Richard was a young man of noble presence, tall and finely proportioned, and he looked to great advantage in a complete suit of Milanese armour all graven and gilded, and instead of a helmet, a wide-leafed fawn coloured hat with Walloon plumes.  Thus equipped, and with his spirited bearing, to some he seemed like Mars the god of battles; others, struck by the beauty of his face, compared him to Venus sportively disguised in the armour of that god.  When he came before the Queen he knelt, and gave a brief account of his expedition.

“After the sudden death of general de Lansac,” he said, “I took his place in pursuance of your Majesty’s gracious orders.  Shortly afterwards we discovered two Turkish galleys towing a large ship, which we have brought home with us.  We attacked them; your Majesty’s soldiers fought with great spirit, as they always do, and the corsair galleys went to the bottom.  I liberated in your Majesty’s royal name the Christians who had escaped out of the hands of the Turks, and sent them away in one of our vessels; and have only brought with me one Spaniard and his wife, who desired of their own accord to come and behold your Majesty’s greatness.  The great ship we took, is one of those which come from the Portuguese possessions in India; being damaged by a storm, it fell into the power of the Turks, who took it without any difficulty.  According to the account given by some of the Portuguese on board the ship, her cargo of spices, and the pearls and diamonds she carries, are worth more than a million.  All is untouched, the Turks not having had time to lay hands on anything, and I have given orders that the whole should be presented to your Majesty.  There is one jewel alone which, if your Majesty will bestow it upon me, will leave me your debtor for ten other ships.  That jewel your Majesty has promised me:  it is my Isabella, in obtaining whom I shall be richly rewarded, not only for this service, such as it is, which I have rendered your Majesty, but for many others which I intend to perform in order to repay some part of the incalculable amount which your Majesty will bestow upon me in that jewel.”

“Rise, Richard,” replied the queen, “and believe me that were I to deliver Isabella to you in the way of bargain at the price at which I value her, you could not pay for her with all the wealth of your prize-ship, nor with what remains in the Indies.  I give her to you because I promised to do so, and because she is worthy of you, and you of her; your valour alone entitles you to have her.  If you have kept the jewels in the ship for me, I have kept your jewel for you; and though it may seem to you that I do not do much for you in returning to you what is your own, I know that I confer upon you a boon the worth of which is beyond all human computation.  Isabella is yours; there she stands; you may claim her when you will, and I believe that it will be with her own consent, for she has the good sense to prize your affection as it deserves.  I shall expect you again to-morrow to give me a more detailed account of your exploits, and bring me those two Spaniards who wish to see me, that I may gratify their desire.”  Richard kissed the queen’s hand, and her majesty retired.