r follow on with one of hers. Elisa cheerfully obeyed
and began as follows: "A most ample field is that wherein we go to-day
a-ranging, nor is there any of us but could lightly enough run, not
one, but half a score courses there, so abounding hath Fortune made it
in her strange and grievous chances; wherefore, to come to tell of one
of these latter, which are innumerable, I say that:

When the Roman Empire was transferred from the French to the
Germans,[121] there arose between the one and the other nation an
exceeding great enmity and a grievous and continual war, by reason
whereof, as well for the defence of their own country as for the
offence of that of others, the King of France and a son of his, with
all the power of their realm and of such friends and kinsfolk as they
could command, levied a mighty army to go forth upon the foe; and ere
they proceeded thereunto,--not to leave the realm without
governance,--knowing Gautier, Count of Antwerp,[122] for a noble and
discreet gentleman and their very faithful friend and servant, and for
that (albeit he was well versed in the art of war) he seemed to them
more apt unto things delicate than unto martial toils, they left him
vicar general in their stead over all the governance of the realm of
France and went on their way. Gautier accordingly addressed himself
with both order and discretion to the office committed unto him, still
conferring of everything with the queen and her daughter-in-law, whom,
for all they were left under his custody and jurisdiction, he honoured
none the less as his liege ladies and mistresses.

[Footnote 121: _i.e._ A.D. 912, when, upon the death of Louis III, the
last prince of the Carlovingian race, Conrad, Duke of Franconia, was
elected Emperor and the Empire, which had till then been hereditary in
the descendants of Charlemagne, became elective and remained
thenceforth in German hands.]

[Footnote 122: _Anguersa_, the old form of _Anversa_, Antwerp. All
versions that I have seen call Gautier Comte d'_Angers_ or _Angiers_,
the translators, who forgot or were unaware that Antwerp, as part of
Flanders, was then a fief of the French crown, apparently taking it
for granted that the mention of the latter city was in error and
substituting the name of the ancient capital of Anjou on their own
responsibility.]

Now this Gautier was exceedingly goodly of his body, being maybe
forty years old and as agreeable and well-mannered a gentleman as
might b