The ceremony during war, was very short and simple ; the person to be knighted, presented his sword to the person who was to bestow the honour, who returned it to him, giving him at the same time the accolade. Al though this was esteemed the most honourable knight hood, yet it is doubtful, whether the rights and privileges conferred, were not merely personal ; and it is certain, that no obligation to take the oath was imposed or neces sarily implied.
When the honour of knighthood was bestowed by a sovereign, or noble of high rank and great wealth, it was always accompanied with valuable presents ; and in every case, robes of great splendour were bestowed on the new chevalier. When it happened, that he had not fortune adequate to the proper support of his dignity, the sovereign assigned him a sufficient revenue of money or lands.
The most important part of the equipments of the knight, was his horse : of this animal he had different kinds ; the great horse, or war horse, was employed only hi actual battle or in feats of arms.f As the knight, when fully equipped, was a great weight, it was neces sary that this kind of horse should be vet v strong. All horses which exceeded the size of six hands and four fingers were deemed great or war horses. These horses were caparisoned with great splendour, and ornamented with housing and saddle cloths, embroidered with dif ferent colours, and exhibiting the coat of arms and the tincture of their riders. In the time of Henry I. the war horses appear not to have been protected with armour ; but in the reign of Richard I., and subsequently, they were covered with a coat of mail, interwoven with iron rings, sewed together with thread ; these horses, when so armed, were called banded horses. As it was against the laws of chivalry to strike a horse at a tourna ment, the war horses, on these occasions, were covered only with silk or velvet bards, embroidered with armorial bearings. Sometimes, also, in tournaments, and even when travelling on his palfrey, the knight ornamented the crupper and other parts of the harness with little bells. The common gait of horses, used in tilting, was that called ambling, and they were taught this action by the shoes on the hinder feet having a long point project ing from the toe. Besides the great horse, the chevalier had his palfrey, his courser, and his bat horse. The palfrey, as has been already stated, he rode on, while proceeding to the battle or tournament ; the courser was employed, where expedition was required, either in affairs of gallantry, or war ; and his bat horse was design ed fur carrying such of his arms as were not committed to the charge of his esquire : these generally consisted of a second lance, shield, &-c. in case of accident ; the
bat horse also carried what little baggage the knight took with him, and was occasionally mounted by one of the esquires.
It was deemed dishonourable for a knight to ride on a work horse, or a mare ; and one mode of degrading him was to deprive him of his war horse, and oblige him to ride on a work horse ; no other knight would tilt with, or even address one so mounted. A knight was also dishonoured by being seen riding in any carriage drawn by these common horses. In the days of chivalry, the horses that were rode by knights, whether war horses, palfreys, or coursers, were all entire. The offensive arms of the knight consisted of a lance, sword, dagger, battle axe, and maces of different kinds ; sometimes he fought with heavy clubs of iron ; but the lance was his distinguishing weapon ; it was longer than the lance now in use, and resembled that of the Polish cavalry. It was strong and difficult to he broken, and commonly made of the lime, aspen, or ash : the last kind of wood was preferred. The lances that were used in tilting, had blunt heads, or with a coronel on them : the staves were thick at the but end, near which they had a cavity for the hand ; at the point a banderolle or pennon was fixed. Originally the shaft was plain, but afterwards fluted. As in tilting the knights sometimes dismounted and fought on foot, in these cases, they broke the shaft of their lances, in order that, by shortening it, they might have more command over it, in thrusting at their ad versary. The sword used by the knights of Germany was longer than that generally used by the knights of France ; and the former country, in the time of Joinville, was famous for this weapon. There was a particular kind of sword called braquemart, that was short, strong, and blunt at the point. In the reign of Saint Louis, of France, the point was sharpened. The handle of the sword was in the form of a cross, and the natne of Jesus was frequently inscribed on this part of it, so that when a knight swore by his sword, his usual oath, he swore by his religion, as tvell as by his valour. The dagger worn by a knight, called by the French writers misericorde, or the poignard of mercy, was used only in close and desperate struggles, when the combatants, unhorsed, and so near to each other, that they could not use their other weapons, were obliged to have recourse to these. It was also employed to dispatch the van quished knight, unless he cried for mercy. It was com monly worn in the bosom.