Page:The venture; an annual of art and literature.djvu/119

 each of you, for he deems that each of you hath well deserved them, but he hath only this one daughter and this one kingdom which may not be divided. He asks you all together, and each one severally, to abide by the judges' sentence, and to accept him whom they shall determine to have gained as their Prince and Lord, since it needs must be one and not all, and so doing you shall find him so propitious that he trusts in God that none of you shall ever at any time forfeit his friendship and favour." It seemed to all that the king at arms said well, and the chiefs who were charged to reply said that the King showed them great favour in making them this compliment, seeing that he might well have commanded, and now let the judges pronounce as they deemed fit. Then the king at arms spoke in the name of the judges, and declared that though all had done well the stranger knight had done better, wherefore they adjudged him the prize, and called upon him to come forward to receive due reward of his labours. He, who had placed himself amid the throng in the background, now came forward wearing a suit of crimson satin trimmed with gold and embroidered with devices of quaint invention, and cap and shoes of the same, which declared the joy of his heart. And as this was seen by some who grieved that he should have the honour which they coveted for themselves, they came and stood before him ere he could speak, saying: "Sir, let him show who he is and whether he deserves such honour as your Majesty accords him, otherwise it will be grievous to us to obey him." These were commanded to sit