Page:Sienkiewicz - The knights of the cross.djvu/31

Rh "Have ye not heard of Ryngalla? " inquired Matsko.

"Not a word."

"Well, she is Prince Vitold's sister, and was the wife of ."

"How is that? What Prince Henryk? There was only one Mazovian prince of that name, the bishop elect of Plotsk, but he died."

"The same man. A dispensation was to come from Rome to him, but death gave him the first dispensation; evidently he did not delight the Lord over much with his conduct. I was sent in that time with a letter from Yasko of Olesnitsa, to Prince Vitold, when Prince Henryk came from King Vladislav to, as the bishop elect of Plotsk. The war had already become disagreeable to Vitold for this reason specially, that he could not take Vilno, and to our king his own brothers and their loose conduct had become disagreeable. The king, seeing then greater skill and more wisdom in Vitold than in his own brothers, sent the bishop to him with proposals to leave the Knights of the Cross and incline to obedience, for which the government of Lithuania would be given him. Vitold, always eager for change, listened to the pleasant message. There were feasts and tournaments. The bishop mounted a horse with delight, and exhibited his knightly prowess in the lists, though other bishops did not approve of this conduct. By nature all princes of Mazovia are strong, and it is notorious that even maidens of that stock break horseshoes easily. So one day the prince bishop swept three knights of ours from their saddles, another day five, and me among them, while the horse under Zbyshko he put on his haunches. He received all rewards from the hands of the marvellous Ryngalla, before whom he knelt in full armor. And they so fell in love that at feasts attendant clerics drew him away by the sleeves from her, and Vitold restrained the princess his sister. Then the prince bishop said: 'I give a dispensation to myself, and the pope will confirm it, if not the pope in Rome, he of Avignon, and we will have the marriage straightway, or Ishall be consumed.' It was a great offence against God, but Vitold did not wish to offend the king's envoy. Then the young couple went to, and later to , to the great grief of this Zbyshko here, who, in German fashion, had chosen Princess Ryngalla as the lady of his heart, and vowed fealty till death to her."

"Indeed, this is true!" broke in Zbyshko. "But