Into the city of Babylon;
And the king of Macedon
He should have under his hand;
And if the Soldan of that land
Might slay Richard in the field
With sword or speare under shield,
That Christian men shoulde go
Out of that land for evermo,
And the Saracens their will in wold.'
Quoth king Richard, 'Thereto I hold,
Thereto my glove, as I am knight.'
They be armed and ready dight:
King Richard to his saddle did leap,
Certes, who that would take keep
To see that sight it were sair;
Their steedes ranne with great ayre,[6]
All so hard as they might dyre,[7]
After their feete sprang out fire:
Tabors and trumpettes 'gan blow:
There men might see in a throw
How king Richard, that noble man,
Encountered with the Soldan,
The chief was tolde of Damas,
His trust upon his mare was,
And therefor, as the book[8] us tells,
His crupper hunge full of bells,
And his peytrel[9] and his arsowne[10]
Three mile men might hear the soun.
His mare neighed, his bells did ring,
For greate pride, without lesing,