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Romance and Poetry

IN the days of romance and chivalry, jewels were among the valuable objects presented to the knights, as favours, by ladies. It is stated in "Pierceforest," that at the end of one tournament the ladies were so stripped of their head attire (love-locks, jewels, etc.), that the greatest part of them were bare-headed, and appeared with their hair spread over their shoulders, "yellower than the finest gold."

Elayne, the fair maiden of Astolat, gives Sir Launcelot "a reed sleeve of scarlet, wel embroudred with grete perlys," which he wore for a token on his helmet. The Chevalier Bayard being declared victor at the tournament of Carignan, at Piedmont, refused, from extreme delicacy, to receive the award assigned to him, saying, "The honour he had gained was solely owing to the sleeve which a lady had given him, adorned with a ruby worth one hundred ducats." The sleeve was brought back to the lady, who said, "The ruby shall be given to the knight who was next in feat of arms to the chevalier; but since he does me so much honour as to ascribe his victory to my sleeve, for the love of him I will keep it all my life."