ABSTRACT
This story is the prose romance of Apollonius, an ‘ealdorman’ of Tyre (in Lebanon). His adventures begin when he sets out to win the hand of a princess of Antioch (Asia Minor) by solving a riddle with which her father, King Antiochus, keeps her secure. Unfortunately the riddle hides the truth about Antiochus, that he is already an incestuous abuser of his own daughter and will kill all suitors who solve the riddle, and some who do not. To save himself from publicity, Antiochus gives Apollonius 30 days for another solution, but makes plans to have him bumped off privately. Apollonius returns to Tyre to get his money, closely pursued by the king’s hired assassin, then loses all but his life when his ship goes down off Libya. He crawls ashore naked, to be clothed by a poor fi sherman who gives him half his cloak. By now we know that Ealdorman Apollonius has a decent moral character, but are surprised to learn more about him: that he is a ball-player (football? the OE word for ‘ball’ is þoðer). Apollonius so rejuvenates Arc(h)estrates, the local king, with this sport in the bathhouse courtyard that he is later summoned to the palace, clothed in a good cloak, and invited to a banquet. Princess Arc(h)estrate comes in just where the extract starts.
