A March on London: Being a Story of Wat Tyler's InsurrectionHenty, G. A. (George Alfred)
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A March on London: Being a Story of Wat Tyler's Insurrection
Henty, G. A. (George Alfred)
Tyler's Insurrection, 1381 -- Juvenile fiction
"I am Sir Robert De Beaulieu. Pray tell Sir Hugh Calverley to do me the
courtesy to wait for me a quarter of an hour, and I will then issue
forth and speak to him."
At the end of that time Sir Robert rode out, and crossed the bridge
which had been lowered across the ditch for the passage of the soldiers
engaged in collecting the dead. He was followed by two esquires and
four men-at-arms, the latter bearing something behind them on their
horses. The two knights saluted each other courteously, and Sir Hugh
introduced his two companions to Sir Robert.
"I am glad, indeed," the latter said to Calverley, "thus to have the
opportunity of meeting one of the most famous knights in Europe. My
men-at-arms are bearers of the armour of Sir Edgar Ormskirk and Sir
Albert De Courcy, who are, I believe, knights riding in your train. I
promised them that I would send the armour on the first opportunity,
and am glad indeed that the occasion has come so speedily."
He and Sir Hugh had both dismounted after saluting each other, and the
latter held out his mailed hand to the Fleming.
"Sir Robert De Beaulieu," he said, "I have heard of you as a brave and
honourable knight, and you have in this matter proved yourself to be a
chivalrous and generous one in thus rendering up the spoil fairly won
by you, without ransom; but it is not our custom to be outdone in
generosity. The armour is of no ordinary value, and, as these knights
of mine were made prisoners while covering my removal when insensible
and helpless, I feel that the debt is mine as well as theirs. They have
begged me to give you these two chains, both, as you see, of value, and
of the best Italian work. To these I add, as a token of my esteem for
you, this casket, which was given to me by Don Pedro of Spain when I
rode with the Black Prince to aid him in his struggle with Don Henry.
As you will see by the parchment attached to the casket, it contains a
nail of the true cross, brought from Palestine by a Spanish grandee who
was knight commander of the Spanish branch of the Knights Templar. I
pray you to accept it, not as part of the ransom for my knights'
armour, but as a proof of my esteem for one who has shown himself a
flower of knightly courtesy."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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