Chapter IV

1 _Willi vexeth the men of Amer_. 6 _Wudro warneth Willi_. 10 _Who taketh counsel of his chief captains_. 17 _And continueth in his evil ways_. 21 _The men of Amer make them war_. 23 _Willi derideth them publicly_. 28 _Wudro getteth him on with it_. 36 _And the voice of peace is heard over the waters_.

Now there was great vexation of spirit amongst _the men_ of Amer, for the servants of Willi, the king of Hu, they conspired together and they did sink the ships of Amer _in_ the sea.

2 And whensoever a man of Amer did perish _because_ of it, then did Willi write him an epistle concerning the matter.

3 And the grief that was writ _upon_ the paper, behold, it was very beautiful; but the manner of atonement, _it was_ only in talents of gold.

4 And he did seal the epistle _with_ a seal; and, lo! it was made _in the shape of_ a tear.

5 Now the longest rope, _it hath_ an end. Wherefore it came to pass _in time_ that Wudro, the son of Wyl, being he that did rule in Amer, he sent messengers unto Willi, saying unto him,

6 ¶ Such things and such things hast thou done, all these _being_ against thy plighted word; and thine iniquity, it hath tormented me for a long _time_ past.

7 Now, therefore, hearken unto me, and _pay_ attention to my words.

8 Because I am a man of peace, therefore have I borne with thee long _enough_; and I am become sick unto death _with_ thy naughtiness. And the blood of my murdered people, it crieth _aloud_ for retribution.

9 Take heed, _therefore_, and mend the evil of thy ways, for, _on the_ next occasion, assuredly shalt thou rue the day.

10 ¶ And when Willi had heard the things that Wudro, the son of Wyl, did say unto him, he sent in haste unto his chief captains, and he did commune _with them_.

11 And he questioned them closely concerning the words of Wudro. And he said unto them, Think ye that this man, he meaneth _anything_?

12 And they made answer unto him, saying, Be of good cheer, and heed him not, for he is a man that acteth only _according to_ his advantage.

13 And the land of Amer, it prospereth exceedingly; neither doth the miller turn away _the_ stream which worketh his wheel.

14 Also, he liveth afar off, and his servants, _they are_ unready. Verily, the threats of such an one, they be full of emptiness; and whatsoever he sayeth, that hath he _also_ said before.

15 Nevertheless, when the time cometh, then will we smite him _because_ of it.

16 And after they were finished speaking, the heart of Willi was rejoiced and his soul was filled with courage.

17 ¶ And he spake unto them in these words, _saying_, Assuredly are ye men after mine own understanding. Let us, therefore, see about it. And they did see about it.

18 And when word was brought unto Wudro concerning _it_, and how Willi made mock of his threats, _then_ waxed he very wroth.

19 And he cried out in the violence of his anger, saying, Am I, then, Job, _that be_ born again, to be tormented thus?

20 And he straightway called the people together, and he told them _all_ the things that Willi had done.

21 ¶ And he said unto them, Is it, therefore, _a matter_ for war? And they answered him with a mighty shout, saying, It is _a matter_ for war.

22 And when Willi heard what was come to pass, _he was_ amazed, and his knees, they did tremble beneath him.

23 ¶ Nevertheless, he commanded his servants that they should bring unto him the brazen mask, _being_ part of the royal attire.

24 And when it was brought unto him, he did hide the light of his countenance _behind_ it. And he raised his _voice_ on high, and he spake, saying,

25 What of the land of Amer? And what _of it_? Verily, a pin that lieth in the _way_, it is of more account than a spike that lifteth its head at a distance.

26 Even so, the iron heel of Hu, it levelleth all things; neither shall any _man_ presume to withstand it.

27 And after he was finished speaking, he sent out messengers _unto_ the four corners of the earth, instructing them that they should tell _these things_ unto all peoples.

28 ¶ Now Wudro, the son of Wyl, _after_ that he had made him war, he cried not out from the housetops concerning the things he would do, but he gat him _about_ for to do them.

29 And he opened wide the strings of his purse, so that the shekels, they gushed _forth_ as the waters of a brook after rain. Neither _was he_ backward in the matter of food, making due provision in all things.

30 And he sent much munition of war unto them that were _with him_, and he commanded his physicians that they should go out for to succour the wounded.

31 And he did send his vessels of war also, _which_ were useful things and ready for the fray. And of men that did fly in the air, he did send _of these_ a goodly band, and valiant.

32 And he built him a mighty army, all picked _men_ of the best in the land; and he sent them unto the land of Eur for to fight against the men of Hu.

33 And he rested him not, neither by day nor by night _did he_ rest him, but he was for ever at it, doing all those things that were requisite and necessary _unto_ the undertaking.

34 And when word was brought unto Willi that Wudro, he had taken the coat from off _his_ back, and that he laboured without respite, then grew he sore afraid.

35 And he _called_ his counsellors unto him, and he spake unto them in these words, saying, Is there no one _now_ amongst all the men of peace _that will_ raise his voice against this bloody war?

36 ¶ And, lo! straightway, _there was_ a voice, and it spake concerning peace. And it was blown along by the wind, even unto the land of Amer _was it_ blown.

37 And when it was come unto the ears of Wudro, that was the son of Wyl, he made answer unto it, and he did say, Verily, _it hath_ a goodly sound.

38 Nevertheless, _this peace_, it shall not come to pass; for the King of Hu, he hath a lying tongue, and his plighted word, _hath_ he not broken it before?

39 And because he is _what_ he is, therefore shall the compact of peace be made only with that man which _he is_ not.

40 And the words of Wudro, they were blown along by the wind, even back from the land of Amer _were they_ blown on the wings of the wind.