Page:A record of European armour and arms through seven centuries (Volume 1).djvu/41

 and that shall be your coat of arms." The Podestà rejoiced, the crest cost him only a florin, and the repainting of some targes and other accoutrements with his new blazon perhaps another florin. So, whilst the German knight kept the bear, the Bardi knight with three florins to the good and the baboon displayed on all his equipments, went his way in state to assume his high office as Podestà of Padua.

A curious question of armament forms the subject of the fifth story in the ''Cent Nouvelles nouvelles'' written about 1456. It is entitled Le duel d'aiguillette. The story in brief is this: "During that cursed and pestilent war between France and England which is not yet ended," an English man-at-arms takes a French one prisoner and sends him with a safe-conduct from the Lord Talbot to get the money for his ransom. On his way he meets an Englishman who questions him as to where he is going, so the prisoner tells him and, drawing the safe-conduct from a small box at his belt, shows it to him. The other reads it and seeing the usual stipulation that the prisoner shall travel without military harness of any kind, notices that the Frenchman still has arming points attached to his doublet, and immediately declares that he is infringing the conditions of his pass, as arming points are a part of war harness. He therefore summons him to surrender. "By my faith," says the Frenchman, "saving your grace I have not infringed it, see how unarmed I am." "Nay," says the Englishman, "by Saint John your safe-conduct is violated, surrender or I shall kill you." The poor prisoner, who had only his page with him and was all bare and defenceless, whilst the other was followed by three or four archers, surrenders and is taken off to prison. But he sends his page in haste to his captain, who marvels at the message and immediately dispatches a herald with a letter to the Lord Talbot to apprise him of the event. Talbot, hot-headed and ruthless in war, but yet a just man, has the letter read out before a number of knights and esquires and boils with wrath on learning that his safe-conduct has been disregarded. So he at once summons both parties and makes each one tell his tale. The Englishman maintains that, as one cannot arm oneself without them, arming points are a part of war harness. "Lo and behold!" exclaims Talbot, "arming points are real war harness and for that reason you have arrested a gentleman furnished with my safe-conduct! By Saint George we shall see if they are war harness." And fuming with resentment he tears two arming points from the prisoner's doublet, hands them to the Englishman and at the same time has a war sword given to the Frenchmen. Then drawing his own good sword, he cries to the Englishman, "Now defend yourself with your war harness," and to the Frenchman, "smite this villain who captured you without reason; if you spare him, by Saint George I will strike you." In