death. When the emperor had related the adventure which had befallen him, he asked the jeSter and Blanquerna if they could give him aught to eat ; for hunger constrained him greatly, because two days had passed, in the which he had neither eaten nor drunk. “ Lord 1 ” said Blanquerna: “ Hard by is a fountain where thou mayeSl drink the pure water, and eat of the fresh grass which grows around it.” The emperor answered saying that without eating he could not drink, and that it was not his cuStom to eat grass; but that he thought soon to die if he found not some thing to eat of a kind whereto he was accuStomed.

5- Blanquerna led the emperor to the fountain; and they sat all three upon the fresh, green grass near by. Blanquerna drew out the three loaves that remained to him, and together they brake their faSt and dined. While the emperor ate, Blanquerna enquired of him which thing was of the greater profit to him: whether the bread that he ate or his empire. The emperor answered and said that in that place the bread that he ate was of greater profit and worth1 to him than his empire. Blanquerna replied:

* Little is the worth2 of an empire which is less profitable to its lord than the bread which he eats. From this, O jeSter, mayeSt thou take knowledge of that wherein true

blanquerna

valour consifts. -AH valour consists in three things : the one is in earthly things which avail to sustain the body, the second, in the gaining of virtues and merits, and the third, in that all things are good in so far as by them God is served, known and loved, and is pleased to use His power in His creatures.”

6. Then the emperor enquired of the jefter and of Blan¬ querna what was this conversation upon valour into the which they had entered, and they related to him the words concerning valour which they were speaking when he met them. And Blanquerna said to the emperor: “Lord I Many are the noble deeds which oft-times thou haft done, whereby thou haft been a friend of valour. Now if thou haft done aught that is evil, and opposed to valour, it can in no wise aid thee in this foreft wherein thou haft as little power as one of us. But if in thy soul there is nobility of heart, which accords with valour, the virtues whereof I have spoken are the daughters of valour and they can aid thee in this foreft to have patience and humility and consolation in the hope of God Who can aid thee in this place and in others.”

7. For long did they all three speak of valour, and for long did they walk together, until they came to a fair meadow surrounded by trees full fair. In the midft of that meadow was builded a beautiful palace, carven and walled with marble. Above the portal thereof were set these words : “ This palace belongs to the lady Valour, and no

man that is an enemy or a persecutor of valour muft enter therein, nor can enter. In this palace dwells Valour, who is exiled from the world, and from her lovers, and from all them that are lovers of disvalour. Daily does Valour weep and bewail her wrongs, and fain would she recover her honour and she awaits trufty helpers' who shall reftore er to the world, that the honour of God may be multiplied throughout all lands. Comfortless is Valour, and evil-

valtdors. See note, p. t7 5 above.

OF FA LOUR

doing and deception are increased. All men suffer from the dishonour which is done to Valour. If disvalour were valour, then would be greater in the world the honour of God. Valour welcomes him that remembers and loves her in his mind, and that laments the ill which she suffers, and that desires her honour.”

8. When the emperor and Blanquerna and the jefter had read these words, they wondered greatly at the significance thereof, and knocked at the door of the palace with intent to enter. A fair damsel appeared at the window, and enquired their will, and the condition and eftate of all three. Each one told the damsel his name and his eflate, and they said that they desired to enter the palace to the end that they might look upon Valour. So the damsel related to Valour the names and the effates of all three, and enquired of her if she would grant them leave to enter the palace. But Valour desired not that the emperor nor the jefter should enter, for they were her enemies, and of the number of them that persecuted her in the world and made her to dwell in that forcft. But because Blanquerna was her servant, she desired that he should enter and be given friendly welcome.

9. So Blanquerna entered alone into the palace, where he found Valour, who spake to him these words : “ I Valour am created to signify and show forth the valour of my Creator and my Lord. God gives valour to plants, beafts, birds, heavens, ftars, the four elements, and metals, that man may have valour over and above all these. And when man will not have this, he is in valour less than all these things or than any other creature, because he loves dis¬ valour, the which he desires to have, believing it to be valour. Many men in the world have honours and riches, wherein is disvalour; and the friends of valour are despised and poor in the world. Many are the books wherein is Written truth concerning the Incarnation and Passion of the Son of God, the which- have valour in respeft of redemp-

BUN QUERN A

tion ; but the books have no valour for infidels, who lack teachers. Many are they that hold the possessions of Holy Church, that they may exalt valour. But who is he that will exalt Holy Church in valour and in honour, againft dishonour and error and infidelity? Many are they that desire God to have valour that they may gain honour; but few are the men that love valour to the end that God may have honour. If I have never done injury or wrong, wherefore is there done to me dishonour ? And if Disvalour has never done afls of juft ice or beftowed rewards, wherefore is there done to him honour ? ” While Valour spake these words and many beside, her eyes were in tears, and her heart was in sorrow and pain, and she bewailed her wrongs bitterly.

to. Even till the morrow early was Blanquerna with Valour, comforting her and inspiring her with hope, and saying these words: “ Strong above all other powers is God; His Wisdom has no fault ; the world is His creation. Wherefore is it seemly that the world should come to its fulfilment, which could not be if disvalour went not to deftruftion and valour were not continually more highly exalted and went not ever recovering its honour. The mercy of God is not forgetful of sinners, and the juftice of God has no friendship with the enemies of valour.” With words such as these and with many more did Blanquerna bring consolation to Valour. With tears and devotion he took leave of her, vowing to submit his mind to her all the days of his life, and Valour took him into her guardianship and keeping.

ii. Blanquerna left the palace, and, as he pursued his journey, he related to the emperor and the jefter the tears and the despair1 which he had found in Valour, and the words which she had spoken, making complaint of her enemies. Long did the emperor and the jefter consider and think upon the words which Blanquerna spake con- I “ Uck consolation, - “ comfortlessness." See p. 19, above.

OF VALOUR

cerning Valour; and each was in constraint of conscience by reason of the sins which he had many times committed againd Valour. While the emperor considered his sins, he enquired of Blanquerna concerning his hidory, and Blanquerna related it to him, together with that of Evad and Aloma, and he related likewise how that he was seeking to live as a hermit that he might have God and His honour ever in his mind, and flee from the world, which is the enemy of valour.

i a. The humility of God moved pity and patience to pardon, and remembrance came to the emperor through the mercy of God. Contrition and repentance for his sins were in his heart, and he spake these words : “ O guilty man and fool, that persecuted Valour and goed after wild beads, setting thyself thereby in peril of death 1 thou that had for so long served disvalour, yea, all the days of thy life, believing it to be Valour 1 For sin there mud needs be made satisfaction, and for unruliness mud atonement be made with rule ” ; wherefore in that place, in presence of Blanquerna, he vowed that in all his empire and in his person he would thenceforward serve Valour, that in him¬ self and in others she might recover her possession, for so long lod. “ Wherefore,” said he, “ I mud needs make ordinance concerning my empire and my person in honour of Valour, that by my example Valour may receive her wonted honour, and return to live among us gladly and without sorrow.”

13. As the emperor spake these words, they began all three to walk along a road which agreed not with the journey of Blanquerna. So Blanquerna said to the emperor that it behoved him to return towards those parts where he was seeking his hermitage. Beneath a fair tree he took leave of the emperor and the jeder right courteously, and the emperor spake to Blanquerna these words : “ Blessed be the hour when fird I met thee upon my journey. Grievous to me is the parting from thy friendly presence.

BLANQUERNA

It behoves me to put my house in order and the house of my lady the empress, and all my empire will I put in order, and commend it to men that love Valour, that Valour may have satisfaction according as I have promised. Of the ordinances of my realm will I make a book, and this jefter and many others will I send throughout the world that they may proclaim valour in courts wherein it is despised, and persecute and cry out againft disvalour in every place wherein it is praised. I will have them to take naught of any man, save of me alone, that they may the better exalt Valour. I will educate and bring up my sons right well, and then will I resign my empire, and serve God all my life together with thee in thy hermitage, that God and Valour may ever be in my mind. I beg thee to pray for me to God, that He may pardon me, and grant me thy company.”