Let us return to earlier times for illustrations of the knight at
home, and also abroad. There is no lack of such illustration in the
adventures of Fulke Fitzwarren. Fulke was one of the outlawed barons
of the reign of King John. In his youth, he was brought up with the
four sons of King Henry; he was much beloved by them all, except John.
“It happened that John and Fulke were sitting all alone in a chamber
playing at chess; and John took the chess-board, and struck Fulke with
a great blow. Fulke felt himself hurt, raised his foot and struck John
in the middle of the stomach; and his head flew against the wall, and
he became all weak, and fainted. Fulke was in consternation; but he was
glad that there was nobody in the chamber but they two, and he rubbed
John’s ears, who recovered from his fainting fit, and went to the king
his father, and made a great complaint. ‘Hold your tongue, wretch,’
said the king, ‘you are always quarrelling. If Fulke did anything but
good to you, it must have been by your own desert;’ and he called his
master, and made him beat him finely and well for complaining. John was
much enraged against Fulke, so that he could never afterward love him
heartily.”
The above, as has been remarked, evinces how little respect there
was in those early times for royal authority and the doctrine of
non-resistance. But it may be observed, that even in these more polite
times, were the heir-apparent to strike a playfellow, his royal
highness would probably meet in return with as ready-handed, if not
quite so rough a correction as was inflicted upon John. The latter
could not forgive a bold companion of his boyhood, as James I. did, in
subsequent times, with regard to “Jamie Slates.” On the contrary, when
John became king, he plotted with as unscrupulous a person as himself,
to deprive Fulke of his estate. The conversation between the king and
his confederate, Moris de Powis, was overheard; and what came of it
is thus told in the history of Fulke Fitzwarren, as edited by Thomas
Wright Esq., for the Warton Club:--
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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