At first every knight of sufficient importance and wealth proclaimed and celebrated tournaments ; but afterwards the sovereign alone exercised this privilege ; and none could hold them without his licence and permission. The most frequent occasions, or at least the most splen did, when tournaments were celebrated, were at corona tions, royal marriages, or splendid victories. A herald was sent to the neighbouring princes, to proclaim the approaching tournament, and to invite all whose knight hood was unstained, to witness or assist at them. The invitation was eagerly accepted ; and a zealous knight did not hesitate to travel to a very great distance to be present at them.
By the laws for their regulation, which were framed by the emperor Henry the Fowler, only persons of ar morial bearings, and who could prove four descents, were admitted to them; if any came, with unfounded preten sions to these, they were excluded and punished : all criminals, also degraded knights, and especially those who had defamed the character of the ladies, were for bidden to attend them. Every knight was to appear in armour, with his armorial bearings on his shield and sur coat: his horse also was to be properly caparisoned, and adorned with the figures and tinctures of his arms. He was to be preceded by his esquire, bearing in his right hand his master's spear, with the pennon of his arms ; and in his left, his helmet adorned with lambrekins, or the favours of his mistress, also of his proper tincture. When he approached the place where the tournament was to be held, he was to signify his arrival by the sound of a horn or trumpet ; on this the judges of the field met him at the barrier, to whom he gave in his name, his helmet, his arms, and the proofs of his descent ; these were all regularly and carefully registered; and for some days previous to the tournament, his shield was hung up on a tree in some conspicuous place.* The practice of thus exposing the shields of those who meant to engage in the tournaments had two ob jects; in the first place, it was considered as a challenge to all that were willing to just; the page or esquire was appointed to watch them, and whoever touched the shield of another knight, was immediately marked down in the register books as his combatant. If the shield was touched with a blunt weapon, the combat was to be of that description ; if with a sharp weapon, the combat was to be with weapons of that kind. In the second place, the public exhibition of the shields gave those who meant to attend the tournaments, and espe cially the ladies, an opportunity of knowing their re spective owners ; and if a lady discovered the shield of a knight, against whom she had any just reason of com plaint, by simply touching it, she appealed to the protection and justice of the judge of the field against the culprit. If he, on enquiry, found that the complaint
was well-founded, the knight was instantly punished, and forbidden to appear at the tournament ; and if he did, a shower of blows with switches, laid on by the other chevaliers, and even by the ladies themselves, drove him ignominiously from the lists.
The eve of the tournaments was celebrated by justs on a smaller scale ; these were called essays at arms. In these it was lawful for the esquires to engage, with arms light and easily managed, sometimes with those knights who had been recently created. If in these inferior and preparatory feats of arms, any esquire particularly distin guished himself, lie was made a knight, and consequent ly was authorised to engage in the grand tournament.
The laws respecting the dress and arms that were to he worn at tournaments, and the mode in which the combats were to be conducted, were strictly laid down. The lance, the sword, the mace, and the dagger, were the arms allowed. The dress of the knight consisted of a long and flowing robe, which reached down to
The place destined for the tournament was fitted tip with the utmost magnificence. The benches that sur rounded it were filled with princes, nobles, and ladies ; while the judges of the field and the heralds took their station, where they could best discharge their respec tive duties. When a chevalier entered the lists, who had never before engaged in a tournament, the herald, in pro claiming his approach, called upon him to remember whose son lie was, and not to disgrace his ancestors. It was customary for each cavalier to enter the lists, conduct ed, and sometimes led by a silken chain, by their mis tresses, whose favour they wore, and whose name they proclaimed as a title of honour and a presage of victo ry.* The first action of the knight was to wave his pennon, inscribed with religious symbols, in the air, in the form of a cross ; thus displaying by the first words he uttered, and the first action he performed, his devo tion and his gallantry.