Chapter XIII.
HOW YWAIN WAS BROUGHT INTO THE CITY OF PALADORE.

WELL may you imagine that Ywain was astonished as he went, for it came upon him coldly that he knew not what he had done, nor wherefore, and moreover he saw that he had not yet come to the end of the matter. And he would willingly have questioned those that went with him, but they were every man of them a-bawling and a-singing, and when he spoke to them they answered nothing to the purpose, but continued praising him and giving him joy. And so with great tumult they came before the gate of the city, and there was Ywain yet more astonished, for he had thought to find it well shut and defended. But now the barriers were down and the gate was open, and upon the gatehouse and upon the walls there stood a multitude of people past counting, and they cried: An Eagle! an Eagle! and shouted for joy every man louder than another.

Then Ywain and they that were with him entered the gateway and passed through it, and began to go into the city. And certain of the townsfolk took the banner from between Ywain’s hands and carried it before him; and others of them pressed upon the beaten men of the Tower and jeered at them by their names and cast dust upon their heads: and so they came all together to the market-place, which was great and square, but the crowd of them filled it from side to side and from end to end, and stood therein as close as standing barley.

Now on one side of the market-place was a high hall, with steps thereto; and those that led Ywain brought him to the steps and made him stand there upon a width of stone where he could be seen of all, and the multitude threw up their hands and waved them at him, crying that he should speak to them. And this he would have done willingly, as one not unused to speak before others, but what he should find to say to these men, that he could no more tell than a babe unborn, for he was alone in a strange world, and the time of his understanding was not yet begun. Moreover, though the secret of Solomon had been in his mouth, yet he could not have uttered it for the noise of the shouting, which came about him like the clamouring of rooks when they are fluttered, and so continued for the space of a good hour. And an evil hour it was for him, seeing that the sun was now high and fierce, and the burden of it made his back weary, and the noise became as it were a bruise within his head.

And at the last, when it was now hard on noon, he saw that the crowd was moved and parted to right and left, and through the midst there came a train of great ones, walking slowly between halberdiers and trumpeters. And they came upon the steps of the great hall, where Ywain was standing, and saluted him with bowing; and two that were servants brought him a robe of black, broidered with gold, and they made as though they would have taken from him his cloak of pilgrimage. But that he would by no means suffer, for he remembered how he had come by it: so that in the end they covered his cloak with the robe and were content. Then two of the chief ones took him by the hand and led him into the great hall, and there went in after them all that train and many more.