_L’Histoire Du Bon Chevalier, Sans Paour et Sans Reproche, Gentil
Seigneur De Bayart_, gives some account of Bayard’s combats in the
lists. The Chevalier was born in 1476 and died in 1524, and his first
fights on foot and on horseback took place when he was a raw, growing
stripling of eighteen. This was on the occasion when the Burgundian
Chevalier, Claude de Vauldray, came to Lyons in 1494 to accomplish a
deed of arms—“_à course de lance et coups de hache_”; and the young
Bayard, though without possessing an equipment for the joust or means
of procuring one, conceived the idea of engaging this redoubted
champion in combat. The difficulty as to horse and armour was solved
by the coming forward of a kinsman, L’Abbe d’Esnay, with the necessary
cash. After several chevaliers of the French court had encountered De
Vauldray, Bayard entered the lists to do battle. No particulars of the
combat itself are given by the chronicler, but the account states that
the youngster bore himself right gallantly; and the verdict of the
ladies on the stand erected for their accommodation, expressed in the
Lyonese dialect, “_Vey-vo cestou malotru, il a mieulx fay que tous los
autres_.”
Soon the young Bayard, advancing towards fame and fortune, caused a
proclamation to be made for a _pas d’armes_ to be held at the town of
Ayre, in Picardy, on the 20th July, 1494, _Pour l’amour des dames_.
The articles of combat provided that “hoasting” armour be worn, and on
the first day three courses be run with rebated lances and afterwards
twelve strokes exchanged with the sword, all on horseback; on the
morrow the combats to be on foot at barriers, high as the _nombril_,
with lances and later with axes. Prizes were offered to the successful
competitors as follows:—For the first day a bracelet of gold, enamelled
with Bayard’s device, of the value of thirty _ecus_; and for the second
day a diamond worth forty _ecus_. The proclamation runs:—
“_Pierre de Bayart, jeune gentil-homme et apprentif des
armes, natif de Daulphiné, des ordonnances du roy
de France, soubz la charge et_ _conduicte de hault
et puissant Seigneur monseigneur de Ligny, faisoit
crier et publier ung tourney au dehors de la ville
d’Ayre, et joignant les murailles à tous venans, au
vingtiesme jour de juillet, de trois coups de lance
sans lice, à fer esmolu, et en harnoys de guerre; et
douze coups d’espée, le tout à cheval. Et au mieulx
faisant donnoit ung brasselet d’or esmaillé de sa
livrée, et du prix de trente escuz. Le lendemain
seriot combatu à pied, a poux de lance, à une
barrière de la halteur du nombril; et après la lance
rompue à coups de hache, jusques à la discrétion
des juges et de ceulx qui garderoient le camp. Et
au mieulx faisoit donnoit ung dyamant du pris de
quarante escus._”
On the first day, on the trumpet sounding, _le bon Chevalier_ presented
himself for the first course, his adversary being a neighbour from
Dauphiny named Tartarin, in which the latter broke his lance within
six inches of the head, thus forfeiting a point; and jousting between
other cavaliers lasted until evening. On the second day Bayard fought
at barriers against a Messire Honotin de Sucre, first with lances and
afterwards with axes. Bayard struck his adversary two heavy blows over
the region of the ear, the second of which bore him to the ground.
Other foot encounters followed, after which the prizes for the two
days were awarded by the judges to _le bon Chevalier_, as having done
the best on both days, but he refused to accept them, and they were
adjudged to other champions who came next in order of merit.[191] The
Chevalier’s next tourney was at Carignan, in Italy, at which he gained
the prize.[192]