VALEN- and accomplished youth than Valentine. The
TINE AND king observing his inclination for arms, indulged

ORSON him with armour and horses, and after creating
him knight gave him a command in his army that
was about to march against the Saracens. Valen-
tine soon distinguished himself above the other
leaders in battle. He fought near the king’s
side; and when his majesty was taken by a troop
of the pagans, Valentine rushed through their
ranks, slew hundreds of them, and replacing the
king on his horse, led him off in triumph. After-
wards, when the Saracen city was besieged, he
was the first to scale the walls and place the
Christian standard on the battlements. By his
means a complete victory was obtained, and peace
restored to France.
Having conquered the Saracens, Valentine returned
to the court of King Pepin, and was received with
loud acclamations by the people, and joyfully
welcomed by the Princess Eglantine. The distinc-
tions and favour showered on him raised the
envy and hatred of the king’s sons, who plotted
together to destroy Valentine.
It happened very shortly after the return of
Valentine from his victory over the Saracens, that
a petition was presented to the king by a deputa-
tion of peasants, praying relief against Orson, the
wild man of the woods; the fear of whom was now .
become so great that the peasants dared not go
out to till their fields, nor the shepherds to watch
their flocks. The king immediately issued a
proclamation, saying, if any man would undertake
to bring Orson dead or alive to the city, he should
receive a thousand marks of gold.
‘Sire, said his sons, ‘we think no person is so
proper to undertake this enterprise as the found-
ling Valentine, on whom your majesty lavishes
such great favours, and who, it seems, aspires to
the hand of your daughter. Perhaps if he

40