Four Arthurian Romances
and her." John makes answer: "I thank you, sire. Now we have been here
long enough, and as we have nothing more to do, let us return." "That is
right," says Cligés, "let us be gone." Then they go away, and leave the
tower. Upon their return they hear every one in the city saying to
his neighbour: "Don't you know the marvellous news about my lady, the
empress? May the Holy Spirit give her health--the gentle and prudent
lady; for she lies sick of a grievous malady."
(Vv. 5663-5698.) When Cligés heard this talk he went in haste to the
court. But there was no joy or gladness there: for all the people were
sad and prostrated because of the empress, who is only feigning to be
ill; for the illness of which she complains causes her no grief or pain.
But she has told them all that she wishes no one to enter her room so
long as her sickness maintains its grip with its accompanying pains in
her heart and head. She makes an exception, however, in favour of the
emperor and his nephew, not wishing to place a ban upon them; but she
will not care if the emperor, her lord, does not come. For Cligés' sake
she is compelled to pass through great pain and peril. It distresses
her that he does not come, for she has no desire to see any one but him.
Cligés, however, will soon be there, to tell her of what he has seen and
found. He came into the room and spoke to her, but stayed only a moment,
for Fenice, in order that they might think she was annoyed by what
pleased her so, cried out aloud: "Be gone, be gone! You disturb and
bother me too much, for I am so seriously ill that I shall never rise up
again." Cligés, though pleased with this, goes away with a sad face: you
would never see so woeful a countenance. To judge from his appearance he
is very sad; but within his heart is gay in anticipation of its joy.
(Vv. 5699-5718.) The empress, without being really ill, complains and
pretends that she is sick. And the emperor, who has faith in her, ceases
not to grieve, and summons a physician. But she will not allow any one
to see her or touch her. The emperor may well feel chagrined when she
says that she will never have but one doctor, who can easily restore her
to health whenever it pleases him to do so. He can cause her to die or
to live, and to him she trusts her health and life. They think that she
refers to God; but her meaning is very different, for she is thinking
of no one but Cligés. He is her god who can bring her health, or who can
cause her death.
(Vv. 5719-5814.) Thus the empress takes care that no physician shall
examine her; and more completely to deceive the emperor she refuses to
eat or drink, until she grows all pale and blue. Meanwhile her nurse
keeps busy about her, and with great shrewdness sought privily all
through the city, without the knowledge of any one, until she found a
woman who was hopelessly ill with a mortal disease. In order to perfect
her ruse she used to go to see her often and promised to cure her of her
illness; so each day she used to take a urinal in which to examine the
urine, until she saw one day that no medicine could ever be of any help,
and that she would die that very day. This urine Thessala carried off
and kept until the emperor arose, when she went to him and said: "If now
it be your will, my lord, send for all your physicians; for my mistress
has passed some water; she is very ill with this disease, and she
desires the doctors to see it, but she does not wish them to come where
she is." The doctors came into the hall and found upon examination that
the urine was very bad and colourless, and each one said what he thought
about it. Finally, they all agreed that she would never recover, and
that she would scarcely live till three o'clock, when, at the latest,
God would take her soul to Himself. This conclusion they reached
privately, when the emperor asked and conjured them to tell him the
truth. They reply that they have no confidence in her recovery, and that
she cannot live past three o'clock but will yield up her soul before
that time. When the emperor heard this, he almost fell unconscious to
the floor, as well as many others who heard the news. Never did any
people make such moan as there was then throughout the palace. However,
I will speak no further of their grief; but you shall hear of Thessala's
activities--how she mixes and brews the potion. She mixed and stirred it
up, for she had provided herself a long time in advance with everything
which she would need for the potion. A little before three o'clock she
gives her the potion to drink. At once her sight became dimmed, her face
grew as pale and white as if she had lost her blood: she could not have
moved a foot or hand, if they had flayed her alive, and she does not
stir or say a word, although she perceives and hears the emperor's grief
and the cries which fill the hall. The weeping crowds lament through all
the city, saying: "God! what woe and misfortune has been brought upon us
by wicked death! O covetous and voracious death! Death is worse than a
she-wolf which always remains insatiable. Such a cruel bite thou hast
never inflicted upon the world! Death, what hast thou done? May God
confound thee for having put out the light of perfect beauty! Thou hast
done to death the fairest and most lovely creature, had she but lived,
whom God has ever sought to form. God's patience surely is too great
when He suffers thee to have the power to break in pieces what belongs
to Him. Now God ought to be wroth with thee, and cast thee out of thy
bailiwick; for thy impudence has been too great, as well as thy pride
and disrespect." Thus the people storm about and wring their arms and
beat their hands; while the priests read their psalms, making prayers
for the good lady, that God may have mercy on her soul.
(Vv. 5815-5904.) [240] In the midst of the tears and cries, as the story
runs, there arrived aged physicians from Salerno, where they had long
sojourned. At the sight of the great mourning they stopped to ask and
inquire the cause of the cries and tears--why all the people are in
such sorrow and distress. And this is the answer they receive: "God!
gentlemen, don't you know? The whole world would be beside itself as we
are, if it but knew of the great sorrow and grief and woe and loss which
has come to us this day. God! where have you come from, then, that you
do not know what has happened just now in this city? We will tell you
the truth, for we wish you to join with us in the grief we feel. Do
you not know about grim Death, who desires and covets all things, and
everywhere lies in wait for what is best, do you not know what mad act
she has committed to-day, as it is her wont to do? God has illuminated
the world with one great radiance, with one bright light. But Death
cannot restrain herself from acting as her custom is. Every day, to the
extent of her power, she blots out the best creature she can find. So
she wishes to try her power, and in one body she has carried off more
excellence than she has left behind. She would have done better to take
the whole world, and leave alive and sound this prey which now she has
carried off. Beauty, courtesy, and knowledge, and all that a lady can
possess of goodness has been taken and filched from us by Death, who
has destroyed all goodness in the person of our lady, the empress. Thus
Death has deprived us all of life." "Ah, God!" the doctors say, "we know
that Thou art wroth with this city because we did not reach here sooner.
If we had arrived here yesterday, Death might have boasted of her
strength if she could wrest her prey from us." "Gentlemen, madame would
not have allowed you at any price to see her or to exercise your skill.
Of good physicians there was no lack, but madame would not permit any
one of them to see her or to investigate her malady." "No?" "Truly,
sirs, that she would not." Then they recalled the case of Solomon, who
was so hated by his wife that she deceived him by feigning death. [241]
They think this woman has done the same. But if they could in any way
bring about her cure, no one could make them lie or keep them from
exposing the truth, if they discovered any trickery. So to the court
they take their way, where there was such a noise and cry that you could
not have heard God's thunder crash. The chief of these three doctors,
who knew the most, drew near the bier. No one says to him "Keep hands
off," and no one tries to hold him back. He places his hand on her
breast and side, and surely feels that life is still in the body: he
perceives and knows that well enough. He sees the emperor standing by,
mad and tormented by his grief. Seeing him, he calls aloud: "Emperor,
console thyself! I am sure and plainly see that this lady is not dead.
Leave off thy grief, and be comforted! If I do not restore her alive to
thee, thou mayst kill me or string me up."
(Vv. 5995-5988.) At once throughout the palace the noise is quieted and
hushed. And the emperor bade the doctor tell him fully his orders and
wishes, whatever they might be. If he can restore life in the empress
he will be sire and lord over the emperor himself; but if he has in
any respect lied to him he will be hanged like a common thief. And the
doctor said: "I consent to that, and may you never have mercy upon me
if I do not cause her to speak to you here! Without tarrying and without
delay have the palace cleared at once, and let not a single soul remain.
I must examine in private the illness which afflicts the lady. These two
doctors, who are my friends, will remain with me alone in the room,
and let every one else go out." This order would have been opposed by
Cligés, John, and Thessala; but all the others who were there might have
turned against them if they had tried to oppose his order. So they hold
their peace and approve what they hear approved by the others, and leave
the palace. After the three doctors had forcibly tipped apart the lady's
winding-sheer, without using any knife or scissors, they said to
her: "Lady, don't be frightened, have no fear, but speak to us with
confidence! We know well enough that you are perfectly sound and in good
state. Be sensible and obliging now, and do not despair of anything,
for if you have any need of us we will all three assure you of our aid,
whether for good or ill. We shall be very loyal to you, both in keeping
our counsel and in helping you. Do not keep us talking here! Since
we put at your disposal our skill and service, you should surely not
refuse." Thus they think to hoodwink and deceive her, but they have no
success; for she has no need or care for the service which they promise
her; so they are wasting their time in a vain effort. When the three
physicians see that they will make nothing out of her either by prayer
or flattery, then they take her from her bier, and begin to beat and
belabour her. But their efforts are foolish, for not a word can they
extract from her. Then they threaten and try to terrify her by saying
that if she does not speak she will soon have reason to repent of her
folly, for they are going to do such a wonderful thing to her that such
a thing was never done to the body of any wretched woman. "We know that
you are alive, and will not deign to speak to us. We know that you are
feigning death, and would thus deceive the emperor. Have no fear of us!
If any of us has angered you, before we do you further harm, cease your
mad behaviour now, for you are acting wickedly; and we will lend you
our aid in any enterprise--wise or mad." But it cannot be; they have no
success. Then they renew their attack, striking her with thongs upon the
back, so that the welts are plainly seen, and they combine to tear her
tender flesh until they cause the blood to flow.
(Vv. 5989-6050.) When they had beaten her with the thongs until they had