"No! you don't say so; and who's he going to fight?"
"Why the French, to be sure; all along o' the Duke of Bretagne having helped King Henry when he were in hiding there."
"Then 'tis the King of France as backs the t'other side--eh?"
"Why, 'tis the good Duchess of Burgundy, as was sister to our brave king, to be sure."
"What, she as I heard say gave that Simnel lad so much money? Well, now, she be a kind lady. But, i' faith! I'm sick o' wars. 'Tis the ruin of all our lives and fortunes; and surely we've had enough i' the past years."
"Marry! my lad, there's always a picking when knights are pricking. 'Tis wars makes poor men rich, and rich men poor, an you only know the way."
"Ay, ay, but you beant as old as I be. I've worked on Swainston Manor for a matter o' twenty-four year come next Lammas. My lord then were the great King-maker, as he were called--Old Bear and Ragged Staff. And what came to him? why, he were slain in battle at Barnet field. Then arter him, my lord were the Duke of Clarence. Well what came to him? why, all along o' being a king's brother, and not having such a good headpiece as t'other brother, he were put i' a butt o' Malmsey--so they sez, leastways--and so were drowned. And now, who's my master? why him, poor lad, as they've got mewed up i' Lunnon Tower. And all for what? because, poor lad, he's his father's son, and bears the name of Warwick, like his grandfather; and like enough he'll come to a bloody end too."[*]
[*] He was executed for trying to escape from the Tower with Perkin Warbeck, in 1498.
"Well, well, I shall be late for the sword strokes an I stop here. Are you coming, gaffer?"
"Marry am I. There'll be a sight worth seeing, I hear. Who'll win the prize to-day, think you?"
"Certes, there's not much question. 'Twill be the stout knight in the plain armour."
"That'll be known soon enough; but come along."
So saying, they walked off to the place of arms, where the tilting had taken place the previous day.
There was the same concourse of spectators, but the interest was not nearly so great as it had been the day before, the hand-to-hand encounter with swords not affording such opportunities for spectacular effect as the mounted contests.
However, there were some very fierce encounters, Sir Alain de Kervignac exchanging several hard blows with Sir John Dudley, who had recovered sufficiently to take part in the proceedings. It was unfortunate that the only combatants on the assailants' side who could fight at all on equal terms were incapacitated by the severe wounds they had received; and in order to prevent the sport becoming too tame, permission was given by the Judges to Sir Richard Cornwall and the unknown knight to meet the two Breton knights.