This men deemed foolishly
sworn, for they knew the man; so they jeered at him and laughed as he
went back to his place ashamed.
Then swore three others oaths not hard to be kept, and men laughed
and were merry.
At last uprose the Alderman, and said: 'Kinsmen, and good fellows,
good days and peaceable are in the Dale as now; and of such days
little is the story, and little it availeth to swear a deed of
derring-do: yet three things I swear by this Beast; and first to
gainsay no man's asking if I may perform it; and next to set right
above law and mercy above custom; and lastly, if the days change and
war cometh to us or we go to meet it, I will be no backwarder in the
onset than three fathoms behind the foremost. So help me the
Warrior, and the God of the Face and the Holy Earth!'
Therewith he sat down, and all men shouted for joy of him, and said
that it was most like that he would keep his oath.
Last of all uprose Face-of-god and took up the sword and looked at
it; and so bright was the blade that he saw in it the image of the
golden braveries which the Bride bore, and even some broken image of
her face.
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