nds, and placing him comfortably on the ground, Roland brings him
the twelve peers, so he can bless them for the last time. Although
Archbishop Turpin admonishes him to hasten, Roland is so weak, that he
slowly and painfully collects the corpses from mountain and valley,
laying them one by one at the feet of the archbishop, who, with right
hand raised, bestows his blessing. While laying Oliver at Turpin's
feet, Roland faints from grief, so the prelate painfully raises
himself, and, seizing the hero's horn, tries to get down to the brook
to bring him some water. Such is his weakness, however, that he
stumbles and falls dead, face to the ground, before he can fulfil his
kindly intention.

On recovering consciousness and seeing nothing save corpses around
him, Roland exults to think that Charlemagne will find forty dead
Saracens for every slain Frenchman! Then, feeling his brain slowly
ooze out through his ears, Roland--after reciting a prayer for his
dead companions--grasps his sword in one hand and his horn in the
other, and begins to climb a neighboring hill. He tries to reach its
summit because he has always boasted he would die face toward the
enemy, and he longs to look defiance toward Spain until the end.

Painfully reaching the top of this eminence, Roland stumbles and falls
across a Saracen, who has been feigning death to escape capture.
Seeing the dreaded warrior unconscious, this coward seizes his sword,
loudly proclaiming he has triumphed; but, at his first touch,
Roland--recovering his senses--deals him so mighty a blow with his
horn, that the Saracen falls with crushed helmet and skull. Having
thus recovered his beloved Durendal, Roland, to prevent its again
falling into the enemy's hands, vainly tries to break it by hewing at
the rocks around him, but, although he uses all the strength he has
left to deal blows that cut through the stone, the good sword remains
undinted. Full of admiration, Roland then recalls the feats Durendal
has enabled him to perform, and, lying down on the grass, places
beneath him sword and horn, so as to defend them dead as well as
alive! Then, having confessed his sins and recited a last prayer,
Roland holds out his glove toward heaven, in token that he surrenders
his soul to God, and begs that an angel be sent to receive it from his
hand. Thus, lying beneath a pine, his face toward Spain, his last
thoughts for France and for God, Roland dies in the presence of the
angels, who bea