is even said several of the ladies--were rather disappointed
at the champions choosing the arms of courtesy.
For the same sort of persons who, in the present day, applaud
most highly the deepest tragedies were then interested in a
tournament exactly in proportion to the danger incurred by
the champions engaged.

Having intimated their more pacific purpose, the champions 5
retreated to the extremity of the lists, where they
remained drawn up in a line; while the challengers, sallying
each from his pavilion, mounted their horses, and
headed by Brian de Bois-Guilbert, descended from the
platform and opposed themselves individually to the knights 10
who had touched their respective shields.

At the flourish of clarions and trumpets they started out
against each other at full gallop; and such was the superior
dexterity or good fortune of the challengers that those
opposed to Bois-Guilbert, Malvoisin, and Front-de-B[oe]uf, 15
rolled on the ground. The antagonist of Grantmesnil,
instead of bearing his lance point fair against the crest or
the shield of his enemy, swerved so much from the direct
line as to break the weapon athwart the person of his opponent--a
circumstance which was accounted more disgraceful 20
than that of being actually unhorsed; because the
latter might happen from accident, whereas the former
evinced awkwardness and want of management of the
weapon and of the horse. The fifth knight alone maintained
the honor of his party and parted fairly with the 25
Knight of St. John, both splintering their lances without
advantage on either side.

The shouts of the multitude, together with the acclamations
of the heralds and the clangor of the trumpets,
announced the triumph of the victors and the defeat of 30
the vanquished. The former retreated to their pavilions,
and the latter, gathering themselves up as they could,
withdrew from the lists in disgrace and dejection, to agree
with their victors concerning the redemption of their arms
and their horses, which, according to the laws of the
tournament, they had forfeited. The fifth of their number
alone tarried in the lists long enough to be greeted by the 5
applauses of the spectators, amongst whom he retreated, to
the aggravation, doubtless, of his companions' mortification.

A second and a thir