The next evening the armourer, at Walter's request, continued his
narrative.
“Soon after the tournament we began to fight again with Scotland. For
some years we had had peace with that country, and under the regency
a marriage was made between David, King of Scotland, son of Robert the
Bruce, and the Princess Joan, sister to our king, and a four years'
truce was agreed to.”
“But why should we always be fighting with Scotland?” Walter asked.
“That is more than I can tell you, Walter. We were peaceful enough with
them until the days of Edward I; but he set up some claim to the throne
of Scotland, the rights of which neither I nor anyone else, so far as I
know, have ever been able to make out. The fact was he was strong,
and thought that he could conquer Scotland. The quarrels between
her nobles--most of them were allied by blood with our own and held
possessions in both kingdoms--gave Edward an excuse to interfere.
Scotland was conquered easily enough, but it was a hard task to hold it.
Sir William Wallace kept the country in a turmoil for many years, being
joined by all the common people. He inflicted one heavy defeat upon us
at Stirling, but receiving no support from the nobles he was defeated at
Falkirk, and some years afterwards was captured and executed here. His
head you may see any day over London Bridge. As he fought only for his
country and had ever refused allegiance to our king, it seems to me that
his fate was a cruel one. Then when all appeared quiet, Robert Bruce
raised Scotland again, and was crowned king. There was war for many
years, but at last, at Bannockburn he inflicted such a defeat upon us
as we have never had before. After that there were skirmishes and
excursions, but Edward II was a weak prince, and it seemed that the
marriage of David and the Princess Joan would bring about a permanent
peace between the two countries; but it was not to be so.”
“Many of the English nobles held claims by marriage or grants upon
lands in Scotland. They had, of course, been driven from these when the
English were turned out by Bruce. By the terms of the marriage treaty
in 1328 it was agreed that they should be reinstated. It was a foolish
clause, because it was plain that the King of Scotland could not take
these lands again from the Scotch nobles who had possession of them,
many of them being well-nigh as powerful as himself. At this time Edward
Baliol, son of the great rival of Robert Bruce, was in England. He still
claimed the throne of Scotland as his right. Round him gathered a number
of the English nobles who claimed lands in Scotland. The king offered
no hindrance to the gathering of this force, for I doubt not that he
was glad to see dissension in Scotland, which might give him some such
pretext for interference as that which Edward I had seized to possess
himself of that country. At first Baliol was successful, and was crowned
at Scone, but he was presently defeated and driven out of Scotland.
The Scots now made an eruption across the frontier as a retaliation
for Edward's having permitted Baliol to gather a force here for his war
against Bruce. King Edward was on the point of starting for Ireland,
and he at once hastened north. He defeated the Scots at Halidon Hill,
captured Berwick, and placed Baliol upon the throne. Bruce fled to
France, where he was supported and encouraged by the French king.”
“The ill feeling between Edward and Phillip of Valois had gone on
increasing ever since the former had been compelled to take the oath of
allegiance to the latter, but outwardly the guise of friendship was
kept up, and negotiations went on between the two courts for a marriage
between the little Prince of Wales and Joanna, daughter of the French
king.”
“The aid which Phillip gave to Bruce increased the bad feeling, and
Edward retaliated for Phillip's patronage of Bruce by receiving with
the greatest honour and courtesy Robert of Artois, a great feudatory of
France, who had been banished by King Phillip. For a time, although
both countries were preparing for war, peace was not broken, as Edward's
hands were full in Scotland, where Baliol having bestowed immense
possessions upon the English nobles who had assisted him, the country
again rose in favour of Bruce. During the three years that followed King
Edward was obliged several times to go to Scotland to support Baliol,
who held the crown as his feudal vassal. He was always successful in
the field, but directly his army recrossed the frontier the Scotch rose
again. In 1330 a new crusade was preached, and in October of that year
King Phillip solemnly received the cross and collected an immense army
nominally for the recovery of Jerusalem. Whether his intentions were
honest or not I cannot say, but certainly King Edward considered that
Phillip's real aim in creating so great an army was to attack England.
Whether this was so or not would need a wiser head than mine, Walter, to
tell. Certainly Phillip of Valois invited Edward to cooperate with
him in the crusade. The king in reply stated his belief that the
preparations were intended for war in Europe rather than in Asia; but
that if the King of France would agree to conclude a firm league of
amity between the two countries, to restore the castles and towns
of Aquitaine, whose surrender had been frequently promised but never
carried out, and would bind himself by oath to give no assistance,
direct or indirect, to Scotland, he would join him in his war for the
delivery of the Holy Land.”
“I must say that King Edward's demands were reasonable, for it was clear
that he could not march away from England with his whole force and leave
Baliol unsupported against the assaults of his Scotch enemies, aided by
France. Phillip was willing to accede to the first two conditions; but
in regard to the third positively declined treating until David Bruce
should be restored to the throne of his father. Now, had the French king
openly supported Bruce from the first, none could have said that his
conduct in befriending a dethroned monarch was aught but noble and
generous; but he had all along answered Edward's complaints of the aid
afforded by Frenchmen to the Bruce by denials that he himself supported
him; and this declaration in his favour now certainly seemed to show
that he had at last determined openly to throw off the veil, and that
his great army was really collected against England. Robert of Artois
craftily seized a moment when the king's indignation against Phillip was
at the highest. At a great banquet held by King Edward, at which all
his warlike nobles were present, Robert entered, preceded by two noble
maidens carrying a heron, which, as you know, Walter, is considered the
most cowardly of birds. Then in loud tones he called upon the knights
present each to swear on the bird to perform some deed of chivalrous
daring. First he presented it to King Edward himself, giving him to
understand that he regarded him but as little braver than the heron for
resigning without a blow the fair heritage of France.”
“The moment was well chosen, for Edward was smarting under the answer
he had just received from Phillip. He at once rose and took an oath to
enter France in arms; to wait there a month in order to give Phillip
time to offer him battle, and to accept the combat, even should the
French outnumber him ten to one. Every knight present followed the
example of the king, and so the war with France, which had been for
years a mere question of time, was at last suddenly decided upon.
You yourself, Walter, can remember the preparations which were made
throughout England: men were enrolled and arms prepared. We armourers
were busy night and day, and every man felt that his own honour, as well
as that of the country, was concerned in winning for King Edward the
heritage of which he had been unlawfully robbed by the King of France.”
“On the 17th of March, 1337, at the parliament at Westminster, the king
created the little prince, then seven years of age, Duke of Cornwall;
and the prince immediately, in exercise of his new dignity, bestowed
upon twenty of the most distinguished aspirants the honour of
knighthood. Immense supplies were voted by the parliaments held at
Nottingham, Westminster, and Northamton. Half the wool shorn in the
summer following was granted to the king, with a variety of other
taxes, customs, and duties. The revenues of all the foreign priories in
England, a hundred and ten in number, were appropriated to the crown.
Provisions of bacon, wheat, and oats were granted, and the king pawned
his own jewels, and even the crown itself, to hire soldiers, and
purchase him allies on the Continent. So great did the scarcity of money
become in the country that all goods fell to less than half their value.
Thus a vast army was raised, and with this King Edward prepared to try
his strength with France.”
“Phillip on his part was making great preparations. While Edward had
purchased the assistance of many of the German nobles Phillip raised
large armaments in the maritime states of Italy. Spain also contributed
a number of naval adventurers, and squadrons were fitted out by his
vassals on the sea coasts of Normandy, Brittany, and Picardy. King
Edward had crossed over into Belgium, and after vast delays in
consequence of the slowness of the German allies, at last prepared to
enter France at the end of September, 1339. Such, my lad, is the story,
as far as I know, of the beginning of that war with France which is now
raging, and whose events you know as well as I do, seeing that they are
all of late occurrence. So far, although the English have had the best
of it, and have sorely mauled the French both in the north and south, we
have not gained any such advantages as would lead to a belief that there
is any likelihood of an early termination, or that King Edward will
succeed for a long time in winning back his inheritance of the throne of
France.”
“There is no doubt that the war weighs heavily upon the people at large.
The taxes are doubled, and the drain of men is heavy. We armourers, of
course, have a busy time of it, and all trades which have to do with the
furnishing of an army flourish exceedingly. Moreover, men of mettle and
valour have an opportunity of showing what they are composed of, and
England rings with the tales of martial deeds. There are some, Walter,
who think that peace is the greatest of blessings, and in some ways,
lad, they are no doubt right; but there are many compensations in war.
It brings out the noble qualities; it raises men to think that valour
and fortitude and endurance and honour are qualities which are something
above the mere huckstering desire for getting money, and for ignoble
ease and comfort. Some day it may be that the world will change, and
that war may become a thing of the past; but to my mind, boy, I doubt
whether men will be any happier or better for it. The priests, no doubt,
would tell you otherwise; but then you see I am an armourer, and so
perhaps am hardly a fair judge on the matter, seeing that without wars
my craft would come to an end.”
Walter remained in thought for some time. “It seems to me, Master
Geoffrey, that while wars may suit strong and courageous men, women
would rejoice were such things to be at an end.”
“Women suffer most from wars, no doubt,” Geoffrey said, “and yet do you
mark that they are more stirred by deeds of valour and chivalry than
are we men; that they are ever ready to bestow their love upon those
who have won honour and glory in war, even although the next battle may
leave them widows. This has been always somewhat of a marvel to me;
but I suppose that it is human nature, and that admiration for deeds of
valour and bravery is ingrained in the heart of man, and will continue
until such times come that the desire for wealth, which is ever on the
increase, has so seized all men that they will look with distaste upon
everything which can interfere with the making of money, and will regard
the man who amasses gold by trading as a higher type than he who does
valiant deeds in battle.”
“Surely that can never be,” Walter said indignantly.
“There is no saying,” the armourer answered; “at any rate, Walter,
it will matter little to you or to me, for many generations must pass
before such a state of things can come about.”
Two days later Walter, who had been across into the city, returned in a
state of excitement.
“What do you think, Geoffrey? The king, with the Prince of Wales and all
his court, are coming to the games next month. They say that the
king himself will adjudge the prizes; and there is to be a grand
assault-at-arms between ten of the 'prentices with a captain, and an
equal number of sons of nobles and knights.”
“That will be rare,” Geoffrey Ward exclaimed; “but there will be some
broken limbs, and maybe worse. These assaults-at-arms seldom end without
two or three being killed. However, you youngsters will not hit as hard
as trained knights; and if the armour be good, no great damage should be
done.”
“Do you think that I shall be one of the ten?” Walter asked anxiously.
“Just as if you did not know you would,” Geoffrey replied, laughing.
“Did you not win the prize for swordplay last year? And twelve months
have added much to the strength of your arm, to say nothing of your
skill with weapons. If you win this year again--and it will be strange
if you do not--you are like enough to be chosen captain. You will
have tough fighting, I can tell you, for all these young aspirants to
knighthood will do their best to show themselves off before the king and
queen. The fight is not to take place on horseback, I hope; for if so,
it will be settled as soon as it begins.”
“No, it is to be on foot; and the king himself is to give orders as to
the fighting.”
“You had best get out that helmet and coat of mail of yours,” Geoffrey
said, “I warrant me that there will be none of finer make or of truer
metal in the tourney, seeing that I made them specially for you. They
are light, and yet strong enough to withstand a blow from the strongest
arm. I tried them hard, and will warrant them proof, but you had best
see to the rivets and fastenings. They had a rough handling last year,
and you have not worn them since. There are some other pieces that
I must put in hand at once, seeing that in such a melee you must be
covered from head to foot.”
For the next week nothing was talked of in London but the approaching
sports, and the workmen were already engaged in the erection of the
lists and pavilions in the fields between the walls and Westminster. It
was reported that the king would add valuable prizes to those given to
the winners by the city; that there would be jousting on horseback by
the sons of the court nobles, and that the young Prince of Wales would
himself ride.
The king had once before taken part in the city sports, and with ten of
the citizens had held his own against an equal number of knights. This
was at the commencement of his reign; but the accident to the queen's
stand had so angered him that he had not again been present at the
sports, and his reappearance now was considered to be an act of approval
of the efforts which the city had made to aid him in the war, and as an
introduction of the young prince to the citizens.
When the day arrived there was a general flocking out of the citizens to
the lists. The scene was a picturesque one; the weather was bright and
warm; the fields were green; and Westminster, as well as London, sent
out large numbers to the scene. The citizens were all in their best;
their garments were for the most part of somber colours--russet, murrey,
brown, and gray. Some, indeed, of the younger and wealthier merchants
adopted somewhat of the fashion of the court, wearing their shoes long
and pointed, and their garments parti-coloured. The line of division was
down the centre of the body; one leg, arm, and half the body would be
blue, the other half russet or brown. The ladies' dresses were similarly
divided. Mingling with the citizens, as they strolled to and fro upon
the sward, were the courtiers. These wore the brightest colours, and
their shoes were so long that the points were looped up to the knees
with little gold chains to enable them to walk. The ladies wore
headdresses of prodigious height, culminating in two points; and
from these fell, sweeping to the ground, streamers of silk or lighter
material. Cloths of gold and silver, rich furs, silks, and velvets, were
worn both by men and women.
None who saw the nobles of the court walking in garments so tight that
they could scarce move, with their long parti-coloured hose, their silk
hoods buttoned under the chin, their hair braided down their back, would
have thought that these were the most warlike and courageous of knights,
men whose personal prowess and gallantry were the admiration of Europe.
Their hair was generally cut close upon the forehead, and the beard was
suffered to grow, but was kept trimmed a moderate length. Many of the
ladies had the coat-of-arms of their family embroidered upon their
dresses, giving them the appearance of heralds' tabards. Almost all wore
gold or silver girdles, with embroidered pouches, and small daggers.
Thus the appearance of the crowd who moved about among the fields near
the lists was varied and brilliant indeed. Their demeanour was quiet,
for the London merchants deemed a grave demeanour to belong to their
calling, and the younger men and apprentices restrained their spirits
in the presence of their superiors. For their special amusement, and in
order, perhaps, to keep them from jostling too freely against the court
gallants and ladies, the city authorities had appointed popular sports
such as pleased the rougher classes; and bull baiting, cock-fighting,
wrestling for a ram, pitching the bar, and hand ball, were held in
a field some distance away. Here a large portion of the artisans and
apprentices amused themselves until the hour when the king and queen
were to arrive at their pavilion, and the contests were to commence.
Presently a sound of trumpets was heard, and the royal procession was
seen moving up from Westminster. Then the minor sports were abandoned;
the crowd gathered round the large fenced-in space, and those who,
by virtue of rank or position in the city, had places in the various
stands, took their places there.
There was a flourish of trumpets as the king and queen appeared in front
of the pavilion, accompanied by the Prince of Wales and many of the
nobles of the court, and a shout of welcome arose from the crowd. The
shooting at a mark at once began. The preliminary trials had been shot
off upon the preceding day, and the six chosen bowmen now took their
places.
Walter had not entered for the prizes at archery. He had on previous
years shot well; but since he had fully determined to become a
man-at-arms he had given up archery, for which, indeed, his work at the
forge and his exercises at arms when the fires were out, left him but
little time. The contest was a close one, and when it was over the
winner was led by the city marshal to the royal pavilion, where the
queen bestowed upon him a silver arrow, and the king added a purse of
money. Then there were several combats with quarterstaff and broadsword
between men who had served among the contingents sent by the city to
aid the king in his wars. Some good sword-play was shown and many stout
blows exchanged, two or three men were badly hurt, and the king and all
present were mightily pleased with the stoutness with which they fought.
The apprentices then came forward to compete for the prizes for
sword-play. They wore light iron caps and shirts of thickly quilted
leather, and fought with blunted swords, for the city fathers deemed
wisely that with these weapons they could equally show their skill, and
that with sharpened swords not only would severe wounds be given, but
bad blood would be created between the apprentices of the various wards.
Each ward sent its champion to the contest, and as these fought in
pairs, loud was the shouting which rose from their comrades at each blow
given or warded, and even the older citizens joined sometimes in the
shouting and took a warm interest in the champions of their respective
wards.
The iron caps had stout cheek-pieces which defended the sides of the
face and neck, for even a blunted sword can deliver a terrible blow if
it fall upon the naked flesh. It took a long time to get through the
combats; the pairs were drawn by lot, and fought until the king decided
which was the superior. Some were speedily beaten, at other times
the contests were long and severe. It was generally thought by the
apprentices that the final contest lay between Walter Fletcher of
Aldgate and Ralph Smith of Ludgate. The former was allowed to be
superior in the use of his weapon, but the latter was also skilful, was
two years older, and greatly superior in strength. He had not taken part
in the contest in the preceding year, as he had been laid up with a hurt
in his hand which he had got in his employment as a smith, and the
lads of Ludgate were confident that he would turn the tables upon the
champion of the eastern ward. Both had defeated with ease the various
opponents whom they had met, but it chanced that they had not drawn
together until the last round, when they remained alone to struggle for
the first and second prizes.
The interest in the struggle had increased with each round, and wagers
were freely laid upon the result. According to custom the two champions
had laid aside their leathern shirts and had donned mail armour, for it
was considered that the crowning contest between the two picked young
swordsmen of the city would be a severe one, and greater protection to
the limbs was needed.
Before taking their places they were led up to the royal pavilion, where
they were closely inspected by the king and his nobles.
“You are sure that this man is still an apprentice?” the king asked
the Lord Mayor, who was seated next to him; “he has the appearance of a
man-at-arms, and a stout one too; the other is a likely stripling, and
is, as I have seen, marvellously dexterous with his sword, but he is but
a boy while the other is a grown man.
“He is an apprentice, my liege, although his time will be up in a few
days, while the other has yet three years to serve, but he works for
an armourer, and is famed through the city, boy as he is, for his skill
with weapons.”
After a few words to each, exhorting them to do their best in the sight
of the queen and her ladies, the king dismissed them.
“I know the young one now!” the Prince of Wales said, clapping his hands
as the apprentices turned away to take their places. “My Lord Talbot, I
will wager a gold chain with you upon the smaller of the two.”
“I will take your wager,” the noble answered; “but I am by no means sure
that I shall win it, for I have watched your champion closely, and
the downright blows which he struck would seem to show that he has the
muscle and strength of a man though still but a boy.”
The event justified the Prince of Wales's confidence; at the
commencement of the struggle Ralph Smith tried to beat down his opponent
by sheer strength as he had done his prior opponents, but to his
surprise he found that all his efforts could not break down his
opponent's guard. Walter indeed did not appear to take advantage of his
superior lightness and activity, but to prefer to prove that in strength
as well as skill he was equal to his antagonist. In the latter respect
there was no comparison, for as soon as the smith began to relax his
rain of blows Walter took the offensive and with a sweeping blow given
with all his strength broke down his opponent's guard and smote him with
such force upon his steel cap that, blunted as the sword was, it clove
through the iron, and stretched the smith senseless on the ground. A
loud shout broke from the assemblage. The marshal came up to Walter,
and removing his helmet, led him to the royal pavilion, while Ralph was
carried to a tent near, where a leech attended his wound.