The History of Chivalry; Or, Knighthood and Its Times, Volume 1 (of 2)Mills, Charles
Philosophy
The History of Chivalry; Or, Knighthood and Its Times, Volume 1 (of 2)
Mills, Charles
Chivalry
[148] Froissart, liv. 1. c. 283. "Then the Prince, the Duke of Lancaster,
the Earl of Cambridge, the Earl of Pembroke, Sir Guiscard Dangle, and all
the others, with their companies, entered into the city, and all other
footmen ready apparelled, to do evil, and to pillage and rob the city, and
to slay men, women, and children; for so it was commanded them to do. It
was great pity to see the men, women and children that kneeled down on
their knees to the Prince for mercy, but he was so inflamed with ire, that
he took no heed to them, so that none was heard; but all put to death as
they were met withal, and such as were nothing culpable. There was no pity
taken of the poor people who wrought never no manner of treason; yet they
bought it dearer than the great personages, such as had done the evil and
trespass. There was not so hard a heart within the city of Limoges, and if
he had any remembrance of God, but that wept piteously for the great
mischief that they saw before their eyes: for more than three thousand
men, women and children were slain that day. God have mercy on their
souls, for I trow they were martyrs." Lord Berners' Translation.
[149] Romance of Guy of Warwick.
[150] Romance of Sir Otuel. And in the Morte d'Arthur it is said, "and
thus by assent of them both, they granted either other to rest, and so
they set them down upon two mole hills there beside the fighting place,
and either of them unlaced his helmet, and took the cold wind, for either
of their pages was fast by them to come when they called to lace their
harness, and to set them on again at their commandment." Morte d'Arthur.
lib. 8. c. 17.
[151] Romance of Sir Ferumbras.
[152] Froissart, liv. 2. c. 24. This story of Froissart reminds one of
Mortimer,
"When on the gentle Severn's sedgy bank,
In single opposition, hand to hand,
He did confound the best part of an hour
In changing hardiment with great Glendower:
Three times they breath'd, and three times did they drink,
Upon agreement, of swift Severn's flood;
Who then, affrighted with their bloody looks,
Ran fearfully among the trembling reeds,
And hid his crisp head in the hollow bank,
Blood-stain'd with these valiant combatants."
Henry IV. Part 1. Act 1. Sc. iii.
[153] Froissart liv. 1. c. 107.
[154] Froissart, liv. 2. c. 145.
[155] Froissart, liv. 2. c. 146.
[156] Froissart, liv. 1. c. 149. 233.
[157] Froissart, liv. 1. c. 235. 371. liv. 2. c. 152.
[158] Thus Don Quixote pleasantly says in his enumeration of chivalric
qualities, "whoever possesses the science of knight errantry ought to be
learned in the laws, and understand distributive and commutative justice,
in order to right all mankind."
[159] Fairy Queen, book iii. canto 1. st. 3.; and Tasso, with equal
attention to truth, thus describes the duty of a knight.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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