princes, courteous,
generous, and beloved of all men. At length the day of departure came, and
the good Duke went back to his own country, laden with beautiful and
honourable presents.

During three years young Bayard remained as a page in the service of the
Seigneur de Ligny, being trained with the utmost care in all that would be
needful to him in his profession of arms.

He won so much favour from his lord that at the early age of seventeen he
was raised from his position as a page to that of a squire, and appointed
man-at-arms in the General's company, being retained at the same time as
one of the gentlemen of the household, with a salary of 300 livres. As a
man-at-arms Bayard would have under him a page or varlet, three archers,
and a soldier armed with a knife (called a "coutillier"). Thus, when we
find a company of men-at-arms spoken of, it means for each "lance garnie,"
or man-at-arms, really six fighting men on horseback.

When King Charles VIII. found himself once more in his loyal city of Lyons,
it chanced that a certain Burgundian lord, Messire Claude de Vauldray, a
most famous man-at-arms, came to the King and proposed that he should hold
a kind of tournament, called a "Pas d'Armes," to keep the young gentlemen
of the Court from idleness. He meant by this a mimic attack and defence of
a military position, supposed to be a "pas" or difficult and narrow pass in
the mountains. It was a very popular test of chivalry, as the defender hung
up his escutcheons on trees or posts put up for the purpose, and whoever
wished to force this "pas" had to touch one of the escutcheons with his
sword, and have his name inscribed by the King-at-arms in charge of them.

There was nothing that King Charles VIII. loved better than these
chivalrous tournaments, and he gladly gave his consent. Messire Claude de
Vauldray at once set about his preparations, and hung up his escutcheons
within the lists which had been arranged for the coming tournament.

Young Bayard, whom every one called Picquet, passed before the shields and
sighed with longing to accept the challenge and so improve himself in the
noble science of arms. As he stood there silent and thoughtful, his
companion, called Bellabre, of the household of the Sire de Ligny, asked
him what he was thinking of. He replied: "I will tell you, my friend. It
has pleased my lord to raise me from the condition of page into that of a
squire, and I long to touch that shield, but I hav