ABSTRACT
And when the King of Castile had received this message, he told the messengers that they should return ; that he would prepare himself in such manner to give aid to the Lord King, his uncle, that he would consider himself satisfied. But the answer was good and the deeds were nought; for, not with one knight or with one man afoot did he give aid ; rather did the Lord King find himself totally deceived in him, as he had been in his brother-in-law, the King of France. And so, when he came to need them, he found himself forsaken by all his earthly friends. Wherefore he, as the wisest and most strenuous lord and the most accomplished knight of the world and the wisest, raised his eyes to Heaven and said : “ Lord and true God, to Thee I commend my soul and my body and all my people and my dominions. And may it please Thee, as all those have failed me who should have aided me, that Thou, Lord, help me and be my support, mine and that of my followers." And he made the sign of the Cross over them and blessed them ; and full of strenuousness and ardour in the love of Our Lord and true God Jesus Christ, he gave the order to saddle and every man to get ready and put on his armour; for he would put on his. So that, that day, he went about in armour in the city of Barcelona and made a great feast and rejoicing in honour of God and thus comforted the heart of his followers who wished to use their arms at once against their enemies; for each day, until they came, seemed a year to them.
