Then answered Ranulph, "Sir, though chained ye go,
Yet to thee we do all obedience owe
By reason of that sacred amulet,
That crystal heart in heart of crystal set:
'For he that holdeth Crystal Heart
Holdeth all and every part,
And by night or eke by day
The Heart-in-Heart all must obey!"'
"Obey?" quoth Pertinax. "Ha! Let us see
If in thy vaunt there aught of virtue be:
For by this Heart of Crystal that I bear,
I charge ye loose the chains the Fool doth wear,
Then off with these accursed gyves of mine,
Or--"
Ranulph to the warders gave a sign,
And they to work did go with such good speed,
That Joc'lyn soon with Pertinax stood freed,
"Now by my halidome!" quoth Pertinax,
"This talisman methinks no magic lacks,
So knaves, I bid ye--by this magic Heart,
Draw bolt and bar that hence we may depart--"
But now the scurvy knaves made dismal cry.
"Good sir!" they wailed, "Ah, leave us not to die!"
"Aye, by Heav'n's light!" fierce quoth Sir Pertinax,
"Ye're better dead by gibbet or by axe,
Since naught but scurvy, coward rogues are ye,
And so be hanged--be hanged to ye, all three!"
"Knight!" Joc'lyn sighed, "'neath Heaven's light
somewhere
Doth live a dark-eyed maid with black-curled hair--
Her voice is soft and full of sweet allure,
And thou, perchance, one day may humbly woo her;
So these poor rogues now woo their lives of thee,
Show mercy then and mercy find of she.
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