Chapter 8 chapter eight

The challenger blew his horn in high spirits, Not to be outdone, the challengers also responded, Suddenly, the sound of the horn was loud and loud, shaking the heavens and the earth. Their visors folded, their spears held flat, Aiming at the other's helmet or feathers, The two sides suddenly flew away from the fence and galloped forward, Finally, the distance between the two horses became smaller and smaller. "Paramount and Acet" Prince John suddenly stopped in the crowd, and turned his head to announce to the elders of Jurvaux Abbey that he had forgotten to do another important event that day.

My goodness, he said, Elder, we forgot to designate the Queen of Love and Beauty, but the awards are to be given through her beautiful hands.As far as I am concerned, I am very open-minded, and I do not think it wrong to give the honor to that dark-eyed Rebecca. Holy Mary, replied the elder, rolling his eyes in astonishment, a Jewish woman!Looks like it's time for us to make a tourney for the stones, but I'm not too old to die here.And besides, I swear by my patron saint, she is far less than lovely Saxon beauty Rowena. Saxon or Jew, replied the prince, Saxon or Jew, dog or pig, it is all the same to me!I think Rebecca should be named, even to annoy those Saxon bumpkins.

There was a murmur even among his personal entourage. This is too much of a joke, Prince, said De Blasey. No knight would raise a lance in the face of such an insult. This is a great shame to the knights, one of Prince John's oldest and most important entourage Waldemar.Fei Zexi said that if His Highness really does this, it will only abort your plan. I invite you to be a follower, not a staff officer.said John, haughtily reining in the reins. Those who follow His Highness, said Waldemar, but lowered their voices, since they are on the same path with you, they have the right to express their opinions, because they, like you, stake their own interests and safety It's over here.

The tone of the words made John understand that he had to admit this, I was only joking, he said, but you are like locust snakes trying to siege me!Well, choose whoever you like, I don't care. No, no, said De Blasey, let the queen's seat be vacant for the time being, and when the winner is determined, he will choose the lady who should sit on the throne.This added another splendor to his victory, and taught the beauties that their love was all the more valued by the honor which might have been given to them by the brave. If Brian.Bois-guibert won, and the elder said, I can guarantee that the queen of love and beauty he chose must be the one I said.

Bois-Guilbert is an excellent knight, said de Blassy, ​​but there are many knights in the field, Your Excellency, who would dare to fight him. Be quiet, gentlemen, said Waldemar, and let the prince ascend.Both the Cavaliers and the audience were impatient, it was getting late, and the game should start. Although Prince John has not yet become king, Waldemar.However, Fei Zexi has already assumed the responsibility of a trusted minister, and he never forgets to speak out to his monarch and put forward his own opinions.The prince took his advice, though, according to his temper, he was fond of obstinate opinions on trifles; and seated on the throne, guarded by his retinue, he gestured to the masters of ceremonies to announce the tournament. The rules of the General Assembly, they are roughly as follows:

First, the five challengers must not refuse the challenger's request for a martial arts competition. Second, any knight who asked for a joust could choose his opponent from among the challengers, by simply tapping that man's shield with his lance.If he did this with the butt of his pistol, it meant that he was asking for what is called a friendly match, that is, with a round-headed plank on the point of the pistol, so that there was no danger in the engagement, at most some shock to man and horse.But if the shield is tapped with the tip of the spear, then the jousting has to be real, that is, with sharp weapons, as if fighting a real battle.

Thirdly, when the knights who participated in the field completed their oaths and each defeated five opponents, the prince can announce the winner of the first day's competition. The prize he received was a very beautiful and extremely strong horse; , his bravery will also be rewarded with the appointment of the queen of love and beauty, who will be in charge of awarding the prize the next day. Fourth, according to the regulations, a group competition will be held on the second day, and all knights present, whoever wants to compete for honor, can participate.All the participants will be divided into two teams with equal numbers. Both sides can do their best and fight bravely until Prince John issues an order to announce the end of the game.The knight who performed the best the next day, after the judgment of the prince, was crowned by the queen of love and beauty, and put on a headdress of thin gold leaf carved in the shape of a laurel wreath.In this way, the knight game ended on the second day.But the next day there will be mass archery competitions, bullfights, and other entertainment for the greater pleasure of direct participation.It turned out that Prince John tried to use this method to lay the foundation for him to win people's hearts, because he was usually shameless and rash, hurt the feelings of the people, and caused a bad influence.

At this time, the martial arts arena was really colorful and lively.The stands on the slope were full of people, and almost all the nobles, bureaucrats, rich and beautiful women from the north and central England gathered here; these distinguished spectators wore all kinds of bright and eye-catching clothes, forming a scene of joy, splendor, luxury and prosperity; The grounds of the arena were crowded with well-to-do citizens and merry free folk, who were more modestly dressed, forming a sombre fringe around the magnificent circle, both tempering it and dividing it. It set off even more brilliantly.

After the ceremonial officer announces the rules of the contest, he usually shouts loudly: Rewards, rewards, brave knights!So a lot of gold and silver coins were thrown down from the stands.It turned out that the customs at that time believed that the ceremonial officers were the protectors and recorders of honor, and their generosity was a heroic expression of chivalry.As usual, they will thank the audience for their kindness with loud shouts: beauties give love, warriors treat death as home, generosity is praised, bravery is admired by everyone!The ordinary audience immediately cheered loudly, and a large group of trumpeters also blew the majestic tune.After the voices subsided, the ceremonial officials left the arena happily, leaving only two guard inspectors at the two ends of the arena. They were fully armed and sat motionless on their horses, like two statues.At this time, although the paddock at the north end of the arena was wide, it was already full of knights who volunteered to face the challenger. From the stand, there was a sea of ​​feathers, mixed with shining helmets and high-raised spears. Most of the small swallowtail flags with a width of one foot are hung on the ground. When the breeze blows, the flags will roll and fly in the air, combining with the constantly fluttering feathers, embellishing the whole scene more vigorously.

Finally, the gate of the fence was opened, and the five riders selected by lottery slowly entered the square, with a samurai riding in front and the other four following in two pairs.They were all clad in splendid armour, of which my Saxon authorities have written at length their form, their colours, and even the embroidery of their horse-dresses, and which need no further elaboration here.I just want to quote a few lines from a contemporary poet who writes quite simply: The knight has turned to dust, The sword has rusted into scrap iron, May their souls remain with the saints. [Note: A few lines from an unpublished poem by English Romantic poet Coleridge. 】

In the castles of these knights, their coats of arms have long since rotted on the walls.The castle itself was a weedy ruin, strangers where they were familiar, a land where they had enjoyed all the privileges of feudal lords and nobles, but since then many families have Here one has disappeared and been forgotten, so why should the reader need to know their names, or those fleeting signs of their military status? But now, before the five warriors could conceive of the oblivion of their fame and deeds, they rode across the field, tightening the reins and forcing their husky steeds to a slow pace in order to show them The vigorous steps show the graceful posture and demeanor of the rider.As soon as the party entered the arena, there was a deafening savage music behind the challenger's tent, where the performers were hidden.This oriental band had been brought back from the Holy Land, and the mingling of cymbals and bells seemed both welcome and contempt for the slowly approaching knights.All the audience focused their eyes on the five knights. They walked towards the platform where the challenger's tent was located, and when they got there, they separated, and each lightly struck the opponent he had chosen with the end of the handle of his gun. shield.No, all the spectators on the lower level, and most of the people in the stands were also like this. It is said that many women among them were a little disappointed that these warriors chose a friendly way of fighting.Because just as people today are keen on cruel murder dramas, people at that time watched martial arts competitions, and the more dangerous the fighting scene, the more they could win their favor. The warriors, after declaring their more peaceful intentions, retreated to one end of the tournament ring and stood in single file while the challengers stepped out of their tents and mounted their horses to greet Brienne.Headed by Bois-Ghibert, they got off the platform and stood at the other end of the field facing their opponents. With the sound of horns and trumpets, the two parties galloped towards each other at the fastest speed; the challengers gained the upper hand due to their high martial arts skills or good luck. The opponents fell to the ground one by one in a blink of an eye.The opponent of Grand Mesnil fails to bring the point of his lance to the helmet or shield of the enemy, so that it goes sideways and brushes past his opponent. This miss is more dishonorable to a knight than to fall from his horse, Because the latter may be due to a momentary negligence, while the former is not high in martial arts and cannot use weapons and steeds with ease.Only the fifth man, who was not far from his party, drew with his rival, the Knight of St. John, and broke each other's lances. The applause of the crowd, the cheers of the ceremonial officials and the sound of horns all came together to announce the end of a contest.The victor retreated to his tent, and the loser, pulling himself together as much as he could, exited the arena with shame and disappointment, and consulted with the victors to redeem their arms and mounts, which, by the rules of the tournament, belonged to the victors All of them.Only the fifth of them lingered in the arena to be applauded by a few spectators nearby, which no doubt only added to the embarrassment of his companion. The second and third batches of knights came to the arena one after another. Although they achieved some victories, overall, the advantage was still on the side of the challenger. None of them fell off their horses or missed the target, but their opponents In a confrontation one or two people always suffer this kind of misfortune.In this way, the side opposite to the challenger, due to the continuous defeat, is obviously quite depressed.In the fourth contest, only three knights came into play, and they avoided the shields of Boisguibert and the Bull-faced General, and chose only three other knights who were not as skilled or stronger than themselves.But this cautious choice did not change the situation on the court, and the challenger still won.One of their opponents was dismounted, and the other two lost in the charge.That is to say, when hitting the opponent's helmet and shield, the force is too strong, and the spear is held in a straight line, so that either the weapon breaks, or the warrior is thrown from the horse. After the fourth match, the field was silent for a long time, and it seemed that no one wanted to start a new contest.The audience was whispering and whispering; it turned out that among the challengers, Malvorsin and General Bullface had always been unpopular because of their tyranny; except for Grand Mesnil, the other two were also unpopular, because they were aliens and foreigners. people. This discontent was common, but none more so than Cedric the Saxon, who felt that every victory of the Norman challengers was a blow to the honor of England.His education had no jousting content, though he had appeared on many occasions as a brave and determined warrior bearing the arms of his ancestors.He looked anxiously at Athelstan, who had been trained for this task, as if asking him to go out and wrestle from the Templar gang the fruits of victory they had robbed.Although Athelstan is not afraid of sacrifice and has a strong body, he is lazy by nature and has no ambitions. He does not want to put Cedric's wishes into practice. "My lord, England is disgraced today," said Cedric, solemnly, "Are you not going to take up arms? I am going to play tomorrow, Athelstan replied, to participate in tomorrow's melee; it would be superfluous to play today. There were two points in this sentence which struck Cedric with distaste.It contains a Norman word melee (it means group battle), and to a certain extent reveals an attitude of indifference to the honor of the motherland.But again the words came from the mouth of Athelstan, who had always respected him and did not want to pursue his motives or weaknesses.Besides, he didn't have time to criticize, because Wang Ba stepped in at this time and said: It is more interesting to win the first place among a hundred people than to compete among two people, although it is not easy. Athelstan took this as a sincere compliment; but Cedric, who understood the clown's mind better, gave him a stern and threatening look; , Regardless of Wang Ba's status and position, he scolded him. The contest was still at a standstill, no one was on the stage, only the ceremonial officer was shouting loudly: the beauties offered their love, and the spears were broken one after another!Come forth, brave knights, beautiful eyes await great action! Here and there the challenger's band broke into a feverish tune, expressing triumph and contempt; country folk muttered, complaining that a great festival was about to be buried in silent waiting; old knights and nobles babbled , bemoaning the decay of the martial spirit, and talking of the feats of their youth, but agreeing that the country today is incapable of supplying the beauties who inspired the knights of yore to go through fire and water.Prince John began to discuss the dinner with his entourage, he thought, Brienne.Bois-Guilbert's laurels were a foregone conclusion, and with a gun in his hand he dismounted two knights one after another, and defeated a third. In the end, the challenger's Saracen band once again played a long and high-pitched tune in order to break the silence of the tournament field, but just as it was about to end, a lone trumpet sound suddenly blew up in the sky. It's the tone of the challenge, coming from the northern end of the field.All eyes turned to the new warrior who had made this announcement, and the gates swung open, and he entered the arena.Judging from the body shape wrapped in the armor, the new adventurer is only slightly taller than medium, rather thin than strong.His armor was made of pure steel, inlaid with many gold ornaments, and the coat of arms on the shield was a small uprooted oak tree, with a Spanish word inscribed below: Desdichado, which means disinherited.He rode a stout black horse with deliberate pace across the grounds, lowering his lance a little in respect to the Prince and the ladies.He rode handsomely, with the air of a young man, which endowed him with instant popularity with the crowd, so that some of the lower classes cried out to him: Choose Ralph.Viponte as the opponent, choose the Knight of the Medic as the opponent, he is staggering on the horse, this is the cheapest deal. The samurai, ignoring these well-meaning hints, came to the south side of the arena, followed the slope, and mounted the platform; and, to the astonishment of the whole audience, he rode straight to the central tent, pointing the point of his spear at the cloth. Ryan.Boisguibert's shield struck so hard that it echoed loudly.This audacity caused general astonishment, but none more so than the dreadful knight himself, who, standing at ease at the door of his tent, saw this man, in spite of his reputation, to fight him to the death, with an attitude of Such arrogance was indeed beyond his expectation. Brother, you play with your life so nonchalantly, did you make a dying confession this morning, did you pray?The Templar spoke. I am not so afraid of death as you are, replied the disinherited knight, that is the name he has registered on the tourney roll. Then wait on the field, said Boisguibert, and look at the sun for the last time, for tonight you will sleep in Paradise. Thank you for your care, the disinherited knight replied, in return, I advise you to change a horse and a gun, I promise, these are the two things you must do. After he finished speaking with such confidence, he tightened the reins and let the horse retreat down the slope along the same path, and cross the field in the same backward way, until it reached the north end, and then stopped there motionless, waiting for the opponent to come out of the field.This equestrian performance once again won applause from the audience. Despite being ridiculed by the other party, Brian.Bois-Guilbert was very annoyed, but he did not ignore his warning, because the contest was too close to his honor to allow him to be negligent, and he must be sure to defeat his pretentious opponent.He changed his horse, a vigorous and strong horse of proven stamina; and he chose a tough and powerful lance, which he feared had been damaged in previous encounters.Finally he dropped the shield, which was somewhat broken, and got another from his squire.It turned out that what was painted on the shield was just two knights riding on a horse, which symbolized the humbleness and poverty of the Templars in the past. , they were very poor; later they made a fortune in war, and in 1302 they were finally outlawed by the Pope. ], but then their status changed, and they also became arrogant and wealthy, which eventually led to their banning.Bois-guibert's new shield depicts a raven in flight with a skeleton hanging from its claws, and the inscription on it is: Invincible. The interest of the crowd reaches its peak when the two knights stand facing each other at opposite ends of the tournament field.Few believed that the disinherited knight could win the contest; yet his courage and magnanimity found favor with the audience, and they hoped in their hearts that he would succeed. The horn sounded just now, and the two were already galloping forward at the speed of lightning, and met in the center of the arena with a thunderous momentum.The two spears were broken into several pieces except where they were holding hands. At this moment, it seemed that the two knights had fallen down, because the force of the impact was so great that each horse retreated a few steps and stood upright.But with skilful skill, by the action of the bridle and the spurs, they held the horse; and the two glanced at each other, as if their eyes were shooting sparks from behind the bars of their visors; then they tightened the reins, and the horse turned After half a circle, he retreated to both ends of the arena, and took another spear from his entourage. There was thunderous cheers in the arena, scarves and handkerchiefs were waved above the heads, and the cheers continued one after another, which proved the audience's strong interest in this game.But after the two knights returned to the original starting point, the cheers fell silent, and the field became silent, as if the crowd were holding their breath and waiting for another round of competition to start. A few minutes' pause was allowed to rest the jousting and Marius; then Prince John, raising his scepter, motioned to the trumpeter to signal the start.The two knights started from the same place again and met in the center of the arena. The speed was the same as last time, and the agility and ferocity of their actions were the same, but their fate was different. In the second blow, the Templar took aim at the center of the opponent's shield, and he struck with such precision and force that his lance broke into pieces at the encounter, causing even the disinherited knight to shake at once. for a moment.As for his adversary, although at the beginning of the charge he had pointed the point of his gun at Bois-guibert's shield, at the moment of the encounter he changed his aim and aimed it at the helmet, which was not the same goal. Easy to hit, but once successful, the shock it causes can be said to be irresistible.His lance was square, and hit the Norman's visor squarely, jamming in its bars.However, even in this unfavorable situation, the Templar would have maintained his good reputation, but at this time his saddle strap broke, so that he could no longer sit on the horse.As a result, the saddle, the horse, and the man all fell to the ground, raising a cloud of dust. The Templar took some pains to free himself from the pedals and the fallen horse; maddened by the humiliation and the applause of the audience, he immediately drew his sword and galloped towards his horse. victor.The disinherited knight jumped off his horse and drew his sword as well.However, the guard inspector on the field had already rode a horse and rushed to the middle of the two, reminding them that the rules of the contest did not allow them to use such weapons to fight on such occasions. We'll meet again, I believe, said the Templar, giving each other a hard look, and then no one will be able to part us. Well, if we don't meet, the responsibility will not be on my side. The disinherited knight said that at that time, whether to fight on foot or on horseback, with spears, tomahawks, or swords, it will be up to you. They were about to say something more violent, but the two inspectors of the guard had crossed their muskets between them and forced them to part.The disinherited knight returned to his former place, and Bois-guibert ducked into his tent, and passed the day in disappointment and pain, without reappearing. The victor, without dismounting now, ordered a large bowl of wine, lifted his visor (the lower part of the helmet), and declared that with this bowl he paid tribute to every good conscience in England, and foretelled their downfall to foreign tyrants.Then he ordered his trumpeter to blow the trumpet to challenge the challengers, and asked the ceremonial master to announce to them that he did not want to choose, but would face each of them, in their own order. General Niu Mian, a burly man in black helmet and armor, was the first to rush into the arena.The big black bull's head painted on his white shield has only been half left after several confrontations, and the words "General Changsheng" are brazenly written on the shield.The disinherited knight had a limited but decisive upper hand over the warrior.Both fought valiantly, but the bull-faced general lost a pedal in the fight and was judged to be the weaker. The stranger's third confrontation was with Philip.What Malvorsin did, he also succeeded; and his gun struck the baron's helmet with such force that the straps of the helmet were broken, and Malvorsin only kept from falling off his horse because of the loss of his helmet; thus, He was declared a loser along with his peers. In taking on his fourth opponent, Gran Mesnil, the disinherited knight was not only as brave and astute as he had been on previous occasions, but also appeared very polite.Grand Mesnil's horse was still young and impatient, and when it charged fast and slow, it disrupted the rider's aim, but the stranger didn't want to take advantage of this unexpected opportunity, raised his gun, and let it fly over the opponent's head. It brushed past him, without touching him; then he turned his horse's head, rode back to the spot, informed him through the ceremonial officer, and allowed him to make a second charge.Grand Mesnier declined, declaring himself defeated, showing the same humility as the other party. Ralph.Viponte added another victory to the Stranger; thrown from his horse, he fell so hard that blood flowed from his mouth and nose, and was carried from the arena in a stupor. Amid the overwhelming cheers of the crowd, Prince John and the Inspector of the Guard unanimously declared the day's glorious victory for the disinherited knights.