Sunday, July 16, 2006

Richard Beauchamp vs. Gerard Herbaumes, 1413

The first French knight clepid him in his letters le Chevalier Rouge, to whom the right name, to whom the right name is Sir Gerard Herbaumes. A seemly man, and one of the best jousters of France accounted and is one of the fifteen Frenchmen that have now late challenged fifteen Englishmen to the outrance they bearing a plate of gold for their device till their arms be done. And this day of arms with my said lord set upon the twelfth day of Christmas last, upon the which day my Lord came into the field at twelve at the clock, the fairest armed man and surest that ever was seen before that time, with a basinet on his head and visor down, for he would not be known, with an uncouthly French chaplet wrought with diverse colors and feathers upon his basinet. A fine girdle of gold large about the nether border of his plates and his spear fifteen inches large about, which was right great wonder to all the Frenchmen that ever man might wield so great timber. And when my lord sent the two shields to his fellow to choose as the purport of his letter would, which shields were of leather not as thick as the thickness of six paper leaves. And so my said lord and the French knight ran together with his spears wonder knightly. And break their spears, and either pierced the others harness, but thanked be God at the third course my lord smote down the French knight at the spear point horse and man. And so when the arms of that day were done my lord sent to the French knight a fair courser to his tent.

Landsdowne MS. No. 285 in Cripps-Day, F.H. The Tournament in France and England. London, 1918, Reprinted AMS Press, NY, 1982.

Here shows how Earl Richard on the first day that was the Twelfth day of Christmas coming to the field his face covered, a bush of ostrich feathers on his head, his horse trapped with the arms of one of his ancestors the Lord Tony. And at the third course he cast to the ground at his spear point behind the horse tail, le Chevalier Rouge. And then the Earl with his closed visor returned unknown to his pavilion. And forthwith he sent to said knight a fair courser.

Pageant of the Birth Life and Death of Richard Beauchamp Earl of Warwick K. G. 1389-1439, Dillon, Viscount, Ed. London 1914

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