lose observed
Until it seemed thou wert reserved
To bring me my deliverance.
Near and far I seek alliance
And pray to God to grant thee grace
To work His pleasure in thy place.

"'0 every prince and noble, man and knight,
Ye see your master pledged to worthy deed.
Abandon ease, abjure delight,
Lift up your hand, each in his right,
Offer God the savings from thy greed.
I take my leave, imploring each, indeed,
To risk his life for Christian gain,
To serve his God and 'suage my pain.'

"At this the giant led off the elephant and departed by the same
way in which he had entered.

"When I had seen this _entremets_, that is, the Church and a
castle on the back of such a strange beast, I pondered as to
whether I could understand what it meant and could not make it out
otherwise except that she had brought this beast, rare among us,
in sign that she toiled and laboured in great adversity in the
region of Constantinople, whose trials we know, and the castle in
which she was signified Faith. Moreover, because this lady was
conducted by this mighty giant, armed, I inferred that she wished
to denote her dread of the Turkish arms which had chased her away
and sought her destruction.

"As soon as this play was played out, the noble gentlemen, moved
by pity and compassion, hastened to make vows, each in his own
fashion."

The vow of the Count of Charolais was as follows: "I swear to God
my creator, and to His glorious mother, to the ladies and to the
pheasant, that, if my very redoubtable lord and father embark on
this holy journey, and if it be his pleasure that I accompany him,
I will go and will serve him as well as I can and know how to do."

Other vows were less simple: all kinds of fantastic conditions being
appended according to individual fancy. One gentleman decided never to
go to bed on a Saturday until his pledge were accomplished. Another
that he would eat nothing on Fridays that had ever lived until he
had had an opportunity of meeting the enemy hand to hand, and of
attacking, at peril of his life, the banner of the Grand Turk.

Philip Pot vowed never to sit at table on a Tuesday and to wear no
protection on his right arm. This last the duke refused to permit.
Hugues de Longueval vowed that when he had once turned his face to the