THE

HISTORY

OF

CHIVALRY.

CHAP. I.

STATE OF CHIVALRY IN ENGLAND DURING THE REIGN OF EDWARD THE THIRD.

Tournaments...... The Round Table......Order of the Garter......Courtesy of Edward......Prevalence of chivalric Taste among all Classes......English Archers......The Black Prince......Story of the King's Chivalry......England regarded as the Seat of Honour......Instance of this......Chivalric Heroes in this Reign......The Gestes and Prowesses of Sir Walter Manny......Chivalric Vow of Sir Walter......He fights for the Love of his Lady... His Rescue of Two Brother Knights......Instance of his joyous Adventurousness......His Gallantry before Auberoche......His filial Piety......Story of chivalric Manners......The Gentle Disposition of Manny...... His Importance at Edward's Court......His remarkable Sagacity......His Liberality......His Death in 1372...... Buried in the Charter-House......Heroism of Sir James Audley......His Generosity......Memoir of Sir John Chandos......His Gallantry to Ladies........Amusing In

Tourna ments.

stance of the Pride of Knighthood.....The Importance of his Counsel at Poictiers......His Exploits in Brittany ......And in Spain......Is made a Knight Banneret...... Quits the Black Prince......But returns......The remarkable Generousness of his Conduct to Lord Pembroke ......The last Circumstance of his Life......General Grief at his Death.

CHAP. I. THE SUN of English chivalry reached its meridian in the reign of Edward III., for the King and the nobles all were knightly, and the image of their character was reflected in the minds of the people.* Tournaments and jousts, for the amusement and in honour of the ladies, were the universal fashion of the time. In little more than one year, chivalric solemnities were held with unparalleled magnificence at Litchfield, Bury, Guildford, Eltham, Canterbury, and twice at

* Warton (History of English Poetry, vol. i. p. 118. note, 8vo.) notices a passage in Piers Plowman, which shows how the reigning passion for chivalry infected the ideas and expressions of the writers of this period. The poet is describing the crucifixion, and speaking of the person who pierced our Saviour's side with a spear. This person our author calls a knight, and says, that he came forth with his spear in hand and justed with Jesus. Afterwards, for doing so base an act as that of wounding a dead body, he is pronounced a disgrace to knighthood, and our champion chevaler chyese knight is ordered to yield himself recreant. fol. 88. b. So, too, in the Morte d'Arthur, Joseph of Arimathea is called the gentle knight that took down Jesus from the cross.

Windsor. The gay character of Edward and CHAP. I. his court was pleasingly displayed in the spring of the year 1359, three years after the battle of Poictiers. A solemn tournament of three days* duration was proclaimed in London, and the lord mayor, sheriffs, and aldermen, proposed to keep the field against all comers. The time arrived, the martial games were held, and all the honor of arms appeared to be of right due to the officers of the city. The victors then threw aside their shields and surcoats impressed with the city's bearings, removed their beavers, and King Edward, the Black Prince, the Princes Lionel, John, and Edmund, and nineteen noble barons, were recognised. †

table.

The round table at Kenilworth already men- The round tioned was not a solitary instance of the love of romantic grandeur and gallantry among the people of England. Mortimer kept a round table of knights in Wales professedly in imitation of Arthur. ‡ And afterwards Edward III. endeavoured to realise the golden imaginations of fable which had assigned one hundred and fifty knights as the complement of Arthur's chivalry. § We are assured that the round table

* Warton, vol. ii. p. 86. † Barnes's Edward III., p. 564. Leland, Collect. vol. ii. p. 476.

§ Arthur went to his mete with many other kings. And there were all the knights of the Round Table except those

CHAP. I. which Edward established at Windsor in 1344 described a circumference of six hundred feet: but it is more interesting to know, that the nobility and knighthood of France, Germany, Spain, and other countries flocked to England on the invitation of the King, and that the chivalric bands at Windsor were graced by the presence of Queen Philippa and three hundred English ladies, who, in honour of the friendly union of knights, were all arrayed in splendid dresses of one form and fashion, and looked like the sisters of a military order. Policy was mixed with chivalric pride in Edward's plan; for he wished to retain in his service some of the foreign knights who repaired to the tournament at Windsor. But his intention to strengthen his chivalry was defeated by his rival Philip of Valois, who established also a round table, to which the cavaliers of the Continent could more easily repair than to that of Edward. * The knights of France were expressly forbidden by their king to attend the

that were prisoners, or slain at a recounter, thenne at the high feast evermore they should be fulfilled the hole nombre of an hundred and fifty, for then was the Round Table fully accomplished. Morte d'Arthur. The tale of Sir Gauth of Orkeney, c. 1. And see Vol. I. of this work, page 376.

Walsingham, sub anno 1344. Ashmole on the Order of the Garter, cap. v. s. 2.

festivities of the round table at Windsor. The CHAP. I. English monarch found, too, that he could not secure the attachment of stranger knights. That great chivalric principle, the companionship in weal or woe of men forming one society, was never regarded by them. Edward's table at Windsor was surrounded by gay cavaliers, who talked and sang of war and love, and then merrily returned to their own country full of courtesy to their royal host for his gallant bearing, but not disposed to renounce the chivalric associations of their native land. Edward then changed his design, and wished to establish an order of merit, that so "true nobility, after long and hazardous adventures, should not enviously be deprived of that honour, which it hath really deserved, and that active and hardy youth might not want a spur in the profession of virtue, which is to be esteemed glorious and eternal." * accordingly assembled the nobility and knight- Order of hood of his realm, and showed them his intention of forming an especial brotherhood of knights, to be called Knights of the blue Garter, and of ordaining that a feast should be kept yearly at Windsor, on Saint George's day. The barons and cavaliers of England joyously agreed to his pleasure; for they were animated by this en

He

* Preface to the Black Book of the Order of the Garter.

the Garter.