Roland at the Battle of Roncesvalles 
Louis Guesnet, Artut                                  X. Closs, Engraver

 
 
R      OLAND, the hero of Pulci's "Morgante Maggiore," was the
nephew 
         of Charlemagne. As he was leading the rear-guard of Cbarle- 
         magne's army through the valley of Roncesvalles, he was attacked

by the enemy, set on by the traitor Gan. Dreadful was the slaughter of his

knights. 
   " 'But Roland no sooner saw Uliviero dead than he felt as if be were
left 
alone on the earth, and he was quite willing to leave it; only be wished
that 
Charlemagne should hear how the case stood before be went, and so be took

up the born and blew it with such force that, at the third blast, it burst

in two. 
  "In .qite of all the noise of the battle, the sound of the born broke
over it 
like a voice out of the other world.  They say that birds fell dead at it,
and 
that the whole Saracen army drew back in terror." 
                                      Pulci's "Morgante Maggiore."