The ceremonies of inauguration which have been described were gone through when knighthood was conferred on great and public occasions of festivity, but they often gave place to the power of rank and circumstances. Princes were exempted from the laborious offices of page and squire. Men were often adopted into chivalry on the eve of a battle, as it was considered that a sense of their new honours would inspire their gallantry. Once during the war of our Black Prince in Spain, more than three hundred soldiers raised their pennons; many of them had been squires, but in one case the distinction was entirely complimentary, for Peter the Cruel, who could boast neither chivalric qualities nor chivalric services, was dubbed. There was scarcely a battle in the middle ages which was not preceded or followed by a large promotion of men to the honour of knighthood. Sometimes, indeed, they were regularly educated squires, but more frequently the mere contingency of the moment was regarded, and soldiers distinguished only for their bravery and ungraced by the gentle virtues of chivalry were knighted. We often read of certain squires being made cavaliers and raising their pennons, but very often no pennons were raised, that is to say, the men who were knighted were not able to summon round their lances a single man-at-arms; hence it ocurred that the world was overspread with poor knights, some of whom brought chivalry into disgrace by depredations and violence; others wandered about the world in quest of adventures, and let out their swords to their richer brethren. In the romance of Partenopex of Blois, there is a picture of a knight of this last class. "So riding, they o'ertake an errant knight, Well hors'd, and large of limb, Sir Gaudwin hight, He nor of castle nor of land was lord, Houseless he reap'd the harvest of the sword; And now, not more on fame than profit bent, Rode with blithe heart unto the tournament; For cowardice he held it deadly sin, And sure his mind and bearing were akin, The face an index to the soul within; It seem'd that he, such pomp his train bewray'd, Had shap'd a goodly fortune by his blade; His knaves were point device, in livery dight, With sumpter nags, and tents for shelter in the night." [Sidenote: Knights of Mines.]