“For the friends of my lord, young men for the most part, and many who had been fain to be my friends also, put on their armour, and took my lord out of the courteous prison wherein he was, and came to the Great Square whenas I stood naked in my smock bound amid the faggots; and I saw the sheriffs’ men give back, and great noise and rumour rise up around me:  and then all about me was a clear space for a moment and I heard the tramp of the many horse-hoofs, and the space was full of weaponed men shouting, and crying out, ‘Life for our Lord’s Lady!’ Then a minute, and I was loose and in my lord’s arms, and they brought me a horse and I mounted, lest the worst should come and we might have to flee.  So I could see much of what went on; and I saw that all the unarmed folk and lookers-on were gone, but at our backs was a great crowd of folk with staves and bows who cried out, ‘Life for the Lady!’ But before us was naught but the sheriffs’ sergeants and a company of knights and men-at-arms, about as many as we were, and the king in front of them, fully armed, his face hidden by his helm, and a royal surcoat over his hauberk beaten with his bearing, to wit, a silver tower on a blue sky bestarred with gold.

“And now I could see that despite the bills and bows behind us the king was going to fall on with his folk; and to say sooth I feared but little and my heart rose high within me, and I wished I had a sword in my hand to strike once for life and love.  But lo! just as the king was raising his sword, and his trumpet was lifting the brass to his lips, came a sound of singing, and there was come the Bishop and the Abbot of St. Peter’s and his monks with him, and cross bearers and readers and others of the religious:  and the Bishop bore in his hand the Blessed Host (as now I know it was) under a golden canopy, and he stood between the two companies and faced the king, while his folk sang loud and sweet about him.

“Then the spears went up and from the rest, and swords were sheathed, and there went forth three ancient knights from out of the king’s host and came up to him and spake with him.  Then he gat him away unto his High House; and the three old knights came to our folk, and spake with the chiefs; but not with my lord, and I heard not what they said.  But my lord came to me in all loving-kindness and brought me into the house of one of the Lineage, and into a fair chamber there, and kissed me, and made much of me; and brought me fair raiment and did it on me with his own hands, even as his wont was to be for my tire-maiden.

“Then in a little while came those chiefs of ours and said that truce had been hanselled them for this time, but on these terms, that my lord and I and all those who had been in arms, and whosoever would, that feared the king’s wrath, should have leave to depart from his city so that they went and abode no nearer than fifty miles thereof till they should know his further pleasure.  Albeit that whosoever would go home peaceably might abide in the city still and need not fear the king’s wrath if he stirred no further:  but that in any case the Sorceress should get her gone from those walls.