The White Knight: Tirant Lo Blanc | Page 9

about it a great while, remembering everything he had
seen. Then he left the chamber, and there stood all the principal knights,
who told the king:
"Your grace, all the Moors have set up their tents in front of the city."
The king did everything possible to have the city well guarded that
night.
The following morning the hermit-count climbed the high mountain to
gather herbs for his sustenance, and he saw the great number of Moors
teeming over all the land. He left his desert habitation and went into the
city.
The poor old man, who had spent several days on a diet of nothing but
herbs, saw that the city was in deep sorrow, and he went to the castle to
beg alms from the countess. When he was inside the castle he saw the
king coming from mass, and when he saw him so nearby, he sank to his
knees and begged him in God's name to give him alms. The king
remembered the dream and helped him up. Then he kissed him on the
mouth, took hold of his hand and led him into a room. When they had
sat down, the king said to him:
"I beg you to help and advise us in our time of need, for I see that you
are a holy man and a friend of Jesus Christ. I beg you dearly, if you
love God and if you have charity in your heart, cast off the clothing you
are wearing for penance, and dress yourself in the clothes of charity,
which are arms. For with God's help and your command we will have a
glorious victory over our enemies."
When the king had finished these words, the hermit began to speak:

"My lord, I am astonished that your grace is asking me, a poor, weak
man, for advice and help. As Your Excellency can see, my old, weak
body is in a state of decrepitude because of its many years and the
harsh life I've led so long on the mountain, eating only herbs and bread.
I don't have the strength to bear arms. I beg Your Excellency to allow
me to decline."
The king became very pained at this answer, and said:
"Reverend Father, I kneel at your feet and with these tears I again beg
you, if you are a steadfast Christian, to have compassion on me, a
miserable king, and on all Christians. All their hope and mine is in the
mercy of God and in your great virtue. Don't refuse me this."
The painful tears of the king moved the hermit to pity, and his heart
softened.
After a brief pause while the hermit made the king rise, he said:
"Out of love for you, my king, I will obey your commands and try to
save you and your kingdom. And, if necessary, I will place myself in
the thick of battle, old as I am, to defend Christianity and bring the
haughty Mohammedan sect to its knees, with the understanding that
Your Excellency will be guided by my advice."
The king answered: "Reverend Father, since you grant me so much
grace, I promise you, on my word as king, that I will not go one step
beyond your orders."
"Now, my lord," said the hermit, "when you are outside in the great hall,
show a happy and very content face to the knights and all the people,
and speak to them very complacently. And when you dine, eat well and
enjoy yourself, and show much more happiness than you ordinarily do,
so that all those who have lost hope will regain it. For a lord or a
captain should never wear a sad face, no matter how great an adversity
there may be, so that his people will not be discouraged. Have some
Moorish garments brought to me, and you shall see what I am going to
do. When I was on my way to the Holy Land of Jerusalem I stayed in

Alexandria, and in Beirut they taught me the Moorish tongue, because I
was there many days. In Beirut I learned to make explosives of certain
materials that delay six hours before they ignite, but when they do, they
could burn up the entire world, and all the water in the world would not
be able to extinguish them, unless oil and pine resin is used."
"It is astonishing," said the king, "that they can only be extinguished
with oil or pine resin. I thought water would put out any fire in the
world."
"No, my lord," said the hermit. "If your grace will allow me to go to the
castle gate, I will bring you a special substance, and with clear water or
wine you will be able to light a torch."
"In