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that he could have borne the loss of his ships and his comrades, but cannot bear the want of a suitable garment for the holiday. His prayer to God on this subject gains the attention of Mary, who pleads for him with her Son, and thirty gold pennies are sent to him by the hand of Gabriel from Paradise. The coat, he is told, is to render him invulnerable, and he is to fight in it with many pagan rulers. He goes to the market where the coat is exposed for sale, and bargains with his master, who asks for sixty pence. A miracle is wrought to help the hero's bargain; the coat, on being handled, tears, and is seen to be rotten, but on Orendel's getting it for his thirty pennies it is found to be in perfect condition, and to fit him exactly. Orendel is now seen to be a nobleman, and on his declaring his resolution to proceed to the Holy Sepulchre, Ise and his wife give him gifts, and acknowledge that they have not treated him as he deserved.

Orendel proceeds alone, but soon meets a giant, who seizes him and shuts him up in a dungeon. The heavenly aid formerly vouchsafed comes to him here again, and Gabriel sets him on the path that leads to the Holy Sepulchre. Four Templars are singing mass, but no one notices him; and his offering of himself, since he has nothing in his hand to offer, appears unrequited, till a knight finds him as he sits outside the wall of Jerusalem, and salutes him respectfully, giving him the name 'Grey-coat,' which cleaves to him henceforward. A great noise heard inside the wall is said to be due to the revels of the Templars who are amusing themselves and doing pleasure to Frau Breide, the queen of Jerusalem. Orendel's heart leaps high at hearing her name, still more on seeing her, as she stands among her maidens on the wall. The scene of a tournay opens, and a very spirited scene it is; Orendel approaches two heathen princes, Mercian and Soudan, who are playing chess, and asks them to lend him a horse and shield, to ride not more than three courses, for the sake of the Holy Sepulchre. Soudan speaks:

"""What nonsense is that you speak in presence of two kings? you perfect boor, I will pay you for your folly." But Mercian said, "Dear Greycoat, we here care nothing for your God, we are two men unbaptised; but I will

not refuse you my horse and shield. But tell me, my bold knight, if you lose my horse and my green shield, what shall I have for it?" Then spake Greycoat, "I assure you, sir, and God is my witness, if I lose your horse and your green shield, you shall have me for your own servant.' Lord Mercian then sends a man to fetch his horse;

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'black was it as a raven, and three men could scarcely hold it.' When Lord Mercian saw it, he said, "Take it to a stone and mount it so, lest it should do you harm, for three of my servants has it killed." forgive you the scoff," Greycoat said;

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'May God

and he soon gets the better of the horse, which is now as quiet as a lamb; a saddle of ivory is brought him; a spear of horn and ivory and steel, and all needful equipments. His ox-hide shoes are found to be too great for the stirrups, and he throws them away.

'God reward the shoemaker,' he said, 'that cut the soles so broad; but why should I reproach him for it, when he knew not that a knight should wear them.'

But a pair of golden shoes is sent to him by Christ through the hands of Gabriel. Orendel, now perfectly equipped, impresses the heathen princes as a dangerous foe; but Soudan undertakes to win his brother's horse and shield, and rides to meet the stranger.

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Greycoat, the hero, let Soudan thrust at him with his spear, as if he had been a wall, and then said, "God forgive you, my lord, your scoff; I have a mind not to bear more of your thrusts. You shall now have one from me, such as I have had from you." With that he turned and rushed upon the pagan, and so pierced the bold knight with his cruel spear, that the thrust bore him a dead man to the ground.'

Two heathens come against him, then four, then twelve, then four and twenty, then twelve again of great strength and beauty, but they all met with the same fate, and Mercian takes to flight. The Lady Breide has been deeply impressed with what she has seen of the strange knight in the grey coat, but can get no one to go and question him for her; so fierce has he shown himself to be. At last Knight Schildewin goes, and carries to Orendel an assurance from her that she is anxious to receive him. The messenger receives six horses for his fee, but brings back to Breide in Jerusalem an ambiguous answer.

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The Templars send to Syria for a giant to destroy Orendel; rides on an elephant and is covered with jewels, and equipped with curious musical arrangements and appliances of magic. His spear is four fathoms long; his name is Metwin. The fight is told with great spirit; the giant wants to know why he has been sent for to fight with such a little man; Orendel, clothed in nothing but his grey coat, advises him to go home and attend to bringing up his children. After a hot battle, giant and elephant are hurled to the earth, and the Syrians lift up their lamentation. Orendel makes some more jokes over his adversary's body, and there is a sale of the giant's equipments, which is well attended by all the gangrels of that part of the world, and leads to a great deal of drinking. A battle with twelve kings ensues, for which Orendel is specially protected and assisted at the instance of Mary; Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael being all sent to help him. The next scene in which Orendel and Breide at length meet must be given in full:

""God greet thee,” she says, "Greycoat; I ought not to greet thee, God knows, for thou hast slain my man, who was to have guarded the Holy Sepulchre with me." Greycoat: "Not I, lady, God knows; no Christian have I slain to day; but your Pagan servant who ever did me wrong.' Breide: "Now see here, fair youth; kiss me thou true child of an Emperor. God's voice declares to me concerning Ougel's son. He departed from Trier with two and seventy ships but they sank every one; no man of any kind was left alive but the young King himself; and he is to be my lord, he is to be King over this land and over the good castle of Jerusalem. If you are the same, welcome are you!" Greycoat: "I am not, lady, God knows; I am a poor pilgrim, and have come for God's sake to the Holy Sepulchre." These speeches made, she embraced the knight: but the pagan Mercian saw it, and how he then began to run! When he saw her from far he spoke an angry word; "How now lady Breide, most beautiful of women; is it well done that you should be kissing my servant?" She answered him right soon! "How now proud lord! seldom surely was it seen that a servant acquitted himself so well." Then spoke Greycoat: "It is not true, lady, by God; I never saw him till this morning, when he lent me this horse. I never thought to be his servant, nor any man's on earth; but only God's and Mary's, his royal mother."'

Mercian is naturally not delighted with this speech, and Greycoat has to knock him down, a service for which Lady

Breide thanks him cordially. Mercian is laid in chains, but Greycoat, in the generous spirit which rules in these Oriental affairs, begs him off, presents him with his horse and shield again, and lets him go free, and he rides off through the garden of Abraham to a land called the Wilderness of Shalim. Greycoat is now welcomed to the palace, and treated according to his deservings, but his period of rest has only lasted a fortnight when a giant called Liberian appears under the walls of Jerusalem from the Wilderness of Shalung, and demands the surrender of the hero, else the Holy Sepulchre will be burned up, and all the Christians about it put to the sword. Lady Breide and he resolve to give battle; he is equipped with a fine horse and an ivory saddle, puts on his grey coat, as he is determined to die in it, if he is to die, and then asks for a sword. What takes place about the sword is somewhat remarkable. Lady Breide summons her Chamberlain, and thus addresses him :

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""Hear, Sir Knight, I require the sword of my father David and as you love your life see you do not deceive me. He caused to be brought a chest which he opened with three keys; but it profited him little. He took out of the chest a sword which shone like a mirror and gave it to Lady Breide's hand. Against a stone wall she struck it, and it broke into three pieces. One of them she struck over his back, then seized him by the hair and kicked him with her feet. Loud cried the worthy Knight, Enough, fair maid; now let me go now beauteous queen, and I will shew you my lord's sword." Then spake lady Breide, fairest of all women, "That shalt thou do forsooth, before I give up my hold." Then shows he her how it lies a man's length under the ground, and straight she goes where she knew the good sword was. In a sheath of gold he swore it was, and sharp as well as broad, and would not turn for either steel or iron. The sword being unsheathed, Breide presents it to Greycoat, saying "Here take this good sword in thy hand, and keep it carefully: the blessing of St. Brandan* goes with it, and never any wore it who did not conquer.'

She completes his equipment and puts on his head the crown her father David wore when fighting his battles. He then leaves Jerusalem alone, the gates being locked behind him, and is confronted by fourteen thousand pagans. The three arch

* Another reading is Bangraz (Pancras).

angels come to fight along with him, and assure him that if he falls, God will at once take him to heaven. He at once goes to the Jordan and there fights with the giant Liberian, whom he quickly overcomes. After defeating the champion he turns his attention to the pagan army, and the sword of David does such valiant service that he defeats a division of that force each day; the first is simply put to flight, the second is driven into the Weterish Sea (Mediterranean), the third with the Pagan Mercian at its head into the Klebermeer, and the fourth into a dark forest. The wives and maidens of heathendom set up a general mourning; and Greycoat having completed the defeat of the fourteen thousand pagans, returns honourably to Jerusalem.

Breide has been praying for him before the Holy Sepulchre, and on hearing of his victorious approach, goes to meet him, and declares that he must be her lord and reign over the land and fortress of Jerusalem. He says she must wait till a king comes for her hand; but she treats him as a king, decking him with splendid robes and setting on his head the crown King David wore on his marriage-day. A feast takes place, and in the evening the two retire together to their chamber. An angel however announces to Greycoat that he is not to approach Breide till nine years have elapsed; such is God's command. He therefore lays his sword on the bed between her and himself; she asks if this is the custom of his country, and on being told the state of the case, says the precaution is quite unnecessary; for ten years she can quite well remain a virgin.

Still another giant comes from the wilderness, his name is Pelian, and he is at the head of ten thousand men. Matters proceed very much as in the case of Liberian; as to defiances and preparation there is a good deal of repetition; new incidents are that the Templars are summoned for council, that the hero hears mass as if he were about to die, and that the lords scoff at his grey coat, which makes him look like a man just escaped from a cloister. On this occasion, after Orendel has set out, Breide herself dons armour and takes the field; the seven gifts of the Saviour (whatever these

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