There he fell dead on the green, Richard smote the fiend with spurres keen, And in the name of the Holy Ghost He driveth into the heathen host, And as soon as he was come, Asunder he brake the sheltron,[12] And all that ever afore him stode, Horse and man to the grounde yode, Twenty foot on either side. When the king of France and his men wist That the mast'ry had the Christian, They waxed bold, and good heart took, Steedes bestrode, and shaftes shook. [1] 'Favel of Cyprus, ne Lyard of Prys:' Favel of Cyprus, and Lyard of Paris, horses of Kichard's. [2] 'Tone:' toes. [3] 'Libards:' leopards. [4] 'God:' our Saviour. [5] 'As he was done the rood upon:' as he died upon the cross. [6] 'Ayre:' ire. [7] 'Dyre:' dare. [8] 'The book:' the French romance. [9] 'Peytrel:' the breast-plate or breast-band of a horse. [10] 'Arsowne:' saddle-bow. [11] 'falcon brode:' F. bird. [12] 'Sheltrou:' 'schiltron:' soldiers drawn up in a circle. From 'Sir Degore' we quote the description of a dragon, which Warton thinks drawn by a master:-- DEGORE AND THE DRAGON. Degore went forth his way, Through a forest half a day: He heard no man, nor sawe none, Till it past the high none, Then heard he great strokes fall, That it made greate noise withal, Full soone he thought that to see, To weete what the strokes might be: There was an earl, both stout and gay, He was come there that same day, For to hunt for a deer or a doe, But his houndes were gone him fro. Then was there a dragon great and grim, Full of fire and also venim, With a wide throat and tuskes great, Upon that knight fast 'gan he beat. And as a lion then was his feet, His tail was long, and full unmeet: Between his head and his tail Was twenty-two foot withouten fail; His body was like a wine tun, He shone full bright against the sun: His eyes were bright as any glass, His scales were hard as any brass; And thereto he was necked like a horse, He bare his head up with great force: The breath of his mouth that did out blow As it had been a fire on lowe[1]. He was to look on, as I you tell, As it had been a fiend of hell. Many a man he had shent, And many a horse he had rent. [1] 'On lowe:' in flame. From Davie's supposed 'Life of Alexander' we extract a description of a battle, which shews some energy of genius:-- A BATTLE