But there is no court in all
the world which is free from evil counsel. Great men often go
astray, and do not observe loyalty because of the bad advice they
take. Thus, the emperor hears his men giving him advice and
counselling him to take a wife; and daily they so exhort and urge
him that by their very insistence they persuade him to break his
oath, and to accede to their desire. But he insists that she who
is to be mistress of Constantinople must be gentle, fair, wise,
rich, and noble. Then his counsellors say that they wish to
prepare to go away to the German land, and seek the daughter of
the emperor. She is the choice they propose to him; for the
emperor of Germany is very rich and powerful, and his daughter is
so charming that never was there a maid of her beauty in
Christendom. The emperor grants them full authority, and they
set out upon the journey well provided with all they need. They
proceeded on their way until they found the emperor at
Regensburg, when they asked him to give them his oldest daughter
at the instance of their lord.
(Vv. 2669-2680.) The emperor was pleased with this request, and
gladly gave them his daughter; for in doing so, he does not
debase himself, nor diminish his honour in any way. But he says
that he had promised her to the Duke of Saxony, and that they
would not be able to lead her away unless the emperor should come
with a great army, so that the duke would be unable to do him any
harm or injury while homeward bound.
Pages:
277
278
279
280
281
282
283
284
285
286
287
288
289
290
291
292
293
294
295
296
297
298
299
300
301