As the champion of each dame was successful, or otherwise, he was cheered by her applause, or roused by her reproaches. If, during the combat, he lost the favour which she had given him, she presented him with another ; and it not unfrcquently happened, that the zeal of the lady was so outrageous and indelicate, that she deprived herself of moro than the ornamental parts of her dress for this purpose. But to suffer the favour of his lady to be taken from him by his adversary, and not either to preserve it, or if he did lose it, to lose it by its being cut to pieces, was regarded as highly dis graceful, and as the certain cause of his mistress's estrangement.
The ladies also bore another conspicuous and import ant part in the tournament. They had the right to ap point a judge of the peace, the touch of whose lance, the sign of the pleasure of the ladies, rescued those who, through inadvertence, had violated the laws of the tour nament, from the attacks of his companions.
But it was at the close of the day, when the sports were finished, that the high privilege, and the most plea sing duty, of the ladies was exercised. By them the prize awarded by the judges was to be bestowed on the fortkmate ehevalient It was their duty to take off his armour : and when he received from their hands the prize, he was permitted to take, and the most noble and scrupulous were not ashamed to receive, a kiss. He was afterwards dressed in the richest robes, placed at table in the seat of honour, and treated with every mark of respect and dignity. His exploits were entered by the heralds in a register ; and the minstrels celebrated his,victory.
After the principal tournament was finished, it was customary to engage in another, which was denominated " the lance for the ladies." In this, if possible, the knights exceeded their former efforts in skill, enterprise, and valount Single combats were fought, either when one knight brought an accusation against another, of having bro ken the laws of God, of the land, or of chivalry ; or between knights of different nations in time of war ; or to revenge private quarrels ; or to pi ove the superior beauty and qualifications of a mistress.
In judicial combats, the accused person was obliged to appear before the judge of the field on an appointed day ; and if he denied the accusation, the challenge was thrown down, and accepted by each party. The judge first took up the challenge of the defendant, and after wards that of the accuser. They were both immediately after that confined till the day of combat, or committed to the care of their respective friends, who became bound for their appearance, dead or alive, till the appointed day. If then either party did not make his appearance,
his surety was ignominiously, and sometimes capitally punished. If he had died in the mean time, the surety brought the dead body into the lists ; if it happen to be the accuser, the defendant has no other mode of proving his innocence but by throwing the body out of the lists. Lindsay mentions a curious case, where the dead body was so heavy, that the other party could not lift and throw it without the barriers. The surety of the dead person therefore contended, that as he had neither con fessed, nor been cast out of the lists, and the peremptory day was past, his friend had won his action.§ On the day of combat the partiks took a solemn oath that they had no weapons but such as were allowed, and had been assigned them by the marshall ; that they car ried about them no spell and enchantment ; and that they trusted in nothing but God, their own prowess, and the justice of their cause. Their hair was cut short round the forehead and about the ears ; and their bodies had been generally previously anointed with oil. Before the combat began, each party repeated his challenge, and his defence or denial. Immediately afterwards they en tered the lists, which were protected and surrounded by four or more knights. An hour was then spent in devo tion ; and when this was finished, the cry of the mar shall, " Come forth," was the signal for the rencontre. If, on the appearance of the stars, the combat was not finished, the accused was deemed victorious, and conse quently his innocence was established ; but it was esta blished less equivocally, and more honourably, by the death of his antagonist. The conqueror was not obliged to show mercy, unless the vanquished begged it ;—the dagger was used to dispatch the fallen foe. When either of the combatants was dying, a priest attendedto con fess him ; and it was deemed honourable, and a proof of high courage, to be confessed and die without taking off the helmet. The accused, if vanquished, sometimes• was not put to death on the spot ; but led forth, hanged, and beheaded ;—even this was done, in cases of murder and treason, to the dead body of the culprit, who had been slain in combat. It sometimes happened that one person engaged several ;—in this case, after he had de feated one of his antagonists, he was led out of the lists by the judges, who disarmed him, and gave Lim three sops, probably of bread steeped in wine, before he re newed the combat.