J. F. Campbell Collection > Minstrelsy of the Scottish border > Volume 1

4G 3riNSTllEI,SY OF
commenced his Frencli wars, many of the young bachelors of
England bound up one of their eyes with a silk ribbon, and
swore, before the peacock and the ladies^ that they would not
see with both eyes until they had accomplished certain deeds
of arms in France. — Froissart, cap. 28.
A remarkable instance of this chivalrous phrenzy occurred
during the expedition of Sir Robert Knowles, who, in 1370,
marched through France, and laid waste the country, up to the
very gates of Paris. " There was a knight, in their companye,
" had niade a vowe, the day before, that lie wolde ryde to the
" walles or gates of Parys, and stryke at the barryers with his
" speare. And, for the fournyshing of his vowe, he departed
" fro his companye, his spear in his fyst, his shelde about his
" neck, armed at all pecesse, on a good horsse, his squyer on
" another, Iwhind him, with his bassenet. And whan he ap-
" proached neare to Parys, he toke and dyde on his helme, and
" lefl his squyer behind hym, and dashed his spurres to his
" horsse, and came gallopynge to the barryers, the whiche as
" then were opyn ; and the lordes, that were there, had wened
" he wolde have entred into the towne ; but that was not his
" mynde ; for, when he hadde stryken at the barryers, as he
" had before avowed, he towrned his reyne, and drue back
" agayne, and departed. Then the knightes of France, that
" sawe hym depart, sayd to him, ' Go your waye ; you have
" ryghte well acquitted yourself.' I can nat tell you what was
" thys knyghtes name, nor of what contre ; but the blazure of
" his amies was, goiUes, two fusses sable, a border sable.
" Howbeit, in the subbarbes, he had a sore encontre ; for, as
" he passed on the pavement, he founde before hym a bocher,
" abigge man, who had well sene this knighte pass by. And
" he helde in liis handes a sharpe hevy axe, with a long poynt ;
" and as the knyght returned agayne, and toke no hede, this
" bocher came on his side, and gave the knyght such a stroke,
" betwene the neck and the shuldors, that he reversed for-
" warde hcedlynge, to the neck of his horsse, and yet he re-
" covered agayne. And than the bocher strake hym agayne,
" so that the axe entered into his body, so that, for payncj the