Hulbitee--a huge peasant whose massive frame gave promise which
his sluggish spirit failed to fulfil--John Alcock, Robin Adey and Raoul
Provost. These with three others made up the required thirty. Great was
the grumbling and evil the talk amongst the archers when it was learned
that none of them were to be included, but the bow had been forbidden on
either side. It is true that many of them were expert fighters both
with ax and with sword, but they were unused to carry heavy armor, and
a half-armed man would have short shrift in such a hand-to-hand struggle
as lay before them.

It was two hours after tierce, or one hour before noon, on the fourth
Wednesday of Lent in the year of Christ 1351 that the men of Ploermel
rode forth from their castle-gate and crossed the bridge of the Due. In
front was Bambro' with his Squire Croquart, the latter on a great roan
horse bearing the banner of Ploermel, which was a black rampant lion
holding a blue flag upon a field of ermine. Behind him came Robert
Knolles and Nigel Loring, with an attendant at their side, who carried
the pennon of the black raven. Then rode Sir Thomas Percy with his blue
lion flaunting above him, and Sir Hugh Calverly, whose banner bore a
silver owl, followed by the massive Belford who carried a huge iron
club, weighing sixty pounds, upon his saddlebow, and Sir Thomas Walton
the knight of Surrey. Behind them were four brave Anglo-Bretons, Perrot
de Commelain, Le Gaillart, d'Aspremont and d'Ardaine, who fought against
their own countrymen because they were partisans of the Countess of
Montfort. Her engrailed silver cross upon a blue field was carried at
their head. In the rear were five German or Hainault mercenaries, the
tall Hulbitee, and the men-at-arms. Altogether of these combatants
twenty were of English birth, four were Breton and six were of German
blood.

So, with glitter of armor and flaunting of pennons, their warhorses
tossing and pawing, the champions rode down to the midway oak. Behind
them streamed hundreds of archers and men-at-arms whose weapons had been
wisely taken from them lest a general battle should ensue. With them
also went the townsfolk, men and women, together with wine-sellers,
provisions merchants, armorers, grooms and heralds, with surgeons to
tend the wounded and priests to shrive the dying. The path was blocked
by this throng, but all over the face of the country horsemen and
footmen, gentle and simple, men and women, could be se