Perhaps no better general picture of society in England during this
period can be found than that presented by Sir Walter Scott's novel,
"Ivanhoe." There every class appears. One sees the Saxon serf and
swineherd wearing the brazen collar of his master Cedric; the pilgrim
wandering from shrine to shrine, with the palm branch in his cap to
show that he has visited the Holy Land; the outlaw, Robin Hood, lying
in wait to strip rich churchmen and other travelers who were on their
way through Sherwood Forest. He sees, too, the Norman baron in his
castle torturing the aged Jew to extort his hidden gold; and the
steel-clad knights, with Ivanhoe at their head, splintering lances in
the tournament, presided over by Richard's brother, the traitorous
Prince John (S177).