How we cite our quotes: (Stanza.Line)
Quote #7
"Here is what noble Charlemagne wishes you to know:
become a convert to holy Christianity,
and he will consent to give you half of Spain as a fief.
If you do not submit to this pact,
You will be seized and bound by force;
You will be brought to the judgment seat at Aix,
There you will be tried and executed." (33.430-36)
This is definitely a lose-lose situation. But did it have to be like this? The poet notes that Ganelon is speaking with "great guile" (33.426). Would Charlemagne have done all of this to Marsile if he refused the bargain, given that he is exhausted from his seven-year war and on the point of going home anyway? Or was Charlemagne anxious to blast Saragossa all along?
Quote #8
It is written in the venerable chronicle
That Charles summons vassals from many lands.
They have assembled at Aix, in the chapel […]
Now begin the allegations and the countercharges
Concerning Ganelon, who committed the act of treason. (271.3742-48)
Charlemagne gathers another council to determine Ganelon's fate in an early form of trial by jury—at least until it devolves into a trial by combat. Note that even though Franks have been the only Christian people mentioned so far, Charlemagne gathers vassals "from many lands," including "Bavarians and Saxons," "Germans and Teutons" (275.3793, 95). This jury is diverse.