s and honours lightly, and many were the plots that
he laid against Huon. Indeed, he not only contrived to throw the
new-comers into prison, but prevailed on the emperor to journey himself
to Bordeaux, to the intent that Huon should be put to death, which would
have happened had it not been for the timely help of Oberon.

It was thus it came about.

The fairy king was seated at dinner in his palace in the wood, when the
knowledge came to him that the emperor Charles had taken an oath to hang
Huon ere he slept, and at the thought thereof he broke into weeping.

'I have sore punished the sins he has committed,' said he, 'and great
has been my wrath. But now it is time that I help him, or he will be
gone from me. So I wish my table and all that is on it near to the
emperor's table, only about two feet higher. And I will that on my table
be set my cup and horn and armour. And I wish that with me shall go a
hundred thousand men, such as I am wont to have in battle.'

Great was the marvel of the emperor when this table appeared beside him,
and he took it for an enchantment of duke Names; but Huon and Gerames
and Esclaramonde, who were present at the feast with fetters on their
wrists, knew that Oberon had come to their deliverance.

Soon the clank of swords was heard throughout the streets, and you could
not see the stones for the armed men who stood on them.

'See that none leave the gates,' said Oberon, 'and when you hear the
blast of my ivory horn, come to me in the palace, and slay everyone you
shall meet on the way'; and so saying he entered the hall, and many of
his lords with him. Their dresses were the richest that had ever been
seen, and on their necks they wore collars of precious stones. As the
king passed by Charles, he knocked against him, so that his hat fell
upon the ground.

'Who is this dwarf who so rudely has shouldered me?' asked the emperor,
'and whence comes he? I will see what he will do, for, small as he is,
he is the fairest creature that ever I saw.'

Leaving the emperor behind him, the fairy king came to the spot where
Huon and the captives were standing, and he wished that the fetters
might fall off their feet, and that they might be free men. Then
silently he led them before Charles, and caused them to sit down at his
own table, and bade the lords of the court drink out of the magic cup
after Huon and Esclaramonde and Gerames had drunk out of it. But only
for duke Names would the wine bubbl