er, defeated them all, and triumphantly retained his ring. The
king having died, Ogier next married the widowed queen, and would thus have
become King of France had not Morgana the fay, jealous of his affections,
spirited him away in the midst of the marriage ceremony and borne him off
to the Isle of Avalon, whence he, like Arthur, will return only when his
country needs him.

[Sidenote: Roland and Oliver.] Another _chanson de geste_, a sort of
continuation of "Ogier le Danois," is called "Meurvin," and purports to
give a faithful account of the adventures of a son of Ogier and Morgana, an
ancestor of Godfrey of Bouillon, King of Jerusalem. In "Guerin de
Montglave," we find that Charlemagne, having quarreled with the Duke of
Genoa, proposed that each should send a champion to fight in his name.
Charlemagne selected Roland, while the Duke of Genoa chose Oliver as his
defender. The battle, if we are to believe some versions of the legend,
took place on an island in the Rhone, and Durandana, Roland's sword, struck
many a spark from Altecler (Hautecler), the blade of Oliver. The two
champions were so well matched, and the blows were dealt with such equal
strength and courage, that "giving a Roland for an Oliver" has become a
proverbial expression.

After fighting all day, with intermissions to interchange boasts and
taunts, and to indulge in sundry discussions, neither had gained any
advantage. They would probably have continued the struggle indefinitely,
however, had not an angel of the Lord interfered, and bidden them embrace
and become fast friends. It was on this occasion, we are told, that
Charlemagne, fearing for Roland when he saw the strength of Oliver, vowed a
pilgrimage to Jerusalem should his nephew escape alive.

[Sidenote: Charlemagne's pilgrimage to Jerusalem.] The fulfillment of this
vow is described in "Galyen Rhetore." Charlemagne and his peers reached
Jerusalem safely in disguise, but their anxiety to secure relics soon
betrayed their identity. The King of Jerusalem, Hugues, entertained them
sumptuously, and, hoping to hear many praises of his hospitality, concealed
himself in their apartment at night. The eavesdropper, however, only heard
the vain talk of Charlemagne's peers, who, unable to sleep, beguiled the
hours in making extraordinary boasts. Roland declared that he could blow
his horn Olivant loud enough to bring down the palace; Ogier, that he could
crumble the principal pillar to dust in his gras