[150] Romance of Sir Otuel. And in the Morte d'Arthur it is said, "and thus by assent of them both, they granted either other to rest, and so they set them down upon two mole hills there beside the fighting place, and either of them unlaced his helmet, and took the cold wind, for either of their pages was fast by them to come when they called to lace their harness, and to set them on again at their commandment." Morte d'Arthur. lib. 8. c. 17.
[152] Froissart, liv. 2. c. 24. This story of Froissart reminds one of Mortimer,
"When on the gentle Severn's sedgy bank, In single opposition, hand to hand, He did confound the best part of an hour In changing hardiment with great Glendower: Three times they breath'd, and three times did they drink, Upon agreement, of swift Severn's flood; Who then, affrighted with their bloody looks, Ran fearfully among the trembling reeds, And hid his crisp head in the hollow bank, Blood-stain'd with these valiant combatants." Henry IV. Part 1. Act 1. Sc. iii.
[157] Froissart, liv. 1. c. 235. 371. liv. 2. c. 152.
[158] Thus Don Quixote pleasantly says in his enumeration of chivalric qualities, "whoever possesses the science of knight errantry ought to be learned in the laws, and understand distributive and commutative justice, in order to right all mankind."
[159] Fairy Queen, book iii. canto 1. st. 3.; and Tasso, with equal attention to truth, thus describes the duty of a knight.
Premer gli alteri, e sollevar gli imbelli, Defender gli innocenti, e punir gli empi, Fian l'arti lor. La Ger. lib. 10. 76.
[163] Froissart, 1. c. 361. 2. 124. 202. 203.
[165] Fairy Queen, book ii. canto c. st. 41.
[166] Even so judicious a writer as Mr. Dunlop says, (Hist. of Fiction, vol. ii. p. 144.) that vigor of discipline was broken by want of unity of command. St. Palaye, in whom want of acquaintance with the subject is less excusable, says, "Si le pouvoir absolu, si l'unité du commandement est le seul moyen d'entretenir la vigueur de la discipline, jamais elle ne dut être moins solidement établie, et plus souvent ébranlée que du temps de nos chevaliers. Quelle confusion, en effet, ne devoient point apporter tant d'especes de chefs, dont les principes, les motifs et les interêts n'etoient pas toujours d'accord, et qui ne tiroient point d'une même source le droit de se faire obeir?" Memoires sur l'Ancienne Chevalerie, partie 5.
