"With him ther wenten knightes many on. Som wol ben armed in an habergeon And in a brestplate, and in a gipon; And som wol have a pair of plates large; And som wol have a Pruce sheld, or a targe, Som wol ben armed on his legges wele, And have an axe, and som a mace of stele.... Ther maist thou se coming with Palamon Licurge himself, the grete king of Trace: Blake was his berd, and manly was his face. The cercles of his eyen in his hed They gloweden betwixen yelwe and red, And like a griffon loked he about, With kemped heres on his browes stout; His limmes gret, his braunes hard and stronge, His shouldres brode, his armes round and longe. And as the guise was in his contree, Ful highe upon a char of gold stood he, With foure white bolles in the trais. Instede of cote-armure on his harnais, With nayles yelwe, and bright as any gold, He hadde a beres skin, cole-blake for old. His longe here was kempt behind his bak, As any ravenes fether it shone for blake. A wreth of gold arm-gret, of huge weight, Upon his hed sate ful of stones bright, Of fine rubins and of diamants. About his char ther wenten white alauns, Twenty and mo, as gret as any stere, To hunten at the leon or the dere, And folwed him, with mosel fast ybound, Colered with gold, and torettes filed round. An hundred lordes had he in his route, Armed ful wel, with hertes sterne and stoute. With Arcita, in stories as men find, The gret Emetrius the king of Inde, Upon a stede bay, trapped in stele, Covered with cloth of gold diapred wele, Came riding like the god of armes Mars. His cote-armure was of a cloth of Tars, Couched with perles, white, and round and grete. His sadel was of brent gold new ybete; A mantelet upon his shouldres hanging Bret-ful of rubies red, as fire sparkling. His crispe here like ringes was yronne, And that was yelwe, and glitered as the sonne. His nose was high, his eyen bright citrin, His lippes round, his color was sanguin.... And as a leon he his loking caste. Of five and twenty yere his age I caste. His berd was well begonnen for to spring; His vois was a trompe thondering. Upon his hed he wered of laurer grene A gerlond fresshe and lusty for to sene. Upon his hond he bare for his deduit An egle tame, as any lily whit. An hundred lordes had he with him there, All armed save hir hedes in all hir gere, Ful richely in alle manere things.... About this king ther ran on every part Ful many a tame leon and leopart."[199] A herald would not describe them better nor more fully. The lords and ladies of the time would recognize here their tourneys and masquerades.