all his baggage. He has been known during his stay simply as the "straunge valete", or the 'strange or unknown young man', and the Proud realises to her horror that she knows nothing about him, neither his name nor where he is from, and so has little hope of ever finding him again. That same day, Ipomadon is told that his mother is dying; he returns to Apulia and learns from her on her deathbed that he has a half-brother. Much later in the tale we learn that the name of this half-brother is Cabanus and there is a grand recognition scene between Ipomadon and his brother at the very end of the story. Cabanus is living at King Meleager's court in Sicily, who, you will remember, is the Proud's uncle, and, following his abrupt departure from this proud teenager's queenly court and a season of jousting in far-flung corners of Christendom, Ipomadon arrives in Sicily and to King Maleager's court, becoming known at once as the queen's favourite, perhaps even her lover. But he again becomes a figure of fun among the other noblemen for his (feigned) dislike of jousting in favour of hunting. Meanwhile, the Proud has fallen into despondency and her noblemen, concerned that she must find a suitable husband, at last persuade her to agree to hold a tournament and to marry the knight who proves himself to be the strongest at the fighting. The tournament is announced, King Meleager's court hears of it and the king and queen of Sicily take Ipomadon with them to Calabria to take part in the jousting. Whilst in Calabria, Ipomadon takes on a number of disguises. As far as the King of Sicily's queen is concerned, her darling, whom she loves, hunts all day and, to the derision of her ladies-in-waiting, brings back nothing more honourable in the evening than venison to give to the king, who is engaged in the tournament. In reality, however, Ipomadon has been fighting at the tournament all day, winning horses for himself, and it is his tutor Ptolomy who has been hunting. Ipomadon fights on the first day in white armour, having changed into it deep in the forest, and wins the acclaim of all. On the second day he fights in red armour and on the third day, in black. Every day he wins the prize and the Proud is devastated when