harles V., Du Guesclin and De Clisson, were the forerunners
of the Bayard of Francis I.

An incident which has retained its popularity in French history, to wit,
the fight between thirty Bretons and thirty English during the just now
commemorated war in Brittany, will give a better idea than any general
observations could of the real, living characteristics of facts and
manners, barbaric and at the same time chivalric, at that period. No
apology is needed for here reproducing the chief details as they have
been related by Froissart, the dramatic chronicler of the middle ages.

In 1351, "it happened on a day that Sir Robert de Beaumanoir, a valiant
knight and commandant of the castle which is called Castle Josselin, came
before the town and castle of Ploermel, whereof the captain, called
Brandebourg [or Brembro, probably Bremborough], had with him a plenty of
soldiers of the Countess of Montfort. 'Brandebourg,' said Robert, 'have
ye within there never a man-at-arms, or two or three, who would fain
cross swords with other three for love of their ladies?' Brandebourg
answered that their ladies would not have them lose their lives in so
miserable an affair as single combat, whereby one gained the name of fool
rather than honorable renown. 'I will tell you what we will do, if it
please you. You shall take twenty or thirty of your comrades, as I will
take as many of ours. We will go out into a goodly field where none can
hinder or vex us, and there will we do so much that men shall speak
thereof in time to come in hall, and palace, and highway, and other
places of the world.' 'By my faith,' said Beaumanoir, 'tis bravely said,
and I agree: be ye thirty, and we will be thirty, too.' And thus the
matter was settled. When the day had come, the thirty comrades of
Brandebourg, whom we shall call English, heard mass, then got on their
arms, went off to the place where the battle was to be, dismounted, and
waited a long while for the others, whom we shall call French. When the
thirty French had come, and they were in front one of another, they
parleyed a little together, all the sixty; then they fell back, and made
all their fellows go far away from the place. Then one of them made a
sign, and forthwith they set on and fought stoutly all in a heap, and
they aided one another handsomely when they saw their comrades in evil
case. Pretty soon after they had come together, one of the French was
slain, but the rest did not sla