The Duel With The Buckle-strap


By Philippe De Laon.



_The fifth story relates two judgments of Lord Talbot. How a Frenchman

was taken prisoner (though provided with a safe-conduct) by an

Englishman, who said that buckle-straps were implements of war, and who

was made to arm himself with buckle-straps and nothing else, and meet

the Frenchman, who struck him with a sword in the presence of Talbot.

The other, story is about a man who robbe
a church, and who was made to

swear that he would never enter a church again._



Lord Talbot (whom may God pardon) who was, as every one knows, so

victorious as leader of the English, gave in his life two judgments

which were worthy of being related and held in perpetual remembrance,

and in order that the said judgments should be known, I will relate

them briefly in this my first story, though it is the fifth amongst the

others. I will tell it thus.



During the time that the cursed and pestilent war prevailed between

France and England, and which has not yet finished, (*) it happened,

as was often the case, that a French soldier was taken prisoner by

an Englishman, and, a ransom having been fixed, he was sent under a

safe-conduct, signed by Lord Talbot, to his captain, that he might

procure his ransom and bring it back to his captor.



As he was on his road, he was met by another Englishman, who, seeing he

was a Frenchman, asked him whence he came and whither he was going? The

other told him the truth.



"Where is your safe-conduct?" asked the Englishman.



"It is not far off," replied the Frenchman. With that he took the

safe-conduct, which was in a little box hung at his belt, and handed

it to the Englishman, who read it from one end to the other. And, as is

customary, there was written on the safe-conduct, "Forbidden to carry

any implements of warfare."



The Englishman noted this, and saw that there were _esguillettes_ on

the Frenchman's doublet. (**) He imagined that these straps were real

implements of war, so he said,



"I make you my prisoner, because you have broken your safe-conduct."



"By my faith, I have not," replied the Frenchman, "saving your grace.

You see in what condition I am."



"No! no!" said the Englishman. "By Saint John you have broken your

safe-conduct. Surrender, or I will kill you."



The poor Frenchman, who had only his page with him, and was quite

unprovided with weapons, whilst the other was accompanied by three

or four archers, did the best thing he could, and surrendered. The

Englishman led him to a place near there, and put him in prison.



(*) It had virtually finished, and the English only retained

the town of Calais when this tale was written (about 1465)

but they had not relinquished their claim to the French

Crown, and hostilities were expected to recommence.



(**) _Esguillettes_ were small straps or laces, used to

fasten the cuirass to the doublet.



The Frenchman, finding himself thus ill-treated, sent in great haste

to his captain, who when he heard his man's case, was greatly and

marvellously astonished. Thereupon he wrote a letter to Lord Talbot,

and sent it by a herald, to ask how it was that one of his men had

been arrested by one of Lord Talbot's men whilst under that general's

safe-conduct.



The said herald, being well instructed as to what he was to say and do,

left his master, and presented the letters to Lord Talbot. He read them,

and caused them to be read also by one of his secretaries before many

knights and squires and others of his followers.



Thereupon he flew into a great rage, for he was hot-tempered and

irritable, and brooked not to be disobeyed, and especially in matters of

war; and to question his safe-conduct made him very angry.



To shorten the story, he caused to be brought before him both the

Frenchman and the Englishman, and told the Frenchman to tell his tale.



He told how he had been taken prisoner by one of Lord Talbot's people,

and put to ransom;



"And under your safe-conduct, my lord, I was on my way to my friends to

procure my ransom. I met this gentleman here, who is also one of

your followers, who asked me whither I was going, and if I had a

safe-conduct? I told him, yes, and showed it to him. And when he had

read it he told me that I had broken it, and I replied that I had not,

and that he could not prove it. But he would not listen to me, and I was

forced, if I would not be killed on the spot, to surrender. I know of no

cause why he should have detained me, and I ask justice of you."



Lord Talbot, when he had heard the Frenchman, was not well content,

nevertheless when the latter had finished, my Lord turned to the

Englishman and asked,



"What have you to reply to this?"



"My lord," said he, "it is quite true, as he has said, that I met him

and would see his safe-conduct, which when I had read from end to end, I

soon perceived that he had broken and violated; otherwise I should never

have arrested him."



"How had he broken it?" asked Lord Talbot. "Tell me quickly!"



"My Lord, because in his safe-conduct he is forbidden all implements of

war, and he had, and has still, real implements of war; that is to say

he has on his doublet, buckle-straps, which are real implements of war,

for without them a man cannot be armed."



"Ah!" said Lord Talbot, "and so buckle-straps are implements of war

are they? Do you know of any other way in which he had broken his

safe-conduct?"



"Truly, my lord, I do not," replied the Englishman.



"What, you villain!" said Lord Talbot. "Have you stopped a gentleman

under my safe-conduct for his buckle-straps? By St. George, I will show

you whether they are implements of war."



Then, hot with anger and indignation, he went up to the Frenchman, and

tore from his doublet the two straps, and gave them to the Englishman;

then he put a sword in the Frenchman's hand, and drawing his own good

sword out of the sheath, said to the Englishman,



"Defend yourself with that implement of war, as you call it, if you know

how!"



Then he said to the Frenchman,



"Strike that villain who arrested you without cause or reason, and we

shall see how he can defend himself with this implement of war. If you

spare him, by St. George I will strike you."



Thus the Frenchman, whether he would or not, was obliged to strike at

the Englishman with the sword, and the poor Englishman protected himself

as best he could, and ran about the room, with Talbot after him, who

made the Frenchman keep striking the other, and cried out;



"Defend yourself, villain, with your implement of war!" In truth, the

Englishman was so well beaten that he was nearly dead, and cried for

mercy to Talbot and the Frenchman. The latter was released from his

ransom by Lord Talbot, and his horse, harness, and all his baggage, were

given back to him.



Such was the first judgment of Lord Talbot; there remains to be given an

account of the other, which was thus.



He learned that one of his soldiers had robbed a church of the pyx in

which is placed the Corpus Domini, and sold it for ready money--I

know not for how much, but the pyx was big and fine, and beautifully

enamelled.



Lord Talbot, who though he was very brutal and wicked in war, had always

great reverence for the Church, and would never allow a monastery or

church to be set on fire or robbed, heard of this, and he was very

severe on those who broke his regulations.



So he caused to be brought before him the man who had stolen the pyx

from the church; and when he came, God knows what a greeting he had.

Talbot would have killed him, if those around had not begged that his

life might be saved. Nevertheless, as he would punish him, he said.



"Rascal traitor! why have you dared to rob a church in spite of my

orders?"



"Ah, my lord," said the poor thief, "for God's sake have mercy upon me;

I will never do it again."



"Come here, villain," said Talbot; and the other came up about as

willingly as though he were going to the gallows. And the said Lord

Talbot rushed at him, and with his fist, which was both large and heavy,

struck him on the head, and cried.



"Ha! you thief! have you robbed a church?"



And the other cried,



"Mercy my lord! I will never do it again."



"Will you do it again?"



"No, my lord!"



"Swear then that you will never again enter a church of any kind. Swear,

villain!"



"Very good, my lord," said the other.



Then Talbot made the thief swear that he would never set foot in a

church again, which made all who were present and who heard it, laugh,

though they pitied the thief because Lord Talbot had forbidden him

the church for ever, and made him swear never to enter it. Yet we may

believe that he did it with a good motive and intention. Thus you

have heard the two judgments of Lord Talbot, which were such as I have

related to you.





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