6:2 TILT A L'OUTHANCE. 



your teeth, you may find your way to it, for there is no want of spies 

 and false witnesses hereabouts." 



The tanner was about to make an angry reply to this speech, but 

 the sound of clarions announced the approach of the king, who, 

 saluting the people very courteously, took his place under the royal 

 canopy, surrounded by the princes of the blood and the officers of 

 his household, who made a gallant display. The king, whose man- 

 ners were very childish, amused himself by munching a large apple, 

 but on the remonstrance of the Duke of Bourbon he hid it in the 

 aumomere of Irish leather which hung at his girdle, from whence 

 however he stole it out occasionally to take a fresh bite, keeping it 

 concealed in the sleeve of his violet-coloured robe. In the mean 

 time some of the people set up the cry of " Noel ! Noel ! Montjoye ! 

 St. Denis !" on which others began to shout " St. George for Bur- 

 gundy ! vive Bourgogne !" and a riot would shortly have ensued 

 between the two parties and the provost's archers, when the appear- 

 ance of the champions quieted all. 



At the eastern barrier of the lists appeared a knight armed at all 

 points, with his helmet of steel closed, and mounted on a splendid 

 Norman destrier, bearing or, a lion spotted and langued; he held in 

 his hand a banner representing the blessed St. John the Evangelist ; 

 on his right came his squire bearing his lance and shield, on his left 

 his ee otage-plege," or security, like his principal, armed at all points, 

 and helmet closed. The champion's horse was clothed as if in a skin, 

 with a damask cloth, party-coloured of his coat, and ornamented with 

 an embroidery in gold ; the charger's mane and tail were also inter- 

 woven with gold thread, and his saddle was of crimson velvet, like a 

 German caparison. They were followed by two serjeants-at-arms and 

 twelve archers. At the western barrier appeared at the same time, a 

 knight similarly armed, and in similar array, save that he bore 

 sinople, quarterly a cross gules ; his banner represented the blessed 

 St. James the Greater, and his charger was simply caparisoned in 

 buffalo skin, painted with his device and colour. Between the two 

 lists, directly opposite the royal gallery, was brought in, on a car hung 

 with black, a female dressed in the deepest mourning, very closely 

 veiled, with a rope round her neck. The marshal of the field then 

 rode gently round the lists, and at a sign given, Montjoye, king-at- 

 arms of France, came within the barriers holding a gold wand in his 

 hand, which he raised whilst he recited the following proclamation. 

 " Oyez, oyez, oyez, hear all ! lords, knights, squires, and all 

 kinds and conditions of people, what our Sovereign Lord the King 

 commands under the penalty of losing life and goods, that none ap- 

 pear armed or carrying sword, dagger, or other arms, whatsoever, save 

 only the guards of the lists, and those who by permission of our Lord 

 the King have liberty to do so. Further, the king commands and 

 prohibits all men, of whatsoever condition, from appearing before the 

 lists on horseback or upon cars which may serve as platforms, upon 

 pain, if noble, of forfeiting the horse or car, or if servitors or people 

 of low condition, of losing an ear.* Those who conduct and escort 



* The punishment of cutting off an cur or a hand was specially inflicted on 



