ed archer on the right,

"to a gentle loose, and the king of spain for a mark at fourteen

score!" cried another.

"to a bloody war!" shouted a fourth. "many to go and few to

come!"

"with the most gold to the best steel!" added a fifth.

and a last cup to the maids of our heart!" cried aylward "a

steady hand and a true eye, boys; so let two quarts be a bowman's

portion." with shout and jest and snatch of song they streamed

from the room, and all was peaceful once more in the "rose de

guienne."

chapter xxiii.

how england held the lists at bordeaux.

so used were the good burghers of bordeaux to martial display and

knightly sport, that an ordinary joust or tournament was an

everyday matter with them. the fame and brilliancy of the

prince's court had drawn the knights-errant and pursuivants-of-

arms from every part of europe. in the long lists by the garonne

on the landward side of the northern gate there had been many a

strange combat, when the teutonic knight, fresh from the conquest

of the prussian heathen, ran a course against the knight of

calatrava, hardened by continual struggle against the moors, or

cavaliers from portugal broke a lance with scandinavian warriors

from the further shore of the great northern ocean. here

fluttered many an outland pennon, bearing symbol and blazonry

from the banks of the danube, the wilds of lithuania and the

mountain strongholds of hungary; for chivalry was of no clime and

of no race, nor was any land so wild that the fame and name of

the prince had not sounded through it from border to border.

great, however, was the excitement through town and district when

it was learned that on the third wednesday in advent there would

be held a passage-at-arms in which five knights of england would

hold the lists against all comers. the great concourse of

noblemen and famous soldiers, the national character of the

contest, and the fact that this was a last trial of arms before

what promised to be an arduous and bloody war, all united to make

the event one of the most notable and brilliant that bordeaux had

ever seen. on the eve of the contest the peasants flocked in

from the whole district of the medoc, and the fields beyond the

walls were whitened with the tents of those who could find no

warmer lodging. from the distant camp of dax, too, and from

blaye, bourge, libourne, st. emilion, castillon, st. macaire,

cardillac, ryons, and all the cluster of flourishing towns which

look upon bordeaux as their mother, there thronged an unceasing

stream of horsemen and of footmen, all converging upon the great

city. by the morning of the day on which the courses were to be

run, not less than eighty people had assembled round the lists

and along the low grassy ridge which looks down upon the scene of

the encounter.

it was, as may well be imagined, no easy matter among so many

noted cavaliers to choose out five on either side who should have

precedence over their fellows. a score of secondary combats had

nearly arisen from the rivalries and bad blood created by the

selection, and it was only the influence of the prince and the

efforts of the older barons which kept the peace among so many

eager and fiery soldiers. not till the day before the courses

were the shields finally hung out for the inspection of the

ladies and the heralds, so that all men might know the names of

the champions and have the opportunity to prefer any charge

against them, should there be stain upon them which should

disqualify them from taking part in so noble and honorable a

ceremony.

sir hugh calverley and sir robert knolles had not yet returned

from their raid into the marches of the navarre, so that the

english party were deprived of two of their most famous lances.

yet there remained so many good names that chandos and felton, to

whom the selection had been referred, had many an earnest

consultation, in which every feat of arms and failure or success

of each candidate was weighed and balanced against the rival

claims of his companions. lord audley of cheshire, the hero of

poictiers, and loring of hampshire, who was held to be the

second lance in the army, were easily fixed upon. then, of the

younger men, sir thomas percy of northumberland, sir thomas wake

of yorkshire, and sir william beauchamp of gloucestershire, were

finally selected to uphold the honor of england. on the other

side were the veteran captal de buch and the brawny olivier de

clisson, with the free companion sir perducas d'albert, the

valiant lord of mucident, and sigismond von altenstadt, of the

teutonic order. the older soldiers among the english shook their

heads as they looked upon the escutcheons of these famous

warriors, for they were all men who had spent their lives upon

the saddle, and bravery and strength can avail little against

experie