CHIVALRY. 



(Wnlry. hit bone without the lit, he vrn reckoned to have lost 

 the puerdoo of hit valour. 



Betide the solemn oath of chivalry, which knight 

 took when be was admitted into the order, and which 

 he renewed very frequently, he wa* accustomed to mak>> 

 ow of enterprise. The occasion! on which these were 

 taken were numerous. A a young knight was taid not 

 to have won his pur* till he proved hi* valour and his 

 gallantry, he wa* obliged to wear ou hi arm some mark 

 of hit inexperience and thraldom, which he .olcmnly 

 vowed not to remove till he had achieved si me feat of 

 chivalry. At tolemn feasts and uuirnanv nts also, in or- 

 der to recommend themselves to the ladies, the knights 

 Dted to take vows ofenterpri.se ; and, at a mark of their 

 engagement, chains of gold were fastened to their arms 

 by their favourite mistresses, who at the same time grant- 

 ed them reluctant kiss. 



The most solemn vow that a knight could take, was 

 by the peacock and the ladies. The latter needs no ex- 

 planation ; the former took its origin from the circum- 

 stance of the p- acock forming the most splendid and 

 magnificent pan in jrnr.d entertainments, given by prin- 

 ces, on occasions of chivalry. After bring roasted, it 

 was again dressed in its plumage, a sponge, dipt in 

 lighted spirits of wine, was placed in its bill ; and it 

 was thus brought into the hall on a gold or silver dish, 

 by the most distinguished and noble ladies. In this state 

 it wai presented to each knight, .who vowed by it, and 

 the ladies who were present. The bird was then placed 

 on the table, cut up with great solemnity and parade, 

 and distributed among the guests. 



These vows were frequently of the most extravagant 

 nature : " To be first in advancing, and last in retreat- 

 ing ; to strike upon the gate of a certain fortress of the 

 enemy ; to fight blindfold, or with one arm tied up ; to 

 carry off a banner, or to defend one ;" were among the 

 more usual and rational subjects of their vows. Frui 

 art relates, that when Edward III. began his war against 

 France, many of the knights of England bound up one 

 of their eyes with a silk nbbond, and swore before the 

 peacock and the ladies, that they would nut make use 

 of the other eye, till they had accomplished certain deeds 

 of arms : and Bertrand du Guesclin swore, at the siege 

 of Montcontour, that he would neither cat meat, nor 

 undress himself, till he had taken it. The besieged, on 

 the other hand, often swore, that they would devi.ur 

 one another, rather than yield up the place. John of 

 Bourbon, in 141*, in order to acquire the favour of .his 

 mistress, vowed, that he and sixteen other knights and 

 esquires would wear, every Sunday, for the space of two 

 years, a chain on their left leg, of gold for the knights, 

 and of silver for the esquires, till they had met with and 

 engaged an equal number of their re.-pe -live ranks. 



As soon as a knight had made his vow, and fastened 

 on his emprite, he .prepared himself for the accomplish- 

 roent, by prayer and fa ting. He entered the church, 

 where he confessed himself, and in which, as has been 

 already noticed, he offered up hi* arms, if he proved 

 successful. When the emprise, the mark of his engage- 

 mint, was once fixed, cither on his drmour r his p t -r- 

 oo, he could not free himself frum it, til! he had fultil 

 led the conditions of his v.,w ; or iill he had met another 

 knight, on tshiim, after having defeated him in single 

 ;t, he fastened it. 



knight filled up his leisure hours with different 

 kind . t . Hawking, ur tli. of the 



nvers, so called, because wild ( .wl w r,- principally ta- 

 . an.! liunting, or ttic mystery ot the wood-, were 

 .ie sports. Of LOUI ic, hit dogs and bis fal- 



Av. 



cons were the objects of his particular care and a' IT. 



lion. ' rode out, his esquires carried his hawks, ,~~ 



while the falcon, his special lav.'iinte, wa perched on 



his own finger. No higher praise could be given to a 



knight, than that he was equally celebrated tor, and 



equally able to converse on, subjects relating to hawking, 



huntr . nd love. 



in his castle he amused himself with hearing read the 

 exploits and adventures of the most rtnuwiifd knights ; 

 or the songs of the- minstrch ; or the sports or tricks 

 of thr jongl tirs; or with games at tl and back- 



gammon. The former, he was car fully taught from 

 his infancy ; its resemblance to w;ir, that gr.. 

 of his life, made it h:s favourite game. He g m-mlly 

 played at it with the ladies ; but it was not permitted 

 to play for money ; or, at least, the sum he might lose 

 in one day was strictly limited. Dice were regarded as 

 n-;t so honourable a game. An amusement is al&o men- 

 tioned in ancient writers on chivalry, the nature of which 

 is not clearly described : it seems to have consisted in 

 setting up a wooden castle, so loo.-ely ir.ade, that the 

 parts of it would easily fall to pieces, and in throwing 

 at it with waii'ls. A game at bowls, played in alleys, 

 seems likewise to have tilled up the leisure hours of the 

 knights. 



Although the castles, and entertainments of the 

 knights, have been incidentally touched upon, a few par- 

 ticulars may be added. Towards the court yard of the 

 castle, there were generally open galleries, from which 

 the ladies might view the procession, and the spurts, and 

 distribute the prizes at tournaments. St Palaye sup- 

 poses, that the barriers, which enclosed the houses that 

 were occupied by the princes of the blood and the grand 

 officers of the crown, in Paris, before the revolution, 

 to-k their origin from the circumstance, that they alone 

 could celebrate justs and tournaments, and were, in fact, 

 the lists erected and used for that purpose. In the great 

 hall of the castle, there were two longitudinal seats, i 

 the middle of which, and generally fronting the southern 

 door, was a bench more raised than the rest. This was 

 the seat of honour. At solemn feasts, moveable tapestry 

 was placed behind it, and a canopy hung over it. When 

 it was intended to receive a knight, who had distinguish- 

 ed himself in battle, or in feats of arm*, with more than 

 usual dignity, he was placed on the high table, to which 

 he was permitted to ride through the hall on his war 

 horse, adorned with his armorial bearings, and all its trap- 

 pings. In the language of chivalry, he was, when thus 

 placed, said to begin the board. 



At their enteitainments, but especially in the evening, 

 diff.-rent spiceries. sweet-meats, and wines, were served 

 up by the esquires ; cliuret, or wine clarified with 

 spices ; pimeale, which consisted of wine, spices, and 

 honey ; and burnt wine, were most commonly used. Just 

 before they retired to bed, vin du coucltcr, consisting 

 of wine and the other materials just mentioned, was given 

 to each guest. At the close ot the entertainment, either 

 the esquires brought in wat. r tor the guests to wash 

 themselves, or the guests went, for that purpose, to ano- 

 ther apartment ; in the latter case, the lady ot the castle 

 led out first the guest which she wistied particularly to 

 distinguish. 



As the dignity, the duty, and the privileges of chival- Ceremony 

 rv u-rc sc. great and numerous, and as the c< rein in, ., of kgrd. 

 by which an esquire was admi;ted into the order, weic '"8 Wu 'S5" ' 

 solemn and imposing, so also wa. thee remm.y by which 

 an unworthy number was declaic.l o tli< world stn ( , .1 

 of his dignity and his privileges, and delicti ut in his it. y. 

 This degradation took place, when a knight was guuty 



