eeve and about his
neck the hair which she had stitched into the shirt. Then she drew a
little closer thinking now to find an excuse for speaking a word to him.
She considers how she can address him first, and what the first word is
to be--whether she should address him by his name; and thus she takes
counsel with herself: "What shall I say first?" she says; "shall I
address him by his name, or shall I call him 'friend'? Friend? Not I.
How then? Shall I call him by his name? God! The name of 'friend' is
fair and sweet to take upon the lips. If I should dare to call him
'friend'! Should I dare? What forbids me to do so? The fact that that
implies a lie. A lie? I know not what the result will be, but I shall be
sorry if I do not speak the truth. Therefore, it is best to admit that
I should not like to speak a lie. God! yet he would not speak a lie were
he to call me his sweet friend! And should I lie in thus addressing him?
We ought both to tell the truth. But if I lie the fault is his. But why
does his name seem so hard to me that I should wish to replace it by a
surname? I think it is because it is so long that I should stop in the
middle. But if I simply called him 'friend', I could soon utter so short
a name. Fearing lest I should break down in uttering his proper name, I
would fain shed my blood if his name were simply 'my sweet friend.'"

(Vv. 1419-1448.) She turns this thought over in her mind until the Queen
returns from the King who had summoned her. Alexander, seeing her come,
goes to meet her, and inquires what is the King's command concerning
the prisoners, and what is to be their fate. "Friend," says she, "he
requires of me to surrender them at his discretion, and to let his
justice be carried out. Indeed, he is much incensed that I have not
already handed them over. So I must needs send them to him, since I see
no help for it." Thus they passed that day; and the next day there was
a great assembly of all the good and loyal knights before the royal tent
to sit in judgment and decide by what punishment and torture the four
traitors should die. Some hold that they should be flayed alive, and
others that they should be hanged or burned. And the King, for his part,
maintains that traitors ought to be torn asunder. Then he commands them
to be brought in. When they are brought, he orders them to be bound, and
says that they shall not be torn asunder until they are taken beneath
the town, so that those within may see