The History of Valentine and Orson (1806)/Chapter 6

by Anonymous

CHAP. VI.

Feragus raises a mighty Army, and lays Siege to the City of Acquitain.

Feragus, to be revenged on them, assembled an army, and laid close siege to it, with a vast army of Saracens; when Duke Savary perceived it, he resolved to give them battle the very next morning, and accordingly he sallied forth with all his forces, but venturing too far, he was taken by the Saracens, and carried to Feragus's tent.

Now Orson was resolved to set him free, or lose his life; so putting on the armour of a dead Saracen, he called Pacolet, and went through the enemy without being molested, until they arrived at the tent where the Duke was confined; which done, they gave him a horse and rode to the Christian army; on their return a general shout was made by all the army, Long live the Duke of Acquitain! which so dismayed the Saracens, that they fled away in confusion, and the Christians pursued them till the night obliged them to give over.

Soon after this victory, Valentine, Orson, the Ladies Bellisant, Clerimond, and Fazon, set out for Constantinople, to see the Emperor their father, after they had leave of Duke Savary and his nobles, and were received with great joy.

At length the Emperor set out from Constantinople, after taking leave of his family to visit a strong castle he had in Spain.

While he was absent, Brandifer, brother to Feragus, invaded the empire with a very great army, and at length besieged Constantinople, where lay Valentine and Orson, the Green Knight, and all the ladies.

Valentine seeing the condition they all were in, resolved to give Brandifer battle, and thereupon divided his army into ten battalions, commanded by ten Knights, and sallying out of the city, began the fight with the Saracens, who drew up in readiness to receive them.

In the mean time the Emperor, who was at sea, returned homeward, and on his way he met a fleet going to the assistance of Brandifer, which bore upon him with full sails; whereupon exhorting his companions to behave like men, they made ready to receive them, and after a most bloody and obstinate battle, the Emperor got the victory, having slain many of the Pagans, and dispersed their ships.

After this victory, the Emperor commanded his men to put on the arms of the vanquished, as he did himself, thinking thereby the better to fall on the besiegers his enemies; but his stratagem proved most fatal to him as we shall hereafter find.

All this while the Christains and Valentine bravely encountered Brandifer and his men, before the walls of Constantinople, sometimes getting, and sometimes losing ground: but at length Valentine came to the standard of Brandifer, where an Indian King ran against him with great force, but Valentine avoiding him, struck him with such fury as cleft him down the middle.

On the other hand, Orson and the Green Knight were not idle, but with their brandished swords cut themselves a passage quite thro' the Pagan army, destroying all that opposed them.

Soon after, news came that a mighty fleet of Saracens were entering the harbour; whereupon Valentine judged it was necessary to go thither, and oppose their landing, but it proved fatal; for in this fleet was the Emperor his father, who being clad in the Saracen's armour, Valentine by mistake ran him quite through the body with his spear; which when he knew, he was going to kill himself, had not his brother and the Green Knight prevented him; and getting a horse with an intent to end his life, he rushed into the midst of the enemy, till he came to the Giant Brandifer, who, when he saw Valentine, encountered him so fiercely, that both fell to the ground; but Valentine recovering, gave him a stab, which sent him to hell, to see his false prophet Mahomet.

The Pagans seeing their King dead threw down their arms and ran, and the Christians pursued them with a mighty slaughter. At last the pursuit being over, they returned to Constantinople, and Orson acquainted the Empress of the death of his father but concealed by whom it was done.

Upon which it was concluded that Valentine and Orson should govern the empire by turns, with their wives, the Ladies Fazon and Clerimond, whose brother, the Green Knight, was crowned King of the Green Mountain, the people of which were much delighted to have so brave a warrior for their King.