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 instance
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 1
CHAP. II. PROGRESS OF CHIVALRY IN GREAT BRITAIN, FROM THE REIGN
OF RICHARD II. TO THAT OF HENRY VIII.
Complaints of the unchivalric state of Richard's court ...
Influence of chivalry on the national character ... Scottish
chivalry ... Chivalric kindness of Robert Bruce ... Mutual
chivalry between the Scotch and English courts ... French
knights' opinions of Scottish chivalry ... Courtesies between
English and Scottish knights ... Chivalric battle of Otterbourn
... Hotspur and the Douglas ... A cavaleresque story ... Reign of
Henry IV. ... Chivalric parley between him and the Duke of
Orleans ... Henry's unchivalric conduct at Shrewsbury ... Henry
V. ... Knights of the Bath ... Henry's love of chivalric books
... His chivalric bearing ... Commencement of the decline of
chivalry ... The civil wars injured chivalry ... Caxton's
lamentation ... He exaggerates the evil ... Many gallant English
knights ... Character of Henry VIII. with reference to chivalry
... Tournaments in his reign ... Field of the cloth of gold ...
Introduction of Italian literature favoured romance ...
Popularity of chivalric literature ... English knights continued
to break lances for ladies' love ... State of Scottish chivalry
at this period ... James IV. ... Chivalric circumstances at
Flodden Field 64