him, with the help of the all-powerful God, and of his very sweet Virgin Mother, whom he always called upon to aid him.” The Lady Holy Church thanked the duke for the zeal he showed for her defence. All the lords and knights who were present, invoked, in their turns, the names of God and the Virgin, without forgetting the ladies and the pheasant, and swore to consecrate their wealth and their lives to the service of Jesus Christ, _and of their very redoubtable lord the duke of Burgundy_. All expressed the most ardent enthusiasm. Some distinguished themselves by the whimsicality and the singularity of their promises. The count d’Etampes, nephew to Philip the Good, engaged himself to offer a _challenge to any of the great princes and lords of the Grand Turk’s company_, and promised to fight them _body to body, two to two, three to three, four to four, five to five, &c._ The bastard of Burgundy swore to fight with a Turk in any manner he might please, and engaged to have his challenge sent to _the hostel of the Turk_. The lord of Pons swore never to sojourn in any city till he had met with a Saracen with whom he might fight body to body, by the help of our Lady, for the love of whom _he would never sleep in a bed on a Saturday_, before the entire accomplishment of his vow. Another knight undertook, from the day of his departure, never to eat anything on a Friday that had been killed, until he had exchanged blows with one or many enemies of the faith; if the banner of his lord and that of the Saracens were unfurled as the signal for fight, he made a vow to go straight to the banner of the Grand Turk, and _to strike it to the earth, or die in attempting to do so_.[75] The seigneur de Toulongeon, on his arrival in the country of the infidels, vowed to challenge one of the men-at-arms of the Grand Turk, and fight him in the presence of his lord, the duke of Burgundy; or if the Saracen were not willing to come, he proposed to go and fight him in the presence of the Grand Turk, _provided he might have good assurance of safety_. All these promises, which were never accomplished, serve at least to show us the spirit and the manners of chivalry. The simple confidence which the knights had in their arms, proves how little they were acquainted with the enemies against whom they declared war in this fashion.[76] When each one had pronounced his vows, a lady clothed in white, bearing upon her back this inscription in letters of gold,—_Grace-Dieu_, came and saluted the assembly, and presented twelve ladies with twelve knights. These ladies personated twelve virtues or qualities, the name of which each wore upon her shoulder:—Faith, Charity, Justice, Reason, Prudence, Temperance, Strength, Truth, Bounty (largesse), Diligence, Hope, Valour,—such were the chivalric virtues that were to preside over the crusade.