ue of a
bull-fight. Neither duty nor infirmity could keep youth or age from such
exhibitions. The passage of arms, as it was called, which was to take
place at Ashby, in the county of Leicester, as champions of the first
renown were to take the field in the presence of Prince John himself,
who was expected to grace the lists, had attracted universal attention,
and an immense confluence of persons of all ranks hastened upon the
appointed morning to the place of combat.

The scene was singularly romantic. On the verge of a wood near Ashby,
was an extensive meadow of the finest and most beautiful green turf,
surrounded on one side by the forest, and fringed on the other by
straggling oak trees, some of which had grown to an immense size. The
ground, as if fashioned on purpose for the martial display which was
intended, sloped gradually down on all sides to a level bottom, which
was enclosed for the lists with strong palisades, forming a space of a
quarter of a mile in length, and about half as broad. The form of the
enclosure was an oblong square, save that the corners were considerably
rounded off, in order to afford more convenience for the spectators. The
openings for the entry of the combatants were at the northern and
southern extremities of the lists, accessible by strong wooden gates,
each wide enough to admit two horsemen riding abreast. At each of these
portals were stationed two heralds, attended by six trumpets, as many
pursuivants,[39-1] and a strong body of men-at-arms, for maintaining
order, and ascertaining the quality of the knights who proposed to
engage in this martial game.

On a platform beyond the southern entrance, formed by a natural
elevation of the ground, were pitched five magnificent pavilions,
adorned with pennons of russet and black, the chosen colors of the five
knights challengers. The cords of the tents were of the same color.
Before each pavilion was suspended the shield of the knight by whom it
was occupied, and beside it stood his squire, quaintly disguised as a
salvage[40-2] or silvan man, or in some other fantastic dress, according
to the taste of his master and the character he was pleased to assume
during the game. The central pavilion, as the place of honor, had been
assigned to Brian de Bois-Guilbert, whose renown in all games of
chivalry, no less than his connection with the knights who had
undertaken this passage of arms, had occasioned him to be eagerly
received into the compan