THE KING'S MIRROR 



AC 

 / ut 



and practice sitting firmly with the thighs pressed close. 

 Cover your breast and limbs carefully with a curved 

 shield. Train your left hand to grasp firmly the bridle 

 and the grip of the shield, and your right hand to direct 

 the spear-thrust so that all your bodily strength will 

 support it. Train your good steed to veer about when 

 in full gallop; keep him clean and in good condition; 

 keep him shod firmly and well, and provide him with a 

 strong and handsome harness. 



But if you are in a borough or some such place_where 

 horses cannot be used for recreation, you should take 

 up this form of amusement: go to your chambers and 

 put on heavy armor; next look up some fellow hench- 

 man (he may be a native or an alien) who likes to drill 

 with you and whom you know to be well trained to 

 fight behind a shield or a buckler. Always bring heavy 

 armor to this exercise, either chain-mail or a thick gam- 

 ison,* and carry a heavy sword and a weighty shield 

 or buckler in your hand. [in this game you should strive 

 to learn suitable thrusts and such counterstrokes JLS_ are 

 good, necessary, and convenientJLearn precisely how 

 to cover yourself with the shield, so that you may be 

 able to guard well when you have to deal with a foeman. 

 If you feel that it is important to be well trained in these 

 activities, go through the exercise twice a day, if it is 

 convenient; but let no day pass, except holidays, with- 

 out practicing this drill at least once;[for it is counted 



* The gambison (panzari) was a form of defensive armor made of cloth 

 padded and quilted. It is described on page 217 as being made " of soft linen 

 thoroughly blackened." Usually it was worn under the coat of mail, but it 

 could also be worn outside. See Annalerfor nordisk Oldkyndighed, 1867, 74 ff. 

 (Blom.); Falk, Altnordische Waffenkunde, 181-182. 



