The Iron Trevet or Jocelyn the Champion

n through the crowd of peasants and bourgeois massed outside of the barriers. Until then and while witnessing the jousts and the passages of arms they had been

ore timid and brutalized ones among the vassals revolted at the thought of so crassly unequal a conflict, in which one of their class was inevitably destined to death. It was, according

s buckler hangs from his neck; his visor is up; in his hand he carries a little image of St. James, for whom the pious knight seemed to entertain a peculiar devotion. His two seconds, on horseback like himself, ride beside

of the court of the seneschal of Beauvoisis requisite in order to authorize our friend Conrad to exercise his seigniorial right over a miserable female serf in revolt?" Remembering, however, that his daughter was the betrothed of the Sire of Noi

irit of revolt among the populace, although partly broken to-day, has spread into our domains and has infested our peasants also; and that is taken by the crown

r, our righ

of the gown? Does not our class hold its rights by the right of our ancestors' swords? No,

f revenue, the minting of money in our seigniories, under the pretext that we coined fa

nt of Chivry. "Is there in the whole world any worse money than the king's. False coin

with England will soon expire. If war breaks out anew, King John will see neither a man nor a

Love that is soon to hold its sessions in Clermont, and for which I shall order the most skillful hairdressers from Paris. I am also

e we to meet the expenses of brilliant tourneys and the sumptuous displays of the Court of Lov

ger at Mazurec the Lambkin, who, at the second call of the herald, had stepped into the arena accompanied by his two seconds, Jocelyn the Champion and Adam the Devil. Mazurec, dressed in his "blaude," the ancient Gallic blouse, made of coarse cloth and of the same fabric as his hose, wore on his head a woolen cap while his wooden shoes partly hid his bare feet. Jocelyn, his second, held in his hand a s

y advice, and you stand a chance of worsting your noble robb

ds with his head down and his eyes fixed: "When I saw Aveline this morning it w

phasis and alarmed at the despondent voice of his principal. "Wher

aily torture to me," murmured the serf. "I

look at the champion, Adam the Devil nudged Mazurec with his elbow and said to him in a low voice: "Take a look at the betrothed of our seigneur.... I swear she's handsome!... That will make a pretty wedding! Hm!... Won't the two lovers be happy?" At these words, which fell like molten lead upon the bleeding wound in his heart, the va

iery and red with weeping, fastened on the betrothed of his seigneur, the haughty damosel, resplendent in attire and p

is drinking her shame and her tears. What! In order to avenge Aveline and yourself would you not ma

llowed to stop on the arena and look at the ladies, but that he was to betake himself to one of the tents in order, before the combat, to take the customary oaths wi

your lifetime ... I overheard you a mi

h a wild look, "I killed my wife with an

t Bourcy-ne

f it? How come

of the murder. You preferred to see your wife dea

the way I felt

become a serf o

this country. Caillet gave me shelter. I offered my services as a butcher to the superintendent of the seigniory of Nointel

e, as well as the Knight of Chaumontel, was to take the customary oath. Clad in his sacerd

of his seigneur and the King, it is still time. It will soon be too late. One of you is about to cross the gates of the other world. You will there find seated a God who is merciless to the pe

he has caused my misfortunes; if God is just, I shall kill

t, and outrageously slanders me. I shall prove his imposture with the intercession of our

on horseback, helmet on head, cuirass on body, sword at your side, lance in your hand, against a poor man on foot and armed

he knight of Chaumontel. "Such a common fellow a

you are not the most cowardly of two-legged hares, you will follow me on the spot behind yon

extreme joy of Jocelyn, about to accept the latter

by provoking you to a fight. Fall not into

n: "When arms in hand I shall have convicted this other varlet of imposture, I

y heaven, I shall not deprive you of the dish; and if your hang-dog face do

u from the arena," said the herald-at-arms to Jocelyn; "a sec

ix and resumed in his nasal voice: "Appellant and appellee, do you and each of you still insist that your cause is just? Do you swear on the image of the Sav

s just, I s

ec; "and I take God for my witness; bu

carries about his person either stone, or herb, or any oth

" said th

panting with rage. "Oh

cried the herald-at-arms, "the li

elyn, pale and deeply moved, said to Mazurec, while giving him his stick: "Courage!... Follow my advice ... I expect you w

ing in prison. My mother always av

ed Jocelyn pensively. "What was

nde, her eyes bla

she no ot

scar above her

sed Mazurec in his arms and said to him: "I may not at a moment like this reveal to you the cause of the double interes

you.... Kill the thief, and patience.... It will some day be our turn to laugh at the noble damosel.... Think above all of your wife ... of her last nights shame

wer to a motion from the Sire of Nointel, the marshal of the tourney gave the signal for the c

ot barefoot, clad in his blouse and holding his stick in his hands. At sight of the serf, the knight, who, out of contempt for such an adversary, had disdained to lower his visor, put the spurs to his horse, and lowering his pointed iron-headed lance, charged upon the serf certain of transfixing him then and there, and then trampling over him with his horse. But Mazurec, mindful of Jocelyn's reco

intel with indignation. "It is

with suspense and clapping their hands, despite the strictness and severity of th

ocelyn and Adam the Devil. "Courage! Kill

one hand, turned him half over backward, and with the other rubbed his eyes with the sand he had just picked up. Almost half-blinded, the noble robber dropped his lance and reins and sought to carry his hands to his eyes. Mazurec seeing the movement, put his arms around the knight, and, after a shor

e polished armor of his adversary, while the latter, finally succeeding in planting his two knees upon the serf's chest, bruised his head and face with a shower of hammer blows dealt with his iron gauntlet. His face beaten to pulp and bleeding, Mazurec pronounced once more the name of Aveline and remained motionless. Gerard of Chaumontel, who was gradually regaining his sight, not satisfied with having almost beaten the serf's face out