St. George for England

by G. A. Henty

  The next evening the armourer, at Walter's request, continued hisnarrative.

  "Soon after the tournament we began to fight again with Scotland. Forsome years we had had peace with that country, and under the regencya marriage was made between David, King of Scotland, son of Robert theBruce, and the Princess Joan, sister to our king, and a four years'truce was agreed to."

  "But why should we always be fighting with Scotland?" Walter asked.

  "That is more than I can tell you, Walter. We were peaceful enough withthem until the days of Edward I; but he set up some claim to the throneof Scotland, the rights of which neither I nor anyone else, so far as Iknow, have ever been able to make out. The fact was he was strong,and thought that he could conquer Scotland. The quarrels betweenher nobles--most of them were allied by blood with our own and heldpossessions in both kingdoms--gave Edward an excuse to interfere.Scotland was conquered easily enough, but it was a hard task to hold it.Sir William Wallace kept the country in a turmoil for many years, beingjoined by all the common people. He inflicted one heavy defeat upon usat Stirling, but receiving no support from the nobles he was defeated atFalkirk, and some years afterwards was captured and executed here. Hishead you may see any day over London Bridge. As he fought only for hiscountry and had ever refused allegiance to our king, it seems to me thathis fate was a cruel one. Then when all appeared quiet, Robert Bruceraised Scotland again, and was crowned king. There was war for manyyears, but at last, at Bannockburn he inflicted such a defeat upon usas we have never had before. After that there were skirmishes andexcursions, but Edward II was a weak prince, and it seemed that themarriage of David and the Princess Joan would bring about a permanentpeace between the two countries; but it was not to be so."

  "Many of the English nobles held claims by marriage or grants uponlands in Scotland. They had, of course, been driven from these when theEnglish were turned out by Bruce. By the terms of the marriage treatyin 1328 it was agreed that they should be reinstated. It was a foolishclause, because it was plain that the King of Scotland could not takethese lands again from the Scotch nobles who had possession of them,many of them being well-nigh as powerful as himself. At this time EdwardBaliol, son of the great rival of Robert Bruce, was in England. He stillclaimed the throne of Scotland as his right. Round him gathered a numberof the English nobles who claimed lands in Scotland. The king offeredno hindrance to the gathering of this force, for I doubt not that hewas glad to see dissension in Scotland, which might give him some suchpretext for interference as that which Edward I had seized to possesshimself of that country. At first Baliol was successful, and was crownedat Scone, but he was presently defeated and driven out of Scotland.The Scots now made an eruption across the frontier as a retaliationfor Edward's having permitted Baliol to gather a force here for his waragainst Bruce. King Edward was on the point of starting for Ireland,and he at once hastened north. He defeated the Scots at Halidon Hill,captured Berwick, and placed Baliol upon the throne. Bruce fled toFrance, where he was supported and encouraged by the French king."

  "The ill feeling between Edward and Phillip of Valois had gone onincreasing ever since the former had been compelled to take the oath ofallegiance to the latter, but outwardly the guise of friendship waskept up, and negotiations went on between the two courts for a marriagebetween the little Prince of Wales and Joanna, daughter of the Frenchking."

  "The aid which Phillip gave to Bruce increased the bad feeling, andEdward retaliated for Phillip's patronage of Bruce by receiving withthe greatest honour and courtesy Robert of Artois, a great feudatory ofFrance, who had been banished by King Phillip. For a time, althoughboth countries were preparing for war, peace was not broken, as Edward'shands were full in Scotland, where Baliol having bestowed immensepossessions upon the English nobles who had assisted him, the countryagain rose in favour of Bruce. During the three years that followed KingEdward was obliged several times to go to Scotland to support Baliol,who held the crown as his feudal vassal. He was always successful inthe field, but directly his army recrossed the frontier the Scotch roseagain. In 1330 a new crusade was preached, and in October of that yearKing Phillip solemnly received the cross and collected an immense armynominally for the recovery of Jerusalem. Whether his intentions werehonest or not I cannot say, but certainly King Edward considered thatPhillip's real aim in creating so great an army was to attack England.Whether this was so or not would need a wiser head than mine, Walter, totell. Certainly Phillip of Valois invited Edward to cooperate withhim in the crusade. The king in reply stated his belief that thepreparations were intended for war in Europe rather than in Asia; butthat if the King of France would agree to conclude a firm league ofamity between the two countries, to restore the castles and townsof Aquitaine, whose surrender had been frequently promised but nevercarried out, and would bind himself by oath to give no assistance,direct or indirect, to Scotland, he would join him in his war for thedelivery of the Holy Land."

  "I must say that King Edward's demands were reasonable, for it was clearthat he could not march away from England with his whole force and leaveBaliol unsupported against the assaults of his Scotch enemies, aided byFrance. Phillip was willing to accede to the first two conditions; butin regard to the third positively declined treating until David Bruceshould be restored to the throne of his father. Now, had the French kingopenly supported Bruce from the first, none could have said that hisconduct in befriending a dethroned monarch was aught but noble andgenerous; but he had all along answered Edward's complaints of the aidafforded by Frenchmen to the Bruce by denials that he himself supportedhim; and this declaration in his favour now certainly seemed to showthat he had at last determined openly to throw off the veil, and thathis great army was really collected against England. Robert of Artoiscraftily seized a moment when the king's indignation against Phillip wasat the highest. At a great banquet held by King Edward, at which allhis warlike nobles were present, Robert entered, preceded by two noblemaidens carrying a heron, which, as you know, Walter, is considered themost cowardly of birds. Then in loud tones he called upon the knightspresent each to swear on the bird to perform some deed of chivalrousdaring. First he presented it to King Edward himself, giving him tounderstand that he regarded him but as little braver than the heron forresigning without a blow the fair heritage of France."

  "The moment was well chosen, for Edward was smarting under the answerhe had just received from Phillip. He at once rose and took an oath toenter France in arms; to wait there a month in order to give Philliptime to offer him battle, and to accept the combat, even should theFrench outnumber him ten to one. Every knight present followed theexample of the king, and so the war with France, which had been foryears a mere question of time, was at last suddenly decided upon.You yourself, Walter, can remember the preparations which were madethroughout England: men were enrolled and arms prepared. We armourerswere busy night and day, and every man felt that his own honour, as wellas that of the country, was concerned in winning for King Edward theheritage of which he had been unlawfully robbed by the King of France."

  "On the 17th of March, 1337, at the parliament at Westminster, the kingcreated the little prince, then seven years of age, Duke of Cornwall;and the prince immediately, in exercise of his new dignity, bestowedupon twenty of the most distinguished aspirants the honour ofknighthood. Immense supplies were voted by the parliaments held atNottingham, Westminster, and Northamton. Half the wool shorn in thesummer following was granted to the king, with a variety of othertaxes, customs, and duties. The revenues of all the foreign priories inEngland, a hundred and ten in number, were appropriated to the crown.Provisions of bacon, wheat, and oats were granted, and the king pawnedhis own jewels, and even the crown itself, to hire soldiers, andpurchase him allies on the Continent. So great did the scarcity of moneybecome in the country that all goods fell to less than half their value.Thus a vast army was raised, and with this King Edward prepared to tryhis strength with France."

  "Phillip on his part was making great preparations.
While Edward hadpurchased the assistance of many of the German nobles Phillip raisedlarge armaments in the maritime states of Italy. Spain also contributeda number of naval adventurers, and squadrons were fitted out by hisvassals on the sea coasts of Normandy, Brittany, and Picardy. KingEdward had crossed over into Belgium, and after vast delays inconsequence of the slowness of the German allies, at last prepared toenter France at the end of September, 1339. Such, my lad, is the story,as far as I know, of the beginning of that war with France which is nowraging, and whose events you know as well as I do, seeing that they areall of late occurrence. So far, although the English have had the bestof it, and have sorely mauled the French both in the north and south, wehave not gained any such advantages as would lead to a belief that thereis any likelihood of an early termination, or that King Edward willsucceed for a long time in winning back his inheritance of the throne ofFrance."

  "There is no doubt that the war weighs heavily upon the people at large.The taxes are doubled, and the drain of men is heavy. We armourers, ofcourse, have a busy time of it, and all trades which have to do with thefurnishing of an army flourish exceedingly. Moreover, men of mettle andvalour have an opportunity of showing what they are composed of, andEngland rings with the tales of martial deeds. There are some, Walter,who think that peace is the greatest of blessings, and in some ways,lad, they are no doubt right; but there are many compensations in war.It brings out the noble qualities; it raises men to think that valourand fortitude and endurance and honour are qualities which are somethingabove the mere huckstering desire for getting money, and for ignobleease and comfort. Some day it may be that the world will change, andthat war may become a thing of the past; but to my mind, boy, I doubtwhether men will be any happier or better for it. The priests, no doubt,would tell you otherwise; but then you see I am an armourer, and soperhaps am hardly a fair judge on the matter, seeing that without warsmy craft would come to an end."

  Walter remained in thought for some time. "It seems to me, MasterGeoffrey, that while wars may suit strong and courageous men, womenwould rejoice were such things to be at an end."

  "Women suffer most from wars, no doubt," Geoffrey said, "and yet do youmark that they are more stirred by deeds of valour and chivalry thanare we men; that they are ever ready to bestow their love upon thosewho have won honour and glory in war, even although the next battle mayleave them widows. This has been always somewhat of a marvel to me;but I suppose that it is human nature, and that admiration for deeds ofvalour and bravery is ingrained in the heart of man, and will continueuntil such times come that the desire for wealth, which is ever on theincrease, has so seized all men that they will look with distaste uponeverything which can interfere with the making of money, and will regardthe man who amasses gold by trading as a higher type than he who doesvaliant deeds in battle."

  "Surely that can never be," Walter said indignantly.

  "There is no saying," the armourer answered; "at any rate, Walter,it will matter little to you or to me, for many generations must passbefore such a state of things can come about."

  Two days later Walter, who had been across into the city, returned in astate of excitement.

  "What do you think, Geoffrey? The king, with the Prince of Wales and allhis court, are coming to the games next month. They say that theking himself will adjudge the prizes; and there is to be a grandassault-at-arms between ten of the 'prentices with a captain, and anequal number of sons of nobles and knights."

  "That will be rare," Geoffrey Ward exclaimed; "but there will be somebroken limbs, and maybe worse. These assaults-at-arms seldom end withouttwo or three being killed. However, you youngsters will not hit as hardas trained knights; and if the armour be good, no great damage should bedone."

  "Do you think that I shall be one of the ten?" Walter asked anxiously.

  "Just as if you did not know you would," Geoffrey replied, laughing."Did you not win the prize for swordplay last year? And twelve monthshave added much to the strength of your arm, to say nothing of yourskill with weapons. If you win this year again--and it will be strangeif you do not--you are like enough to be chosen captain. You willhave tough fighting, I can tell you, for all these young aspirants toknighthood will do their best to show themselves off before the king andqueen. The fight is not to take place on horseback, I hope; for if so,it will be settled as soon as it begins."

  "No, it is to be on foot; and the king himself is to give orders as tothe fighting."

  "You had best get out that helmet and coat of mail of yours," Geoffreysaid, "I warrant me that there will be none of finer make or of truermetal in the tourney, seeing that I made them specially for you. Theyare light, and yet strong enough to withstand a blow from the strongestarm. I tried them hard, and will warrant them proof, but you had bestsee to the rivets and fastenings. They had a rough handling last year,and you have not worn them since. There are some other pieces thatI must put in hand at once, seeing that in such a melee you must becovered from head to foot."

  For the next week nothing was talked of in London but the approachingsports, and the workmen were already engaged in the erection of thelists and pavilions in the fields between the walls and Westminster. Itwas reported that the king would add valuable prizes to those given tothe winners by the city; that there would be jousting on horseback bythe sons of the court nobles, and that the young Prince of Wales wouldhimself ride.

  The king had once before taken part in the city sports, and with ten ofthe citizens had held his own against an equal number of knights. Thiswas at the commencement of his reign; but the accident to the queen'sstand had so angered him that he had not again been present at thesports, and his reappearance now was considered to be an act of approvalof the efforts which the city had made to aid him in the war, and as anintroduction of the young prince to the citizens.

  When the day arrived there was a general flocking out of the citizens tothe lists. The scene was a picturesque one; the weather was bright andwarm; the fields were green; and Westminster, as well as London, sentout large numbers to the scene. The citizens were all in their best;their garments were for the most part of somber colours--russet, murrey,brown, and gray. Some, indeed, of the younger and wealthier merchantsadopted somewhat of the fashion of the court, wearing their shoes longand pointed, and their garments parti-coloured. The line of division wasdown the centre of the body; one leg, arm, and half the body would beblue, the other half russet or brown. The ladies' dresses were similarlydivided. Mingling with the citizens, as they strolled to and fro uponthe sward, were the courtiers. These wore the brightest colours, andtheir shoes were so long that the points were looped up to the kneeswith little gold chains to enable them to walk. The ladies woreheaddresses of prodigious height, culminating in two points; andfrom these fell, sweeping to the ground, streamers of silk or lightermaterial. Cloths of gold and silver, rich furs, silks, and velvets, wereworn both by men and women.

  None who saw the nobles of the court walking in garments so tight thatthey could scarce move, with their long parti-coloured hose, their silkhoods buttoned under the chin, their hair braided down their back, wouldhave thought that these were the most warlike and courageous of knights,men whose personal prowess and gallantry were the admiration of Europe.Their hair was generally cut close upon the forehead, and the beard wassuffered to grow, but was kept trimmed a moderate length. Many of theladies had the coat-of-arms of their family embroidered upon theirdresses, giving them the appearance of heralds' tabards. Almost all woregold or silver girdles, with embroidered pouches, and small daggers.

  Thus the appearance of the crowd who moved about among the fields nearthe lists was varied and brilliant indeed. Their demeanour was quiet,for the London merchants deemed a grave demeanour to belong to theircalling, and the younger men and apprentices restrained their spiritsin the presence of their superiors. For their special amusement, and inorder, perhaps, to keep them from jostling too freely against the courtgallants and ladies, the city authorities had appointed popular sportssuch as p
leased the rougher classes; and bull baiting, cock-fighting,wrestling for a ram, pitching the bar, and hand ball, were held ina field some distance away. Here a large portion of the artisans andapprentices amused themselves until the hour when the king and queenwere to arrive at their pavilion, and the contests were to commence.

  Presently a sound of trumpets was heard, and the royal procession wasseen moving up from Westminster. Then the minor sports were abandoned;the crowd gathered round the large fenced-in space, and those who,by virtue of rank or position in the city, had places in the variousstands, took their places there.

  There was a flourish of trumpets as the king and queen appeared in frontof the pavilion, accompanied by the Prince of Wales and many of thenobles of the court, and a shout of welcome arose from the crowd. Theshooting at a mark at once began. The preliminary trials had been shotoff upon the preceding day, and the six chosen bowmen now took theirplaces.

  Walter had not entered for the prizes at archery. He had on previousyears shot well; but since he had fully determined to become aman-at-arms he had given up archery, for which, indeed, his work at theforge and his exercises at arms when the fires were out, left him butlittle time. The contest was a close one, and when it was over thewinner was led by the city marshal to the royal pavilion, where thequeen bestowed upon him a silver arrow, and the king added a purse ofmoney. Then there were several combats with quarterstaff and broadswordbetween men who had served among the contingents sent by the city toaid the king in his wars. Some good sword-play was shown and many stoutblows exchanged, two or three men were badly hurt, and the king and allpresent were mightily pleased with the stoutness with which they fought.

  The apprentices then came forward to compete for the prizes forsword-play. They wore light iron caps and shirts of thickly quiltedleather, and fought with blunted swords, for the city fathers deemedwisely that with these weapons they could equally show their skill, andthat with sharpened swords not only would severe wounds be given, butbad blood would be created between the apprentices of the various wards.Each ward sent its champion to the contest, and as these fought inpairs, loud was the shouting which rose from their comrades at each blowgiven or warded, and even the older citizens joined sometimes in theshouting and took a warm interest in the champions of their respectivewards.

  The iron caps had stout cheek-pieces which defended the sides of theface and neck, for even a blunted sword can deliver a terrible blow ifit fall upon the naked flesh. It took a long time to get through thecombats; the pairs were drawn by lot, and fought until the king decidedwhich was the superior. Some were speedily beaten, at other timesthe contests were long and severe. It was generally thought by theapprentices that the final contest lay between Walter Fletcher ofAldgate and Ralph Smith of Ludgate. The former was allowed to besuperior in the use of his weapon, but the latter was also skilful, wastwo years older, and greatly superior in strength. He had not taken partin the contest in the preceding year, as he had been laid up with a hurtin his hand which he had got in his employment as a smith, and thelads of Ludgate were confident that he would turn the tables upon thechampion of the eastern ward. Both had defeated with ease the variousopponents whom they had met, but it chanced that they had not drawntogether until the last round, when they remained alone to struggle forthe first and second prizes.

  The interest in the struggle had increased with each round, and wagerswere freely laid upon the result. According to custom the two championshad laid aside their leathern shirts and had donned mail armour, for itwas considered that the crowning contest between the two picked youngswordsmen of the city would be a severe one, and greater protection tothe limbs was needed.

  Before taking their places they were led up to the royal pavilion, wherethey were closely inspected by the king and his nobles.

  "You are sure that this man is still an apprentice?" the king askedthe Lord Mayor, who was seated next to him; "he has the appearance of aman-at-arms, and a stout one too; the other is a likely stripling, andis, as I have seen, marvellously dexterous with his sword, but he is buta boy while the other is a grown man.

  "He is an apprentice, my liege, although his time will be up in a fewdays, while the other has yet three years to serve, but he works foran armourer, and is famed through the city, boy as he is, for his skillwith weapons."

  After a few words to each, exhorting them to do their best in the sightof the queen and her ladies, the king dismissed them.

  "I know the young one now!" the Prince of Wales said, clapping his handsas the apprentices turned away to take their places. "My Lord Talbot, Iwill wager a gold chain with you upon the smaller of the two."

  "I will take your wager," the noble answered; "but I am by no means surethat I shall win it, for I have watched your champion closely, andthe downright blows which he struck would seem to show that he has themuscle and strength of a man though still but a boy."

  The event justified the Prince of Wales's confidence; at thecommencement of the struggle Ralph Smith tried to beat down his opponentby sheer strength as he had done his prior opponents, but to hissurprise he found that all his efforts could not break down hisopponent's guard. Walter indeed did not appear to take advantage of hissuperior lightness and activity, but to prefer to prove that in strengthas well as skill he was equal to his antagonist. In the latter respectthere was no comparison, for as soon as the smith began to relax hisrain of blows Walter took the offensive and with a sweeping blow givenwith all his strength broke down his opponent's guard and smote him withsuch force upon his steel cap that, blunted as the sword was, it clovethrough the iron, and stretched the smith senseless on the ground. Aloud shout broke from the assemblage. The marshal came up to Walter,and removing his helmet, led him to the royal pavilion, while Ralph wascarried to a tent near, where a leech attended his wound.

  CHAPTER VI: THE MELEE