"By the rood! no honorable gentleman should be reduced to such
straits," said the King. "It behooves me to look to it. But how
now, gentlemen? This worthy cavalier still waits his answer."
The soldiers had all been buzzing together; but now Walter Manny
turned to the King with the result of their counsel.
"If it please your majesty," said he, "we are of opinion that this
Squire hath exceeded all bounds in desiring to break a spear with
a belted knight ere he has given his proofs. We do him sufficient
honor if a Squire ride against him, and with your consent I have
chosen my own body-squire, John Widdicombe, to clear the path for
us across the bridge."
"What you say, Walter, is right and fair," said the King. "Master
Chandos, you will tell our champion yonder what hath been
arranged. You will advise him also that it is our royal will that
this contest be not fought upon the bridge, since it is very clear
that it must end in one or both going over into the river, but
that he advance to the end of the bridge and fight upon the plain.
You will tell him also that a blunted lance is sufficient for such
an encounter, but that a hand-stroke or two with sword or mace may
well be exchanged, if both riders should keep their saddles. A
blast upon Raoul's horn shall be the signal to close."
Such ventures as these where an aspirant for fame would wait for
days at a cross-road, a ford, or a bridge, until some worthy
antagonist should ride that way, were very common in the old days
of adventurous knight erranty, and were still familiar to the
minds of all men because the stories of the romancers and the
songs of the trouveres were full of such incidents.
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