that, at the battle of Cressy, Edward III. refused to send succours to the Black Prince, until he should hear that he was wounded or dismounted, being determined he should, on that memorable day, have full opportunity to win his spurs. It may be easily imagined, that on such occasions, the courage of the young knights was wound up to the highest pitch, and, as many were usually made at the same time, their gallantry could not fail to have influence on the fortune of the day. At the siege of Toulouse (1159), Henry II. of England made thirty knights at once, one of whom was Malcolm IV. King of Scotland. Even on these occasions, the power of making knights was not understood to be limited to the commander-in-chief. At the fatal battle of Homildown, in 1401, Sir John Swinton, a warrior of distinguished talents, observing the slaughter made by the English archery, exhorted the Scots to rush on to a closer engagement. Adam Gordon, between whose family and that of Swinton a deadly feud existed, hearing this sage counsel, knelt down before Swinton, and prayed him to confer on him the honour of knighthood, which he desired to receive from the wisest and boldest knight in the host. Swinton conferred the order; 1 1 [Regent. Gordon, stand forth. Gordon. I pray your Grace, forgive me. I do thirst for't. But, pardon me 'tis from another sword. Regent. It is your sovereign's—seek you for a worthier? Gordon. Who would drink purely, seeks the secret fountain, How small soever-not the general stream, Though it be deep and wide. My Lord, I seek 1 and they both rushed down upon the English host followed only by a few cavalry. If they had been The boon of knighthood from the honour'd weapon Therefore, I beg the boon on bended knee, [Kneels. Regent. Degenerate boy! abject at once and insolent! See, Lords, he kneels to him that slew his father! Gordon (starting up). Shame be on him, who speaks such shameful word! Shame be on him, whose tongue would sow dissension, Swinton (interrupting him). Youth, since you crave me War has its duties, office has its reverence; Who governs in the sovereign's name is sovereign ;- Gordon. You task me justly, and I crave his pardon, His and these noble Lords'; and pray them all And once more kneel to him to sue for knighthood. [Touching his shoulder with his sword. I dub thee Knight !-Arise, Sir Adam Gordon! supported, the attack might have turned the fate of the day. But none followed their gallant example, and both champions fell. It need hardly be added, that the commander, whether a sovereign prince or not, equally exercised the privilege of conferring knighthood. In the old ballad of the battle of Otterburn, Douglas boasts, that since he had entered England, he had "With brand dubb'd many a knight." But it was not in camps and armies alone that the honours of knighthood were conferred. At the Cour Plenière, a high court, to which sovereigns summoned their crown vassals at the solemn festivals of the church, and the various occasions of solemnity which occurred in the royal family, from marriage, birth, baptism, and the like, the monarch was wont to confer on novices in chivalry its highest honour, and the ceremonies used on such investiture added to the dignity of the occasion. It was then that the full ritual was observed, which, on the eve of battle, was necessarily abridged or omitted. The candidates watched their arms all night in a church or chapel, and prepared for the honour to be conferred on them, by vigil, fast, and prayer. They were solemnly divested of the brown frock, which was the appropriate dress of the squire, and having been bathed, as a symbol of purification of heart, they were attired in the richer garb appropriate to Be faithful, brave, and O, be fortunate, SIR WALTER SCOTT's Poetical Works, (Halidon Hill,) knighthood. They were then solemnly invested with the appropriate arms of a knight; and it was not unusual to call the attention of the novice to a mystical or allegorical explanation of each piece of armour as it was put on. These exhortations consisted in strange and extravagant parallels betwixt the temporal and spiritual state of warfare, in which the metaphor was hunted down in every possible shape. The under dress of the knight was a close jacket of chamois leather, over which was put the mail shirt, composed of rings of steel artificially fitted into each other, as is still the fashion in some parts of Asia. A suit of plate armour was put on over the mail shirt, and the legs and arms were defended in the same manner. Even this accumulation of defensive armour, was by some thought insufficient. In the combat of the Infantes of Carrion with the champions of the Cid, one of the former was yet more completely defended, and to little purpose. "Onward into Ferrand's breast, the lance's point is driven Full upon his breastplate, nothing would avail; Two breastplates Ferrand wore, and a coat of mail, The two are riven in sunder, the third stood him in stead, The mail sunk in his breast, the mail and the spear head; The blood burst from his mouth, that all men thought him dead."1 The novice being accoutred in his knightly armour, but without helmet, sword, and spurs, a rich mantle was flung over him, and he was conducted in solemn procession to the church or chapel 1 See Translations [by Mr Frere] from the Spanish Metrical Romance on the subject of the Cid, appended to Mr Southey's Cid. in which the ceremony was to be performed, supported by his godfathers, and attended with as much pomp as circumstances admitted. High mass was then said, and the novice, advancing to the altar, received from the sovereign the accolade. The churchman present, of highest dignity, often belted on his sword, which, for that purpose, had been previously deposited on the altar, and the spurs were sometimes fastened on by ladies of quality. The oath of Chivalry was lastly taken, to be loyal to God, the king, and the ladies. Such were the outlines of the ceremony, which, however, was varied according to circumstances. A king of Portugal knighted his son in presence of the dead body of the Marquis of Marialva, slain in that day's action, and impressively conjured the young prince to do his duty in life and death like the good knight who lay dead before him. Alms to the poor, largesses to the heralds and minstrels, a liberal gift to the church, were necessary accompaniments to the investiture of a person of rank. The new-made knight was conducted from the church with music and acclamations, and usually mounted his horse and executed some curvets in presence of the multitude, couching his lance, and brandishing it as if impatient to open his knightly career. It was at such times, also, that the most splendid tournaments were executed, it being expected that the young knights would display the utmost efforts to distinguish themselves. Such being the solemnities with which knighthood was imposed, it is no wonder that the power of conferring it should, in peace as well as in war, |