When Rogero at last went forth he
recognized Bradamant's voice, and suspecting the cause of her hostility,
implored her to withdraw with him to a wood near by to hear his
explanation. Marphisa followed them and attacked Bradamant so fiercely
that Rogero was forced to her rescue, and lifting his sword would have
struck the maid had he not been stopped by a voice from a tomb near by. It
was that of Atlatites, who announced to Rogero and Marphisa that they were
brother and sister, children of Rogero of Pisa and Galiciella; that Rogero
had been treacherously slain and his town betrayed to Almontes, who cast
Galiciella adrift on the sea. Atlantes rescued her, and took her children
when she died; but Marphisa was stolen from him by a band of Arabs.
From this speech it was plainly the duty of Rogero and Marphisa to espouse
the cause of Charlemagne and take arms against Agramant, who was their
enemy. Bradamant and Marphisa then embraced, bade Rogero farewell, and
proceeded to Charlemagne's camp, where Marphisa was received with honor
and baptized, while Rogero promised to follow them as soon as he could
find an excuse to leave Agramant.
When Astolpho left Bradamant in the forest, he quickly rose in the air and
passed rapidly over the kingdoms of the world, Aragon, Navarre, Cadiz,
Egypt, Morocco, Fez, over the sandy desert until he reached the kingdom of
Nubia, whose king he rescued from the harpies by the sound of his magic
horn.
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