ed archer on the right,
"to a gentle loose, and the king of spain for a mark at fourteen
score!" cried another.
"to a bloody war!" shouted a fourth. "many to go and few to
come!"
"with the most gold to the best steel!" added a fifth.
and a last cup to the maids of our heart!" cried aylward "a
steady hand and a true eye, boys; so let two quarts be a bowman's
portion." with shout and jest and snatch of song they streamed
from the room, and all was peaceful once more in the "rose de
guienne."
chapter xxiii.
how england held the lists at bordeaux.
so used were the good burghers of bordeaux to martial display and
knightly sport, that an ordinary joust or tournament was an
everyday matter with them. the fame and brilliancy of the
prince's court had drawn the knights-errant and pursuivants-of-
arms from every part of europe. in the long lists by the garonne
on the landward side of the northern gate there had been many a
strange combat, when the teutonic knight, fresh from the conquest
of the prussian heathen, ran a course against the knight of
calatrava, hardened by continual struggle against the moors, or
cavaliers from portugal broke a lance with scandinavian warriors
from the further shore of the great northern ocean. here
fluttered many an outland pennon, bearing symbol and blazonry
from the banks of the danube, the wilds of lithuania and the
mountain strongholds of hungary; for chivalry was of no clime and
of no race, nor was any land so wild that the fame and name of
the prince had not sounded through it from border to border.
great, however, was the excitement through town and district when
it was learned that on the third wednesday in advent there would
be held a passage-at-arms in which five knights of england would
hold the lists against all comers. the great concourse of
noblemen and famous soldiers, the national character of the
contest, and the fact that this was a last trial of arms before
what promised to be an arduous and bloody war, all united to make
the event one of the most notable and brilliant that bordeaux had
ever seen. on the eve of the contest the peasants flocked in
from the whole district of the medoc, and the fields beyond the
walls were whitened with the tents of those who could find no
warmer lodging. from the distant camp of dax, too, and from
blaye, bourge, libourne, st. emilion, castillon, st. macaire,
cardillac, ryons, and all the cluster of flourishing towns which
look upon bordeaux as their mother, there thronged an unceasing
stream of horsemen and of footmen, all converging upon the great
city. by the morning of the day on which the courses were to be
run, not less than eighty people had assembled round the lists
and along the low grassy ridge which looks down upon the scene of
the encounter.
it was, as may well be imagined, no easy matter among so many
noted cavaliers to choose out five on either side who should have
precedence over their fellows. a score of secondary combats had
nearly arisen from the rivalries and bad blood created by the
selection, and it was only the influence of the prince and the
efforts of the older barons which kept the peace among so many
eager and fiery soldiers. not till the day before the courses
were the shields finally hung out for the inspection of the
ladies and the heralds, so that all men might know the names of
the champions and have the opportunity to prefer any charge
against them, should there be stain upon them which should
disqualify them from taking part in so noble and honorable a
ceremony.
sir hugh calverley and sir robert knolles had not yet returned
from their raid into the marches of the navarre, so that the
english party were deprived of two of their most famous lances.
yet there remained so many good names that chandos and felton, to
whom the selection had been referred, had many an earnest
consultation, in which every feat of arms and failure or success
of each candidate was weighed and balanced against the rival
claims of his companions. lord audley of cheshire, the hero of
poictiers, and loring of hampshire, who was held to be the
second lance in the army, were easily fixed upon. then, of the
younger men, sir thomas percy of northumberland, sir thomas wake
of yorkshire, and sir william beauchamp of gloucestershire, were
finally selected to uphold the honor of england. on the other
side were the veteran captal de buch and the brawny olivier de
clisson, with the free companion sir perducas d'albert, the
valiant lord of mucident, and sigismond von altenstadt, of the
teutonic order. the older soldiers among the english shook their
heads as they looked upon the escutcheons of these famous
warriors, for they were all men who had spent their lives upon
the saddle, and bravery and strength can avail little against
experie
本文链接:
http://m.picdg.com/38_38017/5748654.html